'Just seemed like the right time' – Wiese retires from international cricket

Namibia allrounder David Wiese said he is retiring from international cricket after their final T20 World Cup 2024 group stage match against England.After Wiese was dismissed by Jofra Archer in the final over of Namibia’s chase in a rain-curtailed match in North Sound, Archer and other England players walked over to shake his hand. He then raised his helmet and bat to the crowd as he walked off before being greeted by his team-mates, including captain Gerhard Erasmus, at the dugout.”I mean, [the next] T20 World Cup is still two years away, I’m 39 years old now, so , in terms of international cricket, I don’t know if there’s much left in me,” Wiese said in the post match press conference.Related

  • Never-say-die Wiese shows he has plenty of fight left in him

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“Obviously, I [would] still like to play the game for a couple more years, I feel like I’ve still got a lot to contribute and a lot to play,” he said. “But I just feel like what better place to end a special career for me personally with Namibia. I’ve had a lot of good times with them and to play my last game for them possibly at a World Cup against a world-class team like England, it just seemed like the right time.”Wiese, who usually bats in the middle order, was promoted up the order to No. 3 with Namibia needing to chase 126 in 10 overs. He smashed 27 off 12 with two fours and two sixes before holing out at long-on, as England went on to register a comfortable victory.

“Yeah, he just doesn’t want to open, so probably the next time we can get him in quicker,” Erasmus joked after the game.”Unfortunately it was his last game, which is a great moment for him to perform like that in his last game,” the Namibia skipper said.”Massive impact, in terms of the level of cricket he brought to our circle. He’s a great guy on the field in terms of performance but off the field he is someone we have really learned a lot from and he’s inspired us to new heights and greater heights,” Erasmus said.England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow also praised Wiese after the game.”I think it’s a huge credit to him the career that he’s had in international cricket and he’s going to be a big miss for those guys and it’s a credit to him how well he’s how well he’s played over such a long period of time,” Bairstow said in the post-match press conference.Originally from South Africa, he became eligible to play for Namibia five years after his decision to go Kolpak in 2016. He made his debut for Namibia in the first round of the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he played a key role in getting them to the Super 12 stage.He has played in three consecutive T20 World Cups for Namibia now. Wiese was the standout performer in Namibia’s only win in the 2024 campaign, returning figures of 3 for 28 against Oman before starring with both bat and ball in the Super Over.He has played 34 T20Is for Namibia, scoring 532 runs and returning 35 wickets. He has also played nine ODIs for them, scoring 228 runs and taking six wickets. In all, he has played 54 T20Is and 15 ODIs.Wiese could continue playing franchise cricket. In the last 12 months he has played the CSA T20 Challenge, the PSL, SA20, Hundred and the Blast. In the Hundred, he has been retained by Northern Superchargers.

Full agreement reached: Burnley set to sign "talented" 21 year-old

Burnley have now reached an agreement over the signing of a “talented” player, according to a hugely promising update from Sky Sports.

Burnley busy early in summer window

The Clarets continue to pursue potential new signings ahead of their return to the Premier League in August, as Scott Parker looks to give his side the best chance of avoiding a speedy relegation back into the Championship.

Loum Tchaouna has been a leading target over the past week or so, with Burnley reportedly close to sealing a move for the young Lazio forward ahead of next season, having already added permanent deals for Marcus Edwards, Zian Flemming and Jaidon Anthony to their attacking ranks.

France Under-21 international Tchaouna would be considered an exciting long-term addition for Parker, having already made 37 appearances for Lazio at senior level.

France Under-21s

5

1

France Under-20s

12

4

France Under-19s

17

7

France Under-17s

5

3

France Under-16s

9

2

Meanwhile, in defence, Bashir Humphreys has already signed permanently and Karlsruher SC goalkeeper Max Weiss is among the players to have also been linked with joining Burnley this summer, as well as Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez.

Burnley reach full agreement to sign Weiss

According to an update from the Sky journalist Florian Plettenberg on X, Weiss’ move to Burnley is now considered a “done deal” after an agreement was reached over a move to Turf Moor, with a medical up next on Monday.

Weiss will be an exciting signing for Burnley, with the German a talented young ‘keeper who has the ability to be a mainstay between the sticks for the Clarets for many years, as Plettenberg alludes to.

At just 21, he has already played 42 times for Karlsruher, keeping 12 clean sheets, and he has been capped for Germany across three different youth age groups, winning a total of six caps.

With huge doubts lingering over the future of James Trafford at Burnley – Newcastle United have continually been strongly linked with signing him – a top-quality ‘keeper needs to arrive this summer.

While the more cautious option could be to bring in an experienced head who has played in the Premier League before, it is refreshing to see the Clarets once again taking a punt on youth again, backing Weiss to be able to do the job.

Burnley now "one step away" from signing "amazing" £12m forward for Parker

The update has been provided by a reliable journalist.

1 ByHenry Jackson Jun 17, 2025

That’s not to say that an older alternative couldn’t come in as well, should Parker feel the need, but the Karlsruher ace needs to be trusted to come straight in and be an important part of Burnley’s plans, helping play a key role in them remaining in the top flight beyond 2025/26.

Dream Maddison upgrade: Spurs make £68m "superstar" their top target

It’s been a truly bizarre campaign for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

The fans will only remember this season for the club’s historic triumph in the Europa League – and rightly so – but the powers that be cannot ignore just how disastrous the team’s Premier League performances were, injury crisis or not.

While there are likely plenty of things the club can and should address behind the scenes, one of the best ways Daniel Levy and Co can ensure next year is more successful is by signing the right players this summer.

The good news is that recent reports seem to indicate that they’re targetting at least one bonafide star who’d be an incredible addition to the squad, but it could be bad news for James Maddison as the target in question would likely be an upgrade on him.

Tottenham transfer news

Given how poorly the team fared on the domestic front this season, it’s not been a surprise to see Spurs linked with a host of talented stars in recent weeks, like Xavi Simons and Angel Gomes.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former could cost the club around £65m, but with a tally of 11 goals and eight assists in just 33 appearances for a lacklustre RB Leipzig side this season, that’s a fee that feels pretty reasonable.

Gomes, on the other hand, wouldn’t cost a penny in transfer fees, as his contract with LOSC Lille expires this month, although for all the experience and quality he’d bring with him, he couldn’t be described as an upgrade for Maddison, unlike Eberechi Eze.

Yes, according to a recent report from Football Transfers, Spurs have maintained their intense interest in the Crystal Palace star.

In fact, the report goes a step further, proclaiming the Englishman as the North Londoners ‘top target’ for the window.

The story does not reveal how much the 26-year-old dynamo might cost the Lilywhites, but it has been pretty widely reported in recent weeks and months that he has a release clause in his current contract worth around £68m.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Eze’s incredible ability, it would be more than worth it, even if his arrival would be bad news for Maddison.

How Eze compares to Maddison

Now, while Eze is a positionally versatile player and has spent plenty of his career playing out wide on the left, his most played position, and where he’s spent most of this season, is attacking midfield.

Crystal Palace's EberechiEzecelebrates with the trophy after winning the FA Cup

Therefore, his main rival for game time at Spurs would be Maddison, but how do the pair stack up against one another?

Well, when it comes to their pure output, it’s the Eagles ace who comes out on top, as in 43 appearances for the South London side, he scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.72 games.

In comparison, the former Leicester City star scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists in 45 appearances for the Lilywhites this year, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.95 games.

What about their underlying numbers, then? Who comes out victorious when we take a look under the hood?

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.52

0.50

Progressive Passes

3.37

8.16

Progressive Passes Received

5.31

4.73

Progressive Carries

2.36

2.24

Shots

3.48

1.94

Shots on Target

0.94

0.85

Key Passes

2.01

2.04

Shot-Creating Actions

4.69

4.73

Tackles

1.35

1.54

Blocks

0.94

0.74

Successful Take-Ons

2.33

1.64

Ball Recoveries

5.07

3.78

Well, things are once again somewhat close here, but overall, it’s the FA Cup-winning “superstar,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, who comes out on top.

For example, he comes out ahead in more relevant metrics than his compatriot, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Maddison is a brilliant player, Eze is two years his junior and performing at a higher level in a side that most would have predicted to finish lower than the North Londoners this time last year.

Therefore, Levy and Co should be doing all they can to sign the versatile star this summer before someone else beats them to him.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 4, 2025

Their new McTominay: Man Utd in talks to sign £42m ex-Man City star

Manchester United came straight out of the gates at the start of the summer transfer window, signing Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers to help cushion the fall from grace in 2024/25.

Things were pretty bleak when Ruben Amorim wrapped up the opening chapter of his tenure at Old Trafford, and the road ahead remains long and ominous, but bagging Wolves’ £62.5m man at least demonstrated a willingness from INEOS to turn the page, begin anew.

Wolverhampton Wanderers'MatheusCunhacelebrates

However, that fast start has slowed to a snail’s pace, with very little else having happened on the transfer front for the desperate Red Devils, who after finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur are in desperate need of an overhaul.

The battle to sign Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo rages on. Viktor Gyokeres will join Arsenal, but United are still set on signing a centre-forward to improve upon the unconvincing Rasmus Hojlund.

However, Amorim also wants to strengthen Man United’s midfield.

Man Utd's search for a midfielder

Man United boss Amorim is looking to rebuild his squad across a number of areas as he prepares to challenge for silverware and a route back into European competition over the next year.

Manchester United manager RubenAmorimtalks to the fans after the match

The fact that improvements are needed across so many areas of the field underscores the severity of the situation at the Theatre of Dreams, but while things haven’t moved as quickly as fans would have liked, there is hope that speed will increase over the coming weeks as pre-season starts to swing.

Christian Eriksen’s departure as a free agent at the end of June highlights the need for a central midfielder, though the centre of the park is hardly threadbare.

Amorim wants a midfielder, and perhaps he’ll harbour quiet grievances over his outfit’s decision to part with Scott McTominay one year ago, the Scotland star since becoming the Serie A MVP with Napoli, whom he led toward the Scudetto.

Alas, McTominay plies his trade elsewhere. However, Man United could learn from their mistakes and sign a player of similar proportions – one who is competing over in Italy right now.

INEOS begin talks for Serie A midfielder

As per TBR Football, Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz is keen to return to the Premier League just one year after leaving Aston Villa in a deal worth £42m.

Manchester United are joined by Tottenham in their interest.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

In fact, United have held conversations with the Brazil international’s representatives about a summer move, with Juventus having green-lit his prospective departure.

Further suitors both in England and overseas are expected to make their move at some stage, so INEOS will want to get this one over the line pronto.

What Douglas Luiz would bring to Man Utd

Luiz’s frustrating season with Juventus has left him eager to pursue a path back toward the Premier League, his favourite stomping ground, and Man United appear more than happy to oblige.

Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz

Once a career hatchling at Manchester City, the Villans signed Luiz for a £15m fee, and he went on to make 204 appearances, posting 22 goals and 24 assists.

He was a fantastic Premier League player, the subject of long-standing efforts from Arsenal to bring him over, before the Gunners eventually conceded defeat and signed Declan Rice instead.

But in spite of his abundant talent, the South American has endured a tough time in Italy, only playing a fringe role for Juventus.

Matches (starts)

35 (35)

19 (3)

Goals

9

0

Assists

5

0

Touches*

70.1

27.3

Pass completion

89%

90%

Big chances created

10

3

Key passes*

1.5

0.8

Dribbles*

0.7

0.6

Ball recoveries*

5.5

1.6

Tackles*

1.7

0.9

Duels (won)*

4.2 (51%)

1.9 (55%)

Were you unacquainted with Luiz as a Premier League player, you would be forgiven for lambasting Man United for their interest in a player who endured such peripheral, uninspiring performances across his campaign in Turin.

But at Aston Villa, he was an absolute “warrior” of a midfielder, as praised by journalist Jack Grimse. Luiz’s sale was forced as a by-product of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, and Unai Emery was not happy with the outcome, even though it was a necessity.

It’s funny: sometimes a player enters new territory and reaches levels previously unknown to them. Sometimes, an exciting transfer doesn’t go to plan.

The two ends of the spectrum here can be applied respectively to Luiz and McTominay, but given that both are robust and athletic number eights with keen eyes for goal when thriving in their environment, perhaps United could restore the presence of their former Scot by signing Luiz.

Douglas Luiz in action for Juventus.

McTominay, 28, scored 12 goals and supplied six assists across 34 Serie A matches for Napoli, also averaging 6.1 successful duels and 4.3 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.

You can see the energy and completeness, and how his style literally exuded itself upon Antonio Conte’s side, lifting them higher, dynamising them.

Luiz was hailed as “one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders” by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell before his move and “one of the best [midfielders] in the world” in the words of Sky Italia, winning Aston Villa’s Player of the Season for the 2022/23 season, thus illustrating that his high-level ability is a sustainable thing, not just a flash-in-the-pan.

His remarkably complete level was something that McTominay has emulated in Italy. Now, the inverse could be true of the Brazilian, who could return to the Premier League and pick up where he left off, playing a talismanic part in guiding Man United back into the big time.

Man Utd open talks to sign Weghorst 2.0 who was "like Cristiano Ronaldo"

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ByEthan Lamb Jul 7, 2025

Latham says New Zealand need to be 'fluid' with player contracts

He also says it would be “a real honour” if he is picked to replace Kane Williamson as New Zealand’s new ODI captain

Andrew McGlashan17-Jul-2024

Tom Latham captained the side against Netherlands also, with Kane Williamson yet to recover fully•ICC via Getty Images

Tom Latham, who could be New Zealand’s next ODI captain, has said that the team will have to become increasingly flexible with how they adapt to players opting out of central contracts to take up franchise deals.Kane Williamson, Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne made themselves unavailable for the latest batch of contracts although former captain Williamson, who will play the SA20 in January, was given a casual agreement to reflect his continued standing among New Zealand’s most important players.Williamson will probably only miss a handful of limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka, and at the time of announcing his new arrangement insisted he remained fully committed to international cricket, but it marked another significant shift in the game following Trent Boult’s decision to decline a contract two years ago to allow him more T20 league opportunities.Related

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Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia locked in for New Zealand's home summer

“Think at the moment where cricket’s going in New Zealand is slightly different,” Latham said. “It’s certainly not a black and white situation, and certainly changing with all these leagues popping up. Guess everyone is in a slightly different boat in what their future may look like depending on their age or stage they are in life.”We’ve got a lot of cricket in the summer [and] got an ICC pinnacle event [the Champions Trophy] which is exciting to look forward to. So whether it be with different personnel, whether it be with the guys we are used to having, whenever we can have them I’m sure that will be great, but think we’ve certainly got to be pretty fluid with what things look like in the future.”New Zealand have become used to playing white-ball series without key players either through rotation or due to a clash with the IPL and the latter is set to happen again next season when they face Pakistan in late March. Latham added that the New Zealand contract system had worked well since its inception but suggested those in charge might see this as a time to review whether it fits the modern game.”Don’t know what the right system is, there is a lot of flexibility within our contracts at the moment, but think with the changing landscape of cricket I’m sure it will be something that New Zealand Cricket and the players’ association look at and try and come up with something,” he said.”We’ve seen over many years now, at times we haven’t had those senior guys. That gives me an opportunity as a senior player to step up and lead as well. But also other guys who haven’t necessarily had opportunities in the past to step up in different leadership roles. It’s never great when you miss guys of Kane’s calibre, but it gives opportunities to other guys to put their best foot forward.”Latham’s captaincy ambitionsLatham himself is not at the forefront of those deciding between international and franchise cricket given he is primarily a Test and ODI player. “There’s no Test franchise stuff…if that comes out, that would be great,” he joked.However, in a bid to find more T20 opportunity he had been due to head to Canada for the Global T20 tournament until he recently picked up a broken finger in training which will sideline him for four weeks. But it shouldn’t leave him in doubt for the start of New Zealand’s run of Test cricket in September when they are due to face Afghanistan in a one-off match before tours of Sri Lanka and India.There could also be a significant promotion in the pipeline with him among the candidates to succeed as ODI captain after Williamson had to relinquish the role with his contract decision. Latham has regularly stood in over the years, leading in 44 ODIs including last year’s World Cup when Williamson suffered a broken thumb.”It would obviously be a real honour,” Latham said. “For me it’s always been about trying to put the team first as best as possible and I’m sure they’ll have those discussions around what they want from a team point of view and certainly if I get the opportunity to do that it would be really special.”But if NZC wanted to unite both white-ball sides under the same person, to avoid three different leaders with Tim Southee the current Test captain, they may need to look elsewhere.”We’re not at the stage of confirming it yet, so I don’t want to speculate whether Tom will be or not,” coach Gary Stead said. “But he’s certainly one guy that will be in discussions around that role. The important thing is whoever is in place, we want in place for two to three years or so, leading to that next [ODI] World Cup. That will be one of the important decision-making factors that we discuss.”New Zealand will play six ODIs during their home summer, three apiece against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, before taking part in a tri-series in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy.

"Here we go is coming" – Romano says Liverpool will sign two stars imminently

An exciting transfer update has emerged regarding Liverpool’s quest to build a squad capable of retaining their Premier League crown, courtesy of Fabrizio Romano.

Liverpool closing in on stunning Wirtz move

The Reds appear to be edging closer to completing the most exciting signing of the summer in England, with Florian Wirtz on the verge of joining from Bayer Leverkusen.

He is expected to smash Liverpool’s transfer record, with a move of £116m mooted, in what could be among the club’s most significant signings of the past decade or so.

Wirtz has been voted as the best player in the Bundesliga in each of the past two seasons by his peers, highlighting his brilliance, and Reds supporters will be hoping that he can enjoy the same level of world-class influence that the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson have at Anfield.

Once the German superstar is confirmed as a Liverpool player, it will be time for the Reds to turn their attention to other targets.

Romano: Liverpool "on fire" with Kerkez set to join

Speaking on TikTok late on Sunday evening, Romano confirmed Wirtz will join the club once he finishes his holidays and completes a medical, but he also had news on Bournemouth star Milos Kerkez, revealing the Reds are “on fire”.

At this point, it would be a huge surprise if the Reds didn’t bring in Kerkez this summer, with the Hungarian at the top of their list for a long time now, and it’s not hard to see why.

Milos Kerkez

The Bournemouth man, on just £30,000-a-week on the south coast, already looks like such a polished footballer, despite his tender years, and the energy and competitive edge in his game have echoes of a young Andy Robertson, with former teammate Mat Ryan once heaping praise on him.

“Milos is a great boy. A crazy dude, in a good way. He is always positive and smiling. Hopefully he can develop even further in England and become even more mature. He is aggressive, powerful and has so many qualities. A unique skill set. Bournemouth is going to get stronger because of him. Milos still has a great career ahead of him.”

Liverpool could easily get close to a decade of great service from Kerkez, assuming he avoids serious injury, and regardless of whether Robertson stays or not this summer, the Cherries ace must be considered the Reds’ first-choice left-back.

Brathwaite: 'Dig deep. Don't give up. Test cricket is tough'

“Dig deep. Don’t give up. Test cricket is tough.”Kraigg Brathwaite is not expansive with the bat. Ditto with words. But in those pithy sentences, the West Indies captain sent a clear message to his players to not lose heart despite being beaten in two days and an hour at Lord’s .Brathwaite admitted West Indies had arrived at Lord’s with the aim of winning the first Test of the three-match series. His fast bowlers Kemar Roach (before he was injured) and Shamar Joseph wanted to ruin James Anderson’s farewell. Eventually, though, West Indies were simply the support cast at the Anderson gala attended by full houses including on Friday, for which the ECB refunded fans because there was fewer than 15 overs of play.”For me to the boys [the message] is generally: things will not always go as planned,” Brathwaite said after the defeat by an innings and 114 runs. “Also, we came to win the Test and it didn’t happen. But [there are] still two Tests remaining in this series and we still have six Tests remaining for the year. So it’s all a build-up. We can’t believe that because of this [England] win, we are out of it or anything. We got to dig deep, we got to keep believing and keep stressing on it. It’s easy to give up. It’s easy to say, ‘well, I can’t get it done’, but we got to keep believing and keep supporting one another.”West Indies’ batters committed basic errors with the bat•Getty Images

West Indies failed to bat 50 overs in both innings – 41.4 in the first, 47 in the second. No batter got to 50, with the unbeaten 31 from tailender Gudakesh Motie, who threw his bat around on day three, being their highest score. The disappointing bit for West Indies was that their batters were easily defeated and committed basic errors at the smallest nudge from England’s bowlers, especially debutant Gus Atkinson.Fast bowler Jayden Seales, who took four wickets on day two, had pointed to the batting failure on the first day when West Indies were dismissed for 121. Brathwaite, who made 6 and 4 at Lord’s, concurred.”Batting first, you want to put runs on the board in the first innings especially. We know where we went wrong. We know where we can be better. My thing for the group is stay mentally tough. It’s Test cricket. You go through successful periods, you go through tough periods, but you just got to be strong and believe in your ability. You got to believe that something’s around the corner. Just keep doing the right things. And everything will work out.”Related

  • Brathwaite hoping his batters 'find a way' to challenge England at Trent Bridge

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When asked what positives West Indies could take from this defeat, Brathwaite said bowling England out was a good start. “We got ten wickets. We did bowl them out albeit [for] 50-60 runs too many. With the bat, we got three guys that got 20-odd, they batted for close to an hour if not an hour. We caught decently as well.”West Indies do know how to win Tests and even series. They haven’t lost a Test series against England at home in two decades and are current holders of the Richards-Botham Trophy. Brathwaite said he, along with his predecessor Jason Holder, would remind the players of those facts and keep them inspired for the rest of the series.”We all have had some memories, we’ve all had glimpses of doing great stuff on this level … That’s what I call experience. That’s where experience comes in, Jason Holder has been great sharing his and I will continue to do it (too). As I said, we just got to dig deep on. Stay mentally tough.”

خاص | اتحاد الكرة يتحرك لضم هيثم حسن إلى منتخب مصر

بدأ مسئولو اتحاد الكرة برئاسة هاني أبو ريدة، تحركاتهم من أجل ضم هيثم حسن، لاعب ريال أوفييدو الإسباني إلى صفوف منتخب مصر.

ويمتلك هيثم حسن، لاعب الفريق الإسباني أصولًا مصرية وتونسية، لكنه يفضل الانضمام إلى صفوف الفراعنة.

طالع.. ميدو: 3 لاعبين في المنتخب لا يمكن أن يلعبوا أساسيين مع أي مدرب في العالم إلا حسام حسن

وأوضح مصدر خاص لـ بطولات، أن اتحاد الكرة خاطب اللاعب من أجل تسهيل إجراءات قدومه إلى مصر.

وجاء مخاطبة اتحاد الكرة للاعب من أجل البدء في إجراءاته المتعلقة بقدوم هيثم حسن بناءً على طلب الجهاز الفني لـ منتخب مصر، بقيادة حسن حسن.

ومن المنتظر أن يتواجد هيثم حسن في المعسكر المقبل، بعد التواصل معه حاليًا من جانب مسؤولي اتحاد الكرة.

ومن جهته أبدى هيثم حسن ترحيبه وسعادته للعب لمنتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم.

After Beadle: Birmingham City launch bid to sign their new Jota for £8.5m

Birmingham City supporters will be feeling extremely confident about their team’s chances of settling back into the Championship life well next season.

The second tier hasn’t always been the smoothest stomping ground for the Blues, with relegation depressingly coming their way at the end of the turmoil-ridden 2023/24 season, but after accumulating a record 111 points last season on the way to lifting the League One title, Chris Davies’ men will feel ready to take the difficult division by storm now.

A couple of new signings would certainly do the trick in helping Birmingham to manage the step-up with ease, as the likes of Bright Osayi-Samuel and Demarai Gray look set to join the assured St. Andrew’s camp very soon.

Away from all that speculation, however, a new signing was unveiled just yesterday, as ex-Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper James Beadle moves back into the Championship with the Blues on loan, away from parent side Brighton and Hove Albion.

More new signings after Beadle expected

Arguably, Birmingham were well-stocked in the goalkeeper department, but with the 20-year-old just fresh off collecting nine clean sheets for the Owls in the demanding division, it was evidently too tantalising a transfer to refuse.

It will be a case this summer of boosting their personnel all over the pitch ahead of the daunting step-up hitting them in the face, with faces such as Gray potentially joining and adding lots of experience in the division, having lined up 72 times in the Championship across his varied career to date.

Yet, Birmingham have had success when shopping in Europe’s top leagues too – as seen in defensive colossus Christoph Klarer coming in from Germany last summer – and this approach could pay off again in Birmingham landing Alaves star Carlos Vicente.

Indeed, a fresh report from a Spanish outlet indicates that Davies and Co. have put forward an offer of around £8.5m to land the exciting right winger, alongside Greek giants Olympiakos lodging their own bid.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Birmingham have been before when splashing the big bucks to win a Spanish attacker, with Vicente perhaps going on to be Davies’ very own Jota, after the former £6m winger managed to wreak havoc in the second tier with the Blues.

How Vicente can be Davies' own Jota

Jota would sour his time with Birmingham when he eventually moved on to cross-city nemesis Aston Villa, but the ex-Brentford forward was a joy to behold for Blues fans at the peak of his powers at St. Andrew’s.

In total, the now-retired attacker – who funnily enough bowed out of his playing days on the books of Vicente’s Alaves – would tally up a mightily impressive eight goals and 11 assists for the West Midlands giants, with the £8.5m target now hoping to follow in Jota’s footsteps in making similar waves in the Championship for Davies’ men.

Games played

37

Goals scored

5

Assists

5

Shots*

1.0

Key passes*

1.7

Big chances created

9

Total duels won*

4.8

In the same fashion as Jota before he became a well-known name in England, Vicente has been starring in Spain for some time now, as seen in his sparkling 24/25 output, leaving him with a sturdy five goals and five assists from 37 La Liga clashes.

Away from just those standout numbers, however, Vicente looks even more ready for the demands of the Championship when glancing at the number of duels he’s won, winning 4.9 duels per game last season in the Spanish top-flight. Even when Jota was performing at his maximum for the Blues during the 18/19 season, he would only average 3.1 on the contrary.

In the here and now, too, if Vicente does go on to be as successful as Jota donning Birmingham blue, Davies and Co. stand a better chance at him staying put, with their ex-number 23 never seeing the top half of the Championship when at St. Andrew’s.

The aim this coming season will be to reach those heights and achieve even more, as signings such as the £8.5m gem entering the building attempt to help make those dreams a reality.

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Tottenham in talks for £38m attacker who Levy thinks could be the next Mbeumo

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy holds high hopes for a player who Thomas Frank’s side are now reportedly in talks for, with the Lilywhites chief harboring an interesting theory about his quality behind-the-scenes.

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Spurs are braced for their first campaign under Ange Postecoglou’s replacement, and this summer transfer window will be absolutely vital when it comes Frank’s chances of competing on multiple fronts.

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025

Average match rating

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The north Londoners will be in next season’s Champions League draw after their triumph in the Europa League final, but with uncertainty surrounding the futures of key first-team players like Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero, their squad could look pretty different by their opening game of 2025/2026.

If the aforementioned pair do end up departing, amid rumoured interest from Atlético Madrid and the Saudi Pro League respectively, Levy will need to ensure that Frank has the necessary quality at his disposal to get his Spurs career off to the finest possible start.

Tottenham are reliably believed to be in the market for a quality new attacking midfielder/winger, and it is no coincidence these links come amid reports that Son could depart for Saudi.

In the last few days, following widespread claims that Spurs are top contenders to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, Frank’s side have now opened talks over a move for West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus instead.

The Ghanaian has an £85 million release clause in his contract, active for the first 10 days of this month, but West Ham could let him leave for a fee closer to £60 million, according to The Guardian.

Amid discussions to make Kudus their third potential signing of the summer after Mathys Tel and Japanese starlet Kota Takai, journalist Graeme Bailey has shared what Levy personally thinks of the former Ajax star, who West Ham signed for just £38 million.

What Daniel Levy thinks about Mohammed Kudus as Tottenham open talks

Writing for TBR Football, Bailey revealed information about Levy’s belief that Frank could make Kudus into another Bryan Mbeumo – and Spurs’ chairman is believed to be a real fan of the 24-year-old.

Mohammed Kudus for West Ham against Nottingham Forest.

As of now, Tottenham have held the “most advanced” talks in the race for Kudus’ signature, according to Bailey, with Levy’s close advisor, Fabio Paratici, also emerging as an admirer of the Hammers forward.

He didn’t exactly enjoy his best campaign at the London Stadium over the season just gone, at least in comparison to his debut year at West Ham, but Kudus still managed to register more successful take-ons per 90 on average than any other Premier League player bar Man City’s Jeremy Doku (WhoScored).

The former Eredivisie sensation can be truly devastating in one-v-one situations, and he’d be quite an exciting replacement for Son if the 32-year-old does wave goodbye to N17 after a memorable 10-year stay.

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