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Tottenham Hotspur have some major rebuilding to do if they’re to become genuine Premier League title contenders, with two big names now tipped to leave as part of the process.

Tottenham seal Europa League semi-final place after Thursday win

After a hard-fought victory at Eintracht Frankfurt, where Ange Postecoglou’s side were forced to dig deep and display truly heroic, last-gasp defending over a dogged showing, Spurs have now booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals.

Related Tottenham: Lange personally holds talks over signing £50m player for Spurs

The technical director has a plan.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Apr 17, 2025

Dominic Solanke’s penalty was enough to hand the Lilywhites a spot in the next round, where they will play fairy tale semi-finalists Bodo/Glimt, after the Norwegian minnows knocked out Lazio on penalties.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

Tottenham showcased true professionalism to get the job done on a tough, hostile night in Germany, with Postecoglou’s side keeping their nerve on away soil and earning serious praise from their manager.

“Yeah, I’m delighted with many things, super proud of the lads,” said Postecoglou after Tottenham’s win at Eintracht.

“Going away from home, a quarter-final against a very good side, you know you’re going to have to work really hard, be really disciplined, and we needed to score. We had to show the quality we had as well.

“To a man, I just thought they were outstanding, so proud of them. In such a big game, they delivered a performance, and it means we’re through to a semi-final. I think over the two legs we deserved to go through. It could have been all over in the first leg, but we earned the right to be in the semi.”

Playmaker James Maddison put his body on the line to win Spurs the penalty which ultimately proved decisive, but according to talkSPORT pundit Troy Deeney, the England international is one of four players who could be sacrificed in the transfer market by chairman Daniel Levy.

Troy Deeney says Tottenham could let go of Son Heung-min and James Maddison

As well as Maddison, Deeney believes fellow big-name Son Heung-min could leave Tottenham soon.

The attacking stars, on a combined £260,000-per-week at N17, have both played mainstay roles under Postecoglou – but the pundit believes Spurs’ duo may well depart alongside the likes of Richarlison and Yves Bissouma.

“For me, he’s done a good job blooding the younger players and giving them the confidence to go and score a lot,” said Deeney on talkSPORT this week.

“Brennan Johnson, what is he on, about 16 goals now? I think they’re in a transition period, I think you could see the likes of Son [Heung-min] move on. Potentially [James] Maddison, [Yves] Bissouma, Richarlison, these guys will start moving on.

“And then obviously they have a lot of young players like Mikey Moore, but I still think they’re a little bit like Chelsea. They need one, maybe two, older pros just to be like, ‘We don’t do that here, this is how you win things.’

“And that’s the bit I think that they’re missing.”

T20 franchises won’t be too bothered by his middling T20 numbers as long as he brings genuine pace, left-arm angle, height and swing

Sidharth Monga22-Mar-2024When Mitchell Starc runs in at Eden Gardens on Saturday and lets the ball go for the first time in an IPL match since 2015, it will cost his franchise upwards of INR 6 lakh (approx. US $7,200). It’s the cost of every legal ball that Starc delivers, assuming he bowls his four overs in every game, plays every match, and that Kolkata Knight Riders play 17 games. If you look at cold numbers, you might call this a big gamble.Since the start of the T20 World Cup in 2022, Starc has played just two T20 matches outside World Cups in one-and-a-half years. The last time he was available for a T20 World Cup match, Starc was dropped by Australia. Outside his replacement Kane Richardson, Starc was Australia’s most expensive frontline bowler at that World Cup at home in 2022.The last time Starc played T20s outside international cricket, he was representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL in the year 2015. Since that game, Starc has conceded 8.14 runs an over across all T20s, as against his overall career economy of 7.47. His average in the intervening period, meanwhile, has been 25.53 versus a career average of 19.74. And during the same period, Starc has gone at 9.62 runs an over in the death overs – his career economy in that phase is 8.74 – which ended up becoming the reason for his being dropped during the World Cup in 2022.Related

• Starc gets back into T20 groove ahead of World Cup

• Australians at IPL: Green's WC bid, Starc returns, Langer at Lucknow

• 'Harden the f*** up' – Stern words that led to Starc's durability

• 'Nothing I could've imagined' – Starc reacts to becoming costliest IPL buy

And yet, Starc is one of the most sought-after players at the IPL. Only seven players made more than Starc’s INR 5 crore in the 2014 auction, the first time he played in the IPL. RCB retained him, and that yielded 20 wickets in the next IPL. Injury and workload management kept him away in 2016 and 2017, but in 2018, only five players attracted higher bids than the INR 9.4 crore Starc got from KKR. Injuries, preference to ODIs and Tests, and other personal reasons kept Starc away from the IPL since then until he came back for this season as the most expensive player bought at an auction ever: for INR 24.75 crore (approx. US $2.97m).Even if you set aside the idiosyncrasies of auctions, Starc’s appeal to the IPL has been constant and universal. In throwing big money at Starc, the IPL teams show they appreciate two things about T20 cricket: that bowlers have limited agency, and that potential trumps non-recent form. In a crunched format with ten wickets still available, it becomes even more important to separate actions from results when assessing bowlers in particular.When it comes to Starc, the IPL doesn’t see his numbers from the five matches he plays every year on an average. What it instead sees is the genuine pace, the left-arm angle, the height, the ability to swing the ball, and that he is an absolute great in the other two formats. There is also acknowledgement that it is easier for longer-format specialists to adjust to T20 than the other way around.This year will see just the 28th IPL match for Mitchell Starc•BCCIThere is not a substantial amount of cause you can establish for Starc’s middling numbers in T20s. Yes, the new ball swings less, and there is hardly any reverse, but that is true for all bowlers. Starc’s handicap perhaps is his smooth action, which makes for spotting the ball sooner than irregular actions, thus making his pace appear lesser to the batter than what the speed gun registers. Still, if he can consistently stay north of 145kph, it is a big asset in the IPL regardless of the smoothness and the orthodoxy of his action.Evidently, we have precious little to go by. Starc has hardly ever played a tournament for long enough for proper analysis or match-ups to develop, or for him to make alterations against certain players and come back. On Saturday in Kolkata, Starc will begin addressing one of the anomalies of our times when he goes up against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the side led by Pat Cummins, another great fast bowler in other formats, and who also happens to be the second-most expensive buy at an IPL auction ever.This year will see just the 28th IPL match for Starc; he has played fewer in the BBL, and none in any other league.Not only is Starc fit and available and ready for a full IPL season, but he will also get on the ride to try to correct his own numbers and reputation in T20s. The last time he was left out by Australia, Starc said he had some “pretty strong” feelings about the decision, and he had let his team management know. Now comes the IPL and the T20 World Cup hot on its heels, where he can actually demonstrate why he shouldn’t have been left out.

As captain, he is showing the ability to hit out as well as safely play out certain bowlers in the same innings

Sidharth Monga14-Apr-20224:30

Manjrekar: ‘Hardik stayed in the moment this innings and it paid off’

Hardik Pandya scored 50 off 42 in Gujarat Titans’ last match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Yash Jha tweeted an insightful stat after the innings. Pandya was the latest in the line of maverick India batters who had started to play “responsibly” the moment he was given captaincy. In their first season as an IPL captain, each of these batters’ strike rates took a big dip from their last two seasons. Pandya’s was the biggest: from 151.67 to 122.6.Of course, it is not just the captaincy. The structure of the Titans squad is such that Pandya is the main middle-order batter. In just four matches this season, Pandya had faced more balls in the first 10 overs than he has in any of the eight IPL seasons he has taken part in. There was a role to be performed, and Pandya was showing he could play that role. But in the process, were we losing what made Pandya special, especially the power-hitting that struck fear in the hearts of the bowlers?Related

Super Kings vs Titans, the IPL's humble pie derby

Hardik brings the thrill as Titans top table

Three days on, though, Pandya showed batting responsibly doesn’t necessarily mean batting slowly. Walking in at 15 for 2 in the third over, Pandya scored an unbeaten 87 off 52 while others scored 86 off 52 when he was at the wicket. ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats valued Pandya’s innings at 100.42 smart runs.While Pandya’s earlier role in Mumbai Indians of maximising the 10-15 balls he used to get carried its own challenges, these longer innings ask a wider set of questions. Pandya’s responses were deliberate. He went after Kuldeep Sen but played out the first few exchanges against Yuzvendra Chahal – brought on to bowl the fourth over just for Pandya – and R Ashwin.Pandya came in with a strike rate of 104 and 100 against Chahal and Ashwin, and it didn’t take long to see why. Pandya enjoys a much better strike rate against pace than spin – 160 compared to 129 – but Chahal and Ashwin bowled just the right lines and lengths to Pandya. Neither of them gave him room nor did they pitch it in the slot. Pandya kept respecting them until it came down to the last six overs.”I am not used to batting this long,” Pandya told Star Sports when collecting his Player-of-the-Match award. “It is two games in a row that I have batted 15 and 17 overs. But I like it. It gives me time. I can calculate and take the right risks. I think in the last game it didn’t come off how I wanted but today I made sure that I had a sense of approach where I was ready to take on bowlers.”

“Batting at No. 4 gives me time to rightly calculate and take down certain bowlers and certain overs”Pandya on his new role

The intent, as Pandya said, was much better in this game, which could have to do with realising how difficult it can be for the death-overs specialists if those batting long don’t take the bowling on. Asked of the thought process behind taking on the No. 4 role, Pandya said: “It allows other players to play freely and not take too much pressure. I have been in the situation many times where I have taken on the bigger role which is to come in at the death and hit a 12-ball 30. I find it very difficult but because of that experience, batting at No. 4 gives me time to rightly calculate and take down certain bowlers and certain overs.”Thanks to this innings, Pandya’s numbers are looking much better for the season: an average of 76 at a strike rate of 137. He will still know that the strike rate needs to go further north even if it is at the expense of that lofty average. That balance is not easy to master especially in your first season in this role, but Pandya has made a start to getting back to the shape where he had made a case for himself just as a specialist batter in limited-overs internationals.In a press conference after a team selection, talking about Pandya’s mysterious fitness status, a journalist asked – rather told – the chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma that Pandya doesn’t play any domestic cricket and if he performs half-decently in the IPL, he will be right back in the World Cup side at the expense of other allrounders who are working hard. Chetan’s response was along these lines: do not speak on our behalf and conclude it is so easy for Pandya to get back in.However, if Pandya continues to bat the way he is, showing both the ability to hit out and play out certain bowlers in the same innings, forget Chetan, even the lovers of domestic cricket might have to concede. Plus his bowling fitness is a bonus. And, he confirmed the discomfort on the night was just cramps.

Meet the teenage Warwickshire player who might end up as one of the fastest bowlers in the women’s game

Valkerie Baynes21-Mar-2020Issy Wong doesn’t just make solving a Rubik’s Cube in a matter of seconds easy, she makes it like the simplest thing in the world too.When a spectator at last year’s Kia Super League Finals Day was spotted with a Cube – that 3-D puzzle that ranks alongside Pac-Man and Space Invaders as the quintessential icon of a 1980s childhood well spent – someone in the Southern Vipers’ dugout dropped their team-mate right in the spotlight: “You should see Wongy, she can do it in 30 seconds.”So there she was, a teenager who had barely played a handful of games for the Vipers, on live TV, reeling her way through a complex puzzle as her team cheered her on. For the record, she solved it in 33 seconds, smashing her previous personal best of 35.

Just 33 seconds!

17-year old Isabelle Wong was speedsolving the Rubik's Cube during #KSLFinalsDay

: @ECB_cricket pic.twitter.com/SQKIJSxtgb

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 2, 2019

“I think we can call that performing on the big stage,” Wong says with a laugh. “I was the most nervous I’ve ever been, I was shaking like a leaf in the wind.”Asked how she does it, she responds with the most astute of analogies.”With most things, if you know what you’re looking for, it becomes a lot clearer, so there’s certain patterns, certain things you can look for, and once you see that, that’s almost like a trigger for the next pattern of moves,” she says. “Like in cricket, if you see a half-volley outside your off stump, you know the next step is a cover drive. It’s almost the same thing but on a much smaller scale.”Wong is not just quick with a puzzle in her hand. Put a cricket ball in it and she is seriously rapid too. She hovers around the 70mph mark at the age of just 17, and has her sights set on going much faster.”It’s obviously a long way off at the moment, but the 80-clicks mark has never been hit by a girl yet, so it’s certainly an ambition of mine over the next few years,” she says. “Hopefully I can keep getting stronger, keep getting quicker. I just want to keep going, and that’s in the back of my mind.”Clever, ambitious and precociously talented, Wong has created quite the buzz among some high-profile peers, and the excitable chatter accompanying her emergence on the elite scene has been recognised with a call-up to play for Birmingham Phoenix in the Women’s Hundred.Tony Marsh/CricpixThere, presuming the tournament goes ahead despite the current uncertainty over what impact the Covid-19 pandemic will have on the English season, Wong will be captained by New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.”Issy Wong is a name that really stands out for me,” Devine says. “I’ve heard a lot of her name thrown around the last year or two. Any bowler that can bowl at some decent clicks is certainly going to catch your eye over a lot of people.”Word of mouth is that she hits the deck hard and hurries batters up, which I think is a really exciting thing in the women’s game.”We’re seeing a lot more of it now – bowlers bowling with real pace. And she’s certainly going to offer something slightly different for us in having that extra pace. She’s obviously a pretty smart cricketer as well, so there’s lots to work with there.”Born in London to English parents – her father has Chinese heritage – Wong acknowledges the cricketing traditions of her mother’s native Yorkshire, but her only real connection with the sport lies with her grandfather “who played a bit when he was younger”.”When I was in trouble and it was a bit awkward, I always used to say, ‘So Grandad, how’s the cricket going?’ to change the topic,” she says. “But apart from that no one in my family really played.”The Wongs moved to Warwickshire when Issy was five, and she started playing the game at an after-school club. One of the coaches suggested she join her local club, which she did around the age of seven and from there she joined Warwickshire.Progressing through the county’s youth pathway, she was part of the Warwickshire women’s side that lifted the county T20 trophy last year, and then she was named in the England Women’s Academy squad.Now in her final year at Shrewsbury School, where she became the first girl to play for the 1st XI in 2019, Wong plans to delay going to university so that she can focus entirely on cricket for a few years “and see where that could take me”.Paul Greetham, Warwickshire’s high-performance manager, describes Wong as a “major success story” of the county age-group system.”From a very early age she had this obvious desire to bowl quicker than anybody else, particularly, and as her batting’s developed, she’s learnt she can hit the ball quite a long way as well, so she’s always had a bit of X-factor about her, and always shown a high level of ambition without coming across as arrogant or cocky,” Greetham says.Tony Marsh/Cricpix”I can remember as a 12- or 13-year-old she was stating that she wanted to be the fastest women’s bowler ever. She’s always had that about her.”The other thing that I think sort of set her apart is that she always seemed very comfortable playing amongst boys, and she wasn’t just satisfied with playing alongside them, she wanted to beat them. I’ve always admired that about her.”A smooth run-up and energetic attack on the crease, combined with a good technical bowling action, lend Wong the speed that has so many people talking about her, but Greetham believes desire plays a big part too.”Not everybody’s got that,” he says. “She still is a developing athlete. I genuinely think she can get close to 80 miles an hour at some point, and I don’t think there has been a female seamer that has reached those heights. She’s got that ambition to do it. “Bowling aside, at this early stage of her career there is still the prospect of Wong developing into an allrounder given the enjoyment she derives from hitting the ball a long way and her lack of inhibition when it comes to hitting in the air.”My batting is, um, hit and miss, I’d say,” Wong says. “When it comes off, it’s, I think the word is ‘entertaining’. I’m certainly more of a bowler, but looking to keep developing my batting and hopefully develop into an allrounder as I get older.”Greetham believes her batting can reach a high level. “I think she’s better than a lower-order batter,” he says. “I think she could develop into definitely a middle-order batter, there’s no two ways about that. She’s got enough about her and she loves batting as well.”Should the English season get underway in some form or other, and the inaugural Hundred goes ahead as planned, Wong will have the opportunity to expand her cricketing education among some of the best in the business.”It will be a big step for her in terms of who she’ll be playing with or against,” Greetham says. “Any 18-year-old would be relatively inexperienced, but the thing that she won’t be is daunted. She’ll just see it as another game of cricket and one that she wants to have an impact upon.”It seems Issy Wong is making something of an impact on the game as a whole already.

Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck has launched a scathing attack on his team-mates following their disappointing Champions League draw against Bodo/Glimt. The German international accused the substitutes introduced by manager Niko Kovac of "losing every ball" and lacking the necessary intensity during a collapse that has severely jeopardised the club’s hopes of automatic qualification for the round of 16.

• Dortmund slip up twice in Champions League draw

  The atmosphere at the Westfalenstadion turned toxic on Wednesday evening as Dortmund twice surrendered the lead to draw 2-2 with the Norwegian side. What should have been a routine victory to cement their place among the European elite descended into chaos in the closing stages, prompting a furious post-match interview from Schlotterbeck.

  The centre-back, who had been one of the few standout performers in a black and yellow shirt, did not hold back in his assessment of the team's mental fragility. Speaking to immediately after the final whistle, a visibly agitated Schlotterbeck pinpointed the exact moment the game began to drift away from the hosts.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Schlotterbeck slams 'incredibly bad first touches'

  Dortmund had taken the lead and appeared to be in control through Julian Brandt after 18 minutes, but the visitors pulled level just before half-time. Brandt struck again early in the second period, only for the away side to strike again with 15 minutes left. According to Schlotterbeck, complacency set in rapidly as he criticised the team's attitude after going 1-0 up, suggesting that individual egos took precedence over the collective game plan demanded by manager Kovac.

  "After the 1-0, we started playing extremely sloppy and having incredibly bad first touches," Schlotterbeck said. "Everyone plays their own game a little bit. It is not bitter, it is actually really bad."

  With the game in the balance, Kovac turned to his bench to inject fresh energy and secure the three points, with Karim Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy coming on while they were 2-1 up, while Emre Can and Julian Ryerson were introduced immediately after the away team's second equaliser. However, Schlotterbeck felt the replacements had the opposite effect, offering a damning verdict on their contribution.

  "The players who come on lose every ball," he stated bluntly. "If you come on in the 60th minute, I expect 30 minutes of full steam. We combined a bit right and left, chipping in front of the goalkeeper and wanting to make it look nice, but you have to kill the game and we didn't do that."

  Schlotterbeck also questioned the work rate and focus of the squad during the final stages of the match.

  "We play in the Champions League and that is way too little," he added.

• Can Dortmund qualify for the round of 16?

  The draw impacts Dortmund's standing in the Champions League table. Finishing in the top eight is required to avoid a two-legged playoff round in February. A win would have taken Dortmund to 13 points, a tally that would have strengthened their position for automatic qualification.

  Schlotterbeck expressed concern that some of his team-mates did not understand the importance of the result.

  "We could have gone to 13 points here and I think some people didn't realise how important that is," he explained. "Because now you have to win both remaining games, otherwise you won't be in the top eight.

  "After the 2-2 we didn't have any more chances to score, we played unbelievably unclean in the last quarter of an hour. In the last five minutes Bodø had more possession and that cannot be our standard."

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• AFP
  

  Kehl backs the criticism

  Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl also spoke after the match and supported Schlotterbeck’s right to be critical.

  "Every player has the right to strike a critical tone after the game," Kehl said. "If they then put their finger in the wound and are hard on themselves, then that is good. We will definitely do that. The coach has already done that."

  Kehl reiterated the missed opportunity regarding the league table.

  "The boys have to be aware of what chance we wasted here today," Kehl added. "We absolutely wanted to win this game. We had a great chance to get to 13 points in the table. Everyone who could read the table knew what opportunity was on offer today. That's why the frustration is right. We are all very disappointed and angry."

Ruben Amorim has singled-out one key star for criticism, claiming their performances for their country are better than the shifts they put in for Manchester United. The United boss has also claimed he can "feel the anxiety" every time his player receives the ball in a damaging analysis ahead of the clash with Crystal Palace.

Youngster's struggles since joining United

Dorgu has faced some initial problems since becoming Amorim’s first signing at Man Utd, primarily due to being played as an attacking wing-back when he is a more natural full-back. Pundits and fans have described some of his performances as "dreadful," pointing out defensive lapses and poor decision-making in the final third. He has also yet to register a goal or assist for the club. 

However, Dorgu is still only 21 years old and arrived mid-season from Lecce in Serie A, and was thrown into an unstable team under a new system. His struggles are often viewed as a result of being played out of position and mis-used by the current system rather than a lack of talent. But his boss has pointed out that Dorgu's instincts when playing for United are completely different to when he plays for his native Denmark. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportAmorim: 'He has time to improve'

Ahead of the clash with Palace, Amorim said: "You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touches the ball. I can feel the anxiety. When I see Patrick playing for the national team, he scored a great goal against Scotland and the decision that he made under pressure was completely different than the decision he's making in our team. I think it's the decision, he needs to be calmer playing the game."

He added: "I remember the shot against Everton. That was easier than the decision he had to make when a guy from Scotland was there. I saw it when he played in Italy. But again, here is different and sometimes the pressure is hard for them in the beginning. He has time to improve. I just need to understand the context in trying to help them (Dorgu and Dalot). They are far from their best, and they know it. Like a lot of players in our team, like myself. I just look at them, and think they have so much more to give. So let’s see this week if we can improve that." 

Away day woes for Amorim

Manchester United have won just three of their last 26 Premier League away games against London sides and just one game away from home this season. And the United boss has acknowledged that his side’s form away from home is a problem he needs fix quickly. Amorim said:  "I felt during this year that when we played at home, the intensity was higher. And I felt in this game at home (against Everton) the intensity was not at the same level. So I think it's something that we need to work on. It's hard to point one thing why we are not winning away. There's a lot of issues. We are improving but we need to know how to finish the games in order to win."

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AFPPalace test awaits United

Palace are unbeaten in their last four meetings with the United, winning three, and have only lost one home game all season. United, winless in their last three Premier League matches and struggling away from home and are also hampered by injuries to key attackers Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, along with defender Harry Maguire.

Ahead of the match Amorim has conceded his team needs to defend better. The Portuguese said: “We are being really soft near the box. So we need to improve that in the last games, especially against Nottingham (Forest, the 2-2 draw). We allowed a lot of crosses, we didn’t press well [in] moments. Against Everton, they were with 10 men and we suffered the goal (Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s winner) with the only shot on target."

Manchester United and Ruben Amorim have been handed a transfer boost, with a La Liga star now open to an Old Trafford move.

Man Utd midfield options heading into 2026

It feels as if Amorim’s midfield is the one area that may need the most work in 2026. The Man Utd boss has gone with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes more often than not this season, with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte falling out of favour.

Mainoo has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, whereas Amorim criticised Ugarte in front of his Man Utd teammates following the Europa League final against Tottenham.

Casemiro is also out of contract in 2026, and it has been suggested that there is a real possibility he will leave for free at the end of the season.

This comes despite the fact Amorim wants to keep the Brazilian, however, INEOS are looking to cut the wage bill and could do just that with the £350,000-a-week top earner.

A number of midfielders have been linked with arriving in Manchester, and one name that won’t go away is Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.

There was speculation over a deadline day move in the summer, but the English “machine” remained at the Wanda Metropolitano, where he has made just two La Liga starts in 2025/26 under Diego Simeone.

Forget Sesko: Man Utd's "terrible" dud is now becoming INEOS' worst signing

Manchester United made a huge mistake in spending big money on one first-team member.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 13, 2025

It has been suggested that Amorim has already given the green light for Man Utd to bring Gallagher back to the Premier League in 2026, and another promising update has now emerged.

Gallagher open to Man Utd move

According to United in Focus and transfer expert Graeme Bailey, Gallagher “has become increasingly frustrated at Atletico” and appears to be open to the idea of moving to Man Utd to improve his chances of making the England squad.

On around £150,000-a-week in Spain, Gallagher has been compared to some impressive midfielders across Europe in 2025, including former Red Devils man Scott McTominay.

Midfielders similar to Conor Gallagher

Club

Gavi

Barcelona

Sandro Tonali

Newcastle

Scott McTominay

Napoli

Bruno Guimaraes

Newcastle

Boubacar Kamara

Aston Villa

Now, United and INEOS need to decide whether or not to firm up their interest in the Englishman, amid rumours of a £44m January offer being lined up.

Man Utd now leading Barcelona & Liverpool in race to sign "absolute beast"

Italian national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has apologised to fans after Italy’s heavy 4-1 defeat to Norway. The coach believes the match was split into two distinct halves, with Italy performing well in the first but collapsing in the second due to fear and fragility. Italy now wait for the draw to learn who they will face in the play off in March.

Norway's historic qualification to the World Cup finals

Italy entered their decisive qualifier against Norway needing a near-impossible 9-0 victory to secure automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Despite the daunting task, they made a promising start when Pio Esposito opened the scoring, giving Italy a 1-0 lead that they held until half-time. However, the match dramatically shifted after the break.

Norway responded with authority as Antonio Nusa equalised, before Erling Haaland struck twice to put the visitors firmly in control. Jorgen Strand Larsen added a fourth, sealing a dominant 4-1 win for Norway at the San Siro. The result confirmed Norway’s return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.

The match also saw a tense incident involving Italian defender Gianluca Mancini, who provoked Haaland, prompting the Norwegian striker to react angrily. Haaland had to be restrained by his club teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma before the situation escalated.

Manchester City goalkeeper Donnarumma commented on the loss, believing that Italy switched off in the second half when he said “the big problem was that we stopped playing in the second half.” 

He added: “It was a totally different match in the first half, we never let them out of their own half. We’ve got to do that for 95 minutes rather than 45, that is for sure.”

AdvertisementGetty ImagesGattuso's apology to the fans

Earlier, Gattuso criticised the travelling supporters who protested against the Italian team after their late 2-0 win over Moldova. However, following Italy’s 4-1 loss to Norway, Gattuso apologised in the post-match press conference. He said: “We must apologise to our fans because 4-1 is a heavy defeat. It's a shame because we had a very good first half, where we played as a real team.

“There were two games. In the first half, the team played very well, We lacked distance, we were more compact in the first half, we never gave them any space.

“In the second half, we struggled enormously. We gave our opponents space, we let them into our area.

“There is a lot of disappointment. The lads deserved a different evening, but instead we got everything wrong and they hurt us.”

Gattuso also pointed to the turning point of the match, noting that Norway’s goal immediately after  the restart created fear. He said: “The game changed when they had their first shot on goal in the first 30 seconds of the second half.

“In the second half we conceded a goal after 30 seconds [two goals within 30 seconds] and then our fragility came to the fore.”

He then outlined how Italy must improve ahead of the play off in March 2026. He said “Matches last 95 minutes, and in this one our flaws came to the fore. If we concede a few goals, we start to panic. We'll face up to it, take responsibility, and in March we'll need 95 minutes like the first half. There's not much time between now and March, we need to work on our weaknesses.”

Italy's qualification scenario

For Italy, the defeat means they must once again face the pressure of the play offs. The Azzurri will learn their path to the 2026 World Cup when the European play off draw takes place on Thursday, and they are assured of being one of the top seeds. Despite this advantage, the stakes remain high. Italy have not appeared in a World Cup since 2014, suffering painful play off exits to Sweden in 2018 and North Macedonia in 2022. The upcoming play offs therefore represent a crucial opportunity for the national team to finally return to the sport’s biggest stage and end over a decade of absence.

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GettyGattuso prepares for the playoffs

Gattuso will use the coming months to carefully assess the team’s strengths and weaknesses, aiming to develop tactical solutions that give the Azzurri the best chance of returning to the World Cup.

She had retired in 2023 after failing to meet CSA’s fitness requirements, which have since been relaxed

Firdose Moonda25-Aug-2025

Former South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk is in line for an international comeback after being included in the training squad for the Women’s World Cup. Van Niekerk retired from international cricket in March 2023, after she missed out on the home T20 World Cup for failing to meet CSA’s fitness requirements but has been playing domestically for Western Province and has made herself available for international selection.Van Niekerk has not played any international cricket since September 2021 and did not make South Africa’s 2022 ODI World Cup squad after breaking her ankle. She was due to lead the team at that event but her recovery took far longer than initially expected. She was eventually due to return in early 2023 but could not complete a two-kilometre time trial run in under 9:30.At the time, CSA were strictly enforcing this criteria but they have since relaxed the regulations and players can be picked on the coach’s discretion.Related

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Last season, van Niekerk committed to a full summer of provincial cricket but put “no timeline,” on an international comeback. She played five fifty-over matches for Western Province and scored 179 runs at 59.66 but had better returns in the shortest format, where she was the fourth-leading run-scorer of the Pro20. She has since confirmed that she is available for South Africa.In a post on Instagram, van Niekerk wrote that she has “decided to revoke my retirement from international cricket,” and that, “the time away has reminded me just how much I have missed representing my country.” She also apologised to, “Cricket South Africa and the cricket family for how I handled my retirement,” and committed to meeting “standards of the women’s game.”Her experience and ability in the middle-order, where South Africa have struggled, and her legspin could see her come into contention for next month’s World Cup in the subcontinent.Laura Wolvaardt will lead South Africa at the tournament but is not part of this week’s training camp as she is involved at the Hundred. Van Niekerk’s wife, Marizanne Kapp, and Chloe Tryon are also playing in the United Kingdom and expected to be part of the World Cup squad.That means the other 19 players in the training camp will compete for 12 spots in a family player squad. Some, like opening batter Tazmin Brits, seamer Ayabonga Khaka and left-arm spinner Nonkululekho Mlaba are shoe-ins, but players such as batter Faye Tunnicliffe and legspinner Seshnie Naidu could be on the fringes. The only uncapped player in the camp is 19-year old allrounder Luyanda Nzuza, who played for South Africa at the under-19 World Cup and for the emerging side on a tour to Bangladesh.South Africa’s squad will train in Durban this week before their final squad is announced. The playing group will travel to Pakistan for three ODIs between September 16 and 22 ahead of the World Cup. South Africa have been losing semi-finalists in the last two fifty-over World Cups.South Africa squad for training camp: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Lara Goodall, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Luyanda Nzuza, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Miané Smit, Faye Tunnicliffe, Dané van Niekerk

It was not an easy game, but Arsenal picked up another three points in the first Premier League game back after the international break.

The Gunners overcame Fulham at Craven Cottage in a game where their London rivals made it tough to earn all three points.

Facing off against a well-drilled Marco Silva side, it took Arsenal until midway through the second half before they were able to break the deadlock. Riccardo Calafiori did have the ball in the back of the net in the first 45 minutes, but the flag was up for offside, a decision VAR confirmed.

Finally, the Gunners were able to take the lead. Once again, it came from a corner, with Gabriel flicking a header on towards the back post.

Waiting there unmarked was Leandro Trossard, who converted the flick-on via his knee.

There was more drama to come, though. Moments after Fulham’s summer signing, Kevin, came onto the pitch, he brought down Bukayo Saka in the penalty box. However, it was overturned by VAR, after it was deemed that the Brazilian had played the ball.

Despite the win for Mikel Arteta’s side, it wasn’t an easy day at the office. One player who struggled once again was Viktor Gyokeres.

Gyokeres’ stats vs. Fulham

Life at Arsenal started fairly well for Sweden international Gyokeres. However, he failed to score once again at Craven Cottage, meaning he has now gone nine games without a goal for club and country.

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That was not for a lack of trying, though. The former Sporting CP attacker had a tough day against a defensively diligent Fulham side. He did get close once in the first half, although his shot from a narrow angle was comfortably saved by former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

In the second half, he fired over from close range, squandering an excellent chance.

The stats after the game show that it was a tough night for Arsenal’s number 14. In 89 minutes, he had just 20 touches and managed two shots on target. He only completed five out of nine passes attempted, although he was more of a nuisance without the ball, winning three out of four ground duels.

One person who was critical of his performance was Goal journalist Charles Watts. He gave the Swede a 6/10 for his efforts, describing it as ‘another hard working display’ but did note there was ‘little to show for it’.

Gyokeres was not the only Arsenal player who struggled to make a real impact at Craven Cottage.

The other Arsenal star who struggled vs. Fulham

The trip to Craven Cottage was never going to be easy for Arteta’s men. The Cottagers are renowned for being tough to break down, and they certainly made life tough for Arsenal, as Gyokeres experienced first-hand.

It was also a tough evening for another Arsenal summer signing, Eberechi Eze. The England international played in Martin Odegaard’s usual role on the right-hand side of midfield, but struggled to get a real grip on the game.

That is certainly reflected in the stats. The former Crystal Palace star had 37 touches of the ball, and completed 24 out of 27 passes.

However, he only created one chance and completed one dribble from two attempted.

Watts also noted that it wasn’t the easiest game for Eze. Like Gyokeres, he gave the Gunners number 10 a 6/10 for his performance in West London. The journalist said he was ‘sloppy at times’ but did acknowledge the fact that ‘it was very hard for him to find any space’ in a busy midfield.

It will be interesting to see whether Arteta keeps Eze in the side for the Gunners’ next game, a Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid. They face the La Liga outfit at the Emirates Stadium, and it could be another tough game.

Diego Simeone’s side are renowned for being tough to break down, and again, it could get congested in midfield. The Gunners’ Spanish boss might well decide to rotate Eze out of the team for that game, after struggling in similar circumstances.

If that is the case, he could bring Christian Norgaard or Mikel Merino into the fold. Both players came on against Fulham on Saturday night, with the latter replacing Arsenal’s number 10 just past the hour mark. There are certainly options if Arteta chooses to rest Eze.

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