Urvil Patel, who had smashed the second-fastest T20 century in November last year, carried his fine form into the red-ball format to hit a maiden first-class hundred in Gujarat’s innings-and-98-run victory over Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy quarter-final match in Rajkot. Gujarat will play the winner of the ongoing fixture between Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir in the semi-final.Urvil top-scored with 140 in Gujarat’s massive total of 511 in the first innings, which gave them a 295-run lead over Saurashtra, who managed only 216 after being sent in. Urvil was supported by Jaymeet Patel (103) and Manan Hingrajia (83) as they wore out a competent Saurashtra attack by batting out 159.1 overs.But Saurashtra were in the game at one stage when Gujarat were reduced to 78 for 3 early on the second day. Then Hingrajia and Jaymeet put together a 144-run stand to set the foundation for a mammoth score.Saurashtra began the fourth day trailing by 262 runs with all ten wickets in hand but were bowled out in under two sessions. Left-arm seamer Arzan Nagwaswalla picked up three wickets for Gujarat, while seamer Priyajitsing Jadeja got four – including the big strike of Pujara. Ravi Bishnoi, who had linked up with the squad following his return from national duty, picked up two crucial wickets in the second innings.Saurashtra eventually made just 197 in the second innings, with Harvik Desai top-scoring with 54. Cheteshwar Pujara finished a modest season with scores of 26 and 2. Barring the 234 against Chhattisgarh in the second game and 99 against Assam last week, Pujara’s highest score in the eight other innings was the 26 he made in the first innings against Gujarat.Saurashtra’s exit marked the end of a decorated career of their batter Sheldon Jackson, one of their stalwarts. He finishes his first-class career with 7283 runs in 174 innings at an average of 45.80. Jackson hit 21 hundreds and 39 half-centuries in all, with the high point being the Ranji Trophy win in 2019-20.

Fabrizio Romano has shared some transfer news out of Tottenham in what is a big boost for Thomas Frank, with chairman Daniel Levy adding to their short list of summer signings ahead of an imminent deadline day.

Spurs have just four days to bolster Frank’s squad in the desired areas, as Levy attempts to back the Dane before a very long and arduous campaign where the Lilywhites will be competing on four fronts.

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They’ve made an excellent start to the new Premier League season, rounding off impressive wins against newcomers Burnley and heavyweights Man City in the past fortnight, but injuries to key players have partly prompted a late scramble for new recruits.

James Maddison is set to miss a large portion of 2025/2026 after rupturing his ACL in pre-season, while Dejan Kulusevski could be out until much later in the year as he continues his recovery from a knee problem.

Radu Dragusin also suffered an ACL injury back in the winter, and the Romania international still isn’t ready for selection.

Tottenham’s confirmed summer signings

Price tag

Mohammed Kudus

£55 million

Kota Takai

£5 million

Mathys Tel

£30 million

Joao Palhinha

Loan

Kevin Danso

£21 million

As a result, Tottenham have been in the market for a new centre-back, number 10 and winger over the past few weeks, with club legend Son Heung-min also waving an emotional goodbye to the club earlier this month before joining LAFC.

Spurs were in talks to sign Savinho from Man City, but Pep Guardiola’s side appear to have blocked the move despite the Brazil international’s extreme eagerness to move down south for more game time.

Their search for a playmaker hasn’t been plain sailing either, with Levy missing out on both Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White in spectacular, dramatic fashion this window alone.

However, according to reports, Tottenham’s mission to sign a new number 10 could now be coming to a close.

In the last 48 hours, Spurs began talks over hijacking Chelsea’s deal for RB Leipzig sensation Xavi Simons, who was a former member of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy before switching to PSG’s youth ranks.

The 22-year-old has been dazzling in Germany with Leipzig for two years, making his move there permanent in January, but he’s now set to join the Lilywhites after successful talks.

Xavi Simons signs Tottenham contract after "overnight" agreement

According to Romano, following an “overnight” agreement, Tottenham are set to sign Simons in a deal worth £52 million, with his medical already completed and contracts now penned.

The Netherlands international, who can also play on the left, will provide Frank with versatility, attacking flair and proven quality in the final third.

Despite suffering an ankle ligament injury at the start of 24/25, Simons still managed 11 goals and eight assists over 33 appearances in all competitions, with Bundesliga expert Kevin Hatchard previously sharing exactly what Frank can expect from his newest arrival.

Tottenham got off to a perfect start in the Premier League last weekend with a thumping 3-0 win over newcomers Burnley in north London, with Thomas Frank sealing his first competitive win as Spurs boss early doors.

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Richarlison’s brace (including a very early goal of the season contender) and a goal from Brennan Johnson rounded off what was an excellent opening day win for the Lillywhites – but there will be many tougher days ahead.

Frank’s side are back in the Champions League and face a hectic fixture calendar across 2025/2026, with a rejuvenated Man City side, who’ve seriously reinforced their squad throughout the summer window, awaiting them next.

To give Frank the best possible chance of a successful first full campaign in charge, chairman Daniel Levy, technical director Johan Lange and CEO Vinai Vinkatesham have been working tirelessly on recruitment behind-the-scenes.

So far, Tottenham have signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham for £55 million, and the Ghanaian got off to a fantastic start in their Burnley victory with an impressive display on the right – setting up Richarlison’s stunning overhead kick with a deft cross after a neat bit of skill to beat his man.

Kota Takai also joined Spurs for what was a J-League record £5 million fee for a Japanese player, with Levy also triggering Kevin Danso’s obligation to buy and signing Mathys Tel permanently in a cut-price £30m deal from Bayern Munich.

Now, the north Londoners are actively trying to seal a deal for Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze as their next major incoming.

Levy and Eagles chairman Steve Parish held direct talks over the £100,000-per-week forward on Monday, with Spurs prepared to pay up to £60 million (including add-ons) for his signature.

Tottenham want both Eze and Man City winger Savinho in separate deals to bolster Frank’s attack, and it looks increasingly the former will be coming through the door first.

Eberechi Eze agrees personal terms to join Tottenham

According to GiveMeSport, the former QPR star is ever closer to N17 and could even play against Man City on Saturday – considering he may be a “member of the Spurs squad by the end of the week”.

Eze has already agreed personal terms with Tottenham, and an agreement in principle with Palace is described as on the verge of being done too.

It’s added that Levy is prepared to ‘spend big’ in the final days of this transfer window, starting with Eze, and Spurs are boosted by the fact Palace are currently trying to find the 27-year-old’s replacement.

As per GMS, they’ve made an approach to sign Leicester City playmaker Bilal El Khannouss, whose contract includes a £22.5m release clause, so a move for the Moroccan could well progress quickly.

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Alan Shearer heavily criticised Ruben Amorim's tactical rigidity following another poor Manchester United showing away at Brentford on Saturday. The Newcastle legend believes United's predictable approach makes them easy to play against, and that Amorim's inflexibility could cost him his job.

• Pressure continues to build on Amorim

  Manchester United's form has been wildly inconsistent under Amorim, who succeeded Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford hot seat in November last year. Despite significant investment in new players during the summer transfer window, United are 14th in the Premier League table after just six games of the new season, with their latest setback coming in the form of the 3-1 defeat to Brentford. The criticism of Amorim is mounting and questions are being asked about his ability to turn things around.

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• Getty
  

  'He's right, everyone else is wrong'

  Amorim's refusal to budge from his preferred 3-4-3 system and defensive substitutions have raised the most eyebrows, with Shearer among those who believe the Portuguese is trying to fit too many square pegs into round holes. The former Newcastle and Blackburn striker said when reacting to United's latest defeat on : "Brentford without doubt had their plan. He [Amorim] was out-schooled by Keith Andrews, and what Brentford did. It really will be his downfall, unfortunately for him, because he’s not going to budge. He’s right, everyone else is wrong, I guess.

  "It was alarming what he was doing, moving so many different players around. the subs he brings on, moving right-centre-back into centre-back, middle of centre-back into left-centre-back. Then [Bryan] Mbeumo was right-wing-back. And then Mason Mount came on as a 10 for four minutes. Then he brought [Joshua] Zirkzee on, and then moved Mount to left-wing-back. It’s like, goodness me, what on earth is happening here? It’s incredible."

• Why INEOS may be delaying sack call

  Shearer went on to suggest that United's part owners INEOS, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are only delaying Amorim's sacking to save face. "I genuinely believe that the owners, or the people are running the club at the minute, have made that many errors in the last two years or 18 months since they’ve been there, it would look terrible to admit another error," he added. 

  "And secondly, whether you look at the ticket increase, whether you look at people losing their jobs, whether you look at the new stadium, whether you look at paying for Dan Ashworth and then sacking him, and then his contract being paid up, then for them to go and say, ‘Actually, we went hell bent on getting this manager and paying a fee for him and demanding he comes now, rather than when he wanted to come’ for them to now say you’re firing him, and then pay out another huge chunk of wedge to for someone to lose their contract. I genuinely believe that’s probably one of the reasons why he’s still there, because they’re not any better, they’re not getting any better. They look miles off it."

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• AFP
  

  Sunderland next: Win or bust for Amorim

  Amorim has only taken 34 points from his 33 Premier League games in charge of United to date, and has yet to oversee back-to-back wins. The former Sporting CP boss faces intense pressure to improve the Red Devils' performances and results immediately. Upcoming fixtures will be crucial in determining his future at the club, starting with next Saturday's home fixture against newly promoted Sunderland.

Iyer points to the sluggishness of the pitch and Abrar’s tight spell as reasons for India not being able to bat more aggressively

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Feb-20252:07

Manjrekar: Shreyas now looks comfortable against the short ball

“Can you just tell me how many overs were left?” Shreyas Iyer asked journalists, right at the top of his press conference. “Forty-five balls? Okay.””I think we could have won a bit earlier. It would have been a convincing win.”Uhh, what? Is a six-wicket win with more than seven overs left not convincing enough?There was almost no stage in their chase of 242 in which India appeared troubled, and almost no stage in the first innings in which Pakistan appeared capable of getting to a score that would test India.Related

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“But if we could have played more aggressively, we could have won a bit earlier,” Iyer said. He’d hit 56 off 67 balls.Through his innings, Iyer had to battle legspinner Abrar Ahmed, who was the most economical of Pakistan’s bowlers, taking 1 for 28 in his ten overs. That one wicket came from a spectacular delivery to Shubman Gill.Iyer had some good things to say. “I think Abrar bowled brilliantly. It was important and crucial for me to play out that spell and rotate the strike at the same time. It took some time and then once my eyes were set, I thought that sweep and reverse sweep would have been a great option to put them on the back foot. And I think that worked pretty well for me.”It wasn’t easy to take charge against Abrar. In that particular phase, it was important to take singles as much as possible and take the team to the end. Once we reach 30 or 40 runs, it is easy to charge on from there.”One of the things that the experts noted about Iyer’s innings against Pakistan was that he didn’t seem to find handling short deliveries too difficult.”When he came back [after playing domestic cricket] against England, the first innings that he played was flawless,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “It was like a huge difference between the Shreyas Iyer of before and this one, and especially with the short ball. How comfortable is he looking against the short ball [now]! He’s not played [shots] out of desperation or trying to get himself into a counter-attacking mode. He’s just playing that shot carefully and with lots of confidence.”Anil Kumble agreed that playing domestic cricket had changed Iyer. “Whenever he has batted [against] the faster bowlers, earlier on, he would move around in his crease very early in his innings, irrespective of what the situation was. But we have never seen that in today’s game.”This is the second match India have played in Dubai in this Champions Trophy, though this was a different strip from the one they had faced Bangladesh on. And the bowlers who took pace off the ball complicated Iyer’s progress.Shreyas Iyer scored an important half-century against Pakistan•ICC/Getty Images

“As we know, even in the previous game we played over here, the wicket is a bit slow,” he said. “It’s spinner-friendly, of course. The amalgamation of all their bowlers and the experience they possess brings a lot of clarity to their bowling.”India were chasing a modest target, but still, Iyer’s start had been somewhat slow – he made 12 off the first 28 balls he faced.”It’s important to attack, but it’s not easy to go in and straightaway start smashing the ball,” he said. “You need to see the pace of the wicket, and how it’s coming on to the bat. If you show that intent every ball, it’s difficult for a batsman, to be honest.”It’s better to take some time, see how it’s coming to you, and let the ball do the talking.”

Everton failed in their efforts to sign a player with a “huge future” right at the end of the summer transfer window, seeing an offer for his services turned down.

Rohl "really excited" about Everton move

The Blues managed to complete the signing of Freiburg midfielder Merlin Rohl on deadline day, adding in one more player talented player to David Moyes’ squad.

The German is clearly raring to get going at his new club once club football returns after the international break, speaking of his delight at his move to Everton after his switch was sealed.

“I’m really excited and full of joy to sign for Everton. It’s a big club, with great history and great fans. It’s the right time for me to join Everton. It feels like a shifting point for the Club. The future looks really good and I’m excited to be part of it.

“I’ve watched the evolution of the Club closely. With the manager and stadium, there are a lot of positives. “I just love to play football and can’t wait to play in front of such passionate fans in such a great stadium.”

It was a strong summer for Everton overall, with Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall among the star additions, while Tyler Dibling is a player with a big future in the game. Now, it has been claimed that the Merseysiders missed out on signing another young star.

Everton failed with bid for future star

According to a report from reports in Spain [via Sport Witness], Everton submitted a last-gasp offer for Espanyol right-back Omar El Hilali, but were rebuffed in their efforts to snap him up before the window closed. Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Como were all in the same boat, but the £22m-rated defender ended up staying put at his current club.

It is a shame to see Everton fail to sign El Hilali, considering what an eye-catching young player he is, already making 90 appearances for Espanyol at the age of just 21.

He has also been capped at both Under-23 and Under-20 level for Morocco, while scout Jacek Kulig has tipped him to have a “huge future” in the game.

Hopefully, the chance still arises for Everton to go back in for El Hilali in the near future, whether that be in January or next summer, with the Moroccan a footballer who could add so much long-term quality to a position that has too often seen ageing players used there in recent years, from Seamus Coleman to Ashley Young.

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He could also provide good competition for Jake O’Brien, who has become a very solid right-back for the Blues, but is also a centre-back by trade.

علق نادي فييلي الدنماركي على رحيل مدرب حراس المرمى كاي ستيفينسن، الذي قرر خوض تجربة جديدة ضمن الطاقم الفني للنادي الأهلي بقيادة الدنماركي ييس توروب.

وجاءت هذه الخطوة لتؤكد الثقة المتبادلة بين توروب ومساعديه القدامى في الدوري الدنماركي، حيث يسعى المدرب إلى بناء طاقم فني متجانس قبل انطلاق مشواره مع الأهلي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. حقيقة رغبة توروب في الاستغناء عن بعض لاعبي الأهلي

وقال مورتين بيسجارد، المدرب المساعد في نادي فييلي في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات: “كاي حصل على فرصة للانضمام إلى الطاقم الفني مع ييس توروب، ونحن جميعًا نتفهم أن هذه خطوة جيدة بالنسبة له، وسعداء من أجله، نتمنى له التوفيق وسنفتقده”.

وأوضح بيسجارد: “الجميع داخل النادي تقبل قرار الرحيل بروح رياضية، كاي ترك انطباعًا طيبًا خلال فترة عمله القصيرة في فييلي”.

وأضاف: “لا أعرف كاي بشكل كبير، فقد عملت معه لمدة 3 أشهر فقط، لكنه شخص هادئ جدًا ويتمتع بشخصية متزنة”.

وأكد: “أسلوب كاي في التعامل مع اللاعبين وخاصة حراس المرمى يتسم بالهدوء والتركيز، وهو ما اعتبره ميزة مهمة ستساعده في مهمته الجديدة مع الأهلي”.

واختتم: “كاي سيكون إضافة قوية للأهلي، لأن لديه خبرة كافية لجعل حراس الفريق أكثر جاهزية وثقة داخل الملعب”.

Eddie Howe is putting his Newcastle players through post-game training sessions to bolster their attacking output, as the Magpies seek to replace the goalscoring prowess of Alexander Isak. With record-signing Nick Woltemade bagging just once in his first three appearances, and Yoanne Wissa out through injury, Newcastle's manager is hoping to get his whole team firing to kickstart their season.

Newcastle stars involved in post-match shooting practice

reports that after Newcastle's 4-1 win over Bradford City in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, many of the club's stars took part in an attack-versus-defence drill in front of the Gallowgate End. The drill saw Woltemade, Kieran Trippier, Tino Livramento, Harvey Barnes and Sandro Tonali take part, with the Italian midfielder smashing the ball into the roof of a portable net. The session was part of Howe's call to arms for his players to push forward in scoring more goals in the absence of Isak. The Swede, whose protracted transfer saga and eventual departure to Liverpool dominated Newcastle's preparations this summer, scored 27 goals in all competitions for the Magpies last term. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportHowe's men struggle in front of goal after Isak sale

Newcastle are struggling to replace that output. They are the Premier League's second lowest scorers, bagging just three times in their first five league outing this season. Only Aston Villa, with one, have scored fewer. Howe's men are averaging just 2.6 shots on target per game, down from 4.6 last year. 

Woltemade adapting to the Premier League

If this drought is to continue, questions will certainly be asked of the towering Woltemade. The 23-year-old bought himself some time when he scored on his debut in Newcastle's 1-0 win over Wolves, however he has not bagged in his following appearances. The towering German offers a significantly different threat than Isak. A highly technical player that likes to drop deep to both connect play and dribble at opponents there is some speculation around the club that his best position may actually be as a second striker or a number 10. However, with Howe preferring to play a sole target man, extra work is required to get Woltemade up to speed with his demands, the requirements of the Premier League and also to get him acclimated to his teammates.

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AFPHowe wants goals across his Newcastle team

Hope reports that Newcastle's pre-season tour from hell — Isak's refusal to travel with the team to Asia kickstarted the extended saga — was the genesis of Howe's plans to bolster his attack from deep. The head coach routinely led an exercise that saw Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton encouraged to break forward from attack. It will be heartening to the Newcastle coaching staff that Joelinton chipped in with two goals and Bruno two assists in their 4-1 victory over Bradford. 

However, the manager will be hoping for more from his wide players. The quartet of Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga have yet to record  a goal and boast just one assist between them. That was from Murphy's cross to Woltemade for the German's debut goal.

At £55 million (€64m), Elanga represented a significant investment for the Magpies, but he has yet to displace Murphy in Howe's preferred starting XI. Speaking to Howe said: ‘It’s harsh to say he’s got no goals or assists. Statistically, that is right. But you look at the chances he has created and sometimes it’s not on him that players he has served haven’t scored.

"If Nick scores Jacob’s cross with the header, he gets the assist. Vice-versa, if someone misses an opportunity, that assist doesn’t happen. Anthony has done his job several times but it hasn’t ended up in a goal.

"He’s looked a threat. He has that raw pace and power that is so difficult to defend against. But I think he can get better, and we can help him do that as we continue to work with him."

MatériaMais Notícias

O América-MG formalizou uma proposta de empréstimo pelo lateral-direito Daniel Borges, do Botafogo. A oferta propõe um contrato válido até dezembro de 2024. A informação foi publicada primeiramente pelo “ge” e confirmada pelo LANCE!.

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As negociações estão avançadas e devem ser concretizadas ainda nesta semana. O LANCE! apurou que Botafogo e América-MG já se acertaram financeiramente. Portanto, depende apenas de Daniel Borges para a contratação ser efetuada.

+ Atlético-MG perto de finalizar processo: veja os times brasileiros que ainda podem virar SAF em 2023

O lateral chegou ao Botafogo em agosto de 2021 e tinha contrato até 2024. O jogador foi muito utilizado por Luís Castro no ano passado, mas perdeu espaço nesta temporada depois da chegada de Di Plácido e atualmente é a terceira opção na posição.

Daniel Borges deseja obter sequência e não enxerga com maus olhos uma ida ao América-MG. O lateral disputou apenas nove jogos pelo Botafogo em 2023.

Newcastle United already have Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale fighting it out for the number one jersey, but Eddie Howe has now been offered the chance to sign another figure to provide goalkeeping competition.

Newcastle see off Wolves with Woltemade winner

After a difficult start to the Premier League campaign and having to undergo a lengthy search for a striker in the wake of Alexander Isak’s exit, Newcastle claimed their first victory of the season on Saturday against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Establishing himself as a new hero of the St James’ Park faithful, Nick Woltemade scored the only goal of the match to give the Geordies a precious three points on home soil.

Speaking post-match, Howe came in for high praise from the Germany international, who illustrated his gratitude to the manager after galvanising his side to claim a vital win after a slow start to the season.

Woltemade said: “I was just here for four days now, so everything was new for me. I was putting that bit away and I was focusing on myself today. I think the coach already gave me such a good feeling, so I felt good on the pitch. I knew what to do and I guess you saw today everybody knew what they have to do. This win was really important.”

Barcelona await next for Newcastle in their much-anticipated first Champions League fixture, and they will feel their solidity at the back can give them half a chance of stopping Lamine Yamal and company on Tyneside.

Three clean sheets in four Premier League encounters is a solid return for Nick Pope, who was linked with a summer exit to both Leeds and Manchester United.

Nevertheless, Newcastle appear to be looking at life after the Three Lions international and have now been offered a shock chance to sign an up-and-coming stopper.

Newcastle offered surprise chance to sign Sheffield United's Michael Cooper

According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign Sheffield United goalkeeper Michael Cooper by intermediaries, with the approach coming as a surprise due to his recent dip in form.

Conceding 12 goals in the Blades’ first five Championship fixtures, the 25-year-old has recorded a save percentage rate of 62.5%, per Fotmob. Following an extremely disappointing start to the campaign for his club, Ruben Selles has now been sacked at Bramall Lane.

Newcastle have hit gold on “monster" worth more than Wissa & Woltemade

Newcastle United have struck gold with this standout star, who is worth more than both Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade.

ByKelan Sarson Sep 14, 2025

Despite this, Cooper has made 20 saves in that time period and is also on the radar of West Ham United and Everton, becoming an appealing homegrown option on the market as his contract is set to expire in 2026.

After Odysseas Vlachodimos left to join Sevilla, Newcastle are said to be keeping a ‘close eye’ on his situation, likely as a consequence of 33-year-old Pope coming towards the twilight of his career.

While he wouldn’t be a first choice immediately at St James’ Park, Cooper would add another layer of talent to the goalkeeping group and could potentially be a long-term successor to Pope if he can rediscover his form.