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In one of the most high-profile releases in IPL history, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have decided to let go of their star allrounder Andre Russell ahead of the auction for IPL 2026.Russell has been a constant for the franchise since IPL 2014 and was among five players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 mega auction. Though Russell had cost KKR INR 12 crore, releasing him has given the franchise an additional INR 18 crore for the auction, since he was Player 1 in KKR’s list of retainees last year, worth INR 18 crore, and that amount gets credited to the team’s purse now.A bona fide T20 great, Russell is also an IPL GOAT. Only two players in IPL history have scored over 2000 runs and picked 100 wickets. One of them – Russell – has been released, and the other – Ravindra Jadeja – has been traded, making the 2026 retention window among the most headline-making ones.Related

• CSK to release Matheesha Pathirana

• Venkatesh Iyer heads long list of big-ticket players released by KKR

• Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk on Delhi Capitals' release list

• RR trade Samson to CSK for Jadeja and Curran

While the development will surprise many, including KKR fans, the franchise had deliberated releasing Russell ahead of the 2025 mega auction before deciding to stall that call. Russell, who is 37, had retired from international cricket in July, having only played the T20 format after the 2019 World Cup.Russell, who was the Player of the Tournament in IPL 2019, was part of the KKR’s title-winning teams in 2014 and 2024. Russell also won 16 Player-of-the-Match awards at KKR and is only behind the other KKR great Sunil Narine. A powerful batter who is known to take bowlers apart, especially in death overs, Russell has hit the joint-seventh most sixes (223) in the IPL.It is understood that more than one franchise sought out Russell in trade. KKR, though, will have the biggest purse, INR 64.30 crore, at the auction and could look to even buy him back. The teams will also pay attention to Russell’s form in the 2025 season. With the bat in ten innings, Russell hit 167 runs at a strike rate of 163.72, including a 50. His bowling numbers, though, were under par: eight wickets in nine innings at an average of 27.12 and an economy of 11.94.

انتقد النجم المصري محمد أبو تريكة، لاعب الأهلي ومنتخب مصر السابق، قرار آرني سلوت مدرب ليفربول، بوضع محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء في المباراة أمام وست هام بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتغلب ليفربول على وست هام بهدفين دون رد، في إطار مباريات الجولة الثالثة عشر للدوري الإنجليزي “البريميرليج”، في مباراة شهدت تواجد صلاح بديلاً.

وقال أبو تريكة عبر شبكة “بي إن سبورتس”: “فوز ليفربول اليوم سيمنح سلوت بعض الوقت، خاصة وأن الصحافة الإنجليزية تقول إن لديه الوقت حتى شهر يناير فقط، الفريق كان في أمسّ الحاجة إلى هذا الفوز، لأنه سيحسن معنويات اللاعبين بعد فقدان الثقة نتيجة الهزائم الأخيرة”.

وأضاف: “أريد الحديث عن جزئية محمد صلاح، عندما تقرر أن يجلس نجمك على مقاعد البدلاء في ظل الظروف الصعبة للفريق، فهذا يحمل رسالة، في كرة القدم هناك فرق بين أن الجماهير تلوم نجمها بسبب سوء النتائج، وبين أن المدرب هو من يُحمله المسؤولية”.

وتابع: “لذلك، عندما يقرر سلوت اليوم أن يجلس صلاح بديلاً ولا يبدأ به كأساسي، فهذا بمثابة إشارة منه: أنت المسؤول عن النتائج الأخيرة للفريق، نحن كلاعبين نشعر بهذه الأمور، وعندما يكون الضغط على المدرب عاليًا، غالبًا ما يبحث عن من يتحمل جزءًا من المسؤولية، اللاعب حين يشعر أن المدرب يلقي عليه كل شيء، يشعر بعدم الرضا والارتياح”.

اقرأ أيضًا | “بي بي سي”: فصل جديد في ليفربول بدون محمد صلاح.. كيف يعوض سلوت الموهبة الاستثنائية؟

وواصل: “حسنًا، لماذا لم يتخذ سلوت قرارًا بجلوس فان دايك بديلاً اليوم، فهو قام بلمس الكرة بيده في مباراة دوري الأبطال الماضية هل السبب لأنه هولندي (مثل سلوت)؟!”.

وشدد أبو تريكة: “التعامل مع النجوم يحتاج فهمًا خاصًا، يجب أن تُعامل النجم معاملة استثنائية تأخذ في الاعتبار أرقامه وإنجازاته وشخصيته، لكي تكسب ثقته وتحافظ على مستوى الأداء، أما الطريقة الحالية فلن توصل سلوت إلى أي شيء ولن تحقق له النتائج المرجوة”.

وأتم: “صلاح نجم يتعامل معامله استثنائية بأرقامه وشخصيته، وحتى تنال ثقته عامله كنجم، لكنك لا تعلم شيئًا عن هذه الأمور”.

Rangers’ winning streak continues, albeit in far from convincing fashion.

On Saturday, the Gers battled to a 2-1 victory over bottom of the table Livingston at Ibrox, with Emmanuel Fernandez marking his first start since August by scoring a towering header, only for Tete Yengi to equalise soon after, but Mohamed Diomandé’s goal 12 minutes from time, Bojan Miovski putting it on a plate for him, enough to snatch victory.

This makes it four Premiership wins out of four since Danny Röhl was appointed manager, the Gers’ longest streak since February, albeit they remain fourth, given that Hibernian beat Dundee 2-0 at Easter Road simultaneously.

Next up, Röhl’s team will take on Braga in a must win Europa League tie on Thursday and, despite victory on Saturday, which starter should be axed ahead of this one?

Rangers' current injury crisis

After some very underwhelming summer recruitment, most Rangers supporters agree that their squad lacks quality, so, when that is the situation, the last thing a coach needs is a lengthy injury list.

First-choice centre-back pairing John Souttar and Derek Cornelius are both expected to be sidelined until after Christmas, after suffering serious injuries while on international on the same evening, doing so within hours of one-another but more than 4,200 miles apart in Glasgow and Miami.

Meantime, just as he had started to click into gear, Mikey Moore suffered a muscle injury in training, so is set to spend weeks on the sidelines.

The Tottenham lonaee had made an inconspicuous start to life in Glasgow, but had started to show glimpses of his talent in recent weeks, scoring his first goal for the club at Dens Park in the last game prior to the international break.

In the absences of the teenager, Röhl’s team lacked dynamism, panache and flamboyance in attacking areas, with the player tasked with deputising certainly not earning rave reviews.

The Rangers star Röhl must axe after Livingston

Röhl went for a more attacking 4-2-3-1 formation for Livingston’s visit on Saturday, with Thelo Aasgaard given the free role as the central number ten.

Chalkboard

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

The Merseyside-born midfielder helped Norway qualify for a first World Cup since ’98 during the break, coming off the bench as his country crushed Italy 4-1 at San Siro last Sunday.

Thus, Aasgaard was handed a first club start since being sent off during the League Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of Celtic at Hampden.

Well, he certainly did not grasp this opportunity with both hands, as the table below documents.

Shots

Zero

12th

Successful dribbles

1

11th

Accurate passes

12

16th

Key passes

1

4th

Duels won

2

24th

Touches

19

23rd

SofaScore rating

6.4

21st

The statistics underline that Aasgaard was generally pretty anonymous during Saturday’s victory, completing just 12 passes and only one dribble, not registering a single attempt.

The most galling number is the fact that the Norwegian international touched the ball only 19 times before being hooked at half time, nine fewer than goalkeeper Jack Butland and six less than Livi scorer Yengi.

Writer Kai Watson asserted that Aasgaard went “missing” in the first half, adding that he “needs to offer something” and is “capable of much more than we’re seeing”.

Meantime, Aheed Abrar of Ibrox News exclaimed that the midfielder was “embarrassing” on Saturday, awarding him a 3/10 rating, while Let’s Talk Rangers believes he should not be an “automatic starter” over Nedim Bajrami, Lyall Cameron and others.

Thus, despite their ongoing injury issues, Röhl does appear to have better attacking options than Aasgaard, who did little to stake a claim for a start against Braga this weekend.

Rohl's own Maeda: Rangers begin talks to sign "very pacy" sensation

With Rangers set to heavily invest in January, they have reportedly began talks to sign a “very pacy” star who would be Danny Röhl’s own Daizen Maeda.

ByBen Gray Nov 21, 2025

Celtic could still potentially appoint Ange Postecoglou as their new manager for a second time, but it may be dependent on what Martin O’Neill does.

The Hoops are continuing their search for their next boss, with O’Neill coming in as interim boss for the time being, looking to steady the ship and get their Scottish Premiership title challenge back on track.

While many are expecting the Irishman to be in charge for a short amount of time, a new report has suggested that he could remain in the role for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.

Celtic supporters are no doubt divided about who they want to see as their next permanent manager, and how long they want to see O’Neill at the club for that matter, with a host of names being mentioned since Brendan Rodgers departed last week.

Club Brugge boss Nicky Hayen is seen as one of the favourites to come in, having enjoyed league and cup glory in Belgium in the past couple of years. He is far from the only option, with Lee Carsley, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane among those in the mix, too.

How Postecoglou could still make Celtic return

Speaking to Football Insider, journalist Pete O’Rourke claimed that Postecoglou could still make a shock return to Celtic at the end of the season when the timing is better for the Australian, meaning O’Neill may need to remain in temporary charge until then.

Postecoglou may not be rushing into a decision right now, as O’Rourke alludes to, but if he knows the Celtic job will become available next summer instead of right now, it may appeal to him.

The 60-year-old enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Parkhead in his first stint as manager, winning two Scottish Premiership titles and Scottish League Cups apiece, as well as one Scottish Cup.

1. Martin O’Neill

283

75.6%

2. Ange Postecoglou

113

73.5%

3. Neil Lennon

335

70.7%

4. Jock Stein

761

69.6%

5. Brendan Rodgers

292

68.8%

Granted, his stock has fallen after disappointing spells at Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, despite winning the Europa League with the former, but he knows Celtic inside out and would bring an attacking brand of football that went down well with the fans first time around.

Celtic chiefs readying drastic action in Nicky Hayen pursuit with huge wages on offer

He is reportedly keen on taking charge at Parkhead.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 1, 2025

If O’Neill is only in interim charge for a short time, a different option feels best, though, with Postecoglou potentially mentally tired after a tough year.

Celtic have reached out to hire a "tactically unbeatable" manager – it's not Ange

Whether you prefer rocking a Humongous Melonheads jersey or playing for the Junior Wombats, Pablo Sanchez and the rest of the iconic kids are officially returning in a matter of weeks.

Playground Productions, the production company who announced plans in August to relaunch the beloved video game series, said Wednesday that —a remastered version of the original hit gameis now available on Steam.

The game was added to the Steam Wishlist on Wednesday and will be available for users to play on Oct. 10.

Playground Productions teamed up with Mega Cat Studios to remaster the game's original titles and make it available to play on modern devices. As of now, the new game is only compatible with current generation PCs, but Playground Productions plans to bring it to more platforms in the near future.

"Given the intricacies involved in remastering from the original CD-rom, it is only compatible with PC devices at this time," Playground Production said in a statement. "We are working diligently with our partner Mega Cat Studios to ensure Backyards Sports games become available on multiple platforms moving forward. "

The gameplay of the remastered game is exactly the same as it was in 1997, although the new version will feature Steam achievements and a Steam global leaderboard that will track home runs, grand slams and strikeouts.

“This was my favorite game growing up," Playground Productions CEO Lindsay Barnett said in a statement. "While we’re already hard at work on the future of Backyard Sports, we first want to honor the past by restoring the games that started it all for me and so many others—beginning with."

The original , developed by Humongous Entertainment, was released in October 1997. As the first game of the series, it marked the debut of the game's iconic cast of fictional characters—the 30 neighborhood kids that made up the rosters of each team and sported a wide range of personality quirks and skill sets on the field.

After the success of , Humungous Entertainment released other games in the universe for soccer, basketball, football and hockey. was the first edition to include the kid version of MLB players that starred alongside the likes of Pablo Sanchez, Stephanie Morgan and Jocinda Smith. Among the 31 big leaguers featured in that game were now Hall of Famers Derek Jeter, Randy Johnson, Ivan Rodriguez, Tony Gwynn and Chipper Jones. Other stars followed suit in other games, like Lisa Leslie and Kevin Garnett in the original , and Mike Modano and Martin Brodeur in

There won't be current MLB players or MLB team names and logos included in the new game available to play next month—even if Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. hit a home run while using a Pablo Sanchez-themed bat during a game in August. To include big leaguers in the future, Playground Productions would have to work out a licensing deal with MLB and the MLB Players Association.

will officially be available for purchase on Oct. 10 for $9.99 via Steam.

Alex Lees makes 62 against old club to drive Durham to six-wicket win at York

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Jun-2025

Matthew Potts celebates a breakthrough•Allan McKenzie/SWpix

England seamer Matthew Potts excelled with a superb T20 career-best five for 17 as dominant Durham ran through Yorkshire en-route to a six-wicket Vitality Blast victory at York Cricket Club.Potts, who made his T20I debut for England against West Indies earlier this month, was destroyer in chief on a helpful Clifton Park pitch as the White Rose, inserted, were bowled out for 128 in 19 overs. James Wharton top-scored with 26.But Durham’s batters were far more commanding and dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on a fourth North Group win in six games in 18 overs of their chase, with captain Alex Lees hitting the contest’s only six in a season’s best 62 off 46 balls.While Durham are second in the table, Yorkshire have now reached the halfway stage in their campaign having won two and lost five and are second-bottom.Durham made an ideal start as Zak Foulkes trapped Dawid Malan lbw for a golden duck at the end of the first over and Callum Parkinson’s left-arm spin forced Jonny Bairstow to miscue to mid-off for four at the end of the second.And when Adam Lyth, on 18, hoisted Parkinson out to deep midwicket midway through the fourth over, Yorkshire were reeling at 28 for three.Bairstow, schooled in the Minster City, was playing his first Blast game of 2025 following IPL duty and a subsequent calf injury, and it came on the ground where he played club cricket as a junior.Further damage came in the eighth over as Potts made the perfect start to his fantastic four-over burst when he trapped Will Luxton lbw and, two balls later, had a tentative Will Sutherland caught at slip, leaving Yorkshire 55 for five.Wharton pulled the same bowler out to deep backward square-leg shortly afterwards before a career best return was achieved when Dom Bess was lbw playing to leg.Nathan Sowter struck before Jordan Thompson was another lbw victim for Potts, his fifth wicket, as he tried to whip a full toss to leg on 19.That left Yorkshire 100 for nine after 16 overs, the majority of the 4,500 sellout having just cheered ironically when their side reached three figures.New Zealand fast bowler Will O’Rourke and Jack White then shared 28, the highest partnership of the innings, and recorded career best scores of 21 not out and 13 respectively as Yorkshire gave themselves a glimmer of hope.White, batting for the first time in this format, was bowled by Ben Raine to wrap things up, though 52 runs were added for the last two wickets.White then had Graham Clark caught at cover on the cut – 8 for one in the third over of Durham’s chase.But, in truth, the visitors advanced comfortably thanks to their captain, who held things together with a cautious rather than carefree innings.Spinners Jafer Chohan and Bess removed Ollie Robinson, 21, and Colin Ackermann as the score reached 63 for three after 10 overs.But opener Lees reached 50 off 39 balls, and he shared a stand of 60 another ex-Yorkshire player, Will Rhodes, 31 not out.Lees miscued Thompson’s seam to mid-off late on, but it didn’t matter.

Nottingham Forest are believed to be making contingency plans if they decide to sack manager Ange Postecoglou, which is still rumoured to be a possibility as Evangelos Marinakis weighs up his next move.

Ange Postecoglou's disastrous start at Nottingham Forest

Postecoglou’s tenure at Forest has been marked by a disastrous start, casting a shadow over the club’s hopes for progress this season.

Since taking the reins after Nuno Espírito Santo’s unceremonious departure, Postecoglou has struggled to find form, becoming the first permanent Forest manager in a century to fail to win any of his first six matches.

Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Nottingham Forest so far

Competition

Arsenal 3-0 Forest

Premier League

Swansea 3-2 Forest

Carabao Cup

Burnley 1-1 Forest

Premier League

Real Betis 2-2 Forest

Europa League

Forest 0-1 Sunderland

Premier League

Forest 2-3 FC Midtjylland

Europa League

Newcastle 2-0 Forest

Premier League

His attempts to implement a new playing philosophy — characterized by high-intensity pressing and open attacking football — have yet to yield any results, leaving the squad visibly unsettled and fans frustrated.

Chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ rang around the City Ground during Forest’s shock 3-2 defeat to Danish minnows FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, and discontent from supporters will only be piling pressure on Marinakis after his controversial decision to sack Nuno.

Reports suggest that Marinakis is furious with Forest’s current state behind-the-scenes and holds personal accountability for his role (TEAMtalk), and if results don’t improve soon, the Greek billionaire isn’t afraid to be ruthless and make another immediate managerial change (Sky Sports).

Should Forest decide to part ways with Postecoglou, several candidates have emerged as potential replacements.

Fulham’s Marco Silva is considered a leading contender, especially given his relationship with Marinakis following the pair’s time at Olympiacos together (talkSPORT).

Silva’s contract situation and success on a shoe-string budget at Craven Cottage makes him an attractive long-term target, while other names linked include Rafa Benitez and Oliver Glasner, both of whom bring proven experience managing in the Premier League.

Benitez was spotted close to Marinakis during a recent Olympiacos clash against Arsenal in the Champions League, whilst Glasner is reportedly emerging as a “prime candidate” for the Forest job if Postecoglou does leave.

Marco Silva expected to leave Fulham amid Nottingham Forest interest

Sharing an update on the prospect of Silva’s potential appointment, talkSPORT’s Alex Crook has urged Tricky Trees supporters to “keep an eye” on the Portuguese with his deal — said to include an £8 million release clause — due to expire in 2026.

Crook also says that he expects Silva to depart Fulham at the end of his contract amid Forest’s interest, but also states it’ll be tricky to convince the tactician to swap jobs immediately.

The 48-year-old, who guided Fulham to Premier League promotion from the Championship, has since kept them afloat with solid mid-table finishes, and they briefly contended for Europe last season — despite underspending in comparison to their top flight rivals.

Ex-Hull City striker Evandro, who worked with Silva at the MKM Stadium, has branded Silva a “master” tactician.

خاض فريق ليفربول، بقيادة المدرب آرني سلوت، مساء يوم السبت، مباراته في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2025/26، ضد خصمه فريق أستون فيلا.

واستضاف ملعب “الأنفيلد” مباراة فريقي ليفربول وأستون فيلا في إطار منافسات الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث حقق حامل اللقب فوزًأ بهدفين دون رد. أهداف مباراة ليفربول وأستون فيلا في الدوري الإنجليزي

وكاد أستون فيلا أن يسجل هدفه الأول في شباك ليفربول، في الدقيقة الخامسة، بعد تسديدة قوية من ماتي كاش ولكنها اصطدمت بالقائم، وسط دهشة من لاعب الضيوف.

وسدد دومينيك سوبوسلاي كرة قوية ناحية مرمى إيميليانو مارتينيز، بطريقة أرضية زاحفة، في الدقيقة 15 ولكنها مرت بجوار المرمى.

وانطلق محمد صلاح بشكل رائع في الدقيقة 17، ووجه عرضية رائعة، ووصلت إلى كودي جاكبو، الذي مررها بدوره ناحية إيكتيكي، ولكنها لم تكن متقنة للأخير، لتضيع الهجمة.

وتصدى مامارداشفيلي لفرصة هدف محقق من أستون فيلا في الدقيقة 18، بعد تسديدة قوية من جانب ماتي كاش، ولكن حارس ليفربول تألق وتصدى لها بنجاح.

وارتكب دفاع أستون فيلا خطأً فادحًا في الدقيقة 23، في تمرير الكرة، واختطفها دومينيك سوبوسلاي، الذي انفرد بحارس أستون فيلا وسدد كرته ولكنها لم تكن قوية، لتصل في يد إيميليانو مارتينيز.

وتصدى مارتينيز لفرصة هدف محقق من ليفربول، في الدقيقة 33، بعد ركلة حرة نفذها دومينيك سوبوسلاي بشكل قوي، ولكن الأرجنتيني تصدى لها ببراعة.

وسجل ليفربول هدفه الأول عن طريق هوجو إيكتيكي في الدقيقة 44، ولكن تم إلغائه بداعِ التسلل.

وتمكن محمد صلاح من تسجيل هدف ليفربول الأول، في الدقيقة الأولى من الوقت المُحتسب بدلَا من الضائع، بعد خطأ فادح من جانب حارس مرمى أستون فيلا، إيميليانو مارتينيز، حيث مرر الكرة بطريقة خاطئة، واستغلها المصري الذي سددها في الشباك.

وتحصل فيرجيل فان دايك على بطاقة صفراء، في الدقيقة 53، بعدما تدخل على لاعب أستون فيلا، مورجان روجرز.

وتمكن ليفربول من تسجيل هدف ثاني في شباك خصمه أستون فيلا، في الدقيقة 58، عن طريق ريان جرافنبيرخ، بعد تمريرة من زميله كودي جاكبو، لتصل إلى الهولندي الذي توغل وراوغ وسدد في شباك إيميليانو مارتينيز.

وتراجعت حدة المباراة بعد ذلك، مع انخفاض مستوى ليفربول ومحاولة أستون فيلا للتسجيل بشتى الطرق، ولكن دون جدوى، لينتهي اللقاء بهدفين دون رح لصالح الريدز.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد ليفربول إلى 18 نقطة في المركز الثالث، منهيًا سلسلة هزائمه في الدوري الإنجليزي التي استمرت 4 مباريات متتالية، بينما تجمد رصيد أستون فيلا عند 15 نقطة في المركز الحادي عشر.

ويُعد ذلك الفوز بروفة أخيرة لـ ليفربول قبل صدامه ضد ريال مدريد يوم الثلاثاء المقبل على ملعب “الأنفيلد” في الجولة الرابعة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري.

Nuno Espirito Santo has officially been axed at Nottingham Forest. It’s time for a new era at the City Ground.

Despite picking up 30 wins in charge of the Tricky Trees, with Europa League football also on the menu this season, the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers boss’ fiery relationship with chairman Evangelos Marinakis and Edu has ultimately been his downfall.

Forest have moved swiftly to secure an immediate successor to Nuno, with the Premier League side having announced Ange Postecoglou as their new boss on Tuesday afternoon.

He, of course, guided Spurs to a Europa League triumph just last campaign and is seen as the man to take the Midlanders to the next level.

Known for an exciting brand of attacking football while situated in North London, he could well be a breath of fresh air away from Nuno’s more attritional approach.

That means Morgan Gibbs-White could thrive even more under the Australians’ new methods.

Why Gibbs-White could thrive under Ange

Postecoglou will walk into the dug-out at the City Ground pretty content with the attacking options at his disposal.

Of course, he will have the imposing goal machine of Chris Wood to rely on – who has two Premier League strikes already this season – alongside knowing he also has an enthralling playmaker setting him up with chances galore in the aforementioned Gibbs-White.

Staggeringly, it wasn’t too far back that Forest fans were resigned to the prospect of their star man defecting to Postecoglou’s ex-employers.

Now, however, he could be the 60-year-old’s leading attacking force alongside Wood, with a bumper 15 goal contributions last season from 34 Premier League clashes setting the very high standards.

After all, Postecoglou, when back at Spurs during his up-and-down stint, got the very best out of similarly skilful, but potent presences in attack, as seen in him overseeing Maddison picking up a whirlwind 23 goals and assists last campaign.

The former Celtic boss would even herald Maddison as “loveable little rogue” during their time together at the Lilywhites.

Therefore, you might well expect Gibbs-White’s numbers to rise to these lofty heights shortly.

However, the soon-to-be new Tricky Trees manager might well see even more promise in a rising star at Forest as his next potential Maddison-style project.

Ange's new Maddison at Nottingham Forest

Despite Nuno falling out with Marinakis regularly at the City Ground, it’s fair to say the now jobless 51-year-old was backed in the summer transfer window, before parting ways dramatically.

Indeed, the likes of Dilane Bakwa would join on deadline day for a whopping £35m to bolster the options available on the right wing, on top of plenty of exciting English talent also entering the building in the form of record signing Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee.

In particular, the brand-new Forest number 24 might well have caught the eye of the incoming manager, with McAtee once being noted as being a “special” talent by his former Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, before severing ties with his boyhood side to join Forest.

More first-team opportunities should come the ex-Sheffield United loanee’s way at the City Ground, with a hope on Postecoglou’s end that he can get even more out of another entertaining and captivating number ten who was previously seen as the next best thing, like he did so effortlessly with Maddison at Spurs.

Games played

75

200

Goals scored

16

67

Assists

21

37

Trophies

1x

9x

After all, much like his fellow compatriot who scored and assisted a bumper 96 times for Leicester City, McAtee has shown off his class for the Citizens at both a senior and youth level, as well as starring out on loan at the Blades, with a mammoth 67 goals and 37 assists to shout about for his fledgling career to date.

With Postecoglou managing to extract 16 goals and 21 assists from Maddison in North London, it remains to be seen what magic the Australian can now conjure up with yet another thrilling attacking midfielder.

The up-and-coming 22-year-old will likely have to fight it out with Gibbs-White for a starting spot under Postecoglou.

But, if he can shine when thrown into the action, it could well be that McAtee goes on to be the former Spurs manager’s second coming of Maddison, as he embarks on a daunting new adventure himself in a fresh Premier League dug-out.

Nottingham Forest join race for "intelligent" Man City gem who Pep loves

He’s a wanted man…

ByTom Cunningham Sep 6, 2025

Thomas Frank has confirmed that he would love Tottenham to re-sign Harry Kane from Bayern Munich. The England captain departed north London in 2023 and has won the Bundesliga in Germany, but Frank has now confirmed that he would be more than willing to welcome him back with open arms, should the opportunity arise.

A clause in Kane's contract

Football.London has reported that Kane is believed to have a release clause in his contract worth just under £57 million ($77m) that kicks in next summer, provided the striker confirms his desire to leave before the end of the January window. Spurs also have first option on their former talisman, having negotiated the clause when he was sold. 

AdvertisementGetty ImagesCould he make emotional return?

Kane is only 47 goals shy of Alan Shearer's Premier League goals record, and there are said to be fears within Bayern that he could leave before the end of his four-year contract. The 32-year-old has won the trophy he long craved in Germany, and may now be minded to return to his homeland. 

Frank fans flames

Spurs boss Frank has insisted that he would love to have Kane in his squad, should he become available. 

He said: "I think there’s a lot of Tottenham fans including myself who would like to see Kane back. He’s a top player. Personally, I don't think he will do it right now, if I’m honest, he’ll probably stay in Bayern and continue performing well.

"He was top scorer last year and won the championship, he’s doing fantastic now. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Myself, I’m a traveller, I like to travel, I like to explore things as well. He’s been here for many years so why not enjoy the time at Bayern a little bit more.

"But he’s welcome. If he wants to join us, he’s more than welcome."

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GettyTwists and turns to come

Kane's future is likely to be in the spotlight until January, given the apparent existence of the exit clause in his contract. He will next be in action when Bayern play Werder Bremen on Friday. Spurs, meanwhile, are set to face Doncaster in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday night.