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Tottenham Hotspur are now seriously considering a move for an “incredible” manager to replace Thomas Frank, following the 2-1 defeat at home against Fulham on Saturday.

Thomas Frank's future in doubt after another home defeat

Tottenham’s extremely concerning home form continued on Saturday afternoon, with the Cottagers consigning Frank’s side to a third loss in their last four Premier League games, and the lack of creativity, particularly in the first half, will no doubt be of particular concern to the manager.

It was not the first time this season Spurs have struggled from an attacking point of view, having recorded an xG of just 0.07 against Arsenal in the North London derby, the lowest figure of any side in the Premier League during the 2025-26 campaign.

As such, the pressure is mounting on Frank, who has just one home win to his name in the Premier League this season, with Jamie O’Hara expressing doubts over the Dane after the most recent setback.

As such, ENIC & co have started thinking about potential replacements, and according to a report from Spain, Tottenham are now seriously considering a move for Barcelona legend Xavi, with the board tempted to make a change if results don’t improve by the end of next month.

The 45-year-old is ready to return to management, having been out of work since being sacked by Barcelona back in May 2024, and there is plenty of interest from within the Premier League, with Manchester United also considering him as a replacement for Ruben Amorim.

The north Londoners are yet to make contact with the Spaniard, but they are planning to do so if results don’t improve in the near future, and there are signs he could be an excellent replacement for Frank…

"Incredible" Xavi could be ideal Frank replacement

With O’Hara concerned the Tottenham job may be too big for the 52-year-old, it would make sense to bring in a manager with experience managing at the highest level, and the legendary former midfielder certainly fits the bill in that regard, having led Barcelona to the 2022-23 La Liga title.

Lauded as “incredible” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, the Terrassa-born manager, who prefers to implement an attacking 4-3-3 system, has won eight trophies across his managerial career, while Frank is yet to lift any silverware.

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As such, Xavi could be an ideal replacement for Frank, who should be on very thin ice, given that recent performances have been way below standard from an attacking point of view.

Shohei Ohtani hit his 100th home run as a member of the Dodgers on Tuesday night, and he did so in emphatic fashion. Not only was it his 100th home run for the organization, but Ohtani's hit in the third inning was the hardest-hit ball of his entire MLB career.

The solo shot to right field left the bat at a jaw-dropping speed of 120 mph, according to Statcast, which could make it not only the Ohtani's hadest home run, but also the hardest hit he's ever recorded.

Pirates rookie pitcher Bubba Chandler found himself with an early "Welcome to the big leagues" moment after Ohtani parked that ball in the seats in a flash. While walking on the mound in anticipating of his next pitch, Chandler looked as if he could barely believe the home run he'd just surrendered to the best player in baseball.

Prior to Tuesday night, Ohtani's hardest hit ever recorded was a 119.2 mph single back in 2024. Now, he's shattered that with a mammoth solo home run that left the yard at an astonishing 120 mph. In the Statcast era, only five other home runs have been hit with an exit velocity of 120 mph or greater, making Ohtani's the sixth fastest recorded in history. Only Oneil Cruz (122.9 mph), Giancarlo Stanton (121.7, 121.3 mph), Ronald Acuña Jr. (121.2 mph) and Aaron Judge (121.1 mph) have had higher exit velocities on home runs.

Manchester United remain unbeaten in their last five Premier League games under Ruben Amorim, but the Red Devils have been told they are no better by a former Chelsea star who has delivered a savage verdict on their resurgence. The Portuguese coach marked his one-year anniversary at Old Trafford this month, but not everyone is celebrating, as former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has poured cold water on United’s apparent revival, insisting that, despite the recent upturn in results, the ship is still not in steady waters.

• A run of promise overshadowed by doubt

  United had been enjoying a welcome burst of momentum after picking up consecutive victories over Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton. The bright run of form sparked optimism that Amorim’s ideas were finally taking hold. But back-to-back 2-2 draws against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham halted their surge and reopened old questions about consistency and mentality. 

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• Hasselbaink raises questions on United's revival

  Those doubts came roaring back when Hasselbaink, speaking on , bluntly rejected the suggestion that United are moving forward.

  "I don’t think they have improved, I’m sorry," he began. "Where, where have they improved? They have not scored more goals, they have not had less goals against, they have not won any trophies. Yes, they have been in a final in Europe but lost against a poor side – Tottenham were a poor side last year. He has got a lot of work to do, a lot of work. I don’t think they are creative enough, not like they used to be."

  It’s not as if United haven’t backed their manager. The club spent more than £200 million ($264m) last summer, bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and goalkeeper Senne Lammens in an attempt to erase memories of their disastrous 2024/25 campaign. They finished 15th in the Premier League, racked up just 42 points, the lowest tally since their relegation in 1974, and a defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final killed all hopes of a European campaign in 2025/26. Amorim has amassed 21 wins, 14 draws and 19 losses in 54 matches, numbers that suit a mid-table club but not a Premier League giant with significant financial muscle. 

• Inside Old Trafford: Optimism growing

  Despite the criticism, those inside Carrington and Old Trafford insist that the mood has shifted for the better. The recruitments are now more aligned with a long-term strategy, and Amorim has earned respect for staying true to his footballing beliefs even during the club’s darkest periods. It is believed that the INEOS hierarchy is hoping to see the club back in Europe and Amorim continues to enjoy the complete backing of the owners. His interview with last week captured what many inside the club admire about him.

  "During my career as a manager, most of the time I was winning," he said. "When you are winning, you can say that you have convictions and you are loyal to your ideas, but you learn when you lose, when you are under pressure and I learned that when I’m under pressure, I’m stronger on my ideas and I keep with my ideas. Of course, it’s really important to feel the support of everyone in the club, especially the fans that help you, to give you that confidence to continue on your path, but that was the biggest learning point: when I’m under pressure, I can stick with my plan."

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  Room to improve for United

  Saturday’s match against Tottenham brought the same old sting for United supporters as they saw another lead surrendered and another chance to climb into the top four missed. Speaking to after the game, Amorim did not attempt to sugarcoat the frustration.

  "During the game we felt like the three points were there to take home," he admitted. "But then with everything that happened, Harry Maguire and Casemiro coming off and conceding two goals…we scored again and it's a point. When you cannot win you don't lose, once again we did that. We have so much to grow as a team, because today was our day to win this game.

  "We need to look at ourselves, we were not pressing with the same intensity, we felt comfortable but we need to understand that if we had more bravery we kill the game. But sometimes this happens, you have a better first half than second. We believe in our capacity to score goals until the last minute. It's a little frustration, but also pride at the response of the players at the response to second goal of Tottenham. This is the tip of the iceberg, we are at the beginning of becoming a strong team, so we have a lot to do."

  United return to Premier League action at home to Everton after the international break, and after that, comes a tricky trip to Crystal Palace, where Oliver Glasner's men will push their limits.

Jadeja’s game has turned him into a globally respected cricketer who remains somewhat under-analysed, and whose nuts and bolts remain somewhat underappreciated

Karthik Krishnaswamy09-Oct-20255:13

Jadeja on vice-captaincy, batting higher and playing without Ashwin

Sometimes, great bowlers bowl balls of high quality at such frequency that the viewer doesn’t quite realise how good they are. Take the ball Ravindra Jadeja bowled to dismiss Brandon King on day three of the Ahmedabad Test between India and West Indies. The trajectory drew the batter forward, and the length didn’t let him get near the pitch of the ball.Having put King in that position, the ball could have had him in trouble no matter what it did next. On this occasion, it turned sharply to find the outside edge of the sticker on King’s hesitantly prodding SS bat.It may have looked, to the viewer, like this ball hung momentarily above King’s eyeline – and it did – but it still left Jadeja’s hand at 91kph. Generations of visiting left-arm orthodox spinners have watched Jadeja bowl ball after ball on Indian pitches with this combination of pace, trajectory and fizzing revolutions, and watched him do this with a run-up and delivery style that looks utterly natural, and utterly effortless. They’ve all tried to match him, and most have only discovered how difficult it is to do what he does.Ask Jomel Warrican. He has a terrific record in every other Asian country. In nine Test matches in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, he has 52 wickets at an average of 19.92, with two five-wicket hauls. West Indies have won three of those nine Tests.Related

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In India, however, Warrican has taken four wickets in three Tests – including one against Afghanistan – at 67.25. While those numbers might have looked better had he had the chance of bowling on the dustbowls India have prepared in many of their series in recent years, all his Tests against India in India have come on true, traditional Indian pitches.On pitches like that, you need Jadeja’s combination of pace, revolutions, trajectory and accuracy to make an impact on batters.Throughout India’s innings in Ahmedabad, Warrican struggled to achieve the full combination. He naturally bowls at a slower pace than Jadeja, typically in the 77-81kph range, and like so many visiting spinners before him, he tried to bowl quicker: this was how he began his first spell. But his lengths suffered, and his fields, even at the start of his spell, suggested he was aware this might happen, with deep point back on the boundary for damage control on the occasions when he dropped short.Ravindra Jadeja celebrates his sixth Test century•Associated PressWhen he came back for his later spells, Warrican mostly bowled at his natural pace, and his lengths immediately improved. But the slower pace gave India’s batters time either to go deep in their crease or step out to get to the pitch of the ball, so the better lengths did not trouble them unduly.And to one of India’s batters, the lengths simply didn’t seem to matter. That batter, of course, was Jadeja, who stepped out gleefully to Warrican and launched him for five big sixes, hitting cleanly and with the turn, on his way to a breezy, unbeaten 104.Given how dominant India were, Warrican didn’t do all that badly: 29 overs at an economy rate of 3.51, and the wicket of KL Rahul achieved via a clever change of pace and line. India’s other batters scored 55 off 105 balls off Warrican. Jadeja knocked him around for 47 off 69.Put yourself in Warrican’s shoes. You’re a left-arm spinner who’s trying extremely hard to do what Jadeja does with the ball. You do an honest job, within your limitations. Then Jadeja himself comes along, bat in hand, and makes you look utterly ineffectual.ESPNcricinfo LtdQuite naturally, Jadeja ended the Ahmedabad Test with the Player-of-the-Match award. It was his 11th in Test cricket; since his debut, only Joe Root, Steven Smith (both 13) and Ben Stokes (12) have won more. If that’s elite company, how about this three-man club he’s 10 runs away from joining? Or this one-man club that’s also, quite possibly, within his reach? Jadeja and Kapil Dev. We are going to hear a lot of conversations involving both those names.That’s the level of cricketer Jadeja is, while being a batter and bowler of deceptively simple processes that are all about repeatability and percentages. The high level at which he executes these processes, ball after ball, isn’t immediately apparent to the viewer, and the subtleties of his craft, such as his clever use of the bowling crease to vary his angles, only really come alive from watching him over long periods. He doesn’t make any special effort to illuminate his methods to his fans, and he routinely tells mediapersons at press conferences – often framing this in humour – that he doesn’t want to give away his secrets.All this has turned him into a globally respected cricketer whose game remains somewhat under-analysed, and whose nuts and bolts remain somewhat underappreciated. So go watch that ball to King again, and give it the reverence it deserves. Go back and watch all those other seemingly routine dismissals of all those batters from all those teams over all those years, and marvel. You’ll miss the inevitability of Jadeja’s excellence when it’s no longer running live on your screen.

Manchester United aren’t alien to spending a pretty penny in the transfer market, as seen by their recent attempts over the last couple of years under various managers.

The hierarchy have splashed over £800m on new additions since the summer of 2022, with Ruben Amorim the most recent beneficiary of the huge spending.

He’s already been handed over £200m worth of funds since taking the reins in November last year, but was only able to guide the club to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League.

His summer additions have already made an immediate impact, as seen by the sixth-place standing at present, but certain areas are still in need of added depth.

With January now rapidly approaching on the horizon, it could provide INEOS and the manager with yet another opportunity to finally nail their recruitment in the market.

United’s hunt for added attacking reinforcements this January

Over the last couple of weeks, United have been named as just one side who are contemplating a winter move to land Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo to improve options in the final third.

It’s been reported that the Ghanaian international is available for a fee in the region of £65m due to his release clause becoming active on the 1st of the new year.

However, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are all said to be interested in a move for the 25-year-old, which could lead to huge competition for his signature.

Semenyo isn’t the only attacker currently in their sights at present, with PSG star Bradley Barcola another option the hierarchy have identified ahead of January.

According to one Spanish outlet, the Red Devils are considering a move for the French forward, after his impressive start to 2025/26, which has seen him net five goals in Ligue 1 to date.

However, the report also states Luis Enrique doesn’t want to lose one of his star players next month, leading to a €70m (£60m) asking price being placed on his head.

Why Barcola would be an upgrade on Cunha

As part of the club’s £200m spending spree during the summer window, United managed to clinch the signature of Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha from
Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Red Devils paid a reported £62.5m including add-ons for his services, a deal which was seen as excellent business, after he netted 15 league goals last season.

However, a few months into his career at Old Trafford, Cunha has struggled to meet expectations and has been unable to produce his best performances in the Premier League.

In his 12 league matches to date, he’s only scored once and registered a single assist – the lowest tally of any of the three forwards who moved to the Theatre of Dreams in the summer.

Whilst he still has plenty of time to turn things around, the board will no doubt be concerned about his lack of impact during the early stages of his career in Manchester.

He could find minutes harder to come by after January if the hierarchy manage to complete a move for Barcola, with the French youngster one of Europe’s biggest stars.

When comparing his stats to Cunha in 2025/26 to date, the PSG sensation has dominated in key areas, which could provide Amorim with a huge upgrade in the attacking department.

Barcola, who’s been described as “one of the best wingers in Europe” by European football expert Zach Lowy, has massively outscored the United star whilst posting a better shot on target accuracy rate in attacking areas.

Such numbers showcase the dominance he possesses over Cunha when in front of goal, which could hand Amorim the added firepower he is currently craving.

Games played

12

12

Goals & assists

5

2

Shot on target accuracy

52%

33%

Progressive carries

4.6

2.8

Progressive passes

4.1

3.8

Pass accuracy

84%

79%

Key passes

2.1

1.2

Take-on success

2.9

2.1

Carries into opposition box

3.3

1.4

However, the Frenchman has also provided a more creative option than the Brazilian this season, as seen by his better tallies in progressive passes and key passes per 90.

Getting past the opposition has also been a strength of Barcola, as demonstrated by his higher tally of take-ons per 90 and dribbled into the opposition box.

At just 23, it’s evident that Barcola is already a bigger talent than Cunha, but he also has age on his side, which could allow him to reach the next level in the years ahead.

£60m would be yet another huge investment from the board, but it is one that could allow the Red Devils to be a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League for many years to come.

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At just 23, the Pakistan women’s captain has turned personal tragedy into resolve, leading her side while elevating her own game

Firdose Moonda30-Sep-2025Fatima Sana’s last conversation with her father was during the 2024 T20 World Cup and it was about cricket.”We had a video call. He watched our match against Sri Lanka and also our game against India and we discussed everything. But then suddenly…” Her voice trails off.Three days after that conversation, her father had a heart attack and passed away in a Karachi hospital. Sana left the T20 World Cup to be at his funeral and grieve with her family, with no intention of returning to the tournament. “But my mother told me that when my father was in hospital, he told the doctors, ‘My daughter is playing for Pakistan’ and that it was his wish for me to go back and play the next match,” Sana says. “I said to her, ‘No mom, I can’t do that’, but she told me, ‘It was your father’s wish, so you have to go.’ My mother supported me at that time, so I think she is braver than me.”With Pakistan already knocked out of the competition, Sana returned to Dubai and led the team in their final match, against New Zealand. She was stoic as she lined up alongside her team-mates for the national anthems but as soon as the first notes of “” started, tears streamed down her face. Her father was a pilot in the country’s air force and a patriot. The pain of losing him was too much to bear.Related

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But already she had proven her age was no barrier to her willingness to take on responsibility, and her returning to the field underlined the commitment she made when she had agreed to lead Pakistan, just weeks before.Sana was named Pakistan’s captain in August 2024 (she had captained in two ODIs before), a little over a month before the T20 World Cup. She replaced the vastly experienced Nida Dar, who was removed following Pakistan’s loss to Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the Asia Cup and has since taken an indefinite break from cricket. “I was very shocked when our coach told me,” Sana says. “I just went back home, and discussed it with my family and they all told me they thought I could do it. I didn’t have time to talk about it to anyone else. But I was a little bit nervous at that time, because it was so sudden.”Having accepted the role, she wanted to step up and do it as well as she could, and might have bitten off more than she could chew. “The coaches told me that I have to manage my workload,” she says.In her seven matches since being appointed captain, Sana has taken a four-for and consecutive three-wicket hauls•Getty ImagesHer numbers reflect how seriously she took the role. Before the recent series against South Africa, where she went wicketless, Sana captained Pakistan in seven ODIs, took 14 wickets at an average of 17.71 significantly better than her 63 wickets overall at 29.74. She has also led in nine T20Is, where she has ten wickets at 20.20 (also an improvement on her overall average of 25.40, though her economy rate is fractionally worse as captain). She’s currently the second most prolific fast bowler for Pakistan, just seven short of Asmavia Iqbal at the top, a gap she could close during the upcoming World Cup.But it’s the batting stats that really stand out. Two of her three ODI fifties have come after she was appointed captain, and almost half her T20I career runs, at a strike rate of 146.37, compared to an overall strike rate of 118.46.Her improved performances have brought calls for her to put herself permanently at No. 5 to stabilise the middle order, and she’s hoping she can soon make the role her own. “I am still working on my batting a lot,” she says. “When I started playing in the Pakistan team, I was at No. 8, then I moved up to seventh, then sixth and then fifth, so hopefully I will be able to bat higher.”If she’s looking for a role model, she need go no further than a woman she looks up to already: Sana Mir, who, though she was moved up and down the order, started and ended her career at No. 5. Mir has been a sounding board for Sana since the earliest days of her career.