Already thinking about 2026 reinforcements after an inconsistent start to life in North London, Thomas Frank and Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly eyeing an impressive Champions League star.

Thomas Frank praises "dangerous" Grealish before Everton clash

Following defeat against Aston Villa and a disappointing draw in Monaco, Tottenham will be looking to avoid ending a frustrating week on their most sour note yet against Everton.

In many ways, however, victory after a draw in midweek and defeat last weekend would sum up Frank’s start fairly well. There’s been plenty of signs that he’s the man for the job, but also one too many that suggest there’s a long way to go. Ahead of visiting the Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time, the Dane heaped praise on Sunday’s opponents and Jack Grealish, in particular.

Three points could see the Lilywhites rise to as high as second if results go their way and there’s no doubt that would send quite the statement so early into Frank’s tenure.

Securing Champions League football should be seen as the ultimate priority, especially if those in North London want to attract some impressive European stars.

Tottenham eyeing Kalulu move

As reported by Tutto Juve, Tottenham are now eyeing a move to sign Pierre Kalulu, who has played every single minute for Juventus so far this season.

The defender, who can play both wing-back and centre-back, is not someone that Juventus want to sell but they may have no choice. Amid financial constraints, the Italian giants could show the 25-year-old the door for as little as €30m (£26m) in the January transfer window – allowing Spurs to come swooping in.

Dubbed “phenomenal” by scout Jacek Kulig during his AC Milan days and now thriving at Juventus, Kalulu even impressed in defeat against Real Madrid in midweek.

"Impressed me a lot" – Thomas Frank says he's been thrilled by benched Tottenham star

The Dane had kind words for his player who’s been struggling for minutes.

By
Emilio Galantini

Oct 25, 2025

Although Juventus eventually lost out courtesy of Jude Bellingham’s goal, the defender kept Vinicius Junior quiet on the night. Up against one of the most tricky wingers European football has to offer, he stifled the Brazilian to zero shots on target, zero successful crosses and just one key pass.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Fortaleza recebe o Botafogo neste domingo (12), pela 6ª rodada da Série A do Brasileirão 2024. A bola vai rolar a partir das 16h (de Brasília), na Arena Castelão, com transmissão da TV Globo e do Premiere.

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Assine o Premiere e assista esse e mais jogos de graça por 30 dias!

✅FICHA TÉCNICA
FORTALEZA X BOTAFOGO – 6ª RODADA – SÉRIE A

Data e horário: domingo,12 de maio de 2024, às16h(de Brasília)

Local: Arena Castelão
Onde assistir: TV Globo e Premiere
Arbitragem:  Wilton Pereira Sampaio (Fifa-GO), auxiliado por Guilherme Dias Camilo (Fifa-GO) e Leone Carvalho Rocha (GO). VAR: Rodrigo D Alonso Ferreira (SC)

PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES

FORTALEZA:João Ricardo, Tinga, Brítez, Titi e Bruno Pacheco; José Welison, Hércules e Kervin Andrade; Pikachu, Moisés e Lucero. Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda.

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BOTAFOGO:John, Mateo Ponte, Alexander Barboza, Lucas Halter e Cuiabano; Gregore, Tchê Tchê e Óscar Romero; Diego Hernández, Jeffinho e Luiz Henrique. Técnico: Artur Jorge.

Tudo sobre

BotafogoBrasileirãoFortaleza

Plenty has changed since we last discussed the American League and National League Most Valuable Player races.

While Shohei Ohtani maintains his reign over the National League, still a clear-cut favorite to lock down his fourth MVP award in five years, the American League is much less set in stone. That's due to an injury sustained by Aaron Judge and the Yankees star's subsequent struggles in his return to the lineup. Additionally, Mariners star Cal Raleigh has found his power stroke again lately after a prolonged cold spell, tightening what should be a memorable AL MVP battle.

There's still over a month to go, so plenty can still change as teams begin to make their final push for the postseason.

Let's take a look at how the MVP races are currently shaking up:

National League MVP Race1. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter/pitcher

They say form goes out of the window for a derby, but Arsenal proved that to be entirely untrue on Sunday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta’s side played host to Tottenham Hotspur, and instead of wilting under the pressure, they made the most of Liverpool and Manchester City dropping points by demolishing their bitter rivals.

The gulf in class was so vast that it looked like the Gunners were playing a League One side, and summer signing Eberechi Eze, who almost moved to the white side of North London, was unplayable.

The Englishman was untouchable from the first minute to the last, and therefore, fans should be delighted that Arsenal are already brewing a homegrown version of him.

Eze's performance vs Spurs

While it was a joke, Thomas Frank must regret asking “who” when asked a question about Eze in the buildup to the game, as while the entire Arsenal team played well, the former Crystal Palace star was nothing short of spectacular.

It almost felt as if the Englishman was on a mission to make the Spurs boss eat his words, as just three minutes in, he played an exceptional ball over the top that Declan Rice should have finished.

Then, 39 minutes later, with the Gunners already a goal to the good, he added a second thanks to some tidy footwork and a low-driven shot.

Just 30 seconds into the second half, the 27-year-old scored his second goal, once again driving the ball into the bottom corner, only this time with his weaker foot.

Now, for most players, a derby-day brace is more than they could even dream of, but the Greenwich-born maestro is not like most players, and in the 76th minute, he scored a third to make it 4-1.

It’s the first time a player has scored a hat-trick in the North London derby since Alan Sunderland in December 1978.

Overall, it would be fair to say Sunday’s game will always be remembered as the Eze derby, and should act as a springboard for the midfielder to really kick on this season.

And in more good news, the club might already have another homegrown version of the international ace brewing.

Arsenal's homegrown Eze

Arsenal have long been a team that prioritise and promote youth from within, with the greatest example of this in recent years being, of course, Bukayo Saka.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The club now have another group of incredible youngsters coming through, including one who could develop into a homegrown Eze: Ethan Nwaneri.

Yes, while the 18-year-old might not develop to be just like the former Crystal Palace star, there are some unmistakable similarities.

For example, the Hale End gem is an incredibly skilful player who can and has played out wide, but is ultimately seen as someone who will develop into a sensational number ten.

Moreover, while he hasn’t been getting the minutes that so many expected or hoped he would this year, he’s still very young with plenty of time to develop and even then, he proved how talented he is last season.

For example, the “phenomenal” prospect, as dubbed by former professional Stephen Warnock, scored nine goals and provided two assists in 37 appearances, totalling 1378 minutes.

That works out to a goal involvement every 3.36 games, or more crucially, one every 125.27 minutes, which would be incredibly impressive if he were a seasoned professional and helps to justify Joe Cole’s claim that “he’s the most exciting footballer in England and maybe Europe.”

Appearances

37

Minutes

1378′

Goals

9

Assists

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.29

Minutes per Goal Involvement

125.27′

Finally, on top of his output, the Enfield-born gem put up some sensational underlying numbers last year.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for successful take-ons, the top 6% for total carrying distance, the top 8% for crosses and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while he is still so young, Nwaneri’s ability to play out wide and as a ten, combined with his output and technical ability, means he could be Arsenal’s next Eze.

Forget Eze: £32m Arsenal star looked like prime Ozil and Odegaard vs Spurs

Eberechi Eze is not the only Arsenal star who deserves his flowers after north London derby win.

ByMatt Dawson Nov 24, 2025

Joining Manchester United in their pomp is easy. Joining Manchester United in their current state, fresh off the back of a worst-ever Premier League campaign at Old Trafford, requires a little bit of craziness.

Craziness to believe that you can be the man to lift the Red Devils out of their ongoing decline, with ex-Brentford talisman Bryan Mbeumo – signed on a £71m deal over the summer – already looking like he’s ready to do just that.

There may not have been the glamour attached to the deal that there was when names like Angel Di Maria or Radamel Falcao rocked up in Manchester, but that might be because this marquee move actually made sense, with Ruben Amorim and co forking out for a properly Premier League-proven figure.

Having netted 20 times in the top-flight last time out under Thomas Frank, there was a feeling that the Cameroonian was destined for the Champions League, with his former boss intent on taking him to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 26-year-old, to his credit, made it clear he only wanted United, patiently waiting out protracted negotiations to eventually seal his desired switch. Six goals in his first 12 games for the club have since followed.

Mbeumo is now the benchmark for further reinforcements to try and meet, with recent reports indicating that additional attacking recruits could potentially be in the works.

Man Utd's search for a forward

While the extent of his injury is yet to be known, the potential absence of Benjamin Sesko has brought the lack of genuine alternatives to the Slovenian into sharper focus, with Joshua Zirkzee the only other senior striker in Amorim’s ranks.

Sesko, signed for £74m from RB Leipzig, has made a promising albeit unspectacular start in English football with just two goals scored across league and cup, with questions to be asked over whether a more experienced marksman is still required.

According to reports in Spain, that very fact may well see United renew their interest in a certain Harry Kane in 2026, with the England skipper deemed to be a ‘proven solution’ to their long-standing centre-forward woes.

Transfer Focus

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

As per the report, the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea are also paying close attention to the 32-year-old’s situation at Bayern Munich, with his existing deal in Bavaria set to expire in 2027.

Kane, the piece suggests, is keen to stay at the Allianz Arena, although the presence of a reported €65m (£57m) release clause in his current contract will certainly spark a raft of interest heading into the New Year.

Whether it is January or next summer, Kane – who was Erik ten Hag’s prime target back in 2023 – would still remain a significant coup if INEOS could pull it off.

Why Man Utd could land an even better signing than Mbeumo

2023 remains a frustrating window as far as United are concerned, with Ten Hag’s apparent interest in the likes of Kane and Declan Rice ultimately counting for little, as Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana all arrived instead.

Hojlund, as those at Old Trafford are aware, has since proved to be something of a mixed bag, having scored just 26 goals in 95 games in all competitions, alongside a further four goals on loan at Napoli this season.

Since leaving Spurs for Bayern two years ago, meanwhile, Kane has gone on to amass a ridiculous haul of 108 goals in just 113 games for the Bundesliga giants, becoming the quickest player this century to reach triple figures for a team in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Mbeumo might have stolen the show with a standout 2024/25 campaign for the Bees, but if it is true Premier League proven quality that you are after, then Kane is the man. 213 goals in England’s top-tier places him third on the all-time list.

Widely regarded as the best striker in the world, Kane has scored at least 17 league goals in every season stretching from 2014/15 to 2024/25. As for the new campaign, he already has 13 in ten in Germany’s top division. Mbeumo, for contrast, has five in 11.

Not your typical superstar, the former Spurs talisman is simply efficient to the extreme, with few players in the modern era having possessed such a ruthless, clinical streak in front of goal.

The beauty of Kane too, however, is that he isn’t just your average penalty box poacher. There are so many strings to his extraordinary bow.

Even deployed in almost a central midfield role at times under Vincent Kompany this season, namely in the win over Borussia Dortmund, England’s record scorer has that knack for being able to spray passes at will, having developed into an all-encompassing, playmaking number nine.

Such traits even led Tottenham great David Ginola to liken him to a legendary figure of the past back in 2022: “He is like the new Diego Maradona now. Long passes, short passes, he has it all.”

At 32, while he may be entering that ‘last dance’ territory, Amorim and United certainly shouldn’t turn their nose up at the chance to bring Kane back to England. There is Alan Shearer’s record to chase for him, after all.

Now worth more than Anderson: Man Utd star is the "nearest thing" to Zidane

Manchester United have hit the jackpot on a star who’s worth more than Elliot Anderson.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 14, 2025

If you’re going to bet on baseball, you might as well sprinkle a few bets on players to hit a home run, especially since a correct selection usually pays out at a pretty favorable price. 

On Monday night, I’m focusing on a pair of catchers to launch one out of the park, as both Ryan Jeffers and Logan O’Hoppe have become key players for their respective squads in 2024. 

Given their opponent’s pitchers on Monday, I think both backstops could be in line for a big game. Let’s break down why!

Best MLB Home Run Picks for Monday, July 8

• Ryan Jeffers to Hit a Home Run (+370)
• Logan O’Hoppe to Hit a Home Run (+370)

Ryan Jeffers to Hit a Home Run (+370)

The Minnesota Twins catcher has been terrific in the 2024 season, hitting .239 with 14 homers and an OPS of .807 heading into Monday’s matchup against Chris Flexen and the Chicago White Sox.

Flexen has been extremely prone to the long ball (a big reason why he has a 5.08 ERA), giving up 15 homers in 18 appearances, including at least one in five straight outings. Over that five-game stretch, Flexen has allowed seven total home runs.

That’s great news for Jeffers, who has been solid against right-handed pitching this season, hitting 10 of his 14 long balls while slugging .488. He’s been on fire over the last seven days, posting a .364/.462/.727 slash line. 

I expect Jeffers to say hot in a favorable matchup on Monday. 

Logan O’Hoppe to Hit a Home Run (+370)

Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe has right-handed pitching so far in the 2024 season. 

The youngster is hitting .299 with nine of his 12 homers against righties, slugging and impressive .495 against them. 

That puts him in a great spot against Texas Rangers righty Jon Gray, who has seen his ERA jump from 2.17 to 3.92 over his last four starts. Gray has only allowed eight homers all season, but six of those have come in his last five outings. 

Similar to Jeffers, O’Hoppe has played well over the last two weeks. In that 14-day stretch, the Angels catcher is hitting .297 with two homers and a slugging percentage of .487. He’s a great target at +370 tonight.

The Yankees no longer have the best record in baseball or the lead in the AL East.  

They are the better team tonight, but will they play like it?

I’ll be backing the Blue Jays as home underdogs tonight for plus-money. Here’s why. 

MLB Best Bets TodayToronto Blue Jays ML (+100) at DraftKings

I’m not making this pick because the Yankees got shelled by the Jays last night or because they have lost eight of their last 10.

I’m making this pick because of how poorly the Yankees play vs. left-handed pitching.  Just last week, we saw the New York Mets sweep the Yankees in no small part because they pushed back Luis Severino and instead started lefties David Peterson and Sean Manaea (apologies to Grimace, who probably wants the credit).

Though the Yankees are first overall in OPS when facing right-handed pitching (.779), they are 15th vs. lefties (.707).  The Yankees are slugging just .337 (18th) and batting just .235 (21st) when facing southpaws.

The Blue Jays will be starting lefty Yusei Kikuchi tonight at home. Kikuchi has an ERA of 4.00 this season with an xERA of 3.89, according to Statcast. 

Kikuchi has struggled in his last two starts, but this could be the matchup that gets him back on track. When Kikuchi faced the Yankees in April, he allowed just one run on four hits while striking out nine.  Aaron Judge is hitting just .179 career vs. Kikuchi. 

Marcus Stroman gets the start for the Yankees on the road. Stroman’s max exit velocity allowed is in the bottom 2% of the league, and his xERA is 4.40, according to Statcast. Look for Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. to remain hot at the dish tonight. 

With an impressive average of 6.67 runs per game across the last three, the Blue Jays have been on a scoring spree. In contrast, the Yankees have managed only 3.33 runs per game. 

I love a home underdog. Give me the plus-money payout for the Jays to log the win. 

Magic Johnson weighed in on the World Series with a very on-brand assessment of the first four games of the matchup, leading into Thursday night's crucial Game 5. With the series split at two games apiece, Johnson boldly asserted that the winner of Game 5 would take control of the series.

It's far from a hot take, as Johnson effectively just dressed up the most basic knowledge of any series and presented it as his own findings. But it was enough to get a funny response out of Toronto starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who was certainly amused by the comments made by the Dodgers' minority owner.

"With the Series being 2–2, Game 5 is very important. Whichever team wins takes control of the Series!" wrote Johnson on X Wednesday.

Gausman replied with a classic scene from the Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller film, Zoolander.

It certainly wasn't the hottest take from Johnson, but it was an accurate one. In World Series history, when the series is knotted up at 2–2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 67.4% of the time (31 of 46 instances).

Game 5 will be the last game of the series played at Dodger Stadium. The World Series shifts back to Toronto's Rogers Centre for Game 6, and if necessary, Game 7.

The Dodgers are champions once again.

Behind a dramatic game-tying homer in the ninth inning from Miguel Rojas and a superhuman effort from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles defeated the Blue Jays 5–4 in 11 innings on Friday night to clinch its second straight World Series title.

The Dodgers now have a chance to become the third franchise in MLB history to win at least three straight World Series championships, and the first since the Yankees from 1998 to 2000.

Looking at the Dodgers’ roster, the star core of the team will return in 2026. Tyler Glasnow, Mookie Betts, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Yamamoto are all signed well past the 2026 campaign.

The Dodgers will have six players hit arbitration this offseason, and they have a $10 million team option on slugger Max Muncy and a $3.55 million team option to potentially bring back Alex Vesia. But there are seven players whose contracts will officially expire once the offseason begins. Here they are:

Michael Conforto, OF

ESPNcricinfo’s Super Stats explains why the Islamabad captain and the Lahore pacer have been outstanding this season

ESPNcricinfo stats team16-Mar-2020The PSL, which is the only major cricket tournament still on despite the global spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), has really thrown up a few surprises.Multan Sultans have been the dominant team finishing on top at the end of the league stage. But two-time champions Islamabad United and defending champions Quetta Gladiators failed to even reach the knockout phase. Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars made the playoffs for the first time in PSL history. This has been a closely contested league with the finalists decided only in the last match of the group phase.There have also been some very good individual performances that have carried teams through to the knockouts. Shadab Khan, for exmaple, has been stellar with both bat and ball and some of the Pakistani pace bowlers have done exceedingly well in tough conditions.At the end of the league stage, Shadab pipped Shaheen Afridi as the most valuable player in the competition.ESPNcricinfo LtdAccording to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, which takes into account not just the runs scored and wickets taken but also the match context and quality of those runs and wickets, Shadab had a total impact score of 613, closely followed by Shaheen who had an impact score of 594.Lahore’s entry into the playoffs was largely due to some individual brilliance. The Aussie duo of Chris Lynn and Ben Dunk helped them win some tricky matches and as a result found a place in the five most valuable players of the league. Mohammad Amir with some key wickets finished with an impact score of 429.Funnily enough, Shadab had more of an impact with the bat than the ball this season. He scored 263 runs at a strike rate of 159.39 and average of 37.57, the move to push himself up the order working so well that his other set of numbers – eight wickets at an economy rate of 8.24 – seem less impressive by comparision.Shadab was the highest wicket-taker and second-highest run-getter for his franchise. On multiple occasions, he walked in within the first five overs and counterattacked to help his team post a competitive total or chase down a big score. Shadab’s performances have impacted Islamabad’s fortunes significantly in this edition of the PSL and hence he is the MVP as per ESPNCRICINFO’s Smart Stats.Lynn and Dunk have single handedly helped Lahore clinch some crucial wins. Dunk’s 93 from 43 balls against Quetta and an unbeaten 99 from 40 balls against Karachi Kings were two unbelievable individual performances that helped Lahore get over the finish line.Lynn flourished only late in the tournament with two vital knocks against Peshawar Zalmi and Multan. His unbeaten 113 from 55 balls in the last league match helped his team make it to the playoffs for the first time, and also made him propel up the impact ratings. The Pakistani pace duo of Shaheen and Amir complete the top five with some impressive bowling performances. Both the quicks broke through the top order of the opposing teams taking key early wickets or breaking partnerships.Batting impact score is derived taking into account Smart Runs (Factors taken are the innings run rate, required run rate at every ball when he scored his runs, the quality of opposition bowlers, wickets in hand, quality of batsmen to follow, and match situation) and the replacement benefit or cost to the team, as the case may be, if the batsman’s performance is replaced with the match average.Bowling impact score is derived taking into account Smart Economy and Smart Wickets (Factors taken are the phase in which he bowled, the current/required rate, the quality of batsmen dismissed, and the match context when he took his wickets) and the replacement benefit or cost to the team, as the case may be, if the bowler’s performance is replaced with the match average. Impact Score is a sum of the batting and bowling impact scores in each match.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Smart WicketsWhile batsmen have been impactful at various times, some bowlers have stood out with match-winning performances and key wickets at crucial stages of the game. Although Mohammad Hasnain is the leading wicket taker of the league, his wickets were not as valuable as those taken by Shaheen. As per ESPNCRICINFO’s Smart Wickets Afridi’s 13 wickets were worth 16 since more than 50% of his dismissals were of top three batsmen.Smart Wickets takes into account the following:

• The quality of batsman dismissed, so dismissing a top-order batsman fetches more points than dismissing a tail-ender
• The score at which a batsman was dismissed, so dismissing a batsman for a single-digit score is more rewarding than getting him out for 60
• The match situation at the time of the dismissal, so dismissing a batsman when the match is in the balance is worth more than getting him out when the result of the game is all but decided