Hot Football Transfer Window Gossip: Barcelona want Spurs' top stars, United 'clear to sign Lindelof' and Wilshere to Everton?

Stanley Accrington scours the sports pages for football tittle-tattle so you don’t have to … 

After seeing former favourites Luka Modric and Gareth Bale being poached by Real Madrid in recent seasons, Tottenham fans will not be happy to hear that manager Mauricio Pochettino and midfield sensation Dele Alli are once again on LaLiga’s radars – only this time it’s Barcelona.

The FA Cup now provides a welcome chance for a rest, not excitement

The FA Cup is not what it once was. That’s been true for a long time, and obvious for almost as long. The older fans and players have a sense of nostalgia about the competition, about the best game it produced, and lament that it used to be the traditional bookend to the season. Winning the FA Cup was not as important as winning the league, but it meant something significant nonetheless. Now, it’s more of a consolation for a manager on his way out, or a way for a mid-table side to experience some fleeting success.

There have been some sensible suggestions made in order to improve it, but even these are admissions of defeat. If replays were abolished, then it would expunge one of the main traditions of the tournament, the FA Cup replay. The replay that allows a lower league side to take a top division team back to their intimidating ground, or to make a trip to a Premier League stadium, with the money that comes with it. Preserving the FA Cup by removing one of its rare qualities is, in some ways, not preserving it at all.

 

Premier League: Barcelona target Koeman ridicules speculation

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has allayed fears about him departing for Barcelona, with Luis Enrique reportedly leaving at the season's end.

Ronald Koeman has dismissed speculation suggesting he is being lined up as Luis Enrique's successor at Barcelona, insisting the rumours are "not important".

The Dutchman enjoys a strong connection with the Catalan club having spent six years of his playing career at Camp Nou, before also becoming Louis van Gaal's assistant from 1998 until 2000.

Premier League: Manchester City only behind United in terms of titles - Pep

Pep Guardiola has stressed Manchester City are only behind Manchester United when it comes to silverware, and is adamant they have at least been on par with their arch-rivals in recent years.

 

Guardiola: I am very good - but I have also been lucky

Pep Guardiola says people expect too much from him at Manchester City and believes he has been somewhat lucky in the past.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola feels his achievements at Barcelona and Bayern Munich speak for themselves, but he has acknowledged he has also been fortunate to have worked with some "astounding" players.