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A Phillies fan went viral for all the wrong reasons earlier this month when a home run ball close their seat was snatched by another fan who returned to his seat to give the ball to a young fan he attended the game with.

The fan who initially sat closer to the ball took exception to the move and marched over to the group to get the ball back. The man who initially ended up with the ball relented and passed it back in what was an awkward exchange. You can watch the moment below:

The internet, and even ESPN's anchors, had their day going off on the woman for her lack of perceived ballpark etiquette. It all worked out in the end, as the young fan who had the ball taken was given a new ball and a prize pack from the Marlins staff. Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader, who hit the controversial home run, sent him home with a signed bat too.

Nick Castellanos, another Phillies outfielder, weighed in on the moment with a different approach in an appearance on the podcast.

"Whenever I'm playing catch or I go, I always aim for a kid," he said via . "You always have that ambitious adult sometimes that will come and grab it but when I see that I don't just see a ball. I see a very frustrated lady for years that probably felt like she was getting the s— end of the stick. And now this thing happened, and she's like, 'I'm not finishing second here. I need this for me.'"

Betts and Castellanos discussed that the public doesn't know what's going on with the angered woman and maybe she was trying to get the ball for someone else. It's nice to see them giving a stranger the benefit of the doubt because you never know when someone else is having a bad day, but you have to hope that bad day doesn't impact a memorable moment for a young fan.

A different, closer angle of the moment came out where you can hear the fan arguing, "that was ours, you took it from me, that was in my hands." She probably didn't think the moment would gain as much steam as it did, especially to the point where players on the team she roots for are discussing it. The internet definitely let her have it, but it seems like Castellanos is giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Vidarbha allrounder Harsh Dubey chipped in with 84 in a game where Rishabh Pant took body blows

Shashank Kishore08-Nov-2025Dhruv Jurel struck his fifth first-class century and second in the match, to strengthen his case for a middle-order spot in next week’s first South Africa Test in Kolkata.Jurel struck an unbeaten 127, rescuing a floundering India A innings for the second time in the match, as they declared on 382 for 7, setting South Africa A 417 to win in a little over three sessions. The visitors were 25 for 0 at stumps, with openers Lesego Senokwane and Jordan Hermann surviving 11 testing overs from Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna.Siraj was particularly menacing, testing the inside and outside edge of Senokwane in his last two overs, where there were as many as three appeals for caught behind that were turned down – all superb decisions by umpire Akshay Totare – before he shouldered arms and survived a close leave to one that just missed the off stump. Siraj’s spell read 6-2-10-0.Related

Dhruv Jurel: too good to keep out, too good to just keep

Bavuma: Against India, SA will prepare for the worst and hope for the best

Rishabh Pant scores half-century after retiring hurt against South Africa A

Rishabh Pant returns to India's Test squad for South Africa series

Jurel came in to bat with India A reeling at 108 for 4 when Rishabh Pant, the captain, retired hurt on 17 after copping multiple blows on the body and helmet by fast bowler Tshepo Moreki. Prior to this, India had lost KL Rahul after he managed to add just one to his overnight 26 when he was bowled off a nip-backer from Okuhle Cele.Jurel found an ally in allrounder Harsh Dubey, who took on the role of the aggressor early on in their partnership. Having had very little bowling to do in the first innings, Dubey proved his batting chops in making 84 as he put on 184 for the sixth wicket with Jurel. Dropped at slip off the very first delivery, Dubey used his feet well to loft spinners Prenelan Subrayen and Kyle Simmonds down the ground. He was also excellent while sweeping.At the other end, Jurel blunted a fired-up Moreki by defending with a straight bat and playing as close as he could to the body. Against spin, there were no half measures: he was either fully forward while driving, or assured while rocking back to cut. For much of his innings, Jurel hardly played across the line.On 49, Jurel had a massive slice of luck when he lunged forward to defend a sharp turner from Subrayen as the ball bounced back onto the stumps in a manner reminiscent of Siraj’s dismissal at Lord’s off Shoaib Bashir to signal England’s victory earlier this year, except this time the bails remained intact. To his credit, Jurel cashed in on that luck, getting past a half-century – it took him 83 deliveries to get there – and then shifting gears to cruise past three-figures.South Africa A took the second new ball immediately upon being available and struck off the second delivery when Dubey was out driving to the slips. That is when Pant returned to bat and quickly pounced on anything loose to charge towards a half-century. Pant got hit for a fourth time with a short ball, from Tiaan van Vuuren, the left-arm seamer, as he tried to pull. On 65, he attempted a slog that he top-edged to the wicketkeeper to drag the innings to a close.

Having declared overnight, India completed their demolition of WI after lunch on day three

Alagappan Muthu04-Oct-20255:02

Chopra: Gulf between India, West Indies there for everyone to see

Ravindra Jadeja has been building a case to be one of the best allrounders in the game. A four-for to follow a hundred against West Indies to start the new home season was just the latest evidence he offered in favour of that argument. On the back of his 104 not out and 4 for 54, India completed an innings win with two-and-a-half days to spare.A proud record stood tall between February 22, 2013 and October 25, 2024. It buckled 24 hours later. India lost a Test series on home soil for the first time in nearly 12 years. Many of the players who had contributed to that run are now retired, including Virat Kohli, R Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara. But Jadeja remains.He was there when India began that run against Australia in Chennai. He was there when New Zealand broke them last year in Pune. And he was there once again, lifting them back up against West Indies now. At 36 years old, it is unclear how much cricket is left in him but it was poetic that in the first of 66 Tests that India had to play at home without R Ashwin, his old pal came up with a hundred and a four-for.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Alick Athanaze carried the West Indies flag, showing why he is rated as a good player of spin. He picked up length well. He was decisive going forward or back. And he remembered to put pressure back, two rock-solid reverse sweeps for four and one sumptuous cover drive for three highlighted his process. All of those scoring shots were against half-volleys that were well wide of the stumps. This is the judgment and the competence that convinced the coach Daren Sammy and the management to bring him back into the Test side.India, though, kept placing new threats in front of Athanaze. Jasprit Bumrah hit him on the helmet. Washington Sundar tested him with the ball turning away. They were waiting for Athanaze to be just slightly off with his process and eventually, after 73 balls, he was, closing the face of the bat, baited by an offbreak that pitched on middle. Washington took a simple catch, which then led to a symbolic representation of West Indies’ batting in this Test.Jomel Warrican tried to impose himself on Mohammed Siraj, swinging as hard as he could, only for his bat to fly out of his grip and land at square leg. The ball meanwhile settled in mid-off’s hands.Alick Athanaze offered some resilience for West Indies•Getty Images

West Indies are a side still building its best batters. Ahead of this tour, they were shorn of two of their best bowlers. This informed the challenge they could pose. They are struggling to find a better opener than John Campbell, 32, who is the third-most experienced player in this XI. He has 23 caps and in all that time, he has no centuries. Even in first-class cricket, after 101 matches, he has only nine centuries. In Ahmedabad, he fell for 8 and 14. The only slightly younger Tagenarine Chanderpaul finished with 0 and 8. Top-order returns like that just won’t do.Jadeja is sometimes accused of being that left-arm spinner who just fires the ball in and lets the pitch do its work. But he knows how to work batters out too. He saw Brandon King lunging forward to try and smother the turn and that helped him once. He hit a crisp cover drive for four. It also led to his downfall as Jadeja recalibrated his flight. It was still full so it triggered King’s instinct to get on the front foot. But he had no way of getting to the pitch of this one. Having committed to the shot, he ended up vulnerable to the turn and presented a straightforward catch to slip. All this happened in the space of two overs. In that small period of time, Jadeja turned what the batter thought was a strength into a weakness.Siraj was the other bowler among the wickets, taking five or more over the course of a home Test for the first time.West Indies lost 10 wickets in two sessions on the first day. They did it again on the third day. Only two players got into the 30s. Only two faced 50 or more balls. They have five days to address these problems before the start of the second game in Delhi. The wait to win a Test match against India in India, which is into its 31st year, continues.

Glasgow Rangers officially confirmed that both CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell left their roles at Ibrox on Monday after the club’s underwhelming start under the new ownership.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh revealed that the ownership believes that they need different people in those roles in order to bring success back to Ibrox in the months and years to come.

Thelwell was let go by the Gers after he played a key role, as sporting director, in the appointment and firing of Russell Martin, as well as the signings throughout the summer transfer window.

The former Everton chief was given the funds to retool the squad for the head coach in the summer, but after that appointment and the signings he made, Rangers won one of their first eight Scottish Premiership matches.

However, Thelwell would be far from the first sporting director to make some mistakes in the transfer market. Former Gers technical director Nils Koppen, for example, made his fair share.

One signing that officially went through in the summer but was sanctioned before Thelwell’s arrival was the permanent addition of Oscar Cortes.

Why Oscar Cortes has been a waste of money for Rangers so far

The 21-year-old forward initially joined on loan from Lens for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, and produced one goal and one assist in six games in the Premiership, per Sofascore.

That convinced the Scottish giants to sign him on a season-long loan with an obligation to make it permanent at the end of the season in the summer of 2024, which led to him signing for £4.5m earlier this year.

He is currently the ninth-most expensive signing in the history of the club, with that £4.5m move from Lens, and the Gers have simply not got enough back from him on the pitch to justify that expense.

In the 2024/25 season, the Colombian winger made ten appearances in the Premiership without delivering a single goal or assist for the team, whilst he also missed out on 22 matchday squads and was an unused substitute on six occasions, per Transfermarkt.

Despite his dismal form last term, Rangers had to sign him permanently for a hefty fee of £4.5m because it was an obligation that was put in place in the previous summer. That led to him leaving on loan to Sporting Gijon this season.

Appearances

5

Starts

1

Unused sub

6

Goals

0

Key passes per game

0.0

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

As you can see in the table above, Cortes has struggled badly in Spain since his temporary switch to the second division outfit, with more games left sat on the bench than appearances in LaLiga 2.

His lack of goal contributions for the Spanish side means that he still has not provided a goal or an assist since registering one of each in a 5-0 win over Hearts in February 2024.

With over three years left on his contract at Ibrox, it remains to be seen whether or not the 21-year-old whiz will make a success of his Rangers career or not, but it is not looking good on current evidence.

With his form for the Gers and out on loan, Cortes currently looks like a big waste of money for the significant fee that the club agreed to pay Lens for him, unfortunately.

Whilst Thelwell did not have any say in that move, it was going through irrespective of anything he did after becoming sporting director in April, one of his own summer signings looks to be an even bigger waste of money than Cortes.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The former Light Blues chief opted to splash the cash on Portugal U21 international Youssef Chermiti, and the early signs from his Ibrox career are far from promising.

Why Rangers should not have signed Youssef Chermiti

Thelwell agreed a deal with his former club Everton to sign the striker for a fee of £8m. That made him the most expensive signing made by the Gers since they signed Tore Andre Flo for £12m in 2000.

When signing a player for that kind of outlay at Ibrox, it is fair to expect that they should be able to make a relatively immediate impact for Rangers, even if they are not the finished product, because Chermiti is their most expensive signing in 25 years.

Unfortunately, though, the Portuguese marksman has failed to prove his worth to the Light Blues on the pitch with his performances so far in the 2025/26 campaign, with just one goal to his name so far.

The former Premier League flop has produced one goal and one assist in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, per Sofascore, which shows that he has not offered a regular threat at the top end of the pitch.

Chermiti’s form in the Premiership, in particular, has left quite a bit to be desired for a player who is the club’s most expensive signing in 25 years.

FotMob rating

6.48

16th

Goals

1

Joint-3rd

xG

0.3

14th

xA

0.2

15th

Dribbles per 90

0.4

14th

Dribble success rate

16.7%

14th

As you can see in the table above, the Portugal U21 international ranks poorly in the Gers squad in a host of key metrics, and the only reason that he ranks highly for goals is that only two players in the squad have scored more than one league goal.

Chermiti, who was described as a “nothing player” by Portuguese journalist Kevin Fernandes, has simply not done enough with the game time that he has been given, domestically or on the European stage.

The ex-Everton striker was signed for almost twice as much as Cortes and appears to be heading in the same direction as the winger, as another expensive flop who is unable to make a significant impact on the pitch for Rangers.

Therefore, Chermiti looks on course to be an even bigger waste of money than the Colombian forward because he cost £3.5m more and has been just as underwhelming at the start of his Ibrox career.

"Rotten" Thelwell signing is Rangers' biggest waste of time since Dowell

This summer signing by Kevin Thelwell has been as bad as the deal to bring Kieran Dowell to Rangers.

ByDan Emery Nov 26, 2025

“If you start complaining about these things, it affects your performance on the field,” Rashid Khan says

Shashank Kishore09-Sep-20251:59

Rashid: Not ideal to stay in Dubai and play in Abu Dhabi

“Right now, I’m feeling very sleepy,” Charith Asalanka announced, to peals of laughter around the room. It was a brutally honest opening quip from Sri Lanka’s captain, who had flown into Dubai from Harare via South Africa just hours earlier for the men’s T20 Asia Cup.Asalanka had just played back-to-back T20Is in Zimbabwe on September 6 and 7, wrapped up the series, packed his bags, boarded a long-haul flight, and landed straight into the Dubai heat, only to be whisked off to a pre-tournament photoshoot and a captains’ press conference.”I should answer this question tomorrow, I think,” Asalanka said with a wry smile. “It’s really hard to play back-to-back games and then travel straightaway. I think we actually need a couple of days off. I hope the coach will give us [that].Related

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“It’s important to take care of our fitness. And we all know it’s really hot out there. For me, it’s really important to stay fresh and give 100% in the first game.”Luckily for Sri Lanka, they have been given four days off before their tournament opener against Bangladesh. It’s a rare luxury in a competition where Sri Lanka are in the “group of death” with Afghanistan and Hong Kong completing the pool.Afghanistan, meanwhile, had also wrapped up a series but in the same part of the world. And their captain Rashid Khan wasn’t complaining.They finished a hectic tri-series campaign against Pakistan and UAE in Sharjah on Sunday night, and were scheduled to play Hong Kong in their Asia Cup opener in Abu Dhabi in less than 48 hours. Then Rashid and his opposite number Yasim Murtaza were at the Dubai International Stadium six hours before the toss for the same media event where Asalanka was nearly dozing off, and Salman Agha, who also played in Sunday’s final, looking fresh.”Well, I don’t think it’s ideal – that’s what we were discussing [with the other captains] before as well,” Rashid said. “To play in Abu Dhabi and stay here in Dubai for all three games… it’s different. But as professional cricketers, we have to accept these things.Rashid Khan is determined to keep the focus on what he and Afghanistan could control•Emirates Cricket Board

“Once you enter the ground, you tend to forget everything else. In other countries, we often fly two-three hours and go straight to the game. I remember flying from Bangladesh to the US once and playing straightaway.”Throw in the match-day road trips, later-than-usual finishes – thanks to a deferred start time – and post-match recovery in heat that has constantly hovered over 40 degrees Celsius well into the evening, and the task becomes even trickier. But Rashid was determined to keep the focus on what he and his team could control.”You have to be well-prepared and mentally very strong, that’s why we are professionals,” he said. “If you start complaining about these things, about traveling a lot, it affects your performance on the field. For us, the focus is to put in the effort once we step inside. Wherever we go, we try to forget whatever happens outside and adapt. The most important thing is to give 100% and win the game.”So, while the Asia Cup’s “group of death” promises high-intensity cricket, how fresh the players manage to keep themselves could be a crucial factor, too.

Danny Rohl’s start to life in charge of Glasgow Rangers on the European stage has not gone to plan so far, as he has lost both of his Europa League games without his side scoring a goal.

The former Sheffield Wednesday head coach, though, has inherited a team that struggled badly under Russell Martin, and will not have any of his own signings until the January transfer window.

Rohl took over from Martin after the Scottish manager only won five of his 17 games and one of his Scottish Premiership outings in the dugout for the Ibrox giants.

The German tactician has had an instant impact on the side in the Premiership. Rangers have won all three of their league games since his arrival at the club, and kept back-to-back clean sheets away from home.

A 3-0 win at Dens Park on Sunday means that the Light Blues can head into the final international break on a high, after goals from Nicolas Raskin, Mikey Moore, and Djeidi Gassama.

However, there are still some individuals within the squad who have been unable to step up. Bojan Miovski, for example, was hooked off at half-time against Dundee.

Why Rangers should be worried about Bojan Miovski

The Light Blus should be concerned by the Macedonia international’s dismal start to life at Ibrox, because he has yet to show any signs of replicating his form with Aberdeen.

Miovski was signed from Girona during the summer transfer window to bolster Martin’s options at the top end of the pitch, possibly because of his proven track record in Scottish football.

The left-footed forward’s return of 32 goals in 78 games in the Premiership for the Dons suggested that he was a safe and sensible signing to add goals to the Gers attack, but it has not played out that way.

Miovski has scored one goal in eight appearances in the top-flight for Rangers, against Falkirk, from an xG of 1.84, per FotMob, which suggests that he has underperformed as a finisher.

The Rangers centre-forward was given the nod to lead the line against Dundee at Dens Park, after coming off the bench against Roma last week, but he was unable to prove to Rohl that he deserves more starts on the other side of the international break.

Minutes

45

Touches

14

Dribbles completed

0/0

Shots

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Duels won

2/8

As you can see in the table above, Miovski failed to register a single shot on goal in 45 minutes of action before being taken off at half-time. Whilst you could point to a lack of creativity behind him, his struggles in duels meant that he was unable to fashion chances for himself.

The Scottish giants, therefore, should be worried about the former Aberdeen marksman, because he has been at the club for several months now and is no closer to showing the kind of quality that earned him a good reputation in the Premiership in the past.

Miovski, though, was not the only Rangers player who failed to deliver an impressive performance in spite of the 3-0 victory against Dundee last time out.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Rohl must ruthlessly drop central midfielder Mohamed Diomande from the starting line-up when the Gers return to action on the other side of the international break, as he was just as bad as Miovski at Dens Park.

Why Rangers should drop Mohamed Diomande

The Ivorian midfielder was taken off by the German head coach at half-time, just as Miovski was, and was replaced by Scotland international Connor Barron.

Per Sofascore, Diomande lost 75% (3/4) of his duels in the opening 45 minutes of the game at Dens Park, which shows that he was too much of a lightweight in the middle of the park. That may have been why Rohl decided to take him off for Barron, who won 100% (2/2) of his duels in the second half.

The Rangers midfielder also failed to take any shots on goal, did not create any chances for his teammates, and did not attempt a single dribble, per Sofascore, which shows that he offered very little in midfield and was just as bad as Miovski, who was as ineffective in and out of possession.

Diomande, who was sent off against Genk in the Europa League in September, has endured a frustrating 2025/26 campaign after catching the eye with his impressive performances last term.

The left-footed star scored four goals and provided seven assists in 36 outings in the Premiership last season, but his form in and out of possession has dropped off a cliff this year.

Appearances

36

8

Sofascore rating

7.19

6.45

Goals

4

0

Key passes per game

1.2

0.5

Assists

7

0

Duels won per game

4.4

2.9

Ground duel success rate

57%

46%

Aerial duel success rate

48%

25%

As you can see in the table above, his defensive and offensive numbers are down across the board in the Premiership for the Gers, which shows that he has been unable to carry last season’s success over to the current one.

His underwhelming performance against Dundee on Sunday was simply the latest in a long line of disappointing performances from the central midfielder for the Light Blues in the 2025/26 campaign, as he has struggled in and out of possession throughout the season.

Given that Barron came on and showed great energy and desire to win 100% of his duels off the bench in the second half, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Diomande from the starting XI for the clash with Livingston at Ibrox on the other side of the international break.

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The Gers desperately need reinforcements.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 7, 2025

Miovski and Diomande both failed to offer enough quality on the pitch in the first half against Dundee, hence why they were hauled off at the break, and they should both lose their place in the starting line-up as a result of that.

A couple of tight lbws and a stunning caught behind were among the decisions to go upstairs

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2025Australia 1st innings: 45.2 – Shamar Joseph to Travis HeadHas that carried?! Shamar is pleading, and the umpires are checking now with their colleague upstairs! On a length outside off. Head throws the kitchen sink at it and the ball grazes the under-edge. Seems to bounce before getting to Hope, who was also unsure about it. No doubt about the nick, which is anyway confirmed by UltraEdge. But hang on. Hang on…This could be a lot closer than it first seemed. The ball seems to carry through to Hope, but the third umpire (Adrian Holdstock) says that there is no conclusive evidence that the ball has carried. Oh my word – that call will be debated long after this day is done, and how big a decision will that prove to be?!West Indies 1st innings: 20.6 – Josh Hazlewood to Roston ChaseInside edge runs to fine leg but Australia review! They think it was pad before inside edge. This is tight for the third umpire. He deems the inside edge was first and it runs to fine leg for a single. Australia are bemused but they lose a review. It was a good delivery nipping and nearly sneaking throughWest Indies 1st innings: 49.2 – Pat Cummins to Roston ChaseGiven lbw. Chase reviews immediately! Back of a length on middle and off and it shoots low as he went back to defend. Chase thinks he got a little inside edge before it thudded into the back pad. It was going to cannon into middle. Ultraedge isn’t showing conclusive spikes although there are a couple of smaller ones close together. Adrian Holdstock says there’s a clear gap between bat and ball but then wants to rock and roll it a lot. He says there’s a spike but there’s a gap between bat and ball. He concludes there is no bat involved. Ball tracking has it hitting in line and smashing the top of middle. Chase is out and they lose the review.West Indies 1st innings: 57.3 – Beau Webster to Shai HopeBrilliant one hander from Carey! Caught behind off the inside edge! Webster produces another beauty. Good length, wobble seam, it nips in, catches the inside edge and Carey flings himself full stretch to his left to take but hang on! It sticks in the glove but did part of the ball touch the ground as he fell to the ground? Adrian Holdstock says it’s cleanly in the gloves! Part of the ball may have been touching the ground as his glove landed on the ground even though it never came out of the glove. Another contentious decision by the TV umpire. Hope had already left the field of play though. He never hung around which was interesting.Australia 2nd innings: 24.1 Justin Greaves to Cameron GreenMassive lbw shout, not given! Back of a length, pitching in and around off stump before jagging back in sharply. Green is a little late on the stroke and seems to play outside the line. Gets pinned in front and West Indies, after a bit of deliberation, opt to take it upstairs. Did Green get a scratch to it? Was it too high? Ah, here we go again. The bat, pad and the ball are all in close proximity. But it does seem like the ball grazes the front pad first, before the bat hits the flap of the back pad, subsequently making contact with the ball. Adrian Holdstock, in the eye of the storm again, is doing a lot of rocking and rolling, and he decides that there is bat involved, despite a rumbling on UltraEdge when the ball is next to the knee roll of the front pad. Well well. Another decision that might rankle those with a West Indian persuasion, and Green survives!

Tottenham Hotspur stepped into the Thomas Frank era with excitement, but anxiety too. Last season, Ange Postecoglou led the club to the Europa League title, but Spurs also finished 17th in the Premier League.

Circumstances matter, but there was much to be desired and Daniel Levy was justified in dismissing the Australian. Tottenham still ended their long search for silverware, and they did so having lost their definitive talisman of modern years at the very start of Ange’s tenure.

Harry Kane’s sale to Bayern Munich two years ago took from Tottenham their bona fide superstar. Heung-min Son once bore such a reputation, but he had steadily declined over a couple of years before moving to LAFC during the summer.

Now, though, there’s a sense that a few within the Lilywhites fold could reach such a level with a blend of hard work and Frank’s coaching.

The new Spurs superstars

Tottenham attacked the summer transfer window and have been duly rewarded for their ambition with several exciting talents.

Front and centre has been Mohammed Kudus, whose pace and physicality have seen him settle in at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after completing a £55m move from West Ham United in July.

The Ghanaian winger scored and assisted against Leeds United last weekend, instrumental in the 2-1 win. He’s imperfect, sure, but the pros far outweigh the cons, and four assists from seven top-flight fixtures so far (placing him joint-first with Jack Grealish) is nothing to be sniffed at.

The likes of Lucas Bergvall and Mathys Tel are also stars for the future, already playing important roles in Frank’s squad.

However, whether any of these players will rival the very best of the best remains to be seen. Premier League heavyweights such as Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland and Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.

However, the £52m signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig this summer felt significant. Indeed, Tottenham have landed themselves an attacking midfielder with the potential to rival any across Europe.

Frank has struck gold on Xavi Simons

In August, Tottenham had to swallow their pride as Arsenal stole from them the signature of Eberechi Eze, who signed in a £60m deal after a move was in place down N17 for the Crystal Palace sensation.

Tottenham missed out on a number of transfer targets, but they struck gold with Simons, who had looked for many weeks to be joining Chelsea before the Blues signed Alejandro Garnacho.

Having played and impressed over the past several years in Germany with Leipzig, Simons arrived in England with more than his share of excitement, saying he had “been dreaming of this for a long time”.

And while the bedding-in period is very much in swing right now, the Netherlands international has shown glimpses of elite quality, having previously been described as a “world-class” talent by countryman Rafael van de Vaart.

The data backs this up. Not only did Simons perform prolifically in front of goal for his German side, notching 46 goal contributions from 78 outings in all competitions, but his underlying data emphasises his ability.

Data platform FBref have crunched the numbers: across the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, the 22-year-old ranked among the top 16% of positional peers for goal contributions, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive passes, the top 19% for progressive carries and the top 5% for ball recoveries per 90.

The Dutchman’s robustness and consistency across all facets for Leipzig further underpins his potential, and indeed his chances of becoming the standout for a Tottenham side on the up.

Matches (starts)

32 (32)

25 (25)

Goals

8

10

Assists

11

7

Shots (on target)*

2.5 (1.0)

2.0 (0.9)

Touches*

62.6

68.0

Pass completion

82%

83%

Big chances created

14

12

Key passes*

2.5

2.0

Dribbles*

2.6

1.3

Ball recoveries*

5.2

5.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.4

1.6

Duels won*

6.3

5.4

While the likes of Salah and Haaland are one-of-a-kind players, Simons, too, is the full package, and has a style of play that could see him remain a cut above his Tottenham teammates, scoring and creating and orchestrating and defending.

Could Simons even leave north London, one day, with the awe and admiration of the Tottenham persuasion in a similar fashion to Kane? Certainly, we could look back at that £52m transfer fee as a shrewd figure.

As per Transfermarkt, Simons is already worth around £61m, and given his youth and inexperience within the English game, he is only going to get better as time goes on.

Harking back to FBref, the statistical site have revealed Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Martin Odegaard to be among his most tactically comparable players. Looking at the success each of these creators has forged for themselves in recent years, it’s easy to see why fans are beginning to get excited.

Called a “game-changer” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, this is exactly the type of buy to align with the grand plans of the club. Richarlison and the like have quality in the final third, but this is a different standard.

Simons was the marquee signing at Tottenham this summer, and with that comes expectation and scrutiny. He hasn’t yet provided the sustained quality that his skillset suggests is in there, but it will come, especially with one of the finest coaches in the business, Frank, pulling the strings.

When Simons hits his stride, raising Spurs’ collective level, we might just find this outfit celebrating the birth of a new superstar, one who could rival the Salah’s and the Haaland’s of the Premier League.

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Newcastle United are in a six-club battle to sign an “exceptional” Champions League-winning player, sending scouts to watch him in action.

Newcastle handed Livramento injury concern in Arsenal heartbreak

The Magpies lost 2-1 at home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, as their disappointing start to the season continues.

The nature of the defeat was bad enough, with the Gunners winning it in the dying seconds, but a serious-looking injury to Tino Livramento compounded Newcastle’s misery, with Eddie Howe clearly concerned about it after the game.

“He’s such a big player for us in so many different ways – his versatility, his attitude, his quality. If we’re going to miss that for any length of time, it is going to be a huge blow.”

Losing Livramento for a lengthy period of time would be a massive blow for Newcastle, considering what a key man he has become at both right and left-back, and it could even affect his chances of representing England at the 2026 World Cup.

Away from the injury news, it looks as though the Magpies are still trying to show ambition in the transfer market, with a Champions League winner mentioned as an option for them in 2026.

Newcastle send scouts to watch "exceptional" star

According to a new report from Caught Offside, Newcastle United are “closely monitoring” Real Madrid forward Arda Guler, sending scouts to watch him in La Liga action.

The Magpies are far from alone in expressing an interest in the Turk, however, with Arsenal, Tottenham, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig making it a six-club tussle for his signature. The Gunners have been the most strongly linked, pursuing the Turkey prodigy – who was also wanted by Barcelona before he chose Madrid – since earlier this summer.

Guler is arguably one of the most gifted and exciting young attacking players in Europe, so Newcastle supporters should love the idea of him moving to St James’ Park.

The 20-year-old has tasted Champions League glory with Madrid, impressing with his left-footed guile as a squad player, with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente a big admirer of him.

“Arda Guler is an exceptional player. We’re watching him here in La Liga with Real Madrid. His position has changed, he’s shown that he’s very versatile. He can play in deeper positions, close to the box, and also on the wing. He’s a great player.”

Guler isn’t always a key starter for Madrid, given the world-class attacking depth at their disposal, but he already has three goals and assists apiece in the league this season, suggesting that he is an important player for Xabi Alonso.

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If he decides that he needs a new challenge, though, wanting to be the star man at a club, Newcastle should be at the front of the queue for his signature.

Arne Slot has held his press conference ahead of Liverpool’s second Premier League game of the season against Newcastle United, revealing he is happy with the current squad.

“As always, if we think we can improve in a certain position and there’s a player available who can really make us better – which you could see with Giovanni Leoni – then this club has always shown that they can bring these players in, but only if things are right,” said the Dutchman.

Slot also implied the return to form of Federico Chiesa will improve his attacking depth: “I see a totally different Federico now than I did for most of last season.”

When asked about his upcoming opposition, he highlighted the threat they pose going forward: “The main thing we have to be ready for is their midfielders, their last forwards, their three forwards. I assume Isak isn’t playing, but they still have Gordon as a nine, Elanga, Barnes, Jacob Murphy.”

Slot also revealed that Liverpool had been dealt a blow that will affect their ability to deal with Newcastle’s attack, as their new right-back, Jeremie Frimpong, has picked up an injury that will see him out of action until after the international break.

Liverpool’s eyes are on Newcastle in more ways than just the Premier League clash however, as they plot another bid for one of the Magpies’ star players.

Liverpool readying new Isak bid

Liverpool are preparing another bid for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak. The Reds had previously bid £110 million plus add-ons for the Swedish striker, but that deal was rejected. Now, as Newcastle edge closer to signing Yoane Wissa and also line up Wolves star Jorgen Strand Larsen, Liverpool are preparing a new bid for Isak.

Reports from Spain have indicated that the new bid will be worth somewhere in the region of £138 million. The club view this massive fee as worthwhile, however, as they think “his arrival would bridge the gap following the imminent end of the Salah era”.

The bid may come in after the two clubs face each other on Monday, as Newcastle are unlikely to sell their best player to a team right before they play them.

From the player’s perspective, it has now got to the point where he is publicly pushing for the move, as he put out a statement before the PFA awards, where he spoke of Newcastle’s broken promises and the benefits of “change” for both parties.

What happens to Ekitike if Liverpool sign Isak?

Whilst Hugo Ekitike had an impressive season last year in the Bundesliga, he arrived in the Premier League as something of an unknown quantity, and when it looked like Liverpool might sign him and Isak, the latter looked the safest option of the two.

Ekitike quickly put any doubts about him to rest with his first two performances for Liverpool. During the Community Shield and the opening Premier League game, he registered two goals and an assist, showing that he’s easily adapted to English football.

This means Slot may be faced with the best predicament a manager could find themselves in, as he has two impressive strikers both competing for game time. While Isak may want to come straight into the first team, he’s been away from team training at Newcastle for a while, meaning it may take a few weeks to get up to speed.

An answer to Slot’s issue may arrive before it becomes too much of a problem. This is because in less than a month’s time, the Champions League group stage will be starting, meaning Liverpool will often be playing two games a week, and there should be ample minutes for the forwards to share.