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Niko Kovac held up Manchester City star Phil Foden's 'smooth control and finish' as an example for Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi after yet another disappointing performance on the pitch. Foden starred with a brace, while Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki also found the back of the net as City thrashed the Bundesliga side 4-1 in a Champions League clash on Wednesday at Etihad Stadium.

Foden regains confidence and form

After a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which he struggled both physically and mentally, Foden has regained his form and confidence with consistent performances this season. The English winger already has four goals and three assists across all competitions this season and has also made a comeback in the England national team. The 25-year-old, who has not featured for the Three Lions since March, was recalled to the team by manager Thomas Tuchel alongside Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham. 

After starring against Dortmund in the Champions League, the City star told : "I'm loving it. I just need to play with a smile on my face, which I'm doing. Last year was tough, not just for myself but for everyone. There is a new togetherness this season and you can tell. Today Dortmund caused us some problems, they are a great team, but we stuck to the plan and broke them down with our talent up front. You learn a lot from it when you go through a tough patch. We have great captains in our team and we speak about how we can get back on track. And we've added great players to the squad as well and that's brought real hunger and togetherness. It was just about trying to be the team we used to be and this season we are seeing glimpses of that."

AdvertisementAFPKovac lists Man City star as example for Adeyemi

While speaking about Adeyemi's poor run of form this season, Kovac held up Foden as an example to inspire the attacker as he said: "I'd like to keep it general: City's passing quality was better than ours. With Phil Foden's goals, you could see how smoothly he controlled the ball and then finished. Karim had a few chances, but he didn't quite make it. He lacked precision and accuracy. But that's something we're working on. We need to find the net; then the chances are higher. But I'm pleased that he even created the opportunity."

He added: "Karim has his own way of putting it. We're working hard, we've had a lot of games and can't train as regularly as we'd like. Sometimes balls go in that shouldn't, and vice versa. Against City, we conceded three goals from the edge of the penalty area. Karim is 23 years old, he has a lot of potential and needs to improve a few things. But we're working on that."

Kovac spoke highly of Man City

Kovac further heaped praise on Pep Guardiola's side in general as he told reporters: "We’re certainly a very good team in the Bundesliga and we reached the Champions League quarter-finals. But you have to say and acknowledge that this is a world-class team. We're not yet at that level, that has to be said. That's not a bad thing, because we have to be honest. We want to get there. To achieve that, we have to improve and work every day.

"We didn't create the chances we would have liked. Then we were simply too passive, conceding three goals from outside the penalty area. A deserved defeat. You could see the difference. City's passing was much cleaner than ours. Against teams like this, you have to defend better."

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GettyLiverpool test up next

After humbling the German opponents in Europe, Guardiola's side will now shift focus on the Premier League as they next face reigning champions Liverpool at home on Sunday. City, who are training league leaders Arsenal by six points, need to win the game at Etihad Stadium to close their gap with the high-flying Gunners, while also extending their lead over the Reds. 

With the BBL set to explore privatisation, Smith says SA20 will look to continue to “dominate” in the southern hemisphere

Firdose Moonda18-Aug-2025The SA20 organisers believe they have established enough of a foothold not to be threatened by the BBL’s aim to become the second-biggest league in the world after the IPL, according to commissioner Graeme Smith.The SA20, which will begin its fourth season on Boxing Day this year and has IPL ownership across all six franchises, has the second-highest salary cap after the IPL of R41 million (US$2.31 million). By that measure, it could be regarded as the next-best league in the global game and with a marquee auction scheduled for September 9, Smith explained they plan to stay that way.”When we started we were built up against the ILT20 and Big Bash and we set ourselves big ambitions upfront,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the closing of player registration for the auction. “In the southern hemisphere window we want to dominate and we want to be the biggest league outside the IPL. Three years in, we’ve set the standard. Every decision we make is around making sure that we uphold those standards. I expect there will be a top number of leagues that will elevate themselves in a calendar cycle and that will be the priority for players, investors and fans. Our ambitions are to remain right at the top of that alongside IPL.Related

CA exploring BBL investment 'unashamedly' to be second behind IPL

BBL privatisation and later start among recommendations

SA20: Markram heads to the auction ahead of 2026 season

Smith’s comments come less than two weeks after CA CEO Todd Greenberg told that his board would “unashamedly” chase second spot by exploring privatisation. “It’s going to be very hard to chase the IPL, given the scale of cricket in India, but unashamedly, we want to run a league that comes second. And to do that we’re going to need to make sure that player availability and player salaries are commensurate with everything else that goes on around the world, and there’s one thing you need for that, you need money, you need investment. We’d be naive if we weren’t asking ourselves these questions and making sure we’ve got an eye on what’s next,” Greenberg said.The BBL’s move to seek private investment will make it the last of the established leagues to look for funding outside of board structures. The Hundred is the most recent to make the same moves, with deals for six out of their eight teams finalised ahead of next season. While happenings in the Hundred do not affect the SA20 because it is played in a different window, the BBL clashes with the SA20, which could mean a clash over status and crucially, player availability.Again, Smith had reason to be bullish. While the BBL is played at the same time as Australia’s international summer and so does not have Test players fully available, all South Africa’s national and domestically contracted players will prioritise the SA20, even if at the expense of international games. South Africa sent an understrength Test side to New Zealand last year, as an example of this policy in action. At the time, it drew criticism, but with South Africa going on to win the World Test Championship final, Smith sees it as proof that formats can co-exist if the planning is right.”Everyone was worried that we were going to destroy Test cricket but we’ve seen our national team go on a few years later to win the World Test Championship final. We’ve all played our role in the ecosystem,” he said. “We’ve been part of bringing gravitas back to South African cricket, seeing new fans come back to the game and new energy.”Graeme Smith expects a strong England presence in the upcoming SA20 season too•SportzpicsAt the same time, the SA20 also attracts internationals from other countries and last year had several English Test players, who had the winter off, join the tournament. This season, with the Ashes on, could be different but Smith still anticipates a strong contingent.”In the first two seasons we saw a lot of the England white-ball players come through and then with the FTP ebbing and flowing every year that changes,” he said. “So this year with the Ashes, we see some of those white ball players come back and maybe the Test players won’t form part of this season. The Ashes finishes on the ninth (of January, 2026). I don’t know if some of their players will form part of replacement lists but we’ve seen the likes of a Jos Butler come back into the tournament this year as an example.”Buttler, who played for Paarl Royals in the first two seasons, has been pre-signed by Durban’s Super Giants for the fourth season. Each franchise was allowed a maximum of six retentions or pre-signed players ahead of the new season. Of the 36 spots available, only a third (13) have been filled by South African players which Smith believes will create a lively auction. “I expected a lot more top South African players to pre-sign and that didn’t happen,” he said. “From our perspective it’s set up a very exciting auction with a very big purse.”The fourth season of the SA20 will be played over the festive period as South Africa do not host any home Tests this summer. Matches will not be played on any of the new drop-in pitches which are planned for the 2027 ODI World Cup but Smith hopes the lack of cricket this season will result in surfaces with a bit more life in them compared to last year, when they showed signs of wear.”The pitches last year didn’t play as well as we would have liked and it’s something that’s being worked on in terms of revamping stadiums and facilities ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “We’re working closely with Cricket South Africa in terms of improving the quality of stadiums, lights and pitches. Everything is a big work in progress behind the scenes.”The SA20 auction will take place in Johannesburg on September 9. Player registration for the auction closes on Monday, August 18.

West Ham have reportedly held discussions over signing a Brazil international duo who’ve both impressed in front of goal this year, with Nuno Espírito Santo badly in need of a new focal point up front.

The club’s January transfer window plans are becoming increasingly focused on three key priorities — a defender, midfielder and forward (Sky Sports).

The urgency for a striker stems largely from the ongoing issues surrounding Niclas Fullkrug’s persistent injury problems, which have severely limited his availability and impact for the Hammers since his move last year.

Fullkrug was brought in with high hopes as a reliable goal-scoring option to lead the line, but his torrid injury record has prevented him from consistently delivering those expected contributions.

Time and again, injuries have sidelined Fullkrug, and this inconsistency has left West Ham very short of choices upfront.

Callum Marshall, while tipped for a promising career, is too inexperienced to lead the Irons’ forward line, while it is believed that Nuno privately doesn’t rate summer signing Callum Wilson.

This has resulted in Nuno experimenting with Lucas Paqueta as West Ham’s false nine in their last two Premier League matches — which both ended in defeat.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

The lack of a dependable number nine is a major concern for Nuno as he looks to avoid a dreaded drop back down to the Championship, which is now a serious possibility.

In the last fortnight alone, David Sullivan, Karren Brady and the Hammers board have been linked with a host of intriguing options.

Real Madrid sensation Endrick is apparently a top target for West Ham, but they’ll have to move quickly as Ligue 1 giants Lyon have already made a formal approach with the player himself keen.

Journalist Alan Nixon has said that West Ham have already worked on a loan deal for Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney as well, with the Irons also holding discussions over Gonzalo Garcia (Graeme Bailey).

West Ham "offered" Brazil duo Pedro and Kaio Jorge

Now, according to Hammers News and journalist Graeme Bailey, you can add Brazilian strikers Pedro and Kaio Jorge to West Ham’s list of potential targets this winter.

Pedro, who’s scored 15 goals for Flamengo during this 2025 season, once plied his trade for Fiorentina in Europe but has spent the majority of his career in South America — where he’s earned six caps for the national team.

Jorge’s scored a seismic 20 goals for Cruzeiro this year, and the 23-year-old ex-Juventus sensation is still yet to reach his prime.

Jorge only has one senior appearance for Brazil so far, but considering his stellar 2025 campaign, Carlo Ancelotti will certainly be keeping a keen eye on the striker ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Bailey reports that West Ham have held discussions with agents about signing Pedro and Jorge, with Nuno’s side “offered” the duo by representatives.

That is as far as it’s gone, but there is reason to believe shopping in the Brazilian Serie A market could prove fruitful.

Jorge carries a market value of just £15 million according to Transfermarkt, while Pedro’s value comes in at around £17.5 million — making them pretty affordable options.

They’re also both represented by Bertolucci Sports, an agency that’s helped Brazilian talents like Gabriel Magalhaes, Bruno Guimaraes and Matheus Cunha seal moves to the Premier League in recent years.

The San Diego Padres are always a compelling team at the trade deadline, and this year is no different. After completing a sweep of the Mets on Wednesday night, star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was asked what the team’s recent run of play said to the folks upstairs running the business side of things.

“They better get us help,” Tatis said. “We’re going for it, and we’re gonna keep playing good baseball.”

It didn’t take long for the San Diego front office to answer the call. On Thursday, the team pulled off a blockbuster deal, sending four prospects to the Athletics in exchange for closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. On the other side of the deal, the Athletics land two of the Padres’ top three prospects in shortstop Leodalis De Vries and righty Braden Nett, as well as two more potential future arms in Henry Báez and Eduarniel Nuñez.

For the Padres, both Miller and Sears are help for the immediate and near future. Miller is under team control through 2029, and is having a spectacular year, posting a 1.02 WHIP and a 13.9 K/9 while converting on 20 of 23 save opportunities.

Additionally, Miller gives San Diego some flexibility for how they handle the next few hours before the deadline. The Padres were rumored to have been willing to part with All-Star closer Robert Suarez, and with Miller now on the roster might be more inclined to do so, though they could also opt to keep both pitchers and carry an elite bullpen into the stretch run of the season. Sears, a back-of-rotation starter, could also give the Padres some wiggle room should they move forward on a deal that sends Dylan Cease to a new home in the majors.

But while the deal has its advantages for the Padres over the next few months, the payoff for the Athletics in the longterm could be huge. De Vries is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, and now looks likely to be a top jersey seller whenever the A’s finally complete their move to Las Vegas, and all three pitchers they netted in the deal could prove valuable arms down the line.

We might be able to paing a fuller picture of the Padres after a few more deadline deals, but as things stand, this round goes in favor of the A’s future. San Diego have pushed their chips to the center of the table. If they win the hand, no one will question the move, but that remains to be seen.

Athletics grade: A+
Padres grade: C-

The New York Yankees have made another move ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

After acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, the Yankees are bringing in Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals in exchange for pitcher Clayton Beeter and outfield prospect Browm Martinez. The deal was first reported by YES Network's Jack Curry.

Rosario signed a one-year deal with the Nationals before this season and has slashed .270/.310/.426 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 46 appearances. He has spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians and New York Mets before his arrival in Washington. He has made appearances at second base, third base, shortstop and in the outfield for the Nationals this season.

Beeter is a 26-year-old pitcher who has made five total appearances for the Yankees over the past two seasons. In two appearances for the Yankees this year, he gave up six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings pitched. For Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he has pitched in 18 games this year with a 3.10 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings, surrendering just seven earned runs.

In the Dominican Summer League, the 18-year-old Martinez has slashed .404/.507/.632 with three homers, 16 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Liverpool legend Michael Owen has slammed Mohamed Salah after his scathing post-match interview on Saturday night. Liverpool played out an entertaining 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road as the Reds' title defence continues to falter. Salah, meanwhile, started his third successive league match on the bench and was an unused sub by under pressure head coach Arne Slot.

Getty Images SportSpoils shared as Leeds and Liverpool play out six-goal thriller

Hugo Ekitike scored a quickfire second-half double at Leeds on Saturday as the Reds looked to claim just their eighth league win of the campaign. However, Leeds were level for the final 15 minutes courtesy of goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Anton Stach.

Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool's advantage with 10 minutes to play, only for Ao Tanaka to bag a late equaliser to ensure the shares were spoiled in a six-goal thriller in Yorkshire. And as the Reds pushed to secure victory, Slot opted to call upon the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Alexander Isak rather than Salah, who after the draw claimed he'd been "thrown under the bus" as he watched the action unfold at Elland Road.

Advertisement'The club has thrown me under the bus'

"I can’t believe it, I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season," Salah said after the entertaining stalemate. "Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.

"I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.

"This club, I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much, I will always do. I called my mum yesterday — you guys didn’t know if I would start or not, but I knew.

"Yesterday I said to [my parents], ‘Come to the Brighton game.’ I don’t know if I am going to play or not but I am going to enjoy it. In my head, I’m going to enjoy that game because I don’t know what is going to happen now. I will be at Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go the Africa Cup. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there."

Getty Images Sport'Bite your lip!' claims Owen

Michael Owen, though, has blasted Salah for his comments and believes the Reds star should have kept quiet until after the Africa Cup of Nations. "Oh @mosalah I can imagine how you feel," the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United striker posted on his official X account.

"You’ve carried this team for a long time and won everything there is to win. But this is a team game and you simply can’t publicly say what you’ve said. You’re going to afcon in a week.

"Surely you bite your lip, enjoy representing your country and see how the land lies when you get back?"

Salah will be available for Liverpool's upcoming meetings with Inter and Brighton before he joins up with the Egypt squad for AFCON later this month.

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When does AFCON start?

The Africa Cup of Nations takes place in Morocco this year and the tournament starts on Sunday 21 December and runs until Sunday 18 January. Salah isn't the only Premier League player who'll link up with Egypt this month, with Manchester City's Omar Marmoush set to join the Reds star with the Pharaohs.

Salah could miss up to six games for Liverpool should Egypt, who are one of the pre-tournament favourites, go the distance in Morocco. After next week's game against Brighton, Liverpool face Tottenham, Wolves, Leeds, Fulham and Arsenal, as well as their FA Cup third round clash, before the welcome of Burnley, which could be Salah's first game back.

Having chosen to bowl in an away Test for the first time since 2014, they need to do better on the second day

Alagappan Muthu14-Dec-2024Ravindra Jadeja is looking at a pretty decent landmark when the rain clears in Brisbane. The 500th wicket by a spinner at the Gabba.The fact that he was out there though was a bit of a surprise. There’s a bit of history about choosing to bowl first at the Gabba. India have a bit of history with it as well. They haven’t chosen to bowl in an overseas Test since 2014.In the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the reason for India batting first was clear. In Perth, with the pitch breaking down as the game goes on, uneven bounce comes into play, and run-making in the final innings becomes hard. Pakistan were bowled out for 89 batting last in 2023. In Adelaide, with it being a day-night Test, batting first comes with the possibility of doing well and earning the chance to declare at twilight on day two.Related

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Gill toasts old Gabba memories as he prepares to make new ones

Khawaja, McSweeney steady for 13.2 overs before rain ruins day one of Gabba Test

At the Gabba, India completed a hat-trick of successful tosses in this series, and bowled first. That’s how teams had won five of the last six Tests here. The only exception was Australia’s day-night fixture against West Indies earlier this year when Shamar Joseph turned himself into a household name. The Gabba pitch doesn’t deteriorate so badly, so on a day like Saturday when it was overcast and the pitch had a bit of a green tinge, there was every reason for India to trust their bowlers to get assistance, and also perhaps enough reason to suspect their batters might have had it tough.India have been concerned about their batting on this tour, about the pace and bounce on offer and the need to have insurance against it. That’s why they began the series by giving debuts to Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy. That meant they had people until No. 9 capable of scoring some runs if it was needed and two weeks ago they certainly thought it was needed.Then Reddy came good and gave India the option to play around a bit more with their bowlers, specifically their spinners. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said they chose R Ashwin for the Adelaide Test because he was the better bowler. They weren’t so worried about his batting because they were comfortable with Reddy’s output at No. 7.Jadeja being brought in for Brisbane might suggest they’re back to considering their batting depth. He is certainly the best source for runs of all their three spinners, and he averages 21.78 with the ball in Australia.Rain was a party-pooper on the first day at the Gabba•AFP/Getty ImagesNow that India have made their decision, they need to be enforced. In what seemed like an attempt to correct what happened in the first innings of the pink-ball Test, when Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labsuchagne were allowed to leave the ball fairly easily, India seemed to stray down leg a little bit with the new ball in Brisbane. The first runs came through four leg-byes to fine leg.Since that uproarious first day in Perth, India have not been able to make the most of the new ball and that is a problem. The Kookaburra, while its hard and shiny, reacts off the pitch. It stops doing that once it gets older and softer.Shubman Gill said the key to batting here is surviving the initial 30 overs. After that, it doesn’t matter how well you bowl, the ball doesn’t react off the pitch that much. It becomes easier to line it up. India allowed Australia to skip away to 19 for 0 in 5.3 overs. Then the first spell of rain came. There was a chance to regroup.Between overs 6 and 13.2, India gave away only nine runs and within that period they strung together three successive maidens. Akash Deep, who was brought into this game instead of Rana, looked sharp.The weather is still suspect for tomorrow but whatever play is possible might take place under overcast conditions. India will want to keep up the rhythm they settled on after the rain break on Saturday. The new ball is crucial, especially for a team that’s won the toss and chosen to bowl.

The England batter is confident that the lower order can knock off the remaining 35 runs to seal the series

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-20251:44

Sanjay Bangar: India could have bowled straighter to Root

Joe Root has no doubts about the hosts lifting the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy on Monday, because he believes England have enough batters in the lower order that can get the remaining 35 runs and deny India the chance to draw the five-match series.”I’d like to think we have got what we need to get across the line tomorrow,” Root said after the day’s play on Sunday, having made a match-turning century, his third in the series where he is the second-highest run-maker. “It’s been one hell of a series, one hell of a journey and the confidence in our dressing room, clearly we feel we have got the players to get us across the line. But it’s just been one of those sort of five matches in six weeks where it’s swung both ways the whole time. And we are in for a great day tomorrow.”An hour into the final session, the light worsened, and the umpires duly stopped play. It wasn’t just the Indians – who had struck twice after the tea break – who were disappointed, but the fans as well. Their spirits were dampened further by rain, forcing the umpires to call off play about an hour before the cut-off time. The Oval booed the decision, but both Root and India’s assistant coach Morne Morkel had no qualms about play being aborted.Related

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“There’s pros and cons to both really,” Root said about the poor light which disrupted the drama-filled phase post tea, when Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna built pressure from both ends in unison, attacking the wickets and forcing batters to defend hard without giving any scoring opportunities. “Guys have bowled a lot, there’s overs in their legs. You get back out there and you get a couple of boundaries away and all of a sudden the game looks very different again. But then again you come back tomorrow, you get another (use of heavy) roller, (players) can rest up and it’s a completely new opportunity. You just sit and wait and do what you’re told. So from our point of view, you come back tomorrow and got an amazing spectacle to look forward to.”Morkel agreed with Root. “As we can see it’s pretty wet out there now. It’s going to take them a while to get the covers off. The ground staff has been incredible this whole sort of Test match with breaks and getting the surface ready to play. So end of the day that’s out of our control.”England will get the opportunity to have the heavy roller first thing in the morning which, as was the case on Sunday morning, could prove beneficial in run-making with the moisture bedded down in the first half-hour. Morkel, though, wasn’t concerned.”Tomorrow we can just focus on doing a good warm-up and get the boys ready to hopefully get the ball in the right area and yeah, create a little bit of excitement again.”Root said the heavy roller had been an “advantage” every time England have used it in the series. “In terms of the roller, we’ll see. I haven’t got a crystal ball unfortunately, but it has made an impact so far throughout this game. Whether that changes on day five, we’ll see, but hopefully it works well in our favor in flattening things out.”

Micky Van de Ven’s addition back in the summer of 2023 raised eyebrows among many Tottenham Hotspur supporters, especially after the hierarchy forked out £40m for his signature.

Such a fee was a hefty one during the Daniel Levy era, but it may have come as more of a surprise given the Dutchman was largely an unknown quantity to many of the fans.

However, just over a couple of years on from his move, he’s cemented himself as a key member of Thomas Frank’s squad – arguably being one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Despite his defensive role, the 24-year-old has had a huge impact within attacking areas, netting three times in the Premier League this season – putting him joint top of the Lilywhites’ goalscoring charts.

It’s not all been plain sailing for the club within the defensive department, with numerous other big-money additions unable to live up to the hefty fees paid for their services.

Spurs’ issues at centre-back for Van de Ven’s arrival

Spending big on centre-backs hasn’t been alien to Spurs in recent years, as seen by their £42m addition of Davinson Sanchez back in the summer of 2017 – a then club-record transfer.

The Colombian racked up over 200 appearances for the Lilywhites over a six-year period, subsequently leaving in the summer of 2023 to join Turkish side Galatasaray.

He was a solid option under various managers in North London, but ultimately, the fanbase were left disappointed – especially after paying a club-record fee for his signature.

Joe Rodon was another youngster signed by the hierarchy to potentially grow into an elite-level centre back, subsequently paying Swansea City £11m back in the summer of 2020.

However, the Welshman would only make 15 Premier League appearances for the club, before being sold to Leeds United as part of the Archie Gray deal in 2024.

It’s safe to say with Van de Ven, times have changed in North London, but the club have already unearthed another top-level talent who could be a real hit with the fans in the years to come.

The Spurs star who’s a bigger talent than Van de Ven

Whilst he’s been battling with injuries over the last few months, Van de Ven’s importance to the Spurs side simply cannot be understated – with Frank’s men a much better side with the Dutchman at the back.

He’s already helped the Lilywhites keep seven clean sheets across all competitions, with the 24-year-old evidently having a huge impact at both ends of the pitch.

The defender has also demonstrated his strength in another area, with the former Wolfsburg man registering the fastest speed of any player in England’s top-flight throughout 2024/25.

At present, he’s currently partnered by Cristian Romero at the heart of the backline, but that could be about to change in the years ahead, given the emergence of Luka Vuskovic.

The Lilywhites forked out a reported fee in the region of £12m for the signature of teenage sensation from Hajduk Split, with real hope he can be a first team starter in the near future.

The Croatian has spent a couple of years out on loan, with his spell on loan at Westerlo catching the eye – but for his attacking quality rather than his talent at the back – just like Van de Ven.

He scored seven times and notched two assists in his 36 outings, a simply staggering feat for a young defender, which earned him another loan move – this time to Bundesliga side, Hamburg.

The prospect of top-flight German football may have seemed like a huge jump to many, but the 18-year-old has wasted no time in impressing the supporters of Die Rothosen.

Vuskovic, who’s been labelled “one of the most exciting teenage centre-backs” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has already opened his account for the German side in 2025/26.

Games played

6

Goals scored

1

Pass accuracy

84%

Duels won

10.2

Aerial duels won

7.5

Aerial success rate

87%

Dribbles completed

100%

Touches

85.8

However, his defensive stats are just as impressive, with the youngster winning a staggering 10.2 duels per 90 – 7.5 of which have been in the air – subsequently achieving a success rate of 87%.

He’s also completed 100% of the dribbles he’s attempted, whilst completing a total of 84% of his passes – showcasing his incredible all-round game despite his tender age.

It’s very rare you come across such a dominant young centre-back, but it’s clear Vuskovic has all the tools needed to be a monster hit with the Lilywhites fanbase in the years to come.

Should he stay on his current path, there’s no reason why he can’t emulate Van de Ven’s success in North London and even surpass the Dutchman’s recent levels.

Frank's next Toney: Paratici leading Spurs move for "one of the best STs"

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a January move to land a new talisman for Thomas Frank.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 28, 2025