The storm that has clouded Newcastle United’s early summer transfer window is perhaps showing signs of abating, even if Eddie Howe’s outfit have seen bids rejected for three top targets.

That’s according to the Times, whose revelation that offers for Anthony Elanga, Joao Pedro and James Trafford were rebuffed will no doubt have been met by a chorus of frustration over on Tyneside.

At the very least, United are showing ambitious intent, and though slapping a £200m price tag on Alexander Isak to ward off interest from Liverpool might have proved a double-edged sword, for clubs will hardball the Toon in their own dealings henceforth, there’s no doubt breakthroughs will be achieved in the coming months.

However, it might be wise for Howe and co to pin some alternative names to the board. Indeed, in Pedro’s case, an exciting backup has been found, and he might even prove the better pick.

Newcastle open talks for elite forward

As per GIVEMESPORT, Newcastle have opened talks with Xavi Simons’ representatives as they look to welcome some attacking additions this summer.

Expected to depart RB Leipzig after they failed to qualify for Europe, the 22-year-old playmaker has a £60m price tag and has expressed a desire to move to the Premier League.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all had discussions with the player’s camp too, so this one’s wide open at the present stage.

Why Newcastle want Xavi Simons

While dynamic, Simons isn’t as out-and-out an attacker as Pedro; instead, the Dutchman merges the creative with the incisive to an emphatic effect.

He’s the real deal, all right, and given the finances involved, would perhaps go on to prove an even better signing than Pedro, if push comes to shove.

Such masterful versatility is hardly something Howe’s going to say no to, and Simons would add a new creative dimension to a side which finished the 2024/25 Premier League season ranked sixth in the division for big chances created (112) after finishing joint-second with Manchester City (97) the term before.

It’s clear Howe needs such a virtuoso to take that next great step, and given that Simons finished the campaign ranked among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers for passes attempted, the top 14% for progressive passes, the top 18% for shot-creating actions and the top 7% for ball recoveries, as per FBref, he clearly knows his stuff.

Athletic and driven, Simons would add a wealth of quality to the Magpies fold, with his haul of ten goals and seven assists across just 25 Bundesliga matches further highlighting his clinical nature.

Left winger

41

10

11

Right winger

17

5

5

Attacking midfield

17

6

7

Centre-forward

1

–

–

Moreover, he missed just two big chances and averaged two key passes and 5.4 successful duels per game. Though Pedro would be a brilliant attacking addition, Simons might just have that little bit more, with his versatility both through positional and prolific value likely to add so much to the United project.

Pedro, sure, is a steady supplier of goal contributions, posting 30 goals and ten assists across 70 matches, but he’s not quite so refined, indeed operating in a more advanced berth that you’d have to think will be occupied by Isak.

Howe makes sure his players know their duties and toe the line, but Simons’ expansiveness is part of what makes him special, a “superstar”, as has even been remarked by analyst Ben Mattinson.

Newcastle need to beat off Premier League opposition to secure this man’s signature, prioritising a deal over the likes of Pedro.

Better than Elanga: Newcastle open talks to sign £43m "game-changer"

Newcastle are beginning to ramp up the gas in the summer transfer market.

ByAngus Sinclair Jun 26, 2025

da bwin： Newcastle United are battling a host of clubs for the signing of a “world-class” Premier League player this summer, according to a new transfer claim.

Newcastle narrowing down attacking targets

da casino： The Magpies felt too reliant on the goals of Alexander Isak at times last season, so it’s no great surprise to see a plethora of attacking stars linked with summer moves to St James’ Park.

Bournemouth winger Justin Kluivert has been lined up as an alternative to Bryan Mbeumo, should the Brentford ace join United or Spurs instead, with the Cherries star scoring a hat-trick away to Newcastle in a shock 4-1 win there last season.

The Magpies are also believed to have increased their efforts to complete the signing of Brighton striker Joao Pedro, as they look to add depth in central attacking areas ahead of their return to the Champions League in 2025/26.

When it comes to young, long-term options for Newcastle, RB Leipzig wide man Antonio Nusa has emerged as a target for Eddie Howe’s side, with the 20-year-old already bagging 12 goal contributions (five goals and seven assists) in 36 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit. Now, another attacker has been backed to be a potential addition at St James’.

Newcastle battling to sign "world-class" ace

According to a new update from Caught Offside, Newcastle are in the race to sign Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford this summer.

The 27-year-old may be surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, having been loaned out to Aston Villa last season, and the Magpies are battling to snap him up. Villa themselves are keen on a permanent move, while Tottenham, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Saudi Pro League clubs are all mentioned as possible suitors, too.

Rashford has reached a key point in his career, in terms of making sure he isn’t on a permanent decline and overcoming what has been a disappointing year or two at United.

The Englishman is clearly a massive talent who is capable of match-winning brilliance, though, which is why Luke Shaw has had this to say about his club and international teammate in the past: “He is in a really good way at the moment. Extremely confident, very positive. He is world-class, and he can be one of the best players in the world if he keeps going.”

Newcastle have first hand experience of what a menace Rashford can be to play against, with the forward scoring five goals against them, four of which have come in the Premier League.

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Granted, there would be some risk involved if the Magpies took a punt on him, considering he hasn’t looked like the player of old in recent years, and he would be on big wages, but he could explode with a new challenge, needing to move away from United.

The Premier League trophy’s ribbons run red once again, with Liverpool dethroning Manchester City after their historic four-in-a-row dynasty at the peak of English football.

Arne Slot oversaw Anfield’s success, and it was a triumph that few beyond the club’s fanbase saw coming. But it’s happened, Liverpool so dominant through the course of the campaign, easing the intensity over the past month, picking up two points from 12 available after thrashing Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 in April to wrap up the title and spark frenzied celebrations.

It’s got to be said, the job Slot and FSG have done over the past year has placed Liverpool in a promising position, surely primed for a sustained period of success at the forefront of domestic and European football.

With the elite support, peerless conditions and illustrious history, prospective transfer targets must leap at the chance to join Slot’s side, especially when looking at the sky-high growth of talents such as Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo.

This is certainly applicable in the case of Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

The latest on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool

FSG have a certain way with finalising transfers swiftly once settled on a top target. This is especially true in the case of Wirtz, who is in the final stages of a transfer to Merseyside less than two weeks after Manchester City cooled their interest in the German international, citing concerns over the bulk of the financial package.

As per Fabrizio Romano, Wirtz, 22, has been enticed by the Liverpool project and only wanted to leave Leverkusen for Slot’s project, with the structure of the package all that stands in the way of that glorious official announcement.

It will break the bank, for sure, with FSG ready to crush their transfer record by signing Wirtz for a fee rising to £110m with add-ons and bonuses.

It’s a stunning show of strength from the Anfield side, ready to defend their title by making impactful additions. Bringing Wirtz in shouldn’t spell the end of the forward arrivals, however.

Liverpool join race for PL talent

According to Stretty End, Liverpool are among the contenders to have joined the race for Brighton & Hove Albion talent Yankuba Minteh, alongside rivals Manchester United.

With the Red Devils looking to strengthen their attacking flanks this summer, Liverpool may be forced into acting now, should they want to sign the 20-year-old after his promising breakout campaign in the Premier League.

Brighton signed Minteh from Newcastle United for £30m last summer before he had ever kicked a ball in black and white, swooping as Seagulls do when presented with an opportunity.

Why Liverpool want Yankuba Minteh

Slot knows Minteh well, having managed the Gambian prospect across the 2023/24 campaign at Feyenoord, the loanee hitting 16 goal involvements from 37 matches.

Now, he’s passed the first level of the Premier League test, scoring seven goals and providing five assists across all competitions this season.

With his explosive pace and budding eye for goals and assists, Minteh could become Liverpool’s new version of Sadio Mane, three years on from the 33-year-old’s departure to Bayern Munich, ending his illustrious Merseyside career.

The key point of difference, of course, would be that Minteh is typically more of a right-sided forward, thus illustrating a future role as Mohamed Salah’s successor, but maybe more in the mould of the one-time Jurgen Klopp favourite.

One football scout has even put it more directly, saying Minteh “can reach Sadio Mane[‘s] level” in the future, with his athletic properties and killer instinct reminiscent of the Senegalese sensation in his pomp.

As per FBref, Minteh ranked among the top 8% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers this season for touches in the attacking box, the top 12% for successful take-ons and the top 13% for tackles per 90.

Here you can see the strength, progressive power and tenacious attitude, all wrapped into one. Minteh is, undoubtedly, one of the most talented young wingers in the Premier League, and he could explode in the coming years, especially if he makes the move to Merseyside and replicates Mane’s own rise.

As you can see below, Minteh has produced this season a similar sort of roundedness to Mane before his big break, with work to be done on his finishing, sure, but not a drastic amount. Indeed, Minteh is proving to be the full package, with his existing ability to find the back of the net something which could develop in the years to come, especially if under Slot’s wing.

The Southampton version of Mane still has the edge over Minteh, but not by a significant margin. Moreover, the legendary Premier League winger joined Liverpool in a £34m deal when he was 24 years old; Minteh, conversely, is still only 20.

This all points toward an auspicious future for Minteh, and Liverpool would be wise to invest their stakes now, before his value skyrockets.

If rumours of Federico Chiesa and Ben Doak’s respective departures carry truth, this would be the perfect way for FSG to sign a new Salah understudy after the elation of bagging Wirtz.

And given his similarities to one Mane, it might be a deal that fans look back on in the years to come as yet another masterstroke on Michael Edwards’ part.

Another Suarez situation: Liverpool expect bid for "world-class" £72m star

Liverpool may have to contend with the sales of a few stars this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

May 30, 2025

It will be a new home for cricket in Ireland and will host matches during the 2030 T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2024The Irish government has granted approval for the development of a permanent international cricket stadium and a High Performance Centre at the National Sports Campus in Dublin. The overall project takes the long-term view of preparing Ireland to host the 2030 T20 World Cup, along with England and Scotland.Earlier this year, Ireland had to postpone the opportunity to host Australia for the first-ever men’s bilateral series between the two teams because of the lack of a permanent home stadium.Ireland currently has four ODI-rated grounds – Malahide, Clontarf, Stormont and Bready – but all of them are club cricket grounds with temporary seating. The cost of staging matches there, including significant temporary infrastructure, is too high.Related

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In the last couple of years, Ireland staged their home fixtures against South Africa and Bangladesh in England. Later this year, they will host South Africa in Abu Dhabi. This new stadium will solve that problem.The whole project will be completed in a phased manner. This first phase includes the delivery of a main cricket oval, with a permanent seating capacity of 4000, a high-performance centre, and facilities such as players’ and officials’ pavilion, and is scheduled to be completed in 2028. The proposed facilities will include both indoor and outdoor practice and training areas.”Today’s announcement is absolutely fantastic,” Warren Deutrom, the CEO of Cricket Ireland, said. “It is a huge tribute to everybody involved at all levels in Irish cricket who have got us to the stage whereby the government genuinely regards us as a sport of national significance worthy of major investment.”For me, it is probably up there in terms of significance with the day that we became a Full Member of the ICC. These facilities will help drive the sport forward – they will significantly assist our highest-performing players nationally and provincially to prepare, train and perform better on the world stage.”It’s also going to increase the number of pitches that we can use, helping us ensure that we host more cricket in Ireland. Whether men’s, women’s, seniors, juniors, nationally or provincially, this new facility will help keep our product, our sport, on our shores.”

Australia have banned the pre-game activity that threatened to derail Ashleigh Gardner’s T20 World Cup as the allrounder challenged her side’s batters to fill their boots in the third T20I against New Zealand in Brisbane on Tuesday.Gardner missed the series opener against New Zealand in Mackay last Thursday after colliding with team-mate Georgia Wareham attempting to catch a soft “Vortex” ball in a warm-up drill.The reigning Belinda Clark Medallist initially laughed off the incident before leaving the ground in tears, fearing an eighth career concussion as she was ruled out of the contest.Related

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She was cleared though and returned on Sunday with a Player-of the-Match effort, her 3 for 16 the headline act of a disciplined bowling performance in a 29-run win over New Zealand.The 27-year-old saw a neuropsychologist in 2018 after suffering four concussions in the space of 20 months.”It’s been nice to get back out there after a weird occasion, a head collision in a warm-up,” she said. “It was weird to wrap my head around, but I’ve felt really good the last couple of days.”I’ve had a lot of head knocks in the past; I know when I am concussed and when I’m not.”There was no sign of the Vortex before Sunday’s game, Gardner confirming their pre-match routine had been tweaked.”That’s the end of the Vortex for the rest of the tour,” she said.Ashleigh Gardner returned three wickets after missing the opening game due to a concussion scare•Getty Images

Usually happy to chase, captain Alyssa Healy opted to bat first on Sunday and force her team to set the pace ahead of next month’s World Cup defence in Dubai.Healy (38 off 25) got off to a flyer but Australia’s innings stalled, the hosts recording their worst collapse in the format when they lost their last seven wickets for 28 runs as Amelia Kerr returned career-best figures of 4 for 20.A total of 142 proved more than enough thanks to Australia’s bowlers. But Gardner wants to see improvements in their final hit-out in Brisbane on Tuesday before flying to the UAE.”There’s still a lot left in the tank; hopefully in this last game if we do bat first we can put a massive total on the board,” she said.She said there were no excuses given the side’s incredible batting depth meant Annabel Sutherland entered at the fall of the sixth wicket.”Sutherland at eight is pretty ridiculous,” she said. “Going into conditions like Dubai, we haven’t played there before [for Australia] so we’re kind of going into the unknown a little bit.”But knowing we have a defendable total like 140, we know our bowling unit is good enough to restrict them”The skill we possess, in all facets… it was pretty clinical.”

His average of 14.06 is the second-lowest average for a batsman with a Test century

Gaurav Sundararaman01-Dec-2019ESPNcricinfo Ltd 7 – The number of batsmen Test hundreds coming in at No. 8 or below against Australia. The previous instance was in 2017, when Wriddhiman Saha made 117 in Ranchi. 2006 – The last time a Pakistani scored a Test hundred at No. 8. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal made 113 against India in Karachi, a Test Pakistan won to take the series 1-0. Yasir is the ninth Pakistani to achieve this feat.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Only one batsman – Jerome Taylor (12.96) has a lower average than Yasir Shah while scoring a Test century. Yasir’s average after the century stands at 14.06. 213 – Runs added by the last four Pakistan batsmen in the first innings in Adelaide. This is the second-highest for Pakistan in Australia. The best was in 2016 when the last four added 230 at the Gabba in Brisbane. 105 – Runs added by Babar Azam and Yasir, the best seventh-wicket stand for Pakistan against Australia. 87 – The ninth-wicket stand for Pakistan, their highest for that wicket in Australia. Overall, it’s the second-highest ninth-wicket stand against Australia. 89.33 – The average seventh-wicket stand for Pakistan in this series. This is the most they’ve averaged for any wicket in this series. Pakistan’s top five wickets average 18.77 runs while the bottom five average 40. 2015 – The last time Australia enforced the enforcingfollow-on in Tests, against West Indies in Hobart. They’ve not chosen to enforce the follow-on on five occasions since. Pakistan were last made to follow-on at Centurion against South Africa in 2013.

Alzarri Joseph is also back after he was rested for the last Test series, but not as vice-captain

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2024

West Indies allrounder Jason Holder will miss the upcoming two home Tests against Bangladesh starting at the end of the month to continue his shoulder rehabilitation. Offspinner Kevin Sinclair, meanwhile, returns to the side after recovering from an injury that made him miss West Indies’ last Test series, against South Africa at home in August.Right-arm quick Anderson Phillip also returned to the side, having last played a Test in December 2022 in Australia. Phillip is coming fresh on the back of a few wickets for Trinidad & Tobago in the domestic 50-over competition, which followed his county stint for Lancashire that he ended with a match haul of nine wickets against Worcestershire in September end.Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph also returned to the Test fold after he was rested for the South Africa games because of his “considerable workload” at the time. He is currently playing the T20I series against England after featuring in the ODIs against them, although he was suspended for the first two T20Is.Joseph was the vice-captain before he missed the South Africa series and the selectors had named Joshua Da Silva as Kraigg Brathwaite’s deputy in the interim. But even after Joseph’s return for the upcoming series, Da Silva has been retained as vice-captain in the latest 15-man squad.Making way for the returnees are the spinning duo of Gudakesh Motie and the uncapped Bryan Charles. Motie, too, is playing the white-ball games against England, but is not part of the Test side after two unimpressive outings against South Africa. He picked just three wickets in the two matches, including his wicketless showing in Port of Spain. Charlies, the offspinner, has been left out after he didn’t get a Test debut in the South Africa series.The two Tests will start on November 22 in Antigua and on November 30 in Jamaica. Before that, Brathwaite will also lead a CWI Select XI, from a squad of 13, for the two-day warm-up against Bangladesh for November 17 and 18 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.West Indies Test squadKraigg Brathwaite (capt), Joshua Da Silva (vice-capt), Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair, Jomel WarricanCWI Select XI squadKraigg Brathwaite (capt), Justin Greaves (vice-capt), Ryan Bandoo, Daniel Beckford, Navian Bidaisee, Joshua Dorne, Nathan Edward, Chaim Holder, Tevin Imlach, Jordan Johnson, Jair McAllister, Shaaron Lewis, Kimani Melius

MatériaMais Notícias

da stake casino： Alvo de muitas críticas por parte de jogadores, torcedores e imprensa, o gramado do Maracanã está passando por um período de recuperação visando a final da Copa do Brasil. Flamengo e São Paulo se enfrentam pelo jogo de ida no dia 17 de setembro, no Rio de Janeiro.

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da pixbet： Em entrevista ao Lance!, Lucas Pedrosa, diretor técnico da Greenleaf Gramados, empresa responsável por cuidar do campo, explicou como está sendo feito esse processo por um tapete de excelência para a grande decisão. Atualmente, os pontos mais críticos são os trechos do setor norte do estádio, mas também as linhas em que há demarcações.

+ Confira a classificação do Brasileirão

– O setor norte tem falta de luz, então a grama não fica com a mesma densidade que no sul, mas tem grama lá. Está tudo fechado com grama. Claro que com esse tempo nublado e chuvoso, o início do nosso procedimento acabou sendo atrapalhado, mas estamos retirando toda a crosta de tinta das linhas, nivelando novamente com areia e replantando. Fazendo enxertos para ter muda e melhorar esse problema das linhas. Não vai fechar em 20 dias, mas vamos ter grama naquelas áreas.

+ Fala, Jogadô! Resenha exclusiva com um dos maiores treinadores da história do futebol brasileiro: Abel Braga. Confira!

Além dos trechos mais críticos, outras regiões também sofrem com problemas, mas considerados menos drásticos. Pedrosa também revelou que o gramado do Maracanã está sendo “bombado” e que deve se encontrar em excelente condição para receber o duelo entre Flamengo e São Paulo.

– No resto do campo, estamos fazendo procedimento de limpeza com corte vertical, estamos sugando o resíduo que é do dia a dia do corte, fazendo uma cobertura de areia para proteger essa replantação nova. E muitos procedimentos nutritivos e granulados serão pesados. Quando você tem muitos jogos, você fica engessado para fazer essa nutrição. Você fica com uma atividade de nutrição por semana. Com essa parada, vamos fazer essa nutrição de duas a três vezes por semana. Vamos bombar o gramado. Aproveitar que não haverá pisoteio para que ele recupere a densidade de novo. Ele vai recuperar muito bem as falhas, os danos. As linhas não ficarão 100%, mas os programas de operações, tanto com máquina quanto essa parte nutricional, serão pesadas.

Há uma grande expectativa por parte da empresa responsável pelos cuidados do gramado do Maracanã que com os produtos e hormônios aplicados, o campo tenha um ganho considerável de densidade nos trechos de demarcações de linhas. O aumento de incidência solar e temperatura também devem ajudar na recuperação de quase 100% do terreno.

Logo após o duelo entre Flamengo e Internacional, as máquinas de luzes artificiais foram colocadas no campo visando uma recuperação mais rápida do campo. Além de elogiar o tratamento feito no dia a dia, Pedrosa afirmou ser um luxo ter esses mais de 20 dias para o processo que está sendo realizado.

– O Maracanã é um dos estádios que mais utiliza luz (artificial) no país. Estamos desde fevereiro usando luz sem parar. Tiramos quatro horas antes dos jogos, mas voltamos logo depois da partida e fica a semana inteira ligada. Isso tem feito uma diferença enorme na parte norte. Se não houvesse a luz, possivelmente haveria falta de grama na região. Vamos conseguir devolver toda a densidade, coloração e um gramado de excelência para a final. Como a gente não tem uma semana parado, 20 dias é um luxo.

Desde o último dia 26 de agosto, o Maracanã está fechado para jogos por conta da recuperação do gramado. O Fluminense precisou mudar o lugar de seu confronto diante do Fortaleza, que será disputado no dia 3 de setembro, para o Raulino de Oliveira, em Volta Redonda.

CONFIRA OUTROS TEMAS SOBRE O GRAMADO DO MARACANÃ:

JOGO ENTRE VASCO E FLUMINENSE, NO DIA 16 DE SETEMBRO

– Qualquer intervalo em que você tenha dois jogos em menos de 24 horas, você tem um dano. Não que vá ter muito dano para a final, mas quebra um pouco essa sequência de final de temporada. Você eleva o nível do gramado e vem dois jogos seguidos. Já tem uma queda para a sequência dos outros jogos. Não é bom. Não é recomendado uma partida no dia 16 (de setembro) ainda mais para estragar um espetáculo que é uma final, com um valor alto de premiação, uma competição tão importante.

FINAL DA LIBERTADORES

– Já fizemos o planejamento de trabalho de operação de maquinaria e nutrição para ter respostas para a final da Libertadores, mas o intervalo (do tempo de recuperação) ainda está em aberto. Flamengo e Fluminense precisam ceder. Teríamos que ter mais de 20 dias de gramado parado para a gente fazer o que estamos fazendo agora. As atividades requerem tempo. Tenho que fazer dia após dia, e o gramado ir respondendo com o que estou operando. Teriam que sair (do calendário do Maracanã) dois jogos de Flamengo e dois de Fluminense, então ainda há um impasse. O ideal é como seria uma revitalização com 30 dias. Até isso a Conmebol gostaria que fosse, mas logo foram barrados, pois iriam tirar muitos jogos. E é receita isso. Estuda-se um intervalo de duas semanas, mas ainda não temos isso. E o processo seria parecido com o que está sendo feito agora. Mas em outubro você tem mais calor, mais incidência solar. A grama bermuda é uma grama que precisa de mais horas de luz por dia. Quanto mais luz, mais sol, mais rápida será a resposta.

AQUECIMENTO NO CAMPO

– Uma situação que prejudica o Maracanã não são apenas os números de jogos. O que mais prejudica hoje é o pré-jogo. O aquecimento dura 40 minutos. Nesse aquecimento, você tem dois times treinando em meio campo, não só os titulares, como os suplentes. Você tem 24 jogadores de um lado e do outro fazendo bobinho, fazendo físico, chutando bola para o gol. Esse trabalho físico, de campo reduzido, é o que mais causa dano antes da partida. Você tem praticamente três tempos de jogo em cada partida. Se você pegar dois jogos seguidos, como foi o do Fluminense e depois do Vasco, você tem praticamente seis tempos de jogo em menos de 15 horas. A chuva foi a cereja do bolo. Eu mandei uma carta para a CBF pedindo que fosse considerado evitar bobinho, físico dentro das quatro linhas, mas a entidade, assim com a Conmebol, quer um gramado de excelência, mas não atuam firmemente nessa parte. Deve-se restringir as atividades feitas no gramado. Gramado é um ser vivo, ele sente o pisoteio. É um fator que pouca gente sabe, mas eu sempre bato na tecla. A gente é cobrado, mas não temos o suporte devido.

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha on loan for the season with a €30 million (£26m) buy option. The 30-year-old will become the second player to join Spurs from the German champions this summer, following Mathys Tel's permanent switch. Palhinha will undergo medical tests before finalising the move to north London.

Palhinha to join Spurs on loan with €30m buy clauseSecond Bayern player to move to TottenhamSpurs finally address defensive midfield problem areaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Palhinha is set to join Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich, with Spurs covering his full salary, as per . The deal reportedly includes a €30m (£26m) buy option, though the purchase clause will not be mandatory and the north Londoners could send the former Fulham man back to Germany at the end of the season.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Palhinha's arrival addresses a long-standing gap in Spurs' midfield, adding much-needed steel and experience. He will soon become Tottenham's second signing from Bayern this summer after Tel, who starred in their Europa League-winning campaign on loan last season, before the Lilywhites decided to make the move permanent.

DID YOU KNOW?

Tottenham accelerated talks in the last 24 hours to beat any late competition for the Portugal international. Despite Bayern's original reluctance to add an option to buy, Spurs negotiated a €30m clause. With no plans at present for Palhinha in Munich, the German club readily agreed to the terms, especially considering that the Lilywhites are also ready to pay his full wage packet.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PALHINHA?

The 30-year-old will complete his medical and join up with Spurs for the rest of pre-season. Frank is likely to integrate him quickly to strengthen the midfield ahead of their UEFA Super Cup clash with Paris Saint-Germain and the Premier League opener with Burnley.

This Ranji season, Saurashtra have had three debutants in the four matches they have played so far

Rajan Raj10-Nov-2024Saurashtra have started the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season on a disappointing note. In four games so far, they have drawn and lost two each. Those results have put them seventh in their group, but their captain Jaydev Unadkat believes that his side is going “through a period of transition”. This season, Saurashtra have already had three debutants in the four matches they have played so far.”Efforts are being made to give opportunities to youngsters. As captain, I want this change to be smooth,” Unadkat told ESPNcricinfo. “We want young players to come forward, and we want them to be given maximum opportunities. I want young players to settle in our team during my captaincy.”Saurashtra’s debutants this season include pace bowlers Navneet Vora and Hiten Kanbi, and batter Parswaraj Rana. While Vora has three wickets in two games at an average of 41, Rana contributed only 21 runs across two innings against Tamil Nadu. Kanbi, though, had a promising debut against Jharkhand, as he picked up 5 for 70 in the first innings, before grabbing one more in the second.Related

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Over the last five Ranji seasons dating back to 2018-19, Saurashtra have made the final three times. Unadkat was their captain on each occasion, having even led his side to the title twice – in 2019-20 and 2022-23. Saurashtra also made the quarter-final last year, but this season, they run the risk of getting eliminated in the group stages. But Unadkat understands that a change of guard is inevitable, as seniors like Sheldon Jackson (38), Cheteshwar Pujara (36) and Arpit Vasavada (36) are near the end of their careers. Even Dharmendrasinh Jadeja is 34 while Unadkat himself is 33 years old.”It is not that players keep coming and going,” he said. “We know that when a transition period comes for a team, the performance goes up and down; but this is a part of this game.”Despite that, as captain, Unadkat remains focused on how to guide his side to a win each time he takes the field.”If you ask me what is most important for me, then I would say that I keep thinking about ways of taking Saurashtra to victory. I think about my team. When I wake up in the morning, the first thought that comes to my mind is how our team will win, and how it will become better. This is the biggest motivation for me right now.”Jaydev Unadkat had played 11 games for SRH in IPL 2024•Associated Press

‘IPL auction nothing new for me’

Unadkat is one of 1574 players to enter the mega auction for IPL 2025, which will be held on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah. Last year, he played 11 games for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which was the eighth different side he was representing since his debut in 2010. While Unadkat is hopeful to make it back to SRH for the 2025 tournament, he doesn’t mind getting a new team either.”I am definitely very excited about the auction. The auction is nothing new for me,” he said. “Mega auction is a big opportunity, but whatever the results of the auction, I am fully prepared to accept it… Hopefully, SRH will select me in their team again. But even if they don’t – or something else happens – I am ready for it.”I played for eight teams; now even if there is a ninth team – or I get a chance for any team – I don’t have any problem. If I get my bowling role and I get to play, I will be satisfied. Earlier, I was with Lucknow [Super Giants, in 2023]; before that, I was in Mumbai [Indians, in 2022]. I got [to play] very few matches there, but still I was very happy in that set-up.”