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Teenager gives glimpse of potential to leave Derbyshire winless in thriller

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 24-Aug-2025

Ben Mayes cuts through backward point•Getty Images

Teenager Ben Mayes gave a glimpse into the future with a match-winning 62 not out as Hampshire kept Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition progression in their own hands.England Under-19 star Mayes, just 17, mesmerised with a catalogue of power, guile and switch hits for his second List A fifty.Mayes put on 111 in 72 balls with James Fuller (54 off 39) to take Hampshire to their fifth win in the competition, after fifties for Fletcha Middleton and Ben Brown.Derbyshire Falcons had been in control after posting 339 thanks to 98 for Caleb Jewell and 76 for Brooke Guest but they were eliminated from the One-Day Cup, and are still yet to win a List A match at Utilita Bowl in seven attempts.Hampshire now know a final fixture win over Gloucestershire will see them into the knockout stage for a fourth straight season.Mayes and Fuller had joined at 206 for five, with Derbyshire boasting a tight grip on the match.Ali Orr and competition top-scorer Nick Gubbins had leaned into the chase with relish, finding boundaries with glee to put on 55 in the first seven overs.But fell in quick succession to Aitchison. Gubbins ended a 257 run, across three innings, without being dismissed when he was bowled and two overs later Orr chopped on.Middleton and Brendon McMullen straightened things back out with a flowing 66-run stand, but McMullen tamely chipping back to Joe Hawkins, drew the Falcons back to favourites.Middleton and Brown both posted their first fifties in the One-Day Cup but neither kicked on but just as Hampshire’s hopes were fading, their wonderkid arrived at the crease.Having scored four off his first 11 balls, he got moving with a cut boundary before a ludicrous reverse paddle found his groove.Mayes scored a fifty on his debut against Glamorgan to stick his name in the limelight, and played off that with a masterclass of modern shot-making. His second half-century came in 39 balls.At the other end, Fuller used brute power to clear the ropes four times in his 38-ball fifty before he was caught and bowled by Hawkins and Felix Organ was bowled.Andrew Neal took out the jitters by middling through midwicket as the hosts took the four points with five balls to spare.Derbyshire were given the first go on a batting paradise, and despite Kyle Abbott’s miserly opening spell, found runs flowed easily throughout.Jewell was the sparkle in the innings as he lusciously and repeatedly drove through the covers during a 99-run stand with former Hampshire batter Harry Came.It was just the start of a series of bulky partnerships that underpinned the visitor’s hefty 339 – stands of 46, 44, 94 and 39 all delivered in quick time.Wickets came in decade intervals, and when they did it often required either magic, or batter error.In the former category, Came was sensationally caught at midwicket by Nick Gubbins and Matt Montgomery had his off-stump glanced by an Abbott pearler,Jewell looked on course for a second century in the competition as he strode through 400 runs in the One-Day Cup.But having been fluently batting at a strike-rate around 120, he slowed up with the milestone in sight, and on 98 he missed a paddle sweep and was bowled by Felix Organ.Brooke Guest and Martin Andersson regained the sweet-striking momentum, the latter with an excellent eighth List A fifty but for the eighth time he couldn’t convert.Any chance of Derbyshire flittering at the end of their innings was kyboshed by Amrit Singh Basra – with 90 runs coming off the last 10 overs. The SACA graduate who signed a two-year contract this week showed off his range of shots in a breathless 15-ball 34 – but it wasn’t to be enough.

Aston Villa were steadily getting back to their best across October.

Indeed, five straight wins had been collected by Unai Emery’s men, with three of those victories falling in October, before a trip to Dutch outfit Go Ahead Eagles fell on the calendar in the Europa League.

Yet, even with Evann Guessand netting after just four minutes had been played, the Eredivisie hosts would collect a surprise 2-1 win come full-time, as Emery and Co. cursed their luck away from Villa Park.

On another night, Villa might well have at least collected a share of the points. Unfortunately, though, Emiliano Buendia noticeably underperformed throughout, with a second-half missed penalty from the ex-Norwich City midfielder only further confirming that it was the hosts’ lucky day.

Buendia's poor showing against Go Ahead Eagles

Before his Europa League hiccup, Buendia had very much shown Emery why he was deserving of more consistent first-team minutes.

It was widely reported this summer that Buendia was on the brink of a move away from the West Midlands, with his future at the club still remaining uncertain if Villa need to cash in on an asset here and there to satisfy PSR troubles.

Despite all this distracting chatter, Buendia had managed to let his football do the talking as of late, with a standout haul of three goals and an assist from 11 appearances.

However, his poor day at the office in the Netherlands does have the potential to trouble his concrete starting position.

The out-of-sorts number ten would spurn another big chance away from missing that vital spot-kick, with Buendia also uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at his feet, with possession surrendered a worrying 17 times.

Off the back of this individual showing, leaving a sour taste in Emery’s mouth, the Spaniard could look to alternate options in the number ten spot when Premier League action returns, with Morgan Rogers an easy fix here.

He might not be afforded a spot down the left wing, either, with Guessand scoring from this spot on the pitch against Melvin Boel’s hosts, as the ex-OGC Nice forward was in the right place, at the right time, to poke home a rebound.

Emery will want all of his attackers to be as instinctive as the Ivorian when Manchester City come to town next, with this other notable Villa first-teamer fearful of his starting spot subsequently, after another quiet game passed him by mid-week.

Emery must axe Villa star who is "off it"

The former Arsenal boss isn’t blessed with plentiful options in the centre-forward department anymore, with super sub Jhon Duran now plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League, after once being seen as an ideal second-in-command figure.

This has ramped up the pressure on Ollie Watkins’ shoulders, arguably, with his forgettable season so far displaying a striker in clear decline, with talkSPORT’s Troy Deeney even calling out the England international as being way “off it” back in September, when his goal output had already begun to disastrously dry up.

Games played

12

Minutes played

822

Goals scored

1

Assists

0

Since this scathing assessment from the former Watford centre-forward, Watkins has only gone on to pick up an unsatisfactory one strike for the Villans from 12 matches, with Emery clearly losing patience with his usual reliable starter when benching him last time out in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur.

Villa didn’t look lost without their 88-goal man leading the line, either, with ex-Borussia Dortmund man Donyell Malen filling in as the main marksman somewhat competently, as the likes of the aforementioned Rogers and Buendia stole the show with goals from the midfield areas.

Watkins didn’t exactly bang the door down to reclaim his top-flight starting spot with his shoddy showing against Go Ahead Eagles, with what should have been a confidence-boosting night only sapping the 29-year-old’s belief even more, as three shots failed to find the back of the net from his minimal 17 touches of the ball.

Guessand might even be the face that Emery chooses to start up top against Pep Guardiola’s challengers, if he wants to experiment away from a goalless Malen, with eight goals actually collected by the versatile Ivorian from this position for Nice, as Watkins fears another spot warming the bench is going to come his way later today.

£868m release clause: Aston Villa now willing to bid for "world-class" star

The Villans are prepared to make an offer for a new forward, who is now looking to leave his club.

ByDominic Lund Oct 24, 2025

Looking to wager on some prop bets for the Sunday action in Major League Baseball?

There are several games in the later slate to dive into – including the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball – but I’ve narrowed things down to two pitchers that I’m willing to fade on July 7. 

We’re backing a troubling trend for a young starter in the Yankees-Red Sox matchup as well as fading a veteran who has to take on one of the best teams in baseball. Let’s dive into the picks. 

Best MLB Prop Bets Today (Sunday, July 7)

• Luis Gil OVER 2.5 Walks Allowed (+140)
• Dallas Keuchel OVER 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-160)

Luis Gil OVER 2.5 Walks Allowed (+140)

New York Yankees rookie Luis Gil got off to a torrid start this season, but he’s cooled off a lot as of late. His ERA has ballooned from 1.82 on June 4 to 3.41 heading into this start with the Boston Red Sox, and a major reason for that has been his lack of control.

Gil was a great target early in the season with his walks prop, and that seems to be the case once again, as the youngster has allowed 13 walks over his last four starts. 

He has at least two walks in each of those games, including four free passes over five innings in an outing against Boston. 

At this price, I think Gil is worth a shot to allow three more walks on Sunday night.  

Dallas Keuchel OVER 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-160)

Veteran lefty Dallas Keuchel has bounced around Major League Baseball the last few seasons, landing with the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2024 campaign. 

Through his first two starts, Keuchel has a 6.75 ERA, allowing five runs in four frames against the Texas Rangers before giving up two runs in 5.1 innings against the Colorado Rockies. 

Milwaukee has somehow won both of those games, but things are going to get a lot tougher on Sunday against a Los Angeles Dodgers offense that is No. 1 in MLB in OPS against left-handed pitching.

The Dodgers are simply one of the best hitting teams in baseball – even without Mookie Betts – and I expect them to jump all over the soft-throwing Keuchel in this matchup. 

Since even the lowly Rockies were able to muster two runs against the veteran, don’t be shocked if baseball’s best offense against lefties gets three or more.

After the dismissal of Erik ten Hag nearly 12 months ago, Manchester United fans will have been excited by the appointment of Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP.

The 40-year-old won two league titles back in his homeland, even beating Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League just a couple of weeks before his appointment at Old Trafford.

However, his stint in charge of the Red Devils has been nothing short of a disaster, with the manager achieving a win percentage of just 39% in his 49 outings.

His latest defeat against Brentford has once again cranked up the pressure on his shoulders, with his £200m attacking additions still struggling to have the desired impact.

His future at the Theatre of Dreams remains hugely up in the air, with the INEOS hierarchy already seemingly targeting other alternatives to replace him should he be handed his marching orders.

The Man Utd shortlist to replace Amorim

Over the last couple of days, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has emerged as a potential option to replace Amorim at United should he be given the boot in the near future.

Whilst the Cherries want to keep hold of the Spaniard, they could have no choice in allowing him to depart, with the 43-year-old’s current contract set to expire at the end of the season.

However, he’s not the only name currently on their shortlist, with former England boss Gareth Southgate once again emerging on the INEOS radar, as relayed by FootballTransfers.

They claim that the 55-year-old could be open to returning to management and moving to Manchester after taking time out of the game following his departure from the national team in July last year.

It remains unclear if he will be the club’s main target for the role should Amorim depart, but the board have been impressed with his ability to get the best out of his players at international level.

Why United’s latest manager target would revive Mainoo

United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has endured somewhat of a frustrating last 12 months on the pitch, with boss Amorim often looking past him for selection in his midfield.

The Englishman only registered 20 league starts out of a possible 38 last season, with the likes of Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro ahead of him in the manager’s pecking order.

However, he has previously nailed down his place in the starting eleven, with Ten Hag often relying upon the 20-year-old to produce the goods during his tenure in charge.

Mainoo racked up various key goals in 2023/24, from last-minute winners to derby day goals and an FA Cup final strike – it truly was a year to remember for the youngster.

Such performances secured him a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad last summer, further showcasing his remarkable rise over such a short period of time.

He even started four of the nation’s six games in such a tournament, showcasing the faith that Southgate had in the youngster to deliver on the biggest stage for his country.

The appointment of the former England boss would certainly hand Mainoo the chance to regain his place in the side, whilst also instilling the confidence he’s been massively lacking in recent months.

For the Red Devils, the potential decision to hire Southgate may not be many supporters’ first choice, but it is one that could deliver the needed turnaround in form they’ve been craving.

The 55-year-old, who’s been dubbed “incredible” by Scott Parker, achieved a 63% win record in charge of the Three Lions and subsequently took them to two major international finals.

Games managed

102

Wins

64

Draws

20

Losses

18

Goals per game

2.3

Goals conceded

0.8

Points per game

2.1

Win percentage

63%

His side’s also achieved an average of 2.3 goals per game under his guidance, offering the Red Devils the needed attacking quality they’ve lacked in recent weeks under Amorim.

Such numbers are nothing short of remarkable, with the former England boss potentially able to end the club’s decade-long wait for a league title in the years ahead.

Success in the role is one thing, but the development of the players at his disposal would also be a massive part of his task in charge at Old Trafford.

Mainoo could be a huge beneficiary of such an appointment, potentially starring under Southgate’s reign once again and getting back on the trajectory he was once on at the Theatre of Dreams.

Arteta 2.0: Man Utd now targeting "best coach in the PL" & it's not Glasner

Manchester United appear to be targeting a manager who could replace Ruben Amorim.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 30, 2025

Newcastle United have not started the season with their trademark fluency and snap in transition, but it would be remiss to suggest that Eddie Howe’s side have lost their way.

Indeed, Newcastle have started slowly, staggered by the din of the Alexander Isak saga, with the Sweden striker having scored 27 goals last season, leading the club back into the Champions League and scoring what proved to be the winning goal at Wembley against Liverpool.

It was a cruel blow, especially after PIF had fought so hard to keep the rebel forward at St. James’ Park, but ultimately, he was intractable in his desire to leave for Anfield, and United banked a British record £125m fee.

An old adage says that no player is ever bigger than the club, and this is doubly true on Tyneside, with the sum of Howe’s team always greater than its individual parts.

They may not be firing on all cylinders yet, but there’s no question that it will come together.

Howe's new-look Newcastle frontline

Newcastle replaced Isak with Nick Woltemade, signing the 23-year-old German from Stuttgart in a club-record £69m deal. The rangy forward scored the winner on his debut against Wolves, but faced a sterner task on the south coast against Bournemouth last time out, albeit offering encouragement in the stalemate.

He’s rivalled against Yoane Wissa, who joined from Brentford on deadline day but has yet to make his debut as he recovers from a knee injury which will not require surgery.

That makes up number nine, but Newcastle needed more than just goalscorers, having finally ended an interminable search for a right-sided forward upon landing Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga.

One of the fastest players in the Premier League, Elanga hasn’t quite hit his stride in black and white, but offers an exciting dimension to Howe’s outfit.

Whether Elanga was worth the £55m paid to the Tricky Trees remains to be seen, but Newcastle have signed a Prem-proven player, something they sought to do a couple of years before.

Indeed, Raphinha is certainly one who got away, having just contested Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele in the bid for the Men’s Ballon d’Or.

When Newcastle missed out on Raphinha

Newcastle have kept four clean sheets from five Premier League matches so far this season, with the basis of Howe’s tactics as deeply-rooted as ever.

Now, he needs to overlay that foundation with attacking flair once again. Isak would have helped with that, sure, but Raphinha would have too, and based on his extraordinary form with Barcelona, it’s a shame Newcastle didn’t push to land his signature in 2023.

Having registered their interest in Barcelona’s man in 2023, Howe and PIF were hoping to take advantage of the La Liga giants’ financial problems, having even made a £60m verbal offer in May 2023, feeling out the chances of a big-money bid when the transfer gates swung open.

Barcelona had swiped Leeds United’s talisman from both Arsenal and Chelsea the year before, with the Londoners engaged in a transfer tussle for one of the Premier League’s most underrated wide forwards.

His first few years in Spain were somewhat middling, but Hansi Flick changed everything for the Brazil international, whose potency proved instrumental in the fight to win La Liga last season.

The 28-year-old scored 34 goals and assisted 25 more across all competitions, with his manager even remarking in October 2024 that he had “never had a player like him”.

Al Hilal from the Saudi Pro League have since been sniffing around, interested in completing a £87m deal for the Brazilian. Barcelona are not quite so cash-strapped as in recent years, but they remain beset with monetary issues.

It’s a shame that Newcastle didn’t strike while the iron was hot. Raphinha outperformed every single player in Europe last season, from a prolific perspective, at least, and so it’s not hard to understand why he was higher in the Ballon d’Or standings than stars such as Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz.

Raphinha

34 (25)

59

Mohamed Salah

34 (23)

57

Harry Kane

38 (13)

51

Ousmane Dembele

33 (15)

48

Kylian Mbappe

42 (4)

46

Just imagine Raphinha plying his craft down the Newcastle right; picture the kind of attacking combinations Howe could have spun together, weaving with Isak and Anthony Gordon and co a web of offensive skill that would have proved too much for most every opponent the Magpies came up against.

The £276k-per-week talent proved himself in the Premier League while at Leeds, and he’s only gone from strength to strength since.

Neither Wirtz nor Palmer, it’s worth observing, reached the top 20 for goal involvements last season. Wirtz hasn’t got going in the English game yet, but both are considered among the finest players not just in the Premier League but across all of Europe. Raphinha, on recent form, at least, is a cut above.

Even in England, at Elland Road, the La Blaugrana man was described as a “magician” of a player by his erstwhile teammate Dan James.

Raphinha has grown into a superstar, one who owes a debt of development to Hansi Flick. But there’s no reason that Howe couldn’t have shaped him into one of the world’s best himself, with Raphinha indeed hailed last season as being “the best player in the world” by Statman Dave across the 2024/25 campaign.

Given Howe’s expertise on the interpersonal front and his sharp, raise-the-bar coaching, it’s hard to envisage Raphinha falling by the wayside in some parallel version of events.

Who knows, maybe it would have been the tonic that United needed during their injury-riddled 2023/24 campaign, and perhaps it would have provided the boost the club needed to take things one step further last term, not just winning the Carabao Cup and returning to Europe but achieving something even greater.

We’ll never know how it would have panned out, but Newcastle have kicked on regardless, and having absorbed the damage of a turbulent summer transfer window, are ready to write another illustrious chapter into their history.

Howe must axe "one of the best" at Newcastle – he's already got a successor

Star’s shot-stopping vs new signing’s distribution fuels Newcastle latest debate

ByWill Miller Sep 23, 2025

Mohsin Khan, out. Mayank Yadav and Akash Deep, unavailable, at least for now. Avesh Khan, just about back from injury. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast-bowling attack in IPL 2025 was looking rather ragged till Shardul Thakur and Prince Yadav solved their problems on Thursday – at least for one night – against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the batting unit that has led all the talk since last season.”Can LSG stop Travishek?” Yes, said Thakur, with a short ball to Abhishek Sharma. The secret, as our experts explained afterwards, was in the build-up to the wicket delivery. And what about Travis Head? Prince stepped up, pitched it up, went under the bat swing, and knocked out off and middle. Not to forget Thakur’s first-baller to Ishan Kishan, SRH’s centurion from their run-fest against Rajasthan Royals (RR) last weekend.”One is, he is looking to swing the ball. With the new ball, he is getting that shape into the left-handers and he’s trying to mix it up with the yorkers,” Cheteshwar Pujara said of Thakur’s bowling plan on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “If you look at the previous deliveries, which Abhishek or Travis Head faced, he tried bowling yorkers – it was low full-tosses – but as a batter you are thinking, is it going to be a yorker or a back-of-a-length ball. And suddenly, he bowls a bumper, which could surprise a batter. And then you have less fraction of a second to execute you shot, and that’s why I think Abhishek was late on his shot.”Related

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It did look like that. Most days, against most bowlers, Abhishek hits those many tiers up in the stands. This time, it went to Nicholas Pooran at deep square-leg.”I call it bowling craft. When we were batters, we faced a lot of bowlers. The best bowlers we faced were often those that got their bowling craft. And bowling craft is when you’re not expecting that particular ball,” Nick Knight elaborated. “If Abhishek was waiting for that ball, [if] he knew it was going to be short, it was out of the park. But because he isn’t quite sure if it’s going to be full or is it going to swing, then you’re a bit late on it and that’s the difference between it going out of the park and getting caught. The bowling craft was spot on.”And, in seven-and-a-half overs, SRH were 76 for 3 – still a lot of runs – but without their big three of Head, Abhishek and Kishan. Head was in the bag of Prince, who made his IPL debut this season, and occasionally clocked 140kph. More than anything else, Prince backed his strengths.”He had a clear game plan. He wanted to bowl yorkers and he wanted to mix it up with slower bouncers and bouncers,” Pujara said. “There was a clear game plan: he was not going to bowl a length ball or a back-of-a-length ball. When you have that clarity, then comes the execution.”I think his execution was spot on. There were times when he ended up bowling half-volleys, but still I think those are good deliveries on that pitch. And he showed a lot of courage. You need courage to bowl those balls.”After Head was felled, SRH added just 114 runs in 12.3 overs. The sixes didn’t stop. Aniket Verma hit five, Pat Cummins hit three in a four-ball innings. But the lost momentum never came back.0:55

Pujara praises Prince Yadav’s clarity of plans

“The bowled well in the middle, credit needs to go to them as well. They picked up early wickets, that stopped a little bit of the momentum,” Heinrich Klaasen said in the press conference later. “We just didn’t score enough runs. One or two wickets [fell] early in the innings and it was difficult to keep on going with the momentum. It wasn’t enough.”If you look at our batting line-up, we’re destructive till batter No. 8 [Cummins]. So you don’t need Travis and Abhishek to come off every time. We’re good enough to score runs without them as well. They put teams under a lot of pressure when they do come off, makes our job a little bit easier. But you will never have a season where both of them score a thousand runs. It is the way we play – it’s on the riskier side, but no, we are big enough players to know we need to do it on our own too.”Travishek, plus Kishan, were stopped. SRH only managed 190 for 9, well under the 300 observers have been waiting for them to get. LSG, as written-off as a team could be after one game, had their first win and their first points, with something of a ragtag fast-bowling attack that, for now, has found a couple of unlikely heroes to front it.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has a plethora of star players in his squad, and some have been reduced to fewer minutes than they’d like.

BlueCo are spearheading another major reshuffle of the squad, and perhaps even more so this summer, with the expectation being that Chelsea are poised to offload many more squad members as new players fill their spaces.

Carney Chukwuemeka, Axel Disasi, Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist could all still leave Stamford Bridge before the summer transfer deadline on September 1, as UEFA pressure Chelsea to produce a positive transfer balance by next month.

The aforementioned seven could follow a host of players out the door, with Kepa Arrizabalaga, Basir Humphreys, Noni Madueke, Marcus Bettinelli, Mathis Amougou, Djordje Petrovic, João Félix, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Armando Broja and Lesley Ugochukwu parting company permanently.

For most of a portion of this window, defender Benoit Badiashile has also been linked with exit door, but the Frenchman’s future has proved more complicated.

While Badiashile isn’t exactly at the forefront of Maresca’s plans, starting just three Premier League games last season, he did play in all but two games of their Conference League campaign.

The 24-year-old was a firm regular of their ‘B team’ last term, so to speak, but remains behind the likes of Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill in the pecking order.

Unfortunately for Maresca, Colwill is now set to miss most of the new campaign after damaging his ACL in training, with Chelsea thought to be exploring new centre-back options in the transfer market as a result.

Chelsea could even sign a new defender on an emergency loan, according to some reports, but any deal for the right player will be hard to do considering how late it is in the window.

They also remain in ongoing talks to sign both Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho respectively, and bringing in the attacking duo would take Chelsea’s summer spending to well past the £300 million mark.

Maresca could well be forced to consider more internal solutions to their centre-back shortage, with Badiashile now receiving plenty of support at Cobham.

Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile praised by staff behind-the-scenes

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, speaking on the London is Blue podcast this week, the former AS Monaco man is earning real admiration from members of the Chelsea staff.

Those within the club are convinced that Badiashile can develop into a consistent and reliable player for Chelsea, with Maresca told to take note of the ex-Ligue 1 star as a potential option – even if he’s currently injured himself right now.

Badiashile is expected back around September, though, so he could soon come in as cover for Colwill if Maresca opts to head in that direction.

In another interview on Playback, Jacobs also revealed that Badiashile has a fierce work ethic, with there being a growing sense that his signing has “slipped under the radar”.

While they certainly didn’t help themselves, the biggest problem for Tottenham Hotspur last season was injuries.

Ange Postecoglou had to make do with a cobbled-together squad for much of the campaign, and when he did have his players back, they won the Europa League.

Arguably, the biggest miss for the Lilywhites was Cristian Romero, who missed 27 games before playing a pivotal role in the club’s first trophy triumph in 17 years.

The World Cup winner will undoubtedly be one of Thomas Frank’s most important players this season, and so fans should be delighted about reports linking the club to an international who has been compared to him, as well as Gabriel Magalhães.

Spurs target Romero and Gabriel hybrid

It’s been an interesting summer for Spurs so far regarding transfers, as while their pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White hasn’t borne any fruit, they’ve bought in several other potential game-changers.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, while he wasn’t cheap, Mohammed Kudus could help turn the Lilywhites into a far more dangerous side, while Joao Palhinha has the ability to make them a far tougher side to break down.

Moreover, the North Londoners appear keen on adding at least one more player to their ranks before the window slams shut, a player who has been compared to Romero and Gabriel.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Sebastien Vidal, who claims that Spurs are very interested in Ronald Araujo, who is valued at £43m.

In fact, the journalist goes further, revealing that the Lilywhites are “expected” to make their first official approach for the Barcelona star as soon as “next week.”

It could be a complicated and relatively costly transfer to get done, but Araujo has proven he’d be worth it, especially as he’s been compared to Romero and Gabriel.

How Araujo compares to Romero & Gabriel

Now, there are several quite surface-level similarities you can point to between Araujo, Gabriel and Romero, such as them all being South American defenders who play for their nations, the fact they all play for top sides in one of Europe’s top five leagues, or that none of them are the kind of defender who gets bullied off the ball easily.

However, thanks to FBref, we know that there are also some undeniable statistical similarities between them as they looked at all centre-backs across the top five leagues and, over the last 365 days, the Arsenal star comes in as the third most similar to the Barça ace, while the Spurs titan ranks as the ninth most similar.

You can gain a better understanding of how these comparisons were made by examining the underlying numbers in which the Uruguayan ranked closely to the two Premier League monsters.

Araujo & Gabriel
Statistics per 90	Araujo	Gabriel
Non-Penalty Expected Goals	0.11	0.10
Passing Accuracy	91.9%	90.2%
Key Passes	0.48	0.49
Passes into the Penalty Area	0.36	0.30
Goal-Creating Actions	0.24	0.23
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Campaign

Interestingly, when it comes to the Gunners’ ace, the Rivera-born star doesn’t actually rank all that closely in the defensive metrics, and instead shares plenty of the Brazilian’s offensive qualities, from non-penalty expected goals to key passes and goal-creating actions, all per 90.

However, when it comes to the Lilywhites ace, the metrics include offensive and defensive statistics, such as interceptions, percentage of aerial duels won, tackles in the middle third, key passes and more, all per 90.

Araujo & Romero
Statistics per 90	Araujo	Romero
Non-Penalty Expected Goals	0.11	0.10
Interceptions	1.07	1.34
Aerial Duels Won %	62.3%	60.3%
Tackles in the Middle Third	0.60	0.51
Key Passes	0.48	0.45
Progressive Carries	0.71	0.76
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Campaign

With all that said, while comparisons to two of the best defenders in the world’s toughest league are certainly encouraging, there are other arguments for why the North Londoners should be all over a deal for the former Boston River star, such as his experience.

For example, despite still being just 26 years old, and therefore a year out from hitting his peak, according to research from The Athletic, the “athletic monster,” as dubbed by analyst Raj Chohan, has made 175 appearances for Barcelona, of which 141 have been starts, and he’s racked up a pretty good tally of ten goals and seven assists in those games.

On top of that, he has also helped the Spanish giants win two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and two Super Cups, which makes it easy to understand why legendary centre-back Carles Puyol once described him as “one of the best defenders in the world.”

Ultimately, even though it could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, Spurs should be doing what they can to secure Araujo’s services, especially as he’s something of a hybrid between Romero and Gabriel.

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Dan Emery

Aug 11, 2025

Youssoufa Moukoko admitted he cried over claims about his age that overshadowed his rise from Borussia Dortmund prodigy to Copenhagen striker.

• Ex-Dortmund player now plays for Copenhagen
• Allegations claimed his birth certificate was fake
• Moukoko said rumours left him in tears

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Moukoko who was once tipped as Dortmund’s next superstar, has spoken out about the emotional toll of false age claims that surrounded his career. Despite scoring an incredible 141 goals in 88 youth matches for BVB, his rise was marred by allegations that his birth certificate was fake. Reports suggested he was actually born in 2000, making him four years older than officially registered.

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• IMAGO / Michael Barrett Boesen
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After a loan spell at Nice, he left Dortmund permanently in the summer, completing a €5 million move to Copenhagen, where he has scored three times in 12 games so far. Nonetheless the scandal dented his reputation at a crucial stage in his development, with critics questioning both his legitimacy and his potential. His time at Dortmund fizzled out without a proper farewell to fans, ending a nine-year stay at the club. Now in Denmark, Moukoko is attempting to rebuild both his career and confidence, while showing resilience in speaking openly about the challenges that left him struggling mentally.

• WHAT MOUKOKO SAID

  Speaking to , Moukoko revealed: "I've cried and thought: 'How do I get out of this?' and 'When will things get better?' Many people simply say: 'Everything's fine,' after difficult times. But I want to talk about it. Sometimes you have to learn to cry for help.

  "I think I was surprised by how many people do anything to get attention. Some people are incredibly greedy. Maybe one day I'll make my own documentary."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MOUKOKO?

  The German international is now focused on making his mark in the Danish Superliga. With three goals already for Copenhagen, the 20-year-old hopes to silence the noise around him by delivering consistent performances and reigniting the potential that once made him one of Europe’s most hyped teenagers.

Nottingham Forest have now joined the race to sign a “special” £25 million international winger, according to a new report.

Nottingham Forest in contact to sign new striker after Jesus

The Reds have made two signings so far this summer, both of whom arrived from Brazilian side Botafogo. But given the club are looking to go deep into the UEFA Conference League as well as achieve further success in the Premier League, then Nuno Espirito Santo will be wanting more arrivals before the Premier League season gets underway.

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Igor Jesus, who is a striker, is one of the two players to arrive at the City Ground this summer, and he will join Chris Wood, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Emmanuel Dennis as the contracted forwards at Forest, but the latter could be free to leave the club given he has fallen down the pecking order. Meanwhile, Awoniyi’s return to action is unknown, and therefore, Forest are in the market for another centre-forward.

According to recent reports abroad, Forest have made contact with Inter Milan over the signing of Mehdi Taremi. Fulham and Turkish outfit Besiktas were already in the race to sign Taremi, but the Reds have now added his name to the list, with all three teams making contact with Inter but are now waiting for the striker to decide his next move. He could cost any side as much as £6.8 million.

Nottingham Forest join Everton in race to sign "special" £25m winger

As well as looking at new forward options, the Reds are also looking at who could replace Anthony Elanga, and according to The Express, Forest have registered their interest in signing Ben Doak from Liverpool.

Unfortunately for Forest, they are not the only team from the Premier League interested in the winger, as Doak is a “leading target” for Everton, as they have made an enquiry, but the likes of Bournemouth and Crystal Palace have also submitted enquiries about signing Doak.

It goes on to add that Doak, who has earned six caps for Scotland to date, would be open to leaving Anfield this summer, after returning from his loan spell at Middlesbrough. The 19-year-old is out of contract next summer, and therefore, Liverpool could be open to letting Doak leave, should they receive an offer worth £25 million.

This is despite the fact he has played just 10 times for the Premier League champions, but Liverpool will see his loan spell at Boro as a productive campaign, as he scored three goals in 24 league games.

Apps

24

Starts

21

Goals

3

xG

4.40

Shots per game

1.1

Goal conversion

11%

Assists

7

xAG

4.52

Big chances created

7

Key passes

1.9

Successful dribbles

1.5 (40%)

Doak is a player who is admired by a lot of clubs, and it may not come as much of a surprise, given former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp labelled Doak “special”. Klopp said: “Special boy. Really confident, has something nobody else delivers, really, this kind of dribbling, this kind of straight-forward bravery, all these kinds of things.”