Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has heaped praise on a star who the north Londoners are apparently targeting for £30 million this summer.
Spurs suffer humiliating defeat at Fulham
Just one week after they sealed an all-important 4-0 victory away to Aston Villa, in one of Spurs' best second-half displays of the season, the follow-up to such an imperious showing was one of real disappointment.
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Ange Postecoglou's side could hardly have been in a better mood heading into their trip across London to Craven Cottage, but Fulham seriously upset the applecart by putting Tottenham to the sword.
A brace from Rodrigo Muniz and Sasa Lukic's strike rounded off an evening to forget for Postecoglou, who also watched his side end their run of 39 consecutive league games getting on the score sheet.
Luton Town (home)
March 30th
West Ham (away)
April 2nd
Nottingham Forest (home)
April 8th
Newcastle United (away)
April 13th
Man City (home)
April 20th
Fulham are the first side to keep a clean sheet against Spurs in the Premier League since early last year, and the result has put a very real dent in the club's top-four hopes with Villa now holding all the cards mathematically again.
“It was a disappointing night for us," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's defeat to Fulham.
“To be fair to the players, it’s the first time this year where I’ve felt, especially in the second half, that we just didn’t [compete well enough]. We’re in the position we are because every week we’ve been really, really competitive in every aspect of the game and even in our losses I’ve felt like we’ve hit certain markers in terms of our endeavour and competitiveness and I thought that it was missing today and that was disappointing.”
Regardless of whether they seal a place in the Champions League group stage pot for next season, reports suggest Postecoglou will get the full backing from Spurs in the transfer market to keep building his side.
The Australian's debut campaign in the dugout has been relatively successful, as his brand of attacking football wins plenty of admirers and makes him a popular addition after Antonio Conte.
Spurs reportedly want to sign a new midfielder for Postecoglou this summer, and one name who continues to do the rounds is Chelsea star Conor Gallagher.
The 24-year-old, a pivotal member of Chelsea's starting XI, is set to leave next year for nothing as things stand. This could hand Tottenham an opportunity to bring him in for cheaper than market value, and there have been suggestions that Spurs are keen to do a £30m deal for Gallagher later in the year.
Mauricio Pochettino praises "quality" Conor Gallagher
Speaking to the press, former Spurs boss Pochettino heaped praise on Gallagher before Chelsea take on Leicester City in the FA Cup today.
“He needs to keep performing and keep this commitment always as it’s one of his best skills," said Pochettino, who publicly endorsed the Tottenham target.
“He has the capacity to always be ready to fight, to commit, to help and then showing his quality. Yes, he needs to keep believing and trying to improve in this way."