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Following the release of the 2023-24 City home kit, GOAL takes a look at the some of the most memorable shirts from the past

Manchester City's kit has evolved so much over the last 30 years. In the 1990s, the sky blue shirt was mostly a symbol of local pride, seen predominantly in and around Greater Manchester. Now, though, it is a symbol of modern football greatness, worn the world over by fans enraptured by stars of the recent past and present, from David Silva and Sergio Aguero to Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.

The latest iteration of City's home kit has been unveiled ahead of their final home game of the 2022-23 season, and so GOAL has cast an eye over the finest home shirts the Premier League champions have worn over the years…

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  102013-14: Chasing down Liverpool

  City won their second Premier League title by successfully chasing down Liverpool after they had lost 3-2 at Anfield in a game that had been billed as a title decider. Steven Gerrard famously told his team-mates after that game that "this does not slip", and City fans revelled in catching their rivals up after the Reds' captain slipped on the turf against Chelsea, gifting a goal to Demba Ba in a 2-0 win for the Blues at Anfield.

  City, meanwhile, went on a five-game winning streak and sealed the title with a comfortable 2-0 victory over West Ham at home. After winning their first league crown in 44 years in 2012, it was vital that City repeated that success and did not go down as a flash in the pan.

  That is why this shirt, in which the team also lifted the League Cup, is still cherished by supporters.

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  92021-22: Gundogan emulates Aguero

  This kit celebrated the 10-year anniversary of City's first Premier League title-winning season, with a nod to its thrilling finale. The numbers 93:20 were printed on the inside to mark when Sergio Aguero scored the decisive goal against Queen Park Rangers in 2012.

  But this season ended up being just as dramatic, as City fell two goals down to Aston Villa on the final day of the season before Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan rescued the title by scoring three times between them in the space of five minutes, turning the Etihad Stadium from a funeral atmosphere into a carnival.

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  82018-19: Kompany says goodbye

  Kompany's 11th and final season with City was his most special, as he led the team to a clean sweep of domestic trophies. And the Belgian played a decisive role in winning the Premier League title, too, scoring a thunderous long-range strike in the penultimate game against Leicester City after a nerve-shredding night when any dropped points would have practically handed the title to Liverpool.

  Kompany lifted the league, FA Cup and Carabao Cup trophies wearing this home strip, even though City were wearing their away kit when they clinched the title at Brighton. The shirt itself strayed from tradition, featuring a navy zig zag design on the sleeves, and the button was a nice touch.

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  72003-04: A new era in Eastlands

  After 80 years at their beloved Maine Road, City upped sticks from Moss Side in south Manchester to Eastlands to move into the City of Manchester Stadium, which had hosted the Commonwealth Games the year before.

  They now had a far bigger ground, with room for 48,000 fans, with huge growth prospects. And they had new kit manufacturers, swapping Le Coq Sportif for Reebok. The design went back to the club's roots, an all blue shirt with a white collar.

  Their first season at their new stadium was not easy, and they finished 16th, winning just five home matches. But in the first derby at the ground, they thrashed United 4-1. What better way to christen your new home?

West Ham United will need to pay a big fee to land Ross Barkley this summer if reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Express & Star, who claimed the Chelsea midfielder is valued at £30m following a loan spell at Aston Villa this season. It’s thought that the west London outfit will look to shift him permanently this summer, and the Irons have been linked with him in recent months.

The Telegraph’s John Percy mooted the London Stadium as a ‘realistic option’ for the 27-year-old next season, with David Moyes understood to still be a big fan of the player to whom he gave a debut in August 2011 aged just 17.

Risky business

Midfield is just one of several areas that the Scotsman will need to bolster ahead of a Europa League campaign next season, but you would have to imagine that the England international is merely an alternative choice to loan sensation Jesse Lingard as they both play the same role.

The Hammers hope to secure a permanent deal for the Manchester United outcast this summer, although doubts still remain over their chances of making that happen after the Daily Mail suggested that they could struggle to afford his wage demands.

In terms of viable alternatives, Barkley just isn’t the answer, and that’s before factoring in his extortionate asking price.

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The former Everton star has been on a steady decline in recent years and his time on loan to top-flight rivals Villa has been a microcosm of his woes.

As per Transfermarkt, the attacking midfielder looked to be back to his best when registering three direct goal contributions in his opening five matches for the Midlands side but, in the 21 games after that, he delivered just one further goal. Injuries have played their part, too, and that should further put Moyes off splashing £30m on him.

Speaking about Barkley’s poor performances and struggles, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans delivered a damning verdict to their 1874 podcast, where he said [via This Is Futbol]: “He doesn’t do enough for me now. I’ve seen enough of Ross Barkley now to realise that he’s becoming a bit of a liability for Villa. He’s not helping out enough as he should, really.”

By comparison, Lingard joined the east London club in January and registered a whopping nine goals and five assists in only 16 appearances, via Transfermarkt. The 28-year-old is a similar age and plays in a similar position to Barkley, yet is evidently so much clearer ahead in terms of ability and consistency.

Moyes may well think he could be the right man to get the best back out of the £18m-rated Chelsea flop, especially considering he once claimed that the Toffees graduate would become an “outstanding player” who “every club will want” when speaking to The Telegraph in 2011, but that ship has certainly sailed now.

Considering the £30m asking price and his £100,000-per-week wages, the Hammers boss must steer clear of his former star, otherwise he risks playing with a potential catastrophe at the London Stadium.

AND in other news, Irons dealt hammer transfer BLOW over 22-goal target who’s been dubbed “unstoppable”…

Despite spending nearly £600 million across the past two transfer windows, the Blues still do not possess a reliable No.9.

What sort of football club drops £250 million ($307m) in the summer transfer window, followed by £323m ($403m) in January, and still ends up without a striker capable of putting the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis?

Chelsea's struggles in front of goal continued on Tuesday in a drab 0-0 draw against Liverpool. The Blues have now not scored in 11 Premier League matches this season, with relegation-threatened Leeds United and Leicester City both registering more goals than them.

Kai Havertz, the player most frequently deployed at centre-forward by Chelsea this campaign, has attracted the majority of the criticism for this dire run.

🏆 TOP STORY: Luis Enrique heads to Chelsea for talks

📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Is it time for Klopp to leave Liverpool?

🚨 MUST READ: Why Man Utd should get rid of De Gea

And, in truth, it now seems pretty clear that the Germany international isn't capable of leading the line and providing the Blues with the goal-scoring thrust they require to propel themselves back into top-four contention next season.

And while Romelu Lukaku has shown signs of life recently at Inter, it is difficult to see him returning from loan and thriving at Stamford Bridge.

Disappointedly then for Todd Boehly, Chelsea's American owner is going to have to reach into his pockets once again this summer.

Here are some of the No.9s the Blues should be considering…

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  Victor Osimhen

  Few players in world football are in as high demand as Osimhen right now.

  Twenty-five goals in all competition for runaway Serie A leaders Napoli tells it own story. Osimhen has taken all facets of his game to new heights this season, justifying the €71m (£65m) Napoli paid Lille for him back in 2020.

  The Italian champions-elect will be doing everything in their power to keep hold of their star man this off-season, but the financial pull of the Premier League could be too much for the Nigerian to resist.

  Manchester United are understandably interested too, so we could witness an Osimhen bidding war this summer.

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  Harry Kane

  Chelsea's hopes of pulling this off may be slimmer than a Mandarin pancake, but the Blues should still be considering a shock swoop for Kane this summer.

  Tottenham are in free fall at the moment and if the England captain does not receive assurances that they can be competitive next campaign, he will surely be angling for an exit.

  What does give Chelsea some hope in their pursuit are reports that Kane wants to remain in England to give himself the best possible chance of breaking Alan Shearer's Premier League scoring record. That seemingly rules Bayern Munich out of the running.

  If Manchester United cannot sign Kane, Chelsea would be left as his only viable suitors, in what would be one of the most controversial transfers in modern history.

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  Dusan Vlahovic

  Speaking of clubs in turmoil, Juventus are facing the prospect of losing Vlahovic this summer. The Serbian was supposed to be the club's No.9 for the next decade when he arrived in Turin back in January 2021 – but a hell of a lot has changed since then.

  Following a 15-point deduction, the Bianconeri are facing an uphill battle to secure Champions League football, and they may even be further recriminations on the way.

  Amid this turmoil, Vlahovic's head could be turned – not that he's pulled up any trees this season, scoring just eight Serie A goals thus far.

  Despite these modest numbers, he is clearly talented, as his remarkable goal-scoring record for Fiorentina shows. He's still only 23 too, so there's plenty of time for Chelsea to mould him into a world-class goal-getter.

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  Goncalo Ramos

  Ramos has gone from strength to strength since bursting into popular consciousness with a stunning World Cup hat-trick for Portugal, after he was drafted in to replace the misfiring Cristiano Ronaldo.

  Ramos has backed up his international emergence with 25 goals for Benfica this season, as well as 10 assists.

  Although he does not offer the physical presence of your typical No.9, he more than makes up for it with supreme close control, ice-cold finishing and excellent movement. His success in the Champions League this season also suggests that he wouldn't have any issue dealing with the increased pressure of a Premier League move.

  This could be a really smart signing – but he won't come cheap. Benfica proved themselves to be tough negotiators during the Enzo Fernandez saga in January.

The Millonarios rank among South America's most powerful teams, having boasted some of the best players in Argentine football history in their ranks

River Plate are one of South America's big guns for a reason.

They are not just one of the most successful teams on the continent, but they have also had absolute phenomenons wearing their iconic jersey.

Even the youngest football fans will have heard of Alfredo Di Stefano, Enzo Francescoli was one of the best of his generation, and more recent stars such as Hernan Crespo, Marcelo Gallardo, and Pablo Aimar all made a big impact on the game.

So picking an all-time greatest XI from that impressive list of players is not particularly straightforward.

There's simply not enough room to squeeze in all the stars to have represented River.

Yet we gave it a go after all; this is our ultimate River Plate dream team!

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  Goalkeeper: Ubaldo Fillol

  Fillol is considered, along with fellow Millo idol Amadeos Carrizo, as one of the greatest goalkeepers in Argentine history and just beats out the legend of La Maquina for the number one jersey.

  Fillol helped end River’s 18-year wait for a title in 1975 and would add six more to the trophy cabinet in his Monumental stay as well as lifting Argentina's first World Cup in 1978.

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  Centre-back: Jonathan Maidana

  Maidana, still going strong in the River defence at 36, has marked an entire era at the club.

  The ex-Boca youngster suffered the pain of relegation at the end of his first season at the club in 2011 but stayed put in their darkest hour and led them throughout the subsequent glory days.

  His record at the Monumental includes over 300 games played, two Copa Libertadores titles, a Sudamericana, and the 2021 Liga Profesional. Maidana is a worthy addition to this illustrious team, a modern-day hero on a par with the greats who came before him.

• Centre-back: Daniel Passarella

  ‘El Kaiser’, ‘El Gran Capitan’: no praise was too high for this true River legend. Despite only standing 1.73m tall Passarella was a talisman in defence for River and Argentina. As a coach the star would add three more titles to the six he won as a player in the Monumental – while he also holds the distinction of being the only Argentine to have lifted the World Cup twice, in 1978 as captain, and eight years later in Mexico.

  While his presidency last decade ended in relegation and disaster, tainting somewhat his standing among the RIver faithful, he remains one of the greatest defenders Argentina has ever produced.

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• Centre-back: Roberto Perfumo

  A product of the Nunez club’s youth system, Perfumo went on to become a legend at bitter rivals Racing Club, winning the National championship, Copa Libertadores and Copa Intercontinental in 1967 as Racing became the first Argentine club to be crowned world champions.

  Already in his thirties when he returned to his first club, nevertheless the player whom dubbed “one of the best defenders in Argentine history” still had time to lead the Millo to three titles in as many years, playing over 100 games before finally retiring at the age of 36.

The Gunners have lost their last 10 meetings against Manchester City in the Premier League – here's what they need to do to avoid that fate again

Finally, the wait is almost over. What has become the most hotly-anticipated fixture of the season so far finally arrives on Wednesday night.

Arsenal vs Manchester City – a game that could go a long way to deciding the Premier League title race.

An Arsenal win will take them six points clear with a game in hand, but a City win will see them knock Mikel Arteta’s league leaders off top spot for the first time since back in August.

That’s what’s at stake and Arsenal go into the game on the back of three games without a win in all competitions, one of which was a 1-0 defeat at City in the FA Cup.

They also have a dreadful record against the champions to contend with, having lost their last 10 league games against City, scoring just three goals and conceding 26 in the process.

So what can Arsenal do to end that run and take a major step towards the title on Wednesday night? Below, GOAL, takes a look…

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  The Saliba vs Haaland battle

  William Saliba’s impact on English football this season was immediate. The central defender slotted in seamlessly following his arrival in the summer after last season’s loan spell with Marseille.

  Saliba looked like he’d been playing in England for years and had little trouble dealing with some of the best attackers the Premier League had to offer.

  But the 21-year-old’s performances have dipped of late, with many pointing to his time away with France at the World Cup as a reason why.

  Saliba featured for just 27 minutes in Qatar and there has certainly been an air of rustiness to his game since his return that we hadn’t really seen prior to the tournament.

  Ivan Toney gave him a torrid time on Saturday during the 1-1 draw with Brentford. Toney just looked too strong for Saliba whenever the ball was played up to him, both on the floor and in the air.

  And Arsenal's young centre-back will come up against a similar sort of physical battle on Wednesday night when he goes head to head with Erling Haaland, should the Manchester City frontman be passed fit following his injury scare.

  Whether Saliba’s confidence will have been hit by the treatment he was served up by Toney at the weekend remains to be seen, but Arteta will certainly be hoping that will not be the case.

  Saliba did actually go up against Haaland in the second half of the recent FA Cup tie between the sides and performed very well against the prolific Norway international, who ended the game a frustrated figure.

  If Saliba can replicate that type of showing at the Emirates, then it will go a long way to nullifying the most potent part of City’s attack.

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• Get Saka into the game

  Even when Bukayo Saka is kept largely quiet, he still has the ability to make something happen out of nothing.

  Never was that more evident than on Saturday when Arsenal struggled for large periods to get any joy out of a resolute Brentford defence.

  The visitors had done superbly well to keep Saka under wraps until, in the blink of an eye, he showed superb strength to outmuscle Mathias Jensen and send in a wicked cross for Leandro Trossard to convert.

  It was a goal out of nothing and a perfect example of how Saka can hurt you, even when he is not at his best.

  It’s difficult to say for certain who Arsenal’s right winger will be up against on Wednesday night, but the most likely guess is that it will be Nathan Ake.

  The Dutch international had a fine game against Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round, keeping Saka largely quiet and even scoring an unlikely winner at the other end.

  Arsenal need to do all they can to get Saka into the game and, more importantly, get the ball to him when he has space.

  It was all a bit too slow against Brentford and whenever the ball was worked out wide, either to Saka or Gabriel Martinelli, they were more than often up against two or three defenders.

  It was very rare to see Saka able to isolate his full-back, but if he can get into that situation regularly against Ake, or whoever Guardiola opts for at left-back, Arsenal could be in for a good night.

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  Block the space down the flanks

  Manchester City are very similar to Arsenal in many ways.

  And just as Mikel Arteta’s side like to exploit the space down the flanks when they attack, City like to do exactly the same.

  It seems like Guardiola will go for Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez on Wednesday night and stopping the service to them will be key to Arsenal’s success.

  Mahrez has been in fine form this season and Grealish is becoming a growing influence in the City attack, with some excellent recent performances.

  If Arsenal can stop them in their tracks and funnel the visitors into central areas, they will back themselves to come out on top in that battle, as they have done many times this season in big games.

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  Double up on De Bruyne 

  Thomas Partey has been the rock that a large amount of Arsenal’s success has been built upon this season.

  If Partey plays well, Arsenal play well. It’s that simple.

  And Arteta will know that the Ghana international will have to be at his very best while up against Kevin De Bruyne on Wednesday night.

  De Bruyne is still the man that makes Manchester City tick and Partey will be tasked in shutting down the space that the Belgian playmaker can excel in, especially when he drifts into the central areas where he can be such a threat.

  But it’s not just going to be up to Partey to keep De Bruyne quiet; players like Oleksandr Zinchenko and Granit Xhaka will also be so key in that regard.

  It’s a difficult job, such is De Bruyne’s quality, but if Arsenal can do it and starve much of the service to Haaland, then their chances of coming out on top will be greatly increased.

Paul Robinson believes Odsonne Edouard has played his last game for Celtic and has told the club to ‘wipe the slate clean and start again’.

The lowdown

According to Football Insider’s Celtic source, Edouard has made clear his desire to leave the club in the summer, regardless of the identity of Neil Lennon’s successor.

The Telegraph have named Leicester City as frontrunners for a £15million-£20million deal.

Edouard has spent four seasons in Glasgow, having initially joined on loan before making a permanent move in 2017.

Over the course of 168 appearances in green and white, he’s scored 83 goals and provided 37 assists (via Transfermarkt).

This season, he fired 18 league goals for the distant Scottish Premiership runners-up.

That was enough to finish the campaign as top-scorer, but it was a slight dip from his 2019/20 tally of 21.

Former Celtic star Chris Sutton urged fans to look beyond his goals and face the reality of his ‘sub-standard’ performances amid the club’s struggles.

The latest

Robinson suggested that a clean break before the start of a new managerial era could be good for Celtic, reacting to the claims from a Hoops source that the French starlet wants out.

“Edouard has been linked with the Premier League for some time,” he told Football Insider.

“I think now, the way things are all changing at Celtic, it’s time for him to move on.

“With a new manager coming in and everything else, Celtic need to wipe the slate clean and start again.

“I think you can say he’s played his last game.”

The verdict

If even a new manager has no hope of winning Edouard over, then it’s time to let him go. With one year left on his deal, it may be the club’s final chance to make a healthy profit on their initial investment.

If they receive the fee predicted by the Telegraph, they will be well-placed to conduct their necessary rebuild, even after giving PSG a part of the profits.

The long-term challenge for the club, of course, is changing perceptions. They don’t want to be a stepping stone for young talents, but at the moment, the money and prominence on offer in England is too much for players like Edouard to turn down.

In other news, Kevin Campbell is unconvinced by this possible Celtic signing.

There have been some absolute legends representing the Rossoneri, but which ones make it into the ultimate Milan XI?

Picking the ultimate AC Milan dream team is not an easy undertaking.

Milan are not just one of the most successful clubs in the world when it comes to silverware, but they have also seen some of the greatest players of all time wear the famous red and black jersey throughout their illustrious history.

In fact, of all the players who wore the Rossoneri shirt, six were awarded the Ballon d'Or, while three were awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year gong.

It's thus almost inevitable that some legends will be left out of this XI as there's simply not enough room to accommodate all these superstars.

But let's take a look at the players who do make the Milan dream team!

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  Sebastiano Rossi | Goalkeeper

  Rossi arrived at Milan in the summer of 1990 at the age of 26 and was initially brought in as Andrea Pazzagli's back-up, but with time, he managed to carve out a space for himself in the first XI.

  Having eventually become a starter in his second season, Rossi became one of the pillars of what was arguably one of the strongest teams in the world at the time.

  Playing behind an iconic defence made up of Mauro Tassotti, Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini, he was among the strongest Italian goalkeepers of his generation.

  Equipped with a great physique and technical ability, Rossi was an integral part of the Rossoneri's defensive system.

  In twelve years with Milan, he won five Scudetti, three Italian Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, two European Super Cups and one Champions League.

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  Cafù | Right-back

  Marcos Evangelista de Moraes, or more simply Cafu, is one of the best right-backs in the history of the game.

  He arrived at Milan at the age of 33 and for this reason was greeted with skepticism by the Rossoneri fans.

  However, this did not prevent him from immediately establishing himself as an immovable force in the Milan defence.

  Gifted with tremendous speed and stamina, he was one of the most dominant right-backs of his generation, as well as one of Milan's integral players for five seasons.

  He ended his career as a Rossoneri player in 2008 after winning a Scudetto, an Italian Super Cup, two European Super Cups, a Champions League and a Club World Cup.

  These trophies he won with Milan, combined with the other triumphs in a long career, make him one of the most successful players ever.

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  Alessandro Nesta | Centre-back

  On August 12, 2002, Silvio Berlusconi categorically ruled out Alessandro Nesta's possible arrival at Milan with these words.

  "Nesta costs too much, it is not compatible with our budget," he stressed.

  Lazio were expecting €45 million for their captain, a figure that they felt was justified for arguably the best central defender in the world.

  When everyone thought that the deal was dead, "secret" negotiations started and a few weeks later, Nesta was a Milan player.

  Fast, relentless, good anticipation, very strong in the air, elegant and capable of starting attacks, Nesta was an extraordinary defender.

  He remained at Milan for 10 years, during which time he won two Scudetti, two Italian Super Cups, one Italian Cup, two European Super Cups, two Champions League and a Club World Cup.

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  Franco Baresi | Centre-back

  Franco Baresi is simply one of the greatest legends in the history of Milan.

  A one-club man, he represented the Rossoneri with distinction during his 20 seasons as a professional, and 15 of them with the captain's band on his arm.

  An absolute leader on and off the pitch, he had immaculate positional sense that allowed him to command his defence like few others have in history.

  Fast, technical, relentless with his interventions and gifted with an excellent vision of the game, he was one of the greatest defenders of all time.

  In fact, he was second in the Ballon d'Or rankings in 1989 (the winner was Marco Van Basten) and is still considered amongst the strongest players to have failed to win what is the most coveted individual recognition in football.

  However, he did win everything with Milan: six Scudetti, four Italian Super Cups, one Mitropa Cup, three Champions League, three European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups.

  A Milan legend through and through.

Goal takes you through the evolution of the FIFA video game series, starting from its first incarnation as a pixellated 16-bit arcade-like game

The latest edition of the popular video game FIFA features high-end graphics and crisp user interplay as well as stunning gameplay features – but playing FIFA wasn't always this aesthetically pleasing.

Goal rewinds the clock and takes a look at how FIFA's gaming interface has evolved over the years, starting off as a game that looked as if it belonged in the arcade next to Super Mario Bros.

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  1FIFA International Soccer

  The very first incarnation of FIFA as we know it was called 'FIFA International Soccer' and released in 1993, riding the wave of traditional 16-bit games, and only featured national teams. Real player names were not used! 

  A notorious bug allowed the player to score by standing in front of the goalkeeper so that the ball rebounded against him and into the net

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  2FIFA 95

  Using the same mechanisms and featuring only minor upgrades, FIFA 95 was the first edition to introduce club teams within eight national leagues: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands, and the United States.

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  3FIFA 96

  FIFA 96 was the first game to feature real-time 3D graphics on specific platforms, and was also the first to present players with real player names and positions, alongside ranking, transfer and team customisation tools.

  The Brazilian teams, however, had faulty rosters – having included some long-retired players that were only corrected in FIFA 99 – and the American league still consisted of entirely fake teams and players.

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  4FIFA 97

  A huge introduction in FIFA 97 was the 6-a-side indoor feature with polygonal players, and the game increased their number of playable leagues to include Malaysia.

  This version was also the first to feature in-game commentary by John Motson, alongside Andy Gray and Des Lynam introducing the matches.

The newly-crowned league champions are the main force in the best XI this season, with Tottenham Hotspur well represented as well

Few people will be surprised to see Manchester City dominate the PFA Premier League Team of the Year by having five players named.

Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi and Kyle Walker are the five newly-crowned English champions included in the XI due to their impressive performances for a side sitting 16 points clear at the top of the table with four games to go.

Despite Pep Guardiola's team's dominance of the league, there are more star-studded names throughout the squad.

Tottenham Hotspur are the next best represented side as star striker Harry Kane takes the centre-forward role, with Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen also included. 

Although still sitting second and third in the league, Manchester United and Liverpool only have one star each in the squad, with David de Gea taking his place between the posts and 30-goal hero and PFA Player of the Year Mohamed Salah adding to a mouth-watering attack.

Amid their poor title defence, Chelsea also saw one player named in the side, with Marcos Alonso earning praise for his impressive work on the left side.

• David de Gea | Manchester United

  The Spanish goalkeeper has been pivotal in keeping the Red Devils in the fight for second place, with some of his individual displays being enough to justify his inclusion in the squad alone.

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  Kyle Walker | Manchester City

  The right-back has looked worth the £50 million investment City parted with to lure the England international from Tottenham Hotspur. He has been a big presence for Pep Guardiola's side and is expected to be even more important for his country at the World Cup.

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  Jan Vertonghen | Tottenham Hotspur

  The Belgian centre-back remains a fan favourite at Spurs and a huge asset for Mauricio Pochettino's men. Christian Eriksen is the only other Tottenham player to have started as many Premier League games this term.

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  Nicolas Otamendi | Manchester City

  The Argentine's development under Pep Guardiola has earned him a great deal of praise recently and his progress has been recognised with a place alongside Vertonghen.

Daniel Levy is said to still be interested in appointing Brendan Rodgers as his next Tottenham manager…

What’s the word?

According to reliable football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, the 48-year-old is someone who Spurs “still have a keen eye on”, whilst the club’s former midfielder Scott Parker is not thought to be a candidate right now.

Two weeks ago, the Lilywhites’ managerial search hit a bump in the road as the Leicester City manager seemingly ruled himself out of the running and The Sun claimed that a £70m price tag was deterring Spurs from approaching him.

Football Insider then suggested that Parker would be holding talks with the club’s hierachy this week following Fulham’s relegation.

Encouraging news

However, Gold’s recent claims throw an interesting spanner in the works and this could delight many supporters in north London.

Spurs have seen many a managerial target emerge, only for them to swiftly quash any links – Julian Nagelsmann was confirmed as Bayern Munich’s next head coach and Erik ten Hag signed an extension at Ajax, for example.

It lessens the pool of potential candidates, in which Rodgers would surely sit top, so the fact that Gold has suggested that Levy and co will still keep tabs on him is certainly a major source of encouragement.

There were reports that Spurs could make him the second-highest paid manager in the Premier League behind Pep Guardiola and perhaps that’s a big temptation.

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The Foxes are certainly clear of Tottenham right now. After all, they have won a Premier League title, are heading for a second successive season in Europe (potentially in the Champions League) and have an FA Cup final on the horizon.

However, the prospect of £15m per year could be too good to refuse for Rodgers.

It is also an interesting project to take on, considering how far Spurs have fallen in the last two years. They have plenty of talent still on offer, as the new manager could build around the likes of Joe Rodon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and, of course, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

Rodgers’ reputation as a developmental coach is hugely appealing for Spurs. Players like Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and James Justin have all improved tenfold on his watch, whilst Jamie Vardy is ageing like a fine wine under his stewardship.

Perhaps none have benefitted as much as Kelechi Iheanacho, who has gone from flop to hero in just one season. The improvement has been so dramatic that Dean Windass hailed Rodgers as “unbelievable” for his role in his progression during an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Similarly, the former Liverpool and Celtic boss has been dubbed an “elite manager” who “could manage any team in Europe” by BT Sport’s Robbie Savage.

It’s no wonder that many Lilywhites fans appear desperate to see Rodgers appointed as Jose Mourinho’s successor and this latest development from the ever-reliable Gold will surely have them absolutely buzzing.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rodgers: Levy can secure Spurs a dream duo with “sensational” £20m titan…