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Heading into IPL 2025, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have a bowling attack that looks vastly different from the one they had last year, with several stalwarts having moved to other franchises. Full-time captain Sanju Samson knows this will be a challenge, but has backed his young players to “prove what they’re made of”.Royals still have Sandeep Sharma, but have lost the likes of R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Boult. On the batting front, too, there is a big hole, with Jos Buttler having moved to Gujarat Titans after he wasn’t retained – a decision Samson recently admitted was tough to make and, now, deal with.Talking about the new look of the squad ahead of his team’s season-opener, Samson said, “To be honest, that’s the challenge IPL has thrown at me. Last three years, I was surrounded by some of the best cricketers the world has ever seen. Now I’m surrounded by [some of the] younger players in IPL. [We are] looking at it in a positive manner. The youngsters have a lot of fire in them, they want to prove to the world what they’re made of.”Related

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Samson underlined the need to move on quickly and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the squad’s new players. This time, their bowling line-up includes Jofra Archer (set to turn out for RR again after 2020-21) and Maheesh Theekshana, alongside a host of Indian talents like Akash Madhwal, Tushar Deshpande and Kumar Kartikeya.”We have to let go of the past, forget what happened, forget the quality of players we had,” Samson said. “They’re different players, different line-ups. We’ve got to go with a fresh pair of eyes and thinking. You can’t say ‘last year we had them, did this or did that’.”I’m a type of captain who trusts the bowlers. They need to tell me their strength and what they want to bowl. It’s a mixture of my experience and their thinking coming together and them finding the right way to go ahead. After playing a few games, we will understand their strengths and weaknesses.”Samson believes conditions will be unforgiving for the bowlers even though some steps – like allowing one ball change on demand after ten overs of the chase in evening games, to help counter dew – have been taken to help the bowlers.”In the powerplay, bowlers have been targeted like anything, that’s where challenge is,” Samson said. “Bowlers have been coming in with new tricks – change of pace, slower balls, slower bouncers. Now IPL has introduced a rule of players being allowed to apply saliva, that can help bowlers, or the new ball rule because of dew. We’re trying to balance it out, but it still looks like [it will be] a heavy scoring season.”Vaibhav Suryavanshi in action at the Under-19s Asia Cup in the UAE•Associated Press

Vaibhav Suryavanshi a special talent, says Samson

Samson was effusive in his praise for 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the youngest player to earn an IPL deal after RR bought him for INR 1.1 crore ahead of this season.”He looks something special,” Samson said. “That’s what our team recognised when he came to the trials. Our scouts following him in the Under-19 matches he was playing, [were impressed with] the amount of shots he was playing. It shows he’s really made for the best level.”To be honest, he’s very lucky, for a 13-year-old or any youngster, to come here to Rajasthan Royals and be [around] Rahul Dravid [head coach] and all the mentors here. They’re really good at taking care of young Indian talent who have come here.”It’s a great responsibility not only for him, but for us to take care of him and guide him, not just these two months but for the ten months he’s away from IPL. He’s in great hands, there’s something special for Indian cricket in the coming years from him.”

It is fair to say that the mood among the Glasgow Rangers fanbase is less than optimistic after the opening few weeks of the 2025/26 campaign under Russell Martin.

Two draws in two Scottish Premiership matches, a 2-1 defeat to Viktoria Plzen away from home, two goals conceded at home to Alloa, and, most recently, a 3-1 drubbing against Club Brugge at Ibrox.

There are, quite simply, a lot of reasons not to be positive for the future under Martin at Rangers, although it is still very early days and there is plenty of time left for this season to still be a success.

The summer transfer window is still open for business, for example, and that provides the Light Blues with an opportunity to dip into the market to improve their squad in the next couple of weeks.

One player that the Gers should be looking to upgrade on in that time is Brazilian centre-forward Danilo, despite his goal in the 3-1 loss to Club Brugge on Tuesday night.

Rangers may need a reliable number nine if they want to win trophies and enjoy a successful season this term, and the former Feyenoord man has yet to prove that he can be that player.

Why Rangers need to replace Danilo

Danilo’s goal from close range against Club Brugge helped to mask what was a largely unimpressive performance from the 26-year-old attacker aside from that.

The former Ajax man only won one duel and completed seven passes in 61 minutes on the pitch as the main number nine for Rangers, per Sofascore, which shows that he was not offering enough of a presence up front to hold onto the ball or bring his teammates into the game.

Danilo has produced one goal and one assist in six appearances in all competitions so far this term, per Sofascore, which shows that he has not been consistently delivering in front of goal to make up for the deficiencies in his all-round game.

The Brazilian forward has also only scored nine goals in 35 appearances in the Scottish Premiership for the Light Blues since his move from Feyenoord in the summer of 2023.

Danilo’s Rangers injury history	#1	#2	#3
Type of injury	Broken cheekbone	Knee injury	Knee injury
Date of injury	September 2023	December 2023	September 2024
Return date	October 2023	May 2024	November 2024
Days out	43	171	65
Matches missed	9	32	12
Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, his availability has been severely restricted by injury issues throughout his time at Ibrox, missing 53 games in his first two seasons at the club.

Therefore, the Light Blues could do with bringing in a striker who is more likely to be reliable, from a fitness and quality perspective, than Danilo has been in the past two years or so.

Supporters should be pleased to read that the Gers are now interested in a striker who could come in as an upgrade on the number 99, who Kris Boyd stated is not “working” for Martin.

Rangers in the race to sign LaLiga forward

According to El Chiringuito TV, Glasgow Rangers are one of a number of teams in the race to sign Villarreal centre-forward Karl Etta Eyong before the end of the summer transfer window.

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The report claims that the LaLiga outfit have already turned down an offer from Swansea to take the 21-year-old striker on a season-long loan.

It adds that Leeds United, Rangers, and Levante are also interested in signing the Cameroonian marksman to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

The Villarreal youngster is valued at around £4m by Transfermarkt, but it is unclear as to how much the Spanish side would demand to sell him to Rangers this summer.

Why Rangers should push to sign Etta Eyong

The Light Blues should be pushing to win the race to land an Ibrox deal for Etta Eyong this summer, whether that is on loan or on a permanent deal, because he could be a big upgrade on Danilo.

His durability plays a huge role in that assessment because the young forward has not had any notable injuries in his senior career, per Transfermarkt, and may be more reliable for the Gers from an availability perspective.

The 21-year-old starlet’s performances on the pitch for Villarreal’s B team and first-team in the past 12 months or so also suggest that he could be an upgrade on Danilo because of the quality that he can offer in front of goal.

Etta Eyong has scored two goals in five matches in LaLiga for Villarreal and found the back of the net against Premier League opposition in Arsenal and Leeds in pre-season, per Sofascore, after earning the senior call-up because of his outstanding form for the B team.

24/25 Primera Federación	Karl Etta Eyong
Appearances	30
Goals	18
Conversion rate	25%
Minutes per goal	140
Penalties scored	5/5
Assists	3
Duels won per game	7.7
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the £4m-rated centre-forward was a prolific scorer in the third tier of Spanish football last season, with 21 goal contributions in 30 games, which earned him a place in the senior set-up.

A return of two goals in five games in LaLiga since his call-up to the first-team also shows that he is not out of place in one of Europe’s major leagues, which is why he could be an excellent signing for Rangers in the Premiership.

Etta Eyong, who has been described as a “powerful” striker by analyst Kai Watson, carries more of a physical presence than Danilo, having won 7.7 duels per game for Villarreal’s B team last term.

This suggests that he can put himself about to cause problems for opposition defenders in physical battles, which is something that Rangers are not getting from the Brazilian at the moment.

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Therefore, Etta Eyong could come in as a big upgrade on Danilo because of his durability, his goalscoring prowess, and his physical profile in the number nine position, which is why signing him could be a shrewd move by the club.

Leicester City are building for a tilt at promotion from the EFL Championship and have identified a talented winger to strengthen their cause, according to a report.

Leicester City claim late victory over Sheffield Wednesday

Sunday’s late kick-off produced a clash between two of the more troubled clubs in the English second-tier of late, and the Foxes finally managed to give their fans something to shout about courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at the King Power Stadium.

After Jan Vestergaard and Wout Faes cancelled out Nathaniel Chalobah’s opening strike, Marti Cifuentes lavished praise on Leicester’s never-say-die attitude that saw them begin the campaign with three points despite a summer dominated by off-field problems.

He stated, citing tactical tweaks that he deployed: “There were some messages, some more tactical in terms of positioning and how we wanted to build up. We adjusted things in terms of how we attacked.

“They took the lead and we predicted them to be deeper. That means we had to create different situations for our attackers. Second, it’s important as a team to have this mentality. Here in this club you know very well about ‘Foxes Never Quit’. We need to chase the result, we need to chase the victory until the last second of the game.”

Nevertheless, Mads Hermansen’s move to West Ham has led Leicester to target Illan Meslier between the sticks. The Denmark international won’t be the only face to depart the East Midlands before the window closes.

Related Leicester City now want to sign 35-cap England star who may join for free

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Bilal El Khannouss could move from Leicester to Tottenham Hotspur after James Maddison suffered an ACL injury, indicating that Cifuentes will need to act if the Morocco international leaves a void to be filled, something that could now be addressed if reports are to be believed.

Leicester City enter race to sign Sebastian Tounetki

According to Transferfeed, Leicester City are interested in Hammarby winger Sebastian Tounekti, who is tied down to the Swedish outfit on a contract that runs until the summer of 2029.

Born in Norway, he represents Tunisia at international level and has registered two goals and five assists in 20 appearances across all competitions in 2025, in line with the alternative March to November schedule adopted in Scandinavia.

Sebastien Tounekti’s key statistics in 2024/25 – Allsvenskan (Fotmob)

Chances created

20

Successful dribbles

39

Shots on target

9

Touches in opposition box

136

Tackles won

13

Nevertheless, he is said to be happy in Sweden at this moment in time with his full focus on helping Hammarby to claim the league title, albeit it remains to be seen if Leicester will take their interest to the next level by submitting an official approach.

Finding gems in untapped markets may be key for the Foxes to add quality despite the looming threat of a points deduction. Either way, they will hope to sell the vision that success can still be achieved at the King Power Stadium regardless of circumstance.

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de dois meses, o Botafogo voltou a atuar em seu estádio, o Nilton Santos, e recebeu cerca de 12 mil torcedores para a estreia pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. O foco é mudar o desempenho como mandante, algo que atrapalhou o Alvinegro a conseguir a tão sonhada vaga na Libertadores na campanha 2022. Com gols de Tiquinho Soares e Eduardo, o triunfo aconteceu com direito a presença de John Textor e muitas novidades.

+ Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Nesta reabertura com o gramado sintético, o estádio contou com novos quiosques devendas de produtos para os torcedores, mais opções de alimentação e atividades de patrocinadores na área interna. Por outro lado, o lado de fora teve aaglomeração entre churrasquinhos de rua e bares no bairro do Engenho de Dentro, na zona norte carioca.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBotafogoMatías Segovia estreia com a camisa do Botafogo e mostra qualidade; Castro revela planos para o jogadorBotafogo16/04/2023BotafogoJohn Textor fala sobre possibilidade do Botafogo contratar James RodríguezBotafogo15/04/2023BotafogoANÁLISE: Botafogo oscila, mas é letal pelo alto e vence em uma estreia de Brasileirão após onze anosBotafogo15/04/2023

O acionista majoritário do Botafogo inaugurou a nova sala de coletiva de imprensa, que foi toda remodelada, com mesas e cadeiras acolchoadas. Desse modo, concedeu uma entrevista antes da fala do técnico Luís Castro, citou que é responsável pelo fraco início de ano e ressaltou que a temporada começou neste final de semana.

+Eduardo critica árbitro em vitória do Botafogo e fala sobre fase goleadora na temporada: ‘Quero só ajudar’

A mudança no gramado aconteceu em virtude da utilização do estádio para a realização de shows e a melhor administração do tapete para não atrapalhar o time. A diretoria busca arrecadar com o local também fora do futebol.

Depois da partida, o técnico do São Paulo, Rogério Ceni, teceu elogios ao gramado sintético e afirmou que os jogadores ficaram satisfeitos.

– Eu não sou muito fã de gramado sintético, mas os jogos elogiaram, gostaram bastante. Claro que é novo também. Prefiro campo sintético a um campo com buraco que você não consegue trabalhar bem a bola – disse o treinador e ex-goleiro do São Paulo.

+ ANÁLISE: Botafogo oscila, mas é letal pelo alto e vence em uma estreia de Brasileirão após onze anos

O Botafogo volta a campo na próxima quinta-feira para medir forças com o Universidad César Vallejo, do Peru, às 21h (de Brasília), também no Nilton Santos, pela Copa Sul-Americana. No Brasileirão, os comandados de Luís Castro entrarão em campo na segunda-feira, dia 24, às 21h, para encarar o Bahia, na Arena Fonte Nova, pela 2ª rodada.

Real Madrid were expecting Eduardo Camavinga to return from his injury setback against Real Sociedad this weekend, but he won't be a part of the squad.

Camavinga nearing full recover from ankle injuryWill not travel with Madrid squad to SociedadCould mark his return against Marseille next weekFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Eduardo Camavinga injury update: Return delayed for Real Madrid

Real Madrid will travel to the Anoeta for this weekend's La Liga clash against Real Sociedad without the services of Camavinga, who is currently recovering from an ankle injury he suffered in August. However, have revealed when the French midfielder could mark his return to the pitch.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Camavinga was expected to be available from the start ahead of the commencement of La Liga last month, but suffered an ankle injury during training. While Los Blancos have full faith in the former Rennes prodigy's talent, the midfielder has become extremely injury-prone. Although he will most likely miss the clash against Real Sociedad, efforts are being made to ensure he completes full recovery in time for the Champions League opener against Marseille on September 16. Given Camavinga's recent fitness history, Madrid are being extremely cautious and are unwilling to rush his return. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Camavinga could make only 35 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid last season. He suffered four different injuries in the 2024-25 campaign, forcing him to miss 33 games. This season, he has already missed the first three games. As surprising as it may seem, he is yet to play under new head coach Xabi Alonso.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

Madrid are currently leading the league with nine points from their first three games. They are tied with Athletic Club, the only other team to register maximum points in August. Alonso will hope his troops can maintain the early momentum against Sociedad on Saturday. 

“When you have a mega auction you are bound to have a reset. But you try and maintain as much of the core as possible,” Sanjiv Goenka says

Sreshth Shah28-Aug-2024

Will he stay, or won’t he? Sanjiv Goenka did not shed much light on KL Rahul’s future with LSG•AFP/Getty Images

Sanjiv Goenka, the Lucknow Super Giants owner, did not give much away about his team’s retention plans and captain KL Rahul’s future with the franchise, but admitted that the upcoming mega auction will mean the team “resets” in some aspects ahead of IPL 2025.Speaking to the media in Kolkata alongside newly unveiled mentor Zaheer Khan, Goenka said LSG’s retention decisions will not be made with a short-term view.”All decisions are medium-term and need to be thought of carefully,” he said. “When you have a mega auction you are bound to have a reset. But you try and maintain as much of the core as possible. The coach Justin Langer continues, [support staff] Lance Klusener and Jonty Rhodes will also be there. So it is a question of improving and going further from where you are now.”Rahul, the LSG captain since the team’s first IPL in 2022, was in Kolkata this week and met Goenka. Goenka did not get into the details of their conversation, but called Rahul “family”.”I have been meeting KL on and off regularly over the last three years,” Goenka said. “Frankly I am surprised this meeting is getting a lot of attention [in the media]. He is integral [to LSG]. He has been here since the inception. For me personally and for [my son] Shashwat [Goenka, who is also involved in running LSG], he is like family.”After two playoff appearances in IPL 2022 and 2023, LSG missed the playoffs for the first time in the 2024 season, finishing seventh on the table because of a poor net run rate. It was the first time the franchise did not have the services of mentor Gautam Gambhir, who had moved to Kolkata Knight Riders. In the coming season, Goenka believes Zaheer’s presence “will do wonders” for the team.”Beginning of a new relationship. Zaheer has impressed me as a player, coach and strategist,” Goenka said. “His hunger for success is something that attracted me to bring him into the LSG franchise.Zaheer Khan was formally named Lucknow Super Giants’ mentor on Wednesday•Sreshth Shah/ESPNcricinfo

“A couple of weeks ago, I realised he wasn’t with any cricket franchise. I called him up. We spoke. He agreed. And he’s here. It’s as short and as quick as it gets. We are very excited to have him on board.”Zaheer, who had been associated with Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022 as director of cricket and head of global development, said he will serve in a similar role at LSG. He said he was particularly impressed with the “building blocks” put together by a “young franchise in only three years”, and felt that he shared the owners’ vision.”Yes it happened exactly in the same words how Mr Goenka explained. We got on a call and realised we have a similar stance on many topics about cricket,” Zaheer said. “We discussed the direction, the culture, the brand the team wants to play. The building blocks are already in place. It’s a relatively young franchise but it doesn’t seem like that. Reaching playoffs in this fiercely competitive league isn’t easy and [seeing their progress] gives me confidence.””It is a team game, so I will be serving the team in every capacity possible, and yes, it includes bowling. If I am there in the set-up, does the team need another bowling coach?” he said with a smile. “When you see LSG, their journey is only three years but they are as comparable to the teams who have played the IPL for 17-18 years. The building blocks are in place and we need to take them forward. Decision-making will be something we’ll work on, since it is something that can differentiate teams.”As it stands, LSG’s roster includes Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Naveen-ul-Haq and Devdutt Padikkal, among others. The teams are expected to know the IPL’s retention rules in early September, after which they will decide on whom to retain, possibly with a late-November deadline, before the mega auction leading into IPL 2025.

Tottenham Hotspur’s summer recruitment drive hasn’t quite got off the ground yet, mainly due to uncertainty surrounding Ange Postecoglou and his long-term future, but that hasn’t stopped some transfer plans being made.

Tottenham transfer plans after vital Europa League triumph

While Postecoglou is set to learn his fate as soon as this week, according to ESPN and other reliable media sources, technical director Johan Lange, chairman Daniel Levy and the incoming Fabio Paratici will be debating ways to improve the Spurs squad regardless of who is in charge next season.

Tottenham hold "multiple meetings" with £8m manager after Guardiola praise

Daniel Levy’s got a key decision to make on Ange Postecoglou’s future.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 3, 2025

Their triumph in the Europa League final has opened many doors for Spurs, with the Lilywhites set to compete in next season’s Champions League as one major positive of their victory against Man United in Bilbao.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The greater transfer market pull and financial windfall that comes with competing in Europe’s most prestigious competition will undoubtedly assist Levy when it comes to bolstering the team this summer, with Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge reporting that Spurs want to strengthen the entire squad in all areas bar goalkeeper.

“Spurs don’t have to sell to buy, with Champions League qualification huge for the club,” said Bridge.

“All areas, apart from the goalkeeping department, will be looked at. Midfield and forward would be the priority if Cristian Romero stays.”

Dejan Kulusevski’s lengthy injury lay-off, combined with uncertainty surrounding the long-term futures of Richarlison and even Mathys Tel, means a new attacking player or two could be highly likely at Spurs.

Tottenham are considering the sale of Richarlison after another season marred by injury for the Brazilian, while there are some reports that Tel could return to Bayern Munich if Spurs make significant progress on a deal for Leroy Sane.

Sane has been heavily linked with a move to N17 in the last week, with the Bayern winger out of contract at the end of this month. He recently employed super-agent Pini Zahavi to help negotiate a new deal with Vincent Kompany’s side, but no agreement has been reached, so the representative could assist in finding him a new club instead.

Leroy Sane "wants a move" to Tottenham from Bayern Munich

Spurs face competition from north London rivals Arsenal, who are also believed to be in talks with Zahavi, but Levy has been handed a fresh boost in their rumoured pursuit of the 29-year-old.

Once valued at £137 million by Man City, the winger could soon be available at zero transfer cost, with Tottenham News sharing an update on the Lilywhites’ chances of beating Arsenal to his signature.

The outlet reports that Sane “wants a move” to Tottenham after they qualified for the Champions League, and they’re current favourites to win the race in light of the forward’s fresh stance on joining.

This is also regardless of whether Postecoglou is at the club next term, so it appears Sane is pretty keen on a switch to Spurs.

That being said, the former Schalke star was thought to be after a £192,000-per-week base salary plus £2.5 million in bonuses to remain at Bayern, so Spurs may have to offer him a similar pay packet to join them instead, which would make him their highest earner above Son Heung-min.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has now personally spoken to a £145m star about a summer move to the Emirates Stadium, according to a report.

Gunners eyeing new winger amid Martinelli criticism

There have recently been suggestions that Gabriel Martinelli may not be at the level required to take the Gunners to the next level, with journalist Kyle Bonn implying that Mikel Arteta should look to bring in a new winger in the summer transfer window.

Those thoughts may also be echoed by club legend Thierry Henry, with the Frenchman suggesting the winger still has plenty of areas in which he needs to improve after the 2-0 victory against Manchester United earlier this season.

As we approach the summer transfer window, the north Londoners have been stepping up their pursuit of a new winger, with the likes of Nico Williams and Rodrygo believed to be of interest, while they have now made contact over a deal for a different forward.

Indeed, according to a report from Foot Mercato, Arsenal have now shortlisted AC Milan’s Rafael Leao as a summer target, with Berta speaking to the Portugal international on the phone around ten days ago.

The Gunners hold a real interest in Leao, who is considering an exit this summer after a mixed campaign at the San Siro, but he is not their priority target, and they are yet to make a final decision about whether to make a move.

£359k-per-week striker would join Arsenal "immediately", Berta wants him

He’s apparently very keen.

ByEmilio Galantini May 24, 2025 "Incredible" Leao could be expensive signing for Arsenal

According to reports from Italy, Milan could hold out for as much as £145m for the Portuguese winger, so a deal is likely to be on the expensive side, but there are clear signs he could be an upgrade on Martinelli.

The 25-year-old has averaged more non-penalty goals, assists and successful take-ons than the Arsenal winger over the past year, during which time he has also been lauded as “incredible” by CBS’ Matteo Bonetti.

Statistic

Gabriel Martinelli

Rafael Leao

Non-penalty goals

0.29

0.34

Assists

0.14

0.26

Successful take-ons

1.48

2.84

While Milan have underperformed throughout the 2024-25 campaign, currently sitting in seventh place, the Almada-born winger has remained consistent in front of goal, picking up 12 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.

As such, should Arsenal decide to bring in a new winger this summer, Leao should be right near the top of the list of targets, but signing a new centre-forward is arguably more important, with Arteta being left very short on options at striker throughout the campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to finish the season on a high and could land a summer coup involving one of Europe’s highly-rated young defenders, according to a report.

Tottenham Hotspur prepare for Europa League date with destiny

There are no two ways about it; Spurs face arguably the biggest week in their modern existence as Ange Postecoglou prepares his side to take on Manchester United in Wednesday’s UEFA Europa League final.

Financially, the winners of the competition stand to earn £10.95 million for a victory in the final, which has created a unique sense of jeopardy between two of England’s most reputable clubs.

Factor in money accumulated across the course of their run to Bilbao and subsequent qualification for the Champions League, there could be a bounty exceeding £80 million in store for either Tottenham or Manchester United.

However, Spurs may have to navigate the showdown without Pape Matar Sarr after he was taken off during their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa last Friday.

Speaking about his latest injury scare, Postecoglou stated: “Pape felt something in his back, so we took him off as a bit of a precaution. I don’t think it’s anything too significant, speaking to him afterwards but he just felt something in his back.”

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Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison will miss the final for Tottenham, who know the implications of Wednesday’s final and what it could mean when it comes to attracting potential recruits this summer.

Ultimately, having the Champions League carrot ready to dangle could be a key advantage in the race for talent, though they are now reportedly looking at signing a Paris Saint-Germain star who has earned intriguing recognition.

Tottenham Hotspur looking to sign PSG defender Axel Tape

According to Sports Zone, Tottenham are circling for Paris Saint-Germain defender Axel Tape this summer amid his reported decision to leave the French giants on a free transfer.

Bayer Leverkusen are said to be in ‘pole position’ to sign the 17-year-old, while Bournemouth and Chelsea are also in the hunt to offer a Premier League avenue to the youngster.

Likened to Dean Huijsen by Rising Gems, Tape has made three first-team appearances for Paris Saint-Germain this campaign and primarily features as a central defender.

Daniel Levy is well-known for his penchant to facilitate the arrival of young talent to develop into first-team stars, which is a brief Spurs could look to fill once again should the Bondy-born man arrive in London.

Prodigious figures such as Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Mikey Moore have all been given senior minutes this term, even if the root cause of their frequent involvement has been an injury crisis.

Looking to the future, Tape could be the latest to join a conveyor belt of youthful assets who are only going to multiply in value under Postecoglou’s watch.

Liverpool are on the verge of winning their second-ever Premier League title in the coming weeks, as they sit 13 points clear at the top of the table with just six games left to go.

The Reds have only won the Premier League once in the history of the competition, winning under Jurgen Klopp in the 2019/20 campaign, and are not set to secure their second.

Arne Slot is on course to claim the title in his first season as a manager in England, having arrived from Feyenoord last summer, and he will go down as the latest in a long line of impressive recruits from the Eredivisie.

Liverpool have tapped into the Dutch market for players in the past, whether that has been directly from the Eredivisie or not, and have now done so to find a brilliant manager, having been successful in the past on the playing side of recruitment.

One Dutch recruit, who did not come directly from the top-flight in the Netherlands, was integral to the first Premier League title success, as central midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum played a key role.

Why Wijnaldum was integral to Liverpool's title win

The Netherlands international played 37 of the club’s 38 Premier League matches that season, starting 35 of them, as part of a regular midfield trio of himself, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho.

Of the players to start at least one game, no Liverpool star completed a higher percentage of their passes than Wijnaldum (90.8%), which shows how reliable he was with the ball at his feet.

He also averaged 4.20 progressive passes and 2.27 progressive carries per 90 to build up play from a midfield position, which shows that the Dutch ace did not always play it safe with the ball at his feet.

Wijnaldum’s development at Anfield was interesting because he was signed from Newcastle United in the summer of 2016 off the back of a return of 11 goals and five assists in the Premier League for the Magpies during the 2015/16 campaign.

The Dutch star arrived at Liverpool as an attacking midfielder who had proven his quality at the top end of the pitch in the top-flight for his previous club, but Klopp developed him into an all-round midfielder who could be a solid option as a number eight.

He ended his Liverpool career with just 22 goals, four of which came in the Premier League in the title-winning campaign, in 237 matches, which illustrates his change in style from Tyneside to Merseyside.

That change in style, however, made him integral to Klopp’s title-winning team because Wijnaldum was a consistent performer, hence his 35 starts, who offered reliability and progression in possession, putting in the hard yards whilst providing quality on the ball.

Instead of being a consistent goalscorer or constantly creating chances, the former Newcastle star did his job in the middle of the park without too much fuss, chipping in with the odd goal here and there, to make himself a reliable figure for the German head coach.

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Liverpool have, now, unearthed their new version of Wijnaldum in the current squad, and it is not Alexis Mac Allister – despite his impressive form of late, with a goal and an assist in his last two matches.

Liverpool have unearthed their new Georginio Wijnaldum

Mac Allister did arrive at Liverpool off the back of scoring ten goals in the Premier League for Brighton & Hove Albion in the 2022/23 campaign, but six of those strikes came from the penalty spot.

This meant that the Argentina international only provided four goals and two assists in the top-flight outside of penalties before his move to Liverpool to become a well-rounded midfielder at Anfield.

Whereas, Dominik Szoboszlai scored ten goals and provided 13 assists as an attacking midfielder for RB Leipzig in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign before his switch to England, and only two of those goals were penalties.

The Hungary international, as Wijnaldum did when he joined from Newcastle, arrived at Anfield as an incredibly promising attacking midfielder who had the potential to provide goals and assists, and has followed the Dutchman’s path to becoming an all-rounder in the middle of the park.

Szoboszlai has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 63 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League to date, which illustrates the shift in style in his game since his time in the Bundesliga.

The Hungarian dynamo has been moulded into a perfect box-to-box midfielder for the Reds since switching Germany for England, utilising his fantastic work rate and engine in midfield more so than his ability to score and create goals.

He has started 24 of his 30 appearances in the Premier League so far this term and, interestingly, offered more than Wijnaldum did during the title-winning campaign under Klopp in several parts of the game as a midfielder.

As you can see in the chart above, Szoboszlai has been far more creative with his use of the ball than the Dutchman was, whilst also doing more out of possession by making blocks, tackles, and interceptions.

That chart shows that the 24-year-old Liverpool star, who was described as “unstoppable” by Fabrizio Romano earlier this year, is a brilliantly well-rounded midfield figure because he can combine quality on the ball with hard work and defensive quality off it, making him a key player for Slot in the middle of the park.

Appearances

30

Goals

5

Big chances created

9

Assists

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.3

Duels won per game

2.9

As you can see in the table above, Szoboszlai has still found a way to incorporate his attacking qualities into his game, with eight goal contributions, but they are not as prevalent as they were during his time with Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

Therefore, Liverpool have repeated the masterclass they played with Wijnaldum, turning him from an attack-minded midfielder into an all-round number eight, with the Hungary international, who is now set to have played an integral role in the club’s second-ever Premier League title success.

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Hopefully, this trophy will be the first of many titles in his Premier League career with the Reds, as they will hope that this season is far from a one-off success.