كشفت صحيفة ماركا اليوم السبت، عن التحدي الذي ينتظر دين هويسن، مدافع نادي ريال مدريد ، خلال الفترة المقبلة مع الفريق الملكي.
ويمضي هويسن موسمه الأول كلاعب في صفوف نادي ريال مدريد، حيث تعاقد معه الفريق الملكي خلال صيف العام الحالي قادمًا من صفوف نادي بورنموث مقابل 58 مليون يورو.
وأصبح هويسن لاعبًا أساسيًا ولا غنى عنه في تشكيلة ريال مدريد وأثبت نفسه تحت قيادة المدرب تشابي ألونسو، والذي يعول كثيرًا على المدافع الشاب في طريقة لعبه.
ويمتاز هويسن بقدرته على اللعب بقدمين اليمنى واليسرى بنفس الكفاءة، إضافة إلى براعته الكبيرة في التمرير وكسر الخطوط، مما جعل اللاعب الشاب مدافع بدرجة لاعب وسط.
وأفادت ماركا، بأن هويسن ينتظره تحدي كبير حول القتال على مركز أساسي في تشكيلة ريال مدريد خلال الفترة المقبلة، وذلك في ظل تواجد أنطونيو روديجر.
ويعاني هويسن في الوقت الحالي من إصابة خفيفة، لكنه من المنتظر أن يكون جاهزًا في الفترة المقبلة، مما جعل ألونسو يعول على روديجر بشكل أساسي.
أقرأ أيضًا .. تيباس مهاجمًا ريال مدريد: من الصعب اختلاق هذه الأمور مثلهم وعاد روديجر مرة أخرى إلى التواجد في تشكيلة ريال مدريد الأساسية، بعدما غاب الدولي الألماني عن الملاعب خلال الفترة الماضية بسبب الإصابة.
وأشادت الصحيفة بثنائية إيدير ميليتاو وروديجر، والتي أتت ثمارها خلال مواجهة ريال مدريد وأتلتيك بلباو الأسبوع الماضي في الدوري الإسباني، حيث انتصر ريال مدريد بثلاثية نظيفة.
وأوضحت الصحيفة، أن تحدي هويسن مختلف في الوقت الحالي مع ريال مدريد، ليس من أجل إثبات نفسه في تشكيلة الميرنجي الأساسية، وإنما العمل على تطوير مستواه.
وأردفت ماركا قائلة، إن تواجد روديجر مع ميليتاو وكذلك هويسن يعطي متنفسا كبيرا لألونسو، والذي لديه عمق قوي الآن في خط الدفاع.
ويستعد ريال مدريد لمباراة سيلتا فيجو غدًا الأحد، وذلك ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ15 من بطولة الدوري الإسباني على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو.
It’s a new week, and Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank will be gearing up for a return to Premier League action at the weekend, when his side travel to Arsenal.
Tottenham have been a mixed bag this season, certainly more secure and steely than last year under Ange Postecoglou’s leadership, but lacking the snap and verve that the fanbase associates with the core of the club. To dare is to do, after all.
Someone embodying that mantra right now is Troy Parrott, whose stunning hat-trick at the weekend saw Ireland defeat Hungary and seal a World Cup play-off spot, having only days before bagged a brace to sink Portugal.
The AZ Alkmaar centre-forward, 23, is shaping into quite the goalscorer, becoming the player Spurs knew he could be after he graduated from the academy.
Parrott's record at Spurs
In July 2024, Tottenham sold Parrott to AZ Alkmaar for around £7m. The Republic of Ireland international had made his Premier League debut aged 17, but only ended up featuring three further times across all competitions before leaving for good, having completed no less than five stints out on loan.
Troy Parrott – Goal Record by Club
Club
Apps
Goals
AZ Alkmaar
61
33
MK Dons
47
10
Preston
34
4
Excelsior
32
17
Ipswich
18
2
Millwall
14
0
Tottenham
4
0
Data via Transfermarkt
In fact, each of the goalscorer’s four senior outings for the Lilywhites came during the 2019/20 campaign, and while Spurs knew when they sold him last year that he had untapped potential, it was clear he was going to struggle for minutes given the club’s attacking pecking order.
There was plenty of chatter regarding Parrott and his potential, even at that nascent stage. Of course, comparisons against Harry Kane were drawn, and talent scout Jacek Kulig has since praised him for his “incredible” performances over in the Netherlands, making good on that potential that was stunted by injuries.
There was always the promise of success. While he didn’t enjoy a prolific spell with Preston North End in the Championship, the player’s tenacity could not be questioned. His former manager Ryan Lowe said: “His work rate is phenomenal. For the size of him, he is a bit of a unit inside. He’s not massive, but very strong, uses his body very well & he got down the sides plenty of times.”
If this tells us anything, it’s that development in football is not linear, and it can take talented prospects a time to find their footing after showing initial promise at the foot of their professional career.
Tottenham must learn from their past mistake – if selling Parrott for a small fee could be called an error – and devote plenty of time to their new version of the Irish hero, who arrives in London at the start of 2026.
Spurs have a bigger talent than Parrott
Parrott is growing into his skin, so sharp and dynamic in the final third. There is an expectation that he should kick on and enjoy further success over the coming years, and Spurs may have to watch ruefully on as he makes headway.
However, that poignancy will be tempered and then some by the emergence of Mason Melia, who has completed a transfer rising to £3m last season, slated to join in January after the completion of the Irish league campaign.
Having idolised Kane and made his professional debut as a 15-year-old, the rangy striker is establishing himself as quite the hot prospect, with his former youth coach Hughie Nolan remarking that “nothing has fazed him” as he has raised his level again and again over his formative years.
The Athletic’s Connor O’Neill said after the announcement that he’s “easily the best young talent I have seen in the League of Ireland”. Parrott left his homeland and signed for Spurs before he could make his senior bow, but Melia arguably has more hype around him, and still only 18, there is so much scope for growth.
Having already featured 98 times for St. Patrick’s Athletic, notching 25 goals and eight assists, Melia will provide an interesting dimension to a Tottenham side crying out for attacking inspiration. Richarlison and Dominic Solanke have not provided the answer, for differing but equally concerning reasons.
Mathys Tel is a young and talented striker, beginning to show signs of the talent that Tottenham saw when bringing him over from Bayern Munich, but the jury is very much out and there are questions relating to whether the 20-year-old has what it takes to lead the line in the Premier League.
Moreover, he has recently emerged as a transfer target for Roma in Serie A, the Italians viewing him as an alternative option to Manchester United as the winter transfer window draws near.
With Parrott doing so well at the moment, it’s inevitable that wistful gazes will be cast toward the Irishman as he establishes himself as one of Europe’s most underrated strikers.
But while there’s a romanticism about a potential deal in 2026, bringing him back home, there’s little need when Tottenham have already signed a more talented Irish striker in Melia, who is now just over a month away from heading down N17.
Frank’s ability to nurture young prospects is well known in England, and Tottenham’s wider embracing of their youth suggests that Melia has made the right choice in moving to the capital and choosing white. He might be a “hidden gem” at the moment, as said by analyst Ben Mattinson, but Melia will soon establish himself as a major player in the Premier League, notably described as “the Irish Alexander Isak” for his effortless strike of the ball.
Will he need a bit of time? It’s more than likely. But the teenager is an aggressive and mobile striker, willing to make runs and connect play while simultaneously keeping one eye on goal at all times.
His wealth of experience, despite his young age, suggests that Tottenham may well hit the jackpot with his addition to the ranks. Parrott might be the talk of the town in Ireland right now, but in Melia, the Londoners have signed a young forward with the capacity to outstrip his older countryman and seal his place among Spurs’ finest forwards of the modern age, something Parrott was unable to do before leaving for a small fee.
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Fifties from Kaleem and Mirza could not overcome a stiff target despite India testing out their non-regular bowlers
Deivarayan Muthu19-Sep-20253:04
What are the challenges of India’s fluid batting order?
After their batters got only around 20 overs of crease-time across their first two games against UAE and Pakistan, India batted first for the first time in the Asia Cup and posted 188 for 8 against Oman. All their batters got a hit in the middle except their captain Suryakumar Yadav, who did not come out to bat despite India losing eight wickets. Though Oman made a creditable impression with both ball and bat, they could not overcome India’s might and depth.Abhishek Sharma did Abhishek Sharma things, clattering 38 off 15 balls. He was the only India batter with a strike rate of over 200 on an Abu Dhabi pitch that offered grip and turn. Sanju Samson, who slotted in at No.3, was less fluent, but moved to a 41-ball fifty. Cameos from Tilak Varma (29 off 18), Axar Patel (26 off 13), and Harshit Rana (13* off 8) then pushed India up towards 190.India had rested their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and newly minted No.1 T20I bowler Varun Chakravarthy, but Kuldeep Yadav befuddled Oman’s batters with his variations. Oman openers Aamir Kaleem and Jatinder Singh struck up a 56-run partnership but by the time Kuldeep broke it in the ninth over, the asking rate had shot up to 12. Though Kaleem and No.3 Hammad Mirza made battling half-centuries, they could not find the higher gears that could have hurt India. In pursuit of 189, Oman finished with 167 for 4.Having applied so much scoreboard pressure on Oman, India could afford to experiment with their bowling too. Tilak and Abhishek were among eight bowlers India used on Friday.2:20
Abhinav Mukund: This is how Abhishek should always bat
Abhishek’s opening salvoLeft-arm seamer Shah Faisal dealt India an early blow when he castled Shubman Gill for 5 with a sharp inswinger in the second over. However, that didn’t stop Abhishek from lining up Oman’s bowlers in the powerplay.Abhishek claimed 38 of the 60 runs India had scored in the first six overs. Left-arm fingerspinner Shakeel Ahmed got away with the first ball he bowled to Abhishek, but the batter took him for two fours and a six in the third over. Shakeel tried to drag the ball away from Abhishek’s reach with his sharp angle from left-arm around, but the left-handed opener still found a counter.Oman’s seamers then took pace off, but nobody can take Abhishek’s power away. When Mohammad Nadeem bowled a slower ball into the pitch, Abhishek forayed down the track and scythed it over point. Then, when Jiten Ramanandi dug a 104kph delivery into the pitch, Abhishek pumped it for a straight six.He got a reprieve on 21 when he tickled Nadeem down the leg side, but Vinayak Shukla, the Oman keeper, shelled the catch and umpire Raveendra Wilalasiri eventually deemed it as a wide ball. Abhishek added 17 to his tally before nicking another one behind, Shukla making no mistake this time.2:07
Jaffer: Wasn’t a fluent innings from Samson
Samson’s stop-start inningsAfter having chalked up two DNBs, Samson had a slow start – he was on 13 off 14 balls at one point – but a six and a four off Madhya-Pradesh-born wristspinner Samay Shrivatsava got him out of first gear. Samson proceeded to crash Zikria Islam for a straight six in the tenth over, but slowed down once again thereafter.Having got to 42 off 32 balls, he took a further nine balls to bring up his half-century. Then, when he looked to turn up the tempo, he holed out to deep midwicket for 56 off 45 balls in the 18th over.India cobbled together 21 off the last three overs and managed to find the boundary just once during this period – off the last ball of the innings when Harshit scythed Faisal for six over point.2:00
Jaffer: Inspired performances from Kaleem and Hammad
Oman’s spirited chaseAfter bagging the wickets of Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, Kaleem, who will turn 44 in November, stood up to India’s bowlers. He was cagey during the powerplay – he scored only 15 off 13 balls during the period – but then laid into Dube’s medium-pace, taking him for 18 off nine balls.Kaleem’s knock ended on 64 when Hardik held onto a screamer at the long-leg boundary off Harshit, putting a smile on fielding coach T Dilip’s face. Mirza also showed his batting chops with a half-century of his own, giving Oman hope for the T20 World Cup Asia & East-Asia-Pacific Regional Qualifier, a tournament they will host next month, even if they bowed out of their maiden Asia Cup with no wins in three matches.For India, Arshdeep Singh, who was playing his first game of the tournament, picked up his 100th T20I wicket when he had Shukla holing out in the final over. Arshdeep became the first India bowler to the landmark and closed out the game for them, with Bumrah and Varun applauding the effort from the sidelines.
O Corinthians observa o Flamengo buscando a contratação do volante Maycon e, teoricamente, possui uma chance de melar a negociação.
➡️ Tudo sobre o Timão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Corinthians
➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Flamengo
O Shakhtar Donetsk, da Ucrânia, detém os direitos econômicos do volante e teria aceitado a oferta do Rubro-Negro. Agora, o Timão tem até 48 horas para exercer sua preferência e igualar a proposta para adquirir o meio-campista em definitivo.
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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte
Os dois dias que o Corinthians possui como prazo são justamente os maiores aliados do clube nas tratativas entre Maycon e Flamengo. Isso porque na quinta-feira (7) a janela de transferências brasileira fecha, e os clubes do país poderão registrar novos jogadores apenas na metade do ano. Em teoria, o tempo hábil para regularizar o atleta seria curto, o que dificultaria a tratativa.
O caso do volante não se aplica à “janela extra” disponibilizada pela CBF, que disponibiliza um prazo até o dia 1 de abril para atletas que seguirem na disputa dos estaduais possam acertar com outros clubes ao fim dos torneios. Como o Corinthians não é dono dos direitos de Maycon, e sim o Shakhtar, o prazo para transferência ao Flamengo seria até quinta-feira.
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Revelado nas categorias de base do Timão, o meio-campista está em seu terceiro ano de empréstimo no clube. Titular absoluto, ele soma 11 partidas na temporada, marcou dois gols e deu duas assistências.
The step up from the Championship to the Premier League is a difficult one to make, as Leeds United have found out so far this season with 11 points from 11 games.
Joel Piroe is a player who perfectly illustrates the gap between the two divisions. He was the top goalscorer in the second tier with 19 goals last season, yet he has no goals in five Premier League games and has been an unused substitute five times, per Sofascore.
As Daniel Farke learns more and more about his players in the top-flight, other stars from the 2024/25 campaign may end up losing their place in the starting line-up, as Piroe did.
Club captain and starting defensive midfielder Ethan Ampadu has started all nine of his appearances in the Premier League this season, but he is not undroppable.
Why Ethan Ampadu is not undroppable for Leeds
The Wales international has been a fantastic player for the club since his move from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, leading the Whites to the title as captain last term.
Ampadu is not undroppable, though, as some of his performances in the number six position for Leeds in the Premier League have left a little bit to be desired from, most recently against Nottingham Forest.
Vs Forest
Ethan Ampadu
Minutes
90
Pass accuracy
76%
Possession lost
15x
Tackles won
1
Ground duels won
3/7
Aerial duels won
1/2
Fouls committed
3
Dribbled past
1x
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Welsh midfielder lost the majority of his ground duels and was dribbled past as many times as he completed a tackle, which shows that it was a bit too easy for the Forest midfielders to get the better of him.
Per FotMob, Ampadu ranks within the bottom 40% of midfielders in the division for being dribbled past (four times) and the bottom 39% for aerial duel success rate (50%). This shows that his issues against Forest were not isolated incidents.
With this in mind, Farke could improve the robustness of his midfield by ruthlessly dropping the skipper to unleash Anton Stach in a new role as the number six.
Why Leeds should play Anton Stach over Ethan Ampadu
Per Transfermarkt, all of the German midfielder’s starts in the Premier League this season have been as a central midfielder or as an attacking midfielder. That is despite the fact that he has more starts in his career (138) as a defensive midfielder than in any other role.
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AllLeedsTV presenter Oscar Marrio, who claimed Stach “was cooking” earlier in the season, recently noted that the 6 foot 4 star “excelled” for Hoffenheim as a number six, earning him a comparison to Arsenal star Declan Rice.
Stach’s defensive output as a central midfielder in the Premier League so far this term suggests that he does have the potential to offer more security in front of the defence than Ampadu has.
25/26 Premier League
Ampadu
Stach
Tackles won
23
15
Duels won
39
49
Duel success rate
57%
60%
Aerial duels won
8
17
Aerial duel success rate
50%
85%
Dribbled past
4x
1x
Fouls committed
16
14
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, the £17.4m signing from Hoffenheim has outperformed the Welshman in duels, particularly in the air, and has been harder to get past for opposition midfielders.
These statistics suggest that Stach, who has scored one goal in the Premier League this season, could be well-suited to sitting in as the number six in Farke’s 4-3-3 system to provide a physical presence in front of the back four.
Ampadu’s struggles aerially and in allowing players to dribble past him as the number six have been evident, which is why dropping him from the line-up to unleash Stach in a new role, albeit one he has played a lot elsewhere in his career, could be a good move.
That also does not mean that the captain has to completely lose his place in the team. Farke could play the former Chelsea man as one of the two midfielders ahead of Stach, to see if that is a more successful dynamic.
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Pope demotion opens door for Bethell at No.3; Mark Wood travels after missing home summer
Matt Roller23-Sep-20252:05
What does Brook’s Ashes vice-captaincy means for Pope?
Harry Brook has replaced Ollie Pope as England’s vice-captain in a move that could open the door for Jacob Bethell to bat at No. 3 in the Ashes this winter. Pope’s demotion, flagged by Brendon McCullum earlier this month, was confirmed when England announced a 16-man squad to tour Australia on Tuesday, in which Will Jacks is the surprise name.Pope has stood in for Ben Stokes five times in the past 14 months, most recently overseeing England’s six-run defeat to India in the final Test of their series this summer. He started that series with a century at Headingley but finished it with an average of 34 after his form fell away and finds his spot under mounting pressure, not least after Bethell’s recent white-ball success.Brook’s promotion comes after he took over from Jos Buttler as England’s limited-overs captain earlier this year, and his role as vice-captain is more important than usual, amid continued uncertainty around Stokes’ fitness. England said that Stokes “remains on track” to be available for the first Ashes Test on November 21 after injuring his shoulder while bowling against India.Jacks’ recall is the biggest surprise, coming nearly three years after he played his only two Tests in Pakistan. He has been picked ahead of Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson and Jack Leach as the reserve spinner behind Shoaib Bashir, although he will miss the preceding white-ball tour to New Zealand after breaking a finger on his left hand while fielding against South Africa earlier this month.Will Jacks and Brook, pictured at Rawalpindi in 2022, will be team-mates in Australia this winter•Getty Images
Jacks took six wickets in his two previous Tests – all in the same innings – but his return comes as a shock, not least after Dawson’s return to the fold this summer. He has only made five first-class appearances for Surrey across the last two seasons, but is about as close to Bashir as England have in terms of physical attributes and has been picked ahead of more established spinners.Matthew Potts, the Durham seamer, is recalled as the sixth frontline quick, with Chris Woakes not considered after dislocating his shoulder during the Oval Test. Potts, who last played a Test in New Zealand late last year, did not feature in any of England’s squads during the India series but is the beneficiary of Jamie Overton’s decision to put his first-class career on pause.Mark Wood, who has not played competitively since the Champions Trophy, has been named in the squad after missing the home summer with a knee injury. He is the only one of England’s six seamers to have featured in a Test in Australia previously, with Potts, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue all embarking on their first Ashes tours.Pope (left) captained England in their most recent Test, against India in July•Getty Images
However, it is the identity of England’s No. 3 that will prompt the most discussion over the next two months, with Pope’s position increasingly vulnerable. Bethell made 6 and 5 at No. 6 in his only Test of the summer, but scored his first international hundred in an ODI against South Africa this month, and will have further opportunities to stake his claim next month.Those chances will come on a white-ball tour to New Zealand, where England will play three T20Is and three ODIs on their way to Australia. Zak Crawley is in line to make his T20I debut on that tour after winning a call-up on the back of his success in the Hundred this summer, while Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Archer are all rested before returning for the ODIs.Dawson, Sam Curran and Luke Wood will all be retained for the 50-over leg of the New Zealand tour, with Curran’s recall particularly notable after England’s struggles to balance their ODI side against South Africa. Saqib Mahmood will miss the tour after “minor” knee surgery, while Sonny Baker has kept his spot in both white-ball squads despite expensive debuts.Jordan Cox has kept his spot in England’s T20I squad after his match-winning 55 against Ireland on Sunday, but is overlooked for the Ashes as expected. Pope’s familiar status as England’s utility man has earned him the role of back-up wicketkeeper, in the event that Smith is unavailable.There is some crossover between the squads for the New Zealand tour and for the Ashes, and some of those not picked for the white-ball squads will travel to New Zealand to acclimatise before joining up with England Lions in Australia. The Lions will provide England with their only warm-up opposition before the first Test in a three-day match at Lilac Hill from November 13-15, with a squad likely to be named later this week.Mark Wood last played for England at the Champions Trophy•ICC/Getty Images
England winter squads:T20I squad vs New Zealand: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.ODI squad vs New Zealand: Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith replace Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt from the T20I squad.Tests vs Australia: Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.New Zealand fixtures (all D/N):T20Is: October 18, 20 (both Christchurch) and 23 (Auckland). ODIs: October 26 (Mount Maunganui), 29 (Hamilton) and November 1 (Wellington).Ashes fixtures:1st Test: November 21-25 (Perth) 2nd Test: December 4-8 (Brisbane, D/N) 3rd Test: December 17-21 (Adelaide) 4th Test: December 26-30 (Melbourne) 5th Test: January 4-8 (Sydney)