Tottenham Hotspur have made an excellent start to life under Thomas Frank over the last couple of weeks, with the Dane only losing one of his first nine games at the helm.

Part of his success in North London has been down to the immediate impact of summer addition Mohammed Kudus, with the Ghanaian nailing his place in the starting eleven.

The 25-year-old cost £55m from Premier League rivals West Ham United, already hitting the ground running and contributing to the Lilywhites’ success on the pitch.

He’s already registered four assists across all competitions, two of which came on the opening day in the 3-0 triumph over Burnley – a game which was his competitive debut for the club.

Such an achievement matched a record set by one other first-team member, but the new addition has yet to feature alongside him in the early stages of the 2025/26 campaign.

James Maddison’s highs and lows at Spurs

James Maddison became the first player in Spurs’ Premier League history to register two assists on his league debut, subsequently being joined in such a club by Kudus.

The Englishman joined the Lilywhites back in the summer of 2023 for a fee in the region of £40m from Leicester City after the Foxes’ relegation the season prior.

Since his transfer, he’s racked up 75 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 16 times and registering 19 assists across all competitions – but such numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Injuries have massively plagued the 28-year-old over recent years, already suffering four injuries in his two-year spell, subsequently missing 25 matches through various setbacks.

Maddison has since suffered an ACL injury, further adding to his frustrations and is now expected to miss out on the vast majority of the Dane’s first campaign in charge.

There’s no denying that the attacking midfielder is a player who possesses huge talent, but ultimately his lack of fitness has constantly prevented him from making an impact on a consistent basis.

As a result, he could easily lose his number ten shirt in the near future, with one player already on the books deserving of the opportunity to wear such a historic shirt.

The Spurs star who could steal Maddison’s #10

Over the last couple of years, Spurs have been fortunate to see multiple top talents wear the number ten shirt – none more so than former striker Harry Kane.

The centre-forward emerged through the ranks in North London, before making his mark in the first-team and cementing himself in the Lilywhites’ history forever.

He found the net on 280 occasions during his decade-long spell with the club, subsequently surpassing the late Jimmy Greaves and becoming their all-time top-scorer.

However, Maddison was the player to inherit such a shirt after the former’s departure to join Bayern Munich, but the club may look to hand another first-team star the responsibility of wearing such a historic number.

Pape Matar Sarr joined the Lilywhites as an unknown quantity to many of the supporters, but it’s safe to say he’s now become one of the club’s best players at present.

The Senegalese international joined for just £14.6m in 2021, but would have to wait until the following summer to make his first competitive appearance for the English outfit.

However, since such a day, the 23-year-old hasn’t looked back, subsequently racking up over 100 appearances in all competitions – five of which have come in the Premier League under Frank.

Sarr, who’s been dubbed “unbelievable” by Jamie O’Hara, has already registered a goal and two assists in England’s top flight this season, highlighting his attacking quality despite his deep-lying role.

He’s now posted a total of 10 goals and eight assists since making the move to England, which has allowed him to be a vital component within the club’s midfield department.

Pape Sarr – stats in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

5

Goals & assists

3

Pass accuracy

83%

Dribble success

50%

Fouls won

1.2

Duels won

5.1

Recoveries made

4.8

Touches in opposition box

2.3

Stats via FotMob

Out of possession, Sarr has been just as impressive, winning 5.1 duels per 90, along with 4.8 recoveries made – arguably being one of the best box-to-box options in the league.

At 23, he had plenty of time to build on his early success in North London, potentially playing a crucial role in any future success achieved during Frank’s tenure in the role.

As a result, he could easily be handed the number ten shirt by the club to reflect his importance, but such a decision could prove to be harsh in Maddison, given his recent struggles.

However, football is a cruel industry and it remains to be seen what level the Englishman is at after such an injury lay-off, with the hierarchy having a huge call to make on his future.

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Losing has become an unwanted habit for Manchester United under Ruben Amorim. So much so that the 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday may not have surprised anyone.

The Red Devils have accrued a measly 31 points in 31 matches under the Portuguese head coach, the lowest of any non-relegated side in that time.

It should go without saying, but, it is not good enough for a club of Manchester United’s size with the ambitions that they should have in the Premier League.

Players are to blame as well as the manager, though, and one player who may not have much of a future at Old Trafford, as a frontline player anyway, is Altay Bayindir.

The Turkish shot-stopper was given the nod between the sticks for the Manchester derby, but it seemed to be more of a case of keeping Senne Lammens out of the firing line for a debut in such a big clash.

United swooped to sign the Belgian goalkeeper from Royal Antwerp on deadline day and his arrival at Old Trafford could spell the end of Altay’s short time as the number one.

Why Altay Bayindir may already be finished at Man Utd

The Turkey international has started all four of the club’s Premier League matches this season, per Sofascore, but has not done enough to suggest that he has what it takes to be the next Edwin Van Der Sar, David De Gea, or Peter Schmeichel.

Altay played four times in the top-flight in the 2024/25 campaign and only saved 44% of the shots on his goal, per Sofascore, and made one error that led to a goal.

The Turkish flop has not improved much at the start of the current season, unfortunately, as he has saved 53% of the shots against him in the Premier League and made one error that led to a goal.

As you can see in the clip above, the United goalkeeper was far too weak from a corner on the opening day against Arsenal, which allowed Riccardo Calafiori to score the winning goal for the away side.

This means that Altay, who was easily beaten by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland for the first two Man City goals on Sunday, has made two errors that have led to goals in just eight league starts for the club.

Senne Lammens (Pro League)

+15.57

Jordan Pickford (Premier League)

+6.15

Matz Sels (Premier League)

+4.55

Mark Travers (Premier League)

+4.48

Ederson (Premier League)

+4.46

Dean Henderson (Premier League)

+3.14

As you can see in the table above, Lammens has the shot-stopping potential to be a standout in the Premier League for the Red Devils if he can adjust to the division.

This means that the Belgian goalkeeper’s arrival at the club could spell the end of Altay’s career as a first-choice option for Amorim, as he settles in as the number one in the weeks to come.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Turkey international may not be the only poor performer from the derby whose career at United under Amorim should be in danger, though, as Manuel Ugarte falls into the same bracket.

He was selected to start in the middle of the park over Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, yet once again failed to deliver an impressive performance for the team.

Why Manuel Ugarte should be finished at Man Utd

The Uruguay international has been at Old Trafford for more than a year and looks no closer to establishing himself as a key player for the manager than when he first walked through the door under Erik ten Hag.

Ugarte’s performances in the Premier League for the Red Devils during the 2024/25 campaign left far too much to be desired, as the central midfielder struggled badly in possession.

Non-penalty goals

0.05

Bottom 41%

xAG

0.06

Bottom 30%

Shot-creating actions

1.56

Bottom 16%

Progressive passes

3.08

Bottom 18%

Progressive carries

0.81

Bottom 23%

Passes into the final third

2.96

Bottom 36%

Passes into the penalty area

0.45

Bottom 20%

As you can see in the table above, the former Paris Saint-Germain flop was among the worst central midfielders in the division in a host of possession-based metrics, which shows that he disrupted the team’s build-up with his lack of quality on the ball.

Despite being in the side to provide defensive stability, in theory, only Bruno Fernandes (1.4) was dribbled past more per game than Ugarte (1.3) for Manchester United in the Premier League last season, per WhoScored.

Opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of the central midfielder in the middle of the park, which means that he was a liability to the side in and out of possession last term.

Unfortunately, Ugarte’s performance in his first start of the league season against Manchester City on Sunday did not suggest that he is ready to turn things around.

Earlier this month, former Chelsea ace Craig Burley said: “Manuel Ugarte is just absolutely nothing. He’s just like a wet blanket. Put him in with the kids and even the kids would be going, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ Seriously.”

Harsh comments from Burley but it is hard to disagree with him. Ugarte was caught out for the opening goal from Foden as he was too slow to get out to Doku and his weak block fell back for the winger to cross for the England international.

His lack of quality in possession also played a part in the third goal. The midfielder played a poor pass into Luke Shaw’s feet, which forced him to put Harry Maguire under pressure, resulting in the centre-back giving the ball away and Haaland being played through for his second.

He does not look up to the task of starting matches for Manchester United in the Premier League, as evidenced by his dismal showings last season and his poor performance on Sunday.

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The Uruguay international looks totally finished under Amorim on the evidence available so far, which is why Casemiro, Mason Mount, Mainoo, and Bruno Fernandes should play the bulk of the minutes available when fit and available ahead of him.

“Just 20 overs won’t save you in T20 cricket, and that’s been our story”

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-20251:15

Moody: Wouldn’t have thought Pant was in a form slump

Rishabh Pant was focused on capitalising on his good start, which he hadn’t been able to do successfully in the previous matches in IPL 2025, on his way to 118 not out off 61 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the last league match of the season. But, despite putting up 227, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) went on to lose the match, which Pant said was a result of them not being able to play “40 overs of good cricket”.”Definitely, I was feeling well with each and every match”, Pant said on the broadcast after the match. “But sometimes, it just doesn’t come off. But today, I made sure that if I’m starting well, I should make a big one, like all the experienced players do; learning from the best always – whenever you get a start, try to make it [as] big as possible.”Pant has had an underwhelming season with the bat, coming into the game with just 151 runs in 12 innings. He said he made a conscious choice to hit straight, something he was unable to do earlier in the season.Related

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“I was trying to play the field, how they were going to bowl on this wicket, so definitely that [hitting straight] was something I kept in mind,” he said. “Just playing through the line, just looking for the gaps, kept it very simple, and played every ball with the same intensity throughout the innings.”LSG’s inexperienced bowling attack was taken down, with Will O’Rourke and Shahbaz Ahmed going for 113 runs in seven overs. Unforced errors in the field and a back-foot no-ball from Digvesh Rathi, which offered a life to Player-of-the-Match Jitesh Sharma, all added up and took away the advantage that LSG carried into the chase.”Eventually, you have to play 40 overs of good cricket, 20 overs will definitely not save you in a T20 game, and that’s been our story,” Pant said. “There were lot of injury concerns before the tournament, you can see that that is something that hurt us going through the season.”LSG finished seventh on the points table with six wins in 14 games. Pant did note positives with the ball but conceded that they let games slip.”There have been some special bowling performances also,” he said. “Digvesh Rathi is one of them, Avesh [Khan] bowled some crucial overs. Akash Singh and Akash Deep also did. Like I said, we have been getting chances, but we wouldn’t be [weren’t] able to maintain it for a longer period of time and that is just costing us the match.”

Vincent Kompany was full of praise for Harry Kane after the Bayern Munich forward netted his 400th career goal to seal a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Klassiker. The England captain's clinical header helped Bayern maintain their perfect start to the season, with Kompany hailing his striker's "complete" display in another statement Bundesliga win.

Kane milestone inspires Bayern win

Kane marked a historic night by scoring his 400th club goal as Bayern Munich edged Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in a pulsating Der Klassiker on Saturday. The England captain opened the scoring with a precise header in the 22nd minute, his 12th league strike of the season, continuing his incredible run of form. Michael Olise doubled Bayern's advantage late on before Julian Brandt pulled one back for Dortmund, but the hosts held firm to extend their unbeaten run and move five points clear at the top.

Bayern's triumph also marked their 11th consecutive win in all competitions, equalling the German record previously set by Die Schwarzgelben under Thomas Tuchel in the 2015/16 campaign. The victory reflected not only Bayern's clinical edge but also their composure under pressure, with Kompany’s side continuing to impress both domestically and in Europe.

It was yet another reminder of Kane's consistency since arriving in Germany, as the forward has either scored or assisted in every match this season for Bayern Munich. His impact has been transformative, setting the tone for Bayern's relentless march toward another Bundesliga crown.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportKompany: Kane is 'really outsanding'

Kompany could not hide his admiration for his star striker and the collective effort of his side after their Klassiker win. “Harry Kane can of course still improve, even though he has been more than brilliant so far for us," the Belgian said post-match. "I think [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo have set the bar so high that you feel like scoring in the manner Kane is scoring right now should be normal, but what he is doing is really outstanding. He worked so hard for the team tonight and was once again very important for us."

Kompany also lauded Bayern's fluid attacking play, which often leaves opponents second-guessing their defensive structures. "We like that all experts are asking themselves 'who was our striker tonight? Who was the attacking midfielder? Who was the playmaker?' – That is how we know we have a fluent attack and that we’re doing it right," he explained.

He continued by acknowledging Kane's special instinct inside the penalty area: "I can't teach Harry Kane how to head the ball the way he does it. Some things you can't teach – the feeling for the area, for example. He just does it so well."

The coach also praised Dortmund's fightback, saying: "We have to give Dortmund their flowers. They managed to get back into the game after our dominating first half. They fought their way back in. We, on the other hand, interrupted our rhythm and somewhat lost the control we had. But I also need to praise my team for sticking together – even when we were not in total control, we were always still dangerous and managed to score in a phase where Dortmund were getting better."

Kane improves Bayern

Kane's 400th career goal adds another milestone to a glittering resume that already includes three Premier League Golden Boots, a World Cup Golden Boot and England's all-time scoring record. The 31-year-old joined Bayern in search of major silverware in 2023, which he finally achieved last season with a Bundesliga title. His 12 goals in the Bundesliga this season have come from just 10 appearances, with his leadership and work rate complementing Bayern's fluid attacking identity.

Since his arrival, Bayern's offensive play has evolved to become more unpredictable, with Kane's link-up ability freeing the likes of Olise and Jamal Musiala, once the latter returns from injury, to thrive between the lines. His adaptability has also given Kompany's system greater flexibility, as Bayern frequently alternate between structured possession and rapid transition attacks.

Kane's professionalism and mentality have impressed both teammates and staff, and Kompany's comments reflect the respect he commands within the dressing room. The striker's influence extends beyond his goals – his presence brings calmness and confidence to a side that appears more balanced than ever. With his 400th goal now behind him, the focus shifts to how high he can push that tally by the end of the season, after which the World Cup is here.

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Getty Images SportAttention tuns to Champions League

Bayern's latest victory cements their dominance atop the Bundesliga table as they chase a record-extending title. They will now turn their attention to midweek European action in the Champions League, where Kompany will expect his side to maintain intensity and discipline against Club Brugge.

For Kane, the challenge will be sustaining his exceptional scoring pace as fixtures pile up across multiple competitions. His sharpness and understanding of Bayern's attacking patterns suggest that further milestones are inevitable. As Kompany continues to refine his project, Kane's form could be the decisive factor in turning Bayern's domestic dominance into continental glory.

Dale Benkenstein is the latest casualty of Lancashire’s disastrous start to this season’s County Championship, as it was confirmed by the club that he has left his position as head coach by mutual consent.Steven Croft, Lancashire’s former captain, has taken over the role in an interim capacity, with the club yet to record a victory in seven attempts this season as it sits just one point above rock-bottom Kent in the Championship’s second division.Benkenstein, 50, was appointed as head coach in December 2023 when Glenn Chapple stood down following seven years in the role. However, he oversaw the club’s relegation from the top flight last summer, and has been unable to oversee an upturn in their fortunes in this season’s first block of first-class fixtures.Although the return of James Anderson had given the team a short-term lift, with a dominant display in a drawn contest against Derbyshire, the nadir came at Grace Road last week with an innings-and-three-run loss to Leicestershire, this season’s unlikely pace-setters at the top of Division Two.That was Lancashire’s second crushing loss of the campaign, following a three-day defeat to Northamptonshire earlier in the month that led to the resignation of Keaton Jennings as the club’s red-ball captain.Prior to that, the club hierarchy had issued a public apology for the team’s performances, with Mark Chilton, director of cricket performance, describing their form as “not acceptable”, and adding that Lancashire would “make necessary changes” to improve the situation.Now, with the club’s attention switching from the Championship to their T20 Blast campaign, which begins against Worcestershire at Old Trafford on Thursday, Lancashire have opted for a clean slate.”Following a difficult start to the season, we feel that now is the right time to make a change, as we look to improve our on-field performances,” Chilton said.”After relegation at the end of last season, results have not improved so far this year and after much consideration, both Dale and I feel the team will benefit from a change in direction.”We would like to thank Dale for his hard work and commitment during his time at the Club. He leaves Lancashire Cricket with our best wishes for the future.”Croft was a key member of the last Lancashire team to win the County Championship in 2011, and also captained the side to victory in the T20 Blast in 2015. Having retired from all forms of cricket last season, he is set to take over the club training from Tuesday, and will be supported in the role by William Porterfield, Craig White and Karl Krikken.”Steven is a Lancashire legend, highly respected in the dressing room and has been working incredibly hard on his coaching career for several years,” Chilton said.”More recently, he has coached within our Second XI and Academy and has also joined a couple of England Under-19s tours, working with some of the brightest prospects in the country.”I’d like to thank Steven, along with the other coaches, for stepping into the role at short notice ahead of our Vitality Blast opener tomorrow evening.”

The end of the October international window is upon us, club football fans. Get ready for four more weeks of Premier League fun before we're lulled back into the November break. Fortunately, there's non-stop action before then to look forward to, beginning with some mouth-watering fixtures this coming weekend, including Manchester United's trip to Liverpool.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have the opportunity to inflict more misery on a down-on-their-luck Nottingham Forest, while Manchester City welcome a Jack Grealish-less Everton to the Etihad Stadium and Arsenal look record victory at Craven Cottage for the first time in three seasons when they face Fulham. The races for the title, European places and survival are hotting up before the clocks have even gone back.

There are so many different narratives to keep your eyes peeled for this weekend, and we at GOAL have picked out eight of the most intriguing storylines as we welcome the return of Premier League football:

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Ange on the Forest clock

  Ange Postecoglou quickly won over the English public when he went 10 games unbeaten to begin his Premier League career with Tottenham back in 2023. Seven matches into his Nottingham Forest spell, he is searching for his first win and on the verge of the sack already. How did Forest, the top-flight's biggest overachievers last season, and Postecoglou, a serial winner all across the world, find themselves in this situation? There are multiple strands to explore.

  If you were to zoom out and remove the managerial nonsense from the equation, the simple answer would be that Forest merely over-performed last season and are simply regressing back to the mean. Their expected goal difference for 2024-25 ended at a tally of -3.4 (per ), which ranked 13th among Premier League teams, six lower than their actual position of seventh.

  To merely go by those numbers is a disservice to what Forest achieved under Nuno Espirito Santo, however. The Reds became one of the Premier League's meanest and toughest teams, while the playmaking of prime Morgan Gibbs-White and peak form of veteran striker Chris Wood ensured goals were never short in stock. Some of that hot-streak finishing has cooled off and the defence has been more disjointed due to injuries, but the problems lie deeper.

  Fiery club owner Evangelos Marinakis brought unnecessary attention to Forest and their operations when he confronted Nuno on the pitch following a 2-2 draw with Leicester City in their penultimate home game of last season. Both men played down that this was tension boiling over and insisted the Greek was simply looking out for the welfare of the injured Taiwo Awoniyi, but the optics were far from fantastic. If anything, these assumptions became emboldened when Nuno admitted in August his relationship with the owner had deteriorated, while subsequent reporting put this down to the arrival of Edu Gaspar from Arsenal as the club's new global head of football.

  The decision to axe the universally popular Nuno for Postecoglou was baffling for several reasons. Marinakis boasted a positive relationship with the former Celtic boss and had dinner with him over the summer, so if this was a plan he had in mind for a while, it made little sense to wait until after the transfer window had shut to appoint him. The philosophies of Nuno and Postecoglou could hardly be more differing either, while the Australian's tactics were sussed out by most of the Premier League by the end of his Spurs reign.

  There is no longer a sense of unity at Forest. A united and spirited club has become a bitter pick and mix. Recent reports suggest if Postecoglou fails to chalk up his first win this weekend, with Chelsea visiting the City Ground in Saturday's early kick-off, then Nottingham native Sean Dyche may replace him in another 180-flip of approach from upstairs. Make it make sense.

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• AFP
  

  Caicedo hype hits overdrive

  Is Moises Caicedo the best midfielder in the Premier League? In a word, no. Sorry, Chelsea fans. It makes for an interesting debate, however.

  It took the Ecuadorian a while to find his feet at Stamford Bridge following his £115 million ($153.5m) move from Brighton in the summer of 2023. Part of that was down to the weight of expectation on his shoulder, part of that was down to the haphazard squad planning the club were keen on fulfilling, part of that was he was still a young player with kinks to iron out.

  Two years on from that move, and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone of a Chelsea persuasion who wouldn't want to do that move over again. Save for Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali in accounts, most of them would be more than happy to give Brighton another £115m for their troubles. That no one even talks about the midfielder's price tag anymore is the surest possible sign that Caicedo has been a success in west London, already winning two trophies and helping restore their Champions League status.

  Caicedo's rise this season hit a new peak prior to the international break, walking all over Liverpool's own expensive set of midfielders and breaking the deadlock with a thunderbolt as Chelsea secured a 2-1 win. Only down this path will he cement his place among the world's elite.

  The best central midfielders in football all contribute with goals or assists on at least a semi-regular basis. These contributions are the garnish on top of the elite fundamentals. Jude Bellingham and Pedri are standout in this regard, but even Rodri, Declan Rice and Vitinha put up numbers despite being seen as 'deeper' players. To his credit, Caicedo already has three goals in seven Premier League games this season, a career-high for his time in Europe, and there is clearly appetite for him to continue improving in this area.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Haaland 2.0 carries City title hopes

  Manchester City sit fifth in the table and only three points off top spot, and there's only one real reason why they'll be able to contend this season – the form of Erling Haaland. The striker has already scored 21 goals in 12 games for club and country, which is ridiculous even by his own alien standards.

  The extra layer to Haaland's form this term is that he's managed to add, well, extra layers to his game. No longer is he the archetypal poacher just waiting in the six-yard box for a ball to come within his almighty radius. To be truthful, City have needed him to diversify his style in order to keep up with their rivals.

  Haaland has scored 12 of City's 19 goals in all competitions, providing the assist for one other. No one else on the team has more than Phil Foden's two strikes, while Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Matheus Nunes have each found the net once. Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva and Oscar Bobb are among the players yet to get off the mark. Gone are the days where City had multiple free-scoring threats, rather now they have several guys who need to step up when called upon, with Haaland the only constant. He's already being talked about as the Premier League's greatest scorer.

  If he keeps going at this current pace, Haaland will finish the season with 48 Premier League goals. That seems obscene and unthinkable even now, but it's not exactly beyond the realms of possibility. Even becoming the first player in the competition's history to break 40 feels achievable, such is how we take his prowess for granted.

  Haaland was released early from Norway duty and so should come into Saturday's meeting with Everton with an extra spring in his step. It could be a long afternoon for the Toffees.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Black Cats out to bury relegation fears

  Of the three promoted sides coming into the Premier League this season, Sunderland seemed the safest bet to stay up. They had made a number of savvy signings, not least that of former Arsenal midfielder and Bayer Leverkusen title-winner Granit Xhaka, and the club appeared aligned in everything they were doing from boardroom to stands.

  It's a far cry from the Sunderland of the last decade or so, from the Sunderland who suffered successive relegations to find themselves in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1987. The Black Cats have shown a refreshing fearlessness upon their return to the Premier League and remain unbeaten at the Stadium of Light, which is where they will take on Wolves this weekend.

  Despite the heroics of head coach Vitor Pereira to steer them away from relegation last season, Wanderers haven't clicked in the opening seven rounds of games in 2025-26, losing five and drawing two. Their various new signings haven't been able to replace Matheus Cunha's magic or goals, while Jorgen Strand Larsen is feeling the after-effects of Newcastle's £60m ($80m) pursuit towards the end of the summer transfer window and is still waiting on his first league goal.

  Alarm bells are already ringing among the Molineux faithful, but evidently not in the boardroom after Pereira was handed a new three-year contract last month amid their winless streak. Defeat on Wearside could stir mutiny, but Saturday's hosts are ready to revel in another scalp amid their fast start.

Tottenham Hotspur have pulled off some eye-catching signings in their history, with Daniel Levy spending big in recent times.

However, Spurs have also missed out on bringing some world-class players to north London, with Eberechi Eze the latest Tottenham transfer to fall through. With a deal close to being finalised, fierce rivals Arsenal swept in and poached the attacking midfielder frim under Spurs’ nose.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been just Eze. Tottenham have been pipped to the post or rejected by a plethora of legends, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Kylian Mbappe.

Tottenham's most expensive signings of all time

A detailed look at Spurs’ 10 most expensive signings of all time.

ByCharlie Smith Sep 5, 2025 10 superstars Tottenham Hotspur nearly signed 10 Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Tottenham scout and player Ronny Rosenthal was urging the Spurs to sign Cristiano Ronaldo when he was coming through at Sporting CP.

However, Spurs didn’t listen, with Manchester United landing the Portuguese superstar for just over £12m in 2003.

9 Kylian Mbappe

Back in 2015, a teenage forward by the name of Kylian Mbappe impressed Spurs chiefs for Monaco during a Europa League clash against Tottenham.

Those in north London kept tabs on the Frenchman and were looking to bring him to the club, however, they quickly realised he was out of reach, with Mbappe instead choosing PSG.

8 Diego Maradona

Tottenham legend Teddy Sheringham had two spells with Spurs and once revealed that the club were in talks to sign Diego Maradona.

Ossie Ardiles managed Spurs in 1993-1994 and once told Sheringham he was looking to partner him in attack with Maradona.

7 Rivaldo

Levy missed out on signing Brazilian icon Rivaldo in 2002 when he was on the search for a new club after leaving Barcelona.

Manuel Auset, Rivaldo’s friend and lawyer, said that Spurs offered the then-30-year-old a move to the Premier League, but he instead chose AC Milan.

6 Eden Hazard

Now remembered as a Chelsea legend, Eden Hazard could quite easily have been a Tottenham player when leaving Lille in 2012.

Former Spurs coach Clive Allen admitted that the Belgian star was “keen to come to Tottenham” but instead chose to head to Stamford Bridge.

5 Bruno Fernandes

Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham made a concrete effort to sign Bruno Fernandes from Sporting CP in 2019.

Fernandes, who eventually moved to England with Man Utd, once revealed he was “really angry” his move to Spurs fell through after being convinced to join by Pochettino.

4 Sadio Mane

Tottenham and Pochettino made Sadio Mane their top target in 2016, however, Spurs were outbid by Liverpool.

The Reds paid £34m for Mane who’d go on to become an Anfield legend, with Tottenham instead using the money that would have gone on the forward for midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

Wins

9

Draws

5

Losses

2

Goals

3

Assists

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3 Virgil van Dijk

Tottenham had Virgil van Dijk on their shortlist of central defender targets back in 2015 when the Dutchman was still on the books of Celtic.

Instead of signing Van Dijk, though, Spurs brought in Toby Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid, with Van Dijk signing for Southampton the same year.

2 Jack Grealish

At one point, Tottenham thought they were on course to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for just £25m.

Grealish wasn’t happy about the failed transfer to Spurs in 2018, however, three years later, he’d cost Manchester City a then-British record £100m.

1 Luis Diaz

Tottenham were in pole position and pushing to sign Luis Diaz from FC Porto in the 2022 January transfer window before Liverpool hijacked a transfer.

The Reds paid a guaranteed fee of £37.5m for the Colombia international, who would go on to win the Premier League at Anfield before being sold for a profit to Bayern Munich.

England’s Sophie Ecclestone, who missed the recent series against West Indies, has dropped to fourth on the list

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2025Pakistan left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal has reclaimed the top spot on the ICC’s T20I rankings, thanks largely to England’s Sophie Ecclestone missing their recently completed series against West Indies and dropping to fourth place. Ecclestone was left out of Charlotte Edwards’ first squad after picking up a knee injury at the WPL, where she played for UP Warriorz. Ecclestone has since returned to action for Lancashire Women.Sadia credited former Pakistan captain Sana Mir for helping her make improvements to her game recently. “She (Sana Mir) obviously had a lot of experience in women’s cricket. The way she’s served Pakistan cricket, she has been number one bowler during her days. I used to keep talking to her while we were on tour regarding bowling different variations,” she said in a PCB video.Lauren Bell, who was the leading wicket-taker in the England-West Indies T20I series, has moved up 13 places into sixth while Linsey Smith and Issy Wong have jumped 37 and 32 places respectively. Wong’s ascendence will be particularly pleasing as she was making her comeback to the squad after last playing against Ireland in September 2024 and did not feature at the T20 World Cup.Though West Indies were swept 3-0 in the series, their captain Hayley Matthews continued to impress with individual brilliance. She was the leading run-scorer with 177 runs in the series, including a century in the opening game, and moved up two places on the rankings to slot in behind Beth Mooney. Matthews is now 29 points behind Mooney and with West Indies due to play South Africa next month, she could be eyeing top spot. In moving up the rankings, she displaced Tahlia McGrath and Smriti Mandhana to No.3 and 4 respectively. Matthews also remains the leading allrounder, 54 points ahead of Amelia Kerr.England’s new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has entered the top 10, after scoring a half-century in the T20I series. She sits at No.9, while former captain Heather Knight jumped seven spots to 17 and Sophia Dunkley, who was the third leading run-scorer in the series, moved eight places to No.29.

MatériaMais Notícias

Alexsander está aos poucos retornando a sua melhor forma pelo Fluminensee já pode ser uma boa dor de cabelça para o técnico Fernando Diniz em breve. O volante se machucou em 10 de maio, contra o Cruzeiro, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro e ficou fora até o jogo contra Olímpia, quando entrou já no final da partida.

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+ Confira a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Revelado em xerém, o volante de ofício foi utilizando por Diniz inicialmente na lateral por conta da dificuldade de opções no elenco do Fluminense. Alexsander correspondeu imediatamente e entregou atuações que agradaram bastante a comissão técnica e a torcida. O nível do moleque de xérem na posição chegou a colocar em dúvida inclusive a titularidade de Marcelo com o craque chegando no Fluminense.

Acabou que os dois jogaram juntos. A chegada de Marcelo praticamente coincidiu com a lesão de Martinelli, um dos titulares no meio do Fluminense. Alexsander foi deslocado para a volância e Marcelo ficou como lateral. Juntos, os dois foram peças chave para o título do Campeonato Carioca em cima do Flamengo. Ambos marcaram gols na goleada por 4 a 1 na final. Alexsander se firmou como peça crucial no time de Fernando Diniz, como volante ou como lateral, na eventual ausência de Marcelo.

+ Martinelli diz que faltou maturidade, mas elogia atuação do Fluminense: ‘Saímos de cabeça erguida’

Depois da lesão do jovem, contra o Cruzeiro, ainda em maio, o Fluminense desandou fora de casa. Foram dez jogos fora de casa sem Alexsander, oito derrotas e dois empates, alguns desses jogos com atuações muito abaixo do time. O garoto ainda não entrou como titular, mas entrou faltando treze minutos para o fim do jogo contra o Olimpia.

No último domingo (27), contra o Athletico-PR, Alexsander teve mais minutos. Após a expulsão de um jogador do Furacão, Diniz chamou o volante ainda aos 22 minutos do primeiro tempo. O Fluminense, que perdia por 1 a 0, passou a dominar as ações do jogo e chegou a virar o placar para 2 a 1, até Vitor Roque fechar o contador, deixando tudo igual.

+Reservas do Fluminense são punidos com gol no fim e empate deixa lições para sequência do ano

O bom jogo de Alexsander pode deixar o técnico tricolor com uma pulga atrás da orelha. A reta final da Libertadores e do Brasileirão vai exigir o máximo do elenco do Flu. Diniz estava utilizando Lima no time titular como substituto de Alexsander, mas, com a sequência ruim do meia, o técnico optou por mudar o esquema e colocar John Kennedy, mais um atacante, no lugar do camisa 45.

Com o retorno de Alexsander, na necessidade de um time mais conservador e com mais poder de marcação, o jovem da base pode passar a frente de Lima como opção para o time titular. Além disso, com os recorrentes problemas de Marcelo, Alexsander pode tomar o lugar até de Diogo Barbosa, que, apesar de estar fazendo bons jogos, ainda não tem 100% a confiança do torcedor.

+ Guga afirma que Fluminense está pronto para jogo decisivo e exalta qualidade dos treinos de Diniz: ‘Alto nível’

أعلن يانيك فيريرا، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة البنك الأهلي، بعد قليل، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري.

ومن المقرر أن يلعب الزمالك والبنك الأهلي، على استاد القاهرة الدولي في الجولة الثانية عشر لمسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع.. خاص | السبب الحقيقي لاستبعاد محمد السيد من مباراة الزمالك والبنك الأهلي

ويأمل الزمالك في العودة إلى طريق الانتصارات مرة أخرى من أجل استعادة صدارة جدول الترتيب من المصري.

ويتواجد الزمالك في المركز الخامس بجدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، ولديه 18 نقطة جمعها من خوض 10 مباريات، استطاع الفوز بـ 5 مواجهات وتعادل 3 مرات وتلقى هزيمتين.

ويحتل البنك الأهلي المركز الـ13 في جدول ترتيب الدوري من الفوز بـ3 لقاءات والتعادل في 5 مباريات وسقط في فخ الهزيمة مرتين. تشكيل الزمالك اليوم أمام البنك الأهلي 

حراسة المرمى: محمد صبحي.

خط الدفاع: محمود بنتايج – حسام عبد المجيد – محمد إسماعيل – عمر جابر.

خط الوسط: نبيل عماد دونجا – عبد الله السعيد – ناصر ماهر.

خط الهجوم: شيكو بانزا – عدي الدباغ – خوان بيزيرا.