Thomas Tuchel has played down his admiration for Spurs after a clip of him speaking of his fondness for Tottenham went viral on social media.

Asked about whether he was a fan of Spurs a kid, Tuchel said: “You’re really digging deep, yes?

“I want to be very honest because we played the Europa League game with Dortmund in Tottenham and everyone there was very friendly.

“I just explained that, when I was young, there was no daily match live on the television, no daily match live from the Bundesliga, so what I could actually see was one or two minutes every four weeks and suddenly a club like Tottenham Hotspur came across on our sports broadcaster.

“I heard the name Tottenham Hotspurs, which sounded like a big adventure and gave me a big advantage playing with my friends because they had no idea where that club was. I talked about that story.

“I was young and needed the money, huh. I was young. That was one of my first experiences. I didn’t even know it’s a club from London.

“But now I’m absolutely aware I work for their big rivals and you can be very, very sure we will do everything we can to beat them next week.”

New Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed Frank Lampard sent him a personal message wishing him all the best in the job and has offered to meet him.

Tuchel has replaced Lampard at Stamford Bridge after he was sacked on Monday.

In his unveiling press conference on Thursday, Tuchel expressed his admiration for Lampard and revealed the former boss had been in touch with him since his appointment.

Asked if he feared a fan backlash after replacing the club legend, Tuchel said: “I hope not because that would be hard on the team. We need our supporters like any team. To have the fans so close and behind the team makes a real difference. I can assume it is a big, big disappointment for the fanbase to see Frank sacked.

“I was a huge fan of Frank as a player. He was one of the key figures to demonstrate in 90 minutes what Chelsea is about. I have the biggest respect for him.

“It just got bigger when I received a personal message to wish me all the best and maybe meet in the future when this is possible.”

Photo Credit: ChelseaFC/Twitter

Thomas Tuchel could be reunited with PSG defender Marquinhos at Chelsea.

The 26-year-old centre-back was the third most used player by Tuchel at the Parc des Princes, with his versatility coming in handy as he was often deployed as a midfielder.

Chelsea pursued the Brazilian in 2015, and could revive their interest in him with Tuchel in charge, according to Eurosport.

PSG would be unlikely to want to sell, however – so the Blues would have to splash the cash to prise him away.

Photo Credit: ChelseaFC/Twitter

Erling Haaland has told Mikel Arteta that he needs to give Martin Odegaard regular minutes to see the best of him.

The Norwegian made the move to Arsenal from Real Madrid on loan for the rest of the season.

Odegaard has struggled to establish himself in the Spanish capital, but reminded the world of his quality in a loan spell at Real Sociedad recently.

Haaland has hailed his compatriot as a confidence player and insists when he is feeling comfortable that “incredible things can happen”.

“It will be interesting. Arsenal are a big club in England,” Haaland told VG when asked about Odegaard’s move to Arsenal.

“It’s a bit different football, but I think he can fit in well with Mikel Arteta in the No.10 role. He can enjoy himself there.

“He has to get in there and simply start playing games. That’s what he needs.

“We know how good Odegaard can be. When he gains confidence with the ball, we know that the most incredible things can happen.”

Micah Richards has urged Manchester City to sign former Chelsea striker Diego Costa to strengthen their bid to reclaim the Premier League title.

Costa, 32, is currently a free agent after his contract with Atletico Madrid was terminated at the end of December.

The Spaniard fired Chelsea to two Premier League titles with 52 goals in 89 top-flight games during a three-and-a-half year stay at Stamford Bridge.

Former England defender Richards can think of no better destination for the veteran hitman than City, where he could collect another Premier League winners’ medal.

“Manchester City are already on a ridiculously good run of form but if they signed Diego Costa now, he would win them the Premier League – I am sure of it,” Richards told BBC Sport .

“Costa is 32 and I am not suggesting he is a long-term solution for City up front, but the former Chelsea striker is a free agent after ending his Atletico Madrid contract in December, and can sign for anyone for nothing.

“Why not get him in until the end of the season? He would do more than just ruffle a few feathers and be a pain in the backside for opposition defences – he is a proven finisher who would offer Pep Guardiola’s side a proper plan B.”