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Tottenham could now look to sell a new name who hasn't been linked with the exit door until very recently, with lots of Spurs players facing uncertain futures.

Spurs open to offloading over a dozen players this summer

According to reliable Spurs source Paul O'Keefe, the club have identified over a dozen players they'd be willing to entertain bids for when the transfer window reopens – with manager Ange Postecoglou already beginning to swing his axe ahead of 2024/2025.

Tottenham now ready to sell £110,000-per-week star for just £13 million

The Lilywhites could take a slight loss.

ByEmilio Galantini May 8, 2024

The most obvious names who stand out are Bryan Gil, Giovani Lo Celso, Troy Parrott, Joe Rodon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Richarlison, Tanguy Ndombele, Sergio Reguilon, Japhet Tanganga, Manor Solomon and Djed Spence – who have all been linked with Spurs exits at some point within the last six months.

A good portion of the aforementioned crop are currently out on loan elsewhere, and decisions will have to be made. Leeds are apparently keen to keep Rodon beyond his loan spell, while the likes of Spence and Reguilon are not in Postecoglou's plans moving forward.

Djed Spence

Genoa

Tanguy Ndombele

Galatasaray

Japhet Tanganga

Millwall

Alejo Veliz

Sevilla

Alfie Devine

Plymouth

Ashley Phillips

Plymouth

Sergio Reguilon

Brentford

Troy Parrott

Excelsior

Joe Rodon

Leeds

It is pretty frank that chairman Daniel Levy will listen to offers for Ndombele and Tanganga as well, with the former set to go down as one of the biggest transfer flops in Spurs history and latter's contract expiring next year.

In terms of current squad members, it is now believed Tottenham are willing to sell Emerson Royal for around £20 million, with Spurs also ready to entertain £15 million bids for Gil.

Given that over a dozen are up for the Spurs chopping block, you cannot rule out more squad members being mentioned, and a new head-turning nominee for the transfer list has emerged this week.

Tottenham now willing to sell Yves Bissouma this summer

Indeed, mainstay midfielder Yves Bissouma is now thought to be unsafe. The Mali international has made 27 Premier League appearances under Postecoglou, with 25 of them being full starts. It would arguably be more if it wasn't for the mid-season Africa Cup of Nations as well.

His form has somewhat tailed off compared to early on in the campaign, though, with The Times claiming Tottenham are willing to sell Bissouma if a suitable offer arrives for the midfielder. This would be disappointing for teammate Pape Sarr, who spoke of the £100,000-per-week ace's importance.

“It really was a big help,” said Sarr on Bissouma's infuence at N17. “I was settling in to a new life, not just a new club. I benefited from the advice of a lot of team-mates, not just Yves, although he was a big help: Hugo Lloris, Pierre Hojbjerg, Ivan Perisic. It was a tough time because I wasn’t playing regularly.

“Yves is a guy I appreciate a lot. We’ve both come over from Africa and he gives me lots of advice. He behaves a lot like my big brother. He has such an important role within the team and the club. I always listen to what he’s got to say."

West Ham have set their sights on a Diego Simeone transfer target amid technical director Tim Steidten's search for a new forward.

West Ham's need for more goal threat as they make early summer plans

Regardless of whether manager David Moyes will still be at the London Stadium post-June 30, with his contract set to expire on that date as things stand, there is little arguing that the east Londoners could do with more goal threat in their squad.

£60 million price drop as West Ham move for clinical striker

The Hammers arguably need a new front man.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 11, 2024

Michail Antonio (34) and Danny Ings (31) aren't getting any younger, and both have only scored a combined five Premier League goals this season.

Moyes' side are heavily reliant on star winger Jarrod Bowen for the majority of their goal threat, but as highlighted by the England international's recent injury, which caused him to miss their Europa League first-leg defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, they need other attacking outlets.

Jarrod Bowen

19

Mohammed Kudus

13

Tomas Soucek

9

Lucas Paqueta

8

James Ward-Prowse

6

West Ham failed to replace Gianluca Scamacca last summer, following the Italian's return to his homeland with Atalanta, and that is something which Steidten apparently intends to do when the window reopens.

Indeed, Brentford striker Ivan Toney is attracting interest from West Ham ahead of the summer, with his Bees deal expiring next year.

Toney will be a man in demand given his proven top-flight ability, having scored 20 league goals last season, so West Ham have alternatives to the former Peterborough United ace.

Steidten is thought to be keeping tabs on Toulouse's star Thijs Dallinga as another option from abroad, while it's also believed that they could add another threatening winger to their ranks to chip in going forward.

West Ham are casting their net far and wide in that regard, and South America could be a fruitful pool of talent for them.

West Ham set sights on Jhon Arias who's wanted by Simeone

This is where West Ham's interest in signing Fluminese forward Jhon Arias comes in.

The Colombia international, highlighted as "one of the players to watch" ahead of the summer's Copa America, is also a personal target of Atletico Madrid boss Simeone, according to journalist Christian Martin.

“[Atletico Madrid manager Diego] Simeone has him in the pipeline as an interested party. Jhon Arias could end up on Los Colchoneros’ team with a value between €15million and €17million," said Martin to Colombia's version of AS this week.

“West Ham, Burnley, Wolverhampton and Crystal Palace, would also be on the list of suitors.”

According to WhoScored, the 26-year-old is "very strong" at key passes in the final third and adept at both crossing and dribbling, which will come as enticing for supporters.

Batsman increasingly confident in middle-order role after returning to Test side in New Zealand

George Dobell in Port Elizabeth14-Jan-2020It remains just about possible – if Jofra Archer makes a late bid for selection on Wednesday – that England could go into the third Test in Port Elizabeth with six players under the age of 25. They have only done that once before*.It is a statistic that underlines the period of transition in which this England side find itself. Whether by design or not – in a perfect world, the side might well contain James Anderson, Rory Burns and Moeen Ali or Jack Leach – England are in a rebuilding phase. An investment has been made into young players. They are likely to be given time to develop.At the heart of this young side is Ollie Pope. While some of the other young players – Zak Crawley and Dom Bess, for example – are taking advantage of the misfortunate of first-choice players, Pope is a first-choice pick. In the eyes of most of the England management, he is the most promising specialist batsman to come into the Test team since Joe Root in 2012. There are whispered hopes he will develop into a 100-Test player.ALSO READ: Botham, Flintoff, Stokes – who is England’s greatest?</aSuch was Pope's promise that he was first selected for the Test side when just 20. By then he had played 15 first-class games and scored four first-class centuries. That is, in context, only two fewer than Jos Buttler in his 104 match first-class career.But England, bursting with men who could bat in the middle-order, asked Pope to fulfil a role that was unfamiliar to him. Despite batting at No. 6 for Surrey, despite never having come in before the 20th over of a first-class innings, he was required to bat at No. 4 on Test debut. In his first three innings he came into bat in the ninth, 13th and 12th overs. Unsurprisingly, he struggled. Perhaps more surprisingly in these days of continuity of selection, he was dropped after those three innings despite the fact one of his dismissals was down the leg side.But if the use of Pope was wrong, the identification of his talent was surely correct. He has, at the time of writing, an average of 71.31 in first-class cricket for Surrey and 58.06 in all first-class cricket. After 30 games, he had a higher first-class average than any English player in history.But for a dislocated shoulder, sustained while fielding for Surrey last April, his recall would have come earlier than November. But as it is, he has been assured of a run at No. 6 – the position Root started out in Test cricket – and, over his last few innings, started to provide returns on that investment. Two of his three most recent innings have been half-centuries, with the first, in Hamilton, showcasing an improved tightness in his game and the second, in Cape Town, providing something of a masterclass in batting with the tail. He scored 29 of the 35 posted for England's tenth-wicket and later took the catch that sealed the win.After the Cape Town victory, a small group of the younger players – Pope, Bess, Dom Sibley and Matt Parkinson – hired an apartment in Camps Bay and enjoyed a few days' beach holiday. But now, back in training with the rest of the squad, it is clear Pope is relishing being part of a young team who are enjoying the new experiences and each other's successes.

At the moment I feel like I’m in a good place with my game. I know I’ve got the technique and mindset to do it [at Test level]Ollie Pope

“Winning this series would be an amazing achievement for us, especially where we’re at as a side at the moment,” Pope said. “We’re quite young side with a lot of players just coming through.”The Cape Town result says a lot about what we have within the camp, but we also realise that it’s not something that happens overnight. Putting this side together will take time, but if we can win this series will be a great achievement.”The first time I was picked I felt like it was almost a bit of a lottery. I was thinking ‘hopefully I’ll get a score but if I miss out then so be it.'”At the moment I feel like I’m in a good place with my game. I know I’ve got the technique and mindset to do it. To have those scores under my belt is a real positive for me.”Perhaps it says something for Pope’s ambitions that he was inspired by Steven Smith and Virat Kohli when batting with the tail in Cape Town.”The way I went about my innings was just remembering how some of the best players in the world have done it,” he said. “I remember watching Smith and Kohli from when they played against England and how, even when they were nine down, they were trying to face almost every ball. It was pretty new for me.”The way Stokesy did it at Headingley was slightly different because he can just whack every ball out of the park and clear the men on the rope. Us smaller lads have to go about it in a bit more of a smart way and try and find a way of facing as many balls as you can. If you get a boundary option, then great, if not then try and face five balls and get a quick single at the end and get a boundary next over.”If you ask any young batsman coming into the game, Smith, Kohli and Joe Root are the guys you want to be like. They have been the main run-scorers in international cricket over the last however many years and hopefully I’ve got a game where I can follow in their footsteps.”I wouldn’t say I tried to copy their techniques, but the one thing they have in common is having solid foundations. They can build their game around that and that’s what I’m trying to do.”Ollie Pope looks on•Getty ImagesWhile Pope acknowledged the comparisons with Ian Bell – it was Andrew Strauss who first mentioned it to him – he insisted they are accidental. But since his first spell in the side, when his expansive off-side play could leave him looking loose at times, he looks even more like Bell now: more compact; more disciplined outside off stump; more prepared to be patient and make the bowlers come to him. In short, a player who has learned to harness his talent.”I think Bell is an amazing player and I used to love watching him bat but it’s not been anything that I’ve tried to emulate,” Pope said. “But it’s a big compliment because he is a pretty class player to watch. I’ve seen that a lot on social media. He was an amazing player and I loved watching him play.”His favourite players were, instead, keeper-batsmen such as MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist and he has not given up hopes of fulfilling a role as keeper in the years ahead.”I still want to keep that going in my game,” he said. “I definitely will be practising my keeping. I’m still the second keeper at Surrey. It’s only going to be a positive if I can keep nailing that side of my game, but I’m also more than happy playing as a batter as well.”With a youthful look to the side, it is probably even more important that the more experienced players provide leadership. And Pope said Ben Stokes had taken him under his wing and demonstrated the fitness levels required to excel at this level.”In New Zealand I realised what was needed,” he said. “I’d go under Stokes’ wing a little bit and, after the warm-up games, we’d run back to the hotel and do a running session the day before the games.”If you can get into those good habits, if you control everything in your power to make sure you are as fit as you can be and you’re training as well as you can, then hopefully good things will happen. It’s good to see the way these guys go about it. Hopefully I can learn from that and keep following in their footsteps.”England’s players were given a day off on Tuesday. While some, including Pope, went on safari, others played golf. Only Root, accompanied by batting coach Graham Thorpe, took to the nets where he had a long session.

Arsenal taking influence from Manchester United? Ha, now there's a pretty awful thought to behold.

Under their latest managers, Mikel Arteta and Erik ten Hag, the clubs have headed in two separate directions.

While Arsenal are fighting on two fronts, sitting at the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League quarter-finals, United have been dumped out of Europe and are sixth in the table, half a dozen points off Tottenham in fifth.

Why, therefore, would Arteta take influence from anything going on at Old Trafford? Well, a certain Kobbie Mainoo stands as a testament to why you should always hand opportunities to your young players.

The Arsenal boss knows that first hand having been the man to nurture the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, two Hale End graduates, but since then opportunities for academy players haven't been too forthcoming in N5.

Kobbie Mainoo's rise at Man United

Heading into the 2023/24 campaign the 18-year-old United star had been seen on just three occasions at senior level.

That's hardly a surprise really. They had spent £70m on Casemiro in 2022 and were hellbent on utilising the likes of Fred and Scott McTominay.

While Fred has departed Old Trafford, the other two names remain. Yet, it's Mainoo who is shining brightest.

He first started a league outing in their 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park late last year and since that moment hasn't looked back. Now a fixture in the England set-up, too good for Gareth Southgate to ignore, Ten Hag is also finding it tricky to drop the teenager. Indeed, Mainoo has missed just two league games since that Everton win.

What does he offer? Well, his coach at U18 level Travis Binnion paints a rather nice picture: “His strengths are close control, good awareness, body contact. He’s really good in both boxes, he’s combative. He’s got a nice blend of many skills," he told The Athletic in 2022.

So, do Arsenal have any players like Mainoo in their academy?

Arsenal's answer to Kobbie Mainoo

Given the meteoric rise of the football club under Arteta's watch in the last few years, the Spaniard hasn't found the opportunity to hand many first-team chances to those in the academy.

One lucky soul has been Ethan Nwaneri. He became the youngest player in Premier League history at 15 years, five months and 28 days in the 2022/23 campaign when he came off the bench against Brentford. Since then Nwaneri has only been seen once more after he was substituted onto the field in the 6-0 victory over West Ham.

Arsenal's youngest debutants

Player

Age at debut

Year & opponent faced

#1 Ethan Nwaneri

15 years, 5 months, 28 days

2022: Brentford

#2 Cesc Fabregas

16 years, 5 months, 24 days

2003: Rotherham

#3 Jack Wilshere

16 years, 8 months, 12 days

2008: Blackburn

#4 Jermaine Pennant

16 years, 10 months, 15 days

1999: Middlesbrough

#5 Paul Vaessen

16 years, 11 months, 11 days

1978: Lokomotive Leipzig

#6 Ryan Smith

16 years, 11 months, 18 days

2003: Rotherham

#7 Gedion Zelalem

16 years, 11 months, 29 days

2014: Coventry

#8 Armand Traore

17 years, 16 days

2006: West Brom

Data via Transfermarkt.

He has a partner in crime, however, who we're yet to see earn senior minutes; Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Aged 17, the talented teen has trained with the first team on multiple occasions and has been fielded in various squads without making the pitch.

Lewis-Skelly was on the bench against Lens in the Champions League last year and sat among the subs for the clash with Brighton in the league back in December.

It feels a matter of time before the youngster makes his debut. Rated incredibly highly by those at the Emirates, he offers similar qualities to the aforementioned Mainoo.

Primarily a central midfielder, analyst Ben Mattinson has described the Hale End star as a "crazy athlete, insane ball-carrier with physicality and tackling ability."

A player capable of a lung-busting run forward to break the lines, Lewis-Skelly isn't all just power. Like Mainoo he has the technical elegance to dazzle opponents with Mattinson outlining his "turn radius" as one notable strength.

That's one area where Man United's wonderkid thrives too. We saw that in the dramatic FA Cup quarter-final between Ten Hag's side and Liverpool. It's also something national team boss Southgate has identified. "To get Kobbie on the pitch was a brilliant moment for him and his family," he said. "You saw a couple of turns and composed moments. There's a bit of an indication about what he might become."

We're not suggesting we'll see Lewis-Skelly anywhere near England recognition in a years time but he clearly possesses the same intricate qualities that makes Mainoo such a special talent.

What might set him apart is his versatility. The Standard suggested last week that he's someone the senior coaching staff at Arsenal thinks could become a left-back in the mould of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

For now, however, they suggest the plan is to keep him in a no.8 setting, learning from none other than Declan Rice. That's not a bad player to be tutored by, is it?

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

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Let it happen when it has to, the India coach says of the wicketkeeper-batsman’s retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2019India coach Ravi Shastri feels that speculating about MS Dhoni’s future is “downright disrespectful” and wants to see the debate end “once and for all”.Questions about his future have been thrown at everyone connected with the Indian team in the past couple of months. Chief selector MSK Prasad was asked the question earlier in the week and he said “we are moving on”, adding fuel to the speculation fire.”Half the guys commenting on MS Dhoni can’t even tie their shoelaces,” Shastri told the . “Look at what he’s achieved for the country. Why are people in a hurry to see him off? Maybe, they don’t find enough talking points. He and everybody who knows him know he’ll be going away soon. So, let it happen when it has to.”Making statements at his expense is downright disrespectful. After 15 years of playing for India, wouldn’t he know what’s the right thing to do? When he retired from Test cricket, what did he say? That Wriddhiman Saha was good enough to be handed over the wicket-keeping gloves. He was correct. He’s been a shadow when it comes to the team, always sharing his mind, lending his views.”

MS Dhoni has earned the right to retire when he wants to. And let this debate end once and for allRavi Shastri

While Dhoni has been silent on the subject, he dropped in to the Indian dressing room in Ranchi, his hometown, following their 3-0 sweep of South Africa in the recent Test series.”The other day, he came over to the dressing room in Ranchi to meet Shahbaz Nadeem [a Jharkhand statemate, who had made his debut in the Test] and had a chat – how motivating is that for a guy making his debut at home,” Shastri said. “Let me say this: MS Dhoni has earned the right to retire when he wants to. And let this debate end once and for all.”Earlier in the week, Sourav Ganguly, the new BCCI president, also threw his weight behind Dhoni when asked if he was rooting for a “Gangulyesque comeback”.”It depends on him,” the former India captain said. “I’ve always said – even when I was left out and when the entire world said that, ‘he’ll never make it’ – I believed in myself and came back and played for four years. You know champions don’t finish very quickly. I don’t know what’s in his mind, what he thinks about his career, so we’ll deal with that.”He’s one of the greats of the game. India is very proud to have MS Dhoni. His achievements, when you sit down and take note of what he’s done, you say, ‘Wow, MS Dhoni!’ So, till I’m around, everybody will be respected. That doesn’t change.”

Spain midfielder Pedri has not had the best luck with injuries in his career, and the Barcelona star has confirmed that his Euro 2024 is over.

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• Pedri ruled out of Euro 2024 after Kroos tackle
• Responds to Kroos' apology for reckless challenge
• Will stay with the Spanish camp to support them

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pedri has been at the top of his game for quite a while now having burst onto the scene in 2020 as a 17-year-old, however, life hasn't gone swimmingly as he has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons. He had been in top form for Luis de la Fuente's La Roja but he has once again picked up an injury following a reckless foul by Germany's Toni Kroos, who has since apologised to the 21-year-old as his Euro 2024 has come to a screeching halt.

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• Getty
  

  WHAT PEDRI SAID

  The Barca starlet posted a touching message on Instagram, in which he wrote: "I came to Germany for Euro 2024 and I will continue here, until the end. Because the dream, do not doubt it, continues.

  "This week it's time to encourage and contribute in another way to this great family that is @sefutbol. Their support and that of all of you has been incredible. The hardest moment has passed and the road back is now beginning, to soon be at full strength with Barcelona.

  He also responded to Kroos' apology, adding: "Thank you, Toni Kroos for your message. This is football and these things happen. Your career and your record remain forever.

  "I just want to say one more thing. LET'S GO SPAIN!"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Pedri's absence will be a big issue for De la Fuente and he will now have to work out a system without him for La Roja's crucial semi-final clash against France on July 10 at the Allianz Arena in Munich. It is likely that Dani Olmo, who replaced Pedri in the first half, will be placed in the starting line-up against Les Bleus.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PEDRI?

  Pedri is definitely set to miss Barcelona's crucial pre-season as they prepare for life under Hansi Flick. Pedri is not expected to return for the start of Barcelona's La Liga campaign on August 18, along with fellow Spanish midfielder Gavi who also suffered a knee injury with La Roja in November of last year.

Glasgow Rangers displayed signs of true grit and determination as they defeated Aberdeen in the Premiership on Tuesday evening.

With the scores tied at 1-1 with just 20 minutes left, the Ibrox faithful were beginning to get uneasy and under previous managers, the Gers would have failed to strike the killer blow.

Philippe Clement is no ordinary manager, however, and the team spirit among the squad was evident as Todd Cantwell netted a rebounded shot past the Dons keeper, and they eventually saw out a vital 2-1 victory.

Every member of the first team knows exactly what is required to succeed this season and the momentum is clearly building ahead of what could be a hectic few months.

It is remarkable that this is the same group of players who lost three of their opening seven league ties and sat seven points adrift of Celtic, with hopes of a title chase all but finished.

The senior professionals have led the way to this revival and the performances of John Lundstram have been crucial to this turnaround, and it is clear the Light Blues have hit the jackpot on the midfielder.

How much John Lundstram was worth at Sheffield United

The Liverpool-born player enjoyed perhaps the most successful stint of his pre-Rangers career at Sheffield United, making 120 appearances for the club during a four-season spell.

It was his performances for the Blades during their return to the Premier League following a 12-year absence that really began to attract potential suitors.

Throughout that 2019/20 campaign, Lundstram ranked second among his teammates at Bramall Lane for goals and assists (eight) in the top flight, along with ranking second for big chances created (eight), eighth for tackles (1.4) and sixth for interceptions (one) per game, showcasing a multitude of talents as he helped the Blades secure a stunning ninth place finish.

Goals

5

0

Assists

3

2

Accurate passes per game

28.6

30

Big chances created

8

1

Tackles per game

1.4

0.9

The club suffered second season syndrome and were relegated back to the Championship, yet Lundstram was valued at €8.5m (£7.2m) according to Football Transfers heading into his final six months of his stay with the club, establishing himself as one of their prized assets.

How much Rangers signed John Lundstram for

The former Everton youngster joined the Gers on a free transfer during the summer of 2021 as he let his contract at Sheffield United expire, and it looked like quite the coup for the Light Blues.

"John is a player I have known for some time and knew he would enhance our squad.” Beamed Steven Gerrard upon announcing Lundstram as a Rangers player as he looked to take the club to the next level.

While his market value may not have reached the levels that he hit during his spell in the Premier League, Lundstram still has a decent valuation, especially for someone who did not cost the Ibrox side a penny nearly three years ago.

John Lundstram’s market value now

At the time of writing, the Englishman is currently valued at €2.8m (£2.4m) according to Football Transfers and, given he is about to turn 30 this month, it is a solid valuation.

The 29-year-old has entered into the final few months of his contract at the Gers, and it remains to be seen whether Clement will offer him an extended deal.

Judging by his performances since the former Club Brugge boss arrived last October, it makes perfect sense to give him another two years at the club, as he has emerged as one of the first names on the team sheet this season.

Why John Lundstram is worth that much

Lundstram has enjoyed plenty of peaks and troughs since arriving through the Ibrox doors in 2021, just months after the club had secured their 55th league title.

His first few months were not easy as he struggled to cope with the physical nature of Scottish football, but it was on the continent where he enjoyed his best performances, particularly in the run to the Europa League final in 2022.

The former Blades gem scored against Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the knockout playoff round to put the Light Blues three goals up in what was arguably their finest European performance in years.

If this didn’t endear him to the supporters, then stroking home a winner in the 80th minute against RB Leipzig in the second leg of the semi-final to ensure the Gers secured their place in their first European final in 14 years did, and Lundstram was a rock throughout the competition.

Indeed, even former Gers icon Ally McCoist lauded him prior to the final in Seville, dubbing him a “cult hero” and while he couldn’t inspire the Glasgow side to victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, his stock had risen considerably.

Last season saw the midfielder score five league goals for Rangers, yet his performances dipped off as they went trophyless for the first time since 2020.

The 5 foot 11 maestro has rebounded under Clement and, since October, he has missed just one match across all competitions, showing an impressive degree of consistency that has enabled the Ibrox side to go on a wonderful run of just one defeat in his opening 24 matches.

Lundstram is currently the highest-ranked midfielder in the squad for accurate passes per game in the top flight (63.6), while also ranking third for big chances created (three), second for accurate long balls per game (5.4) and third for tackles per game (1.7), demonstrating his skills across both defensive and attacking metrics.

With the Light Blues very much in a title race now thanks to clawing back the deficit to Celtic, Lundstram has been the glue which has held the midfield together, and he should be offered an extension to his current deal.

The club have clearly struck gold on the former Premier League dynamo and while he has endured some tough parts in his spell in Scotland, they have clearly allowed him to come back and reinvigorate his performances and this has been on show over the previous few months.

He may be approaching 30, but Lundstram can still offer something to this Rangers side for the next year or two, absolutely no doubt about that.

Marcus Rashford has been given a warning about his England future following Gareth Southgate's decision to leave him out for Euro 2024.

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• Rashford did not make the cut for Euro 2024
• Warned not to follow Gascoigne's path
• Midfielder did not return after snub in 1998

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  To the surprise of many, Rashford's name did not appear on the list of England players who would be heading to Germany for Euro 2024. The Manchester United winger struggled to hit his best form in the Premier League last season and did not even make the bolstered provisional squad. Former Three Lions international David Seaman has compared his situation to Paul Gascoigne, who did not return to the national team after not being included for the 1998 World Cup.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rashford has gone from hero to zero for both club and country as he sits and watches this summer's tournament from home. While he is capable of performing moments of magic, Southgate prides himself on consistency and form, something the 26-year-old has had nothing of in 2023-24. He has a lot of work to do if he is to play himself back into the squad following Euro 2024 ahead of the likes of Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer.

• WHAT SEAMAN SAID

  In his column for Betway Insider, Seaman said: "The Rashford situation makes me think back to Glenn Hoddle leaving Paul Gascoigne out for the 1998 World Cup. We all had our allotted times to see the manager, and when Gazza went in, I had no idea of what was going to happen. He found out he wasn’t going and had a huge argument with Glen Hoddle. Gazza was so devastated, it was hard to pick him up and get him on the plane home.

  "I’d never have imagined that would be the end of his England career. He wasn’t always fit, but he was still so brilliant and always seemed to make an impact. Once the manager’s made that call, though, it doesn’t look good. It can happen in football – you get left out once, and that’s it, you’re done."

  Seaman added: "It's sad to see one of England's best players struggling, though, because everybody knows what Marcus is capable of."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?

  The Manchester United man posted a good luck message to his international teammates ahead of their trip to Germany and it is likely that watching from a TV screen will only motivate Rashford to pick up the levels again. He only bagged seven goals in the Premier League last season but in 2022-23 he hit 17.

Permutations, permutations… somebody spare us from permutations. Who knows, England might go a long way to doing just that on Sunday, by losing against India and placing their World Cup fate firmly into the hands of the teams around them. But for now, with the sun shining over a pristine Lord’s, and the New Zealand flag flying proudly over the home dressing room, Kane Williamson isn’t about to be tempted into stressing.Of course, it’s not entirely obvious what tempt Williamson into such a course of action.Certainly, last week’s scoreline of 7 for 2 with both openers gone for golden ducks wasn’t enough to rattle his cage – his silken-touched retort, 148 from 154 balls against West Indies, rather proved that point.And certainly not the situation that greeted him on the last occasion that Australia and New Zealand met in the group stages of the World Cup – that cage-fight of a contest in Auckland in 2015, when Williamson responded to the loss of four wickets for seven runs in ten balls by planting the front foot forward against Pat Cummins and stroking him over long-on to seal an epic one-wicket win.So, trying to suggest that New Zealand’s skipper should be overly bothered by a first defeat of the tournament – against a resurgent Pakistan at Edgbaston on Wednesday – was something of an exercise in futility. Even if that setback genuinely has put the squeeze, just a teensy bit, on his team’s final two games of the group stage.In short [deep breath…] if England can find their chill at any time between now and the end of the weekend, and overcome India, and if Pakistan can avoid losing to Afghanistan, the one side that can match them in the hot-and-cold air-blowing stakes… then New Zealand’s fate may yet be ripped from their own hands.For that to happen, they would need to go on to lose to England in Chester-le-Street, and for Pakistan to keep up their own rampant streak in their final game against Bangladesh. And even that match could yet come down to a battle of net run-rates if Shakib Al Hasan can crown his own stunning campaign by inspiring Bangladesh to a knee-trembler of a victory over India in their penultimate fixture…If… if… if. It’s what the tournament wanted, and needed. The sun shining, the tongues wagging, the stakes rising. But… nah! Williamson and his team will not be drawn in like that.”It kind of is what it is, really,” he said. “You come to tournaments and sides beat each other and they climb the ladder, and that’s what everybody sort of desires to do, and who remains is kind of the ones that go through. But, at the end the day, you’re trying to play the best cricket that you can to try and put yourself in one of those top four positions.”Kane Williamson leads his ‘no-stress’ boys out to the middle•Getty Images

Williamson was sitting deep within the bowels of the MCC’s real tennis court – a strangely appropriate setting for such an anachronistically fabulous batsman – and he spoke with the clarity and lack of fluster with which he compiles his best innings. All angles and pointed placement, and next to no recourse to raw power.There are, doubtless, times when it gets grating to be so consistently talked down in the tournament narrative – as if ploughing a very steady path towards an eighth semi-final in 12 World Cups (a tally that no team, not even Australia, will have exceeded) is in any way underwhelming.But there are clearly also times when that relative anonymity is a blessing. Who, at various stages of this campaign, would have wished to be in charge of Sri Lanka or Pakistan’s fates, for instance, let alone an England campaign that, to judge by Jonny Bairstow’s feud with Michael Vaughan, is in danger of borrowing the apocalyptic Brexit stylings of @Coldwar_Steve … all shipwrecks and squabbles as the dream dies before their eyes.Nope, Williamson seems perfectly content with the hand that he has been dealt. A solidly placed side that, in coming through some taut contests against Bangladesh and South Africa, has been arguably been tested more robustly than either India or Australia, the only teams above them in the table. Another subtly different challenge awaits on a used pitch at Lord’s and the hottest day of the year – but in spite of the temptation to play legspinner Ish Sodhi, New Zealand look every bit as likely to name an unchanged team for the seventh match in a row.And, within his measured responses to an admittedly low-key grilling, Williamson gave an insight into exactly why New Zealand are sitting pretty when so many of their likeliest rivals are in such advance states of funk.”At a World Cup, perhaps teams adopt slightly different plans when we’re playing different opposition day-in and day-out on different surfaces,” he said. “[But] the most important thing is adapting to the conditions. Sometimes I think we’ve seen in the last few games, that looking to blast teams out, perhaps with the use of seam movement and these sorts of things, it hasn’t quite been there, and it’s been about playing the long game a little bit.”We haven’t played at Lord’s yet, and we’ll just have to assess those conditions.”If that was meant as a dig at England after the failure of their gung-ho approach on this same pitch last week, then it was delivered with such deftness that it barely made a sound off the bat.”There’s so many games of cricket, so many different things can happen,” he added. “We know in this sport the variables and uncontrollables we can come up against on any given day, and perhaps some sides might be more suited to certain conditions than others on a certain day, and that’s just the nature of the beast.”England are still in a strong position, as are a few other sides. The focus for all of those sides is to keep trying to apply what they know holds themselves in the strongest position with the sort of cricket they want to play, which is equally different to one another.”When the time comes and the round-robin’s finished, if you can hang your hat on that, then at the end of the day, you can either walk away and end up in a semi-final, or know that you’ve done that and it hasn’t quite happened.”Or, more likely, you’ll find that – over the course of nine group-stage fixtures – the fact that you’ve done more right than wrong will get rewarded in the final analysis. And those who have either not been good enough, or have relied on bluster and preconception at times of duress (or both), will be found out.So, what if it’s the Australians tomorrow, was Williamson’s message. We’re pootling along just fine. How about the rest of you?

Tottenham Hotspur are approaching the halfway point of the January transfer window but Ange Postecoglou will hardly be concerned given his side's completed acquisitions so far.

While many Premier League outfits are yet to get going in the market this month, Spurs have already wrapped up deals for centre-back Radu Dragusin and versatile forward Timo Werner – and with Micky van de Ven and James Maddison now returning from injury, it's an exciting time for the in-form squad.

The Australian manager had previously outlined his plans to strengthen across the park but it's unlikely that a heavy outlay will occur given the spending so far – in other words, Conor Gallagher will not be transferring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for £50m this month.

However, given the priority to bolster the backline heading into the window and Eric Dier's imminent transfer to Bayern Munich, further activity could occur in this ara of the pitch if the right opportunity arises.

Spurs transfer news – Leo Ostigard

According to a report from Tottenham Hotspur News, Spurs are indeed scouring the market for a defender to replace Dier and appear to have circled on Napoli's Leo Ostigard.

The 24-year-old has been a regular for the Serie A champions this term and has been noted for his fortitude and suitability as an 'Ange player', which Dier, frankly, is not.

It's unclear what kind of fee the Norwegian ace would command if Tottenham were to advance discussions for his signature, but it's likely that he could be an astute and affordable option.

Leo Ostigard's season in numbers

Formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion, Ostigard never quite found his feet on England's south coast despite several promising loan spells and completed a transfer to Napoli in 2022, though he started just four league matches as his side won the Scudetto.

Nonetheless, he has enjoyed incremental growth throughout his career and having been hailed as a "brilliant" player by Coventry City manager Mark Robins in the past has now emerged as an important member of his Italian team.

This term, as per Sofascore, Ostigard has played 12 matches in the Italian top-flight and has bagged one goal, completing 88% of his passes, making 1.4 tackles, 3.8 ball recoveries and 2.8 clearances per match and succeeding with 66% of his contested duels.

Just to put that in perspective, the highly-regarded Dragusin won 67% of his duels for Genoa in Serie A this season, so this is certainly promising when considering how Ostigard might slot into the Lilywhites system.

His distribution also surpasses the Romanian titan's 83% average, and while he would have to make the move back to England with the knowledge that he would be serving a utility role, Postecoglou is targeting a return to European competition next year and there will be ample opportunity for him to catch the eye.

As per FBref, the 6 foot defender also ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored and the top 10% for aerial battles won per 90, and given that such attributes have placed Manchester United's Raphael Varane as Ostigard's most comparable player, perhaps it really would be a good idea to make a move this month.

Leo Ostigard's style of play

The £25k-per-week star has been used sparingly across recent weeks in Naples and could now seek a second shot at the Premier League, with Spurs happy to accommodate. And given that he does share some similar traits to Varane, this could be a beneficial move indeed.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Passing

Concentration

Aerial duels

Tackling

Composure

*Sourced via WhoScored

Man United signed Varane, aged 30, for £41m in 2021 after an illustrious career with Real Madrid, and while he has only made 57 Premier League appearances in total thus far, his qualities have been clear to see on many occasions.

Somewhat out of favour this season, the 6 foot 4 titan has still been reliable when called upon and has completed 89% of his passes and won a staggering 88% of his aerial battles – Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, who is widely considered among the finest in the air worldwide, has won 82% of such duels.

An enterprising centre-half, Varane ranks among the top 13% of positional peers for successful take-ons per 90 and has been hailed as "the leader" by Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag.

While it's not going very well for Varane right now, he remains one of the finest defenders of the past decade and boasts four Champions League trophies and the 2018 World Cup, with former Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos waxing lyrical about the France international's talents in 2022.

Kroos said: “He was a solid pillar for us alongside (Sergio) Ramos for many years. He did an outstanding job and is really the complete package.

“He doesn’t do miracles with the ball but is a highly awkward defender to play against. You can’t beat him in the air and, as I said, he’s incredibly fast, so you can’t run away from him either. He’s a good man.”

This aerial dominance is something that Ostigard offers and given that Van de Ven – who has been beyond impressive this term – only averages a 44% success rate in the Premier League, this is a potential chink in the armour that could be fixed this winter.

Spurs could sign the next Robbie Keane in £100m "superstar" who idolises Kane

Ange Postecoglou wants to replace Harry Kane with a prodigious talent.

ByAngus Sinclair Jan 12, 2024

With Dier out the door, even the addition of Dragusin has not solely dealt with the lack of depth in the Spurs ranks, hence why snapping up a promising successor to the Englishman – such as Ostigard – could be worthwhile.

With it unlikely that Ostigard – who is valued at just (€30m) £26m by CIES Football Observatory – would take a sizeable chunk out of the transfer war chest, Postecoglou must now seal a swoop to complete his backline ahead of a crucial few months down at N17.