All posts by h79snht.top

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma verdadeira ‘reprise’ ocorreu na partida entre Oriente Petrolero e Bragantino, na Bolívia, pela Sul-Americana. Da mesma forma que ocorreu em Bragrança Paulista, a equipe brasileiro esbanjou a diferença técnica e goleou por 4 a 0.

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Com o marcador, o Braga chegou aos 10 pontos e ultrapassou o Estudiantes no saldo de gols, tendo 12 tentos favoráveis contra nove dos argentinos. Completam o grupo Tacuary, com três, e Oriente Petrolero, sem pontos conquistados.

QUEM CRIOU, MARCOU

Até a metade da etapa inicial, os pontos mais destacados no confronto foram as disputas mais firmes de bola e uma série de erros na criação em tanto do lado boliviano como também da representação brasileira.

Entretanto, logo na primeira jogada em que o Braga conseguiu ser mais agudo contra a meta de Quiñónez, a cobrança de escanteio de Helinho foi na segunda trave e foi tocada por Luan Patrick na direção da pequena área. Aparecendo para antecipar a marcação, Eduardo Sasha chegou completando pras redes e abriu a contagem na cidade de Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

GOLAÇO COM PREOCUPAÇÃO

Aos poucos, o Massa Bruta começou a se sentir confortável na partida onde o aspecto técnico começou a fazer diferença considerável na presença ofensiva e, rapidamente, também no placar.

Com 29 minutos, Bruninho dominou próximo a grande área, tirou o zagueiro Villalba com o drible da vaca e, cara a cara com o goleiro do Petrolero, apenas bateu por baixo e fez o segundo tento como visitante. Porém, na comemoração, o camisa 17 sentiu muitas dores e precisou ser retirado de maca de campo, colocando a camisa no rosto.

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VENCEU E COM FOLGA

Depois do intervalo, os donos da casa bem que tentaram imprimir ritmo suficiente para, ao menos, diminuir a distância no marcador construída na etapa inicial. Porém, o ímpeto do Oriente Petrolero durou pouco, dando espaço para que o clube de Bragança Paulista retomasse o controle e voltasse a habitual produção no ataque.

Nesse contexto, as chances de deixar o resultado positivo foram aparecendo em profusão, mas a pontaria (e também ações do goleiros Quiñónez) sustentavam o marcador mais comedido. Porém, aos 32 minutos, Lucas Evangelista aproveitou jogada vinda da esquerda e bateu de primeira para o terceiro do Bragantino enquanto Thiago Borbas, após rebote da cabeçada de Eric Ramires que foi no travessão, testou pro fundo das redes. 4 a 0, placar final na Bolívia.

FICHA TÉCNICA DA PARTIDA
ORIENTE PETROLERO x BRAGANTINO – 4ª RODADA DA FASE DE GRUPOS DA SUL-AMERICANA

Local: Estádio Ramon Tahuichi Aguilera, em Santa Cruz de la Sierra (BOL)
Data e hora: 25/05/2023 – 21h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Bismark Santiago (COL)
Assistentes: David Nicolas Fuentes e Mary Blanco (ambos COL)
VAR: Leonard Mosquera (COL)
Cartões amarelos: Luan Patrick (BRA)
Cartões vermelhos:

GOLS: Eduardo Sasha, aos 20’/1°T (0-1), Bruninho, aos 29’/1°T (0-2), Henry Mosquera, aos 32’/2°T (0-3), Thiago Borbas, aos 36’/2°T (0-4)

ORIENTE PETROLERO (Técnico: Guillermo Hoyos)

Quiñónez; Mercado, Soleto (Héctor Sánchez, aos 23’/1°T), Sebastián Álvarez (Zeballos, no intervalo), Villalba e Ayrton Paz (Guzmán, aos 17’/2°T); Daniel Rojas, Júnior Sánchez e Cristian Álvarez; Villagra e Ferddy Roca (Árabe, aos 14’/1°T).

BRAGANTINO (Técnico: Pedro Caixinha)

Cleiton; Andrés Hurtado, Realpe, Luan Patrick e Juninho Capixaba; Jadsom Silva (Matheus Fernandes, aos 7’/2°T), Lucas Evangelista e Bruninho (Eric Ramires, aos 41’/2°T); Helinho (Sorriso, aos 29’/2°T), Eduardo Sasha (Thiago Borbas, aos 7’/2°T) e Vitinho (Henry Mosquera, aos 30’/2°T).

Liverpool will be content with their start to the 2025/26 season, having lost on penalties against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield but then rebounded with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Bournemouth to kick off their Premier League title defence.

At this early stage, it’s all about finding your footing and maintaining consistency while you’re at it, but there is no question that defensive fragilities have formed a glaring talking point, with many pointing toward Arne Slot’s side having a lack of balance.

The fast and hungry style which this new variation of Liverpool are trying to implement has left them looking exciting yet exposed to counter-attacks and crosses.

It’s nothing to worry about at this stage, but it’s certainly something to fix. The Reds continue to pursue a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, having already signed 18-year-old centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma.

However, the pursuit of Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak also rumbles on, with the Merseysiders in clear need of a bit more depth to complete their frontline.

Liverpool looking at more forwards

Isak remains Liverpool’s top target this summer, but Newcastle are proving difficult at the negotiating table, unwilling to entertain the wantaway Sweden star’s departure without signing two alternatives.

With two weeks left until the end of the window, the Magpies have yet to sign a single centre-forward, missing out on a slew of targets. Still, the cogs are whirring beneath the surface, and Liverpool wait patiently to place a second offer after seeing an £110m approach rejected at the start of August.

However, it’s wishful to think that Isak could join the Anfield ranks alongside another elite-level forward this month, and if Newcastle don’t budge, Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has an alternative lined up.

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are joined by Arsenal in having maintained their interest in Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, although Manchester City hold the lead in the race.

Valued at €100m (£86m), Rodrygo is considered expendable by Los Blancos, though they would only part ways if their asking price is met.

It would be worth it. The 24-year-old is one of the best wingers in the world, and his style of play could see him provide the flame to kindle Florian Wirtz’s potential in a Liverpool shirt.

What Rodrygo would bring to Liverpool

Cody Gakpo scored as Liverpool beat Bournemouth on Friday evening, but his overall performance left something to be desired. In Rodrygo, Slot would land a far more dynamic and electric left winger.

Despite struggling to play his best football last season, Rodrygo still scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists for his teammates across all competitions, also ranking among the top 2% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, underscoring his roundedness.

After all, Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham remarked that the Brazilian “is probably the most talented and most gifted player in the squad.”

In this way, he could be the perfect teammate to get Wirtz up and running after the German’s start to life in Liverpool, showing plenty of promise but yet to bring it all together.

The 22-year-old joined Liverpool for a British-record £116m fee in June and is billed as one of the best rising stars in world football, but he struggled to find an outlet and impose himself against Bournemouth on Friday, albeit he created three key passes and won three duels, via Sofascore.

Looking at how Rodrygo compares to Gakpo over the past year, it’s clear to see which forward boasts the more expansive skill set, and this could play to Wirtz’s strengths.

Rodrygo vs Gakpo (past 365 days)

Stats (per 90)

Rodrygo

Gakpo

Goals

0.35

0.53

Assists

0.22

0.19

Shots taken

2.54

2.72

Shot-creating actions

4.56

3.82

Pass completion

85.7%

74.9%

Touches (att pen)

5.84

5.33

Progressive passes

4.69

2.76

Progressive carries

5.07

3.21

Successful take-ons

2.15

1.47

Data via FBref

Slot created something special at Liverpool last year, and a big part of that was his success in sparking interchangeability; in Rodrygo, Liverpool could have a roaming left-sided forward who can play down the touchline or weave inwards, opening many dimensions for Wirtz to play with.

Rodygo knows where the back of the net is. If played in position at Liverpool, he could turn into one of the division’s biggest forces, serving as a wide outlet from which Wirtz can channel his creativity while concurrently utilising his snappy movement to create space for the German, should he wish to strike on goal himself.

Though Isak remains Liverpool’s top target, Rodrygo is proven as a “world-class” star, as remarked by Luka Modric, at perhaps the biggest club in the world, and his versatility could actually work to Liverpool’s favour, allowing Wirtz to go from strength to strength too.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Neste domingo, às 19h30 (de Brasília), ocorre na Arena Barueri a final da Copa do Brasil Sub-17 entre Athletico-PR e Palmeiras. E o Furacão tem como trunfo para ficar com o título o meia-atacante João Cruz é o garçom do time, com sete assistências em sete jogos. Além disso, ele balançou as redes adversárias três vezes. Desde 2018 vestindo a camisa do Athletico, João Cruz também tem convocações para a Seleção Brasileira de base no currículo.

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Para ele, será uma grande final, com dois grandes times e que se demonstraram como os melhores ao longo da Copa do Brasil. Embora reconhecer estar diante de um grande adversário do outro lado, ele confia em um resultado positivo para o Furacão:

– Estamos indo com o foco total e uma mentalidade muito forte. Nestes jogos decisivos, isto é algo fundamental. Os treinos estão em um clima muito bom. Está tudo propício. O que temos que fazer é jogar bola, como estamos fazendo no campeonato inteiro. Temos um time muito entrosado, que joga junto desde os 14 anos. Estamos muito fortes.

João está no seu principal ano na categoria, ou seja, com a idade máxima permitida. O seu comandante é Rodrigo Bellão, nome que já havia sido seu técnico o sub-15, em 2021. Pensando nisso, ele destaca o segundo jogo da semifinal da Copa do Brasil, contra o Sport, quando venceram por 4 a 1 tendo o apoio de 15 mil pessoas na Arena da Baixada:

– Jogar na Arena é uma sensação inexplicável. Não tem como não ter raça e jogar mal em um estádio desse, um gramado desse, com uma torcida dessa te apoiando, incentivando o tempo todo. Nos dá a sensação de que ninguém pode ganhar nada da gente. Esse foi o espírito com que a gente entrou. E quem assistiu viu isso em campo. Ele (Bellão) diz que tem um sentimento de que deve um título para nós e que nós devemos um título para ele. Está sendo um ano maravilhoso. Comecei muito bem, na Copa do Brasil e no Paranaense. Chegamos na semifinal da Copa do Brasil após um resultado fantástico sobre o Atlético Mineiro, 5 a 0. Garantimos a vaga na final em um jogo maravilhoso contra o Sport. E acredito que seremos campeões, o que será histórico para o clube.

O COMEÇO

O jovem que joga tanto pelo meio como aberto pela direita é natural de São Paulo e, como a grande maioria dos jogadores, começou no futsal. O primeiro time que defendeu foi a Portuguesa Santista, onde se destacou e chamou a atenção do Santos, ficando entre os dez aos 12 anos, período em que o Athletico-PR apareceu em sua vida.

– Fiquei no Santos até 2018, que foi quando tudo aconteceu. Joguei a Iber Cup, chegamos na final contra o Athletico e ganhamos por 3 a 1. Eu me destaquei muito e um representante do Athletico convidou eu e meu pai para conhecer o CAT Caju. Quando chegamos, nos encantamos com o clube. A estrutura, a importância que dá para os jogadores da Formaçã Para nós, era o paraíso. A partir daí meu pai passou a ter conversas com o clube e em dezembro de 2018 eu vim para o Athletico. O primeiro jogo que assisti na Arena foi a final da Sul-Americana. Virei athleticano na hora. Vi como a torcida do Athletico é apaixonada, joga junto com o time. O eco, o som da torcida, a motivação que ela nos dá é de outro nível. E logo de cara vi uma final, com o estádio lotado, um jogo emocionante como aquele. Vi que tinha vindo para o lugar certo – recorda.

TÍTULO COM A SELEÇÃO

Após o período em que o futebol ficou parado devido à pandemia, João realizou o primeiro de seus grandes sonhos: chegar à Seleção Brasileira. A primeira convocação, na categoria sub-15, aconteceu em meados de 2021.

– Um scout da Seleção veio assistir a um treino nosso. Eu vi a oportunidade e treinei muito bem. Quando terminou, falei para minha mãe que achava que seria convocado, porque ele ficava olhando para mim toda hora. Ela ficou muito feliz, mas era só um achismo. Até que um dia, depois do treino, recebi uma ligação, dizendo para olhar o site da CBF. Entrei e vi lá meu nome. Eu travei. Parecia que estava em outro mundo. Fui para um período de treinos na Granja Comary e foi diferente de tudo que já tinha vivido – conta João Cruz.

Pela Seleção sub-15, foram três convocações. E em 2022, com a mudança de categoria, mais duas para a Seleção Sub-17. A mais marcante delas, para o Torneio de Montaigu, na França, quando João Cruz ajudou o Brasil a conquistar o título. Já em 2023, a primeira convocação aconteceu na véspera do segundo jogo da semifinal da Copa do Brasil, contra o Sport.

– Eu queria muito voltar para a Seleção. Teve o Sul-Americano, que eu não fui. O Bellão me dizia para limpar o coração e trabalhar. Ele via que eu ficava desapontado. Trabalhei muito, tive uma sequência muito boa na Copa do Brasil, em todos os jogos. O xeque-mate foi lá em Recife, onde o treinador da Seleção estava no jogo. No dia anterior ao jogo de volta da semifinal, veio a convocação. Foi uma sensação maior do que ter sido convocado a primeira vez. Quando cheguei em casa e contei, meu pai me abraçou e demos pulos de alegria – concluiu.

أصبح عثمان ديمبلي نجم باريس سان جيرمان هو ملك كرة القدم كأفضل لاعب في العالم خلال الوقت الحالي، بعد فوزه بجائزة الكرة الذهبية.

وأصبحت هذه الجائزة تنعكس بمطالبه على باريس سان جيرمان بعد المجد الذي وصل له مع الفريق الفرنسي، وتتويجه بلقب دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم الماضي.

ووفقاً لصحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية فإن لويس كامبوس المستشار الرياضي لباريس سان جيرمان وموسى سيسوكو وكيل أعمال عثمان ديمبلي قد بدآ مراجعة عقد اللاعب عقب فوزه بجائزة “فرانس فوتبول”.

وأضافت التقارير أن المفاوضات بدأت ليلة الحفلة في مسرح شاتليه، ويرغب عثمان ديمبلي في الحصول على زيادة في راتبه.

اقرأ أيضاً.. منهم لاعب ليفربول.. القائمة النهائية للمرشحين لجائزة الفتى الذهبي 2025

وكان عثمان ديمبلي قد برز كلاعب أساسي مع باريس سان جيرمان وسجل 35 هدفًا وصنع 16 خلال 53 مباراة، بالإضافة إلى دوره المهم في بناء تماسك فريقه داخل غرفة الملابس.

ويخطط المديرون الرياضيون لباريس سان جيرمان لحسم عقود لاعبين شباب آخرين مثل برادلي باركولا وويليان باتشو ومحمدو مايولو، وسيركز النادي مع ديمبلي بشكل أكبر ويؤكد الفريق الفرنسي أن فوز اللاعب بالكرة الذهبية هو ثمرة جهد جماعي لذا ليس هناك توقعات بمنحه معاملة خاصة مقارنة ببقية لاعبي الفريق.

ويتقاضى عثمان ديمبلي حالياً ما يزيد قليلاً عن نصف الراتب السنوي الصافي الذي يبلغ 30 مليون يورو والذي تقاضاه كل من ميسي ونيمار مع باريس، وعلى الرغم من تحسن وضع النادي بعد عام قياسي، إلا أن انخفاض عائدات البث يحد من قدرة باريس على الإنفاق ويسعى أيضاً النادي للامتثال الصارم لقواعد اللعب المالي النظيف للاتحاد الأوروبي وتجنب العقوبات.

Chelsea have made a transfer breakthrough after agreeing a deal to sign a new “diamond” attacking player for manager Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea hijacked by Tottenham for Xavi Simons

It has been a busy transfer window for the Blues so far in regards to both incomings and outgoings, with BlueCo currently spending more than £250m.

Chelsea signings

From

Fee

Joao Pedro

Brighton

£60m

Jamie Gittens

Borussia Dortmund

£48.5m

Jorrel Hato

Ajax

£37m

Liam Delap

Ipswich

£30m

Estevao Willian

Palmeiras

£29m

Dario Essugo

Sporting CP

£18.4m

Kendry Paez

Independiente

£17.3m

Mamadou Sarr

Strasbourg

£12m

Jesse Derry

Crystal Palace

Undisclosed

That figure could increase even further as well, with those at Stamford Bridge looking to make more attacking additions before Monday’s transfer deadline.

One player who won’t be making the move to Chelsea, though, is Xavi Simons. It looked as if the Netherlands international was on course to sign for Maresca’s side for large parts of the summer, however, rivals Tottenham have come in and secured the attacker’s services from RB Leipzig.

Spurs are paying more than £50m to sign Simons from under the noses of Chelsea and has been given a five-year deal contract in north London.

However, despite missing out on Simons, the Blues have had more luck when it comes to another long-term attacking target.

Chelsea agree £40m Garnacho deal with Man Utd

That’s because Chelsea have agreed a fee with Manchester United for the signing of Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho.

Chelsea will pay a £40million fixed fee for the 21-year-old, as per the PA news agency, with United retaining a 10 per cent sell-on fee clause. The deal represents Man Utd’s fourth-largest sale after the transfers of Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria, and is the largest fee received for a graduate from the Red Devils’ academy.

The Blues initially offered a fee of £25million for a player who has scored 26 goals in 144 games for United, two of which actually came at Stamford Bridge in 2024. Garnacho will follow Marcus Rashford out of the Red Devils door to become the second member of United’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ of unwanted players to secure a move away from Old Trafford.

Chelsea have already signed Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian in a revamp of their attack this summer, and Garnacho is likely to compete with Gittens on the left wing.

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The deal for Garnacho, called a “diamond” by Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout, comes as Christopher Nkunku closes in on a move from Chelsea to AC Milan in a deal understood to be worth around £36million.

“To have him back and to have him fit and excited about playing is a real win for English cricket,” Brendon McCullum says

Danyal Rasool02-Mar-20252:23

Knight: Livingstone missed a ‘great opportunity’ to score big

There are few positives from what has been, even by England’s recent ODI standards, a disastrous Champions Trophy campaign. But according to Brendon McCullum, there were glimmers amidst the darkness.The one that shone brightest was the performance, as well as the fitness, of fast bowler Jofra Archer. He bowled his allotted quota in each of the first two games, as well as nine of the 29.1 England needed to send down in Karachi. He did so with decent pace, picking up wickets in each game, and was the pick of the English bowlers by a distance despite South Africa’s romp to victory.”He’s been out of competitive cricket for a couple of years,” McCullum said. “I think it’s taken just a little bit of time to get that rhythm of gameplay back but I think he’s been really good. He’s bowled high pace, he’s played a lot of cricket, he’s been able to get significant workload under his belt throughout this time and we’ve seen moments of how great Jofra is, even tonight, a couple of wickets he took the other night against Afghanistan, three with the new ball.”We know how great a player Jofra is at the very top of his game and to have him back and to have him fit and excited about playing is a real win for English cricket.”Related

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Archer’s use of the wicket as well as the new ball was perhaps what stood out. He prised out Travis Head early with a sharp catch off his own bowling, but with little swing on offer, didn’t go searching, keeping things tight in his first spell. Against Afghanistan, each of his first 12 deliveries were banged in short before he changed it up in his third over, taking two wickets in five balls. And with Mark Wood out injured in a game with nothing on it and an impossibly low total against a rampant South Africa to defend, Archer was the quickest bowler from either side, cleaning up openers Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs in his first spell.With one English eye perpetually on the Ashes, his ability to tolerate increased workloads is bound to raise hopes he can feature prominently in the five-match series at the end of this year. McCullum looked to balance hope with guarded optimism.”We’ve got to make sure that we’re always doing the right thing by Jof as well and understand the risks involved,” McCullum said. “But I’m pretty sure he’s pretty keen to play Test cricket and you look at someone like Jof – and if you can add him to the battery of fast bowlers you’re trying to build, that can only strengthen this squad. We’ll wait and see, but overall, I’m really pleased with where Jof’s at and it’s great to see him back playing and injury free at the moment.”Jofra Archer made a mess of Ryan Rickelton’s stumps•ICC/Getty Images

That, however, is where the positives end. It has been little short of a horror start to his all white-ball stint for McCullum, winning three and losing eleven games, including the last seven on the bounce: England’s longest such streak in ODI cricket since 2001. While McCullum said on Thursday England may quite plausibly have won each of their first two games, the crushing loss at South Africa’s hands has left little doubt about the true state of their current ODI side.”We weren’t good enough across, obviously very disappointed,” McCullum said. “We had high hopes of being able to finish the tournament with a bit of a bang, but we were very poor and we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ll put our thinking caps on over the next few weeks and start to try and navigate our way through what an improvement looks like across our white-ball cricket and make sure we try and be pretty thorough with that and work out a way that we can get ourselves back to where we should be.”While they do have just under three months until their next ODI, the scale of the rebuild has left McCullum with much to ponder. It begins with appointing a new captain after Jos Buttler quit on Thursday, citing the drop in results.His final innings as captain was a pale shadow of the player who will likely go down as the greatest white-ball batters in England’s history. It ended when he tentatively pushed a Lungi Ngidi delivery straight to mid-off; he had scored 21 in 43 deliveries without hitting a single boundary – his second-longest such innings without sending a ball to the fence.McCullum reiterated his plans to keep Buttler around England’s white-ball side. “We still see Jos as obviously a big player within that and he’s got a huge role to play. He cared so much about it and he admittedly said that he wasn’t able to get the best out of the guys at this stage. I thought it was a brave decision to make and it gives us now an opportunity to be able to start to plot and plan our way forward.”I’ll get home in the next couple of days and start having some conversations with Rob Key and the guys at the ECB about who the right person is for us to put in that position of white-ball captain. Then we assess how to learn some of the lessons that we’ve been dealt on this tour and in this tournament to ensure that we’re a lot more competitive than what we’ve been.”

Tottenham Hotspur have been given a late-summer transfer boost as Daniel Levy and the Lilywhites recruitment team scramble for reinforcements.

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Spurs want to sign a centre-back, playmaker and a new winger (Sky Sports), but bringing in all three is perhaps unlikely at this stage of the window and with such little time remaining.

The north Londoners have found it notoriously difficult already, having seen high-profile blockbuster deals for the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze fail in dramatic fashion.

After weeks of talks, Spurs have also got nowhere with their bid for Savinho, as Man City make it crystal clear that the Brazil international is not for sale.

It remains to be seen who they target as an alternative to the 21-year-old, but it is evident who has become their top playmaker target during this final stretch.

According to numerous sources, RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons is in London right now, with both Chelsea and Tottenham pursuing a deal for the highly-rated Netherlands international.

The 22-year-old is valued at around £60 million, which is a similar price that Spurs were once prepared to pay for Eze and Gibbs-White. With there being precious few available playmakers who could truly make a difference for Thomas Frank, Simons has emerged as their potential saving grace.

He racked up 11 goals and eight assists over 33 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig last term, and Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes that Simons is an “unbelievable” player.

Tottenham have now submitted a near-£60m bid for Simons, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, with journalist Graeme Bailey also sharing the player’s stance on joining Frank’s side.

Xavi Simons ready to join Tottenham after talks with his camp

As per the reporter, it is believed that Simons is ready to join Tottenham, who’ve held talks with his representatives, after Chelsea began stalling their deal – with the attacking midfielder growing impatient.

The west Londoners have been in talks for weeks, but there are complications with player sales.

They also haven’t found a full agreement with Leipzig in all of that time, and that has allowed Spurs to move in to hijack their negotiations. Right now, Simons is happy to stop pausing on a move and sign for Tottenham instead, despite already agreeing personal terms with Chelsea.

This flurry of promising developments, including Levy’s offer, means that they could be on the verge of finally signing their desired number 10. However, as we’ve seen with Tottenham, no supporter should celebrate until the ink is dry.

“I think he’s going to have a really good career at the highest level,” said Bayern Munich sporting director, Christoph Freund.

“He has everything, mentality, character and is just an exceptional player.”

Dan Lawrence also back in draft with Spirit hoping to sign Jamie Smith in central contract spot

Matt Roller25-Feb-2025

Zak Crawley has not been retained by London Spirit•ECB via Getty Images

Zak Crawley has suffered the latest blow of a challenging winter, losing his Hundred contract with London Spirit in a squad clearout by their new men’s coach, Justin Langer.Crawley missed the Hundred in 2024 after breaking a finger in England’s Test series against West Indies, and has struggled for form since making his comeback in Pakistan. He made 78 in his first Test back in Multan but scored 113 runs in his next 10 innings and was comprehensively worked over by Matt Henry in New Zealand, dismissed by him in all six innings of the tour.Last month, he went to South Africa in a bid to rediscover his form but was dropped by his SA20 franchise Sunrisers Eastern Cape after 88 runs in eight innings. Now, he has lost his spot as London Spirit’s designated central-contract player – a position worth £200,000 in 2025 – and will likely head into next month’s draft, with Langer hoping to sign Jamie Smith in that spot instead.Related

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The ECB will hold a mini ‘central contract draft’ later this week after Spirit and Welsh Fire opted for a reshuffle, with the two teams understood to have lined up Smith and Chris Woakes respectively. Crawley – along with Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed – is also available at that stage, though Fire have kept hold of several top-order batting options including Jonny Bairstow, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and new signing Steven Smith.Spirit have also released Dan Lawrence, who will be replaced as captain by Kane Williamson after overseeing three wins in the last two seasons, though have kept hold of Crawley’s England team-mate Ollie Pope. Langer will make the first pick in the men’s draft on March 12, with Jamie Overton, Reece Topley and David Willey among the leading domestic players set to be available.Men’s Hundred retentions, 2025•ECB/The Hundred

The ECB confirmed which players have been retained for 2025 on Tuesday morning, with each men’s and women’s team allowed to re-sign up to 10 squad members from last summer. Most teams have also used the new direct signing model to bring in a new overseas player ahead of the draft, though four women’s teams opted to retain the same overseas trio.Spirit have played the system in the women’s Hundred to bring back 11 members of their title-winning squad from last year. Heather Knight, their captain, has not officially re-signed but will fill their vacant £65,000 spot at the draft, with Spirit able to bring her back via the right-to-match (RTM) mechanism if another team tries to sign her first.Their biggest decision was to prioritise the retention of Australia’s Grace Harris – who missed last year through injury – ahead of her compatriot Meg Lanning. Lanning has instead crossed the Thames via a direct signing, and will link up with her Delhi Capitals coach Jonathan Batty at Oval Invincibles, the 2021 and 2022 winners.In the men’s Hundred, Overton’s late decision to leave Manchester Originals came as a surprise. He was expected to stay at Old Trafford on a £200,000 contract but a change of heart saw Originals offer him £120,000 in order to keep a top-end spot free for an overseas player. He has therefore opted to leave, with Spirit and Trent Rockets potential suitors.Women’s Hundred retentions, 2025•ECB/The Hundred

The three teams that reached the knockout stages last year – Invincibles, Southern Brave and Birmingham Phoenix – have retained the maximum 10 players, including the direct signings of Rashid Khan, Faf du Plessis and Trent Boult respectively. Fire have had the biggest clearout, keeping only six players – all of whom are predominantly batters.Trent Rockets, the 2022 champions, have also had an overhaul, with captain Lewis Gregory, Luke Wood, Alex Hales and Rashid among their departures. Topley is leaving Northern Superchargers, Rehan and George Garton are leaving Brave, and Invincibles have let Dawid Malan go.As ESPNcricinfo reported last week, several teams have leaned on their new investors in recruitment. After concerns over Nicholas Pooran’s availability, Originals signed Heinrich Klaasen, who represents their new co-owners’ SA20 franchise, Durban’s Super Giants. Rashid, du Plessis and Smith are also joining teams affiliated to franchises they play for elsewhere.