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A third club have thrown their hat into the ring for Genoa star Radu Dragusin as they make a Tuesday attempt alongside Tottenham and Bayern.

Spurs battling Bayern for Dragusin

This morning, reports from reliable media sources like transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano suggested that Spurs were firmly in the driving seat to sign the centre-back.

Levy readying move for "quality" midfielder, Spurs think he'll be a star

He’s got bags of real potential.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 9, 2024

Dragusin has already agreed personal terms with Spurs, and Romano broke news today that Genoa were prepared to accept their official bid for the 21-year-old.

The proposal stands at a £21.5 million fixed fee, plus an extra £4 million in add-ons and right-back Djed Spence going the other way on loan.

Bayern Munich were thought to be threatening a hijack attempt this week, but Romano's news may have eased the worries of some Spurs supporters for a time.

However, late on Tuesday evening, the Bundesliga giants came back into the fold, with Bayern making a late Dragusin bid of their own which apparently matches Tottenham's offer (Fabrizio Romano).

It is apparently now down to the Romanian over where he goes next, and while Spurs have already agreed terms, the pull of a major club like Harry Kane's new side represents a big threat.

Indeed, given Bayern are now trying to snatch Tottenham's top target to reinforce manager Ange Postecoglou's defence, this will come as a real concern for the Australian.

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have been unavailable for large periods since early November, forcing Postecoglou to deploy a makeshift central defensive pairing of Emerson Royal and Ben Davies on more than one occasion.

It could be a crucial next 24 hours for Spurs, and whether they will finally land a much-needed centre-back alternative.

Di Marzio shares yet another Dragusin transfer twist

After this Bayern development, Sky journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has shared an update of his own on the saga, and it concerns a third competitor for Dragusin's signature.

On top of Thomas Tuchel's side, it is believed Napoli have been making bids to hijack Tottenham's move for Dragusin as well.

"The match for #Dragusin reopens: Genoa has also received the official offer from Bayern. Now the player decides: Napoli also tried again earlier in the day. Decisive hours," wrote Di Marzio on X.

On his website, the reporter claims Napoli raised their offer to sign Dragusin "several times" on Tuesday, but it appears he's determined to move abroad for now.

Di Marzio says Tottenham have reached an agreement for him, but Bayern's offer is actually higher, meaning the race is now open and the player himself must decide soon.

It will be very interesting to see if the pull of the Premier League gifts Spurs an advantage over one of Europe's most prestigious sides.

If not, they may have to turn to alternative Spurs targets, with Postecoglou thought to be keen on Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo.

Knight had injured her lower back during the opening overs of the first ODI of the series in Coolidge

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2019The CWI interim selection panel has replaced the injured Kycia Knight with Britney Cooper for the third and final ODI of the series against Australia, on Wednesday in Antigua.Knight had injured her lower back during the opening overs of the first ODI of the series in Coolidge, where Australia thrashed West Indies by 178 runs. Knight did not bat in the West Indies chase as a result, and did not feature in the second game. After “examining the scans” done on her, the CWI medical panel ruled Knight of the third ODI.Cooper joined the team in Antigua on Monday in preparation for the final game even as West Indies trail the series 0-2.Cooper last played an ODI in June in England but her single-digit scores in the series led to her omission from the original ODI squad against Australia. In six international innings this year – two ODIs and four T20Is – she has scored only 57 runs so far with a high score of 20.West Indies are also without their regular vice-captain Hayley Matthews, who had been withdrawn from the series just hours before the start of the opening ODI, due to disciplinary issues. The exact nature of her breach of the code of conduct is not known yet.

Brighton and Hove Albion have been dealt a blow after learning that another one of their stars is facing a spell on the sidelines alongside Kaoru Mitoma.

Mitoma injury news

During the Premier League 1-1 draw vs Crystal Palace last week, Mitoma was forced off the pitch during the later stages of the game with an ankle injury and there was cause for concern among supporters because he was later pictured leaving the stadium on crutches.

The Seagulls forward is since confirmed to have been ruled out of competitive action for at least the next month, but in an unfortunate update for everyone associated with the club, he’s not the only senior squad member who will have to wait a while before making his next appearance.

Brighton's "high quality" player could be facing spell on the sidelines

The Seagulls have received some worrying news regarding the fitness of one of their regular features.

By
Chloe Chadwick

Dec 19, 2023

Last season, Simon Adingra spent the full term out on loan at Union SG, but having returned to his parent club on the south coast over the summer, the left-winger has firmly established himself as a regular feature of the first-team line-up under Roberto De Zerbi in the top-flight.

The Ivory Coast international has made 13 starts and four additional substitute outings so far this league campaign (WhoScored – Adingra statistics), highlighting how much the manager values him and all of the positive qualities that he can bring to the side, but the 21-year-old won’t be available for selection for the foreseeable future.

Adingra injury update

Speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday's encounter vs Tottenham Hotspur, De Zerbi revealed that Adingra will be absent for four weeks, the same as Mitoma, while delivering an update on the rest of his injured players.

As quoted by Brighton’s official website, it was stated: “Roberto De Zerbi confirmed at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday that Kaoru Mitoma (ankle) and Simon Adingra (hamstring) will both be out for at least four weeks.

"Some good news is that Pervis Estupinan is fit after nearly three months on the sidelines. Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey, Adam Webster, Solly March, Julio Enciso and Ansu Fati remain sidelined by injury.”

Adingra is an "outstanding" forward

Across all competitions this season, Adingra has posted eight contributions, five goals and three assists, from 23 appearances, showing the impact he can make in the final third, but he’s also comfortable playing in several other areas over the grass (Transfermarkt – Adingra stats).

The Abidjan native is a versatile operator having been deployed in six different positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even two roles in the midfield, so his ability to provide cover elsewhere makes him a useful option for the boss to have at his disposal.

With Josh Bunting having described Adingra’s directness and close control as “outstanding”, De Zerbi may feel that he has suffered a huge blow having lost the services of his forward, so the club will be hoping that he is able to stage his comeback as soon as possible.

Bayern Munich’s loan approach for Midtjylland striker Franculino has been turned down, with West Ham, Como and Villarreal also keen on the youngster.

• Midtjylland have rejected a loan bid from German side
• Bayern's proposed deal for Chelsea's Jackson collapsed
• West Ham and Villarreal are also interested

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Danish club Midtjylland have rejected a surprise loan bid from Bayern for 21-year-old striker Franculino Dju, according to reports from Danish outlet . The Superliga side promptly turned down the offer, maintaining their stance that the prolific forward is not for sale.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bayern's late approach for Franculino comes as the club scrambles for attacking reinforcements after a proposed deal for Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson reportedly collapsed. The Guinea-Bissau international has attracted widespread interest, with West Ham, Como and Villarreal also monitoring the situation. Midtjylland have already turned down a significant permanent offer from Villarreal, reported to be worth around £17 million ($23m).

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Franculino is the current top scorer in the Superliga and has been in sensational form this season, scoring eight goals and registering three assists in just six appearances in the competition.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

  Despite Midtjylland's firm position, Franculino and his representatives are reportedly keen on a move to a bigger European league. With the player having signed a contract extension until 2029 late last year, it would likely take a substantial transfer fee to persuade the Danish club to sell. For Bayern, the search for a striker continues after being rebuffed in their attempts to sign both Jackson and Franculino, though their hopes of signing the Chelsea star may have been revived.

Tottenham are interested in a deal to bring Evan Ndicka to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Fabrice Hawkins, with the French journalist revealing on Twitter (via Sport Witness) that Antonio Conte’s side are now tracking the Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back ahead of a potential move at the end of the current campaign.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Hawkins added that both Manchester United and AS Monaco are also interested in a deal for the 22-year-old this summer, although the former France under-21 international has not ruled out the possibility of remaining in Frankfurt in order to play Champions League football with the newly-crowned Europa League winners.

“One of the leaders”

Considering just how impressive Ndicka has been in Germany this season, and with the signing of a left-footed centre-back being one of Antonio Conte’s priorities this summer, it is unsurprising to learn of the 52-year-old’s interest in the Frenchman.

Indeed, over his 32 Bundesliga appearances this term, the £25.2m-rated talent has been “one of the leaders” (according to Frankfurt journalist Christopher Michel) in Eintracht’s backline, helping his side to keep five clean sheets, along with making 1.5 interceptions, 1.9 tackles and 4.1 clearances and winning 6.2 duels (at a success rate of 60%) per game.

The left-footed defender has also highly impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring four goals, registering four assists and creating three big chances for his team-mates, in addition to making 48.8 passes, taking 0.8 shots and completing 0.4 dribbles per match.

These returns have seen the player who Michel also dubbed an “incredible” talent average a remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.12, ranking him as Oliver Glasner’s second-best performer in the German top-flight behind Filip Kostic.

Furthermore, according to FBRef data, Ndicka also ranks in the top 6% of centre-backs in Europe’s big five leagues for aerial duels won per 90, as well as the top 5% for blocks, the top 13% for pressures, the top 22% for tackles, the top 3% for assists and the top 20% for dribbles completed over the last 365 days.

As such, should the Frenchman indeed be available for as little as €20m (£17m) this summer, it would seem advisable for Fabio Paratici to launch an offer for the Eintracht Frankfurt starlet, as Ndicka undoubtedly has the potential to become a leader in Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur defence.

AND in other news – Bid incoming: Paratici set to launch offer for £59m Spurs target, he’s “a phenomenon”

Joao Felix starred on his Saudi Pro League debut for Al-Nassr, scoring a hat-trick in a resounding win 5-0 over Al-Taawoun.

• Felix opens scoring and adds powerful effort
• Completes hat-trick with bizarre final goal
• CR7 scores from the spot and Coman nets with header

• TELL ME MORE

  Al-Nassr quickly got into their groove, with new signings Felix and Kingsley Coman linking up nicely with Ronaldo and Sadio Mane in attack. Felix's opener was coolly taken. The Portuguese turned an Angelo cut-back into the far corner with a sweeping curved effort that nestled perfectly in the bottom corner.

  Al-Taawoun struggled to gain much of a foothold in the game, as their vaunted opponents controlled possession. Coman almost doubled the lead halfway through the first half, when he smartly controlled and turned in the box before firing into the side netting. Mane's low driven effort on the stroke of half-time brought a smart save out of Abdulquddus Atiah in the Al-Taawoun net.

  Any chance of Al-Nassr wasting their dominance was quickly quashed, as a handball by Waleed Al-Ahmed resulted in a penalty for the away team. Inevitably, Ronaldo stepped up and buried the spot kick in the bottom left corner. The lead was extended almost instantly when Al-Taawoun allowed a long ball over the top from Nawaf Alqaidi to bounce, leaving Coman to loop a header over Atiah and just under the crossbar.

  Felix added his second in the 66th minute, running on to a pass by Mane, controlling and blasting a rasping effort into the top corner from the edge of the box. Minutes later, Angelo almost added a belter of his own, clanging the woodwork with a powerful shot from all of 35 yards.

  Just as it seemed the game was meandering to a conclusion, Felix completed his hat-trick. Ronaldo's cross-cum-shot took a looping deflection, cannoned off the bar and fell at his compatriot's feet. Felix almost butchered the opportunity with his nonchalance, taking a relaxed flick at the ball which was very nearly cleared off the line. The referee's watch confirmed the ball had crossed the line.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE MVP

  Either of Al-Nassr's attacking recruits could have taken this gong on their league debut, but it's hard to look past Joao Felix's hat-trick. The second was a moment of real class. After years of false starts, a successful debut will do the Portuguese attacker the world of good.

• THE BIG LOSER

  Waleed Al-Ahmed suffered through a nightmare three-minute period at the start of the second half, conceding an unlucky penalty before watching Coman ghost in behind him on a route one pass for another Al-Nassr goal.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT COMES NEXT?

  Al-Nassr will hope to continue their winning ways when they take on Al-Kholood after the international break.

Falling short of usual standards a “positive sign we can get better” argues Lyon

Daniel Brettig at Lord's15-Aug-2019If there was any doubt as to the high standards Australia’s cricketers were holding themselves to on this Ashes tour, a blunt reminder came in the form of Nathan Lyon’s critique of day one of play at Lord’s following a washout on the Wednesday.While Lyon was glowing in his praise of Josh Hazlewood’s return to the team, and also Pat Cummins’ aggressive use of the bouncer in the afternoon, he indicated that the overall performance was short of expectations despite bowling England out for 258 and peeling 30 of those runs off for the loss of David Warner by the close.Lyon, who in claiming three wickets of his own drew level with Dennis Lillee on 355 Test wickets for Australia, reckoned that the dropping of three catches ad also allowing England to form a pair of pesky stands between Joe Denly and Rory Burns then Chris Woakes and Johnny Bairstow undid much of Hazlewood’s precision work with the Dukes ball.”If you look at today I don’t think we’ve had the best day if I’m being brutally honest,” Lyon said. “I think Josh Hazlewood was absolutely exceptional and the spell from Pat Cummins after tea really set the tone for us. For our standards I don’t think we were good enough for long periods of time.ALSO READ: ‘Cherry ripe’ Josh Hazlewood brings peak precision“But in saying that it’s still a good day for Australia, we’ve won the toss, we’ve created more than 10 chances, we haven’t played catch today. We can get better, and that’s exciting but we still were able to bowl England out for 258 on a day one wicket. There’s still a lot of work to do, we’re happy with the day but we know there’s a lot of improvement to be done.”Asked to explain where he thought he day went wrong, Lyon felt that the period in between Hazlewood’s early work and Cummins’ short pitched assault was a little too generous to the hosts. “I think we can always keep learning about the game, but the Dukes balls tend to go a little bit soft and the wicket’s quite slow as well, which makes … I think the quicks nicked about six and they bounced a good metre in front of our slips,” he said. “That’s generally a sign of the pace in the wicket and how soft the ball is if the nicks aren’t carrying.Tim Paine chats to Peter Siddle as Australia search for another breakthrough•Getty Images

“It’s one of those ones where the short bowling is used as a tactic, and we saw it in the [2013-14] Ashes when Michael Clarke was captain. They’re totally different wickets but I thought the way Tim and Pat and others came to a plan and I think the way Josh stuck to his nagging length was exceptional.”We’re playing Test cricket, playing against the best players in the world, there’s going to be partnerships here and there, that’s where it comes back to us bowlers hanging int here and doing the basics for long periods of time. I don’t think we did that well enough for Australian standards, our standards we have in our bowling cartel, and in that change room. It’s a positive sign we can get better.”As for Hazlewood, Lyon indicated that his fellow New South Welshman had plenty more days like this one, where he nipped out England’s first three wickets and troubled everyone, lay ahead. “I think Josh has been a world-class bowler for a long period of time and I don’t think he’s got the rewards that he’s deserved as yet,” Lyon said. “I think they’re to come. In my eyes Josh is up in the top three best bowlers in test cricket in my personal eyes. I think his control of hitting that nagging length but having the skill to go both ways in and out.”Then he’s got a pretty strong bouncer as well and it’s always usually on the money. I think Josh has been outstanding, I know he was disappointed to be left out of the first Test but to come back and bowl the way he did today, hats off to Josh, I thought he was the pick of our bowlers.”

Nicolas Pepe has opened up on his disastrous spell at Arsenal and how it left him contemplating retiring from football.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Pepe opens up on disastrous Arsenal stint
• Affected a lot by negativity on social media
• Contemplated retirement due to lack of action

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pepe joined Arsenal with a lot of expectation placed on his back after a successful stint with Lille, as the Gunners splashed out a then-club record fee of €80 million (£72m/$87m) for the Ivorian winger in 2019. However, he never managed to live up to that price tag and received a lot of criticism for his performances. The 29-year-old has now opened up for the first time about his difficult time at the Emirates Stadium.

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• WHAT PEPE SAID

  Speaking to , Pepe said: "At Arsenal, I had suffered a kind of trauma, as if my passion had been taken away from me, I had a distaste for football. By no longer playing, I wondered why I was doing this job. I doubted to the point that I thought about stopping everything.

  "I wondered how they could have attacked me so much. People went so far as to call me the biggest flop in the history of the Premier League! I didn’t ask for €80m to be spent on me. At this amount, people don’t care where you come from, they want you to perform directly.

  "There aren’t many players who immediately score 25 goals per season, and I’m not even a No9. I wasn’t going to play in the Premier League like that. But that’s what earned me this flood of criticism. It was almost harassment. I don’t look at social media a lot, but if my brother relayed to me 'they said that about you', unconsciously, it touched me.

  "It also came from the media or certain members of the club. They don't realise that it can have an impact on the mind, on the family and that has repercussions on performance. The only people who have always supported me are Arsenal fans."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Ivory Coast international made a total of 112 appearances for the Gunners and put up decent numbers as he scored 27 goals and provided 21 assists, but ultimately failed to earn a regular spot in the team. Arsenal terminated Pepe's contract in September 2023 and he subsequently joined Trabzonspor, but only spent one year with the Turkish club.

• WHAT NEXT FOR PEPE?

  The former Arsenal man is currently a free agent following his spell with Trabzonspor and will be actively looking for a new club to join this summer to try and avoid being out of action for an extended period. "I still want to show that I can do something," Pepe added to L'Equipe. "I'm not finished with Europe and with football."

Wolverhampton Wanderers face direct competition from Tottenham Hotspur over their “priority” transfer target in Sporting CP midfielder Joao Palhinha.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from Jornal de Noticias, via Sport Witness, who claim that Tottenham Hotspur are said to be “in the front row” for the signing of the 26-year-old Portuguese, with the outlet stating that Spurs are “preparing an initial offer” which does not bode well at all for Lage’s side.

Though, the majority of the report focuses on Wolves’ interest in the player, with the Old Gold side reportedly making the midfielder “a priority for summer.”

At this point, it is Spurs who are said to initiate the bidding for the player, so Wolves will need to get in there fast if they are to rival the North London outfit for his signature.

A Neves replacement

Despite the original report mainly covering the fact that Palhinha is the club’s main priority, the Old Gold seem to be in second place behind Spurs as things stand.

Arguably, they need the 12-cap Portugal international more than Conte’s side, with Ruben Neves’ future in severe doubt, with Lage speaking upfront about the situation and stating that he does not know where the future lies for the 25-year-old.

A move for Palhinha, who has been described as an “all-round” midfielder by Squwka, could provide a more than viable replacement option for the Old Gold side.

Despite this description, Palhinha does his best work defensively, as he is a holding midfielder by trade, but like Neves, has the ability to play as a central midfielder in a 3-4-3 system.

His defensive efficiency would present Lage with an option of playing a four-at-the-back formation with a three-man midfield, as he is happy to sit back and retrieve possession.

Palhinha’s average of 3.04 tackles per game, with an elite average of 32.42 pressures per 90 serve as evidence for the aforementioned statement and surpasses Neves’ average of 2.45 tackles and 18.95 pressures per 90.

Should Wolves lose Neves, €30m (£25.5m) Palhinha would step into the role seamlessly, judging by his metrics over the last year as per FBref.

With Spurs also on the hunt for his signature, the Old Gold must move quickly.

In other news: Wolves plot bid to sign “terrific” £12m-rated gem who “runs the show”, Lage needs him

Tourists lose last six wickets for 17 before Dom Sibley’s 74 underpins Lions reply

Daniel Brettig in Canterbury15-Jul-2019Two sights signalled this as day one of the Ashes campaign for England, though still in the afterglow of a scarcely believable triumph in Sunday’s World Cup final over New Zealand at Lord’s.The first was that of the England selectors Ed Smith and James Taylor making their presence known by striding around the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury, demonstrating their intent to finalise a Test squad, to face Ireland and then Australia, by Wednesday. The second came in the middle, where the left-armer Sam Curran obliterated the touring XI’s middle and lower order with the second new ball on his way to figures of 6 for 95.Where on day one the Australians had dominated through Travis Head and Matthew Wade as both sides kept one eye on events in London, now the spectre of a swerving Dukes ball in skilful hands was raised by Curran, a highly impressive performer in his first home summer as a Test player last year and likely to figure again this time around.Alongside Head, who remained impassable throughout, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine and company would have hoped to bat well into the afternoon. However Curran was able to swerve his way through five Australians in the space of four overs, engineering the loss of the last six touring wickets for 17.Marsh was first to go in circumstances that looked contentious – certainly the batsman thought so. Given out caught behind, Marsh made to remonstrate with the umpire, stood his ground for several moments and then trudged his way off with slow reluctance familiar to those who once watched Inzamam-ul-Haq for Pakistan.Such a display of disagreement was not to be repeated by the rest, who fell with blinding speed. Paine was pinned in front of the stumps for a duck, Michael Neser edged behind, and then Chris Tremain was bowled first ball to have Curran on a hat-trick. Jackson Bird found three runs to avert that at least, but his exit was swiftly followed by Jon Holland shouldering arms to hand Lewis Gregory a third wicket.The England Lions innings was thus underway far sooner than expected, and even as wickets fell regularly the Australians were unable to create quite the same level of mayhem throughout the rest of the afternoon. Plucky resistance was provided by Dom Sibley, spending precisely four hours over his 74, and James Bracey also hung around for a stand worth 89.Curran was then in to bat for the final hour or so, playing attractively in the company of Sam Hain, who lofted Head for six down the ground before being well taken by Paine off Holland’s slow left-arm in the day’s final over – a reward for two tidy, thoughtful spells. That gave Australia’s selection chairman Trevor Hohns, in attendance alongside Messrs Smith and Taylor, a little more to ponder ahead of Ashes squad selections.