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Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank only has to wait just over a month for the chance to make further additions to his squad in the January transfer window.

The Danish head coach was backed by the club during the summer window with a host of expensive signings to bolster his options across the pitch ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Mohammed Kudus for £55m from West Ham United and Xavi Simons for £52m from RB Leipzig were the headline arrivals, as the Lilywhites splashed over £100m on two attackers to transform their frontline.

Xavi, unfortunately, has no goals and one assist in eight Premier League games so far this season, but Kudus has delivered one goal and four assists in that time, per Sofascore, as he has impressed out wide.

The former Hammers star has provided real creativity and excitement on the flanks for Spurs since his £55m move, but, like Xavi, there have been some underperforming players in Frank’s attacking ranks.

One of the Tottenham stars who needs to improve his performances ahead of the January transfer window is Brennan Johnson, who is at risk of being replaced.

Why Spurs should replace Brennan Johnson

Spurs signed the Wales international from Nottingham Forest for a fee of £47.5m in the summer of 2023, and he has been a successful signing on the whole.

Johnson, of course, scored the winning goal in the Europa League final under Ange Postecoglou at the end of last season, which is why he should be considered a worthwhile signing for £47.5m, as he won the club a major trophy.

However, the underlying numbers behind his performances last season and in the current one suggest that Spurs could upgrade on him out wide if they can find the right players to improve the team.

Johnson scored 11 goals in the Premier League, to his credit, but his all-round play and lack of creativity were issues in the 2024/25 campaign for the Lilywhites.

xAG

0.10

Bottom 18%

Assists

0.12

Bottom 37%

Progressive passes

2.94

Bottom 39%

Progressive carries

2.48

Bottom 33%

Successful take-ons

0.79

Bottom 22%

Passes into the final third

1.03

Bottom 20%

Key passes

0.79

Bottom 9%

As you can see in the table above, the Welsh forward was one of the worst-performing wingers in the top-flight when it came to progressing the ball in possession and creating chances for his teammates.

It has been a similar case this season. Johnson currently ranks in the bottom 12% for progressive passes (1.24) and the bottom 1% for shot-creating actions (1.53) per 90, whilst he does not have a single assist to his name, per FBref.

You cannot knock his knack for scoring goals, with another four in all competitions this season, but his all-round performances are why the club should look to replace him.

Spurs considering bid to sign Premier League winger

According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham Hotspur are considering a bid to sign Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo when the January transfer window opens for business.

The report claims that the Ghana international has a clause in his contract with the Cherries, which means that he can be snapped up for a fee of £65m early on in the winter window, which has put a number of sides on alert.

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

Spurs were said to have been expecting a January deal to be too difficult to do before they learned of his release clause, and they are now weighing up whether or not to make a £65m offer to activate it.

TEAMtalk adds, though, that Liverpool are set to provide competition for his signature and that could make it tough for the Lilywhites, given that the Reds are the reigning Premier League champions.

If Spurs are able to win the race for the Bournemouth star’s signature at the start of next year, he could arrive in North London as a big upgrade on Johnson at the top end of the pitch.

Why Spurs should pay Antoine Semenyo's release clause

The Lilywhites, per TEAMtalk, have the financial power to pay the £65m release clause in January, and they should do so because of the quality that he could bring to Frank’s team.

Semenyo has already racked up six goals and three assists in 11 appearances in the Premier League so far this season for the Cherries, per Sofascore, whilst Johnson has produced two goals and no assists.

The chart above illustrates the gulf in class between the two players from an offensive perspective, as the former Bristol City marksman has offered far more to his team as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the top-flight.

Semenyo, who can play on either flank or through the middle as a centre-forward, also outperformed the Spurs winger at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League in the 2024/25 campaign.

Appearances

37

33

xG

9.98

10.40

Goals

11

11

Key passes per game

1.2

0.6

Big chances created

11

4

Assists

5

3

As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old star scored as many goals as the Tottenham winger last season, but provided almost three times as many assists and averaged twice as many key passes per game.

Speaking last month, former Spurs star Chris Waddle dubbed Semenyo “the best winger in the country (England) right now”, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment when you consider his form in the 2025/26 campaign.

Per Sofascore, no winger in the Premier League has scored as many goals as Semenyo (six) so far this season. In fact, only Igor Thiago (eight) and Erling Haaland (14) have scored more goals than the Bournemouth sensation.

Therefore, Spurs could improve their team and land a proven Premier League superstar by activating his £65m release clause in the January transfer window, which could leave Johnson on the fringes of the squad because the Ghana international appears to be a significant upgrade on him.

He can end Bentancur's stay: Spurs gem is showing "shades of Mousa Dembele"

Tottenham Hotspur have a star who could end Rodrigo Bentancur’s career in North London.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 19, 2025

It is now down to Fabio Paratici and Frank to convince the 25-year-old star to make the move to North London in the winter window, as he could be a phenomenal addition to the squad with his quality as a scorer and a creator.

Discarded Australia opener Sam Konstas has ended a 14-month drought without a Sheffield Shield hundred, making 116 against Queensland at the SCG

AAP05-Dec-2025Axed Australia opener Sam Konstas found form, scoring a confidence-boosting century for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield.Enduring a difficult period after his incredible Test debut last Boxing Day, the 20-year-old reached three figures just before tea on day one of NSW’s match against Queensland at the SCG on Friday.It was his fourth first-class ton, and his first in the Shield since making twin centuries against South Australia in October 2024, before forcing his way into Australia’s XI.Konstas and fellow former Australia batter Kurtis Patterson helped NSW motor to the tea break at 221 for 1 after Konstas’ opening partner, Matthew Gilkes, was dismissed for 55 by Gurinder Sandhu.Konstas (116) and Patterson (63) fell within three overs of each other early in the final session. But NSW were able to steady again, completing an excellent opening day by reaching 313 for 4 at stumps.Konstas, an aggressive right-hander, made a century for Australia A against India A in September, but that came on a flat pitch in Lucknow, where just 13 wickets fell across four days.After bursting on to the international stage against India last summer as a teenager, Konstas suffered a disastrous tour of the Caribbean that led to him being dropped for the Ashes. In three Tests against West Indies, Konstas scored just 50 runs at an average of 8.33.”It was very rewarding,” Konstas told reporters after play on Friday. “Especially the last few weeks, had it a bit tough here, but been working really hard as a group and got great support from our coaches.”I’ve been training really hard with Shippy [NSW coach Greg Shipperd], my mentor Shane Watson, and just having clarity and continuing to learn my game.”It’s been a great learning curve at my age. I’m very lucky to have great support in my inner group.”He will need to continue piling on runs to be in consideration for an Australian call-up, with Jake Weatherald and Travis Head making a flying start to their new opening combination in Test cricket.”Everyone has their opinions, but I’m just grateful to be playing cricket, and that’s what I love doing,” Konstas said. “Hopefully I can put in good performances for the teams that I’m playing in.”Second-placed Queensland are missing key quicks Michael Neser, who is playing his third Test for Australia, and Xavier Bartlett due to Australia A duty.They are also undermanned in the batting department, with opener Matt Renshaw at Allan Border Field playing for Australia A, Usman Khawaja injured, and Marnus Labuschagne having been recalled to the Test team.

Graeme Smith and Vernon Philander look back to 2012, when South Africa became the No. 1 Test side, and what the team needs to do to get there again in the WTC final

Firdose Moonda06-Jun-2025South Africa have done it before: become world Test champions (though it was not called the World Test Championship then) at Lord’s. Though much has changed in the 13 years since, two of the architects of their success in 2012 believe the class of 2025 can do it again. Former captain Graeme Smith and player of the match in the Lord’s Test, Vernon Philander, spoke about their experiences of handling pressure, playing the mental game and what it meant to become No. 1.When we was fab
By the time South Africa got to England, they had been hovering near the top of the Test rankings for years, had a reputation as a formidable outfit, and won consistently away from home. Back then they were unbeaten for six years and eight series on the road and believed they had earned the right to be called the best.”It started for us in ’07, when we started to build a style of play, the right type of personnel, and a batting unit that could perform consistently as a top six,” Smith says. “We also had a really well-rounded attack that offered me enough options. We had wicket takers, we had bounce, we had solid spin options, and having allrounders like [Jacques] Kallis and [AB] de Villiers gives you options as well.”Related

• 'I don't buy this thing about us beating nobody' – Conrad responds to Vaughan's criticism

• Make plan, find a way and believe – South Africa's not-quite-perfect WTC campaign

• Rabada sorry about drug use but 'won't be Mr-I-Apologise too much'

• Rabada heads six-man pace attack in SA's WTC final squad

• Smith's South Africa come of age

After Hashim Amla’s triple-hundred at The Oval and a weather-affected draw at Headingley, South Africa went to Lord’s 1-0 up.No one reached three figures in a first-innings total of 309, and things were kept even when they bowled England out for 315. Amla scored another century in the second innings and South Africa set England a target of 346. England were 16 for 2 heading into the final day, 120 for 4 at lunch, and 208 for 6 in the third session. It was tense until the end.”That was a great test,’ Smith says. “Once we got to our second-innings total, I thought we’d be in with a chance because of our bowlers. As a captain, it was about holding your nerve, planning for the moment and trying to keep the game together, so you can then attack again. These are skills that I think you only get when playing and winning and through tough times.”Philander’s match haul of 7 for 78, and specifically his second-innings five-for, was instrumental in South Africa’s win at Lord’s•PA PhotosUltimately, Philander’s 5 for 30 won the match and the mace. “For me, it was always about picking those big moments and wanting to be the guy that gets the team across the line,” he says. “And Lord’s is a special place – the history that goes with playing at Lord’s, the aura of playing [there], there’s so much to take in and to soak up. Once you walk through that members’ lounge, I don’t think you need much more motivation as a player. You look at the honours board and the names on the honours board and you want to have your name engraved there too.”In that game, it was not like the bat dominated or the ball dominated but for bowlers, there was always something in it because of the slope. We used that to our advantage.”Here we are, tough road or not
That 2012 South Africa side travelled to explorer Mike Horn’s home in the Swiss Alps for a few days before playing two practice matches in England. It was seen as unnecessary and outlandish but had its merits. “We got a lot of flack in terms of our preparation,” Philander says. “We went to Switzerland instead of playing an extra warm-up game, so the English media were all over us, but if you look at the team’s record up until then, we had a hell of an away record. For us, we needed to get mentally sharp before heading into that series. A lot of English media wrote us up as underprepared, but we knew what we were about, we knew our identity as a team, and that really came to the fore.”This time around, South Africa are playing a warm-up match against Zimbabwe at Arundel, which has been weather-affected, but half the squad has just come off game time at IPL and others were playing on the county circuit. There are fewer worries about match-readiness than there are about the quality of the opposition they’ve played – in the lead-up and throughout the cycle.South Africa played neither England nor Australia in the 2023-2025 WTC period, and their only visit to the subcontinent was to play Bangladesh. Some of the pre-final talk has questioned whether South Africa deserved to be there. But Smith has bullishly batted that back and urged the current team to embrace the underdogs’ tag.Bavuma has led South Africa in nine Tests since 2023, and hasn’t lost one yet•ICC via Getty Images”Everyone knew what South Africa’s run to the WTC final was [like] and it just so happened that they went and nailed it. No one complained at the beginning [of the cycle]. It’s just ultimately their teams aren’t there and that’s frustrating to them,” he says. “The mental preparation for Shuks [Shukri Conrad, South Africa head coach] and Temba [Bavuma] is gonna be so important, because it doesn’t matter what other people say, you have a chance to go and play a wonderful game. In your career, you don’t know how many times these types of opportunities are going to come around for you, and it’s about them recognising that.”Philander is certain South Africa have had a tough enough path. “You have to give a lot of credit to this team and the way they’ve gone about their work, especially the last 12 months,” he said. “It’s not easy to win in Bangladesh, let alone being a team that doesn’t have any superstar names and with a lack of experience in those kinds of conditions. They’ve had to fight and overcome a lot of battles along the way. And in every series they just became better and better. The self-belief came to the fore. They’re not dependent on a particular player. It’s a matter of the guys really backing each other and believing in themselves.”Bavuma, Conrad and Co
Smith’s captaincy was well established by 2012 – he had had 100 Tests in charge – and he was also among their best batters. Bavuma has had just two years of experience in the role, but in that time he has been South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer. Smith says Bavuma and Conrad will have to manage the environment leading up to the final.”Gary [Kirsten, South Africa’s coach in 2012] and I had a very great working relationship. He knew when I needed to step in and vice-versa,” Smith said. “When you get into that game, then Temba’s got to control it. He’s going to have to lead. In the build-up Shuks might do a little bit more. Then when you get into the Test match those roles kind of shift. Your captain’s going to have to be a key performer in the Test match.Philander sees Dane Paterson (centre) as a key part of South Africa’s bowling attack in the WTC final•Gallo Images”It’s obviously an exciting time for Temba, but it’s also a big game. It will be about playing the moments, and handling the pressure as the game goes on. The thing about tense Test matches, in every session, as a captain, you say it’s an important session, because it starts to feel like that. You can’t have a soft session. They’re [the team] gonna have to make sure that every session they’re up for it and that they don’t give away an inch.”A career-ending injury to Mark Boucher in 2012 meant South Africa had to make a last-minute tactical change to their team, which allowed them to lengthen the batting line-up. With AB de Villiers behind the stumps, they played with seven frontline batters, three seamers and a spinner. Now, they line up similarly, but the presence of three seam-bowling allrounders – Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch – means they have an additional quick at their disposal.Heading into Lord’s, they have two main selection questions: who will bat No. 3, and who will be the third specialist seamer joining Kagiso Rabada and Jansen? All indications are that Mulder could be promoted to No. 3, with Tristan Stubbs (who was initially given the role last year) at No. 5. That leaves no room for Tony de Zorzi. One of Bosch, Lungi Ngidi or Dane Paterson will be in the pace pack.For Philander, the choice is obvious. “Patto is going to be key for me,” he says. “Lord’s has a slope, so there will be natural variation in the surface, and for a bowler of his kind of pace [around 130kph], batters always feel that they need to play them and [they] very often get dragged into playing at balls that they don’t have to.”An attack of Rabada, Jansen, Paterson and Mulder excites Philander, and though it doesn’t have the star power of Australia’s Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood, he believes they’ll match up. “There’s a beautiful mixture of skills. You’ve got Marco Jansen, he’s tall and he can swing the ball. [Paterson] will be consistent and he can move the ball both ways, and KG [Rabada] is going to do what KG does best: hit the surface hard and extract movement out of the surface. And Keshav Maharaj is such an important bowler. He’s going to hold things tight and he’s going to allow those guys to operate, and hopefully strike,” he says. “If you look at the Australian set-up, many would argue that they perhaps have the more senior of the two attacks, but it’s a wonderful opportunity for these guys to go over and just do what they’ve been doing.”Rabada has had a fractious rivalry with Australia, and now there’s fuel for more•Associated PressDoes Rabada have a target on his back?
Experience, both in number of caps and winning ICC trophies, is not the only thing about Australia that may worry South Africa. There’s also the love-to-hate history between the two sides, whose most acrimonious meetings included the 2018 Sandpapergate series. South Africa will be wary of the war of words that might be coming their way.The first spat could involve comments to or about Rabada, who has previously been engaged in battle with Australia (when he shoulder-brushed Steven Smith in 2018) and has served a month-long ban for cocaine use. Rabada has already said he is prepared for whatever Australia bring, and even looking forward to it, but Graeme Smith hopes the topic will not be too much of a fire starter.”The best way to approach these things is to just hit it on the head and be honest and say sorry. It’s not like the Aussies have had a perfect record of not making mistakes. KG has been through the process. He served his punishment so the only thing to do is just to own it, and say sorry and get on with it,” Smith says. “Playing in Australia, one of the things that really worked for us at the end of each day’s play was to chill in the changing room and talk about all the stuff that we had heard in the day because that took away the sting of it. It became humorous for us. But then you’ve got to match it with performance.”The import of the mace
Having had more than their share of heartbreak, South Africans are too scared and scarred to dare dream of what winning may mean for them, but Smith and Philander, who have experienced it, can speak to what it does. When they became No. 1, they stayed there and kept winning for much of the next three years. When they were dethroned in 2015, it precipitated a slide down the rankings, and it has taken them a decade to rebuild. Smith now sees them as being on the brink of being the finished article.Mace me: dare South Africa dream of stealing the Test Championship from Australia again?•ICC/Getty Images”They’re at that point now where they’re putting those pieces together,” he says. “For Test cricket to remain strong, you absolutely need South Africa. You need a South Africa that’s competing and strong. We’ve seen when the team does well people are still engaged in Test cricket and want to support it. In a T20, one person can come off and upset the apple cart, but in a Test match, over a number of days, it’s attrition, it’s a test of your mental ability, and your skills can be tested dramatically. They’ve got talent and ability and match-winners, especially with the ball. In a one-off Test match, they definitely stand a chance. If it was over three to five, maybe it would be a little bit tougher, but in a one-off , I absolutely think they’ve got enough fire power to compete with Australia.”And if they do get there?It will be the start of a whole new story of success in South African sport, which Philander believes will set a new high-water mark. “When you’re at the top, you almost need to be training harder, you’re more hungry and more determined to want to stay there. There’s a new set of expectations,” he says. “If this team wins the mace, there will be a new energy in South African cricket overall because it sends a clear message to the rest of the guys coming through.”And I remember in 2012, for a couple of the younger guys coming through at the time, Faf [du Plessis] and later KG – the standard at the time was set. We lost that standard a little bit, but right now I can see that it is being upheld again and there’s a real sense of pride in the way the guys go about their business, the way the guys train, the language being spoken in and around the group. I feel they’ve done a phenomenal job in building this team culture. Now it’s just, go and do it.”

أشاد إنزو ماريسكا المدير الفني لفريق تشيلسي الإنجليزي، بأحد لاعبي فريقه في حديثه عقب المباراة أمام برشلونة بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وخاض تشيلسي مباراة أمام برشلونة، مساء الثلاثاء، على ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج” ضمن مباريات الجولة الخامسة لمرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتغلب تشيلسي على برشلونة بثلاثة أهداف دون مقابل، وسجل له إستيفاو وليام ديلاب، هذا بالإضافة إلى تقدمه بفضل هدف عكسي سجله جول كوندي بالخطأ في مرمى فريقه.

وأشار ماريسكا إلى لاعبه إستيفاو الذي قدّم أداءً مميزًا خلال المواجهة أمام برشلونة، مشيرًا إلى تصريحات البرازيلي رافينها لاعب برشلونة.

اقرأ أيضًا | ماركا: أخطاء متكررة يدفع ثمنها برشلونة في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وسبق وصرح رافينها قبل مواجهة الفريقين بأنه لا يحب المقارنة بين اللاعبين، حين سُئل عن مواطنه إستيفاو وزميله لامين، وأكد أنهما من ظواهر كرة القدم.

وقال ماريسكا في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “قال رافينها ذلك، وأنا أتفق معه، إستيفاو ولامين يامال سيكونان المنافسة الكبرى القادمة، ميسي وكريستيانو جيلهما”. 

وأضاف: “عمره 18 عامًا فقط، موهبة فطرية، والأهم من ذلك، أنه لا يكترث بالضجيج، لا يعيش على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، بل يعيش من أجل كرة القدم”.

Martin O’Neill hasn’t just steadied the ship at Celtic, he’s steered it firmly back on course, with Wednesday’s narrow victory over Dundee seeing the Glasgow giants move level on points with Hearts at the Premiership summit – and with a game in hand to boot.

While that recent surge up the table has come amid a mid-season slump for the Jambos, O’Neill could have done little better during his interim stint, recording five successive league wins, while claiming November’s Manager of the Month award.

Parachuted in following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation, the 73-year-old has brought calm to the chaos, with the Hoops now firmly back on track both domestically and in Europe.

Although the treble-winning coach may not have overseen a vintage display on his final outing in the dugout, Daizen Maeda’s brave first-half header was another to secure all three points, ensuring new man Wilfried Nancy can aim to build on this momentum heading into the weekend’s top-of-the-table clash.

The Frenchman – finally – will take charge at Parkhead, with Wednesday’s win outlining that there is still plenty of work to be done to right the wrongs of Rodgers’ regime.

Nancy's in-tray at Celtic

Perhaps the most notable point of concern for the incoming 48-year-old will be the raft of injuries that have struck Celtic of late, with left-back Marcelo Saracchi the latest to be struck down on Wednesday.

As O’Neill confirmed post-match, the 27-year-old appears to have pulled his hamstring once again, cruelly curtailing his hopes of genuinely challenging Kieran Tierney in that full-back berth.

The summer signing thus joins the likes of Jota, Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand and Cameron Carter-Vickers on the sidelines, with the latter man having notably been ruled out for the season following a severe Achilles injury.

Away from the treatment table, a key issue for Nancy to solve will be in the attacking unit, with the likes of Sebastian Tounekti, Yang Hyun-jun and the forgotten Michel-Ange Balikwisha all vying for that left-wing berth.

On the opposite flank, O’Neill has utilised Luke McCowan in recent weeks, although the Scotsman looks far more suited to a creative number ten berth, much like Sweden star Benjamin Nygren.

Equally, too, a decision will have to be made on the make-up of the midfield trio, with Reo Hatate having found his feet again under O’Neill, notably playing that stunning sweeping pass in the build-up to Maeda’s header against Dundee.

Perhaps the biggest debate, however, might be how best to cover for that devastating loss of Carter-Vickers in the backline, with questions still to be asked of the Auston Trusty and Liam Scales partnership.

Celtic's "player of the year" could now be replaced

In a department that has seen such turbulence in recent years, with figures like Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki coming and going without so much as leaving a trace, the news of Carter-Vickers’ lengthy absence will have been a bitter blow for those at Celtic Park.

Chalkboard

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

Unsurprisingly, since then, O’Neill has settled on the experienced duo of Trusty and Scales, although that pairing is not without its problems, as was evident again last night.

Indeed, the Republic of Ireland international was particularly underpar against Steven Pressley’s side, having hardly been his usual dominant self in both boxes.

As per Sofascore, the 27-year-old won just a solitary duel from four attempts, while failing to win a single tackle, having been dribbled past once in that midweek encounter.

One particular moment of concern came late on, with Scales allowing substitute Ashley Hay to burst in behind and in on goal, albeit with the towering left-footer doing well to narrow the angle for the subsequent attempt on goal.

Callum McGregor

24

Liam Scales

24

Benjamin Nygren

24

Arne Engels

23

Kasper Schmeichel

22

Kieran Tierney

21

Reo Hatate

21

Daizen Maeda

21

Luke McCowan

18

Not his usual threat in an attacking sense either, having registered no shots, dribbles or key passes despite Celtic’s possession dominance, it was a bit of an off night for the former Shamrock Rovers man.

Of course, it has largely been a positive season for the Irishman, having been noted as in the running to be the club’s “player of the year” this term by one podcaster, although as Wednesday showcased, he isn’t without his limitations.

Equally, with the sight of two left-footers deployed together at centre-back still looking somewhat unnatural, Nancy may instead prefer to take a punt on young Dane Murray.

Scales, for what it’s worth, has done little wrong of late, but if Nancy truly wants to progress this team, the steady centre-back may have to be a potential casualty.

Better than Maeda: Celtic star is going to be undroppable under Nancy

This Celtic star who was even better than Daizen Maeda against Dundee should be Wilfried Nancy’s first undroppable star.

1 ByDan Emery Dec 4, 2025

There wasn’t much turn or bounce in the game where India toiled over 200 overs straight, following their decision to enforce the follow-on

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Oct-20253:50

Washington Sundar: ‘Important to not chase the result’

If the Chennai defeat to England in 2021 made India switch from flat home pitches that took turn in the second innings to square turners, the shock 3-0 reverse to New Zealand last year made them rethink the latter strategy.During the ongoing two-Test series against West Indies, India have stated their desire to play on balanced pitches that give batters the chance of scoring big runs, particularly in the first innings.The plan worked out perfectly in the first Test against West Indies in Ahmedabad, where India rushed to an innings win in three days, but it may have hit a bit of a snag in Delhi, where India are poised to take the series 2-0 going into day five, but only after their bowlers slogged for nearly 200 overs — all in one go following their decision to enforce the follow-on — to bowl West Indies out twice.Related

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India 58 runs away from 2-0 sweep of West Indies

Centuries and time at the crease ease West Indies' crisis

Could this prompt another rethink? India allrounder Washington Sundar isn’t thinking about all that; for now he’s happy to experience the variety of challenges that different venues throw up.”It’s quite different in different venues, isn’t it?” he said in his press conference at the end of day four. “This I would say is a typical Delhi wicket, where there’s not much bounce, and obviously there wasn’t a lot of turn on offer in this game. But yeah, different venues play quite differently, and that’s the beauty of this format in particular.India were on the field for over 200 overs in Delhi after enforcing the follow-on against West Indies•Associated Press”We play in a lot of different conditions, be it home or away, and obviously all those conditions and the opposition challenge our skillsets, and that’s the beauty of this format. We keep going. We try and assess what’s really required in those conditions and really be on top of a game and do something special for the team.”India’s spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington bowled 143.5 overs across the two West Indies innings, and picked up 13 wickets between them.”On this kind of a wicket you just need to be patient and try and hit those [good] areas more consistently, and that’s the only challenge,” Washington said. “It’s good to be bowling long spells, and it’s very heartening to have actually taken 20 wickets on a wicket like this. All of the bowlers bowled really well, even the fast bowlers bowled their heart out every single spell, so it’s very heartening.”John Campbell and Shai Hope led West Indies’ fight in their follow-on innings, scoring centuries and putting on 177 for the third wicket. Washington praised them for settling into their partnership by taking calculated risks to spread the field.

“On this kind of a wicket you just need to be patient and try and hit those [good] areas more consistently, and that’s the only challenge. It’s good to be bowling long spells, and it’s very heartening to have actually taken 20 wickets on a wicket like this.”Washington Sundar

“Honestly, Campbell and Hope played really well,” Washington said. “They took their chances, and once the field was spread out they were really sensible with their game as well.”India, Washington felt, were well-prepared for spending long hours on the field, having played their last Test series in England, where all five Tests went into the fifth day. “The England series definitely made us understand what it actually feels like to be on the field for five days, because even in England we fielded for about 180-200 overs every game, so this definitely isn’t something very new to us.”2:43

Chopra: Credit to West Indies for pushing India into day five

Since his return to the Test team during the New Zealand series last year, Washington has often played as one of three allrounders in India’s line-up. This has meant he’s ended up playing more of a batting-heavy role in some games and a bowling-heavy role in others; in this series, he’s only got to bat once so far in three innings, with India declaring after he had faced 13 balls in that one innings.”It’s just been a blessing, honestly,” Washington said. “To be an allrounder is really heartening, because you’re always in the game, either with the ball or bat, and you have a great opportunity with both skillsets to make an impact for the team and eventually win the game for the team. I’ve got to thank god for all the skills he’s blessed me with.”In Test cricket it’s better to have as many allrounders [as possible], because if you go back and see, most of the teams who have dominated Test cricket for many years, I think they’ve had good-quality allrounders in their line-up, and I’d say we’ve got some really quality allrounders in our team as well.”While this is not necessarily true of the West Indies teams that dominated world cricket in the 1970s and 80s or the Australia team of the 2000s, it is certainly true of the India sides that won every home series they played from 2013 until the loss to New Zealand last year, with spin-bowling allrounders Jadeja, R Ashwin and later Axar Patel and Washington himself adding depth and heft to both the bowling and batting.Starting their fourth-innings pursuit of 121 late on Monday evening, India began as if they were looking to end the game on day four itself, with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting two fours in the first over before falling in the second while attempting a big hit down the ground. They knuckled down thereafter to ensure no other wicket fell, with KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan putting on an unbroken 54 to take India into day five needing a further 58 runs to win.”A lot of you all also would have liked it if the game got over today,” Washington joked to the assembled mediapersons. “Jaiswal did his best — on another day he would have definitely finished [it] today.”

The Savannah Bananas brought their traveling baseball party to legendary Fenway Park in Boston this past Saturday and brought back some special Boston athletes and former Red Sox players to join in on the fun.

One of those guys was Brock Holt, a former infielder who spent seven seasons in Boston and won a World Series with the Red Sox in 2018.

Holt made a dramatic entrance for his at-bat, walking through the stands before making his way to home plate while the sold-out crowd gave him a huge ovation. Then a few moments later, he suffered the unluckiest of outs as a fan caught his foul ball, which per Savannah Bananas rules counts as an out.

Here's the fan robbing Holt of a chance to get a hit in front of a crowd that wanted to see the best for one of their former players. And yes, this guy was immediately booed for doing what he did:

Not cool, dude!

يتزايد الغموض حول مستقبل رونالد أراوخو مدافع برشلونة على الرغم من استبعاد البلوجرانا التوقيع مع مدافع جديد في يناير إلا في حال حدوث أي تطورات غير متوقعة بشأن الأوروجوياني.

وقد لا يكون برشلونة قادراً على الإنفاق المالي الكبير في يناير نظراً لوضع النادي وسيحتاج لزيادة إيراداته أولاً من خلال الملعب الجديد بالإضافة لبند الرواتب، ويعتمد هانز فليك مدرب الفريق حالياً على جيرارد مارتن والذي قدم أداء بارزا ضد أتلتيكو مدريد.

ويعد مارك جويهي مدافع كريستال بالاس أحد اللاعبين الذين يراقبهم برشلونة وينتهي عقده بنهاية الموسم، ومع ذلك هناك منافسة من أندية ريال مدريد وبايرن ميونخ وأتلتيكو مدريد لضمه.

وبحسب “سكاي سبورت ألمانيا” فإن مدافع كريستال بالاس يرغب في الانتقال إلى بايرن ميونخ حتى في ظل اهتمام برشلونة وريال مدريد بخدماته.

أقرأ أيضاً.. حقيقة تعاقد برشلونة مع لاعبين جدد في الميركاتو الشتوي

ويعد بايرن ميونخ هو أول نادي تواصل مع جويهي، ويصر البافاري على التعاقد مع مدافع جديد الصيف المقبل على الرغم من احتمالية تمديد عقد دايوت أوباميكانو.

وقد يكون من الأفضل لبرشلونة التعاقد مع مدافع أكثر كفاءة مثل نيكو شلوتربيك مدافع بوروسيا دورتموند الذي يشبه إينيجو مارتينيز قلب دفاع البلوجرانا السابق والنصر السعودي الحالي أكثر في أسلوبه ويعد قائدًا حقيقيًا في خط الدفاع وقد يكون متاحاً بسعر مناسب حيث أنه سيدخل عامه الأخير في عقده مع بوروسيا دورتموند.

وكانت تقارير صحفية أخرى قد أشارت إلى أن بايرن ميونخ قد استعان بنجمه هاري كين لإقناع جويهي بالانضمام للفريق في الصيف، ويبدو أن المهاجم الإنجليزي سيمدد عقده الذي ينتهي في 2027.

It may have taken six years, but Tarik Skubal has finally found his money pitch. And the Guardians were feeling it in Game 1 of the divisional round on Tuesday.

These Guardians know Skubal well. In addition to facing him three other times this season, they faced him just days ago in a crucial Tigers loss, one that helped cement Cleveland’s huge comeback to secure the AL Central title that, at one point, Detroit had a 15.5-game lead on Cleveland. 

So, it was reasonable to wonder whether Skubal’s pitching would be effective Game 1, or whether the Guardians would have him figured out. 

"It means a lot to take the ball in Game 1," Skubal said to a scrum after the game. "To have the trust of our whole organization, teammates, coaching staff, it means a lot."

Ultimately, he rose to the challenge of that honor, helping secure Detroit's 2–1 win. Skubal held Cleveland to a single earned run in 7.2 innings of work with a career-high 14 strikeouts. Propelled by his pitch, Skubal brought a strong body of work.

Skubal’s changeup to thank for huge Game 1 victory

Skubal’s changeup has emerged gradually year over year as a proportion of his pitching profile, with it finally overtaking his four-seam fastball as the most-used pitch he threw in a season in 2025 (31.4% frequency). 

Here's a look at just how long this pitch has taken to emerge as his most used and most dominant:

Tarik Skubal changeup usage, run value

Year	Changeup Portion	Changeup Run Value
2020	16%	-1
2021	12%	0
2022	15%	4
2023	24%	9
2024	27%	7
2025	31%	25

So it was only right that on Tuesday, in an important Game 1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, the majority of his 14 strikeouts came on the changeup, now his best pitch, dialed in over a number of years. 

Tarik Skubal's strikeout pitches in Game 1 vs. Guardians

Pitch Type	Strikeouts
Changeup	7
Fastball	4
Sinker	2
Curveball	1

Seven—of half of his total strikeouts—came on the changeup. Twelve out of the 23 times he threw the pitch resulted in a swinging strike, with it being hit in play just three times. 

"I was just kind of worried about executing each pitch and trying to do my best to live pitch-by-pitch… getting ahead and getting guys into leverage," Skubal said of his performance after the game.

The changeup went for a hit twice in the game: One was a soft ground ball by Angel Martinez, the other a line drive hit 105.5 MPH off the bat by Kyle Manzardo. Overall, the Guardians managed a single quality hit on the pitch all afternoon. 

Tarik Skubal's slider was important, too

The changeup is, of course, a pitch that seldom gets the job done on its own. As a slower pitch, it’s one that catches hitters off guard after the pitcher has shown them something faster in the repertoire. 

Skubal most frequently used the slider as his immediate setup pitch (the pitch right before the strikeout pitch) in Game 1. The slider was his strikeout pitch, but it served a clear purpose, forcing Guardians batters into seven foul tips and overtraining them to the ever-so-slight speed difference from the changeup.

Tarik Skubal pitch counts, ALWC Game 1

Pitch Type	Pitch Count in Game 1	Average MPH, Game 1
Fastball	30	99.12
Slider	27	91.91
Sinker	23	98.7
Changeup	23	89.42
Curveball	4	84.27

Skubal strikeout on Tuesday was a swinging strikeout, proving just how well his deception worked as a result of the sequencing, for which catcher Dillon Dingler deserves credit for as well. Neither of the two hits off the changeup came with the slider as the setup pitch.

Asked about the slider usage after the game, Skubal laughed and said, "Is Dingler coming in here? Yeah, I don't know, he calls it and I throw it. That's kind of it. That's kind of how all of it goes. There's like two shakes a game and the rest are him calling it, and I just try to throw it."

Notably, his curveball, thrown just four times, was set up by a slider the lone time it baited a Cleveland batter to swing at it, and miss, on Tuesday.

It was a strong afternoon at the office for Skubal, putting the Tigers just a game away from advancing and finally putting the 2025 Guardians in their rearview.

Through seven innings of their game against the Seattle Mariners Thursday, the New York Yankees' chances looked bleak. Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo was dominating—holding his opponents hitless.

And then, with no warning, the Yankees awoke.

New York topped Seattle 6–5 Thursday in a dramatic 10-inning contest ended by designated hitter Aaron Judge's walk-off sacrifice fly. The nature of the Yankees' turnaround—going from hitless through eight innings and down by five or more runs to victors—had not been seen in Major League Baseball since 1977.

In that instance, the Pittsburgh Pirates weathered seven hitless innings from Montreal Expos pitcher Wayne Twitchell to turn their own 5–0 deficit into a 6–5 win.

In addition to Judge, New York's comeback was aided by three RBIs from catcher Austin Wells and a pinch-hit home run from Giancarlo Stanton.

If the Yankees want to rescue their flagging American League East hopes after a mediocre stretch, there's no better place to start.