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HOW MATTEO GUENDOUZI’S MIDFIELD GRIT COULD ELEVATE SUNDERLAND’S PREMIER LEAGUE CAMPAIGN

Sunderland face a massive battle with Atletico Madrid for Matteo Guendouzi. Read the latest on the £26m bid and Le Bris's reunion.

How Matteo Guendouzi’s Midfield Grit Could Elevate Sunderland’s Premier League Campaign
Will Sunderland Lose Guendouzi to Atletico Madrid

Sunderland just can’t shake off the links to Matteo Guendouzi. Word is, they’re still chasing the Lazio midfielder this month, even as Atletico Madrid—yeah, that Atletico—sniffs around too.

Guendouzi’s name keeps coming up with Sunderland lately. There’s talk that Regis Le Bris wants to make a bold move for him in January, especially since Guendouzi’s future in Italy looks shaky. Plenty of reports across Europe say Lazio might have to cash in on him soon because of money troubles, and Sunderland’s name always seems to pop up as a possible destination. Le Bris actually worked with Guendouzi before at Lorient, so there’s some history there.

Last month, nobody seemed sure if Sunderland could actually pull this off. At one point, journalist Giulio Cardone told RadioSei (with Lazialità repeating it) that Sunderland put in a bid of around £21.5 million. But Cardone also made it clear—Guendouzi wants to play in Europe if he can. In his words: “Sunderland made a significant offer for Guendouzi, worth €25 million. The first person Sarri wants to veto is the Frenchman. Guendouzi would like to go to England right now, but not to Sunderland: he wants something more.”

So what’s happening now? Honestly, Guendouzi isn’t short on options. Fenerbahce, who are in the Europa League, have been linked to, and some reports even suggested a deal was close.

But now Il Messaggero says Sunderland might still have a shot. First off, Fenerbahce’s supposed deal isn’t as far along as people think. Plus, Guendouzi is apparently open to leaving Lazio. Sunderland gets a mention again as a possible landing spot for him, but they’d have to beat out some serious competition—Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray are both in the mix.

And about Atletico: intermediaries actually flew to Spain on Saturday to see if they could get something going. Lazio, for their part, want about £26 million if they’re going to let Guendouzi go. So, it’s still up in the air, but Sunderland hasn’t given up just yet.

SCATHING VERDICT: ANGE POSTECOGLOU CLAIMS TOTTENHAM ARE "NOT A BIG CLUB" TODAY

Ange Postecoglou claims Tottenham "isn't a big club" in a scathing review of their transfer policy following Thomas Frank's sacking.

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Ange slams Spurs for "tearing it up" after 2025 trophy.

Ange Postecoglou didn’t mince words about why Tottenham keep falling short. He says the club’s refusal to really compete with the Premier League’s top spenders holds them back, simple as that.

Postecoglou got the boot last June, right after he delivered a Europa League trophy and ended a 17-year wait for silverware. Now his replacement, Thomas Frank, is out too. Tottenham sit 16th in the league, just five points clear of relegation, and they’ve got league leaders Arsenal up next. Not exactly a fun place to be.

After Frank’s sacking, Postecoglou went on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast and pretty much called out Tottenham’s whole approach. “If you look at what they spend and how they structure wages, they’re just not a big club,” he said. He saw it firsthand while trying to sign players; Tottenham just weren’t in the race for the big names.

In his first season, Postecoglou managed to get Tottenham up to fifth. But things went downhill. The next year, even with that Europa League win, they slipped to 17th. He’s convinced the club just doesn’t get what it takes to win, you have to take some risks, and they just won’t.

“I felt like the club was saying, ‘We’re one of the big boys,’ but honestly, they’re not,” he said.

Frank was Tottenham’s fifth full-time manager since Mauricio Pochettino left in 2019, even though Pochettino took them to a Champions League final. Fans are frustrated. Tottenham keep missing out on their transfer targets. Frank wanted Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest last summer, but that didn’t happen. Arsenal snatched up Eberechi Eze instead.

Postecoglou, who later had a short, rocky stint at Forest himself, thinks Frank might not have realised what he was getting into. “There’s no guarantee with any manager. They’ve had some world-class people in that job and still no real success. Why is that?” he asked. “What’s the real objective here? Did Thomas even know what he was walking into? Who knows? 

136-YEAR CURSE: BURNLEY AVOID MATCHING 1890 RECORD WITH A SENSATIONAL COMEBACK CRYSTAL PALACE 3-2 WIN

Burnley escaped a historic 136-year record! Read how Scott Parker’s men scored three in six minutes to stun Crystal Palace 3-2.

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Burnley overturn 2-0 deficit in six minutes to stun Crystal Palace

Burnley looked finished. Down 2-0 after just half an hour, with Jørgen Strand Larsen scoring his first goals for Crystal Palace, it pretty much felt like Scott Parker’s team were about to tie their old record: 17 top-flight games without a win, a streak that’s haunted them since 1890. For Burnley fans, the past three months have been brutal. Then, out of nowhere, everything flipped in six wild minutes right before halftime.

Hannibal Mejbri pulled one back. Jaidon Anthony levelled it. Then Jefferson Lerma, of all people, knocked in an own goal. Just like that, Burnley snatched only their second away win since promotion. It keeps their survival hopes alive, barely, but Parker knows they’ll need a few more miracles like this to actually stay up.

For Palace, this was a harsh wake-up call. Their big win over Brighton had just snapped a 12-game winless spell, and for a while, it looked like Oliver Glasner’s side were cruising to only their third home victory of the season, something that would’ve eased their relegation fears. But sloppy defending let Burnley right back in.

Burnley’s luck before kickoff didn’t exactly scream “comeback”. Parker had never won a league game in London as an away manager, and the team bus got stuck in traffic, pushing kick-off back by ten minutes. Palace, for their part, hadn’t lost at home to a promoted side since Sunderland thrashed them 4-0 back in 2017.

When Strand Larsen smashed in a gorgeous ball from Adam Wharton and then dived to head in Lerma’s cross after Kyle Walker messed up, it just seemed like Burnley were doomed.

But then Mejbri gave the visitors a lifeline, beating Dean Henderson with a sharp finish. Suddenly, Burnley were level. There was some debate about whether Lesley Ugochukwu handled the ball before setting up Anthony to score, but nobody could argue with the bottom corner finish – no chance for the keeper.

Then came the third: Bashir Humphreys’ header was stopped by Henderson, but Lerma could only turn the rebound into his own net. Palace trudged off at halftime to boos. Glasner sent them back out early, probably after some choice words in the dressing room.

Even with £35 million man Brennan Johnson on the pitch, Palace couldn’t break down Burnley’s defence. Daichi Kamada missed a decent chance, and Martin Dubravka’s save in stoppage time kept out Ismaïla Sarr. In the end, it was Burnley’s small but loud travelling support celebrating. Somehow, their team had pulled off a rare and badly needed win.

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