Lionel Messi’s late-night visit to the newly renovated Camp Nou has reignited talk of a fairy tale return, with Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia among those hoping to see the legend back in Blaugrana colours. The Inter Miami star shared an emotional post after walking on the pitch again, while Garcia and president Joan Laporta both spoke about the World Cup winner’s enduring bond with the club.

• Messi’s emotional midnight return to Camp Nou

  Messi sent shockwaves through Barcelona this week after making a surprise midnight visit to the newly renovated Camp Nou, stepping onto the pitch he once illuminated for nearly two decades. Currently on a break from MLS duties with Inter Miami, Messi took the opportunity to tour the ongoing stadium renovations and share a heartfelt message with Barcelona fans, his first since leaving the club in 2021.

  The Argentine posted an emotional note on Instagram after the visit: “Last night I returned to a place I miss with my soul. A place where I was immensely happy, where you guys made me feel a thousand times the happiest person in the world. I hope one day I can come back, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to…”

  Messi's message immediately sparked speculation about a possible loan return in 2026, although Barcelona officials were quick to dismiss the rumours. Still, for fans and players alike, his visit was a reminder of the unbreakable bond between the club and its greatest icon.

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  ‘I hope he can play with us’ – Joan Garcia on Messi and teammates

  Speaking to , Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia revealed the dressing room’s surprise when Messi’s visit came to light and admitted that he, too, dreams of playing alongside the Argentine great.

  “No one expected Messi to do that, it’s good what he did. We talked about it in the dressing room, but we didn’t give it much importance either,” Garcia said. “I hope he can come and play with us, but I don’t know how possible or realistic that is.”

  The former Espanyol shot-stopper, who joined Barca in the summer, also took the chance to speak about his relationships with the team’s goalkeepers.

  On Wojciech Szczesny, he said warmly: “He’s a star. He’s very funny, we laugh a lot with him. Those of us who speak Catalan are teaching him words.”

  Garcia defended the Polish goalkeeper amid criticism for recent goals conceded: “That’s what Hansi asks of us, knowing that sometimes it won’t work out. He told me that’s how we play, and that it can happen.”

  When asked about Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Garcia was equally composed: “With Ter, everything is fine. The relationship is normal, like with any other teammate. It wasn’t uncomfortable for me.”

• Laporta rules out loan move but promises ‘beautiful tribute’ for Messi

  Barca president Joan Laporta also addressed Messi’s visit during an interview with , dismissing rumours of a short-term loan return while reaffirming that the club is preparing a fitting tribute for their former captain.

  “Out of respect for Messi, our players, and our members, it’s not the time to speculate with unrealistic scenarios,” Laporta said.

  The president admitted he was unaware of Inter Miami star's visit but expressed delight at the gesture: “I didn’t know he was coming, but Camp Nou is his home. When they explained how it happened, I think it was a sweet little spur-of-the-moment decision; he’d just finished dinner and felt like coming with some friends. It’s only right that Leo receives the most beautiful tribute in the world.”

  Laporta confirmed that the club are working on a dedicated tribute ceremony for Messi once the Camp Nou renovations are complete, with the new stadium expected to seat 105,000 fans.

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  Joan Garcia’s comeback nears as Camp Nou debut looms

  While the spotlight has been on Messi’s emotional return, Garcia himself is close to making his own comeback. The 24-year-old goalkeeper has been sidelined for several months following meniscus surgery, but is now expected to return after the international break. The upcoming La Liga clash against Athletic Club on November 22, after the international break could mark Garcia’s long-awaited debut at the renovated stadium – a moment he admits he’s been eagerly anticipating.

  For now, though, even as Garcia looks forward to stepping back on the pitch, his thoughts reflect those of millions of Barcelona fans worldwide – the dream of seeing Messi back where it all began.

تنبأ الحاسوب العملاق بطبيعة مجموعات بطولة كأس العالم نسخة 2026، حيث من المقرر أن يجري الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، مراسم القرعة يوم الجمعة المقبل.

وتستضيف كل من الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كندا والمكسيك نهائيات بطولة كأس العالم في الفترة بين 11 يونيو و19 يوليو 2026.

وتُعد تلك هي النسخة الأولى من بطولة كأس العالم التي يشارك بها 48 منتخبًا، سيتم تقسيمهم على 12 مجموعة، ويتأهل متصدر ووصيف كل مجموعة إلى دور الـ32، رفقة أفضل 8 منتخبات تحتل المركز الثالث.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر في التصنيف الثالث الذي أعلن عنه فيفا قبل أيام، حيث سيتواجد في مجموعة تضم فرق من التصنيف الأول، الثاني والرابع، بشرط ألا يلتقي مع خصم من نفس قارته.

وحسبما نشرت صحيفة “ذا صن” الإنجليزية، توقع الحاسوب العملاق التابع لشركة jeffbet، هوية المجموعات في بطولة كأس العالم 2026، ومن ضمنها المجموعة التي سيتواجد بها منتخب مصر، وكذلك ترتيب الفرق الـ48.

اقرأ أيضًا | أحدهم منتخب مصر.. 11 خصمًا محتملًا لخوض المباراة الافتتاحية في كأس العالم 2026

وأوضح الحاسوب العملاق أن منتخب مصر سيتواجد في المجموعة الثانية عشر، التي ستضم كل من البرتغال، أستراليا والعراق (متوقعًا تأهل الأخير من الملحق العالمي إلى كأس العالم).

ووفقًا للحاسوب نفسه، فمن المتواجد إنهاء مصر لمرحلة المجموعات في المركز الثالث، برصيد 3 نقاط فقط، حيث سيفوز على العراق وسيتعرض للهزيمة أمام البرتغال وأستراليا.

سيتأهل منتخب مصر إلى دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس العالم، ضمن أفضل 8 منتخبات في المركز الثالث، وسيواجه النرويج حيث ستفوز كتيبة إيرلينج هالاند بنتيجة 3/1، ومن ثم الإطاحة بالفراعنة.

There has been considerable discussion in recent weeks that the Premier League is now Arsenal’s to lose this season.

Now, while that might be true given Liverpool’s dire form and Manchester City’s unreliability, it also overlooks the problems the Gunners have had to deal with.

After all, while he’s got a much better squad this year, Mikel Arteta has had to deal with an absurd number of injuries and has been without club captain Martin Odegaard for most of the campaign.

Fortunately, one of his other star signings is stepping up and doing some of the things the Norwegian would do, and no, it’s not Eberechi Eze or Ethan Nwaneri.

Arsenal's solutions to Odegaard's injury

While losing your captain to injury after injury is never ideal, the one positive for Arsenal this season is that there have been and are multiple ways Arteta can address the problem of Odegaard being out.

For example, in recent league games, he has taken to playing Eze on the right-hand side of the midfield three, and while he’s clearly still getting used to the system and hasn’t hit the heights of last season, he has made an impact.

After all, it was his goal against his former side that earned the Gunners all three points on the weekend.

Wednesday night saw the manager start Nwaneri in that position, and once again, while it will take him time to really get up to speed, he opened the scoring with a lovely finish midway through the second half.

A less popular solution that was trialled several times earlier this year saw Mikel Merino come in for the Norwegian.

Yet, while it did work in some games, such as away to Athletic Bilbao, it somewhat stunted the team’s central creativity.

Finally, something that has not been tried yet this season, but could be if things become desperate, is to start Leandro Trossard in midfield, as his technical ability and two-footedness could see him do a job.

With that said, while several players could replace Odegaard at the moment, there is another who has started to emulate parts of his game this season.

The Arsenal star emulating Odegaard

When thinking of Arsenal players who could be described as emulating parts of Odegaard’s game this season, most will think of the aforementioned names like Eze and Nwaneri.

Chalkboard

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

However, there is another, far more surprising candidate who is now doing certain things the captain did last season: Declan Rice.

Yes, the all-action “world-class” midfielder, as dubbed by journalist Tom Marshall-Bailey, who initially joined the club as a leading six, is now starting to do things on a pitch that the former Real Madrid wonderkid was doing in 24/25.

At least this is according to DataMB, which, through using the numbers and a radar chart, has noticed some significant overlap in a number of key metrics.

These statistics include things like key and progressive passes, forward passes and even progressive carries.

Now, this is not to say that the two players are one and the same, as there are also clear differences between them, such as the Englishman’s physicality and willingness to chase down and win back the ball.

However, this does show that the former West Ham United captain is far more offensively useful than perhaps he gets credit for, although his output over the last couple of years was already showing this.

Moreover, it does also highlight that at his core, Odegaard isn’t a ten, but an out-and-out central midfielder who thrives in a system in which he can drop a little deeper at times to collect the ball.

Ultimately, losing the captain has been a setback for Arsenal.

However, Arteta can rest easier this season knowing he has options to replace him on the bench and that Rice has become far more dangerous going forward.

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Jack Salveson Holmes

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Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is a baseball marvel.

Pitching and hitting both seem to come so easily to Ohtani, who has won three MVPs and has finished in the top-five of the Cy Young Award voting once in his decorated eight-year career. So much so that it's hard to believe that wasn't the case at one point in his life.

Ohtani, during an appearance on on Monday, was asked if he views himself more as a pitcher or a hitter.

"I feel like I was more talented as a hitter growing up," Ohtani said through his interpreter Will Ireton. "And it was hard for me to pitch actually. So I feel like I'm more of a hitter who learned how to pitch more than a pitcher learning how to hit."

It's incredibly difficult to believe that it was once hard for Ohtani to pitch. This is a man who just three seasons ago ranked among the top-five American League pitchers in ERA (2.33) and strikeouts (219). In 2025—his return to the mound after undergoing elbow surgery in September of 2023—he has permitted just one earned run and has struck out 10 in nine innings.

If pitching didn't initially come naturally to Ohtani, it's scary to think how much better he'd be on the mound if it did. Nevertheless, it's astounding how good he's become at a skill that once didn't come as easily to him.

All this to say: imagine the havoc a young Ohtani wreaked in Little League once he learned how to pitch.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is hopeful that the new Manchester United stadium will host the Women's World Cup final in 2035. The Red Devils have outlined plans to build a new 100,000-seater stadium worth £2 billion, which is being called the 'Wembley of the North'. United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is aiming to knock down Old Trafford and build the new venue by 2030.

How will 'Wembley of the North' be funded?

In March 2024, United revealed that blueprints have been drawn up for a new futuristic 100,00-seater stadium, with INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe aiming to see it become the ‘Wembley of the North’. It has been suggested that the exciting venture, which reportedly comes with a £2 billion ($2.7bn) price tag, could be completed by 2030. '

It is expected that Old Trafford will be demolished so that more land can be acquired to construct the new venue. However, the club will require further assistance from local and national government in order to deliver on their ultimate target, with there being no way that they can finance the project alone. They have been working closely with Trafford Council, as the new stadium will offer benefits to the local community far beyond the matchday experience.

AdvertisementGetty Images NewsMayor hopeful of hosting World Cup final

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who is part of the stadium taskforce, remains hopeful that the dream project will be completed in the next five years and will be fully prepared to host the final of the 2035 Women's Cup. "If we really get it moving, I think there's a fairly high likelihood that we will be hosting the women's FIFA World Cup in 2035," Burnham told podcast The Added Time. "Imagine a final at that new Old Trafford. It would be quite something to aim for, wouldn't it?"

Project yet to be finalised

While the club and the mayor remain ambitious to build the new home for United, at the moment, the design has been paused as they would need additional land around the stadium. A Red Devils spokesperson told last month: "While Manchester United owns a significant portion of land around Old Trafford, it is not all in a single, continuous block. To accommodate the scale of the proposed new stadium – including a canopy – and to avoid disruption to the existing stadium during construction, we are working to secure additional land. We've been engaged in constructive discussions with neighbouring landholders and are optimistic about reaching mutually agreeable terms in the coming months. 

"Early design work has been intentionally paused until we have greater clarity on land assembly and fan requirements. As with other aspects of the project, we encourage fans to treat speculative media reports with caution. We remain excited by the vision set out by Foster + Partners for a new stadium at the heart of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area. “We always said this was a conceptual design, with more detailed architectural work to follow. While we remain keen to advance as quickly as possible, the timetable is subject to progress on land assembly and financing, which depends on key stakeholders working together."

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Getty ImagesUnited aiming to regain form

The Red Devils have had a mixed experience in the 2025-26 campaign so far. After spending heavily in the summer transfer window to strengthen their attack, Amorim's side got off to a nightmare start and were struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup second-round loss against fourth-tier Grimsby Town leading to questions over the manager's position.

However, Amorim's men picked form last month, registering three wins on the trot in the league against Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton. They then played out 2-2 draws with both Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, which has left the club seventh in the league heading into the November international break. They next face Everton on November 24.

Liverpool are now reportedly eyeing a move to sign Jean-Matteo Bahoya from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2026 after Michael Edwards sent scouts to watch the Frenchman in action in the Bundesliga.

A player that Hugo Ekitike knows well, Bahoya could help spark Arne Slot’s big-money attack into life. The Dutchman was handed a spending spree of more than £400m in the summer as the Reds broke their transfer record twice to welcome Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

So far, however, they’ve yet to see the fruits of their labour. Liverpool have been handed four defeats in their last four Premier League games and have looked a shadow of the champions that they became last season. Their crown hasn’t just slipped, it has disappeared entirely.

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Out of the big signings, only Ekitike has truly made his mark – scoring six goals in 13 games – while Isak and Wirtz have continued to struggle.

Having his say on his side’s recent struggles, Slot admitted that it’s not surprising that change has disrupted Liverpool, but he did not expect to lose four games in a row.

Nonetheless, Liverpool simply have to pick themselves up and go again on the pitch. Meanwhile, it’s up to Edwards and Richard Hughes to find some balance for Slot’s side, which could see Bahoya arrive from Frankfurt when 2026 arrives.

Liverpool scouts spot key Bahoya and Ekitike partnership

As reported by Anfield Watch, Liverpool sent scouts to watch Bahoya whilst also watching Ekitike last season – taking note of how impressive the duo were when working together. In the end, the Reds welcomed just Ekitike in the summer, but they could now return for his former teammate.

Whether it’s Cody Gakpo, Wirtz or Isak, so much of Liverpool’s attack centres around forwards who prefer the ball to feet rather than runners in behind. And that’s why Bahoya would make such a difference to Slot’s side.

After clocking a record speed of 37.16 km/h in the Bundesliga this season, it’s clear that the Frankfurt winger would add some much-needed directness to Liverpool’s frontline – the kind that Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane added in the past.

A record speedster would also be arriving just when Mohamed Salah begins to slow down. In comparison, the Egyptian’s average speed in the Champions League this season has been 34.29 km/h.

The 20-year-old isn’t just about speed, either. So far this season, he’s been involved in four goals in 12 games, with three goals and one assist in all competitions. A rapid, young winger, Bahoya stands out as another top talent emerging from Frankfurt.

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Head coach says failure to progress against West Indies has galvanised squad ahead of Ashes series

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Jon Lewis: Playing Australia in Australia a ‘huge challenge’

England’s dramatic T20 World Cup exit was a “line-in-the-sand moment” which head coach Jon Lewis believes has galvanised his team ahead of next month’s Women’s Ashes in Australia.Asked to sum up 2024 just 10 days before flying to Australia for the multi-format series beginning on January 12, Lewis pointed to successful bilateral series home and away against New Zealand, against Pakistan during the English summer and most recently in South Africa, ending in last week’s 286-run Test match victory. But there was no escaping the disappointment of failing to reach the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup in the UAE in October after losing their last group game to West Indies.”We’ve been incredibly successful in terms of wins and incredibly frustrated at the same time with the way that we exited the World Cup,” Lewis told reporters after naming his three Ashes squads on Monday. “We’ve played brilliant cricket in bilateral series, in the World Cup we lost one game and we probably lost eight overs of one game, and then we got knocked out of the World Cup, which was really frustrating but I think a really nice line-in-the-sand moment for the team.Related

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“It’s brought the team closer together, that defeat in particular, they took it really hard and quite an emotional time for the group of players in the dressing room afterwards and a lot of reflecting after that and it feels like we’re a more connected team because of it. So I’m excited about what 2025 brings. It’s two massive competitions in a 50-over World Cup and an Ashes series away, so it’s a great challenge for us, but also a great opportunity.”Lewis believed his side was “even more connected as a group” now than when they boarded the plane to South Africa, after reflecting on that T20 World Cup campaign and maintaining regular discussions about dealing with pressure situations, a key factor in the defeat against West Indies when England became visibly rattled by a poor fielding performance and the loss of their captain, Heather Knight, to injury while batting.”We spent three or four days at the start of the tour in South Africa reflecting on how we operate as a group, how we operated as a group at the World Cup,” Lewis said. “There was some really honest discussions within the playing group about how we were on the field and off the field in and around the World Cup in terms of our preparation and how we did things and how we wanted to be on the field.”There were some really important discussions around how we were on the field in particular. And then the response to those discussions were about how we wanted to go and play our game and make sure that we were as fearless as we have been in the past and where we slightly drifted away from that as a group and I felt like the team responded really well to that.”England’s defeat to West Indies has galvanised the squad, according to Jon Lewis, their coach,•ICC/Getty ImagesEngland swept their T20 series against the World Cup runners-up 3-0 and won the ODIs 2-1. But a number of exciting individual performances stood out from the Test in South Africa with a view to the day-night Ashes fixture at the MCG, which will be played at the end of the multi-format series for the first time since it was introduced in 2015.Seamer Lauren Bell took eight wickets for the match – four in each innings – while Maia Bouchier scored the fastest century in women’s Tests – off 124 balls and on debut – before team-mate Nat Sciver-Brunt surpassed that feat with a 96-ball effort in England’s first innings. England also handed a debut to 20-year-old seamer Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who had only played three white-ball games for her country, during September’s tour of Ireland. She impressed with two first-innings wickets and was only required to bowl one over in South Africa’s second as they were bowled out for just 64, earning a place in the Test squad for Australia.England have some injury concerns with bowler Kate Cross not yet fully fit after being struck down by back spasms during the third ODI in South Africa, Freya Kemp returning home from the tour after the T20 leg to manage her recovery from a long-term back problem and fellow allrounder Dani Gibson making her comeback from knee surgery. All three were named in the Ashes touring party, with Cross in the ODI and Test squads and Kemp and Gibson in the T20I squad.Australia, meanwhile, have unearthed more depth at the top of their batting order with Georgia Voll making an impressive debut in the recent ODI series with India in the absence of injured captain Alyssa Healy, who returned as a batter for the just-completed tour of New Zealand, where Beth Mooney retained the wicketkeeping gloves.But while Australia’s T20 World Cup semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa, coupled with the fact that England won both white-ball legs of the 2023 Ashes to draw the series on eight points each after losing the Test, has given the Australians a hint of vulnerability, Lewis remained wary.”I’d argue they’re more dangerous because of those experiences,” he said. “They’re a side that will be really determined to right those wrongs and they’ll be really well supported both at the grounds and through the media, it’ll be a real challenge for us.”They’re a really dangerous side at the moment. They’re a side that I suppose feel they’ve got points to prove, they haven’t won as much as they have done previously, but that’s a really, really high standard that they’re setting themselves in terms of wins in tournaments and Ashes series. So I think they’re a really dangerous side at the moment.”It’s important that we take confidence from what happened before, but it’s not something that we would rely on. We have to play the best cricket on the day and that’s a huge challenge that Australia will present.”

Lara McBride retains her place in the squad for three games against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2025

Offspinner Freya Sargent is back in Ireland’s squad for the upcoming three-match women’s T20I series against Pakistan at home.Sargent, 19, had missed Ireland’s most recent white-ball series against Zimbabwe. Lara McBride, who made her ODI and T20I debuts against Zimbabwe last month, retained her place in the squad.Allrounder Sophie MacMahon, who was part of the squad for the Zimbabwe series, missed the cut for the Pakistan T20Is.Related

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Gaby Lewis will continue to captain Ireland after leading them to a 5-0 sweep of Zimbabwe in the white-ball series. Lewis is set to become the second Ireland woman, after Laura Delany, to play 100 T20Is in the third game in Dublin on August 10. Dublin will also host the first two matches on August 6 and August 8.”After a strong 5-0 series win against Zimbabwe Women across formats under new head coach Lloyd Tennant, it’s great to be able to move so quickly into what will understandably be a much tougher assignment against Pakistan Women in Clontarf for this T20I series,” Ciara O’Brien, the national women’s selector, said in a statement. “With the upcoming matches, our preparation continues for the ICC Women’s T20I World Cup Europe Qualifier in the Netherlands in a few weeks, so we’re looking to see this latest momentum continued by the squad at Clontarf.”Ireland have played Pakistan in 20 women’s T20Is, winning four and losing 15, with one match abandoned. Ireland had won the previous T20I series between the two teams in 2022.Ireland T20I squadGaby Lewis (capt), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Laura Delany, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Jane Maguire, Lara McBride, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Freya Sargent, Rebecca Stokell

Despite spending over £100m on new additions during the summer transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur failed to address the issue at the top end of the pitch.

The likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons arrived in North London, bolstering the ranks, but neither are natural centre forwards, which has left Thomas Frank short in such an area.

Richarlison has operated in such a role for the majority of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, but he’s often failed to deliver – as seen by his run of eight games without a goal.

Dominic Solanke is another option the Dane will have been hoping to rely upon, but the club-record addition, who cost £65m last summer, has been sidelined since August after undergoing ankle surgery.

Randal Kolo Muani was added to the Lilywhites squad in the summer, only joining on loan from PSG, but he’s only started one game across all competitions to date.

However, the board could be about to back the new manager during the upcoming January transfer window, with numerous names already appearing on the club’s shortlist.

Latest on Spurs' striker search

Over the last couple of days, Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović has been mentioned as a possible target for Spurs in January, with returning Sporting Director Fabio Paratici likely playing a key role in the deal.

The Lilywhites have been named as one of the sides pursuing a move for the 25-year-old, who’s already found the net three times in Serie A throughout 2025/26.

Any deal for the Serbian international could prove to be a cut-price one, with the talisman’s current contract with the Serie A outfit set to expire at the end of June next year.

However, he’s not the only attacker currently in their sights, with Porto talent Samu Aghehowa another option currently being considered by Frank and Paratici.

According to TEAMtalk’s latest report, the Lilywhites have been closely monitoring the Spaniard over the last couple of months and are considering a potential approach in January.

The article also states that the 21-year-old could be an expensive addition for the Lilywhites this winter, especially considering the talisman has a £87m release clause in his current deal in Portugal.

As previously mentioned, it’s clear the board are targeting a new number nine in the near future, but any addition will have a near-impossible task of filling the void in North London.

Why Spurs’ latest target could be Frank’s own Harry Kane

The likes of Richarlison and Solanke have often been given a hard time by the Spurs supporters over recent seasons – no doubt due to the levels produced by Harry Kane before them.

The England international was so often the key man for the first-team during his decade-long spell in North London, with the figures he produced nothing short of breathtaking.

He netted a total of 280 goals in his 435 competitive outings for the Lilywhites, a tally that sees him sit at the top of the club’s all-time goalscoring charts.

Breaking down his numbers further adds yet another dimension to his quality, with the England international scoring over 30 goals in 50% of his seasons in England’s top-flight.

However, he was sold to Bayern Munich for a reported £82m in the summer of 2023, leaving the Spurs squad without that clinical centre-forward they so often turned to in moments of struggle.

As a result, Frank has been unable to work with the 32-year-old, but he could be handed his own version of the talisman, should the club complete a deal for Aghehowa.

The Spaniard has become known for his goalscoring ability in Portugal over the last 12 months – as seen by his incredible tally of 36 strikes in his 56 appearances.

He’s already managed to register 11 goals in his first 14 appearances, which has led to talent scout Jacek Kulig labelling him as “one of Europe’s most prolific players”.

Aghehowa’s underlying stats further highlight the all-round talent he possesses in attacking areas, subsequently making him the perfect player to fill the void Kane left a couple of years ago.

Games played

8

8

Goals scored

6

12

Shot on target accuracy

60%

57%

Short pass accuracy

86%

85%

Take-on success

50%

46%

Progressive carries

2.3

1.1

Carres into 18-yard box

0.9

0.6

Aerials won

1.2

1.1

He’s achieved a total of 2.4 shots on target per 90, a total which ranks him within the top 5% of all players in the Liga Portugal for the ongoing campaign.

The youngster has also completed 81% of the passes he’s attempted, whilst winning 58% of the aerial battles he’s entered – arguably making him the perfect focal point for Frank’s men.

Despite being a target man, the Spaniard has also demonstrated tidy footwork over recent months, as seen by his total of 1.3 successful dribbles per 90 in 2025/26.

It’s unclear if Porto would be willing to negotiate a deal lower than his release clause, but Paratici should be working tirelessly to complete a deal for his signature.

Should he make the move to North London during the winter months, it certainly will hand Frank the talisman he’s craved – potentially allowing the Dane to have his own version of fan-favourite, Kane.

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ByEthan Lamb Oct 30, 2025

Women’s Blast will also see reduction from 14 games to 12 amid reshuffle of white-ball competitions

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Aug-2025The men’s Vitality Blast will be reduced from 14 to 12 group-stage matches next season as part of a broad overhaul of English domestic white-ball cricket in the men’s and women’s game. However a mooted revamp of the men’s first-class cricket has yet to be agreed upon, with parties hopeful of a decision before the end of the month, ahead of the return of the County Championship in September.Following agreements from the required two-thirds majority of the 18 Professional County Cricket Clubs (PCCCs) and in collaboration with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), the men’s county T20 competition will shift from two groups of nine to three six-team regional groups, as it was during the Covid-affected summer of 2020.Each county will play the others in their group home and away (a total of 10 matches), with an additional home-and-away fixture against a side from the two other groups. The top two teams in each group plus the best two third-placed teams will progress to the quarter-finals. The winners of the quarter-finals will progress to Finals Day. The competition will be played in a block and completed in July, before the start of the Hundred.Related

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The reduction in group matches follows recommendations from the county-led men’s Domestic Playing Programme (DPP) review. While the limited-overs portion of the review has been heeded, the PCCCs are yet to agree upon a preferred layout of the County Championship.It is understood that at present there are three red-ball options on the table, with no clear favourite. There is a strong desire out of necessity to establish a preferred option by the end of August to ensure counties know what they are playing for in the final rounds of this season.The most innovative would see a 12/6 split between Division One and Two, with the top-tier made up of two groups of six. Each Division One team would play home and away plus two further fixtures against teams in the other group. The top two will then go into a final for the County Championship title, mooted for the middle of September.The bottom team in each Division One group would subsequently be relegated, replaced by the team that finished top of Division Two, with the last promotion spot determined by a play-off between second and third. Despite only having six teams, Division Two sides will also play 12 fixtures; home and away against the other five teams, followed by home-and-away fixtures against two others.The other alternatives are a two-division split (10 in Division One, eight in Division Two) with 12 matches played; or a continuation of the existing 14-match set-up. At present, four counties – Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey and Yorkshire – have publicly stated their preference to retain a 14-match County Championship season.In a statement released by the ECB on Tuesday, Mark McCafferty, chair of the Professional Game Committee (PGC), which was set up in 2023, lauded the changes confirmed so far. He said: “These changes to the men’s Vitality Blast will be a springboard to further investment in a historic and much-loved domestic T20 competition which is recognised as one of the world’s best.”The new group format intensifies the importance of many of these local derbies, and brings the quarter-finals and the iconic Finals’ Day back into July, so improving the sporting and commercial narrative for sponsorship and TV partners, as well as meeting player wellbeing objectives by improving the group-stage schedules and travel demands to allow players to perform at their very best.”The revamp is part of the current work to further strengthen all our men’s and women’s domestic competitions and on behalf of the PGC, I’d like to express my thanks and appreciation to the counties and to the PCA for their ongoing collaboration on this work, as we progress in the next phase to the Rothesay County Championship and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.”The women’s Vitality Blast will also reduce to 12 matches next season in Tier 1, the result of a separate vote from the 18 PCCCs that was not linked to the men’s changes. With Yorkshire moving up from Tier 2 in 2026, making nine teams in the top tier, each county will play six home and six away matches, playing four counties twice and four counties once.Tier 1 Finals Day will expand to house two semi-finals and the final, meaning the top four teams progress to the showpiece event. Previously the team finishing first went through to the final automatically, to play the winner of second versus third earlier in the day. The Vitality Blast Women’s League 2 (Tier 2) will maintain eight group-stage matches, but move to a single group – changing from North and South Groups in 2025 – with a second-versus-third eliminator before the final.The Tier 1 Metro Bank One-Day Cup competition will increase to 16 matches from 14, with a shift to an eliminator instead of two semi-finals. League 2 will be reduced from nine to eight group-stage games with each county playing each other once. The top four at the end of the group stage will progress to the knockouts stages. The winners of the two semi-finals progress to the final.”The changes for 2026 were developed in consultation with the game and the players,” Beth Barrett-Wild, ECB director of the women’s professional game, said. “The player representatives did voice a desire to increase the volume of cricket, to allow an even home-and-away Vitality Blast in Tier 1, but also recognised the scheduling challenges that would cause.”There was always going to be a settling-in period across Tiers 1 and 2 during these first few seasons, and these changes are set to be for next summer only with a planned review again ahead of the 2027 season, when Glamorgan will move from Tier 2 into Tier 1. This will also follow another phase of learning as the new women’s competitions embed into the overall county structure.”Speaking on the overall changes to limited overs cricket, ECB chief executive Richard Gould said: “County cricket in England and Wales has long been the gold standard and it has been important that the counties have led the discussion in consultation with the game as we look to make all of our men’s and women’s county competitions the best they can be.”

Men’s Vitality Blast from 2026

Group A: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Notts Outlaws, Yorkshire
Group B: Bears, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Somerset, Worcestershire Rapids
Group C: Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex Sharks

Women’s Vitality Blast (Tier 1)

Bears, Durham, Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, Yorkshire

Women’s Vitality Blast League 2 (Tier 2)

Derbyshire Falcons, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire Foxes, Middlesex, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids.

Women’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup (Tier 1)

Bears, Durham, Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, Yorkshire

Women’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup League 2 (Tier 2)

Derbyshire Falcons, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire Foxes, Middlesex, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids