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Chelsea have impressed massively throughout the 2024/25 campaign, with Enzo Maresca having a huge impact during his first season as the club’s manager.

The Italian took the reins last summer after Mauricio Pochettino departed, leading the side to a top five finish in the Premier League – subsequently securing Champions League football for 2025/26.

His side also claimed the Europa Conference League trophy after a thumping 4-1 win over Real Betis in the final, topping off what has been a season to remember in West London.

With the transfer window now open, it presents the 45-year-old to make key additions in various areas of the squad to push themselves one step closer to returning to a title battle.

He’s already landed the signing of striker Liam Delap, but numerous other players are already on their shortlist, with potential moves popping up after the window opened on Sunday.

The latest on Chelsea’s hunt for new attackers

Despite the deal for Delap, Maresca has made adding strength to his Chelsea forward line a priority this summer, with further firepower needed for future success in the near future.

The likes of Samu Omorodion, Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko have all been touted with a switch to the Blues this summer, but as of yet, no deals have been agreed for any of the aforementioned talents.

However, another name has been mentioned over the last couple of days, with West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus emerging as a key option, according to one Spanish report.

They claim that the Blues are preparing a £59m offer for the 24-year-old Ghanaian winger, who managed to register nine combined goals and assists in all competitions throughout 2024/25.

It also states that the hierarchy are determined to win the race for his signature this summer, with city rivals Arsenal also firmly in the race for the attacker’s services during the off-season.

Why Chelsea’s £59m target has shades of Hazard

Belgian winger Eden Hazard arrived at Chelsea back in the summer of 2012 as an unknown quantity to many, but it’s safe to say he managed to quickly announce himself to the fanbase.

The attacker cost the club around £32m from French outfit Lille, a fee that proved to be a bargain given his time as a player in West London – all before banking them a huge profit, after eventually leaving in a £150m deal to join Real Madrid back in 2019.

The now-retired 34-year-old featured over 350 times, scoring 110 times, with Hazard today still in the conversation as one of the best wingers in Premier League history with his mazy runs and unbelievable dribbling ability.

Many players such as Jadon Sancho, Mykhailo Mudryk and Pedro Neto have all tried to fill the void left by the attacker in recent years, but have failed miserably – leading to the club’s interest in new forwards this summer.

Maresca could be able to find his own version of the Belgian this summer, with Kudus having a similar skill set, offering the side the added threat they need going forward.

He registered 13 take-ons against the Blues back in 2023/24, the most of any player in the division that campaign, highlighting his ability with the ball at his feet. That tally of 13 was also what the great Hazard achieved on two occasions during his Stamford Bridge stay.

Kudus, who’s also been labelled “generational” by journalist Gary Smith, has registered 3.4 progressive carries and 3.2 successful take-ons per 90 this campaign – further highlighting his skillset of getting at the opposition.

Mohammed Kudus’ stats for West Ham in the PL (2024/25)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

32

Goals & assists

8

Pass accuracy

84%

Progressive carries

3.4

Successful take-ons

3.2

Shots taken

2.6

Carries into penalty area

1.5

Stats via FBref

The Ghanaian has also registered 2.6 shots per 90, cutting inside on his favoured left-foot off the right hand, similar to how Hazard did on the opposite side during his spell in West London.

£59m may appear to be another huge investment from the hierarchy this summer, but given the stats produced by the Hammers star, it’s a no-brainier with the winger having the tools to take his game to the next level as a result.

Should he manage to get anywhere near close to the levels produced by Hazard at the Bridge, it would be an absolute bargain, potentially catapulting the Blues towards title glory once again in the near future.

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Posts 2 ByAngus Sinclair Jun 5, 2025

While they haven’t necessarily seen much success in the modern era, Tottenham Hotspur fans have been blessed with incredible players.

For example, for years, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were arguably the most dangerous duo in the entire Premier League.

Before that, it was Gareth Bale, Luka Modrić and Rafael van der Vaart who wowed fans on a weekly basis, yet for all the incredibly talented players just mentioned, none of them was able to deliver a moment quite as magical as a certain Lucas Moura.

The Brazilian winger might not have been the best player to grace N17, but he was undeniably talented, lively, and capable of producing here and there, and now it looks like the club might have found their new version of him.

Moura's Spurs' career

Moura joined Spurs from Paris Saint-Germain in January 2018 for a fee of around £23m, which, looking back today, doesn’t seem unreasonable.

His first six months in North London were relatively unremarkable, as he was limited to just 457 minutes of first-team football across 11 appearances, although he was still able to score one goal and provide four assists.

However, it was the following season, the 18/19 campaign, that brought with it his finest moment in a Tottenham shirt and the moment that cemented his place in the club’s proud history.

In the Premier League, he did well enough, scoring ten goals and providing one assist in 32 games, but it was in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, away to Ajax, where he did something awe-inspiring.

The Lilywhites were already a goal down from the first leg, so when the hosts went in at halftime two-nil up, it felt as if the club’s European adventure had come to an unfortunate end.

However, Mauricio Pochettino must have given the team talk of his life, as Moura came out like a man possessed in the second half and scored a hat-trick, with the third goal coming in the 96th minute.

The former PSG gem would spend the following few seasons in and out of the team, eventually returning to Sao Paulo in August 2023 with a tally of 66 goal involvements in 221 games, but with the appreciation of the fanbase for that magical night in Amsterdam – and now it looks like the club have found their new Moura.

Spurs' new Moura

So, while Brennan Johnson has an eye for goal in him and Wilson Odobert has shown glimpses of something special, neither player could be considered Spurs’ new Moura.

Chalkboard

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

That title belongs to Mathys Tel, and there are a few reasons for this.

The first is the simple fact that, like the Brazilian, he arrived at Tottenham in January from a massive European club where he was struggling for game-time, this time Bayern Munich.

On top of that, the youngster arrived with quite a bit of hype around him, with journalist Graeme Bailey revealing that Spurs themselves were describing him as “a generational talent.”

That might sound hyperbolic, but in their defence, the “mind-blowing” attacker, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored ten goals and provided six assists in just 1406 minutes of first-team football last season, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 87.87 minutes.

Appearances

41

Starts

10

Minutes

1406′

Goals

10

Assists

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.39

Minutes per Goal Involvement

87.87′

Finally, like the former Lilywhites star, the Sarcelles-born dynamo is incredibly direct, rapid and capable of making things happen on his own, and had the team been on song against Nottingham Forest on Monday night, he could have easily picked up a couple of assists, as he played five key passes and created one big chance.

Ultimately, while it’s still early on in his career, and there is even a chance they don’t sign him permanently in the summer, Tel looks to be an exciting prospect and someone who could become Spurs’ new Moura.

However, fans might be hoping he can produce magical moments on a more consistent basis than the Brazilian did.

One of his poorest-ever displays: 5/10 Spurs dud was worse than Richarlison

Spurs suffered yet another Premier League defeat, this time at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 22, 2025

Enzo Maresca had to stress that he still has the backing of the board after Chelsea lost 2-1 to Legia Warsaw in the Conference League.

The Blues had won 3-0 away from home the week before, but there’s no denying that results haven’t been good enough for some time, with fans frustrated about Maresca’s supposed pragmatic tactics on the ball.

Five wins from 16 in all competitions make a telling comment on the issues, further compounded by Cole Palmer’s ongoing dry spell in front of goal.

Nicolas Jackson has also struggled for form since returning from injury this month, and it’s clear a new centre-forward needs to be signed this summer.

In fact, the club have already done due diligence on one of Europe’s hottest number nines and are prepared to make a bid.

Chelsea set to bid for new striker

According to Spanish reports, Chelsea are set to make a bid for Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy, 29, this summer as Maresca looks to strengthen his ailing frontline.

Juventus and Napoli are also believed to be monitoring Guirassy’s situation, but Chelsea hold financial sway over the Serie A sides and may yet secure a pathway through to next year’s Champions League.

Though The Yellow Wall would seek to recoup €70m (£59m) for last year’s investment, this would be an affordable figure for one of the game’s most efficient goalscorers of recent years.

Why Chelsea should sign Serhou Guirassy

Guirassy, hitherto a relative unknown, rose to prominence with his prolific performances for Stuttgart last season. However, his success since transferring to Dortmund last summer has shown he’s more than a flash-in-the-pan.

24/25 – Bor. Dortmund

40

28

8

23/24 – Stuttgart

30

30

3

22/23 – Stuttgart

29

14

2

21/22 – Rennes

48

12

3

20/21 – Rennes

33

14

1

As the Guinean striker’s career will tell you, development isn’t linear. Raheem Sterling, for example, has been on the decline in recent years and is just one year Guirassy’s senior.

But Guirassy has come on leaps and bounds, with German legend Lothar Matthaus actually praising him as “one of the best strikers in Europe.”

Though English football is a whole ‘nother wheelhouse, Dortmund’s number nine is also the Champions League top scorer this season, leapfrogging Raphinha after bagging a hat-trick against La Blaugrana before bowing out on aggregate.

Guirassy’s 28-goal haul this term is beyond even Palmer’s return last season, 27 goals across 48 matches in all competitions. It suggests that at the least he would be an upgrade on Jackson, who started strong this term but has since foundered, criticised for being “erratic and wasteful” by Blues podcaster Rob Lawman.

Jackson, 23, has gone 11 matches without scoring in the Premier League and continues to miss promising chances in the final third, squandering a staggering 42 big chances since arriving on English shores, notching only 23 goals.

As per FBref, Guirassy ranks among the top 10% of centre-forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 10% for pass completion and the top 14% for aerial duels won per 90.

His Stuttgart success wasn’t an isolated thing, after all.

Looking at the 6 foot 1 striker’s clinical shooting, just 38 big chances missed across the past two Bundesliga terms, having scored 43 times, it’s clear to see why Maresca would want to add him to the mix, especially when considering his crisp passing and composed head too.

Jackson has ebbed and flowed since leaving Villarreal for Chelsea in 2023, signing for a £52m fee, and you can see the difference in composure and incisiveness in the final third between the strikers in question.

Ultimately, Chelsea need to raise the bar in front of goal next season if they are to go one further and challenge for the title, challenge for multiple titles.

Guirassy, proven as one of Europe’s most deadly forwards, would fit the bill, and perhaps ease Jackson’s burden as he continues to add the blocks to his skill set.

Best signing since Palmer: Chelsea now favourites to sign £85m "diamond"

Chelsea can seal their best signing since Palmer with this “English diamond”

ByConnor Holden Apr 17, 2025

Allrounder reveals details of phone call with Brendon McCullum as he plots international recall

Matt Roller05-Feb-2025Player of the tournament in a World Cup win. More than 100 England caps across all formats. Back-to-back Hundred trophies, one as MVP. Million-dollar IPL contracts. A walk-on role in a County Championship three-peat. At 26, Sam Curran has already achieved more than most cricketers manage across their lifetime.Yet as he heads towards the peak years of most sporting careers, Curran is experiencing a lull: for the first time since he burst into international cricket nearly seven years ago, he finds himself outside of England’s squads in all three formats. There is little doubt that he will be back at some stage, but life on the fringes brings an uneasy novelty.Curran has kept his head down since he was left out of England’s white-ball squads for their tour to India and the subsequent Champions Trophy, with his focus on the ILT20 in the UAE. But he has decided the time is now right to address it, telling ESPNcricinfo from Dubai that he will be “banging the door” down until he is back in the international set-up.Related

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“There were loads of different reasons I didn’t get picked,” Curran says. “More so the T20s, but I naturally felt I should have been in both teams. But they’ve obviously got their plans and you can look at the way they’re lining up now… The 50-over side is going to be similar to the T20 line-up, and they wanted the same structure of the top six.”At the time of his omission, Curran spoke to Brendon McCullum – whom he is yet to play under – and valued the clarity he received. “He just said: ‘You’re not in right now, but go away, score runs and take wickets.’ I respected it a lot: sometimes you just get the easy: ‘It’s not the end.’ But it was pretty clear what they wanted me to do.”Yet there is a sense that McCullum might consider his style of bowling – left-arm swing rather than seam, and speeds closer to 80mph than 90mph – an awkward fit in his England teams. His first white-ball squads contained a battery of right-arm quicks, and he overlooked Curran last summer when Ben Stokes’ hamstring tear had seemed to open up a return to the Test side.It prompted Curran to reveal his fear that he no longer “fit the mould” that England were looking for – less through his personality than his physical attributes. With McCullum in charge across formats and making abundantly clear that his preference is for a level of convergence in selection, the route back is unlikely to be entirely straightforward.But England’s 4-1 defeat to India served to highlight the value of variety in any T20 side, however expensive Curran has proved in the past two years. It means that twelve months out from another T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, the unlikely star of England’s 2022 triumph is confident that he can force his way into the side.Curran says England’s 2022 T20 World Cup win “feels quite a while ago”•AFP/Getty Images”Everyone knows things can change quickly,” Curran says. “I’m the type of guy that will go away and do well and improve. It was just a case of them going with the top six they want, and backing the five bowlers they’ve chosen. [McCullum] told me to keep banging the door down and I feel like I’ve come here and done pretty well. I’m in a good headspace.”Curran has taken the setback as well as could be hoped but the two years since England’s T20 World Cup win have not been without their challenges. He was dropped early in their disastrous defence of the 50-over World Cup and his form has oscillated between extremes – as is the case for most players whose calendars are dominated by T20.”It feels quite a while ago,” he reflects on England’s win in Australia. “There were some tough times for the team [after that]. It’s just been inconsistency, being in and out a lot of the time. That was the big message from above: go away and show consistency. I feel like hopefully I’ve done that, and will keep doing that.”

“I’m driven by winning trophies… If I can finish the tournament with loads of runs, a lot of wickets and winning a trophy, I feel that’s all I can really do”Sam Curran on playing in the ILT20

Curran is playing for Desert Vipers, Avram Glazer’s franchise, in the ILT20 and his performances helped them finish top of the group stages. He has taken six wickets with the ball but his main role has been with the bat: used in his preferred role at No. 4, he is their second-highest run-scorer and has walked off unbeaten in three successful run chases.Curran’s batting record in T20 internationals makes for ugly reading – an average of 14.24 and a strike rate of 124.47 – and it is increasingly clear that England have used him out of position. He has had no impact when used as a finisher but can control an innings from the middle order: his only T20 half-century for England came in his only innings at No. 4.If McCullum continues to favour high pace, consistent run-scoring may yet be the best way to get noticed. With England’s middle order struggling badly against spin, Curran’s status as a left-hander should play in his favour: he could feasibly be used as the one lower-tempo batter in a line-up of power-hitters, as Ben Stokes was during their 2022 success.Consolation came through the identity of the winning bidders: Chennai Super Kings, his old team. “I was buzzing,” Curran says, laughing off the significance of the price tag. “Chennai was where I kickstarted my IPL career. As soon as I was picked up, I had 10-15 messages from people who were there four years ago.”He will finally get to experience their home crowd this year, with his previous stints coinciding with Covid-enforced neutral venues. “I’ve played there as the away team, and you see the love for the players. It also helps when you have the habit of winning and great consistency with [Stephen] Fleming and those guys who have been there since the start.”A short break in the meantime will allow Curran a rare opportunity to take stock, and to keep his career in perspective. “Cricket – especially T20, let’s be honest – is very fickle,” he says. “You can get a good ball, or two bad ones, and it goes the other way: that’s what happens in T20. But for now, I’ve just got to keep banging the door down.”

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma feels Varma has “got a long way to go”, while Tom Moody called him an “absolute jet”

Karthik Krishnaswamy19-Apr-20232:35

Moody: Tilak Varma has big career ahead of him – for India too

Tilak Varma was playing for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday, but he was also a bright young talent from Hyderabad batting in his hometown. It was inevitable, therefore, that something of the city’s cricketing traditions would find expression at some point.That point arrived in the 16th over of Mumbai’s innings, when Mayank Markande dangled up a wrong’un pitching half a foot outside the left-hander’s leg stump.Varma glided smoothly to the leg side of the ball, exposing all his stumps, his back foot going so far as to brush the return crease. His front foot remained close to the line of the ball, though, aligning him perfectly to hit with the turn. The rest was down to that most Hyderabadi ingredient: wrists. As the ball arced over extra-cover and into the vacant spaces beyond, Varma could have been a mirror image of Mohammad Azharuddin or VVS Laxman.Related

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This bit of artistry would have been perfectly at home in a Test match, but it was just as much a product of its time and place as the other, more obviously T20-ish bits of innovation that peppered Varma’s batting on the day. He had reverse-heaved Markande over short third almost as soon as he had walked in; not long after that, he had collapsed his back knee to shorten the effective length of a blockhole-seeking delivery from Marco Jansen, and shovelled it just beyond the reach of a leaping long-on fielder.When Varma came to the crease, Mumbai were going at just under eight an over in the 12th of their innings, and had just lost Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in the same over. By the time Varma departed in the 17th for 37 off 17 balls, Mumbai were humming along at just above nine an over, well on course to post a challenging total on a pitch where the slower ball was gripping and not always coming on to the bat.Cameron Green took the baton from Varma and dominated the finishing stages, ransacking 25 off the last ten balls of his innings to finish unbeaten on 64 off 40. Varma’s innings, however, had allowed Green to get to 39 off 30 without raising too many eyebrows. It wasn’t that he had lacked intent in the early stages of his innings, but simply that he had taken time coming to terms with the two-paced nature of the pitch.Varma had no such issues. While the rest of Mumbai’s batters scored 59 off 45 balls through the middle overs (seventh to 16th), Varma scored 31 off 15.Now, anyone can outshine his colleagues in a one-off occasion, but Varma has been Mumbai’s middle-overs mainstay throughout his time with them. Since the start of the 2022 season, his first in the IPL, Varma has scored more middle-overs runs than any other batter in the tournament.If 479 runs at a strike rate of 137.64 sounds impressive but not earth-shatteringly so, consider this: through IPL 2022 and the early part of IPL 2023, Mumbai have had the worst middle-overs strike rate of any team (122.71). KL Rahul has a similar middle-overs strike rate (137.35) to Varma’s, but he has been part of a Lucknow Super Giants side that has rattled along at 137.61 through that phase.Varma, in short, has carried a struggling Mumbai line-up through what is often the trickiest phase of a T20 innings. He only turned 20 last November.As you might expect, his exploits have turned some of the sagest heads in world cricket. Tom Moody, who coached Sunrisers for nine seasons and won the IPL with them in 2016, is one of them.”He’s an absolute jet, isn’t he? I love watching him bat,” Moody said on the ESPNcricinfo show T20 Time:Out. “He seems to have a head on his shoulders well above his age, he’s got a sense of maturity about how he navigates his innings, he never seems to be flustered, he’s got the shots.”If he needs to pull the trigger and play a couple of big shots, he’s got that, and does it very comfortably. It’s a bit of an understatement, but he’s got a big career ahead of him, hasn’t he? Not only for Mumbai Indians but for India.”

“For someone of his age, coming out and playing the way he is, he’s got a long way to go, and we will see him play for some different teams”Rohit Sharma on Tilak Varma

That’s some endorsement, and Moody wasn’t done just yet.”I think he’s got a solid technique,” he said. “To me, it looks like he’s got a very good game against pace bowling. So, defensively, he looks very, very much at ease. He’s got a good game both back and front foot against genuine pace, which is what you need to climb the international ladder.”He’s clearly a very, very good player of spin, which is going to be a reasonably important tool for him, playing the majority of his cricket in this country […] To me, he’s got the complete game.”Look, I don’t know him at all, I’ve never had a chance to sit down and have a chat with him, but I just sense that he’s a player that seems to have a very good head on his shoulders and understands his own limitations in his own game, and he’s been put into many pressure situations, given Mumbai’s adversity over recent times where he’s been involved, but he seems to have breezed through that with flying colours.Tilak Varma played some stunning shots during his cameo against SRH•AFP/Getty Images”That’s not the easiest thing to do for a young player, because quite often young players go missing when the leaders of the pack aren’t showing the way, but he’s the one that’s been the leader of the pack during adversity.”Moody wasn’t alone in predicting a bright future for Varma.”We watched Tilak last season, and he showed what he can do with the bat, and he’s not looked away from it this year as well,” Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma said at the post-match presentation. “What I like about his game is his approach. He’s not playing the bowler, he’s playing the ball, which is quite important.”For someone of his age, coming out and playing the way he is, he’s got a long way to go, and we will see him play for some different teams.”You can be fairly certain Rohit wasn’t talking about Varma playing for another IPL team, or for Hyderabad in domestic cricket.

Though he made key contributions with bat and ball, his drop of Kieron Pollard in the 19th over turned out to be expensive

S Rajesh17-Apr-2021Vijay Shankar had a more-than-reasonable game with both bat and ball tonight: he took the key wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, finishing with excellent figures of 2 for 19 in three overs, and in difficult batting conditions, scored a 25-ball 28 that kept the Sunrisers in the game even as wickets were falling at the other end. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, based only on the batting and bowling stats, he was third in terms of impact points for the game, next only to Rahul Chahar and Jonny Bairstow. And yet, his one error in the field undid much of that good work and might have been a factor in the Sunrisers’ defeat.ESPNcricinfo LtdOff the third ball of the 19th over, with Kieron Pollard on 18 off 16 balls, Shankar dropped a straightforward chance at deep midwicket. Pollard faced only five more balls after that drop – he also got a single off that delivery – but creamed 16 runs, including consecutive sixes off the last two balls.According to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index, that chance cost Sunrisers nine runs. That is calculated through a complex algorithm, which takes into account the quality of the batters to follow and puts a number to the runs that the other batters would have scored off the extra deliveries that Pollard faced.In this case, the algorithm calculates that had Pollard been dismissed, the remaining batters would have scored just eight runs off the five balls that Pollard faced after the chance. That would have given the Sunrisers a target of 142 to win, and not 151.You could argue that the Sunrisers fell short of that target too, but then the approach of the batters would have been different – especially in the last few overs – had the Sunrisers required nine fewer runs. Shankar might have had the luxury of playing out Jasprit Bumrah instead of having to take him on, for instance.That is in the realms of conjecture, but what is almost certain is that the let-off made the Sunrisers’ target steeper. On a difficult pitch against a high-quality line-up, that target proved to be too big an ask.

With the second half of the 2025 MLB season set to get underway, teams are assessing their approach for the upcoming trade deadline, weighing out whether it's worth it to get aggressive in hopes of competing for a World Series.

One team that ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan reports is expected to be aggressive, rather unusually so, is the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners have enjoyed a strong start to the season, thanks largely to their grade-A pitching staff and the utter dominance of AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh, who leads MLB with 38 home runs at the break.

During an appearance on Seattle Sports radio's "Brock & Salk," Passan alluded to one key reason he thinks Seattle will, or at the very least should, take an aggressive approach to trade the deadline.

"I think the Mariners are going to be aggressive. And I think they should be," Passan said. "You don't take years like this from superstars and waste them. Period. And I think the Mariners front office knows that. Like, we can't ever expect a season like this from Cal Raleigh again. It's unreasonable, right? It's not just the numbers. It's the fact that we are talking about Cal Raleigh being up there with Barry Bonds, with Ken Griffey Jr., with Mickey Mantle. These are luminaries in the sport, and he belongs.

"And so when you get a season like that, don't waste it. Do everything you can, because once October comes around and once that guy steps in the batter's box, he can do magical things."

As Passan pointed out, a single, well-timed swing of the bat from Raleigh could be the difference between winning games in October and losing them. When you have a player who makes that much of an impact, both as a slugger and as a world-class catcher, it would be a disservice to the fan base not to put forth everything towards winning a title.

The Mariners don't often spend big. They were tame during free agency this offseason, which drew the ire of former Seattle infielder Justin Turner. While they've made some big mid-season splashes in recent years, including acquiring Luis Castillo in 2022 and Randy Arozarena in '24, that type of deal should only set the tone for what the Mariners accomplish at this year's deadline.

This year may well be the Mariners' best shot at a championship, something the franchise has still never achieved in its 48-year existence, and failing to make upgrades at the trade deadline to help achieve that goal would be a significant letdown.

Leeds United are now set to push to sign a Barcelona forward in the January transfer window, having already made persistent enquiries over a deal.

Leeds looking to bolster attacking options this winter

Earlier this season, Danny Murphy suggested Leeds’ lack of top-quality forwards could put them at real risk of relegation, saying: “I still think Leeds and Burnley will go.

“I think the biggest problem for Burnley and Leeds is firepower. I agree with what we talked about earlier. I think all the newly promoted sides doing well is great for the Premier League. I’d like to see them all stay up, actually. But I don’t think it’ll be the case.”

Since then, however, the Whites have displayed they have what it takes to cause some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs real problems, defeating Chelsea 3-1, before going on to draw 3-3 with Liverpool courtesy of a last-gasp Ao Tanaka equaliser.

That said, with Daniel Farke’s side still just two points above the relegation zone, they remain interested in improving their forward line during the January transfer window, and they have now made contact over a deal for Barcelona’s Roony Bardghji.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states the Whites have lodged persistent enquiries to sign the Barca forward on loan in the January transfer window, as they believe he would be perfectly suited to their style of play.

Leeds are unwilling to give up on securing the 20-year-old’s signature, despite his recent emergence as a first-team player for the La Liga club, and they are set to push for a January deal in the coming weeks.

Bardghji could play major role in helping Leeds avoid the drop

The Sweden international hasn’t featured particularly regularly so far this season, but he showed exactly what he’s capable of in Barca’s most recent La Liga match, scoring one goal and setting up another in the 5-3 triumph against Real Betis.

Romano: Leeds make contact to sign "outstanding" £21m attacker in January

The Whites have received a response after making an approach for a new attacker.

ByDominic Lund Dec 7, 2025

It was an impressive all-round performance from the Kuwait-born forward, who completed two dribbles and won two duels, and Hansi Flick will be delighted he is now coming into his own in La Liga, having also previously put in some eye-catching displays for FC Copenhagen.

With Daniel James recently suffering a hamstring injury, and receiving criticism at times this season, it would be ideal to bring in a new forward in the upcoming transfer window, and the Barca ace would be a like-for-like replacement, given that his main position is right-wing.

As such, Leeds should definitely look to sign Bardghji, off the back of some impressive showings in both La Liga and the Champions League, grabbing an assist in Barca’s 6-1 victory over Olympiacos.

Tottenham Hotspur improved after the break, but the damage had been done following Fulham’s early flurry in north London, two goals to the good after six minutes.

Thomas Frank spoke before the game about the importance of starting with confidence, but the performance was anything but assured, with Sky Sports co-commentator Alan Smith remarking that it was “chaos in Tottenham’s defensive line” early on.

It wasn’t just the defenders who flattered to deceive, though, with Guglielmo Vicario’s ill-judged rush from his box to deal with a clearance leaving Harry Wilson to curl home and double the Cottagers’ lead just moments into the match.

Guglielmo Vicario is letting Spurs down

Vicario has been an astute piece of business for Tottenham over the past several years, but he has left plenty to be desired this season, with his error-strewn performance against Fulham sadly not an outlier, his costly mistake the third of the Premier League campaign, and 11th since he arrived in 2023.

There is a case to be made that the Lilywhite defenders needed to drop back and protect the yawning goalmouth, but Vicario, 28, has much to answer for, only making one save besides, as per Sofascore.

Whether Vicario reprises his starting berth between the sticks going forward is another matter, but it’s certainly one Frank will chew on as he looks to arrest this slump and bring Spurs back into the ascendancy, stringing together some strong winter form to challenge for a reprisal of their ongoing Champions League campaign.

However, changes clearly need to be made, and Frank does not have long to enact any shuffling, with Newcastle United awaiting at St. James’ Park on Tuesday evening.

There may actually be an outfield Tottenham star who must be dropped for that crucial top-flight clash, having lacked dynamism in the middle of the park this season.

5/10 Spurs star was as poor as Vicario

The boos chorused around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full-time, and Joao Palhinha was among the dejected players in white after a disappointing midfield display that saw him hooked on the hour mark.

The loanee, brought in from Bayern Munich in the summer, was ineffective against his former London outfit, with football.london criticising ‘one of his shakier performances’ and branding him with a 5/10 match rating.

Vicario might suffer from crises of judgement, but Palhinha is beginning to solidify as a centre-midfielder lacking in key areas; namely, he is limited in possession and he is not mobile enough.

As per FBref, the Portugal international ranks among the bottom 9% of Premier League midfielders for progressive passes and progressive carries per 90.

These flaws were accentuated against Marco Silva’s side, who only had 37% of the ball but made it count. Palhinha’s inability to break lines and influence in the attacking half played into this.

You would hope, at least, that the tough-tackling midfielder would win his tackles, but Palhinha’s one attempted tackle saw him come up short, lunging into the grass.

The fact that the 30-year-old failed to create a chance and made just the one recovery further emphasises the poor display, too one-dimensional and sedentary in the middle of the park.

Tottenham need more energy and electricity and enthusiasm. Sure, key playmakers are sidelined, but this isn’t good enough.

Change is needed, and it might be time for Frank to repackage his engine room with a new combination.

Frank can unearth his own Dembele by unleashing "generational" Spurs gem

Tottenham can unearth their next Mousa Dembele against Fulham this weekend by unleashing this star.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 29, 2025

كشف هاني زهران محامي رمضان صبحي لاعب فريق بيراميدز، عن موقف اللاعب بشأن أزمة إيقافه لمدة 4 سنوات بقرار من المحكمة الرياضية بداعي التلاعب في عينة المنشطات الخاصة به.

وقال هاني زهران في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “طالما هناك طريق فالأمل موجود بإذن الله، نحن نسعى ونبذل المجهود المطلوب منّا، وإن شاء الله يوفّقنا الله في النتيجة”.

وأكمل: “ما زالت هناك درجات تقاضٍ متبقية، ونحن مستمرّون فيها، ولدينا بعض الأسباب القوية التي توصّلنا إليها حتى الآن”.

وأردف: “الحكم وصلنا اليوم فقط، ولم نستطع قراءته بالكامل أو مراجعته، لأنه مستند كبير جدًا وليس بصفحة أو صفحتين، والفريق القانوني ما زال يقوم بدراسته، ومن خلاله سنبني أسباب الطعن أمام المحكمة الفيدرالية السويسرية بإذن الله”.

وبسؤاله هل المحكمة الفيدرالية السويسرية هي آخر درجات التقاضي؟، أوضح: “هي آخر درجات التقاضي بنسبة كبيرة، ولكن هناك المحكمة الأوروبية العليا، وهي تختص بأمور معيّنة تتعلق بحقوق الإنسان، ونحن بالفعل نفكّر في كل خطوة ونضع لها خطة واضحة”.

هل هناك تواصل مع رمضان صبحي بعد القضية الأخرى الخاصة بالامتحانات؟: “التواصل مع رمضان خلال الأيام الماضية كان صعبًا منذ حدوث الموقف المتعلق بالقضية الأخرى، لكن هناك تواصل مع أسرته”.

طالع | المنظمة المصرية للمنشطات لـ”بطولات”: استئناف رمضان صبحي مخاطرة.. وهذا الفارق مع بوجبا

وواصل: “المحكمة تنظُر في الإجراءات فقط، وليست محكمة موضوع، والمحكمة الفيدرالية تُشبه محكمة النقض في مصر؛ فهي تنظر في الأحكام الصادرة من محاكم الاستئناف العليا إذا وُجدت أسباب معينة للطعن”.

وتابع: “ونحن نرى أن لدينا الأسباب التي تمنحنا فرصة قوية للتفكير الجدي في هذه الخطوة خلال المدة المحددة، وسنطعن في الحكم الصادر من الكاس”.

وأشار: “وفي حال رأت المحكمة الفيدرالية السويسرية أن أسباب الطعن كافية لقبوله، ستعيد الحكم إلى الكاس أمام دائرة أخرى، لتنظر الدعوى من جديد أمام دائرة مختلفة تمامًا عن السابقة”.

وعن هل هناك وجه شبه بين قضية رمضان صبحي وبول بوجبا؟: “التشابه فقط في المدة المبدئية للعقوبة، وفي حالة بول بوجبا، كان التحليل إيجابيًا وبالتالي يجوز تخفيض العقوبة”.

وأضاف: “أما الاتهام الموجّه لرمضان فالقانون يحدّد له عقوبتين فقط، إمّا أربع سنوات، أو البراءة، ولا يوجد تخفيض للعقوبة في هذا النوع من القضايا”.

وأتم: “إمّا أن يُقبَل الطعن في الخطوة القادمة، وهذا ما نأمله، أو لا قدّر الله يُرفض، وإذا قُبل الطعن، سنحضر أمام دائرة جديدة في الكاس، ونقدّم مشروع الدفاع من جديد، وإن شاء الله قد تصدر الدائرة الجديدة حكمًا بإلغاء الإدانة وليس تأييدها، وتُثبت براءة رمضان”.