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After three games without a win, Everton now reportedly want to address one of their concerns by signing a talented forward when the January transfer window arrives.

Everton's early Premier League concern

The Toffees initially got off to a positive start and even saw summer signing Jack Grealish pick up the Premier League Player of the Month award in August. Since then, however, David Moyes’ side have stuttered for the first time – failing to win in three games.

Defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup was a particularly disappointing game for the Merseyside club, but one that they must bounce back from when West Ham United come to town on Monday night.

Everton’s biggest concern in their recent run has come in attack. They’ve scored just once in their last three games, which was Idrissa Gueye’s Anfield strike, and have watched on as Beto has particularly struggled.

The forward was taken off at half-time for Thierno Barry in the Merseyside derby and the Toffees went on to enjoy a much-improved second period. Whether that will be that for Beto’s starting place will be interesting to see.

Moyes didn’t hold back when delivering his verdict on the forward earlier this season, telling reporters: “I’ve been a bit disappointed with Beto and I’ve told him.

“We’re needing a bit more and he can do more and he has done more. So we’re hoping we can get a bit more from him, but he’s a really honest working lad and I’m sure he’ll try and prove that tonight.”

Whilst Barry gets up to speed, there’s still a chance for Beto to prove his worth. But Moyes’ patience won’t last forever and speculation is already arriving over a potential move that the Toffees could make to replace their forward in January.

Everton eyeing move for Norwich striker Josh Sargent

As reported by Graeme Bailey and Everton News, Everton now want to sign Josh Sargent in the January transfer window and are keeping tabs on the Norwich City striker, who has been in fine form.

Everton launch first enquiry to sign £265,000-a-week Premier League star in 2026

The Toffees could land a rival star…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 25, 2025

The American has been linked with a move away from Carrow Road for some time and could finally earn a route back to the Premier League in January. After scoring six goals in seven Championship games too, it’s clear that he’s good enough to step up.

The Friedkin Group proved that they’re not afraid to spend big in the summer transfer window and could do so once again when the winter window swings open.

Leeds United will hope they can consolidate themselves as a Premier League club this season, with another promotion hunt on the cards to get up to the top-flight, not the most attractive proposition.

Instead, Daniel Farke’s Whites will pray they can comfortably stay up, despite all the weighty pressure against them, and become a top-flight regular again, much like their heyday in the 90s when Champions League football was even on the menu.

The German is working against his own label as an unproven manager at the very top, too, with a relegation blotting his otherwise sparkling CV in England when at the helm of Norwich City.

Still, the early signs suggest Leeds could be here to stay, with the Whites in a promising 11th spot at the time of writing, after a Sean Longstaff-led effort clinched a 2-2 draw against AFC Bournemouth last time out.

Longstaff's promising start at Leeds

Longstaff nearly held the individual honour of being Leeds’ match-winner against the Cherries, with his fierce effort that cannoned in off the post, gifting his new employers a slim 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately, Bournemouth had other ideas late on when Eli Kroupi scored a last-gasp equaliser, but Andoni Iraola’s men snatching a share of the points shouldn’t detract too much from Longstaff’s sublime showings all season long.

Up against their South Coast visitors, the former Newcastle United man would amazingly notch up seven key passes.

One of those passes saw Joe Rodon head home from an inch-perfect corner kick delivery – while also showing off a fiery side to his game when winning a high ten duels to keep plugging away up against the likes of former Leeds man Tyler Adams, lining up for the away team.

It will just be up to the brand new Leeds number 8 to keep up this sterling, having often fallen victim to recurring injury issues at St James’ Park that saw him fade into the background under Eddie Howe.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

For just £12m, however, Leeds look to have struck gold on an instant bargain. Yet, it could be argued that the Whites gave up an even bigger talent than Longstaff last summer, when parting ways with a midfielder for a mere £3.7m.

Former Leeds star is now better than Longstaff

Leeds have fallen foul of many blunders in recent transfer windows, with their summer activity before their relegation out of the top-flight come the end of the 2022/23 season seeing them purchase many a half-hearted presence.

Faces such as Rasmus Kristensen, Luis Sinisterra, and the aforementioned Adams would all down their tools after their demise to the Championship was confirmed, with Marc Roca also falling into this bracket of failed signings who then shied away from the intense battles to follow in the EFL.

The seven-time Spain international would only go on to make 36 first-team appearances in West Yorkshire before then packing his bags to head to his native country initially on loan, after the Whites crashed out of the promised land.

He did show signs of his top-flight quality for Leeds, even if he did sour his relationship with the club when exiting at the first possible chance after relegation, with one goal and two assists being notched up by the 28-year-old in Premier League action sticking out, alongside winning a high 4.1 duels per game

Games played

26

14

Goals scored

2

2

Assists

2

2

Touches*

56.7

47.2

Accurate passes*

38.1 (85%)

32.9 (88%)

Ball recoveries*

5.7

3.6

Total duels won*

3.7

2.4

Former Leeds favourite Tony Dorigo would even hail Roca as a “wonderful” talent when displaying these bursts of quality, with the Real Betis number 21 further validating that his stint in England was an off-spell by starring in La Liga consistently.

Indeed, when looking at the table in greater detail, it’s clear that Roca is a similar level talent to Longstaff or even greater, with 5.7 ball recoveries on average sticking out during his debut season back on Spanish soil. Longstaff, despite his energetic Yorkshire beginnings, has only averaged 2.7 to date.

He even reminded English crowds of what he is capable of recently when assisting Antony’s leveller in the Europa League against Nottingham Forest.

With the Spaniard also capable of slotting in at left-back or as a centre-back if needed, it could well be now that Leeds look back on the sale of the “outstanding” – as he has been labelled by journalist Jose Rodriguez for his efforts in La Liga – Catalonian as one they regret, especially for such a low amount at £3.7m.

Still, the proof will be in the pudding as to whether Roca is a stronger talent than Longstaff or not come the end of the season, as the Newcastle-born number eight attempts to make his showing against Bournemouth a commonplace expectation.

Leeds have found their new Phillips in "unbelievable" star & it's not Stach

Leeds United may have found their new Kalvin Phillips and it is not Anton Stach.

ByDan Emery Sep 29, 2025

England showed little mercy as they tore Wales apart in a 3-0 friendly win at Wembley on Thursday. The Three Lions destroyed Craig Bellamy's side in a frantic opening 20 minutes which all but put an end to any hope of the visitors securing an unlikely upset between World Cup qualifiers, even despite the hosts leaving some key players on the bench and out of the squad completely.

A fine evening for England saw Morgan Rogers break the deadlock inside the opening two minutes, taking advantage of a Wales defence that switched off after Marc Guehi kept a loose corner alive, with the Aston Villa man rolling his effort past a helpless Karl Darlow between the sticks.

Before too long, it was 2-0. Rogers and Guehi were both involved again, with the former's speculative cross flicked on by the latter and into Ollie Watkins, who was waiting at the far post to convert and had time to take a couple of touches, such were Wales' horrendous defensive instincts.

Home supporters were soon cheering and revelling in their rivals' misery again soon after when Bukayo Saka found the top corner with an outrageous strike from the edge of the box, and though England could have had five or six on the night, that proved to be the end of their scoring, much to the relief of Craig Bellamy and his men.

GOAL breaks down England's winners and losers from Wembley…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WINNER: Thomas Tuchel

  OK, it's too soon for Thomas Tuchel to start doing victory laps as England boss – and knowing his career to date, he won't – but this was another statement of intent from a manager who will take the full brunt of criticism at the first possible opportunity when he's in this job.

  The English public have long been demanding their team to play fast, energetic football. They have always wanted to see them take the game to whoever the opposition may be. On Thursday, the Three Lions were so rampant in this regard that if anything, they killed the excitement of the game – it was the first time they had scored three goals inside the first 20 minutes since November 1987 against Yugoslavia, who at that point were still five years away from splitting.

  Tuchel's mission to build on the club-style feel of the England camp led him to making only one change from the September squad to this one, with the injured Noni Madueke making way for club team-mate Saka. The connections and partnerships all over the Wembley pitch were clear to see here, with the hosts quicker, stronger and smarter than Wales in every department, irrespective of the gap in technical quality.

  Despite the win, Tuchel has still managed to make a rod for his own back by criticising the home crowd in a post-match interview with , claiming his players didn't receive the support they deserved and bemoaning how quickly the stadium emptied during a pedestrian second half. He'll soon come to learn that England matches at Wembley will never see a rip-roaring atmosphere, with the demographic of those who follow them abroad and to major tournaments being far more boisterous.

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  LOSER: Jude Bellingham

  When the England squad was announced last Friday, the most startling omission was that of Jude Bellingham, who has returned to action with Real Madrid after a two-month layoff following shoulder surgery. This was initially put down to the midfielder receiving only a smattering of minutes since taking to the pitch again, but Tuchel was blunt with his principles of team-building before Thursday's visit of Wales.

  "We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else," the German said. "That's how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is not what I am saying. You are playing the game that says: 'He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren't in the team, you cannot build a team with them'. It's not like this. We built a team with the players who were available and they did so well so we go again with them. Nobody said we can't do the same with them. Or even better, or maybe the same level, with the others.

  "For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don't collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven't won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance."

  The door is open for those who missed out on this camp to return in the future, but time is already running out for them to make an impression, with only two more international windows coming before the end of the club season. Bellingham is the headline loser, but the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden should also be concerned of how they fit into this team.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WINNER: Bukayo Saka

  One man whose place in the England fold isn't in doubt is Saka, whose super strike rounded off the scoring on Thursday. It was trademark from the Arsenal winger, coming inside onto his left foot and letting fly a la peak Arjen Robben. This also made him the highest-scoring Gunner in the history of the men's national team, with his 13 strikes now the number to beat.

  Since breaking into the Three Lions side at Euro 2020, Saka has consistently proven one of the team's most reliable performers. It's to his credit that his England naysayers barely get a chance to voice that opinion before he shuts their mouths again, usually in the most emphatic of ways. After Harry Kane, he's probably the outfielder who's most likely to definitely start for England when fit, on par with vice-captain Declan Rice.

  Saka also welcomed Tuchel's message from the top that he will pick players to form the best team, rather than 'collecting the most talented players'. "What he's setting is very healthy competition, it's fair," Saka told . "Everywhere I look I see quality, whether it's in my position or in other positions, whoever it is we have to perform. When you have the shirt, you have to perform whether you're starting or coming in. At the end of the day we're all doing our best so England can win, that's what it's about."

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  WINNER: Morgan Rogers

  For whatever reason, Rogers hasn't found his best form for Aston Villa this season. Then again, nor has anyone else in Unai Emery's squad, so that suggests the problem lies within the walls of Villa Park. Rogers' superb showings in an England shirt only add to that theory.

  The attacking midfielder has quickly become one of Tuchel's 'dependables', and if anything he is the one player most likely to prevent Bellingham from winning his place back as a starter. There isn't any need to drop Rogers at the moment, even despite his indifferent performances at club level. Some players are just better suited to the international game.

  A maiden goal for England set the 23-year-old and his team-mates on their way. With Wales' defenders sleeping from a corner, Rogers peeled away from centre-back Joe Rodon into a pocket of space inside the 18-yard box, affording him ample room to sweep a low shot into the net.

  Speaking to , Rogers said of his first international goal: "It's a proud moment to do it at home in a home nation derby. A dream come true. The quality of players we have with people here and not here, you can never be too comfortable, or else people will take your role."

Arsenal have submitted a “proposal” to sign a “fast and agile” new player for Mikel Arteta in the final days of the summer transfer window.

Arsenal and Berta targeting more signings after Eze

It has been an extremely busy summer for Andrea Berta in his first transfer window as sporting director, with the club’s spending now over £260m after successfully hijacking Tottenham Hotspur’s attempts to land Eberechi Eze.

The Gunners secured the services of the England international, with a deal worth a total of £67.5m from Crystal Palace. Eze was unveiled as an Arsenal player before Saturday’s 5-0 win over Leeds United in the Premier League.

Arteta has praised the work that has gone on behind the scenes at the Emirates, however, he and Arsenal are still staying “very alert” to the prospect of more arrivals.

Staying alert they are, with Arteta, Berta and co working to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen. The centre-back has a €60m (£51.8m) release clause in his current contract, however, the Gunners are looking at a fee under that figure.

It isn’t just the Ecuadorian, though, with Arsenal wanting to bolster their defensive options even further before September 1, and an update on another target has now emerged.

Arsenal make £8m+ "proposal" to sign Martinez

According to journalist Santi Aouna, Arsenal have made an approach and proposal to sign Arnau Martinez from Girona. The offer on the table from the Gunners is worth a total of €10m (£8.6m).

Martinez is primarily a right-back who can play as a centre-back or higher up the pitch as a right midfielder if required.

The 22-year-old has come through Girona’s youth system and has already made 163 senior appearances for his current employers, even turning out in the Champions League.

Jacek Kulig has also been impressed with what he has seen from Martinez when he was coming through, calling him a “complete full-back” who is “fast and agile”.

Now, it looks as if we may see Martinez in an Arsenal shirt, should things go the Gunners’ way, with the Spaniard rivalling the likes of Jurrien Timber and Ben White at right-back.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca fears Liverpool may be “impossible to catch” after seeing the Reds invest £446 million ($603m) during the summer transfer window of 2025. Arne Slot’s side were already reigning Premier League champions and a faultless start has been made to the new season as domestic rivals worry about how to stage their own title challenges.

• Premier League champions even stronger

  With Slot overseeing little business across his debut campaign on Merseyside, huge moves were made after capturing the English top-flight crown. Liverpool drafted in the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez during an elaborate spending spree.

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  Perfect start leaves rivals playing catch-up

  Liverpool have started the new campaign with five successive wins, leaving them five points clear at the top of the table, and Maresca – who has Chelsea sat sixth – admits that the Reds may soon race out of sight.

• Maresca in Premier League title admission

  The Italian tactician said of trying to put his Blues squad in contention: “If they [Liverpool] continue in this way I think it is impossible to catch them, not just for us, but for all the clubs. They have been doing a fantastic job since last year, and the players they have decided to buy shows the intention of the club to go again for the Premier League and the Champions League, and that is quite clear.”

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  Will Palmer require surgery after injury?

  If Chelsea are to compete, then they will need Cole Palmer at their disposal. He was forced out of a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Manchester United with a groin injury, but Maresca is confident that surgery can be avoided.

  He said when asked about the possibility of England international Palmer being forced under the knife: “The medical staff, they didn’t mention to me about surgery. I don’t know if in the next days or the next weeks, but I don’t think so, to be honest. But we need to protect Cole, 100%. Because of the Club World Cup, and we never stopped, we need to manage and protect different players, and Cole is one of them.

  “Now we have a meeting with the medical staff and decide the best solution for him. It is not an injury which is black and white. It is an injury which on some days you can be better and the pain disappears, and sometimes you can be worse so that is why we have to manage it day by day.”

They’ll meet Hurricanes in title match after restricting Sixers to 151, and chasing the target down in scrappy Challenger

Andrew McGlashan24-Jan-2025

David Warner will have the chance to lead Sydney Thunder to their first BBL title in nine years, a season after they finished with the wooden spoon, after his side held their nerve in a scrappy Challenger final derby against Sydney Sixers to win by four wickets, with seven balls to spare.The experience of Sam Billings proved vital in the outcome as he nursed Thunder to their target amid a regular loss of wickets. With another 18 runs needed off the remaining 13 balls, Billings broke the tension with a huge leg-side six off Hayden Kerr.Thunder had been excellent in the field, with only a sixth-wicket stand of 56 from 34 balls between Jordan Silk and Ben Dwarshuis hauling Sixers as far as 151. Although Tom Andrews was their only spinner in the wickets – his brace came in the space of three balls – Thunder’s spinners were otherwise again very effective. The ten overs between Andrews, Tanveer Sangha and Chris Green cost just 66 runs on a surface that offered assistance.In reply, young English legspinner Jafer Chohan was very impressive, but Sixers did not have the volume of spin overs they were able to turn to as Thunder set up a final showdown with Hobart Hurricanes on Monday.Jason Sangha opens upThunder have tried a variety of opening combinations this season, although some of it has been out of their hands due to injury to Cameron Bancroft, and a Test call-up for Sam Konstas. For the Challenger, they opted for Jason Sangha, alongside Warner. Jason Sangha was playing in just his second game of the season, and started with a bang by taking 14 runs off the first over.Warner then scooped his first ball from Kerr for six, and Thunder were off to a flyer. But he bunted a catch to mid-on in the third over. Jason Sangha, meanwhile, had reached 30 off 19 balls at the other end, when he slog-swept Chohan to deep midwicket, as the game really started to tighten up.Matthew Gilkes was run-out, although Jack Edwards thought he had broken the stumps with his hands•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

A zing-bail run-outWhen on 3, Thunder’s Matthew Gilkes was given a life as he lofted Ben Manenti’s first ball to long-off, where Lachlan Shaw, who has produced some spectacular fielding in the competition, spilled a regulation catch in front of the Thunder dugout. From there, Gilkes built steadily, including landing a huge six into the Members Stand off Mitch Perry. But Gilkes was then at the centre of a borderline third-umpire decision.Coming back for a second run after playing towards deep third, Gilkes was beaten by a superb throw from Kerr. But Jack Edwards thought he had broken the stumps with his hands. However, after multiple replays, the third umpire Phillip Gillespie ruled that it was the ball that had fully dislodged the bail so Gilkes was ruled out for 26. The stump could be seen moving before the ball made contact, but, crucially, the zing bails had not lit up, so they had not been fully dislodged. Without zing bails, it was unlikely to have been given out.That is when Sixers put the squeeze on. Hugh Weibgen under-edged on to the stumps against Kerr, and Thunder couldn’t find the big over that would likely have killed the game off sooner. Chohan was superb, as he had been in the Qualifier final, and did not concede a boundary until the final delivery of his spell.Thunder held the power surge back until the 18th over, and though George Garton fell swinging across the line, Billings and Nathan McAndrew finished the job with some breathing space.Jordan Silk’s 43 took Sixers to 151•Getty Images

Tanveer’s fortune; Andrews’ doubleAmid the loss of Edwards and Kurtis Patterson inside the powerplay, which ended with Sixers just 23 for 2, it was a struggle for the hosts. Josh Philippe, who had been moved down to No. 3 after having not reached double figures in his last five innings, and Moises Henriques, were starting to engineer a platform when Henriques nailed a return catch to Tanveer, who dropped it, but deflected the ball on to the stumps with Philippe out of his ground.Then Andrews, who has had a huge impact on Thunder’s run to the finals, further dented Sixers’ middle order with two wickets in the 13th over. Firstly, Henriques was brilliant caught at cover by Garton, diving full length to his left. Then Shaw picked out Warner on the off side, with the Thunder captain rewarded for aggressive fielding placement. Somewhat surprisingly, that was Andrews’ last over of the innings.Silk’s forlorn finalsSilk was superb in Hobart on Monday, when he had nearly hauled Sixers over the line with 57. Against Sixers in the Challenger, he had to do another rebuilding job from 76 for 5. He broke the shackles with a sweep for six off Tanveer Sangha, and cleared the rope again in the power surge against Wes Agar.The surge brought 20 runs from the two overs, before Dwarshuis was able to find his range against McAndrew in the 18th over, which cost 19 runs. It gave Sixers something to defend, although it wasn’t quite enough in the end.

Marco Jansen is the big gainer this week, rising in both the Test bowlers’ and allrounders’ tables after his Durban starrer

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2024Harry Brook’s 171 in the first innings of England’s win over New Zealand in Christchurch has taken him up two spots to No. 2 on the ICC Test batters’ table, and with No. 1 Joe Root scoring 0 and 23 not out in the same game, the gap between the two has come down to just 41 rating points.With Brook emerging as Root’s closest challenger, and the Australia vs India Border-Gavaskar Trophy series taking a long break between Tests one and two, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had risen to No. 2 after his 161 in India’s Perth Test win, has dropped to No. 4, Brook’s earlier position. Kane Williamson stays in third spot after scoring 93 and 61 in Christchurch.Over in Durban, South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 233 runs in the first Test – after bowling them out for 42 in the first innings – and the heroes of that win have made gains within the top ten.ESPNcricinfo LtdTemba Bavuma scored 70 and 113 in that Test, and that gave him a 14-spot boost and a place in the top ten at No. 10. Marco Jansen was the Player of the Match in Durban for his returns of 7 for 13 and 4 for 73, and that made him move up 19 positions on the bowlers’ table to ninth, and also took him up to second place – behind Ravindra Jadeja – on the allrounders’ table.Full rankings tables

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For South Africa, Tristan Stubbs, who scored 122 in the second innings against Sri Lanka, also rose 29 spots to No. 42 among batters.It wasn’t all bad for Sri Lanka, with Kamindu Mendis moving up two spots among batters despite a poor show in Durban. He scored 13 in the first innings (the only Sri Lanka batter to get into double-digits) and 10 in the second, but it was still enough for him to jump past Steven Smith and Saud Shakeel to seventh place. Dinesh Chandimal, meanwhile, rose two places to 17th as a result of his second-innings 83.

تدافع العديد من الأندية الأوروبية خلال السنوات الماضية على مواهب أمريكا الجنوبية، وليس من الغريب أن يراقب البعض منها مواهب جديدة لتدعيم صفوفها في المستقبل.

وفي الدوري الإنجليزي يأتي تشيلسي في الصدارة حيث تعاقد مع إستيفاو ويليان من صفوف بالميراس مقابل 29 مليون جنيه إسترليني في عام 2024 وكيندري بايز من إندبيندينتي ديل فالي مقابل 17.5 مليون جنيه إسترليني وأندريه سانتوس من فاسكو دي جاما مقابل 13 مليون جنيه إسترليني، وقد رسخ هذا الثلاثي مكانتهم.

ويملك برايتون قصة نجاح أخرى حيث حول استثمارات متواضعة إلى أرباح هائلة، بعد أن تعاقد مع مويسيس كايسيدو مقابل 4 ملايين جنيه إسترليني ثم قام ببيعه بـ100 مليون إسترليني لتشيلسي، وكذلك ضم أليكسيس ماك أليستر مقابل 7 ملايين جنيه إسترليني قبل أن يبيعه بـ35 مليون جنيه إسترليني إلى ليفربول.

اقرأ أيضاً.. هنري يقلل من حظوظ ليفربول في الفوز بـ دوري أبطال أوروبا ويوضح السبب

وأفادت شبكة “إي إس بي إن” البرازيلية بأن ليفربول ونوتينجهام فورست استفسرا عن التعاقد مع حارس مرمى جريميو صاحب الـ16 عاماً جابرييل مينيجون، ويحرس مرمى الريدز حالياً مواطنه أليسون بيكر.

ويلعب حارس المرمى الذي يبلغ طوله 1.96 متراً مع جريميو منذ انضمامه لأكاديمية النادي في سن الرابعة عشر، ويثبت جدارته حالياً كلاعب أساسي في منتخب البرازيل تحت 17 عاماً.

ولا يسمح للاعبين البرازيليين بالانتقال لأندية أوروبية حتى بلوغهم سن الثامنة عشرة مما يعني أن أي انتقال محتمل سيحتاج إلى الانتظار حتى أواخر عام 2026.

ولم يتلق مع ذلك جريميو أي عروض رسمية بعد، ويعتبر صاحب الـ16 عاماً أحد ألمع المواهب الواعدة في قطاع الشباب ومن المتوقع تصعيده للفريق الأول.

It’s been an absolutely frantic last 48 hours at Tottenham, and that isn’t just concerning their dramatic move for Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White after confirming the arrival of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.

Tottenham talks held with £50m star amid Gibbs-White chase, Frank's a fan

Spurs have discussed another potential deal.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 10, 2025

Spurs announced Kudus’ signing in a deal worth £55 million on Thursday evening, with the versatile Ghanaian becoming the first player to swap West Ham for the Lilywhites since Scott Parker in 2011.

The 24-year-old has already promised to excite supporters on the field when speaking in his first interview as a Tottenham player, and there was a real expectation that Gibbs-White would immediately follow Kudus to N17.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Tottenham talks for the England international accelerated rapidly on Thursday, with reliable media sources reporting that the 25-year-old was all set to join Thomas Frank’s side and a medical had been scheduled for Friday (Fabrizio Romano).

However, in an absolutely stunning turn of events, Forest put a stop to the deal and are considering legal action against Spurs, over what they perceive to be an illegal approach for their star forward.

While Gibbs-White’s move could still happen, with the expectation being that Forest can’t completely block it, this transfer will at the very least be delayed, as first reported by Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett.

With Tottenham now braced for a legal saga surrounding their potential deal for Gibbs-White, the club do remain in the market for other transfer targets, and they still maintain a serious interest in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa.

Yoane Wissa pushing to leave Brentford amid Tottenham interest

Reports earlier this week claimed that Tottenham have made contact with Wissa’s representatives, with talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook now sharing an update on the situation.

Crook states that Wissa is keen to reunite with Frank at Spurs, and the Congolese centre-forward is now “pushing” for an exit from the Gtech Community Stadium as he seeks a high-profile move.

The 28-year-old is currently in his prime and in the form of his life, having netted 20 goals in all competitions last season, and this has motivated Brentford chiefs to slap a £50 million price tag on his head.

Brentford have already lost a few key men this summer, including Frank, with Christian Norgaard joining Arsenal and Man United still locked in talks over a deal for Bryan Mbeumo.

The Bees will likely dig their heels in when it comes to letting yet another “exceptional player” leave, but Wissa would come as an excellent potential replacement for Richarlison, who’s reportedly attracting interest from Brazil.

Match details

West Indies vs New Zealand
Tarouba, 8.30pm local

Big picture – WI eye Super Eight spot

Since 2015, New Zealand have been the most consistent side in World Cups, making it to the semi-final in all six editions – in 2015, 2019 and 2023 in the ODI World Cup, and in 2016, 2021 and 2022 in the T20 versions. They reached the final on three of those occasions even though they never lifted the trophy.But at the 2024 T20 World Cup, they are in danger of elimination after just one match. An 84-run thrashing at the hands of Afghanistan means the game against West Indies is almost a virtual knockout for them.The loss against Afghanistan, during which they looked rusty with bat as well as in the field, also put under scrutiny their refusal to play any warm-up games.West Indies, too, started their campaign in a stuttering manner, taking 19 overs to chase down 137 against Papua New Guinea. But they roared back to bundle out Uganda for 39 to register a 134-run win. If they beat New Zealand, they will become the first team from Group C to qualify for the Super Eight.West Indies know this is their toughest challenge yet but, as their captain Rovman Powell said, “if there is a good time to play New Zealand, it is now”.This is the first men’s T20 World Cup game in Trinidad; they did not get any in 2010. That could be one reason the ICC is expecting a strong crowd, probably a sell-out.

Form guide

West Indies WWWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
New Zealand LLWWL

In the spotlight – Roston Chase and Kane Williamson

With just 15 T20I caps, Roston Chase is one of the least experienced players in the West Indies squad. But given the low-scoring pitches in the World Cup so far, he has emerged as one of their most important players, thanks to his ability to play the anchor’s role and bowl economical offspin. In five T20Is this year, Chase has scored 178 runs at a strike rate of 154.78 and picked up four wickets at an economy of 5.92.In the Afghanistan game, nothing symbolised New Zealand’s rustiness more than Kane Williamson’s dismissal: steering the ball into the hands of first slip off Rashid Khan. Between the last T20 World Cup and this one, Williamson played just eight T20s. Even though he was with Gujarat Titans for IPL 2024, he featured in only two games. The reason being Williamson is not your modern, power-hitting T20 batter, but he could hold the key to his team’s chances on these pitches.James Neesham is in contention to be back in the XI against West Indies•ICC/Getty Images

Team news – Sodhi in for a seamer?

West Indies are likely to field the same XI for the third successive game.West Indies (probable XI): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Gudakesh MotieNew Zealand could make a couple of changes. James Neesham might come in for Mark Chapman and Ish Sodhi for Matt Henry.New Zealand (probable XI): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 James Neesham, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Stats and trivia – Pooran set to overtake Gayle

• Among those who have scored at least 500 runs across all T20s since the start of 2024, Andre Russell (205.15) is the only one to have a strike rate in excess of 200.
• Mitchell Santner’s T20 economy rate in the West Indies is 5.55.
• Nicholas Pooran needs three runs to take over Chris Gayle’s tally of 1899 to become the leading run-getter for West Indies in T20Is.
• Pooran has hit the most sixes (82) in T20s this year.

Pitch and conditions – Another low-scoring game?

There was lots of rain on Wednesday due to which West Indies had to cancel their training. New Zealand cut short theirs because of “unacceptable” practice pitches. There is no forecast for rain on the match day, though. Since the start of 2021, the average first-innings total in Tarouba has been 167 and it could once again be a low-scoring game.

Quotes

“Not just playing at RR, cricket is a global sport now with a lot of technology around. So everything you do in every single game is available to everyone around the world. Thankfully for us, we have a very good analyst who has figured out some of the strengths and weaknesses of Trent Boult. So hopefully tomorrow we can mitigate his strengths and try to capitalise.”
“From talking with a few of the West Indies boys and getting some understanding of what it plays like, they said sometimes it could be a sort of scrappy wicket around that 140-150 [mark]. And then there have been some games where it has been high-scoring. I look forward to the challenge tomorrow and try to adapt as quickly as possible.”