As the old saying goes, all good things come to those who kick up a mighty stink. So Antonio Conte’s summer of strops and sulks looks set to yield a happy conclusion for the Italian, and also for N’Golo Kanté, who is poised to be reunited with not one but two old Leicester City chums, Danny Drinkwater and Riyad Mahrez.
There could be a snag in the Mahrez deal, however: because there are murmurs that José Mourinho wants to hijack it and bring the Algerian to Manchester United. What is more, there’s talk that Liverpool want to muscle in on Chelsea’s plans to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and that Oxlade-Chamberlain wouldn’t mind if they did. So rage on a little longer, Antonio, rage on.
Someone is going to feel the wrath of Leicester, too. West Brom, for starters, because the loss of Drinkwater has persuaded the Foxes to spoil the Baggies’ big coup and snaffle PSG’s Grzegorz Krychowiak instead. And Crystal Palace can also expect clog: because Leicester are going after their main defensive target, Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho.
But Leicester may not be too bothered about keeping Islam Slimani, although Marseille will have to raise their offer to get him. And Leicester certainly aren’t bothered about keeping Nampalys Mendy. The midfielder has turned down a chance to return to France with Rennes but, on the other hand, is open to the possibility of heading back to Nice. Rennes may land another of their targets, however, as West Ham may let Diafra Sakho go.
Noises from Liverpool suggest the club may finally agree to sell Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for around £140m. That’s some quality haggling and no mistake. And it’ll make for a dandy summer if Liverpool manage to round things off by spending that windfall on Thomas Lemar and Virgil Van Dijk, which they hope to do.
Meanwhile, Serge Aurier is hopeful that his move to Tottenham will be waved through on Wednesday. The PSG full-back has agreed terms with the club but is awaiting approval of his work permit and hopes the legal snafu he had a few years back won’t be held against him. The wait is beginning to irritate him. So now he knows how PSG felt against Lorient last season when, after Thomas Meunier had to depart injured, it took Aurier eight minutes to get dressed and come on as a substitute, with the application of socks proving particularly troublesome for the grown man.
The former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson would like to be known henceforth as the future manager of Crystal Palace. Hodgson knows a lame duck gaffer when he smells one and there’s no denying that Frank De Boer is giving off a strong anatine whiff right now. If it’s the Ajax way that Palace want, then Hodgson can do that no problem. Or how about a bit of Brazil 1970? Dukla Prague 1964? Hodgson is happy to take requests and 100% satisfaction is guaranteed or your money back*.
Elsewhere, it turns out that Monaco are not going to break the bank to relieve Stoke City of Gianelli Imbula. They’re not even going to take him on loan. But Toulouse are keen for some reason. Stoke, meanwhile, are also willing to listen to offers for Bojan Krkic.
Middlesbrough’s supremely gifted but seemingly useless player Adama Traoré has been linked with a move to Lille, where Marcelo Bielsa will either drill some tactical discipline into him or storm out in exasperation.
* You must be joking