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Tottenham Hotspur may endure an issue in the transfer window in attracting young players following the struggles Djed Spence endured in north London.

Should Djed Spence be given a chance?

Spurs signed the England youth international over the summer and it was apparent from the moment that he signed he may find it difficult to impress Antonio Conte.

The Italian spoke about the signing of the 22-year-old during their pre-season trip to South Korea as he left many stunned with what he had to say:

"Spence is an investment of the club. The club wanted to do it. I said ‘OK, this player is young but he showed he can become a good, important player for us’. The club decided to buy him.," he said.

And that proved to be the case with the Englishman featuring for just three minutes in the Premier League across four games (via Transfermarkt).

Spence has since left the club on a short-term loan deal to French side Rennes and is set to return at the end of the campaign.

Tottenham have also made changes with Conte since leaving the club, but speaking on The Tottenham Way podcast, journalist Tom Barclay has suggested the treatment of Spence may put off other youngsters from joining the club:

(42:00) "Speaking to agents, one thing that's come back which is quite interesting, just about the Djed Spence situation. Tottenham have got a history of signing good, young, English/British players.

"I think the Spence's situation is making a few young players think a bit about Spurs now because they don't want to be in the same situation as what as he has been, making that big move to Tottenham and not getting an opportunity at all."

Do Spurs offer youngsters opportunities?

On the basis of this season, there are few examples of Spurs putting their trust in their youngsters with Oliver Skipp, perhaps, the only player to be really offered the trust of Conte.

And even that came as a result of injuries to the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma which have seriously whittled down the options in midfield.

Spence's situation was certainly an odd one with the position of right wing-back one which was crying out for improvement before the turn of the year.

Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty were failing to impress and it felt as if it could have been a real opportunity for Spence to make his mark on the side.

Albeit in a closed behind-the-scenes game, Spence impressed in a friendly against Motherwell during the World Cup break with Alasdair Gold awarding him an 8/10 for his display.

Now Conte is out of the building, it will be interesting to see whether the view from the agents may have changed, however, there could be a big reliance on who is to replace him.

The likes of Mauricio Pochettino would certainly offer a lot of opportunities for the young prospects, but it is still unclear as to who will be hired by Daniel Levy.

West Ham United have endured a season to forget, domestically anyway, as they are currently fighting to retain their place in the Premier League after winning just eight matches in the league all term.

David Moyes’ men have reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League following their 4-1 victory over Gent on Thursday evening, however even another wonderful European run would make up for losing their top flight status come the end of the campaign.

Far too many players haven’t kicked on from last season and this has been a key detrimental effect. Jarrod Bowen registered 31 goal contributions last term, yet he has managed only 16 this season, while Michail Antonio netted ten times in the league last season, yet only has three so far in 2022/23.

One of the biggest disappointments is the drop in form of Tomas Soucek, who hasn’t thrived as he did during the 2021/22 campaign.

The Czech international has registered just one goal and has averaged only 0.4 key passes and 38 touches per game this season, which is a vast drop off from five goals, 0.6 key passes and 52 touches per game from last term, and it’s evident that Moyes must finally drop the 28-year-old.

But who could replace him outside of the transfer window?

The Scot must take a dive into the West Ham academy where there is a youngster who could make an impression.

Who is Freddie Potts?

The 19-year-old defensive midfielder has been a regular for the U21 side this season, playing 21 matches in the Premier League 2, grabbing three assists while he has also made two appearances for the senior side in the group stages of the Conference League, already demonstrating that he can mix it in the first team.

Across two matches in the EFL Trophy last year, Potts was sensational, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.5/10 and even grabbing a goal against Cheltenham for his troubles.

The youngster is clearly excellent in position, averaging 61 touches per game while completing 88% of his passes and this ability to control the play from the middle of the pitch is something Moyes has been lacking this term

By making 4.5 tackles and three clearances per game along with winning a staggering 70% of his duels in the two matches against senior opposition, his defensive ability is solid and this should push Moyes into giving him more minutes heading into the final stages of the campaign.

The Hammers' U16s coach Gerard Prenderville lauded Potts as someone that was “composed, ticks things over nicely and takes it forward when he needs to” and this praise looked as though it had a positive effect considering the excellent form he has displayed since August.

Potts may have already made a couple of appearances for the senior side, but next season, Moyes should ditch the underperforming Soucek and take a risk by unleashing the teen starlet.

Journalist Charles Watts has spotted that Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes was smiling at the Emirates after the full-time whistle despite his notable injury concerns.

What's the latest Arsenal injury news?

The Gunners managed to put an end to a four-game winless streak in the Premier League on Tuesday evening as they got one over London rivals Chelsea.

Indeed, Mikel Arteta and co heaped the misery on Frank Lampard's men as they scored three goals in 34 minutes – with Martin Odegaard netting twice and Gabriel Jesus scoring too – to seal a relatively routine 3-1 victory against the Blues.

The only real disappointment on the night was the fact that centre-back Gabriel had to come off with an injury before the game was finished. When speaking to the press after the game, Arteta said (via football.london): "He [Gabriel] tried for 10 to 15 minutes and he couldn't carry on – a big concern."

However, in what could be good news for the Gunners, Watts did at least notice the £50k-p/w man was smiling on the pitch at full time – possibly suggesting the injury isn't too serious.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he explained (4:37): "Gabriel did limp off injured, which is a bit of a worry ahead of that game against Newcastle. Hopefully he'll be alright.

"He came out on the pitch afterwards and was kind of smiling and talking to people. But he was limping.

"And he went down about four or five times during the second half and he kept having a bit of treatment and then carrying on. Eventually, he was replaced by Rob Holding with about 10 minutes to go, five minutes to go. So that's a little bit of a worry ahead of the game against Newcastle."

Will Gabriel Magalhaes play against Newcastle?

William Saliba has already spent plenty of time on the sidelines of late with injury and it feels unlikely that he'll be back to play against the Magpies after Arteta admitted "he hasn’t improved" in the build up to the Chelsea game.

In his place, Jakub Kiwior stepped into the side on Tuesday and performed well – with a 7.0 SofaScore rating – but that was his first league start and he'll want the experience of Gabriel beside him away at Newcastle.

For now it seems as though the Brazilian is in a race against time to make it back for that game but at the very least, his cheerful demeanour after fulltime may suggest this isn't an issue that will keep him out for the long term.

A desire to ensure the continued relevance of international cricket is at the heart of the ECB’s decision to introduce a points system

George Dobell18-May-20160:59

‘Nothing to fear from points system’ – Cook

A desire to ensure the continued relevance of international cricket – and especially Test cricket – is at the heart of the ECB’s decision to introduce a points system to ascertain the winners of international series this summer.This summer, in a trial announced by the ECB, points will be awarded for games in each format against the tourists, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The winner of each Super Series, as the ECB is calling it, will be the side which accumulates the most points from the three formats combined.Bangladesh voice pink-ball concerns

Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the chief executive of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, has given a cautious response to the ECB’s proposal that England’s tour this winter should include a day/night Test.
With the Test series expected to take place in October, towards the start of their domestic season, Bangladesh’s players are understood to have voiced their concerns about gaining sufficient experience of the pink ball.
“We have taken the ECB’s proposal of the day-night Test very seriously but we also have to consider our players’ experience of playing under lights,” Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo.
“There hasn’t been any further discussion on this matter recently. We will have to make sure we give the players enough time to get used to playing this format under lights before we can take a decision.”

Adopting an idea first used in the women’s Ashes in 2013, four points will be awarded for a Test win and two for a draw. Two points will be awarded for victory in white-ball cricket, with one awarded in case of a tie.Although there is not, as yet, a trophy for the winners and prize money amounts to just £25,000 for each Super Series – not much in today’s sporting terms when split between a couple of dozen squad members – the ECB hope the initiative will encourage more interest and coverage of the sport.”We know that Test cricket is well supported in this country,” Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said. “We know that every English player takes the format incredibly seriously and I can’t see that changing. But we also know that Test cricket is being challenged around the world and I certainly feel a responsibility – I think everyone involved in the game should feel a responsibility – to make sure it remains relevant.”The rationale is that the game of cricket is evolving unbelievably quickly. We feel responsibility to ensure the international game develops and evolves and, central to that, is context and relevance for every game of cricket. We believe the Super Series will provide that context and relevance by connecting the formats and ensuring that every game counts for something more than just itself.”The advantages of this are that, first of all, there is that context and, secondly, fans of a certain format will hopefully feel more connected to the other formats. Also our players in very different and quite separate teams will feel more connected to each other so two separate white-ball and red-ball teams will be connected by something greater than their own immediate interests.”Strauss admits that this summer will, in effect, be a trial period for the idea. He has not, as yet, spoken to the cricket boards in Bangladesh or India about the possibility of utilising the format for this winter’s tours.But the ECB have spoken to the Bangladesh board about the possibility of playing one Test in this October’s series as a day-night match. Agreement has yet to be reached though it appears that, if it were to happen, it would be the second Test of the series. Bangladesh time is six hours ahead of GMT, which might allow viewers in the UK to enjoy a session or two of cricket on TV after work or school and before bed.”I’m a big supporter of the concept of day-night Test cricket,” he said. “I think anyone who saw that game in Adelaide between Australia and New Zealand can see the great benefits if it is done properly. There seems to me a far greater will around the world to play day-night Test cricket and generally we are very supportive of that, as long as we ensure we can prepare properly for any series we play.”Strauss also supports, in theory, promotion and relegation in international cricket and the introduction of a World Test Championship. He admits though that, in both cases, the devil is in the detail.”I think the idea behind the World Test Championship is a very sound idea,” he said. “And it should provide more context to every game you play.”I’m a supporter of that [promotion and relegation]. I’m a supporter of having high quality, meaningful cricket. And any way we can move towards that is a good thing. But like all these things, it’s all about detail.”We need to evolve and innovate. Anyone out there who doesn’t see the need for international cricket to keep moving forwards really does have his head stuck in the sand. The most important thing from my point of view is the ECB and the England team are at the forefront of these innovations rather than lagging behind everyone else. I think that hopefully will ensure that the game continues to grow in this country.”Andrew Strauss, pictured with England assistant coach Paul Farbrace, is in favour of innovation•Getty ImagesIt might be argued that the introduction of a Super Series will further dilute the importance of Test cricket. Certainly there will be concern if the idea is rolled out to include the Ashes.But the Ashes is, in many ways, the aberration. It is the only series that is all but guaranteed to sell out wherever it is staged in England or Wales (Tests against other nations sell well in London but less well elsewhere, though Trent Bridge fares pretty well) and it is, perhaps, the only series that does not require the added context that the Super Series may offer.Strauss was at pains to reassure spectators – and sponsors – that the Super Series idea is not designed to detract from the stand-alone series in each formats, but designed to bring added exposure to them.”This doesn’t replace any of the individual series awards this summer,” he explained. “So there will still be a Test series victor, one-day series and the T20 match as well. But it sits on top of that, wraps around it and creates something bigger to aim for.”We are quite happy for this to grow organically, we are not pushing it massively. We want people to understand that greater relevance through the course of the summer and it is something that resonates with people as the summer goes on.”If you look at the last two series we played, against South Africa we would have lost the Super Series in the final T20,” Strauss said. “And against Pakistan in the UAE we would have won the Super Series in the Super Over in the final game of the T20 competition. So those are two good examples of it working well. Not every series is going to go down to the last ball of the last game, but hopefully it will provide more relevance.”We have nothing to lose by doing this. We still have all the individual series but then something that wraps around the top of it. We’ll see what the ICC comes up with. I know they are taking this very seriously.”Will it work? Who knows. If not, it can be abandoned without any harm having been done. But it is not hard to envisage a situation where late-season limited-overs games – which do not always sell brilliantly – could win more coverage due to the initiative.It is also intriguing that Strauss, a man who took office a year ago with a reputation as a somewhat conservative character, has introduced this and the North-South limited-overs competition in domestic cricket within a week or so of one another. He clearly has the will to embrace more innovations.Few of these measures will, on their own, help cricket reach a new audience – or re-engage with a lapsed one – but, in conjunction with one another, they may help. Strauss, and the ECB, deserve credit for trying.

Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear has fallen victim of Gary Neville's criticism amid their Premier League struggles with the threat of relegation bringing its own financial burden.

What has Angus Kinnear done?

Relegation has been a threat throughout the 2022/23 campaign for the Whites on the back of their survival on the final game of the season last term.

However, now there are just four more games in the Premier League campaign to save their top-flight status with just goal difference currently keeping them out of the drop zone.

To aid their hopes of staying in the Premier League, Leeds have made the dramatic move to change managers once again and have brought in veteran Sam Allardyce.

Relegation to the Championship would see Leeds' revenue decrease significantly as a result of the difference in payments given to the sides in each league.

Last season, Kinnear hit out at the prospect of an independent regulator being introduced to help distribute the wealth into the lower leagues:

"Forgetting that independent regulation has not proven to be a panacea for any industry (take Ofwat presiding over three billion litres of leaked water every year and thousands of hours of illegal raw sewage disposal in our nation’s waterways as a case in point), it is hard to see the value an independent regulator would have added to the perceived issues,” he said.

However, speaking on his own podcast, Gary Neville has acknowledged the irony in Leeds potentially relying on the parachute payments if they are to be relegated over the coming weeks:

(19:15) "I'll always remember Leeds when they in the [virus] season they were the ones that wanted to stop the season, weren't they? Was it to stop the season, so they went up because they needed to go up that season for financial reasons?

"They were worried about it being null and void. And I think that last year, their CEO Angus Kinnear said that bringing in their independent regulator was like Maoism. If they go down they might need some of those social principles to look after them. Particuarly the parachute payments."

What would relegation mean for Leeds?

A potential takeover from the 49ers Enterprises has been longly awaited with the American group having until January 2024 to make the deal official.

There have been suggestions that relegation may not have too great of an impact on the possible takeover, but it will not be clear until the season is completed.

Even if the takeover is to go ahead, relegation would potentially see a number of the Yorkshire club's stars vulnerable for a summer exit.

Not only may the prospect of playing second-tier football not appeal to some of their current crop, but financially, Leeds may have to make some adjustments.

One of the players who could potentially be sold is Illan Meslier with the young Frenchman believed to be a player of interest for a number of Premier League clubs.

Regardless of whether they stay up or go down, it is apparent significant change is needed at Leeds following two consecutive relegation-battling campaigns.

Ben Stokes returned after injury for Durham and Chris Rushworth was on song as Durham sneaked a rain-affected win against Yorkshire

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2016
ScorecardChris Rushworth was on song at Chester-le-Street•Getty ImagesBen Stokes made only five on his surprise return to action for Durham in the NatWest T20 Blast match against Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street.Cleared early in the day by the ECB to play purely as a batsman as he recovers from his knee operation, he cracked Adam Lyth’s first ball off the back foot to short extra cover.It was parried upwards by Kane Williamson, who dived to cling on one-handed just before the ball fell to ground.Yorkshire’s T20 inadequacies were exposed as they were all out for 134 with three balls unused and Durham were 68 for 3 after 9.5 overs when a storm ended play.Durham won by six runs on the Duckworth / Lewis calculations, which would not have been the case had Ryan Pringle not picked up two runs when he was dropped at long-off by Gary Ballance four balls before the storm broke.Gordon Muchall drove the final ball of Azeem Rafiq’s over for a straight four to make sure Durham stayed ahead of the rate to pick up their third win from seven.Yorkshire, again without their five England men, have won one and remain bottom of the group.Despite 43 in 24 balls from opener Alex Lees and a sensible 48 from Jack Leaning, Yorkshire kept losing wickets to rash strokes.Lyth smashed the first ball through the covers for four but in his next 17 balls Chris Rushworth took two for five.Lyth went down the pitch swinging wildly and was bowled, and Rushworth’s third over was a wicket maiden. Williamson tried to break the shackles by attempting a scoop, only to lose his leg stump.Lees made only three off his first 11 balls, then hammered 34 off the next nine with three fours and a leg-side six off Paul Coughlin followed by four fours off Usman Arshad.Lees hit his eighth four off Scott Borthwick but then drove the leg-spinner to long-on, where Michael Richardson held a brilliant catch.Ben Stokes fell for five on his comeback•Getty ImagesRushworth returned for his final over in the 17th and held on to a steepler from Rafiq to finish with three for 14.Mark Stoneman got the reply off to a swift start with 25 off 17 balls, which included a big six pulled in front of mid-wicket off Bresnan.But when he drove Rafiq to long-off and Stokes followed straight afterwards Durham were struggling on 38 for three with lightning flashing nearby.Pringle swept left-arm spinner Karl Carver for six on the way to 20 off 15 balls. Muchall, making his first senior appearance of the season, was on ten when the heavy rain arrived.

Burnley want to sign thrilling forward Nathan Tella on a permanent deal following his explosive loan stay.

Tella has been one of the most entertaining players in the Championship this season, scoring 19 goals for Vincent Kompany's side.

The 23-year-old has been a crucial part of the side that has booked its place in the 2023/24 Premier League and Burnley now want to hold onto him.

What's the latest Nathan Tella transfer update?

According to talkSPORT, Burnley want to sign Tella permanently following his succesful loan spell. He spent this season on loan with the Clarets but with Burnley heading for the Premier League, they will now look at signing him full-time.

Tella shares the same agency, CAA Stellar, as Josh Cullen and Johann Gudmundsson, which could make negotiating a bit more straightforward for Kompany's side.

Is Tella ready for the Premier League?

Described by Kompany as a "raw diamond", Tella may not yet be the finished product but the forward has all the tools needed to become one of the Premier League's most exciting players.

Kompany said: "I still call him a raw diamond. As you can see, he is still progressing. He has been doing really well and before anything else, I must mention his effort. It's so important to point that out.

"He has goalscoring ability but many with that ability don't put the work in for the team but he does. He has all the tools and helps us in so many ways, not just goalscoring."

Burnley will return to the top flight next season and will be hoping to translate their exciting free-flowing football to the Premier League. In the Championship this season, Burnley have scored 87 goals despite conceding just 35.

Tella scored 17 of those himself but his goalscoring is not what will make him thrive in the top flight but rather his pace, direct style of play and inventive dribbling should see him become a huge problem for defenders.

Work ethic is also a huge part of his game and is very often what sets forwards apart from others. With the modern game becoming evermore tactical, the small margins that players can create by outrunning others can be decisive.

The likes of Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool are examples of how important hard-working players are to managers at the top level.

Newcastle United have a "very realistic possibility" of signing James Maddison this summer, according to an update from journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Maddison on the move?

Leicester City may have had a hugely disappointing season, with relegation from the Premier League looking likely at this point, but Maddison has again been a standout player for his side. The £110,000-a-week midfielder has scored 10 goals and registered nine assists in the competition, catching the eye with his creativity and all-round end product.

If the Foxes go down this season, it is almost a given that the 26-year-old will leave the club, although he is likely to move on even if they retain their top-flight status. He could feel that he has come as far as he can at the King Power Stadium, especially as he comes into the peak years of his career.

Newcastle have been linked with a move for Maddison in recent months, with the Magpies potentially seeing him as someone who could excel in a No.10 role. They arguably look like the front-runners to snap him up and a fresh update further suggests that that is the case.

Is Maddison likely to join Newcastle?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs claimed that the Englishman is impressed with what is going on at St James' Park and that a move could easily come to fruition:

"I think that James Maddison has been at St. James's Park and has been quite wowed by the atmosphere, the culture and Newcastle are flying, so they do stand a very realistic possibility.

"I've always said many times, because Newcastle’s interest in Maddison dates back to last summer, it will only be this summer when Maddison goes. If Leicester go down, it will obviously be definite and there'll be a tremendous deal to be had. But I think even if they stay up, I expect Maddison to leave Leicester regardless."

This is an encouraging update from a Newcastle perspective, so much so that at this point, it would be a surprise if Maddison didn't join the Magpies this summer.

Should it happen, it could be an inspired piece of transfer business, with the two-cap England international scoring 55 goals and registering 41 assists for Leicester, as well as being "destined for the biggest stage", according to Graeme Souness, who isn't one to overly praise players. He could add extra guile to Newcastle's midfield, either as a No.8 or a No.10, and they could get five or six years of brilliance from him.

The USA Cricket Association’s status as a suspended Associate member is expected to be upheld but without going to the next step of expulsion at the upcoming ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh

Peter Della Penna10-Jun-2016The USA Cricket Association’s status as a suspended Associate member is expected to be upheld but without going to the next step of expulsion at the upcoming ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo during his recent meetings held in the USA, the ICC head of global development Tim Anderson stated that USACA needs to be given a fair chance to meet reinstatement conditions that were laid out to them last year before a final determination is given.”USACA cannot be expelled at this year’s annual conference,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo in Colorado Springs where the ICC are in the process of shifting their Americas office from Toronto. “I think that is an important point to make that a suspended member is still a member. There will be an update to our board at our annual conference meeting at the end of June. I know the community at large is very interested in this topic. USACA as our current member needs to be given sufficient opportunity to meet those reinstatement conditions.””Some of the conditions have changed over the last 12 months including the requirement to develop a new constitution for US cricket which is now sitting with the US cricket advisory committee to consider that. Things have changed over the course of time so we need to appreciate that because we’ve changed things, USACA needs to be given appropriate time to assess that.”According to the ICC’s Articles of Association, article 2.6 section B states that expulsion or cessation of membership following a period of suspension can only occur “upon the requisite resolution being passed at [Annual] Conference following a proposal notified in writing to the Chief Executive prior to 31st December in any year for consideration at Conference in the immediately following year, such proposal being made and seconded by Full Members.”No such resolution was put forward to the ICC board by the end of 2015. Anderson sent out an email to the US cricket community on Thursday informing them that USACA has until December 15 to meet reinstatement conditions, chief among them to ratify a new constitution. If USACA does not, it would leave 16 days for a board resolution to be proposed, setting up USACA for potentially being expelled from membership in June 2017.On the topic of the constitution, Anderson held a meeting with the 10-person Sustainable Foundation US advisory group last weekend in Colorado Springs in which members of the US Olympic Committee were also in attendance. Developing a constitution that fits in with USOC guidelines is something Anderson said is a priority for the Sustainable Foundation group going forward.”We’re all aware of the disjointed nature of the community at this point in time,” Anderson said. “Having a constitution that is able to secure the future of US cricket and bring all parties together is absolutely fundamental to the game’s successful future here. So as part of the reinstatement conditions as they currently stand, we’ve put together an advisory group representative of a broad spectrum of US cricket and other experts that over this weekend were considering what a unifying constitution might look like and what principles and fundamentals should be included to bring US cricket together.”One of the elements of that was whether cricket should be a member of the USOC. The USOC has a number of mandatory requirements for its members to have in their constitution. Rick Adams, one of the senior executives of the USOC, attended that meeting and gave some background on what the USOC is about, what benefits it can offer sports in America and how being part of the USOC has some obligations not just in terms of constitution but other things as well. The general view of the group is that it’s right for cricket to be a part of the USOC and therefore the mainstream American sports family.”Among the constitutional guidelines required to meet USOC statutes are athlete representation on the USACA board as well as independent directors. Those were included in a series of recommendations produced by TSE Consulting in a governance review in 2013, but were eventually rejected for inclusion in a proposed new constitution at that year’s USACA Annual General Meeting.As for a timeframe for when a new constitution might be presented to USACA for ratification or rejection, Anderson hopes that it can be accomplished within the next one to two months. Anderson said though that although ratifying a new constitution is the number one condition for reinstatement, it would not be the sole determining factor in USACA’s suspension potentially being lifted and that the other 38 terms and conditions must be met as well.”USACA will be requested to consider the adoption of a proposed constitution in order to meet that reinstatement condition,” Anderson said. “But at this point the [ICC] board’s position is that USACA needs to meet all the reinstatement conditions in order to be reinstated as an ICC member. It doesn’t meet all those reinstatement conditions right now. It continues to be suspended but it has more time to work on those things.”

Incoming Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino could play a crucial role in keeping Mason Mount at the club, journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed.

What's going on with Mason Mount?

The England international looks set to depart Stamford Bridge this summer as he enters the final year of his contract with no renewal in sight.

The 24-year-old has attracted interest from other top clubs including Liverpool, but there is still a chance he could stay at Chelsea under Pochettino, who is set to take charge of the club at the end of this season.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jacobs claimed that Pochettino sees Mount as an important player, and that he could even extend his deal if he stays under the Argentine.

"He has stressed as well how important he thinks Mason Mount is to the football club, which could be a factor in trying to get Mason Mount to extend amidst interest from Liverpool," he stated.

Should Chelsea sell Mason Mount?

Given the clubs reportedly interested in him, Chelsea could obtain a large fee for their academy product if he is sold this summer.

Mount has had an injury-hit season in what has been a difficult year for his club, and Chelsea need to make sales in order to comply with financial fair play rules.

The 24-year-old could therefore be an ideal player to sell, as with Chelsea seemingly targeting a central midfielder in the summer window, he may lose his spot in the starting eleven.

Mount has provided just three goals and two assists in 24 league appearances this season, and given the big-money arrivals of Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk, as well as the club potentially keeping loanee Joao Felix, it may be better for all parties for Mount to move on.

Mount, who had been described as "unbelievable" by former Chelsea star Joe Cole, could become a key figure at Liverpool, who are searching for central midfielder this summer, and a move away could help him regain his form.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been linked with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, but without European football, it may be hard to attract such in-demand players. With the future of Mateo Kovacic up in the air, it is clear that arrivals are needed in the centre of the park, whether or not Mount leaves.

A big sale such as Mount could prevent him leaving for free next season, and could help fund more transfers for Chelsea. If an extension looks unlikely this summer, then a departure would likely be the best option for the club.