Steven Gerrard insists he has 'felt' the change in the Saudi Pro League since becoming Al-Ettifaq manager in 2023 and doesn't want to leave.
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Any more for any more? As has become customary on the pristine one-day pitches of England – not so green and really quite unpleasant for bowlers – these two teams have served up an uninterrupted sequence of free-scoring frolics. This is currently the second-fastest scoring bilateral ODI series in history (minimum of three matches) and we can probably expect more of the same in the finale as both England and Pakistan conclude their World Cup preparations.The result is already a foregone conclusion, with England 3-0 up and extending an unbeaten run at home that stretches back to 2015 – or the year dot, as far as Eoin Morgan and his World Cup hopefuls are concerned. Everything else was pre-history, which is fitting given how often England have rewritten the record books since.Victory in Nottingham on Friday was not quite so straightforward, however, and but for a more clinical Pakistan fielding effort the series might still be alive. England have developed a machine-like reliability when chasing but they threatened to malfunction after Jason Roy had lit the path with a blazing hundred at Trent Bridge. Despite a collapse, England were able to regroup around Ben Stokes and launch a late sortie on the target as Pakistan’s nerve failed them.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Winning when the going gets tough is a mark of an accomplished side, and doing so in the absence of captain Eoin Morgan and regular opener Jonny Bairstow – suspended and rested respectively – suggests a strong competitive spirit within the team. Jos Buttler, standing in for Morgan, said afterwards that it was a performance that boded well ahead of entering the pressurised environment of tournament play.Having seen his side rack up a third consecutive score in the region of 350 only to lose, Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed gave an obligatory nod to the positives in the form of Babar Azam’s immaculate hundred and a solid return to active service for veteran pair Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik. Perhaps, too, he can console himself that very few teams at the World Cup will be able to reel in such big targets in the manner of England. But with questions still surrounding the exact make-up of Pakistan’s final 15, for a couple of players this could be the last chance to leave a positive impression.
England WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLL
Few of England’s players know as much about fulfilling great expectations as Joe Root. The one concession to reliability over rock’n’roll in England’s batting order, Root pootles along at No.3 averaging 50 and scoring a century roughly every nine innings. A run of white-ball scores against Ireland and Pakistan comprising 7, 47, 40, 43, and 36 will be of concern to no one within the England set-up but the man himself would surely love to crack on for the big innings that takes him into the World Cup with a bounce.After a tough audition process, Pakistan’s pace bowlers may all be feeling a little nervy in the face of the World Cup guillotine. Mohammad Hasnain gave glimpses of his potential in an otherwise expensive outing at Trent Bridge, while Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi have managed six wickets between them, with economy rates between 7.01 and 8.15. With Mohammad Amir unscathed thanks to his bout of chicken pox – though currently outside the preliminary squad looking in – and only one match to go, natural selection may be about to take its course.Job done: Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid celebrate victory•Getty Images
Trevor Bayliss has said England will play their strongest team, which would mean Bairstow and Morgan returning, although the bowlers’ workloads will be monitored. Tom Curran’s performance with bat and ball could encourage further rest for Chris Woakes, while Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will hope to continue in their newly minted 90mph new-ball partnership. Roy’s young daughter is improving after being taken to hospital on Friday morning but the opener is unlikely to play* meaning another opportunity for James Vince.England: (possible) 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 James Vince, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk) 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Tom Curran/Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra Archer, 11 Mark Wood.Imam-ul-Haq was forced off the field after being hit on the elbow at Trent Bridge, although he did come back to bat at the end of Pakistan’s innings. Sarfaraz described the injury as a “bit of a bruise”, although back-up opener Abid Ali is waiting for some game time if there are any concerns about Imam. Amir’s status after illness is less clear, and he could perhaps be forgiven for wanting to stay out of the firing line.Pakistan: (possible) 1 Imam-ul-Haq/Abid Ali, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt/wk), 6 Mohammad Hafeez, 7 Asif Ali, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Junaid Khan.
Headingley generally loses some of its capricious edge for white-ball games, although India’s powerful line-up struggled to 256 for 8 there last year only for England to knock them off two down. In this season’s Royal London Cup, it is behind only Trent Bridge as the fastest-scoring ground, with runs coming at 6.81 an over. The forecast is for a cloudy day with minimal chance of rain and mild temperatures.
“You’ve got to find a way to win and we’re going to have situations where we play poorly during a phase of the game. We’ve managed to come out the other end of that and win.”
“The way we’ve fielded here in three matches is not up to the mark. We have to improve.”
*1900 BST – Story updated with news on Roy’s availability
Sunderland will hope a return to the comforts of the Stadium of Light tonight – where the Black Cats have picked up eight wins in the Championship to date this season – can steer the Wearside club back on course after a bruising defeat to Ipswich Town last time out.
Going 1-0 up early on in Suffolk courtesy of a Jack Clarke thunderbolt saw the rapturous away following at Portman Road grow in confidence, only for Kieran McKenna's hosts to show their class eventually and come away with a comeback 2-1 win to break Sunderland hearts.
Michael Beale will hope switching up the Black Cats lineup can inspire an immediate response from his players to overcome Hull City tonight, with two potential changes in this predicted XI from the narrow Tractor Boys defeat last weekend…
1 GK – Anthony Patterson
Beale will hope he can keep his number one goalkeeper Anthony Patterson past this January despite interest from elsewhere, with football journalist Alan Nixon stating that the reliable Black Cats shot-stopper is being linked with a shock move away to Liverpool.
Despite this interest from Jurgen Klopp's Reds potentially turning Patterson's head and making him demand a move away, Beale will start the 23-year-old against the Tigers.
2 RB – Jenson Seelt
With Aji Alese potentially not fit enough to start tonight's game against Liam Rosenior's Hull, Beale could have to shake up the back four and play Jenson Seelt at right-back with Trai Hume moved over to the then-vacant left-back spot.
The exciting Dutchman shone playing in this makeshift role when Sunderland faced off against Hull in the reverse fixture just last month, winning five duels in the away contest to help his side clinch the three points.
3 CB – Daniel Ballard
Daniel Ballard's spot in the defence is set in stone for tonight's clash in contrast, the former Arsenal centre-back only missing one game this season to date in the league.
The Northern Ireland international even stood out in the defeat to Ipswich, winning all but one of his duels but to no avail as McKenna's men still exited the fierce encounter victorious.
4 CB – Luke O'Nien
Luke O'Nien also trudged off the field of play with his head held high despite the final scoreline, blocking four shots in the 2-1 away loss to ensure Sunderland weren't completely humbled on their travels to Suffolk.
The 29-year-old also gave his all in the reverse fixture versus the Tigers in December, completing ten accurate long balls in the narrow 1-0 win. Could O'Nien help his promotion-chasing side pick up a victory on home turf tonight with another clean sheet tallied up?
5 LB – Trai Hume
Hume won't be out of his comfort zone too much filling in at left-back tonight if selected there by Beale, drafted in with other options lacking that can do a job.
Averaging 5.7 ball recoveries per game this season, Beale will hope Hume's full-throttle energy and tenacity down the flanks can help Sunderland pick up a much-needed win at the expense of Hull to forget the demons of Ipswich.
6 CM – Pierre Ekwah
With Beale's experiment of playing a 4-4-2 formation at Portman Road not working whatsoever, the 43-year-old in the Black Cats hot-seat could be tempted to switch back to the tried and test set-up of a 4-2-3-1 with Pierre Ekwah chosen as one of his holding midfielders.
Ekwah struggled against the Tractor Boys centrally – the ex-West Ham United youth player turned Sunderland first-teamer allowing himself to be dribbled past twice – and so Beale will hope reverting the number 39 to a more comfortable anchor position gets the best out of him again.
7 CM – Dan Neil
On the contrary, Dan Neil didn't quite flop in the new formation chosen by Beale – amassing one key pass versus Ipswich in a bid to pull off a monumental victory on the road – but the homegrown Sunderland product does excel alongside Ekwah when played further back.
When featuring versus the Tigers away last month, Neil's creativity from a deep role stood out even more – helping himself to three key passes in the encounter – with one of those balls setting up Jack Clarke to score a stunner to win the tight match.
8 RM – Abdoullah Ba
Abdoullah Ba could well be retained for tonight's clash, the right winger benefitting from Patrick Roberts still being in the Sunderland treatment room and attempting to show to Beale that he's worthy of being Roberts' immediate replacement whenever selected.
Still only 20 years of age, the Frenchman isn't quite the finished product yet but his raw ability down the channels did trouble Ipswich defenders on occasion at Portman Road.
Registering two key passes from just 34 touches of the ball, Ba will hope he can contribute with a strike or an assist tonight as Sunderland get back to winning ways returning to Wearside.
9 CAM – Jobe Bellingham
With Alex Pritchard being lined up for a move away from the Black Cats, according to reports, despite breathing life back into his fading Sunderland career in recent weeks, Jobe Bellingham is the obvious choice in this number ten role for the visit of Hull tonight.
Played as an unorthodox striker against Ipswich, the dynamic 18-year-old is far more at ease playing just behind the lone centre-forward.
On New Year's Day, as Sunderland confidently dispatched Preston North End with ease in a 2-0 win, Bellingham shone in this role with a 100% successful dribble completion rate managed on top of only misplacing four passes from the 85 minutes he was on the pitch.
10 LM – Jack Clarke
It's no surprise to any Sunderland fans now when Jack Clarke rifles in a wonder strike, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur winger able to have his own goal of the season competition at this point with another sumptuous effort managed against the Tractor Boys last weekend.
Clarke will just hope if he manages to get fans at the Stadium of Light off their feet again with a sublime goal against Hull that a win is forthcoming at full-time, with the promotion hopefuls abundantly aware that their star attacker is a wanted man and could move on if the Black Cats slump further.
Apart from the allrounder’s second-innings performances, KS Bharat and Anmolpreet Singh contributed heavily with the bat
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2019India A completed a resounding 2-0 series rout of Sri Lanka A with a 152-run triumph in Hubli, thanks to legspinner Rahul Chahar’s six-wicket match haul and a maiden fifty with the bat. Chahar’s efforts were complemented ably by KS Bharat and Anmolpreet Singh, who contributed significantly with the bat in both innings.Sri Lanka A lost the toss for the second time in the series, but resisted India’s onslaught for longer than they had done in the first match that had lasted three days. In Hubli, the hosts were bowled out for 269 – of which wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat made 117 – thanks to Lahiru Kumara and Lakshan Sandakan, who picked 4 for 53 and 4 for 64 respectively. Tottering at 64 for 3, India A’s innings found resuscitation through Bharat and Anmolpreet’s 91-run stand. Anmolpreet chipped in with a knock of 65, studded with six fours and two sixes.In reply, the visitors conceded a 57-run deficit as no other batsman, apart from No. 7 Kamindu Mendis, made a half-century. Mendis’ 68 helped his side scrape to 212 as all six India A bowlers took at least a wicket each. Offspinner Jayant Yadav was the pick of them with 3 for 24 from his 12 overs while Sandeep Warrier and Shivam Dube took two apiece.India A put on a more convincing show with the bat in their second dig, with the middle-order trio of Anmolpreet (60), Siddhesh Lad (53) and Bharat (60) leading the way. The 123-run eighth-wicket stand between Rahul Chahar and Jayant then built on this platform, taking India A past 350. Chahar hit a 109-ball 84 for his maiden first-class fifty, while Jayant made 53, having been dismissed for single-digit scores in the preceding three innings. The pair fell in a span of nine balls, but their partnership ensured India A amassed 372 to set Sri Lanka A a target of 430.A score of 277 in 66.4 overs was all the tourists could get, despite Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s rapid 110 at No 3 – his seventh first-class ton – and an enterprising 46 from Kamindu. Chahar played a big role in their undoing, snaffling 5 for 112, his sixth five-wicket haul at this level.
England cricket captain Ben Stokes has delivered a motivational message to Harry Kane and Co ahead of the Three Lions’ bid for Euro 2024 glory.
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Shot at continental glory on the cardsTest skipper has offered words of wisdomSouthgate drawing up plans for trophy questWHAT HAPPENED?
World Cup winner Stokes, who now skippers his country at Test level, knows all about delivering under pressure. He is a talismanic presence with bat and ball and has often been the man to dig England out of a hole.
AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Kane, who takes the armband when leading his country into football fixtures in the men's game, is hoping that he can inspire continental glory in Germany this summer – breaking his own trophy duck in the process. Stokes has been on hand with words of wisdom, as he met up with the England squad at a recent training session.
WHAT SOUTHGATE SAID
Gareth Southgate has said, when revealing the message that Stokes got over to those competing on a different sporting stage to the one that he is accustomed to gracing: “Ben Stokes came in, which I thought was a brilliant session. In my head he’s one of the few English sportsmen that I felt could impact them, make them think. He’s authentic, he talked brilliantly about getting the right balance of fearlessness but recognising that anybody’s going to have nerves. It’s still making good decisions under pressure. He was able to talk to them about some leadership aspects, the culture he’d tried to create. I think that backed up some of the things we’re doing so we were pleased that reaffirmed some ideas as well. I just think he’s a hugely impressive guy that’s relatable to their age. And anybody who’s performed as well as he has for England… That was a really good session that worked well for us.”
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GOALWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?
England will be in friendly action against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Monday, before taking in another warm-up clash with Iceland at Wembley on Friday. After that contest, Southgate will have to cut his 33-man preliminary squad down to a final group of 26 for tournament action.
Rangers have "reached an agreement" with a player over a move to Ibrox in the January transfer window, according to an exciting update by journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Rangers transfer news
The Gers picked up a crucial 1-0 win away to St Mirren on Saturday afternoon, keeping their Scottish Premiership title hopes looking healthy. Away from the on-pitch action, there could be more transfers that happen in the coming days, in order to aid their chances of going all the way this season, with deals already finalised for Fabio Silva and Mohamed Diomande.
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One player who has been linked with a move to Ibrox is Fluminense defender Jefte, with the 20-year-old possibly seen as an upgrade on current left-back Borna Barisic. Vitesse defender Million Manhoef is another who has been tipped to become a Rangers player in the near future, with the 22-year-old scoring four goals and registering one assist in the Eredivisie in 2023/24 to date. Gijs Smal is another target, too, with the Dutchman yet another left-back who is seen as someone who can come in and bolster that area of the pitch.
It looks set to be Rangers' biggest area of focus between now and the end of the January transfer, and a key update has emerged regarding their business.
Rangers close to signing Jefte
According to Romano on X, Rangers are now close to completing the signing of Fluminense left-back Jefte, with an agreement in place to snap him up this month.
This is great news for Rangers, with left-back a priority position this month, and Jefte is someone who could be seen as a big part of their long-term future.
Only 20 years of age, the Brazilian is still a very young player lacking experience at senior level – he is yet to actually make a first-team appearance for Fluminense – but he could grow as a footballer as the years pass, coming in initially as a squad player. He has featured 25 times for their Under-20s, registering six goal contributions (two goals and four assists) in that time, not to mention getting seven in 20 for APOEL Nicosia.
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Sealing the signing could be especially important if Barisic brings an end to his time at Rangers before the end of deadline day next Thursday, with a move to Serie A giants Roma mooted in recent days, as well as Ridvan Yilmaz potentially joining Galatasaray.
Chelsea fans are enduring a second year of footballing misery this season, as they sit tenth in the Premier League, miles off the Champions League places and 1-0 down in their League Cup semi-final against Championship side Middlesbrough.
Mauricio Pochettino has been unable to build a cohesive team with the wave of new players he was handed in the summer, and a number of those recent acquisitions could already be on the precipice of an early exit from Stamford Bridge.
For example, Axel Disasi has been a regular in the side since joining in the summer. Still, he has been underwhelming at best, and now, with Athletic Bilbao's Aitor Paredes linked to the club, the Frenchman could be about to lose his place.
Chelsea transfer news – Aitor Paredes
According to a recent report from the Sun, Chelsea are keen to add Athletic Bilbao's Paredes to their defensive ranks this month, and even sent scouts to watch him play against Seville last week.
The report has also revealed that, alongside the Blues, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Serie A behemoths Inter Milan are interested in securing the 23-year-old's signature this winter.
Should Todd Boehly and Co manage to get ahead of the competition, then they won't have to break the bank to get this deal over the line, as the Sun claim that a fee in the region of £20m should be enough to tempt Bilbao into selling due to the defender's contract expiring next summer.
In the case this deal goes through, the comparison to former captain Cesar Azpilicueta might become hard to ignore, and if he performs even close to the level of the Spaniard, that could spell trouble for Disasi.
Aitor Paredes' style of play
Azpilicueta had a brilliant career in west London, and considering he was bought for just £7m, he might well be one of the greatest transfers in the club's history – having made 508 appearances in all competitions, while winning a plethora of major honours.
With that in mind, comparing the young and relatively inexperienced Paredes to him could be construed as too kind, but there are a couple of key similarities.
First, both are defensively-minded players who can be deployed as both a centre-back and full-back depending on what is needed at the time, and second, they're both Spaniards who – if this deal does go ahead – would have joined the Blues early on in their careers and at similar ages.
While Blues fans would surely be delighted with a defender who could potentially replicate the career of a former captain, Disasi might be less pleased, as he would surely see a dramatic drop in his game time if he wasn't just sold altogether.
How Paredes compares to Disasi
The former AS Monaco man has featured in 90% of Pochettino's Premier League starting XIs this season, but in the words of talkSPORT pundit Andy Jacobs, he's been "a disaster."
Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, the board also don't seem to have a particularly favourable opinion of him either, as only last month, TEAMtalk revealed that he was among several names that the club would be willing to sell in January to raise funds.
So, how do the pair stack up when you compare their underlying numbers? Well, while there are a couple of areas in which the Chelsea man comes out on top, such as tackles won and general passing accuracy, he lags behind in most other critical areas.
Stats per 90
Paredes
Disasi
Passing Accuracy
85.9%
89.7%
Shot-Creating Actions
0.48
0.45
Tackles Won
0.24
0.68
Blocks
0.83
0.79
Clearances
3.45
3.28
Miscontrols
0.24
0.51
Dispossessed
0.06
0.56
Ball Recoveries
5.48
5.08
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
The Spanish "titan", as described by journalist Luis Calabor Nunez, comes out on top for shot-creating actions, blocks, clearances, ball recoveries, and he is dispossessed a lot less than the Frenchman.
At the end of the day, for as often as Pochettino is playing Disasi, he isn't showing much in the way of improvement, and if Chelsea can sign Paredes for £20m and offload the former Monaco man for around the same price, then this deal seems like a no-brainer.
تلقى نادي برشلونة أنباءً سارة في تدريباته اليوم الثلاثاء، استعدادًا لمواجهة موناكو الفرنسي يوم الخميس المقبل، في افتتاح مبارياته ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ويحل برشلونة الإسباني ضيفًا على موناكو الفرنسي، يوم الخميس المقبل، بالجولة الأولى من مرحلة الدوري ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا 2024-2025.
وكان برشلونة قد تلقى ضربة موجعة أمس الإثنين، عندما تم الكشف عن إصابة داني أولمو في أوتار الركبة وغيابه لمدة شهر على الأقل عن الملاعب.
إصابة أولمو زادت من معاناة برشلونة في هذا الشأن، حيث يغيب كل من كريستنسن وفرينكي دي يونج وجافي بسبب الإصابة.
صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، زفت خبرًا سارًا لمشجعي النادي الكتالوني، بعدما كشفت عن عودة فيرمين لوبيز لاعب الوسط إلى التدريبات الجماعية، وتعافيه بنسبة كبيرة لخوض مواجهة موناكو الخميس.
طالع أيضًا | مدرب موناكو يحذر برشلونة قبل مباراة دوري أبطال أوروبا: أحترمهم ولكن
وشارك في التدريبات كلًا من توني فرنانديز وجويل فرنانديز، وأندريس كوينكا –الثلاثي الشاب- بالإضافة لـ فيرمين لوبيز، بعدما كان يعاني الإسباني الشاب من إصابة أبعدته عن الفريق في الفترة الماضية.
فيرمين تألق في دورة الألعاب الأولمبية بـ باريس، وحصل على الميدالية الذهبية مع منتخب إسبانيا الأولمبي، بعد شهر من تتويجه ببطولة يورو 2024 مع المنتخب الأول.
وتتمثل الخيارات أمام هانز فليك في فيرمين لوبيز وبابلو توري في الوسط، بالإضافة إلى باو فيكتور، بعد إصابة الشاب مارك بيرنال في مواجهة رايو فاليكانو.
بالإضافة إلى ذلك، فإن أنسو فاتي أصبح جاهزًا للمشاركة أيضًا في المباريات، مما يعطي فليك خيارات هجومية أخرى يمكنه الاستعانة بها في الفترة المقبلة.
جدير بالذكر أن هانز فليك لم يخسر أي مباراة وفاز بالـ5 مباريات الأولى ببطولة الدوري الإسباني، ويتصدر الترتيب بالعلامة الكاملة برصيد 15 نقطة.
MatériaMais Notícias
O clássico de domingo, entre Flamengo e Fluminense pela terceira rodada da Taça Guanabara, contará como lançamento do projeto “CarioCão”, uma parceria entre o Governo do do Rio de Janeiro e a Ferj para estimular a adoção de animais. O jogo no Maracanã, às 18h, terá transmissão em tempo real do L!.
Os jogadores entrarão em campo com animais abandonados que foram resgatados por ONGs.O Governo do Rio tem dado atenção para a questão.
– Já criamos o selo Amigo dos Animais / Pet Friendly, que ajuda donos de animais a encontrar estabelecimentos como hotéis, bares, restaurantes e comércio que os recebam com seus pets. Publicamos um decreto que proíbe corridas de cachorros, como forma de evitar maus-tratos, e promulgamos uma lei que proíbe a comercialização de coleiras de choque – disse Cláudio Castro, governador em exercício do Rio de Janeiro.
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Tottenham and the recruitment team are "working hard" to complete another deal alongside Club Brugge winger Antonio Nusa, with transfer talks currently ongoing.
Spurs still locked in Nusa negotiations
Last week, news emerged from Belgium that Spurs had opened negotiations with Brugge in an attempt to prise away the exciting 18-year-old.
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The north Londoners want Nusa in a buy-to-loan-back style move, similar to how they agreed transfers for both Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr in previous years.
Both of the aforementioned Spurs starlets have gone on to become real success stories under manager Ange Postecoglou, with Udogie now indispensable at left-back and Sarr impressing regularly in midfield.
Nusa would be chairman Daniel Levy's third capture after midfielder Timo Werner signed from RB Leipzig on loan and defender Radu Dragusin swapped Genoa for north London in a permanent deal.
However, things aren't quite done and dusted yet, with reports even suggesting that Premier League rivals Newcastle could hijack a move to sign Nusa before February 1.
Former Tottenham keeper Erik Thorstvedt is convinced the teenage sensation would thrive at N17, and has backed Nusa to get opportunities under Postecoglou.
"I heard some hints about this a few weeks ago," Thorstvedt told Norwegian media outlet Nettavisen recently.
"So I knew it could be on the cards. It's really cool. Tottenham are a fantastic club to come to right now. They have such good tools now that they do a tremendously thorough job. It is also reassuring for the player that they know what they are buying.
Timo Werner
Arrival, RB Leipzig (loan)
Radu Dragusin
Arrival, Genoa (permanent)
Djed Spence
Exit, Genoa (loan)
Eric Dier
Exit, Bayern (loan)
Ashley Phillips
Exit, Plymouth (loan)
Japhet Tanganga
Exit, Milwall (loan)
Sergio Reguilon
Exit, Brentford (loan)
Ivan Perisic
Exit, Hajduk Split (loan)
"Nusa is still very young, but Postecoglou is not afraid to pick people. He will get his opportunities and he is so good that he will take them."
Amid these discussions for Nusa, there are reports that Postecoglou is also keen to sign a new midfielder for Spurs. This could be dependent on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's future at the club, but links to the likes of Chelsea star Conor Gallagher and others are refusing to go away as we approach deadline day.
Tottenham "in discussions" to sign new midfielder
According to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, Spurs are in discussions to sign a new midfielder alongside Nusa.
It is believed the Lilywhites are "working to complete a deal" for one before the window shuts, though it is unclear as to who they currently chasing in that regard.
Spurs have apparently prioritised the addition of a new midfielder and will continue to chase a transfer, so it will be interesting to see which names emerge as prime candidates for the role.