There is no getting away from it: this season has been a disaster for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side’s form in the Premier League has been diabolical; they are now out of the League Cup and have had to deal with an ever-growing injury list.

Moreover, the club’s two top scorers, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson, are now on said list, and their absence has left the team looking incredibly blunt in attack.

Worse still, a player sold by the club in the summer, who may well have been the perfect solution at the moment, is outscoring the pair of them.

Johnson and Solanke's season so far

It would be fair to say that Johnson has endured a mixed time in N17 thus far, as while he certainly wasn’t bad in his first season with the club, his return of five goals and ten assists in 34 appearances last season perhaps was slightly below what fans were hoping for, especially as he cost a whopping £47.5m.

Then, the start of this season couldn’t have gone any worse for him, as several lacklustre performances, which culminated in an incredibly ineffective display at home to Arsenal, saw a portion of the online fanbase turn on him, so much so that he felt it necessary to deactivate his Instagram account.

However, after he came off the bench to score the winner against Coventry City in the Third Round of the League Cup, the Welsh international started to score for fun.

As things stand, he’s racked up a brilliant haul of 12 goals and three assists in 32 games, and once he’s back from his calf injury, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him add to that.

For his part, Solanke has enjoyed a relatively successful first campaign in the capital following his club-record £65m move from Bournemouth in the summer.

While it took him more games than he’d liked to get up and running, the Englishman has undoubtedly established himself as one of the most important players in the squad, both for his output and ability to bring his teammates into play.

Prior to his knee injury, the Basingstoke-born marksman had racked up an impressive tally of 11 goals and six assists in just 29 appearances, and like his Welsh teammate, that haul will only improve once he’s back in the side.

However, as effective as both attackers have been this season, they have been outscored by someone the club sold in the summer.

The former Spurs player outscoring Solanke and Johnson

Spurs made a number of signings last summer, but they also made their fair share of sales.

The likes of Oliver Skipp, Emerson Royal, Joe Rodon and more all left N17 to ply their trade elsewhere in England and Europe, but the striker outscoring Solanke and Johnson moved from the U21 side: Troy Parrott.

The Irish international spent last season on loan with Dutch side Excelsior, where he did incredibly well, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists in 32 games, which was enough to catch the eye of AZ Alkmaar, who decided to spend around £6.7m to secure his services in July.

Since moving to De Kaasboeren, the “big talent,” as was described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has maintained his impressive form and has already scored 15 goals and provided three assists in just 32 appearances this season.

In other words, he has scored four more goals than Solanke in just three games more and three more than Johnson in as many games, which isn’t bad going from the former academy gem.

Parrott vs Solanke vs Johnson

Players

Parrott

Solanke

Johnson

Appearances

32

29

32

Goals

15

11

12

Assists

3

6

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.56

0.58

0.46

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Ultimately, the Eredivisie is an easier league, but with two of his star attackers out injured, we reckon Postecoglou would love to have a talented forward like Parrott in his squad right now.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 7, 2025

Celtic could still look to sign an “amazing” player who they made an offer for in the January transfer window, according to the individual himself.

Latest Celtic news

Things continue to go extremely smoothly for the Hoops this season, with Saturday’s 5-0 win over Raith Rovers at Parkhead seeing them cruise into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Celtic ended up having a quiet time of things in the January window, even though Brendan Rodgers was pushing hard to complete the signing of Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden, following the surprise exit of star attacker Kyogo Furuhashi.

In the end, the 22-year-old stayed put at his current club for the time being, but it remains to be seen if the Hoops will go back in for him at the end of the season.

While Rodgers has built a squad capable of fighting on all fronts this season, there is no question that new faces could be needed in the summer, in order to bring a freshness to the squad. Now, a potential target has emerged – one who may even have arrived at Celtic by now if his situation was different.

Celtic made offer for 23 y/o forward in January

Speaking Gazet van Antwerpen [via Sport Witness], Michel-Ange Balikwisha claimed that Celtic attempted to sign him in January, while also not ruling out a summer move:

“Celtic’s offer this winter was concrete, but I didn’t want to leave injured. Celtic’s interest was specific, but I chose to stay. I didn’t think leaving with an injury was ideal. Then I’d rather take good care of myself, to be ready for the play-offs. We will see further in the summer window.”

It makes complete sense why Balikwisha didn’t want to leave in January, given his injury situation, but it is encouraging that he hints at a move still coming to fruition in the near future.

The 23-year-old is a young winger who should only improve in the coming years, and analyst Ben Mattinson has spoken highly of the Royal Antwerp ace, describing him as “amazing”.

Primarily a left winger, Balikwisha can also excel on the right and in a central attacking role, with the Antwerp man capped for Belgium across five different age groups.

Belgium Under-21s

10

1

Belgium Under-19s

3

0

Belgium Under-18s

1

0

Belgium Under-17s

5

1

Belgium Under-16s

4

1

A tally of 25 goals in 128 appearances for his current club is a solid return, and Celtic should be eyeing him up as a primary target when the summer window opens.

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2 ByDan Emery Feb 9, 2025

Reliable journalist John Percy has confirmed that Derby County have agreed a deal to sign Middlesbrough defender Matt Clarke, as well as holding talks for another signing.

Latest Derby news

The Rams’ disappointing run continued over the weekend, with Paul Warne’s side losing 2-1 away to Cardiff City, leaving them sitting in the Championship relegation zone.

It is now six defeats in a row for Derby in the league, leading to them plummeting down the table, with improvements badly needed sooner rather than later, in order to avoid a swift return to League One at the end of the campaign.

In terms of transfers, the Rams have been pushing to sign Oscar Fraulo during the January transfer window, with the 21-year-old midfielder currently at Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa youngster Lamare Bogarde has been linked with a loan move away from the Premier League club this month, with Derby thought to be one of the interested parties. Swansea City are also believed to be in the mix to bring in the defender on a temporary basis, as well as a number of unnamed clubs.

Journalist gives update on double Derby deal

Writing on X on Tuesday, Percy reported that Derby have agreed to sign Clarke and are also holding talks with his Middlesbrough teammate Dan Barlaser.

This is really exciting news for Rams supporters, who will know the importance of bringing in January reinforcements, allaying fears of relegation in the process. Clarke is an experienced head with a wealth of Championship experience, making 158 appearances in the competition, while Boro manager Michael Carrick has heaped praise on Barlaser in the past.

Appearances

19

Starts

11

Minutes played

1063

Goals

1

Assists

1

Key passes per game

1.2

Tackles per game

0.8

Pass completion rate

89.5%

While Clarke would bring nous and solidity at the back for Derby – he also knows the club well after his previous time there – Barlaser could be a great addition at the heart of the midfield, providing a combination of industry and quality.

Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season

Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025

The 28-year-old former EFL Trophy winner has chipped in with one goal and assist apiece in the Championship this season, while at international level in the past, he won two caps for England’s Under-18s. He has now proven himself at a good level for a sustained period, so signing him is a no-brainer.

Following Karthik Meiyappan’s hat-trick, Aryan Lakra says he is “just so happy” for his “friend who he’s seen grow through the ranks”

Mohammad Isam19-Oct-2022

The eyes of the cricketing world will be on Namibia’s players come Thursday•ICC via Getty Images

Namibia and UAE have played each other five times in international cricket, all since 2020 and most recently in August when they played a two-match ODI series. But none of those games will have been in the cricketing world’s spotlight as much as the one they will play on Thursday in Geelong: a win will put Namibia in the Super 12s of the Men’s T20 World Cup. Facing a relatively familiar opponent in the high-profile clash will help, both camps said.”I think it’s always something that we try and use – a bit of analysis how other teams play, so definitely something that we’ll be looking into and just an added advantage against the other side that you’re playing against, having seen more or less all of their battles before,” Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said. “All the batters say that they’ve got a fresh side, so we’ve got some work to do to be properly prepared for that game.UAE’s Aryan Lakra said that his team, which has lost both games so far, needs to execute their plans better to do well against Namibia.”Definitely Namibia has been playing some good cricket, upsetting Sri Lanka, but at the end of the day it’s the game of cricket. The team which plays better cricket is going to win. We have played against Namibia so we know their batters, bowlers. It’s all about coming up with a good plan and trying to execute it to its best.”Namibia stunned Sri Lanka in their first game, lighting up the tournament’s opening day, before losing to Netherlands. Erasmus said they were mentally ready for the Netherlands game despite the big result first up, but things just did not go right for them.”I think our preparation was really good for the Netherlands game, and I think we had all the right plans, and unfortunately I just didn’t think it was our day yesterday. I think we got outplayed. I think they really bowled well in certain overs and phases of the game. We [saw] how tough a wicket it was to score on, and we stuck to sort of what we know, which is a good fight for 40 overs long, and we made it a very close game.”For 20-year-old Lakra, there’s the added thrill of playing against cricket’s big boys. “Definitely I think it was a great honour presenting the country in a World Cup, and I know the results [so far] didn’t go our way, but definitely a lot of things to learn, and a lot of things to take back from this tournament, and hopefully we come back strong the next time.”There has however only been a moment of massive joy for UAE, when Karthik Meiyappan became the first from his country to take a T20I hat-trick. Meiyappan and Lakra have been friends for a long time, and they celebrated the achievement with other close friends in the team, Alishan Sharafu and Vriitya Aravind, late into the night.”Definitely that was surreal for us because the four of us, we have been playing cricket together for so long, so if anyone does well, we all feel proud,” Lakra said. “And definitely a hat-trick in a World Cup against a Test-playing nation is a huge deal, and we couldn’t be happier for him. We have been talking about it all night and we still cannot believe it.”We are just so happy that a friend of ours who we have seen grow through the ranks, who we have seen as a 14-year-old, growing to be a 20-year-old, getting a hat-trick in a World Cup. That’s definitely a huge deal, and we are really, really happy for him.”

Well, that was just what Arsenal didn’t need.

After absolutely blowing Manchester City away in the Premier League on Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side went into the second leg of the League Cup semi-final away to Newcastle United optimistic about their chances of overturning their 2-0 deficit.

Instead, the North Londoners wilted in the intense atmosphere and saw the aggregate score extend to 4-0 despite having a couple of chances early on.

There were poor performances across the pitch from the starters, but it would probably be fair to say that two stood out for all the wrong reasons, one of which was Kai Havertz.

Kai Havertz performance vs Newcastle

Yes, instead of ending the game with a brilliantly taken goal and an assist to his name like on Sunday, Havertz came away from St James’ Park empty-handed, with more doubts about his long-term place in this team.

Unlike Alexander Isak at the other end of the pitch, the German international was incredibly ineffective throughout and seemed to be looking for a foul more than a goalscoring opportunity.

Equally unimpressed with the former Chelsea forward was football.london’s Tom Canton, who gave him a 4/10 match rating at full-time, and while that might sound harsh, his statistics from the night suggest it might even be too kind.

Minutes

94′

Shots on Target

0

Shots off Target

0

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (0)

Passing Accuracy

11/18 (61%)

Crosses (Accurate)

2 (0)

Long Balls (Accurate)

2 (0)

Duels (Won)

11 (3)

Lost Possession

20

Fouls Committed

3

Yellow Cards

1

For example, in his 94 minutes of action, the Aachen-born forward failed to have a single shot on or off target, failed 100% of his attempted dribbles, completed just 11 passes, failed in 100% of his crosses and long balls, lost eight of 11 duels, committed three fouls, lost the ball 20 times and picked up a yellow card.

In short, it was a shambolic showing from Havertz, and with Isak bossing proceedings for the hosts, another reminder of how badly this team needs a new centre-forward option in the summer.

However, as poor as he was, in an unexpected turn of events, the usually unflappable William Saliba was just as bad.

William Saliba's performance vs Newcastle

Yes, even though Arsenal going out of the competition was always the most likely outcome of the game following on from the first leg, few would have expected Saliba to have looked as lost at sea as he did.

Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, the French international has been the rock upon which most of the Gunners’ best performances have been built, and even when the team do lose or draw, he usually ends up looking mediocre at worst, but not last night.

Instead, the 23-year-old looked like a deer in headlights and was run ragged by Isak and Anthony Gordon all game, so much so that The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid justifiably described it as his “worst performance in an Arsenal shirt.”

Tom Canton was just as unimpressed with the Bondy-born star, giving him a 4/10 match rating and writing that it was an ‘uncharacteristic’ showing from him and that he was ‘caught time and time again.’

Once again, it’s an opinion that is more than supported by the player’s dismal statistics, as in 94 minutes, he made an error that led to a shot, lost the ball 11 times, maintained a passing accuracy of just 82%, failed in 100% of his long balls and lost 100% of his ground duels.

Minutes

94′

Errors Leading to a Shot

1

Lost Possession

11

Passing Accuracy

40/49 (82%)

Long Balls (Accurate)

2 (0)

Ground Duels (Won)

2 (0)

Fouls Committed

1

Yellow Cards

1

Ultimately, it was a bad day at the office for the entire Arsenal team, but it was especially dire for Havertz and Saliba, who now need to bounce back in a big way in the next game.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 5, 2025

Kaitlin Olson has explained why Wrexham’s history-making exploits are “unbelievable” to everyone but her husband Rob McElhenney.

Article continues below

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• Back-to-back-to-back promotions
• Hollywood co-owners dared to dream
• Families brought along for the ride

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons have rewritten the record books again in 2024-25 after securing a third successive promotion. No EFL side has ever climbed the Football League ladder quite so quickly.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Phil Parkinson’s side are, with one game left to take in this season, readying themselves for life in the Championship – having been a National League outfit when McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds completed their stunning takeover of the club in 2021.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  A meteoric rise has been enjoyed in North Wales, with doubters being silenced in style. A loyal fanbase, alongside the friends and families of Hollywood co-owners, could not have imagined that such rapid progress would be made.

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• WHAT KAITLIN OLSON SAID

  Olson has, however, pointed out that her partner always dared to dream big. She has posted on social media: “Absolutely unbelievable! (Except @robmcelhenney always believed…) Congratulations to @wrexham_afc and the entire Wrexham community on making history with back to back TO BACK promotions!!! There’s not a club in the world that deserves it more. #upthetown”

Carlo Ancelotti's pursuit for trophies in his Blancos farewell tour got off to a poor start with a Clasico defeat.

Real Madrid's season took another blow Saturday evening, as a Brahim Diaz error in extra time gifted the Copa del Rey to Barcelona in a dramatic extra time Clasico – one that ended with a 3-2 Barca win. Los Blancos were thoroughly out of the game in the first half, but battled back to force extra time – before a 116th-minute winner from Jules Kounde sealed the contest for the Blaugrana.

Madrid struggled to find a foothold early in the first half. Without Mbappe, Los Blancos tried to sit in and defend. But the same midfield issues that have been plaguing them all season reared their head. Barca cut through Madrid, Lamine Yamal finding space, teasing his man, and cutting back for Pedri, who swept the ball into the top corner from outside the box. It could have been more. Yamal put one wide. Olmo hit the post. Madrid had their moments, though, seeing one goal disallowed and then having a penalty called back due to an offside.

Los Blancos were more energetic when Mbappe came on at the break. Vinicius Jr had a couple of efforts saved, before Mbappe was well denied from close range. The Brazilian was at it again soon after, curling wide after Luka Modric robbed Pedri at the top of the Barca box. Mbappe found the equalizer, curling a free kick in off the post with 20 minutes to play. Aurelien Tchouameni eventually provided the moment of magic, slipping his man and heading home from a corner to give Madrid the lead.

But it never felt steady. Yamal made sure of it, playing a teasing ball into the feet of Ferran Torres, who rounded the keeper to equalise. Controversy had its role to play in the dying minutes, Barcelona being awarded a penalty – before seeing it waved off deep into stoppage time.

Extra time was predictably cagey. Madrid lacked cutting edge without Vinicius, while Barca's legs grew weary. Torres came closest in the first period, dragging an effort narrowly wide. Kounde eventually provided the decisive moment, capitalising on a loose pass and smashing home from 20 yards. An already disappointing season goes from bad to worse.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Estadio de La Cartuja…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Thibaut Courtois (5/10):

Couldn't do anything about the Pedri goal. Misjudged the equaliser a bit, and shouldn't have come off his line. Helpless on the winner.

Lucas Vazquez (6/10):

A solid shift at right back. Handled Raphinha rather well, all said.

Raul Asencio (5/10):

Made a brain-dead challenge in second-half stoppage time, and was fortunate to see a penalty chalked off – contact or otherwise.

Antonio Rudiger (6/10):

Lost track of Ferran Torres on the Barca equaliser. Otherwise his scrappy and reliable self.

Ferland Mendy (N/A):

Managed less than 15 minutes before needing to be removed with a leg injury.

AdvertisementAFPMidfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (8/10):

Good when Madrid had the ball, and was handy in winning it back, but badly exposed in open spaces. Scored a lovely header.

Federico Valverde (6/10):

Spent most of his time covering the spaces his teammates left open.

Dani Ceballos (5/10):

Had a pretty miserable time, and spent nearly an hour just chasing shadows.

Jude Bellingham (8/10):

A bit more involved than in recent weeks in a No.10 role. Pulled the strings, flew into tackles, and stretched the defence with aplomb after the break.

AFPAttack

Vinicius Jr (6/10):

Struggled to spring Barca's high line in the first half. Much more impactful in the second half, before being removed with an apparent injury late on.

Rodrygo (4/10):

Barely involved, completed eight passes, removed at half time. A pretty miserable showing.

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AFPSubs & Manager

Fran Garcia (6/10):

Replaced Mendy early, and never really controlled Yamal.

Kylian Mbappe (8/10):

Changed the game when he came on. Went close twice and then scored one to put Madrid ahead.

Arda Guler (7/10):

Curled in the corner that led to the Madrid second, and made things happen with his creativity.

Luka Modric (6/10):

Controlled at times, but his pass led to Kounde's winner.

Brahim Diaz (N/A):

Half asleep and allowed Kounde to slip in and bash a winner home.

Endrick (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Carlo Ancelotti (4/10):

Went back to a 4-4-2 with Mbappe unavailable to start. Stuck with it in the second half, but brought his star man on. Madrid's defensive woes never went away, though, and Barca deserved the win.

MatériaMais Notícias

Recuperado da pubalgia que o afastou dos últimos seis jogos do Flamengo, Diego Alves foi relacionado para a partida contra o Fortaleza, mas acabou cortado até do banco de reservas pela comissão técnica de Paulo Sousa. Com Hugo Souza mantido entre os titulares, o Rubro-Negro terá o goleiro Matheus Cunha como opção.

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Neste período em que esteve em tratamento, Diego Alves foi pivô de uma polêmica com o técnico Paulo Sousa, que precisou ser resolvida no Ninho do Urubu com as participações de Bruno Spindel, Marcos Braz e outras lideranças do elenco.

Utilizado em apenas dois jogos na temporada, o camisa 1 não está nos planos da comissão técnica, que, além de Hugo Souza e Matheus Cunha, ainda conta com Santos.

أعلن الدكتور مصطفى المنيري، رئيس الجهاز الطبي بنادي بيراميدز، عن سبب غياب اللاعب صديق إيجولا، عن بعثة الفريق المتجهة إلى جنوب أفريقيا، استعدادًا لمواجهة صن داونز في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي بيراميدز مع صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي في ذهاب النهائي يوم السبت 24 مايو، في تمام الساعة الرابعة مساءً، على استاد “لوفتس فيرسفيلد” بمدينة بريتوريا، على أن تُقام مباراة الإياب يوم الأحد 1 يونيو في الثامنة مساءً على استاد الدفاع الجوي بالقاهرة.

طالع أيضًا | يورتشيتش يُعلن قائمة بيراميدز لمباراة صن داونز في ذهاب نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وأوضح المنيري أن اللاعب النيجيري صديق إيجولا شعر بآلام في الركبة خلال مران الفريق الأخير، وخضع لأشعة طبية أظهرت حاجته للبقاء في القاهرة من أجل تنفيذ برنامج تأهيلي خاص.

وأضاف عبر المركز الإعلامي لنادي بيراميدز، أن الجهاز الطبي فضّل عدم سفر إيجولا لضمان تجهيزه بشكل كامل قبل مباراة الإياب المرتقبة في القاهرة.

وأكد أن الطاقم الفني يأمل في لحاق اللاعب بموقعة العودة، نظرًا لأهميته في حسابات الفريق خلال المواجهة الحاسمة أمام بطل جنوب إفريقيا.

After the unwelcome visitor in the first innings, one floodlight tower went off during the chase

Karthik Krishnaswamy02-Oct-2022Two interruptions, one hugely unusual and the other rather more routine, brought Sunday night’s T20I between India and South Africa in Guwahati to brief standstills.The first took place at the end of the seventh over of India’s innings, when ground staff hurried onto the field to remove an unwelcome visitor: a snake making its way around the Barsapara Stadium’s outfield. According to a PTI report, the snake “came out of nowhere from a small unnoticed pit to scare Wayne Parnell at the extra cover region. It then slithered into the square leg region.”Related

Pieces shuffle into place in India's batting jigsaw

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Beards plunged into the dark

SLC apologises for floodlight failure

Cobra stops play

There were no further interruptions in India’s innings after the ground staff whisked away the reptilian intruder, and the hosts ran away to a total of 237 for 3, their fourth-highest in all T20Is.Then, in the third over of South Africa’s chase, the players went off the field after one of the stadium’s floodlight towers went off. Play was held up for just under ten minutes before the lights came back on.Floodlight failures have been a common occurrence in cricket matches around the world – among other places, they’ve happened in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia and South Africa.Snake-related interruptions have been rarer, but not unknown. A cobra stopped play during an England tour match in Colombo in 2013, for instance, and a red-bellied black snake held up play for 20 minutes during an Under-17 game in Blacktown, near Sydney, in 2009 – read all about that incident, as well as stoppages caused by bees, hedgehogs and… erm, burnt toast, here.