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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu this summer and his arrival in north London could push Daniel Levy to finally get rid of academy flop Harry Winks.

Could Spurs sign Kokcu?

According to a report from the Netherlands, Spurs have already held talks with the 22-year-old but will face competition from a number of top Premier League sides including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

One major factor in the transfer could be the future of Spurs manager target Arne Slot, who delivered the Eredivisie title at Feyenoord this season and has a lot of suitors in the Premier League as a result, with Kokcu surely interested in the prospect of following his manager to England this summer.

The report suggests that the Turkey international could cost around €40m (£35m) this summer but it is clear from the performances this season that new signings are necessary if Spurs are going to re-establish themselves as top-four contenders under the new manager.

Would Kokcu be a big upgrade at Spurs?

The injury concerns of Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma this season have highlighted a lack of squad depth in midfield, with Oliver Skipp forced to partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park for much of the season.

It was decided at the start of the campaign that academy graduate Winks was now surplus to requirements in north London and he was sent to Sampdoria on loan, where he has once again struggled to have much impact, contributing no goals and no assists in 19 Serie A appearances, with a woeful 6.45 average rating from WhoScored.

By comparison, Kokcu played a vital role in Feyenoord's title win, contributing eight goals and two assists in 30 appearances, with a superb 7.35 rating from WhoScored which is only bettered by Harry Kane in Spurs' squad.

It is no surprise, therefore, that Dutch journalist Dennis Kranenburg would dub Kokcu "Champions League level" and given that Spurs could very easily miss out on European football altogether, he is exactly the quality of player that will be required to help them push back up the table.

With Winks still having a year to run on his contract in north London, Levy must realise that Kokcu would be a significant upgrade and use the departing midfielder's wages on a new signing instead.

Indeed, the latter registered far more shots (2.6 vs 0.6), key passes (2.7 vs 0.7) and passes (71.7 vs 45.4) per game than the Englishman has managed in Italy.

The arrival of a quality midfielder such as Kokcu would hopefully prove to be the catalyst in getting rid of Winks permanently before his contract expires, as Spurs must look to move on some of their deadwood if they are to progress as a club.

Tottenham Hotspur have Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou on their wanted list to take over as manager this summer, according to a recent report from Football Insider.

What's the latest Tottenham manager news?

Journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke has recently claimed he would like to see Ruben Amorim or Roberto De Zerbi take over at Tottenham, as they would be akin to the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, however there are other options available for the board.

Spurs are set for talks with Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, according to De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen, although he clarifies the club will speak with three or four managers, also name-checking Julian Nagelsmann and Pochettino.

Postecoglou has been linked with a move to N17 as far back as March, and there could be a growing possibility he is tempted by a move to the capital, according to a new report.

As per Football Insider, Celtic are now fearful their manager has already to decided to join a Premier League club this summer, having impressed top-flight teams with his transformation of the Glasgow side over the past two seasons.

The Australian's in-depth knowledge of the Japanese and Asian markets has caught the eye of a number of English clubs, with Tottenham placing him on their wanted list, while there could also be competition for his signature from Leeds United.

The report also details the Scottish side are not well-protected from a potential raid, as the Spurs managerial target is still on the 12-month rolling contract he signed when he initially arrived at Celtic Park.

Should Tottenham appoint Ange Postecoglou?

There is no denying the Athens-born tactician has done a fantastic job in Glasgow, leading them to the Scottish Premiership title in his first season in charge, and he has now won another title after his side's victory at Hearts yesterday.

That said, success in Scotland does not automatically translate to the Premier League, considering it is a much weaker league, and there are probably better options available, despite the fact the Aussie has been lauded as "incredible" by members of the media.

De Zerbi would be an exciting appointment for Spurs, having done an incredible job in his first season in the Premier League, leading his Brighton side to the FA Cup semi-final, and they are well in contention to qualify for Europe.

Having been hailed as "sensational" by the media, Amorim could also be the young, progressive coach Tottenham need to rebuild their squad, given his success with Sporting CP, winning a league title and three cup competitions.

Chelsea take on Arsenal in a mouth-watering London derby on Tuesday in a game that could have massive implications for the Premier League title race.

A win for the Gunners would see them leapfrog Manchester City at the top of the table, whilst the Blues’ only objective is to derail Arsenal’s ambitions and restore some energy back to their lifeless campaign.

It has been a miserable season for Chelsea, who currently sit in 12th in the league and are winless in their last six top-flight outings.

Therefore, with nothing to play for except pride, caretaker manager Frank Lampard is expected to name a rotated line up.

One player who has been unfairly treated in recent weeks and deserves a chance at the Emirates Stadium is Benoit Badiashile.

Should Benoit Badiashile start against Arsenal?

The centre-back was signed from Monaco for £33m in January 2023, and in an abysmal season for the club, has emerged as one of the brightest and most encouraging prospects so far.

The Frenchman has started eight Premier League games and the Blues have only conceded six goals in those outings.

After keeping a clean sheet at Anfield in just his second appearance for Chelsea, then-manager Graham Potter praised the youngster for how he settled in England.

He said: “He brings a calmness, he’s good with the ball, he’s left-footed so he gives us balance on that side.

“Attacking and defending, he’s had a solid start for us. Young player, you never know when they come into the country in a different situation, a different league, but so far he’s managed it really well.”

Potter’s complementary comments are reflected by the fact that the 21-year-old has made the third-highest clearances and interceptions per game in the squad, as well as ranking in the top 7% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries.

In such a short space of time, he has displayed himself as a confident, physical, and technically astute defender.

The potential of the £90k-per-week star has also generated extraordinary praise from those in his homeland.

Nelson Caldeira, Monaco’s former assistant, showered the prodigy in praise saying: “Benoit had tremendous talent. In fact, he was the most talented player of that Monaco generation."

Joao Tralhao, another figure who has coached Badiashile, described him as the "complete defender."

For Chelsea to have such a highly regarded player on their books is a blessing, and he must be utilised to ensure the club finishes the season in the strongest way. That begins with Arsenal on Tuesday evening.

Talksport pundit Jamie O'Hara has slammed Daniel Levy for handing Cristian Stellini the Tottenham Hotspur interim manager role for the rest of the season.

What's the latest on Cristian Stellini and Spurs?

Three months before his contract came to an end, former boss Antonio Conte agreed with Spurs it was best he left by mutual consent.

In his absence, his 48-year-old assistant manager Stellini was asked to take charge of the club until the summer, with Ryan Mason stepping up as assistant head coach.

Since then, the club haven't exactly picked up much of a new manager bounce. Indeed, the new boss has one once, drawn once, and lost once in the three Premier League games since taking over.

That loss came at home against Bournemouth on the weekend, as Tottenham shipped a late goal to lose 3-2 – which could have catastrophic consequences in their pursuit of a top-four finish.

While speaking about Stellini on Talksport, O'Hara claimed he is no different than Conte, and doesn't have a clue.

However, he laid the blame on Daniel Levy for handing the reins to the Italian, saying (0:19): “Stellini, I don't know what this guy's doing. I don't know what he keeps seeing and what he's coming out and saying, he hasn't got a clue.

"All he is is Antonio Conte’s right-hand man. He's doing exactly what Antonio Conte did, the same players, the same tactics, the same old rubbish.

“I don't know what we were thinking, thinking this was going to be a good idea until the end of the season.

"And it just sums it up. Daniel Levy, again, lets the fans down. There's an opportunity to get top four, and we've thrown it away. Absolutely thrown it away.

"Because, you know, we're just Mickey Mouse when it comes to making the right decisions.”

Why haven't Spurs hired a new manager?

After that loss on Saturday, Spurs now sit fifth in the league, three points behind Newcastle United with just seven games to go.

Worryingly, seventh-placed Brighton have two games in hand on Tottenham and are just four points behind the north London outfit.

At the time, there was some surprise in the media that Stellini had remained why Conte had left. Indeed, journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke said: “Well, it's very unusual, isn't it? Off the top of my head. I can't think of any other examples of a manager leaving and his two assistants stay in place."

Levy, however, evidently didn't feel as though there was a better immediate option from outside the club to either come in as interim or full-time manager.

The chairman clearly wants to take his time before appointing Conte's replacement but if Spurs drop out of the top four, his plan could backfire.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth believes that Tottenham-linked Mauricio Pochettino will assess his options heading into the summer.

The Lowdown: Spurs speculation

Antonio Conte’s position in north London appears to be in real jeopardy, with the Spurs squad believing it is just a matter of time until he leaves the club.

Pochettino has been linked with a return to Tottenham, should Conte depart, with Sky Sports stating in the week that many of Tottenham’s squad have already been in contact with the Argentine, who would take the job if offered it.

The 51-year-old has been out of work since the summer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, but it looks as if it could be 12 months before he makes his return to the dugout.

The Latest: Sheth’s comments

Sheth was talking to GiveMeSport regarding Spurs and Pochettino in a story shared in the last 24 hours. The Sky Sports reporter believes that the former Tottenham boss will be assessing his options ahead of the summer, name-checking Real Madrid as a potential destination should Carlo Ancelotti depart the Bernabeu:

“You’ll find that a lot of these big-name managers who Tottenham will be looking at, they tend to say, ‘I’ll just keep my powder dry until the summer, then I’ll assess all of my options’. That’s definitely the information we’re getting with regard to Mauricio Pochettino.

“He wants to assess all of his options in the summer, because, you know what, there’s another big job that could be coming around as well. There’s lots of talk about Carlo Ancelotti going from Real Madrid to the Brazilian national team come the end of the season and then suddenly, you’ve got the biggest job, you could argue in world football, for a manager available.”

The Verdict: Short-term appointment?

If Conte departs over the coming weeks, it could be worth looking at a short-term option until the end of the campaign, should Pochettino and other possible candidates be looking at a return in the summer, as Sheth claims.

London rivals Crystal Palace have done just that by bringing in Roy Hodgson for the remaining Premier League fixtures, and it seems as if Spurs have also considered a similar move, with Ryan Mason name-checked as a potential caretaker option.

Conte’s astonishing post-match Southampton rant could result in Mason taking over until the end of the season, which may help the club in their pursuit of a long-term appointment, possibly Pochettino, although Bayern Munich’s decision to sack Julian Nagelsmann has seen another possible twist, with Tottenham possibly making contact for the now available manager.

Tottenham Hotspur fell to yet another disappointing Premier League defeat yesterday, as Cristian Stellini oversaw a miserable afternoon against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It marked their third league game without Rodrigo Bentancur, who was ruled out for the foreseeable future following his injury against Leicester City. The Uruguayan will undergo ACL surgery, thus leaving a gaping hole in the engine room alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The Denmark international had struck up a fine partnership with the 25-year-old, so to break them apart will only scupper their top-four hopes further.

This defeat to the Old Gold represented a missed opportunity to capitalise on Newcastle United’s loss, and they must find a solution for their midfield vacancy to avoid dropping more points in their race to retain Champions League football once again.

Who could replace Bentancur at Spurs?

Whilst Oliver Skipp has deputised over the last few games, Pape Matar Sarr is the outstanding candidate for Stellini and Antonio Conte to be Bentancur’s long-term successor going into the new season.

He boasts the energy and quality that differentiates him from Hojbjerg, whereas the English midfielder does not. The 27-year-old records an 89% pass accuracy per game, and acts as more of a deep-lying playmaker alongside his 80.9 touches per game, via Sofascore.

The Senegalese youngster was thrown into the deep end to face AC Milan last month and showed poise and maturity beyond his youth. He earned a 7.1 rating for that display, making 77 touches, one key pass and maintaining an 83% pass accuracy. This was underpinned by a mammoth five tackles too according to Sofascore.

Journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor was full of expectation for Sarr upon his return from a loan spell, as he took to Twitter to claim: “There’s so much ability there.”

With just eight senior appearances under his belt for the Lilywhites, if he is to replace their injured stalwart then the end of this season represents a fine opportunity to build up his confidence in the first team.

When compared to other midfielders across Europe, the 20-year-old ranks in the top 1% for interceptions and the top 14% for tackles, whilst surprisingly also in the top 15% for assists, via FBref.

All the attributes are there for Sarr to star for Spurs and put to bed their injury woes as they enter the business end of the season.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly not expected to make James Sands’ loan move a permanent one this summer.

The Lowdown: 18-month loan

Rangers signed Sands on an 18-month loan deal in January 2022, which will expire in the summer.

There was plenty of excitement when he initially signed, with manager at the time Giovanni van Bronckhorst calling him a ‘talented young player’, and sporting director Ross Wilson said that he has ‘brilliant’ character, personality and leadership qualities.

However, Sands has been limited to just 13 starts in the Scottish Premiership.

The Latest: Permanent move unlikely

As per Football Insider, the Gers are not expected to make Sands’ loan deal into a permanent one this summer.

There have been no talks between him and the club over his future, with the buy option in his contract thought to be £4m.

The Teddy Bears see this as a ‘huge outlay’, and if they signed him, they would have to move away from other targets.

The Verdict: Move on

While Sands was initially seen as a signing of promise, he has not really lived up to expectations.

The USA international has been criticised for some of his performances this season, while Rangers hero Brian Laudrup has even gone as far as to claim that he is ‘error-prone’.

Nonetheless, Sands has not been able to cement a regular starting place since his arrival, playing only two minutes in the 3-0 win away at Livingston in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon, and so Michael Beale’s side can afford to let him go.

Phil Hay has revealed that Michael Skubala has simplified everything at Leeds United since Jesse Marsch was sacked.

The Lowdown: Skubala is Leeds’ final hope

Things never really seemed to click into gear for Marsch at Elland Road with the American boss managing to win just 11 games during his short but sweet tenure as a Premier League boss.

Therefore, when Skubala was trusted to take the reigns at Leeds he will have known that something ended to change, although that doesn’t always need to be something elaborate and over the top.

Instead, it appears as though Skubala has gone the other direction and made things a lot simpler and more straightforward for his group of players according to Hay.

The Latest: Tactics now simpler for Leeds players

While speaking on The Phil Hay Show the Athletic journalist has admitted Skubala wants his players to understand all of his instructions having made it very simple for them to follow tactics on the training ground.

He said: (29:00) “I’ve been asking quite a lot about what’s Skubala’s doing and what way is he approaching this and everything that’s getting said seems to be simplification.

“I mean Marsch didn’t have the same training week that Bielsa did, Bielsa’s training weeks were hugely intense and never really eased off, never really a gap and never really a break and long analysis sessions and for a long time worked effectively.

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“Marsch’s weeks tended to be a lot more structured that two days before a game it would be fairly low-key, fairly gentle to let the player’s legs recover a bit more, some sessions were purely on set pieces and the analysis wasn’t as in-depth or as longwinded as some of Bielsa’s.

“It sounds like Skubala has simplified all of that again, it’s not the case of doing the bare minimum as in tossing it off, it’s a case of I think trying not to overcomplicate things with the players and trying to make it as basic and simple a plan and a stay as possible so that ideally it works as quickly as possible.”

The Verdict: Season-defining period for Leeds

It will be interesting to see how the Leeds players respond from a more simple approach to tactics and instructions as they may well take it as an insult to their intelligence and ability or may well feel this benefits given the situation they find themselves in.

While fans may well be happy with Skubala in charge given he picked up a point against Manchester United, it’s one thing getting results when there’s no pressure on you as an interim manager compared to when you’re the main man for the foreseeable future.

Skubala will certainly feel the pressure this weekend as he takes his Leeds side to face an Everton outfit that won their last home game against Arsenal, so his tactical nouse will certainly be tested against Sean Dyche.

Glasgow Rangers have managed to secure deals for Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin this month as Michael Beale looks to assert his own stamp on the first-team squad at Ibrox, and with less than 24 hours to go until the transfer deadline, there could yet be more incomings.

The Premiership club have recently been linked with a move for Anderlecht youngster Noah Sadiki, who is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, and the Belgian could fit into Beale’s philosophy of moving for players who are still developing and could be sold for a high profit further down the line.

There could well be a good omen with a move for Sadiki, with Raskin also joining the club, as the last time that Rangers signed a Belgian player during the winter transfer window, they overturned a January deficit to Celtic and eventually went on the win the league title.

That was in January 2005, when Alex McLeish signed Thomas Buffel from Feyenoord, and he went on to play an integral part in the Light Blues claiming their 51st championship crown.

He scored four goals in 15 matches during the second half of the 2004/05 campaign and secured the title on the final day of the season as Celtic lost away to Motherwell. Although a nine-point deficit this time around could prove too much to claw back, the Ibrox faithful will be clinging on to any omen or bit of fortune which comes their way.

Sadiki might not have the same impact as Buffel, but the “highly talented” teenager – as dubbed by Jacek Kulig – still has the potential to enjoy a bright future in Glasgow.

This season, the 18-year-old has registered one assist and created two big chances, averaging 0.3 key passes per match and succeeding with 67% of his dribble attempts from either a right-back or right-wing position.

His versatility could be an added bonus for Beale, and despite his lack of experience at the top level, there is no reason to doubt that the youngster couldn’t gain some minutes during the second half of the season for Rangers.

Signing Buffel in 2005 proved to be a masterclass as McLeish led his side to a dramatic title triumph which is still talked about to this day, but if Beale secures a move for Sadiki and the club wins the Premiership crown this year, it could well eclipse the legendary ‘Helicopter Sunday’.

Arsenal are waiting for an update on their enquiry over Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has claimed.

What’s the word?

The Gunners are eyeing up another attacker after missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk, and Diaby could have been a signing for the short and long term.

A recent update has stated that Arsenal look set to sign Leandro Trossard from Brighton, which may put an end to their January pursuit of the Frenchman, but they could still return for the 23-year-old in the summer window.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Sheth revealed that no answer had been given to Arsenal’s previous enquiry yet.

He said: “Arsenal are waiting for a response from Bayer Leverkusen over their enquiry for Moussa Diaby.”

A long-term goalscorer

If Diaby does join within the next two windows, he could provide cover across the attacking line, as well as inject goals into the Arsenal side.

Over the past year, Diaby ranks in the top 11% of wingers in Europe’s top competitions for non-penalty goals (as per FBref) and has scored six times in 15 Bundesliga matches this season.

He would be competing with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli and would raise the standard of depth in attack, as having even one of them on the bench would add serious firepower as a substitute.

He was once described as “incredibly dangerous” by striker Nils Petersen and could help Arsenal compete on multiple fronts as well as reduce their reliance on Saka and Martinelli, as both players have started every Premier League match this season.

Should he join, Arsenal would be set up for the next few years in attacking areas, with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in the squad as well.

However, amid the Trossard reports, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal have already moved on to other targets for now.