Ahead of the Premier League’s return this weekend, Newcastle United supporters are once again excited about the future. Let’s put it this way, it’s a long time since the dreary Alexander Isak saga played out in the north east.

The Magpies enjoyed back-to-back victories prior to the international break, hammering Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 in Brussels in the Champions League, before beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 at St James’ last Sunday; Bruno Guimarães and Nick Woltemade the scorers.

Next up, Eddie Howe’s team take on Brighton & Hove Albion in Sussex on Saturday, before a certain José Mourinho will bring his Benfica team to Tyneside the following Tuesday.

The Magpies undeniably boast a strong squad, but would this team be even better had they kept hold of talent who’s now giving the skipper, Bruno Guimarães, a run for his money?

Bruno Guimarães' importance to Newcastle

In the Saudi ownership-era, Newcastle United have really had two marquee players.

One is better known on Tyneside as he who must not be named, after he went on strike over the summer to force through a move to Liverpool.

Thus, the actions of Isak has only served to increase the love Geordies have for Guimarães.

Since arriving from Olympique Lyonnais for around £34m in January 2022, the Brazilian has accumulated 163 appearances in black and white stripes, scoring 24 goals and registering 27 assists.

He has been instrumental in Newcastle twice qualifying for the Champions League, as well as winning last season’s EFL Cup, their first major domestic trophy for 70 years.

Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Nigel Reo-Coker asserts that, alongside Sandro Tonalo and Joelinton, Newcastle currently boast the best midfield trio in the Premier League, with Guimarães very much central to that.

However, would this department of Howe’s team be even more formidable had they not been forced to sell a homegrown star?

When Newcastle were forced to sell their new Gazza

Back in the summer of 2024, Premier League clubs in danger of breaching PSR found a loophole involving trading players at massively inflated fees between themselves.

Chelsea, Aston Villa, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle were all involved in such moves, but the Magpies may have proved to be the biggest victims in the long run.

They were forced to sell Yankuba Minteh to Brighton for just £30m, while a swap, of sorts, was agreed with Forest.

They paid £20m for goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, who played just 45 minutes for the club, while Elliot Anderson moved to the East Midlands for £35m.

Considering the Greek goalkeeper proved to be a burden more than anything else, currently on loan at Sevilla, essentially, Anderson was sold to Forest for just £15m, which now appears to be an absolute bargain.

His form at the City Ground led to Martin Keown describing him as a “nailed-on” starter for England at next summer’s World Cup, with Peter Crouch adding that he is a “far better player than he is given credit for”.

Anderson has started each of England’s last three matches, set to continue that streak in Latvia on Tuesday, having also started all 33 of Forest’s Premier League and Europa League fixtures since early December.

This underlines how he has become one of the first names on the team sheet for Nuno Espírito Santo and now Ange Postecoglou, as well as Thomas Tuchel, but how did his stats compare to those of Guimarães last season?

Anderson vs Bruno PL 24/25

Stats

Anderson

Bruno

Minutes

2,742

3,282

Goals

2

5

Assists

6

6

All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:

Chances created

1.2

1.4

Pass completion %

82%

84%

Duels contested

15.2

12.8

Tackles

3.1

2.3

Ground duel success %

49%

53%

Aerial duel success %

66%

50%

Clearances

2.3

1.1

Interceptions

1.1

0.8

Blocks

0.3

0.3

Ball recoveries

6.8

5.2

Touches

66

67

Stats via Squawka

As the table documents, Anderson and Guimarães’ statistics in the Premier League last season were actually very similar across the board.

While the Brazilian scored more goals and boasts better passing numbers, the England international comes out on top for the majority of out-of-possession statistics, including duels, tackles, clearances and ball recoveries.

His form has seen an exponential increase in his valuation, with Football Transfers estimating that his current market value is around £47m, more than three times the £15m Forest paid for him.

Born in Whitley Bay, Anderson could have been Newcastle’s next Geordie sensation, had he not been sold, compared to another by Craig Hope who, speaking on talkSPORT, asserted that “there’s something of Paul Gascoigne about him”.

Gazza himself came through Newcastle’s academy before being sold to Tottenham in 1988, and is widely regarded as one of the most talented English players of all time, a key figure as the Three Lions reached the semi-finals of both Italia ’90 and Euro ’96.

Given his form for both club and country, Anderson could do something similar in North America next summer and, considering the 22-year-old’s rapid development, Newcastle must regret selling him, because just imagine how good they would be with both him and Guimarães bossing the middle of the park.

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Celtic centre-forward Kelechi Iheanacho has had a mixed start to life at Parkhead after his move to the club on a free transfer the day after deadline day.

The Nigeria international was signed around 24 hours after Sevilla decided to terminate his contract before the end of the summer transfer window, after the Hoops failed to bring in a striker before the deadline.

Iheanacho has delivered three goals and one assist in six matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants since his move to Glasgow, which is a respectable return on paper.

However, two of his goals have come from the penalty spot and the former Manchester City marksman has missed four ‘big chances’ from open play, per Sofascore.

Brendan Rodgers may be hoping that there is more to come from the left-footed attacker from open play in the weeks and months to come, to avoid having to dip into the market in January to sign another first-choice striker.

The Hoops did sell their first-choice centre-forward in the January transfer window at the start of this year, Kyogo Furuhashi, but opted not to replace him.

Why Celtic did not replace Kyogo Furuhashi

Celtic decided to cash in on the Japan international midway through the 2024/25 campaign after Rennes came to the table with an offer of £10m to sign the attacker.

The Scottish Premiership giants sold him to the French side for £10m, despite him being the first-choice striker at the club, and ended the window without bringing a direct replacement through the door.

Celtic were reportedly in talks with Brondby over a deal to sign Danish centre-forward Mathias Kvistgaarden before the end of the window, but they were unable to get a move over the line. He then signed for Norwich City for £6.9m this summer.

Losing Kyogo was a blow on paper, because he scored 85 goals in 165 matches for the club (Transfermarkt), but his declining form suggests that they got a good deal for him.

Appearances

36

60

xG

20.55

32.73

Shots

88

164

Shots on target

42

69

Goals

27

24

As you can see in the table above, the Japanese forward was incredibly wasteful in front of goal in his last 18 months at the club, underperforming his xG by almost nine goals.

This is why his exit was not as big a blow as it would have been after the 2022/23 campaign, which may also be why the club felt that they did not have to directly replace him.

Celtic star is ready to leave the club

Moving forward to the present day, one of the players who was tasked with replacing Kyogo’s goals in-house is now looking to leave the club in the upcoming January transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, versatile Celtic attacker Daizen Maeda wants to move on from the Scottish giants ahead of the second half of the season.

Speaking to 67HailHail, the reporter said: “Maeda is ready to leave and I am told a move to England is very much on his radar, and he does have interest.

“Whether Celtic will let him out in January remains to be seen, but he will only have a year left come the summer and at that point he will go.”

This comes after Maeda revealed that a move away from Parkhead was blocked by the club during the summer window, which led Rodgers to claim that it has been a “difficult” situation for the forward to manage since the window closed.

Why losing Maeda would be a bigger blow than Kyogo's exit

It would be a bigger blow for Celtic to sell the Japan international in the upcoming January transfer window than it was to sell Kyogo to Rennes at the start of this year, for several reasons.

Firstly, the Hoops do not have the attacking options across their frontline that they did to soften the blow of losing Kyogo. They signed Jota from Rennes, Adam Idah scored 20 goals in all competitions last season, and they had Maeda.

Now, Jota is currently out with an ACL injury, Idah was sold to Swansea on deadline day, Sebastian Tounekti, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, James Forrest, and Hyun-jun Yang are all yet to score a league goal, and Iheanacho has scored one goal from open play.

Benjamin Nygren

4

Daizen Maeda

2

Kelechi Iheanacho

2

Johnny Kenny

1

Luke McCowan

1

Reo Hatate

1

This means that Rodgers may not have the confidence that he had when Kyogo left that the players he already has at his disposal can cover the goals that the team would lose if Maeda moved on.

Another reason why the winger’s exit from Parkhead would be a bigger blow than Kyogo’s move to Rennes is that his recent form for Celtic has been more impressive than the striker’s was at the end of his time in Glasgow.

Maeda won the Scottish Premiership Player of the Year award for the 2024/25 campaign just five months ago, after scoring 33 goals in all competitions last season, per Transfermarkt.

Kyogo did not make it into the Team of the Year, let alone the Player of the Year conversation, in the 2024/25 or 2023/24 campaigns, which shows that he left Celtic 18 months after his ‘prime’.

Maeda, who was lauded as “phenomenal” by former Rangers boss Barry Ferguson, is only a few months away from being crowned the best player in Scotland and is the team’s second-top scorer in the Premiership at the moment, having scored the winner against Motherwell last weekend.

This is why losing him in January would be an even bigger blow than losing Kyogo was, because he is more important to the team, because of his performances and because of the supporting cast, than his international teammate was at the start of the year.

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If Maeda does get his wish and moves on from Parkhead in January, Celtic and Rodgers may not be able to afford not to replace him with a new signing.

ترددت أنباء في وقت سابق من هذا الأسبوع أن دايوت أوباميكانو مدافع بايرن ميونخ توصل لاتفاق شفهي مع ريال مدريد بشأن انتقاله في الصيف المقبل.

ويبحث ريال مدريد بشدة عن قلب دفاع جديد، ويفضل أن يكون منخفض التكلفة أو مجاني وأن يقدم حلاً طويل الأمد للنادي.

ويدخل أوباميكانو العام الأخير من عقده، وقد تم الكشف عن عدم وجود اتفاق شفهي له مع ريال مدريد بعد على الرغم من أنه كان هناك تواصل بالفعل.

أقرأ أيضاً.. جوارديولا يدرس التعاقد مع لاعب ريال مدريد.. والأخير يوضح موقفه من بيعه

وبحسب صحفي سكاي ألمانيا فلوريان بليتنبيرج فإن ريال مدريد تلقى انتكاسة بشأن اهتمامه بضم دايوت أوباميكانو حيث يجري محادثات إيجابية مع بايرن ميونخ لتجديد عقده.

ويستهدف ريال مدريد بشكل جدي التعاقد مع أوباميكانو، وسيسعى للتعاقد معه في حالة فشل مفاوضات تمديد عقده مع البافاري، ومع ذلك لا يوجد اتفاق على أي صفقة لريال مدريد أو بايرن ميونخ.

وتسير المحادثات بين أوباميكانو وبايرن ميونخ ومن المتوقع أن يستمر عقده الجديد حتى عام 2030 أو 2031 وقد يتقاضى ما يصل إلى 20 مليون يورو راتب سنوي كجزء من عقده المجدد، ويبقى مارك جويهي وإبراهيما كوناتي خياران أمام العملاق الإسباني أيضاً.

Vinicius Junior's savage on-field jibe at Lamine Yamal has been revealed. Yamal put in a disappointing El Clasico showing as Barcelona fell to a 2-1 loss at Real Madrid on Sunday afternoon, a result that leaves the defending La Liga champions five points off Los Blancos. And to add salt to the wounds, Vinicius' comments to the teenager have now been made public.

• AFP
  

  Yamal disappoints in El Clasico

  Yamal struggled to impact El Clasico as Barcelona fell to a 2-1 loss at the Bernabeu. Kylian Mbappe's 22nd-minute opener was cancelled out by Fermin Lopez in the 38th minute. However, Los Blancos went back ahead shortly before the break through Jude Bellingham.

  Mbappe saw a second-half penalty saved by Wojciech Szczesny, with the Pole stepping in for the injured Joan Garcia between the sticks, but it needn't have mattered as Real Madrid went five points clear at the top of the table.

  Yamal managed two shots and created two goalscoring chances but was largely kept in check by the Real Madrid backline. And it's now been revealed that Vinicius Junior launched a disrespectful jibe at the 18-year-old as Barcelona struggled at the Bernabeu.

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• Vinicius mocks Yamal to his face

  During the match, Vinicius and the rest of the Real squad appeared riled at Yamal for some of the teenager's pre-match comments. The Barcelona star said: "Yes, of course, they steal, they complain…" when talking about Real Madrid on Twitch. Vinicius didn't pass up the chance to launch his own jibe at the Barcelona winger. "Nothing but back passes, huh? Just passing it back to the defenders," the Real Madrid star reportedly said to the teenager when they were in close proximity.

  The pair also had to be separated at full-time as tempers flared between both sides. Pedri received his marching orders shortly before Cesar Soto Grado called time on El Clasico, with the Barcelona midfielder pulled up for a late foul on Aurelien Tchouameni after being carded for a foul on Vinicius in the first half.

  Vinicius was at the heart of the post-match confrontation as the Brazilian targeted Barcelona trio Alejandro Balde, Yamal and Raphinha. However, the forward wasn't the only Real Madrid star to have been caught dishing out comments to Yamal in a fiery El Clasico encounter at the Bernabeu, with Thibaut Courtois and Dani Carvajal also involved.

  Further bookings were dished out to Vinicius, Eder Militao and Rodrygo for their roles in the melee. Backup Real Madrid goalkeeper Andrii Lunin, meanwhile, also saw red in a feisty end to the clash.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'You speak too much'

  Carvajal was caught exchanging words with Spain teammate Yamal in the centre-circle at full time and the experienced defender reportedly said: "You speak too much. Speak now." Yamal tried to confront Carvajal, but was ushered away by Barcelona team-mates.

  Frenkie de Jong, meanwhile, said of the post-match scenes at the Bernabeu: "I didn't see what happened. I was on the bench and saw a lot of people. When the referee blew his whistle, Real Madrid players went after Lamine. It's a bit exaggerated. You'd have to ask them.

  "In the first half, we weren't sharp with the ball. Madrid hurt with their players up front. In the second half, we lacked the ability to create danger and clear chances. If Carvajal wanted to speak with Lamine, call him or text him. You're team-mates, you know each other. Why do you have to make a scene on the pitch?"

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• Xabi Alonso speaks out about Vinicius strop

  Vinicius was withdrawn in the 72nd minute and was furious when he saw his number go up as Xabi Alonso looked to bring Rodrygo on. Rather than sit on the bench, Vinicius instead headed straight down the tunnel and ignored the Real Madrid boss on his way off the pitch.

  Alonso has admitted he'll have a "conversation" with Vinicius following his sub strop, stating after the game: "Vini’s character? There are different personalities in any dressing room. Right now we will enjoy the win, then we’ll have a conversation, for sure."

  Real Madrid are expected to maintain their lead at the top of the La Liga table when they welcome winless Valencia to the Bernabeu next weekend.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo saiu derrotado pelo São Paulo no primeiro jogo da final Copa do Brasil por 1 a 0. Apesar da sequência de resultados ruins e péssimas atuações do time, a permanência do técnico Jorge Sampaoli está garantida pelo dirigente Marcos Braz.

RelacionadasCopa do BrasilFlamengo ou São Paulo? Quem vence a Copa do Brasil? Redação do Lance! opina após jogo de idaCopa do Brasil17/09/2023São PauloDorival Júnior revela clima no elenco do São Paulo após vitória contra o Flamengo na Copa do BrasilSão Paulo17/09/2023FlamengoTorcidas organizadas do Flamengo protestam pelo sumiço de materiais no MaracanãFlamengo17/09/2023

O dirigente do Flamengo respondeu perguntas na zona mista e falou sobre a derrota e chances de demissão do comandante argentino. Braz disse que o Rubro-Negro vai tentar reverter o placar.

+Sampaoli deve ou não ficar no Flamengo para o jogo de volta da final da Copa do Brasil? Redação do Lance! opina

– Infelizmente não vieram os resultados que a gente acreditava e trabalhava para que viessem, não estão vindo. Agora chegar e fazer uma edição rápida de uma determinada pergunta, que é pertinente, acho que o quadro para ser avaliado é um pouco maior. A gente chegar e colocar só na conta de A, B ou C acho que não é justo, acho que não procede. Domingo vamos para o Morumbi com a grandeza do Flamengo para tentar reverter esse quadro e, claro, com Sampaoli de técnico.

+Sampaoli chuta grade no Maracanã, e comentarista da Globo dispara: ‘Desequilibrado’

Os protestos começaram ainda durante a partida contra Marcos Braz. Enquanto o time perdia em campo, os torcedores reclamavam com o dirigente na arquibancada do Maracanã.

A revolta completa desse torcedor. Voz embargada, choro entalado na garganta. Ele fala contra Landim, Braz, Sampaoli, Fabinho e Juan. “São 70 mil amando o Flamengo” #lanceFLA pic.twitter.com/gEBLtTPAUb

— Paula Mattos (@_mattosp) September 17, 2023

Torcedores se revoltam e criticam Marcos Braz, Bruno Spindel e diretoria do #Flamengo: “Time fazendo uma vergonha e ele ainda ri”, disse o torcedor pic.twitter.com/sycogZ2jYz

— Isabelle Costa (@bellexcosta) September 17, 2023

+Final da Copa do Brasil no Maracanã! Veja os vídeos da festa da torcida do Flamengo

– Domingo tem mais 90 minutos. A vantagem do São Paulo é grande, mas a história doFlamengotambém é grande. Vamos tentar reverter esse quadro. Dois anos atrás tivemos a felicidade de ser campeão lá no Morumbi mesmo com o resultado adverso. E a gente agora vai tentar fazer um bom resultado para a gente chegar lá e ser campeão – afirmou Braz.

O jogo de volta é no Morumbi no próximo domingo (24), às 16h.

Former England bowler takes 3 for 17 in old-school display as Durham are pipped in a thriller

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2025

James Anderson starred on his return to T20 cricket after more than a decade’s absence•ECB via Getty Images

James Anderson took the remarkable figures of three for 17 from four overs in his first T20 match since August 2014 to inspire Lancashire to a four-wicket victory over Durham at the Banks Homes Riverside.Anderson’s spell helped to restrict the home side to 150 for six in their 20 overs but it needed Michael Jones to score 55 against his former county to give Keaton Jennings’ side the impetus they needed.Even then, a single was needed off the final ball of the twentieth over to complete the victory after Durham’s bowlers had battled superbly to restrict Lancashire. Nonetheless, the visitors will be content to have recorded their third successive victory in this year’s Blast while Durham have suffered their first defeat in the 2025 competitionThere is, however, no doubt as to which name will resonate after this performance. Bowling as if T20’s more eccentric variations had never been devised, Anderson stuck to a tight line, a hard length and his considerable skill to dismiss Graham Clark, caught at deep mid-off for 10 and Alex Lees, caught at mid-on for 16 a three-over spell with the new ball that cost only 15 runsLees had earlier hit Anderson for six but the former England bowler removed both Durham’s openers and helped restrict the home side to 39 for two off their powerplay overs.Durham’s problems were increased when Ollie Robinson holed out to Tom Aspinwall at deep midwicket off a Luke Wells long hop for only 11 and Anderson returned to the attack in the eleventh over, which cost just two runs and also saw the departure of Colin Ackermann, caught at third man by Charlie Barnard for 18.Ben Raine and Jimmy Neesham tried to rescue their side from a mediocre 71 for four in the eleventh over but their 33-run stand was ended when Raine, having made 29, pulled Aspinwall to long leg, where Anderson took the catch.Jack Blatherwick then had Somerset loanee Kasey Aldridge caught behind for four but Neesham made a 25-ball unbeaten 40 and 28 runs came off the last two overs as Durham finished on 150 for six. It didn’t seem like a par score at half-time in this game.After four overs, though, Lancashire were 23 for two, Wells having been caught at cover by Nathan Sowter off Zak Foulkes for 11 and Matty Hurst, caught at backward square leg by Ben Raine off Neesham for four.Foulkes had begun his spell with two maidens but he conceded 12 runs off his third over and Lancashire were 44 for two, a five-run improvement on Durham’s position, at the end of the powerplay. That, though, was not the prelude to a major acceleration.Jennings was caught at long-on by Aldridge off Sowter for 24 and Lancashire were 72 for three at the midpoint of their innings. Jones continued to attack the bowling and Lancashire needed 71 off the last nine overs. However, they immediately lost Ashton Turner caught at cover by Lees off Aldridge for seven and the visiting batsmen struggled to find the boundaries they needed.Lancashire needed 52 off the last six overs and 45 off the last five but Jones eased the tension when he whacked Sowter for a six that went through the rear window of a Mercedes in the car park at the Lumley End. That over cost 14 runs and it also saw the former Durham opener reach his fifty off 35 balls.Next over, though, the crucial wicket of Jones was taken by Raine, who bowled the former Durham opener for 55 but Chris Green smashed Foulkes for a six to leave Lancashire needing eight runs off the final over of the game.The outcome seemed to have been settled when Bohannon cut Neesham for four off the second ball of that over but Lancashire’s vice-captain was sensationally caught and bowled by the New Zealander for 31. Blatherwick’s scrambled single to Aldridge at mid-off sealed the victory. Neesham finished with two for 31 from four overs and Foulkes’ figures were 4-2-22-1.

After the early fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran, the responsibility piled on KL Rahul and he responded well

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Jun-2025He committed the first mistake after 273 minutes. Leaning into the ball, but playing away from the body, KL Rahul went swinging at a good-length delivery from England Lions quick George Hill. The ball was seaming away after starting well outside off stump, and the thick outside edge was pouched brilliantly with a reverse cup by Emilio Gay at second slip.Rahul cursed his ill judgment as his first lapse in concentration brought to an end what was otherwise a carefully crafted century on his first day of the English summer.After his impressive performances during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Rahul has been locked in to start as one of India’s openers alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal for the Test series in England.Related

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In 2021, Rahul had started the tour with a century in the warm-up match against County Select XI. Although he had scored that century while batting in the middle order, Rahul would end up opening with Rohit Sharma and playing a significant role in India’s success across the initial two Tests, including getting his name on the honours board at Lord’s, where he won the Player-of-the-Match award for his first-innings century.Four years on, Rahul has once again started an England tour with a century, this time as an opener. After the early dismissals of Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran, the onus was on Rahul after Lions captain James Rew had put India A in to bat for the second match in a row. However, unlike in Canterbury, where the ball had to be “smashed in” (in the words of Lions’ centurion Tom Haines) to the pitch to get any purchase, the pitch in Northampton was green, offering good carry, and the conditions were overcast.The Lions fast-bowling pair of Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue shared the new ball after they were added to the squad to test their fitness with an eye on the first Test, starting in Leeds on June 20. While Tongue was wayward in his first spell from the David Capel End, Woakes used the conditions to his advantage. His spell of 6-2-8-2 was incisive, allowing no respite to the batters. He found sharp movement in the air and off the seam as he kept the batters on high alert at all times.2:40

Kumble picks India’s starting XI for England

Rahul, though, met discipline with discipline. Playing late, keeping the bat close to the body, meeting the ball under the eye, not rushing into strokes – all these are the nuts and bolts of Rahul the Test batter, home or away, seaming or spinning pitches. The cover drives and pulls were the standout strokes for Rahul, who also played with soft hands to steer, flick and glance to thwart the bowlers.But there is no respite for a batter in proper English conditions.After lunch, he had survived a probing spell from Tongue, who rushed Rahul first with a delivery that kicked up. Rahul defended uncomfortably as the inside edge trickled to fine leg. In the same over, Tongue nearly induced an edge from his hanging bat but Rahul had kept his eyes on the ball all the way and survived.With ten minutes to tea, Rahul charged Lions offspinner Farhan Ahmed, brother of England legspinner Rehan, for the first six of the match. The century soon followed with Rahul upping the scoring tempo as he punched cover and square drives, and stepped back swiftly to play the cut.Rahul is the most experienced batter in Shubman Gill’s India. With the retirements of Rohit and Virat Kohli, he has a big responsibility, not just as part of the leadership group, but also as the batting pivot. The century will no doubt boost his confidence. But as he found out on the day, he needs to make sure there’s no lapse in concentration.

In what is the last leg of India’s preparations for their five-Test series against England, beginning at Headingley on June 20, they go up against the touring India A side in a four-dayer in Beckenham.The match – in some form – will be played from Friday to Monday, but it will be behind closed doors, so to say, in a throwback to the way the Indians trained at Perth’s WACA ground ahead of the 2024-25 Test series. On that occasion, the “black veil of secrecy” covered the training nets at WACA, not unlike the way India trained on their previous visit to Perth during the 2022 T20 World Cup.Talking about the training sessions so far, bowling coach Morne Morkel told bcci.tv, “Two days [of] practice so far, conditions suited the fast bowlers. Early on in the tour is very exciting, you know, it gets their [the players’] confidence going. It was testing for the batters, which also in a way helps them to prepare for what’s to come.Related

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• Reddy or Thakur? Both have work to do ahead of first Test

“I don’t think the wickets [are] going to be as spicy as the ones we experience here [in the Tests]. There’s been a lot of good banter between bat and ball. But I think that’s only because the wickets are a little bit spicy. As soon as the wickets go flat, the bowlers tend to back off. So I am going to tell them not to only talk when the wickets are nipping around, but when it’s flat, that’s when we are going to need the character.”As such, the senior India team hasn’t played a warm-up tour game since landing in England, even though some of the players in the squad, like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur, did turn out for India A in one or both of their four-day games against England Lions.Of them, Nair (259 runs including an innings of 204), Jurel (227 runs including three half-centuries), Rahul (167 runs including a century and a half-century in his only appearance) and Abhimanyu (167 runs including two half-centuries) showed decent form with the bat, while Reddy and Jaiswal also had at least one good outing. Reddy and Thakur were the only bowlers who are also part of the senior squad in those games, but were largely unimpressive. Reddy picked up two wickets across 26.5 overs and Thakur two wickets across 43 overs in the two first-class games.”Now it is slowly building towards that first Test match. For me, the main thing – I think it’s crucial in England – is consistency. There is consistency when we practice. It’s consistency off the field, you know, finding your process, what’s going to work for you as an individual.”We’ve got a great variety in our attack of guys with different skill sets. So, you know, can they do that and still execute the basics very well.”All in all, very happy with the start so far. I was a little bit nervous in terms of the lack of red-ball [cricket] we’ve played, but seeing how the guys are moving around and training the last three days, it’s a pleasing sight. There’s some quality energy in this group and, you know, that’s what you need. You need to go into a Test series confident, you need to have that team spirit in the group and I think so far they have done a great job.”

Tottenham Hotspur have now joined the race to sign a “special” £70m attacker, who has made a fantastic start to the season.

Spurs return to form with victory at Everton

Tottenham became the first visiting team to defeat Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday, emerging as 3-0 winners courtesy of a Micky van de Ven brace and a late Pape Matar Sarr effort, which saw them rise to third in the Premier League table.

Spurs returned to form on Merseyside, but they have struggled to create chances at times this season, and Thomas Frank is very fortunate his side managed to come away with a point from the trip to AS Monaco in the Champions League.

It would also be fair to say Xavi Simons hasn’t exactly hit the ground running in north London, chipping in with just one goal contribution in six Premier League games, and the Lilywhites have since set their sights on a new attacking midfielder.

That is according to a report from The Boot Room, which reveals Tottenham were one of the clubs to scout Eintracht Frankfurt’s Can Uzun in the German side’s recent 5-1 defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League.

Uzun is attracting interest from a whole host of clubs, with transfer expert Graeme Bailey revealing scouts from English sides have taken a liking to the youngster, saying: “This boy is ‘special’ was the comment I received from a scout attached to one of the Premier League’s top clubs.

“Uzun might be considered under the radar to some but he is a huge talent. He has become one of the most talked about players in the Bundesliga and he really is a huge talent.

“There is not a major club who doesn’t have him on their radar.”

Uzun has made flying start to the 2025-25 season

Signing the Frankfurt star could be a costly operation, with it widely being reported they value him at the €80m (£70m) mark earlier this month, but there are clear indications he could go on to be a top-level player.

Tottenham now leading race to sign £70m pass-master from Champions League club

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ByDominic Lund Oct 26, 2025

The 19-year-old scored in each of his opening five Bundesliga games this season, and he has already amassed ten goal contributions in 12 matches across all competitions, catching the eye of scout Jacek Kulig in the process.

In fact, the Germany-born maestro places in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers for non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, having averaged 0.62.

Uzun has proven he has an incredibly exciting future ahead, so it is promising news that Tottenham are tracking his progress, although their interest appears to be tentative at this stage.

Leroy Sane has hinted at a possible return to his boyhood club Schalke, saying he could imagine ending his career where it all began. The former Bayern Munich winger, who made a switch to Galatasaray in the summer, called the idea of a Schalke reunion 'exciting', but admitted that it will not happen anytime soon.

Sane hints at emotional Schalke reunion

After leaving Bayern on a free transfer, the German international is now making his mark in Turkey with Galatasaray, but he has not ruled out a return to the Bundesliga in the future. The winger came through Schalke’s academy before joining Manchester City in 2016. He played a crucial role in Pep Guardiola's setup, helping them win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup triumph, and two League Cup successes before making a move to Munich in 2020. While Sane left Germany after five years with the Bundesliga giants in July, he admitted he still feels a strong connection to Schalke, who are experiencing a resurgence after years of misery, sitting second in the second-tier after 11 matches. 

AdvertisementGettyReturn to Schalke not anytime soon

In an interview with , the 29-year-old spoke openly about the idea of returning to his boyhood club, calling it something that 'would be exciting.' Reflecting on his memories with his former club Bayern, he shared how he and teammate Leon Goretzka, who also came through Schalke, often talked about their time in Gelsenkirchen.

"I had a great time there. Playing in the arena was always a lot of fun – it was my first step in professional football," he said. "That's why I'm basically open to anything. That would be a nice story, of course. We'll see where my path leads me. If an opportunity arises at some point, I'd certainly be open to it. 

"I was just talking to Leon Goretzka about it the other day. I'm really happy that things are going so well there. They've had a strong start and are right up there at the top. I hope it stays that way all season. The atmosphere is fantastic, you can feel it from the outside too. The team and the fans have a great rapport, and the fans have been incredibly loyal over the last few years. Seeing them march to every home game and fill the stadium – it's impressive. I hope they'll be back in the Bundesliga next season."

He added to : "I think that would be a great story, but I still have a little time. I’m just only turning 30!"

Sane came through Schalke’s academy and made his senior debut in 2014 before earning a move to Manchester City two years later. Back then, Schalke were competing in Europe. Since then, the club has been in decline, dropping down to the 2. Bundesliga.

Sane starting to find rhythm after slow Galatasaray start

The German winger also opened up about his move from Bayern to Galatasaray, saying he has settled in well after a slow start in Turkey.

Sane endured a rough start in Istanbul, struggling to find a consistent spot in the starting 11. He was an unused substitute in Galatasaray’s 1-0 Champions League win over Liverpool. Off the pitch, he made headlines during Oktoberfest after reportedly being provoked by a group of Bayern fans inside a crowded beer tent.

But the 29-year-old is starting to find his feet. "I had to settle in first. I had an adjustment period, so things didn't quite go as planned on the pitch at the beginning," the German admitted. "I had to get to know my teammates, and they had to get to know me, how to interact on the pitch, how to play together. That took a little while. But now, in the last few games, I'm very happy with my performances and how I've played. I want to carry this momentum forward and keep going."

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Getty ImagesWhat's next for Leroy Sane?

Sane has found his rhythm after a slow start at Galatasaray and will be hoping to keep that momentum going as the club looks to extend its lead at the top. The winger has scored three goals and provided two assists in 13 appearances so far. Galatasaray currently sit first in the Super Lig with nine wins from 11 matches and are gearing up to face Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday.