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It was yet another humbling day to be a Tottenham supporter on Wednesday, after news emerged that their deal for Eberechi Eze is now off.

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After days of back and forth, including direct talks between Daniel Levy and Steve Parish (Fabrizio Romano), it was believed that Spurs reached a verbal agreement with Palace over all the finances involved to sign Eze.

The 27-year-old also agreed personal terms on a move to N17, so it looked merely a matter of time before Eze was hoisting a Lilywhites jersey aloft in front of the media as Tottenham’s third major signing of the window.

However, following a stunning mid-week twist, all hopes of Thomas Frank bringing in the world-class number 10 have been shattered.

Kai Havertz’s injury prompted north London rivals Arsenal to swiftly enter the race for Eze.

The Gunners hijacked Spurs’ advanced move for the England international by equalling Levy’s offer to Palace, with Eze ultimately choosing Arsenal as his preferred destination – largely due to his connection to them.

With a move for the ex-QPR star off the table, in what is a disastrous blow for Frank, Spurs are now forced to re-enter the market for a number 10.

This is Levy’s second public transfer humiliation of the window after also missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White earlier this summer, despite even booking a medical for the Nottingham Forest playmaker.

Savinho wants to join Tottenham amid Thomas Frank plan

Away from their nightmare mission to sign a James Maddison replacement – which has gone back to square one again – Tottenham haven’t given up on a deal for Man City winger Savinho, even if Pep Guardiola’s side are blocking the move right now.

As the Sky Blues demand £67 million to even consider letting him leave, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Savinho would like to go to Tottenham, as Frank wishes to make him one of the faces of his project down south.

The 21-year-old has been called an “elite ball carrier” by members of the media, and bagged 13 assists in all competitions for City last season after also being a key member of the Girona side who briefly challenged for a La Liga title in 23/24.

It would be a statement of intent for Levy to go all in on signing the Brazil international after misisng out on Eze, and with little over a week before the deadline, Spurs need to move quickly.

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Manchester United have now made contact with the agent of an “unbelievable” attacker, who could be in line to join alongside RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, according to a report.

Man Utd identify Sesko as major target with striker pursuit heating up

With the Premier League season set to get underway in just over two weeks, it is becoming increasingly important for Man United to get a deal for a new striker over the line, and they have now identified two major targets.

Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins is one of the names on the shortlist, with the 29-year-old being joined by Sesko, and Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has revealed United have now presented an offer to the Slovenian’s entourage.

Ruben Amorim has been particularly keen to bolster his attacking options this summer, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha already arriving at Old Trafford, and contact has now been made over a new attacking midfielder.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Man United have now approached the agents of Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, but there could be fierce competition for the attacker’s signature.

Manchester City have also made contact over a potential deal, and Bayern Munich are seriously considering a move, however, Arsenal are currently thought to be leading the race for his signature.

Related Man Utd submit £34m bid to sign "intelligent" ace who Amorim knows well

Man United have now made an opening offer…

Posts 1 ByBrett Worthington Jul 29, 2025

United will need to spend big if they are to stand any chance of securing Eze’s signature, given that he is protected by a £68m release clause, which Arsenal are willing to pay in installments.

"Unbelievable" Eze would be statement signing for Man Utd

Signing Cunha and Mbeumo without European football on offer is a testament to United’s pulling power, but it would be a major coup if they were able to sign the Palace star, considering he is wanted by a number of top clubs.

A deal seems unlikely, but if United were to win the race, there is every sign the England international would be a fantastic addition to Amorim’s squad, having picked up eight goals and eight assists in the Premier League last term.

That said, Man United are well-known to have PSR concerns, and a deal for Eze would break the bank, meaning they should prioritise the addition of a new striker instead.

Sesko and Watkins could both be exciting signings, but the Villa star is already Premier League proven, which is a bonus, and he outscored the RB Leipzig striker in the league last season, while also providing more assists.

Target

League appearances

Goals

Assists

Ollie Watkins

38

16

8

Benjamin Sesko

33

13

5

Nottingham Forest are now in pole position ahead of rival interest from Everton in the race for an exciting homegrown attacking player.

Forest reach verbal agreement with new forward

The Reds have already added one attacker in the form of Igor Jesus to their ranks this summer from Brazilian side Botafogo, but given the fact the club are competing in Europe as well as the Premier League next season, Nuno Espirito Santo is keen to add more attacking options to his side.

Nottingham Forest "preparing" bid to sign £26m Europa League goalscorer

Forest are lining up a move for a forward.

ByDominic Lund Jul 20, 2025

Furthermore, Anthony Elanga’s exit to Newcastle United means there is a void in the starting XI, and Forest are keen to fill that by signing Dan Ndoye from Bologna. The 24-year-old has been with the Italian side since 2023 and has impressed domestically and internationally in recent seasons, so much so that he is now a genuine target for the Reds.

Forest have submitted a bid to sign Ndoye from Bologna, but on the player’s side, Ndoye has already verbally agreed a deal with the Reds as they look to beat teams such as Napoli and Crystal Palace to his signature.

Should the Switzerland international move to the City Ground, he could be joined by another forward-thinking player as a possible replacement for Morgan Gibbs-White.

Nottingham Forest lead Everton in Ramsey race

According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest are now leading the race to sign Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa.

Football Insider previously reported that Aston Villa do want to keep hold of the 24-year-old, but an offer between £40-50 million would be enough to convince Villa to sell, and Forest would be able to get to this mark, with the possibility of Gibbs-White’s exit funding the move.

The Reds are not alone in their pursuit, as Everton are also in the race to sign the attacking midfielder, but the fact Forest can offer Ramsey European football places them ahead of the Toffees.

It was even reported back in May that Ramsey is unhappy at Villa Park due to lack of game time last season. Ramsey played 46 games in all competitions last season, but the attacking midfielder only started 25 of those games, as he struggled to get ahead of some of Unai Emery’s regular picks.

Apps

136

Goals

14

Assists

14

Ramsey, who has been dubbed “terrific” by former Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard in the past, is under contract at Villa Park until 2027, so should Forest make a considerable offer, the Villans could use him as a PSR sacrifice.

For Forest, Ramsey would likely be seen as a direct replacement for Gibbs-White, as the former England under-21 international can play as a number 10, while he can also feature on the left flank.

Brits and Bosch lead South Africa’s batting charge; Deepti impresses with the ball for India

Shashank Kishore07-Jul-2024

A steady drizzle ensured no play would be possible in the second innings•BCCI

No result A potentially engaging contest was robbed of its conclusion as the second T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned halfway through courtesy a steady evening drizzle in Chennai.It was the kind of rain that wouldn’t take players off most times. However, the sharpest spell of the evening – a steady five-minute drizzle – coincided with the innings break – forced the ground staff to cover the playing surface. But it continued to mizzle on and off for the next hour, forcing the umpires to pull the plug.It left India, who made as many as four changes to their XI, with more questions than answers, while South Africa could be fairly satisfied after a second good workout with the bat, having followed their 189 for 6 two nights ago with a compelling 177 for 6 on Sunday evening.They go into the series finale on Tuesday with an opportunity to seal the series, a significant result if it comes to fruition given this is their last assignment before the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September.Hello, Uma ChetryAssam played their first domestic tournament in 1948-49. It took them nearly 76 years to produce the first India player (Riyan Parag), but on Sunday, they doubled that tally as Uma Chetry, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper, was handed a cap in Richa Ghosh’s absence due to concussion.Chetry was in action almost immediately. Everyone thought she had effected a smart stumping when Tazmin Brits, the top scorer from two nights ago, ran down to a Sajana Sajeevan slider. Even as an ecstatic Chetry celebrated her first dismissal, the third umpire brought her some agony.A tiny fraction of Chetry’s glove was in front of the stumps when she collected the ball, which meant Brits wasn’t just not out but also had a free hit. On 5 then, Brits built on to make a 36-ball half-century, looking in sparkling touch for most parts.It was in sharp contrast to her struggles in the series opener, where she took nine balls to get off the mark and had limped to a run-a-ball 25 after 10 overs, before a sensational late acceleration brought her 81 off 56 balls.Wolvaardt’s blazing startSouth Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt offset any early pressure there may have been on the team with three back-to-back boundaries off the third over. Each of them was high on aesthetic appeal, her timing and placement precise enough to thread the tiniest of gaps on the off-side ring.She would also be lucky to survive a leading edge that nearly popped to point as Arundhati Reddy, who replaced Renuka Singh in the XI, had a tough beginning.But Wolvaardt’s innings was cut short soon enough, when she found the safe hands of Radha Yadav at backward point as Pooja Vastrakar struck in the fifth over to break a dangerous opening partnership. Wolvaardt’s contribution to the 43-run stand was a robust 12-ball 22.Deepti Sharma picked up the key wicket of Marizanne Kapp•BCCI

Deepti leads India’s spin chargeMarizanne Kapp didn’t take long to settle in like she did the other night. She welcomed Delhi Capitals team-mate Yadav by muscling two hits down the ground in her opening over as South Africa ended the powerplay on 66 for 1. But India weren’t throwing in the towel, ably hitting back courtesy their spinners, especially Deepti Sharma.Deepti did what the other spinners couldn’t – get balls to bounce off a length while also cleverly varying her pace – and Kapp fell in trying to step out and hit through the line to one such delivery, only to find Sajana at mid-off. Then India slipped in a few tight overs with Shreyanka Patil, who replaced legspinner Asha Sobhana, joining in.Anneke Bosch took a while to adjust to the pace of the surface, but it helped that South Africa had Brits bring up a half-century. Then, Chetry redeemed herself with a stumping to dismiss Bosch as she charged Deepti, only to be beaten by sharp turn. To Chetry’s credit, she stayed low and collected the ball at shin-height to effect the stumping.It was a near double-strike as India then prised out the dangerous Chloe Tryon as she tamely lobbed a return catch to Radha. At 131 for 4 in 15 overs, South Africa needed a big finish to get near the 189 they made on Friday. It wasn’t until the 19th that they got that, when Shreyanka was hit for four fours in a 20-run over by Bosch, who more than made up for a sluggish start to finish with a 32-ball 40.Annerie Dercksen then finished the innings off in a blaze of boundaries, three of them off Vastrakar, to take South Africa to 177 before the rain came down and killed what could’ve been an exciting chase.

Sussex 213 for 7 (Alsop 68, Hughes 65, Curran 3-23) beat Surrey 177 for 7 (Pope 99*, McAndrew 3-32) by 36 runs Sussex Sharks handed Surrey their first defeat in this season’s Vitality Blast with an impressive 36-run success at the Kia Oval.Tom Alsop’s 36-ball 68 and 65 off 42 deliveries by left-hander Daniel Hughes helped power Sussex to 213 for 7 after they had been put in – their biggest score in the format against Surrey.Skipper Ollie Pope led Surrey’s response with an unbeaten 99 in a total of 177 for 7, but Sussex bowled with more discipline on a used pitch. Their spinners sent down eight overs and both Archie Lenham and James Coles picked up important wickets while Australian seamer Nathan McAndrew took 3 for 32.It was an excellent performance by Sussex, whose decision to shunt Alsop down from three to six in their order paid off handsomely.He added 47 in four overs with Hughes when the Australian fell for 65 in the 12th over to a well-judged running catch by Jason Roy.But Alsop maintained Sussex’s momentum with McAndrew as they thrashed 68 in six overs for the sixth wicket.Alsop passed 50 in T20 for only the eighth time in his career as all of the Surrey seamers struggled with the exception of Tom Curran, who finished with 3 for 23 despite conceding 17 off his final over.Hughes helped himself to four boundaries in one over from Gus Atkinson while at the start of the innings Coles, promoted to No3, had taken Jordan Clark for three successive fours before walking across his stumps to Clark’s leg-stump yorker.It was one of three wickets Sussex lost in the powerplay, but they were still progressing at more than ten an over and even when Curran picked up John Simpson in the eighth over to leave them 68 for 4 they kept on swinging.Hughes played proper shots on both sides of the wicket in a controlled display while the outstanding Alsop hit eight fours and three sixes, the second of which – a pull from outside off stump off Gus Atkinson – took the left-hander to a 25-ball fifty.McAndrew’s cameo at the end of 29 from 15 propelled Sussex past 200 and the question then was whether their varied attack could blunt Surrey’s quality batting unit.Both openers had gone inside four overs. Ollie Robinson’s nip-backer was too good for Laurie Evans and Dan Lawrence was well caught by the diving Fynn Hudson-Prentice at deep third off a thick outside edge.Roy and Pope rebuilt in a stand of 73 but Sussex were more disciplined with the ball as Coles, 20, and 19-year-old Lenham prevented Surrey from accelerating.The required rate had climbed to 15 an over when Roy, starved of the strike, holed out to long-on off Lenham in the 13th over. The leg-spinner was then taken for three sixes off the next four balls, but he’d made a crucial breakthrough.Smith briefly threatened before toe-ending a drive to wide long-on and 77 off the final five overs proved beyond even Pope’s capabilities, although he did have the consolation of reaching his maiden century in the final over, from 60 balls with ten four and three sixes. Sussex, though, thoroughly deserved their second win from three games.

Aston Villa have now submitted a bid in the region of £40m for a “top” goalkeeper, with Emi Martinez looking likely to be heading for the exit door, according to a report.

Martinez's days could be numbered at Villa Park

Martinez has taken his game to the next level at Villa Park, scooping up the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award for the second time in three years last December, while also recently winning Premier League Save of the Season for a fantastic stop against Nottingham Forest.

As such, Unai Emery will no doubt be hoping to keep hold of his goalkeeper beyond the summer, but it appears as though the Argentina international could be heading for pastures new, with Manchester United and Atletico Madrid expressing an interest.

According to a report from Spain, Martinez has now ‘confirmed’ that he will leave Villa this summer, which means a replacement will be necessary, and recruitment chiefs haven’t wasted any time identifying a suitable heir.

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He’s agreed a four-year deal at Villa Park.

ByCharlie Smith Jun 1, 2025

It is added that Aston Villa have made a bid of around £40m for Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who could be the ideal replacement for their current shot-stopper, given his impressive performances in Ligue 1 throughout the 2024-25 season.

There is a belief that Chevalier could be a good fit in Emery’s squad, and negotiations over a deal are now underway, with news of whether the Villans’ move is successful expected to come in the next few weeks.

"Top" goalkeeper Chevalier is "similar" to David Raya

Football scout Ben Mattinson was left impressed by the Lille shot-stopper during the 2024-25 campaign, singling him out for high praise and comparing him to Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

It is little wonder the Frenchman is held in very high regard by Mattinson, given that he ranks in the 81st percentile for his save percentage per 90 over the past year, while also putting in some top performances for Lille in the Champions League last season.

The 23-year-old made a number of “world-class” saves to keep Borussia Dortmund at bay in March, which will no doubt go into the compilation alongside several fantastic stops in Ligue 1.

Aston Villa will no doubt be looking to bring in a goalkeeper who is proven at the top level to replace Martinez, and Chevalier certainly fits the bill in that regard, so it is exciting news they have now submitted a bid to bring the Lille star to Villa Park.

Nottingham Forest are making a strong move to sign an international forward with Champions League experience.

Nottingham Forest back in Champions League spots after 2-1 win at Tottenham

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side showed their top four credentials by winning 2-1 at Spurs on Monday evening. Forest went into the meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium outside the top five Champions League spots after wins for Manchester City and Chelsea over the weekend.

However, early goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood settled the nerves and ensured the Reds would go back up into the Premier League top four.

Talking after the win at Tottenham, Espirito Santo said: “We have a clear way to play and when we found ourselves in our identity. We had goals [against Tottenham] but also they created chances in the second half and we had to hold on to what we had. We’ve been able this season to compete well and fight for every ball.”

Attention now turns to the weekend and an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley against Pep Guardiola’s Man City side as Forest look to add silverware to what has been an outstanding season.

Related Nottingham Forest star who "defied physics" was even better than Elanga

The Nottingham Forest star who was even better than Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White.

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Away from the pitch, owner Evangelos Marinakis looks to be making preparations ahead of the summer transfer window where Forest could be readying themselves for Champions League football.

Now, Forest are moving behind the scenes to sign a player who has Champions League experience.

Nottingham Forest making strong moves to sign Alexis Saelemaekers

According to reports in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Alexis Saelemaekers from AC Milan.

The 25-year-old is currently on loan at AS Roma, however Forest are making a strong move to sign Saelemaekers, with Milan wanting €20m (£17m) to sell for good. Should Forest qualify for the Champions League, the report states that it could be crucial in a move for Saelemaekers.

A Belgium international, Saelemaekers can play as a right or left winger and is valued at €20m by Transfermarkt. Interestingly, the attacker also shares the same agency as Forest right-back Neco Williams and has actually scored twice in the Champions League in his career.

Similar players to Alexis Saelemaekers

Club

Alex Grimaldo

Bayer Leverkusen

Dejan Kulusevski

Tottenham

Kenan Yildiz

Juventus

Jacob Ramsey

Aston Villa

Roma boss Claudio Ranieri hailed the Forest target earlier in the season, saying: “Saelemaekers is an international player, a good player who can play different roles. I needed him on this wing to execute certain plays, and he is doing well in interpreting what I want from him.

“So, this is my comment: he is fine like this. But this does not mean that it will always be like this, because, from game to game, coaches make choices, maybe change their minds and evaluate other solutions.”

Now, it looks as if a move to the City Ground could be one to keep an eye on over the coming months, providing things go to plan for Forest in the final stages of the season.

Pakistan lost their 16th successive Test in Australia, even as their fast bowlers grabbed 19 of the 20 wickets at MCG

Sampath Bandarupalli29-Dec-202316 – Pakistan have lost each of the 16 Tests they have played in Australia since the start of the 1999 tour. It’s the longest losing streak for a team in any one country, with Bangladesh’s 13 at home between 2001 and 2004 the next longest.2 – Captains with ten-wicket match hauls in Tests for Australia, including Pat Cummins in the Melbourne Test. Allan Border was the first, bagging 11 against West Indies in the Sydney Test in 1989.12 – Captains before Cummins with five-wicket hauls in both innings of a men’s Test. The last of those was Rashid Khan, while on his captaincy debut against Bangladesh in 2019. Cummins also became the first Australia captain to achieve the feat – Border had picked up seven and four in that Sydney Test.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2008 – Dale Steyn was the last bowler before Cummins with ten or more wickets in a Test in Melbourne. The previous Australia bowler with a ten-for at MCG was Bruce Reid in 1991, when he took 12 wickets against India.252 – Test wickets for Cummins, making him the tenth Australian to get to 250 wickets in the format. Cummins’ average of 22.32 is the second best among the ten, behind Glenn McGrath’s 21.64, and his strike rate (46.7) is the best.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Test with two 50-plus scores and two five-fors by captains before the MCG Test. Here, Cummins took two five-fors while Shan Masood scored two half-centuries.The 1983 Test between Pakistan and India in Faisalabad had Imran Khan claiming five-fors in both innings scoring a century, while Sunil Gavaskar scored a hundred in India’s second innings.Related

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41 – Babar Azam’s score in the second innings at the MCG – his highest in Tests in 2023. The last top-six batter to end a calendar year without a fifty for Pakistan, having batted eight or more Test innings, was Basit Ali in 1995.8 – Pakistan have bowled Australia out in both innings of a Test eight times out of the 39 they have played in Australia. The MCG Test was only the second instance of Pakistan getting all 20 wickets in their ongoing 16-match losing streak in Australia.19 – Wickets by Pakistan fast bowlers in Melbourne are the most by them in a Test in Australia, surpassing the 18 in Sydney in 1977. The 19 wickets are the most by Pakistan quicks anywhere in a Test since taking all 20 against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1995.

A look at how impactful individual performances have been, with the help of Smart Stats

S Rajesh24-Apr-2022With 491 runs in seven innings – almost 200 more than the next-highest – there is no doubt over who has been the batter of IPL 2022 so far. Jos Buttler has slammed three centuries – (ironically, Virat Kohli, the only batter to score more hundreds in a season is currently having a wretched run, with two first-ball ducks in his last two innings) – and has scored his runs at the strike rate of 161.5. He has singlehandedly scored 39% of Rajasthan Royals’ total runs. Not surprisingly, Buttler has notched up 81.1 impact points per match, and sits comfortably on top of the list.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe batter with the next-highest aggregate is also the player with the second-highest rating points, but apart from scoring 295 runs, Hardik Pandya has also contributed with the ball, taking four wickets at an economy rate of 7.56. In terms of batting impact alone, Suryakumar Yadav (55.9) and Liam Livingstone (53.2) follow Buttler. The fact that Buttler is 45% ahead of the next-best in terms of batting impact score shows just how dominant he has been.Related

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If the top run-scorer is in top spot in terms of impact, the top wicket-taker isn’t far behind. Yuzvendra Chahal has been in terrific form this season, taking at least two wickets in five out of seven innings. In terms of bowling impact alone, Avesh Khan (45.8), Mohammed Shami (45.6) and Khaleel Ahmed (44.1) follow Chahal. Like Buttler, Chahal has also dominated the bowling charts, and has a bowling impact score that is 42% higher than the next-best bowler.Andre Russell and Suryakumar round off the top five. Russell has been a mixed bag with the bat – a couple of strong performances interspersed with some failures – but he has still scored 227 runs at a strike rate of 180. To add to that, he also has 10 wickets in 14.4 overs. Suryakumar, meanwhile, has been the one bright spot in a dismal Mumbai Indians campaign so far.ESPNcricinfo LtdNot only does Chahal lead with the most wickets in the tournament so far, he also owns the best bowling performance of the season: his game-changing 5 for 40 in a high-pressure, high-scoring match against Kolkata Knight Riders fetched 141 impact points. In terms of smart wickets, that five-for was worth 7.55.Smart wickets puts a value to each wicket taken by a bowler based on the quality of the batter, his score at the time of dismissal, and the match situation and pressure on the fielding team at that point. The highlight of Chahal’s spell was a fantastic 17th over in which he took four wickets, including a hattrick. At the start of that over, Knight Riders had needed 40 from four overs with six wickets in hand in a chase of 218, which means they were already going at more than the required rate at the start of their innings. ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster gave them a 66% chance of victory at that stage. By the end of that over, their win percentage had slumped to 9.5.ESPNcricinfo LtdAvesh Khan’s 4 for 24 helped Lucknow Super Giants defend a middling total of 169 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and included the wickets of both openers and Nicholas Pooran. Lockie Ferguson’s performance was similar, in a defence of 171 against Delhi Capitals.Overall, Chahal’s 18 wickets is worth 22.2 smart wickets, seven more than Avesh, whose 11 wickets are worth 15.1 smart wickets. T Natarajan, who is second on the wickets tally, is fifth in terms of smart wickets: his 15 wickets converts to 14.2. Umesh Yadav’s 11, on the other hand, is worth 14.8, because of the number of top-order batters he has dismissed early: nine of his 11 wickets are of batters in the top four, and six times he has dismissed batters for single-digit scores.