The Warm Up – talkSPORT

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Tottenham legend Clive Allen fears his 36-year goal record could be shattered this season by the ‘astonishingly good’ Erling Haaland.

And he won’t be the only icon looking nervously at their history-making exploits following the Man City goal machine’s stunning start to his debut Premier League campaign.

Haaland is already giving defenders sleepless nights – and now the game’s record holders are looking on Clive Allen scored 49 goals for Spurs during the 1986/87 season Allen scored 49 goals in all competitions for Tottenham in the 1986/87 season – which still stands as a club record.

It’s a record he has proudly held ever since, although he admits the time may have come for him to wave it goodbye.

Haaland has enjoyed a staggering start to his career in the English top flight, with the 22-year-old already bagging 11 goals in his first seven matches – including a pair of hat-tricks in consecutive games against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.

And he has the chance to increase that tally in his first Manchester derby showdown against Man United on Sunday.

Asked if he’s looking at Haaland’s start to his career and fearing his record could be broken, Allen told talkSPORT on the Warm Up: “It’s not going to last to the New Year, the way he’s going!

“It’s quite incredible, he has been in absolutely stunning form.

Haaland has been an unstoppable force since his arrival at Man City in the summer

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“And now it’s full steam ahead. Everyone’s really looking forward to it. We’re all ready. Right now I’m fit. I’m ready to go,” the star said in a statement.

On missing the training session, she said: “I already practised in the morning. So we all collectively thought it was the best decision to pass on the afternoon session.”

She continued: “I feel like last year I came straight out of my exams, I was fresh, ready to play. I feel the same excitement this year, because I think Wimbledon just brings that out of me especially.”

Prior to Raducanu’s announcement, former British tennis player Barry Cowan told talkSPORT that she was likely to be present for her first match despite the speculation.

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— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 20, 2022

However, he also stated it could be tough for her both on and off the court, given she’s failed to perform as well as she did at the US Open recently.

“From what I hear, certainly from what I heard yesterday, it’s more unlikely she won’t play, than she will play.” the former Wimbledon competitor explained on The Warm Up with Charlie Baker and Lloyd Griffith.

“But even if she was 100 per cent, the draw would’ve been really tough, because her opponent Van Uytvanck has won a couple of grass court tournaments.

“Albeit, lower level tournaments, but still she’s won a lot more tournaments in the last few weeks than Raducanu.

Raducanu shocked the world when she won the US Open last September “She’s still so young, and going from what she was which is obscurity into one of the most well known female sportswomen in this country would be difficult for her right now.”

When it comes to the pressures and expectations placed on her, though, Raducanu was optimistic.

“I take whatever feeling as positive. I think people are going to be behind me and cheering me on,” she said.

“There’s nothing sort of negative about that. They want you to do well. I’m looking forward to going out there and experiencing that and feeling that.”

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Andros Townsend has revealed to talkSPORT he still has ‘no idea’ about his Crystal Palace future after officially becoming a free agent.

And he won’t be the only one, with the Eagles allowing the contracts of 11 first-team players to run down at the end of the season.

Townsend is now officially a free agent after his Crystal Palace contract was allowed to expire Reports claim only one of those 11 players reported for the start of pre-season on Friday after an invitation from the club.

Townsend is one of the stars who is now a free agent, and he was in the talkSPORT studio with Jim White and Simon Jordan instead of undergoing his usual pre-season tests.

Christian Benteke was the only player to be offered a new contract at the end of the Premier League season, the 30-year-old Belgian signing a two-year deal, but the others were told by the club they would be contacted after a new manager was appointed.

However, that process has taken much longer than anticipated, and even though Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira is now expected to take charge at Selhurst Park, it is understood the finer details of that deal are causing more delays.

Vieira has managed in America, France as well as Man City’s Elite Development Squad, and is now set for his first job as a Premier League coach It means a whole team’s worth of players are now officially without a club and considering their futures.

Townsend was back on the talkSPORT airwaves on Saturday, ahead of England’s Euro 2020 quarter-final against Ukraine, where he again discussed his uncertain future.

The winger was asked by talkSPORT host Andy Goldstein whether he will be wearing Crystal Palace’s new away kit, which was recently unveiled by the club – a really classy yellow number with a red and blue vertical stripe and subtle eagle emblem within the fabric of the shirt.

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— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) July 3, 2021

But the former Tottenham man admitted he is still in the dark.

“It looks nice, very nice, but the fact it’s July 3, pre-season has started and I’m sat in a basement with you, I’m probably no nearer to knowing about my future, to be honest.”

Asked why he hasn’t begun pre-season with the Eagles, Townsend had a simple answer: “I’m out of contract. From July 1, I’m no longer a Palace player.

Townsend’s Crystal Palace contract has expired and he is now considering offers from other clubs – but he’s open to staying at Selhurst Park “To be fair the club’s main focus was getting in a new manager, and rightly so, and then they said all along once we got the manager in they’d speak to him and start speaking to players about renewals.

“So I’m not saying I won’t be at Palace next season, but at this moment I’ve no idea.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” said fellow talkSPORT guest Emile Heskey, “You’re unemployed at this moment in time, but so is Lionel Messi!“

“But we’re the same position,” laughed Townsend. “So, effectively, Palace could be looking at Messi to replace me!”

Messi is also officially a free agent but is widely expected to sign a new contract to stay at Barcelona It means Townsend and the other ten players are now left to consider offers from other clubs, who are free to approach them about a free transfer.

Townsend has previously told the station he is weighing up offers from overseas sides, but the forward is hoping to remain in the Premier League.

He is not ruling out staying with the Eagles, if he is eventually offered a new deal, but admits he is not willing to wait around much longer with pre-season already underway for many clubs.

“I’m so excited, it’s the first time in my career I’ve been a free agent and had these options, so I want to make the right move,” he said.

Townsend is hoping to keep playing in the Premier League as he thinks about his future “I’m 30 next month, so this needs to be the right move for me.

“I’m going to speak to as many clubs as possible, see who, from all the verbal interest at the moment, puts that on a piece of paper and then sit down and see which one is the best for me.

“In an ideal world I’d love to continue playing in the Premier League, and I’d love it to happen as soon as possible.

“I keep looking at my phone, I’m checking it all day looking for a call from my agent.

“I wanted to be somewhere July 1, but obviously that hasn’t happened. I may have to wait another few weeks, but hopefully by the second or third week of July I can be someone ready to train.”

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The relationship between Mauricio Pochettino and Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo is ‘irreparably damaged’ and one of the men will leave the club this summer.

That’s according to French football expert Philippe Auclair, who joined talkSPORT to reveal the latest news over the rumours on Pochettino’s future and a possible return to Tottenham.

Pochettino’s future at PSG is the topic of rampant speculation Numerous reports have suggested the Argentine is open to coming back to Spurs this summer with Daniel Levy realising his mistake in sacking him in November 2019 after five years in charge.

It is claimed Pochettino and Levy still have a good relationship and the PSG boss has previously claimed he would be open to a return to north London one day.

The 49-year-old took charge of the French giants in January. He has picked up two trophies but PSG were well beaten by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals and lost the Ligue 1 title to Lille.

He is under contract at PSG until June 2022, but latest reports claim Pochettino has actually asked to leave the French giants after just six months in charge.

Auclair revealed to talkSPORT the coach has already developed a prickly relationship with PSG chief Leonardo over the Brazilian’s control at the Parc des Princes, and one WILL leave this summer.

However, he explained why that is actually more likely to be Leonardo than Pochettino.

Leonardo has been sporting director at PSG for nearly ten years The ex-Brazil international was first appointed at PSG in 2011 and after leaving for one year in the same role at AC Milan, he returned to the club in 2019. He is responsible for PSG’s major transfer decisions as well as players contracts, and has infamously fallen out with a number of previous managers.

But, after a week which saw two of those coaches crowned European title winners as Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea won the Champions League and Unai Emery’s Villarreal lifted the Europa League, Auclair says PSG’s Qatari owners could make a change.

“The relationship between Mauricio Pochettino and Leonardo is basically irredeemably broken,” the French football reporter told talkSPORT.

“So, there cannot be a situation in which Pochettino stays and Leonardo stays, that’s where we are at the moment.

“There have been some very heated exchanges between the two and Pochettino has not exactly appreciated the fact that a lot of the affairs of the team have been overseen by Leonardo, including contracts extensions.

“At the same time, Leonardo has been on French radio telling that Pocehttino still had two years to run on his contract, which came as a surprise to everybody as we thought he’d signed an 18 month contract in December, so had one year left. But apparently there might have been an extension clause that was triggered.

“But, after what happened last week when you had two former PSG managers win the Champions League and the Europa League, I’m not absolutely sure Leonardo is perhaps in the best of positions to have any problems with these Qatari owners, who are really the ones pulling the strings.

“It would not have escaped their attention that the manager Leonardo fell out with so spectacularly after he took them to the Champions League final [Thomas Tuchel] went back to that final and won it with another team, which does not have stars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in its ranks.

“So you shouldn’t think Leonardo has got such an incredibly good relationship with the owners that he is going to survive any of this crisis – this is not the case.”

Zidane has been linked with the PSG job if Pochettino leaves, but talkSPORT has been told that is unlikely to happen Pochettino has also been linked with a move to Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane left the Spanish giants for the second time at the end of the season.

France legend Zidane has since been linked with replacing Pochettino in the PSG dugout, as part of the managerial merry-go-round that is expected to shake up the top echelon of European football this summer.

But Auclair explained that’s not likely and that PSG don’t want the Tottenham-linked boss to go.

“There have been some wild rumours going about with Zidane leaving his position at Real Madrid and the comments he’s made about that,” he added.

“Some people have thought, ‘can he go to PSG if Pochettino left?’

“But the answer to that is a resounding, ‘no’. He wouldn’t.

“PSG have some of the cards in their hands. Pochettino is still under contract and if they refuse his resignation they have every power to do that.

Pochettino has won two trophies at PSG but has experienced plenty of setbacks “But you have to see what’s going on more with the internal struggle within PSG, which is one of the most dysfunctional clubs you can think of, rather than a manager absolutely wanting to go back to a club he thinks he’s got unfinished business with.

“PSG certainly don’t want to get rid of Pochettino, they know they have a very fine manager, so they’re not going to deal with him in the way they might have dealt with some of his predecessors.

“And that’s why I’m saying at this moment in time, if someone leaves PSG this summer it’s more likely to be Leonardo than Pochettino.

“But, obviously, this could change!”

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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for supporters to be at the very heart of football following the collapse of the ‘completely and utterly wrong’ European Super League.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the MP said the promised Government-led review of the governance of the game should hand more power to the fans, insisting it’s time for change.

Sir Keir Starmer is a big Arsenal fan, and would have loved seeing Gooners making their voices heard ahead of Friday’s clash against Everton The bombshell news of the elite breakaway sent shockwaves through the sport last weekend, with football’s richest clubs coming together to form a new Super League that would practically make them untouchable at the very top.

But those plans came crashing down a mere 48 later, with NINE of the 12 founding clubs – including the ‘big six’ from the Premier League – pulling out after an incredible backlash from fans, pundits, managers and even players.

Supporters have been praised for collectively bringing the plans to an end, with the game’s mega-rich club owners earning widespread condemnation for their greed.

Liverpool fans are the latest to come together in protest of their owners, John W Henry and Fenway Sports Group, with Chelsea and Arsenal fans also voicing their anger at the plans in force over the past week.

Liverpool fans took to the streets on Saturday in protest of their American owners Starmer hails supporters for showing their potential as instruments of change, and the politician told talkSPORT it’s clear supporters must be given a great say in the future of the game, and called the Government to step in.

“The proposal for the breakaway was just completely wrong and I’m really glad it came up against a wall of opposition from fans up and down the country, from fans that were involved and every other club,” the Labour party leader said on Saturday’s Gameday Warm Up show.

“Completely and utterly wrong, it would’ve completely destroyed football and I’m really glad it would’ve been knocked on the head.

“What we can’t do is now lose the opportunity. There’s been momentum and energy behind this, we need to use that to change football. The ownership – we need an independent regulator.

“The Government has promised a review, that’s a good thing, but we need it to be fans led and I’m a bit worried at the government’s reference that they’re ‘expecting’ to engage with fans. Well, that’s not good enough. We need to engage with fans.

“We’ve been talking about this for ten years in the Labour Party. We need to change governance. An independent regulator is key to this.

“What I want is an independent regulator where the principle is: what’s in the best interest of football? So it’s not money, money, money.

“We can look at different models for that, but if we had that underlying principle, I think that would make the money not the dominant issue – because that’s been the problem.

“I’m very worried about lower league clubs, because I’ve been to a lot of lower league clubs during the pandemic and they’ve really suffered.

“We have said ‘turning point’ before, but for ten years we’ve been discussing and done nothing.

“So many people have been outraged this week, now we can actually change something.

Liverpool fans protested on Saturday ahead of their Premier League game against Newcastle The Super League was brought to a sudden end after fans took action up and down the country “I wouldn’t get too hung up on a particular model, the German model has worked well in Germany but I’d keep an open mind in the review to look at others that might work.

“But we do need to change it.

“Parliament can step in here and legislate to do something about this. You don’t want politicians and the Government getting involved in the day-to-day rules of football, but governance should be something the Government can look at. Nothing should be off the table.

“Money has been the dominant factor for too long. Once people see football as just a commodity to make money, then you’re losing something very special.”

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Former Manchester United assistant Steve McClaren is excited to see Edinson Cavani finally take to the field a Red Devils shirt, saying he gives the team a ‘perfect combination’ up front.

The Uruguayan is expected to make his first appearance for the club against Chelsea on Saturday, as United aim to complete a brilliant week with another win.

Solskjaer has hinted Man United fans could see Cavani in action for the first time this weekend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men started the season poorly, but a 3-0 victory over Newcastle last weekend, followed by another unlikely Champions League triumph over Paris Saint-Germain, will have boosted their hopes for a third straight win when they host the Blues on Saturday evening.

They will be without Anthony Martial, who is still suspended after lashing out at Tottenham winger Erik Lamela.

The Frenchman’s absence could well see Cavani make his debut, and McClaren says he’s the type of player Solskjaer has been missing.

“Cavani is a number nine, he’s a focal number nine and when he plays what you need is two wide players,” he told The Warm Up on talkSPORT.

“They’ve got plenty of those in Rashford, Martial – who can’t play tonight – Mata, Greenwood, James.

“Pace on the sides with Cavani in the centre, it’s a perfect combination for them.”

Cavani missed out playing against former team PSG, but is set to make his United debut against Chelsea United are remarkably looking for their first home win of the season when they host Chelsea at Old Trafford.

From their seven games in all competitions so far this term, they have played just two at home and both have ended in defeat – against Crystal Palace and Tottenham.

It’s another indication that the fear factor of playing at the Theatre of Dreams appears to have disappeared entirely over the years.

And McClaren says the lack of fans in the stadium has a huge effect on the United players.

“It’s one of the team’s weapon’s blunted, without a shadow of a doubt,” added Sir Alex Ferguson’s former No.2.

“Ole hasn’t won a home game this season, and I know he’s talked on record about preparation for the home games.

“Away from home they stay in a hotel, they have meetings in the morning, you get that camaraderie and that focus as soon as you get there, whereas if you’re at home it’s a little bit different, and he’s having a look at that.

“The crowd at Manchester United, it’s a old cliché that they’re the 12th man, but the honestly are in that stadium.

“They rely on the crowd a lot, because Man United crowds are unlike others, they don’t boo or show their disgust during the game, during that 90 minutes they’re with the team and they fight for the team.

“They’re missing that. Without a home win this season, they’re definitely missing something.”

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Mick McCarthy has revealed he will ‘never forget’ the ‘brutal advice’ he received from Jack Charlton that completely changed his game and turned him into Ireland captain.

The former Republic of Ireland player and manager joined talkSPORT on Saturday to pay an emotional tribute to his old boss and England legend, following his sad passing.

Charlton passed away at his Northumerland home on Friday after a battle with lymphoma and dementia. He was aged 85.

Jack Charlton was, and still is, a national hero in Ireland due to what he achieved as Republic of Ireland manager ‘Big Jack’ leaves a lasting legacy in the English and Irish game.

Part of the Three Lions’ 1966 World Cup winning team and a one-club legend at Leeds United, Charlton also changed the fortunes of the Republic of Ireland team during his ten years in charge between 1986 and 1996, taking them to their first major tournament at Euro 88 as well as two World Cups.

McCarthy was just one of the players to thrive under his leadership, eventually being made captain of the national team and later following in Charlton’s footsteps by succeeding him as manger in 1996.

And McCarthy has shared his fond memories of the former boss, saying he will ‘never forget’ the impact Charlton had on his playing and managerial career.

“Jack and what he did for Ireland, it lifted the country,” he told the Warm Up on talkSPORT.

“It was the happiest time of my life in that team, and I’ve got Jack to thank for that.

Jack Charlton made Mick McCarthy his Republic of Ireland captain, and he later followed in his boss’ footsteps to become manager himself “He made it very simple for me and I’ll always remember him for that.

“He never dressed it up, his advice to me was, ‘win the ball back, head it and give it to somebody who can play’.

“It sounded a bit brutal, and when I heard it first as a kid I didn’t like it, but I soon realised that’s exactly how I should be playing.

“And he wanted me in the team for that. He trusted me and he gave me the captaincy.

“I wasn’t the best player in that team, nowhere near, but he saw something in me and my football at club level blossomed as well during that time.

“I’ll never forget him for that.”

Listen back to Mick McCarthy’s tribute to Jack Charlton on talkSPORT above

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