When Eddie Howe reflected on Newcastle United’s form at the start of the November international break, he would have felt the weight of back-to-back Premier League defeats against Brentford and West Ham United.

He also would have known the significance of a big performance against Manchester City at St. James’ Park when club football returned, and so it was momentous to have battled to victory against Manchester City on Saturday evening, recovering ground in the race for European football.

The season’s still young, and there is optimism regarding the Magpies’ hopes of finding success once again this year, but Howe and technical director Ross Wilson will already be looking toward the future, and they have earmarked Elliot Anderson as the perfect player to take this project to the next level.

The latest on Anderson to Newcastle

As far as Newcastle are concerned, the Anderson situation is twofold: they will absolutely be in the thick of any upcoming battles to bring their academy graduate back home, and they will surely need to make concessions of some description, given the Tricky Trees are set to demand in excess of £100m for their prized player, who is also being chased by Manchester United

Anderson, 23, was sold to Forest in 2024 for a fee in the region of £35m. This was signed off by PIF officials bearing gritted teeth, having felt forced into cashing in for the homegrown talent in order to balance the books and placate PSR.

Ruefulness has since shifted to regret. Anderson has been described as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League” by England manager Thomas Tuchel, who has designated the star as a regular starter alongside Declan Rice as the 2026 World Cup looms large.

While Newcastle’s vested interest could lead to an exciting and concerted bid – Howe said at the start of October that he “would love him to” come back home – but it’s not as if the Toon engine room is lacking without him.

That said, Joelinton appears to be winding down after years of tireless and robust service. Anderson would surely dovetail into a trio with Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.

If Newcastle have to shuffle a few things, so be it, and there’s one rather brazen sale PIF could permit to ensure the club have the finances to pull a bid off next year.

The Newcastle superstar PIF could sell

It may well be a controversial move, but Newcastle have floated the possibility of selling Anthony Gordon about for some time, with Liverpool interest in their one-time academy talent in 2024, before United opted instead to cash in on Anderson.

Gordon joined Newcastle from Everton for around £45m in January 2023 and, after a testing start to life on Tyneside, made significant progress across the 2023/24 campaign, winning the club’s Player of the Year after recording 21 goal contributions in the Premier League and serving as a talisman as Howe’s side battled through an injury-hit year.

But last season, as Newcastle went from strength to strength, returning to the Champions League and winning the Carabao Cup, Gordon regressed, only scoring six Premier League goals all year.

Though his playing style has put him in a promising position to beat the likes of Marcus Rashford to a regular starting berth at next year’s World Cup, more is needed from a player of his calibre, whose once untouchable place on Howe’s left wing is looking far more apt for replacement at this stage, especially with injuries and suspensions contributing toward his poor form this year.

Then, of course, we have Harvey Barnes, whose brace against City underscored his worth in this system. That’s three goals in two Premier League matches for the former Leicester winger, whose incisiveness from the wing works well against Nick Woltemade’s unique striking game, willing to drop deep and influence play while also playing the part of a powerful target man.

Gordon’s blistering speed and ability to stick to the flank or weave inside to wreak chaos are two brilliant aspects of his game, but he needs to offer more, and his inability to do this could see Howe sell him to fund a move for Anderson, perhaps making a shrewd winger signing to complement Barnes besides.

Because frankly, Gordon’s form in front of goal hasn’t been good enough for a while. The Three Lions star was said to have entered “Gabriel Obertan territory” after the loss at West Ham, which, for one of the most prominent wingers in England, self-proclaimed as a “nightmare for anyone” he comes up against, is not good enough.

Jacob Ramsey – Career Stats by Position

Position

Apps

Goals (assists)

25/26

7

0 (0)

24/25

34

6 (6)

23/24

35

11 (10)

22/23

16

1 (0)

Data via Transfermarkt

Should Gordon fail to establish prolific form before the end of the season, there will be more than just a few questions placed by his name. Given that Liverpool have expressed an interest over the past couple of years, not dissuaded by Newcastle’s £100m valuation, could there be regret that he was not sold sooner?

Barnes, after all, is beginning to find goalscoring form, and Gordon has failed with 60% of his dribbles in the top flight this term, also missing big chances while failing to break his duck.

Gordon at full speed and potency in the final third and up and down the touchline is a dangerous adversary for even the finest of defenders. But his declaration of a nightmarish playing style can only go so far if he is unable to produce clinical results at the end.

We need only look at the Alexander Isak saga and the potential that Woltemade offers in the box to understand that selling Gordon for the right price would not be detrimental for Howe’s longer-term plans.

And if those funds are used to bring Anderson back home, thus completing what may well become the best central midfield in the whole country, then it would surely be a worthwhile move.

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استقر الجهاز الفني لـ منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، بقيادة حسام حسن، على موعد سفر البعثة إلى المغرب استعدادًا للمشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025.

وتقام كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 في المغرب خلال الفترة من 21 ديسمبر 2025 إلى 18 يناير 2026، بمشاركة 24 منتخبًا موزعين على 6 مجموعات.

طالع| وزارة الرياضة تزف نبأ سارًا لجماهير مصر قبل كأس أمم إفريقيا

ويتواجد منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم في المجموعة الثانية والتي تضم منتخبات زيمبابوي وجنوب إفريقيا وأنجولا.

وعلم “بطولات” أن منتخب مصر قرر السفر إلى المغرب يوم 17 ديسمبر استعدادًا لأمم لأفريقيا على متن طائرة خاصة. منتخب مصر سيسافر للمغرب يوم 17 ديسمبر المقبل استعدادًا لأمم إفريقيا، وذلك قبل 5 أيام من موعد مباراته الأولى أمام زيمبابوي.مواعيد مباريات منتخب مصر في كأس أمم إفريقيا

مباراة مصر أمام زيمبابوي، ستلعب يوم الإثنين 22 ديسمبر 2025، في تمام الساعة: 10:00 مساءً بتوقيت المغرب، 11:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر.

مباراة مصر أمام جنوب إفريقيا، ستلعب يوم الجمعة 26 ديسمبر 2025، في تمام الساعة: 05:00 مساءً بتوقيت المغرب، 06:00 مساءَ بتوقيت مصر.

مباراة مصر أمام أنجولا، ستلعب يوم الثلاثاء 30 ديسمبر 2025، في تمام الساعة: 06:00 مساءً بتوقيت المغرب، 07:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر.   

The international break came at a good time for Glasgow Rangers boss Danny Rohl, as it has provided him with time to assess his first block of six matches in charge of the club.

Having arrived at Ibrox last month to replace Russell Martin, the former Sheffield Wednesday head coach did not have a pre-season or any real time to assess the squad and what he wants to do moving forward.

The main focus has been on short-term results, which has resulted in three straight wins in the Scottish Premiership, most recently with a 3-0 win over Dundee at Dens Park.

This international break, however, will have provided Rohl and Kevin Thelwell time to sit down and map out the longer-term plan, so that the next steps can be taken to set foot on that path, in the next few weeks and in the January transfer window.

Part of that longer-term plan should include finding a way to create a better pathway from the academy to the first-team so that the Gers can develop homegrown stars, instead of constantly needing to splash money on new signings to bolster the squad.

Unfortunately, there have not been too many recent examples of stars who have broken through from the B team to the first-team to make a name for themselves at Ibrox.

The most valuable former Rangers academy players

Whether it is changes at academy or first-team level, the Light Blues should look to address the lack of quality academy graduates that have come from the youth set-up in recent years.

19-year-old starlet Findlay Curtis has shown promise this season, with a return of three goals in 11 appearances in all competitions, but he has not started any of his four outings in the Premiership, per Transfermarkt.

The Scottish youngster is currently valued at around £400k by Transfermarkt, which is understandable given his lack of starts at first-team level, and that means that he does not rank within the top ten most valuable former Gers academy stars at this moment in time.

Billy Gilmour

£18m

Nathan Patterson

£11m

Greg Taylor

£5m

Ross McCrorie

£2m

Lewis Morgan

£2m

David Bates

£1m

Robbie Ure

£1m

Ryan Hardie

£1m

Malcolm Ebiowei

£1m

Ross McCausland

£1m

As you can see in the table above, the most valuable former academy talent is Napoli central midfielder Billy Gilmour, who is who is worth as much as the next three highest combined.

Unfortunately, the Scotland international did not play a single game for the Light Blues at first-team level because he opted to sign for Chelsea at the age of 15, with a development fee of at least £500k paid to Rangers.

When asked why he decided to move on from Ibrox, Gilmour later said: “It was between Rangers and Chelsea. Most of my family are Rangers fans and I love the club. I’ll always be thankful for everything they did. But when Chelsea showed me my development plan, I couldn’t turn it down. Everything about the club was amazing and it’s where I wanted to be.”

Whilst the pull of a Premier League title winner and regular Champions League contender will always be big, the midfielder’s comments about a ‘development plan’ were interesting.

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Without knowing what goes on behind the scenes, it is hard to know whether or not the Gers are doing enough to convince young talent that they have a development plan that will turn them into a star at Ibrox.

One academy graduate who has seemingly not had a clear pathway to being a regular in the first-team is Bailey Rice, which is why Rohl must avoid him becoming a Gilmour repeat.

Why Danny Rohl should unleash Rangers teen Bailey Rice

The Gers youngster is not in the exact same situation as Gilmour, because he is four years older and has had experience in the first-team, but the club may run the risk of him wanting to move on if his lack of game time persists.

Thelwell, as shown in the graphic above, made it clear on Saturday that he wants the talented academy graduates at the club to be given chances at Ibrox, but that has not happened for Rice this season.

The 19-year-old star has played 45 minutes of football, against Alloa Athletic in the League Cup, for the Light Blues in the 2025/26 campaign, which means that he has not played a single minute in the Premiership.

In the summer transfer window, Rangers swooped to sign 30-year-old central midfielder Joe Rothwell from Bournemouth to bolster Russell Martin’s options in the defensive and central midfield positions.

That signing has played a part in blocking Rice’s pathway to playing minutes in the Premiership, and the experienced midfielder’s performances so far suggest that they may have been better off giving those chances to the youngster.

Appearances

8

Starts

5

Minutes

412

Goals

0

Assists

1

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.9

Dribbled past per game

0.4x

Ground duel success rate

46%

Aerial duel success rate

50%

As you can see in the table above, Rothwell has offered very little offensively or defensive in the middle of the park in his 412 minutes on the pitch in the league, losing the majority of his overall duels.

The English flop’s struggles suggest that the Gers would have been better off giving those 412 minutes to Rice to benefit his development and put him back on track to becoming a first-team regular, as Thelwell stated that he wants academy players to be given chances.

Rice made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old and was described as “a heck of a player” by former boss Michael Beale, as he made 14 first-team appearances in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns combined.

After a Europa League clash with Manchester United in January, Rio Ferdinand said that he liked Rice and hailed his composed play and “wonderful” passing in midfield, which shows that he impressed a former Premier League title winner and England international.

The teenage talent has only featured in seven Premiership games, starting once, in the subsequent 11 months, per Sofascore. This means that he has not had ample opportunity to nail down a place in the team.

Therefore, Rohl should avoid another Gilmour situation by finally handing Rice a chance to shine in the Premiership after the international break, to let him learn and develop, rather than continue to play Rothwell, who is at the opposite end of his career and has struggled this season.

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Chelsea have now made contact with Ateltico Madrid over signing Pablo Barrios, according to reports, and have been told how much it will take to lure the midfielder away from Spain in 2026.

With the January transfer window less than two months away, the Blues have already got an eye on potential reinforcements. It’s a rare day when those in West London aren’t thinking about the transfer window and Todd Boehly could be about to spend big yet again to help Chelsea bridge the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Having already welcomed the likes of Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro in the summer, those at Stamford Bridge are now reportedly interested in signing Ousmane Diomande.

The Sporting CP defender is one of the most promising centre-backs in Europe and certainly fits the criteria of young stars that Chelsea have been recruiting in recent years. But he’s not the only target in their sights.

The Blues have also been linked with a midfield upgrade in Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. The England international is among the most sought-after talents in the Premier League and will have the biggest decision of his career to make sooner or later. Whether that results in a move to West London remains to be seen.

With Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez at the base of the Blues’ midfield, it would take quite the talent to take a starting spot in the middle of Enzo Maresca’s side, but that may not stand in the way of BlueCo’s spending.

If it’s not Wharton that arrives in 2026, then it could be Atletico Madrid star Barrios, who has entered Chelsea’s radar ahead of the January transfer window.

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Whilst money hasn’t been a problem for Chelsea in the past, they should question whether they actually need another midfielder with Caicedo and Fernandez already performing so well together this season.

League stats P90 25/26	Barrios	Caicedo	Fernandez
Minutes	856	945	880
Progressive Passes	7.47	5.71	8.16
Tackles Won	0.95	1.90	0.71
Ball Recoveries	6.11	5.43	3.88

Barrios has certainly impressed enough to force Chelsea to ask themselves the question about his potential arrival, but whether they can lure him away from Atletico Madrid is another question entirely.

Diego Simeone is a big fan of the midfielder and told reporters when the 22-year-old was first breaking through: “He has a fantastic game, and I told him that we’re going to work to shape it. Koke is there now (at the ‘5’) and we are trying to bring out Pablo’s full potential. He has to grow, but he’s doing very well. I’m excited. He’s a kid from the academy, and he can play several roles.”

Forget Delap: 18-year-old star is destined to be Chelsea's future number 9

Richard Hughes was rightly lauded after overseeing a staggering summer transfer window for Premier League champions Liverpool, but any positivity has been scourged away by the dreadful form that has fractured Arne Slot’s reign.

Nine losses across 12 fixtures is bad enough, but the limp and toothless manner of many of the defeats – especially recent losses at Anfield against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League – underscores the severity of the crisis Slot is dealing with.

He needs to find answers, or else FSG will be forced into making a rare managerial dismissal. It’s inevitable that discussion is increasing about the security of Slot’s position.

That would be an outcome few of a Red persuasion would want, not least because of a shortage of options.

Jurgen Klopp’s name has been bandied about, but this is not realistic.

Who Liverpool could replace Slot with

Klopp draped the curtain on his Liverpool dynasty at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. He was tired. It had been a tough, gruelling, heavy metal career on Merseyside, where he had devoted nine years to restoring Anfield as a global superpower.

Premier League

1x

19/20

Champions League

1x

18/19

FA Cup

1x

21/22

Carabao Cup

2x

21/22, 23/24

Club World Cup

1x

19/20

UEFA Super Cup

1x

19/20

Community Shield

1x

22/23

There has been some discussion online as to whether FSG should push for a comeback, but this romanticised notion would fall flat.

Klopp is not the answer. His quasi-retirement has seen him assume the post of Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull GmbH, and it’s important to remember that the German tactician’s tactical shrewdness waned toward the end of his tenure. He was tired, after all.

But, if Slot is fired, Liverpool would need to find a replacement, and Spanish sources suggest Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is on the shortlist.

Iraola, 43, is one of the most exciting young managers in Europe, having shaped the Cherries into a front-footed and sharp attacking outfit.

Compensation pay would be required to pull him away from the Vitality Stadium, but given Iraola’s vision aligns with the club’s long-term project, he might be the one to go for.

Why Iraola could be perfect for Liverpool

It was a bold move for Bournemouth to ditch Gary O’Neil after the pragmatic manager steered the club to safety after promotion to the Premier League in 2022/23. A bold move, but one carried out with diligence, for Iraola was earmarked as a progressive option.

And Bill Foley must be delighted. In 2023/24, Bournemouth recorded a record points total (56) in the Premier League, leading​ journalist James Horncastle to hail him as “the best coach in the Premier League” for his sharp-witted and positive approach.

Iraola likes aggressive and high-octane football. He is not as turbo-charged in his approach as Klopp, but the Spaniard would infuse Liverpool with more risk-taking and directness than Slot prefers, albeit still maintaining an emphasis on retaining possession.

This could play to the strengths of Florian Wirtz, who has had a tough time since joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m in the summer.

A silky and inventive attacking midfielder, the German has yet to register a goal involvement in the Premier League and has lacked the clarity and poise that was expected after the thrill of his official announcement.

There remains a world-class talent in there, and Wirtz’s woes come with the caveat that he has entered a dysfunctional tactical system.

Iraola’s focus on a 4-2-3-1 formation suggests that the 22-year-old could find a natural place at number ten. As per FBref, he does rank among the top 11% of positional peers in the English top flight this term for shot-creating actions and the top 4% for passes attempted and progressive passes per 90.

This suggests that Wirtz has the potential to be a superstar in England, and Iraola can provide the stability and fluency of tactics to help realise that.

He might not be Klopp, but Iraola has labelled his tactics as being akin to “rock and roll”. Klopp’s famous branding of his vision as being ‘heavy metal football’ suggests that Liverpool might hit the jackpot by making this switch.

No one wants to see Slot be sacked, but this pitiful form and level of performance cannot be allowed to continue, and Iraola has the acumen to revive Wirtz and bring the champions back into the ascendancy.

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Shafali Verma scored a career-best 87 in the World Cup final before taking two wickets as well

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2025

Shafali Verma celebrates with Harmanpreet Kaur after delivering a breakthrough•ICC/Getty Images

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur had a gut feeling it was Shafali Verma’s day when she threw the ball to the opener with South Africa ticking along in their run chase of 299 in the World Cup final.Shafali, who made a career-best 87 with the bat earlier, responded by delivering two key breakthroughs to help India win their maiden World Cup title.Shafali had bowled just 14 overs for a single wicket in 30 ODIs coming into the match, but it took her just two balls to end a 52-run stand between South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus in the 21st over with a sharp return catch. And with the first ball of her second over, she got another big wicket as Marizanne Kapp was strangled down leg.Related

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“When Laura and Sune were batting, they were looking really good, and I just saw Shafali standing there. And the way she was batting today, I knew today’s her day,” Harmanpreet said at the presentation ceremony. “She was doing something special today, and I just thought I have to go with my gut feeling. If my heart is saying I should give at least one over to her, I’m going to give her.”And then I just asked her, ‘can you bowl one over?’ And she was so ready, and she’s always wanted to bowl for the team. I think that was a turning point for us.”Shafali only came into India’s squad before the semi-finals after opener Pratika Rawal suffered an injury during their final league-stage match that ruled her out of the tournament.”When she came to the team, that time we spoke to her, ‘we might need your two or three overs’. And she was like, ‘you know, if you give me the bowling, I’m going to bowl 10 overs for the team,'” Harmanpreet said. “And that showed how confident she was to bowl for the team. Credit goes to her. She was so positive. Salute her, the way she was there for the team.”Despite having pulled off a record chase of 339 at the same venue in their semi-final against Australia, Harmanpreet said their total of 298 was enough, considering it was on a different pitch, the overcast conditions and the extra pressure of a final.There were moments when the score looked to be insufficient with Wolvaardt marching to a second consecutive century, stitching fifty-plus stands with Tazmin Brits, Luus and Annerie Dercksen in the process.But, with the asking rate starting to climb, South Africa lost their last five wickets for 37 runs, with Deepti Sharma running through the lineup.Deepti Sharma followed up her half-century with a five-wicket haul•ICC/Getty Images”We should give credit to the South Africa team. They played it beautifully. In the last moment they panicked a little bit, and that’s where we caught the game,” Harmanpreet said.”And I think we, as a group, we have been talking about, you know, once they started doing a little bit, you know, something here and there, we have to catch that. And I think that right time Deepti came and took those crucial wickets.”In the league stage, India slipped to consecutive defeats against South Africa, Australia and England – the three teams that finished above them. But, India registered a memorable win to knock defending champions Australia out before sealing the title against South Africa.”Yeah, last game also we spoke that self-belief was there that, you know, even though we lost three back-to-back games, but we knew this team has something special to turn things around the table,” Harmanpreet said. “So, I think credit goes to each and every member. They stayed positive. They knew what we have to do the next three games, and I think everybody was so involved.”

A former team-mate of Lionel Messi has revealed how much he would love to join the Argentina icon at Inter Miami. The World Cup winner has recently extended his stay with the MLS side, penning a new contract at the club that will run through to the end of the 2028 MLS season. Messi will be 41 when his contract expires, meaning this could be the final club of his incredible career.

Messi starring in MLS with Miami

Messi is continuing to play a starring role for Inter Miami and is currently eyeing his third piece of silverware with the club. The former Barcelona star has already won the Leagues Cup and the Supporters Shield during his time with David Beckham's club and will face the Vancouver Whitecaps next for the MLS Cup on 6 December. Saturday's game will be Inter Miami's first MLS Cup final appearance and offers Messi the chance to add yet another trophy to his extensive cabinet.

AdvertisementAFPEx-Messi team-mate opens door to MLS move

Ahead of the game, Messi's former Argentina team-mate Darío Benedetto has been talking about his future. The 35-year-old, who left Newell's Old Boys in October, is on the verge of retirement but admits he could be tempted to reconsider, particularly if Messi comes calling. "If he calls me to play for Inter Miami, I'll go by bicycle!" he told ESPN.

A move may be unlikely, but Benedetto is still hoping to finish his career on a high. He added: "I got fed up with certain bad habits that football has taken on today. Troubles, business dealings, it doesn't matter… But I'll always love it, because I'm very grateful to football. I can't believe the career I've had… Now I'm almost retired. But I've decided, through therapy, to extend it a little longer and retire on a high note.

"I'm going to lean towards clubs that don't have any problems, because the last few years I've spent my time complaining. I want to enjoy playing football," he added, "I would have liked to retire at Boca, but it didn't happen. My best form was in 2016. And I always watch it on TV."

Messi staying at Miami

As for Messi, he now looks set to stay at Miami potentially until he hangs up his boots after penning a three-year extension in October. The World Cup winner said: “It makes me really happy to stay here and to continue with this project that, besides being a dream, has become a beautiful reality – playing in this stadium, at Miami Freedom Park. Since I arrived in Miami, I’ve been very happy, so I’m truly glad to keep going here.”

Yet Messi has also admitted that he still longs to return home to Barcelona and plans to go back to the city with his family in the future. He told Sport: "I really want to go back there, we miss Barcelona a lot. My wife and I, the kids, are constantly talking about Barcelona and the idea of moving back. We have our house there, everything, so that's what we want. I'm really looking forward to going back to the stadium when it's finished because since I left for Paris, I haven't been back to Camp Nou, and then they moved to Montjuic.”

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Getty/GOALMessi vs Muller up next

Messi is now preparing for Saturday's clash in a game which will see the Inter Miami talisman come up against former Bayern and Germany star Thomas Muller. The forward joined Vancouver Whitecaps in the summer after his contract with Bayern ended and is now set for yet another match-up with Messi.

"It's not about Messi against Thomas Müller," Muller told reporters. "It's Miami against the Whitecaps. Maybe they rely a little bit more on him than we do on me, because we are such a good group."

The two superstars have previously met 10 times, with Messi ending up on the winning side only three times.

Winter is here, and Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank knows he is staring down the barrel of a gun as he looks to find form and consistency after a tough start to his tenure.

That may be an understatement. Spurs have lost three on the trot, and Saturday’s home defeat against Fulham in the Premier League means the 3-0 victory over Burnley in August remains an outlier in regard to three points down N17 this season.

The fans are frustrated, no doubt about that. And they have a right to be. Tottenham have lacked sparkle in their attacking play this season, though Frank will feel that injuries to Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have put him on the back foot.

Much has been made of the Londoners’ creativity (or lack thereof), but it’s also clear that the Lewis Family need to authorise the signing of a centre-forward.

Why Spurs need a striker

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have both left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in recent years, and the superstars have not really been replaced with elite options.

Mathys Tel is young and talented, but he is also raw. Solanke is a proven Premier League star, but his entire stint in north London has been blighted by setbacks. Richarlison is in fine form, but probably not the long-term solution at number nine.

What Frank and the fanbase need is an up-and-coming superstar to spearhead this next era at the club.

That’s why Samu Agwehowa has been earmarked. According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham have joined the race for the 21-year-old Porto striker after his convincing performances in Portugal.

The Spanish international has a €100m (about £88m) release clause in his contract, though Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange would be certain to lodge an offer far south of that daunting figure.

What Samu would bring to north London

Richarlison is a curious striker. He is capable of so much, and yet he performs to his full capacity with consistent inconsistency.

25/26

13

5 + 2

24/25

14

4 + 1

23/24

28

11 + 4

22/23

27

1 + 4

Injuries have not helped the Brazil international, but it’s clear that he is not Kane. That said, Richarlison has been in moderately good form this season, essential in providing an outlet as Solanke founders in the infirmary.

But in Samu, Frank would land a goalscorer who has the potential to be “one of the best strikers in Europe”, according to journalist Zach Lowy, so powerful and potent in the final third.

Joining Porto from Atletico Madrid in 2024, Samu has chalked up 37 goals and four assists across just 62 appearances, including ten from 17 outings in all competitions this season.

He ranks among the top 8% of forwards in the Primeira Liga for progressive carries and the top 3% for successful take-ons, emphasising not only his pace but his control and force when on the ball and driving forward.

His athleticism and natural poaching instinct earn him a certain likeness to Richarlison, but given his age and the consistency of goalscoring, Samu might actually prove an upgrade on the South American.

Take, for example, his Europa League performances this year, winning 57% of his duels and averaging a tackle per game, as per Sofascore.

Combativeness forms a key part of Richarlison’s toolbox, and if Spurs are to upgrade on the 28-year-old, who has actually been linked with a move away from the club of late, they will want to sign someone who can emulate him while building up a skillset that transcends what Spurs have hosted in recent years.

Samu is all that and more, and he would be a fantastic signing for a Tottenham team in need of a new talisman.

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The batter, who averages nearly 70 in first-class cricket, has been picked in the Zimbabwe squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2025

Antum Naqvi has a triple-century to his name in first-class cricket•Zimbabwe Cricket

Batter Antum Naqvi is in line for a Zimbabwe debut in their upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan after being named in their 16-man squad. Fast bowler Tinotenda Maposa, who has played 14 white-ball internationals for Zimbabwe, is another potential debutant.Left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava and allrounder Brad Evans, both of whom were not part of Zimbabwe’s most recent Test series against New Zealand in July-August earlier this year, returned to the squad. Evans, 28, has played a solitary Test so far, which came in February 2023.Of Indian and Pakistani descent, Naqvi was born in Brussels, Belgium and moved to Australia when he was four, where he earned a commercial airline pilot’s license. He put his aviation career on hold, as per BBC Sport, to pursue cricket. He has recently qualified to represent Zimbabwe, according to a statement from Zimbabwe Cricket.Related

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Naqvi is one of the brightest emerging talents in Zimbabwe, boasting an average of over 60 in both first-class and List A cricket. In January 2024, he became the the first player from a Zimbabwean team to hit a triple-century at any level of representative cricket. Overall, he has racked up 1626 runs in 26 first-class innings at an average of 67.75 and strike rate of 72.65.In his most recent first-class fixture, he scored 68 and 108, his sixth hundred in the format, for Zimbabwe A against MCC in Harare last week.Sean Williams, Trevor Gwandu, Newman Nyamhuri, Clive Madande and Vincent Masekesa all were left out from the previous Test squad. It is understood that Williams missed out due to personal reasons.Craig Ervine will captain the team, with Brendan Taylor, Sikandar Raza and Blessing Muzarabani lending more experience to the team.Harare will host the one-off Test against Afghanistan from October 20 to 24. This will be Zimbabwe’s first international assignment since they secured qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Zimbabwe squadCraig Ervine (capt), Brian Bennett, Tanaka Chivanga, Ben Curran, Brad Evans, Roy Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni, Wellington Masakadza, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Antum Naqvi, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Brendan Taylor, Nick Welch

Fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck has admitted she is “shattered” to have been ruled out of the upcoming WBBL season for Melbourne Renegades after a slower-than-expected recovery from the shoulder injury she suffered at last year’s T20 World Cup.Vlaeminck, 26, is one of the quickest bowlers in the world but has had an injury-hit career, making just 29 international appearances since her debut in 2018. Her latest setback came when she dislocated her right shoulder diving in the outfield early in Australia’s opening game against Pakistan in the UAE.The WBBL, which starts on November 9, had been earmarked as a potential comeback for Vlaeminck but her shoulder has not responded well to an increase in bowling workload over the last month. It means that she will miss her fourth consecutive WBBL having not featured in the competition since joining Renegades in 2022.Related

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“I’m obviously a little bit shattered about missing out,” Vlaeminck told reporters in Sydney. “Unfortunately my shoulder’s just not loving bowling at the moment, so there’s not much I can do about that. I think we were hoping that my shoulder would probably respond a little bit better to bowling than it has.”We lined up Big Bash to be that sort of end point. We sat pretty nice there [at] that year mark, and just in the last four weeks trying to ramp that up it just hasn’t responded the way we sort of thought it would.”We got to a space where I pulled the pin. I probably didn’t feel confident enough to be able to actually perform if I got out for the Renegades. It’s one thing to get out on the pitch and be back playing, but you actually have to sort of back yourself in to be able to perform and do well for a team, which I didn’t feel like I was going to be able to do.”Vlaeminck’s list of injuries includes two dislocations of her left shoulder and stress fractures of the foot. Prior to her international debut she had undergone two ACL reconstructions. However, she has tried not to bemoan her bad fortune and Cricket Australia retained her on their central contracts list earlier this year.”I think you always go there initially, but I don’t think it’s overly helpful being in that space,” she said. “I just like to consider myself pretty lucky that Cricket Australia have stuck by me throughout this whole thing.”I’ve got heaps of support and hopefully over the next four to six weeks I’ll be able to continue to work on it and see how we go for the back end of the season.”Australian Women’s physiotherapist Kate Beerworth said: “Tayla’s recovery has been impacted by ongoing limitations, restricting her ability to progess her bowling and work through the end stages of her return to play plan. We’ll continue to work with Tayla, the Melbourne Renegades and Cricket Victoria to support her through this next phase.”