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Pakistan are close, very close, to something very big. But in Australia you are never over the line until you are over the line

Osman Samiuddin05-Jan-2010Last evening, Mohammad Yousuf spoke for an entire nation. A two-hundred lead was very good he thought. Against any other country it was probably insurmountable. This was Australia though, he said, and three hundred would’ve been nice. In that exchange lies not only one law of cricket – that Australia shall never you a match – but years and years of Australian rule over Pakistan. It doesn’t matter if Shane Warne and everyone else are not around.Yousuf himself has been on the receiving end of seven losses in nine Tests before this so the nerves are understandable. Across Pakistan probably much the same feeling is floating around. Until the winning runs are hit and the result is inked into the books of history nobody will allow themselves to think otherwise.Pakistan started today accordingly, as if Australia were 206 ahead not behind. Catches were dropped, lengths were missed, lines lost and fielders too far from the bat. The first session was a muddle. But they stuck at it, placing their fates in the hands of Danish Kaneria.His poor start added to the tension, though also to the humour. Before the Test, Yousuf had asked for more respect for Kaneria’s achievements and his first contributions seemed calculated efforts to do precisely the opposite. He dropped a catch, bowled full tosses and found the left-right opening combination as comprehensible as a blind man might the Rubik’s Cube.But Kaneria’s career is nothing if not a song to persistence and belief; having Kamran Akmal as a wicketkeeper decrees as much. Belatedly, post-lunch he began to find some kind of rhythm though the groove wasn’t properly locked in until after tea. Then he was a changed man, focused, intense and still comical. The surface wasn’t as spin-friendly as it was the last time he bowled here, but in the wickets of Marcus North, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson, he went through a dangerous lower order.The day was a Kaneria highlights reel: poor bowling, good bowling, many overs, wickets, runs, dropped chances, nearly an entire lap of the ground in celebration. Then he fell over and limped off, job nearly done. If Pakistan do win this, he will not have bowled them to a more important win.It was that kind of day, bathed in sun, on an improving surface and a determined opponent. Pakistan had to grind their way through, running in the sand against the wind with a bagful of cement for company. It was also a day for Umar Gul.It’s been an odd year for him. He led his side to a grand triumph in England but Test fruits have been harder to come by. Maybe he hasn’t adapted back to five-day cricket. The lengths have been missing, sometimes too full, often too short. Waqar Younis said his rhythm was missing and he wasn’t getting his run-up right. It has never been as fluid as others and the action is clunkier always, with potential for things to go wrong.He should still never have been dropped in Melbourne even if in the first innings he was the least threatening of the three fast bowlers. But he picked up the slack today in one of those thankless mid-day spells that the least-pampered fast bowler must endure, when the sun is as much an opponent as the batsman. He ran in well, was quick and did well with his lengths. In Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson – both very clever pieces of bowling – he picked up the day’s biggest wickets.As much as Australia, Pakistan were fighting themselves today. Tomorrow they must do so again; 80 for eight is not up to much for most sides but Australia. Shane Watson says they still believe they can pull this off. Of course they do. If he had said otherwise you’d ask to check their passports. No one in the Pakistan camp is willing to even express supreme confidence. Decorum dictates it obviously, but they also know this is not over. They are close, very close, to something very big. But in Australia you are never over the line until you are over the line.

Australia allrounder was aware he would not be part of the one-day squad but has sights firmly set on T20 World Cup

Alex Malcolm11-Jan-20241:13

Stoinis: ‘I’ve got every intention to play T20 cricket for Australia’

Australia allrounder Marcus Stoinis has signed to play in the SA20 for Durban’s Super Giants, the affiliate of his IPL club Lucknow. He is comfortable with being left out of Australia’s ODI squad to face West Indies after speaking regularly to the selectors for six months, but still hopes to be part of the T20 World Cup campaign.Stoinis had known for some time he would not be part of Australia’s first bilateral ODI squad after the World Cup but he is not retiring from ODI cricket and is still preparing himself to be part of the T20 squad in the build-up to June’s World Cup where he has been a mainstay in the middle order since the 2021 triumph in the UAE.Even prior to missing out on selection in the XI for the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, Stoinis had been talking regularly with coach Andrew McDonald and chair of selectors George Bailey about what the transition period would look like for Australia’s one-day team, and he supported Aaron Hardie’s selection as a second allrounder in the 13-man squad alongside Cameron Green with Mitchell Marsh rested. Stoinis’ omission gives him the chance to play more franchise cricket in South Africa after the BBL, before he hopes being part of the T20I series against West Indies and New Zealand later in February.Related

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“I had a few conversations with Andrew McDonald over the last sort of four to six months,” Stoinis said. “Spoke to George as well. In terms of selections, in terms of the fact that Hardie’s coming in, I think that’s brilliant. I think it makes complete sense after a World Cup. There needs to be a balance between keeping a core, and bringing new guys in. The next tournament that they’re looking forward to is the Champions Trophy, which is 18 months away.”I’ve got no intention of retiring from international cricket or anything like that. I think it makes complete sense. He’s [Hardie] been playing brilliantly. He also needs to be exposed in international cricket which I think he’s ready for. I’ll be going to South Africa to play for my IPL franchise Lucknow over there which Cricket Australia has been in the loop with the whole time. So I think all makes sense to be honest.”Stoinis is currently with Melbourne Stars and his side are on the verge of playing finals. Stars have two more home and away games on January 13 and 15 to qualify for the finals which will be played from January 19 to 24.Marcus Stoinis is hopeful of being selected for the T20Is against West Indies and New Zealand•ICC/Getty Images

Durban’s Super Giants start their SA20 season on January 12. If Stars don’t make the finals, Stoinis could be available for as many as seven SA20 games or as few as four if Stars reach the BBL decider on January 24. But he will still be available, and is hoping to be selected, for Australia’s three-match T20I series against West Indies in Australia starting on February 9, which would rule him out of the SA20 finals which run from February 7 until February 11.”I’ve got every intention to play T20 cricket for Australia as long as I can, as long as they want me,” Stoinis said. “I feel like my international and T20 [franchise] cricket has been good over the last whatever period. And I’ve got a great relationship with the boys in the team and also with the likes of Timmy David and Wadey [Matthew Wade] and Ingo [Josh Inglis], that group that bat in the middle order, which I think is what we’re trying to nurture as a team to build towards the big tournaments.”But then also there needs to be a transition to get people into the team as well and expose people. I can only really speak for myself, but I think things are getting to a great stage where…we don’t want to give up a spot, but we understand the landscape of cricket and there’s opportunities at the moment everywhere so you need to be incorporating a group of cricketers into these teams, I think.”The club versus country debate continues to rage in Australia with David Warner likely to be recalled from the ILT20 for the same T20I series against West Indies. The selectors and CA have made it clear they will work with each individual on a case-by-case basis in terms of selection for international series when they have conflicting T20 franchise contracts.Stoinis believes the understanding between the players and CA on franchise cricket is very strong.”I think it’s the best it’s been,” he said. “I think every individual is probably a bit different. I’m very lucky with my relationship with Ron [McDonald]. We’re super open and clear. I think also he understands that cricket is going that way.”You can either push against it really or just work with it. Everyone wants the right thing for the players individually, but also for Cricket Australia and the Australian cricket team. So as long as we’re on that page, I think most situations should be able to resolve themselves.”Stoinis appeared in two Sheffield Shield matches for Western Australia last February after returning from the ILT20 and has not ruled out playing more first-class cricket, despite just two appearances in four years, although he is unlikely to be available to do so this summer.”I have spoken to Western Australia about that,” Stoinis said. “I don’t know whether it’s my stubbornness, but I can’t say no. I enjoyed it. I played it last year. I loved it. I love the different challenge. I love being around the group and being able to have more banter rather than a T20 game where you just run around the field by yourself. Nothing’s off limits.”

Australia left the ground on Tuesday still in the dark over which of the two surfaces would be used for the match

Andrew McGlashan08-Mar-20235:23

Will Ahmedabad give the best batting pitch of the series?

Steven Smith could not remember another occasion where he had been unsure which pitch he would be playing on for a Test match two days out from it starting.That was the situation which emerged on Tuesday in Ahmedabad with Australia leaving the ground still in the dark over which of the two surfaces would be used for the final Test. However, after the visitors had departed the picture became clearer. India’s hierarchy focused their attention on the drier, black-soil pitch, instead of the red-soil one which also appeared significantly greener – although the groundsman had told Smith both would have been significantly trimmed of grass.”[There] might have been a couple of [pitches] prepared maybe a bit longer out than two days but I can’t remember two days,” Smith said.Related

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Even by the time Australia had finished training on Tuesday, around four hours after arriving at the ground, the likely Test pitch had already started to change character.”I didn’t go out and have a look in the afternoon but Alex Carey did,” Smith said. “It looked completely different, a lot drier in the afternoon. It’s very hot here, 37 degrees, which gives it a chance to dry out and I think that the cover was on for a bit today. So they’re potentially worried that it’s drying out too much. It certainly changed in a few hours. Having a look today we’ll be able to potentially see what it’s going to do.”With three three-day Tests so far – and the latter barely reaching that far – this series is well on track to finish with the fewest balls bowled in a four-match series. However, Smith said the groundsman had indicated that this game would go longer than the othersIt all points to Australia again fielding three frontline spinners particularly now Cameron Green is available to balance the side. He was only needed for two overs in Indore, while Mitchell Starc was called on for 12.

“It’s been weird with a bit of the commentary back home, people talking about us playing three quicks and one spinner. It’s kind of mind-boggling to me when we look at these surfaces”

Smith took the opportunity for a little swipe at some of the punditry that suggested Australia should have stuck to their fast-bowling strengths with three quicks and just one spinner. That was the model which brought the 2004 series victory but on very different surfaces.Scott Boland partnered with Pat Cummins in Nagpur before Cummins was the lone quick in Delhi. Then Starc and Green both returned in Indore. Victory in the third Test has left the team with a sense of vindication that their planning has been correct.”It’s been weird with a bit of the commentary back home, people talking about us playing three quicks and one spinner,” Smith said. “It’s kind of mind-boggling to me when we look at these surfaces and we see what we’ve had, 11 innings in six days or something like that, and spinners have taken the bulk of the wickets and you see how difficult it is to play the spin.”It’s kind of odd to hear that kind of commentary, but we’ve had faith in what we’re trying to do and it’s good that we are able to show that we can play with three spinners and win. We weren’t too far away in Delhi either, outside of that hour of madness. Nice to know our plans and everything we are trying to do can work.”Smith looks for more lower-order runsOne area where Smith would like to see improvement is the productivity of the lower order, where India have overwhelmed what Australia have been able to produce. Even in the victory they lost 6 for 11 on the second day.Axar Patel is the second-highest run-getter in the series with 185 runs in four innings at an average of 92.50•BCCIFrom No. 8 onwards, India have scored 307 runs at 25.58 in the series compared to Australia’s 84 and 4.94. In comparison, although Rohit Sharma has scored the lone century, the top seven are all-but identical: Australia have made 776 runs at 22.92 and India 709 runs at 22.15.Australia are not expecting the level of contribution that Axar Patel is able to provide – he would not be out of place in the top six – but want to find a way to eke out partnerships.”The tail is something we’ve spoken about, probably as batters [they] haven’t contributed as much as we would have liked,” Smith said. “That’s been a big difference when you see someone like Axar who has been incredibly difficult to get out. And in terms of our top six versus their top six, there’s not a huge difference in averages for the series.”There is a considerable amount at stake in this final match. A 3-1 scoreline would suggest that there is still a gap when playing India in their conditions, albeit not as wide as some had considered, whereas a 2-2 share would be a remarkable outcome for Australia, especially considering where they were after the second Test in Delhi.”I think it would be a huge achievement for this group, or any touring team, that comes here to India and wins two Test matches,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it earlier in the series and give ourselves a chance to win but to draw the series here would be a huge plus and positive.”

أعلن الجهاز الفني لـ منتخب مصر تحت 17 عامًا بقيادة أحمد الكاس، التشكيل الذي يخوض به مباراة البحرين، مساء اليوم الخميس، في منافسات بطولة كأس الخليج للشباب.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع البحرين، في الجولة الثالثة من مواجهات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الخليج، في ختام مشوار الفراعنة بالمسابقة.

طالع | موعد والقنوات الناقلة لمباراة مصر والبحرين اليوم في كأس الخليج

وتقام بطولة كأس الخليج في السعودية، حيث انطلقت منافستها يوم 28 أغسطس وتستمر حتى 9 سبتمبر، بمشاركة 8 منتخبات.

وتضم المجموعة الأولى “السعودية وقطر والكويت واليمن”، بينما يتواجد في المجموعة الثانية “مصر وعمان والعراق والبحرين”.

وكان منتخب مصر، خسر لقاء الجولة الأولى من مواجهات المجموعة الثانية أمام عمان بنتيجة 2-0، وبالنتيجة ذاتها خسر أمام العراق. تشكيل منتخب مصر أمام البحرين اليوم في كأس الخليج للشباب

حراسة المرمى: عمرو عادل.

خط الدفاع: فارس فخري ونور أشرف وأدهم فريد وياسين حسام.

خط الوسط: باسل مدحت وعمر كمال وبلال عطية.

خط الهجوم: محمد حمد ومحمد صبيح وعبد العزيز الزغبي.

MatériaMais Notícias

E o São Paulo se tornou o primeiro dos quatro grandes clubes paulistas a anunciar um reforço para 2023. O time do Morumbi confirmou na manhã desta quarta-feira (7) o acerto com o meia Pedrinho, que estava no Lokomotiv, da Rússia, e disputou boa parte do último Campeonato Brasileiro pelo América-MG.

Segundo anunciado pelo Tricolor, Pedrinho chega por empréstimo de um ano do time russo, com opção de compra ao término deste período.

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+ Cristiano Ronaldo acerta com novo clube, Haaland pode influenciar em venda de Endrick… o Dia do Mercado!

O jogador será integrado ao elenco do técnico Rogério Ceni quando o Tricolor iniciará a pré-temporada no CT da Barra Funda, no próximo dia 14.

-É um sentimento inexplicável vestir a camisa deste gigante. Sempre sonhei com isso desde pequeno. Estou muito feliz e espero ter muito sucesso aqui. Me esforçarei ao máximo para dar alegria aos torcedores – disse Pedrinho.

– Temos trabalhado muito para montar o elenco de 2023. A contratação do Pedrinho é mais um importante passo. Um jogador jovem e promissor – afirmou o Presidente Julio Casares.

– O Pedrinho se encaixa em um perfil de reforço que estamos buscando: atleta em ascensão na carreira, com desejo de vencer no São Paulo. Acredito que vai nos ajudar muito nesta temporada – acrescentou o diretor de futebol Carlos Belmonte.

Pedrinho chega ao Tricolor após chamar a atenção de Ceni pela boa fase vivida no América-MG no ano passado, quando foi um dos destaques do Coelho no Campeonato Brasileiro e Copa do Brasil. Nesta última, esteve em campo no confronto entre as equipes pelas quartas de final.

Sua atuação, aliás, diante do São Paulo chamou a atenção dos russos, que o contrataram duas semanas após o duelo de volta daquela eliminatória, no Independência.

No Lokomotiv, foram nove jogos, quatro gols e uma assistência até agora. Mas dificuldades em se adaptar ao país fizeram seu estafe procurar interessados no futebol brasileiro com o fim da atual temporada.

Mudanças constantes de clubes, aliás, é uma das características que marcam a carreira de Pedrinho até aqui. Revelado pelo Juventus da Mooca, foi para o Audax, de Osasco, onde se profissionalizou em 2017. Desde então já foram cinco clubes diferentes na carreira, incluindo Bragantino e Athletico.

Pedrinho atende uma exigência de Ceni para preencher uma carência do elenco. Seja como meia, ou caindo para a ponta-esquerda, é veloz, driblador e capaz de quebrar linhas defensivas alheias. Assim atuou a maior parte do tempo no América-MG. E é justamente uma opção assim que o comandante são-paulino espera em seu grupo para o ano que vem.

+Reforço do São Paulo, Pedrinho foi um dos maiores dribladores do Brasileirão

RAIO-X
PEDRINHO

Nome completo: Pedro Gabriel Pereira Lopes
Data de nascimento: 10/11/1999 (23 anos)
Local de nascimento: São Paulo (SP)
Altura: 1m76
Peso: 70kg

Clubes: Osasco Audax (2017), Oeste (2017-2019), Athletico Paranaense (2019-2020), Oeste (2020), Red Bull Bragantino (2021), América-MG (2022), Lokomotiv (2022) e São Paulo (desde 2023)

Títulos: Copa do Brasil (2019) e Campeonato Paranaense (2020)

Premiação: Artilheiro do Campeonato Paranaense, com seis gols (2020)

> Confira tabela e resultados da Copa do Mundo-22 no Qatar
​> Confira tabela, classificação e simule resultados do Paulistão-23

Arsenal are closing in on signing Spanish centre-back Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia this summer. The Gunners have agreed personal terms with the defender and are close to finalising a deal with the La Liga side. The youngster, who recently represented Spain at the U-21 European Championship, is being considered as a perfect back up for William Saliba and Gabriel.

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• Arsenal set to sign Mosquera
• Have agreed personal terms with the player
• Arteta on a spending spree in the summer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Arsenal are on the verge of sealing a transfer for Mosquera. The 21-year-old appeared in 41 matches across all competitions and played in 37 out of Valencia's 38 La Liga matches. The Gunners had earlier tried to sign Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth, but after he moved to Real Madrid, the club turned their attention to Mosquera.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mikel Arteta is on a spending spree in the summer transfer window to bolster their squad ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. They have already announced the arrivals of midfielders Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi from Brentford and Real Sociedad, while Kepa Arrizabalaga made the switch from Chelsea. The North London side have also agreed on a deal to sign Noni Madueke from the Blues and are also on the verge of signing Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The Premier League giants are also working on a new long-term deal for wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri, as the youngster is all set to commit his future to his boyhood club.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  Arteta and his team are already back in training as they are scheduled to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong later this month, where they will play pre-season friendlies against AC Milan, Newcastle and Tottenham.

The Netherlands batter backs the side to move forward and learn from the defeat against Sri Lanka ‘as quickly as possible’

Shashank Kishore21-Oct-20237:49

Maharoof: The new-ball spell of Madushanka and Rajitha set up the win

If this was the Netherlands of 2007, or perhaps even 2011, Sybrand Engelbrecht may have soaked in the satisfaction of notching up an important personal milestone – a maiden ODI half-century – in a World Cup fixture. But the class of 2023 thinks differently.Three nights after stunning South Africa in a sensational defence in Dharamsala, Netherlands appeared to have gone cold early on against Sri Lanka in Lucknow. Feet weren’t moving, wickets kept tumbling, the scoreboard appeared stalled and there was a sense of hopelessness to proceedings at 91 for 6. Teams of the past may have unravelled. This Netherlands team didn’t.Related

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Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek hit sprightly half-centuries in a 130-run stand that brought them back into the game and gave their bowlers a score to defend. It wasn’t to be, though, despite the best efforts of their spinners who had combined figures of 4 for 125 off 28.1 overs in a defence of 263; Aryan Dutt was particularly impressive with his offspin that brought him 3 for 44.”I must admit it’s still a bitter pill to swallow,” Engelbrecht said after Netherlands’ six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in which he made 79. “Getting 260-odd after that start we thought it was a very competitive score. Maybe the pitch got a little bit better, but I thought they controlled the innings really well. And we just didn’t quite pitch up today with the ball, unfortunately. So, yeah, not the ideal result for us, but we’ll move forward and we’ll try and be better and learn from this as quickly as possible.”Engelbrecht was particularly effusive in his praise for van Beek, who struck his maiden half-century (59) on Saturday. His enterprise during their partnership helped take the pressure off Engelbrecht, who was the more industrious of the two.”I think a lot of credit needs to go to Logan, I thought he batted brilliantly, and we just tried take it as deep as possible,” he said. “We just told ourselves, if we can get to the last ten overs with six down, we’re giving ourselves a good chance.”So, for us, it really wasn’t necessarily about trying to accumulate runs. It was just about making sure that we got into positive positions and pick up the runs when we could. But to try and lay a bit of a foundation for us to start scoring a little bit more freely to the back end, which we managed to do. So, happy with the partnership.”Would they have taken 262 after all that?”At the halfway stage we thought we had a decent score,” Engelbrecht said. “I don’t think we would have taken it necessarily. I think, you know, the pitch definitely got better as the day went on, but I mean, I spoke to Max [O’Dowd] about it as well, and there was still consistently something in the pitch if we bowled the right areas. And I just thought we didn’t string enough good balls together for long enough to put the Sri Lanka team under pressure.”In recent times, Sri Lanka have been a bit of a bogey team for the Netherlands. Twice at the World Cup Qualifiers in June, they fell short, including in the final. In both games, Netherlands were more than in with a shout at the halfway mark but collapsed at the first sign of spin. Which is why their revival on Saturday feels like a vindication of the work they’ve put in behind the scenes, including a long pre-World Cup camp in Bengaluru to acclimatise to different surfaces and conditions.Sybrand Engelbrecht brought up his first ODI half-century•AFP/Getty Images”We were very confident in the growth that we’ve shown as a team over the last 6-12 months,” Engelbrecht said. “We’re a better team now than we were when we played them at the Qualifier and we thought that if we stick to our processes, if we implement our plans and execute well for long enough, we stood a really good chance. And I think there were periods in the game that you could definitely see that. So, credit goes to them. They played well. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t string it together for long enough.”At a personal level, Engelbrecht has had to grapple with challenges, like several others in the team, of working a day job and balancing cricket on the sidelines. In the highest level of club cricket back in Netherlands, Engelbrecht has been a heavy scorer for Voorburg Cricket Club, who he helped steer to three straight finals.Engelbrecht said he hadn’t made too many adjustments to his game coming into the World Cup. It’s understandable too, considering he didn’t think he even stood a chance of playing in the tournament and only came into the system after the Qualifiers in June-July.”I haven’t made a lot of adjustments,” he said. “I’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible. I think when you do make the step up from club cricket in the Netherlands, you could maybe sometimes think, ‘oh wow, I need to do so much more, you know, things differently.'”But the reality is, in our changing room we’ve got really good cricketers and we just need to back ourselves and our processes and stick to our plans. So, nothing really changed, it’s just trying to be as clear as possible and to watch the ball as closely as possible. So, I’m happy that it came off for me personally today, but as I said, we’ve got really, really good cricketers in our changing room and it will show as we go along.”

It would probably be fair to say that the last period of sustained positivity at Tottenham Hotspur came under Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine spent just over five years in the Lilywhites’ dugout, during which he turned them into one of the best teams in the country and led them to their first Champions League final.

However, while the former boss got plenty right during his time at the club, he also made his fair share of mistakes, especially in the transfer market.

He may have been responsible for some brilliant signings like Son Heung-min, Toby Alderweireld and Dele Alli, but he was also responsible for some howlers, including one flop who cost the club a fortune and earned more than Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence.

Pochettino's worst signings

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of Pochettino’s other dismal signings from his time in the Spurs hot seat, starting with what has to be considered his worst: Tanguy Ndombele.

The North Londoners opted to spend a then-club-record £63m on the Lyon midfielder in the summer of 2019, and while it is easy to lambast the deal now, there was a lot of excitement at the time, with the Guardian’s David Hytner even comparing the Frenchman to Mousa Dembélé.

Unfortunately, that comparison never came close to being justified.

Appearances

91

Goals

10

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.20

Loan Moves

3

Over the next five years, the former Lyon ace would make just 91 first-team appearances, in which he scored ten goals and provided nine assists, before eventually seeing his contract terminated last summer, after costing the North Londoners around £104m in wages and fees.

A far cheaper, but still disappointing, signing was that of Vincent Janssen, who joined the club in the summer of 2016 for around £19m from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.

Now, while the Dutchman still cost the club a significant amount of money, he falls into the category of ‘most disappointing’ signings under Pochettino because of the expectations of what he’d do and the reality of what he managed.

For example, in the season before his move, the Heesch-born marksman won the Eredivisie Golden Boot and amassed a sensational haul of 31 goals and seven assists in 49 appearances across all competitions.

However, in his one and only full season in North London, he could only muster up a tally of six goals and four assists in 38 games, and after a loan to Fenerbahçe for the 17/18 season, he was sold to Mexican outfit Monterrey a year after that for just £6.3m.

In all, Janssen was a flop for Spurs and Poch, but he did not cost the club as much money as another signing from the Netherlands did.

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

This meant they were now light at the back and had a hefty wad of cash burning a hole in their pocket.

So, Pochettino and Daniel Levy looked to the continent and decided to sign the up-and-coming Davinson Sanchez from Ajax for a massive £42m.

In addition to breaking their transfer record to sign the then-21-year-old, the club also decided to hand him a rather lucrative £65k-per-week contract, which, if he were still earning today, would see him make more than Van de Ven and Spence, who both make £50k-per-week despite being far better players.

With that said, the Colombian international’s first season in North London wasn’t a total bust, and he ended up making 41 appearances across all competitions for the club, but as things started to go wrong for the team in the following years, he began to pick up plenty of stick.

For example, in his final season in North London, the team conceded a whopping 63 goals in the Premier League alone, and he was labelled “deadwood” and “one of the worst players I’ve ever seen” by pundit and former professional Jamie O’Hara.

In all, the Caloto-born defender made 207 appearances for the club, in which he scored five goals and provided one assist before being sold to Galatasaray in Septbember 2023.

Transfer Fee

£42m

Wages (Total)

£65k (£20.4m)

Appearances

207

Cost per Appearance

£301k

Goals

5

Cost per Goal

£12.4m

Assists

1

Cost per Assist

£62.4m

Goal Involvements

6

Cost per Goal Involvement

£10.4m

So, when you add his transfer fee to his overall salary at Spurs, which would have been about £20.4m, the former Ajax star cost the Lilywhites about £62.4m, which breaks down to £301k-per-appaearance, £12.4m-per-goal, £62.4m-per-assist or £10.4m-per-goal-involvement.

Ultimately, while Sanchez wasn’t Pochettino’s worst signing at Spurs, he wasn’t far off, and the fact Van de Ven and Spence currently earn less than he did is an indication that the club have learned from their mistakes.

Spurs' award-winning CF was ahead of Kane, then Poch sold him for £208k

The promising forward wasn’t able to reach his potential at Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 28, 2025

Roberto Martinez hailed Lamine Yamal as 'the best at his poisition', but ranked two Portuguese players above the Barcelona star for the Ballon d'Or.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Martinez heaped praise on Yamal
• Labelled the Barca sensation as the best
• But named two others for Ballon d'Or

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Yamal produced a phenomenal season with Barcelona, helping the Catalans return among the trophies. However, Portugal head coach Martinez strongly believes that two unlikely candidates in Vitinha and Nuno Mendes, who play under him in international football, are more worthy candidates of lifting this year's Ballon d'Or award.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Yamal has become one of the favourites to clinch the Ballon d'Or award after producing a historic season. The 17-year-old scored 21 goals and produced 25 assists in 62 games for club and country, helping Barca win the domestic treble. He was also instrumental in Spain reaching the Nations League final. His consistency and impact in big games have seen him become a hot favourite for the award among many players, coaches, and pundits.

  On the other hand, Vitinha and Mendes were pivotal players in a picture perfect campaign with Paris Saint-Germain, as Luis Enrique's side completed a clean sweep of all trophies on available and lifted their maiden Champions League trophy. The left-back, in particular, shone on the international stage as well, winning the Nations League Finals Player of the Tournament.

• WHAT ROBERTO MARTINEZ SAID

  Speaking on COPE's program, Martinez was effusive in his praise for Yamal: " I don't know how you treat him. Lamine is the best at his position and has been very consistent. There is no talent who plays in his position and plays like that. We have to help him."

  When asked about his favourites for the Ballon d'Or, Martinez replied: "Vitinha and Nuno Mendes are far above the rest; at club level and because of their profile. Nuno Mendes, for me, is the best left-back I've ever seen. He can play on the outside and on the inside. He's very quick and has a good pass. I thought the perfect player didn't exist, and Nuno is very close to that."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Vitinha and Mendes, along with leading candidate Ousmane Dembele, will have a chance to further stake their claims for the Ballon d'Or in the Club World Cup, which begins on June 14. PSG play their first game of the tournament on June 15 against Atletico Madrid.

A handful of Pakistan players are waiting to hear if they will be permitted to play in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the United States in July.Imad Wasim and Azam Khan – who do not hold central contracts with the PCB – have agreed deals in principle to play for Seattle Orcas, whose backers include GMR Group, the co-owners of Delhi Capitals.Two other players, who are national team regulars in both white-ball formats and are centrally contracted, have also been in talks with another franchise but are waiting to hear from the PCB whether they will be granted No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to play in the tournament.ESPNcricinfo understands that MLC’s organisers have been in talks with the PCB in recent weeks to discuss the potential participation of Pakistan players. The PCB are thought to be evaluating the league and exploring the specific terms and conditions upon which NOCs may be granted. There are some suggestions that the PCB could ask for a fee in the region of USD$25,000 in exchange for an NOC. There is some anxiety from league organisers as to whether Pakistan players will be granted visas, though that is not believed to be a serious obstacle.Related

• MLC wants more England cricketers, but not to 'start a war with anyone'

• Du Plessis, Conway, Santner, Rayudu reunite with coach Fleming at Texas Super Kings

• MLC gets official ICC sanction ahead of July launch this year

• Roy agrees termination of ECB incremental contract to play in MLC

A more pressing obstacle to their potential participation will be the nature and, indeed, fate of Pakistan’s July commitment in Sri Lanka. That series is currently a two-Test World Test Championship series which overlaps with MLC – the league takes place from July 13-30 at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas. There is speculation that series may turn into an ODI series as preparation for the World Cup. If so the two centrally contracted players will likely not be able to play in the US as they would be required to appear for Pakistan.Any appearance by Pakistani players would be significant because they have missed out on the two other big leagues launched in the UAE and South Africa, both with significant IPL franchise ownership. The ostensible reason for their absence from the ILT20 and the SA20 was because of a busy international home season for their top players. But there were also suggestions at the time that IPL franchise owners were reluctant to pick Pakistani players because of strained political ties between India and Pakistan – Pakistani players have not featured in the IPL since the inaugural season.Four of the six MLC franchises have investors who own or co-own IPL teams, while Cricket Victoria and Cricket New South Wales have stakes in the other two.Each franchise has a salary cap of $1.15 million and several leading international players – including Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje – have signed deals worth up to $175,000.Each team will only play five group games in the inaugural season, though MLC is likely to expand in future years.