Stellini: Returning Spurs boss Conte to 'take it easy' after surgery

ANTONIO CONTE TO 'TAKE IT EASY' ON TOTTENHAM RETURN FOLLOWING GALLBLADDER SURGERY, SAYS CRISTIAN STELLINI

Having had gallbladder surgery in his native Italy, Antonio Conte is back at Tottenham. However, with a longer timescale on a full recovery, it's unclear when the manager will be back in full capacity at the club. Assistant boss Cristian Stellini welcomed Conte back. However, he didn’t confirm whether he would be on the bench for their trip to Leicester.

Antonio Conte will "take it easy for a bit" after returning to Tottenham following his recovery from gallbladder surgery according to assistant boss Cristian Stellini.

Conte was diagnosed with cholecystitis – inflammation in the gallbladder – which required an operation in his native Italy.

After confirming the procedure was a success, Conte has seemingly returned to work with Spurs, although it is unclear how much he will be involved for the foreseeable future with a full recovery for such surgery expected to be up to eight weeks.

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France goalkeeper Lloris announces international retirement

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has played his final game for France. The 36-year-old led France to the 2022 World Cup final, where they lost against Lionel Messi's Argentina. He also won the World Cup with France in 2018 and captained the team at Euro 2016 when they finished runners-up to Portugal. AC Milan’s Mike Maignan is likely to replace Lloris as France’s No. 1.

France captain Hugo Lloris has announced his retirement from international football.

Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris, 36, is France’s most capped player ever with 145 appearances and also captained the team over 100 times.

His last appearance was the 2022 World Cup final when France were beaten on penalties by Argentina.

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REAL MADRID ‘CONFIDENT’ OF WINNING £130M JUDE BELLINGHAM BATTLE AHEAD OF LIVERPOOL, MAN UTD, MANCHESTER CITY, CHELSEA

Real Madrid believe they have convinced Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham to join them ahead of a handful of Premier League giants. Elsewhere, Chelsea are committed to outbidding Arsenal in their pursuit of Mykhailo Mudryk, Jorginho and N'Golo Kante could leave Stamford Bridge for free this summer and Wayne Rooney is on the shortlist to replace Frank Lampard at Everton.

Real Madrid are now “increasingly confident” that they will be able to agree a deal to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund this summer. The Independent reveal that Los Blancos are using their position as the “best place for young talent in Europe” to convince Bellingham to pick them ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. Real Madrid pointed to the likes of Vinicius Jr, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga as players who Bellingham can join as the future of Madrid. The Spanish champions believe they are “leading the chase” for the 19-year-old, who is valued at a whopping £130 million by Dortmund.

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PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND-UP: FRANK LAMPARD UNDER PRESSURE AS EVERTON THRASHED BY BRIGHTON, FULHAM BEAT LEICESTER CITY

Frank Lampard and his Everton side were booed off by the home supporters at Goodison Park as Brighton left with all three points following an emphatic 4-1 victory. The defeat leaves the Toffees just a point above the Premier League relegation zone and they could drop into the bottom three if results go against them on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Fulham won 1-0 at Leicrster.

Brighton inflicted a heavy 4-1 defeat on Everton at Goodison Park to pile the pressure on Toffees boss Frank Lampard.

Japan international Kaoru Mitoma gave the Seagulls a 14th-minute lead with a composed finish.

Evan Ferguson marked his first Premier League start with a goal five minutes after the restart, and Brighton scored two more inside six minutes.

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‘WE CANNOT PLAY LIKE MONOPOLY’ – JURGEN KLOPP IRRITATED BY LIVERPOOL TRANSFER TALK AFTER ARRIVAL OF CODY GAKPO

The Liverpool manager spoke of his irritation regarding the constant transfer talk surrounding the club. The Reds recently brought Cody Gakpo to the club for a fee which could rise to £45 million. The German also spoke about the players that could leave Anfield, with the contracts of Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all set to expire next summer.

Jurgen Klopp is irritated by the constant transfer speculation surrounding Liverpool and stressed "we cannot play like Monopoly", claiming there is not an infinite amount of money to spend.

The Reds confirmed the arrival of Cody Gakpo in a transfer reportedly worth up to £45million, and focus has turned to who the club could bring in to bolster their midfield options.

But Klopp was on the defensive when addressing the topic of further reinforcements this month and insists the club is not in a position to "splash the cash".

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FRANK LAMPARD - I WANTED TO SIGN MANCHESTER CITY FORWARD ERLING HAALAND WHEN I WAS MANAGER AT CHELSEA

Chelsea signed Timo Werner in 2020 as part of a big-spending transfer window to reward Frank Lampard for securing Champions League football for the club, and the German failed to make a serious impact. Lampard lost his job later that season and on Friday he revealed that he had wanted to sign Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, then at RB Salzburg.

Everton manager Frank Lampard has revealed that he wanted to sign Erling Haaland when he was at Chelsea.

Lampard managed at Stamford Bridge between the summer of 2019 and January 2021, after securing Champions League football in his first season with the club under a transfer embargo.

The restriction was lifted for the following summer and while Lampard may have attempted to sign Haaland, then at RB Salzburg, he ultimately switched to Borussia Dortmund, before moving to Manchester City where he became the quickest player to score 20 goals in the Premier League, needing just 14 appearances.

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JURGEN KLOPP SAYS SECURING CODY GAKPO DEAL BEFORE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW OPENS IS 'HOME RUN' FOR LIVERPOOL

Cody Gakpo has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract at Anfield, leaving PSV Eindhoven after 15 years with the Dutch club, where he progressed from the youth academy. Liverpool saw off competition from other major European clubs to land Gakpo's signature, with Manchester United known to have been interested in securing his services. Jurgen Klopp thinks it's a "home run" move.

Jurgen Klopp says he did not need Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to work as a scout to lure Cody Gakpo to Anfield, as the door was already “wide open”.

The Dutch winger is moving to the Premier League from PSV Eindhoven after signing a five-and-a-half-year contract on Merseyside

After seeing off competition from other clubs including rivals Manchester United, Liverpool struck a deal reportedly worth £37m, which could rise up to £45m with potential add-ons.

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