Sunday's 2-1 loss to Leicester has left Tottenham precariously sitting above the Premier League drop zone on the precipice of crisis

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And so it has come to this. Little over five years ago, Tottenham Hotspur were 90 minutes away from being crowned champions of Europe for the first time in their history. Even in eventual and perhaps predictable defeat, they had the hope of a bright future to look forward to having just moved into their new billion-pound stadium designed to close the gap on the elite.

Half a decade on, it's now a very real possibility that Spurs will soon be playing in the Championship. The fall from grace has been painful for all involved. Think of Homer Simpson attempting to fly across Springfield Gorge on Bart's skateboard, only for gravity to hurl him down the cliff-face, hitting every jagged rock on his way to the bottom. He's airlifted to an ambulance, which promptly crashes into a tree and he topples out the wrecked vehicle back down the same cliff-face on a stretcher. That's the state of Tottenham right now.

At the time of writing, the Lilywhites sit 15th in the Premier League table having accrued a mere 24 points from 23 games – a tally which they cleared during the first 10 games of last season upon Ange Postecoglou's arrival. Ipswich Town are the only other club in the bottom five to have not changed their manager to this point, and that's down to the credit Kieran McKenna has stored in the bank following successive promotions.

The problems in N17 go beyond the man in the dugout, however. Postecoglou is not blameless, but he is definitely not the main reason why Tottenham are side-eyeing the second tier.

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPConstant failure

The first sign of Tottenham's decline ironically came around 12 months before their trip to the Champions League final, with the club going a year-and-a-half without an incoming. This was despite then-manager Mauricio Pochettino's desperate plea to help rebuild a playing squad he felt had hit the glass ceiling, and it's a minor miracle he was able to lead them to the brink of continental glory.

"When you talk about Tottenham, everyone says you have an amazing house but you need to put in the furniture," said the Argentine, half-referencing the stadium move. "If you want to have a lovely house maybe you need better furniture."

Chairman Daniel Levy has become notorious for shying away from the spotlight, particularly when Spurs seem to be in trouble. He did, at least, provide an explanation of this staggering lack of transfer activity at a meeting with the club's Supporters' Trust in October 2018. False presumptions that certain players would leave in order to free up funds and space was one reason cited, but concerningly, 'transfers were complicated with several variables' was another. This is the kind of remark that would leave Roy Keane flabbergasted and telling people to do their job.

By the time Pochettino finally got some new faces through the door in 2019, it was too late. The cycle had ended with that team and he was the one who paid the price, with Levy hiring Jose Mourinho – a man he claimed to have been the second-best manager in the world at the time, despite that clearly not being the case.

To the shock of no one, Mourinho didn't work out. He ought to have been sacked long before the 2021 Carabao Cup final, yet Levy chose until days before that showdown with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to axe him. After roughly two months of searching for a successor, the job landed at the feet of Nuno Espirito Santo, who lasted about the same timespan into the 2021-22 season before he too was unceremoniously fired.

Then came Antonio Conte, the only manager to lead Tottenham to a top-four finish since Pochettino left. To the Italian's credit, he figured out how to get the best out of the Harry Kane and Son Heung-min duo without compromising at the other end of the pitch. He wanted to bridge the gap to the title contenders and fight for more than Champions League qualification. Just one player was signed in his only summer window that immediately improved the starting XI – Ivan Perisic, at this point in his mid-thirties – and three-quarters of the way into a challenging season professionally and personally, Conte lost his job after an astonishing 10-minute rant at a press conference digging out his players and the board.

In Pochettino's five full seasons, Spurs finished fifth, third, second, third and fourth. Since then, it's been sixth, seventh, fourth, eighth and fifth. They still haven't won a trophy since 2008.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLevy's lost credit

It can't be forgotten that Levy did well to build Tottenham up as a contending club again after spending the nineties and early-noughties in the wilderness, but it is equally as impressive how he's lost a large proportion of the fanbase since his crowning moment of the stadium move.

At the start of the first coronavirus lockdown, there was significant backlash to the furloughing of club staff, so much so that this was quickly reversed. One year later, Spurs decided to throw their hat into the short-lived European Super League ring. More recently, soaring ticket prices in spite of a lack of success have been protested, as has the decision to remove concession prices. The sentiment among regular match-goers is they are being priced out for tourists.

During Sunday's 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester City, Tottenham supporters chanted against Levy, while a banner was unfurled in the single-tier south stand claiming it was 'time for change'. Levy has always been able to fall back on his prestige and expertise as a businessman, but as so many have pointed out, Tottenham are a club first and foremost, and that appears to have been forgotten.

Getty Images SportPostecoglou's doomed reign

Similarly to Nuno two years prior, Postecoglou was handed the head coach's job when other candidates, notably Arne Slot, decided against taking it. To make matters worse, the sale of Kane – a man whose quality was definitely taken for granted – to Bayern Munich was sanctioned on the opening week of the season. Had Tottenham plummeted into the no-man's-land of mid-table, it would have been understandable.

Alas, Postecoglou managed to steer Spurs to a respectable fifth-place finish, only two points behind Aston Villa in the Champions League spots. There were signs of promise for this new era. Like Conte though, the Australian was afforded only one player to come straight into his starting XI, as well as three teenagers and an extended loan for Timo Werner.

The squad needed surgery even prior to the injury crisis that has plagued their current campaign. Postecoglou's Tottenham are now on life support and he is hanging by a thread. After every defeat comes a new report that the board want to stick with the Australian and support him through this period, though all the while doing little to actually stand that sentiment up.

Unlike his predecessors who weren't afraid to make their ill-feelings towards the board known, Postecoglou has dressed up his request for reinforcements in a dignified manner and more along the lines of a cry for 'help'.

"I've said all along, the players need help and I've also said the club are working hard in that area to try to alleviate some of those problems," has been the constant message. "The players are going out there and giving everything they can because we can't call off games. We've got another game in three days' time that these players have to front up for. The injury situation will ease and I'm confident they will sort of help us. Even one more player coming in, just in the short term will give us an opportunity, at least to navigate these last 10 days, two weeks, of what's been a really hard slog for this group of players."

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Getty Images SportOn-field problems

Through the autumn, Spurs' main issue was their wild inconsistency. They were a team capable of winning away at both Manchester clubs with a combined score of 7-0, yet would be too easily undone when a game wasn't going their way – 12 of their 13 defeats in the Premier League have been by a single goal in matches where the opposition simply shut up shop.

Those would be understandable teething issues for a project team at or close to full strength, but Postecoglou has not been afforded that luxury. A detailed report from into their spate of injuries this season did not necessarily blame the head coach, though did suggest his high-energy style in training as well as matches hasn't done much to relieve the strain.

'Ange-ball' in full flight is breathtaking. It has made Tottenham one of the best watches in all of Europe and they have a clear identity again. But it's a style that often requires perfection in order to succeed, and at the moment, Spurs aren't even good enough to get lucky. There's been an absence of scrappy wins and draws, their penchant for late goals and comebacks from last season evaporating into thin air.

Tottenham, under Pochettino or anyone else, have been unable to win major honours because when you scratch beneath the surface of the first XI, there has always appeared a serious lack of quality and options. Only now has that truly been exposed with Postecoglou's makeshift lineups which are coming potentially at the detriment of his players' careers, with several soldiering on through injury just to help the cause.

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared an injury update out of Arsenal, as manager Mikel Arteta deals with a real “problem” at London Colney.

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The jam-packed fixture calendar is one of many issues which Arteta must contend with, as he seeks to end Arsenal’s 21-year wait for a Premier League title, but the last nine days have been particularly gruelling.

First, the north Londoners managed to get past arch-rivals Tottenham, sealing a 1-0 win on enemy turf, before goalkeeper David Raya’s heroic double-save ensured Arsenal came away from Atalanta with a point in the Champions League.

Lastly, Arsenal travelled to title rivals Man City on Sunday looking to avoid defeat, but it was very nearly a phenomenal result at the Etihad Stadium. Riccardo Calafiori’s screamer, and Gabriel Magalhaes’ second headed goal from a corner in two league games, gifted Arsenal a 2-1 lead after Erling Haaland originally opened the scoring.

Leandro Trossard was sent off, though, with Arteta’s side under the cosh and clinging on before John Stones levelled in the dying seconds of added time. While Arteta will be gutted to not hold on, it was a very promising display of resilience from his side, who were pretty unlucky not to come away with all three points.

They also did well minus a few key players on the day. Mikel Merino is out with a fractured shoulder, while club captain Martin Odegaard sustained ankle ligament damage on international duty with Norway earlier this month.

Fabrizio Romano shares Martin Odegaard update at Arsenal

Speaking to the CaughtOffside’s Dailybriefing podcast, Romano has shared an update on Odegaard’s injury at Arsenal, saying that the £240,000-per-week star won’t be back for weeks yet.

“They are, obviously (concerned),” said Romano.

“He’s a crucial player. He’s the captain. He’s a fantastic player. So, obviously, they know this injury is a problem for them. But at the same time, they hope it’s not super long. So, in this moment, in terms of medical staff, they are doing their best to have Martin back as soon as possible. For sure, we will have to be patient. It’s not something imminent. It will take weeks before we see Odegaard back to action.

“What they always mention to me is that they absolutely want Martin to return when he’s 100% fit. They can’t accept a new injury for Martin Odegaard later in the season, when they’re going to compete, they hope, for all the main titles.

“So Arsenal absolutely want Martin to take his time to return when he’s 100% fit. And this is going to be the mission of the staff, for sure.”

Some reports have claimed Odegaard could be back fit for Liverpool on October 27, but it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will play it more safe, with Arteta saying in his latest press conference on Tuesday:

“Ødegaard back? It will be a matter of weeks. But I still can’t guarantee when, I can’t tell you more than this. Before the October’s international break is unlikely”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Reforço do Botafogo para 2022, Fabinho foi apresentado oficialmente na tarde desta quarta-feira no Estádio Nilton Santos. Em coletiva virtual, o meio-campista de 35 anos destacou que as alternativas que Enderson Moreira possui para montar o meio-campo podem ser algo positivo durante o ano.

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+ Vigor físico, entrega e marcação: quem é Fabinho, reforço do Botafogo

–Quanto mais opções o professor Enderson tiver melhor. Sempre penso coletivamente. Quando você trabalha coletivamente, o individual automaticamente aparece. Quem tem a ganhar com todas essas opções é o Botafogo. Cada um vai brigar pelo seu espaço, será um ano bastante desafiador para todos e estamos bem preparados. Estou na minha sétima Série A, ali dentro de campo posso ajudar os mais jovens a ter tranquilidade, sobre posicionamento também – afirmou.

Fabinho muda de ares após três anos no Ceará. No Vozão, o meio-campista atuou mais como um primeiro volante. O jogador, contudo, explicou que pode fazer mais funções dentro de campo.

–Depende muito do esquema tático que o treinador quer usar. Cada treinador tem sua característica, e a forma de jogar pode ser alterada de acordo com o adversário. Nas últimas edições do Brasileiro pelo Ceará atuei mais como primeiro volante, mas já atuei como segundo. Dependendo do adversário o treinador me pede para segurar mais para liderar os laterais, na pressão pede para eu subir um pouco mais. Sou um jogador que chega na frente também pelo lado direito, vai muito de acordo com o que o treinador pede – analisou.

Como é chegar no Alvinegro diante de todo o processo de compra da SAF? Para Fabinho, essa é mais uma oportunidade para o Botafogo recuperar o protagonismo.

–É um projeto muito interessante, um momento de reestruturação. Acredito que as pessoas responsáveis estão tomando as melhores decisões para que o Botafogo continue crescendo. O Botafogo é um clube grande, histórico, acredito que com esse projeto o clube tenha a crescer ainda mais. Sempre falo que às vezes na vida nós superestimamos aquilo que conquistamos e subestimam onde podemos chegar. É um novo ciclo em que o Botafogo vai continuar crescendo – indicou.

Newcastle United will want to get back into the swing of things when Premier League action resumes after the international break is over and done, but the Magpies don’t exactly have the easiest batch of fixtures to contend with.

Brighton and Hove Albion is the first tricky test at St James’ Park, with clashes against Chelsea and Arsenal then following this meeting with the Seagulls, as Eddie Howe’s men strive to remain near the top places in the division despite difficult matches ahead.

Howe will hope Anthony Gordon is back to his blistering best with the ex-Everton attacker cursing his luck last time out, having missed a costly penalty against his former employers in a 0-0 draw away at Goodison Park.

Anthony Gordon's form this season

Away from that disappointing spot-kick, Gordon has shone brightly for his Tyneside outfit this season.

He even managed to fire home a confident penalty against Manchester City just the game before this stalemate versus the Toffees, with the pressure of playing against his ex-employers presumably getting the better of him.

In total, the entertaining 23-year-old has two strikes next to his name from seven league games so far, with the Magpies number ten craving his third goal of the season already against Brighton to atone for his poor showing at Everton.

As much as the Toffees faithful now revel in the distaste of their former youth product, the Newcastle masses equally adore the energetic left winger all the same, who amassed a stunning total of 11 goals and ten assists last season in the Premier League to fully justify his bumper £45m price-tag.

Despite entering the building last year for that hefty amount, Gordon isn’t one of the highest earners in Howe’s camp currently, with the England international raking in a reasonable £60k-per-week pay packet.

Away from Gordon coming good, Newcastle have been burnt in the past with overspending and dishing out lavish wages, with one former striker denting the Magpies’ bank account significantly during his disastrous year at the club.

Chris Wood's time at Newcastle

Despite transforming himself into a feared goal machine for Nottingham Forest now, with four league strikes already notched up from seven clashes in 2024/25, Chris Wood never successfully managed to fit in at St James’ Park as a deadly option up top.

Costing an excessive £25m to get through the door, the New Zealand international undoubtedly goes down as a dud buy, with just a paltry five goals managed from 39 games donning a Magpies strip.

24/25

7

4

23/24

35

15

22/23

7

1

Perhaps Newcastle should have exercised more patience when it came to the 32-year-old centre-forward’s indifferent form in front of goal, with Wood going on to hammer home an impressive 15 goals from 35 games during his first full campaign at the City Ground, exorcising his Tyneside demons in the process.

But, the best decision at the time from Newcastle’s perspective would have just been to get him off their books, with Wood earning an extortionate pay-packet of £80k-per-week, with his weak displays advancing through on goal not justifying that salary whatsoever.

To add context, that’s £20k-per-week more than what Gordon currently takes home playing week in week out for Howe, whilst the likes of Harvey Barnes now remarkably pockets the same wage.

Wood did manage to have the last laugh last campaign when firing home an unbelievable hat-trick back at his old stomping ground, but Newcastle would have felt it was the correct call at the time to offload him anyway, with Wood costing the club an eye-watering £29m – when taking into account his transfer fee and wage costs – across his cursed one year stay.

Howe will just pray Isak is back to full fitness soon, having had to sit out his side’s last few clashes owing to a broken toe knock, whilst also keeping his fingers crossed there’s more to come from Gordon this campaign as he strives to put together even better numbers than his whirlwind 2023-24 output.

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Tottenham Hotspur are a club desperate for some form of tangible success after failing to win a trophy since 2008.

Their move to the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium has allowed them to own one of the finest stadiums in the Premier League – hoping to attract some of the best talents in the world to the club.

The appointment of serial winner Ange Postecoglou tried to instil the winning mentality needed to compete at the top level, but they narrowly missed out on Champions League football during his first season at the helm.

He’s since shifted the club’s recruitment strategy to focus on younger talents to improve the first-team, whilst also hopefully making the club a hefty profit later on down the line – subsequently making them more sustainable.

However, the change in focus was needed, especially after the transfer window during the summer of 2020, which saw Spurs fork out some hefty sums on players not up to the level required in the Premier League.

Spurs’ transfer window in the summer of 2020

The COVID pandemic put a real impetus on spending money wisely given the lack of income due to the absence of supporters surrounding the restrictions around mass gatherings.

However, Spurs failed to do so during the aforementioned transfer window, splashing huge fees and unfortunately failing to gain their money’s worth with their new additions.

Midfielders Giovani Lo Celso and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg both arrived in North London, with the club paying a combined fee of over £50m for the duo.

A real expectation was placed on the shoulders of the pair to lead the side forward and take them to the next level – however, the moves never lived up to the hype with the club finishing seventh during their debut campaign in North London.

Just over four years on from their big-money moves, neither player remains at Tottenham, with Lo Celso now at Real Betis, with Hojbjerg plying his trade for Marseille in France.

However, despite their respective moves, one player who also arrived during the same window remains in North London and looks to be one of the worst signings in the club’s recent history.

Sergio Reguilon’s market value in 2024

Four years on from his transfer to the club under Jose Mourinho, left-back Sergio Reguilon still remains a Spurs player despite not featuring for the first team since the end of the 2021/22 season.

The 27-year-old has made 67 appearances for the club, following his £32m move from Real Madrid in 2020, but has failed to be the addition many expected him to be.

He infamously scored one of the most bizarre own goals in Premier League history, somehow finding the back of his own net after an attempted clearance against Aston Villa.

The Spaniard has since had loan spells away from London with the likes of Atlético Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford but has never demonstrated his quality enough for any of the sides to sign him on a permanent basis, with United presenter Beth Tucker dubbing the full-back as “awful” during his time at Old Trafford.

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Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

As a result of his lack of games for Spurs, his market value has massively plummeted, with the former Real Madrid star now only valued at £2.8m as per Football Transfers.

Per appearance

67

£477,000

Per goal

2

£16m

Per assist

8

£4m

Per clean sheet

21

£1.5m

Per booking

11

£2.9m

Reguilon has only been named in the matchday squad once this season, coming in the Carabao Cup victory over Coventry City, showcasing Postecoglou’s lack of trust in the Spaniard.

Given his lack of first-team action, he’s sat earning a living without having to lift a finger, with the club desperately needing to cut their losses and cash in on the 27-year-old.

It’s unfortunate to see such a highly rated player fail to make the grade, but unfortunately, his move has been a disaster and one that the club undoubtedly must regret.

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The captain for the T20I series will be named by the selection panel later

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2021

Temba Bavuma, the South Africa limited-overs captain, has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing series in Sri Lanka after suffering a fracture in his right thumb during the first ODI on Thursday. In his absence, Keshav Maharaj will lead the side for the second and third fixtures of the three-match ODI series.Related

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Bavuma, who will return to South Africa as soon as possible to consult a specialist, took a blow to the thumb during the 26th over of South Africa’s chase in the series opener on Thursday when, after pushing the ball to midwicket, he was attempting to avoid the fielder’s throw. He took his glove off immediately, which revealed some blood and swelling, and received on-field attention for several minutes and continued batting, but not for long.At that stage, Bavuma and Aiden Markram had shared in a 106-run second-wicket stand. Bavuma eventually retired hurt on a 53-ball 38 after the completion of the 28th over because of persistent discomfort. When taken for scans later in the evening, it emerged he had sustained a fracture, a CSA statement said the day after, on Friday.”The timelines for return to play will be defined subsequent to that,” the statement said, adding that the national selection panel would meet to identify the T20I captain for the series.South Africa lost the first ODI by 14 runs. The second match is scheduled for Saturday, with the final game on Tuesday, after which the teams will play three T20Is.

It’s a great time to be an Arsenal fan at the moment, as while things looked bleak just a few weeks ago, the Gunners are now level on points with Manchester City, having already played them, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur away in the Premier League.

Not only that, but Mikel Arteta’s side came away from their tricky trip to Atalanta with a point in hand and then dominated Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup with a heavily rotated lineup.

However, just because it had eight changes does not mean it was a weak side, as it was full of tremendously exciting and talented Hale Enders, including Ethan Nwaneri.

The young midfielder looks destined to become the next sensational superstar to come out of the North Londoners academy, but another youngster who could be just as good is no longer at the club.

Nwaneri's exciting rise

It’s been over two years since Nwaneri became the youngest Premier League player of all time against Brentford in 2022, and while he hasn’t featured in too many first-team games since then, he has been tearing it up in the academy.

For example, in his 52 appearances across the club’s various junior sides, the 17-year-old phenom has scored 27 goals and provided ten assists, meaning he’s averaging a goal involvement once every 1.40 games, which is frankly ridiculous for a midfield player.

However, he’s not just impressing with the youth sides. The Enfield-born ace made regular appearances during the club’s preseason tour of the US in the summer, and over the last few weeks, he has become increasingly involved in first-team action.

It was in the game against Bolton that the Hale Ender opened his account with the club, scoring a brace and coming painfully close to a hat-trick, but it’s in the league games that we can gain a better understanding of how highly the manager rates him.

For example, when the team were 1-0 up away to Spurs, he turned to the exciting prospect to inject some more life into the midfield, and when it looked like his side were going to drop points against Leicester City, he once again turned to the teenager, and while he didn’t score, he came very, very close to doing so.

Overall, while we are still a season or two away from seeing Nwaneri regularly making it into the starting lineup, it’s clear that he’s an exceptionally talented footballer and one destined for the very top, much like a youngster the club lost this summer.

Chido Obi Martin's massive potential

Yes, the player who Arsenal lost during the summer is Danish youth international Chido Obi Martin.

Now, we say lost, as while it looks like the Gunners will be making some money on his move to Manchester United following the Premier League’s green light over the move late last week, there is no doubt that they would have rather kept him over making a few million pounds if that is what it ends up being.

The reason why? He has an incredible goal record and sky-high potential, scoring ten goals in one game for Arsenal U16s against Liverpool. Yes, ten goals. It’s easy to see why he was generating even more excitement than Nwaneri at times last season.

In 24 appearances across the Gunners’ U18 and U21 sides last season, the unreal “goalscoring machine”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, found the back of the net 32 times and provided three assists for good measure.

That means that, despite still being just 16, the Glostrup-born gem maintained an average of a goal involvement once every 0.68 games, which explains why the North Londoners were so keen on keeping him.

Appearances

24

Goals

32

Assists

3

Goal Involvements per Match

1.45

Moreover, the 6 foot 2 poacher has also excelled at the international level, racking up 11 goals in 18 games for Denmark’s U17 side and one goal in two games for their U18 team.

Ultimately, Arsenal are blessed with the number of talented youngsters coming through the academy at the moment, Nwaneri chief among them, but the loss of Chido Obi is undeniably significant.

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New Zealand saved their best batting display for the last game as they revelled in the leniency showed by Shere Bangla National Stadium curator Gamini Silva. On a pitch much more conducive for strokeplay, they piled up 161 for 5 and beat Bangladesh by 27 runs. Tom Latham struck his second fifty of the series and Finn Allen played a telling innings as well. His 41 off 24 balls gave the visitors the perfect start after they decided to bat first for the fourth time in the series.Bangladesh were, predictably, off colour, having chosen only three specialist bowlers in the XI, leaving nine overs in the care of part-timers. Shoriful Islam, playing for the first time in the series, took two wickets but looked rusty.Chasing 162, Bangladesh made a poor start, leaving too much for the middle-order to do in the last ten overs. Afif Hossain blazed briefly to make an unbeaten 49, but ran out of partners.Ajaz Patel, once again, led the way with 2 for 21 from his four overs, but it was how New Zealand batted that made most of the difference.Allen lives by the sword, dies by the sword
Allen promised that he will bat in his own way. He failed to launch in the previous two matches, but lived up to his billing in this game. He began by pulling a Nasum Ahmed half-tracker for six, before taking Shoriful apart with two fours and a six in the fourth over.Allen repeated the dose, hitting Shoriful for another four and six, this time waiting on the slower-ball to hammer it over deep square leg. But Shoriful struck back in the same over, first removing Rachin Ravindra for 17, before clean bowling Allen as well. Against what was the last ball of the powerplay, Allen missed a hoick going across his stumps, staying true to his style.Latham provides final flourish
Taking two more wickets, Bangladesh left New Zealand (83 for 4 in the 11th over) with the same problem of the previous four matches. But Latham kept them on track, with a nice blend of ones and twos and boundaries. He added 35 runs for the fifth wicket with Henry Nicholls, who was brilliantly caught behind by Nurul Hasan.Latham then went for the jugular, adding 43 in the last 3.3 overs with Colin McConchie. In the process, the New Zealand stand-in captain raised his second fifty of the series, which has been played on some very tricky pitches. He struck two fours and two sixes, both off Taskin Ahmed in the 19th over and both hammered over midwicket.Bangladesh sink fastThe home side couldn’t adjust to a better pitch, getting bogged down during the powerplay, unable to reach even a six an over. Liton Das finished the series poorly, falling for 10 thanks to Scott Kuggeleijn taking a brilliant one-handed catch at backward point.Soumya Sarkar was also caught at point, cutting at a ball without any balance. Next over, Ben Sears took his maiden T20I wicket, getting Mohammad Naim caught behind for 23. Mushfiqur Rahim became the third batter to fall in as many overs when he holed out to Colin de Grandhomme, off Ravindra. On 48 for 4 at the half-way mark, Bangladesh were sinking fast.NZ douse a brief spark
Mahmudullah and Afif revived Bangladesh’s innings with a 63-run fifth wicket stand. There were some breathtaking shots, particularly Afif’s flicked four and six off Sears, which led to two big overs, the 14th and 15th, that yielded 24 for the home side.But when Mahmudullah holed out at sweeper cover for 23, the sting was gone. Nurul and Shamim Hossain made 4 and 2 respectively, before the tail caved in. Afif struck two fours and three sixes in his 33-ball stay.Every New Zealand bowler took a wicket, with Patel and Kuggeleijn taking two each. It was a fine effort, one that they can take to Pakistan for the ODIs and T20Is as encouragement.

Just because the transfer window is currently closed, it doesn’t mean clubs aren’t still scouring the market for their next purchase.

Chelsea have done this in the past, with Christopher Nkunku and Hakim Ziyech two examples of this in the past ten years, with deals being agreed ahead of the window opening.

Enzo Maresca and the sporting directors will already be getting an idea of the squad they have, and where it can be improved upon further, as the list for any Janury or summer additions starts to be made.

Chelsea looking at Serie A defender

According to reports by Italian publication sempremilan, Chelsea are one of the clubs keeping tabs on AC Milan star, Theo Hernandez, as he will be entering the final year of his deal at the end of the season. Other interested clubs include European heavyweights PSG, Bayern Munich, and Juventus.

AC Milan legend, Paolo Maldini, once labelled Hernandez as a “special” talent after scoring his 29th goal for the Italian club, levelling Maldini’s goal-scoring record at the club for a defender.

The 27-year-old has made 222 appearances for Milan, scoring 31 goals, providing 41 assists, and totalling 19,164 minutes played.

But could the signing of Hernandez actually unlock one of Chelsea’s newest signings, giving Jadon Sancho a new dynamic partner to work with down that left-hand side?

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Expand Collapse How Hernandez would impact Sancho at Chelsea

Chelsea signed Sancho on deadline day this summer, joining the club on an initial loan deal from Manchester United, which will turn into an obligated transfer for around £20-25m. The 24-year-old has already made four appearances for the Blues, providing three assists in his 263 minutes played.

But the signing of £50m-rated Hernandez could change the dynamic of that left-hand side for Chelsea, allowing Sancho to thrive even more, and making it harder for the opposition defence to know what his next move is.

Sancho and Hernandez stats

Stats (per 90 mins)

Sancho

Hernandez

Goals

0.00

0.24

Assists

0.91

0.24

xG

0.03

0.19

Progressive Carries

4.83

3.24

Progressive Passes

4.83

5.68

Shots Total

0.30

1.43

Shot-Creating Actions

4.83

3.92

Tackles

0.34

1.22

Interceptions

0.00

1.67

Stats taken from FBref

The current dynamics of Chelsea’s left side see Marc Cucurella starting at left-back, but forming a back three with the two centre-backs, whilst the right-back – often Malo Gusto this season – inverts into midfield.

This often leaves Sancho isolated out on the left wing, with his main source of support coming from Chelsea’s left-sided number eight (often Enzo Fernández), who has to make overlapping and underlapping runs to create space for Sancho.

Hernandez would change this dynamic, as he is a more attack-minded fullback, as you can see from his metrics. He offers goal threat, often making overlapping and underlapping runs into dangerous areas, combining with his Milan teammate Rafael Leao, and joining in with goals and assists.

By giving Sancho this constant support, he would not only be able to create more for Hernandez but also for himself, using Hernandez’s runs and threat as a decoy, allowing him to cut inside, slot a pass into the striker or even take a pop himself.

This would mean Chelsea have to rethink their tactical strategy, with maybe the right-back slotting into the back three instead of inverting, but that would be on Maresca to tweak his system and find the best way to utilise the talent he has in the squad.

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Mohammad Nawaz and Haris Rauf hold off Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take Northern to fourth

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2021Southern Punjab lost their sixth straight game in a row, with Central Punjab trouncing their provincial rivals by seven wickets to eliminate them from semi-final contention.SP found themselves under pressure instantly after being put in to bat with Faheem Ashraf removing both openers in the first over. Agha Salman and Azam Khan looked to have put them back on track with an 84-run stand, but once it broke, SP crumbled completely. Hasan Ali ripped through the order with four wickets as CP picked them off with ease, the last eight wickets falling for 34 runs to leave CP chasing a straightforward 120.The chase was as simple as they come, with Babar Azam assuming complete control from the outset. An unbeaten 59 formed the spine of the CP innings, with Kamran Akmal playing his part for the second-wicket partnership. CP had no need to ever really get out of second gear, finally putting SP out of their misery in the 18th over, both on the night and in the tournament.Mohammad Nawaz scored an unbeaten 56 off 35 balls•PCBA whirlwind 90-run fifth-wicket partnership between Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan helped Northern recover from the loss of four early wickets to beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 14 runs.Table-toppers KP put Northern in to bat first, and Shaheen Afridi put them under immediate pressure in a glorious first over in which he removed Ali Imran and Haider Ali. Northern rebuilt with a 50-run third-wicket stand, only to lose another couple in quick succession. But they stuck to their plans, with the in-form Nawaz and Shadab launching an impressive counter-attack, with the next 90 runs coming in nine overs as Nawaz smashed a 34-ball 51, his second half-century in three games. Shadab’s 27-ball 46 was the accompaniment, and thanks to a handy cameo from Asif Ali, Northern got to 181.KP’s response lacked the necessary intent required to chase down a steep total for much of the first ten overs, hampered by the loss of Mohammad Rizwan and Sahibzada Farhan early. With the asking rate rising, Iftikhar Ahmed brought his side back into the contest with a glorious half-century, but lack of support from the other end ensured KP were always a touch too far behind the game. And once Haris Rauf, who starred with three wickets, had Iftikhar hole out, all doubts vanished, with a clinical Northern closing out an impressive win.