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Tottenham’s January transfer window has intensified following the disappointing news surrounding their pursuit of Santos left-back Souza.

Thomas Frank’s side made an initial approach worth around £8.5 million for the Brazilian, but Santos swiftly rejected the proposal, reportedly demanding around double that figure to part with one of their prized academy graduates.

The north London club have not been deterred by the setback, though.

Media sources confirm Tottenham are continuing talks with Santos and have been trying hard to force a breakthrough on the deal over the past week.

The teenager represents exactly the profile Frank wants to strengthen the left side of defense, offering both defensive solidity and the attacking thrust necessary to complement Spurs’ system.

Chelsea, through their BlueCo ownership, Manchester City via City Group, and Newcastle United are also rumoured to be showing varying degrees of interest in Souza too.

Each organisation is monitoring the situation closely and potentially prepared to match Tottenham if negotiations drag on much longer.

Related Tottenham ready double-your-money offer for player who's keen to join Frank

Spurs are preparing a bid.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini

That being said, reports this afternoon state that Spurs are awaiting an answer to their second bid for Souza, which is worth around £13 million this time.

The 19-year-old is also keen to join Frank’s side, giving the Dane further encouragement that a deal is indeed possible.

Frank faces mounting pressure to add defensive reinforcements quickly.

Destiny Udogie’s hamstring injury has exposed the squad’s lack of depth at left-back, forcing the manager to rely on veteran Ben Davies and converted right-back Djed Spence to cover the position.

With Spurs languishing in mid-table after 20 Premier League matches, the Lilywhites need inspiration from somewhere, and Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge says they’re also prioritising a forward.

They’re expected to be pretty busy when it comes to recruitment over the next few weeks, and journalist Graeme Bailey reports that they’ve now been offered the chance to sign another Brazilian rising star.

Tottenham offered Roma star Wesley Franca amid Souza talks

According to Bailey and TEAMtalk, Tottenham and Man City have now been alerted to Wesley as an alternative possibility for January.

The two Premier League clubs have been presented with an opportunity to seal a move for the Brazil international who has lit up Serie A since his arrival from Flamengo last summer.

It is believed that intermediaries have told his English suitors, including Spurs and City, that a deal could be possible should they show any desire to sign the 22-year-old this month.

Wesley joined Roma from Flamengo for around £22 million and has impressed manager Gian Piero Gasperini with his attacking output from the wing-back positions.

He operates comfortably on both flanks and possesses exactly the kind of versatility that appeals to modern Premier League managers.

Wesley combines pace, confidence on the ball and an ability to push high up the pitch, making him ideally suited to the demands of English football.

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His performances for Roma have seen him force his way into the Brazil national team setup, earning three senior caps since joining Gasperini’s side as he pushes for a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded World Cup squad.

Roma remain extremely satisfied with Wesley’s contributions and have no pressing need to sell. However, Bailey suggests that Gasperini’s desire to strengthen other areas of the squad, particularly in attack, could potentially open the door to an unexpected departure.

The Italian giants would only consider offers that meet their valuation, which may need to be substantial given Wesley’s importance to Roma.

Everton have also been watching Wesley closely through their sister club relationship with Roma under the Friedkin Group ownership. The Toffees would struggle to match Tottenham and City from a financial perspective, though, making them outsiders in any potential bidding war.

For Tottenham, Wesley represents an intriguing alternative to Souza.

His Serie A experience means he has already proven himself in one of Europe’s tougher leagues, removing some of the risk associated with signing directly from South America.

Related Tottenham make enquiry for £63m Brennan Johnson replacement

Spurs are overhauling their attack…

Posts ByBen Goodwin

Could this be Arsenal’s year? How many times have those words been whispered in recent times, with Mikel Arteta having restored the north London club to a position of power at the height of domestic and European football?

All that is missing is silverware, though Arteta did secure the FA Cup during that first half-season in charge. But with Aston Villa swept aside at the end of 2025, Arsenal have underscored their credentials at the top of the Premier League, five points clear of Manchester City (whose game in hand comes at Sunderland on New Year’s Day).

Everyone is playing their part, but this means some within the Gunners squad could find themselves struggling for starts, week in and week out, Viktor Gyokeres being chief among them.

Why Arteta must drop Viktor Gyokeres

There was a weight of expectation and excitement when Arsenal announced the signing of Swedish striker Gyokeres for £64m in July, ending an interminable wait for a clinical number nine.

The 27-year-old has scored five goals from 15 Premier League appearances (12 starts) this season, and his general play has left something to be desired.

This was clear, once again, during the win over Villa. Hooked for the goalscoring Gabriel Jesus after 77 minutes, Gyokeres only completed three passes, failing with both of his attempted dribbles and winning only one of seven duels, as per Sofascore. That’s without acknowledging the blunder which saw him lose possession in his own half, nearly gifting Ollie Watkins a goal.

Gyokeres was billed as an unstoppable powerhouse, but he has been caught against the tide in the Premier League, perhaps struggling to adapt to the intensity and physicality and technicality.

With Jesus back in action and impressing, Arsenal’s new attacking recruit may find minutes hard to come by, though he’s not the only one, with a well-liked member of Arteta’s brood struggling against Unai Emery’s side, and now in danger of drifting away from a starting berth entirely.

Arsenal star may now lose his place

It is a testament to Arsenal’s diligent squad planning over the past several years that they have so many talented options across the park. The Gunners probably have the strongest squad in the Premier League, perhaps Europe.

Mikel Merino embodies this, having been a crucial part of the project since joining from Real Sociedad in 2024.

A clutch player whose instinctiveness in the final third lends itself to moonlit roles as a stand-in striker, Merino, 29, has been a revelation, but with Declan Rice sidelined on Tuesday evening, Merino struggled to match the Three Lions superstar’s brilliance, and it’s clear that Arteta needs him back in the starting line-up pronto.

Merino was withdrawn after 73 minutes, having worked hard but struggled to match the fluency of his midfield peers, Martin Odegaard and Martin Zubimendi, who were praised for having “dominated the match” by journalist Sam Dean.

Mikel Merino – Arsenal Stats by Position

Positions

Apps

Goals + Assists

Central midfield

46

4 + 2

Centre-forward

23

10 + 6

Attacking midfield

2

0 + 0

Data via Transfermarkt

Despite playing most of the contest, Merino took fewer touches than Villan goalkeeper Emi Martinez. The versatile Spaniard completed 90% of his passes and created three chances, also winning five of 11 contested duels. However, he conceded three fouls and was probably fortunate to have avoided a red card after a challenge on Morgan Rogers while on a yellow.

Subscribe to the Newsletter for Deeper Arsenal Insight Crave more than a match recap? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth Arsenal analysis: tactical breakdowns, lineup scrutiny, squad role assessments and transfer context that expand on the topic and sharpen your understanding.

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This, and the fact he drifted on the edges of the flow of the game, led football.london to brand him with a 5/10 match rating.

As Arsenal head into the new year, they know what they want: titles.

Whether Arsenal win the Premier League remains to be seen, but it’s clear that, as this team gathers full strength, Merino might be better deployed off the bench, for he was a black sheep among silky stars against Aston Villa.

Merino is an integral part of Arsenal’s squad. When options are short at number nine – and they have been – his prowess as a makeshift striker has paid dividends –

Related Modern day Vieira: Arteta's 9/10 lieutenant is driving Arsenal to the title

Arsenal secured a title-defining victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair

The USACA has set a target of September 2008 for the hiring of a chief executive to oversee the running of the association.The news comes in the light of new rules being considered by the ICC which will entitle the leading Associates to a considerable increase in funding that could run into more than a million dollars a year. While the USA is, because of its clash with the ICC, not ranked highly at the moment, many believe that could change with its recent reinstatement.However, one of the conditions that has to be met to make a country eligible for the various grants is that it has to have a CEO. It’s a chicken and egg situation, as most cannot afford a CEO without the additional income but cannot get the cash without a CEO.The main obstacle facing USACA is how to fund such an appointment in the short term. It is not believed that it has any reserves. This year’s ICC grants of around US$110,000 will be swallowed by regional tournaments as well as sending the national side abroad to play. The USACA has historically found attraction sponsors and investors extremely hard to come by, and the closeted way it has operated hardly helps its own cause.It is thought that USACA might be looking to solve that by appointing an unpaid CEO, although it is hard to see why someone would be willing to undertake what should be a full-time job for free. What will also worry those who have been at loggerheads with USACA is that the names of Paul de Silva and Selwyn Ceasar have been touted as possible candidates.Both men are closely linked with Gladstone Dainty, the controversial president of USACA, and until the March elections both were on the executive board. However, they were replaced as secretary and treasurer by candidates from the rival New Innings team.There also have to be concerns about how much autonomy a CEO would have. At times, Dainty has run USACA as a one-man operation and it would take a marked change in his approach for the CEO to be anything other than a token post.

Canada have finally appointed a new coach, after a five-month search to replace Andy Pick. Pubudu Dassanayake, their temporary coach, has been appointed in the permanent position which will take effect on October 1.Back in May, Pick urged the CCA to move quickly to appoint a coach to give themselves the best chance of qualification for the next World Cup. Pick, who had a year’s sabbatical from his ECB role to take Canada to the 2007 World Cup, warned that missing out would be “a massive step backwards”.Critics may say that CCA, knowing Pick’s contract was to expire, could have acted sooner to replace him. In response, a CCA spokesperson told Cricinfo: “The CCA prefers not to comment on the timelines in the appointment process – elements which are now behind us and in the past. It’s far more important to appoint the right person for the position and to avoid taking hurried, and potentially incorrect, decisions. We believe we have achieved exactly that.”Now it is up to Canada to move forward, and move fast. The good news is that in Dassanayake, they have found both an experienced coach and player. Dassanayake emigrated to Canada from his native Sri Lanka in 2001. He played 108 first-class matches, including 11 Tests and 16 ODIs for Sri Lanka, mainly as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He also represented Canada in 2005 and 2006, captaining the national team in 2005.He brings to the position coaching experience from both Sri Lanka and Canada and has also been a specialist wicketkeeping coach at the Sri Lanka Cricket Academy and a member of the SLCA’s Panel overseeing the development of fast bowlers in the country. He has also served as coach of the Junior Elite Program across Canada.Ben Sennik, the board’s president, said: “We’re very pleased to have arrived at a ‘made-in-Canada’ solution for our next national coach. It’s clear to all involved – both internationally and within Canada – that the game is growing rapidly here.”We need an experienced individual in place to provide the guidance to our seniors and junior cricketers. Pubudu knows the Canadian cricket scene well, and we’re confident that he’ll do an excellent job for cricket in Canada.”Meanwhile, Canada’s search for a new chief executive continues – but there are encouraging signs there, too, as the spokesperson confirmed: “We expect to be able to make an announcement within weeks rather than months.”

The Indian board has decided to bid for the global rights to all ICC events from 2007 to 2015. With the 2011 World Cup to be held in the subcontinent, the BCCI felt that it could generate maximum revenue if it was in charge of the marketing process.The rights to all ICC events for the next eight years is up for grabs as the existing deal with Global Cricket Corporation expires after the World Cup next April.”We are very interested in the bid,” Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president and marketing committee chairman, told . “We will be aggressively pursuing the matter and will put forward the best bid as any other marketing agency.”Having already decided to enter the broadcast production arena, the BCCI now appears keen to spread its wings to the sphere of marketing. It is estimated that the global rights for the period between 2007 and 2015 could be worth as much as one billion dollars.Meanwhile, a BCCI committee is set to discuss objections over the ICC’s Members’ Participation Agreement (MPA) on October 3. The board had earlier announced that it would not sign the agreement “in its present form”. The committee, headed by Modi, is expected to suggest alterations that will facilitate an agreement.The MPA lays down guidelines and restrictions that the players must follow, including those that deal with ambush marketing. According to reports, the board has sent a copy of the MPA to Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, and it will only take a decision once he has responded.The ICC hierarchy is believed to be angry that the BCCI has raised this as a potential problem so late in the day, and Malcolm Speed has requested that the issue be resolved as a matter of urgency.

Finding young fans has been easier than scoring runs for Brian Lara this month © Getty Images

Brian Lara, who is 316 runs from becoming Test cricket’s leading run-scorer, heads into this week’s opening match against Australia in an alarming batting slump. Since arriving in Australia at the start of October, Lara has failed to reach double figures in five of his six innings with scores of 0, 5 and 0 in the one-day Super Series, 5 and 36 in the Super Test and 1 in the tour match against Queensland that ended in a draw yesterday.The run of low scores leaves him considerably underdone before he faces Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne at the Gabba from Thursday. West Indies will be relying heavily on Lara, who is carrying a finger injury suffered in the Queensland game, to reproduce his classic form to give them enough runs to put the Australians under pressure after their recent Ashes loss.However the Australia coach John Buchanan said the out-of-form Lara was still a “major worry”. “You don’t reach the status in the game that he does by missing out consistently,” he said. “One would suspect if he has missed out a little bit, then there are runs around the corner.”Buchanan said West Indies had arrived in Australia with a “bit of an underdog tag”. “But they have players of the calibre of Lara, and two left-handers, Lara and [the captain Shivnarine] Chanderpaul, who are great players of spin. That’s always a major worry to us because they can turn a game at any moment.”Lara has scored 30 Test centuries – eight of them against Australia since 1993 – and is closing on Allan Border’s all-time record of 11,174 runs in 156 Tests. He currently has 10,859 runs in 118 Tests, placing him third behind Border and Steve Waugh, who reached 10,927 in 168 matches.

Ehsan Mani let on that Zimbabwe would get Test status back very soon© Getty Images

Zimbabwe is all set to get back Test status next month without the need for a fresh assessment, Ehsan Mani, the International Cricket Council president, told the Associated Press.The Zimbabwean cricket team was given six months to raise its level to Test standard after disputes between players and cricketers meant that several key players were unable to represent Zimbabwe. A young and inexperienced team was then trounced twice in succession by Sri Lanka.But Mani revealed that the six-month deadline was not “set in stone” and that there was no need for a fresh assessment at any time. Zimbabwe are set to play Bangladesh away, and South Africa early next year – and these two series are scheduled to have full Test status.”There is no ultimatum on Zimbabwe to reach a satisfactory standard. The six months period was just loose,” Mani is quoted as saying by the Associated Press. When asked to clarify if this meant that Zimbabwe would once more be considered a Test team from the time they go to Bangladesh – without any assessment of their capabilities being made after then or after South Africa – Mani said “That is the case.”Mani was making his fourth visit to Zimbabwe during England’s tour of the country, and said, “I felt the need to see for myself the security and safety situation in the country and the possibility of public protests.”

South Africa’s delayed tour of Pakistan will now start with a warm-up one-day match at Lahore on October 1, while the first ODI will be played at the same venue two days later. The itinerary was forced to be revised following South Africa’s concerns over security after a bomb blast in Karachi. The new schedule comprises five ODIs but just two Tests, one lesser than was originally intended. Importantly, the South Africans will go into the Tests without a single three-day warm-up game.Earlier, the tour was salvaged after the PCB managed a last-minute deal with the South African board. “We made a decision on Saturday, based on information from our security consultants who had also been in contact with intelligence agencies,” said Gerald Majola, the chief executive of the UCB. “That information was that the situation in Pakistan, particularly following a bomb blast in Karachi on Friday evening, meant that sending our team to Karachi on Sunday as planned would have constituted an unacceptable risk.””The Board has at all times been committed to making every effort to ensure the tour could go ahead, with the safety and security of the national squad as our primary concern,” said Majola. “The tour is important to both Pakistan and to South African cricket and we are sympathetic with the disappointment expressed in Pakistan when the team’s departure for Karachi on Sunday had to be called off. We appreciate the PCB’s compromise on an abbreviated tour, and that compromise is indicative of the continuing good relationships between our two boards.”In a radio interview on SABC, the national state broadcaster, Majola also informed that the South African team would be given VVIP security cover, which is normally given only to visiting statesmen. “We have decided to go ahead with a shortened tour because we now have a security plan in place that has been approved by Pakistan, South Africa and our own police service,” he said. “The VVIP security will be monitored on a regular basis by our own security people who will be travelling with the team during the tour.””We feel it is a welcome sign for cricket in Pakistan because we have gonethrough very hard times in the last four days,” said Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the Pakistan board. “[There were] misconceptions about Friday’s blast,” he said. “After talking to our security officials, [South Africa] got the clear picture that the blast was not linked to terrorism.”Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, expressed his satisfaction at the outcome of the discussions. “Over the past two days, this has allowed all parties to get a considered, fact-based and accurate understanding of the security and safety concerns and of the way in which these are being managed. I am very pleased that through this process the PCB and the UCB have reached this in principle agreement.”However, Mani criticised the haste with which the tour had earlier been called off. “I am concerned that there appeared to be a lack of consultation within the international cricket community before the initial decision not to tour was taken,” he said. “This meant that both the ICC and the PCB were not given the opportunity to provide relevant information to the UCB as it considered its position.”One solution may be to introduce a cricket-wide protocol for this type of situation, where any country that is facing the situation the UCB has had to deal with is obliged to consult with both the ICC and the host country before reaching a decision. In that way every country would retain its right to determine where and when its team plays but it would also ensure that all parties affected by its decisions would be able to have their views considered and discussed as a decision is being made.”Mani promised that he would raise the issue at the next meeting of the ICC’s executive board, which is scheduled for the Caribbean at the end of October.Pakistan threaten to sue
Miandad leads the protests

Bengal registered a close 17-run victory over Bihar in their RanjiTrophy one-day match at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, on Tuesday.Winning the toss, Bengal skipper Rohan Gavaskar elected to bat first.It looked like his batsmen were out to prove him wrong when the firsttwo wickets fell with just 17 runs on the board. Arindam Das andGavaskar then put on a mini-partnership of 72 runs before the latterwas dismissed for 28.Das also departed soon, for 42 made off 72 balls. Only knocks in thethirties from Soumen Singh, Sanjib Sanyal and Lakshmi Rattan Shuklasaw Bengal cross the 200-run mark.Bihar could only respond with 209 from their 50 overs, as all theBengal bowlers, in particular Utpal Chatterjee, bowled with restraintand guile. T Rehman was Bihar’s highest scorer, making 52 off 95balls. Anirban Das was named Man of the Match for his battingperformance.

Cape Town – South Africa’s reliance of the K factor emerged during the WorldCup last year when mostly Lance Klusener engineered victory out of any number ofimprobable situations. On occasions we also had Jacques Kallis embroidering afew fancy touches.At Newlands on Wednesday both combined to give England a double barrel blast inone of the more sensational finishes to a slogs event as we are going tosee in this particular triangular series.And at the end of it all, with four needed off the last ball to win, DarrenGough swings at a Kallis delivery and the best he can gallop is a two as SouthAfrica scrape home by one run.No doubt it will go down in the column of matches won by one run or less insome esoteric book of records and close finishes in LOIs; and yes, for many itwas a tad like the players enclosure being knee deep in chewed finger-nails(yet again). Even the Barmy Army pals were arguing whether or not to singthe “Run, Allan, run …” ditty they love trotting out so much on this tourThis time the refrain might be transferred to “Oh no, Goughie, we needed afour …” as Kallis, man of the match, bowled the last delivery in an over which had even a touch of Shakespearean drama as the finger of fate flicked first England’s way then South Africa’s.In the 49th over bowled by Shaun Pollock, five deliveries went for 16 runs asMark Ealham and Chris Read almost slogged their way into history. Two Pommiewins in this series over South Africa may have triggered an identity crisis.When did England last win consecutive matches is one question which suggeststhey are the sort of side which doesn’t know how to perform such miracles.Read clobbered a six and a four as well as a single as Pollock was pasted allover Newlands. Ealham swung and picked up a boundary. When he swung again andgot a delivery high on the bat (as near to the splice you are going to get) anJonty Rhodes took as pretty a safe catch as you are going to see.Andrew Caddick arrived and Read swung again grabbed a single, facing Kallisand the start of the last over. South Africa’s captain, Hansie Crone, seemed tohave trusted his instincts as well as gut feel on this one and declined tobowl himself or Pieter Strydom. He relied on his front five and backed them andthat was enough. Cronje admitted, though “the game was all too close”.Winning the toss and deciding that reputations being what they are after duskat Newlands batting first was the best option and the best way to turn aroundthat dreadful nine wickets thrashing in Bloemfontein on Sunday.The pitch was about as snail pace as was Goodyear Park in Bloem last Sundayand the outfield even slower than it was during the fourth Test. Boundaries werefar from easy and galloping threes was almost a compulsory exercise. So it wasno mean feat for the likes of Nick Knight to slap the first and Ealham tochalk up the second to bring England that little closer.Building partnerships was far from being an exercise as the slow puncture weexperienced in the South Africa innings all but repeated itself. Kallisknuckled down and built an innings of 43 as he watched the procession ofHerschelle Gibbs, Jonty Rhodes and his captain come and go. There had beenspeculation Rhodes would be ready for the game and he came in at four in theorder with Dale Benkenstein left out as the selectors made three necessarychanges: Mornantau Hayward for Nicky Boje, Rhodes for Benkenstein and Williamsfor David Terbrugge who had such a disappointing game in Bloemfontein.There was the suspicion Terbrugge was in need to a re-evaluation of hisbowling form having missed out at the Wanders and being pushed in against England in Bloemfontein. He should have played in the first game against Zimbabwe at the Wanderers to see what he can do. But the selectors have no doubt now got the idea that it was not a good idea in either Bloem or Newlands.Kallis was run out by an Ealham throw for 43: running slap into the rotundNatal umpire Wilf Diedricks and failing to make good his ground. It was atouch bizarre and ironic.Klusener took over, but as with Kallis runs were not easy: chipping away atold myths and new theories seemed to go hand in glove. He did what he could before the run out.It Kallis did what he could to nurse the total along Klusener looked forpartners to build the innings and take the score past the 200 mark. It was apsychological thing; South Africa needed to get their act together. Klusenerdid it with a typical flourish.What happened next is typical slogs flare. Every time South Africa startedbuilding a total new crisis would arise. On the face of it they were lucky toget to a pick up 200; after that it was a bonus. Gough bowled tidily with swing and seam and awkward angles.While Nasser Hussain went quickly to a peachy delivery; it was a question ofcollecting other wickets. There was some care, stubborn and solid resistancefrom Nick Knight and Graeme Hick with the pair building a partnership of 68.Then the two fell quickly (within in three balls as it were) with Hick fallinglbw to Kallis and Knight getting an edge. The rest of the innings started to lose its drive with some outstanding bowling and fielding which reduced their areas of frustration for South Africa.Chris Adams looked the part of a batsman trying to save the innings butonce he went the charade South Africa kept on plugging away and the result was in doubt until that final delivery – the crowd’s cheering drew attention that either side could win – it was that sort of uncertainty which comes over the game as the bowlers are hard to get away and the batsmen fret about putting runs on the board.England seemed to win and then lose the scent in their quest for runs. As the wickets fell the moon was just that extra too high to reach and Polly and Kallis were that much better than they had been in Bloemfontein.South Africa though proved to on top of the situation and with more slog thannudge and push, England almost got there before Kallis bowled that final over – in the end pushing the hosts into the log lead and silencing the Barmy Army.