O presidente da CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, também falou sobre o fato do Brasil disputar o amistoso contra Guiné em Barcelona. Em entrevista coletiva após a convocação da Seleção Brasileira neste domingo (28), o mandatário foi taxativo.
RelacionadasSeleção BrasileiraPresidente da CBF diz que houve caso de racismo durante convocação da Seleção BrasileiraSeleção Brasileira28/05/2023Seleção BrasileiraRamon Menezes explica convocação da Seleção Brasileira e diz por que chamou novos nomesSeleção Brasileira28/05/2023PalmeirasOLHAR DO PORCO: Rony, Veiga e Weverton convocados pra Seleção de novo!Palmeiras28/05/2023
– Tem racista em todo o tempo. A gente vai estar sempre de frente para falar e não nos amedrontarmos. Quando questionaram que o amistoso seria na Espanha, já estávamos há 60 dias tratando do jogo na Espanha. E quando acontece racismo, quem sofre não vai para baixo da cama com medo. Ele vai ter que enfrentar. Enfrentar o racista dentro do seu reduto é o melhor que pode ser para passar a mensagem com vigor para todo mundo – comentou o presidente da CBF, que acrescentou:
– Você nunca viu um racista dizer que é racista, eles cometem as ações de racismo e quando a pessoa coloca e diz que aquilo foi racismo, ele, no máximo, diz que não foi racismo, pega uma legião de colegas e amigos, diz que não foi racista, mas tem muitos. E tem em todo canto do mundo, da sociedade, tem no futebol, tem na imprensa, tem nos bancos, tem na polícia, em todo canto. Temos que estar sempre acompanhando e divulgando, dizendo quem é, a vida vai continuar, a pessoa não vai se deixar abater por questões do racista. Tem que deixar o racista abatido, ele que está cometendo um crime – disse.
Vini Jr. sofreu ofensas racistas durante a partida entre Real Madrid e Valencia. O atacante, que está entre os convocados por Ramon Menezes para os amistosos da Seleção contra Guiné e Senegal, recebeu o cartão vermelho na partida. Posteriormente, a punição foi anulada.
كسر مارك جويهي، قائد نادي كريستال بالاس، صمته وعلق على فشل انتقاله إلى صفوف ليفربول خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الأخير، حيث تعثرت الصفقة في الأمتار الأخيرة.
جويهي كان قد ارتبط بالرحيل عن صفوف نادي كريستال بالاس خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الأخير، وذلك مع رغبته في اللعب على مستوى أعلى.
وسوف ينتهي عقد جويهي مع نادي كريستال بالاس بنهاية الموسم الجاري، ولم يتم التوصل إلى اتفاق حتى الآن بين الطرفين حول التجديد.
وتشير التقارير الأخيرة، إلى أن جويهي لن يجدد عقده مع كريستال بالاس وسوف يغادر صفوف النادي الإنجليزي بنهاية هذا الموسم كوكيل حر.
وكان ليفربول قد اتفق مع كريستال بالاس على التعاقد مع جويهي خلال الميركاتو الصيفي الأخير، لكن تمسك المدرب أوليفر جلاسنر أعاق الصفقة.
اقرأ أيضًا.. هنري يحمل فليك مسؤولية خسارة برشلونة ضد باريس سان جيرمان: لا يمكنك اللعب هكذا
ورفض جويهي في تصريحات نقلها الصحفي الموثوق، فابريزيو رومانو، التعليق بأي شيء على فشل انتقاله إلى ليفربول، موضحًا أنه يشكر جماهير الريدز على دعمه له.
وقال جويهي عن فشل انتقاله إلى ليفربول: ”بصراحة، ليس لدي الكثير لأقوله وأنا أركز على لعب كرة القدم واللعب مع كريستال بالاس”.
واختتم: ”لكن بالنسبة لجماهير ليفربول، أود أن أشكرهم جزيل الشكر على دعمهم وأشعر بذلك بكل تأكيد”.
Leeds United have a “deal in place” for their next summer singing, who was also wanted by Premier League rivals Newcastle United.
Leeds signing tall and powerful players ahead of Premier League return
The Whites and the 49ers Enterprises have so far made six additions to Daniel Farke’s squad, who are currently away in Germany at a pre-season training camp.
Ahead of their Premier League return, Leeds have clearly been looking to bring in tall and physical players, strengthening the spine of their side with centre-backs Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw, alongside midfielders Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach.
Anton Stach
6ft 4
Sebastiaan Bornauw
6ft 3
Jaka Bijol
6ft 2
Sean Longstaff
6ft 1
Lukas Nmecha
6ft
Gabriel Gudmundsson
5ft 9
Left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson and centre-forward Lukas Nmecha make up the signings so far, and more look to be on the way. Stach was the most expensive and most recent signing and said after officially joining:
“I am excited to join such a good team, such a good Premier League team, and I am looking forward to the next season. My style of play, I would say I am an aggressive player. I am good in duels. I am good at anticipating passes from the opponents and it would be good for the Premier League. Now we will see, I will try my best.”
Leeds submit £30m bid to sign "insane" forward who's now keen to join
The Whites have entered negotiations for an attacker.
ByDominic Lund Jul 24, 2025
Leeds have also been on the search for a new first choice goalkeeper to replace Illan Meslier, with Lyon’s Lucas Perri identified as a top target for those at Elland Road.
Newcastle were also looking to sign the Brazilian this summer, but a positive development has now emerged with sporting director Adam Underwood set to get his man.
Leeds agree deal to sign 6 foot 5 goalkeeper Perri
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on X, Leeds now have a “deal in place” to sign Perri from Lyon.
A medical has been booked and it appears as if that could take place in Germany, the same way Stach underwent checks with Whites staff.
Sky Sports reporter Zinny Boswell believes the fee is worth just over £15m, with personal terms also in place for Perri to move to the Premier League with Leeds.
The 27-year-old, who stands at 6ft 5, joined Lyon in January 2024 from Botafogo and made 49 appearances for the French side. He kept 15 clean sheets during that time, 10 of which came in Ligue 1 in 2024/25.
Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca will surely be gutted to lose Perri, considering he lauded him as the “best in the world” just back in March.
Leeds will be delighted meanwhile, with Perri seemingly set to be thrown straight in as number one ahead of Meslier and Karl Darlow.
Tottenham could bare witness to the departures of some high-profile names this summer, and not everyone will be along for the ride of Thomas Frank’s first full campaign in charge of the Lilywhites.
£50m striker now "pushing" to leave his club, he wants to join Tottenham
Spurs are targeting him despite their marquee double deal for Mohammed Kudus and Morgan Gibbs-White.
3 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 12, 2025
After the signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, which was confirmed earlier this week, Spurs now have around 24 non-locally trained men in their squad, which means they may be forced to sell at least one overseas player to comply with UEFA’s 25-man Champions League squad rules (The Telegraph).
The north Londoners have a host of options to choose from in their bid to balance the books, including the likes of Son Heung-min, Bryan Gil, Manor Solomon, Richarlison, Cristian Romero and Yves Bisssouma – who’ve all been linked with exits this summer.
Son Heung-min
7.00
James Maddison
6.98
Pedro Porro
6.95
Dominic Solanke
6.84
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
Gil and Solomon are surely nailed on to leave Tottenham after spending 2024/2025 on loan at Girona and Leeds United respectively, and the latter’s sale would also count as pure profit in the eyes of PSR given the Israeli signed as a free agent in 2023.
Richarlison is also said to be attracting serious interest from Vasco de Gama after an injury-ridden season, with their president, Pedrinho, alleged to have personally phoned the Brazilian to gauge his current situation (Leonardo Lacerda).
The most unfortunate potential departures by a country mile would be those of Son and Romero.
Heung-min Son for Tottenham
Daniel Levy may be forced into the tough business decision of selling Son, amid interest from Saudi Arabia, the MLS and Turkey, given he’s now entered the final 12 months of his contract.
Meanwhile, Romero is rumoured to be keen on a move to Atlético Madrid, who equally want the Argentine themselves, so Tottenham could have to entertain a suitable bid from the La Liga side, if one indeed arrives.
As well as the aforementioned trio of senior first-teamers, another facing an uncertain future comes in the form of £100,000-per-week midfielder Yves Bissouma.
Fenerbahce chief travels to London for talks with Yves Bissouma
Bissouma is rumoured to be a realistic high-profile departure, with The Telegraph reporting that he’s “expected” to leave N17 this summer.
José Mourinho has also earmarked the Mali international as a top target for Fenerbahçe, according to Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, who’s now shared another update on the Süper Lig side’s serious interest.
Sabuncuoğlu, taking to X, now states that a Fenerbahçe representative has travelled to London for talks with Bissouma, so this transfer is now starting to gain traction.
The 28-year-old, like Son, has just one year left on his contract at Spurs, so now absolutely could be the time to sell him.
Bissouma put in some impressive performances during Tottenham’s run to the Europa League final last season, and displayed real flashes of brilliance overall since his £25 million move from Brighton in 2022. However, there have always been concerns surrounding his consistency, even if he has a reputation for being an “underrated” ball carrier.
“Yves is a guy I appreciate a lot,” said teammate Pape Sarr to The Telegraph last year.
“We’ve both come over from Africa, and he gives me lots of advice. He behaves a lot like my big brother. He has such an important role within the team and the club. I always listen to what he’s got to say.”
There wasn’t a whole lot to celebrate for Arsenal fans this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side once again failed to get over the line in the Premier League, and while they progressed further in the Champions League, there was still a feeling at full-time in Paris that they could have reached the final.
With that said, there have been some bright spots, notably the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri, who managed to rack up 11 goal involvements in 37 games, and Bukayo Saka, who produced 26 in 37 appearances despite missing almost four months of action through injury.
So, fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club to a Premier League star who’s been compared to both aces.
Arsenal transfer news
In the last few weeks, Arsenal have been linked with several talented players from the Premier League, like Morgan Rogers and Adam Wharton.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former could cost as much as £100m, but has shown an incredible level of attacking quality this season, racking up a tally of 29 goal involvements in 54 games for Aston Villa.
The latter has a reported price tag of at least £80m, and has shown himself to be a quality young midfielder capable of breaking up play and dictating it.
However, as talented as these two are, it would be hard to describe either of them as similar to Saka and Nwaneri, unlike Mohammed Kudus.
Yes, according to a recent report from BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in the West Ham United star.
The report claims that the Gunners, Chelsea, and several other teams from the continent have all made contact about the versatile forward.
However, on top of having to deal with significant competition, the North Londoners might also have to pay an enormous fee to get their man, as his current deal includes a release clause worth an astounding £120m.
It would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Kudus’ ability, it is one worth fighting for, especially as he’s already been compared to two of the club’s most exciting attackers.
How Kudus compares to Saka and Nwaneri
So, before getting into some of the other reasons Arsenal may want to sign Kudus this summer, it’s important to examine these comparisons to Saka and Nwaneri and where they come from.
Both cases stem from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in the Premier League and then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each.
In this instance, it was concluded that the teenager was the most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Ghanaian over the last 365 days, while the Gunners’ talismanic number seven was the third most similar midfielder.
Expected Assisted Goals
0.11
0.12
Shots
2.61
2.41
Passing Accuracy
83.6%
80.5%
Passes into the Final Third
1.60
1.72
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.52
0.61
Goal-Creating Actions
0.35
0.30
Blocks
0.83
0.81
Aerial Duels Won
0.38
0.40
The best way to understand how these conclusions were reached is by looking at the underlying numbers in which the players rank closely, which, in the case of the North Londoners’ most recent wonderkid, include metrics like expected assisted goals, shots, crosses into the penalty area, passes into the final third and many, many more, all per 90.
For the Gunners’ mercurial number seven, the metrics in which he’s incredibly similar to the Hammers star include things like tackles won, interceptions, goals per shot and shot on target, non-penalty expected goals and successful take-on percentage per 90, suggesting he could be just as dangerous in the right setup.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
0.24
0.31
Goals per Shot
0.07
0.08
Goals per Shot on Target
0.24
0.23
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.52
0.63
Tackles Won
0.80
0.78
Interceptions
0.14
0.16
Successful Take-On %
44.2%
45.6%
However, while comparisons to some of the most talented players in Arteta’s squad should already be reason enough to chase the “generational talent,” as dubbed by journalist Gary Al-Smith, there are still others.
For example, while his haul of nine-goal involvements in 35 games this season isn’t much to get too excited about, he showed himself capable of hitting much higher heights last season when he produced 28 goal involvements in 48 appearances.
Finally, according to Sofascore, he completed the second most successful dribbles per game in the Premier League this season, which is just the kind of dynamic direct threat the Gunners could do with – not to mention that he can play all across the frontline.
Ultimately, Kudus would be an excellent signing, and if Arsenal can negotiate a price below that of his release clause, they should absolutely pay it.
Arsenal very close to signing £50m star who's a Saka & Rodrygo hybrid
The uber-talented international could be just the winger Arsenal need.
Glasgow Rangers are still in the process of finding a new head coach to lead them into the next era at Ibrox under the new ownership that is set to come in.
Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell are tasked with finding a permanent replacement for Philippe Clement, who was relieved of his duties in February, after Barry Ferguson’s interim stint came to an end.
The former Scotland international only won five of his 16 matches in charge of the Gers during his time in the dugout, and it was then confirmed that he would not be offered the job on a full-time basis.
Then, rather bizarrely, the Daily Record reported that Ferguson was planning to get rid of Nils Koppen, the technical director, if he had been given the job, despite the Belgian chief being in a position above his.
The focus is now on finding an external candidate who can come in to bring success back to Ibrox after a season without any major trophies.
One coach who has been linked with a move to Ibrox this summer is former Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, who has been working with his father Carlo Ancelotti.
Why Rangers should avoid Davide Ancelotti
It is first worth acknowledging that there are reasons why the Gers are right to have taken an interest in the Italian coach, because he is vastly experienced at the top level of European football.
As you can see in the graphic above, his father has won the Champions League five times and lifted a league title in all five of the major European leagues.
Davide has not worked with Carlo for all of those achievements, of course, but he has been either a fitness coach or an assistant manager to the legendary manager in his last six jobs.
Davide Ancelotti’s coaching career
Club (role)
First-team manager
Matches
Real Madrid (Assistant manager)
Carlo Ancelotti
233
Everton (Assistant manager)
Carlo Ancelotti
67
Napoli (Assistant manager)
Carlo Ancelotti
73
Bayern Munich (Assistant manager)
Carlo Ancelotti
60
Real Madrid (Fitness coach)
Carlo Ancelotti
119
PSG (Fitness coach)
Carlo Ancelotti
77
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, the Rangers target has plenty of experience coaching at the top level under his father, at massive clubs like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
However, Davide Ancelotti has not managed a single game as a first-team head coach or manager in his own right, which means that he would also arrive at Ibrox as an incredibly inexperienced boss in that respect.
Real Madrid assistant coachDavideAncelotti
This means that appointing him would be a huge gamble for Rangers because he is yet to prove that he can successfully coach a winning team on his own, which is why it may come as good news that there is a fresh report detailing the club’s plans to speak with another candidate.
Rangers set for talks with Davide Ancelotti alternative
According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers are set to hold talks with former Scotland international Russell Martin over a deal to be the next head coach at Ibrox.
The report claims that the ex-Southampton manager will meet with Gers chiefs at some point this week to discuss a potential move to Glasgow ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
It states that Ancelotti, Steven Gerrard, and Brian Priske are also in the running, as Stewart and Thelwell have a shortlist of candidates that they are working through to find the new Rangers head coach.
The Scottish Sun claims that there have already been initial talks held with Martin, but they are set for further discussions when they will allow him to outline how he would bring success back to Ibrox as a coach.
However, the outlet adds that he is also a strong contender for the Leicester City job in the English Championship, which could mean that the Light Blues need to move quickly if they want him as their next boss.
Martin should, with this in mind, be a strong candidate for the role because he could be an even better option than Ancelotti and Priske this summer.
Why Russell Martin would be a good appointment for Rangers
On paper, Priske looks to be an excellent option for the job because he has won two titles with Sparta Prague and one title with Midtjylland in Denmark, which shows that he can coach a winning team.
However, the Danish tactician has typically favoured a 3-4-3 shape throughout his career, which worked in Czechia and Denmark to win titles, but he had to adapt at Feyenoord and switched between 4-4-2, 4-3-3, and 4-2-3-1 formations, with little success, before being sacked shortly after losing 6-1 to Lille in the Champions League.
With Rangers typically playing against teams sitting in a low block, a 3-4-3 formation that is more suited to transitional games and playing on the counter with wing-backs bombing on may not suit a tilt at the Scottish Premiership title, and his Feyenoord performance suggests that he is not successful at coaching four at the back formations.
This is one key reason why Martin could be better than him for this job, because he plays an attacking 4-3-3 formation that is well-suited to dominating and breaking down low blocks, as evidenced by his side’s performance in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign when they won the play-offs to earn promotion to the Premier League.
Russell Martin’s attacking style of play
23/24 Championship
Southampton
League rank
Pass accuracy
87.7%
1st
Passes into the penalty area
594
1st
Progressive passes
2556
1st
Shot-creating actions
1255
1st
xG
79.8
2nd
Points per game
1.89
4th
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, the former Rangers loanee successfully deployed a team that dominated the ball whilst creating high-quality chances at an exceptional rate.
Analyst John Walker described Martin’s style as “exciting” and “total football” and those statistics back that up, as the manager has proven that he can coach a team to be incredibly dominant and creative when he has the players to do so.
Of course, he was sacked by Southampton earlier this season after a dismal run of 13 losses in 16 Premier League games, but the Saints went on to lose 30 times in 38 matches, suggesting that Martin was not the only problem there.
The Scottish tactician also showcased his coaching ability in the lower leagues in England with MK Dons, helping to coach this incredible goal below.
Martin could bring an enjoyable and successful style of play to Rangers that could help them compete for trophies again, and could be a better option than Priske, due to his stylistic issues, and Ancelotti, who is an unknown quantity.
Offers on the table: Rangers must now cash in on "anonymous" flop & Dessers
Rangers will be hoping to sell a 2024 summer signing in the next transfer window.
Levi Colwill has been a regular fixture for Chelsea this season. The 22-year-old, who is a full England international, has featured 32 times in the Premier League and, more recently, twice in the UEFA Conference League, and will now be looking to guide the west Londoners to a trophy and a top-five finish.
That said, the Cobham graduate hasn’t been without his critics, having notably been “bullied” in the defeat to former club Brighton, in the words of Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, while regularly drawing the ire of supporters.
In the league alone, the youngster has made three errors leading to a shot, one error leading to a goal and given away one penalty, as per Sofascore. He also ranks in just the bottom 46% for tackles, the bottom 13% for clearances and the bottom 31% for blocks per 90 among his centre-back peers in the top-flight, as per FBref, further exposing his defensive woes.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill
With that in mind, Chelsea have actually been linked with a new defensive signing this summer, perhaps to potentially dislodge Colwill – even amid Enzo Maresca’s faith in him.
Chelsea’s pursuit of Dean Huijsen
It seems like Chelsea, along with several other big clubs in the Premier League, are going to try and sign Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen. The Spaniard has been incredibly impressive this season, and given he has a £50m release clause, a move seems inevitable.
Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen
Well, Chelsea will be one of the sides vying for his signature, according to TEAMTalk, with the Blues the team ‘who have offered Huijsen the more tempting financial package’, in order to convince him to switch the South coast for West London.
However, Liverpool are also in the race, and several other European heavyweights, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, have also been linked at various times during the race for Huijsen’s signature.
Bournemouth's DeanHuijsencelebrates after the match
As for why Chelsea want to sign Huijsen, well, he has been excellent at the back for Bournemouth this term, and was described as a “gem” by Sky Sports commentator Bill Leslie earlier in the season.
He has featured 29 times in the top flight this term, scoring three goals in that time and recording seven clean sheets so far. The young Spain international has certainly made a big impression, hence every major club in Europe has been linked with him.
If Chelsea can’t get this deal over the line, then they might not have to worry too much. The Blues actually have a perfect in-house alternative to Huijsen.
Chelsea’s in-house Huijsen alternative
If Huijsen has impressed for the Cherries this season, then Josh Acheampong has certainly made waves for Chelsea, despite the fact he has had far less of an opportunity in the first team at Stamford Bridge.
Described as a player with “elite potential” by football analyst Ben Mattinson, the 19-year-old has featured 11 times across all competitions for the Blues this term. Six of those games have come in the Conference League, where he has played 495 minutes so far.
The underlying numbers via Sofascore from Acheampong’s performances in the Conference League this term show just how well he has played. For example, he makes an average of 2.5 tackles and interceptions and wins an average of 0.9 aerial duels per game.
Passes completed
453
82.4
Pass accuracy
95.6%
95.6%
Long balls completed
7
1.3
Tackles and interceptions
14
2.5
Aerial duels won
5
0.9
The other thing that really stands out about the youngster is his ability on the ball. The 19-year-old, who can play as a right centre-back or a right-back, is clearly tidy in possession, as his 95.6% pass accuracy in the above table shows.
Not only that, but the London-born defender reads the game superbly, and can use his physicality to his advantage in defensive situations. Just look at this piece of defending in the Conference League, where he is able to use his strength to shepherd the ball to safety.
There is no doubting Acheampong’s ability. He has all the tools to become a genuine superstar, capable of playing in multiple positions across the back four, which is ideal for Maresca as he plans his defensive options for next season.
He is a player Chelsea will surely look to integrate into the first team in 2025/26. At the very least, if they do miss out on Huijsen, they are in safe hands, even more so, perhaps, than with Colwill at the back.
Even better than Hato: Chelsea plotting bid to sign £42m "freak technician"
Chelsea are looking to upgrade their options at the back
2025 is likely to be a big year of change at Tottenham Hotspur.
Manager Ange Postecoglou himself admits that the ‘general sentiment’ is that he’ll be sacked, even if Spurs win the Europa League, set to face Bodø/Glimt in the semi-finals, after ousting Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.
TottenhamHotspur manager Ange Postecoglou celebrates after the match
So, with the club currently 15th in the Premier League table, Daniel Levy could be searching for a new manager come the summer, while the first-team squad may require a mass rebuild too.
So, do Tottenham lead the chase to sign a highly-rated youngster?
Tottenham's teenaged transfer target
According to a report by Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are one of many top European clubs ‘tracking’ Gambian ‘sensation’ Gibril Sima, with Levy said to be ‘ready to pay big’ get a deal over the line.
Considering the 17-year-old plays for Gambian Dutch Lions FC in his native country, very little is known about him, but Pete O’Rourke describes him as “the next big talent to emerge from Gambia”, adding that both Internazionale and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in securing his signature.
A report by Ebrima KB Sonko of Gambiana praises Sima’s ‘standout performances’, labelling him a ‘highly-rated young talent’, while also noting that he has signed a two-year contract extension with his club, thereby protecting his transfer value.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
So, could he be on his way to North London this summer?
Tottenham's transfer strategy
As outlined by Jay Harris of the Athletic, Tottenham’s transfer strategy last summer was clear; sign young players, as the table below illustrates.
Lucas Bergvall
19
£8.5m
43
Archie Gray
19
£40m
40
Dominic Solanke
27
£65m
38
Wilson Odobert
20
£25m
14
Yang Min-hyeok
18
£3m
Zero
Antonín Kinský
22
£12.5m
8
Kevin Danso
26
£21m*
8
Mathys Tel
19
£60m*
12
*loan with an obligation to buy included
As the table presents, of the eight players Spurs have recruited throughout this season, six are aged 22 or under, with Dominic Solanke the oldest at 27.
This though, is nothing new, and Sima’s potential arrival, coming in from a lower level with very little known about him, is reminiscent of a recent Spurs legend.
Dele Alli signed for Tottenham in January 2015 from Milton Keynes Dons for a reported fee of £5m, still only 18 years old at the time, having made just 88 senior appearances at League One level, scoring 24 goals and providing ten assists for MK.
Well, fair to say this was money well spent, considering Dele would go on to make 269 appearances for Spurs, registering 67 goals and 59 assists, a key member of the Spurs side that regularly finished in the top four and reached a Champions League Final.
Even after his powers began to wane, then-manager José Mourinho described Dele as “very, very important for Tottenham”, having become the youngest Englishman to score 50 Premier League goals, as noted by Charlie Eccleshare, Tom Worville and Jack Pitt-Brooke of the Athletic.
In his prime, Dele was comparable to the best Premier League midfielders of all time, simply now seeking to resurrect his career in Italy, having joined Serie A side Como in January.
Nevertheless, Dele proves that a club can find a gem in the transfer market at a low fee and turn them into a star; given that Tottenham might not be in European competition next season, this has to be the strategy, and Sima seemingly fits the bill.
As another young rising star – having even earned comparisons to Arsenal icon Thierry Henry, as per O’Rourke – it certainly bodes well for the impact that the Gambian make, should he be plucked from obscurity.
Solanke upgrade: Spurs scout "one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga"
The goalscoring machine would be an excellent addition to Spurs’ squad.
Virat Kohli is set to play his first Ranji Trophy game since 2012, and was at the Delhi stadium on Tuesday to prepare for this
Daya Sagar28-Jan-20251:02
Watch: Kohli’s nets session with Delhi ahead of his Ranji comeback
A larger-than-usual crowd had gathered outside the gate of the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Word had spread that Virat Kohli was going to join the Delhi team to train ahead of their next Ranji Trophy game, which he will be playing from Thursday. Even some TV and YouTube journalists were in attendance, which usually doesn’t happen ahead of a Ranji match.But then this is Kohli and he is returning to domestic cricket after more than 12 years; he last played in the Ranji Trophy in November 2012. Seeing the crowd that had already gathered in anticipation, two days before the game, the sub-inspector stationed at the gate remarked to his colleague that they would have to beef up the security in the coming days.Around 9.30am, Kohli emerged from a black Porsche, the last among the Delhi players to enter the ground, with around 10 others buzzing around him, including Delhi’s head coach Sarandeep Singh. He joined his Delhi team-mates for football drills, bouts of laughter, and 100-metre sprints, before it was time to hit the batting nets.Kohli padded up, donned his helmet and took out an unusual-looking bat to face a throwdown session. The blade of this bat was much thinner than his usual bats, probably a change forced by the outside edges that led to all eight of his dismissals in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. For about 15 minutes he took throwdowns, delivered from the middle of the pitch; five minutes were spent on front-foot strokes and the rest went on facing back-of-length balls off the back foot. This session was a mix of defensive and aggressive strokes; he was beaten a couple of times outside off but otherwise middled some along-the-ground pulls and short-arm jabs.Virat Kohli tried out a few different bats in the Delhi nets•PTI Now it was time to move to the other nets to face some spin. Here he switched to his normal bat and for nearly 20 minutes faced left-arm spinners Harsh Tyagi and Sumit Mathur and offspinner Sumit Sharma. He cut short balls from all of them. Tyagi beat Kohli’s outside edge a couple of times and some deliveries bounced extra, meeting Kohli’s bat on the sticker. Once when Kohli went after a full delivery from Tyagi, attempting a lofted stroke, he managed only a leading-edge. Sarandeep praised the bowler but it was a session in which Kohli was largely steady and in control.Next, he went to face the fast bowlers for another 20 minutes; the line-up included Navdeep Saini among a bunch of right-arm quicks and a lone left-armer in Siddhant Sharma. When Siddhant beat Kohli’s bat twice, with the angle taking the ball away from him, it was time for Sarandeep to step in. He advised Kohli in Punjabi to switch to a middle and off-stump guard, and Kohli did so. He beautifully middled some of the deliveries that followed, drawing applause from the coach.Saini, the highest-profile of the bowlers, also beat Kohli once but otherwise he looked steady and calm, leaving plenty of deliveries outside off. He transferred his weight on the back foot for the shorter balls, punched some of them through off and nudged and jabbed others towards midwicket.Virat Kohli was happy to take questions from a young one•PTI While Kohli went through the drills, an eight-year-old fan, Kabir, closely watched all his movements, his father telling him to observe how Kohli’s head remained still while he played his shots. It turned out that the father was former Delhi player Shawej Khan who had played with Kohli in age-group cricket. Once the nets session ended, Kohli gave Shawej a bear-hug, autographed his son’s bat and imparted some advice.Kohli finished his day with some slip fielding and outfield catching, which he did for about half an hour before posing for some pictures – first alone, and then with some Delhi & District Cricket Association officials – in front of the pavilion named after him.
They might be stubborn to a fault, but their mantra works: the team making fewer mistakes wins more often than not
Sidharth Monga24-May-20232:13
Tom Moody: CSK’s an example of a perfect high-performance environment
When a batter is struggling the way Devon Conway was, the broadcast cameras turn to the dugout and the dressing room for reactions. Seen as the new Michael Hussey for Chennai Super Kings, Conway seemed unable to hit out or get out even as Ruturaj Gaikwad scored fluently at the other end. It was like he was in quicksand: the harder he tried, the deeper he sank. He was in control of exactly half the deliveries he faced.Yet, no camera could spot a reaction in the dugout, where coach Stephen Fleming sat, or in the dressing room, where MS Dhoni sat. Dhoni has been through this before. He has seen Yuvraj Singh get stuck in the T20 World Cup final in 2014 but with much less luck than Conway, who at least found a few edged boundaries. He has seen Ravindra Jadeja get stuck in a previous T20 World Cup in England, but that has not stopped him from backing Jadeja.Related
Did Dhoni deliberately waste time to let Pathirana bowl against Titans?
Jadeja finally gets his Chepauk (yel)love
MS Dhoni: 'I can be a very annoying captain'
CSK squeeze the Titans to enter their tenth IPL final
How Chennai Super Kings filled the Dwayne Bravo-sized hole in death overs
You wonder if Dhoni was reminded of that Dhaka night, but you also had to be certain that not for a second would anyone in that camp have even thought of something as funky as pulling one of their most reliable batters out so that someone else can have a go.CSK don’t believe in anything funky. If a specialist batter of their side is finding it tough out there, they believe there’s every chance the new batter will find it tougher. They are happy as long as the player is showing the right intent and trying to do what he has trained for.When the camera did catch a reaction from Dhoni, it was when the game was done and dusted, as GT needed 31 off eight with one wicket in hand, and Tushar Deshpande tried to bluff Mohammed Shami looking for a wicket. He let out a long “” [whyyyyyyy] and showed Deshpande the number of fielders on the off side when he bowled at Shami’s pads.In the same vein, Dhoni said in the post-match presentation that he has told his fielders that dropping a catch won’t draw a reaction from him but not looking at him all the time – he is a fastidious captain who keeps moving his fielders a couple of feet this way or that often – will not be good for them.The process matters, the results don’t: it sounds good to hear, but in a playoff, when the match is slipping away, when you are aware of what the dew did to your bowlers in the last match at the same venue, there aren’t many leaders other than Dhoni and Fleming who still manage to believe that the team making fewer mistakes wins more often than not.On the night, Hardik Pandya said their side made more “basic errors”. Despite being the best side in the tournament, they were doing all the running: bringing in a player for the first time this IPL, disrupting the batting order that won them the last match without a straightforward reason. Pandya also said they gave up two-three slot balls too many, which was the difference between the two sides.This isn’t to vindicate not improvising. CSK and India under Dhoni have lost matches in the past when they perhaps would have been better off improvising, but CSK are happy to live with those days when the other side wins despite making more errors in a format of cricket that depends heavily on luck. They are happy with 160 and competing rather than going for 180 and risking being bowled out for 140.MS Dhoni is seldom far from a catch, or an IPL final•Getty ImagesThe luck was on CSK’s side. Only the second front-foot no-ball by Gujarat Titans turned out to be the one that got Ruturaj Gaikwad’s wicket, who went on to become the Player of the Match. CSK scored 14 extra runs because of that according to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index; they won by 15.More importantly, the dew arrived later than the other night and offered them a 45-minute period between the powerplay and the death where Jadeja and Maheesh Theekshana were able to turn the ball at high speed. At such times, the combination of Dhoni and Jadeja is irresistible, and Theekshana is quickly joining the club.Even when a mistake was inevitable, Dhoni had the presence of mind to choose the smaller one. We don’t know what the fitness issue was, but Matheesha Pathirana was off the field for some time after his first over. At the time the 16th over was starting, he still had not served enough time on the field to be able to start his second over. Had he not bowled Pathirana then, Dhoni would have had to do without four overs from his main weapon at the death.Between having to miss out on one Pathirana over and instead bowling a bowler who is cold, and having an extra fielder in the circle for one over, Dhoni picked the obvious lesser evil. He let the clock run until the umpires said Pathirana had served his time, and went ahead without fuss. This was Dhoni’s captaincy version of what he tells his bowlers: if you bowl a bad over, make sure it is 13-14-run bad and not 20-run bad.In an endearing post-match interview, Dhoni was asked if he has reached a stage where he can call the 10th IPL final in 14 attempts just another final. Already a little emotional from the generous reaction from the crowd, Dhoni said that in a tournament as big as IPL there can never be “just another final”. Who knows it could even be the last match he plays for CSK. For four hours on Sunday then, can he and Fleming pretend the results don’t matter and the process does?