Focusing on football a challenge for displaced Texans

FRISCO, Texans -- On Monday morning at the Dallas Cowboys' training facility, the Houston Texans had their first practice since they were unable to fly back home after the team's preseason game in New Orleans.

And while coach Bill O'Brien said the Texans had a good practice, several players noted the challenge of focusing on the field while so much is going on back in Houston.

“We have a job to do and I think that's got to be the way you go about your business and handle it,” veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. “But it's hard at the same time to kind of sit there and play football and then think about your family that's back home when there's updates going on around the clock about things that are going on back in your hometown.”

The Texans and Cowboys were scheduled to play on Thursday in Houston, but the game is expected to be shifted to AT&T Stadium due to the flooding. Joseph said even when it's tough, playing in the NFL is still a job, and the players have responsibility to do that job.

“We're professionals, and if that's what it calls for, we've got to get up and still do our job and go out there and play to the best of our abilities," Joseph said. "At the end of the day, we're in the National Football League and they pay us to do a job. And if they call for a game to be on, everyone has to put forth their best effort, and once the game is over, have to go back and take care of our business with the things that are going on off the field."

Long-snapper Jon Weeks, who has his wife, Amanda, and eight-week-old daughter, Parker, at home, said the ability to take his mind off anything happening off the field when he has to is something he learned as a young athlete.

“It's definitely tough. But I think that's something that as little kids we're taught," Weeks said. "When you come to this game, you always leave the personal stuff -- and back then it's grades and school and that kind of stuff -- you leave that off the field when you come to the football field and you concentrate on what your job is. And I think we've all been able to do that.

"Again, granted, they're not far from our thoughts. We're thinking of Houston, we're praying for Houston. We're praying for everybody. We're praying and hoping everybody's safe. But when it's time to come here and work, we're all professionals. We come in here and work, and as soon as it's done, we go back and we start doing whatever we can to help the city."

And while "nothing is more important than family," O'Brien said, "at the end of the day, football goes on."

"Thirty-one other teams are working to get to the same goal we're working to get to," O'Brien said. "We're trying to concentrate on football. We're preparing for the Dallas game. We're preparing for football. But we're making sure that our players have time to be in contact with their families."

Football transfer rumours: Is Gareth Bale to Manchester United back on?

If Kylian Mbappé flaps his wings, will he create an extraordinary front of hot air around Old Trafford? That was the main imponderable on the Mill's lips this morning upon the news that Gareth Bale could be Manchester United-bound if the Monaco speedster gets his possibly-unwise world record switch to the Bernabéu this summer. Zinedine Zidane has not quite ruled out one of the famed “BBC” leaving if he gets his man – and United have been sniffing around Bale since time immemorial.

It's not a stretch to say dealings between United and Real have not always progressed smoothly, so you'd expect that to be one for 31 August. Tuck it away in your back pocket and gorge, instead, on Chelsea's masterplan to snare all three of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ross Barkley and Alex Sandro. They'll have to fight Liverpool for the wacky old Ox, while Tottenham might yet move for Barkley. Those two are part of a plan to up the quota of Englishness at Stamford Bridge, apparently, but if part of it doesn't work out they can always have a dig at transfer window stalwart Renato Sanches.

None of them are likely to be playing alongside Diego Costa, who is the latest star name to be targeted by Milan's they-can't-really-afford-this-can-they revolution. He's still willing to sit it out and play for Atlético Madrid when their transfer ban expires, but Milan have asked the question to his agent Jorge Mendes, who presumably is more focused on securing Costa's move to Wolves. That's all OK, anyway, because Chelsea still want Fernando Llorente onboard as their backup striker.

Another favourite from this summer is Naby Keïta, who has presumably completed all the attractions of up-and-coming hipster paradise Leipzig because he remains hellbent on a move to Liverpool, who are ready to have one final go at getting him out of his personal hell. This will only end one way, rendering miles of print and days of diligent journalistic labour mere stardust.

In other interminable sagas, Ronald Koeman remains desperate for Everton to get their cut-price £45m bid for Gylfi Sigurdsson over the line while Arsenal, by happy coincidence, are back in for Monaco's Thomas Lemar with a bid of exactly the same sum.

Premier League new boys Brighton could be about to make a big move for Leicester winger Tom Lawrence, who impressed on loan with Ipswich last season and appears to have no future under Craig Shakespeare even if Riyad Mahrez gets a move to Roma.

Finally, remember that big-name Billericay Town signing revealed in yesterday's Mill? It's Jermaine Pennant. He's said to have picked them ahead of Hibs.

Martin Ling: Leyton Orient appoint ex-manager as director of football

Leyton Orient have named former O's manager Martin Ling as director of football, less than 24 hours after the National League club was taken over.

The 50-year-old managed Orient between 2003 and 2009 but had been out of football since stepping down as Swindon Town boss in 2015 for health reasons.

On Thursday, a consortium led by Nigel Travis completed its takeover.

"His immediate goals are to develop the squad for next season and appoint a first-team coach," said Travis.

"His deep ties to the club will help him build on Leyton Orient's heritage of developing strong young talent through its academy."

After retiring from playing, Ling returned to the O's as a youth coach before moving up to the first team and winning promotion to League One in 2006.

Ling left Orient in January 2009 before spells at Cambridge United and Torquay United.

He moves to East London after Baskin Robbins and Dunkin' Donuts chief executive Travis purchased the club from Francesco Becchetti.

Orient were relegated to the National League at the end of last season, their second relegation in the three years under Becchetti, ending their 112-year stay in the Football League.

Football transfer rumours: Antoine Griezmann leads Manchester United spree?

Antoine Griezmann has struck fear into the hearts of idle rumourmongers everywhere by hinting that he might stay at Atlético Madrid after all, because he wants to "win trophies with this team". Encouragingly, the news hasn't held anyone back, with news of his imminent departure, as part of what the Times' big headline describes as "United's £200m spree", on most of Friday's back pages.

It turns out the details of the "£200m spree" in Friday's paper are very much identical to the details of United's less fully-costed spree that have been all over the same newspapers for months now. The Star features Griezmann prominently in its list of the players United have identified to correct "a lack of swagger and stardust" in their current side and insist his £86m buyout clause "will not stop United from writing a cheque".
Football transfer rumours: Manchester United chasing Bayern Munich duo?
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Also on their shoping list: Real Madrid's Raphaël Varane, Monaco's Tiemoué Bakayoko, Chelsea's Willian, Romelu Lukaku of Everton, Eric Dier of Tottenham and Burnley's Michael Keane. The Independent agrees, saying a move to sign Griezmann is "well under way", with United honchos "confident" of success and "determined to avoid a long public saga". Given that this one has already been going for at least eight months, they've already made a right hash of that. The BBC says that "United are likely to limit their summer spending to three or four key signings", so just a third of an entirely new team, while the Times says "up to four" new arrivals – signed at a cost of some £200m – will include "a defender, a central midfielder, a forward and possibly a No9".

Milan aren't hanging around: having already convinced Álvaro Morata to agree a £7.5m-a-year (after tax) contract, leaving the Rossoneri to simply rummage around the back of the sofa in search of £35m or so they need in order to convince Real Madrid to play ball, they are now working on target No2. And that target is a certain Marko Arnautovic, who both Milan and Paris Saint-Germain consider worth the £15m Stoke are asking and believe – to use the Sun's phrase – he is "a special talent capable of changing games with his off-the-cuff skills". Mark Hughes has meanwhile taken a fancy to the £3.5m Nancy centre-back Modou Diagne, who "would relish the chance to move to the Premier League", according to the aforementioned tabloid.
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Wayne Rooney has decided to swap Britain for Beijing – or somewhere else in China that doesn't alliterate quite so nicely – with the Mirror announcing that the deal could be done in a matter of days; the transfer window is due to open on 19 June. "Rooney's advisers expect to negotiate a £600,000-a-week deal for him," it announces. That's six hundred thousand pounds a week. The Mail knows of "at least two £50m offers" for the pug-faced poacher, though it thinks that works out at a relatively meagre £480,000 a week. Or he can join Everton on a little under a third of that, a possibility that "could persuade him to stay" in this green and pleasant land. Diego Costa's £60m move to the same country could be scuppered by a new 100% tax on enormous international transfer fees being imposed by the Chinese FA, which would turn it into a £120m move that represents particularly poor value for money, even for China's soccer spendthrifts.

Alexis Sánchez is mulling over yet another contract offer, with Arsenal's latest proposition being that they pay him only £270,000 a week. "However," the Mail notes, and happily for the charming Chilean, "the offer is loaded with incentives." Alternatively he could just go to Bayern Munich, Juventus or Paris St-Germain.

West Bromwich, Leicester and Everton are all interested in Troy Deeney, or at least they will be until they hear that Watford want £35m for him. The Mail has uncovered an escape clause in the striker's contract that allows him to leave if the Hornets can bank a clean £25m as a result, but given the amount of money they will have to pass on to his former club, Walsall, any offer will need to comfortably exceed that amount if his departure is to be green-lit.

Watch out Glasgow! News is a-breakin' that Rangers want to sign the midfielder Carlos Peña, who is known in his native Mexico as "Gullit" – after examining several photographs the Mill can only assume this is because Mexicans have forgotten what Ruud Gullit looked like – and has something of a reputation for his hard-partying ways. "They tell so many lies about me," Peña says of the media. "I have just started to ignore all the things coming out. It's gossip. They say I'm a drunk and chase women. I don't care. It doesn't hurt me because I know they are lies." The media is full of gossip, you say? Never!

Mauricio Pochettino springs a surprise with news of Harry Kane’s return

Mauricio Pochettino could see the surprise on the features of his audience. Nobody had expected this. Harry Kane was supposed to return from his ankle ligament injury for the north London derby against Arsenal at the end of April – not the faux-derby with Watford, the club to the north of London, on Saturday. But, to a borrow a phrase from Wayne Rooney before the World Cup in 2006, the Big Man is back.

Pochettino made it plain that his only decision concerned whether to name Kane in the starting XI for Watford’s visit or introduce him as a substitute. One thing that the manager said suggested he was leaning towards the former.

In Kane’s absence, which began in the opening minutes of the FA Cup tie against Millwall on 12 March when he rolled the ankle in grisly fashion, Tottenham have done well. They went on to batter Millwall 5-0 and they have won all three of their Premier League fixtures.

Son Heung-min has deputised more than ably in the No9 role and his stoppage-time goal was decisive in last Wednesday’s 3-1 win at Swansea City. Son has scored 16 goals in all competitions this season, a fact that seems to have drifted under the radar. Could Kane even face a battle to reclaim his starting place immediately, Pochettino was asked.

“Maybe I am crazy but you cannot put a doubt on Harry Kane,” he replied. “There is no doubting that Harry is our best player. It’s like with Barcelona – Messi is injured for one month but Barcelona are still winning. Then, Messi is available again and you say: ‘Hmm, I don’t know?’”

Pochettino’s mention of Kane in the same breathe as Lionel Messi said it all. The 23-year-old’s early return is a tonic on many levels and it will allow him to get up to speed for the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on 22 April and the Arsenal game on 30 April. Tottenham’s Premier League pursuit of Chelsea has received a fillip.

Kane has pushed himself during his rehabilitation and, having returned to training earlier in the week, he was pushing Pochettino on Friday. He tends to do this. When Pochettino orders him inside after the extra shooting practice that he insists upon after sessions, there can be cross words. Pochettino’s mood was lighthearted here. There was a sense of happiness but, also, reassurance.

“Today was good because after training, he was shooting, he was playing and you can see that he is ready,” Pochettino said. “I said: ‘Hey, Harry. I don’t know if you are ready or not.’ He says: ‘No, no. I want to be involved tomorrow.’ So, I said: ‘No. You will not be involved.’ He asked why. I said: ‘Your answer is wrong. You should say: ‘Gaffer, it’s up to you because you are the manager and you decide. If you say this, then you will be involved tomorrow!’”

Kane was out from mid-September for seven weeks with an ankle ligament problem and, across the season, Tottenham have played eight league games without him. They have won five and drawn three, which shines a positive light on the depth of the squad that Pochettino has assembled.

Hugo Lloris missed the Swansea match because of a stomach bug but he trained well on Friday, meaning he should return against Watford. If not, Pochettino will give a debut to Pau López because his second-choice goalkeeper, Michel Vorm, is out with the knee problem that he suffered against Swansea.

Pau, who joined on loan from Espanyol last summer, is Spain’s Under-21 goalkeeper and Pochettino rates him highly. Tottenham have the option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season for €7.5m (£6.4m). Pau caused controversy last season when he appeared to stamp on Messi during Espanyol’s Copa del Rey defeat at Barcelona.

“It was a derby,” Pochettino said. “He is very competitive and has a strong character. He is still very young but he played 36 games in La Liga last season. He needs to learn and improve but he is ready – physically and mentally.”