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The revolving door of transfers at Manchester United shows no sign of stopping as it has been revealed Ruben Amorim is chasing six potential targets when the coming windows open in January and in the summer. The focus will be on midfield signings with a number of high-profile stars potentially heading to Old Trafford as the club attempt to build a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title.

United’s struggles under Amorim

United’s Portuguese boss has endured a challenging time at Old Trafford since taking over from Erik ten Hag in November 2024, overseeing a dismal first season with the club. He has been unable to produce consistent results, with United recording their lowest ever Premier League points tally under his management, finishing 15th and failing to qualify for Europe. Amorim's inflexible adherence to his preferred 3-4-3 formation has come under scrutiny, with critics questioning its suitability for the current squad and players appearing to struggle within the system. The team's poor performances, including an embarrassing Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Grimsby Town, have also led to reports of low morale within the dressing room. But results have improved, as victory over Sunderland was followed by the morale-boosting win against heated rivals Liverpool.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTransfer trolley dash continues

United have failed to land the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, but it hasn’t been due to the lack of investment in the playing squad. In the five-year period from the 2020-21 to the end of the 24-25 season, Man Utd spent well over £800 million ($930m) on transfers. Their net spend is one of the highest in world football and the investment peaked during the 2022-23 season under Ten Hag, with £207m ($275.6m) spent on players such as Antony and Casemiro. In recent transfer windows, the club has continued its substantial outlay, including £219m ($291.5m) this summer. And now boss Amorim plans spend big again to refresh his midfield options. 

Six-man shortlist for Reds

Amorim has ambitious wanted list, but there are major stumbling blocks for all of them, according to a report in talkSPORT. Brighton's Carlos Baleba remains a priority, although the South Coast have ruled out a January sale. United are also interested in the highly-rated Elliot Anderson, but the England international is reluctant to leave Nottingham Forest mid-season, despite Sean Dyche's team currently sitting in the relegation zone. 

United are also monitoring Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace, though he recently signed an improved contract and has not pushed for a move, despite his stated ambition to play Champions League football. Angelo Stiller of Stuttgart is another potential option, reportedly open to a Premier League move. While United didn't bid for Stiller in the summer, they are tracking the 24-year-old, who has a £35 million ($46.5m) release clause that Stuttgart can remove. The most likely option is Conor Gallagher after a summer loan approach was rejected by Atletico Madrid in favour of a permanent deal, and Atleti want over £35 million. Gallagher has struggled for playing time at Atletico, making nine appearances but failing to complete a full match. And Chelsea's Andrey Santos is an ambitious target as the Blues have said the 21-year-old Brazilian is also not for sale.

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AFPHow midfield redesign could take shape

The next steps for United will depend on the future of the midfielders already at the club. Casemiro is heading into the final months of his contract and there are question marks over the future of Bruno Fernandes, who is wanted on a mega-money pay deal in Saudi Arabia. Kobbie Mainoo is also desperate for a move away from Old Trafford, but been blocked from leaving. If Amorim can clear some space, he can add at least two stars from his list… if he can convince them to come.

Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 14 teams across the National Women's Soccer League

Matchday 25 of 26 featured four teams clinching their playoff spots and two teams eliminated from postseason contention. Racing Louisville and North Carolina Courage are the last two teams left competing for the final playoff spot.

But five teams that have already secured their postseason berths are still vying for home-field advantage in the playoffs. So, how does the playoff picture look, with one match to go?

INDIVISA presents the latest 2025 NWSL Power Rankings.

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  14Chicago Stars

  Prior Ranking: 14

  Result: Lost to San Diego 6-1

  Ramifications: Chicago is playing for no stakes, but losing by a five-goal margin is never fun. Unfortunately, Alyssa Naeher’s two saves weren’t enough to stymie a San Diego side determined to make their third postseason. 

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• 13Bay FC

  Prior Ranking: 13

  Result: Lost to North Carolina 4-1

  Ramifications: It took three minutes for Manaka Matsukubo to score on Bay FC. And by the time the match finished, she scored twice more. Unfortunately for the Californians, Courage keeper Casey Murphy was as hot as Matsukubo. Bay got six shots on target, but Murphy’s five saves limited them to just one goal.

• 12Utah Royals

  Prior Ranking: 11

  Result: Lost 2-1 to Seattle 

  Ramifications: The Royals were eliminated from the playoffs last week, but they put in another respectable end-of-year performance against fourth-place Seattle. They clocked just as many shots on target as the Reign (four) but Claudia Dickey’s three saves limited them to a one goal from Paige Monaghan.

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• 11Angel City

  Prior Ranking: 10

  Result: Lost to Portland 2-0

  Ramifications: On a night in which Angel City celebrated the retirements of multiple NWSL legends –  including Christen Press and Ali Riley – they lost 2-0 to Portland. And that came after already being eliminated from the playoffs thanks to Louisville’s draw with Gotham.  

Abahani bank on experience

Abahani had dropped four points in the first phase, so they needed to keep winning in the Super League phase, where the top six teams from the first phase play each other once again. Mohammedan Sporting Club had pursued them right to the last game, setting up a finale at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Tuesday.Abahani outclassed Mohammedan in the title-deciding game, winning by six wickets with 56 balls to spare. Mohammedan were mired in controversy last week. Towhid Hridoy was banned for one game for arguing with the umpire Sharfuddoula about an lbw appeal, but it was extended to two matches when he made an outburst in the post-match press conference on April 12.The BCB’s umpires committee chairman Iftekhar Ahmed reduced Hridoy’s ban to one game, which allowed him to play Mohammedan’s April 20 match against Agrani Bank. By now, umpire Sharfuddoula was among the two BCB employees to resign, reportedly in protest of the decision to reduce the ban. Enamul Haque was the other, who resigned from his post on the DPL’s technical committee.The BCB then announced that Hridoy would have to serve the ban for that game, which was followed by a group of players, led by Tamim Iqbal, to meet the BCB officials on April 25. Tamim called the incident “laughable”, after which the BCB reneged from their position. Hridoy was now available for Mohammedan’s next match against Gazi Group Cricketers on April 26. However, during that game, Hridoy was found guilty of reacting to his dismissal, for which he incurred another demerit point. It got to eight points in total, which meant he was now banned for four games. He didn’t appear in Mohammedan’s DPL finale against Abahani.

Anamul finally gets his due

Anamul Haque finished the tournament with 874 runs in 14 innings, including four centuries and as many fifties. It was yet another massive season for the opening batter, who took his centuries tally across all formats to 51. Apart from the obvious celebration, bigger news was waiting for him. The national selectors picked him for the second Test against Zimbabwe, his first in nearly three years.Left-hand opener Parvez Hossain Emon finished on 798 runs, while Mohammad Naim made 618, his 176 being the highest individual score of the season. Amite Hasan was the other batter to cross the 600-run mark this DPL.

Mosaddek, Rakibul take 30 each

It was hard to get past Abahani in the middle overs throughout the campaign, as Mosaddek Hossain and left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan cut down the runs significantly. The pair took 30 wickets each, and finished as the joint-top wicket-takers for the season. Among fast bowlers, Mohammad Saifuddin took 24 wickets to finish third while left-arm quick Shoriful Islam picked up 21.

Best match

Mohammedan got into the position as title contenders thanks to their last-ball win against Gazi Group Cricketers in their penultimate match. Nasum Ahmed was their batting hero, hitting two sixes and a four in his unbeaten 13-ball 21, as they chased down Gazi Group’s 237-run target off the final ball.

How the Super League unfolded

Abahani kept their nerve in the last game, but Mohammedan made a fair run for it. In the end, they needed a win in the league’s last game to get ahead in the head-to-head count. It was also an impressive season for Gazi Group and Legends of Rupganj, while Agrani Bank and Gulshan Cricket Club were good as first-timers.

Big picture: Will the real SRH stand up?

One team is hammering away runs quicker than everyone bar Lucknow Super Giants, while the other has lost more wickets than anyone in the powerplay.One team is seeing a new batting hero in every game, while the other is looking around for someone to stand up with the bat.One has the second-best batting average for a team this season, while the other has the second-worst batting average for a team’s top three.It’s almost like Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have swapped places this IPL, and now they run into each other with contrasting fortunes and form. The PBKS batting is lighting up fireworks like never before with three different batters – including Priyansh Arya, the latest IPL sensation – taking home the Player-of-the-Match awards in their three wins, and all this without Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell doing anything of note.SRH, meanwhile, have as many worries as PBKS have things to brag about. Runs have almost vanished for all of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan after their first game. Even though more and more questions are being asked about their uber-aggressive batting approach, their bowlers have the worst economy rate (10.73) and the highest bowling average (41.47) in the tournament. They have the second-fewest wickets in the middle overs (7-16), and in the absence of a big-ticket spinner in their XI – having left out Adam Zampa – there is too much responsibility on the shoulders of inexperienced Zeeshan Ansari.Be it with their batting or bowling, SRH quickly need to turn things around before the playoffs qualification gets out of their hands.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad LLLL (last four matches, most recent first)
Punjab Kings WLWWIf fit, Harshal Patel will slot back in for Punjab Kings•Associated Press

Team news and likely XIIs

Harshal Patel had missed the last match for SRH because of an illness, and was replaced by Jaydev Unadkat, who got just two overs. If Harshal is fit again, he should slot right back in for his death bowling and cutters he bangs into the pitch. The bigger question is if they will go back to Zampa and leave out Kamindu Mendis for a better wicket-taking option.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable XII): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Kamindu Mendis, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Zeeshan Ansari, 10 Jaydev Unadkat/Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Simarjeet Singh/Rahul ChaharPBKS went unchanged into their last game, against CSK, and brought in right-arm quick Yash Thakur for the centurion Arya when it was time to bowl. They might do the same once again.Punjab Kings (probable XII): 1 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nehal Wadhera, 5 Shashank Singh, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Lockie Ferguson, 12 Yash Thakur

Big question

SRH head coach Dan Vettori said after their last game he still wanted his top order to go aggressive, but said they must also “respect conditions”. What’s the best way forward for them?

In the spotlight

The Pat Cummins we have seen so far is not the same Pat Cummins we saw with the ball last year. He has been leaking runs at 11.16 an over, which is a far cry from his economy rate of 7.30 after the first five matches last season. For context, his team-mates Mohammed Shami and Harshal have gone at less than 9.50 per over so far this IPL. As compared to bowling nearly half his overs in the middle overs the last season that fetched him nine wickets while going at under eight an over, Cummins has brought himself on in the powerplay more often this time but hasn’t struck more than twice and leaked 9.28 runs an over. The death overs have been the worst for him this IPL, with no wickets and an economy rate touching 19. Can he, like his batters, turn things around in this home fixture?Pat Cummins has been leaking runs at 11.16 an over this season•Associated Press

Yuzvendra Chahal appears like a shade of himself this season, having gone wicketless in three out of four outings so far. He has also not always been given his full quota, though. Against CSK, he came on only in the 17th over for his lone over and didn’t get his fourth over against Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans. If SRH’s top order fires on Saturday, he will have the big task of bowling to three left-hand batters in Abhishek, Head and Kishan, and possibly Mendis later.

Stats and trivia

• The average for Head and Abhishek’s opening stand has fallen sharply from 49.90 last season to 16.80 this IPL.
• Kishan has a delicious match-up against two PBKS bowlers. Against Arshdeep Singh, he has struck 31 runs in 15 balls while being dismissed three times. And against Chahal, he strikes at nearly 172 but has also fallen three times to him in 32 balls.
• Shreyas Iyer has a strike rate of exactly 200 this IPL.
• Maxwell’s highest IPL score (95) was against SRH back in 2014, when he was with the same team, PBKS.

Pitch and conditions

Hyderabad has hosted three games so far, where SRH batted first on all three occasions, and their totals dipped from 286 to 190 to 152. It has been raining in the lead-up to the match, along with some thunderstorms and gusts of winds. The good news is that there is no rain forecast for Saturday evening. The temperature is expected to dip below 30 degrees Celsius after hitting 36 or so in the afternoon.

Quotes

“I don’t think there are any concerns with Maxwell. We all know what a great player he is. He just finishes off the game so he’s that kind of a confident player and we all believe in him, and so does our coach Ricky Ponting.”

Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has reiterated the club's commitment to Harry Kane, stating that they have no intention of parting ways and are focused on helping him succeed. The comments were prompted by Tottenham manager Thomas Frank, who had publicly expressed his openness to Kane rejoining the Premier League club. Coach Vincent Kompany subsequently declined to comment on the matter.

Thomas Frank says Harry Kane is more than welcome at Tottenham

Ever since Kane left for Bayern, there has been a constant feeling among the club's supporters that he will eventually return and retire in the league where he found his stride. When Frank was recently asked his opinion on a Kane reunion, the Danish manager said he believes that the striker is doing well at Bayern and will not be thinking of moving to England as of now. However, should he want to rejoin the club, Frank insisted he would be "more than welcome."

This revelation was significant as Kane is not only the club's record goalscorer with 280 goals but is in the form of his life at Bayern. In addition, the England international reportedly has a €64 million (£56m/$76m) release clause in his contract which can be triggered next year, fuelling more expectations and speculation among the supporters.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportBayern's response to Harry Kane's transfer speculation

In a pre-match press conference, Bayern sporting director Eberl was asked to comment on Kane and whether his release clause could lead to complications.

"He's old enough to make his own decisions, whether clause or no clause, whatever – if he says: 'I want to make a decision,' then he'll make it, as he showed at Tottenham," he said. "But our wish is, of course, to be very, very successful with Harry this season and in the future! 

When the same question was run through Kompany, the coach said: "Harry is in an excellent phase. The last thing I want is to open the door to other discussions."

He further shared how Kane has developed over time and what he sees now is different from the Kane that he faced during his playing days at Manchester City.

"They are two different players, the way I saw him then and the way I see him now. I think Harry has made a decision to open up his game more. This allows him to sometimes escape the attention of defenders and still score. I like having him in a position where he can score goals, but at the moment, it's working very well."

Harry Kane's time at Bayern Munich

Kane joined Bayern in 2023 as the Bundesliga’s most expensive signing and quickly proved his worth as a goal-scoring machine. In his debut season, he netted 36 league goals, earning the European Golden Shoe, and shattered records, including the fastest to 50 Bundesliga goals. He finished as top scorer in his first two seasons, helped Bayern secure the 2024-25 Bundesliga title-his first major trophy-and became the highest-scoring Englishman in Champions League history. Renowned for both finishing and playmaking, Kane had over 90 goals in just 100 appearances by 2025, cementing his status as a cornerstone of Bayern’s success.

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Getty Images SportBayern will hope to maintain their win streak

Bayern have maintained a seven-game win streak this campaign across all competitions, having not lost a single match yet. Kompany's men are set to face Werder Bremen in their next league match on September 26 before they fly to Cyprus to face Pafos in the Champions League on September 30.

أبدى يانيك فيريرا المدير الفني لفريق الزمالك، حزنه الشديد من التعادل مع غزل المحلة، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وتعادل الزمالك مع فريق غزل المحلة، بهدف لكل منهما، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما في إطار مواجهات الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الممتاز.

وبهذه النتيجة، رفع فريق الزمالك رصيده إلى 18 نقطة، في المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري الممتاز، بينما رفع غزل المحلة رصيده إلى 11 نقطة في المركز الرابع عشر في جدول الترتيب.

وقال فيريرا في تصريحاته للمؤتمر الصحفي عقب المباراة:” سيطرنا على مجريات المباراة، وكل اللاعبين أدّوا بشكل جيد، وسيطرنا على المباراة بسهولة، لكننا تعادلنا بسبب خطأين، وهو أمر محبط”.

وأضاف: “الإحباط الأكبر أننا نفقد نقاطًا لا يستحق المنافس الحصول عليها، وتكرر هذا الأمر للمباراة الثانية على التوالي، لذا يجب أن نتحلى بالصبر حتى نعود إلى طريق الانتصارات”.

طالع.. فيديو | غزل المحلة يخطف نقطة ثمينة ويُزيد معاناة الزمالك في الدوري المصري

وتابع: “التغييرات الثلاثة التي أجريناها دفعة واحدة كانت للاعبين يشاركون معًا لأول مرة، وقد بذلوا مجهودًا كبيرًا في المباراة، وعملنا على زيادة الشق الهجومي، وجاءت التغييرات وفقًا لظروف المباراة، بعضها بسبب الإصابة، والبعض الآخر نتيجة المجهود الكبير المبذول من اللاعبين”.

وواصل فيريرا: “لدينا حركية هجومية، وشارك أكثر من لاعب في مراكز مختلفة، ولم تكن هناك أي مشكلة في ذلك، ووصلنا إلى مرمى المنافس كثيرًا، لكننا أهدرنا الفرص”.

وأختتم فيريرا تصريحاته قائلا: “كل المباريات لها سيناريوهات مختلفة، لكن ما يتشابه بينها أننا نسجل هدف التقدم ثم نستقبل أهدافًا لأسباب متنوعة، ففي مباراة وادي دجلة جاءت الأهداف نتيجة أخطاء دفاعية، وأمام الأهلي بسبب أخطاء فردية، بينما في مباراة اليوم أمام غزل المحلة كان الهدف نتيجة تمركز خاطئ من أحد اللاعبين، ولا يمكن أن يطلب أحد من اللاعب أن يتمركز بشكل خاطئ”.

Adelaide Strikers put a severe dent in the WBBL finals hopes of the Perth Scorchers with a 30-run victory as Megan Schutt put on a masterclass.Strikers posted 169 for 6, with Laura Wolvaardt, Smriti Mandhana, and Katie Mack the chief contributors at Karen Rolton Oval. Scorchers slumped to 17 for 4 as Schutt ran through the top order, leaving their finals chances hanging precariously.With two games left, Scorchers remain in fifth spot with eight points and they trail fourth-placed Hobart Hurricanes by a sizeable run rate difference.Strikers, champions of the past two tournaments, climbed from bottom of the ladder to seventh – they have six points but just one match remaining.Strikers were sent into bat openers Mandhana and Mack made an instant impact, taking 40 from the initial four overs. They reached 81 in the 10th over when Mandhana was caught at mid-off from the bowling of Sophie Devine, ending a knock featuring five fours and a six.Just eight balls later, Mack advanced down the pitch but was beaten by a perfectly flighted delivery from legspinner Alana King and was stumped.Wolvaardt soon took centre stage with her rapid-fire innings featuring three fours and three sixes – two from consecutive balls from Chloe Ainsworth.The South African was caught on the cover boundary with three balls remaining and King finished with another stumping on the last ball, giving her figures of 3 for 29.Scorchers’ run chase began terribly with Maddy Darke bowled by Schutt second ball. And in the third over, Schutt struck with consecutive deliveries, dismissing Dayalan Hemalatha and bowling Amy Edgar for a golden duck with a top-shelf inswinger, to boast figures of 3 for 6.Schutt was denied a hat-trick by Scorchers stalwart Beth Mooney, who fell in the next over for 6 as the Scorchers crashed to 17 for 4 from 3.3 overs. Skipper Devine and new signing Brooke Halliday rallied but the task was beyond them.

Ireland have dropped Test captain Andy Balbirnie from their T20I squad to face South Africa in Abu Dhabi later this month, with the selectors looking to create “a new dynamic” at the top of the order.Balbirnie is Ireland’s second-highest T20I run-scorer but has struggled for form this year, averaging 24.83 in his 12 innings and scoring at a strike rate of only 113.74. He missed Leinster Lightning’s most recent T20 in the Inter-Pros, with Lorcan Tucker opening the batting in his absence, suggesting he could replace Balbirnie as Paul Stirling’s opening partner.”One area we will explore on this tour is the top order in our T20 squad,” Andrew White, Ireland’s national selector, said. “We’ll be looking at introducing a new dynamic, with Andrew Balbirnie sitting out the T20Is on this occasion. There are only two T20Is in the upcoming series, but they will offer important opportunities as we try to increase our levels of performance again.”Balbirnie has been named in the squad for the three-match ODI series which follows the T20Is and will continue alongside Stirling at the top of the order in that format. “Andrew remains very much central to our thoughts and will open the batting in the ODIs,” White said.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Josh Little is not included in either squad due to his involvement in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League, where he is playing for Trinbago Knight Riders. Little and Balbirnie are the two men to drop out from June’s T20 World Cup squad, with left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys added.Ireland were eliminated at the group stage of the T20 World Cup and were hugely underwhelming. They lost all three of their completed matches – against India, Canada and Pakistan – and had their fixture against co-hosts United States in Florida washed out.Meanwhile, uncapped legspinner Gavin Hoey is in contention for an ODI debut, with allrounder Gareth Delany only included in the T20I squad. Stephen Doheny and Andy McBrine will also arrive for the ODIs, with Ross Adair joining Delany in heading home after the T20Is.”2026 and 2027 are pivotal years for our white-ball squads – those years being the next T20 and 50-over World Cups respectively. Given their timeframes, it means we are looking at this upcoming series against South Africa as the start of a new cycle,” White said.”We need to deepen our pool of international cricketers and for the likes of Gavin Hoey, he will come into the international arena with greater confidence following his involvement in such fixtures and this is hugely important. The volume of international fixtures leading into 2027 is exciting and there will be opportunities for players to make their mark.”Ireland are staging South Africa’s tour in Abu Dhabi due to “infrastructure constraints” which they hope will be overcome with the development of a new national stadium. South Africa have already announced their squads for the series, with many of their first-choice players rested.Ireland T20I squad vs South Africa: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Matthew Humphreys, Graham Hume, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.Ireland ODI squad vs South Africa: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.Fixtures: September 27 and 29 – T20Is; October 2, 4 and 7 – ODIs (all Abu Dhabi)

After such a dismal season in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur last time around, it’s no surprise to see huge changes coming into place at the club.

Ange Postecoglou was the man to lead the side throughout 2024/25, finally ending the Lilywhites’ near two-decade wait for a trophy, but their league standing was what cost him his job in North London.

He was subsequently dismissed, which saw Thomas Frank handed the responsibility of building on such a triumph heading into the 2025/26 campaign.

The new boss has already been handed the funds he desires to make changes to the first-team squad, landing Mohammed Kudus in a £55m transfer from West Ham United.

Their big spending looks set to continue as the new season draws ever closer, with countless names still on their radar despite the recent additions made by Frank.

The latest on Spurs’ hunt for new additions

Morgan Gibbs-White’s move to join Spurs may rumble on for some time, despite seemingly being a matter of when, not if he would join the club just a few days ago.

After triggering the Nottingham Forest star’s £60m release clause, it seemed like a deal would rapidly be completed, but Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have threatened legal action for an illegal approach for his signature.

Whilst such a move continues to be up in the air, work has been done elsewhere in the division, leading to Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton being another target, according to Alasdair Gold.

The journalist claimed in recent days that the hierarchy have kept a close eye on the 21-year-old in recent times, even before he made the move to Selhurst Park.

He also stated that he remains a target for the Lilywhites this summer, but won’t pay an over-inflated fee for the youngster given his lack of top-flight experience.

GIVEMESPORT have suggested the Eagles may be looking for around £80m.

Why Spurs’ latest target would be perfect for Gibbs-White

Even though the deal for Gibbs-White has seemingly hit a standstill, there are still expectations at Spurs that a deal could be completed with Forest during the off-season.

Undoubtedly, he would be a superb addition to the side, able to operate as an eight if needed, but his talents are certainly more suited to a free role behind the striker.

His record of seven goals and eight assists at the City Ground last campaign is evidence of the talent he possesses, handing Frank another excellent option within his side should he move to the Lilywhites.

It would be an excellent price tag, hence why Forest are disputing the current situation, with the England international having the tools to reach the next level at Spurs.

He would also have a massive chance to do so if he was joined at the club by Wharton, with the youngster having the quality to aid the 25-year-old in his quest.

When delving into Wharton’s stats from 2024/25, he’s excelled in numerous key areas, many of which would allow Gibbs-White to thrive in a more attacking role.

Wharton, who’s been labelled “world-class” by one analyst, managed to complete 7.3 progressive passes and 5.3 passes into the final third per 90 last time around, having the ability to provide the pending addition with the tools to torment the opponent.

Games played

20

Goals & assists

2

Pass accuracy

76%

Progressive passes

7.3

Key passes

1.8

Passes into final third

5.3

Tackles won

2.3

Interceptions made

1.4

Clearances made

1.8

Recoveries made

6.9

Being able to find teammates is one thing, but his ability to regain the ball is second to none, winning 2.3 tackles per 90 and making 1.4 interceptions per 90 – providing himself with the ammunition to create changes for the likes of Gibbs-White.

Such talents would allow him to sit at the base of Frank’s midfield trio, able to dictate the play and control the game before having an impact with the ball at his feet.

As previously mentioned, it’s unclear if the club will make any offers for the youngster’s signature, but it’s evident he has the ability to thrive alongside his compatriot at the heart of the side.

It would also be an addition that could set the club up for many years, having the chance to develop further and get even better given he is still just 21 years of age.

Big picture – Opportunities galore

The new T20 World Cup champions were given a rousing welcome on their return home but even as the country celebrates their history-makers, one eye turns towards the future.Fifteen of India’s promising colts – captained by Shubman Gill – are in Zimbabwe now laying the groundwork for the time that they too may one day experience: the high of an open-top bus parade with fans as far as the eye can see serenading them.Related

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There are spots up for grabs. Two of them, in particular, which Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be trying to make their own. Rinku Singh was there in Barbados but only as reserve. He’ll want to fix that. Riyan Parag is starting to make good on his promise. Washington Sundar is 24 and injury-free with India potentially needing a new spin-bowling allrounder in their first-choice XI.Zimbabwe will see opportunity too, not least in upsetting the newly-minted champions after being unable to make the World Cup. Hosting an India series brings an influx of money and no shortage of eyeballs, some of whom might be on the lookout for skills that can translate to success in the various franchise tournaments happening around the world. These days, a cricket match is not just a chance to bring glory to the team.

Form guide

Zimbabwe WLLLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
India WWWWW

In the spotlight – Shubman Gill and Sikandar Raza

Shubman Gill is in the middle of a bit of a blip. His first real brush with captaincy, through April and May, didn’t go as planned with Gujarat Titans finishing eighth out of ten teams in IPL 2024. His time with India at the T20 World Cup in June was very brief but now in July he finds himself with the power to do what he likes, at least for the course of these five matches. Will he bat like India want their players to, with aggression from the first ball, or will he do something different?Sikandar Raza will look to find form•AFP/Getty Images

Zimbabwe tripped up, badly, in the Africa T20 World Cup qualifiers in November 2023. Sikandar Raza was captain. They hosted Ireland in December, but after an excellent all-round contribution in a one-wicket victory, he was suspended from the rest of the series due to an on-field altercation. Then Raza lost his form, with four single-digit scores in six T20I innings, but his last one was a match-winning half-century against Bangladesh. He’s also produced good showings for Northamptonshire in the Vitality Blast (206 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 153). Raza’s back on the up and he wants his team to be as well.

Team news – Count the debuts

This India squad is very much a work in progress so the XIs that come out of it might not have all their bases covered. The batting, for example, might only go down as far as No. 7 which certainly does not encourage the hit-every-ball-out-of-the-park philosophy they are trying to perfect. Also, the players themselves haven’t proven themselves at this level. Then again, they haven’t been exposed to it all that often either. Look out for debuts. There could be four or five. Gill confirmed Abhishek Sharma will open the batting alongside him.India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Dhruv Jurel/Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Khaleel AhmedZimbabwe are searching for new talent themselves. Some of their better-known players like Sean Williams and Craig Ervine weren’t considered for this series and Ryan Burl has been dropped. Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta, though, are back in contention after serving out four-month suspensions for drug use.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brian Bennett, 2 Tadiwanashe Marumani, 3 Sikandar Raza (capt), 4 Johnathan Campbell, 5 Antum Naqvi, 6 Clive Madande (wk), 7 Wessly Madhevere, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Faraz Akram, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Blessing Muzarabani

Pitch and conditions – Runs at a premium

This will be Harare’s first T20I of the year. First-innings totals in the recent past have been a bit middling, with only five of the last 12, going past 150. In those last 12 matches, spinners (69 wickets at 19.71 and economy rate of 6.6) have done better than the fast bowlers (80 wickets at 25.92 and an economy rate of 7.82). There is no threat of rain with temperatures in the mid-20C.

Stats and trivia

• India have faced Zimbabwe in only eight T20Is over the course of 14 years. They’ve won six and lost two.
• Raza needs 53 more to become the first Zimbabwean to score 2000 runs in T20Is.