Tottenham Weekend rumor feed: Boro, Zaniolo, Pochettino, and more

Hi friends. It was a long weekend and honestly I didn’t write much because it was pretty much a nonstop wall of low wall when it came to Tottenham Hotspur newsletter. Like (I assume most of you), I am only human and need to disconnect from time to time.

But the news doesn’t stop just because I need a mental break for a few days. There have been some transfer updates and news starting since Friday, so this seems like a good time, rather than posting individual articles, let’s put them together in a quick recap.

So – here’s the weekend gossip report. Hopefully it covers most non-nonsense stuff, and maybe a little nonsense too.

Pedro Burrow

No, there is still no major progress on the transfer of Pedro Porro from Sporting to Tottenham, but things seem to be getting closer little by little. Sporting’s position facing the public is that they want the €45m buyout clause up front. Tottenham seem ready to get close to that but are trying to structure it so that there are some incentives that can be paid in over time. Sporting were stubborn but they were still talking and Boro now seemed to want a move to London. This gives me some hope that this one will cross the line, though it could go down to the wire.

Nicholas Zaniolo

It seems Tottenham have always been linked with Nicolo Zaniolo (I think it was before he was even born) but rumors have really swirled over the past couple of days. The last one is that Zaniolo apparently wants to leave Rome (Who doesn’t want an IMO) And the club is ready to sell him, but there are some hold ups to any potential deal.

Tottenham want a loan with an option as a hedge in case Zaniolo’s surgically repaired knees lower his performances more than he thought. Roma want a loan with commitment so you don’t have to worry about getting it back this summer.

Zaniolo has some strange stats and plays tactics developed by a soccer terrorist, but he’s upped his shots by a huge margin this year. He’s not a useless creative midfielder, but he’s definitely a midfielder who can shoot at your will, so if you look over your head and stare you can see a situation where this could be a good thing for Tottenham. Keep an eye on this rumor, because it looks like it’s likely to pass eventually.

Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino

This is a two-part rumor related to possible choices and circumstances. First, there are several reports that Conte, who has admitted to having a difficult year with mental health after the deaths of three close friends and the return of his family to Italy, He asked Tottenham to put his contract talks on hold Even closer to the end of the season. The idea is that he wants to focus on turning the season around, and seeing if he’ll be backed up in January Transfer window before deciding if he wanted to return for another season.

This puts the club in a serious bind, and doesn’t really do anything to calm the nervous fans who are worried he will explode, or the Spurs brass who might be willing to send him out straight if Spurs don’t turn things around against Fulham tomorrow or FA cup Match at Preston on the weekend. So, in a sense, nothing has changed – Tottenham are stuck in the space between supporting their current manager who may or may not want to be here and setting the stage for who will be next.

All this sets the stage for the SUPER JUICY rumors presented by Marco Conterio: It seems that Daniel Levy is already negotiating with Mauricio Pochettino to replace Conte. It makes sense on one level – we know Levy is working on contingency plans and would love to have his managerial replacements (quietly) line up before sacking his current boss.

However – and I’m going to put this in bold – Marco Conterio is by no means a reliable source on these matters. On the writer’s Slack he’s been referred to as a “huge bullshit artist” and while it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Pochettino ended up being Tottenham’s coach once and in the future, honestly the guy doesn’t get any credit from me for being the first person to read more papers clear tea. Wait for it to be reported by someone trusted like Dan Kilpatrick, Alasdair Gold, or someone at The Athletic.

Babi Matar Sar

Here’s a snapshot from Department of Nah, Pass: A rumor from Spain (provided by Matteo Moretto) indicates that Espanyol have made an official offer to loan Pape Matar Sarr until the end of the season.

Sarr was a player we wanted to loan before the World Cup because it looked like he wasn’t going to get any first-team minutes under Antonio Conte. However, Conte was given a good chance to work with after returning from Qatar, and Sarr turned that into several good back-up performances and even a start in the North London derby. He appears to have worked his way into Conte’s plans and while anything can happen in the final week of the window, I think he will stay at Tottenham.

Harvey White

Not the best of sources and you have to take that into account a lot, but there’s a Football Insider “exclusive” that points out Blackpool have offered to take Harvey White, a graduate of the Tottenham Academy, on loan. Conte has raved about White over the past few months, praising his ability to take directions, his work-rate in training, and his ability to play in a range of different situations. Case in point: in the absence of Harry Kane, White stepped out of his usual midfield role and played a false 9 in Tottenham’s first post-World Cup mid-season friendlies.

White needs a loan. It could be a great training ground but Conte doesn’t think he’s ready for minutes in the Premier League, so a move to the Championship would make a lot of sense. Tottenham have not yet made a decision on letting him go. They should let him leave completely.