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Tottenham Hotspur’s squad has come a long way in such a short space of time, with Thomas Frank the current beneficiary of the hierarchy’s impressive recruitment.

Managers like Antonio Conte have tried and failed to transform the club, subsequently being unable to bring the success the fans have desired to North London.

The Italian ultimately left the club back in March 2023 despite achieving a 53% win percentage, with Ange Postecoglou taking over ahead of the following campaign.

In the last couple of years, the hierarchy have spent big on the transfer window to try and take the club to the next level and achieve a sustained period of success – whether that be in the Premier League or Europe.

One of the players brought in during such a period has demonstrated his talents for the Lilywhites, but has also come under fire for his lack of impact at certain times of his spell at the club.

The ups and downs of Brennan Johnson’s Spurs career

Brennan Johnson joined Spurs for a reported £47.5m back in the summer of 2023, arriving with high expectations after netting 10 goals and registering three assists for Nottingham Forest the year prior.

The Welshman has endured a topsy-turvy time in North London to date, only scoring five times in his first season at the club – leading to unjustifiable abuse from the supporters.

Such a situation would lead to the winger deleting his social media accounts, but it would lead to a huge upturn in form and securing his place as a regular starter once again.

Johnson would score 18 times across all competitions last campaign – the most of any player in the squad – even netting the winner in the Europa League final against Manchester United.

The goal against the Red Devils ended the Lilywhites’ 17-year wait for any form of silverware, subsequently handing a generation of supporters memories to last a lifetime.

Whilst scoring twice in as many outings at the start of 2025/26, Johnson has since fallen down the pecking order of late, failing to make a single start in the Premier League since the end of August.

As a result, he’s subsequently being outperformed by one former Spurs star who may have been harshly sold given his lack of first-team action in North London.

The former Spurs star who is playing better than Johnson

Whilst Spurs have spent big in the transfer market over the last couple of seasons, numerous players have had to be sacrificed to help balance the books to avoid any financial implications.

Harry Kane has been the biggest player to depart North London over recent windows, leaving in a mammoth £82m transfer to join Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

The Englishman has left a huge gap in the first-team squad, unsurprisingly so given his tally of 280 goals for the Lilywhites – the most by any player in the club’s history.

He wasn’t the only attacker that was sacrificed by the club to raise funds, with former boss Conte deciding to offload winger Jack Clarke to Sunderland back in the summer of 2022.

The winger joined the club from Championship side Leeds United for a fee in the region of £10m, with his addition seeing the club land themselves a star for the future.

However, it’s safe to say his time in North London failed to live up to expectations, as Clarke was restricted to only four senior appearances for the club – none of which came in the Premier League.

After countless loan spells away from the Lilywhites, he would move on a permanent basis to join the Black Cats three years after his transfer – subsequently unable to have the impact he desired.

Fast forward to the present day, the 24-year-old now plies his trade for Ipswich Town after joining them for £15m last summer, now becoming a key member of their current first-team squad.

Clarke has now scored three times and registered one assist for the Tractor Boys, a tally higher than that of Johnson, who’s only scored twice in the 2025/26 campaign.

Games played

9

Goals & assists

4

Pass accuracy

78%

Chances created

1.3

Cross accuracy

67%

Successful dribbles

2.3

Tackles won

1.8

Fouls won

2.1

There’s no denying the Englishman is achieving such heights in a lower division, but it’s clear that he’s a player full of confidence at present – but the same can’t be said for the Welshman.

Frank needs to give Johnson the support he needs to get back to the levels he produced last season, with his drop in from in recent weeks a huge concern to everyone involved with the club.

As for Clarke, it’s great to see a former player finally fulfilling the potential he arrived with, but it’s a real shame that he’s not doing so in the whites of Tottenham.

His departure may have been a tad premature, but unfortunately for the fanbase, he will now remain a case of what could’ve been with their loss now Ipswich’s gain.

100% dribbles, 78 touches: Spurs star is now emulating Kane under Frank

Tottenham Hotspur maintained their unbeaten record in the Champions League last night against Bodo Glimt.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 1, 2025

تعرض نادي إنتر ميامي لخسارة قاسية أمام نظيره ناشفيل بهدفين مقابل هدف، فجر اليوم الأحد، ضمن إياب دور الـ16 من بطولة الدوري الأمريكي الممتاز مرحلة الإقصائيات.

إنتر ميامي دخل لقاء اليوم بتشكيلته الأساسية بالكامل بحثًا عن تحقيق الانتصار، حيث ترأس تشكيل إنتر ميامي الأسطورة ليونيل ميسي والذي يقدم مستوى ممتاز خلال هذا الموسم.

واعتمد خافيير ماسكيرانو، المدير الفني لنادي إنتر ميامي على خدمات ميسي في خط الهجوم بجانب لويس سواريز، في حين تواجد سيرجيو بوسكيتس ورودريجو دي بول في خط الوسط وجوردي ألبا في مركز الظهير الأيسر.

وبدأ إنتر ميامي لقاء اليوم وهو مستحوذ على الكرة، لكن في المقابل كان ناشفيل خطيرًا للغاية على مستوى الهجمات المرتدة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سبب استبدال أردا جولر في مباراة ريال مدريد وفالنسيا

ولم ينتظر ناشفيل كثيرًا ليتحصل على ركلة جزاء سددها سام سوريدج بنجاح في الدقيقة التاسعة، معلنًا تقدم أصحاب الأرض وواضعًا ضغط كبير على إنتر ميامي.

ولم يظهر لاعبو إنتر ميامي أي رد فعل، حيث استمر ناشفيل في شن هجمات كثيرة على مرمى الضيوف وسط تألق حارس المرمى ريكو ريوس نوفو.

وجاء هدف ناشفيل الثاني في الدقيقة 45 عن طريق جوش باور، حيث استغل اللاعب ركنية ليعزز من تقدم فريقه.

وفي الشوط الثاني تغير الوضع وبحث إنتر ميامي كثيرًا عن تعديل الوضع، ليسجل ليونيل ميسي هدف فريقه في الدقيقة 90، لكنه لم يكن كافيًا ليجنب إنتر ميامي الهزيمة.

بتلك النتيجة سوف يلعب إنتر ميامي وناشفيل مباراة أخرى فاصلة الأسبوع المقبل في ميامي، من أجل تحديد هوية المتأهل إلى الدور المقبل. أهداف إنتر ميامي وناشفيل اليوم

The loss to Liverpool has certainly made things more complicated, but Arsenal still have a great chance to win the Premier League this season.

Moreover, despite the narrative some in the media are seemingly desperate to spin, Mikel Arteta’s side were just as good as the defending champions, and were it not for a freak free-kick, would be level on points with them.

That said, while the Gunners were defensively excellent against the Reds, they were a little underwhelming in attack, although Viktor Gyokeres didn’t really get the service he needed to make an impact.

Fortunately, the team will only grow more familiar with his fame in the coming weeks and months, and if his form over the last few seasons is anything to go by, he should be scoring for fun in no time at all.

With that said, Arsenal may well have been able to save the £68m they spent on him had they not sold a youngster a few windows ago.

Why Arsenal splashed the cash on Gyokeres

While there were several problems Arsenal had to contend with last season, from chance creation to a never-ending list of injuries, one of the big ones was simply putting the ball in the back of the net.

So, if you were Andrea Berta and you wanted to help solve that problem, you’d probably go out and sign the most prolific player in the world last year, which is precisely what he did.

From January 1 to December 31, 2024, Gyokeres scored a staggering 36 goals in the league alone, more than any other player in any other top-flight league around the world.

Perhaps even more impressive than that, though, is the fact that the Swedish “powerhouse,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored a staggering 54 goals and provided 13 assists across 52 appearances last season.

In other words, the 27-year-old international averaged 1.28 goal involvements every game, which is nothing short of miraculous.

In all, it’s not his build-up play nor his passing ability that caused Arsenal to splash the cash on Gyokeres; it was his unreal ability to wallop the ball in the back of the net.

Yet, while his transfer will probably work out, it might not have been necessary had Arteta and Co shown faith in a former youngster at the club.

The Arsenal youngster who could have been their homegrown Gyokeres

For all the talents that have made it into the first team over recent years, such as Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skell and Bukayo Saka, Arsenal have let their fair share of young stars leave.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

The likes of Donyell Malen and Eberechi Eze were let go as youngsters, but in this instance, we are talking about Mika Biereth.

The Danish poacher joined the club’s youth setup from Fulham in the summer of 2021 and, within a few years, had been out on several loans, the most successful of which was at Sturm Graz, who he was sold to for around £4m in the summer of 2024.

To say the 22-year-old hit the ground running upon making the permanent move would be a massive understatement, as in the first half of this season, he ended up scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in 25 appearances.

Such an awe-inspiring start to the campaign was more than enough to convince AS Monaco to spend just north of £10m on him in the winter window.

Despite now playing in a top-five league for the first time, the “outrageous” talent, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, thrived on the French Riviera, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists in 19 appearances, totalling 1366 minutes.

In other words, the free-scoring forward, whom Arteta sold for a pittance, scored 27 goals and provided eight assists in just 44 appearances, totalling 3337 minutes last season.

Appearances

44

Minutes

3337′

Goals

27

Assists

8

Goals Involvements per Mat

0.79

Minutes per Goal Involvement

95.34′

That comes out to a monstrous average of a goal involvement every 1.25 games, or every 95.34 minutes across the 24/25 campaign.

Now, we are not claiming that Biereth would be as good a striker for the Gunners as Gyokeres could end up being this summer, but it’s clear that they probably would have been better off keeping him around.

After all, his output last season was undeniably Gyokeres-esque.

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Chelsea have now submitted an offer for an “exceptional” Tottenham Hotspur player, who is keen to remain in the Premier League.

Caicedo impresses despite Brentford slip-up

If the Blues have serious ambitions of mounting a Premier League title charge this season, they need to be able to close out games against teams like Brentford, which is why it will be disappointing they were unable to pick up all three points on Saturday.

Fabio Carvalho’s late goal meant Enzo Maresca’s side had to settle for a draw on the road, and missed the opportunity to go top of the Premier League table at this early stage of the campaign.

While Maresca will no doubt be disappointed by the result, the Italian is likely to be happy with Moises Caicedo’s performance, with the Ecuadorian bagging the goal that put the west Londoners 2-1 up late in the second half, and impressing from a defensive point of view.

Statistic

Number completed

Tackles

4

Interceptions

4

Duels won

7

Accurate passes

62/64 (97%)

As such, there are doubts over whether Chelsea need to bring in another defensive midfielder, but according to a report from Africa Foot, they have now made an offer for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Bissouma has recently suffered a knee injury, which means he will have to wait until January to leave the Blues’ bitter rivals, amid widespread interest in his signature, with Newcastle United, West Ham United and Crystal Palace also lodging proposals.

Tottenham are open to sanctioning a departure, given that the Malian midfielder is well-known to have fallen out with Thomas Frank, which means a January departure could be on the cards, although they would prefer to sell him to a foreign club.

The 29-year-old, on the other hand, has made it clear that he wants to remain in the Premier League, rather than joining the likes of Chicago Fire, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe or Lyon.

"Exceptional" Bissouma would be strange signing for Chelsea

In truth, it would be strange for the Blues to launch a formal move for the Tottenham midfielder, not least because Maresca is already well-stocked in the engine room, with the likes of Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos at the manager’s disposal.

Moreover, there are also issues surrounding the Mali international’s discipline, with Frank leaving him out for the Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain and saying: “Bissouma isn’t here because of disciplinary reasons. He has been late several times, the latest one too many.”

Chelsea now ready to launch £85m+ move to sign "rare" superstar in 2026

He’d be the perfect Simons alternative…

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That’s not to say the Spurs ace isn’t a talented player on his day, with Gary Lineker once describing him as “exceptional” after putting in an impressive performance against Everton.

However, there is little point in Chelsea potentially shelling out £14m on a player who would be likely to receive little game time, given Caicedo and Fernandez’s emergence as key players, with both starting all four Premier League games up to this point.

It would be fair to say that, so far, Chelsea have had a great transfer window this summer.

The club have made plenty of money selling the likes of Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, and Djordje Petrovic, while seriously improving the squad with exciting additions like Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, and Jamie Gittens.

Moreover, it looks like the Blues’ owners, BlueCo group, are in the process of securing the services of the promising Julio Enciso.

However, while the young Paraguayan could be an excellent addition to the squad, the Blues are also closing in on someone who’d be an even better signing.

Chelsea chase better signing than Enciso

Even though they’ve already completed more signings than most teams would in a summer, Chelsea are still on the lookout for more talent, and while someone like Xavi Simons has been consistently touted for a move to the club in recent weeks, Enciso is set to be the latest addition.

Transfer Focus

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

In fact, the Brighton & Hove Albion gem’s move to the West Londoners has already been given the ‘here we go’ treatment, but instead of heading straight to Stamford Bridge, the plan is that he’ll be spending a year in France with Strasbourg.

The 21-year-old is undoubtedly an exciting signing, but it appears that the Pensioners are now moving to complete a move for someone who’d be an even better signing.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which has reaffirmed Chelsea’s intense interest in Alejandro Garnacho.

Moreover, the report has now revealed that the Blues are preparing an offer for the Manchester United ace that’ll be worth around £25m.

It seems likely that the Red Devils will reject such a bid, but given the player’s open desire to make the move, a compromise of some kind feels like the likely outcome.

It could therefore still be something of a complicated and costly transfer for Chelsea, but given Garnacho’s ability and potential, he’d be worth the effort, especially as he’d be a better signing than Enciso.

Why Garnacho would be a better signing than Enciso

Now, it should be said that both players are incredibly talented and look like they have bright futures in the game ahead of them.

However, there are a few reasons why we believe Garnacho would be a better signing for Chelsea than Enciso, and the first is their output last season.

For example, between his spells with the Seagulls and Ipswich Town last season, the Caaguazú-born gem was only able to score three goals and provide four assists in 29 appearances, totalling 1458 minutes.

Garnacho vs Enciso in 24/25
Players	Garnacho	Enciso
Appearances	58	29
Minutes	3568′	1458′
Goals	11	3
Assists	10	4
Goal Involvements per Match	0.36	0.24
Minutes per Goal Involvements	169.90′	208.28′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

That means that he maintained a middling average of a goal involvement every 4.14 games, or every 208.28 minutes, which isn’t terrible, but it’s also not particularly noteworthy.

In contrast, the Madrid-born “superstar” in the making, as dubbed by journalist Liam Canning, was able to score 11 goals and provide ten assists in 58 appearances, totalling 3568 minutes.

In other words, the Argentine international was able to average a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or 169.90 minutes for a historically terrible United side.

The second reason the “electric” United ace, as dubbed by Statman Dave, would be a better signing is down to his experience.

While both players are still just 21 years old, the Red Devils gem has made 36 more appearances in the Premier League, has played in the Champions League, and has experience of not just playing in finals, but scoring hugely important goals in them that secure his side silverware.

Ultimately, Enciso is an undeniably talented footballer, but he lacks the numbers and extraordinary moments Garnacho has at the same age.

Therefore, we reckon the Argentine international would be the far better signing for the club this summer.

Chelsea receive £250m windfall as Fabrizio Romano confirms another sale

The Blues have been made serious cash this summer.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 21, 2025

As they prepare to step up their chase for Benjamin Sesko, Manchester United are now also reportedly keen to sign a talented midfielder who former star Michael Carrick labelled “terrific”.

Man Utd readying first Sesko offer

Despite missing out on European football last season, Manchester United have maintained their attraction this summer and have welcomed both Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo as a result. Both attacking additions had other options, but chose to hand Ruben Amorim two instant upgrades in his Old Trafford frontline.

It’s a decision which some may question, but one that Sesko could now follow. According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United are now readying their first bid to sign the RB Leipzig star, who favours a move to the Red Devils over Newcastle United this summer.

Whilst many have suggested that United have simply won the bidding war to sign players such as Cunha and Mbeumo, Amorim has insisted that money has not been the deciding factor.

He told reporters: “Cunha and Bryan, they had different solutions [offers]. They had Champions League offers. And they wanted to come here. People that say that they come here because of the money… that is a lie. That I know for sure. So, I’m really happy with that.

“That is the key point. They have to want to come here. I think what we can do to the fans is that we want players who have proved [themselves] already.”

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Even with Sesko potentially following suit, however, Manchester United’s business may not be done there. Reports are now suggesting that they’ve also set their sights on signing a midfield talent this summer.

Man Utd keen to sign Hayden Hackney

According to GiveMeSport, Manchester United are now keen to sign Hayden Hackney ahead of interest from Tottenham Hotspur this summer. The Middlesbrough midfielder is keen to leave the Teesside club and is willing to wait it out for the likes of Spurs and potentially United to come calling in a deal worth around £20m.

Of course, if the Red Devils want to know more about the England U21 star then they could turn towards Michael Carrick for answers. The former Old Trafford star worked with Hackney for three years at Middlesbrough and was often full of praise for the 23-year-old.

The former Boro boss told reporters after the midfielder signed a new contract at the club in 2022: “I think it’s the right thing, it’s fair from both sides,” said the head coach.

“Hayden has been terrific since I came and the couple of games before that he played really well. That’s kind of how it works, you get rewarded for your good work. He fully deserves it. He’s been a credit to himself and his family with the way he’s handled it.”

Will Manchester City be back on top of the Premier League next season?

Last time round, Pep Guardiola’s team endured a nightmare campaign, losing 17 times across all competitions, seeing their historic sequence of four successive Premier League titles come to an end.

As they aim to change that, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Sverre Nypan have all been signed so far this summer, but are the Sky Blues now aiming to make a marquee addition that could restore their position of dominance?

Manchester City seeking a statement signing

Even by the usually astronomical high standards, the Premier League’s biggest clubs have been spending an enormous amount this summer already, and we’re not even into August yet, as the table below documents.

Liverpool

5

£294m

Chelsea

8

£227m

Arsenal

6

£187m

Manchester United

2

£136m

Manchester City

5

£125m

Tottenham Hotspur

6

£124m

Please note: all information is correct at the time of publication

As the table documents, all of the Premier League’s traditional heavyweights have spent big this summer, most notably Liverpool.

The reigning champions have already splurged almost £300m to sign Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké, Miloš Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili, but a report by Mark Ogden of ESPN claims they’re willing to spend as much as £165m to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle, with the Swede pushing for the move, which would be quite the statement signing.

In response, reports in Spain claim that Manchester City have ‘made an initial offer’ of £170m to Chelsea in an attempt to re-sign Cole Palmer, adding that he is valued at closer to £250m by the Blues, which would smash the world-transfer record of €222m held by Neymar.

Palmer joined the Citizens’ academy as an eight-year-old, making just 41 appearances for the first team, 28 of which came as a substitute, thereby leaving for Chelsea two summers ago for a reported fee of £42.5m, in search of more opportunities.

Transfer Focus

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

Well, from Man City’s point of view, this has turned out to be one of the great modern-day transfer market mistakes, given Palmer’s form in West London, with former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison asserting back in December that “he is the best player in the Premier League… of that there is no doubt”.

Now though, is Guardiola leading a sensational attempt to bring Palmer back to the Etihad?

How Cole Palmer's return would transform Manchester City

Just before his move to Chelsea, Palmer scored in both the FA Community Shield against Arsenal and the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla but, even so, no one could’ve forecast the impact he would make at Stamford Bridge.

As the table below outlines, few have been more productive in front of goal in the Premier League since he joined Chelsea.

Mohamed Salah

47

28

75

Erling Braut Håland

49

8

57

Cole Palmer

37

19

56

Ollie Watkins

35

21

56

Alexander Isak

44

8

52

Jarrod Bowen

29

14

43

Son Heung-min

24

19

43

Bryan Mbeumo

29

13

42

Bukayo Saka

22

19

41

Matheus Cunha

27

13

40

As documented, only Mohamed Salah and Erling Braut Håland have registered more goals and assists across the last two Premier League campaigns than Palmer, made all the more remarkable by the fact that just three of his goals have come since Boxing Day, emphasising his incredible form beforehand.

Worth also noting that he’s accumulated four more than the aforementioned, in-demand Isak, despite the fact the Swede is a centre-forward. In all, the Englishman has provided 57 goals and assists in 89 Premier League games, only just behind Isak’s return of 63 goal involvements in 86 outings in England’s top-flight.

Palmer was also instrumental as Chelsea won the Club World Cup earlier this month, scoring twice against Paris Saint-Germain in the final, and the Conference League, with Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian describing his second-half performance against Real Betis in Wrocław as ‘astonishing’.

Meantime, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout asserts that he is a Premier League “legend in the making”, while his manager, Enzo Maresca, described him as a “top player” who is “not normal”.

Selim Ben Hmida of Total Football Analysis outlines how Palmer is at his best when deployed as an ‘advanced playmaker’, given his ability to shoot from distance, create chances and drive into space.

Thus, while Isak is looking likely to be a frightening signing for Liverpool, Palmer would be a transformational acquisition for Man City, should they manage to re-sign him, given that the England international and Håland would surely form an unstoppable duo.

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Manchester City could win themselves a better signing than Lucas Paqueta by landing this outstanding ace.

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It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Tottenham could green-light a shock departure this summer, amid the uncertainty surrounding club captain Son Heung-min’s future.

£40m star hints he's prepared to join Tottenham as Spurs speak with his camp

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Thomas Frank has worked with Son extensively during pre-season, despite his credible links with a move away from N17 before deadline day on September 1, and the Dane continues to play down speculation by suggesting Son is key to his plans.

“I think everyone knows that Son has been one of the best players at Tottenham in the past 10 years. I think he’s been hugely successful from the left wing,” said Frank in a recent press conference.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

“I also think he’s had some fantastic games down the middle as a number nine. So it’s important to have players who can play in more than one position, and it’s about having your best players on the pitch and available.

“So the thing about Sonny is that he will always score goals, and it’s just about getting him in those situations.”

However, MLS side Los Angeles FC are lurking in the background, as they offer Son a move to the States with personal terms reportedly close to being agreed (GiveMeSport).

Star defender Romero was regularly linked with a high-profile move to Atletico Madrid all summer too. However, reports of the Argentine’s potential move to La Liga have died down, especially after Diego Simeone’s side completed a deal for David Hancko from Feyenoord.

Right now, Son is their most likely high-profile departure alongside Yves Bissouma, with the South Korea international poised to hold crunch talks over his future once Spurs return from their pre-season tour of Asia (GMS).

However, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, the 33-year-old and Bissouma could even be joined by playmaker James Maddison.

Tottenham could green-light "surprise" James Maddison exit

As per the reporter, speaking on We Are Tottenham TV this week, Tottenham could green-light a “surprise” exit for Maddison if the right offer comes in, even if they’re not actively pushing to sell.

“There could be a slight surprise possibility that James Maddison is a player they would listen to offers for, without necessarily forcing him out of the door,” Jacobs said.

“What happened last season was that Maddison was in and out, he lacked fitness at times and consistency even when he was fit. I don’t think it’s unthinkable that they would listen to offers at the right price, but it’s not a case of trying to force him out or transfer list him, it’s not their plan that he will leave, but there could be consideration to offers at the right price.”

The 28-year-old, despite suffering from his fair share of fitness problems (something he had in common with almost the entire Tottenham squad last season), still managed 12 goals and 11 assists in all competitions and put in some crucial performances.

Letting Maddison leave, especially given their need for more creativity going forward, would be a bold move to say the least.

Any offer would need to be a handsome one, and ex-Spurs scout Bryan King believes Daniel Levy would only entertain bids at a minimum of £50 million, potentially up to £60m.

“They will want at least £50m. I would say anywhere between £50-60million would be accepted,” King told Tottenham News in April.

“Maddison has had some positive moments at Tottenham and got himself into the England team. However, he has also lost his place in the England team due to his inconsistency.”

Managing director has quadrupled his bet on inspirational head coach, but England’s unremitting schedule remains biggest challenge

Matt Roller03-Sep-2024Success in English cricket is evaluated by Ashes series and World Cups. The extensions to both Brendon McCullum’s contract and his remit, announced on Tuesday, represent Rob Key quadrupling the size of his bet: McCullum will not only take charge of the 2025-26 Ashes, but now the 2026 T20 World Cup, 2027 Ashes and 2027 50-over World Cup, too.Key made clear when he was appointed England’s managing director two years ago that his decision to split the coaching roles owed to pragmatism, rather than principle. “You get a better list of candidates… nearly all of them are like, ‘I wouldn’t be going for this if it was one [role],'” Key said. “You want the best people, and you build the structure around them.”In effect, that is exactly what Key has tried to do with this gambit. There has been a complete transformation in England’s Test cricket under McCullum: he has overseen 19 wins, eight defeats and a single draw, and has given them a clear identity that they were sorely lacking. Key’s belief is that he can have the same effect on a stagnant white-ball set-up.Related

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In a coaching market that is heavily skewed towards the franchise circuit, Key believes that McCullum’s new contract is a major coup for England: “We are incredibly fortunate that a coach of his quality is prepared to commit wholeheartedly to English cricket,” he said on Tuesday. “We’re confident this restructure will bring out the best in our players and coaching staff.”It is a call which highlights the importance of perception. England have played some brilliant Test cricket under McCullum but are yet to win a series against the world’s top two: they drew with Australia last summer, and were heavily beaten in India earlier this year. Still, the sense remains of a team on the up – not least after five clinical wins this summer.By contrast, Matthew Mott took England to three World Cups and won one of them, his team beating Pakistan at the MCG less than two years ago. And yet, he found himself sacked after reaching a semi-final in June: Jos Buttler’s hangdog expression told a story of a team whose progress had stalled, necessitating a change in leadership which fell on Mott.Brendon McCullum is now England’s man for all formats, under Rob Key•Getty Images

The pitfalls of McCullum’s new role are hidden in plain sight. Only India play more men’s international cricket than England, and England play more Tests than anyone. Their ludicrous fixture list is encapsulated by the 24-hour turnaround between the scheduled fifth-day finish of the upcoming third Test against Sri Lanka and the start of a T20I series against Australia.Key insisted that the “constant clashes” between formats “are easing, starting from January” but the volume of cricket scheduled is still substantial. Expect McCullum to have few qualms about handing the reins to one of his assistants for several bilateral series over the next three years – as Rahul Dravid did throughout his tenure with India.The trouble lies further ahead, with a dilemma that is familiar to England’s captains and coaches across the past two decades: how can you plan for both an Ashes series, and a World Cup straight after it? It is akin to a tennis player winning Wimbledon and jumping on a plane to Flushing Meadows, or an athlete being asked to compete in a World Championships immediately after an Olympic Games.In both the 2025-26 winter and the 2027 summer, McCullum will need his players to perform at their best throughout a four-month period – a scenario in which England have always struggled. Nasser Hussain (2003), Michael Vaughan (2007) and Andrew Strauss (2011) all led depleted squads to 50-over World Cups which were staged immediately after Ashes tours, with predictable results; Buttler faced a similar situation last year, with England’s multi-format players underperforming in India.Buttler was among the players who struggled five years ago when the turnaround was flipped. England’s 2019 World Cup triumph, the culmination of their white-ball revolution under Eoin Morgan’s captaincy, left players physically and emotionally drained yet was swiftly followed by a home Ashes series: England snuck a 2-2 series draw, but were outplayed.Previous England captains have felt the pain of an Ashes followed by a World Cup•Getty Images

As Australia’s fine record at World Cups can attest, scaling twin peaks in quick succession is by no means impossible: only three members of their side that beat India in Ahmedabad last year did not feature on the Ashes tour which preceded the World Cup. Andrew McDonald oversaw success on two fronts, something which has eluded England’s coaches.More immediately, McCullum’s task will be to inject some energy into a white-ball set-up which felt desperately low on it by the time they were knocked out of June’s T20 World Cup. He will watch from afar for their next 14 games, with Marcus Trescothick in interim charge, then will have a quick tour to India to make his mark before February’s Champions Trophy.The biggest unknown for McCullum will be his relationship with Buttler. Buttler idolised McCullum as a player but has never played or worked with him, and his captaincy is under scrutiny after the manner of England’s semi-final defeat to India in Guyana. Where Buttler had the balance of power over Mott, McCullum should be strong enough to take the lead.England believe they have a new core of young players who can become regulars across formats over the next decade: this includes Harry Brook, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson, who have all showcased their attacking style in McCullum’s Test team. This is simply the latest step in Key’s attempts to bridge the gap between the two codes – which had been in danger of becoming a chasm.It was barely two years ago that McCullum made clear to Key that he had no interest in taking on England’s white-ball teams, after Morgan had transformed them into not only regular semi-finalists but trendsetters in the global game. Now that they are lagging behind, he finds himself in charge of another revival.

Sunderland and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman have been in talks about multiple overseas signings in recent days.

Sunderland transfer rumours after Enzo Le Fee deal

The Black Cats are yet to make a major mark in the transfer window so far following promotion to the Premier League, with Enzo Le Fee’s loan move becoming permanent the only piece of incoming business.

Le Fee has penned a four-year deal and has cost around £20m after helping the club win promotion at Wembley. In regards to outgoings, Sunderland have lost playoff hero Tommy Watson and star midfielder Jobe Bellingham, with the pair joining Brighton and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

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There have been a number of reported targets at The Stadium of Light, though, as Regis Le Bris prepares his side for a Premier League opener at home to West Ham United on August 16.

Leeds United midfielder Sam Greenwood is a player of interest to Sunderland, as is Sassuolo striker Armand Lauriente.

Celtic centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers also has admirers from the Black Cats, and by the looks of things, Speakman has been making moves for targets outside of England in recent days.

Speakman confirms transfer talks with Sunderland targets

As reported by The Northern Echo, Speakman confirmed that he has personally been in three different countries this week to talk with targets and their agents.

Although he won’t say what players he has spoken with, The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson name-checked Ukrainian striker Vladyslav Vanat, Monaco defender Wilfried Singo and Lauriente as targets for Sunderland.

Vanat is currently at the U21 European Championships after scoring 21 goals and registering nine assists for Dynamo Kyiv in all competitions last season.

The 23-year-old could be one that Speakman held talks with, but by the looks of things, transfer business could soon ramp up on Wearside following this update from the Sunderland chief.