What the papers say

David Moyes could remain at West Ham even if his contract as manager expires in the summer, it has been reported. According to the Daily Mail, the 60-year-old is being lined up by Hammers bosses for a job ‘upstairs’, although details of the exact role are not clear. Moyes has been in charge of the club since 2019, but there are reports his future as manager is in doubt following a run of four defeats in five games.

Bristol Live, via Sky Sports, says Liam Manning is closing in on becoming the new Bristol City manager. Manning’s Oxford are second in League One, but the opportunity to go up a division with Bristol City is believed to be too good for the 38-year-old to turn down.

And the Daily Mail reports Steven Gerrard‘s Al Ettifaq are gearing up for a spending spree across Europe as the side looks to dramatically improve their fortunes in the Saudi Pro League. Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson joined Al Ettifaq over the summer, while ex-Celtic striker Moussa Dembele is also on the books.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Bruno Fernandes: The Manchester United midfielder is wanted by several Saudi Pro League clubs, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

Rayan Cherki: Football Insider reports the Lyon forward is on the radar at Manchester United and Newcastle.

A hat-trick from Nicolas Jackson helped Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino enjoy a successful return to Tottenham, but only after a pulsating contest with two red cards and five disallowed goals.

Chelsea’s 4-1 victory ended Spurs’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season and earned Pochettino the first statement result of his reign – but it only told half the story.

Dejan Kulusevski fired Ange Postecoglou’s team in front during a 57-minute first half, where Cristian Romero earned a straight red card and Cole Palmer netted from the resulting penalty.

Tottenham also lost Micky van de Ven and James Maddison to injuries, while three goals were disallowed with video assistant referee John Brooks a busy man.

Spurs were reduced to nine men soon after half-time when Destiny Udogie was dismissed and the visitors’ numerical advantage finally told when Jackson slotted home in the 75th minute before he completed his treble with two stoppage-time strikes to bring an action-packed London derby to an end.

While all the pre-match focus centred on the reception Pochettino would get from the home fans, he walked out with the PA system booming so his main greeting turned out to be a bear hug from opposite number Postecoglou.

This match rarely disappoints for drama and Moises Caicedo’s crunching third-minute tackle on Maddison set the tone.

The rivalry between the clubs had always been there, but it ramped up a notch during Pochettino’s Tottenham tenure and especially after the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ in 2016.

Almost four years to the day since his sacking, this was Pochettino’s first return to N17 and he watched his new team concede after only six minutes.

Maddison was behind it with a wonderful pass under pressure into Pape Sarr, who recycled into Kulusevski and his curled effort deflected off Levi Colwill to beat Robert Sanchez.

Chelsea should have been level five minutes later when Raheem Sterling played in Jackson, but after he impressively side-stepped Van de Ven, he was thwarted by Guglielmo Vicario.

The breathless nature of the contest showed no sign of slowing with Son putting the ball in the net in the 13th minute after a slick move, but a VAR check showed he was marginally offside.

It would not be the first time Stockley Park was required with a check on Udogie’s tackle on Sterling soon after, but the left-back avoided a red card despite flying in two-footed.

Sterling was in the thick of the action with 21 minutes played when he finished well from an excellent Reece James pass, but Chelsea’s celebrations were cut short. A lengthy VAR check disallowed the goal for a handball by Sterling and Romero’s swipe at Colwill in the build-up was surprisingly ignored.

Caicedo’s long-range effort nestled into the bottom corner in the 28th minute  but the Stockley Park duo of Brooks and Daniel Robathan were required again.

After Brooks eventually decided Jackson had interfered with Caicedo’s strike and ruled out the goal, the check turned to two penalty shouts with Van de Ven’s air kick on Sterling fine, but Romero’s tackle on compatriot Enzo Fernandez deemed a spot-kick.

Tottenham received a double punishment though with Romero’s challenge that saw him crunch into the shin of Fernandez worthy of a red card in the opinion of referee Oliver, who reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor.

Following a near-five-minute delay, Cole Palmer converted the penalty, but only after Vicario pushed his effort onto the post and in.

Spurs suffered when Maddison injured his foot while trying to press James, before Van de Ven pulled up in a sprint with Jackson. Suddenly Spurs were without three of their most crucial players.

The sight of 12 minutes of stoppage-time was the last thing Tottenham wanted and despite a flashpoint between Sarr and Colwill, which resulted in yellow cards for both, it remained 1-1 at the break.

Pochettino replaced Colwill during the interval, but Postecoglou kept on his cautioned full-back and it proved costly.

Udogie lunged in on Sterling and Oliver produced a second yellow card, which meant Spurs faced at least 35 minutes with nine men.

Substitute Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg somehow diverted Jackson’s close-range header over, before Vicario bravely dived at Marc Cucurella’s feet to deny Chelsea again.

However, the Italian had no answers with quarter of an hour left. James released Sterling down the right and he squared for Jackson to tap home for his fourth goal since his summer switch.

After VAR produced a relatively quick check, it was needed again three minutes later when Dier volleyed home from a flick on by sub Rodrigo Bentancur – but Spurs celebrations were ended by the offside flag.

There was still time for Bentancur to head wide from six yards and Blues keeper Robert Sanchez to save from Son before Jackson scored twice from Palmer and Conor Gallagher passes to settle an absorbing clash.

Marcus Rashford has told a Manchester United fan channel to “stop spreading malicious rumours” over his future.

Popular fan channel The United Stand published a video on Monday titled: ‘Rashford’s future in doubt?’, with one contributor questioning his commitment to the club.

Rashford was not involved in United’s 1-0 Premier League win at Fulham on Saturday as manager Erik ten Hag said the England forward had picked up an injury and failed a fitness test on the morning of the game.

“Please STOP spreading malicious rumours,” Rashford wrote on social media in response to The United Stand video.

Rashford scored 30 goals last season but his form has dipped this season amid United’s own struggles.

The 26-year-old has scored only once in 14 appearances across all competitions and was criticised by Ten Hag after going to a nightclub party following the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford on October 29.

Ten Hag said the post-derby night out was “unacceptable” but Rashford was involved in the Carabao Cup tie with Newcastle three days later, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute in another 3-0 home defeat.

United are next in action on Wednesday, away to Danish club Copenhagen in the Champions League.

The rebel group holding Luis Diaz’s father claim military action in the local area is not only delaying the release of their hostage but putting him at risk.

Diaz’s parents were kidnapped over a week ago – his mother was subsequently freed quickly – and despite pledges from the National Liberation Army of Colombia to expedite the return of Diaz Sr, it is taking longer than expected.

“On November 2, we informed the country of the decision to release Mr Luis Manuel Diaz, father of the player Luis Diaz,” said a statement, signed by unit leader Commander Jose Manuel Martinez Quiroz, released to Colombian media.

“From that date, we began the process to accomplish this as soon as possible. We are making efforts to avoid incidents with government forces.

“The area is still militarised, they are carrying out flyovers, disembarking troops, broadcasting and offering rewards as part of an intense search operation.

“This situation is not allowing for the execution of the release plan quickly and safely, where Mr Luis Manuel Diaz is not at risk.

“If operations continue in the area, they will delay the release and increase the risks.

“We understand the anguish of the Diaz-Marulanda family, to whom we say that we will keep our word to release him unilaterally, as soon as we have security guarantees for the development of the liberation operation.”

Diaz made an emotional plea for his father’s return after coming off the bench to score a late equaliser for Liverpool at Luton before lifting his shirt to display the message ‘Libertad para Papa’ (‘Freedom for dad’).

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A post shared by Luis Fernando Diaz Marulanda (@luisdiaz19_)

The winger, who was making his first appearance since the kidnappings, then posted a message on Instagram in which he said: “I ask the ELN for the prompt release of my father, and I ask international organisations to work together for his freedom.

“Every second, every minute, our anguish grows. My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, distressed and without words to describe what we are feeling. This suffering will only end when we have him back home.

“I beg you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as soon as possible.

“In the name of love and compassion, we ask that you reconsider your actions and allow us to recover him.

“I thank Colombians and the international community for the support received, thank you for so many demonstrations of affection and solidarity in this difficult time that many families in my country find themselves living.”

Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool’s players have created a “safe place” for Luis Diaz in the days since his father was kidnapped in Colombia.

The 26-year-old came off the bench in the 83rd minute of the team’s 1-1 draw with Luton on Sunday and scored a dramatic equaliser deep into added time.

It was his first appearance since his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, was abducted in the town of Barrancas on October 28.

The striker was absent for Liverpool’s wins over Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth but marked a sensational return to action by heading in Harvey Elliott’s cross five minutes into stoppage time at Kenilworth Road.

The group responsible for the abduction, the National Liberation Army, has asked for “security guarantees” in exchange for his father’s release.

Following the game against Luton, Van Dijk said: “He’s been training with us, knowing that it’s so fresh, what’s going on. He feels like being with us is a safe place, so it helps him.

“We’re here for him. We mentioned it last week, it’s an absolutely horrible situation. Hopefully there will be a solution. We’ll be here for him and everybody should support him. Hopefully it will be sorted as soon as possible.”

Liverpool had looked set to fall to a shock defeat before Diaz’s late intervention, falling behind 10 minutes from time to a goal by Luton substitute Tahith Chong.

“He’s still disappointed because he also wanted to win,” said Van Dijk. “There’s a lot of emotions in his head. It must have been (meant to be) that he should have scored. I’m happy for him, but hopefully we can get his father back as soon as possible.

“You can’t imagine it, that’s the scary part. The only thing we can do is hope they will find him safe and sound and they get him back to his family.

“When it happened it was a shock to everyone. We spoke about it and it should give us extra motivation. He doesn’t want us to suffer from what he’s going through, he wants us to take fuel from it.”

In front of a raucous home support, the visitors struggled to break down Luton for long periods as they sought the win that would have put them second in the Premier League.

Darwin Nunez in particular was guilty of wasteful finishing when chances came, hitting the bar in the first half before conspiring to balloon an effort over from three yards out after the break.

“I don’t think it was down to the atmosphere,” said Van Dijk. “We had the first chance after half-an-hour. Score that one and it’s a completely different game.

“We didn’t and then they need one opportunity. Their results here this season have been very small margins. That’s down to how they play, they defend compact and solid.

“I respect that, but we could have made it a lot easier.”

Newcastle’s sporting director Dan Ashworth believes the club is on “an upward trajectory” as he revealed their aims for the next few years.

The Magpies continued to show their strength competing in the Premier League’s top six after handing Arsenal their first league defeat of the season on Saturday.

Newcastle still have plenty of other competitions to challenge in and this season marked their return to the Champions League, where they face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.

Eddie Howe’s side also earned a huge victory at Old Trafford last week, beating Manchester United to secure a spot in next month’s Carabao Cup quarter-finals, and Ashworth said challenging for trophies is something the club are aiming to achieve.

“The next number of years is to fight and get into the top six on a regular basis and compete for trophies,” he said.

“But in football it can flip around really quickly as well. You can lose two or three on the trot and all of a sudden…we lost three games on the trot at the start of the season and it was ‘okay, what’s happened?’

“Football is peaks and troughs, success has never been a straight line. I know it’s a bit of a corny phrase, but especially in the Premier League where anyone can beat anybody – things can happen really quickly.

“We’re on an upward trajectory, but there are definitely some bumps in the road and that’s the nature of football, but we’re on the right pathway.

“What’s really difficult is to be able to compete commercially as well, some of those clubs have been a global brand for decades. That’s one of the big challenges for Peter (Silverstone), Darren (Eales) and the team as well.

“We’ve all got to try and work together to try and get ourselves into a situation where not only are we a top-six club on the pitch, but also a top-six club off the pitch and really try and drive the revenues and interest in the club as well, which gives us more ammunition in order to be able to compete on the pitch.”

Since officially joining the club in June 2022, Ashworth’s time with the club has seen quite the turnaround.

As well as finishing fourth last season, the Magpies reached their first major final since 1999 earlier this year against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final, where they were beaten 2-0.

Newcastle’s women’s team also reaped success after earning promotion to the National League Northern Premier Division and became the first full-time professional football club operating in the league.

Improvements have also been made to the training ground and Ashworth is determined to keep driving the club forward.

He said: “Complacency is a dangerous thing isn’t it? Certainly there’s no complacency here, we want to keep striving and keep pushing.

“Whether that’s with our academy from under-9s, whether that’s our women’s first team, whether that’s improving the provision and psychology and player care around the team, whether that’s making improvements to the training ground, we’ve got to keep pushing.

“If you start to stand still in professional sport, you’re stuffed. It’s about keep pushing, keep pushing, keep driving in all areas of the football club.”

Ange Postecoglou feels he already has a very healthy relationship with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, but will not go white water rafting with him any time soon.

Postecoglou will on Monday night come up against former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who once revealed in his book ‘Brave New World’ that a staff-bonding exercise in Argentina resulted in himself, Levy and his coaches taking to the water.

While Postecoglou laughed off any prospect of a repeat occurring, he did acknowledge the importance of gaining Levy’s trust and gave credit to the previously under-fire chairman for a strong start to the new season.

“Nah, it’s not happening. Nothing against Daniel but I’m not going white water rafting,” Postecoglou said.

“Look my relationship with Daniel is pretty consistent with the relationships with all the people I’ve worked with at other clubs that have major influence as decision-makers.

“I need them to believe in me. That’s the basic core of it and you can get to that space in many different ways. It doesn’t mean you have to socialise with them, it doesn’t mean you have to talk to them every day.

“It’s about gaining their trust and belief, because without their trust and belief, I can’t do what I want to do. I can’t make decisions around staff, bringing players in, all these things unless the people above me have total faith and trust.”

Chants calling for Levy to leave Spurs were a regular occurrence during the second half of last season, but the discontent has quietened following a flying start to the campaign, although protests over ticket pricing has continued.

Postecoglou, whose side will return to the top of the table if they beat Pochettino’s Chelsea on Monday evening, said: “It’s not an unusual position. When I walked in at Celtic, the board weren’t too popular at the start either, but they backed me.

“They believed in me and when they do that, yes of course they deserve the credit because they’re the ones that have made the decisions and backed me to bring the club to where it is currently.

“So, of course they should get the credit, but I’ve treated those relationships all the same.

“The number one task I have when I go into a club is to get people to believe in me, trust me. Whether that’s the person working on the floor down here or the person who runs the club. It’s the same.

“I’ve got to get all of them to believe in me because I can’t do what I want to do by myself. It just doesn’t work that way.

“I’ve had a really healthy working relationship with Daniel and hopefully I’m gaining more of his trust to continue to do what I want to do.”

Jeremy Doku joined an exclusive club in Manchester City’s win over Bournemouth, with his four assists one of a host of Premier League records notched up over the weekend.

Jarrod Bowen and Brighton also made bits of history and here, the PA news agency looks at the landmarks headlined by Doku’s virtuoso display.

Four-assist club

Doku inspired the 6-1 thumping of Bournemouth, scoring the first goal and then setting up Bernardo Silva, twice, and Phil Foden as well as seeing a shot deflect in off Manuel Akanji.

Doku is the eighth man – and, at 21, the youngest – to record four assists in a single Premier League game, a feat first achieved by former Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp when he set up Ray Parlour’s brace and two of Nicolas Anelka’s hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Leicester in 1999.

The Gunners dominate the list, with Jose Antonio Reyes feeding Thierry Henry, twice, Philippe Senderos and Aleksandr Hleb in 2006’s 7-0 win over Middlesbrough and an imperious Cesc Fabregas setting up the first three, scoring the fourth and laying on the fifth for Theo Walcott in a 6-2 win over Blackburn in 2009.

Emmanuel Adebayor had left Arsenal and returned to north London with Tottenham before he joined the four-assist club in 2012, setting up the first four before scoring himself to round off a 5-0 win over Newcastle.

Santi Cazorla added to the Arsenal contingent in the following season’s 4-1 win over Wigan and Spurs striker Harry Kane remarkably set up Son Heung-min four times before scoring the fifth in 2020’s 5-2 win at Southampton.

Paul Pogba provided the first entry from outside north London in Manchester United’s 5-1 opening-day defeat of Leeds in 2021 and Doku ensured both sides of Manchester are now represented.

Other landmarks

West Ham winger Bowen’s goal at Brentford extended his run of scoring in every away game to a Premier League-record six matches from the start of a season.

The England international opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth and netted the Hammers’ second in a 3-1 win at Brighton before setting them on their way to a 2-1 success at Luton.

They have lost all three away games since but that is not down to Bowen, who scored as they went down 3-1 at Liverpool and 4-1 at Aston Villa and put them 2-1 up in Saturday’s eventual 3-2 loss.

The former Hull star has only one league goal at the London Stadium this term, in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United, and another in the Carabao Cup win over Arsenal.

Brighton’s games have all seen goals for both teams – they have beaten Luton and Wolves 4-1 and Newcastle, Manchester United and Bournemouth 3-1, lost 3-1 to the Hammers, 6-1 at Villa and 2-1 to Manchester City and drawn 2-2 with Liverpool and 1-1 with Fulham and now Everton.

Eleven games is the longest such run from the start of a season, beating the record of nine by Middlesbrough in 2000-01 and Leicester on their way to the 2015-16 title.

The Seagulls’ last four results of last season were 1-4, 3-1, 1-1 and 1-2, leaving them one away from Everton’s all-time Premier League record of 16 consecutive games in which both teams have scored.

That was set between September 2012 and January 2013 and featured eight draws – five 1-1s and three 2-2s. It ended with back-to-back goalless draws against Swansea and Southampton.

Brain injury charity Headway have questioned the decision to allow Harry Maguire to continue playing for Manchester United after sustaining a head collision and warned about the management of in-game impacts in football.

Maguire fell to the floor with less than a minute played at Fulham on Saturday after clashing heads with Rodrigo Muniz and appeared to have sustained a cut just above his eye.

The England defender continued after treatment but referee John Brooks questioned Maguire’s condition after 58 minutes and United physios again analysed the defender.

Maguire finished the game United as won 1-0, and he later told MUTV he had passed concussion protocols, saying: “The doctor did all the tests, I knew where I was and I was answering all the questions and I completed them (protocols) thankfully.”

But Headway say the sight of Brooks’ intervention when Maguire appeared to be in difficulty was “deeply concerning”, and the organisation has warned that progress made over the past decade to improve the health of players is at risk due to football’s failure to manage in-game head injuries.

“The incident with Harry Maguire is concerning for a number of reasons,” said Luke Griggs, chief executive of Headway.

“An opponent’s shoulder strikes the side of his head; minutes later he goes down on his haunches, showing clear signs of discomfort.

“After a brief on-pitch assessment – again highlighting the nonsensical lack of temporary concussion substitutes in football – he was allowed to continue.

“The sight of the referee then having to intervene in the second half when the player continued to look in difficulty was deeply concerning. But again, after another brief assessment with medics, he was again allowed to play on.

“We are not privy to the discussions with his medical team, nor should their professionalism be questioned. This is an issue with the very culture of football and its stubborn refusal to put players’ health above all else – including the result of a game.

“Every time the ‘if in doubt, sit it out’ principle is seen to be ignored in elite level football, our chances of educating younger players and better protecting future generations from short and long-term brain injury is diminished.

“Temporary concussion substitutions would immediately help return some credibility to the process, but an evolution of attitude is urgently needed.”

Griggs said attitudes to concussion have changed over the past decade.

He said: “We have come such a long way since Hugo Lloris was labelled a ‘hero’ for over-ruling club medics to return to the pitch after a clear concussion while playing for Spurs against Everton in 2013.

“That shocking incident was a wake-up call for football. We called it ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ at the time, demanding it be used as a catalyst for change.

“That change has been a slow process, but attitudes have changed. Promises were made, such as the concept of players being immediately removed from play if there is any suspicion of concussion.

“An ‘if in doubt, sit it out’ approach was enshrined in a series of concussion protocols, eventually adopted by various footballing bodies.

“But this progress is eroded with every high-profile incident in which the safety first principle is set aside and players being allowed to continue despite showing signs that a concussion could have occurred.”

What the papers say

Luton are hoping to sign Ecuadorian midfielder Oscar Zambrano from LDU Quito in January, the Sun reports. The 19-year-old would have to waive 15 per cent of his £5.5million fee, or Luton could fork out to cover the cost. Zambrano came through the same football academy as Ecuador and Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has refused to rule out a return to his former club Tottenham in the future, the Mirror reports. The Argentinian said he is open to the idea of returning to the club one day.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Ben White: Arsenal are reportedly set to offer the English defender a large pay rise as they look to secure his future at the club, Football Insider reports.

Piotr Zielinski: Liverpool and West Ham are interested in Napoli’s 29-year-old Polish midfielder, according to Teamtalk. His contract expires in summer.

Pep Guardiola hopes anger at missing out can fuel more sensational performances like that of Jeremy Doku at the weekend.

Doku took centre stage as Manchester City thrashed Bournemouth 6-1 to return to the top of the Premier League on Saturday, opening the scoring and setting up four other goals.

That came after Jack Grealish was preferred to him for last week’s derby victory over Manchester United, and manager Guardiola now wants the England midfielder, in turn, to come back firing.

Guardiola said: “I want Jack angry and I want him to play good, and then Doku – be angry that he hasn’t played the last two games. This is the way to maintain the consistency at that level.”

Grealish has had a frustrating start to the season after missing a month due to a dead leg, but Guardiola has no doubt he will get back to his best.

“Jack is back,” he said. “The way he played at Old Trafford, to give us more composure and more powers in that position, it was decisive for us.

“We need everyone. There are a lot of games and everyone has to compete.

“As much as Jeremy and Jack perform, and I can play both at the same time, but when they don’t, train better the next day because the moment is coming, and when you are mentally there in the head you will perform well.

“Then we will win games and you will be happy and everyone will be happy. This is what we have to do.”

City will check on the fitness of star striker Erling Haaland ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Young Boys. The Norwegian was removed at half-time on Saturday after twisting his ankle.

Guardiola was pleased his side managed to score six without any contribution from the prolific Haaland but admits he wants him back as soon as possible.

He said: “It’s good that Jeremy has this threat to score goals and Bernardo (Silva) and Phil (Foden). We know it.

“I know Mateo (Kovacic) is not a goalscorer, but we have now more players involved, with and without Erling – but I want Erling on the pitch.”

Holders City cans secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages for an 11th successive year with victory over the Swiss side this week.

Guardiola said: “It’s so important, more than you can imagine, because we can park the car until February and focus on the Premier League and others. We have to close it on Tuesday.”

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has plenty of admiration for Mauricio Pochettino’s appetite to take on a “big challenge” but has suggested he would never allow others to take complete control of recruitment.

Pochettino’s Chelsea visit Spurs on Monday with the west London club struggling for a second consecutive season despite an outlay of £1billion since Todd Boehly took over with his Clearlake Capital consortium last year.

While Pochettino has failed to hit the ground running and acknowledged at the end of September he would “need to be more involved now” with regard to the January transfer window, it is a different story for Postecoglou and his summer transfers.

“I haven’t come across him,” Postecoglou said of the former Spurs manager.

“From afar, great admiration. I think the impact he had at Southampton and at Spurs is unquestionable.

“He has taken on some pretty big challenges post-Spurs as well, which I’m all for. I like managers who take on big challenges, so great admiration and respect for his work.”

Paris St Germain was Pochettino’s destination after his departure from Tottenham, but a plethora of signings under his watch were made by PSG sporting director Leonardo.

This summer Chelsea spent more than £350million during Pochettino’s first transfer window, although he has been left with a bloated squad of big-money additions which lack experience.

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A post shared by Mauricio Pochettino (@pochettino)

By contrast Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have quickly settled and Postecoglou said recruitment is a big factor for him, especially at the start of his tenure.

He added: “Wherever I’ve been, I’ve made sure that I have the biggest say over recruitment. I don’t do all the work, but I really think it’s an important part of my function and particularly when I first go into clubs.

“When you first go into a club, there are two measures that people will always put up against you.

“One is the results, that tells its own tale, but as a manager, and I’ve certainly had that experience, you can’t always guarantee the results early on.

“The other thing you get measured on is the people you bring in. Because at least if the results aren’t there, then people will say ‘okay, there’s something building here’.

“From my perspective, it’s the one area I really want strong control over.”

Spurs’ new technical director Johan Lange started work at the club on Wednesday and Postecoglou has already spent time with the ex-Aston Villa transfer guru, but a day earlier his focus was elsewhere.

Postecoglou and his wife Georgia were opening-night guests of Sir Kenneth Branagh on Tuesday at Wyndham’s Theatre to witness Shakespeare’s King Lear, a tale of a king seeking love from his three daughters, which ends in devastation.

The Aussie enjoyed the play but is eager for a different ending on Monday night.

“Sir Kenneth is a big Spurs fan and was kind enough to invite my wife and I to the theatre the other night,” Postecoglou revealed.

“We enjoyed it. I did have to swot up on King Lear. It wasn’t part of the curriculum at Prahran High!

“You always learn from life and the appreciation of seeing people excel at what they do is inspiring. You walk out of there thinking, ‘I don’t know how they do it’.

“Sir Kenneth was good after it. I caught up with him briefly, he was very kind with his time.

“He was all over how it’s going and gave me some little bits of advice, which I’ll ignore like he’ll ignore my advice on acting, mate! It was good. It was much appreciated.

“There was a fair bit going on in that play, mate! I definitely want a better ending than Sir Kenneth had.”

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is confident he will not repeat Ron Atkinson’s Mr Bean-esque gaffe of standing in the wrong dugout on his return to Tottenham.

‘Big Ron’ unwittingly provided entertainment at the City Ground in 1999 when he mistakenly took his place in front of the away team’s bench in his first match since being appointed Nottingham Forest manager.

Pochettino was asked about that famous blunder ahead of going back to Spurs on Monday evening but initially confused veteran boss Atkinson with near-namesake Rowan Atkinson, creator of comedy character Mr Bean.

Following the brief misunderstanding, the Argentinian, who managed Tottenham between 2014 and 2019, insisted he will not make a similar error as he helped design the layout of his former club’s stadium.

“Ah, Mr Bean? Ron Atkinson is the actor?”, Pochettino replied to the original question, before the mix-up was explained.

“Ah, OK, OK – I was thinking the actor. My wife will kill me! She will say, ‘I told you, remember that is the name’.

“No (I will not make the same mistake). I know very well the away dugout. I know very well because I designed where it was, I was there with the architect.

“On the right is the local (home) and the away is on the left.”

Pochettino is preparing for a special occasion on his first reunion with Tottenham since being sacked four years ago.

He holds fond memories of his spell with the north London club, which included reaching the Champions League final just months before his dismissal.

Despite being desperate for victory, the 51-year-old rejected any notion of seeking revenge in response to the nature of his departure.

Mid-table Chelsea are in great need of points to kickstart their season following just three Premier League wins from 10 games, while unbeaten Tottenham are among the early pacesetters.

“I want to win,” said Pochettino, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer. “I want to beat them.

“But when I play with my kids, I want to beat them, or my dad, or my brothers, or my friends – I try to kill them!

“I want to win because we are competitive, I am competitive.

“It’s not a special thing. I don’t want to go there and (people) think it’s a revenge. For what?

“For me, it’s going to be important because we need to win, Chelsea need to win because we need the points.

“But not because it’s special because it’s against Tottenham.”

Jurgen Klopp said fans who directed chants at Liverpool supporters that indirectly referenced the Hillsborough disaster during his team’s game at Luton should be ashamed.

The taunts were sung by some home fans during the second half of the 1-1 Premier League draw at Kenilworth Road.

Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher also condemned the chants, saying: “We’re better than that.”

Liverpool manager Klopp has previously spoken out against so-called ‘tragedy chanting’ between rival supporters and in July the Football Association issued a new charter outlining rules for dealing with the problem.

It followed the arrest of a Manchester United supporter at last season’s FA Cup final for wearing a shirt that mocked the victims of Hillsborough.

After the Luton match, Klopp said he did not hear the chanting, which occurred while the game was still goalless shortly after half-time, but added: “Shame on everyone who said it.”

Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “At the start of the season I was involved in something with supporters coming together about tragedy chanting.

“I’ve just heard that a couple of times in this game. As supporters you’ve got to have rivalry, there is no doubt. But we’re better than that.

“It’s happened two or three times in the game. All clubs have been guilty of that over the years at different times.

“But the world we live in right now, I think we’re better than that.”

Liverpool earned a dramatic point five minutes into added time when substitute Luis Diaz cancelled out Tahith Chong’s 80th-minute goal for Luton.

Luis Diaz has spoken of his desperation and distress in an emotional call for the release of his father.

The Liverpool winger’s parents were kidnapped at gunpoint in Colombia last week.

His mother has since been found, but his father remains missing.

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A post shared by Luis Fernando Diaz Marulanda (@luisdiaz19_)

The National Liberation Army (ELN), a left-wing guerrilla organisation, is behind the abduction.

Diaz made his appeal after coming off the bench to score a stoppage-time equaliser for the Reds in a 1-1 draw at Luton on Sunday.

The 26-year-old marked the goal by revealing a T-shirt bearing a message reading ‘Freedom for Dad’, and he followed that up with a post on Instagram.

It read: “Today the footballer is not speaking to you. Today Lucho Diaz, the son of Luis Manuel Diaz, is speaking to you.

“Mane, my dad, is a tireless worker, a pillar in the family and he has been kidnapped.

“I ask the ELN for the prompt release of my father, and I ask international organisations to work together for his freedom.

“Every second, every minute, our anguish grows. My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, distressed and without words to describe what we are feeling. This suffering will only end when we have him back home.

“I beg you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as soon as possible.

“In the name of love and compassion, we ask that you reconsider your actions and allow us to recover him.

“I thank Colombians and the international community for the support received, thank you for so many demonstrations of affection and solidarity in this difficult time that many families in my country find themselves living.”

Diaz’s appearance as an 83rd-minute substitute at Kenilworth Road was his first since the kidnappings on October 28.