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Aston Villa are now lining up a January move for a “sensational” £50m striker, with Unai Emery looking to bring in a long-term replacement for Ollie Watkins.

Villa eyeing new striker amid Watkins' slow start

Watkins isn’t having the season he would’ve wanted ahead of the World Cup next summer, having scored just one goal in the Premier League thus far, and Donyell Malen has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting for Villa going forward as of late.

Indeed, Malen is in a rich vein of form at the moment, having scored a brace to secure a 2-1 victory against Young Boys in the Europa League, following on from an impressive cameo against Leeds United, assisting Morgan Rogers’ equalising goal.

However, given that Malen isn’t an out-and-out striker, Emery wants to bring in a more traditional centre-forward in the January transfer window, with one of the Premier League’s breakout stars recently being identified as a target.

That is according to a report from The Mirror, which states Aston Villa are now lining up a January move for Brentford striker Igor Thiago, although it could be a costly operation, with a £50m fee being touted.

Emery is a big fan of the striker, having been keen to bring in a new forward since last summer, while Villa may also need to refresh their forward line due to concerns over Watkins’ form.

Thiago could be "sensational" Watkins heir

It is perhaps a little early to lose faith in the England international, as he is still only 29, but it is important to plan for the future, and the Brentford star has emerged as one of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League this season, scoring 11 goals in 13 outings.

Most recently, the Brazilian bagged a brace to ensure his side overcame Burnley in a 3-1 victory, and he is now behind only Manchester City star Erling Haaland in the Premier League’s goalscoring charts.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews has been left impressed by the 24-year-old’s performances too, saying: “He has been pretty good, hasn’t he? He is growing in stature and confidence and he has been pretty sensational this season,”

Thiago is at the right age to be a long-term success at Villa Park, and having proven himself in the Premier League, Aston Villa should undoubtedly launch a January move.

Aston Villa plotting £18m bid for "tremendous" defender, Martinez is a big fan

The Villans are planning a move for a new centre-back, who is also being targeted by Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

ByDominic Lund Nov 27, 2025

Emery has never really managed to replace Jhon Duran since the striker signed for Al-Nassr back in January, and with the Villans looking to compete in both the Premier League and Europe, it would certainly be beneficial to bring in another striker this winter.

Through planning, shadow tours and shared leadership, South Africa signalled early they were coming for India

Firdose Moonda26-Nov-20253:10

Philander: Takes an ‘epic effort’ to beat India at home

At the start of 2025, South Africa coach Shukri Conrad encouraged his team to “just dream a bit” because “some of the best things happen in dreams” and they ran with it. They had already qualified for the World Test Championship final and dreamt of winning it. But even after that, even in their wildest dreams, they didn’t go as far as thinking they would sweep a series in India, nevermind subject them to their worst home defeat. That was something they only believed when it became reality.
“Coming here, I would never have thought 2-0 would be the result of the series,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s still-undefeated captain, said at the post-match press conference. “What makes it sweeter is the fact that we’ve been on the other side of the result, so we know how dark it can be. It’s an incredible achievement for the group of players. Again, we’ve gone on to paint ourselves in history and we are creating some memorable moments.”The last time South Africa won a Test series in India was a quarter of a century ago, when Bavuma was a boy and two of his squad – both of whom made series-swaying contributions – Marco Jansen and Tristan Stubbs were not even born. To say that South Africa went into the India series with players who had mostly bad baggage or others who carried none at all is accurate.
Related

• South Africa prove again they can win the hard way, and anywhere

• Bavuma: Win sweeter because we have been on the other side

• Stats – Harmer breaks records as South Africa hand India a record-breaking thrashing

• Gambhir: 'This is exactly what transition is'

Those things combined to deepen their resolve to give as good an account of themselves as they could, especially as mace holders with a reputation to upkeep. Under Conrad, and with their first-choice side available, South Africa have not lost a series (their only defeat was to New Zealand in 2024 with an understrength squad) and Bavuma holds the record for the most Test wins as captain before a loss (ten before Guwahati, 11 in 12 Tests after). Against an Indian side in transition, South Africa fancied their chances but they didn’t fancy them much.”I would have never confidently thought we’d walk away with a 2-0 series win and maybe that apprehension would have forced us to bring a higher level of intensity in our play,” Bavuma said. “But also in our preparation, we made sure that no stone went unturned.”
South Africa players celebrate after sealing the 2-0 sweep•Associated PressApart from a helpful FTP, which saw South Africa tour Pakistan the month before heading to India, they also sent an A team, which Bauvma was part of, as an advance party for this series. That team played two four-day matches, albeit on benign surfaces in Bengaluru but against some of the Indian first-choice attack. The spoils were shared 1-1 and included South Africa A successfully chasing 417 in the second match, a sign that anything is possible. Bavuma scored 59 runs in the chase, which he described as the start of his uplevelling to meet the squad’s standards.
“The boys were in Pakistan and they got a proper taste and sense of what’s to come in subcontinental conditions, so the guys came in ready,” Bavuma said. “For me, it was a case of getting up to speed with the guys having been out with injury. But coming back into the team, I felt as if the guys were at a higher level and the onus was more on me to up my game.”
Bavuma missed both South Africa’s previous Test tours to the subcontinent through injury. He had an elbow injury last year when they beat Bangladesh 2-0 and a calf niggle sustained in a white-ball series in England kept him out of the Pakistan Tests. Despite those absences, there has never been any doubt that it is his South African team, with Conrad calling him both their best batter and their leader. And it’s clear that he is received that way. Bavuma received a standing ovation at Eden Gardens and was well celebrated in Guwahati and appears to have taken ownership of the job fully. He called his ascendency “a process of discovery” that has come from being “a lot more assured of myself as a person and as a captain and of what I’m trying to do out there”.

“Coming here, I never would’ve thought 2-0 would be the result of the series”Temba Bavuma

Two and a half years into the job of Test captain, and with the experience of the white-ball leadership under his belt, Bavuma’s biggest lesson is the ability to delegate so that he does not carry all the responsibility on his own. “We have a lot of leaders within the team and it’s understanding where certain guys provide value and allowing them to flourish within that space,” he said. “I’ve got your Keshav [Maharaj], I’ve got Aiden [Markram], I’ve got your KG [Rabada] even though he wasn’t there this time. From a tactical point of view, those are the guys, I can always bounce ideas around. I set that vision clear, but there’s other guys who help me make sure that we’re all on the same page.”
The other thing he has learnt to do is “separate the captain and the batter” and to ensure that he can be picked on the latter alone. “It’s important that you do your primary skill as well as you can,” he said. “Guys generally follow what they see, not necessarily what you tell them. I try to ensure that from a batting point of view, I’m contributing as much as I can to the team.”
<!–#cricinfo_insert
type: image_lead
object_id: 1513064
alt_id: 4
caption: Temba Bavuma receives the series trophy from Devajit Saikia
size: 900
–>Since taking over the captaincy, Bavuma averages over 50, is second only to Markram in Test runs for South Africa and has scored three of his four hundreds. In this series, his 55 not out in the third innings in Kolkata turned the game, and ultimately the series, in South Africa's favour.That contribution may end up sitting in the shadows of bigger ones like Senuran Muthusamy's maiden Test hundred, Jansen and Stubbs' 93 and 94 respectively, Simon Harmer's 17 wickets and Markram's record catches but Bavuma doesn't mind. This South African team is not about superstars – and remember Rabada was injured for the series – it is about who does what when it matters.
“The team now is really in a good space. Winning obviously does that, but it’s also the way that we’re going about winning our games,” Bavuma said. “From a batting point of view, we don’t have the guys who are going in and getting the big hundreds but we’ve got four, five or six guys who are willing to contribute. That gets us to a formidable score. We know that from a bowling point of view, we’ve got enough to make sure that the result is on our side. It’s good times at the moment within the team.”
You can wake up, South Africa. The dream came true.

Chelsea have now submitted an opening bid for Athletic Club forward Nico Williams, amid a new update on his future at the La Liga club.

The Blues already have a plethora of attacking options, having invested heavily during the summer transfer window, with Jamie Gittens grabbing his first Premier League assist of the season in the 2-0 victory against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

Gittens set up fellow winger Pedro Neto with a perfectly weighted ball from the left, before Enzo Fernandez sealed all three points with just minutes left to play, moving the Blues up to second in the Premier League in the process.

After the disappointing 2-1 defeat against Sunderland at the end of October, Enzo Maresca’s side look like they are starting to click, and there may be an outside chance they could even compete for the title, although BlueCo may need to strengthen the squad in January to make that dream a reality.

Chelsea submit opening offer for Nico Williams

According to a report from Spain, Chelsea have now submitted an opening offer of €70m (£62m) for Athletic Club star Williams, and they are willing to triple the winger’s salary in order to tempt him into a January move to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have been working on a deal for weeks, and they are now confident they will be able to get it over the line soon, with the 23-year-old being identified as a key target, although there is set to be competition for his signature.

Tottenham Hotspur have now matched the west Londoners’ offer for the Spain international, with it being revealed his future at Athletic Club is ‘more open than ever’, amid interest from two of the Premier League’s top sides.

There are question marks over whether the Athletic Club star would be a necessary signing, given that Maresca already has a wide array of attacking options, as Chelsea have been obsessed with signing young forwards with high potential.

However, the Pamplona-born forward has certainly impressed in both Spain and Europe over the past three seasons, indicating he could be capable of displacing Gittens in the starting XI at left-wing.

Nico Williams’ performance by season

Appearances (all comps)

Goal contributions

2023-24

37

26

2024-25

45

18

2025-26

10

4

The Spaniard was also one of the stars of Euro 2024, scoring two goals and picking up one assist as his side went on to defeat England 2-1 in the final, while Statman Dave was left particularly impressed by his performance against Georgia in the round of 16.

As such, Williams, who is regarded as one of the best wingers in the world, could be a solid signing for Chelsea, as they look to mount an outside push for the Premier League title.

Chelsea plotting fresh talks to sign another winger alongside Williams Chelsea plot fresh talks with forward after failed £62m bid and 'very exciting proposal'

He’d be a stellar addition to Enzo Maresca’s side.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 20, 2025

Ruben Amorim has stuck by his infamous 3-4-2-1 system at Manchester United and it appears as though it is finally yielding results.

The Portuguese manager has been in charge at Old Trafford for a year now, and although things have not gone exactly to plan, his side have now gone unbeaten in their last four Premier League games.

Amorim has finally begun to settle on his best lineup. That has seen summer signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha lock down the two number 10 positions in his system, with Mason Mount providing excellent competition.

However, those two signings have ensured Bruno Fernandes will remain in his deeper pivot role, rather than closer to goal.

Where Fernandes is best suited under Amorim

It has certainly been a topic of hot debate in Amoirm’s year-long tenure in the hot seat at Old Trafford. Fernandes is a number 10 by trade, and played his best football as close to goal as possible, in and around the penalty box.

That season came in 2020/21, when he scored and assisted 29 Premier League goals in 37 games. He was one of the deadliest attackers in world football at that stage. So, you might think it is logical for Amorim to play him as a number 10.

Well, that is not how the United manager sees it. In fact, he explained that his skipper operates in the pivot because he “is the right man to start with the tempo of the play.”

United legend Paul Scholes sees it differently, and says “there is no doubt” Fernandes should be playing as a 10 because he “is the most creative player on the team.”

In 51 games under the tutelage of Amorim, the Red Devils’ number 8 has played 30 games in the pivot, and 21 as a number 10. That certainly shows just how much their manager favours him in a deeper role.

Interestingly, United have another player coming through in a similar mould to Fernandes, and it will be interesting to see where Amorim chooses to play him.

Man United's in-house Fernandes successor

It is clear that Fernandes is viewed as a pivot player by Amorim, despite Scholes’ view and the success he has achieved in previous seasons. With the two number 10 positions nailed down by Cunha and Mbeumo, players may have to adapt.

That could certainly be the case for United academy star Jack Moorhouse. The 19-year-old is currently on loan at Leyton Orient, but has previously impressed for the Red Devils’ youth sides.

It has been an impressive start to life in professional football for Moorhouse. Described as a “deadly” player by United academy page on X, Academy Scoop, the Republic of Ireland U21 international has played 14 games for Orient, scoring and assisting one goal apiece.

As it happens, Moorhouse has already been described as someone who is “ideal for Amorim’s left 10 role” at United by football analyst Ben Mattinson. He has operated behind the striker more often than not for the U23s at the club, too, making five appearances in that role, scoring twice and assisting one.

Interestingly, he’s played a bit deeper for Orient this season, showing excellent versatility. He shone in a box-to-box role against Peterborough United, creating two chances and completing three out of three dribbles.

Moorhouse vs. Peterborough

Stat

Number

Touches

33

Pass accuracy

86%

Ball recoveries

6

Duels won

4/6

Dribbles completed

3/3

Key passes

2

Goals

1

Stats from Sofascore

There are certainly similarities between Moorhouse and Fernandes. Both creative midfielders, they can operate in advanced roles and a bit deeper. It would be intriguing to see where Amorim would utilise him in the first team.

One thing is for sure, the 19-year-old possesses great talent. If the Red Devils are looking for an in-house successor to their “Portuguese Magnifico,” they might be able to find him in their famous Carrington academy.

Related Carrington's "best talent" is a big Sesko upgrade in the making at Man Utd

Manchester United could yet improve further in attack under Amorim’s wing.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Nov 3, 2025

أعلن نادي بيراميدز، موافقته على انضمام وليد الكرتي مهاجم الفريق إلى منتخب المغرب المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب. 

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق بطولة كأس العرب، في الأول من ديسمبر المقبل، في العاصمة القطرية بالدوحة. 

طالع.. طريق بيراميدز.. موعد مباراة فلامينجو وكروز أزول في كأس الإنتركونتيننتال

وجاء بيان نادي بيراميدز على النحو التالي:

انطلاقًا من العلاقات الطيبة التي تربط نادي بيراميدز بمختلف الأندية والاتحادات الوطنية العربية، وتلبية لطلب الجامعة المغربية لكرة القدم، بشأن لاعبنا وليد الكرتي، وافقت إدارة نادي بيراميدز على انضمام اللاعب إلى صفوف المنتخب المغربي المشارك في كأس العرب للمنتخبات بقطر.

وجاء قرار نادي بيراميدز بالموافقة على انضمام الكرتي للمنتخب المغربي، على الرغم من ارتباط الفريق بمباراتين في الدوري المصري الممتاز يومي 3 و6 دبسمبر وفي ظل غيابات عديدة يعاني منها الفريق، انطلاقًا من العلاقات الطيبة التي تربطه بجميع المنتخبات العربية، وبما يضمن الحفاظ على تحقيق مصالح الطرفين.

ومن المقرر أن يصل وليد الكرتي خلال الساعات المقبلة إلى العاصمة القطرية الدوحة، بعد عودته من زامبيا مع بعثة بيراميدز، عقب سماح إدارة النادي بالتحاقه ببعثة الفريق المغربي في كأس العرب.

Luis Diaz scored a goal of the season contender as Bayern Munich travelled to Union Berlin on Saturday afternoon. Bayern were looking to maintain their rampant winning form and follow up their midweek Champions League victory at PSG in their weekend trip to the capital. And Diaz, who joined from Liverpool over the summer, netted a sublime first half strike for Vincent Kompany's men.

Getty Images SportDiaz follows up PSG double with sensational strike

Diaz has endured a week of mixed emotions having bagged a brace at PSG in midweek. However, the Colombian's night in Paris was cut short owing to a dangerous challenge on Achraf Hakimi that resulted in his dismissal deep into first half injury time following a VAR review.

Nevertheless, the former Liverpool man was used from the outset by Vincent Kompany at Union Berlin on Saturday afternoon as Bayern looked to make it 10 successive wins to kick off the Bundesliga season.

However, Bayern found themselves behind in the first half through Danilho Doekhi, the towering centre-back on hand to bag his third league goal of the season. FC Hollywood responded through Diaz shortly before the break as he struck past Frederik Rønnow from an impossible angle.

AdvertisementWatch the goal

Diaz impressing in debut Bayern season

The goal was Diaz's sixth in the Bundesliga this season and the reaction of teammate Josip Stanisic spoke volumes about the quality of the 28-year-old's finish. Indeed, the 25-year-old, who was credited with the assist for the goal, ran to celebrate with Diaz with his hands on his head in shock at what he had just witness.

Diaz kept an admittedly poor Stanisic pass in play before touching the ball past Janik Haberer and finding the far corner from an incredibly tight angle.

The former Porto man has really caught the eye since moving to Bayern Munich over the summer, having also provided four assists for Vincent Kompany's men. All four assists have been for Harry Kane to score, with the former Premier League pair striking up a fine understanding for the Bavarian powerhouse.

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Getty Images SportBayern one of the favourites for the Champions League

Diaz will hope he can inspire Bayern to claim further domestic and European glory this season. Bayern have already won the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup as they beat VfB Stuttgart 2-1 back in August, with Diaz on hand to score what proved to be the winning goal.

Bayern are the outright favourites to win the Bundesliga and successfully defend their domestic crown having started the season in flying fashion. Kompany's side are also expected to challenge for the Champions League this season having won all four games so far, beating Chelsea, Pafos, Club Brugge and PSG in the process.

However, they face arguably their toughest test of the campaign when they travel to Arsenal in the next round of European fixtures following the international break. The Gunners, like Bayern, have won all four games Champions League matches so far, and sit top of the Premier League. Yet Diaz will have to sit out that match due to suspension following his dismissal against PSG.

While no official decision has been made, it is understood that the selectors are mulling changes

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Nov-2025Sri Lanka may sack T20 captain Charith Asalanka two months out from a home World Cup. Chief selector Upul Tharanga insisted no decision over the captaincy had yet been made, but did confirm that the selectors were mulling changes.According to Tharanga, Asalanka’s poor form in T20Is has prompted this re-evaluation. That Asalanka was sent home ahead of the ongoing tri-series in Pakistan was only due to illness, or so at least team management has claimed. In any case, it is possible he has captained his last T20 match for Sri Lanka.”We have to weigh our best options after this series,” said Tharanga, when asked whether the selectors were considering a change in captaincy. “With a World Cup so close we can’t make a lot of big changes. The selectors, after talking to the coach, will have to make a decision on what’s best for the team.”Related

• SSC ground in Sri Lanka to get floodlights for men's T20 World Cup

• Nissanka's 98* keeps Sri Lanka's hopes of making tri-series final alive

Tharanga indicated that the selectors had been mulling a change to the leadership even before the ongoing tour of Pakistan, which is why they had appointed Dasun Shanaka – who has captained Sri Lanka before – vice-captain for the tour. “That was to give us another option,” Tharanga said.Still, no firm decision has been made, he said.”Still Charith is our captain. It’s because of an illness to Charith that we appointed Dasun as our stand-in captain. Charith is still the captain in our plans. We haven’t made a decision to change that. We’ve planned all along for Charith to captain this World Cup. We’ll see what happens. We haven’t made a decision about that yet.”Charith hasn’t been among the runs in T20s, and because of an illness he was forced to return home, unfortunately.”Asalanka had never quite established himself as a reliable T20I batter, with a strike rate of 126 across 68 innings. He’s been modest in 2025 too, having scored only 156 runs in 12 innings this year, with a strike rate of 122. Sri Lanka have won 11 and lost 14 matches under Asalanka’s captaincy.Still, his return from Pakistan ahead of the tri-series serious prompted speculation in local media. One theory suggested Asalanka had been among the players who opposed remaining in Pakistan following a suicide bombing in Islamabad, and that his being sent home was punishment for voicing opinions that ran counter to board wishes. As the tri-series runs for two weeks, teams would generally keep a player in the squad until they make a recovery, especially if that player is captain.Tharanga said it was illness that forced the selectors’ hand.”He had a viral fever, and he had body aches,” Tharanga said of Asalanka. “The physio told us that it’s hard for him to predict when Charith would get better, and that’s why we had to make that decision.”We’ve also had a problem in the middle order, and we’ve not been consistent there. If he couldn’t play, we needed to have someone else there. That’s why we brought Charith to Sri Lanka.”Tharanga envisioned Asalanka playing a role in Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign with the bat.”Charith is a very talented cricketer, with a lot of experience. I’m sure he’ll be an important cricketer for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup. We’ve seen what he can do in the middle order, where sometimes he’s won games by himself. He’s in our World Cup plans.”

Newcastle United could be boosted by the unexpected return of a sidelined star sooner than first thought, according to reports.

Howe: "individual errors" hurt Newcastle

It’s not often that Eddie Howe is publicly critical of his Newcastle side, but even he couldn’t hide his frustration after the Magpies saw their lead wiped away by Tottenham Hotspur at the death. It was yet another late goal and yet more points dropped from a winning position for those in Tyneside, who rarely do things the easy way these days.

Howe admitted that “individual errors” hurt Newcastle against Spurs just when they thought they did enough to secure all three points against Thomas Frank’s side.

Related Fewer passes than Ramsdale: Howe must drop 6/10 Newcastle star after Spurs

Newcastle United were denied another Premier League win by Tottenham Hotspur last night.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Dec 3, 2025

The former Bournemouth boss told reporters: “I think it’s definitely a failing, you can’t sit here and go, I can’t sit here and go, everything’s okay in that respect, it’s happened too many times this season, that doesn’t mean we can’t figure it out and put it right very quickly.

“Today’s really a set piece, it’s a moment and those moments happen in football, they’ve been on the other end of it at times and individual errors usually from set plays hurt you and that’s what happened.”

Tottenham will feel as though their late winner was justified, however, after Newcastle were controversially awarded a penalty, which Anthony Gordon converted in the second-half.

Jamie Redknapp demanded “consistency” from the referees at full-time and Howe has every right to demand the same from his players. In a packed December full of fixtures, the Newcastle boss will be relieved to hear the latest update on Yoane Wissa’s long-awaited return from injury.

Craig Hope shares unexpected Yoane Wissa return date

According to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Wissa could now make a shock return for Newcastle this weekend and take a place on Howe’s bench against Burnley. The forward recently took part in a training ground game, but it remained uncertain when he would finally make his debut for the club.

The summer signing endured a disastrous start to life at St James’ Park when he was injured not long after arriving. Now, he could get the chance to finally make his mark just when Newcastle need him most.

Dubbed “remarkable” by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank last season, it will certainly be interesting to see how Wissa is used in Tyneside.

Record signing Nick Woltemade has enjoyed such an excellent start, but will undoubtedly have a fight to keep hold of his place now that his competition is nearing a return. Whether Howe sticks or twists, there’s no denying that Wissa’s return will be a major boost.

Howe must finally bin 5/10 Newcastle dud who was "very sloppy" vs Spurs

Tottenham’s unbeaten Champions League run came to a dramatic end at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night against PSG, but there were positives to take from the thrilling encounter.

The European champions were rocked by Thomas Frank’s plucky Spurs side, who gave Luis Enrique a real nightmare, with PSG mounting two separate comebacks to secure a pulsating 5-3 victory.

Midfielder Vitinha claimed a memorable hat-trick, with PSG having to rely on moments of sheer quality just to overcome the north Londoners in France.

Frank’s men stunned the home side by taking a deserved lead on 35 minutes through Richarlison, who headed home from close range after brilliant build-up play involving youngsters Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray. The Brazilian’s opener looked set to give Spurs a halftime advantage, but Vitinha crashed in a spectacular 25-yard equaliser via the crossbar just before the break.

PSG 5-3 Tottenham – best performers

Match Rating

Randal Kolo Muani

8.7

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

8.4

Vitinha

8.4

Willian Pacho

8.1

Joao Neves

8.0

via WhoScored

Tottenham regained their lead five minutes into the second period when Randal Kolo Muani fired home against his parent club, converting the rebound after Gray’s effort was cleared off the line. However, PSG responded immediately with a devastating 13-minute blitz that turned the contest decisively in their favour.

Related Tottenham plan record-shattering January transfer swoop after "clear" Frank message

Spurs want to back their under-fire manager.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Nov 26, 2025

Vitinha curled home his second goal after being afforded excessive space to cut inside, before Fabian Ruiz completed the turnaround six minutes later following a costly turnover from Pape Matar Sarr outside his own penalty area. William Pacho then extended PSG’s advantage to 4-2 after Tottenham failed to clear Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s corner adequately.

Kolo Muani bundled his way through to drill home his second goal with 18 minutes remaining, briefly offering Spurs hope of salvaging something from the match. Those aspirations were dampened moments later, when Cristian Romero’s handball gifted PSG a penalty, which Vitinha confidently converted to complete his hat-trick and seal all three points.

The loss was Tottenham’s first in nine Champions League matches and leaves them sitting 15th in the league phase standings. Despite showing attacking intent and twice taking the lead, Frank’s young side were ultimately undone by defensive lapses during crucial moments in the second half.

Kolo Muani’s man of the match display against PSG, a club he’s still under contract with, gave Spurs major hope that they could have the answer to their striking problems after all.

The Frenchman, who’s suffered repeated injury setbacks since joining on loan, bagged his first goals for the Lilywhites and proved a real mence against one of the continent’s top sides.

However, Kolo Muani wasn’t Tottenham’s only bright spark on the night.

Thomas Frank praises "very impressive" Archie Gray in Tottenham loss to PSG

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Frank reserved special praise for Gray, who linked up with Bergvall for Spurs’ opening goal of the contest and provided real energy in midfield.

The 19-year-old has spent most of this season out with a calf injury so far, and before that, found it hard to get consistent first-team minutes with Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Sarr and Bergvall all ahead of him in the pecking order.

Much like last season, Gray responded with a solid performance when called upon last night, and it could be time for the Englishman to earn Frank’s starting nod much more often.

The former Leeds United sensation was given a baptism of fire under Ange Postecoglou last season when asked to play multiple unfamiliar roles during Spurs’ 24/25 injury crisis, and he’s done arguably done enough to earn the club’s favour.

With the 2026 World Cup just round the corner, Gray will be hoping that he can potentially stake his claim in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, but he’ll need Frank’s faith with more game time.

Spinner re-establishes himself despite Shoaib Bashir emergence as England’s coming man

Andrew Miller11-Oct-2024After a summer on the sidelines, and the sense that his England days were numbered, a familiar figure snuck back onto centre stage in the closing moments of the first Test in Multan.In a match that will be remembered for Harry Brook’s triple-century and his mountainous stand of 454 with Joe Root, up popped Jack Leach with a final-day four-for and seven wickets in all – which is as many as Pakistan’s entire attack managed throughout their own torrid time in the field.His efforts all Test long were unstinting: changing his line but almost never his length, looping the ball towards the batters’ front pads, nagging and knocking, waiting for the errors that eventually came in a rush in the second innings, or for the miniscule signs of misbehaviour in the surface that were never as forthcoming as Pakistan made them seem in their fraught second innings.Related

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In a five-day game of patience, Leach’s match haul of 7 for 190 in 46.5 overs was, quite literally, the matchwinning performance, without which Brook’s and Root’s efforts would simply have been gargantuan acts of stats-padding, rather than integral factors in another of England’s most memorable overseas wins.And Leach has previous for such contributions too. Remarkably, this latest victory was his 11th in 14 Tests in Asia – placing him behind only Shane Warne (13) and his own team-mate Root (12) as the most successful visiting player on the subcontinent. It’s a run that began with his key role in the 2018 triumph in Sri Lanka, and now includes 22 wickets in four consecutive wins in Pakistan, on some of the flattest surfaces ever conceived.Even if it could be argued that his record in the region is enhanced by his absence, through injury, from the sharp end of this year’s 4-1 defeat in India, then the flip-side of that record is worth an airing too. Since 2014, England have played 14 Tests in Asia without Leach in their ranks. They’ve won one, against Bangladesh in 2016, and lost 11 of the other 13.”He fits in like a glove,” Ollie Pope, England’s stand-in captain, told Sky Sports shortly after the match. “Obviously he’s toured here before, he’s toured India before … he knows how to bowl in these conditions. He’s been great to have back around.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIt wasn’t a given that Leach would find a route back into England’s Test plans, however, with England’s thinking currently geared towards the 2025-26 Ashes, and the identification of a bowling attack with the right “attributes” to thrive Down Under. Shoaib Bashir, with his high release point and an ability to drive the ball into the pitch to a degree that Leach cannot hope to match, is one such bowler. For all of his obvious rawness, a degree of fast-tracking has been in order to justify such a selectorial punt in the first place.It’s a point that Leach himself acknowledged last month, when speaking in the wake of his 12-wicket haul for Somerset against Durham in the County Championship – though he also stressed he was ready to answer the call, having demonstrated across 71.4 hard-toiling overs at Taunton that his fitness was fully restored after the knee surgery in February that had delayed his entry to the season.In light of all that has gone before, Leach would be entitled to look slightly askance at the returns in the match just gone. Despite his three five-fors in ten Tests, all before the age of 21, the sense that Bashir is a work in progress was plain to see at Multan, where he claimed a solitary wicket in 38 overs and proved particularly ineffectual in the second innings.Nasser Hussain, on Sky Sports, remarked that Bashir’s line has persistently been too straight in recent Tests, with right-handers finding it all too easy to manipulate his offbreaks through the leg side with impunity, although the dangers of offering width on such flat decks were amply demonstrated by Brook’s and Root’s demolition of Abrar Ahmed prior to his untimely exit from the contest.Leach, by contrast, had no such concerns, with his lower, skiddier trajectory keeping the stumps in play as he dared his opponents to blink first, as was the case with the non-turning delivery that thumped Salman Agha on the pad to prise England’s first opening on the final morning. Two wickets in three balls then mopped up the resistance, to offer Leach’s figures the late massage that his endeavours had earned.”I’m really happy for Jack, taking that last wicket today,” Pope said. “He spent a while out of the team and credit to him for how he’s come back and he’s bowled his heart out. He’s had a bit of bad luck over the last couple of years along the way, so I couldn’t be happier for him.Shoaib Bashir has been preferred to Leach in recent home Tests•Getty Images”I think the way that him and Shoaib Bashir can complement each other throughout the rest of the series is really exciting as well,” Pope added. “They’ve obviously got slightly different skillsets and can challenge batters in different areas as well. I know Shoaib didn’t get his rewards this week, but I’m sure he will over the course of this series.”Leach’s experience is valuable in other ways too. In a team in transition, he is one of the Bazball OGs – the only one left in the bowling attack, in fact, now that James Anderson and Stuart Broad have retired, and with Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood also missing from the team that won 3-0 on these pitches two years ago.Chris Woakes is the nominal leader of England’s attack, and bowled more impressively than his unflattering match haul of 2 for 110 would suggest. But in maintaining the continuity of the team’s approach across conditions, and with Pope continuing to deputise for Ben Stokes, Leach’s status as one of Stokes’ most trusted acolytes should not be under-stated. The lessons that Stokes imparted in his first summer as captain in 2022, when he memorably encouraged Leach to embrace his opponents’ attacking exploits and reaped the rewards with a matchwinning ten-for at Headingley, are all the likelier to be passed onto Bashir with a senior partner to show him the way.”It’s been great to have Jack back in and around the squad,” Pope said. “You know exactly what you’re going to get from him as a bowler. He’s obviously a very experienced bowler. He’s taken a fair few Test wickets now, and played a lot of first-class cricket too. He’s been awesome to have back around.”Woakes added: “For him to come back in and perform the way he has in this Test match is incredible. Again on a flat surface which didn’t offer much for the spinners either. It was amazing for him to do what he’s done – and just show his character but also his skill as well. He’s been there and done it a lot for England and to come back after a bit of time away after not being selected is an incredible effort.”