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• Postecoglou reminiscent of Pochettino, says former Tottenham defender Dawson

  Ange Postecoglou is a coach in the same style as Mauricio Pochettino so says Michael Dawson, who is excited by the Australian's appointment at Tottenham.

  Tottenham's long search for a new coach took them to Celtic's door, and Postecoglou this week signed a four-year contract.

  That came on the back of the former Australia coach leading the Hoops to the treble in Scotland in 2022-23.

  And former Spurs defender Dawson thinks Postecoglou will end up being an ideal fit.

  Speaking to Stats Perform at an exclusive launch event for Club and Nike Members held at Alexandra Palace, Dawson said: "I think it's a really positive appointment with Ange Postecoglou.

  "What he did at Celtic, but not just there. I think what he did in Australia and then Japan, people were wondering, how would he actually settle in [at Celtic], how would his style of playing get implemented.

  "He's certainly done that Celtic. So now he has to come to our club and do the same. I do believe it's a lot harder because the Premier League, in my opinion, is the best league in the world.

  "But he's done in Scotland and now he'll want to come and come to England and do it again at a massive football club. I'm sure he's delighted to get the opportunity to work in the Premier League, and at Spurs and work with a group of young players that are in the building and try and improve them like he certainly did at Celtic."

  Indeed, Dawson believes the 57-year-old's approach will be similar to that of Pochettino, who led Spurs to multiple top four finishes and a Champions League final during his stint in charge.

  "Daniel [Levy's] gone out and made the manager clear that he wanted to play an attacking style of football," said Dawson.

  "I looked at 2014, when I was at the club when Pochettino came through the door. You try and implement your style of what you want with a group of players then try and get the best out of that players and the right personnel to play in the right formation.

  "[Postecoglou] plays with a 4-3-3 and with his fullbacks inverted, and they overload the midfield. Players will be on holiday and go away on international duty, but certainly when the first day of pre-season comes he'll be trying to get the message across."

  Spurs finished eighth and failed to qualify for a European competition, and Dawson knows they must be targeting much better.

  "I look at the Spurs team and the players that we've got at the top of the field with Harry Kane, one of the best strikers in the world," he added.

  "He's done it for many years and he will keep doing it. He's an absolute genius, world-class, Spurs' all-time goalscorer, England's all-time goalscorer and he will keep doing that because he's relentless. 

  "Son [Heung-min], [Dejan] Kulusevski, Richarlison; it's now about getting the best out of these players to try and get us back to where I believe we should be and that's in the Champions League.

  "There's no there's no hiding, it was a disappointing season. We looked at 12 months ago when we ended the last two games by beating Arsenal and finishing in the Champions League, it was great. This year we've come up short. The players know that and now you always get another chance."

• Jefferson Lerma to join Crystal Palace after Bournemouth exit

  Crystal Palace have agreed terms with Colombia midfielder Jefferson Lerma on a three-year deal.

  The 28-year-old will join the Eagles on July 1 when his current Bournemouth contract ends.

  “I am very happy and excited by this new opportunity,” Lerma told the official Palace website.

  “Crystal Palace has good players and a good team, and I want to help with every objective the club has next season.”

  Palace chairman Steve Parish said: “Jefferson is a strong addition to our squad.

  “He is a proven performer at Premier League level, and his combative and competitive nature will endear him to the Palace fans.”

  Lerma made a £25million switch to Bournemouth from Levante in August 2018 and made 184 appearances in five seasons with the Cherries. He has won 33 caps for Colombia.

• Expanded competitions threaten well-being of ‘pushed to limit’ players – report

  The expanded Champions League and Club World Cup pose a threat to the well-being of players who are already being “pushed to the limit” in the current calendar, according to a new report.

  The men’s Player Workload Monitoring (PWM) report for the 2022-23 season from world players’ union FIFPRO has projected that changes to both competitions from the 2024-25 season could lead to an 11 per cent increase in the number of matches top players are involved in.

  It looked at the example of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, whose 64 games for club and country in 2021-22 could rise to 72 in 2024-25.

  The new 36-team Champions League would involve a team playing up to 17 matches from the league phase through to the final – four more than the current 13.

  The new 32-team Club World Cup, due to be played every four years from the summer of 2025 onwards, could involve seven extra matches for the teams reaching the final.

  The tournament has the backing of the European Club Association, but the World Leagues Forum – currently chaired by Premier League chief executive Richard Masters – is opposed to the plans.

  The PWM report said: “The Club World Cup is expected to take place in June-July, which is just after the end of the long club season for the majority of participants.

  “This will undoubtedly further decrease the off-season rest period for many players and raise concerns about their ability to fully recover in time for the new season. In addition, high travel load will also be associated to the tournament.

  “The reforms of the two major tournaments will ultimately increase the number of games played by top players who could conceivably feature in both.

  “This poses a threat to the well-being of players who are already pushed to their limit with the current international match calendar.”

  The report found Manchester United and Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes played 74 per cent of his matches ‘back to back’ – without a gap of at least five days in between, including 20 consecutive back-to-back matches.

  Chelsea’s January recruit Enzo Fernandez played 70 per cent of his matches back to back.

  That was despite the midfielder having no off-season rest at all last summer, having played a first friendly for Benfica just eight days after competing in the Copa Libertadores for Argentinian club River Plate.

  He also only had a nine-day break between featuring in the World Cup final for Argentina and reporting back for club duty.

  The report also compared the workload of young players from the current generation to their predecessors.

  It found England midfielder Jude Bellingham has already played 14,445 minutes in his professional career before the age of 20, while Wayne Rooney had only played 10,989 minutes before his 20th birthday.