According to Belgian paper la Dernière Heure, José Mourinho has identified a Belgian player who would be an ideal recruit for his Tottenham revolution – and it’s Marouane Fellaini. Apparently after playing for Shandong Luneng Taishan in their defeat to Shanghai Shenhua in Friday’s China Cup final second leg, the elbow-swinging midfielder “received a call that would have been a balm to his heart” – from Mourinho himself. “The Portuguese coach would like to bring our compatriot back to the Premier League,” they write, “and has made the move a priority for his first transfer window at Tottenham, particularly given that there is nobody currently at the club with a similar profile … This is the beginning of what could be the great drama of this winter window.” They go so far as to describe Fellaini as “Mourinho’s special one”, though whether Spurs fans will view the 31-year-old’s potential arrival quite so tenderly remains to be seen.
Fellaini’s first English club, Everton, have drawn up a shortlist for their vacant managerial position that includes David Moyes, Mauricio Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti and Eddie Howe (according to the Mail) as well as Leonardo Jardim, Marcelino and Ralf Rangnick (the Times) and the Ajax coach Erik ten Hag (the Mirror), but everyone agrees that the name at the top of it belongs to Vitor Pereira. His current employers, Shanghai SIPG, are apparently attempting to negotiate an extension to his contract as they try to head off interest from both Everton and Arsenal. Niko Kovac, the former Bayern Munich manager, was at Goodison Park on Saturday to watch Everton and plans to be at the London Stadium tonight to watch Arsenal.
With Kwadwo Asamoah troubled by long-term knee problems and it being “unimaginable to rely only on Cristiano Biraghi”, Internazionale are looking for someone who “can bring great energy to the left flank” – and they think the ideal man is Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport. Apparently he could be “the right man in the right place” – the place in question being the extreme fringes of another team’s squad. Of Chelsea’s last six league games, Alonso spent one on the bench and the most recent five out of the squad altogether, and with Chelsea free to make signings next month, Antonio Conte is hopeful of reuniting with the Spanish full-back. The Nerazzurri play Barcelona on Tuesday, and Spanish papers Sport and Mundo Deportivo both expect the two clubs to use the opportunity to have a cosy chat about the futures of Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic, one of whom could move to Milan next month.
Norwich have slapped a £50m price tag on Ben Godfrey, who is being monitored by “a number of Europe’s top sides” including Borussia Dortmund and Lyon, according to the Athletic. “Tottenham and Arsenal are also keeping an eye on his progress,” they add, but Norwich believe Godfrey “has many of the attributes required to become an elite defender, including exceptional speed and temperament”, and thus will only let him leave if they are recompensed by a truly enormous quantity of cash.
