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Tottenham’s first transfer window with their new-look, reshuffled boardroom will be a very intriguing one, and a striker is believed to be at the very top of their priority list.

Ever since replacing Ange Postecoglou in the summer, new manager Thomas Frank has been starved of a reliable focal point up front.

Dominic Solanke, who Spurs signed for a club-record £65 million fee last year, has struggled with injury problems that have limited his involvement to just 49 minutes so far this campaign. The Englishman suffered a ‘minor’ ankle problem at the beginning of 25/26, which eventually required surgery, and he’s still on the comeback trail.

Solanke is set to miss this weekend’s pivotal North London derby against Arsenal and won’t be available for their crunch Champions League tie against PSG either, with Frank forced to rely on the out-of-form Richarlison, who’s attracted criticism for his inconsistency.

The Brazilian is a shoo-in to start against PSG next week given Mathys Tel wasn’t named in Frank’s 22-man Champions League squad. Tel, according to some reports, is said to be ‘unhappy’ in London and keen to leave Spurs in January, with Roma taking a serious interest in the Frenchman (La Gazzetta dello Sport).

Solanke’s fitness woes, Tel’s dissatisfaction and Richarlison’s form have fueled speculation that a new striker could arrive at the turn of the year, and Spurs are being linked with a few interesting names.

Chief among them is Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney, who scored 20 Premier League goals in his best campaign at Brentford whilst working under Frank.

The tactician has apparently held ‘direct’ talks with Toney about a January move to Spurs, according to some reports, while others believe that the Lilywhites are in pole position to sign him at the turn of the year after ‘preliminary’ negotiations (TEAMtalk).

While links to the 29-year-old are rife given his obvious connection to Tottenham’s manager, co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange are considering other options.

Tottenham eye 'dream' move for FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa

As per TEAMtalk, FC Porto talisman Samu Aghehowa is a ‘dream’ target for the club.

Sources believe the 21-year-old, who’s bagged nine goals in 14 appearances already this season, fits perfectly into Frank’s long-term vision. Spurs’ boss is also said to have ‘repeatedly’ emphasised his desire for a physically imposing, mobile striker capable of pressing aggressively and connecting play.

Insiders within Tottenham’s recruitment structure apparently think of Aghehowa as the “younger, longer-term” striker successor they genuinely desire, despite ongoing interest in Toney as a potential 2026 alternative.

Standing at a lofty 6 foot 4 with surprising pace for his height, the Spaniard has even been compared to former Chelsea star Diego Costa during his prime years, thankfully not the version we saw at Wolves.

However, this all being said, a January move appears very unlikely.

Portuguese sources state that Porto are refusing to entertain winter offers, especially as they pursue a first Primeira Liga title in six years. President Andre Villas-Boas has reportedly informed intermediaries that Samu is not for sale “at any price in the winter”, casting major doubt on Spurs’ ability to prise him away mid-season.

Porto have also set an £71 million asking price for Aghehowa, meaning the north Londoners may have to fork out a new club-record fee. With that in mind, Frank and Lange will apparently continue to monitor Aghehowa’s development whilst maintaining Toney as a backup option.

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Chelsea once came ‘very close’ to signing the forward, and he’s a player with ‘huge potential’.

Club hope to give long-serving coach “send-off he deserves” after seven years in the role

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2025Hampshire hope to give Adi Birrell “the send-off he deserves” by winning the T20 Blast and Metro Bank Cup double after announcing he will leave the club at the end of the season. Birrell, 64, joined Hampshire ahead of the 2019 season but will complete his tenure later this month and return to his native South Africa to spend time with his family.After a convincing win at Durham in the quarter-finals, Hampshire head to Edgbaston on Saturday targeting a record fourth Blast title ahead of their semi-final against Northamptonshire. They will then face Worcestershire at Trent Bridge in the Metro Bank Cup final the following weekend, eyeing a first List A trophy since 2018.Hampshire have been competitive across formats under Birrell, winning the Blast in 2022 and finishing runners-up in the County Championship on three separate occasions. They have struggled in the Championship this year in the absence of James Vince, but have still thrived in both white-ball formats.Birrell also deputised as Southern Brave coach in the men’s Hundred this year, but is now unlikely to return to that role next summer. Hampshire are expected to lean on the global network developed by the GMR Group – their new Indian owners, who co-own Delhi Capitals – in recruiting his successor.”All good things come to an end, and we are sad to see Adi go,” Giles White, Hampshire’s long-serving director of cricket, said in a club statement. “It’s been a fantastic seven years at the club, during which he has become a hugely popular figure and overseen a successful period across all formats.”Under his leadership, the team has reached numerous finals, come close in Championships, and lifted the Blast title in 2022. His contribution has left a lasting mark, and he will be deeply missed by players, coaches, and fans alike at the Utilita Bowl.”We hope to give him the send-off he deserves, with two pieces of silverware still up for grabs in the next two weeks and important days ahead in the Championship. Everyone at Hampshire Cricket and the Utilita Bowl wishes Adi the very best as he looks forward to spending more time at home on the farm.”

Few cricketers have as many subplots to deal with as Bavuma, but you would hardly know it watching the breezy innings South Africa’s captain put together in Gqeberha

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Dec-2024When you’re Temba Bavuma, an innings is not just an innings, a fifty is not allowed to only be a fifty, every hundred heaves with meaning, and a career playing a bat-and-ball sport has to feel like a tightrope maze over a river teeming with crocs. This is the lot of the trailblazer. And as far as trails go, this is a pretty rough one to blaze. Test batting, in the imagination of many, is among the most cerebral endeavours in sport. And you need not go hunting in especially dark corners of the internet to encounter the vile opinion that pursuits that require brain power are best handled by certain types of people. Bavuma likely falls outside these descriptions.Bavuma didn’t really ask for any of this. Ahead of this match, questioned on how he got through tough times in his first ten years in Test cricket, he focused his answer on his “love for the game”. He’d rolled up to that press conference driving the team mini van himself through the gates of the stadium, like a dad popping down to the hardware store to pick up some new screws in whatever family vehicle was available. No drivers, no security, no hangers on. Why complicate life?Related

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The innings he played the next day was awash in this simplicity. Though South Africa were 44 for 3 when he arrived at the crease in Gqeberha, he himself was clearly judging length beautifully. Fifth ball, he slid back against Prabath Jayasuriya and flicked one effortlessly off his pads for a four through midwicket. Not long after that, he dabbed a shortish, slightly wide ball, perfectly in the gap between slips and gully. A third boundary, riding the bounce of an Asitha Fernando delivery to deposit him through point, came off the 20th ball he faced.Off 30 deliveries, Bavuma was on 27, having just launched Jayasuriya so powerfully over deep midwicket, the ball was briefly lost over the corner wall. This was the over before lunch, so he have hunkered down and done the responsible thing. Not in this innings. Bavuma had been by a distance the best batter in the first Test. In this kind of form, no outside context was required. The bowler had pitched short and runs were on offer. “Those screws are on sale? Yeah, I’ll take them.”Temba Bavuma revealed that this upper cut was fully improvised•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesAt the other end, Ryan Rickelton had laboured to 29 off 74 balls, having flirted with plenty of balls outside off stump, where Bavuma had been more compact in defence.”For Temba to come in at 40-odd for 3 and not counterpunch but just kind of change a bit of momentum our way was very important,” Rickelton, who top scored with 101, said after play. “He’s moving really well, playing the ball really late as well, and hitting it where he wants it to go.”If there is a little surprise in Rickelton’s voice, it is because Bavuma has a reputation. Frequently his innings are weighed down by all sorts of contexts. Not for nothing is Bavuma’s Test match strike rate a shade under 50.”Usually, I think out of the two of us, people expect me to be scoring quickly. And it was nice to have the shoe on the other foot and sit and watch from the other side. He took a lot of pressure off me. He played just really good cricket shots on a wicket that isn’t the easiest to score on. He opened up the game and he wore them down quite a lot.”

“Usually, I think out of the two of us, people expect me to be scoring quickly. And it was nice to have the shoe on the other foot and sit and watch from the other side.”Ryan Rickelton on Temba Bavuma’s knock

Bavuma continued to float through the innings, the Gqeberha band piping up through the afternoon to bathe the surrounds in further joy and levity. He passed Rickelton and got to fifty off the 57th delivery he faced, flitting down the track to spin, easing into checked drives, almost as if top-scoring in the last game had untethered a part of him, somehow. Even in that Durban match, batting with the tail after Sri Lanka’s quicks had ripped the top order apart, he still was able to play a shot straight out of childhood fantasy – upper-cutting Lahiru Kumara for six over the slips with both his feet off the ground – a shot he later revealed was completely improvised. Maybe this version of Bavuma has always been there.Three innings into this home season, he has made 70, 113, and now 78 off 109, all outstanding innings, each varying dramatically in texture from the last. With five potential knocks to go, Bavuma now has the chance to write his name across the summer. An opportunity, perhaps, to drive his detractors back further, though they will likely continue to hang that conversion rate around his neck. With Bavuma, there are always these subplots, always things that remain unsaid but widely understood, bubbling beneath the things that are actually said.But perhaps it is best not to peer too far ahead, or look too far sideways. Why complicate life? Maybe it’s best to spend a moment in the spirit of Bavuma’s innings. On day one at St George’s Park, a batter revelled in his own excellent form, and produced the kind of innings so full of fun you couldn’t help but get caught up.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a pretty disappointing outing in his Home Run Derby debut.

The New York Yankees star only ended up hitting three total home runs during his three-minute period and was eliminated in the first round. He swung 37 times, but only crushed three of those pitches out of Truist Park. His three homers traveled 463 feet, 409 feet and 400 feet, and he wasn't able to hit one out during the bonus round.

Chisholm's outing caused him to instantly be eliminated from advancing in the Derby. All of the other seven participants hit at least 15 home runs in the first round.

Here's a summary of Chisholm's hits, via Home Run Report.

Chisholm's three home runs hit from 37 swings were the fewest in the first round since 2014, according to Jayson Stark. It's important to remember the format was different then, too.

It doesn't seem like Chisholm took the advice from his Yankees teammate and 2017 HR Derby winner Aaron Judge in regards to having fun and pretending to just take batting practice. Judge was there on the field watching Chisholm, and he was there to console him right after his round.

وجه إبراهيم حسن مدير منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، دعمًا لقائد الفراعنة محمد صلاح المحترف ضمن صفوف ليفربول الإنجليزي، قبل انطلاق منافسات بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا بالمغرب.

ويعيش محمد صلاح في الوقت الحالي، أزمة مع مدرب فريقه آرني سلوت، لعدم الدفع به في المباريات خلال الفترة الأخيرة، مما أدى إلى خروج قائد منتخب مصر بتصريحات نارية ضد المدرب عقب مباراة ليفربول وليدز يونايتد أمس السبت.

طالع | كاراجر يهاجم تصريحات محمد صلاح: تصرفاته طفولية.. وعليه أن يعتذر لـ سلوت

وقال حسن خلال تصريحات للمركز الإعلامي لاتحاد الكرة المصري: “محمد صلاح لاعب كبير وسيعود أقوى وأفضل كما اعتدنا عليه دائمًا في المباريات المقبلة وسيواصل كتابة التاريخ مع ناديه ليفربول بعد أن أصبح أحد أساطيره”.

وأضاف: “محمد صلاح سيصنع التاريخ مع منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا مع الجهاز الفني وزملائه بالتتويج بالبطولة”.

ويستعد منتخب مصر للمشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا التي تقام بالمغرب خلال الفترة 21 ديسمبر حتي 18 يناير 2026.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثانية لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا، مع زيمبابوي وأنجولا وجنوب إفريقيا.

و⁠يبدأ منتخب مصر مبارياته ببطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا يوم 22 ديسمبر بمواجهة زيمبابوي ثم جنوب إفريقيا يوم 26 ويختتم دور المجموعات بمواجهة أنجولا يوم 29.

Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is very much taken, but that didn't stop one ambitious fan from trying to set him up with someone else during the World Series championship parade.

Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko, were seen enjoying themselves atop the players' bus in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon when they spotted a Dodgers fan's "Marry My Mom" sign that was playfully trying to break the couple up. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell saw it first, and hilariously pointed at the fan with a cheeky smirk.

When Ohtani saw the sign, he turned to tell Mamiko, who immediately was in stitches about it. She then seemed to try to cover Ohtani's eyes in case there were any more flirty or courting signs along the parade route.

Watch that funny moment in the video below, posted by TikTok user @jaybug2714:

Shooters shoot.

Here are a few more cute moments of Mamiko trying to take pictures of Ohtani during the parade:

It's not clear exactly how long Ohtani and his wife have been together, but the Dodgers star announced he had officially tied the knot in a sweet Instagram post in February 2024. The two welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in April 2025.

There's already been chatter about Dave Roberts possibly using Shohei Ohtani in the outfield for the Dodgers during the team's playoff run, and now there's a chance the three-time MVP could be used in another role during the postseason, too.

Ohtani is already expected to be in the starting pitcher rotation for Los Angeles in the postseason, but he could also be used as a relief pitcher, Roberts said on Wednesday. The manager noted that adding Ohtani to the bullpen is "something we're all talking about."

"I know that we are going to be talking about it," Roberts said, via ESPN. "I think the one thing you can say, though, is that we use him once every seven days, eight days, nine days … so to think that now it's feasible for a guy that's just coming off what he's done last year, or didn't do last year, to then now put him in a role that's very, very unique, because he's a very methodical, disciplined, routine-driven person. The pen is the complete opposite, right? You potentially could be taking on risk, and we've come this far, certainly with the kid gloves and managing."

It sounds like Ohtani being put in the outfield goes hand-in-hand with him being in the bullpen. Ohtani himself spoke about the possibility on Wednesday.

"I've had conversations with various people, and the idea of me pitching in relief has come up," Ohtani said. "As a player, I want to be prepared to handle whatever role is needed. If I do end up pitching out of the bullpen, I think that could also mean I'd need to play in the outfield afterward, depending on the situation. So I want to be ready for anything, no matter what comes my way."

This wouldn't be a new situation for Ohtani in his career, though. Back in 2021 while on the Angels, Ohtani pitched in relief and then went to the outfield to remain in the game on seven occasions. When Ohtani enters the game as a designated hitter, he loses that role once he's done relief pitching for the game. The Dodgers could then put him in the outfield to remain in the game.

The Dodgers still err on the side of caution of putting Ohtani on the mound, though, since he returned from the second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament back on June 16. In 13 games this season pitching, Ohtani's posted a 3.29 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 15 earned runs. On the other hand, Ohtani hasn't competed in the outfield all season. We'll see what the Dodgers decide to do once October rolls around.

Trent Rockets 113 for 7 (Rehan 37) beat Birmingham Phoenix 111 for 9 (Rehan 3-15) by three wicketsTrent Rockets geared up for their Eliminator showdown with Northern Superchargers by sneaking past Birmingham Phoenix with one ball to spare after a memorable debut in The Hundred for Ben Cox and an eye-catching all-round display from Rehan Ahmed.The Rockets confirmed their second-place finish in the group, behind Oval Invincibles on net run rate, and will go into Saturday evening’s contest at the Kia Oval full of confidence after claiming their sixth win in eight.Spin was the key for the Rockets, with their slow bowlers producing combined figures of 6 for 35 from 50 deliveries after Ben Duckett (20 from 15) and Will Smeed (23 from 12) had made a promising start.Rockets skipper David Willey may have been questioning his decision to insert the opposition when the Phoenix raced to 36 for 0 from 21 deliveries, but the innings stalled when Duckett scuffed a short delivery from Lockie Ferguson to Rehan at midwicket.Joe Clarke soon followed, slog-sweeping southpaw spinner George Linde to deep midwicket, and from there the wickets tumbled. The irrepressible Rehan (3 for 15) induced a chop-on from Smeed and snared Jacob Bethell for a duck three deliveries later before Linde (2 for 12) claimed his second when Liam Livingstone’s ugly heave met thin air.Rehan grabbed his third – and 10th in the competition overall – when Benny Howell picked out Max Holden on the boundary and Joe Root, whose 15 deliveries cost just eight runs, got in on the action when Liam Patterson-White’s edge was brilliantly held by Cox, who only received a call-up to join the Rockets yesterday following an injury to Adam Hose.Dan Mousley (26 from 25) gave the score some respectability but 111-9 looked well under par, even on a spin-friendly surface.The chase was far from easy though. After the early loss of Tom Banton for 1, caught at mid-on off Boult, Rehan sparkled once more, racing to 37 in 23 balls before an audacious slog sweep was caught in the deep off Livingstone. Root continued his good recent form in the tournament with a run-a-ball 25 that came to an end when he was bowled by Patterson-White and the left-arm spinner struck again five deliveries later, castling Willey with a devilish delivery that spun back sharply between bat and pad.Linde was run-out after a mix-up and Marcus Stoinis got a leading edge to cover off Bethell as the Rockets slipped to 89-6, and the left-arm spinner struck again when Sam Hain holed out to leave six required from five.Bethell was entrusted with the final set and conceded just three runs from his first three deliveries but Cox kept a cool head and swept the fourth to the boundary to finish unbeaten on 17 from 12 balls.Named Meerkat Match Hero after his three wickets and quickfire knock, Rehan said: “Coxy was always going to do it, I had full trust in him. There was a lot of assistance for spinners on this pitch. We train on similar surfaces so it was about going out there and doing the same thing. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity I’ve been given and hopefully I can do it in the next couple of games.”