Sports Burst - The Power of Pochettino
Tottenham set for sensational triple deal deadline day headed by the arrival of Paolo Dybala
By Tim Stannard
Spurs suddenly go transfer crazy with three deadline day deals for Dybala, Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon.
Getting through to the Champions League final without having spent a cent in 18-months finally seems to have plonked Mauricio Pochettino at the big table at Tottenham.
Just days after complaining that he didn't know who was being signed at the club and he was merely a putting-out-cones trainer, the Argentinean seems to be the focal point of all the day's signings in the Premier League.
Thursday is the last day - and 12PM ET is the hour - when players can come into the league (unless they are out of contract) and Spurs are busy bees indeed.
The number one deal of the day involves the signing of Juve's Paulo Dybala whose agent appears to be Cristiano Ronaldo, such is the enthusiasm that Portuguese poacher has to see the Argentinean move on. Reportedly all terms have been agreed with Dybala and Juventus aside from the opaque issue of image rights.
Tottenham are working on three deals at the same time. Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso is also due for a medical while Fulham's wondrous winger Ryan Sessegnon is also in the waiting room.
Elsewhere, Romelu Lukaku is on Milan to sign for Inter and David Luiz is swapping Chelsea for Arsenal.
A special edition of the Sports Burst live show will wrap up of all this is a tidy bundle. Just go to our beIN SPORTS USA Facebook page at 12PM ET / 9AM PT.
Valverde says that he is counting on Coutinho
Not that it may be up to the Barcelona boss in the first place, but Ernesto Valverde has put the blocks down on the metaphorical wheels of Philippe Coutinho leaving the Camp Nou in this transfer window. Rumors over the past two days had the footballer leaving for both Arsenal and Tottenham on loan.
Speaking after Barcelona's 2-1 victory over Napoli in Miami on Wednesday night, Valverde said that he was counting on the footballer this season - "he is with us and we cannot think that he won't be."
Valverde was also probed on the topic of Neymar going to Real Madrid as reported on Wednesday and also Barcelona.
This was not the first time the Neymar topic had come into Valverde's life this summer. "It's a topic that it is going to keep on following me," said a weary Valverde with an accurate prediction on the very near future.
"I don't know what's going to happen," he added.
Sports Burst has the inkling that it might well involve that whole 'counting on Coutinho' for the next season concept not quite coming to pass.
Carlo Ancelotti pointlessly calls for end to James Rodriguez talk
Ernesto Valverde was not the only complaining coach in Miami. Napoli's Carlo Ancelotti was also feeling the pain of a probing press who have been hounding him all summer about the potential signing of two particular players.
"There's too much James Rodriguez talk and I don't know anything about Hirving Lozano," sighed Ancelotti with his one raised eyebrow slowly sinking in despair.
The intriguing Mario Balotelli move to Brazilian club, Flamengo, had looked off. But according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Italia it's all back on again in a deal that could see the Italian earning up to $15 million dollars in just over two years whilst living in Rio. No comment.
In quick tangential Brazilian news, Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus suffered the wrath of Soccer's Big Cheeses by being handed a two-month international ban for a red card, arguing with the referee and performing the first recorded assault on a VAR machine in the Copa America final.
Speaking of all things South American, the Copa Sudamericana continues on beIN SPORTS on Thursday with a first-leg quarterfinal clash between Zulia and Colon. Kick off at 4PM ET / 1PM PT.