Category Uncategorized

Bavuma, who didn’t bat in the first innings after reinjuring an elbow, made 28

AAP11-Dec-2022

Rassie van der Dussen made a successful return from injury to top score with 95 in the second innings of South Africa’s tour clash with a Cricket Australia XI.His superb knock at Allan Border Field was followed up by No. 6 batter Theunis de Bruyn, who made a thumping 88 off just 86 balls South Africa declared at 304 for 8 on the cusp of stumps on day three. CA XI will need 426 on the final day to win.Van der Dussen was crestfallen to miss out on his century, having been run out after Temba Bavuma sent him back after he called for a single. The 33-year-old had missed the final Test of the recent England tour and the T20 World Cup with a broken finger.De Bruyn, 30, played his last Test in 2019 and his positive knock may be the tonic to invigorate the next stage of his career.Captain Dean Elgar, who top-scored with 109 in the first innings, said after play on the first day it was imperative South Africa made substantial totals in the coming Test series to give their strike pacemen the opportunity to put pressure on Australia’s batters.They breathed a sigh of relief when Test vice-captain Bavuma strode to the crease just before lunch. Bavuma, who made 28, didn’t bat in the first innings after reinjuring an elbow that had kept him out of the recent Test tour of England.He wore a compression bandage on his left arm when he batted. His recovery is a huge boost to South Africa’s chances in the first Test against Australia at the Gabba starting on December 17.Van der Dussen was in supreme form. His drives down the ground were crisp and effective and he played a suite of reverse sweeps to the boundary off spinner Matt Kuhnemann.Bavuma faced a much-needed 92 deliveries and showcased his strength square of the wicket, which is paramount for batters on Australian pitches.De Bruyn was pleased with his own knock and impressed with Bavuma’s return from injury ahead of the Tests.”If you look at his career he is one of those characters that really stand out when the team is under pressure,” de Bruyn said. “He looked really calm today and…that is something for him to take into next week.”Our team has played well. We’ve set the game up nicely. Usually I am batting earlier and you have to break down the bowlers but today I came in and they were tired so it was quite nice to bat.”The accomplished 80 made by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne in the first innings was another positive just six days from the first Test.Queensland quick Blake L Edwards (3-45) has come into the CA XI side for the final two days of the match after paceman Liam Hatcher was ruled out with a knee complaint.

Manchester United were hoping they could carry their winning momentum from the 3-2 win over Ipswich Town into this weekend’s FA Cup clash with Fulham.

Ruben Amorim’s side were victorious over the Tractor Boys despite going 1-0 behind within the early moments of the game and being down to 10 men for the majority of the clash.

All three of the Red Devils’ goals came from set pieces. Their equaliser came courtesy of Sam Morsy’s own goal, before Matthijs de Ligt gave them a 2-1 lead. Harry Maguire made it 3-2 early in the second half to win the game.

Ipswich made it a hard-fought win for United, with some players in red struggling. That was the case again on Sunday against the Cottagers with Rasmus Hojlund notably dragged off in the second half having had just nine touches of the football.

Hojlund’s recent form for Manchester United

It has been a tough season for Denmark international Hojlund. He has managed just seven goals in 34 appearances, with just two of those strikes coming in 22 Premier League games. He has really struggled in front of goal.

Amorim has spoken out in defence of the Dane. In a recent interview, United’s Portuguese boss said: “We as a team, we are not helping Rasmus,” before adding: “We don’t create a lot of chances, we had a lack of threat,” which certainly plays a part in Hojlund’s form.

On top of that, Hojlund is clearly a talented player. Last season, he became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six‪‬ consecutive games. The 22-year-old bagged seven goals in that run, finishing the season with 16 goals across all competitions.

With that being said, Hojlund’s lack of form must surely be a cause for concern for a United side who look devoid of ideas in front of goal. Perhaps a short time out of the starting XI can help him get back to his best.

If that were to be the case for their next run of fixtures, Amorim might have the perfect replacement.

The player who could replace Hojlund at Manchester United

United are in the midst of an injury crisis at the moment. Amad is sidelined until the end of the season, and Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount are also out for a substantial amount of time. That leaves Christian Eriksen as the only senior attacking option on the bench of late.

The experienced Denmark international has been in and out of the side this season, whether under Erik ten Hag or Amorim. He has made 22 appearances, chipping in with four goals and four assists in that time.

He started against Fulham but on this occasion, did not replace Hojlund. The “magician”, as Statman Dave once described him, played as a No 10 with Joshua Zirkzee alongside him and the Dane starting as the focal point.

That said, Eriksen did come off for Casemiro with Bruno Fernandes – who started deeper – then playing in a more advanced role, subsequently scoring the equaliser.

With the Red Devils looking better when Hojlund went off the pitch, for the next game, perhaps the attack next time out could see both Eriksen and Fernandes behind Zirkzee.

If there is one thing Eriksen could add to United’s side, it is the creativity that they have perhaps been lacking in more advanced areas. In his 94 appearances for the Red Devils so far, he has 17 assists, while the ex-Spurs ace remains a chance-creating specialist.

In fact, Eriksen has shown just how creative he can be this season. As per Sofascore, Eriksen has created multiple chances in a single game numerous times, including six against FC Porto in the Europa League, where he also registered two assists.

Stat

v Palace

v Porto

v Fenerbahce

Touches

77

61

69

Pass accuracy

88%

87%

82%

Passes completed

52/59

39/45

41/50

Key passes

3

6

4

Big chances created

1

0

1

Assists

0

2

0

Bringing Eriksen into the team could increase the number of chances United are able to create against Fulham. Of course, it might be at the expense of Hojlund, but perhaps some time out of the side could be beneficial for the striker.

Regardless, there is no doubt what Eriksen can add to the United side – an influx of chances created. As Amorim has identified previously, that is something they have certainly been missing.

Suzie Bates (Sydney Sixers)

The leading run-scorer in T20Is is back in the WBBL after missing last season and is set to form Sixers’ opening pair alongside Alyssa Healy. Bates has been in excellent form this year with runs throughout the ODI World Cup, Commonwealth Games, Hundred and tour of West Indies (plus a few wickets in the latter).

Tammy Beaumont (Sydney Thunder)

Beaumont has lost her England T20I place but brings a vast amount of experience to Thunder where she will have a key role at the top of the order. She has scored 1063 runs from 55 WBBL innings and will be looking to increase a strike-rate of 94.23. Had a lean end to the home season, not reaching 20 in her last nine innings in various competitions

Alice Capsey (Melbourne Stars)

One of the most exciting young players in the game, 18-year-old Capsey has followed Hundred success with evidence of her talent on the international stage. Has been used sparingly with the ball by England so far, but don’t be surprised to see her used significantly by Stars.

Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers)

Devine is the leading overseas run-scorer in WBBL by a comfortable margin – 3076 at 39.94 and a strike-rate of 128.81 – and will again line up for the defending champions, forming a formidable combination with Beth Mooney at the top of the order.

Deandra Dottin (Adelaide Strikers)

Now, effectively, a freelancer cricketer having retired from the international game, Dottin will be at her third club in Strikers. She will hope to improve on her overall modest WBBL record, but recently led Trinbago to the inaugural WCPL title where she was the leading run-scorer and player of the tournament.Sophie Ecclestone will have a big role for Sydney Sixers•Getty Images

Mignon du Preez (Hobart Hurricanes)

Hurricanes’ leading run-scorer last season with 414, du Preez will hope for more support in this campaign. She now focuses on T20 having retired from ODIs and Tests following the World Cup earlier this year. Is closing in on becoming the third overseas player to 2000 WBBL runs after Devine and Rachel Priest.

Sophie Ecclestone (Sydney Sixers)

The world’s No.1-ranked bowler across ODIs and T20Is, left-arm spinner Ecclestone will play in the WBBL for the first time as part of a Sixers side looking to rebound after three poor seasons under new head coach Charlotte Edwards. The team specifically targeted a left-arm spinner, having had India’s Radha Yadav last year, and could not have gone for a better option.

Maddy Green (Perth Scorchers)

With the top order well looked after, Scorchers have recruited Green with an eye on bolstering the middle order. She has previously played 28 games for Heat, averaging 17.52 with a strike-rate of 104.28. Was impressive in tough conditions in West Indies. She is also an excellent fielder.

Shabnim Ismail (Melbourne Renegades)

One of the fastest bowlers in the world is back at her original club after a spell at Thunder were she produced some rapid spells and had an economy rate of just 5.72. Will help cover for the absence of Tayla Vlaeminck who remains sidelined with injury.Marizanne Kapp has a fantastic record of winning domestic tournaments•Getty Images

Hayley Jensen (Hobart Hurricanes)

The New Zealand allrounder, who was drafted in by Hurricanes as a replacement player in 2020, has been signed following the withdrawal of England’s Issy Wong. Her bowling has proved effective on the recent tour of West Indies.

Amy Jones (Sydney Thunder)

After a break of a couple of seasons, Jones returns to the WBBL for her third club following spells with Sixers and Scorchers. She arrives having captained England in the final stage of their home season and joins team-mate Beaumont at the club.

Marizanne Kapp (Perth Scorchers)

The South Africa allrounder is something of a trophy-winning machine having been part of back-to-back Hundred titles with Oval Invincibles alongside last season’s WBBL title with Scorchers – and she was Player of the Match in all three finals. Her 102 WBBL wickets make her comfortably the leading overseas bowler in the tournament’s history.

Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades)

One of the in-form players around the world at the moment. Harmanpreet, India’s captain, enjoyed a prolific ODI series in England and also had an impact in the Commonwealth Games with 65 against Australia. Is a well-known force in WBBL with 1119 runs at 41.44 and a strike-rate of 121.63. Will likely miss the start due to the Asia Cup.

Amelia Kerr (Brisbane Heat)

Kerr, the legspinning allrounder, is back in WBBL having missed last year as she took a break from the game. She has had a terrific year across formats, beginning with the prolific batting form that led into the ODI World Cup and has recently been very consistent with the ball in the Commonwealth Games, Hundred and in West Indies. Her 31 wickets for Heat have come at just 20.16 with an economy of 5.80.Jemimah Rodrigues has swapped Melbourne teams•Associated Press

Jess Kerr (Brisbane Heat)

The sister of Amelia who is a swing bowler has been drafted in by Heat as cover due to the later arrivals of Danni Wyatt and Pooja Vastrakar.

Lizelle Lee (Hobart Hurricanes)

Like Dottin, Lee is now a freelance cricketer having retired from South Africa duty amid a stand-off with the board. She has two WBBL hundreds, both made for Stars, and her move to Hurricanes comes after she opted out last year due to bubble fatigue.

Hayley Matthews (Melbourne Renegades)

At her best, Matthews is a dynamic player with bat and ball. After five seasons with Hurricanes she has moved to Renegades and will be looking to improve on batting returns of an average of 18.02 and strike-rate of 98.18. Her bowling has brought more WBBL success, though, with 40 wickets.

Jemimah Rodrigues (Melbourne Stars)

Rodrigues has moved across town from Renegades where she was their second-leading run-scorer last season. She was in superb form during the Commonwealth Games before picking up an injury at the Hundred. Is part of the Asia Cup squad, so will likely miss early matches.

Chloe Tryon (Sydney Thunder)

Tryon, the South Africa allrounder, has previously represented Hurricanes and will bring power to Thunder’s middle order with a T20I strike-rate of 139.13 – the highest of anyone who has played at least fifty innings. In the recent 6IXTY competition in the Caribbean she struck 63 off 29 balls.

Pooja Vastrakar (Brisbane Heat)

The allrounder was considered a little unlucky not to bag a deal last season, especially as the Indian players were already in Australia at a time when border restrictions were still in place. This time, however, she has been picked up by Heat who have previously had Poonam Yadav and Smriti Mandhana. Will likely be tasked with bringing some power to the middle order.

Lauren Winfield-Hill (Melbourne Stars)

Winfield-Hill, who has previously played 41 WBBL matches, has lost her England place but, in her own words, has “fallen in love” in the game again after struggling through the Covid years. The results have shown on-field where she impressed in the Hundred for Oval Invincibles, striking at 136.02, then finishing the domestic season in prolific style for Northern Diamonds as they won the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint trophy.

Danni Wyatt (Brisbane Heat)

Having played 55 matches for Renegades between 2015 and 2019, which brought 1345 runs, Wyatt returns to the tournament with a new team. On the Ashes tour of Australia earlier this year she made 70 off 54 balls in the T20I in Adelaide which began the series. Will have a delayed arrival due to workload management.

Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers)

Wolvaardt returns for another season at the top of Strikers’ order after finishing as their second-highest run-maker last season. Her off-side strokeplay can be highlight reel in itself, but she will want to convert some of the starts into more substantial contributions after two fifties in 16 innings last time out and four overall from 45 WBBL knocks.

MatériaMais Notícias

Contratado após a saída de Fábio Carille, Luiz Felipe Scolari, que assumiu momentaneamente o comando técnico do Athletico, começa a fazer da Arena da Baixada uma fortaleza de bons resultados.

– VEJA A TABELA DO BRASILEIRÃO

Até o prezado momento, o Furacão disputou três jogos como mandante sob nova gerência e venceu todos.

Pela Copa do Brasil, a vítima foi o Tocantinópolis (4 a 0), na sequência, o Libertad foi derrotado por 2 a 0 e deixou o sonho do Athletico vivo em avançar na Libertadores. Por fim, o Avaí não foi páreo no Brasileirão e voltou para casa derrotado por 2 a 1.

Calendário

O próximo jogo do Athletico em casa é na quinta-feira, quando recebe o Caracas. O time está na vice-liderança da chave B, com 7 pontos.

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Declan Rice’s free-kicks were not the highlight for Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori against Real Madrid, as he got to meet Dua Lipa.

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• England midfielder scored two stunning goals
• Gunners boast commanding lead in quarter-final tie
• Pop superstar formed part of north London celebrations

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Grammy award-winning musician Dua Lipa was among those in attendance at Emirates Stadium for the Gunners’ stunning Champions League victory over the reigning kings of Europe.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  England international Rice stole the show as he fired in two stunning set-piece goals, with Mikel Arteta’s side establishing a 3-0 lead ahead of a testing trip to Santiago Bernabeu on April 16. Wild celebrations were savoured in north London.

• THE GOSSIP

  Dua Lipa formed part of those, as she shared snaps on social media of continental action being enjoyed. She has previously been billed as a Liverpool fan, but is a London native and would appear to have a soft spot for the Gunners – much like Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway.

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• WHAT RICCARDO CALAFIORI SAID

  Calafiori was among those delighted to see Dua Lipa pay Arsenal a visit. In his own social post, the Italy international shared a picture of him posing with the pop superstar alongside the message: “About last night.”

  Instagram

Tottenham Hotspur went into last night’s North London derby with a chance to put the final nail in a deflated Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions but gave them a much-needed boost instead.

Ange Postecoglou’s side managed to withstand an early barrage and actually took the lead 25 minutes in, but just 19 minutes after that, they found themselves 2-1 down.

The second half saw the Lilywhites push for an equaliser, but they looked just as likely to concede a third, and the defeat means they have picked up just five points from the last 27 available.

53%

Possession

47%

1.42

Expected Goals

0.83

4

Big Chances

1

14

Total Shots

10

1

Saves

3

10

Corners

4

16

Fouls

9

425

Passes

373

Now, there were some starters who put in a real shift for Ange Postecoglou and the fans, like Lucas Bergvall, Son Heung-min and Djed Spence, but there were more than a few players who let the side down, including Antonín Kinský.

Kinský's performance vs Arsenal

Kinský made his debut for Spurs in the League Cup against Liverpool last week and looked utterly brilliant, both with the ball at his feet and stopping shots, and then looked reasonably assured against Tamworth in the FA Cup over the weekend.

However, last night was another level of pressure, and while we cannot write him off based on one game, it would be fair to say that he did not cope with it.

There were countless times in which he took too long on the ball – which almost resulted in Kai Havertz scoring in the first 20 minutes – played the wrong pass to one of his teammates or took a bad touch and put the backline under unnecessary pressure, which is what you don’t want in a heated derby.

Then, to top it all off, he failed to stop Leandro Trossard from scoring the winner despite being positioned well to do so, which ultimately cost his side the match.

This might all sound rather harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by respected Spurs’ writer Alasdair Gold, who gave the Czech ace a 5/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he’d be ‘disappointed’ with the Belgian’s goal.

However, while the young shot-stopper had a night to forget, Pedro Porro was even worse.

Porro's performance vs Arsenal

Although he is vastly more experienced than Kinský, Porro was arguably even worse against Arsenal.

The former Sporting CP star was utterly ineffective in defence, as he was seemingly constantly out of position, so much so that Ally McCoist had to ask “Where’s Pedro Porro” on commentary, and then in one of the more striking moments of the game, he was sent tumbling to the floor by Trossard.

It truly was the “nightmare” display Spurs content creator Seb Martin said it was, and unfortunately for Postecoglou, the Spanish full-back was just as anonymous at the other end of the pitch, failing to play any dangerous passes or make any probing run to try and disrupt the immovable Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Again, it might all sound rather harsh, but Gold had a similar opinion on the night, awarding the 25-year-old just a 4/10 and writing that he was ‘caught up the pitch for the second goal’ and ‘didn’t offer much else before hitting the outside of the post in the 94th minute.’

His statistics more than back up this appraisal, as in 95 minutes of football, the Don Bentio-born star produced a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.09, was dribbled past once, lost three of five duels, lost the ball 15 times, committed two fouls, had a passing accuracy of just 78%, misplaced five of six crosses and four of seven long balls.

Minutes

95′

Expected Goals

0.04

Expected Assists

0.05

Dribbled Past

1

Duels (Won)

5 (2)

Lost Possession

15

Fouls

2

Passing Accuracy

29/37 (78%)

Crosses (Accurate)

6 (1)

Long Balls (Accurate)

7 (3)

Ultimately, it was a night to forget for much of the Spurs team, but both Kinský and Porro were worryingly poor.

He's miles better than Kolo Muani: Spurs chasing move for £20m sensation

The prolific forward could be perfect for Ange’s Spurs system.

2 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 15, 2025

Birmingham City’s summer transfer window before the new League One season kicked off couldn’t have really gone any better, as plenty of deadwood was shifted on and a whole host of exciting gems were snapped up.

In total, there were a mammoth 17 incomings for Chris Davies to contend with, which included the dramatic return of Jay Stansfield to St. Andrew’s, alongside bold additions in the form of Tomoki Iwata and Willum Thor Willumsson.

All of those signings named have made the transition to the third tier look easy for the most part – with Stansfield bagging ten goals from 13 league clashes – but the Blues haven’t always been blessed with amazing luck when it comes to striking gold in the transfer department.

Birmingham's biggest transfer howlers

Every club up and down England is going to fall foul of some blunders when a window swings open, with Birmingham no exception to that rule whatsoever.

After all, Blues fans will still be haunted by the fact their club splashed out £2m on Sam Cosgrove back in 2021, only for the ex-Aberdeen man to flounder horrifically in his new location with zero goals tallied up from 17 dire appearances.

That isn’t the only time Birmingham have signed a striker who would then never live up to their hype, with Scott Hogan once a £12m buy for Aston Villa before joining their arch rivals, only for him now to be playing in League Two after bagging a lacklustre 36 strikes from 158 clashes.

There are no doubt more flops that have gone on to notably struggle at St. Andrew’s away from just these two strikers, with this player in question one that did shine in spurts in the West Midlands, but would again never feel worthy of his excessive fee.

Sunjic's time at Birmingham

Whilst not as extortionate as the mentioned Hogan deal, Ivan Sunjic would still cost a whopping £6.3m to obtain in the summer of 2019, with plenty then expected of the midfielder on his flashy arrival.

He would end up amassing 176 appearances in England, as his first season saw him score three times from 40 league games whilst his new employers just about survived in the Championship, which included this beauty of a strike being hammered home versus Derby County.

Yet, Birmingham fans would have been left wanting more from the Bosnia and Herzegovina international as his stay dragged on at the club, as Sunjic would end up accumulating just three more goals and six assists across the following three campaigns.

Labelled as “superb” by then Birmingham manager Pep Clotet during his first few months at the club, there will have been a disappointment in the air when the 28-year-old was just allowed to depart for nothing in the summer.

But, it did feel unlikely that Davies would want to keep the former £6.3m buy around, especially as he went about freshening up the camp for the more combative challenge of League One football.

He has since made the switch to Cyprus to line up for Pafos FC, who actually play in the Europa Conference League, with Sunjic showing off signs of his class for his new employers so far in league action.

Stat – per 90 mins*

Sunjic

Games played

13

Games started

12

Goals scored

2

Assists

1

Accurate passes*

31.4 (87%)

Interceptions*

2.6

Ball recoveries*

6.8

Total duels won*

4.1

Stats by Sofascore

Whilst Sunjic aims to build on a promising start to life out in Cyprus, Davies will just be content with the options he has back in England in the midfield positions, feeling little to no regret that he can’t call upon the ex-Blues number 34.

Birmingham did used to fail in the market very frequently when it came to high-profile signings underwhelming, but in the here and now with Stansfield and many others, that narrative is changing.

Davies could already have his own Redmond in "excellent" Birmingham star

Birmingham City might not need to sign Nathan Redmond after all.

2 ByKelan Sarson Dec 19, 2024

أصدر نادي الزمالك بيانًا للكشف عن أسباب إيقاف القيد خلال الفترة المقبلة، بقرار من الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم.

وكان فيفا قد أعلن إيقاف القيد لنادي الزمالك وحرمانه من تسجيل اللاعبين بسبب وجود مستحقات مالية للاعبين ومدربين سابقين ضد القلعة البيضاء.

طالع.. فيفا يُعلن إيقاف قيد الزمالك رسميًا

وأوضح الزمالك في بيان نقتضب، تلقيه خطاباً من الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” يفيد بإيقاف القيد، بسبب مستحقات المغربي خالد بوطيب لاعب الفريق السابق.

وأكد عمرو أدهم عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك في تصريحات للمركز الإعلامي أن اللاعب يتبقى له 983 ألف يورو من مستحقاته، خاصة وأن الزمالك سدد مبلغاً كبيراً من مستحقات اللاعب التي كانت تقدر بحوالي 2 مليون و400 ألف يورو تقريباً.

وأضاف عمرو أدهم أن الزمالك لم يسدد الدفعات المتبقية للاعب في الأشهر الأخيرة، مما ترتب على ذلك صدور قرار بإيقاف القيد مجدداً. 

وأوضح عضو المجلس أن الزمالك سيسدد باقي مستحقات اللاعب في الفترة المقبلة وقبل فتح باب القيد في الموسم الجديد، وسيتم رفع إيقاف القيد بمجرد سداد باقي المستحقات المتأخرة لخالد بوطيب. “ف

Antonio Conte was manager at Tottenham Hotspur for around 16 months, but it did not quite go how people may have hoped. The Lilywhites first appointed the experienced Italian coach in November 2021, but he left in March of 2023 by mutual consent.

He had a respectable record as manager of the club, despite never really challenging for any trophies. He coached Spurs for 76 games, winning 41 times and losing 23.

In the domestic cups, he failed to get the North Londoners to any finals, reaching the Carabao Cup semi-final in his first season and the FA Cup fifth round in both campaigns.

The second season was particularly disappointing, given the money Conte had to spend in the summer of 2022.

Spurs’ 2022 summer transfer window

The Lilywhites’ summer transfer window in 2022 was certainly a season in which they were well-backed. They made eight signings, although one of those was a loan deal which saw Clement Lenglet join the club from Barcelona. Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster also joined on free transfers.

There were five other major signings made that summer, although one of those, Destiny Udogie, spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Udinese, from where he joined Spurs. Another player also moved from Serie A. Cristian Romero joined the Lilywhites on a permanent deal for £42.5m, after joining the club on loan the previous season.

There were also two deals made for players within the Premier League. One of those saw Everton striker Richarlison make the move from Merseyside to North London.

He cost the club £60m, although he has struggled to make a real impact so far. He did score twice against the Toffees in February 2024 in a 2-2 draw.

Yves Bissouma also joined Spurs in 2022, signing from Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee in the region of £25m up front and a further £10m in add-ons. He is still an important player in Ange Postecoglou’s side today.

The eighth signing made under Conte that summer has not really worked out for either party, although he does still play for the club. That player is Djed Spence.

Djed Spence’s Spurs career

After an incredibly successful 2021/22 campaign on loan with Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough, Spurs took a punt on Spence ahead of Conte’s first full season in charge. He cost £12.5m up front and a further £7.5m in add-ons from Boro.

The right-back was fantastic in Forest’s promotion success in 2021/22. He was an influential member of Steve Cooper’s squad, playing 39 times in the Championship, scoring twice and grabbing five assists.

He also played every minute in the play-offs as Forest beat Sheffield United in the semi-final and Huddersfield in the final.

Spence’s Lilywhites career has been incredibly tough so far. He has played just 11 games for the club across two seasons, having gone on loan in the 2023/24 campaign to Leeds United for the first half of the season and Italian outfit Genoa for the second half.

Season

Competition

Games

Minutes

2022/23

Premier League

4

5

2022/23

Carabao Cup

1

25

2022/23

FA Cup

1

13

2024/25

Premier League

4

64

2024/25

Carabao Cup

1

45

Just weeks after the former England under-21 international made the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Conte revealed it was not a signing he wanted to make. The Italian manager said the “club decided to buy him”, but explained that he hoped he would “become a good, important player” for the club. Sadly, it has not quite worked out like that for the wing-back.

It remains to be seen where Spence’s future lies. Postecoglou may well decide to keep the wing-back at the club, but at this stage it does not seem like he is in his plans.

Once touted as “Premier League quality” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, he will surely be desperate to get his career back on track, be it at Spurs or a different club.

He's outscoring Son & Kulu: Spurs must rue losing their own Saka for £0

The incredible talent is now tearing it up for one of Spurs’ biggest rivals.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 30, 2024

Manchester United’s defence has been told that “good players can play in any system”, with questions being asked of Ruben Amorim’s tactical set-up.

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Portuguese coach favours a certain systemResults have been hard to come byNeeds to make right additions in next windowFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Having enjoyed considerable success when fielding a back three at Sporting, Amorim made no secret of the fact that he would be bringing that blueprint with him when arriving at Old Trafford. Said system does, however, require specialist positions to be filled.

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United have found out the hard way that adjusting to a new formation is never easy, with leaks springing in defence while struggling to generate a spark in the final third. Said difficulties have contributed to the Red Devils languishing 14th in the Premier League table.

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Questions have been asked of whether Amorim is being too stubborn, with the Portuguese facing plenty of calls to change his approach – at least until he has taken in a full pre-season with his players and made more minor adjustments during the summer transfer window.

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WHAT GARY PALLISTER SAID

Quizzed on whether Plan A should have been ripped up by now, former United centre-half Gary Pallister – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “If we were in real danger of being in a relegation battle, I would be surprised if he didn’t change it. You would have to go back to the four and the way the players have played most of their career at Manchester United. I think he knows we’re not going to get involved in a relegation battle. We’re 15 points clear of that.

“Fortunately he has got the leeway to stick with it. I would be concerned if he didn’t and we were in a relegation battle, I would be asking him to change it, but he wants to stick by his philosophies, by his guns – this is what has brought him success and what he believes can bring him success at Manchester United.

“It’s getting the players to believe and adapt, and get the players in that can play the system he wants to. I’ve got no issues with it at the moment. You have to look a couple of months into next season, by the time he has got a pre-season with the team, bring in the players he wants, the ones he’s going to keep believing in the system, and that’s when we will probably start to judge Ruben Amorim.”