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With Nuno Espirito Santo aiming to make his mark on the current squad, West Ham United have reportedly joined the race to sign a Manchester City star at a bargain price in January.

Jamie Carragher blasts "shocking" West Ham

Whether it’s been under Graham Potter or now Nuno, West Ham have not been good enough this season. Sat as low as 19th in the Premier League with one win to their name, the Hammers enter their game against Leeds United on Friday in desperate need of a positive result.

After being eased aside by Brentford on Monday, their relegation fears were exposed at the London Stadium. Former Liverpool star and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher didn’t hold back after the game either, blasting West Ham as “shocking”.

The numbers also don’t make for pretty reading. Only Chelsea have covered less distance than the Hammers in the Premier League this season and that’s not simply because they’ve held the majority of possession. In fact, only four teams have held less possession than the London side – sparking serious concerns.

Sky Sports also revealed that the only distance metric that West Ham are ranked high in is distance walked. For a side struggling near the bottom, that simply can’t be accepted.

There’s plenty of work for Nuno to do, but he must also ensure that he gets the players he needs when the January transfer window swings open.

West Ham now racing to sign Mateo Kovacic

As reported by Caught Offside, West Ham are now racing to sign Mateo Kovacic from Manchester City, who have made the Croatian available at a bargain price amid rumours that he won’t be getting a new contract at the Etihad.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 23, 2025

The Hammers aren’t the only ones interested, however. Aston Villa and AC Milan are also chasing the midfielder’s signature and the latter may be tempted to join compatriot and good friend Luka Modric at the San Siro.

Whilst Kovacic is beginning to become surplus to requirements at Man City, he would be an excellent coup for West Ham. A multiple-time Premier League winner, Champions League winner and former Real Madrid player, the 31-year-old would be a major upgrade on the likes of Tomas Soucek.

PL stats 24/25

Kovavic

Soucek

Minutes

2,198

2,567

Progressive Carries

56

9

Progressive Passes

164

74

Goals

6

9

Previously described as “extraordinary” by Man City boss Pep Guardiola, Kovacic is still more than capable of starring in the Premier League. With just over a year remaining on his current deal, the Croatian should look towards the likes of West Ham as the perfect chance to stay put in England’s top flight.

تصدر النيجيري صديق أوجولا، لاعب نادي سيراميكا كليوباترا، ترتيب هدافي الدوري المصري الممتاز، هذا الموسم مع لاعب نادي المصري صلاح محسن، برصيد 5 أهداف لكل منهما.

وسجل صديق أوجولا، هدفي فوز فريقه أمام بتروجيت، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الأحد، بالجولة 13 من منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري.

وفاز فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا على بتروجيت بهدفين مقابل هدف، ليتصدر الفريق جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 26 نقطة.

كما رفع ثنائي فريق الزمالك، ناصر ماهر وعدي الدباغ، رصيد أهدافهما في بطولة الدوري المصري، إلى 4 أهداف، بعدما سجلا للفارس الأبيض في مباراته التي أقيمت ضد ضد طلائع الجيش، مساء الأحد.

وأحرز ناصر ماهر، هدفي الزمالك الأول والثاني، ليرفع رصيده إلى 4 أهداف ويتواجد في المركز الثاني بترتيب هدافي الدوري المصري.

كما سجل الفلسطيني عدي الدباغ، هدف الزمالك الثالث، ليصبح رصيد أهدافه 4 أيضًا، ويتساوى مع ناصر ماهر وعبد الرحيم دغموم لاعب المصري ومحمود حسن تريزيجيه لاعب الأهلي.

الزمالك واجه مع طلائع الجيش، ضمن مواجهات الجولة 13 أيضًا، وحقق الفارس الأبيض الفوز في المباراة بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.

طالع.. فيديو | بعد رحيل فيريرا.. الزمالك يعود لطريق الانتصارات في الدوري بثلاثية أمام طلائع الجيش

وضمن نفس الجولة، تعادل النادي الأهلي مع المصري، سلبيًا بدون أهداف، وإهدر لاعب الأحمر أحمد سيد زيزو ركلة جزاء في اللقاء. ترتيب هدافي الدوري المصري

– صلاح محسن – المصري، 5 أهداف.

– صديق أوجولا – سيراميكا كليوباترا، 5 أهداف.

– عبد الرحيم دغموم – المصري، 4 أهداف.

– محمود حسن تريزيجيه – الأهلي، 4 أهداف.

– ناصر ماهر – الزمالك، 4 أهداف.

– عدي الدباع – الزمالك، 4 أهداف.

– أحمد فاروق – وادي دجلة، 4 أهداف.

– عمر الساعي – المصري، 4 أهداف.

– أسامة فيصل – البنك الأهلي، 4 أهداف.

– أحمد سيد زيزو – الأهلي، 3 أهداف.

– أحمد ياسر ريان – البنك الأهلي، 3 أهداف.

– نيجك جراديشار – الأهلي، 3 أهداف.

– عبد الله السعيد – الزمالك، هدفين.

– أشرف بن شرقي – الأهلي، هدفين.

Manchester United have now identified an “unbelievable” manager as their first-choice target to replace Ruben Amorim, amid the uncertainty surrounding the 40-year-old’s future.

Amorim not out of the woods despite improved results

Frank Ilett, the fan who has vowed not to cut his hair until Man United win five games in a row, probably hasn’t gotten his hopes up just yet, but Amorim has made some improvements in recent weeks, guiding his side to wins in two of their last three Premier League games.

On paper, the fixture list looks relatively kind until late October, with the Red Devils set to take on Brentford away this Saturday, before taking on Sunderland at Old Trafford the following week, giving Amorim a golden opportunity to buy himself some more time.

However, the United boss will be well-aware that things must start improving, given that he is currently regarded as one of the worst appointments since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

It has now been revealed the Man United hierarchy have started making plans for life after Amorim, with a report from TEAMtalk revealing that AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is the number one choice to replace the Portuguese coach.

Iraola, who is one of the most sought-after managers in Europe, is being closely monitored by the Red Devils, having transformed Bournemouth’s fortunes since replacing Gary O’Neil back in the summer of 2023.

INEOS are said to view the Spaniard as an elite coach, with the capabilities of managing a top club, and they have been impressed with the way in which he has implemented his system at the Vitality Stadium.

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Posts ByTom Cunningham Sep 24, 2025 "Unbelievable" Iraola could be perfect Amorim replacement

Sky Sports’ Sue Smith waxed lyrical about the job the 43-year-old has done with the Cherries earlier this year, describing the work he’s done as “unbelievable”.

The Bournemouth boss, who likes to implement a 4-2-3-1 system, led his side to a ninth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, and he has made a flying start to the new campaign.

Despite losing a number of key players in the summer, such as Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi, Milos Kerkez and Dango Ouattara, the Cherries have taken ten points from their opening five games, with arguably their most impressive victory coming away at Tottenham Hotspur.

Having now proven himself in the Premier League over a sustained period of time, Iraola could be the ideal replacement for Amorim, but it appears as though INEOS are willing to give the current manager a little while longer, after two wins in the last three league games.

Leeds United have had to recover quickly in recent times when notable players have exited Elland Road.

Last summer, after heartbreakingly losing the Championship playoff final, the eventual promotion winners had to wave goodbye – through gritted teeth – to both Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville as Premier League moves awaited the entertaining duo.

Not even the added security of being in the elite division has saved Leeds from having to part ways with some star assets, however, with Kalvin Phillips leaving his boyhood club behind for Manchester City in the summer of 2022.

Unfortunately, the one-time £40m buy has struggled ever since leaving West Yorkshire behind, but there might well be some green shoots appearing at the Etihad now for the forgotten midfielder…

Phillips' turbulent stay at City

Amazingly, despite last featuring for Pep Guardiola’s men way back in October of 2023, Phillips could now have been gifted a chance at redemption.

Indeed, it has emerged that the Leeds-born midfielder has now been included in City’s Premier League squad for the rest of the 2025/26 season, having presumably impressed in flashes out on loan at Ipswich Town last campaign.

It was far from a standout loan experience for the 29-year-old, but he did hammer home this effort at Portman Road during his 22-game stay to be remembered somewhat fondly, away from also winning 3.5 duels on average across his 17 Premier League outings in Suffolk, as per Sofascore.

While Guardiola’s surprise inclusion of Phillips will give the 31-time England international some hope that he can rewrite his City narrative, it’s far from being conclusive proof that he will start plenty of City games moving forward, having only ever completed a full 90 minutes in the Premier League for his current employers a meagre two times.

Phillips will just have to hope his ordeal in Manchester doesn’t get any bleaker, with a worry now that this other ex-Leeds ace is experiencing a similar fall from grace to that of the 29-year-old, as his first-team minutes also continue to be minimal in the tough division.

The ex-Leeds star in danger of being the next Phillips

Thankfully, for both the aforementioned Rutter and Summerville, they have taken to the pressures of the Premier League a lot more steadily than Phillips.

Rutter is already up to eight goals and five assists for his new employers Brighton and Hove Albion, whilst his Dutch counterpart has also managed to successfully battle back from injury difficulties at West Ham United to collect two assists during the infancy of the new season.

On the contrary, former Leeds homegrown product Archie Gray has found the leap from the EFL to the Premier League to be a daunting one, having moved to Tottenham Hotspur just last summer after a whirlwind ascent into the Whites’ first-team spotlight.

Daniel Farke, who still occupies the Elland Road dug-out, would be the first manager to get a tune out of the adaptable 19-year-old in the senior ranks, with Gray previously being branded as a “very intelligent” talent by ex-Leeds great Marcelo Bielsa when he was just 15 years of age.

He would be showered with further elaborate praise after making a name for himself in the first team at his boyhood club, as seen in Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe heralding the teenage sensation as “extraordinary” during his breakout 2023/24 season, which saw him make 52 appearances in total.

Missing out on promotion that same season, then saw Premier League clubs unsurprisingly line up for his coveted services, with the £30m eventually forked out by Spurs to land Gray not looking like a rash amount to spend, either, considering analyst Ben Mattinson was wildly suggesting that the 19-year-old could go on to be a “future £100m” asset.

Gray’s PL numbers at Spurs

Stat

Gray

Games played

29

Games started

20

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Stats by the Premier League

At the moment, Mattinson’s praise hasn’t been backed up by Gray’s performances in North London, with new Spurs boss Thomas Frank only handing him one league start so far this season, having started 19 league contests under Ange Postecoglou. He wasn’t even named as a substitute for Spurs’ big 3-0 win over West Ham United, either.

It does feel now that Gray jumped ship from Leeds to pastures new in the Premier League a bit prematurely – especially as Farke’s men are now competing alongside Spurs – with an additional worry that the teenager is already being swallowed whole by the pressures of his top-flight environment, in a similar way to Phillips.

Gray will hope he can live up to his previous high praise down the line, but if his minutes continue to deplete, he might well just be viewed as another forgotten figure of Leeds’ past that struggled to cut it in the big time.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have been breaking records with their ultra-aggressive batting, and their captain Pat Cummins and coach Daniel Vettori said the team wasn’t planning to change the approach. But Cheteshwar Pujara and Ian Bishop believe the side should have a Plan B, with Pujara saying SRH weren’t “smart” with their batting approach in their loss against Delhi Capitals on Sunday.”Firstly I was really surprised they chose to bat first,” Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “When you’re playing an afternoon game, you know that the pitch will be slightly on the slow side, that’s when you normally prefer to bowl and that’s an ideal time to bowl, not an ideal time to bat. I thought they should have bowled first. But talking about their batting, I think they go too hard and they were not smart enough today.”SRH lost their top four in the powerplay and were reeling at 37 for 4 after Mitchell Starc’s menacing spell, but the scoring rate never went down despite that. Aniket Verma slammed a 41-ball 74, hitting five fours and six sixes in his innings, twinning with Heinrich Klaasen during a 77-run stand off just 40 balls to lift the team. With SRH’s lower order put to the test by DC’s spinners, they could only get to 163.Related

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Bishop felt the experienced Klaasen should have batted a ‘bit deeper’ given Aniket was more in flow. He felt SRH could still stick to their approach but have a single player take more time to settle in instead of going hard from the start despite wickets falling rapidly.”… those are experiences that I hope they will be learning, even Pat Cummins who says ‘keep going hard’, as they go through the season,” Bishop said. “I look at Klaasen’s dismissal, I think even Heinrich should know his power and if he was to stay and bat a little bit deeper, he will score at a huge tempo. It’s still early in the season, but they [SRH] have got to start understanding that if Aniket gets going, we can spend some time there with him as deep as we bat and just soak it up just a little bit more.”It’s not to consolidate for five-six overs, but it’s just maybe to manage for about three, four, five bowls, maybe even an over, we’re not talking consolidation for long period.”Pujara questioned the point of the aggressive approach especially if results aren’t going SRH’s way. After starting the season in their typical style by defending a mammoth total of 287, SRH slumped to defeats in the next two games.”What is your success then,” Pujara said. “If you are just winning two out of 10, then it doesn’t make sense. You need to win more number of games. You need to show that consistency again and again. Last season we saw that they played brilliantly throughout the league phase but what if one game goes wrong for you in the knockouts, then you’re not able you are not able to have a plan.”

Jay Shah, the ICC chair and ex-secretary of the BCCI, has joined a new Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) advisory board, which will replace the club’s world cricket committee.Shah was a notable absentee when MCC staged the inaugural World Cricket Connects forum last year, which saw over 100 leading voices gather at Lord’s to discuss the state of the global game. But he is among 13 founding members of the new World Cricket Connects advisory board, which will be chaired by former MCC president Kumar Sangakkara.MCC announced on Thursday that the second World Cricket Connects forum will be staged on June 7 and 8, before Lord’s hosts the World Test Championship final. MCC chair Mark Nicholas said: “We are looking forward to welcoming many of the game’s most influential figures to debate the most important topics that dominate global cricket.”The new advisory board replaces the world cricket committee, which formed in 2006 and met for the final time last summer. Other founding members include Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Smith and Andrew Strauss, as well as England women’s captain Heather Knight and JioStar’s CEO (Sports), Sanjog Gupta.”An important step has been made in the forming of the World Cricket Connects Advisory Board,” Nicholas said. “We have assembled an impressive group of the best minds in cricket across several different areas relevant to our sport. I am delighted to be working with this experienced group and excited about what we can collectively achieve for the benefit of the global game.”The world cricket committee was an independent body which did not hold any formal power, but its recommendations have often been adopted by the ICC. These have included calls for a Decision Review System, the formation of a World Test Championship, the introduction of day-night Test cricket, and the use of a shot clock to improve slow over-rates,The new advisory board will meet virtually throughout the year, and in person after the symposium at Lord’s. MCC said: “This independent group will shape the annual World Cricket Connects agenda, help facilitate the event’s discussions and in turn maximise the opportunity for genuine impact on the health of the game.”World Cricket Connects advisory board members: Kumar Sangakkara (chair), Anurag Dahiya (ICC chief commercial officer), Chris Dehring (CWI CEO), Sourav Ganguly, Sanjog Gupta (JioStar CEO – Sports), Mel Jones, Heather Knight, Trudy Lindblade (Cricket Scotland CEO), Heath Mills (World Cricketers’ Association chair), Imtiaz Patel (Former SuperSport chair), Jay Shah, Graeme Smith, Andrew Strauss.

Crystal Palace always have a keen eye on young talent and could be set to raid a Premier League rival to bring in an exciting gem for a minimal fee, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Crystal Palace continue to field Eberechi Eze interest

There is no secret about the fact that the Eagles have in-demand players on their books and speculation continues to mount surrounding the jewel in their crown this summer.

Arsenal are long-term admirers of Eberechi Eze and want to bring him to North London. In exchange, there may be potential for Crystal Palace to land defender Jakub Kiwior as a makeweight to shore up their defence.

Despite his goals, assists and flair making the England international the star of the show, he isn’t the only star that could leave Oliver Glasner searching for reinforcements, as speculation over Marc Guehi’s future is intensifying by the day.

Champions Liverpool are working to secure Guehi’s signature and the fact he has one year left on his contract in South London has posed a question to Steve Parish and company over whether to sell the Three Lions’ man while he retains value, something he admits will be hard to turn down if their valuation is met.

He stated: “We will just have to see what happens. It needs a new contract or a conclusion of some kind. It is a really tough one. We will do everything we can in the next few weeks to give ourselves the best chance. I am aware we are in four competitions this season. But the money we have is not infinite.”

Crystal Palace want to sign £26m star from under nose of Nottingham Forest

The Eagles are keen to get one over their divisional rivals…

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While that storm continues to brew, in the meantime, Crystal Palace want to close in on a talented young midfielder who is also attracting interest from elsewhere.

Crystal Palace make contact to sign Arsenal's Dan Casey

According to Romano on X, Crystal Palace and Norwich City have made contact to try and sign out-of-contract Arsenal midfielder Dan Casey, who could move for a compensation package before the end of the window.

The youngster has a new deal on the table at the Emirates Stadium after a return of 20 goals at Under-18 level last term. Nevertheless, he is yet to sign, signalling he could up sticks for a minimal fee if the correct opportunity presents itself.

Labelled “really reliable” by Adam Birchall, the attacking midfielder can play in a variety of different positions, including centre-forward, on either flank or even as a deep-lying six when needed.

Crystal Palace have done some wonderful work over the years in nurturing young talent and the 17-year-old could well be the next in line to join their conveyor belt of exciting stars.

The last time Newcastle United played football, they celebrated a 1-0 loss against Everton in the Premier League.

That was because, owing to results elsewhere, the Magpies sealed their place in next year’s Champions League, finishing fifth. Given that Eddie Howe’s side beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup several months earlier, the 2024/25 campaign is etched down as one of the greatest in the club’s history.

The fruits of Newcastle’s labours can be found in the £55m acquisition of Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga, and the submitted bid for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, whom talent scout Jacek Kulig has mused “could reach world-class striker levels”.

These are statement moves. Era-defining moves. And Howe, not one to rest on his laurels, is already planning for another.

Newcastle plan talks with Premier League star

With Liverpool formally registering their interest in Alexander Isak, Newcastle have a tough call to make. However, if that iconic talisman is plying his trade somewhere else next term, Ekitike would certainly soften the blow.

And moreover, the line of communications opened from west to east could lead to Howe getting one of Liverpool’s most talented prospects.

That’s according to Football Insider, who claim Newcastle (and Tottenham Hotspur) have entered the race to sign Harvey Elliott, who is expected to leave Anfield due to limited opportunities in Arne Slot’s system.

The 22-year-old is valued at £40m and also has interest from overseas, but Newcastle’s desire to initiate contact with the player’s representatives signals a strong curiosity about getting a deal done.

Why Newcastle want to sign Harvey Elliott

Elliott has long been regarded as one of the Premier League’s most talented young players, having featured 147 times for the Reds (notching 15 goals and 20 assists) and having won a range of prizes.

But his opportunities were reduced in Slot’s system last year, and it’s understandable that he wants a fresh start to ascend to the next level in his development.

Newcastle could give the young creative this chance, partnering him with another blooming talent in Ekitike – especially if Joe Willock leaves Tyneside, as has been mooted.

In spite of Elliott’s second-string role on Merseyside, he’s established himself good and proper. The quality is undeniable, and have Newcastle not tasted the fruits of signing an upcoming star from Liverpool in recent years?

24/25

28

5

3

23/24

53

4

14

22/23

46

5

2

21/22

11

1

0

*20/21

1

0

1

19/20

8

0

1

Former Liverpool U18s head coach Neil Critchley once said that Elliott is capable of “some real bits of magic” on the ball, and it’s this silky style that the Magpies would add to a brood that might contain Ekitike over the coming seasons.

Such a partnership really could be a thing to be feared. The French forward’s blend of high-speed running, off-the-ball intelligence and unrelenting shooting lends itself to Elliott’s playmaking prowess.

As per FBref, Elliott ranked among the top 2% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for goal contributions, the top 2% for passes attempted and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90.

For a player so frustrated out on the fringes, this isn’t bad data at all. Certainly, entrusted with a more prominent role at St. James’ Park, he could go from strength to strength.

Furthermore, the England U21 superstar also knows how to unleash a fizzling strike into the back of the net, thus widening the offensive proportions of Howe’s set-up.

Howe’s is a system built on swiftness, sharpness and success in the transition. Such flowing attacking play is something that Ekitike would thrive as the frontal piece of, but also something that Elliott could use to establish himself, settled in the middle, collecting and shepherding the ball forward.

There are many variables at play; who knows how Newcastle will shape up come the end of the summer transfer market?

However, there’s plenty of reason to be excited for those of a Magpies persuasion right now.

A dream for Bruno: Newcastle likely to see £50m bid accepted to sign new CM

As Newcastle United look to bolster their midfield options, the Mapgies are reportedly set to see a £50 million bid accepted to sig a great “leader”.

Jul 15, 2025

The 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, starting October 3 in the UAE, will be the first ICC event to feature the Smart Replay System. The technology was previously used in the Hundred and IPL 2024.”The coverage will feature a minimum of 28 cameras at every game, and will be complemented by a variety of analytical and visual enhancements. The Decision Review System (DRS) will also be available at all matches, with a Hawk-Eye Smart Replay System in place that enables the TV umpire to instantly review synchronized multi-angle footage for accurate decision-making,” the ICC stated in a release.Related

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Under the Smart Replay System, the TV umpire will receive inputs directly from two Hawk-Eye operators who will be sitting in the same room as the umpire and provide her with images captured by Hawk-Eye’s eight hi-speed cameras across the ground. The TV broadcast director, who used to be a conduit between the third umpire and the Hawk-Eye operators until now, will no longer be involved under this system. This also allows the TV umpire to refer to more visuals than she previously had access to, including split-screen images.In case of a stumping referral under the Smart Replay System, the TV umpire can ask the Hawk-Eye operators for split-screen visuals. In case there is a visible gap when the ball passed bat, the TV umpire will not ask for the UltraEdge (to see if it was a caught behind) and instead directly proceed to check the side-on replay for the stumping. If the TV umpire doesn’t see a clear gap between bat and ball, only then will she refer to UltraEdge.For stumpings, the new system will show the TV umpire tri-vision – essentially footage from side-on cameras as well as from front-on in a single frame. The front-on camera angle is important because it gives an accurate picture of bails being removed. Previously the broadcaster would show the side-on angle from each side along with footage from Stump Cam. But Stump Cam records the action at a low speed of approximately 50 frames per second, as opposed to the Hawk-Eye cameras which record at approximately 300 frames per second, meaning there will now be more accurate footage for the umpires to base their decision on.Like it was at the T20 World Cup last year, this tournament will also have an all-female panel of umpires and match officials.

يواصل المنتخب الإسباني حصد الأخبار السارة في طريقه نحو منافسات كأس العالم 2026، بعد انتهاء فترة التوقف الدولي خلال شهر سبتمبر.

ونشرت صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية أن فريق المدرب لويس دي لا فوينتي أبهر الجميع بمستواه ونتائجه بعد أسابيع قليلة من انطلاق الموسم الجديد 2025-2026.

وحقق منتخب إسبانيا فوزين متتاليين ليؤكد مكانته كواحد من أبرز المرشحين للفوز بكأس العالم وهو ما انعكس في تصنيف الاتحاد الدولي “الفيفا” الجديد.

ولن يتم إصدار التصنيف الجديد حتى يوم 18 سبتمبر لكن التغييرات التي ستحدث أصبحت معروفة بالفعل، حيث يأتي التغيير الأبرز من قبل بطل كأس أمم أوروبا.

وبالنتائج الأخيرة في المباريات القليلة الماضية فقد تجاوزت إسبانيا بطل العالم منتخب الأرجنتين لتصعد للمركز الأول في تصنيف فيفا.

أقرأ أيضاً.. منتخب الأرجنتين يفقد خدمات لاعبه في المباراة الافتتاحية لـ كأس العالم 2026

ولم يحقق المنتخب الإسباني هذا الإنجاز منذ 11 عامًا، وتحديدًا منذ يونيو 2014 قبل منافسات كأس العالم في الرازيل.

وكان المنتخب الإسباني يحتل المركز العاشر في تصنيف الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم وقت تعيين لويس دي لا فوينتي مدرباً، ومنذ ذلك الوقت نجح اللاروخا في الصعود بثبات، بفضل انتصاراته في دوري الأمم الأوروبية وبطولة كأس أمم أوروبا.

وكان المنتخب الإسباني يحتل المركز الثاني برصيد 1.867.09 نقطة خلف منتخب الأرجنتين بقيادة سكالوني، الذي جمع 1.885.36 نقطة قبل أن تنقلب الأمور في فترة التوقف الدولي.

وحقق منتخب إسبانيا الفوز ضد بلغاريا بثلاثية نظيفة ليجمع 2.41 نقطة قبل أن يجمع 5.87 نقطة آخرين من الفوز الساحق ضد تركيا بسداسية نظيفة وسيتراجع منتخب الأرجنتين للمركز الثالث بعد الهزيمة ضد الإكوادور لتخسر 19.35 نقطة.

وبذلك، فإن منتخب إسبانيا سيحتل المركز الأول بـ1875.37 نقطة ويأتي منتخب فرنسا في المركز الثاني بـ1870.92 نقطة والأرجنتين في المركز الثالث بـ1870.32 نقطة.

وجاءت المنتخبات في الترتيب من المركز الرابع للعاشر، حيث سيأتي منتخب إنجلترا في المركز الرابع وخلفه البرتغال في المركز الخامس والبرازيل في المركز السادس وهولندا في المركز السابع وبلجيكا في المركز الثامن وكرواتيا في المركز التاسع وإيطاليا في المركز العاشر.

وقد تتسع هذه الفجوة أكثر خلال المباريات المقبلة في أكتوبر ونوفمبر، حيث ستخوض إسبانيا مباريات رسمية في تصفيات أوروبا، بينما يخوض فريق سكالوني مباريات ودية، حيث سيحصل على نقاط أقل بكثير، وينتظر لقاء المنتخبين في الفايناليسما في مارس 2026 رغم عدم تأكيد أي شئ حتى الآن.