Liverpool.com

Jose Mourinho, the former Tottenham manager, has taken a swipe at his previous club, confessing that he "sometimes forgets" about his tenure there.

The 61-year-old was at the helm in North London for 18 months before being shown the door on the eve of the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City in April 2021. During his stint with Spurs, Mourinho led the team to victory in 44 out of 86 matches and secured Europa League soccer after succeeding Mauricio Pochettino. However, he was let go just as Spurs were gearing up to face City at Wembley - a match that could have ended their 13-year wait for a major trophy.

His departure from Spurs left a bitter taste, and Mourinho has even confessed to forgetting about his time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Now managing Fenerbahce, Mourinho was questioned about having to qualify for the Champions League through the qualifying round - an experience he initially claimed to be unfamiliar with.

But then, Mourinho recalled that he had indeed navigated three qualifying matches with Tottenham to secure their place in the Europa League group stage. Ahead of Fenerbahce's journey to Lille, Mourinho remarked: ''This is not the first time for me, it is the second time. I sometimes forget about Tottenham, that I played with them in the qualifiers.

"This is the second time this has happened to me, but it's the first time I'm starting the season in a summer month when there is a European Championship and a World Cup. This makes our job twice as difficult.

"It is difficult because you are playing official matches and the players from the European Championship return to the team in different periods. We have now carried out 40 training sessions, maybe we were able to work as a full squad in a maximum of ten. They joined the team step by step, which made our job difficult. But this is the situation we are in.

"I don't like making excuses, I always prefer to concentrate on the next match. Tomorrow, our team and the players will be better off except for Fred's absence. We are motivated for this match. 'Sometimes they ask, what is your motivation for the season, being in the Champions League or winning the league? ' saying. I always say the same thing: 'My motivation is always the next match.''

Fenerbahce will face either Slavia Prague or Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League play-off round if they beat Lille after the draw took place today. Play-off round ties will take place on August 20-21 and August 27-28.

Dele Alli's career has had a difficult time since his departure from Tottenham Hotspur in 2022. The midfielder, now 28, was once the shining star of the Premier League, breaking into the Spurs squad at just 19 after his move from MK Dons.

His dazzling performances for Spurs propelled him to stardom and earned him a regular spot on the England team. However, his career hit a rough patch towards the end of his time at Spurs, and his form hasn't improved since his loan spell at Besiktas and subsequent move to Everton.

Off-field issues have also plagued Dele, who courageously opened up about his troubled past in a 2023 interview with Gary Neville. He spoke candidly about childhood abuse, drug dealing, and his struggle with sleeping pill addiction.

The decline in his career is as dramatic as his initial rise to fame as a teenager. But there's hope yet for a comeback, with the midfielder frequently sharing updates on his fitness journey via social media.

Dele inked a two-and-a-half year contract with Everton in January 2022, which has now come to an end. During this period, he only managed to make 13 appearances and he has not played for the Toffees since August 2022.

Currently without a club, Dele has accepted an offer from Everton to continue training at their Finch Farm base as pre-season preparations for the 2024/25 Premier League season kick off.

Everton manager Sean Dyche has maintained contact with the player and extended the invitation for him to join the squad for pre-season training. Director of Football, Kevin Thelwell, stated: "Dele's contract is coming to an end, but our medical team will continue to support him while he completes the intensive rehabilitation program he is currently undergoing following the operation he had earlier this year.

"Both Sean and I agree it is important we ensure Dele's rehabilitation is not impacted by his contract situation at such a critical point in his recovery."

Tottenham Hotspur is on the brink of securing a massive new matchday shirt sleeve sponsorship deal, which is anticipated to be unveiled as early as this month, according to football. london. And it's a leaf out of Liverpool's book.

The North London club's shirt sleeve partnership with Cinch was originally set to span five years after being inked in 2021, but the online car-selling firm is thought to have opted for an early exit from its sponsorship obligations, mirroring its actions with its Scottish Premiership Football League deal.

This premature departure appears to have played into Spurs' hands, who will now capitalize on escalating sponsorship valuations. In fact, it is deep into negotiations to finalize a matchday shirt sleeve agreement with a new partner. This deal is expected to significantly surpass the $12.8 million per annum it was pocketing from the Cinch agreement, with an announcement likely in the upcoming weeks.

Sponsorship deals have taken center stage recently as they aid clubs in adhering to the Profit and Sustainability Rules, enabling them to splash out more during transfer windows without breaching the stricter Financial Fair Play regulations. These rules have resulted in fines and point deductions this season, with further penalties looming.

Tottenham was previously in preliminary talks with the SA Tourism arm of the South African government about sponsorship, including its shirt sleeves. However, these discussions didn't make it through the rounds of approval within that country.

Reports from South Africa in February last year suggested a three-year deal worth just under 911 million rand, which would have been $54.35 million with the exchange rate at that time (it would be worth $3.84 million less with today's rate). This would have made the new deal worth more than $17.9 million a year.

Earlier this month, Spurs announced a new three-year training wear sponsorship deal with BetMGM, reportedly worth $12.8 million a year. Despite Premier League clubs agreeing to remove gambling logos from matchday shirts from the 2026/27 season onwards, they will still be permitted on training wear, sleeve sponsorship, and advertising around their stadium and training grounds.

However, fans won't see either BetMGM or the new shirt sleeve sponsors on the merchandise they purchase. As with both their new home and away Nike kits launches this month, Spurs stated: "For the 2024/25 season, all of our kits will be sold without the sleeve partner logo, and our training range will be sold without the training wear partner logo. These are excluded from retail inventory for the coming season."

Tottenham would struggle 'immensely' to construct their stadium for $1.5bn (£1.2bn/€1.4bn) in today's market - a stark indicator of the escalating construction costs Newcastle United could encounter with any potential revamp of St James' Park.

This insight comes from Jonathan Turner, a non-executive director at Spurs, following the club's initial $320m (£250m/€260m) stadium design and plan that ultimately cost nearly five times that amount. The outcome?

Spurs now proudly own the Premier League's second largest stadium, almost double the capacity of the former White Hart Lane, and they've certainly capitalized on it. In fact, during the 2022/23 season, Spurs raked in $150 (£118/€140) in match income.

It's worth noting that the cheapest adult season ticket at Spurs has since skyrocketed to a staggering $Xm (£856/€Xm), but the club does provide some of the top-tier stadium facilities in the country, boasting Europe's longest bar and an in-house microbrewery.

Moreover, Spurs have transformed the stadium into a versatile venue: Beyonce's five-night stint last summer set the record for the highest-grossing concert ever hosted by a female artist at the time; the arena is the official UK home of the NFL and features the world's first F1 branded electric karting experience; and the club is even constructing a 180-room hotel to bolster their conference and events business.

Turner highlighted the significance of Tottenham's stadium as a key asset in competing financially with wealthier clubs, describing it as one of Spurs' 'central pieces' in a PSR (Premier Sports Resources) context. He pointed out the challenge Newcastle faces, while CEO Darren Eales has emphasized the importance of being 'smart to try to grow our revenue streams'.

The Magpies are currently developing a new fan zone that will be open all week and have expressed a desire to remain at St James' Park. They've engaged top architects to explore possibilities for the complex city centre location.

Eales has made it clear that 'no conclusions' have been drawn yet, with the club's comprehensive stadium feasibility study expected to be finalized this summer.

It's widely acknowledged that expanding or rebuilding a stadium in the current economic environment would be an expensive endeavor. However, Newcastle's ownership has the financial capacity to potentially fund such a project.

In contrast, Spurs executive director Donna-Maria Cullen has admitted to undertaking their stadium project with 'limited finances'. Turner provided more insight into Tottenham's approach, stating: "The stadium was financed through internally generated cash flow and also through debt," during his conversation with the Business of Sport, adding that "The debt is on a very long-term basis."

"A lot of it is held by pension funds and other institutions who are comfortable holding long-term debt. The stadium was built in a low-interest rate environment. That may be lucky. We have a fixed rate on the vast majority of that. The service cost of the debt and the long-term nature of debt was an incredible financing package that would not be available today."

"It would be incredibly hard to build the stadium today for the cost that it was built....if you were going to do it today, construction costs are higher. Inflation is higher. The cost of interest is higher. It was pretty hard to do in the first place, but I think it would be a harder exercise."

Earlier, Amanda Staveley confessed that Newcastle absolutely needs to invest in refurbishing St James' to make it 'fit for purpose'. Assuring their support, Newcastle City Council has pledged to back the club as much as possible to ensure that the Magpies stay put in the future.

Liverpool have been told they will need to fork out $82million (£65m/€76m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace this summer. The Reds are one of many teams to be linked with the England international, who impressed during the recent 1-0 victory over Serbia to kickstart Euro 2024.

It's no secret that the club is in desperate need of reinforcements at left center-back, with Virgil van Dijk the only senior player amongst the squad who can operate in the role. Several names such as Chelsea's Levi Colvill and Sporting Club de Portugal's Goncalo Inacio have been touted as possible targets - but a move is yet to materialize.

Guehi is the latest name to be linked with a move to Anfield, with his strong showing against Serbian powerhouse Aleksandar Mitrovic on Sunday outlining why so many clubs are interested in the player. As well as Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have been credited as possible landing destinations for Guehi, who left Stamford Bridge in 2021 in search of first team opportunities.

However, all teams will encounter a tough stumbling block in completing the deal, with the Eagles set to remain firm on the valuation that has been set. According to The Times, Palace will start the bidding at $82 million for Guehi, who currently has two years left on his deal at Selhurst Park.

Center-backs capable of playing on the left side of defense are in high demand this summer, with United also said to be tracking Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite as Erik ten Hag looks to bolster his options within defence. The Red Devils have already seen a bid in the region of $44m (£35m/€41m) rejected by Sean Dyche's side.

Everton value the player closer to the $88m (£70m/€82m) mark, which will only strengthen Guehi's value given his performances on the international stage.

Palace also finished the 2023/24 season well under new boss Oliver Glasner, winning six of the final seven games, and does not want to lose several key players ahead of the next campaign. Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are also attracting interest from across the globe, with release clauses inserted in both of their respective contracts.

Tottenham has published its released list, and Liverpool will be familiar with one name from its Premier League rival, having once sought a transfer move.

All the latest news from Liverpool's rivals as Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou makes a decision on the Liverpool role and Mikel Arteta provides a double Arsenal injury update