At this point, even the most optimistic of Tottenham Hotspur fans would likely admit that this season has been a disaster.

Ange Postecoglou has led his side to the club’s worst start to a season in the last decade, and unfortunately for the Australian, it’s not particularly close either.

The North Londoners currently sit 15th in the Premier League with a meagre points haul of just 24, and the only positives are that they remain in three cup competitions, the development of their youngsters and the evolution of Dejan Kulusevski.

Games

22

6

4

1

Wins

7

3

4

1

Draws

3

2

0

0

Losses

12

1

0

0

Points

24

11

/

/

Goals For

45

11

9

3

Goals Against

35

7

5

0

The 24-year-old has, for the most part, been Spurs’ best player this season and shown that he must be the centrepiece of Postecoglou’s rebuild over the next few years, so recent reports touting a Champions League-winning player compared to the Swede for a move to the club should excite fans.

Tottenham target Premier League star

According to a recent report from Spain, Tottenham are one of several sides keen on signing Manchester City star Jack Grealish, whom they view as someone who could add quality and versatility to the attack.

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Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that German giants Borussia Dortmund and Italian royalty Inter Milan are also interested in landing the English attacker this month, which could complicate things.

How much the 29-year-old might cost the interested parties is not established in the story, but given his diminishing importance to the Premier League champions, the estimation of £30m from Football Transfers does not seem too unrealistic.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, and the fans might not be behind it right away, but we’ve seen what Grealish can do when given a chance to express himself, and in a Postecoglou system, he could get back to something like that, and the fact he’s been compared to Kulusevksi can only help.

How Grealish compares to Kulusevski and why Spurs should sign him

So, before we look at a couple of the reasons Spurs might want to sign Grealish this month, let’s examine this comparison to Kulusevski and where it’s come from.

In this case, it primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in the Premier League this season, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the sixth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Swedish dynamo.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots on target, expected and actual assists, shot and goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.36

0.45

Shots on Target

0.59

0.66

Expected Assists

0.22

0.18

Actual Assists

0.15

0.20

Passes into the Final Third

2.35

2.69

Shot-Creating Actions

5.91

5.69

Goal-Creating Actions

0.30

0.46

Carries into the Final Third

2.65

2.79

On top of the statistical similarities between the pair, they also share the ability to play in midfield or on the wing, depending on what their manager and team need from them, which is just one of the other reasons the Lilywhites might want to sign the City ace.

With that said, his lacklustre form this season, which has seen him rack up just five goal involvements in 21 games, cannot be ignored, but it also cannot be viewed in isolation and as a tool to suggest he’s not got what it takes to play for a ‘big six’ side anymore.

To see that the Champions League winner, whom Jamie Redknapp once said has “got everything,” can still make it at the top level, we only need to look at his last couple of years with boyhood club Aston Villa.

In his penultimate season with the Birmingham side, the “superstar” playmaker, as dubbed by presenter Dan Bardell, scored ten goals and provided eight assists in 41 games for the relegation-threatened side, and then did even better the following campaign, racking up seven goals and ten assists in just 27 games, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.58 games.

Ultimately, fans might be hesitant over the potential signing of Grealish this month, but if the ultra-aggressive Postecoglou can take the shackles off and get him back to his silky best, then Spurs will have a sensational footballer on their hands.

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The January transfer window has been open for over two weeks and Leeds United have yet to dip into the market to bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.

They will remain at the top of the Championship table if they beat Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road on Sunday, which means that they are in a very good position in the league as it stands.

However, Daniel Farke may still want to add to his options across the pitch by bringing in more quality to help with the promotion push in the months to come.

Leeds must also consider that some players may need to be replaced, whether that is this month or in the summer, with Junior Firpo one of the stars out of contract at the end of the season.

Junior Firpo's form this season

The former Barcelona defender, who is currently out through injury, has been the go-to left-back for Farke when fit, starting all 15 of his appearances in the Championship this term.

There is not any news currently out there to suggest that he is close to signing a new contract, but it has not been confirmed that the defender will be moving on from Elland Road in the summer, which means that his future is up in the air.

Firpo has provided one goal and three assists from left-back in his 15 appearances, to go along with 3.8 tackles and interceptions combined per match.

This shows that he offers an attacking threat going forward from his defensive positions, whilst also being able to get back in to make challenges to win the ball back for his side.

Farke and Leeds could, though, sign a dream replacement for him by moving for reported transfer target Bali Mumba, who they are said to have sent scouts to watch this season.

Why Bali Mumba would be a dream Junior Firpo replacement

The Pilgrims defender could come in as an excellent signing to replace Firpo if the left-back moves on from West Yorkshire at the end of his contract this summer for a number of reasons.

He would come in as a young talent, at the age of 23, with plenty of time left to develop and improve under Farke’s coaching, whilst he also worked with the German boss at Norwich City and made his Premier League debut for the manager.

Mumba has also showcased his quality in the Championship this season for Plymouth and this, along with his relationship with the Leeds coach, suggests that he could hit the ground running at Elland Road.

Appearances

26

15

Big chances created

2

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.9

3.8

Duel success rate

55%

56%

Dribbled past per game

0.4x

0.8x

As you can see in the table above, the Plymouth star may not make as many tackles and interceptions per game but Firpo is dribbled past twice as many times per match, which suggests that opposition forwards find it harder to get past Mumba.

The English whiz, who was once hailed as “pacey” by Farke, also produced six goals and seven assists for the Pilgrims in the 2022/23 League One title-winning campaign, and this shows that the potential is there for him to improve his attacking output whilst playing in a dominant, promotion-chasing, side.

Overall, the £15k-per-week star, who can play at right-back or left-back, could be a dream replacement for Firpo as a young talent with experience in the Championship and the raw materials, defensively and offensively, to be a terrific option for Leeds.

Leeds make contact to sign "incredible" star, it's bye-bye Bamford

Leeds United have reportedly made a move to sign the centre-forward this month.

ByDan Emery Jan 18, 2025

Liverpool continued their march towards a second Premier League title in the club’s history with a 2-0 win over Brentford away from home on Saturday.

The Reds battled hard throughout the match, against a strong Bees side, but looked to be on course for a frustrating draw until the enigmatic Darwin Nunez had his say in stoppage time.

With no Diogo Jota available, Arne Slot called upon the Uruguay international to come up with the goods off the bench, and that is exactly what he did with two strikes to win the game.

It was a terrific display from the former Benfica man, who has had his fair share of struggles in the Premier League this season, and one that could help him to kick on in the second half of the season.

Darwin Nunez's heroics against Brentford

Prior to this clash with the Bees, Nunez had scored two goals in 15 appearances in the top-flight, starting seven of those outings, which shows that he has failed to provide quality in front of goal on a regular basis.

Provide quality is exactly what the 25-year-old star did this time around, however, as he scored both of Liverpool’s goals in stoppage time to secure a big win for his side.

He was in the right place at the right time to calmly slot the ball into the back of the net from six yards out for the first, before showcasing his composure and ball-striking ability for the second – taking a touch and rifling an effort into the roof of the net.

Nunez, who had more shots (four) than passes made (two) off the bench, was not the real hero of the match for Slot, though, as Trent Alexander-Arnold was the true star of the game for Liverpool.

Why Trent Alexander-Arnold was the real hero

Whilst the Uruguayan striker deserves plenty of plaudits for his match-winning contributions off the bench, the England international played the full 90 minutes and contributed to the win with his work on and off the ball.

The right-back provided quality in and out of possession for the Reds and was key to keeping a clean sheet against Thomas Frank’s side, as he made one tackle and two interceptions and was not dribbled past a single time by an opposition player.

Alexander-Arnold, who received a rating of 8/10 from The Express for his performance, put in a fantastic defensive display that was coupled with creative quality on the ball.

Vs Brentford

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Minutes

90

Tackles + interceptions

3

Dribbled past

0x

Touches

84

Key passes

5

Big chances created

1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old sensation created five chances for his teammates throughout the game, the last of which was finally converted by Nunez for the opening goal.

Alexander-Arnold made a smart run into the right channel inside the box and then pulled the ball across the box, brilliantly, for the striker to tap in from close range.

The English dynamo, therefore, was crucial to the clean sheet and vital to the goal that ultimately broke the deadlock and won the match with his cross for Nunez, which is why he was the real hero for Slot, as his all-round performance played a massive role in the victory.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Neste sábado, às 16h30, Ceará e Flamengo se enfrentam no Castelão, pela sexta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.O canal Premiere, pay-per-view da Rede Globo, transmite o jogo com imagens. Os torcedores também poderão acompanhar o confronto através do Tempo Real do LANCE!/Voz do Esporte.

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Veja a classificação e as próximas rodadas da Série A do Brasileirão!

Com cinco pontos, o Flamengo entra na sexta rodada como 14º colocado do Brasileirão, com dois pontos a mais que o Ceará, que abre a zona de rebaixamento. Na última rodada, o Rubro-Negro perdeu do Botafogo, enquanto o Vozão foi superado pelo Athletico.

Veja mais informações sobre o jogo:

CEARÁ X FLAMENGO
Local: Castelão, em Fortaleza (CE)
Data/Horário:14/5/2022, às 16h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Luiz Flávio de Oliveira (Fifa-SP)
Auxiliares:Alex Ang Ribeiro (SP) eDaniel Paulo Ziolli (SP)
VAR: Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral (VAR-Fifa-SP)
Onde assistir: Premiere e em Tempo Real no LANCE!/Voz do Esporte

Ninth-highest first-class innings of all time sees Leicestershire lose despite posting 584

ECB Reporters Network23-Jul-2022

Sam Northeast steers into the off side•Getty Images

Sam Northeast made an unbeaten quadruple-century before Glamorgan pulled off an astonishing victory on an extraordinary day of records in the LV= Insurance County Championship at the Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester.Spectators at Leicestershire’s Grace Road headquarters had witnessed one of English cricket’s three greatest feats of batting as Northeast finished with a monumental 410 not out in a total of 795 for 5 declared in reply to Leicestershire’s first-innings 584.Then to cap it all Glamorgan dismissed their opponents for 183 in 59.4 overs to win by an innings and 28 runs.The victory – which lifts Glamorgan to second place in Division Two – capped an amazing day in which Northeast joined Brian Lara, Archie MacLaren and Graeme Hick as one of only four players in the first-class game in England to score more than 400 runs in an innings.The Leicestershire total of 584 is the highest in county cricket by a team that subsequently lost by an innings – smashing the previous mark of 527 scored in an innings defeat against Northamptonshire in 1995 – and is thought to be the highest in first-class cricket to suffer that fate anywhere in the world.Glamorgan’s coach, Matt Maynard, said: “To have a man, Sam Northeast, in your side who has joined only nine other players to have scored more than 400 in an innings is incredible. It was a remarkable feat and he batted selflessly as well, when we needed to up the scoring rate.”A lot of things go into a score like that. You have to maintain a high level of concentration but he never seemed to deviate from his plans until right at the end, when he started to be more aggressive.”I don’t think anyone here will have witnessed a better innings. The way he went from 200 to 300 on Friday, it was as if there were no fielders. Every attacking shot he played went for four. I’ve seen some good players, I’ve batted with some good players, but to see someone maintain that level for so long was just incredible.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Glamorgan won after declaring with a lead of 211 at lunch on the final day. They scored a breathtaking 232 runs in the pre-lunch session, a rate of scoring that left Leicestershire with 65 overs to survive – a task that proved beyond them as Michael Hogan (4 for 43) and Michael Neser (3 for 60) combined with spinner Andrew Salter (2 for 36) and James Harris (1 for 27) to blow them away.Northeast, who had never during his 16-year career imagined making 300 until he did so on Friday, now possesses the ninth-highest individual score in world cricket, behind only Lara’s all-time high of 501 not out for Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 1994 and MacLaren’s 424 for Lancashire at Taunton in 1895 as the third highest in England. Hick’s 405 not out for Worcestershire, also at Taunton in 1988 is nudged down to fourth place.Northeast numbered 45 fours and three sixes, sharing an unbroken stand of 461 in 71.3 overs with wicketkeeper Chris Cooke, who finished unbeaten on 191 – by coincidence Northeast’s career-best before this game.The stand was the eighth-highest partnership in County Championship history and, as far as a sixth-wicket stand was concerned, it was the highest ever recorded in English first-class record and the second highest in history.It was also a record total for Glamorgan, whose total is the ninth highest ever made in the county championship.Leicestershire will not need reminding that Cooke was dropped on just 3 and again on 15 on Friday – both comfortable catching chances – or that they missed Northeast at slip on 96.That error, one of only a handful in the entire marathon innings, seemed a distant memory as Northeast led the players off at lunch with almost every spectator on their feet prior to Glamorgan’s declaration after a morning session that saw 232 runs scored and a string of records set.