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The India quick says the bowlers had to be smart to prevent “the wind to come into play” in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-20241:20

Arshdeep: We are now used to windy conditions

If Rohit Sharma, the Player of the Match for his 41-ball 92 in India’s 24-run win over Australia in T20 World Cup 2024, had to “open up all sides of the field” to counter the breeze in Gros Islet, Arshdeep Singh said the bowlers had to prevent “the wind to come into play” to not let the Australia batters take advantage of it. Arshdeep finished with 3 for 37, removing David Warner in the first over and then getting the wickets of big-hitters Tim David and Matthew Wade in the death overs.”As a player and as a team, our motto is to adapt as well as we can to the conditions,” Arshdeep said after the match. “As for the wind factor, when we bowled from the end opposite to the pavilion, we got a lot of swing. From the other end, bowling against the wind… the batters were going to use the wind since the ball was travelling. So we had to look for defensive options there and not allow the wind to come into play.”Josh Hazlewood, the most economical bowler of the day with 1 for 14 from four overs, said that 180 or thereabouts would have been a par score in those conditions; India ended with 25 more than that. Rohit was the main reason for that, but Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 16 balls) and later Hardik Pandya (27* off 17) contributed to the cause too.Related

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“From one end, it was very hard for the bowlers to even pitch the ball, and the ball was flying to the boundary,” Arshdeep said. “So having the cushion of extra 15-20 runs always helps, gives you the extra freedom of going for wickets.”With his three wickets, Arshdeep reached the top of the pile for the tournament, joint with Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi. But he was quick to accept that a lot of his success was down to Jasprit Bumrah being Jasprit Bumrah at the other end, who dismissed Head in the 17th over to put India ahead.”I guess a lot of credit goes to Jassi because he puts a lot of pressure on the batters – he gives, what, three or four runs in an over – so batters are coming hard against me, and I just have to try and bowl my best ball and there are a lot of chances of getting wickets there,” Arshdeep said. “On the other end they see the runs are not coming and the asking rate is going high, so they take more risks against me. [There’s a] chance always of getting a wicket there. So a lot of credit for my wickets goes to Jassi .”Head took the lead in Australia’a chase by slamming 76 in 43 balls, with a spot in the semi-finals at stake. At the start of the 14th over, when Australia were 128 for 2, Kuldeep Yadav got rid of Glenn Maxwell, and Axar Patel removed Marcus Stoinis in the next over, and Australia were suddenly 135 for 4 with 71 to get in just under six overs.”The thought [process] was clear. Our batters also batted on the same wicket, and early on it was easy to score runs, the ball was coming on nicely. But afterwards, it became tough to hit boundaries,” Arshdeep said. “We knew if we took a couple of wickets, it will be tough for the new batters coming in to hit boundaries at will. That was the plan. A couple of nice overs from the spinners in the middle overs helped us.”

For so many years, winning the Premier League was the great white whale for Liverpool, elusive and unattainable, always falling short in the race for England’s biggest prize.

Then Jurgen Klopp came along, and everything changed. The German restored Anfield to its former standing as a global superpower. Now he’s gone, and Liverpool are champions once again.

Arne Slot has proved the perfect successor, and he did it all without any proper first-team investment. That owes largely to Klopp’s midfield rebuild, and indeed his work with Michael Edwards and co over so many years, piecing together lasting stars who will continue to shine through the 2025/26 campaign.

But now, the signings are flowing through in cascades, with a deal wrapped up for Bayer Leverkusen right-sider Jeremie Frimpong and an agreement finally reached for his teammate, Florian Wirtz, who will become the most expensive player in British history.

It’s a lot of money for a 22-year-old playmaker, so how exactly is Wirtz going to improve Liverpool?

Why Liverpool have signed Wirtz

Liverpool have broken the bank to sign Wirtz, but sometimes, securing such a marquee deal is worth it. Having won the Premier League last season, the Reds are now consolidating their position at the top.

And Wirtz, having conquered his homeland, is ready to make the move to English football, where he could take Kevin De Bruyne’s vacated spot as the country’s foremost number ten.

As per FBref, the playmaker ranked among the top 2% of positional peers in the Bundesliga last year for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for passes attempted and the top 5% for both progressive passes and progressive carries per 90.

Where Dominik Szoboszlai is industrious, Wirtz is incisive and influential to a different degree. Former Werkself striker Patrick Helmes has even gone as far as to say he’s “probably the best midfielder in the world.”

With Trent Alexander-Arnold gone, Liverpool will need to find new ways to maintain their peerless creativity; sparking chance after chance has been the foundation of their success in the Premier League across these recent successful years.

Premier League – Most Big Chances Created

Season

Team

BCC

24/25

Liverpool

112

23/24

Liverpool

102

22/23

Liverpool & Man City

103

21/22

Liverpool

97

20/21

Liverpool

82

Data via Premier League

Curious that Trent created fewer big chances (15) than across any of Liverpool’s past four top-flight campaigns. Wirtz will fix all that, and if FSG secure a talented new striker, Liverpool may just reach a whole ‘nother level.

Liverpool interested in signing LaLiga striker

As per Diego Simeone, Liverpool are among the clubs interested in signing Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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The renowned manager was responding to a journalist’s comments on Atletico’s striker being one of the hottest commodities on the market, and Simeone said he was flattered, name-checking Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain too.

Simeone stated: “Every club wants to sign Julián Álvarez. It’s logical. I can’t imagine it any other way. Of course every top club wants him—Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal, Liverpool… all of them. And for us, for Atlético fans, it should be a point of pride that everyone wants him. Why? Because he’s ours. And since he’s ours, we need to protect him. We have to make sure he feels happy. And how will he feel happy? By winning. And to get there, we all need to give 110%.”

The 25-year-old Alvarez has only been in the Spanish capital for a year, but he’s enjoyed a world-class campaign and boasts dynamic attacking properties that suggest he’d be tailor-made for Slot’s system.

However, Los Colchoneros would reportedly be seeking a figure as high as €170m (£142m) to part with their star man.

What Julian Alvarez would bring to Liverpool

Alvarez enjoyed his time at Manchester City, posting 55 goal contributions across 103 matches before earning Simeone’s attention. Atletico would then sign the silky forward for £81.5m.

This sparked derision from some, but Alvarez has since proved the doubters wrong, scoring 29 goals and supplying seven assists across 54 matches in all competitions.

He’s settled into his throne as the free-scoring frontman, but he’s far more than just a goalscorer, ranked among the top 4% of strikers across Europe last season for passes attempted, shot-creating actions and progressive carries, the top 8% for progressive passes and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90, according to FBref.

You can only imagine how he would perform in Slot’s Liverpool system, with Wirtz pulling the strings behind him. Journalist Roy Nemer actually hailed Alvarez as “the best striker in the world” for his performances across the past year, not just striking true but working hard to outfox defenders and create space for teammates.

Moreover, he’s demonstrated a propensity to do it on the biggest stage, scoring a stunning goal against Real Madrid in Atletico’s controversial Champions League quarter-final defeat in March.

Considering Alvarez has a wealth of trophy-laden Premier League experience in Pep Guardiola’s system, Liverpool might just find themselves hitting even loftier targets next year,

As per Sofascore, the Argentina superstar only missed seven big chances across the 2024/25 La Liga campaign, converting 17 strikes. Given that he created 11 big chances and averaged 34.9 touches per game too (which is high for a centre-forward), Alvarez’s dynamic approach has been underscored.

Truly, he’s one of the deadliest and most multi-faceted forwards on the market, with exceptional off-the-ball movement that Slot could use to an emphatic effect, with Wirtz and Mohamed Salah making things happen around him.

Liverpool’s new playmaker created 17 big chances in the Bundesliga last season after winning the division’s Player of the Season award one year prior. Clearly, he’s got the world at his feet, and Alvarez would be the grateful recipient of his production if signed by Liverpool this summer.

Whether Liverpool have the financial means to bring Alvarez back to England remains to be seen. Certainly, FSG won’t green-light a deal in the ballpark of £142m.

However, if something more agreeable can be found, Liverpool have got to pounce on this one, for he would be the perfect fit for Slot’s set-up.

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Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair Jun 10, 2025

Newcastle United enjoyed another fantastic campaign under Eddie Howe and could now use their leverage of being a Champions League side in their pursuit of an exciting attacker, according to a report.

Newcastle United look to streamline forward areas

Despite a nervy final afternoon of the campaign against Everton, Newcastle United will return to Europe’s top table and now hold a key advantage over many of their competitors in the transfer market.

Making an early start, Antonio Cordero has completed his move to the North East from Malaga on a free transfer and departing sporting director Paul Mitchell confirmed the Magpies saw off a plethora of rival interest to land their man.

Hoping to continue that trend, the Magpies have set their sights on Fulham star Rodrigo Muniz and met with his camp last month to explore different avenues towards a potential deal to bring the Brazilian striker to the North East, even if he may cost around £50 million.

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Posts 2 ByAngus Sinclair Jun 6, 2025

Alexander Isak appears likely to stick around at Newcastle. Meanwhile, Callum Wilson’s future is in limbo, and it remains to be seen whether he renews his terms or leaves on a free transfer.

Nevertheless, the front four positions appear to have taken precedence at an early stage in the window and Newcastle have made contact over a potential deal for a thriving Premier League star.

Sky Sports: Newcastle make contact over Anthony Elanga

According to Sky Sports, Newcastle have made contact with Nottingham Forest over Anthony Elanga by way of an initial enquiry after their previous attempts to land the Sweden international last summer.

Magpies boss Howe is said to be a long-term admirer of the former Manchester United star, who has registered six goals and 12 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions this season, and he is one of four ‘top winger targets’.

Anthony Elanga’s excellent Premier League campaign in numbers

Shot-creating actions

102

Goal-creating actions

18

Progressive carries per 90 mins

3.67

Assist frequency per 90 mins

0.40

Touches in attacking penalty area per 90 mins

3.96

Labelled “special” by Nuno Espirito Santo, Elanga still has three years left on his Nottingham Forest contract, and it remains to be seen whether Newcastle would be able to move forward in their pursuit in light of the 23-year-old’s importance at the City Ground.

Either way, strength in depth is needed if the Geordies have designs on progressing in the Champions League, a competition which may hold the key to attracting premium talent to the North East this summer.

With speculation beginning to intensify, it remains to be seen whether Newcastle can push a deal over the line for Elanga’s signature.

A Madrid journalist has now dropped a significant new update regarding Davide Ancelotti’s chances of becoming Rangers’ next manager this summer.

Rangers manager search rumbles on

A host of candidates have been mentioned as options to take charge at Ibrox at the end of the season, at which point Barry Ferguson’s spell as interim manager is expected to reach its conclusion. Steven Gerrard has long been a front-runner to come in and enjoy a second stint at Rangers, having won the Scottish Premiership title in 2020/21, but Ancelotti has also emerged as an intriguing option recently.

The 36-year-old is currently the assistant manager to his father Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, going through a disappointing season at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the European giants going trophyless.

He has been hailed by the Madrid boss though, who has said of his son: “Davide is a competent, disciplined, professional and very calm assistant coach. He works alongside Francesco Mauri, who is very young too. Luis works with the goalkeepers, Pintus with his experience on the physical side of things. I have a young and very competent coaching team. We combine their enthusiasm with my experience well.”

It was thought that that the Italian is contemplating moving into management on his own, taking on a head coach role and moving away from his father, but now a significant update has dropped regarding Rangers’ pursuit of him.

Ancelotti set to join Brazil instead of Rangers

Taking to X on Friday morning, Madrid journalist Alberto Pereiro revealed Ancelotti won’t become Rangers’ new manager, instead deciding to follow his father to be his assistant with Brazil’s national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

This is an update that will stun Rangers given all signs pointed towards the Italian moving out on his own, with the Madrid assistant standing out as one of the more exciting candidates to be their next manager.

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Posts ByBen Gray May 15, 2025

Granted, he hasn’t yet been a head coach in his career, which would make the Gers hiring him a risk, but he will have learned so much from his father and would bring a winning mentality with him, having helped both Bayern Munich and Madrid achieve so much success down the years.

Davide Ancelotti’s 12 trophy wins

Club

Year

Bundesliga

Bayern Munich

2017

German Cup

Bayern Munich

2017

German Cup

Bayern Munich

2018

Champions League

Real Madrid

2022

La Liga

Real Madrid

2022

Spanish Cup

Real Madrid

2022

Club World Cup

Real Madrid

2023

Spanish Cup

Real Madrid

2023

Spanish Super Cup

Real Madrid

2023

Champions League

Real Madrid

2024

La Liga

Real Madrid

2024

Spanish Super Cup

Real Madrid

2024

Now, the Scottish giants will have to look elsewhere at options, however, and it could be that Gerrard ends up being the man to come in, with the Liverpool legend feeling he has unfinished business at Ibrox.

Celtic ran out in front of their own supporters at Parkhead for the first time since they won the Scottish Premiership title when they faced Hibernian on Saturday.

The Hoops clinched the league title with a 5-0 win over Dundee United away from home at the end of last month, before they travelled across Glasgow to play out a 1-1 draw with their rivals last weekend.

It did, however, look as though Hibs were going to spoil the party when they took the lead at Celtic Park thanks to an opening goal from Martin Boyle in the 25th minute.

The Premiership champions, though, bounced back and led before the break after goals from Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah turned the game around, before Reo Hatate added a third in the second 45.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, who has suffered with hamstring injuries this season, was given the weekend off by Brendan Rodgers, in order to manage his minutes in the final few weeks of the season.

That opened up a position at the heart of the defence and the Northern Irish head coach opted to go with Auston Trusty next to Liam Scales.

Scales and Trusty's performances for Celtic this season

The Hoops reportedly paid a fee of £5m to sign Trusty from English side Sheffield United in the summer transfer window last year to bolster their left-sided centre-back options.

The USA international and Scales have competed for the starting berth next to Carter-Vickers at centre-back, but they have also had to play alongside each other at times when the former Spurs man has been unavailable, like on Saturday.

Although Celtic won the match comfortably in the end, Trusty, who lost 100% of his ground duels, had a moment to forget when his poor attempted clearance dropped straight to Boyle to find the back of the net.

Unfortunately, errors have been too common for the former Arsenal defender in the Premiership this season since his £5m move to Parkhead, particularly in comparison to Scales and Carter-Vickers.

24/25 Premiership

Cameron Carter-Vickers

Liam Scales

Auston Trusty

Appearances

29

25

21

Error led to shot

1

1

4

Error led to goal

0

0

1

Penalties committed

0

1

0

Dribbled past

3x

5x

11x

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Trusty has made more errors that have led to shots, more errors that have led to goals, and been dribbled past more times, despite playing fewer matches than the other two centre-backs.

This also shows that Scales, who was unlucky to give a penalty away at Ross County, has been more reliable than the American dud in the Premiership.

This is despite the former Aberdeen loanee being worth just £3m, as per Transfermarkt, which is £2m less than the fee the club paid Sheffield United for the other left-footed defender.

The Ireland international has not made as many errors as the former Premier League flop and that may be why Rodgers has preferred him over Trusty alongside Carter-Vickers in recent weeks.

However, the Celtic boss did still opt to select Trusty on the right side of the defence over Maik Nawrocki, a naturally right-footed player, and the Hoops must ruthlessly ditch the Polish centre-back this summer as a result of his lack of minutes on the pitch this season.

Why Celtic should cash in on Maik Nawrocki

The 24-year-old defender, whose Transfermarkt value is just £1.7m, was an unused substitute once again against Hibernian, as he failed to add to his paltry two appearances in the Premiership in the 2024/25 campaign.

When questioned about Nawrocki’s lack of game time in March, Rodgers explained that it was because he prefers to have left-footed players on the left. He said: “I do always prefer where I can a left-footed centre-half on that side, in all honesty, because that allows you to get through the pitch quicker and have more speed playing forward.”

However, Carter-Vickers was unavailable against Hibernian and the manager still opted for Trusty on the right side, despite him being a naturally left-footed player who has the same problems that Nawrocki has playing out on his weaker side.

Chalkboard

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

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This suggests that the former Legia Warsaw star’s lack of game time goes beyond Rodgers’ concerns about which side of the centre-back pairing he plays, as he was unwilling to give him minutes against Hibernian with no other right-footed centre-backs available and the title already wrapped up.

The most frustrating part of this for Nawrocki, however, may be that this has come after his impressive performances in the Premiership in his two outings in March.

All the way back in January of last year, Nawrocki told reporters that he was prepared for his moment to shine in a Celtic shirt, and that moment eventually came in March of this year when Trusty and Scales were injured and he was named in the XI against Rangers and Hearts.

Maik Nawrocki

Vs Rangers

Vs Hearts

Minutes

90

90

Clearances

7

9

Blocks

0

3

Tackles + interceptions

5

1

Duels won

7/10

8/9

Dribbled past

0x

0x

Pass accuracy

93%

98%

Error led to shot/goal

0

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Polish star took his chances to impress with dominant and reliable defensive displays in those two matches, which led to pundit Chris Sutton hailing him as “fantastic”.

However, Nawrocki has been an unused substitute for four matches, missed out on the matchday squad twice, and not played a single minute of football since the win and clean sheet against Hearts.

As aforementioned, his Transfermarkt value now stands at just £1.7m. This means that he is worth less than Scales (£3m) and Trusty (bought for £5m), whilst also being the least used centre-back option, with just two league outings.

Therefore, Celtic must brutally axe the 24-year-old outcast from the squad in the upcoming summer transfer window because he is a depreciating asset who is not getting enough minutes on the pitch.

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Posts ByDan Emery May 8, 2025

Rodgers has shown that he is not ready to trust Nawrocki ahead of Scales or Trusty and it is now down to the board to find a team that is willing to snap him up so they can recoup some money for his services ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Glasgow Rangers are on the lookout for a permanent manager heading into the 2025/26 season.

With the 49ers Enterprises takeover edging towards completion, they will be keen on securing a high-profile name to take the club forward.

Steven Gerrard is a name that has been linked with a return to Ibrox, but perhaps Marco Rose would be the best option for the Gers.

The German is among one of the favourites to land the coveted role. If he does move to Glasgow, there are at least four high-profile players that both the club and he must shift from the wage bill this summer.

A fresh start is needed all across the park, starting with Jack Butland in the sticks…

1 Jack Butland

The Englishman’s mistake against Celtic in the Scottish Cup final last season has been the catalyst for a poor season at Ibrox.

The £25k-per-week goalkeeper has made a slew of mistakes throughout the season, while conceding 48 goals and keeping just 14 clean sheets across 42 matches in all competitions.

Rose could cash in on the player in the summer as he looks to recruit someone who is at their peak.

2 James Tavernier

The captain, who earns £30k-per-week, is currently heading into the final year of his contract at Ibrox.

That comes amid a poor individual season, which has seen Tavernier register only 17 goal involvements, a far cry from the 36 he recorded last term.

A new direction is needed at Ibrox, and with the Englishman turning 34 in October, surely now is the time for the club to sell him and move on.

James Tavernier’s stats at Rangers since joining

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

2023/24

58

24

12

2022/23

55

18

10

2021/22

58

18

17

2020/21

46

19

16

2019/20

46

3

16

2018/19

57

17

20

2017/18

46

9

9

2016/17

44

2

7

2015/16

50

15

23

Via Transfermarkt

After yet another campaign that will end without a trophy, Tavernier’s influence is significantly on the wane. That much is certain.

3 Kieran Dowell

Michael Beale signed Dowell in the summer of 2023 as his contract expired with Norwich City, but he made only 17 appearances for the club in his maiden season.

It became clear he wasn’t at the required level to take the Light Blues to the next level and after 16 games this term, the £16k-per-week midfielder joined Birmingham City on a loan deal.

Ten goal involvements across 22 matches proves Dowell has found his level and the Midlands side could look at signing the Englishman on a permanent basis this summer.

This is a move Rose will surely sanction, allowing him funds to strengthen his squad.

4 Ben Davies

Davies is another player who spent time on loan with Birmingham City this season. After two fairly underwhelming seasons at Ibrox, Philippe Clement sent him on loan to League One last summer. The £27k-per-week defender, like Dowell, appears to have found his level during his temporary stay.

The centre-back has won 70% of his total duels in the third tier this season, along with averaging 6.2 clearances and making 1.1 tackles per game.

Following their promotion, the Blues might want to keep Davies at the club permanently and this is something Rangers must look at pushing through.

He doesn’t seem like a player who would thrive under Rose, and freeing up his massive wages would certainly help the German in the transfer window.

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Posts ByDominic Lund May 1, 2025

West Ham United have now “come knocking” to sign a £44m midfielder, and they stand a good chance of tempting him into a move to the Premier League, according to journalist Christian Falk.

West Ham in need of summer rebuild

The three promoted Championship teams have been way off the pace in the Premier League, which means West Ham are in no danger of relegation, but performances this season indicate a big rebuild could be needed in the summer.

The latest poor display came against already-relegated Southampton on Saturday afternoon, with Niclas Füllkrug launching a scathing attack on his teammates in the wake of the 1-1 draw, and Graham Potter has since admitted he sympathises with the striker.

It remains to be seen whether Potter is given a chance to turn things around next season, but the manager may need to oversee some major changes in the summer transfer window, if his side are going to be competitive.

One area in which the Hammers are looking to strengthen is central midfield, according to BILD reporter Falk, who has recently revealed that Joao Palhinha is of interest, amid doubts over the Portugal international’s Bayern Munich future.

Falk said: “Fulham are among the interested parties. They know what they have, but according to our information, West Ham has also come knocking.

“He (Palhinha) says he’s giving his all for the club, but he doesn’t know what will happen. And, uh, if Bayern say he won’t have better playing time next season, I think he would consider, if an offer comes in, whether it makes sense for him to perhaps return to the British Isles.”

"Iron man" Palhinha could be statement signing

Since arriving at the Allianz Arena for a fee of £44m, the former Fulham man hasn’t exactly set the world alight, having often been benched or utilised as a late substitute, but his previous exploits in the Premier League indicate he could be a top signing for West Ham.

During his time with the Cottagers, the 6 foot 3 maestro was extremely impressive in the defensive side of the game, as underlined by his tackling and intercepting ability.

The Lisbon-born midfielder has always been solid defensively, having been hailed as an “Iron Man who never turned his back on a fight” by former youth coach Luis Nunes, and he ranks in the 97th percentile for tackles per 90 over the past year.

The move to Bayern may not have worked out, but Palhinha is clearly a top defensive midfielder, and it is exciting news that West Ham could lure him back to the Premier League this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with a former manager, as chairman Daniel Levy and co begin to hatch a new transfer plan for this summer window.

Tottenham 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt with Europa League tie level

Thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Kaua Santos, who made a series of excellent saves on Thursday night, Ange Postecoglou is set to tackle their Europa League second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt with the aggregate score all level.

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Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 10, 2025

Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring for Eintracht with their first attack of the game on Thursday night, adding to his impressive 24/25 tally of 20 goals in all competitions this season, before right-back Pedro Porro grabbed Spurs their deserved equaliser with an improvised back-heeled finish.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Wolves (away)

April 13th

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Both Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur smashed the crossbar, with Santos pulling off a series of impressive saves in the Eintracht net, so the Lilywhites can feel slightly hard done by the result.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more from them,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham’s performance against Eintracht.

“We hit the crossbar three times, their keeper made some amazing saves. We had a couple of other good opportunities as well. On any other night we would have a comfortable victory. If we can perform like that over there, and there is no reason why we can’t, then we still give ourselves a good chance.

“I think the guys coming on today made a difference and injected some energy. It could be tight next week, it could go into extra time, and we are going to need everyone ready to go and the beauty of things at the moment is we have a squad ready to go and that will be important next week.”

A good run in the Europa League has been described as crucial when it comes to Postecoglou keeping his job (Fabrizio Romano), amid mounting pressure and reports of Tottenham contact made with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner this week.

Tottenham contact Jose Mourinho over signing Fenerbache defender Yusuf Akcicek

Now, it has been reported that Tottenham have contacted former boss Jose Mourinho, but not to offer him Postecoglou’s job.

Indeed, Turkish news outlet A Spor (via Sport Witness) claim that Spurs reached out to the Portuguese to ask for information about 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akcicek, with Levy and co apparently planning to make a move for him at the end of the season.

This follows a glowing report on the teenager from Lilywhites scouts, but Fenerbache aren’t expected to let him go on the cheap. Spurs also face stiff competition from the likes of Manchester United and Lille, though it appears Postecoglou’s side are laying the most groundwork as things stand.

The 6 foot 3 starlet has started six Europa League games for the Turks, performing impressively and even getting on the scoresheet, with Mourinho also beginning to hand him more chances in the Süper Lig this year.

His displays also earned Akcicek a first-ever senior international cap for Turkey against Hungary last month.

Looking at the promotion-chasing Leeds United side at the moment, it could be argued that the defensive unit will prove vital if the club are to return to the Premier League.

Of course, the only goalscorer during the Whites’ recent 1-0 triumph over Middlesbrough was 56-time Wales international Daniel James, yet the imperious centre-back duo on the night, consisting of both Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu, helped to keep the 22nd clean sheet of the season.

Whilst Daniel Farke will be glad a shut-out and a victory was secured at the Riverside Stadium courtesy of those named, he will be worried about the injury status of Pascal Struijk all the same, with the Leeds captain out again with another serious knock.

Struijk's importance at Leeds

After all, the 25-year-old centre-back just seems to be cursed with constant setbacks in this department.

Last season, Struijk was only fit enough for 25 clashes in all competitions owing to a recurring groin concern, with a new development now revealing that the reliable number five could miss the rest of this season with a potential foot fracture.

This would be a demoralising blow for Farke and Co, considering Struijk has popped up with five crucial goals this campaign from 35 Championship contests, including bagging a double against Sunderland in February to clinch a late win.

Moreover, the injury-prone defender has been dogged at the back away from these goalscoring heroics by collecting a hefty 14 clean sheets.

Whilst Ampadu is a sterling option in the short-term, Leeds aren’t exactly blessed with numbers in the centre-back spots with Struijk sidelined, making the decision to let this rising defensive star leave last summer for just £4m look more bemusing by the minute.

Leeds may have sold a £50m star in the making

Looking more long-term too, there had been rumours in the not-so-distant past that Struijk could leave Elland Road behind, with Serie A side Torino keen admirers.

Therefore, having more bodies at the back in the here and now would be extremely handy in preparing for this possible outcome, with Charlie Cresswell an ideal face to have around to shore up the promotion candidates even more defensively.

The former Whites number five would never quite make the grade at a senior level for his boyhood employers, despite having an “excellent” loan spell at fellow second tier side Millwall during the 2022/23 campaign – as it was labelled by Lions boss at the time Gary Rowell – which bumped up his experience of the testing division.

Much like his 6 foot 3 counterpart, Cresswell showed on loan at the Den that he had an eye for goal with five strikes tallied up from 30 appearances, meaning he could have been the perfect long-term successor to Struijk.

But, regardless of this standout spell in the English capital, the Preston-born titan would never make it at Elland Road, unfortunately, with only 14 senior chances handed to him before a bold £4m move to French outfit Toulouse came to fruition.

This left-field switch to Ligue 1 has worked in Cresswell’s favour, however, when glancing at his impressive FBref numbers below, with direct comparisons to be made between the 22-year-old’s improving game in France and Dean Huijsen’s current breakout season at AFC Bournemouth – the Cherries star noted among the most similar defenders to the Preston native across Europe’s top five leagues.

Cresswell’s FBref numbers over the last year vs Huijsen’s + Struijk’s

Stat – per 90 mins

Cresswell

Huijsen

Struijk

Attempted passes

54.58

59.81

85.57

Pass completion %

82.5%

84.1%

90.1%

Progressive passes

2.40

4.49

6.15

Progressive carries

0.34

1.45

1.18

Shot-creating actions

0.88

1.64

1.34

Tackles

1.39

1.54

1.05

Interceptions

1.01

2.10

0.89

Blocks

1.64

1.50

0.80

Clearances

6.76

6.78

4.49

Aerials won

3.57

2.71

3.60

Stats by FBref

Looking at the table above, Cresswell – who was dubbed “amazing” by Jesse Marsch in the past – isn’t a million miles off matching the £50m-rated Huijsen in various aspects of his defensive game, on top of also managing to better Strujjk in some defensive basics.

Therefore, if Leeds had just exercised more patience and didn’t offload the 22-year-old for £4m, they would already have a ready-made Struijk replacement to further boost their depth ahead of the edgy promotion run-in.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Apr 8, 2025

One Manchester City star has now held positive talks to join a shock club, according to a new transfer update.

Players who could leave Man City this summer

After a busy January transfer window that saw five new players brought in, Pep Guardiola looks set to shake things up again over the summer as he continues his Etihad rebuild.

A plethora of players are out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 season, and there have been claims on a number of Man City stars being sold.

Man City players out of contract in 2025

Kevin De Bruyne

Ilkay Gunogan

Scott Carson

Jack Grealish, who scored against Leicester City in midweek, may well be one who the club decide to cash in on, whereas Bernardo Silva has been linked with a move to PSG.

As we know, Kevin De Bruyne is one of three who can leave and the Belgian has now announced his departure this summer. Releasing a statement on Friday De Bruyne said: “Dear Manchester. These will be my final months as a Manchester City player. Nothing about this is easy to write but as football players we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.

“This city. This club. These people … gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what – we won EVERYTHING. Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye … Every story comes to an end but this has definitely been the best chapter. Let’s enjoy these last moments together.”

It looked as if De Bruyne was on course to move to the MLS with San Diego FC, however, now, it looks as if he could be heading elsewhere.

Kevin De Bruyne holds positive talks to move to Saudi Arabia

Previously, De Bruyne claimed he’d be open to the possibility of moving to Saudi Arabia to earn an “incredible” amount of money.

“At my age, you have to be open to everything. We are talking about incredible sums of money for what could be the end of my career. Sometimes, you have to think about it.”

Already on more than £20m per season with Man City, De Bruyne has now held positive talks with Neom SC, a club who play in the Saudi second division. Described as a powerful and extremely wealthy team by Foot Mercato, Neom SC are serious about signing De Bruyne, who also has interest from River Plate, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahce.

After moving to Man City in 2015, De Bruyne looks likely to leave the Etihad after 10 successful years where he has made more than 400 appearances and scored over 100 goals.

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Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 3, 2025

He’s picked up 18 honours in Sky Blue and will be hoping to add another FA Cup title to his name before potentially heading to Saudi Arabia.