As pre-season gets underway, West Ham United have reportedly made contact to sign a much-needed striker to get their summer transfer business going once again.

West Ham's search for a striker goes on

After Michail Antonio and Danny Ings both left the club earlier this summer, West Ham have just one senior striker to call on as pre-season approaches. And even then, that’s 32-year-old Niklas Fullkrug, who scored just three Premier League goals in his debut campaign at the London Stadium last time out.

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Dominic Lund

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Whilst Daniel Cummings has arrived from Celtic, the 19-year-old lacks first-team experience and may not be able to fall back on his excellent record at youth level in Scotland to earn a place in Graham Potter’s squad. Instead, the West Ham boss simply must turn towards the transfer market in the coming weeks.

As concerns arrive over their lack of incomings, it could also be bad news for those at the London Stadium going the other way amid recent reports surrounding Mohammed Kudus. All signs are pointing towards a big-money departure, with rivals Tottenham Hotspur preparing a second bid to improve on their initial £50m offer.

Losing the winger would be an undeniable blow, especially to a direct rival in Spurs, but what Kudus’ exit could provide West Ham is the funds to finally kickstart their own summer business.

If that does prove to be the case, then Potter may finally welcome a solution to his striker problems just when pre-season is getting underway.

West Ham make contact to sign Pinamonti

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, West Ham have now made contact in the race to sign Andrea Pinamonti from Sassuolo this summer. The Italian striker looks set to leave the Serie A club after returning from a successful loan spell at Genoa, in which he scored 11 goals in all competitions.

With Brentford and West Ham reportedly chasing his signature, it looks as though the 26-year-old is destined to swap Italian football for the Premier League one way or another before the end of August. Given how he impressed at Genoa last time out too, Pinamonti is not someone that either side will want to miss out on.

League stats 24/25 (via FBref)	Andrea Pinamonti	Niklas Fullkrug
Minutes	2,850	790
Goals	10	3
Assists	1	2
Expected Goals	7.7	2.2

A player who U23 scout Antonio Mango once believed would be a “great” signing for Inter Milan, Pinamonti has actually been called similar to Fullkrug by Football Transfers and could now get the chance to rediscover that path towards the top courtesy of West Ham.

The Hammers, meanwhile, would be signing an instant upgrade on goal-shy Fullkrug if they managed to fend off any interest from fellow Premier League side Brentford this summer.

أكد ديفيد مويس، مدرب نادي إيفرتون، قيمة ديربي الميرسيسايد، وذلك قبل المواجهة المرتقبة أمام ليفربول بعد قليل في منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

إيفرتون يحل ضيفًا ثقيلًا على نظيره ليفربول بعد قليل، في إطار الجولة الخامسة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز وفي اللقاء المعروف بديربي الميرسيسايد.

ويسعى إيفرتون لخلق المفاجأة وتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية أمام ليفربول، خاصًة مع مستوى التوفيز المميز هذا الموسم تحت قيادة مويس.

أقرأ أيضًا .. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة ليفربول وإيفرتون بالدوري الإنجليزي.. إعلان التشكيلين

وأشار مويس في تصريحات إلى شبكة تي إن تي سبورتس، إلى ثقته الكبيرة في لاعبي إيفرتون قبل مواجهة ليفربول.

وقال مويس: “جميع مباريات الديربي وأي منافسة بين فريقين في مدينة كبرى تعتبر ضخمة، أنا من مدينة جلاسكو الكبرى حيث تعتبر مواجهات سيلتيك ورينجرز ضخمة، أنا في ميرسيسايد الآن وأرغب في الفوز بمزيد من المباريات هنا، لذا دعونا نأمل أن يبدأ ذلك اليوم بشكل جيد”.

وأضاف مويس في حديثه: “لديّ ثقة كبيرة بأن اللاعبين في وضع جيد ولياقة بدنية ممتازة، آمل أن نتمكن من إظهار ذلك اليوم”.

وعن خوضه ديربي الميرسيسايد الـ28 في مسيرته كمدرب، أوضح مويس: “في معظم مسيرتي، كان علي أن أتنافس مع ليفربول الذي أنفق أموالًا على ضم لاعبين جدد أكثر بكثير منا وكان أداءه أفضل بكثير منا، أكبر ذكرياتي هنا كانت تجاوزهم في بعض المباريات قبل رحيلي بعد ولايتي الأولى”.

وعن عودة جيمس جارنر إلى تشكيلة إيفرتون أردف: “من الرائع عودته، لم تكتمل لياقته البدنية بعد وربما نحتاج إلى بعض المباريات الإضافية، لكن نأمل أن يمنحنا دقائق لعب كافية وسنرى كيف ستسير الأمور”.

واختتم: “أصبح جيمس جارنر لاعبًا متعدد المهارات معنا وأظهر أداءًا رائعًا أينما لعب، من الواضح أنه لاعب وسط لكنه أثبت قدرته على اللعب كظهير أيسر عند الحاجة”.

Celtic’s busy transfer activity continues.

Japanese striker Shin Yamada is set to arrive in Glasgow this week, ahead of finalising a £1.2m move from Asian Champions League finalists Kawasaki Frontale.

He becomes the club’s sixth signing of the summer so far, after Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan, Benjamin Nygren, Callum Osmand and Hayato Inamura; the latter has also arrived from the J League.

However, following Wednesday’s friendly victory over Sporting CP in the Algarve, while acknowledging that Yamada is on his way, Brendan Rodgers stated that he wants “to add [more] to our front line”, so could his number one target soon follow?

Celtic targeting more firepower

In that same aforementioned interview following the mid-week win at Estádio Algarve, Rodgers stated “we’ve lost a lot of goals” and he’s not wrong, as the table below outlines.

Daizen Maeda

43

Yes

Kyōgo Furuhashi

31

No

Adam Idah

29

Yes

Nicolas Kühn

24

No

Matt O’Riley

19

No

Reo Hatate

14

Yes

Callum McGregor

12

Yes

Arne Engels

10

Yes

Luis Palma

10

Yes*

*is expected to depart

As the table outlines, three of Celtic’s top five scorers from across the last two seasons combined have departed, after Nicolas Kühn was sold to Como for a reported fee of £16.4m earlier this month.

Meantime, Luis Palma, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Olympiacos, but did score ten times the year before, could be on his way to Lech Poznań, with the Ekstraklasa champions looking to take the Honduran international on loan with a £4m option to buy included, according to journalist Sebastian Staszewski.

Thus, new wingers have to be a priority, hence why Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports believes Celtic remain interested in signing Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

Speaking on Off The Underside earlier this week, he stated that the Hoops have “been monitoring [Balikwisha] for quite a while” and are currently “weighing up” whether or not to pay the £5m it would require to sign him, adding that the Belgian “would like to join Celtic”.

Transfer Focus

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

Suffice to say, Celtic have a long-standing interest in the Royal Antwerp winger, with Sacha Tavolieri of RMC Sport reporting as long ago as 10 June that the Hoops were “in the race” to sign him and that “discussions regarding personal terms” had already begun.

So, will the Scottish Premiership champions, finally, land their man?

How Michel-Ange Balikwisha would improve Celtic

Since joining Royal Antwerp in the summer of 2021, Balikwisha has made 141 appearances for the club, scoring 29 goals and registering 17 assists.

He was a key figure in the Antwerp side that won the Jupiler Pro League two years ago, scoring ten times that season, claiming the club’s first top-flight title since 1957.

During that same year, Balikwisha scored in the Coupe de Belgique Final victory over Mechelen and the Belgische Supercup as they defeated the same opposition a few months later, also netting the clincher in the Champions League play-off round victory over AEK Athens, before also scoring against Shakhtar Donetsk at Bosuilstadion during the group phase.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout praises his “pace, dribbling and finishing”, describing these as his primary attributes, while analyst Ben Mattinson labels him “two-footed”​​​​​​​ and “capable of beating a defender”.

Now though, with only one year remaining on his contract, and with Antwerp having failed to qualify for European competition, they are surely looking to cash in while they still can.

The question still remains however: is he a bigger talent than Yamada? Well, let’s assess their respective career statistics to answer that question.

Jupiler Pro League

146

33

16

UEFA Champions League

5

1

0

UEFA Europa League

7

10

0

UEFA competition qualifiers

10

2

5

Belgian Cup & SuperCup

13

3

1

Total

181

38

21

J League

85

25

5

AFC Champions League

17

2

4

Emperor’s Cup

11

9

0

J League Cup & SuperCup

12

1

0

Total

121

37

9

As the table outlines, even though Yamada is a year older, Balikwisha boasts the greater high-level experience.

The Belgian has played in the Champions League, making 22 appearances in UEFA competitions for Standard Liège and current employers Antwerp all told, while scoring one more career goal in total.

Also, for comparison, according to Global Football Rankings, the Belgian top-flight is the eighth-strongest league in the world, with the J League down in 23rd, still 20 places higher than the Premiership, it must be said.

This is not to denigrate Yamada, nor suggest he won’t be a good signing, but Balikwisha, unlike the striker, has proven himself at a higher level, so would surely be worth paying the £5m fee, especially given the wide-attacker is such a position of urgent need.

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How many more new signings will Chelsea make before the transfer window closes on 1 September?

So far, the Blues have brought in eight new recruits, including João Pedro and Liam Delap, both of whom featured during their victorious Club World Cup campaign, as well as Estêvão Willian, Jamie Gittens, Kendry Páez, and others.

However, they are far from done yet, with Xavi Simons on course to arrive from RB Leipzig, while they remain interested in Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United, as the Blues seemingly aim to sign all the attacking midfielders and wingers.

Now, could Enzo Maresca’s side strengthen the other end of the pitch, targeting a repeat of Thiago Silva’s arrival from five years ago?

Chelsea targeting a new goalkeeper

As outlined by Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport, many believe Chelsea need a new first-choice goalkeeper if they’re to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League, with a lot of observers remaining unconvinced by Robert Sánchez.

The table below documents why.

Robert Sánchez 2024/25 PL rank

Statistics

Sánchez

PL rank

Minutes

2,880

10th

Goals conceded per-90

1.06

4th

Saves

92

10th

Save %

76.4%

1st

Clean sheet %

31.3%

6th

Post-shot xG – goal conceded

+1.7

11th

High claims

44

3rd

Crosses not claimed

2

2nd

Punches

12

14th

Errors leading to goals

5

1st

Average SofaScore rating

7.03

24th

Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore

As the table outlines, Sánchez’s statistics in the Premier League last season were, at best, mixed, ranked first for save percentage, but also first for errors leading to goals, hence why a team with aspirations of winning the title may want better.

With that in mind, according to a report by Ahad Shaukat of Caught Offside, Chelsea are ‘in the mix’ to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain, with Manchester United and Manchester City also interested.

Les Rouge-et-Bleu are closing in on the signing of Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, so are looking to offload their Italian shot-stopper, valued at around £35m, according to a report by La Repubblica.

So, could Donnarumma become the latest Italian superstar to call Stamford Bridge home, following in the footsteps of Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Di Matteo, Gianluca Vialli, and many others?

How Gianluigi Donnarumma would improve Chelsea

Amazingly, Donnarumma is still only 26 years old, having made his senior debut for AC Milan a decade ago, racking up 251 appearances for the Rossoneri, before featuring 161 times for Paris Saint-Germain, since moving to the French capital in 2021.

On top of this, he has racked up 74 caps for Italy, currently Gli Azzurri’s captain, having been instrumental to their triumph at Euro 2020, named player of the tournament following his exploits in the shootout victory over England.

Then-Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti asserted ahead of Euro 2024 that the goalkeeper is “world-class”, while his agent Vincenzo Raiola, who admittedly isn’t a neutral observer, believes he is the “best goalkeeper in the world” who “deserves [to win] the Ballon d’Or”.

Well, let’s put those assertions to the test.

Gianluigi Donnarumma Champions League 2024/25 statistics

Statistics

Donnarumma

UCL rank

Goals conceded per 90

0.91

5th

Saves

35

13th

Save %

70.8%

20th

Clean sheet %

40%

9th

Post-shot xG – goals conceded

+2.2

13th

Crosses stopped

4th

3rd

Punches

13

1st

High claims

13

4th

Errors leading to a goal

1

13th

Average SofaScore rating

7.1

16th

Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore

As the table documents, Donnarumma was a key figure in the Paris Saint-Germain side that won the Champions League last season, posting very impressive statistics across the board, emphasising that he is a top-class goalkeeper, even if he is no longer wanted by the European champions.

Similarly, five years ago, Thiago Silva was deemed surplus to requirements in the French capital, cast aside when his PSG contract expired in 2020, before proving he certainly still had the quality to compete at the highest level after joining Chelsea, making 155 appearances across four seasons in West London, most notably winning the Champions League.

Tom Sanderson of the Guardian documents that the Brazilian centre-back was very ‘successful’ during his time at Chelsea, able to perform at a very high level, labelling him a ‘great leader’.

Well, albeit significantly younger, all available evidence suggests that Donnarumma could have a similar impact, should he arrive at Stamford Bridge later this month, given his performances on the pitch and the leadership qualities that he could provide.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini Aug 2, 2025

The “Vasco” admitted he is aware of the criticism he has received over his team’s performances.

The match will be played at GEODIS Stadium in NashvilleMexico is coming off a 0-0 draw with JapanAguirre wants his side to be more daringFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?

Javier Aguirre is well aware that Mexico’s performance against Japan, a 0-0 draw, was not what he is looking for with less than a year to go before the World Cup. The result at the Oakland Coliseum brought heavy criticism toward the coach, although he insisted that he is looking for progress and not worried about the end scorelines. 

“It doesn’t matter if the result is unfavorable; the score is what matters least,” he said in a press conference on Monday. “What matters is that we play better, that we’re more daring, something we lacked at times in certain areas of the pitch. I want us to maintain the same defensive order – Japan only managed one shot on target. 

"The issue is that we have to improve going forward. We chose not to take risks, hoping the opponent would make a mistake, but we could’ve done much more. Because of our own limitations, we didn’t dare to push further. It’s just a preparation match, nothing happens if you don’t win, if the score doesn’t reflect the good play."

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The Mexico coach noted he is considering some lineup changes for Tuesday’s game, but will first consult with his staff before making decisions. 

“We’ll see what we put out there. Edson [Alvarez] is definitely ruled out," he said. "We more or less have the starting XI in mind but want to wait a little longer.”

Aguirre is completing his first year in charge of the Mexican national team. Despite winning the Nations League and Gold Cup earlier this year, the “Vasco” still seems far from settling on a definitive roster for the 2026 World Cup, which Mexico will kick off on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca. He has also faced scrutiny for several of his call-up decisions – both regarding the players included and those left out.

Álvarez has been ruled out for three weeks with a muscle injury, meaning he will miss the clash with South Korea. Other regular starters against Japan – Jorge Sánchez, Jesús Gallardo, Roberto Alvarado, and Raúl Jiménez – could also be dropped to the bench. It remains to be seen whether Aguirre sticks with the same core from Saturday or opts for significant changes.

Now, after a flat showing against Japan, the pressure is on. are expected to deliver a stronger performance against South Korea, as another disappointing result could increase the pressure on Aguirre.

AFPDID YOU KNOW?

Aguirre has managed 18 matches in his third stint as Mexico’s head coach, 12 of which have ended in clean sheets.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MEXICO NATIONAL TEAM?

After facing South Korea, Mexico will meet Colombia on Oct. 10 and Ecuador on Oct. 14 to continue preparations for the World Cup.

Cricket Victoria and the St Kilda Cricket Club have renamed one of the heritage listed grandstands at the Junction Oval in Melbourne after the late Shane Warne in honour of his contribution to Victoria and his club team St Kilda.The process of renaming the stand, which has stood since 1925, had begun well before Warne’s passing in March, 2022. The stand was formerly named after Australian rules footballer Kevin Murray who has supported the change. Murray’s name now adorns a stand at Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.The MCG named its southern stand after Warne at his state funeral in 2022 but the process to get the heritage listed stand renamed on the western side of Junction Oval in St Kilda, a suburb just south of Melbourne’s CBD, took far longer.Warne’s father Keith and his two daughters Summer and Brooke attended the unveiling, which took place before Victoria took on New South Wales in a One-Day Cup match at the Junction Oval. Australia Test captain Pat Cummins, and a host of Australian players including Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell, attended the ceremony before playing in the game. Some of Warne’s former Australia, Victoria and St Kilda teammates were also in attendance at the unveiling.Cricket Victoria have also unveiled a Shane Warne exhibition in the foyer of their administration and high performance centre at the northern end of the ground. The exhibition features memorabilia from Warne’s career, with a lot of it supplied by his father, and is free to visit.”Today marks a very special and proud day for the Warne family to have a stand named the Shane Warne stand here at the Junction Oval is a wonderful tribute to Shane, who we know would be honored to be chosen for such an accolade,” Keith Warne said at the unveiling.”In February 1991 he made his first-class debut playing for Victoria against Western Australia here at the Junction Oval. Some of Shane’s most enjoyable early cricketing years were whilst playing with his beloved St Kilda, especially when the matches were played here at the Junction Oval. As proud as Shane would be to know a stand at the Junction Oval bares his name, he would also be thrilled to know that he will now be forever linked with St Kilda Cricket Club and the Junction Oval. On behalf of her family, I’d like to thank Cricket Victoria and St Kilda Cricket Club for their support in honouring Shane with such a wonderful tribute, further enhancing Shane’s incredible legacy.”

Shamar Springer included in squad as Shamar Joseph makes way

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2024Alzarri Joseph has returned from suspension to rejoin the West Indies squad for the final three matches of their T20I series against England, but star allrounder Andre Russell has been ruled out of the series with a left ankle sprain.The pair are part of two changes to the hosts, who are 2-0 down heading into the final leg of the series in St Lucia. Joseph will replace his replacement Shamar Joseph, with seam bowling allrounder Shamar Springer coming in for Russell. West Indies need to win in the third T20I on Thursday to keep the series alive.Alzarri was handed a two-match ban by Cricket West Indies after leaving the field without permission during the third ODI against England, leaving West Indies a man short in the field. Having apologised publicly for the incident, and privately to one-day captain Shai Hope, his return was expected and necessary given the scoreline.Rovman Powell has struggled to keep a lid on Jos Buttler’s charges, who have chased down targets of 159 and 183 with ease, losing just five wickets across both fixtures in Barbados. Though West Indies have fallen foul of the toss on both occasions, there has been a distinct lack of cutting edge with the ball.The inclusion of Springer also gives Powell options to work with, having yet to strike the right balance with the make-up of his bowlers. Springer made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka last month, taking 1 for 25 and 1 for 24 in his two caps so far.The loss of Russell during the first T20I was put into context by the performance of Terrance Hinds in the second. The 32-year-old suffered an ignominious debut on Sunday, scoring five at No.11 and seeing his two overs concede 24 runs without a dismissal.West Indies T20I squad: Rovman Powell (capt), Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Terrance Hinds, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer

Rachin Ravindra, with his heroics at the 2023 ODI World Cup and experience at the IPL, will be expected to do well in India

Ashish Pant14-Oct-2024

Rachin Ravindra has had a pretty great year with 599 runs in six Tests at 49.91•Associated Press

Rachin Ravindra admits that winning a Test series in India is an extremely difficult task, but is hopeful that his recent white-ball success in the country coupled with New Zealand’s experience of playing in the subcontinent recently could stand them in good stead in the three-Test series, starting in Bengaluru from October 16.Ravindra had a breakthrough 2023 ODI World Cup in India where he scored 578 runs in ten innings, which included three hundreds and two fifties. An IPL contract with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) followed, and Ravindra suddenly found himself in the thick of things.”Although it is different formats, it gives you confidence that you can perform in this part of the world, although conditions will most likely be different,” Ravindra said on Monday. “It’s more, I guess, managing the crowd and the expectations of the people because we know how passionate Indian people are about cricket.Related

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“It feels like if you’re able to do it a couple of times, hopefully you’ll be able to do it in a Test series and, look, I think it’s a different challenge entirely and it’s something I’m really looking forward to. It’s always special to come back to India and play. Those two tournaments [ODI World Cup and IPL] were amazing, the crowds and the passion and the hype and the buzz around them, so I’m excited to have a fully-fledged three-match Test series here.”After a bit of a false start to his Test career, Ravindra has had a fairly successful year in the longest format with 599 runs in six Tests in 2024 at 49.91, including a top score of 240 against South Africa.The same, however, can’t be said about New Zealand in general, whose World Test Championship (WTC) campaign has nosedived after the two wins at the start of the year against a second-string South Africa. They lost a home Test series to Australia before going down 2-0 in Sri Lanka. Spin has largely been New Zealand’s undoing in this WTC cycle, but Ravindra wants to take all the learnings and positives from the Sri Lanka series and is hopeful his side can come up with a better show in India.”India have always been a quality side, I guess the brand of cricket they play is very positive, especially in their own conditions, they know how to play,” Ravindra said. “They’ve grown up on these wickets and their players, the way they’ve evolved over the last few years has been amazing.”For us, it’s [about] playing our game and doing what’s true to us. I think we did some really good stuff during the Sri Lankan series as well, obviously came on the wrong end of the stick and the wrong side of the win-and-loss column there, but I think as a group there were times where we actually really pushed. That first Test was close and we played the way we wanted to in certain moments, but I think we’ve got to understand that we’ve got to do it for long periods of time because that’s what Test-match cricket is about.”As New Zealanders, we don’t necessarily try and look at the opposition too much; we know what a quality side they [India] are and what they bring to the table. But I think if we’re able to play our game and be consistent and put our best foot forward, hopefully that will result in a win, who knows?”While the pitches in India are unlikely to do New Zealand any favours, the weather in Bengaluru might help them feel at home. It’s been overcast and damp here over the last few days, and the forecast for the first Test suggests heavy cloud cover and rain. The pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, too, has been under covers for a fair bit.Does that then bring New Zealand into the game a bit more?”I guess a bit of rain around, a bit of overcast conditions, looking at the wicket, it might not turn as much as what we might expect in Mumbai maybe, but I think the quality of the wicket, the quality of their bowlers, the quality of our bowlers, I think that will decide the make-up of the game,” Ravindra said. “Whether it turns, I don’t know, I guess we’ll only find out… it might not turn first, second day, we’ll only find out third, fourth, fifth day. It’s important for us as a group to play what’s in front of us and not come into this game with preconceived notions or ideas of what it looks like.”I think we did some really good stuff during the Sri Lankan series as well”•AFP/Getty Images

“We know what Test cricket in India is, but we know the quality of the Indian fast bowling set-up too, so it’s not like they’re just going to produce a rank turner, you know, they’re quality [fast] bowlers too.”It is a sort of homecoming for Ravindra. His father played a decent level of cricket in Bengaluru before settling down in New Zealand. Ravindra still has plenty of family in the city and expects them to turn up for the Test.”Yeah, it’s cool,” Ravindra said. “Obviously when I was here last, well I guess it was IPL and then before that it was the ODI World Cup, so two pretty cool experiences to have, part of two very good teams.”But I guess it’s something different about playing a Test match. You’re here for five days and it’s tradition, and I guess it makes it extra significant just because of the family connection. For me, I was born and brought up in Wellington, I’m a Kiwi all the way through. It’s amazing and I’m very proud of my Indian heritage and to be able to play where a lot of my family is based is something pretty special.”There’ll be a bunch of them in the crowd and I know Dad will be here watching, so those moments, you pinch yourself on the journey and for this, it’s definitely one of them.”

Tottenham Hotspur are now in talks over a move to sign a £60m+ defender who has been likened to Virgil Van Dijk.

Tottenham kick off pre-season with win at Reading

Spurs began their preparations for the 2025/26 Premier League season on Saturday afternoon, with new manager Thomas Frank seeing his side in action for the first time against League One side Reading.

Two second-half goals in the space of four minutes from Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic were enough to seal an opening pre-season victory for Spurs and Frank.

It was the first time supports got to see teenage defender Vuskovic in action, and he impressed with a goal, assist and clean sheet, saying after the game: “Everything is perfect. The club is behind me. The players, the staff, the coach, everyone is helping me a lot and I’m really happy.”

Meanwhile, Frank also liked what he saw from the Croatian teenager, adding: “Luka deserves the praise as well. A great header. Showed his physicality and his composure on the ball. He’s not getting stressed when opponents get close. And what a strike.”

Vuskovic could well rival the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin for a spot in the squad over the coming months, however, Spurs are also looking at another defensive addition.

Frank's own Xavi Simons: Spurs hugely keen on signing "magic" £50m star

Tottenham are looking to sign an attacking midfielder in the summer transfer market.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 20, 2025

Reports have linked Tottenham with a move to sign Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabarnyi, with claims suggesting Spurs and Daniel Levy are ready to pay more than £60m for the Ukraine international.

Tottenham open talks for £60m+ Bournemouth star Zabarnyi

According to information from The Boot Room, Tottenham have been in contact with Bournemouth over a deal for Zabarnyi.

However, the report says Spurs have a difficult job on their hands trying to convince the defender of a move to north London, as he has already agreed terms in principle with Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Now, Caught Offside have revealed that Tottenham have opened talks over a deal for Zabarnyi, with Spurs “willing to pay the full asking price” of around €70m, something which PSG aren’t prepared to do at this moment in time.

Labelled a “dominant” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Zabarnyi is still just 22 years of age and appears to be a star in the making.

Defenders Zabarnyi has been compared to	Club
Virgil van Dijk	Liverpool
Levi Colwill	Chelsea
Antonio Rudiger	Real Madrid
Jules Kounde	Barcelona
Gleison Bremer	Juventus

As can be seen via Football Transfers, the Bournemouth star is already being likened to Liverpool captain Van Dijk and numerous other impressive centre-backs following his eye-catching two-and-a-half-year spell with the Cherries.

Spurs may have to look elsewhere for their defensive addition, though, or place more trust in Vuskovic with the games set to come thick and fast in 25/26.

تلقى ليفربول ضربة موجعة في سعيه للتعاقد مع بديل مثالي للنجم المصري محمد صلاح، والذي وقع على تمديد عقده في أبريل الماضي، نافيًا الشكوك والتكهنات عن شائعات رحيله في الصيف الماضي.

وقد كان من المقرر أن ينتهي عقد النجم المصري في الصيف الماضي، لكن عقده الجديد سيضمن بقاءه في ملعب أنفيلد لمدة عامين إضافيين حتى صيف 2027.

ومع ذلك ونظرًا لبلوغ محمد صلاح سن الـ33 عامًا، فإن ليفربول أصبح يجهز نفسه للمستقبل بدون نجمه المفضل النجم المصري الدولي.

ويبدو أن ليفربول قد تلقى ضربة موجعة في خططه لخلافة النجم المصري محمد صلاح، وقد يكون التعاقد مع بديل مثالي له أصعب مما كان يعتقد سابقًا.

اقرأ أيضاً..تقارير: أرني سلوت قد يتخذ قرارًا مفاجئًا تجاه مهاجم ليفربول

وكان صلاح قد سجل 248 هدفًا وصنع 116 خلال 408 مباريات مع ليفربول، وهي أرقام يكاد يكون من المستحيل تكرارها.

وقد وضع ليفربول في وقت سابق أنظاره على ضم مايكل أوليسي الذي أظهر موهبة كبيرة منذ انضمامه لبايرن ميونخ في يوليو 2024، والذي سجل 26 هدفًا وصنع 24 في 62 مباراة ويعد أحد أبرز اللاعبين في أوروبا ويملك عقدًا حتى عام 2029 وهناك شرط جزائي يسري مفعوله في صيف 2026.

ومع ذلك، فقد أفادت صحيفة “سبورت بيلد” الألمانية أنه من المحتمل جدًا أن يدخل بايرن ميونخ في مفاوضات لتمديد عقد اللاعب قبل نهاية الموسم.

وعلى الرغم من أن المفاوضات مع أوليسي لم تبدأ بعد، لكن بايرن ميونخ راض جداً عن أدائه منذ انضمامه للنادي.