Chelsea may be faced with a defensive headache for the new season after Trevoh Chalobah was withdrawn against AC Milan due to an injury concern.

Chalobah taken off against MilanAnkle injury concernColwill underwent ACL surgery this weekFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Chalobah was withdrawn in the 57th minute against the Italian giants after going down with what appeared to be an ankle injury. BBC Sport journalist Nizaar Kinsella reports on X that Chalobah limped off to be replaced by Josh Acheampong. The Blues will hope that the injury is not too serious.

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Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill underwent surgery on an ACL injury just days ago, confirmed by the club on Thursday. The 22-year-old may be out for several months, meaning an injury lay-off for Chalobah could leave the Blues short at the back. The club will hope it was just precautionary to withdraw the 26-year-old against Milan.

DID YOU KNOW?

Chalobah came into his own and earnt a regular starting spot for the Blues in the second half of last season, following a strong loan spell with Crystal Palace before Christmas. It would be a major blow if Chelsea were without two of their first-choice central defensive options in Chalobah and Colwill, two full England internationals, for the beginning of the new season.

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR CHALOBAH AND CHELSEA?

Chelsea face Chalobah's former club Palace on the opening day of the Premier League season on August 17. The Cobham academy graduate will hope to return to training in time to feature at Stamford Bridge as the Conference League and Club World Cup winners begin their domestic campaign.

Australia will have all eyes on their new opener Konstas, and India would want more support for their star bowler Bumrah

Andrew McGlashan24-Dec-20242:00

Pujara: India should pick another fast bowler for MCG

Big Picture: Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line

This is big. If India win at the MCG, they retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. If Australia win, they remain on track for a first series win over India in a decade. A defeat for the home side would trigger significant questions while if India lose, their World Test Championship (WTC) fate is out of their hands, although retaining the series trophy would remain possible. With a good forecast, a draw would appear an unlikely result, particularly given the ground’s recent history. And whatever unfolds on Boxing Day could take place in front of more than 90,000 spectators.It’s only been six days since the damp end to proceedings at the Gabba, but a lot has happened. If you weren’t aware of the scoreline, it may feel like India are ahead given Australia have been forced into a change at the top of the order to try and counterpunch against Jasprit Bumrah. It means 19-year-old Sam Konstas will make an extraordinary debut after just 11 first-class matches.But it’s also been a curious few days for the visitors. Virat Kohli had a run-in with a reporter at the Melbourne airport; Ravindra Jadeja only took questions in Hindi at a press conference which got some people annoyed; and there were suggestions of a conspiracy when India were given used pitches to train on at the MCG.Related

• Rohit doesn't want to 'complicate too many things' for Gill and Jaiswal

• MCG pitch to have 'pace, bounce and excitement', but what about runs?

• Konstas' MCG debut confirmed, Head faces a fitness test

• WTC final race – How can India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka qualify?

• Should India opt for bowling depth over batting insurance?

Meanwhile, in terms of the important things, they are still trying to find enough support for Bumrah and more runs from a misfiring top order. There does not appear much India can do about the batting order in terms of personnel, instead they will hope someone can follow the lead of KL Rahul.There has not been a lot of actual cricket played in the last two Tests: Adelaide was over little more than an hour into the third day and rain was a constant menace in Brisbane. But since Perth, Australia have dominated. Yet it sits at 1-1 and there is not much wriggle room for them to have a bad day.Australia’s top order remains under scrutiny amid the call to drop Nathan McSweeney in favour of Konstas at such a crucial moment in the series while senior batters Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne remain low on runs. Travis Head, who picked up a quad niggle in Brisbane but is good to go, has been the game-changer while Steven Smith’s hundred was timely and by the end of it he was playing very fluently.The fact that Scott Boland can slot back in at a ground he has enjoyed so much success on (headlined by his 6 for 7 against England in 2021-22) shows the pace-bowling depth Australia have. It may just be what makes the difference, although don’t count out Bumrah being able to win it almost on his own for India, who have not lost a Test at the MCG since 2011.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia DWLWW
India DLWLL

In the spotlight: Usman Khawaja and Virat Kohli

Usman Khawaja is coming towards the end of what is his leanest Test year since 2013 (when he averaged 19.00 from just three matches). In 2024 he has a return of 337 runs at 24.07 including just one fifty. However, the Australia camp is taking the view that he is out of runs rather than out of form, similar to Smith before his Gabba century. Khawaja has spoken about having next year’s Ashes on his radar with a potential finishing point of the SCG in just over 12 months’ time, but whether he gets there may depend on these next two Tests and the Sri Lanka series.There has been one India great retire in this series. And the rumours are bubbling about who might be next. Virat Kohli ended a century drought with his second innings in Perth but at the moment it is looking like an outlier with a pattern in his dismissals aside from that – pushing hard at the ball outside off stump. In Brisbane he was reaching out to drive a particularly wide delivery. In 2014 he enjoyed a spectacular Test at the MCG with 169 and 54, then in 2018 made a hardworking 82 as captain to help lay the foundation for a famous victory which ultimately decided that series. He missed 2020 when India won again. What will 2024 bring?

Team news: Konstas debut, Boland back; India’s balance question

Konstas’ debut was confirmed on Christmas Eve while Boland will return in place of the injured Josh Hazlewood. Head passed a fitness test on Christmas Day after coming out of the Gabba with a quad strain.Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Sam Konstas, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott BolandRohit Sharma’s batting position remains a hot topic and he did not confirm where he would slot in ahead of the game, but it seems unlikely India will break up the opening pair. The other key debate is what to do at No. 8: stick with Nitish Kumar Reddy, pick another specialist quick (which would lengthen the tail) or play Washington Sundar as an alternative allrounder and opt for a 3-2 balance of pace and spin?India (possible): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Rohit Sharma (capt), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Nitish Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj1:57

What’s the blueprint for winning a Test at the MCG?

Pitch and conditions: Sizzling temperatures on Boxing Day

The MCG pitch, which has become a goldmine for the quicks, has been in focus. Curator Matt Page said he will follow the formula which has been a success in recent seasons, leaving around 6mm of grass on the surface. Australia coach Andrew McDonald said it’s normally a surface where you bowl first, but things may be different this time. The forecast for a hot opening day, where temperatures could reach 40 degrees Celsius, may see the pitch quicken up earlier than normal. There is a chance of showers on the second day but otherwise the forecast is fine and a more pleasant temperature from day three onwards.

Stats and trivia

• Bumrah needs six wickets for 200 in Tests. If he did it at the MCG, in his 44th Test, he would be the joint second-fastest for India behind R Ashwin
• Since the 2018-19 season, there have been six Test centuries scored at the MCG – the lowest of all Australian venues to host more than a single match
• Australia’s current average from their top three is their lowest ever for a home series of at least three Tests (note: includes Pat Cummins as nightwatcher in Perth)

Quotes

“Every game starts afresh…different teams, different structures. Think both teams have similar challenges at the moment. How do you find runs? Both bowling attacks have been on top. I’m not a big believer in history repeating itself.
“After three Test matches, if I had to look at it being one-all, it’s a fair reflection of how both teams have played. There has been solid cricket being played by both teams.”

Liverpool’s pre-season schedule commences on Sunday July 13, at the Deepdale Stadium. It’ll be a feeling-out process, but one which Arne Slot will hope to use his new recruits.

And the head coach might have a range of new options to pick from. Indeed, Jeremie Frimpong is already signed and sealed as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s successor on the right flank, left-back Milos Kerkez is the subject of advancing talks with Bournemouth and the outcome of Darwin Nunez’s future move (he’s “planning to leave”, reports Fabrizio Romano) will see a new striker brought in.

But, of course, the name on everyone’s lips is that of Florian Wirtz, with the playmaker’s Bayer Leverkusen employers locked in talks with Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes to agree to a British-record transfer.

The latest on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool

Wirtz is quite the player. While biased in his opinion, former Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes has described him as “the best midfielder in the world”, which is high praise indeed and justifiable, if subjective.

Liverpool have done so well to beat off competition from Manchester City and Bayern Munich to come to the closing stages of a deal for Wirtz, which isn’t there yet.

Until the negotiations are brought to an agreeable close, fans will continue to bite their nails, with Liverpool seeing a £110m bid rejected. The Werkself are holding out for a British-record £120m fee.

While it would be a travesty if the bid unravelled now, it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Remember Nabil Fekir, anyone?

Liverpool would be wise to have a back-up plan. And they do.

Liverpool eyeing Wirtz alternative

As per TEAMtalk, Liverpool have joined a host of clubs in the race for Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, who has also attracted Chelsea’s attention following Manchester City’s earlier declaration of interest.

City might have the lead, but Liverpool may yet make their move for the £70m-rated playmaker, with Forest said to be bracing themselves for official bids.

Gibbs-White, 25, may have been monitored by the Anfield side for a while, but they will need to up their game in the coming weeks if they are to beat off the divisional competition.

Why Liverpool want Morgan Gibbs-White

One of the principal architects of Nottingham Forest’s extraordinary campaign, qualifying for Europe, Gibbs-White is now proving the Tricky Trees have received bang for their buck after forking out £42.5m for his services back in August 2022.

This season, the part-time Tricky Trees skipper scored seven goals and supplied ten more across 34 Premier League matches, creating ten big chances, averaging 4.5 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.

Gibbs-White clearly boasts the kind of profile Liverpool desire for their midfield, especially since BBC analyst Raj Chohan has also humourously hailed him as “the Aldi Jude Bellingham.”

Real Madrid superstar Bellingham has opened up about his “hero” being the iconic Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, no doubt having fashioned elements of his game on Gerrard in his pomp.

Liverpool wanted Bellingham in 2023, but pulled out of the race for the Borussia Dortmund prodigy when it became clear he was leaning toward the Spanish capital, funds instead put toward making sweeping midfield changes.

The point is, though, that the Reds wanted Bellingham’s athletic, dynamic approach, and Gibbs-White could be the perfect man to bring such an identity to the Anfield heart, providing Slot with the perfect Wirtz alternative.

Ah yes, it’s probably worth noting Liverpool would only make their move for Gibbs-White if a deal for Wirtz falls through, which would strike a sense of profound numbness across Merseyside if it came to be.

But the Forest man has the skills to succeed under Slot’s wing. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 12% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers last term for goal-creating actions, the top 15% for progressive passes, the top 9% for through balls, the top 12% for interceptions and the top 15% for aerial battles won per 90.

One scout has even remarked that the all-action midfielder has a “Steven Gerrard mentality”, so influential and willing to take control of a match, to spearhead the pursuit of victory.

Once called a “real character and leader” for his club by Tottenham Hotspur historian John Wenham, Gibbs-White might not be in the same talent bracket as Gerrard once was, but that’s not to his discredit.

Gerrard was in a different sphere to the lion’s share, in fairness, retiring as one of the standout midfielders of his generation and perhaps the greatest player in Liverpool’s history, devoting his entire European career to Anfield and its denizens.

A supreme leader and fiercely rounded midfielder, Gerrard’s blueprint has been replicated by new blood, but he’s never been overtaken.

However, Gibbs-White could perform the role to an emphatic effect, breaking lines, inspiring his teammates and providing a combative sheen too, the complete player.

Maybe he wouldn’t succeed in becoming quite so legendary a Liverpudlian as Gerrard, who featured 710 times for the Merseysiders, his boyhood club, but he could play an instrumental part in winning the Premier League, breaking clear of Manchester United and becoming the most successful

It would be nice to bring Wirtz in, for he is matchless in his position right now. However, Gibbs-White would do a job in Slot’s system.

He’s still an immense midfielder with a vibrant personality and a persistent attitude besides. If Liverpool wish to continue to make gains over the coming years, this is exactly the kind of profile they should be going for.

If the move for Wirtz doesn’t come to fruition, of course.

Liverpool exploring move for £30m "iron barrel" who's just like Van Dijk

Liverpool are interested in signing a new centre-back this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 6, 2025

Asalanka, Buttler, Babar and Warner round out top five performers

ESPNcricinfo stats team15-Nov-2021Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga is the MVP of the T20 World Cup 2021 according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats (all matches from start of Super 12s have been considered). In the Super 12s, Hasaranga took ten wickets and conceded runs at just 5.84 per over in the so-called Group of Death. Hasaranga also took a hat-trick against South Africa, but that was not enough to get his team over the line.ESPNcricinfo LtdNumbers, however, do not do full justice to Hasaranga’s impact.To gauge that, we need to look at Smart Stats, which looks at every batting and bowling performance through the prism of match context, and the pressure on the batter and bowler at each delivery when they batted or bowled.The games against England and South Africa stood out. All ten wickets that he took were of batters in the top seven.Hasaranga bowled three overs at the death too, taking four wickets at 6.66. In the middle overs, he bowled 14 overs and conceded just 6.14 runs per over. Hasaranga was the partnership breaker for his team, taking key wickets when they were required. He dismissed Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma and Dwyane Pretorius against South Africa, while he got Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan against England.Hasaranga took wickets when others struggled, which also helped him top the impact charts. Hasaranga’s match impact of 71.6 was way ahead of his team-mate Charith Asalanka, who was next.Asalanka had a match impact score of 55, and scored 225 runs at an impressive strike rate of 153.06. No one had a better strike rate than Asalanka among the top 20 run-getters in the competition. Asalanka’s unbeaten 80 against Bangladesh was a knock under serious pressure, with his team struggling at 79 for 4 in the tenth over chasing 171.Openers Jos Buttler, Babar Azam and Player of the Tournament David Warner complete the top five.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Most impactful bowler

The list of bowlers with the highest Smart Wickets is different from the list of top wicket-takers, because Smart Wickets takes into account the quality of batter dismissed, their score at the time of dismissal, and the match context at that point. Considering all those factors, Trent Boult and Josh Hazlewood take the top-two positions with 15 and 14.6 Smart Wickets respectively.Adam Zampa, who is first on the actual wicket-takers’ list with 13 wickets, is fifth on the Smart Wickets tally with an aggregate of 11.8. Hasaranga and Ish Sodhi complete the top five, while five of the top-ten bowlers are wristspinners.There was not much to separate Boult and Hazlewood. While Hazlewood took the most wickets in the powerplay with seven, Boult was the second-highest wicket-taker at the death with six wickets. Both quicks were instrumental in containing runs or taking crucial wickets. Boult conceded five runs or less in four out of seven games in not-so-favourable conditions for quicks. Hazlewood, on the other hand, had a big impact by either picking crucial wickets early in the match or reducing the run flow, like he did in the final against New Zealand and in the first game against South Africa.Interestingly, both Boult and Hazlewood had very poor semi-finals, conceding more than ten runs per over without taking a wicket.The legspin trio of Hasaranga, Sodhi and Zampa all had excellent impact through the middle overs. Zampa took 13 wickets in this phase and went for less than six runs per over in the competition. Although some of his wickets did come about when the match result was a formality, or were of tail-enders, he made some crucially important strikes too. The former added to the tally for conventional wickets, but didn’t add much to Zampa’s Smart Wickets count. His five-wicket haul against Bangladesh was worth just 3.29 Smart Wickets, while his spells against South Africa and Pakistan counted for a lot more.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Top batting and bowling performances in a match

While Hasaranga and Boult took pole positions in terms of MVP and best bowler, the match-wise best batting and bowling performance went to Martin Guptill and Shadab Khan respectively. Guptill’s 93 from 56 balls in tough, humid conditions against Scotland was the top batting performance.This was the only game that was won by a team batting first in Dubai. Guptill single-handedly powered his team, hitting seven sixes and six fours. His partner in a century stand for the fourth wicket, Glenn Phillips, scored at a strike rate of just 89, making it that much tougher for Guptill.\The only century of the tournament was by Jos Buttler. His brilliant unbeaten 101 against Sri Lanka in tough batting conditions was the second best batting performance of the tournament. Buttler scored 62% of his team’s runs, and at one stage had made only 35 from 38 balls. In his next 29 balls, he smashed 66 runs in bowler-friendly conditions. Kane Williamson’s 85 in the final, Najibullah Zadran’s 73 against New Zealand and Asalanka’s 80 from 40 balls against Bangladesh complete the top-five best batting performances.ESPNcricinfo LtdAmong the impactful bowling performance, Shadab’s 4 for 26 in the semi-finals topped the chart.Defending 176, Shadab took the key wickets of Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith and David Warner. He conceded just 6.25 runs per over when all other bowlers went upwards of 8 per over. Shadab’s four wickets were worth almost seven Smart Wickets. What should have been a match-winning performance sadly ended in a losing cause. Hasaranga’s two spells against England and South Africa are in the top five along with Hazlewood and Boult’s efforts in the final.

Premier League CEO Richard Masters has refused to be drawn on Manchester City’s FFP case, merely stating that “rules are very clear”.

• Charges revealed in February 2023
• Independent hearing completed
• Final ruling is still being waited on

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A protracted saga saw City stung with at least 115 charges in February 2023. That revelation came on the back of an investigation into supposed monetary mismanagement at the Etihad Stadium over the course of a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.

Advertisement

• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  An independent hearing concluded in late 2024, but no verdict has been delivered as yet. Various punishments have been speculated on – ranging from points deductions to transfer embargoes via expulsion from the English top-flight – but a final resolution remains some way off.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  It has been suggested that the case could drag on well into the 2025-26 campaign, with a ruling potentially being delivered during the second international break that arrives in early October.

• Getty
  

  WHAT MASTERS SAID

  Masters is giving little away when it comes to the Premier League’s stance, telling during the Summer Series of fixtures in the United States: “You can ask but unfortunately our rules are very clear; it's a confidential process. So I really can't give any information out on timing or anything like that, there's nothing more I can add. Sorry about that.”

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays are out to change baseball, one stinking, annoying, pesky, skin-crawling, chalkboard-scratching, stone-in-my-shoe, please-make-it-stop foul ball at a time.

“That’s our goal,” says Toronto infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. “To change baseball. We’re doing something that’s not taught anymore. We’re trying to bring baseball back to … well, baseball.”

It is a lofty goal that is three wins within reach after such a pestiferous 11–4 World Series Game 1 victory Friday over Los Angeles that after it, Dodgers pitchers should have been reaching for calamine lotion instead of ice.

After five seasons in which only a top-four home run team has won the World Series, Toronto (11th in homers, first in lowest strikeout rate) wants to turn the baseball world upside down, if not back to the 1970s.

The Blue Jays scored their 11 runs on 14 hits, including three homers, while striking out just four times. Talk about retro. They turned the baseball clock all the way back to 1978, the time of bell bottoms, love beads and the only World Series game in which a team had so many runs, hits and homers with only four strikeouts: an 11–5 win for the Dodgers over the Yankees in 1978 World Series Game 3.

So artful was Toronto it had nearly as many hits as swings and misses (15). The Blue Jays fouled off 39 pitches, 19 of them with two strikes. Their turn at bat in the sixth inning played out like one of those floor-borne domino cascades in which the tiles topple over one-by-one in serpentine style; there was artistry in a chain reaction that seemed to go on forever.

Twelve batters against three pitchers in that inning saw 44 pitches, including 15 pitches with two strikes without a swing and miss, fouled 12 pitches, put nine balls in play, drew two walks, took a hit by pitch and hit two homers.

“The epitome of how we play baseball,” infielder Ernie Clement calls it. “That inning is pretty much all we do as a team, as a group.”

The Dodgers brought to the series the best swing-and-miss pitching staff in the National League, especially Game 1 starter Blake Snell, who had a 50% whiff rate in three postseason starts this year. Now they know they have a fight on their hands with the toughest team to put away in baseball, whether that refers to when the Jays trail (they scored 11 unanswered runs after falling behind 2–0) or when they have two strikes.

“He had his stuff tonight,” Kiner-Falefa says. “We did a good job of getting into their bullpen. The moment he came out of the game we took advantage. We wore him down as much as we could. And it’s tough to wear him down when he’s in the zone as much as he was.”

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Atharva Ankolekar and Suryansh Shedge return for their last league game of the season

Vishal Dikshit28-Jan-2025

India internationals Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer are going to miss the next round of the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai in the lead up to the England ODI series that follows early next month. While the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will feature in the next round starting January 30, the Mumbai trio had already played the previous round, which Kohli and Rahul didn’t, and Iyer played almost the entire domestic season, that included two white-ball tournaments too. The ODI series against England starts on February 6 in Nagpur, four days after the scheduled end of the last Ranji Trophy round.Rohit and Jaiswal – who also open together in Tests – opened for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) when they returned to domestic cricket for the previous round after the BCCI’s new guidelines mandated playing domestic cricket. The board’s directive had come after India’s consecutive series losses against New Zealand and Australia that cost the team a World Test Championship final berth, especially with India’s batting unit failing to put up substantial scores. Rohit, especially, has been among the poorest of the lot, scoring just 164 runs from his last 15 Test innings to average a dismal 10.93 this season. His fortunes didn’t change when he batted for Mumbai, scoring just 3 and 28 against J&K.Related

Rahane lauds J&K seamers, admits he misread the conditions

Accuracy in, pressure off: How J&K took down mighty Mumbai

Virat Kohli to train with Delhi squad from Tuesday

Jaiswal too registered low scores of 4 and 26 although he had a much better Test season, scoring two half-centuries and a century in Australia after four fifties at home.Iyer, on the other hand, has been Mumbai’s top-scorer this Ranji season. He made two centuries to tally 480 runs from seven innings and average 68.57. He also struck two unbeaten centuries in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy recently. He also struck at 188.52 for his 345 runs in the victorious 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Mumbai will also be without allrounder Shivam Dube who joined the India T20I squad soon after Mumbai’s game against J&K ended.The squad for the final league game against Meghalaya sees the return of batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi and allrounders Atharva Ankolekar and Suryansh Shedge, who was the Player of the Match in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Mumbai are likely go to back to the young opening combination of Raghuvanshi and 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre, who has kicked off his maiden domestic season with a stellar record of four centuries and two half-centuries in 18 innings across first-class and List A formats so far.Mumbai are the defending champions and are in a tough spot to make the Ranji knockouts, placed third in the Group A table behind J&K and Baroda. Their last game against Meghalaya is a must win.Mumbai squadAjinkya Rahane (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Amogh Bhatkal, Siddhesh Lad, Akash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Mohit Avasthi, Sylvester D’Souza, Royston Dias, Shreyas Gurav, Atharva Ankolekar

It would be fair to say that, thus far, this hasn’t been a great transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur.

While their Premier League rivals have been making impressive signings left, right, and centre, Thomas Frank has been left waiting for the club to make another move after signing Mathys Tel on a permanent deal.

Worse yet, North London rivals Arsenal appear to have awoken from their slumber as well, and are starting to make waves in the market, most notably regarding the potential signing of Viktor Gyokeres.

However, things may soon be about to change, as reports have linked the Lilywhites to a Premier League star who could be Frank’s answer to the Sporting CP star.

Spurs target their own Viktor Gyokeres

Given their truly diabolical form in the competition last season, it makes sense that Spurs would be targeting some of the Premier League’s most exciting talents this summer.

Transfer Focus

However, thus far, the Europa League champions haven’t been able to secure any signatures, with Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo still looking more likely to join Manchester United over them, and Antoine Semenyo putting pen to paper on a new deal at Bournemouth.

Even Eberechi Eze, who was once again linked with the club this year, now looks like he could be joining Arsenal, alongside Gyokeres.

Yet, there is still reason to be optimistic, as the Lilywhites close in on a key target, a Premier League star who could be their answer to the Swede: Mohammed Kudus.

Yes, according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Spurs have maintained their intense interest in the West Ham United ace.

In fact, the Italian journalist claims the Ghanaian is now a “top target and a crucial target” for Frank and that even though their initial offer of £50m was rejected, they will bid again.

In terms of the final price, it has been reported elsewhere that the Hammers may be holding out for a fee in the region of £65m.

It appears that this would be a complicated and costly transfer to complete this summer, but one Spurs should fight to secure, especially as Kudus could be their Gyokeres.

Why Kudus could be Spurs' Gyokeres

The first thing to say is that, yes, Kudus and Gyokeres are fundamentally different players and occupy very different roles within their respective squads.

However, when we say the former could be Spurs’ answer to Arsenal signing the latter, we are not talking or even thinking about where they play.

Instead, the point is that, in a similar way to how the Swede is likely to transform the Gunners’ attack and potentially their fortunes next season, the Ghanaian star has the ability to do the same for the Lilywhites.

Appearances

48

35

Minutes

3781′

2721′

Goals

18

5

Assists

10

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

0.25

Minutes per Goal Involvement

135.03′

302.33′

For example, while it’s certainly the case that his return of five goals and four assists in 35 appearances last season was underwhelming, his output the year before was nothing short of superb.

In 48 appearances, totalling 3781 minutes, the “generational talent,” as dubbed by journalist Gary Al-Smith, scored 18 goals and provided ten assists.

In other words, the Accra-born monster averaged a goal involvement every 1.71 games, or every 135.03 minutes, which is the sort of output that could fire Spurs up the table next season.

Furthermore, in addition to incredible ability in front of goal, the former Ajax gem can play anywhere from right wing to attacking midfield and even centre-forward, in turn giving Frank so many tactical options.

Finally, if you are still unconvinced over his game-changing potential, then you need only look at some of his underlying numbers.

Despite not having the best campaign in terms of output, FBref still ranked the international ace in the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for take-ons attempted and successful take-ons, as well as the top 6% for pass completion and goal-creating actions from long shots, among other metrics, all per 90.

Ultimately, Kudus may not have been at his very best last season, but the talent is there, and in the right environment, he could be utterly game-changing, and in a way, Spurs’ answer to Gyokeres moving to the red side of North London.

Shades of Haaland: Spurs submit bid for "one of the best STs in the PL"

Tottenham Hotspur have wasted no time in handing Thomas Frank the tools for success.

ByEthan Lamb Jul 6, 2025

Wolverhampton Wanderers are pressing on in their hunt for additions and are now advancing as they aim to bolster the forward ranks, according to a report.

Fer Lopez became the Old Gold’s first arrival of the summer window, and Jorgen Strand Larsen has since joined him at Wolves permanently after an excellent loan spell at Molineux.

After putting up a tally of 14 goals and five assists in the Black Country, the Norway international is now fully focused on improving on his exploits next term under Vitor Pereira.

He stated: “It’s been a good first season in the Premier League. I’m proud of what I’ve done. I’ve been able to take the steps earlier than I’ve done before. Previously, when I moved to a new country, I needed more time to get into it and score goals.

“As a striker, the team need you to score the goals and be on the end of the crosses, so to score 14 goals – and come back after my injuries and a little dip of form – it was a good season for me in that respect.”

Now prioritising other areas, Wolves are interested in Udinese defender Thomas Kristensen again after making a £12 million bid for the Dane during the January transfer window.

Wolves now closing in on deal to sign £4m+ colossus who "wants" PL move

The Old Gold have made progress in their pursuit of a “highly-rated” player, who is keen on a move to the Premier League.

ByDominic Lund Jul 2, 2025

Another potential solution at the back for the Old Gold is Brighton & Hove Albion star Igor Julio, albeit it remains to be seen whether the Seagulls will entertain selling to a Premier League rival.

However, despite Strand Larsen deciding to extend his stay, Wolves are now keen to land another centre-forward to star in the new campaign.

Wolves make approach for El Bilal Toure

According to Africa Foot, Wolves have made an approach to sign El Bilal Toure from Atalanta, though the 23 year-old is also wanted by Marseille, Stade Rennais, Paris FC, Como, Villarreal, Galatasaray and West Ham United.

In an injury-ridden campaign on loan at Stuttgart, the Mali international, who was previously labelled a “major talent” by Graeme Bailey, registered three goals and one assist in 17 appearances across all competitions, exactly mirroring his debut season for Atalanta in 2023/24.

Five similar players to El Bilal Toure (FBRef)

Mateo Retegui

Atalanta

Marcus Thuram

Inter Milan

Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea

Jonathan David

Juventus (to be finalised)

Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid

Nothing has been determined as yet, but the Serie A outfit are set to decide on Bilal Toure’s next move sooner rather than later as he isn’t expected to be a major part of Ivan Juric’s plans in 2025/26.

Wolves are a little short on forward options after Matheus Cunha’s departure. Besides, there is a suspicion the likes of Hwang Hee-chan, Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic could leave Molineux this summer due to their status as peripheral figures.

Bilal Toure has endured mixed fortunes since arriving in Italy. Nevertheless, a move to the Premier League could be the perfect tonic to get his career back on track.

حقق فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا فوزًا غاليا على بتروجيت، اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز. 

وواجه فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا نظيره بتروجيت، في الثامنة مساء اليوم، على ملعب هيئة قناة السويس، في الجولة الـ13 من الدوري الممتاز.

طالع.. سيراميكا كليوباترا يرد عبر “بطولات” على أنباء رحيل علي ماهر إلى ليبيا

وتمكن فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا من الفوز بثنائية مقابل هدف على بتروجيت، ليعتلي صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري الممتاز.

تقدم فريق بتروجيت بالهدف الأول عن طريق اللاعب مصطفى البدري، في الدقيقة 18 من عمر الشوط الأول، قبل أن يتعادل اللاعب صديق إيجولا لسيراميكا كليوباترا في الدقيقة 90. 

وفي الدقيقة 92، عاد صديق إيجولا وأحرز الهدف الثاني لفريق سيراميكا كليوباترا في مرمى بتروجيت، لينتهي اللقاء بفوز أصحاب الأرض بثنائية مقابل هدف. 

وبهذا الفوز رفع فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا رصيده إلى 26 نقطة في صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري الممتاز، بينما توقف رصيد بتروجيت عند 15 نقطة في المركز الـ 13 في جدول الدوري.  أهداف مباراة سيراميكا كليوباترا وبتروجيت