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Fair to say, a busy summer awaits for Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs are currently down in 17th place in the Premier League table, thereby on course for their lowest finish since being relegated in 1977, suffering a 20th league defeat of the season at Villa Park on Friday night.

Of course, Ange Postecoglou team could capture the club’s first silverware in 17 years and secure a spot in next season’s Champions League with victory over Manchester United in Wednesday’s Europa League Final at San Mamés; what a key game that’ll be for both.

Regardless of the outcome in Bilbao, supporters will demand a busy summer window from Daniel Levy, so are Spurs favourites to sign a highly-rated Ligue 1 star?

Djed Spence's up and down Spurs career

Djed Spence joined Tottenham from Middlesbrough for a reported fee of £12.5m, that could rise to £20m, in 2022, but fair to say he did not make an immediate impact.

Then-manager Antonio Conte described him as a “club signing”, which Spence himself admitted this “shattered my confidence”, shipped out on loan to Stade Rennais, Leeds United, and then Genoa.

It took 881 days for Spence to make his Premier League debut for Tottenham, this coming against Southampton in December, before quickly establishing himself as a key figure, with Postecoglou praising his performances as “outstanding”.

Nevertheless, he is no longer in Postecoglou’s first-choice lineup, not starting any of the four Europa League quarter-final or semi-final ties, so could Spurs target a Spence upgrade?

Spurs could sign Spence upgrade

According to a recent report by Danny Rust and Dean Jones of Give Me Sport, Tottenham are ‘at the front of the queue’ to sign Monaco defender Vanderson, who is valued at £30m.

The 23-year-old joined les Monégasques from Grêmio for a reported fee of around £9m in January 2022, instantaneously establishing himself as a first-team regular, making 124 appearances for the club to date.

Writer Moby Haque labels him as “versatile”, while Luke Entwistle from Get French Football News describes the Brazilian as ‘well-balanced’ and ‘very competent’, impressed by his ‘positioning, intense pressing and strong tackling’.

Meantime, Chris Beaumont from Total Football Analysis believes he is a high-quality youngster, and Tom Beattie of Yahoo Sports says Vanderson is ‘characterised by his strong defensive prowess’, so let’s see how he compares to Spence.

Appearances

33

40

Minutes

2,410

3,075

Goals

2

2

Assists

3

5

Big chances created

3

7

Pass completion %

83.5%

76.8%

Shot-creating actions

35

79

Goal-creating actions

5

14

Tackles

52

99

Interceptions

29

58

Clearances

83

88

Blocks

31

54

Ball recoveries

124

199

% of aerial duels won

59.5%

47.5%

Touches per 90

59

68

Average Sofascore rating

6.96

7.09

As the table outlines, Vanderson’s statistics are almost unanimously more impressive than Spence’s, both in terms of creating chances and defending; his ball recovery number specifically stands out, ranked 18th in Ligue 1 and 33rd in this season’s Champions League for this metric.

Thus, Vanderson would surely be an excellent addition for Spurs, although they may require a victory over Man United on Wednesday to attract him to North London.

£25m striker's reps contact Tottenham as club now decide to sell him

They’ve reached out to the Lilywhites.

ByEmilio Galantini May 16, 2025

Eight more points. That is the maximum number of points that Leeds United need from their last four matches to guarantee their place in the Premier League next season, although seven would likely be enough due to their superior goal difference.

The Whites are five points clear of Sheffield United, who still have Burnley to play, in the Championship and are closing in on an automatic promotion place.

Daniel Farke’s side took another step towards promotion with their 2-1 win over Preston North End at Elland Road on Saturday, thanks to goals from Manor Solomon and Jayden Bogle.

With promotion on the horizon, the powers that be will be assessing the squad and preparing to build a team that can compete in the Premier League, and one player who must be kept is Ao Tanaka.

Why Leeds must keep Ao Tanaka

The Japan international, who joined from Fortuna Dusseldorf last summer, has been an exceptional performer in the Championship this season and should remain a key player next term.

Tanaka has shown his quality on the ball, with four goals and a pass completion rate of 90%, in midfield to control and dictate matches for the Whites.

He has also provided defensive strength, with 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game and a duel success rate of 56%, to protect his own goal.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

Per Capology, Tanaka currently earns £25k-per-week and has offered fantastic value for money in midfield when you consider that Illan Meslier is on £30k-per-week, and the French dud must never play for the club again.

Why Illan Meslier must never play for Leeds again

The 25-year-old flop was finally dropped by Farke after his third error that directly led to a goal this season against Swansea in a 2-2 draw last month, after pundit Jeff Stelling claimed that the player’s “confidence is shot” as a result of his mistakes.

Meslier played the first 39 matches of the Championship campaign and made three errors that directly led to goals and conceded 2.73 more than expected based on the xG of the shots against him.

Appearances

44

39

Penalties saved

0/1

1/4

Goals prevented

-4.49

-2.73

Error led to shot

1

0

Error led to goal

1

3

Aerial battles won per game

0.3

0.5

As you can see in the table above, the French dud has consistently let Leeds down at Championship level by underperforming as a shot-stopper and making too many errors.

Karl Darlow, meanwhile, has prevented 0.56 goals and not made a single direct error in his three appearances since coming into the team against Luton, providing an assured pair of hands between the sticks.

Meslier’s current contract at Elland Road is due to expire in the summer of 2026 and that makes this summer a big one for Leeds, because they either have to commit to him with a new deal or cash in on him before they lose the goalkeeper for nothing next year.

Scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Leeds will “listen to offers” for the former Lorient gem, which suggests that he could be on his way out of Yorkshire ahead of next season.

With this in mind, Meslier should never play for Leeds again because Darlow has proven that he has the quality needed to help push them over the line in the final four matches of the current campaign.

Therefore, the English stopper should remain in goal for the rest of this season before Meslier is sold, and replaced, in the summer transfer window which would mean that the French dud’s last game for the club will end up being the 2-2 draw with Swansea last month.

Not Caprile: Leeds had "incredible" Meslier upgrade & let him leave for £0

Leeds had an incredible replacement for Illan Meslier and let him leave for nothing.

ByDan Emery Apr 4, 2025

Whilst it would be a sad way for him to end his Leeds career, the 25-year-old liability’s performances this season suggest that it would be the right decision, as he has not provided value for money with his £30k-per-week wages – earning more than the impressive Tanaka despite struggling throughout the campaign.

Her promotion to No. 6 raised a few eyebrows, but she showed her finishing chops with a match-winning, unbeaten 62 in the first ODI

Shashank Kishore17-Jul-2025There’s little doubt that Deepti Sharma could walk into India’s ODI squad as a bowler alone. Her three five-wicket hauls – the most by an India player in Women’s ODIs – speak volumes of her bowling pedigree. Her batting, however, has often been a subject of debate – not over her ability but her approach.Across 92 ODI innings, Deepti’s strike rate sits at a modest 67.91. For someone who usually bats in the lower middle order, there’s a general sense that she hasn’t quite unlocked her full potential, despite being nearly a decade into her international career.She has struck at 77.74 since the start of 2022, but that’s still in the bottom half (35th) of the 57 batters to have scored at least 500 ODI runs in this period.Related

• Harmanpreet embraces 'happy headache' with India's depth on the rise

• Deepti digs deep to deliver India's four-wicket win

Which is why eyebrows were raised when she was promoted to No. 6, ahead of Richa Ghosh and Amanjot Kaur, in the first ODI against England on Wednesday in Southampton. India were 127 for 4 in the 28th over, with the required rate already nudging six an over.Deepti responded with an unbeaten 64-ball 62, forging crucial partnerships with Jemimah Rodrigues (48 off 54) and Amanjot (20* off 14) to help seal a four-wicket win with 10 balls to spare.”Whatever matches I’ve played, I’ve batted in similar situations,” Deepti said at the post-match press conference. “I knew the calmer I am, composed I am… that was the turning point. The focus was on building a partnership with Jemimah. I knew if we worked on the partnership, we could take the game close.”Deepti turned the strike and kept milking runs along with Rodrigues, with the pair adding 90 for the fifth wicket off just 86 balls. Deepti had only hit two boundaries until her 32nd ball – when she gave Lauren Bell the charge and walloped a six over deep midwicket – but had made 29 off her first 31 deliveries with largely risk-free cricket.Deepti hit three fours and this one-handed six over midwicket•Getty Images”I was not nervous because I’ve played in these kinds of situations earlier,” Deepti said. “I knew if I play till the end with Jemi, we can take the game deep. I was confident that if I was there till the end, I could finish the game. I was focusing on that. If Jemi hadn’t got out we could’ve finished the game earlier. After that, Richa and Aman played well, finishing the game with two boundaries. Credit to her.”Deepti spoke of communicating well with Rodrigues during the partnership. One of the plans was to be prepared for Lauren Filer’s bristling pace and potential short-ball tactics. Filer, easily the quickest bowler in sight in the first ODI, extracted lift off the surface every time she hit hard lengths.The ball she bowled to dismiss Rodrigues in her second spell – her sixth over – didn’t come out of the blue. Rodrigues attempted a scoop behind the wicket but only managed a tickle to the keeper with Filer finding extra bounce with her short ball. At that stage, India still needed 45 off 51 with five wickets in hand.Filer continued to trouble the batters – Deepti got lucky on 53 when she got cramped for room and sent a top-edged pull flying to the boundary – but England couldn’t quite exert pressure from the other end. And Deepti’s pragmatism helped India ride the wobbles.”We knew she’ll have to bowl in the end, and we planned really well for that,” Deepti said of the tussle with Filer. “We knew she’ll bowl short balls. We were pretty ready. The fields she put behind the stumps, it was clear. We were clear of our plans.”The win marked India’s fourth straight ODI victory in England, building on from their 3-0 sweep in 2022. They are building momentum heading into the World Cup, which they will host from September 30, but Deepti isn’t looking that far ahead yet.”As a team we’ve done some really good things, in Sri Lanka [where India won the tri-series in April] and here also. The World Cup is a little too far. We’re not thinking about that. We’re just thinking one match at a time.”

Boult also went past Richard Hadlee for the most five-fors for New Zealand in an action-packed first innings at The Oval

Sampath Bandarupalli13-Sep-2023182 Ben Stokes’ score against New Zealand is now the highest for England in ODI cricket, surpassing Jason Roy’s 180 against Australia in 2018 at the MCG.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 Number of individual scores higher than Stokes’ 182 while batting at No. 4 or lower in ODIs. Viv Richards’ unbeaten 189 against England in the 1984 Manchester ODI remains the highest, which came while batting at No.4.2 Players with a higher individual score against New Zealand in ODIs than Stokes’ 182. Shubman Gill scored 208 at the start of the year, while Sachin Tendulkar made an unbeaten 186 in 1999, both in Hyderabad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 Stokes’ 182 is also the highest individual score in ODIs at The Oval, surpassing Evin Lewis’ 176 not out against England in 2017. The previous highest score for an England batter at the venue was Roy’s 162 against Sri Lanka in 2016.Related

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Jason Roy loses his England ODI record; will it be his World Cup place next?

Ben Stokes admits World Cup recall had been his plan all along

Stokes smokes England-record 182 to beat New Zealand by 181 runs

84 Runs scored by Stokes in the midwicket region with eight fours and five sixes. Out of his 182 runs, 141 came on the leg side including 12 fours and eight sixes.368 England’s total against New Zealand is the second-highest all-out total in the men’s ODIs, behind West Indies’ 389 all-out against England in 2019.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 England’s total of 368 is also the second-highest in ODIs at The Oval, behind New Zealand’s 398 for 5 against the hosts in 2015.31 Runs aggregated by England’s bottom six batters (6-11) in the third ODI. It is their lowest in an all-out innings in ODIs since the 2015 World Cup game against New Zealand, where the bottom six batters collectively scored only nine runs.6 Five-wicket hauls for Trent Boult in ODIs, the most by any bowler for New Zealand in the format, going past Sir Richard Hadlee’s five five-fors. It was also Boult’s maiden five-wicket haul away from home.6 Instances of a batter scoring 150-plus runs and a bowler taking five-plus wickets in the same ODI innings. Stokes’ 182 is the highest individual score in an ODI where an opposition bowler has taken a five-wicket haul.

Format, teams involved, prize money, venues – our explainer gives you the lowdown

Hemant Brar16-Oct-2021So, finally we have a T20 World Cup. When does the action start?
Indeed, after a gap of five years, we have a T20 World Cup again. The tournament begins on October 17 with a double-header. In the first game, Oman will take on Papua New Guinea. Later in the day, Bangladesh will face Scotland. The final will be played on November 14.Who are the hosts this time?
The BCCI are the hosts but the matches will be played in the UAE and Oman. The decision to move the tournament out of India was taken in June, keeping in mind the Covid-19 situation in the country and the possibility of a third wave of infections.How many teams in the tournament?
Sixteen.Related

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That’s twice the number of teams in the IPL! What’s the format?
The tournament will be played in two rounds. The first round will feature eight teams, split into two groups:Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands and Namibia
Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and OmanEach team will play every other team in its group once. After 12 matches in Al Amerat, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, the top two teams from each group will progress to the next round, the Super 12s, where they will join the eight top-ranked T20I sides. In the Super 12s phase, the teams will once again be divided into two groups.Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1 and B2
Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, B1 and A2Again, teams will play each of the others in their group once. This round will start on October 23 and comprise 30 matches, to be played in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.What is the points system and what happens if teams are tied during either round?
In both rounds, a team will get two points for a win; one point for a tie, no result or abandonment; and zero points for a loss.If two or more teams finish on equal points in their group, the following parameters will be considered, in the order below, to break the deadlock:- Number of wins
– Net run rate
– Head-to-head result (points first, then net run rate in that game)
– Original first-round/Super-12 seedingsWill the DRS be available?
Yes, for the first time a men’s T20 World Cup will have reviews. Each team will be allowed a maximum of two unsuccessful requests per innings, as has been the case in T20Is since cricket resumed after the pandemic.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat happens if a match is tied?
The teams will play a Super Over. If the Super Over is also tied, the teams will keep playing Super Overs until one wins. If the Super Over is not possible because of, say, weather conditions or time constraints, the match will be declared a tie and the teams will be awarded a point each.If a result cannot be achieved during a semi-final (or the match is abandoned), then the team that finished higher in its Super 12 group will progress to the final. In the event of similar happening in the final, both teams will be declared joint winners.Is there a reserve day, to account for bad weather?
There are no reserve days for group-stage games; only the semi-finals and final have reserve days. Match officials will try to complete the game on the scheduled day; if that doesn’t happen, the match will be resumed on the reserve day.If a game is truncated, a minimum of five overs have to be bowled in each innings for the result to be decided in the group stage. For the semi-final and final, it’s a minimum of ten overs.Who are the favourites to win the tournament?
If any team can be thought of as favourites, it has to be England. However, defending champions West Indies, and India, are more than capable of toppling them, and New Zealand and Pakistan cannot be taken lightly either.What do the winners take home?
The champions get US$1.6 million, the runners-up $800,000, and the losing semi-finalists $400,000 each. Are spectators allowed at the venues?
Yes, but in a reduced capacity. The Al Amerat Stadium in Oman has built a temporary structure to host 3000 fans. The Oman government has made it mandatory for all those entering the country, and the stadium, to be fully vaccinated. In the UAE, all venues will be operating at approximately 70% of the maximum capacity. *Fans need to be double vaccinated to be at the stadium in Abu Dhabi, but not in Dubai and Sharjah. They will have to wear masks at all venues.

Can Rangers continue their Premiership winning run?

Well, the Gers did bring to an end their seven-match losing streak in Europe on Thursday, albeit a 1-1 draw with ten-man Braga at Ibrox did little to boost their hopes of reaching the Europa League knockout phase.

Back in the Premiership, Danny Röhl has won four out of four since arriving in Glasgow, albeit his team will kick off down in fifth place when Falkirk visit Ibrox on Sunday.

This is followed by clashes with Dundee United at Tannadice and then Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in the next week, presenting the Light Blues with a golden chance to climb up the standings, so which forgotten summer signing should Röhl unleash in these matches?

Can Rangers rely on Mohamed Diomandé?

Most would agree that, in a squad that otherwise lacks quality, the strongest part of this Rangers team is their midfield pairing of Nicolas Raskin alongside Mohamed Diomandé.

However, while the Belgian continues to impress, the same cannot be said of the Côte d’Ivoire international.

On Thursday, Diomandé was sent off in the dying embers of the underwhelming 1-1 draw with Braga, a pretty harsh dismissal in fairness, but this was his second red card of the Europa League already, having also been dismissed for a tackle on Zakaria El Ouahdi when Genk were 1-0 winners in Govan.

Thus, having now been sent off twice, the Ivorian will miss the next two Europa League fixtures against Ferencváros and then Ludogorets Razgrad.

That aside, he more broadly is not showing his best form this season, scoring his first goal of the campaign to snatch victory against Livingston last weekend.

Nevertheless, as a reflection of this, Diomandé has not been called up by les Éléphants manager Emerse Faé since June, putting his participation at both next month’s Africa Cup of Nations and the summer’s World Cup in doubt, unless his form improves.

Thus, searching for solutions as he attempts to configure a winning team, perhaps Röhl should leave Diomandé on the bench against Falkirk on Sunday, instead starting Rangers’ forgotten summer signing.

Rangers' forgotten new recruit deserves an opportunity

Given that Rangers brought in 13 new recruits during a busy and expensive summer, the first of those new recruits has been overlooked.

Back in January, 23 year old midfielder Lyall Cameron agreed to join Rangers on a pre-contract from Dundee, thereby arriving in the summer for mere compensation, having established himself as one of the Premiership’s most outstanding young players.

Of course, at the time he put pen to paper, Philippe Clement was still the manager, with a lot of change happening during the intervening six months, later admitting that the knowledge Russell Martin “didn’t sign” him was being used as extra motivation to prove his worth.

During his final season at Dundee, Cameron scored 14 goals across all competitions, an impressive return considering the Dark Blues finished tenth, narrowly avoiding relegation, certainly showcasing his talent.

Kai Watson was very much impressed, noting that “ball carrying, chance-creation, tenacity and vision” are his primary attributes, praising his “ability to be in the right place at the right time” in the penalty area, calling the signing a “no-brainer”.

Well, towards the start of the season, Cameron appeared set to be a key figure, starting three Champions League qualifiers and two of the first three Premiership matches, scoring his first goal for the club against Viktoria Plzeň on the road.

Overall, the Scotland under-21 international accumulated 409 minutes of action across July and August, but has seen a miserly ten minutes on the park subsequently, introduced as a late substitute by Röhl during home Premiership wins over Kilmarnock and Livingston.

Nevertheless, he surely deserves more of an opportunity, so let’s compare his statistics to those of Diomandé.

Goals

0.3

0.2

Assists

0.2

Zero

Shots

1.2

0.7

Shots on target

0.7

0.4

Chances created

1.8

0.9

Big chances created

0.19

0.17

Passes completed

32.1

39

Forward passes

16.3

10.4

Duels won

4.1

4.9

Ball recoveries

5.8

4.9

Tackles

1.2

1.4

Ground duels won %

44.5%

45.5%

Touches

63.8

65.4

Average rating

7.12

6.54

Note: all stats are Premiership only and per-90.

As the table documents, Cameron’s Premiership statistics last season are pretty much universally more impressive than those of Diomandé this time round, all on a per 90 basis, the Scotsman doing so for struggling Dundee, making it all the more impressive.

Cameron scored more goals and registered more assists, as well as coming out on top for a wide variety of underlying metrics, including shooting, chance creation, passing and ball recoveries.

Thus, considering Rangers’ lowly league position and, at best, mixed form, it is frankly baffling that Cameron has been given pretty much no playing time by Röhl, a fact that the German head coach should rectify against Falkirk on Sunday.

​​​​​​​

Rohl must bin Chermiti for Rangers star who was the SPFL's "best player"

After another anonymous performance by Youssef Chermiti against Braga, Danny Röhl must start the “best player in the league” against Falkirk on Sunday

Nov 29, 2025

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has revealed that he wants Mohamed Salah to stay at the club despite speculation linking the Egyptian away from Anfield. Salah claimed he'd been "thrown under the bus" by the club following last week's 3-3 draw at Leeds United, during which the forward was an unused substitute. The 33-year-old was then dropped from the squad for the midweek win at Inter Milan.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Salah returned to Liverpool squad for Brighton win

  A late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty was enough for the Reds to claim a 1-0 win at Inter in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Salah was left at home for the trip to Milan following his Elland Road outburst last Saturday, during which he said: "Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame."

  Salah returned to the Liverpool squad at the weekend as the Reds claimed a 2-0 victory over Brighton, earning just their third win from their last 11 Premier League matches. A Hugo Ekitike brace was enough to secure all the spoils on home turf at the weekend, while Salah came off the bench following an injury to Joe Gomez to provide the assist for the Frenchman's second to confirm the result against the Seagulls.

  This game was Salah's last appearance for Liverpool before he links up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations later this month, and could prove his final outing for the Reds with a January exit reportedly on the cards. However, Van Dijk revealed after the Brighton win that he has told Salah that he "wants him to stay" at the club.

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• 'I've told him I want him to stay'

  When asked whether he has spoken with Salah, the Liverpool skipper said: "Of course I speak to him. I speak about everything with him. Of course I've told him I want him to stay. The rest I'm not going to tell you.

  "I wish him all the best and come back hopefully. I have no control over that. He is one of the leaders. I would love to have him around because he is one of the leaders. But obviously the fact is he is going to AFCON. I wish him absolutely all the best. We will be in contact over the next days and weeks, we always are. And then let's see."

  Salah suggested that a breakdown in relationship between himself and head coach Arne Slot was one of the reasons the forward has questioned his long-term future at the club. However, Van Dijk believes Slot has dealt with the saga in the right way, adding, "I think he's handled the situation very well. Calm in his own way. It is a very tricky situation.

  "There is a lot of noise and pressure from the outside world, obviously and rightly so because we've not been up or close to the standard of last season but we are human beings and everyone reacts in a different way.

  "But personally looking at it and the conversations we've had on a daily basis, I think he's handled it very well. He's at a club where it is a together club and that's how it's been before our time at the club and that is something we have to keep going.

  "We go through the good times together as a team and fanbase. And when difficult moments arise we also have to stick together. This moment in time is a very good moment to see how everyone responds and the manager did perfectly so far."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Van Dijk insists Liverpool have to 'stay calm'

  Saturday's victory over Brighton ended what's been a testing period for Liverpool. And reflecting on how challenging the week has been for the club, the Reds skipper said: "That is something behind the scenes that we have to deal with but the performances speak for themselves, that we are united and that is the most important thing.

  "The mood in the dressing room has always been very good, obviously it can go down in terms of performances if you win or lose but the main thing I see is that we have the willingness to turn this around and the hunger and the energy to do so.

  "Obviously it is what happens between the white lines over 95 minutes. We know the season is very long and we want to be consistent. We have to keep going and stay calm."

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• Reds hoping to end 2025 on a high

  Liverpool's recent upturn in form has eased pressure on Slot, who at one point was destined for the Anfield exit after a run of just four wins from 15 in all competitions. And the Dutch boss will hope to make it three wins on the spin when the defending champions travel to Tottenham next weekend.

  The Reds then see out 2025 with the welcome of Premier League basement side Wolves, who came perilously close to securing a result at league leaders Arsenal on Saturday night.

The last wicket pair survived 28 overs to take the game to the final session before Riley Meredith’s pace finished the game off

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2025Jackson Bird and Gabe Bell shared six wickets to dismantled New South Wales’ second innings and secure Tasmania a crushing innings and 58-run Sheffield Shield victory over Tasmania.In a match in which neither team was able to take all 10 wickets in the first innings, NSW collapsed on day four to be all out for 174 in 92 overs at Cricket Central in Sydney.Related

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After falling to 143 for 9, NSW captain Jack Edwards (38 off 137 balls) dug in with No. 11 Liam Hatcher (8 not out off 79 balls) for 28 overs to frustrate the Tigers, before Riley Meredith took the final wicket, nipping one past Edward’s edge to take off stump, to finally sink the the home side.Tasmania became the first team to secure an outright win in a Shield game at Cricket Central, with the previous four matches at the venue ending in draws.Cruising at 102 for 2, NSW lost 8 for 41 in the next 25 overs to hand Tasmania their second win of the season. Bell took three wickets in an over: Josh Philippe glancing down the leg side, Charlie Stobo lbw and Tanveer Sangha edging behind. Edwards was clearly unhappy with the umpire’s decision for the latterAfter a breezy 43 on day one, Sam Konstas struggled for his 19 in the second innings before being dismissed by Bird against his former team.Gabe Bell ripped out three wickets in an over•Getty ImagesPatterson made 80 in his first innings, but could only manage 1 when batting again as Tasmania captain Jordan Silk pulled off a stunning catch in slips off Bird’s bowling.That made Bird the fourth-highest wicket-taker in Shield history with 421, only behind legendary legspinner Clarrie Grimmett (513) and Queensland pair Michael Kasprowicz (441) and Andy Bichel (430).After being dropped from Australia’s Test team following a difficult tour of the Caribbean, Konstas is yet to recapture his best since going back to domestic cricket this season. He will get another opportunity this weekend when he plays for the PM’s XI against the England Lions in Canberra.Patterson, who played the last of his two Tests in 2019, has experienced a mixed start to the season but scored a century against Queensland in November.Former NSW coach Phil Jaques was scathing in his assessment of the Blues’ last day collapse.”The second innings there’s been no fight, no plan and no effort,” Jaques said in commentary, before the recovery from Edwards and Hatcher. “That might sound harsh, but there’s got to be some application. There’s got to be some fight. It fell away badly in the field too.”Tasmania, who had been bottom of the table, took full advantage of a good batting wicket to belt their way to 623 for 8 dec declared as Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim Ward and Caleb Jewell all made centuries.

كشفت تقارير إعلامية اليوم الأحد، أن نادي برشلونة يفكر في إجراء صفقة تبادلية مع أحد الأندية الأوروبية الأخرى، وذلك من أجل التخلص من لاعبه وبيعه في أقرب وقت.

ويسعى نادي برشلونة إلى تدعيم صفوفه خلال الفترة المقبلة، خصوصًا بعد هبوط مستوى الفريق بشكل ملحوظ خلال هذا الموسم.

وتلقى برشلونة انتقادات كثيرة خلال هذا الموسم، وذلك مع انخفاض في مستوى الفريق والذي خسر في العديد من المباريات وكان آخرها ضد تشيلسي بثلاثية نظيفة الأسبوع الماضي في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ومن بين أكثر المراكز التي يتطلع برشلونة إلى تدعيمها هو مركز قلب الدفاع، خصوصًا مع رحيل إنييجو مارتينيز وعدم تعويضه بلاعب آخر.

مارتينيز غادر صفوف برشلونة في صفقة انتقال حر، حيث وقع مع نادي النصر السعودي.

أقرأ أيضًا .. سبورت تكشف سر قلق فليك بعد مباراة برشلونة وديبورتيفو آلافيس.. وكيف يرى المستقبل

وبحسب موقع ”fichajes”، فإن نادي برشلونة يفكر بشكل جدي في التعاقد مع ليني يورو، نجم مانشستر يونايد خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي العام المقبل.

وأضاف أن إدارة برشلونة تريد ضم يورو العام المقبل، ويرغب كذلك في إدخال رونالد أراوخو، مدافع الفريق ضمن الصفقة لتسهيل ضم اللاعب الشاب.

أراوخو يعاني الأمرين مع برشلونة خلال الفترة الأخيرة، وذلك تزامنًا مع انخفاض مستواه وراتبه المرتفع الذي يحصل عليه في النادي الإسباني.

وتعرض أراوخو إلى الطرد خلال مباراة برشلونة وتشيلسي، والتي خسرها برشلونة 3-0 بدوري أبطال أوروبا، مما زاد من حدة الانتقادات تجاه اللاعب.

Arne Slot's Liverpool are reportedly once again in pole position to land Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace in the January transfer window. The Reds narrowly missed out on the defender last summer but Palace are now considering a sale in the winter window to avoid losing the England international for free in summer 2026. Bayern Munich are also admirers, but the Reds are leading the race to finally land Guehi for a fee of around £35 million ($46m).

Guehi to move in January?

Palace have become "convinced" that Liverpool are the top contenders to sign Guehi and are now considering a winter sale, according to . Guehi will be able to talk to foreign clubs from the start of January, a situation that may push Palace into accepting an offer for their England international midway through the season. Bayern retain an interest in the centre-back but are said to be "less active" than Liverpool ahead of the reopening of the transfer window.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSlot talks January transfers

Liverpool manager Slot has come under pressure after a dismal start to the Premier League season. Saturday's defeat to Nottingham Forest was Liverpool's sixth of the season and means the defending Premier League champions are now in the bottom half of the table. Slot was asked about potential winter transfers ahead of the game but hinted that defensive additions were not a priority.

He told reporters: "This is one of the questions I didn’t expect. There are so many games before that. In the position that we are in, it’s the last thing on my mind. Maybe not for Richard [Hughes, sporting director], but it’s not a topic at all for me at the moment. We have three centre-backs, maybe Ryan [Gravenberch] and Wata [Endo] as well. Maybe you are not aware of it yet, but we have other positions that are maybe more of an issue.

"Variation of form is not only with the new signings, it is also with the players we had. In a season, they are not always in the same form. But the biggest issue we have faced until now – and are still facing – is the match fitness of the players and the time they have missed in pre-season. Alex [Isak] now we were hoping he would play a bit more for Sweden, but unfortunately, he was one yellow away from being suspended, so for obvious reasons, they didn’t play him the second time.

"For us, it would have been better if he had played more minutes. Conor [Bradley] and Florian [Wirtz] are out, Jeremie [Frimpong] is already out, Giovanni Leoni as well, so at the moment we have five natural defenders available for seven games in 21 days and I don’t see anyone coming back before that. We knew it was hard when you bring players in a little bit later, it’s harder to keep them fit and there is more emphasis on the ones who are fit."

Glasner offers Guehi update

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has already confirmed that Guehi won't sign a new contract at Selhurst Park and offered another update on the situation ahead of Saturday's encounter with Wolves. He told reporters: "I don't know. Again, It will be the club's decision. Marc shows every week that he is 100% committed to Crystal Palace. I don't think about it – I think we have 15 games until 10 January, it is so busy and it makes no sense to have my thoughts in the transfer window. Of course we are always prepared, but I don't know what will happen."

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Getty Images SportWhat next? Liverpool told to buy a defender in January

Liverpool spent heavily last summer on players including Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz but have been in dreadful form so far in 2025-26 and have looked vulnerable defensively. The situation may tempt the Reds into splashing out again in January, with Jamie Carragher adamant a defensive reinforcement is needed. He told Sky Sports: "Liverpool need to spend in January, they need to buy a centre-back, they should have bought a centre-back in the summer. Liverpool are probably one injury away at centre-back from really derailing the season, so they have to go to the market in January."