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It was a Premier League campaign of ups and downs for Tottenham Hotspur last season, and while missing out on the Champions League was disappointing, qualifying for the Europa League should still be considered a success.

However, with a year under his belt, Ange Postecoglou must take the Lilywhites one step further in 2024/25 and return them to Europe's elite competition.

To do that, the Australian will need Daniel Levy and Co to supply him with some talented players in the remaining weeks of the transfer window, specifically a striker.

Now, the North Londoners have recently been linked with Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke, and while he'd be a good signing, the latest striker touted for a move to the club would be even better.

Tottenham Hotspurs' striker search

According to a recent report from respected journalist Alasdair Gold, Tottenham are in the market for a new striker this summer, and Viktor Gyokeres is one of the players they have looked at.

Gold does mention a potential price for the Swedish international, but recent reports have claimed that Sporting CP are looking for a fee in the region of €80m, which converts to about £67m.

The other issue for the Lilywhites is that the former Coventry City ace has seemingly caught the attention of several topflight clubs, such as Arsenal and Liverpool.

That said, while signing Gyokeres would likely prove challenging and costly, his incredible ability would dramatically strengthen Spurs, and he'd be a better signing than Solanke.

How Gyokeres compares to Solanke

Okay, so the first thing to say is that given Spurs need for an out-and-out number nine this summer, signing either Solanke or Gyokeres would be a good idea and probably see their return of goals increase next season, but when it comes down to comparing the two stars, there is only one winner.

For example, in his 42 appearances last season, the Bournemouth ace scored 21 goals and provided four assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.68 games, and while that's undeniably impressive, it does not hold a candle to the Swede's output.

In his 50 appearances for Sporting last season, he scored a whopping 43 goals and provided 15 assists for good measure, equating to an outrageous average of a goal involvement every 0.86 games, or 1.16 goal involvements per match.

Unfortunately for the Englishman, this one-sided comparison continues when we look at their underlying numbers. For example, while the Cherries ace comes out ahead for progressive passes and aerial duels won per 90, that's it.

In contrast, the Swedish "powerhouse", as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, emerges victorious in every other relevant metric, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.82

0.55

Non-Penalty Goals + Assists

1.05

0.54

Progressive Passes

1.57

1.63

Progressive Carries

3.52

1.41

Shots

3.37

2.87

Shots on Target

1.64

0.95

Shot-Creating Actions

4.08

2.14

Goal-Creating Actions

0.65

0.16

Successful Take-Ons

2.10

0.16

Aerial Duels Won

1.91

2.63

Ultimately, signing Solanke would likely see Spurs improve in attack next season.

However, if Levy and Co want to utterly transform the club's frontline and give themselves the best chance of qualifying for the Champions League, they should do all they can to bring Gyokeres to N17 this summer – he would be a game-changer.

Talks held: Spurs move to sign £50k-p/w "monster" who's like Kulusevski

The incredibly talented PL star would be an excellent signing.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 2, 2024

Florian Wirtz matched Lionel Messi's European goal tally after a stellar Champions League display against Red Bull Salzburg.

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Bayer thrashed Salzburg 5-0Wirtz scored two on the nightMatched Messi's European recordFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Wirtz delivered an extraordinary performance on Tuesday, steering Leverkusen to a commanding 5-0 triumph over Salzburg. The young attacking midfielder netted two goals, playing a pivotal role in his team’s success.

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With his brace against Salzburg, Wirtz matched Lionel Messi’s tally of 17 European goals scored before turning 22. This rare feat places the 21-year-old German prodigy in the same league as one of football’s all-time greats.

DID YOU KNOW?

Wirtz has never hidden his admiration for Messi. Speaking to , the midfielder shared insights into his early inspirations. “I had posters of Messi, Ousmane Dembele, and Aubameyang on my wall,” Wirtz revealed. “My first jersey, however, was Messi's Argentina jersey."When I was little, he was the best player there was at the time in the world. I watched videos of him, was a fan of his – I wanted to be as good as him."Of course, I've developed my own style in the meantime. [But] nobody can play like Messi – he has his own way of playing. Sometimes I watch more specifically how he solves situations."

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Wirtz will be back in action against Union Berlin on Saturday in a Bundesliga fixture.

Making the final additions to their squad before transfer deadline day at the end of the month, Leicester City have reportedly made their first enquiry to sign a Premier League ace for Steve Cooper.

Leicester transfer news

Despite already welcoming four reinforcements in the form of Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Michael Golding, Issahaku Fatawu and Caleb Okoli, Leicester City's summer may just be getting started. The Foxes have been linked with the likes of Steven Bergwijn and Oliver Skipp in recent days, whilst a season-long loan deal for Brighton & Hove Albion's Facundo Buonanotte has reportedly been agreed.

The Foxes are preparing to hand Cooper a squad ready to avoid Premier League relegation at the first time of asking, starting with Buonanotte and perhaps continuing with a winger from a top six club.

Leicester plotting to hijack "fantastic" gem Southampton have bid twice for

The Foxes could get one over on their newly-promoted rivals…

ByTom Cunningham Aug 8, 2024

According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Leicester have made their first enquiry to sign Manor Solomon from Tottenham Hotspur, with the winger told that he is not in the plans of Ange Postecoglou after just a year in North London.

Solomon initially earned his move to Spurs thanks to an impressive spell on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk at Fulham. Since then, however, he has been disrupted by injuries and looks likely to be on the move again in search of consistent game time.

There's no doubt that Solomon is a talented player, and if the Foxes can land a bargain deal then he could quickly become a piece of transfer genius at the King Power. The 25-year-old may even find his best form and fire Leicester to safety.

"Decisive" Solomon could rediscover form at Leicester

Should Leicester decide to push on with their move, then Solomon could find himself on his way back to the form that piqued Spurs' interest last summer. During his time at Fulham, the winger earned plenty of praise, including from manager Marco Silva, who said via BBC Sport: "He's been a decisive player for us.

"Like Willian, Bobby [Decordova-Reid], and the other two are waiting for the chance [Dan James, Harry Wilson]. He's really important for us. But I have to repeat the other two are doing really well."

That praise comes as little surprise too, given just how impressive he was whilst on loan at Craven Cottage. It was the type of form many thought they'd see in North London, only to watch on as Solomon missed 33 games courtesy of a meniscus injury in the early stages of the campaign.

Now back fit, Leicester could yet be the side left benefitting from a player who's more than capable of stealing the headlines for all the right reasons at the top of his games, even if Postecoglou has shown him the door.

The series form the pathway to qualify for the World Cup 2023 in India

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2021The remaining two series of the men’s World Cup Challenge League A, which forms the pathway to qualify for the World Cup 2023 in India, have been rescheduled owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.There were 30 List A matches to be played in these two final series of the Challenge League A. Canada, Denmark, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore and Vanuatu were due to play the second series in Canada between August 15 and 28 this year, whereas the third series was slated to be held in Malaysia in 2022. The series in Malaysia has been brought forward to November-December this year and the series in Canada has been deferred to July-August next year.According to an ICC release, the decision to reschedule both series was taken due to ongoing restrictions and suspension of sporting activities as part of the ICC’s comprehensive contingency planning of Covid-19, following consultation with members, relevant government and public health authorities.”We have been actively working on contingency planning with participating members across all ICC World Cup pathways and as a result have rescheduled two more events,” Chris Tetley, ICC head of events, said. “Our collective aim is to give all ICC pathway events the best possible chance of being played and for qualification to be determined on the field of play.”We will continue to monitor and assess all events across our pathway structures with the ICC’s priority continuing to be to protect the well-being of players, coaches, officials and fans.”Canada are leading Singapore in the standings on net run rate with both teams on eight points. The top team will secure one of the six places in the men’s World Cup Qualifier playoff to be held in 2023, alongside the table topper in Challenge League B and the bottom four teams in the Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2.

Pair put on 239 for third wicket as hosts overhaul 355 target on final day

ECB Reporters Network25-Apr-2021Northamptonshire 364 (Rossington 76, Berg 69) and 357 for 3 (Vasconcelos 185*, Keogh 126) beat Glamorgan 407 (Cooke 136, Lloyd 65, Carlson 54) and 311 for 5 declared (Selman 69, Carlson 59, Cooke 57*, Root 56) by seven wicketsRicardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh conjured up centuries as Northamptonshire miraculously chased down 355 in 72.4 overs to beat Glamorgan by seven wickets in an LV= Insurance County Championship humdinger.Vasconcelos and Keogh put on 239 for the third wicket, individually scoring 185 not out and 126, as Northants completed the third-highest successful fourth-innings chase in their history.Glamorgan had given themselves 79 overs to bowl their hosts out on a pitch which had got flatter, having declared on 311 for 5 – after half-centuries from Nick Selman, Billy Root, Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke.But Vasconcelos lead the charge with his highest first-class score to tick off the runs with more than six overs to spare to hand Northants 23 points and their first win of the season, while Glamorgan remain winless.Glamorgan boosted their lead from 248 to 354 runs in 70 minutes of aggressive batting from Cooke, Carlson and Callum Taylor. Cooke and Carlson set the tone with a 111-run stand in 122 balls as both reached half-centuries, in 62 and 69 balls, to go with their 136 and 54 respectively from the first innings.Carlson departed when he was caught at deep third man, but Taylor joined Cooke to add 31 more runs in the face of defensive Northants bowling and fields before the declaration 40 minutes before lunch.A mixture of attacking fields and intent from Vasconcelos, and to a lesser extent Ben Curran, meant that Northants flew out the blocks. The opening pair sped to 81 in 17.4 overs to open up the seemingly unlikely possibility of victory, with Vasconcelos reaching his half-century in 50 balls, via a tricky catching chance at second slip.Curran was lbw to a nicely flighted delivery from spinner Taylor, before Charlie Thurston guided James Weighell to Andy Balbirnie at first slip.But those wickets in successive overs proved to be a temporary stumbling block when Keogh joined Vasconcelos and the run-rate accelerated – 55 runs flowed in the following eight overs.Ricardo Vasconcelos celebrates as he seals Northants’ run chase•Kyle AndrewsKeogh’s fifty came up in 47 balls, shortly before Vasconcelos raised his bat and bowed to the dressing room after cutting Taylor to the point boundary – the 16th time he’d hit the ropes. It was the South African-born batter’s seventh first-class century.Keogh’s eleventh career ton, and like Vasconcelos his second of the season, came in a spritely 109 balls with a powerful square drive.The 200 stand and Vasconcelos’ 150, brought up with a six over mid-on, were negotiated and met with a standing ovation from the players’ balcony as the finishing line zoomed into sight.Keogh edged David Lloyd behind with 34 runs still needed, but Luke Procter flicked off his legs to secure the win – a victory all the more impressive for Northants having been 76 for 5 in their first innings.

Chelsea are also expected to sign a £17 million player shortly, alongside the deal for Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea agree £46.3 million deal for Joao Felix

Earlier this week, and after lengthy transfer talks with Atletico, Chelsea made a breakthrough in their negotiations to sign Felix as an alternative to striker Samu Omorodion – with the latter's move to Stamford Bridge collapsing at the eleventh hour due to contractual issues (Sky Sports).

Real belief that Chelsea could sign £179,000-a-week star after price drop

A deal is very much possible before August 31.

ByEmilio Galantini Aug 21, 2024

Before landing on Felix, Chelsea were meant to sign Omorodion for around £35 million with Conor Gallagher heading the other way as part of a transfer domino, but their botched deal for the striker resulted in the Blues midfielder being stuck in limbo.

Now, with Chelsea agreeing a £46.3 million move to re-sign Felix on a permanent deal instead, Atletico have found a new source of income to get Gallagher's signing over the line.

Joao Felix's loan spell at Chelsea – 2022/2023

Appearances

20

Goals

4

Assists

0

Yellow Cards

1

Red Cards

1

The England international is now on his way to La Liga and Felix, who spent the second half of 2022/2023 on loan at Stamford Bridge, is coming the other way to Chelsea. The 24-year-old puts pen to paper on a six-year contract in west London, and reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that Felix's arrival could even be announced today.

The Portugal international's signing casts doubt on Raheem Sterling's future at Chelsea, with manager Enzo Maresca now having an array of wingers at his disposal.

Sterling was left out of Maresca's squad to face Man City last weekend, resulting in plenty of speculation linking the ex-Liverpool winger with a late-window exit. Maresca has reportedly told Sterling to consider leaving before the August 31 cut-off, as Felix is seemingly a ready-made replacement for the Englishman.

Chelsea expected to sign Mike Penders alongside Felix

According to The Athletic, Felix's imminent arrival isn't the only deal which Chelsea could announce shortly. Indeed, the outlet writes that Chelsea are also expected to sign goalkeeper Mike Penders from Genk, with other reports claiming that Todd Boehly and co agreed a £17 million move for the 19-year-old this month.

The teenage shot-stopper is one for the future but already carries a stellar reputation, even drawing comparisons to ex-star Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois.

Penders will remain in the Jupiler Pro League this season to further his development, before formally linking up with the Chelsea squad in 2025.

How the players rated as the Cityzens snapped their seven-game streak without a victory in emphatic fashion at the Etihad Stadium

At last, Manchester City have won a football match. Thirty-nine days after beating Southampton and seven games later, Pep Guardiola's side were reminded what victory felt like as they beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Wednesday, inspired by a vintage Kevin De Bruyne performance.

After losing four league games in a row for the first time in his career, Guardiola made four changes to the team that had lost to Liverpool and fallen 11 points behind the leaders, recalling De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol. Bernardo Silva scored his first goal since the Community Shield to get City off to a comfortable start, although there was a big scare when a De Bruyne back-pass made its way to Forest's top scorer Chris Wood, but the Kiwi hitman fired wide.

De Bruyne breathed a big sigh of relief and punished the Tricky Trees seconds later with a piledriver high into the net. Doku then rounded off the victory with a splendid individual goal, cutting inside from the left and ramming the ball home.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Stefan Ortega (7/10):

Made a fine save to swat away a Gibbs-White strike heading for the top corner and put off Wood. Did more than enough to keep his place over Ederson for at least another week.

Manuel Akanji (5/10):

Looked a bit rusty and was taken off at half-time.

Ruben Dias (6/10):

His leadership is starting to shine through again after a long period out.

Nathan Ake (6/10):

Solid at the back and positive going forward, playing his part in the move for the opening goal. Hobbled off near the end with a suspected injury.

Josko Gvardiol (6/10):

Got forward a lot but was wasteful, missing with a header and scuffing a clear opening from inside the area.

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Ilkay Gundogan (7/10):

His best display since returning, controlling the game by getting on the ball as much as possible.

Bernardo Silva (7/10):

Very lively in the first half, constantly probing from the right after breaking his four-month goal drought.

Kevin De Bruyne (8/10):

Back with a bang. Made his first start since September and every move in the final third went through him. His goal was a rocket and only a fine save from Sels prevented him scoring again.

AFPAttack

Jack Grealish (6/10):

Worked hard defensively and knitted the midfield together.

Erling Haaland (4/10):

Had an early shot saved and did almost nothing afterwards. Yes, he got an assist, but Doku did all the work. Will be very disappointed not to have got in on the act and his bad night was summed up when he ballooned a shot over at the end.

Jeremy Doku (7/10):

Ripped Forest's right-hand side to shreds in the second half and scored a wonderful goal.

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Kyle Walker (6/10):

Had a comfortable 45 minutes which he really needed given his recent form.

Rico Lewis (6/10):

Got forward a lot after replacing De Bruyne.

Savinho (N/A):

Came on in added time.

James McAtee (N/A):

Brought on in added time.

Matheus Nunes (N/A):

Came on in added time.

Pep Guardiola (7/10):

Freshened up his starting XI and it paid dividends as two of the recalled players scored. And this time his early changes didn't come back to bite him.

Leeds United have submitted a new offer to sign Sheffield United midfielder Gustavo Hamer in what could be a dramatic end to the transfer window.

Leeds eyeing three deadline day signings

The Whites have so far made six summer signings, but that could turn out to be nine if things go the club’s way on the final day of the window.

Talking on Thursday in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Hull City on Saturday, Daniel Farke was inevitably asked about new signings, to which he said:

"I just speak about players who are under contract for us. As long as players are under contract with other clubs, I never speak about players from other clubs. We have confirmed two important signings with Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon. We've made clear what position we need to strengthen. There's not much time yet, I hope and expect there will be some business.

“I spoke quite extensively that we definitely need a midfield player and also a full-back addition and to stay awake in the offensive positions. But everything is done when it's confirmed, medicals are done and everything signed. I never speak about a player as long as he's not under our contract."

Farke looks set to get his full-back and midfield wish with Ao Tanaka and Isaac Schmidt. A move for midfielder Tanaka appears to be done, whereas Schmidt is set to travel to Yorkshire on deadline day, according to Graham Smyth.

The reporter did tease another, and a target has been Sheffield United’s Hamer. Leeds made a £13m bid for Hamer and reports have claimed they have even agreed personal terms for his services, with a new update now emerging.

Leeds make new bid to sign Gus Hamer

According to The Sheffield Star, Leeds have returned with a new offer to sign Hamer which includes Whites forward Joel Piroe in a cash-plus-player deal.

However, the report adds that the bid has been turned down by the Blades, with the Sheffield United coaching staff ‘not interested in a deal involving Piroe, as he would not fit in with their current needs’.

It looks as if the 49ers Enterprises are keen on a late statement signing at Elland Road, however, a deal for Hamer, dubbed "unbelievable" by former teammate Oli McBurnie, could be tricky in the final hours given the rivalry between the two.

Australian batter “deeply upset to miss out due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control,” says Trevor Hohns

Daniel Brettig17-May-2021Marnus Labuschagne is missing from the Australia limited-overs squad for a tour of the West Indies starting next month, after it was decided he would play out his current county stint with Glamorgan instead.A vast preliminary squad for the tour – which may still theoretically be followed by a trip to Bangladesh for more white-ball matches – includes the likes of Matthew Wade, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Swepson, all of whom missed out on Cricket Australia contracts in the annual list.Related

D'Arcy Short joins Hampshire for 2021 Vitality Blast

Hussey and other Australians in Maldives set to fly home

Labuschagne makes Glamorgan return as a marked man

“Anyone who knows Marnus understands he would give absolutely anything to play for Australia and he is deeply upset to miss out due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control,” selection chairman Trevor Hohns said. “We worked through numerous options in conversations with Marnus to find a workable solution but ultimately came to the conclusion it was more practical for him to remain in the UK.”Had we not been in the middle of a global pandemic, Marnus would be on this tour as a well-established member and important part of the one-day side. It’s an unfortunate circumstance of the many challenges the world is facing right now. As it stands, Marnus has the opportunity to continue in county cricket and T20 games with Glamorgan as we head into the World Cup and home summer.”ESPNcricinfo LtdDaniel Sams, who was part of Australia’s squad for the recent limited-overs tour of New Zealand but then endured an unhappy time during the IPL where he tested positive for Covid-19 before the tournament, which was then cut short by India’s spate of outbreaks, asked not to be considered for the trip because of personal and mental health reasons.Ben Oliver, the head of national teams, said that while discussions about the Bangladesh phase of the tour were continuing, the squad had been cleared to receive vaccinations before their departure in line with those being afforded to Australia’s Olympic team scheduled to compete in Tokyo later this year.”It was great to see our Olympians receiving their vaccination shots ahead of the Tokyo Games and we are working through logistics for the Australian men’s team with the relevant agencies.” Oliver said. “We will comply with all government directives in relation to vaccinations and international travel.”The Australian men’s team has completed successful tours of England and New Zealand during the pandemic, including the accompanying quarantine periods, and we are hopeful of being able to travel to Bangladesh at the completion of the West Indies tour. Those discussions are progressing well and updates will be provided in due course.”Australia are scheduled to play five T20Is in St Lucia and three ODIs in Barbados between July 9 and July 24, their tour sandwiched between tours of the Caribbean by South Africa and Pakistan.

Manchester City star Phil Foden says the team have not lost faith in manager Pep Guardiola despite their current miserable run of form.

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Man City currently on torrid run Beaten at home by United on SundayFoden says players still believe in GuardiolaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

City's 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester United on Sunday poured further misery on Guardiola's struggling side and handed the defending Premier League champions a fifth defeat of the season already. Bernardo Silva admitted after the game that his team had "played like Under-15s," while Guardiola said he "was not good enough" after overseeing yet another miserable performance.

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While Guardiola may not be happy with his performances, he still has the backing of his players. England star Foden says the players still believe in the Catalan and has revealed what the Cityzens need to do to get back on track and rediscover their best form.

WHAT FODEN SAID

He told reporters: "We are still nowhere near our level, but I still believe that we are playing good enough to get points and results," he said. "It’s about remaining focused throughout the full 90 minutes, but we keep switching off at important times. We just need to get the focus right. We stick together, regroup and believe in ourselves after what we’ve achieved in the past. We keep believing in the process and the manager – I’m sure if we do that we will get back to winning ways and get back to our level. It’s about keeping our mentality strong throughout the whole 90 minutes and we’re not doing that at the moment. We have to go again and show character to come back from this blip. It’s not a time for moaning – it’s about sticking together, remaining strong and going again. I’m positive we are going to come back.”

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY

City now have a free week to try and regroup after a demoralising defeat to their neighbours. Guardiola's side go again on Saturday against Aston Villa in the Premier League at Villa Park.