Guardiola eyeing-up £140m Monaco raid
HOTHEAD ALLI HAS MY SPARK
MARK HUGHES has refused to condemn Tottenham hothead Dele Alli after his X-rated sending off against Gent in midweek.
Alli, 20, was shown the first red card of his career for the challenge in Spurs’ Europa League exit at Wembley. But Stoke boss Sparky, whose side face Alli’s team-mates today, had some consoling words for the England star.
Hughes (right), who received 14 yellow cards in his first season at Southampton, said: “All the top players have a little bit of devil in them.
“It adds to you as a player. There is a line that obviously can’t be crossed but sometimes – and I was guilty of it like most of them – a bit of a red mist comes over you and you overstep the mark.
“That happened with Dele Alli. It was a poor challenge but it was in reaction to maybe a foul he thought should have been given on him. I remember on many occasions doing that myself. “Players at that level have an edge to them which makes them a little different. As a player you were never told, ‘Don’t do it’. You just had to rein yourself in a bit – or do it when you wouldn’t get caught. “When I was playing there were plenty of dark arts which weren’t always seen. But with cameras everywhere now you can’t get away with it.” Hughes also paid tribute to Mousa Dembele, a player he signed during his time in the Fulham hotseat. He added: “For a while he wasn’t a regular starter, which astounded me because I know how good he is. He is a great player with a good personality and a lot of humility.” STEVE MILLAR MANCHESTER CITY are planning a sensational £140million swoop for FOUR Monaco players.
Pep Guardiola’s side are involved in an epic Champions League clash with the French club, having won the first leg 5-3 at The Etihad last Tuesday.
And they will use next month’s return leg to continue assessing their Monaco targets.
City are eyeing striker Kylian Mbappe, 18 (top left) a scorer in the first leg and rated at £50m.
Guardiola also likes left-back Benjamin Mendy, 22 (second top) and Brazil’s Fabinho, 23 (second bottom) who can play at right-back or in midfield.
The fourth target is midfielder Thomas Lemar, 21 (bottom left) who like Mendy and Fabinho is valued at £30m.
Mbappe, described as the new PAUL HETHERINGTON Thierry Henry, was the subject of a City enquiry last summer before they signed Gabriel Jesus, 19, for £27m from Brazilian outfit Palmeiras.
The exciting Monaco side have other coveted players in midfielders Bernardo Silva, 22, and Tiemoue Bakayoko, also 22.
But they are not thought to be Guardiola requirements.
City are also eyeing Argentina superstar Lionel Messi’s uncertain situation at Spanish giants Barcelona.
But they see the Monaco players as more obtainable – even though it would be difficult to land all four – and potentially better long-term value.