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Mendis, Karunaratne, Mathews, Chandimal and de Silva refused to buckle, and that’s not happened often

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Mar-2023Sometimes you need only describe the scene at a cricket ground to know what is about to happen.The skies monochrome and heavy like a wet blanket that is about to be applied to the series at the first opportunity. The pitch so flush with vegetation, woodland creatures have taken residence. The outfield damp, as a cold drizzle descends occasionally on biting winds. And while the local bowlers – all tall and strapping – are lithe and powerful in their warm-up overs on the practice pitches, Sri Lanka batters swaddled in woollen sweaters face throwdowns, bearing the air of soon-to-be human sacrifices on an altar of seam bowling.Win the toss. Put Sri Lanka in. Watch the ball leap gleefully off bat edges into a pair of hands in the slip cordon, batter after batter clunking off like marionettes, the scoreboard showing 45 for 3, then 67 for 5, tail-end swipes pushing the total just beyond 100. Here are the familiar beats of a day one story for Sri Lanka at a ground such as Hagley Oval.Related

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• Mendis 87 leads Sri Lanka's batting charge on day one

Last time they were here, they didn’t have to bat first, but were nevertheless 104 all out. The previous time, they had the likes of Kumar Sangakkara in the XI, and were blitzed for 138. Barring second-innings near-miracles, which Sri Lanka do occasionally produce, these are match-defining mires. (And then New Zealand will go out to bat and put on half a million for six, wearing polite smiles that serve only to underscore the incompetence that had preceded.)And then, this. Four years after they had last played a Test in New Zealand (megaspanked by 423 runs, at this very venue), here was a day of astoundingly non-trash batting. Of gloriously semi-decent defensive play, of gobsmackingly okayish technique. Had Sri Lanka’s batters done the work to figure out the whereabouts of their off stump they started a Test on foreign soil? The mere thought should bring a tear of pure pride to the eyes of any Sri Lanka fan.Kusal Mendis, perhaps the form man in the XI, led the way. Key to his 87 off 83 was his judgment of length on a somewhat bouncy surface. When it was on a good length, he defended close to his body, almost always with soft hands, so that on the occasions the ball seamed and took the edge, the ball bounced short of the slips. Mostly, though, he defended inside the line, using his bat largely as an obstacle to deliveries that might pin him in front of the stumps, or sneak through to the wickets.When New Zealand’s bowlers bowled fuller, pressing hard for that catchable edge, Mendis committed fully to his front-foot strokes, sometimes driving imperiously, other times sending it squirting off the face of the bat through backward point, otherwise flicking deliciously off his pads.Angelo Mathews scored 38 of his 47 runs through the leg side, but looked gorgeous when driving down the ground•Getty ImagesHe hit 50 off 40 balls, as New Zealand’s bowlers had a modest morning themselves – 44 of those runs coming in boundaries. He and Dimuth Karunaratne, who was equally compact, but less aggressive against the hittable deliveries, put on a 137-run second-wicket partnership that formed the bedrock of Sri Lanka’s day-one progress. They would get out in successive overs, but their departure was unusually followed by further batting competence.Angelo Mathews waited for the shorter deliveries, scoring 38 of his 47 runs through the leg side, having also clipped a couple of boundaries off his pads. Dinesh Chandimal preferred the off side, hitting each of his six boundaries in that direction. Dhananjaya de Silva manufactured boundaries wherever he could, as he batted in the company of Kasun Rajitha towards the end of the day.Their scoring areas were diverse, but almost all of Sri Lanka’s top-seven batters covered the stumps, declined to lunge at balls until they were set, were unperturbed by the deliveries that beat their bats, and did not follow seaming balls outside their stumps. Collectively, they refused to collapse even in the face of probing bowling (mostly from Tim Southee and Matt Henry), as they often have in seaming conditions.Given the long tail, and the lack of experience in Sri Lanka’s attack (which New Zealand are very capable of exploiting), 305 for 6 is not an outstanding first-day score. New Zealand may well go on to dominate the match. But under the circumstances, Sri Lanka were passable. And you do not often say that of a Sri Lanka side on day one in New Zealand.

Statistical highlights from the four-match Test series between India and England

Sampath Bandarupalli09-Mar-202181.54 Percentage of reviews struck down in this Test series, the second-highest percentage among the 26 Test series with at least 25 reviews since September 2017. Only 12 of the 65 DRS reviews by India and England got upheld across the four matches. Of the 65 DRS reviews in this series, 31 alone were against Nitin Menon, easily the most for an umpire during a Test series in the past four years.ESPNcricinfo LtdESPNcricinfo Ltd46.6 Bowling strike rate during this Test series, the best in a Test series of four-plus matches. The Indian bowlers bagged 80 wickets at a strike rate of 42, while the visitors took 58 wickets at 52.8.ESPNcricinfo Ltd0 Instances of a player being the lone centurion and the only player to claim five-plus wicket haul(s) for his team in a four-plus match Test series before Joe Root did it against India in this series. Root scored England’s only individual century of the series, and also accounted for the only five-wicket haul by the visitors.ESPNcricinfo Ltd104 Wickets taken by spin bowlers in this Test series are the third-most number of wickets claimed by spinners in a Test series. The five-match Test series between India and England in 1972-73 saw as many as 109 wickets claimed by spinners, while 108 wickets went to spin bowlers during the India and England series in 2016.67 Wickets for the Indian spinners during this series, the most for any team’s spinners in a four-match Test series. India surpassed their record of 65 wickets during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home in 2013.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 Number of fifty-plus partnerships for the first three wickets in this series, the second-fewest number of fifty-plus stands among the 220 Test series with 40-plus partnerships for the first three wickets . West Indies’ tour of New Zealand in 1955-56 had only three fifty-plus stands across 41 partnerships for the first three wickets.19.83 Average runs per wicket in this Test series for England, the third-lowest by them in a four-plus match Test series . The England team averaged only 19.11 in the four-match Test series during the West Indies tour in 1934-35, and only 19.1 in the five-match series in South Africa in 1905-06.31 Number of ducks across four matches in this series, the most ducks in a four-match Test series. The record was previously held by England vs Pakistan series in 2010 with 29 ducks.

There will be October baseball in Beantown.

Needing a win to clinch a postseason berth, the Red Sox battled back from a 3-1 deficit on Friday night to walk off the Tigers 4-3 at Fenway Park. Ceddanne Rafaela played hero, mashing a triple off the wall in center field in the ninth to bring home Romy Gonzalez and punch Boston's ticket to the playoffs.

Four of the six playoff spots are decided in the American League now that the Blue Jays, Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox have all clinched. The two remaining playoff spots will be decided in the final two days of the regular season as the Tigers, Guardians and Astros jockey for position.

The Tigers, who held a 10.5-game lead in the AL Central at the beginning of September, could have clinched a playoff berth Friday night with a win combined with an Astros loss. The good news for Detroit? The Guardians also lost, falling 7-3 to the Rangers, as did Houston in a 4-3 loss to the Angels.

Despite the loss, Cleveland, which owns the tiebreaker over Detroit, still sits in first place in the AL Central with an 86-74 record. The Guardians can clinch a division title Saturday night with a win over the Rangers combined with a Tigers loss.

The Tigers and Guardians can both clinch a playoff spot Saturday night with a win another loss by Houston to the Angels.

Elsewhere in the American League, the Mariners lost 3-2 to the Dodgers on Friday night. That means the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs belongs to the AL East champion—either the Blue Jays or Yankees, who remain tied with identical 92-68 records.

Here's how everything stands following the Red Sox' big win:

American League Playoff PictureAL DIVISION LEADERS

TEAM

RECORD

x – Toronto Blue Jays (AL East)

92-68

x – Seattle Mariners (AL West)

90-70

Cleveland Guardians (AL Central)

86-74

AL WILD CARD

TEAM

RECORD

GB

x – New York Yankees

92-68

+6

x – Boston Red Sox

88-72

+2

Detroit Tigers

86-74

—

—

—

—

Houston Astros

85-75

1

Liverpool haven’t been very good this season. That’s an understatement, too, with Arne Slot’s side having fallen so far below expectations after so dominantly winning the Premier League last year.

Though the Reds have stopped the rot that was spreading after nine losses from 12 fixtures in all competitions, winning at West Ham before drawing against Sunderland at Anfield, there is still so much to be desired from this group, whose mini-revival is presently built atop a house of cards.

Whether the head coach finds the formula that will shift Liverpool back into a winning outfit is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that performances and results have been so far below the firmly set standard that it beggars belief, and Slot needs to make changes before he finds himself on borrowed time, with potential successors already being touted in the media.

Liverpool looking at Slot replacement

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool chiefs Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are putting serious thought into appointing Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner to replace Slot.

Glasner, 51, has defied the odds at Selhurst Park over the past few years, winning the FA Cup in May and then the Community Shield (against Liverpool) at the start of the current campaign. They are currently fifth in the Premier League.

It’s important to stress that there have not been any talks with Palace or the Austrian’s entourage. FSG remain committed to guiding their Dutch coach through this storm.

However, if it doesn’t abate, sources indicate Glasner is emerging as the preferred candidate to take the Anfield hot seat.

What Oliver Glasner would bring to Liverpool

Glasner has achieved great things with Crystal Palace, and his past Europa League-winning success with Eintracht Frankfurt corroborates the claim that he is a “top-five manager in the world”, as suggested by one English football content creator.

Though appointing Glasner would require something of a tactical transformation on Merseyside, with the Palace boss typically fielding a 3-4-2-1 formation, he is relaxed about the minutiae of his systems, which are interchangeable and open to tweaks. This tactical pliability suggests that he could be an interesting pick from the FSG hierarchy.

Glasner gets it. And, moreover, he speaks with the clarity and intellect to throw down with any top manager in the Premier League, perhaps even having the credentials to wage tactical battle against the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.

The ever-outspoken Jamie O’Hara has even gone as far as to suggest that Glasner is “a better manager” than Arteta, with his trophy-winning credentials and the instant level-up he has overseen in south London bearing testament to that claim.

O’Hara’s football allegiances may lend themselves to a dislike of the high-flying Gunners project, but there is something to be said of Glasner’s success in taking over a Palace side that had lost their way under Roy Hodgson and have since achieved superstardom, plying their craft in Europe and enjoying new status as multi-trophy holders.

There is an urgency to Palace’s creative play that does not detract from their grace and elegance. They have created more big chances this season than both Arsenal and Liverpool. In fact, Manchester City are the only outfit with a higher count at this stage.

Man City

35

46

Chelsea

25

41

Brentford

21

41

Crystal Palace

18

41

Arsenal

27

40

Palace’s inherent playmaking prowess under Glasner’s wing suggests that he could be the perfect fit for a Liverpool side chock-full of devastating attacking quality.

Things might have gone stale in Slot’s system, but Glasner would prove the likes of O’Hara right by joining the Anfield side and elevating this Reds side back to illustrious heights.

Glasner could be the project manager Liverpool need to rival Arteta and Arsenal and reclaim their place on their perch, should Slot indeed face the axe in the coming months.

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ByAngus Sinclair Dec 4, 2025

Two of Manchester United’s biggest summer signings, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, are starting to get into full flow for the Red Devils.

Mbeumo, in particular, has started life at Old Trafford quickly, with eight goals and assists in 16 games across all competitions.

As for his Brazilian teammate, things haven’t been quite as smooth sailing. He’s struggled with a few minor injuries and hasn’t been at his best.

The United number ten only has one goal and one assist in 12 Premier League games, but has shown flashes of his best form.

United are not done there when it comes to strengthening in attack, and could dip back into the market this winter.

United’s latest attacking target

It is not just in attack that the Red Devils might be looking to strengthen their side, with midfield a focus area too.

Transfer Focus

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

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They are reportedly plotting to sign Elliot Anderson and are even linked with a sensational, if expensive, move for Jude Bellingham.

Looking further up the pitch, the Mancunian giants are linked with a move to sign Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, United are able to meet the Ghanaian’s release clause and could make a move for him.

This, of course, will not be a cheap deal. Semenyo’s release clause is worth a reported £65m, a fee Ruben Amorim’s side ‘would be able to match’ this winter.

However, they would face tough competition for his signature, with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City all interested in signing him, too.

Why Semenyo would be a good signing

There is no doubt about 25-year-old Semenyo’s quality. The versatile forward, who can operate on either flank, has been described this season as a “world-class” operator by Cherries teammate Justin Kluivert.

Indeed, the numbers he has put up are reflective of someone deemed an elite winger. This season in the Premier League, Bournemouth’s number 24 has played 14 games, scoring six goals and assisting a further three.

There have been some real standout moments for the 25-year-old, too. He’s scored twice and assisted the other in a 3-1 win at home to Fulham, and scored a sublime solo goal against Liverpool at Anfield on the opening day of the season.

United would love for the winger to have the same sort of impact as Mbeumo if he were to join. The Cameroonian attacker has been one of their most consistent players this season, even winning November’s Premier League player of the month award.

His most recent goal came on Monday against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mbeumo and his new teammate Cunha can have a “big impact” on the club if they are able to “find a way to click,” according to United great Gary Neville.

If the Red Devils were to acquire Semenyo in the winter window, they would love for him to add to that threat with their two summer recruits.

You could certainly make a case that the Ghanaian is a hybrid of both players. At least, according to FBref, he has similar underlying numbers to Mbeumo over the last year and to Cunha in the top flight this term – noted as statistically similar both men in those respective fields.

Well, to factor in both, let’s look at numbers from the last two Premier League seasons. A standout number is their combined goals and assists per 90 minutes, with Semenyo averaging 0.5, Cunha 0.6 and Mbeumo 0.65.

Semenyo, Cunha & Mbeumo (per 90 mins)

Semenyo

Cunha

Mbeumo

0.5 goals & assists

0.6 goals & assists

0.65 goals & assists

1.29 key passes

1.78 key passes

1.79 key passes

1.85 take-ons complete

2.09 take-ons complete

1.22 take-ons complete

3.85 progressive carries

3.63 progressive carries

3.26 progressive carries

4.6 ball recoveries

4.36 ball recoveries

3.98 ball recoveries

Stats from FBref

It is easy to see how the three players are similar, based on those numbers.

If Semenyo – who, like the United pair, is Premier League proven – can offer the goal and assist numbers of Mbeumo, and the threat carrying the ball which Cunha brings, he would be a dangerous addition to Amorim’s side.

£65m is not the most unreasonable fee for a player of his class, and United fans will be hoping he can have a quick impact at Old Trafford.

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The Baltimore Orioles have signed 37-year-old veteran starter Kyle Gibson to a one-year deal worth $5.25 million, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of

The addition of Gibson comes after Grayson Rodriguez got hurt in spring training and will begin the regular season on the injured list with right elbow inflammation. Gibson has made at least 30 starts in each of the past four seasons, and is back in Baltimore for a second stint after spending the 2023 season with the Orioles.

Gibson owns a career 4.52 ERA across his 12 seasons as a professional, and has 1,510 career strikeouts.

West Bromwich Albion had a serious overhaul this summer as a new dawn under Ryan Mason beckoned.

Indeed, various first-team regulars from their promotion near-miss all left the Hawthorns behind, whether that be John Swift and Grady Diangana exiting at the expiry of their contracts, or Darnell Furlong, Tom Fellows, and Torbjørn Heggem seeking out big moves away from the Baggies.

Heggem won the Championship side a whopping £10m when moving onto the Serie A with Bologna, with Mason then using this added cash to purchase sparkling new gems such as Aune Heggebo and Nathaniel Phillips.

Still, West Brom do look to be heading to another crucial summer in terms of who will be staying and leaving when 2026 rolls around, with some key first-team personnel yet to pen extended deals past June of that year, worrying the rookie boss.

West Brom's contract situation heading into 2026

Mason will be thinking long and hard about the futures of many of his camp, especially those who only have their contracts in play until next June.

Josh Maja will hope – despite his injury issues – that he will be putting pen to paper on an extension shortly.

He has fired home 14 goals to date for the West Midlands side, one of which came before the international break when he was reinstated into his new manager’s first-team plans against Norwich City. With goalscorers often hard to come by, the ex-Sunderland striker should be staying put.

On the contrary, despite bagging 17 Championship goals when fit, the plug must surely be pulled on Daryl Dike’s Baggies career soon – as his contract is also up in June.

The injury-prone American last featured for Mason’s men at the end of last season, way before the ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach was handed the Hawthorns gig.

Jed Wallace will also be fearful regarding his expiring deal next summer, despite still being the West Brom captain.

He has only been handed four league starts by his new manager and with only six starts under his belt last season, too, the 31-year-old might well be on serious borrowed time in attempting to stake a serious claim to remain.

There is another face that hasn’t been mentioned yet that will also be seen as being close to the exit door, despite once costing a big-money fee to be tempted to the Hawthorns.

West Brom "goalscorer" now on borrowed time at the Hawthorns

In recent memory, West Brom haven’t been known to splash the cash, even if their new Nordic recruit in Heggebo did cost a significant £4.7m to obtain during the hectic transfer window this summer.

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That feels like a small amount to fork out when you weigh up that deal next to Karlan Grant’s £15m arrival from Huddersfield Town in 2020.

At the time, Grant was seen as a hot commodity worthy of such a lavish fee, having fired a lethal 19 goals for the Terriers in second-tier action across the 2019/20 campaign.

25/26

4

0

24/25

44

7 + 2

22/23

35

5 + 1

21/22

45

18 + 7

20/21

21

1 + 0

Further hailed as a “natural goalscorer” by his former Huddersfield boss Jan Siewert, the world would have been expected of the London-born attacker to dazzle in his new surroundings at West Brom.

Unfortunately, away from flashes here and there of his goalscoring excellence, it’s largely been a hot-and-cold time for Grant in the West Midlands, with just one goal picked up during his debut season, starting his Baggies tale off on a wobbly footing.

He has since bounced back to resurrect his faltering playing days, with his ex-teammate in the aforementioned Furlong even lauding him as “unstoppable” on his day when powering home seven strikes last season.

But, he has been firmly put to one side under Mason currently, with no Championship minutes afforded to him since a 30-minute run-out against Portsmouth in August.

With a respectable 54-goal haul in the second tier to date, Grant will surely be considering his options away from the Baggies moving forward.

West Brom will no doubt want to sell on their former £15m buy for some sort of a fee when the transfer window reopens, over risking losing him for absolutely nothing, like the Diangana situation that transpired last summer.

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1 ByKelan Sarson Oct 14, 2025

Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action on Sunday as they welcome Motherwell to Parkhead after suffering the disappointment of a defeat at the hands of Braga in the Europa League.

In what turned out to be a bleak night, the Bhoys failed to turn up and Brendan Rodgers will feel a sense of frustration at the way matters panned out, especially after Kelechi Iheanacho’s controversial disallowed goal that was overturned by VAR.

Celtic’s last five results – a cause for concern?

Celtic 0-2 Braga

Celtic 0-0 Hibernian

Crvena Zvedza 1-1 Celtic

Partick Thistle 0-4 Celtic

Kilmarnock 1-2 Celtic

Either way, the focus turns back to league duty and even at an early stage, their encounter against the Steelmen feels like a match that will arrive in must-win territory as a disgruntled fanbase continue to vocalise their discontent with matters on and off the field.

Claiming three points will be the only option to quell some of that anger, so with that in mind, who could Rodgers look to start at home to Motherwell?

GK – Kasper Schmeichel

Veteran Denmark international Kasper Schmeichel’s error meant Ricardo Horta opened the scoring for Braga with a long-range strike in Thursday night’s Europa League, leaving some supporters wondering if it is time to grant Viljami Sinisalo a run in the side.

Truthfully, the 38-year-old looked shaky against the Primeira Liga outfit and not for the first time this season. However, Rodgers has always been a big advocate for his talent and experience. He will likely allow the former Leicester City goalkeeper a chance to atone on Sunday.

RB – Anthony Ralston

Colby Donovan started at home to Braga on Thursday in light of his positive emergence from the academy. Nevertheless, he failed to shine on a night where the Hoops were second best.

Anthony Ralston was preferred against Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership last weekend after returning from injury and helped to keep a clean sheet, offering Rodgers a straight swap that may make a degree of sense heading into a must-win fixture.

CB – Cameron Carter-Vickers

Uncharacteristically, Cameron Carter-Vickers was another who fell below his usual lofty standards earlier in the week, though he is too important to drop at an early stage in the season where Celtic are fighting Heart of Midlothian for top spot. Expect him to start.

CB – Liam Scales

Partnering Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales has arguably been Celtic’s best player of the season so far and has barely put a foot wrong in spite of deficiences elsewhere on the pitch.

The Bhoys have only conceded a solitary goal in the Scottish Premiership this campaign, illustrating their resilience, so it feels unlikely that the Irishman would be rested against Motherwell.

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ByTom Cunningham Oct 2, 2025 LB – Marcelo Saracchi

Left-back will be a toss-up between Marcelo Saracchi and Kieran Tierney, and it may be more prudent for the former to start as Rodgers looks to manage Tierney’s fitness.

Coming in on loan from Boca Juniors, Saracchi has been continually impressive when called upon and is establishing himself as a favourite among supporters.

CDM – Callum McGregor

Looking at his performances, Celtic captain Callum McGregor has some room for improvement as the Bhoys’ engine room struggles to find their best collective form. Still, he will be present and is someone you write off at your peril.

CM – Reo Hatate

Reo Hatate is another who has endured an inconsistent start to the season. Putting that aside, his defence-splitting qualities may be needed against an unbeaten Motherwell side on Sunday afternoon.

The Japan international is capable of playing line-breaking passes and takes on an average of 1.3 shots per league game, according to Sofascore, which is something Rodgers will hope to see in action as his side aim to take all three points.

CM – Benjamin Nygren

Luke McCowan, Arne Engels and Paulo Bernardo may be players some supporters will make a case for starting, albeit Benjamin Nygren is hard to look past due to his encouraging numbers from midfield.

Three goals and four assists in his first 12 matches across all competitions is a decent tally, and the Swede will hope to do the damage as Celtic return to domestic endeavours.

RW – Hyunjun Yang

Daizen Maeda has recently featured on the right wing for Celtic, but Rodgers may opt to grant the Japan international a rest in favour of counterpart Hyunjun Yang. With a lack of options at his disposal on that side, the South Korean may be more of a natural fix.

LW – Sebastian Tounekti

The star of the show for Celtic this season, Sebastian Tounekti is someone that Rodgers can’t afford to drop, even if Michel-Ange Balikwisha is waiting in the wings for an opportunity.

Capped three times by Tunisia, he has created six chances in 162 minutes of Scottish Premiership football, making him a nailed-on starter.

ST – Kelechi Iheanacho

Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho has had the ball in the net four times in his opening five games for Celtic. Only two of which have counted, though he has impressed with his link-up play and ability to sniff out opportunities.

With the correct support, he could be the man to seperate the sides at Parkhead and appears to be finding his feet under a familiar face in Rodgers.

Tottenham Hotspur have now entered talks to sign an “elite” new striker, with sporting director Fabio Paratici a big fan, it has been revealed.

Spurs looking to sign new striker amid Tel and Solanke concerns

Dominic Solanke has struggled on the injury front ever since his arrival at N17, with the striker suffering knee, thigh and ankle issues during the 2024-25 campaign, and he has been unable to put the problems behind him at the beginning of this season.

Solanke is set to be out of action for a prolonged period, with it emerging that Thomas Frank may not be particularly fond of the English striker, who was Ange Postecoglou’s first-choice option at centre-forward last season.

With the 28-year-old on the treatment table, Mathys Tel has led the line for Frank’s side in recent weeks, but Jamie O’Hara has not been impressed, and the former midfielder singled the Frenchman out for criticism after the 2-1 loss against Aston Villa.

As such, Tottenham are now ramping up their pursuit of a new striker, according to a report from Caught Offside, which states they have now opened talks over a deal for FC Porto star Samu Omorodion.

Paratici is a big fan of Omorodion’s versatility, and Spurs have held discussions over the possibility of an initial short-term deal with an option to buy, but the Portuguese club’s huge asking price has proven to be a major issue.

Indeed, the Liga Portugal side are set to hold out for a huge fee for the 21-year-old, with it being revealed they are unwilling to let him leave for below the €100m (£87m) release clause in the youngster’s contract.

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ByTom Cunningham Oct 26, 2025 "Elite" Omorodion could take Tottenham's attack to next level

Scout Ben Mattinson has made it clear he believes the Porto striker is able to play at a much higher level, having already established himself as a Liga Portugal star.

The three-time Spain international has made a flying start to the campaign, scoring eight goals in ten matches in all competitions, off the back of scoring 19 league goals, in what was a very impressive 2024-25 campaign.

With Tel struggling, and Richarlison finding the back of the net 23 times in 103 games for Tottenham, it would make sense for Frank’s side to bring in a new striker, and Omorodion has proven he could be a fantastic option.

As Rangers’ search for a manager continues, a TalkSPORT pundit has shared what he’s heard from one candidate’s camp that reflects badly on Kevin Thelwell and the Ibrox higher ups.

Latest on Rangers' search for a manager

After confirming that Steven Smith, Brian Gilmour, Rhys Owen and Sal Bibbo will lead Rangers against Dundee United this weekend, it’s clear that the 49ers are still finalising their next manager.

It’s no real surprise that they’ve shown plenty of patience when deciding the next man for the job, however. After all, Russell Martin lasted just 123 days and represents the dire start that the 49ers have endured at Ibrox. Simply put, after that failure, they must get their next appointment right.

With their patience has come several candidates, ranging from the likes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all the way to current favourite Kevin Muscat. The latter has emerged as an option for the second time in his career, having been linked with the job before Philippe Clement arrived in 2023.

Unlike 2023, however, the job could now be Muscat’s to take. The 52-year-old has enjoyed an excellent spell at Shanghai Port and is on course to win the Chinese Super League with just four games to go. But that hands Rangers quite the dilemma.

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If they want to hire Muscat, then they may be forced to wait until November 22 before he officially arrives. That means that they’d have to find a temporary solution for the next seven games in a decision that would certainly do Thelwell no favours.

The sporting director is already under pressure and one talkSPORT pundit has now shared news that may only compile his misery at Ibrox.

Tanner shares "rumbles" in Gerrard camp

Speaking about the Liverpool legend’s recent decision to reject a return to Ibrox, talkSPORT pundit David Tanner shared what he’s heard from Steven Gerrard’s camp about Rangers, the 49ers and Thelwell.

Given how things have started for Thelwell, from appointing Martin to signing a group of players that are yet to make their mark, more criticism is the last thing that he needs.

In the end, however, the 49ers were seemingly not ready to compromise their sporting director’s role to welcome Gerrard back to Ibrox. Whether they live to regret that decision will certainly be interesting to watch in the coming months.