Real Madrid defender Ferland Mandy is ready to fight for his place in Real Madrid’s starting XI under new manager Xabi Alonso amid transfer rumours.
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A look at the form in the first half and the challenges ahead for the top four teams on the points table
Gaurav Sundararaman15-Sep-2021The IPL resumes on September 19 with its El Clasico, Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians. A lot has happened since it came to an abrupt halt in early May after the growing number of Covid-19 cases in the tournament bubble. Players have pulled out due to fatigue, workload management and injuries. Not only will there be some new faces, but the remaining 31 matches will also be played at different venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – as opposed to the first half of the IPL, which was played at four venues in India.The second half of the IPL is vastly significant not just for the franchises but also the players and the various international teams as the men’s T20 World Cup will be played in the UAE and Oman from October 17. ESPNcricinfo runs a comb through the eight teams identifying not just the strengths but also the areas they need to work on.Related
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Squad changes from first phase
In: Shreyas Iyer, Ben Dwarshuis, Kulwant Khejroliya
Out: Aniruddha Joshi, Chris Woakes, M Siddharth
Strengths
A strong start in the first half has ensured Delhi Capitals are now favourites to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Two further victories will assure them of that prize. Despite the absence of regular captain Shreyas Iyer (who is back having recovered from shoulder surgery), Capitals’ batting did not suffer with the opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan adding 512 runs at a run rate of 9.25 and a handsome average of 64. It was in the powerplay phase where Capitals sealed the deal in most games. They also displayed adaptability in terms of conditions by winning in Chennai, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. They boasted the best performing spin attack in the competition during the first phase.2020 UAE strategy
Their bowling was their strength last time around. Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada were crucial to their success as was the variety provided by spin twins Axar Patel and R Ashwin.Challenges for 2021
While Avesh Khan emerged as a match-winner during the first phase, the rest of the Capitals fast men struggled. They took just nine wickets at an economy of 11.17, which was the second-worst among all teams. Avesh’s success meant Capitals could afford to leave out Nortje but expect him to be back in the UAE. The other issue will be picking between Steven Smith and Shimron Hetmyer for the middle order, which will be reinforced by Iyer’s return. Last year in the UAE, both Shaw and Rishabh Pant, who will continue as captain*, had struggled. How they fare this time could decide whether Capitals win a maiden IPL title.Potential XI: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith/Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Avesh Khan
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will kick off the second phase•BCCISquad changes from first phase
In: Josh Hazlewood
Out: Jason BehrendorffStrengths
If not for a Kieron Pollard blinder in Delhi, Chennai Super Kings would have been sitting on top of the table with six wins from seven matches. Having finished in the bottom half in 2020, MS Dhoni’s team surprised everyone by shedding their usual conservative approach to batting. With an unmatched depth – Deepak Chahar slots in at No. 11 – Super Kings scored at a rate of 9.47 between overs 7 to 16. A lot of credit goes to the opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis who set strong foundations upon which the likes of Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja could build big totals. On the bowling front, Chahar and the spinners were the key playmakers.2020 UAE strategy
The UAE was not a happy hunting ground for Super Kings last season. Injuries, absentees and lack of practice meant they peaked too late. Hardly any of their moves worked because virtually everyone was out of form. This time around they have been practising for over a month and would look to keep faith in what has worked in IPL 2021 rather than going back to what worked in previous seasons.Challenges for 2021
The form of their fast bowlers – Lungi Ngidi, Josh Hazlewood, Shardul Thakur and Dwayne Bravo – will be crucial for the multiple-time champions to extend their good start. There will be pressure on Suresh Raina too, who has managed 123 runs in six innings at an average of 24 with a solitary half-century. If Raina can perk up the middle order with some impactful cameos, it will ease the burden on the finishers.Potential XI: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Dwayne Bravo/Josh Hazlewood/Imran Tahir
Will Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore make it to their second straight playoffs?•BCCI/IPLSquad changes from first phase
In: Tim David, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, George Garton, Akash Deep
Out: Finn Allen, Adam Zampa, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Washington SundarStrengths
Contributions from Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal showed that Royal Challengers Bangalore were no more dependent on just Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The franchise has also got some attractive replacements who have the potential to be X-factor players.2020 UAE strategy
That revolved around Yuzvendra Chahal and Chris Morris, both of whom played a key role in the last IPL. Chahal will be hurting after failing to make the World Cup squad, but he remains the lead spinner for Royal Challengers and his form could once again be a key factor.Challenges for 2021
Can Royal Challengers qualify for the playoffs as they did last year? Perhaps, if they find the right balance in the absence of Washington Sundar, who is recovering from a finger injury picked up at the outset of the Test series in England. For a like-for-like replacement, they might have to look at their overseas contingent, which will force at least one more change. Also, in case Harshal’s cutters fail on the faster UAE pitches, the team will need to find the right bowling combination without losing momentum.Potential XI: 1 Devdutt Padikkal, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Kyle Jamieson, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
He last played international cricket a year ago, before being named as injury replacement for Lockie Ferguson in the Champions Trophy
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2025Kyle Jamieson last played international cricket a year ago. Since then, there were ten months out with a stress fracture of the back – for the second time in his career. Having been named in New Zealand’s squad for the Champions Trophy as an injury replacement for Lockie Ferguson, Jamieson feels he is in the best place ever “from a cricket point”.Jamieson last played an ODI in September 2023, against Bangladesh just before the World Cup. Looking back at his time off, Jamieson said his comeback worked out “roughly around the time-frames we looked at”.”I had a good crew around me, and the start of it was trying to put that all together around, what that’s going to look like, and how we’re going to get from where I was at the bottom of the cliff and how we’re going to get back up to the top of it,” he said after reaching Rawalpindi ahead of New Zealand’s match against Bangladesh.Related
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Jamieson has had his share of injures in a short international career so far. In June 2022, he experienced “sharp pain” in his lower back and walked off midway through his 17th over in a Test at Trent Bridge. Just ahead of the home Tests against England in early 2023, a suspected recurrence of the back injury ruled him out and he underwent surgery. It was only in August that year that Jamieson was back on the field, when he played five T20Is and three ODIs across the tours of the UAE and England. He then toured Bangladesh, where he played in two of the three ODIs.New Zealand even named Jamieson as cover for an injured Matt Henry for the World Cup in 2023, before drafting him into the squad proper. Although Jamieson didn’t get to play the tournament, he featured in both Tests on the subsequent tour of Bangladesh. However, a stiff hamstring ruled him out of the ODI series at home against the same opposition, and he also sat out of the T20Is on “medical advice”. It was after that, halfway through the home series against South Africa, that Jamieson found himself out again.”It’s been a long one. Obviously, a lot of hard work [has gone into the comeback],” he said. “I had to go back to square one, and rebuild a few things. [I had to] try and solidify the foundations so I can get back to this arena and take on the different forms of cricket again. It’s certainly been a long road, but it’s quite funny once you’re back in the mix and forget about how long it’s taken.”In the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, Jamieson worked his way back by representing Canterbury in the Super Smash and Ford Trophy, New Zealand’s domestic T20 and 50-over competitions respectively. He bagged 14 wickets at an average of 18.71 to be Canterbury Magicians’ highest wicket-taker in the Super Smash, where he played in all 12 matches.”I really enjoyed being a part of a full campaign. You don’t often get a chance to be a part of long stretches of time with your domestic team,” he said. “From the cricket point of view, it was great to be back in the park and just see where your game’s at. I was always reasonably confident that part was going to be okay, but it’s just nice to obviously put it back into that arena. I guess those are some of the pressures and challenges that come with that sort of high-pressure cricket.”New Zealand face Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday, after beating Pakistan comfortably in the tournament opener. They then face India on March 2 in Dubai in what is the final group fixture of the tournament.
“He’s bowling with full rhythm today, too. He’s also putting work in the gym and isn’t complaining of any pains”
Danyal Rasool18-Feb-20252:13
Rizwan hopes to see more ICC events in Pakistan soon
Pakistan have been handed a boost ahead of the Champions Trophy opener, with fast bowler Haris Rauf expected to be “fully fit” against New Zealand, according to their captain Mohammad Rizwan.”Haris bowled 6-8 overs a couple of days ago, and bowled a fair bit yesterday too,” Rizwan said at the captain’s press conference on the eve of the tournament. “He’s bowling with full rhythm today, too. He’s also putting work in the gym and isn’t complaining of any pains. We think he’s fully fit.”Rauf sustained a muscular sprain in his chest while bowling in the opening game of the tri-series against New Zealand on February 8, and was in a race against time to be fit for the start of the tournament. He did not play the remainder of the series, though ESPNcricinfo understands that was more out of an abundance of caution than an indicator of the injury’s severity.Related
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After the press conference, Rauf was seen bowling in the nets during Pakistan’s final practice session before the tournament at the National Stadium. It clears Pakistan up to play what they view as their first-choice bowling lineup, one that features Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Rauf. The three played together in an attack that ultimately ended up on the wrong side of a result against New Zealand in the opener of the tri-series. They play the same side tomorrow in the Champions Trophy curtain-raiser as Pakistan prepare to host their first ICC tournament since 1996.”We suffered for 10 years when no side came here,” Rizwan said. “But Pakistan still produced solid results. So we have no doubts about our ability.”However, it is hard to escape the idea that Pakistan go into their first game as relative underdogs. New Zealand beat them twice in the tri-series, going unbeaten across the tournament to lift the title. They went on to demonstrate their all-round ability, defending a total against Pakistan in one game before easing to two chases in games against South Africa and Pakistan. At the same time, they brushed aside injuries to fast bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears, retaining their fast-bowling threat, while reigning Pakistan in through the middle overs with a varied array of spinners.”There are ups and downs and certain deficiencies in our side,” Rizwan said. “We are aware we need to bring about certain improvements in our professionalism and consistency.0:57
Urooj: Huge responsibility for Pakistan to defend the title at home
“We tried to learn from the tri-series, which is why we batted first in the final to work out where our weaknesses lie. We used that series as a training experience. We hope we’ve learned enough to cover for those weaknesses tomorrow.”But along with the usual cheery optimism, Rizwan’s statements were laced with a kind of naked hunger he has rarely let slip in the past. Wearing his religion on his sleeve, he tends to resign himself to “the will of Allah” as he often says. It can take the pressure off, a valuable skill for a Pakistan captain, but today, Rizwan seemed to teeter on the edge of fantasising how much he wanted to win an ICC event, and how good it would be to win this one at home.”We’ve come so close a few times,” he said. “We need to work out how to get that extra one per cent to win those big matches. No one can guarantee that success, and we’re still in search of that final step where we lose big games or tournaments.”Every player is desperate for this title. And we’re doing everything we can to work out how to win. I don’t think any country works as hard as we do.”It’s uncommon to hear Rizwan speak with that kind of edge. Soon enough, he was back to his usual gregarious self, talking about how “all 15 players were captains” and the value of team performances over individual brilliance. But then again, perhaps that is the “extra one per cent” Pakistan, and Rizwan, are so desperately hunting for.
Looking to get one over on London rivals Chelsea, Crystal Palace are now reportedly keen to hijack the Blues’ chase to sign an impressive Ligue 1 defender who has been compared to Dayot Upamecano.
For all their hard work, Dean Henderson’s save to deny Omar Marmoush’s penalty, Eberechi Eze’s Wembley heroics and Oliver Glasner’s tactical victory over Pep Guardiola which was months in the making, it could all come crashing down for Crystal Palace. The Eagles looked set to soar across Europe for the first time, but UEFA may well be about to clip their wings.
The same shareholder cannot hold a majority stake in two clubs in the same European competition and that’s a problem for John Textor, who not only holds large shares in the South London club but also French club Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League. Naturally, the simple solution for all may have been to at least drop Palace into the Europa Conference League. That too would be a problem, however.
Crystal Palace battling to sign £150k-p/w ace with same agent as Henderson
He could be their first signing of the summer.
1
By
Tom Cunningham
Jun 7, 2025
Like Textor, Dan Blitzer’s involvement in Brondby means that he would have two clubs in the UEFA Conference League. Simply put, Palace would have the same problem again and they’re now at risk of being kicked out of European football altogether.
When INEOS had the same problem amid Manchester United and Nice’s European qualification, they put shares into a blind trust to navigate past the rules. The City Group did the same when Manchester City and Getafe both qualified for the Champions League. Although they have reportedly since offered to do the same, however, Crystal Palace have missed the deadline to do so.
Whether Textor and Parish’s meeting with UEFA on Tuesday changed things remains to be seen. For now, Palace must hope for the best and push on with their summer preparations, including on the transfer front.
According to The Boot Room, Crystal Palace are now keen to hijack Chelsea’s chase to sign Ismael Doukoure this summer. The Strasbourg defender enjoyed an excellent season in France and, at 21 years old, is attracting plenty of interest from across Europe. Given that Marc Guehi has been the subject of several exit rumours at Selhurst Park too, a move for the Strasbourg man would certainly make sense for Palace.
U23 scout Antonio Mango went as far as to describe Doukoure as “magnificent” in 2023, whilst scout Jacek Kulig compared the defender to Bayern Munich’s Upamencao in incredibly high praise, praising his pace, anticipation and aerial ability.
|
League stats 24/25 (via FBref) |
Ismael Doukoure |
Dayot Upamecano |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
2,639 |
1,759 |
|
Progressive Carries |
20 |
17 |
|
Tackles Won |
22 |
22 |
|
Aerial Duel Win Percentage |
61.9% |
58.4% |
Kulig’s comparison certainly makes sense. When compared, Doukoure kept up with Upamecano in possession – albeit having played more minutes – and impressively outperformed him in the air.
Also matching his fellow Frenchman for tackles won, Doukoure will be desperate to follow a similar path to the top as Upamecano and that could first feature a move to the Premier League courtesy of Crystal Palace.
Barcelona star Marc-Andre ter Stegen has confirmed he will undergo back surgery and is likely to be out for three months.
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The transfer window might be closed again for a few days, but it feels like Arsenal are starting to fall behind their rivals.
For example, Manchester City have already secured the services of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Ait-Nouri and look set for more.
However, perhaps the most worrying development, at least in terms of the Gunners’ chances in the Premier League next season, has been Liverpool’s £116m capture of Florian Wirtz.
The German is about as perfect an example of a statement signing as you’ll ever see, but in some more positive news, reports have recently linked Arsenal to someone who could be their own version of the international superstar.
While Arsenal are yet to make any official signings this summer, they have been linked with a host of potentially game-changing stars, such as Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former has a release clause reportedly worth around £68m in Crystal Palace contract, and while that is a sizeable sum of money, it would be a price more than worth paying for a Premier League-proven attacker who scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in 43 games this season.
Likewise, while Rodrygo could cost a whopping £84m this summer, his tally of 24 goal involvements this season and record of winning the biggest trophies in the game means he’d be a superb addition to the Gunners’ squad.
However, regarding the North Londoners’ answer to Wirtz, it looks like it will be Benjamin Sesko.
According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in the RB Leipzig star.
In fact, the report goes a step further, revealing that the Gunners have now made a ‘breakthrough’ in negotiations and are expected to make an offer of €100m early next week, which comes out to around £85m.
It would represent an enormous vote of confidence in the young striker, but given his ability and potential, this is a transfer Arsenal should get done as soon as possible, as Sesko could be their own Wirtz.
Okay, so the first thing to say is that the two players are obviously not comparable in terms of position, as while Wirtz can play in a few other places, he is primarily an attacking midfielder, not a striker.
However, their positions have little to do with why Sesko could be Arsenal’s version of the German.
The first actual reason is that, like Liverpool’s new creator, the Slovenian international has the potential to be a truly game-changing addition to the Gunners.
|
Sesko in 24/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
45 |
|
Minutes |
3258′ |
|
Goals |
21 |
|
Assists |
6 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.6 |
|
Minutes per Goal Involvement |
120.66′ |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
|
For example, even though he’s still just 22 years old, the former Salzburg gem was able to score 21 goals and provide six assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3258 minutes.
That means the Radeče-born “monster,” as dubbed by respected data analyst Ben Mattinson, averaged a goal involvement every 1.66 games, or every 120.66 minutes for a pretty poor Leipzig side.
So, just imagine what he could do under Arteta with Bukayo Saka to the right of him, hopefully, a new left-winger on the other side and a rejuvenated Martin Odegaard behind him.
Moreover, despite standing a mammoth 6 foot 5, the 41-capped behemoth is still incredibly rapid and capable of hitting speeds of 35.69 km/h and then, to top it off, you only need to watch his clips to see how technical he is with the ball at his feet.
Finally, aside from the ways in which Sesko could take Arteta’s side to the next level, he’d also be arriving for huge money and from the Bundesliga, just like Wirtz.
Ultimately, even though the money involved is more than most expected, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign the Leipzig gem this summer.
He's just like Saka: £68m winger is Tognozzi's dream target for Arsenal
The exciting wonderkid would be a superb addition to the Arsenal squad.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Jun 13, 2025
Paris Saint-Germain have lost their court appeal against Gianluigi Buffon and must pay the Italian €250,000 due to a tax clause in his contract.
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Afghanistan’s exiled players launch plea for donations as MCC, ECB show their support
Valkerie Baynes and Firdose Moonda31-Jan-20252:03
Mel Jones: This group of Afghanistan women are trying to rebuild their lives
Pressure is mounting on the ICC to act amid the announcement of fundraising efforts to support Afghanistan’s exiled women’s cricketers, who played their first match together this week.The Pitch Our Future campaign, led by former Australia cricketer turned commentator Mel Jones, launched on Friday aimed at attracting online donations to support the players’ sporting, physical and mental needs so that they can continue to compete regularly as a team.Meanwhile, the MCC and MCC Foundation have set up the Global Refugee Cricket Fund to support refugees worldwide, backed by a £100,000 donation from the ECB and with an initial focus to raise money for Pitch Our Future.Related
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In announcing the fund and the establishment of an advisory board, the MCC “invited” the ICC’s participation, while Clare Connor, the ECB’s deputy chief executive, hoped the fund’s launch would “inspire other cricketing organisations” to lend their support.The announcements follow pleas to the ICC to ring-fence funding for the players on the basis that Afghanistan remain full ICC members despite no longer being able to fulfil the requirement to field a women’s team under its Taliban government.The players wrote to the ICC last July asking for help in establishing themselves as a refugee team. In lieu of a response, they formed an Afghanistan Women’s XI with the help of Jones and a team of dedicated volunteers, and played their first game on Thursday.As told to ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast, Jones was instrumental in helping 19 players formerly contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board and their families escape to Australia after the Taliban took over in 2021 and banned women’s sport in their country. Since then, women have been subjected to increasingly restrictive laws in Afghanistan which have effectively excluded them from public life.Jones was helped by Emma Staples, Cricket Victoria’s Head of Diversity and Community, and Dr Catherine Ordway from the University of Canberra among others, whose efforts resulted in Thursday’s T20 exhibition against a Cricket Without Borders XI.
Cricket Without Borders won the fixture by seven wickets but the match represented a significant step for the Afghan players, not only in their development as cricketers but in raising awareness of their plight.Jones said that for their first couple of years in exile, the Afghan players feared for their safety if it became known that they were in Australia playing cricket for various club and community sides.”Now, we want to build a really strong community and high-performance programme around these young women, so they can develop not only as players, but also as coaches and administrators, so that they can stay within the sport and progress,” Jones said.The exiled Afghanistan women’s team played their first game at Junction Oval in Melbourne•AFP/Getty Images
Pitch Our future aims to raise A$1.5 million for an initial three-year program which will also include education and life-skill support for the players, some of them not even 18 years old when they escaped and many of whom couldn’t speak English when they arrived in Australia.Meanwhile, the MCC and MCC Foundation have launched the Global Refugee Cricket Fund to support refugees worldwide and with an initial focus to raise money for Pitch Our Future.The Global Refugee Cricket Fund aims to provide access to facilities, offer education and mentorship, promote advocacy and awareness and build high-performance and community programs for players, coaches and administrators.Announcing the fund in a press release on Friday, MCC said an advisory board would be set up including representatives from the MCC
Foundation, MCC, ECB, Pitch Our Future, refugee organisations, and community leaders such as Afghan women’s advocates. “The ICC is also invited to participate in this effort,” the statement added.Aiming to raise £1 million initially, the fund was boosted by the ECB’s donation.Connor said: “The cricket community must take action, to support the brave Afghan women, and to give hope that cricket can be a sport for any woman or girl. We hope the launch of the Fund will inspire other cricketing organisations to support this cause, and to unlock cricket’s power to unite communities around the globe.”Dr Sarah Fane, Director of the MCC Foundation, said: “With Pitch Our Future leading the way in Australia, we hope to amplify their efforts and inspire the global cricketing community to join us in making a difference.” Donations to Pitch Our Future from Australia can be made here and from outside Australia via Global Refugee Fund here.
Thomas Frank’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur, and how the tactician will perform in his first big job, is set to be one of the most intriguing Premier League stories of next season.
Frank holds Tottenham talks over signing £300k-p/w ace who's open to joining
The Spurs boss has been discussing him with Lilywhites hierarchy.
1
By
Emilio Galantini
Jun 18, 2025
There are many other riveting storylines on the horizon: Man City’s rebuild, Newcastle’s Champions League campaign, how Nottingham Forest will kick on from being last year’s surprise package, the newly-promoted three and Villa’s mission to remain among England’s elite to name a few of them.
|
Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025 |
Average match rating |
|---|---|
|
Son Heung-min |
7.00 |
|
James Maddison |
6.98 |
|
Pedro Porro |
6.95 |
|
Dominic Solanke |
6.84 |
|
Dejan Kulusevski |
6.83 |
|
via WhoScored |
|
However, Frank’s debut campaign in the Spurs dugout stands out among the most enthralling narratives to keep an eye on next term, with the 51-year-old having big shoes to fill after Ange Postecoglou ended their 17-year wait for a major trophy.
It will also be the Dane’s first-ever campaign as a Champions League coach, and there is much more expectation on Frank’s shoulders than there ever was at Brentford.
The pressure which comes with managing a big six club is far more intense, so it is vital that chairman Daniel Levy backs Frank in the transfer market this summer, as Postecoglou’s immediate heir looks to get off to the best possible start.
Even though the ex-Bees boss will need time to build, there will be far less margin for error in north London than at the Gtech Community Stadium with far more eyes on Frank, especially after their historic Europa League triumph in Bilbao.
He is also faced with the possibility of losing some key players in the coming months.
Son Heung-min could well leave Tottenham this summer after 10 faithful years, as the Saudi Pro League look to add yet another big name to their financially-backed division of clubs.
Cashing in on the South Korean could be very tempting for Levy. The 32-year-old is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract and not exactly getting any younger, with there also being an argument that Son’s best years are behind him.
Another star player who’s been heavily linked with an exit is star £165,000-per-week defender Cristian Romero.
The Argentine World Cup winner played a key role for Spurs on their run to Europa League glory, captaining them in each tie from the quarter-finals onwards. Romero didn’t feature much in the Premier League, mainly due to injuries and Postecoglou resting him for their European campaign, but the centre-back is undoubtedly a pivotal player for them.
Micky van de Ven called his central defensive partner a “world-class” asset for the club, but reports from Europe and beyond in the last few months have claimed that Romero wants to leave Tottenham for Atlético Madrid.
Diego Simeone even confirmed Atletico’s interest in Romero, but according to a fresh update from TYC Sports, the tactician may have to wait a little longer to secure the 27-year-old’s signature.
Indeed, it is now believed that Romero could decide to stay at Tottenham for one more season, with Frank’s arrival cited as a key reason behind this potential decision, alongside their place in the Champions League next term.
This would come as a major boost for Frank, who’ll be very keen to keep hold of his best players, and Spurs’ youthful, inexperienced squad overall could seriously benefit from a leader like Romero in the dressing room.
That being said, if Atletico come calling with an offer too good to resist, it may well get Levy thinking, given Romero is out of contract in 2027.