KUALA TERENGGANU: Menteri Besar Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar mengakui menerima ratusan permohonan bagi mengisi ‘kerusi panas’ yang ditinggalkan bekas ketua jurulatih Terengganu FC (TFC), Irfan Bakti Abu Salim.
Beliau yang juga Presiden Bola Sepak Negeri Terengganu (PBSNT) berkata permohonan tersebut bukan sahaja datang daripada jurulatih itu sendiri, malahan ejen jurulatih yang berminat untuk mengendali pasukan naib juara Piala Malaysia musim lalu itu.
“Setakat ini kita terima beratus permohonan daripada jurulatih tempatan dan luar yang berminat membimbing TFC. Bagaimanapun, kita sedang pertimbangkan daripada pelbagai sudut termasuk kemampuan kewangan negeri,” katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan program ‘Beyond The Moon:50th Anniversary Of Moon Landing, di Pusat Sains dan Kreativiti Terengganu (PSKT) petang Selasa.
Kerusi ketua jurulatih TFC kosong selepas Irfan Bakti yang pernah membawa pasukan itu menjuarai Piala Malaysia pada 2001 meletak jawatan secara mengejut dalam satu mesyuarat khas PBSNT, Rabu lalu.
Ahmad Samsuri berkata PBSNT memberi jaminan bahawa jawatan penting itu akan diisi dan pihaknya sedang memerhati serta mencari calon sesuai sehingga bertemu yang benar-benar layak mengembalikan kegemilangan bola sepak Terengganu.
According to Sky Sports New, citing Portuguese outlet Record, Tottenham have stepped up their interest in Benfica youngster Jota Filipe.
Jota is said to have a release clause in the region of £26.3m.
The 20-year-old is a product of Benfica’s youth system and has made 47 appearances for Benfica B.
In those 47 games, he has scored nine and assisted eight.
Jota has also made six appearances for Benfica’s first-team this campaign.
The promising starlet is naturally a left winger, but he can also play on the right and behind the striker.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 03: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between Tottenham Hotspur and FC Barcelona at Wembley Stadium on October 3, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Rose urges Tottenham to listen to Pochettino
If Tottenham were to sign Jota, he would be their first senior signing in three transfer windows.
Earlier this season, Mauricio Pochettino revealed how he was disappointed at Spurs’ lack of transfer activity.
Now, after guiding Tottenham to a Champions League final for the first time in their history, Danny Rose has urged Tottenham’s board to listen to Pochettino:
“They [the board] must listen to the manager. He said recently that he needs to know what the next chapter of the club is. I fully agree with everything he says.
“Not many people could operate in the circumstances that he’s done. We had no stadium, we’ve not signed anybody.
“Tottenham are part of the big six in the Premier League and we have a different way of working.
“Not many managers would have been able to do what Mauricio has done, in terms of securing Champions League football four years in a row and finishing second, third and fourth.”
Daniele Pochettino, cousin of Spurs boss Mauricio, has this evening confirmed that the Argentine taking over at Italian giants Juventus this summer is ‘a feasible hypothesis’.
Allegri sacked
Serie A champions Juve confirmed last Friday that, on the back of 5 trophy-laden years with the club, Max Allegri was set to be removed from his post as Bianconeri boss this summer.
The Italian tactician’s sacking came as something of a surprise more-so than a shock, with the Old Lady, despite waltzing to their 8th-consecutive Italian top-flight title, having disappointed for much of the campaign.
This came to a head when Juve were deservedly ousted from the Champions League, the tournament which many had tipped them to win on the back of Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival last summer, at the quarter-final stage, by Ajax.
TURIN, ITALY – APRIL 16: Matthijs de Ligt of Ajax celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final second-leg match between Juventus and Ajax at Allianz Stadium on April 16, 2019 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Juve’s manager search
As such, rumours have since been rampant regarding who the board at the Allianz Stadium will opt to appoint as Allegri’s replacement.
The likes of Maurizio Sarri, Antonio Conte, Simone Inzaghi, Didier Deschamps and Mauricio Pochettino have all been touted as potential arrivals on the Juve bench.
And the Old Lady’s hopes of securing a surprise agreement with the latter of the aforementioned tacticians have this evening been dealt a boost, courtesy of a surprising source.
‘Has the desire to coach Juve’
As confirmed by the cousin of Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs boss has a very real interest in taking the reins of the Old Lady this summer.
Speaking in an interview with TuttoJuve, Daniele Pochettino revealed that the 47-year-old’s Italian heritage have seen him drawn to a Serie A switch, with Poch’s entire family rooting for him to down tools in north London to join Juventus:
(It should also be noted that Daniele is the deputy mayor of Virle Piemonte in Turin, the city in which Juve are based.)
‘Mauricio to Juventus is a feasible hypothesis. Everyone in our family wants to see him at Juve.’
‘He is certainly attracted to Italy. He told us he wants to come to our country to find his ancestral heritage.’
‘I met Mauricio a few months ago. We talked about Piemontese food (among other things). He’s a nice and helpful person.’
Mauricio Pochettino during the UEFA Champions League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
‘He has the desire to coach Juve. He’s equipped with all the qualities needed to coach Juve. Juve always recruit the best coaches.’
‘Juve are looking for a coach who has the profile of a winner and Mauricio has this attitude. In style, he is a bit like that of Conte because he wins with a competitive spirit and intensity.’
‘I don’t know if he can be convinced (to come to Juve). We must always see what would be eventually proposed to him.’
‘At the end, it is his decision. In the event he accepts Juve, we will welcome him with open arms (to Piedmont).’
‘Close the five-year chapter’
Pochettino is of course currently in the midst of preparing for the biggest fixture of his managerial career, June 1st’s Champions League final between Spurs and Liverpool.
The former Southampton boss, though, recently hinted that he could well call time on his Tottenham stint, if the capital giants defy the odds yet again to emerge victorious in the Madrid showpiece:
‘Winning the Champions League? It would be fantastic, no? Close the five-year chapter and go home.’
‘To win the Champions League with Tottenham, in this circumstance, in this season, maybe I need to think a little bit to do something different in the future, for sure. Because to repeat this miracle, you know…’
MADRID – Sepupu Mauricio Pochettino, Daniele Pocchetino, mengatakan sang saudara memiliki peluang yang sangat besar untuk mengarsiteki Juventus musim depan. Dalam pandangan Daniele, Pochettino memiliki segalanya yang dibutuhkan untuk ditunjuk sebagai juru taktik Cristiano Ronaldo dan kawan-kawan.
Kesuksesan mengangkat performa Tottenham Hotspur dalam beberapa musim terakhir, nyatanya meningkatkan daya jual Pochettino. Pelatih asal Argentina itu sempat masuk radar Manchester United dan Real Madrid.
Namun, semua tawaran di atas ditolak presiden Tottenham, Daniel Levy. Setelah Man United dan Madrid, ketertarikan kini datang dari tubuh si Nyonya Tua yang sedang mencari sosok pelatih pengganti Massimiliano Allegri.
Manajemen Juventus tertarik kepada Pochettino yang meloloskan The Lilywhites –julukan Tottenham– ke final Liga Champions 2018-2019. Jika Pochettino membawa Tottenham menjadi kampiun Liga Champions, keinginan Juventus mendapatkan pelatih jawara semakin mendekati kenyataan.
Sebab, Juventus saat ini tengah mencari pelatih yang berpengalaman memenangi trofi Liga Champions. Hal itu karena sudah lama Juventus tidak menjadi yang terbaik di Liga Champions, atau terakhir kali pada 1995-1996.
“Pochettino menggantikan posisi Allegri di Juventus? Saya pikir itu sesuatu yang sangat mungkin. Mauricio (Pochettino) menunjukkan dirinya pantas disebut sebagai pelatih luar biasa, berkat kesuksesannya membawa Tottenham lolos ke final Liga Champions,” kata Daniele mengutip dari Calciomercato, Selasa (21/5/2019).
PERLAWANAN pertama Sage Northcutt pada acara ‘ONE: Enter The Dragon’ di Singapura, Jumaat lalu tidak mendapat keputusan yang diharapkannya.
Petarung seni bela diri campuran (MMA) dari Amerika Syarikat itu ditundukkan oleh Cosmo Alexandre yang hanya memerlukan 29 saat untuk meraih kemenangan menerusi ‘knockout’.
Akibat tumbukan padu Alexandre, Northcutt terpaksa dikejarkan ke hospital di Singapura sebaik habis perlawanan.
Memuat naik posting di akuan Instagramnya pada Ahad, bekas petarung UFC itu memaklumkan keadaan terkininya kepada umum.
Northcutt mengesahkan dia mengalami keretakan tulang pada lapan bahagian serta terpaksa menjalani pembedahan yang berlangsung selama 9 jam.
Meskipun mengalami kecederaan teruk, Northcutt sempat mengucapkan terima kasih pada ONE Championship, keluarga, rakan dan peminatnya yang sentiasa memberikan penjagaan dan sokongan yang luar biasa kepada dirinya.
Northcutt turut memetik ayat popular dari filem The Terminator, “I’ll be back” (saya akan kembali), memberikan gambaran dia akan kembali di arena MMA bersama ONE Championship.
Sebagai rekod, ini adalah kekalahan pertama Northcutt dalam masa hampir tiga tahun, menjadikan rekod terkini 11-3.
Kekalahan terakhirnya adalah ditangan Mickey Gall pada December 2016 pada acara UFC on.
