FOREST MAKE BIG CALL ON ANGE POSTECOGLOU BEFORE CHELSEA
Ange Postecoglou is expected to stay as Nottingham Forest manager despite a poor start with no wins in seven games. Owner Evangelos Marinakis is reportedly assessing his position during the break.
Ange Postecoglou's tenure at Nottingham Forest has started poorly, but it appears that he will stay in his position.
Nuno Espirito Santo was replaced as Tottenham's manager last month, and the former manager has lost all seven of his games in charge.
After Forest's 3-2 Europa League loss to Midtjylland, where Forest supporters screamed, "You are getting terminated in the morning," the team was easily defeated 2-0 by Newcastle at St James' Park.
Postecoglou's debut game as manager was away to Arsenal, where Forest was soundly defeated 3-0. Shortly after, they lost 3-2 to Swansea of the Championship in the League Cup.
Omar Alderete scored the game-winning goal as Sunderland defeated them 1-0 at the City Ground after draws with Burnley and Real Betis.
According to reports, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is evaluating the Australian's status during the current international break. The Greek is a fan of Fulham manager Marco Silva, who was employed at Olympiacos under Marinakis' ownership.
But any deal for Silva would be expensive, and Fulham would have to pay a hefty compensation fee if Forest decided to use the Portuguese in place of Postecoglou.
Postecoglou is expected to stay in his job for Forest's upcoming match against Chelsea after the international break.
One explanation for that might be the dearth of managers Marinakis now has on hand; Forest is rumoured to be looking for a head coach with both continental competition expertise and experience in a top-five European league.
Additionally, during his time at Forest, Marinakis has always looked for managers who fit his requirements and are unemployed rather than moving for a manager who is under contract elsewhere.
Therefore, that might buy Postecoglou some time as he gets his team ready for their next Premier League and Europa League trips to Chelsea and Porto before they head to the Dorset coast to play in-form Bournemouth.
CONOR GALLAGHER CONFIRMED AS "VITAL" STARTER FOR SPURS FOLLOWING BENTANCUR’S INJURY LAYOFF
Conor Gallagher proved the doubters wrong against Man City. Discover why his €40m move to Tottenham is finally paying off for Spurs.
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid both decided Conor Gallagher wasn’t worth the trouble. At Chelsea, he had his moments—Pochettino liked him, but the fans never really warmed up. When Chelsea shipped him off to Atletico, it made sense. Enzo Fernandez stepped up, took over Gallagher’s role, and fit in perfectly next to Caicedo, with Cole Palmer adding that extra spark up front.
Things didn’t get much better for Gallagher in Spain. He barely got a chance at Atleti, lost his spot in the starting eleven, and pretty much ended up on the transfer list before anyone had time to blink. Interest was lukewarm at best until the winter window rolled around. Aston Villa wanted him and went after him pretty aggressively, but then Tottenham swooped in late. Spurs needed someone to patch up the midfield after Bentancur’s injury, so they just paid up—40 million euros, no hesitation.
His start at Tottenham? Rough. Honestly, that was to be expected. He’d played well at Palace before, but after his struggles at Atleti, he needed time to adjust. Sitting on the bench in Spain didn’t do him any favours.
Then Gallagher showed up. People doubted whether he could really add creativity and move the ball forward for Spurs, so his early struggles got people worried. But then came the 2-2 draw against Manchester City. He suddenly looked like the player both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank were so desperate to sign.
Against City, Gallagher flipped the script. He set up a crucial assist, drove play forward on the dribble, and kept drawing fouls—everything the Spurs needed. Defensively, he was all over the place in a good way: two tackles, three interceptions, a full 90 minutes, and a huge part of the Spurs clawing their way back into the game.
Tottenham fans loved it. They saw the effort, the attitude, and the hunger to win. Gallagher just wouldn’t quit, and in that second half, he, Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke ran the show. Four of those guys have been carrying Spurs lately, so Gallagher is fitting right in with them. That’s a pretty good sign he’s going to work out just fine in North London.
AC MILAN MEDICAL FAILURE: THE HIDDEN KNEE INJURY THAT CRUSHED MATETA’S £30M MOVE
Jean-Philippe Mateta's £30m move to AC Milan is OFF. Discover why a failed medical has put his France World Cup dreams in jeopardy.