Following their midwinter mini-crisis, Arsenal are once again flying in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta's side have won five games on the spin – by a margin of 21-2 – and have well and truly put themselves back in contention for the title.

Competition

Opponent

Result

Premier League

Crystal Palace

5-0 Win

Premier League

Nottingham Forest

2-1 Win

Premier League

Liverpool

3-1 Win

Premier League

West Ham United

6-0 Win

Premier League

Burnley

5-0 Win

However, with a growing injury list and Arteta admitting that they have "one of the thinnest squads in the league", there is a slight worry that they could once again fall away as the competition really heats up in the coming months.

With this in mind, the club might have been better off keeping a player they lost for free in 2019, especially as he could have been a dream, homegrown, midfield partner for Declan Rice.

Yunus Musah's breakthrough

The player in question is American international Yunus Musah, who joined Arsenal's academy setup at the age of nine in 2012.

The New York-born midfielder made the step-up to the U18s in July 2018, but after making 18 appearances – scoring five goals and providing three assists – he opted to join La Liga giants Valencia on a free, leaving for £0.

It was in Spain that the all-action midfielder really made a name for himself, as he made 108 appearances across three seasons for Los Ches, starting as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, and wide midfielder.

Musah already has 33 senior caps to his name and was one of the most important players for the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup, starting all four of the team's games as they made it to the round of 16. In fact, he was so impressive in Qatar that football talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed that the youngster had "the highest ceiling" in the national setup.

It was a combination of his three years in Spain and an impressive showing on the world stage that earned the 5 foot 10 dynamo a €20m – £17m – move to AC Milan in the summer, despite being linked with a sensational return to the Emirates earlier in 2023.

Yunus Musah this season

Since arriving at the San Siro in the summer, Musah has not been quite as critical to Milan's success as he was to Valencia's.

However, even with him missing four games through injury, he has still made 27 appearances for the Rossoneri this campaign and has seen his valuation from the CIES Football Observatory rise to €30m, which is about £26m.

His positional versatility has meant that he has played a number of games in defensive midfield, attacking midfield, right-back and out wide. Still, the majority of his appearances have come in central midfield, where he can demonstrate his qualities as a "high-quality box-to-box midfielder", as Kulig described him.

Appearances

13

4

3

2

1

Kulig describes the American as possessing an "elite engine", which helps him to fulfill this role to such a high level, and it's this that would've made him such an excellent addition to Arsenal's squad.

If Rice had Musah to his left, instead of Kai Havertz, who could help him tidy up attacks and then carry the ball up to Martin Odegaard on his own, the Gunners could be even more efficient than they already are.

For example, according to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues over the last 365 days, Musah sits in the top 16% of midfielders for progressive carries, while Havertz only ranks in the top 22% for the same stat, per 90.

This shows that he could have been more effective than the German when it comes to bringing the team up the pitch to then pass the ball to the likes of Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.

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Ultimately, there is a chance that Musah would not have been a regular starter had he not left the club when he did or rejoined in the summer, but having him and his boundless energy could have been a joy to watch alongside Rice.

Leeds United travel to Wales to take on Swansea City in the Championship tonight, and they could end the evening in the automatic promotion places.

The Whites are one point behind Southampton in second and will move ahead of Russell Martin's side if the Saints fail to beat Bristol City away from home in their 8 pm kick-off and they beat the Swans.

Daniel Farke's men are aiming for promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, having been relegated to the second tier at the end of last season, and are in the running to secure a top two finish alongside the likes of Southampton, Ipswich, and Leicester.

The Yorkshire-based outfit head into this clash with Swansea off the back of a 3-0 win over bottom-of-the-league Rotherham, and the German head coach could look to make some changes to his starting XI to deal with the relentless fixture list.

One alteration the former Norwich City tactician should make is to bring Joel Piroe back into the side to provide him with an opportunity to impress against his former club as the starting number nine.

This would involve dropping Patrick Bamford from the team to reunite the front two that started the season with the Dutch ace up alongside Georginio Rutter.

Patrick Bamford's performance against Rotherham

It may seem harsh on paper to ditch the English centre-forward from the starting line-up after he scored the opening goal against the Millers but it was far from an impressive performance by the attacker.

The 30-year-old marksman's goal came in controversial circumstances as Junior Firpo's deflected cross appeared to be diverted into the back of the net by the outstretched arm of Bamford, which was missed by the officials who awarded the goal.

Had the referee spotted the handball and disallowed the goal, or if it had happened in the Premier League with VAR in use, then the ex-Chelsea prospect's display may have been viewed through a different lens.

Patrick Bamford

Vs Rotherham

Minutes

75

Pass accuracy

63%

Key passes

Zero

Shots

Five

Duels contested

Six

Duels won

One

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the rest of his performance left a lot to be desired as he struggled in and out of possession throughout the game.

Rotherham's defenders found it far too easy to get the better of Bamford, who lost three of his four battles on the ground and both of his aerial contests.

The experienced striker's lack of creativity, along with his lacklustre passing, may also have been a bigger issue if he had not been awarded the goal for the opener, especially when you consider that the Leeds forward missed his other four shot attempts.

Bamford's struggles against the Miller, coupled with three Championship games in a week, could see him ditched, or rested, for Farke to unleash Piroe from the start.

Joel Piroe's goalscoring potential

The Dutch marksman has only scored one goal in his last seven league appearances for the Whites but his overall record in the division suggests that his current form is nothing more than a blip.

He found the back of the net nine times in his first 23 Championship matches this season – with all nine of those coming in 20 outings for Leeds after his transfer from Swansea in August.

The Whites snapped him up from the Welsh side after Piroe had proven himself as a prolific scorer at that level across two seasons with the Swans.

Piroe moved to Wales in the summer of 2021 and racked up an eye-catching 22 goals and six assists in 40 starts, from an Expected Goals of just 16.67.

The left-footed dynamo followed that up with a return of 19 goals and two assists in 43 Championship matches, from an xG of 13.20 throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

Piroe, who was lauded as "clinical" by journalist Josh Bunting, then made the switch to Leeds and has produced ten goals from an xG of 7.73.

In total, the 24-year-old ace has plundered an impressive 51 goals from just 37.6 xG since the start of the 2021/22 Championship campaign, which speaks to his superb finishing and scoring ability at that level.

He is a proven goalscorer in the second tier and his recent struggles in front of goal should not put Farke off from starting him, particularly against his former club where the striker may have added motivation to make an impact.

Georginio Rutter's creative brilliance

The Dutch centre-forward should also have plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net with Rutter in his new-look number ten role, rather than being the starting number nine.

Leeds' French wizard has the creative quality to split open the Swansea defence at will to create high-quality chances for Piroe in front of goal.

23/24 Championship (per 90)

Percentile rank

Shot-creating actions (4.43)

Top 2%

Assists (0.36)

Top 4%

Expected Assisted Goals (0.35)

Top 2%

Progressive passes (4.15)

Top 5%

Successful take-ons (3.04)

Top 1%

Rutter vs forwards (via FBref)

As you can see in the table above, the former Hoffenheim prospect has been one of the best forwards in the Championship at creating chances and progressing the play through passes and take-ons for his team.

Rutter can pass and dribble through teams to provide assists for his teammates, which has led to 19 'big chances' created and ten assists in 30 league outings in total.

These statistics show that the 21-year-old has the quality to lay chances on a plate for Piroe from the number ten position, which could allow the 6 foot 1 striker to flourish up front.

Whereas, earlier this season, Farke's side lined up with the former Swansea star in the hole and Rutter as the main centre-forward, albeit they were both able to switch at times depending on the state of the play.

Overall, the pair have the potential to be a lethal combination at the top end of the pitch for Leeds with their respective creativity and finishing qualities in the final third, which is why the German boss should drop Bamford to unleash them together against the Swans in Wales this evening.

Former England captain Paul Ince has dismissed claims that the Three Lions have their strongest squad of all time heading into Euro 2024.

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• Current England squad praised by fans
• Claims raised it could be best Three Lions team
• Ince slams Southgate's 'not great' players

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Heading into Euro 2024 in Germany, Gareth Southgate's England side have been considered one of the favourites to go all the way and win the title, which would be their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup. Claims have also been made that the current Three Lions squad is the best it has ever been. However, Ince believes that the same is not true and claims that while England may win the title, it will also be because the quality of international football has fallen.

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT INCE SAID

  Speaking to , the former England captain said: "This England team, they're not great players. Yes, they're young and exciting with a little bit of experience, but to say that this is the best squad that England have ever had is absolutely ridiculous.

  "I think there's people looking at recent tournaments at the squad that got beaten by Italy and got to the semi-finals in 2018, we feel that this is probably a very good squad.

  "But you've got to understand the level of players that we were playing against in '96 to the level that players are now. It's changed a lot. The level's not as high as it was back in our time. Even if you look at someone like Gheorghe Hagi, who played for Romania, there were so many world-class players and I don't think you get that level with international teams now.

  "Look at Italy with Nicolo Barella, then look back to Paulo Rossi and Marco Tardelli, these are the types of players we were playing against in international football. The level of international football for me has dropped which means that England have got a very good chance. They've got a very good squad, but to say it's the best squad of all time is totally ridiculous.”

• (C)GettyImages
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Southgate's squad does indeed have a lot of talented names in its ranks with Harry Kane leading the Three Lions into the tournament. He will be joined by the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Trent Alexander-Arnold among others. While the squad may not be happy to hear negative words from their own compatriots, they will hope to trudge on and prove their doubters wrong.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  The Three Lions will begin their campaign with a clash against Serbia on June 16 at Arena AufSchalke before taking on Denmark and Slovenia in the next 10 days.

Erling Haaland is “1000 per cent” committed to Manchester City, claims his agent, with Rafaela Pimenta reiterating her €1 billion transfer claim.

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Prolific forward tied to contract until 2027Has seen a move to Madrid speculated onRepresentative continues to talk up valueWHAT HAPPENED?

The 23-year-old striker is tied to a long-term contract through to 2027. He has already won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his time with City – claiming two Golden Boots along the way.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALWHAT PIMENTA SAID

There has been talk of Haaland leaving to become another ‘Galactico’ at Real Madrid, with his contract said to include various release clauses, but his representative has told when asked if he could become a “one-club man” for the rest of his career: “I don't know, but I think the Erling Haaland project is one that will last over time, over the next few years. It will also depend on trends in football. In any case, one thing is certain today: Erling Haaland feels at home at Manchester City! He is 1000 per cent committed to the City project and is already looking forward to the new season with the club.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Pimenta has previously stated that Haaland could be worth €1 billion (£847m/$1bn) when everything that he brings to the table is taken into account, with the Brazilian – who also represents World Cup winner Paul Pogba – saying when asked about those claims again: “When I said that this amount corresponded to 'his value', I wasn't talking about his 'transfer value'. I was referring to the value of a top player at that age, with enormous room for improvement – and when I said that, he hadn't even done the treble – a player who finished as top scorer in the Premier League despite being injured for two months… He's a player with great potential. What do I see when I make this estimate? I see all the financial considerations that revolve around him, even though he's a serious player who works hard, is organised, focused and never gets lost. He's been at Manchester City for two years now and there's never been any gossip about him… His profile represents a huge value in the eyes of sponsors and clubs, as well as in terms of shirt sales and media exposure. And all that, put together: ticket sales, TV rights, everything Erling will earn over the course of his career, I'm convinced it will exceed a billion.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

City are the ones benefiting from that value for now – on and off the field – with Haaland expected to hit the ground running for them next season after enjoying a summer break without competitive football following Norway’s failure to qualify for Euro 2024.

The rebuild at Manchester United is well and truly underway, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe attempting to fix the way the club functions.

However, on-the-field additions are yet to occur in what has been a quiet January for the Red Devils who are yet to welcome any new faces to the club.

The attacking department is what Erik ten Hag is keen to address, with his side struggling in the final third.

Man Utd's search for a new attacker

According to reports from Spain, Man United are in the race to sign Brighton sensation Kaoru Mitoma.

That said, they face plenty of competition for his signature with Arsenal said to be favourites to sign the winger after Mikel Arteta personally ordered a move was made. Treble-winners Manchester City also interested in the Japanese forward.

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Mitoma's estimated value as per CIES Football Observatory is £68m, which likely rules out a move occurring this month due to FFP restrictions.

How Mitoma compares to Rashford

Last season, Marcus Rashford was unstoppable, scoring goals, and full of confidence, as he netted 17 times in the Premier League.

However, he has been a shadow of his former self this campaign, scoring just four in 26 total appearances, and the last thing he needs at this current moment is the attention of the media for his off-the-field activities, snapped in a Belfast night club a few days ago.

Nevertheless, consistency is what United have missed the most this season, and Ten Hag will want his players to perform to a certain standard for the most part. Having said that, Mitoma could just be the player to provide a continuous threat in the United attack, and that serves as bad news to Rashford.

The Japanese attacker entertained the Premier League for the first time last season when he scored seven goals and registered five assists in 24 starts.

This campaign, he's on track to match his previous numbers, as he's currently netted three times and provided four assists in 13 starts, with an ankle injury reducing his matches played.

Nonetheless, let's look at Mitoma's statistics from this season, which prove he would be an excellent signing for United.

Goals

0.20

Bottom 58%

Assists

0.27

Top 25%

Touches (Att pen)

8.04

Top 9%

Take-ons attempted

5.93

Top 9%

Successful take-ons

2.38

Top 13%

Carries into penalty area

3.82

Top 4%

Progressive passes received

14.38

Top 6%

There's nothing that Mitoma cannot do when the ball is at his feet, and based on the statistics, it is no surprise that he did his university thesis on the art of dribbling.

The 26-year-old dazzles opponents with his feints, which enable him to breeze past opponents and carry the ball into dangerous areas.

Ten Hag's side lacks players who can take people on, with only two players in the squad boasting over one successful dribble per game, which often makes United far too easy to face.

Although his goal output is low, that direct dribble into the box often provides him with an opportunity to work half a yard of space to either set up a teammate or slot the ball into the corner with finesse, which has caused Mitoma's former teammate Christian Burgess to say he "finishes like [Thierry] Henry."

However, the main problem for Mitoma is that he is often being marked by two, sometimes three players at times, because there is only going to be one winner in a 1v1 scenario. That said, it has huge benefits for the rest of the team because it allows a numerical advantage to occur elsewhere.

There's not a player in the United squad that can impact a game in the same way that Mitoma can, and therefore, signing the Japan international could be a great piece of business, even if it banishes Rashford from the first-team picture.

Plus Chris Green’s jet-setting T20 career continues, and how Bermuda’s call could prove costly for Sussex

Matt Roller12-Aug-2019

The Oval was a sell-out on Tuesday night•Getty Images

The Blast has enjoyed a considerable uplift from England’s World Cup-winning campaign with the competition poised to reach 1 million spectators for the first time (David Hopps writes).Hopes that the 1 million mark could be breached have been dashed before, but with nearly 900,000 sales achieved heading into last weekend’s games, it appears that only a continuation of recent bad weather could stop the target being reached.With the ECB’s emphasis increasingly turning to the launch of The Hundred in 2020, there were fears that the Blast could suffer as a result – and until England won the World Cup for the first time in mid-July the tournament had been matching, but not exceeding, comparable sales in 2018. All that has changed, leaving total ground sales now 14% ahead of the same time last year.London remains the main engine of Blast ticket sales with Surrey and Middlesex responsible for more than 20% of purchases. But the attraction of the Blast is growing in Hove, where Sussex, who went into the weekend games top of South Group, are packing them in with comparable success to two other non-Test grounds, Somerset and Essex.Lancashire, who head the table in the North, are also enjoying their most successful Blast season ever as they have become the best-attended county outside London.***Tom Abell is down on one knee to drive•Getty Images

In the excitement at Taunton on Saturday over Tom Banton’s maiden T20 hundred – another eye-catching innings that will surely propel him into England’s T20 side sooner rather than later – another crucial component in Somerset’s attempts to win the Blast, and with it keep their hopes of a treble alive, gained less attention.Tom Abell’s 63 from 33 balls, including a series of street-smart deflections past the wicketkeeper was another plucky innings from Somerset’s captain, but it was a surprise to discover that the innings put him into the top three in this season’s Blast strike rates.Abell awoke on Sunday morning to the news that he is scoring at 172.2 runs per hundred balls with only AB de Villiers (191.7) and Cameron Delport (180.6) above him (with a minimum of 200 runs scored). A little bloke who packs quite a punch, clearly.***Colin Ackermann could be forgiven a slightly bemused expression as he claimed the most successful global analysis in Twenty20 history.Ackermann, appointed Leicestershire’s Blast captain this season, exploited rare turn in the pitch at Grace Road to return 7 for 18 from his four overs of offspin, figures made all the more astounding for the fact he is primarily a batsman.Searching for an explanation for his success, he offered the thought that he had worked hard on his bowling over the English winter, which he spent playing for Warriors in his native South Africa, and had taken full advantage of the advice of former Test offspinner Simon Harmer, a team-mate at Warriors.That improvement was signalled when he picked up a maiden five-wicket return in first-class cricket in Leicestershire’s first Championship match of this season, a win against Sussex at Hove.But it’s fair to say that Warriors did not recognise they might be on to a good thing. Search his record in all competitions between October and March for the Warriors between October 2018 and March 2019 and there is not a wicket in sight.***Chris Green was handed the captaincy of Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

Birmingham Bears swooped quickly to sign Chris Green to replace the injured Ashton Agar, with Paul Farbrace telling Sky he had been working night and day to find a last-minute replacement (Matt Roller writes).Green is a traditionalist’s worst nightmare of a cricketer. At 25, he is yet to make his first-class debut, though counts Lahore Qalandars, Guyana Amazon Warriors, and Toronto Nationals among his clubs.And he took the freelance lifestyle to the next level last week. After losing the Global T20 eliminator to Winnipeg Hawks on Thursday afternoon in controversial circumstances – the game was called off early due to bad light, and Green’s side lost on DLS – he got a lift to the airport to get on the 11.19pm flight from Toronto to Heathrow.That meant he arrived at 11.05am in the UK, and drove up to Birmingham just in time to meet his new team-mates and have a quick warm-up before Friday night’s game against Nottinghamshire, which started around 18 hours after his previous game – on a different continent, remember – had finished.After seven games for Birmingham, Green will fly straight to the Caribbean Premier League to make his Guyana return. In a blow for fans of nominative determinism, his carbon footprint is racking up.***On the subject of Birmingham, it was unthinkable last year that Ed Pollock – then a world-record holder for his pinch-hitting exploits – would be kept out of the team due to anything other than injury, but he found himself dropped four games into the Blast after a slow start to the competition.While his side was capitulating against Ackermann, Pollock was sat at home after hitting a 39-ball 100 for Warwickshire’s 2nd XI against Durham, and would have been forgiven for wondering why he had been omitted.His situation demonstrates the difficulties of the role he was given – to score at a 200 strike rate from the word go. It is one that comes with a high floor and a low ceiling, and one which requires a team which will stick with you during the rough times. But as long as cricketing orthodoxy – which comes down hard on those who get out playing attacking shots – prevails ahead of new-age T20 thinking, the Pollocks of the world will be up against it.***Delray Rawlins gets low to sweep•Getty Images

Sussex are expected to be without Delray Rawlins for four of their remaining games after the explosive middle-order batsman was picked in Bermuda’s squad for the ICC Americas T20 World Cup Qualifier.While the club is yet to comment publicly, the Bermudian reported that after much wrangling and negotiation, the national team have secured Rawlins’ service for the tournament.Rawlins’ opportunities with the bat have been limited this season – largely due to Sussex’s imposing top order facing so many balls between them – but he is striking at 160.97, and hit a vital 35 not out off 17 balls to see off Gloucestershire at Bristol: he may yet be a big miss.***Any disappointment Kent officials may have felt after their mauling by Somerset on Saturday evening will fade rapidly should their county qualify for Finals Day on September 21 (Paul Edwards writes).The likelihood of that happening has been increased by the return to fitness of skipper Sam Billings, who dislocated his shoulder 80 minutes into his first appearance for his team in April but played a full part in Saturday’s game, albeit he will not be keeping wicket this season.Many of Kent’s performances have already mocked the predictions made about the county in March but the addition of Billings’ clean hitting to a batting line-up which already includes Mohammad Nabi and Alex Blake increases Kent’s chances of making the last eight and even securing a home semi-final.”Sam has come back quicker than we thought he would and he’s worked very hard to get himself in the frame,” the Kent coach, Matt Walker, said. “We’re bringing back a very fine international T20 cricketer but also one of the best one-day captains in the country. It is almost like signing an overseas player.”We’ve coped very well to win six games without him but his return gives a real lift to the dressing room.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Após passar sufoco na temporada passada, o Fortaleza entrou com a missão de recuperar o seu ânimo e desenvolver um futebol que passasse confiança ao seu torcedor.

+ Corinthians perdeu camisa 10: veja quem é o camisa 10 de cada time brasileiro

No primeiro desafio da jornada 2021, o Leão do Pici deu indícios que, apesar do futebol não ser o dos sonhos, o torcedor vai contar com uma equipe sólida.

Na Copa do Nordeste, o Fortaleza fechou a Primeira Fase do torneio com a melhor campanha. Nos oito jogos, a equipe disputou oito partidas e somou 17 pontos.

Agora, o técnico Enderson Moreira não quer perder o embalo e espera que o time mantenha o padrão na fase mata-mata.

Calendário

O primeiro desafio em busca do bicampeonato é o CSA, na Arena Castelão.

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Tottenham Hotspur's recruitment team and chairman Daniel Levy have already been busy in January, but there's still a possibility of further signings.

Spurs could still sign a new midfielder

Manager Ange Postecoglou, speaking ahead of their clash with Man City in the FA Cup on Friday evening, said he is happy with Spurs' January business but also refused to rule out more incomings.

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The Australian declared that his side will look to take advantage of opportunities which present themselves, coming amid reports Spurs want to sign a new central midfielder.

"In terms of the rest of the transfer window, I was really pleased that the initial objectives we had in our head, which were someone in at centre-half and someone in the forward positions, that we ticked those off pretty early," said Postecoglou on the final days of January.

"And it’s not just been that we did them early, but they’re two guys who have really benefitted from having 10 days in the building with us, training, adjusting and all that. Both Timo and Radu are both in a really good place to help us going forward. As for what happens with the rest of it going forward, as I said last time, we’re always alert and doing work and if we can improve the squad we’ll look to do that. And if there are potentially any outgoings, we’re ready for that depending on what happens."

Spurs have been heavily linked with Chelsea star Conor Gallagher, but as we fast approach deadline day, the possibility of his arrival grows smaller and smaller given just the size of this deal.

While some in the game maintain a belief that Gallagher to Tottenham is still possible, Chelsea could demand as much as £60 million to part company with the 23-year-old.

Tottenham could make "cheap" move for Buck

Alternatives have been mentioned as a result, like Atalanta star Ederson or Blackburn's Adam Wharton. CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, speaking to The Last Word on Spurs podcast this week, suggests a bargain option could be New England Revolution ace Noel Buck.

Jacobs says Tottenham could sign Buck as a possibility this month and it is believed he'd cost a "cheap" fee in the region of £5-6 million.

“Kasey McAteer at Leicester, I have mentioned him before, that could grow legs," said Jacobs when discussing midfielders who could join Spurs.

"Noel Buck isn’t impossible. He’s currently at New England Revolution, Tottenham’s interest is historical. So if they are to reignite that they will have to move rather than continue anything ongoing, but the fee there is quite cheap, only £5-6m."

The MLS sensation has made 27 league appearances for New England over their latest campaign, scoring three goals and registering an assist, and their USA manager Gregg Berhalter has already called him a "really strong" player.

Buck has represented England at Under-19 level but would still potentially be eligible to play for the US national team, as he is a dual-national.

كشف أحمد سالم، المتحدث الرسمي لنادي الزمالك، حقيقة طلب سيرجيو راموس، لاعب ريال مدريد السابق، 4 ملايين دولار للانضمام للقلعة البيضاء.

وقال سالم، في تصريحات تلفزيونية لقناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “نسمع عن موضوع راموس مثلنا مثل الجماهير على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي”.

واستمر: “توجد أمور تُطرح، وهو كلام، وليس لدي معلومات دقيقة، ولكن حتى الآن لا يوجد أي شيء رسمي، ومن المحتمل أن يكون هناك تدعيم في صفوف نادي الزمالك”.

وتابع: “ننتظر الرد على طلب نادي الزمالك بتأخير موعد لقاء بيراميدز”.

طالع..أول تعليق من الزمالك على الصدام مع المصري في دور مجموعات الكونفدرالية

وكان الزمالك قد طلب تأجيل مباراة بيراميدز، في كأس السوبر المصري لمدة ساعة.

وتابع سالم: “الزمالك ليس له أي علاقة بقضية أحمد قندوسي لاعب الأهلي المعار إلى سيراميكا كليوباترا، ولم نتفاوض مع اللاعب، لا توجد أي ضرورة لإقحام الزمالك في أمور مثل ذلك”.

وواصل: “بشكل كبير، سيتوجه فريق الزمالك إلى الإمارات على متن طائرة خاصة”.

واسترسل: “حتى الآن لم يتم تحديد رئيس البعثة في الإمارات، ومن المحتمل أن يكون حسين لبيب، هذه الأمور جار تنظيمها”.

وأضاف: “وضع لافتات على بوابات النادي مكتوب عليها الزمالك أكبر قلعة رياضية في مصر؟ هذا أمر جماهيري، وحتى الآن ليس هناك قرار رسمي بهذا، ولا أعرف ما المشكلة في أن جمهور الزمالك أو مجلس إدارة النادي يرون الزمالك أكبر قلعة رياضية في مصر”.

واستكمل: “إذا لم يوجد ما يمنع الزمالك من وضع هذه اللافتة، فما المانع؟ طالما لم يُدَّعَ شيء غير حقيقي، كما في بورسعيد، يرون أنها بلد الرجالة، والاتحاد السكندري (سيد البلد)، فلماذا لا يوجد أحد اعترض؟ والأهلي شعاره (الأهلي فوق الجميع)، لم نعترض على ذلك، الجمهور يشجع فريقه بالطريقة التي يحبها، وليس من الضروري أن تكون هذه الطريقة مرضية للآخرين”.

وقال: “أوفي إيجاريا لاعب له اسم كبير ولعب في دوريات كبيرة، الاتفاق هو أنه سيأتي إلى مصر لإجراء الكشف الطبي والتجربة الفنية بحضور المدير الفني، وهو صاحب الرأي الأساسي، ولجنة الكرة هي المختصة بتقييم اللاعب مع الرأي الفني لجوميز”.

وأتم: “اللاعب اجتاز جزءًا كبيرًا من الكشف الطبي، وغدًا سيستكمل الجزء الثاني، فنيًا، سيكون متواجدًا لمدة 10 أيام في المباريات الودية والتدريبات لاتخاذ القرار”.

Fidel Edwards has signed a one-year contract extension with Hampshire, keeping him at the Ageas Bowl until the end of the 2020 season.Edwards, the 37-year-old West Indian fast bowler has taken 47 wickets at an average of 23.55 this season, including four five-wicket hauls, with three Championship fixtures remaining.”I’m very pleased to have signed for my sixth season at Hampshire, which has become my second home,” Edwards said. “Hopefully next year we can push on further and I’ll be trying my best to help make it a successful season for the club.”Hampshire Director of Cricket Giles White said: “Fidel has been fantastic for us since joining in 2015 and this year he’s excelled once again. He’s an important part of our squad and a great character to have in and around the group – we’re delighted to welcome him back for another year.”Edwards joined the county in 2015, picking up 45 first-class wickets in eight matches at an average of just 20.80 in his debut campaign and, despite suffering a season-ending injury in early 2016, he returned to pick up 33 wickets at an average of 24.06 the following year.Edwards continued that good form in 2018, passing 50 first-class wickets in a season for the first time in his career as he picked up 54 scalps in 15 matches.