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There is confidence that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy can sign a record-breaking player at a discounted price, with his club eager to sell him to Spurs this summer as both parties look to strike a solution.

Tottenham's summer transfer plans amid uncertain Postecoglou future

A lot of the noise around Spurs is centered on Ange Postecoglou and his long-term future, with the north Londoners believed to be doing their due-diligence on potential successors for the Australian after a disappointing campaign.

Tottenham in contact with ex-Bayern Munich boss to replace Ange Postecoglou

The Australian is being tipped to leave regardless of their European campaign.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 25, 2025

A host of managers are being linked with the Spurs job right now, including former fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino, but technical director Johan Lange and the club’s recruitment team must also be mindful of their transfer plans – with or without Postecoglou at the helm.

Spurs want to reinforce their team across multiple areas of the squad, and are believed to be one of the many Premier League sides looking at Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen (Sky Sports), who is widely expected to leave when a club triggers his £50 million release clause.

Meanwhile, GiveMeSport have reported that Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson is a target for Postecoglou’s side, and it is believed he’d consider a move to N17 this summer despite reported interest from Man City.

Larsson would cost Tottenham around £50 million, so the 20-year-old rising star wouldn’t come cheap, and they’ve been surprisingly linked with a swoop for his teammate, Kaua Santos, who performed impressively against Spurs during their Europa League quarter-final tie.

Lange has personally held talks over a move for Santos, according to reports in Germany, while there is still some way to go when it comes to Mathys Tel and his long-term future.

The Frenchman joined Spurs on loan with an option to buy for around £43 million, but Tel has arguably had a slow start to life at the club and Levy may not want to pay the full amount to keep him long-term.

Bayern Munich hoping they can agree permanent sale of Mathys Tel to Tottenham

That is according to Kicker, via Sport Witness, who reports that Bayern Munich are hoping they can agree Tel’s permanent sale to Tottenham, and could let him join the club for a discounted price.

There is still confidence from both parties that a deal will be struck for the 19-year-old, and work is ongoing to reach a compromise ahead of the summer window. Tel has managed three goals in 13 appearances for Tottenham so far, but his versatility and sky-high potential would make him a useful asset for Postecoglou or any new manager.

The teenager is a record-breaker already, becoming Bayern’s youngest ever goalscorer in 2022 at just 17, attracting praise from Germany legend Thomas Müller.

“Mathys should keep doing his thing: firing shots in on goal. He’s a superb finisher,” said Muller. “He’s only 18 and is making the most of it at the moment. He’s always positive, always has a smile on his face and has great finishing in training and in matches.”

Tottenham Hotspur slipped to their 17th defeat in the Premier League this season when they were beaten 4-2 by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou’s side were well beaten by the Old Gold, who moved to within two points of Spurs, and they remain sat in 15th place in the top-flight.

There was a small positive to come out of the match, though, as Brennan Johnson continued his recent form with an assist for Mathys Tel’s strike.

Why Spurs need more from Brennan Johnson

The Wales international has now produced two goals and one assist in his last two Premier League matches, but that comes off the back of two goals and zero assists in his previous nine games in all competitions.

Inconsistency is the word. Spurs need consistency from their forward players if they want more success as a team moving forward, which is why they need Johnson to improve his output on a week-to-week basis.

The former Nottingham Forest forward, who has provided 11 goals and three assists in the league, has not been reliable on a consistent basis, instead delivering goals and assists in purple patches.

Whilst Postecoglou and his team will look to work with Johnson to improve the consistency of his output on the wing, Spurs could have an upgrade on the Welsh attacker brewing in the form of Min-hyeok Yang.

Why Yang could be a future Johnson upgrade

The 18-year-old winger was sent out on loan to Championship side Queens Park Rangers in January and has already shown glimpses of his quality at that level, despite his age and inexperience.

Yang, who talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed could be “something special”, has started six of his 12 appearances in the second tier for QPR and contributed with two goals and one assist so far.

As you can see in the table above, the teenage wizard is unfortunate to only have one assist to his name because he has created three ‘big chances’ for his teammates, and they have only taken one of them.

Johnson, meanwhile, has only created four ‘big chances’ in 29 appearances in the Premier League this season, which suggests that he has struggled to consistently create high-quality opportunities for his fellow attackers.

This suggests that Yang, who also scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 38 games for Gangwon in K League 1 in 2024, is a forward who has the potential to offer more creativity than Johnson.

His goal return for Gangwon last year, and his two goals in six starts for QPR, also suggest that he could provide a decent goal threat from a wide position as well, just as the Welsh ace does.

Yang is five years younger than Johnson and, therefore, has more time ahead of him to develop and improve as a player before making his breakthrough in the first-team with Spurs.

Tottenham should aim to send the teenage starlet out on loan, whether that is back to the Championship or to a top-flight side in Europe, to continue his development in the 2025/26 campaign.

100% duels lost: Spurs flop is in danger of becoming Jack Clarke 2.0

The Tottenham Hotspur defender is in danger of becoming the new Jack Clarke.

By
Dan Emery

Apr 14, 2025

Hopefully, Yang will be able to play week-in-week-out to hone his goalscoring and creative talents to eventually emerge as an upgrade on Johnson, based on the potential he has already shown in his short career to date.

In his annual State of the League address, Don Garber said MLS is ready to compete with the world’s biggest leagues and wouldn’t rule out promotion/relegation.

WASHINGTON – MLS Commissioner Don Garber delivered his annual State of the League address Thursday night at a glitzy event at Audi Field. It was familiar fare from the league’s top executive, who rattled through the past year’s achievements and offered a generous assessment of what comes next. To be fair, there’s plenty to shout about. MLS has unquestionably cashed in on Lionel Messi’s presence, and it now has a dream MLS Cup final: the league’s biggest and second-biggest stars facing off on Saturday.

But that wasn’t the only talking point. Thursday’s event was defined by the prospect of potential change, with Garber alluding to ideas that would have seemed unthinkable not long ago. Chief among them was promotion and relegation. For years, he flatly dismissed the concept as incompatible with American soccer. Now, though, he stopped short of ruling it out.

"Let's see how it plays out. Maybe as the development of the lower divisions continues to grow, as they've been doing so well over the years, there will be a proper ecosystem. Frankly, I don't believe that ecosystem exists today, but who knows? I've learned to never say never," he said, before adding, "that doesn't mean we're having promotional relegation."

And there were broader changes on the table. For a while now, he has touted "MLS 3.0" as his future vision for the league. In his eyes, that means further changes to a league that, after years of struggling to take big swing to grab a bigger foothold, has finally started to take calculated gambles. It started with a calendar switch, announced last month. It will continue with new stadiums and perhaps a new approach to the TV deal.

"It will elevate the overall quality of play on the field," Garber said. 

But other changes might come, too. Everything at this point is a bit speculative – and Garber is a true pro when it comes to navigating the peppering of questions from curious journalists. Still, his tone was one of optimism, and perhaps a little bit of a victory lap as the league nailed its 30th season. GOAL takes a look at the main takeaways from Garber's yearly summary of the league…

• Opening the door to promotion and relegation

  It is the question that is always asked of American soccer. When will it align with the rest of the world? When will it embrace that crucial facet of the game that soccer fans know too well. Those who watch European football week in, week out will tell you that promotion-relegation is a core part of the sport. The United States has avoided it for years. And Garber has routinely batted the question away, too.

  But on Thursday evening, he was curiously noncomittal.

  "Back in the day, I would say 'never.' Today, I say there's no real point of saying never, because I don't know what the future would look like," he said. 

  His remark came on the back of another major change as part of MLS's so-called MLS 3.0 initiative: a switch to a fall-spring calendar. That, too, has been a point of contention that the league seemed eager to avoid. Garber admitted that making that change could leave an opportunity to others.

  "I certainly never thought we would adapt to the international calendar. I remember getting those questions saying, how could we play in eight cities in cold weather? Now we have fans that are coming out from thick and thin, and I believe that with 92 percent of our schedule being exactly the same will have no impact at all," he added.

  It also comes in the context of other shifts in U.S. soccer. USL recently announced it is introducing promotion and relegation to its leagues, with a 2028 target start date. There is perhaps tangible pressure in a way there wasn't before. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Eyes on competing with the world’s best

  This had been coming for a while, Garber admitted. MLS first started tinkering with the idea of a calendar switch a few years ago. But it took some time to come together. There were variables to consider here: retaining the authenticity of MLS, weather, clashing with other parts of the American sports calendar. Yet last month, MLS officially ratified what it perhaps should have done a long time ago, and moved their dates of play to something roughly similar to a European calendar. The season will start in the late summer and play until late Spring, with a break in the winter to account for harsh weather and give players a mid season break. 

  Perhaps more importantly, though, it will see MLS mix in with the usual cadence of the global market. It's been a no-brainer for years, and Garber lauded it getting over the line.

  "This decision aligns our transfer windows with the top leagues in the world, reduces conflicts with international windows, elevates our playoff schedule and will unlock new commercial opportunities," he said. 

  Of all the things to shout about, this was surely the one where Garber could take the most pride. 

  "We're not just aligning with the world's best. We're aiming to compete with them," Garber said. 

• Getty Images Sport
  

  What the World Cup means

  In 1994, the United States had to do something with its domestic league. More accurately, it had to actually form one. The primary condition of the U.S. hosting a tournament, in fact, was that they start a professional setup to kick off either the year after or soon following the '94 tournament. Back then, it was a question of momentum. America had been shown soccer, now it had the chance to shape the sport in its own way.

  "The 1994 World Cup became the most attended World Cup in history, a record that still stands today. It captured the imagination of our entire country, and it ignited a soccer movement across North America, and importantly, the World Cup laid the foundation for the lead that we promised FIFA we would deliver," he said.

  This time, the U.S. doesn't to put on a World Cup. But Garber intends to use it as an inflection point. And after hinting at it for a while, he expanded. This is supposed to be a showcase.

  "In 2026, we will show the world how far we've come and how much bigger and better and more popular our sport will be in the future," Garber said.

  It's impossible to predict, of course. There is a chance that MLS doesn't take strides forward, and the league runs in place. But Garber insisted that the pieces and the initiative are there. 

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  The impact of Messi staying

  Of course, Garber had to talk about his main man. It is impossible to overstate just how significant Lionel Messi's impact in MLS has been. Suddenly, there are eyes when there weren't before. This league feels that little bit more relevant on the global stage. Some people now care who didn't before.

  He's been around for two years now, and just penned a three-year deal to stick around for Inter Miami. As a result, he will be in the mix to compete for further MLS Cups, represent Miami in their brand new stadium and, undoubtedly, draw another star or two to MLS – to play with him or otherwise. Garber has repeatedly insisted that this league is about more than just the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. But his influence was a topic: 

  "Global superstars, as we all know, are making MLS their league of choice on Saturday, the greatest player to ever play the game, Leo Messi, will go up against another World Cup champion and one of the world's most decorated players in Thomas Muller," he said.

  Critics remain skeptical of Messi's impact. His lack of media appearances has been questioned by some. But the eyeballs he has drawn cannot be ignored.

A rapid powerplay meant the Afghanistan batters were never troubled during their chase of 126

Alagappan Muthu31-Oct-2025Afghanistan cruised to a series victory over Zimbabwe, with Ibrahim Zadran backing up a disciplined bowling performance with a half-century of his own. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Abdollah Ahmadzai and Rashid Khan had limited the hosts to 125 all out in Harare, setting up a straight-forward chase.

Mujeeb stifles

Zimbabwe tried to do the right thing. Their batters realised the importance of getting set. They attempted to regroup when wickets fell. There was no collapse this time, but there was no redemption either.Opener Dion Myers looked to be doing well against Mujeeb, only to sweep him straight to short fine. He was aiming to clear the fielder because there was no one in the deep. Good plan. Bad execution.Brendan Taylor was less adventurous, perhaps wanting to make amends for a low-percentage shot that led to a first-ball dismissal on Wednesday. But Mujeeb kept building pressure. It was the last over of the powerplay. Zimbabwe were 34 for 2, having only hit three boundaries. Trying to exploit the field restrictions before they ran out, Taylor was caught at mid-off, trying to hit the bowler over his head.Zimbabwe had the best of intentions. It didn’t stop them backfiring.

Abdollah the enforcer

The pitch was slightly on the slower side – except whenever Abdollah came on to bowl. The 22-year-old fast bowler is all hustle and bustle, hitting the deck and troubling batters with bounce. Ryan Burl, who was in the middle of patching things up with his captain Sikandar Raza, fell trying to swat one of Abdollah’s well-directed short balls off his face. Zimbabwe slipped to 57 for 4. They couldn’t score more than a run a ball in seven of the first 10 overs.Sikander Raza held Zimbabwe’s innings together•Zimbabwe Cricket

Raza’s resistance

Raza tried to do his best to shepherd the innings forward. He came in during the fifth over and showed that run-scoring was still possible, hitting two fours off his first two balls – though both of them were overpitched and allowed him the freedom of his super fast hands. His best shot was an inside out, one-bounce four over extra cover, against a yorker gone wrong from Abdollah.All this happened while the Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan was tending to an injury to his right hand in the field. He had only bowled one over till then. When he picked the ball back up in the 17th, he knocked over Raza, which left the score at 104 for 6, and then ran through the tail. Zimbabwe’s highest partnership was just 24 runs.

Ibrahim anchors the chase

Afghanistan ransacked nine boundaries in the powerplay, three times as many as their opposition. Some of that was good strokeplay. The rest of it was just Zimbabwe offering what every batter wants on a sluggish pitch – width and the chance to get under the ball.Ibrahim Zadran helped himself to back-to-back T20I fifties, though this one was a little more hard work. Afghanistan went 43 balls without a boundary after the powerplay but they’d done enough damage while the field was up, scoring 54 of the required 126.Questions remain over Afghanistan’s middle order. Sediqullah Atal – who had turned his right ankle while fielding and required attention – and Darwish Rasooli combined to score just 25 runs in 32 balls through the middle overs.

Sam Fanning and debutant Teague Wyllie both made half-centuries but the home side chases the target with room to spare

AAP20-Oct-2025Tasmania’s perfect start to the One-Day Cup continued with stalwart Jordan Silk top-scored in a four-wicket win against Western Australia.In a Bellerive Oval fixture restricted by rain to a maximum of 44 overs each, WA posted 248 for 9 with Sam Fanning top-scoring with 66 from 91 balls.Tasmania, set 252 runs to win under the DLS system, lost six wickets and reached their target from 38 overs to win with 36 balls to spare.Silk dominated with 81 from 75 deliveries, scoring his 2000th domestic one-day run in the process of Tasmania banking a fourth win from as many outings.Silk, who struck nine fours and a six, and a batch of experienced team-mates were untroubled in the run chase. He combined with fellow veteran Matthew Wade (46 not out from 43 balls) in a defining 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket.Opener Caleb Jewell set the Tasmanian tone with an aggressive 48 from 37 balls featuring seven fours, and evergreen Ben McDermott made 42 from 49 deliveries.The quartet overpowered WA’s bowling attack with paceman Mahli Beardman the sole multiple wicket-taker.Earlier, WA opener Fanning’s composed knock and an aggressive 56 from 51 balls from one-day debutant Teague Wyllie underpinned the visitor’s total.Fanning and fellow opener Joel Curtis put on 50 runs in eight overs amid early rain interruptions. Curtis, Cameron Bancroft and Sam Whiteman all failed to capitalise on promising starts and when Fanning fell in the 29th over, the visitors were 147 for 4.Allrounders Hilton Cartwright and Ashton Agar were both dismissed in the following 10 overs as Wylie launched at Tasmania’s bowlers.The 21-year-old struck four fours and a six before edging to wicketkeeper McDermott from the bowling of Brad Hope, who impressed with 3 for 40 from seven overs.

Opener’s willingness to produce a tempo against type allowed England to build towards another famous win

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Jun-20251:53

Did we see a refined version of Bazball?

The initial concept of Zak Crawley was simple.A languid driver, a devastating puller, sharp reactions to the quick stuff, good interception points for the bouncy stuff. The judgement outside off stump… steady, don’t worry about that. Faults against medium pace? Who cares mate. Get him in and let him loose against the best bowlers, particularly when Test matches need to be seized, and lie back and think of England. Tall bloke goes brrrrrr – England win.Yet, despite being the one constant in the opening partnerships that have launched England’s highest successful chases, Crawley has somehow become the straight man. Outscored by Alex Lees (56 to 46) in the 107-run stand that toppled 378 against India in 2022, he “reprised” the subdued role on Tuesday, against India once more, in a stand of 188 that helped topple 371. Crawley’s 65 off 126 balls – his slowest of 22 Test half-centuries – came while Ben Duckett managed 41 more having faced just three extra deliveries. Duckett would eventually finish on 149, earning him the player-of-the-match award and the back page of every British newspaper. Not for the first time, the smaller bloke went brrrr, and England won.Sensing this one-way love-in, Ben Stokes made a note including Crawley when answering almost every post-match question about Duckett. “The way Zak played was huge,” was the England captain’s variation of that message to the written press.Duckett offered similar: “Massive credit to Zak. The way he played… I take my hat off to him.” Magnanimous from the bloke who has often done most of the scoring in their increasingly fruitful alliance.Since coming together for 2022’s winter tour of Pakistan, Duckett and Crawley have been England’s most productive partnership. Their 2,114 runs in tandem have come at an average of 44.97, and their rate of notching fifty every three stands is the best globally among the 10 opening pairs to have had at least 20 partnerships since Crawley’s debut in November 2019.Duckett and Crawley left India floored with their 188-run stand•Getty ImagesInterestingly, of their 16 fifty-plus stands, Duckett’s runs have come at a strike rate of 92.55, while Crawley has gone at 77.28. It is as much a recognition of the gumption that underpins the former’s consistency as the peculiar route the latter takes. Peculiar, because it is an evolution of sorts, even though his overall numbers haven’t advanced that much.Since Brendon McCullum and Stokes took over, Crawley averages 33.41, which remains unspectacular even if it is a five-point improvement on his 21 Tests prior to the 2022 summer. His overall Test average is 31.55, while his first-class figure is similar at 32.20. Even his four-match start to this season with Kent in Division Two reads 31.28. He remains achingly early thirties, like a tote bag with a Substack.As Crawley says, he “doesn’t really think like that” when it comes to worrying about his place during bad patches, which has been a luxury afforded to him throughout by this management group. And while he did finish the 2023 Ashes series and the 2024 tour of India as England’s most productive run-scorer, he has not used that freedom to be more daring. Think of this as public funds being misappropriated to fix the potholes, rather than build the big slip-and-slide we were promised in the public square.”He is definitely thinking about batting differently now,” Duckett said, having had a front-row seat to Crawley’s move towards conservatism. “He’s still smacking the bad ball away, but his thought process is so calm.”The same, Duckett said, had been true in their 231-run stand against Zimbabwe in their previous Test at Trent Bridge, when Crawley’s share had been 124 from 171 balls.”Zak getting a hundred against Zimbabwe, you’d probably guess it was off 75 balls,” he added. “But the way he was so determined and ground out a score was huge. Same today.”Crawley, himself, feels in a good spot, particularly when it comes to patience and concentration. “I was glad to hang around with Ducky,” he said, a sentiment which also goes against his apparent type, but was absolutely what was required. Said patience allowed him to have a clear-headed approach to Jasprit Bumrah.Related

• Bazball essentials: England tick two out of three boxes

• Ben Duckett on the road to joining the best

• Stokes hails 'incredible' opening stand as England repeat history

• Stokes has the last laugh as England's have-a-chase ethos wins big

• Duckett 149 lays the foundation as England hunt down 371

“I’ve faced him a lot now and you know there’s a couple of crackers in there and you put it behind you,” Crawley said. “A lot of teams have star bowlers who you’re eyeing up to take it a little easier against, and Bumrah is certainly one of those. I feel like I kind of know how I want to play against him, but he’s a massive threat and a great bowler.”No one has faced Bumrah more often in Tests – 204 deliveries since the start of 2024 – and yet the dismissal at Headingley, caught at first slip at the end of the first over of the match, was only the second time Crawley has fallen to him.Crawley currently averages 48.50 against a fast bowler who, rightly, is being talked about as one of the greatest of all time. And he is doing so not by trying to hit him off his lengths, or put pressure back on him, but offering the utmost respect.Has the Crawley story jumped the shark? The one player with a licence to be an island unto himself – freely expressive, expansive strokes, the large adult son of Bazball – is now the sensible one. Negotiating, grinding out, surviving and existing, like every other opener to have played the game.Some England fans reading that will wonder if they’ve been hoodwinked all along. Crawley’s century-less 2024, with an average of 27.80 across 14 Tests and a list of potential replacements for this summer, already seems a little out of date. The alternative to the original Crawley, an opener with traditional values, is now seemingly this one. You either die Zak Crawley or live long enough to become a different Zak Crawley. This Crawley is coming from inside the house.None of this has been straightforward. It certainly has not been easy for the man himself.”I wasn’t playing how I wanted to play in the winter and I feel a lot better about my game now,” Crawley said, referencing a run of 10 single-figure scores in 19 innings since the end of last summer. That included such a torturous tour of New Zealand, averaging 8.66, that he probably still checks to see if Matt Henry is lurking under his bed. That was followed by an SA20 campaign in which he was dropped from the Sunrisers Eastern Cape side, the worst fate for any overseas signing.”The leadership of the team don’t really talk about these things,” he said. “If my place was under pressure, they certainly wouldn’t tell me, so it was never explained to me like that.”I wanted more runs but I was pleased with how I played, and my patience. I knew that was what the team needed at that point. But for me it’s all about how I’m playing, and I’m playing a lot better now.”A 1-0 lead in a five-match series, and victory at the first attempt in a 10-match blockbuster against India and Australia, all delivered with a chase to savour. And done so with Crawley, the one player relied upon to push the tempo against the very best teams, playing it slower and steadier than ever before.

Barcelona's famed La Masia academy has long been the envy of every other top club in Europe, and for good reason. It has forged dozens of legends over the last 46 years, from Pep Guardiola and Albert Ferrer, to Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and a certain Lionel Messi. Every generation produces multiple superstars, with Lamine Yamal leading the current crop after bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old.

Pedro Fernandez Sarmiento could be about to follow the same path. Or 'Dro', as he has been known by friends and family for his entire life. “People think there’s some special meaning behind it, but it’s actually simple,” he said earlier this season. “When I was a baby, my older brother couldn’t pronounce ‘Pedro,’ so he called me ‘Dro’. The name just stuck.”

As a footballer, though, Dro certainly special. At the tender age of 17, he is already earning minutes in the Barcelona first team, and has been capped three times by Spain's Under-18s. ”He’s a great player and still has room for improvement,” Hansi Flick said after drafting Dro into his squad over the summer. ”Congratulations to La Masia for the work they’re doing.”

The Barcelona manager has developed a sterling reputation for his handling of the club's prized youngsters since taking over in 2024, with the likes of Fermin Lopez, Alejandro Balde and Marc Casado also making major strides forward alongside Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. If Dro listens to Flick and continues to maximise his time on the pitch, it won't be long before he is also considered a household name.

• Where it all began

  On January 12, 2008, Dro was born in the coastal town of Nigran to a Spanish father and Filipino mother. At the age of four, he started playing for Val Minor, a renowned local club that was also once home to the Alcantara brothers, Thiago and Rafinha, and former Valencia and Leeds United striker Rodrigo Moreno.

  Dro's first steps into football were not easy, but his talent shone through almost instantly, as his first coach, Javier Lago, recently recalled to : “When he arrived at the camp, he was very small and did not even want to train. That day ended in tears, he left with his mother, but returned later. It was all thanks to the persistence of his mother, Ella. And as soon as he entered the field again, two touches of the ball were enough to understand that there was something special in him.”

  It is customary for promising footballers based in the Galicia province of Spain to hone their skills on the futsal pitch, and Dro progressed quickly under the watchful eye of Lago and Jose Antonio Covelo, a Barca scout who played for the club in the 1980s. Thanks to Covelo's presence on the Val Minor coaching staff, Barca were able to track Dro's progress up until he turned 14, at which point they won the race for his signature ahead of Real Madrid and Real Betis.

  From day one, Dro stood out from his La Masia peers. “I put him on the field against players two years older, but he surprised everyone,” Barca youth coach Anton Davila said of Dro's introduction to training. “He always had a strong defender on his back, but he passed him as he wanted: with his heel, with a turn to the side, with his right foot or his left. He was an inexhaustible source of frustration for opponents.”

  Dro only needed two years to break into Barca's Juvenil squad, and he would go on to help the U19s make history in the 2024-25 season.

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• The big break

  Under the stewardship of Juliano Belletti, who famously scored Barcelona's winning goal against Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final, the Juvenil A team won the league, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Youth League to complete a remarkable treble. Dro played a small but significant role in their success, most notably scoring twice in the Youth League group stages, and came on for the last 11 minutes of their 4-1 final victory over Trabzonspor.

  He was also handed his first Spain U17 call-up in March, and started in European Championship qualifying games against Germany and Austria. By the summer, Flick was ready to get a closer look at Dro, despite the fact he was still waiting on his debut for Barca's Athletic reserve team, and asked him to report for pre-season training before the squad headed off on a tour of Japan and South Korea.

  Preparations began on July 13, and over the next 12 days, Dro did enough to earn a spot on the plane. According to , Flick was "hugely impressed" by the teenager, who then made his senior bow for the Blaugrana as a 78th-minute substitute against Vissel Kobe in the first game of the tour.

  Dro marked the occasion in style, wrapping up a 3-1 victory with a superb first-time volley from just outside the box. Understandably, he was overcome by emotion after the final whistle as he revealed what Flick had asked of him before he was sent on for Marcus Rashford.

  “I didn’t even know how to celebrate, to be honest. It was unbelievable,” he said. “I came in a bit nervous, the first time with the best club in the world, but then the ball came to my feet on the edge of the box and I gave it a go. Hansi and my team-mates calmed me down before the game and I felt so comfortable. Flick told me to do what I know to do with the ball, and then off the ball to push and press as hard as I can.”

  Flick rested Dro for the subsequent win over FC Seoul, but started him in Barca's final outing against Daegu. Dro didn't score in the 5-0 win, but was one of the standout performers in the first half as he showed plenty of courage on the ball and linked up well with Yamal.

• AFP
  

  How it's going

  As a reward for his performances in Asia, Dro was named on the bench in each of Barca's first three La Liga games at the start of the 2025-26 season, but a thigh injury delayed his highly-anticipated competitive debut. It finally came, though, when Barca welcomed Real Sociedad to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on September 28, as Dro lined up on the right side of a three-man midfield alongside Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.

  There were moments when Dro appeared to struggle physically, which is probably why Flick took him off for Dani Olmo at the interval, but the youngster still posted a 92 percent pass completion rate, and his technical quality shone through in the 2-1 victory.

  "He's a very talented player. He's a Barca player," Flick said after the match. "It's great to have these kinds of players to be able to manage minutes. I really like that everyone tries to give their best. This is what we need because we have a lot of games."

  The following month, Dro started again, this time in a home game against Olympiacos in the Champions League. Barca ran out 6-1 winners, with Fermin bagging a hat-trick in a dominant display from Flick's side. Dro played 59 minutes and provided the incisive pass for Fermin's second goal, which made him the second-youngest player to ever record an assist in the competition, after former Borussia Dortmund star Giovanni Reyna.

  "It’s a special day for me, one that I’ll never forget," Dro said when facing up to the media. "I’ve always dreamed of playing in matches like this. I [also] have a strong desire to play in El Clasico." He ended up being an unused substitute as Barca fell to a 2-1 defeat againstReal Madrid four days later, but by the time the two arch-rivals meet again in La Liga in May, it's entirely possible that Dro will be a nailed-on starter.

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  Biggest strengths

  Dro primarily operates as a No.8, but is versatile enough to play in an attacking midfield role or on the left wing when required. He excels at breaking through the lines, possessing the close control and dazzling footwork to evade defenders effortlessly at speed.

  Barca can look to Dro to manufacture space and exploit it. His passing range and positional awareness are remarkable for such a young player, while he also exudes natural composure in everything he does. 

  "I think of myself as a technical player," Dro said during Barca's pre-season tour. "I like to dribble past players and have fun on the pitch." You can sense that enjoyment whenever Dro picks the ball up; he's an elegant footballer who doesn't seem to feel pressure.

  We haven't seen it at first-team level yet, but Dro is also something of a set-piece specialist. He scored several free-kicks from distance for Barca's U19s, and can potentially be another strong option for Flick in dead-ball situations as the season progresses.

After his public spat with Atalanta manager Ivan Juric, Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly ready to accelerate their move to sign Ademola Lookman in 2026.

It comes as no surprise that those in North London have identified an attacking target. Thomas Frank’s side have lacked conviction at times this season, with their striker problem recently made worse by Randal Kolo Muani’s injury. Despite initial news indicating that his injury is not serious, reports are now claiming that the Frenchman has suffered a fractured jaw.

The injury comes at a frustrating time for the forward, who is yet to score a goal for Tottenham in a difficult run of form. Even in the middle of that form, however, Frank could do with having Kolo Muani available.

With Dominic Solanke still sidelined, the Dane has just Richarlison and academy graduate Dane Scarlett to call on against Arsenal in his first official North London derby in charge of Tottenham.

It’s an attacking problem that Spurs know they must address and club chiefs have already reportedly set their sights on Rodrygo to do exactly that. The Real Madrid star has an uncertain future in Spain after falling out of favour under Xabi Alonso and Spurs are reportedly willing to spend as much as £70m to secure his signature as a result.

There’s no doubt that the Brazilian would be a statement signing as one of the best wingers in the world, but he may not be the only one that the Lilywhites pursue in 2026.

In an attacking overhaul, those in North London have also set their sights on Lookman and are reportedly ready to step things up in the race for his arrival.

Tottenham ready to accelerate Lookman move

As reported by TuttoJuve, Tottenham are now ready to accelerate their move to sign Lookman in 2026 with the talented forward desperate to move on from the Italian club.

Spurs must sell £22m dud who's one of "the worst players at a big six club"

Tottenham need to make some changes in 2026.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 10, 2025

The former Fulham ace was denied a move away in the summer, despite handing in a transfer request, and has since fallen out with manager Juric and removed Atalanta from his Twitter bio. Ever since he was denied a summer switch, an exit has simply looked inevitable.

As the saga continues, it’s Spurs who are attempting to take full advantage to welcome the Nigerian back to the Premier League. Although the Lilywhites won’t be the only club in the race, the fact that Lookman is represented by the same agency as Mohammed Kudus could provide them with an unexpected advantage in any negotiations.

It’s certainly a transfer race that would be worth winning, too. Before their recent disagreement, Juric went as far as to describe Lookman as “spectacular” and there’s little doubt that he’s still Atalanta’s most important player.

Forget Spence: Frank has a future superstar who can end Porro's Spurs career

He had missed IPL 2024 and was a late addition to the 2025 auction list. And his return was forgettable

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-20252:03

Hayden on Archer: ‘Not sure I’ve seen a poorer IPL bowling performance’

Jofra Archer broke the record of leaking the most runs in an IPL spell of four overs when he was smashed for 76 runs while representing Rajasthan Royals (RR) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on the second day of IPL 2025. Here are some of the most expensive spells in the IPL:

Jofra Archer 0 for 76 vs SRH, 2025

Having entered the 2025 auction as a last-minute addition after some back and forth with the ECB and a paycut in his central contact with them, Archer had the most inauspicious start to a new IPL season with his old side RR. He came on as first change after SRH had already racked up 55 in four overs and he was taken apart immediately by his Ashes rival Travis Head for a 23-run over which also included a wide. Head’s dismissal didn’t change Archer’s fortunes though as Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen carted him around for six more fours and three sixes to make him top this list.

Mohit Sharma 0 for 73 vs DC, 2024

Mohit Sharma was introduced in the 12th over of DC’s innings. Rishabh Pant welcomed him with a boundary and continued his assault in the subsequent overs. When Mohit returned to bowl the final over of the innings, Pant unleashed a flurry of sixes. He smashed the GT pace bowler for 6, 4, 6, 6, and 6, resulting in the most expensive spell in IPL history at the time.

Basil Thampi 0 for 70 vs RCB, 2018

A brutal night in Bengaluru saw SRH’s Basil Thampi have a torrid time. When Moeen Ali welcomed him into the attack with back-to-back sixes, it set the tone for the RCB batting unit to pile on the runs. AB de Villiers, Colin de Grandhomme, and Sarfaraz Khan joined in, hitting Thampi for five fours and six sixes, resulting in a forgettable spell.

Yash Dayal 0 for 69 vs KKR, 2023

Rinku Singh stunned everyone by smashing five sixes in the final over to pull off an astonishing chase against Gujarat Titans. And it was GT’s Yash Dayal who bore the brunt. Dayal was tasked with defending 29 runs in the last over, with his figures already being 0 for 38. However, he couldn’t find an answer to Rinku’s barrage of sixes, ending with 0 for 69.

Luke Wood 1 for 68 vs Delhi Capitals, 2024

Gerald Coetzee had a stomach bug in the MI side, and Luke Wood probably felt a bit queasy himself after his first three balls went for 14 thanks to the baseball-style hitting of James Fraser-McGurk. After conceding just eight in the second over, Wood was taken for two sixes by Shai Hope in his third. In his fourth, Tristan Stubbs decided Wood had been hit in front of the wicket enough and hit four consecutive boundaries with scoops & reverse-scoops. The over ended up going for 26.

Reece Topley 1 for 68 vs SRH, 2024

RCB were hammered for the highest team total in IPL history at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and it was Reece Topley who felt the heat. Despite taking the wicket of Abhishek Sharma, Topley’s figures were 1 for 43 after three overs. His final over turned into a nightmare when Abdul Samad hit 4, 4, 6, 6, and 4, helping SRH surpass the record team total of 263 runs.

Italian national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has apologised to fans after Italy’s heavy 4-1 defeat to Norway. The coach believes the match was split into two distinct halves, with Italy performing well in the first but collapsing in the second due to fear and fragility. Italy now wait for the draw to learn who they will face in the play off in March.

• Norway's historic qualification to the World Cup finals

  Italy entered their decisive qualifier against Norway needing a near-impossible 9-0 victory to secure automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Despite the daunting task, they made a promising start when Pio Esposito opened the scoring, giving Italy a 1-0 lead that they held until half-time. However, the match dramatically shifted after the break.

  Norway responded with authority as Antonio Nusa equalised, before Erling Haaland struck twice to put the visitors firmly in control. Jorgen Strand Larsen added a fourth, sealing a dominant 4-1 win for Norway at the San Siro. The result confirmed Norway’s return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.

  The match also saw a tense incident involving Italian defender Gianluca Mancini, who provoked Haaland, prompting the Norwegian striker to react angrily. Haaland had to be restrained by his club teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma before the situation escalated.

  Manchester City goalkeeper Donnarumma commented on the loss, believing that Italy switched off in the second half when he said “the big problem was that we stopped playing in the second half.” 

  He added: “It was a totally different match in the first half, we never let them out of their own half. We’ve got to do that for 95 minutes rather than 45, that is for sure.”

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  Gattuso's apology to the fans

  Earlier, Gattuso criticised the travelling supporters who protested against the Italian team after their late 2-0 win over Moldova. However, following Italy’s 4-1 loss to Norway, Gattuso apologised in the post-match press conference. He said: “We must apologise to our fans because 4-1 is a heavy defeat. It's a shame because we had a very good first half, where we played as a real team.

  “There were two games. In the first half, the team played very well, We lacked distance, we were more compact in the first half, we never gave them any space.

  “In the second half, we struggled enormously. We gave our opponents space, we let them into our area.

  “There is a lot of disappointment. The lads deserved a different evening, but instead we got everything wrong and they hurt us.”

  Gattuso also pointed to the turning point of the match, noting that Norway’s goal immediately after  the restart created fear. He said: “The game changed when they had their first shot on goal in the first 30 seconds of the second half.

  “In the second half we conceded a goal after 30 seconds [two goals within 30 seconds] and then our fragility came to the fore.”

  He then outlined how Italy must improve ahead of the play off in March 2026. He said “Matches last 95 minutes, and in this one our flaws came to the fore. If we concede a few goals, we start to panic. We'll face up to it, take responsibility, and in March we'll need 95 minutes like the first half. There's not much time between now and March, we need to work on our weaknesses.”

• Italy's qualification scenario

  For Italy, the defeat means they must once again face the pressure of the play offs. The Azzurri will learn their path to the 2026 World Cup when the European play off draw takes place on Thursday, and they are assured of being one of the top seeds. Despite this advantage, the stakes remain high. Italy have not appeared in a World Cup since 2014, suffering painful play off exits to Sweden in 2018 and North Macedonia in 2022. The upcoming play offs therefore represent a crucial opportunity for the national team to finally return to the sport’s biggest stage and end over a decade of absence.

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  Gattuso prepares for the playoffs

  Gattuso will use the coming months to carefully assess the team’s strengths and weaknesses, aiming to develop tactical solutions that give the Azzurri the best chance of returning to the World Cup.