Tottenham still have a few key items on their transfer agenda, and luckily for chairman Daniel Levy, weeks remain before the deadline day timer runs out on September 1.

Harry Kane has already endorsed £167k-a-week star who Tottenham want to sign

Spurs have reportedly contacted his agents.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 23, 2025

Spurs have already spent around £112 million on the signings of Kevin Danso, Mathys Tel, Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus this summer, and that number really should be closer to £172 million, if not for Nottingham Forest blocking Morgan Gibbs-White’s £60m switch to Spurs two weeks ago.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The Lilywhites could still sign Gibbs-White, but may end up paying more compensation to sweeten the deal and loosen Forest’s legal stranglehold on the player (Stefan Borson).

As Forest maintain their stalemate with Tottenham over Gibbs-White, following their unhappiness over an alleged ‘illegal approach’, Spurs do have their eyes on other targets for different areas of the squad.

According to reliable journalist Ben Jacobs this week, Brentford striker Yoane Wissa is still in their sights, despite rival interest from Forest and Newcastle United, with Tottenham also believed to be in talks for the Congolese.

Alongside Wissa, Tottenham are in the market for a number six, but they’ll need to offload one of their current abundance of central midfielders, which will most likely be Yves Bissouma (Alasdair Gold).

Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha is apparently one of many targets being considered by Thomas Frank and co in that regard (Alasdair Gold), but they’re also keen on a new cenre-back.

The Telegraph reported earlier this week that they’re weighing up a move for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who’s now entered the final 12 months of his contract, and the centre of defence is a position actively being looked at.

Frank already has Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Luka Vuskovic and Danso as options in that area, and it would’ve been six centre-backs if Ashley Phillips hadn’t sealed a loan move back to Stoke City earlier this week.

Vuskovic could also depart on a loan deal, but that would still leave Spurs with four senior centre-backs – perhaps indicating that there is still uncertainty surrounding Romero’s future.

Crystal Palace prepared to sell Marc Guehi amid Tottenham interest

Now, as per GiveMeSport, an update has emerged on the future of Guehi as Tottenham continue to register an interest in the England international.

The Lilywhites had a club-record £70 million bid rejected for Guehi in January, as widely reported, but the defender’s contract situation means that Eagles chairman Steve Parish could now let him go for £45 million.

Palace are apparently open to offers for Guehi before deadline day, with Spurs, Liverpool and Newcastle all keen, so this could be one to watch as the 25-year-old’s future becomes one of the main talking points in the last few weeks of this window.

“There is a price and a situation where we might consider it,” Parish told BBC Sport last summer.

“Somebody [in another interview] said he is a superstar, so somebody has got to pay superstar money. Realistically, he is homegrown, 24 years old and a sensational talent – so somebody has to make it difficult for us. At the moment, it isn’t.”

Now, the situation has changed, and Parish is very unlikely to get ‘superstar money’ with Palace facing the prospect of losing him for free in 2026.

Newcastle United could well be set to lose Alexander Isak this summer after the striker appears to be exploring other options.

The Swedish centre-forward has been with the Magpies since the summer of 2022, going on to score 62 goals in just 109 matches for the club. This works out as a goal every 1.7 matches, and if he does leave, Eddie Howe will have a massive void to fill.

In the past, the Toon have enjoyed the services of several top class forwards. Going as far back to the days of Hughie Gallacher, who scored over 100 goals and helped Newcastle win the First Division in the 1920s, to Jackie Milburn, who won three FA Cups as a player and was the club’s highest ever scorer – until a certain Alan Shearer rocked up at St James’ Park.

Before Shearer, however, the likes of Malcolm Macdonald and Andy Cole flexed their goalscoring prowess for the club during the 1970s and 1990s, but it was the former Southampton and Blackburn hitman who would eclipse everything his predecessors achieved.

Alan Shearer’s Newcastle heroics

By the time Shearer made the move from Blackburn to Newcastle in the summer of 1996 for a world record fee of £15m, he was already established as arguably the finest centre-forward in the Premier League.

He led Blackburn to the 1994/95 top-flight title and ended his spell with the club having scored 130 goals during his stint at Ewood Park.

Throughout the next decade, the Englishman would shatter records at the Magpies and come close to glory on several occasions. The Toon reached the FA Cup final in both 1998 and 1999, yet lost both to Arsenal and Manchester United.

A move to United in 1996 might have seen Shearer enhance his medal collection, but nothing was going to stop him from moving to his hometown team.

Shearer could do it all. Not only potent in the penalty box, the striker loved scoring incredible goals. Who can forget his stunning volley against Everton in 2002, or his excellent free-kick against Wimbledon in his first ever match for the Magpies.

Alan Shearer’s Newcastle stats

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

2005/06

41

14

4

2004/05

42

19

4

2003/04

52

28

6

2002/03

48

25

6

2001/02

46

27

6

2000/01

23

7

2

1999/00

50

30

13

1998/99

40

21

7

1997/98

23

7

1

1996/97

40

28

9

Via Transfermarkt

All of this added up to the 63-cap centre-forward eventually breaking Milburn’s all-time scoring record during a game against Portsmouth towards the tail end of the 205/06 season.

Racing onto a flick from Shola Ameobi, Shearer powered home a trademark finish in front of the Gallowgate End to score goal number 201 for the club.

Despite having players such as Isak, Andy Carroll, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Obafemi Martins lead the line at one stage or another since Shearer retired, none have come close to matching the legendary striker and his achievements.

Perhaps if Isak remains for the next few years, he could have a chance at breaking the goal record, but it looks as though he won’t be staying at St James’ Park for long.

As such, Howe must be looking at alternatives to bolster his attacking department. Could he target a move for someone who has shades of Shearer?

Newcastle’s search for a striker

Howe has been working hard to bring in another striker this summer. Players such as Yoane Wissa, Julian Alvarez and Mike Biereth have all been targeted in recent weeks.

All three would certainly make an impact at Newcastle, no doubt about it, but it is their pursuit of another striker that could take the club to the next level.

Journalist Graeme Bailey shared an update on X regarding Howe eyeing a move for Benjamin Sesko, saying that the Magpies “have engaged in talks” with the striker “to try and convince him to move to St James’ Park.”

Bailey added that “Newcastle would be prepared to break their transfer record to land him.”

According to The Times, it could take a fee of around £70m in order to land Sesko this summer, which would see Newcastle break their club-record transfer fee, eclipsing the £63m spent on Isak.

If they manage to sign the RB Leipzig frontman, it would signify a major statement of intent by Newcastle ahead of next season.

Sesko has plenty of traits similar to Shearer, meaning he could be the ideal player to lead the club’s charge in both the Premier League and Champions League.

Why Newcastle must sign Benjamin Sesko

The 22-year-old has an excellent goalscoring record for someone so young. Indeed, across 210 senior matches, the Slovenian has found the back of the net 90 times.

Sesko has scored 39 of those at Leipzig, with several being stunners. Against Bayern Munich last season, he netted a sublime strike with the outside of his foot from around 25 yards out to open the scoring.

He loves powerful efforts from outside the penalty area, just like Shearer in his pomp, with the former England skipper renowned for his ability to fire home from all angles and any distance – and with venom at that.

Much like Shearer was the main man at St James’ Park, Sesko has become a focal point of Leipzig’s attack since joining them in the summer of 2023. He is a “monster” of a striker, in the words of by analyst Ben Mattinson.

Shearer himself likes what he sees, having also noted comparisons between the Leipzig man and a certain Erling Haaland:

“He has the same frame. He is as quick as he is. He can certainly travel with the ball like he can. “He is very good at scoring goals. He is very good at bringing people into the game, so I get the comparison.

“I like him a lot. I know he is very young – he is only 21 years of age so he’s got a lot of learning to do – but without doubt there is a top-class footballer in there.”

Hailed as “phenomenal” by scout Antonio Mango, Sesko shone for his club last season. He finished the campaign with 13 league goals and a goal conversion percentage of 19% in the Bundesliga.

Furthermore, the player also created five big chances and recorded five assists, while succeeding with 55% of his dribble attempts.

It was yet another excellent season for the young striker and it is evident he is going from strength to strength.

Leipzig missed out on Champions League qualification, meaning Sesko will surely be seeking a move to a club where he can showcase his talents on the biggest stage in club football.

Newcastle would certainly provide the stage for the Slovenian, that’s for sure. If Isak does leave, Sesko would have some pretty big boots to fill.

Given his displays on the continent over the previous few years, the youngster wouldn’t be fazed at this prospect.

In the process, he could turn out to be one of the club’s finest strikers since Shearer. No pressure, eh?

Related PIF set sights on signing 13-goal star for Newcastle after Isak bombshell

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England will test out their fast-bowling depth when they unleash seven seamers across their ODI series against Australia. A tight schedule of five matches in 11 days – starting at Trent Bridge on Thursday – will demand some degree of rotation, which could aid Hampshire’s John Turner in his long-standing bid to make his international debut.Turner is 23 and only finished an economics and finance degree at Exeter University this summer, but has been on the fringes of England white-ball selection for over a year. He was first named in a squad for last summer’s T20I series against New Zealand, but was ruled out through injury, and was then an unused member of the touring party in the Caribbean in December.After running the drinks during last week’s drawn T20I series, Turner looks set to win first cap at some stage in the Australia ODIs – not least with Jofra Archer’s workload being managed, and three of England’s seven fast-bowling options (Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Olly Stone) flying to Pakistan for October’s Test series days after the final ODI on September 29. Saqib Mahmood’s late addition to the squad on Tuesday further underlined that there will be regular changes through the series.”Just being in the squad is a cool experience for myself,” Turner said. “But you obviously want to and hope to debut at some point, and hopefully that comes at some stage in this series… being in and around the squads and the players, you naturally improve and you naturally learn.Related

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“I definitely would say I’m in a much better place now than I was this time last year, but I’ve still got quite a long way to go: I’m not anywhere near the finished product… The way you approach the game with different ideas for different batsmen and different scenarios, that’s what I end up taking from these types of environments.”Turner has an unmistakable South African accent and only moved to the UK four years ago. But his pace piqued England’s interest during his first T20 campaign for Hampshire last summer and he has taken regular wickets throughout his young professional career, with a bowling average below 20 in all three formats.England are still hoping to identify a middle-overs wicket-taker in the Liam Plunkett mould and Jos Buttler – who will watch this series from the sidelines due to his calf injury – hinted last week that Turner could be used in a similar role. “[It’s about] finding ways to break partnerships and take wickets, which is crucial in those 50-over games,” Buttler said. “Having high pace is certainly a way of doing that.”Turner broke the 90mph/145kph barrier while playing for Trent Rockets this year and describes himself as “naturally competitive”. His Hundred season started in bizarre fashion – he was removed from the attack with figures of 0-0-5-0 against London Spirit after consecutive beamers – but he quickly recovered, taking five wickets in his next two games.He has enjoyed the challenge of playing in the Hundred – “constantly bowling against the best… you’re always under pressure” – and in particular, having his speeds tracked. “Post-game, I’ll probably end up watching every single ball back to see what speed I was at… it’s quite handy to know at times: almost don’t try too hard and it works itself out.”Turner believes that there will be “healthy competition” among England’s fast bowlers in their ODI series. “I’ve never played in the same team as Jof, and I probably won’t be as quick as him. But if I’m bowling with him, if I see his speed on the board, I’ll be like, ‘let me see if I can match him.’ I’m naturally competitive and I’ll naturally want to try and be the quickest.Turner jumps in celebration during the Hundred•PA Images via Getty Images

“It’s probably healthy competition if we have that as well… Pace is my point of difference, but around that, I want to have the skillset also to be able to compete. It’s always exciting to have a full stock of fast bowlers: the crowd enjoy watching sixes and boundaries, but I think it’s quite enjoyable watching guys bowling 85-plus and pure speed.”Despite having played only twice in the County Championship this year, Turner’s ambitions extend across formats. He missed the start of the season with a knee injury and has struggled to break into a Hampshire seam attack which boasts both Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott as spearheads.”Just being in and around them has been a good learning area for me: they’ve helped me improve my game immensely,” Turner said. “That’s definitely the way I want my career to pan out. I’d like to be an all-format [player]: Test cricket, white-ball and franchise stuff. I don’t really want to put myself into a single category.”John Turner was speaking at Hampshire’s Utilita Bowl to mark the installation of 1044 solar panels at the venue, as part of an industry-leading partnership with Utilita Energy

Lions will now face Markhors in the second Eliminator on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2024

Khushdil Shah picked up 3 for 40•PCB

An all-round show from Ahmed Daniyal and a three-wicket haul from Khushdil Shah helped Lions keep their campaign alive, as they held on for a 12-run victory in the Champions One-Day Cup Eliminator against Stallions in Faisalabad. Lions will now face Markhors in the second Eliminator on Friday, with the winner facing Panthers in Sunday’s final.Opting to bat, Lions were in a spot of bother at 43 for 3, before Sharoon Siraj (38) and Mohammad Taha revived the innings with a 77-run partnership. However, Stallions kept chipping away, resulting in another slide for Lions, who went from 120 for 3 to 140 for 7 in the space of five overs. With Lions staring at the possibility of a sub-200 total, Daniyal and Aamer Yamin launched a counterattack, their 81-run eighth-wicket stand eventually guiding the team to 263 for 9. While Yamin was run out for 46, Daniyal remained unbeaten on 65 off 59 balls, with two fours and five sixes. For Stallions, seamer Ubaid Shah was the pick of the bowlers, ending with 3 for 46.Stallions began their 264 chase well, courtesy an opening stand of 64 between Yasir Khan (39) and Maaz Sadaqat (27). However, three wickets in successive overs saw the team stumble to 68 for 3, with Khushil accounting for both Sadaqat and Adil Amin. Another threatening partnership – 69 for the fourth wicket between Tayyab Tahir and Hussain Talat – appeared to give Stallions a way back into the game, but Daniyal broke through to halt their momentum in the 30th over.Stallions captain Mohammad Haris and Jahanad Khan provided a late surge, but Lions stayed ahead with regular wickets. Stallions needed 23 off the last two overs, but they only had two wickets in hand, and Lions finally bundled them out for 251. Khushdil finished with 3 for 40 while Daniyal took 3 for 59.

Birmingham City’s summer spending has now officially kicked into gear.

A spree of new signings at St. Andrew’s has finally gone through after plenty of heated transfer conversation, with Demarai Gray and Bright Osayi-Samuel both joining on free transfers, alongside James Beadle and Tommy Doyle entering the building on loan.

The pick of the bunch, however, was reportedly splashing out £10m to land former Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi from Rennes.

Still, there will be plenty of intrigue from Birmingham fans about the number of other signings made in quick succession away from just their new Japanese ace, with lots expected from Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Doyle in particular, who has excelled near the top of the Championship previously.

Why Doyle is an exciting signing for Birmingham

Indeed, Doyle – whilst he has found the Premier League to be his more recent permanent home with Wolves – has lit up the second tier regularly when competing there.

Playing for both Cardiff City and Sheffield United on loan, Doyle would let loose with an impressive tally of five goals and seven assists coming his way from 57 Championship outings, which included a fine free-kick being floated home to help the Blades in their pursuit of promotion during the 2022/23 campaign.

His standout Bluebirds loan stint would even see scout Jacek Kulig brand the 23-year-old as “superb” as the ex-Manchester City youth product now looks to dust himself down after an up-and-down patch of his Old Gold career to try and get back to his second-tier peak with Davies and Co.

He might well be joined by some additional competition very soon if rumours are to be believed, as Birmingham’s busy summer activity shows no signs of relenting.

Birmingham could sign another "special" star

All competition for places will be seen as healthy next season, with Davies wanting the best possible squad he can to ruffle some Championship feathers.

Landing the services of Lewis O’Brien would be viewed as a statement in the middle of the park for sure, with journalist Darren Witcoop revealing, whilst writing for TEAMTalk last week, that the ambitious Blues still are keen on adding the wantaway Nottingham Forest man to their ranks, even with Doyle now at their disposal.

A deal would have to be won right from under Wrexham’s nose, with reports suggesting that the Red Dragons had agreed a £5m fee for the ex-Huddersfield Town man’s signature, only for wages to be an unfortunate stumbling block.

This unforeseen hurdle for Phil Parkinson’s men could see Birmingham come out on top for the seasoned Championship professional instead, with O’Brien even more of a well-versed presence than Doyle as to what it takes to become a top battler in such a difficult and taxing division.

Games

38

42

43

23

16

Goals

2

3

3

0

1

Assists

4

3

3

1

0

Touches*

50.6

58.0

56.7

54.8

56.6

Accurate passes*

24.4 (77%)

30.8 (77%)

29.5 (78%)

36.8 (87%)

30.1 (76%)

Big chances created

5

6

4

2

2

Tackles*

3.2

2.0

2.2

1.7

1.9

Total duels won*

6.1

5.8

7.5

4.0

6.1

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that the Forest outcast excels when plying his trade in the Championship as a well-rounded presence in the middle, with O’Brien desperate to get back to his Terriers best if he dons Birmingham blue shortly, as seen in him winning an imperious 7.5 duels on per Championship clash during Huddersfield’s promotion near-miss during the 2021/22 season.

Like Doyle, he has the goals and assists to back up his tenaciousness, with 20 goal contributions and counting next to his name at the daunting level. His midfield counterpart can only boast 12, on the contrary.

Once even hailed as a “special” player by his former Huddersfield boss in Carlos Corberan, this might well be the signing that makes those tipping Birmingham for greatness more secure in the fact they can challenge for those promotion spots, as Davies aims to deliver back-to-back promotions to please the St. Andrew’s masses even more.

Even more exciting than Kyogo: Birmingham City set to sign "silky dribbler"

Birmingham City are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign a star who is even more exciting than Kyogo Furuhashi.

2 ByDan Emery Jul 5, 2025

بدأ فريق مانشستر سيتي، بقيادة المدرب بيب جوارديولا، مشواره في الموسم الجديد من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا مساء يوم الخميس، وذلك بخوضه مباراة ضد نظيره فريق نابولي.

واستضاف ملعب “الاتحاد” مباراة فريقي مانشستر سيتي ونابولي، في الجولة الأولى من مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2025/26.

وتمكن مانشستر سيتي من تحقيق فوز على نابولي بهدفين دون رد، بفضل ثنائية إيرلينج هالاند وجيريمي دوكو، مع العلم أن الخصم اضطر إلى اللعب بـ10 لاعبين فقط بعد طرد جيوفاني دي لورينزو في الدقيقة 21 (لمطالعة التفاصيل كاملة من هنا).

وحسبما أُعلن، حصل لاعب فريق مانشستر سيتي، فيل فودين، على جائزة رجل مباراة فريقي مانشستر سيتي ونابولي، بفضل أدائه في اللقاء الذي خاضه حتى النهاية.

وقالت مجموعة المراقبين الفنيين للاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، عبر موقع البطولة: “تألق فودين أمام دفاع قوي، حيث نجح في إيجاد المساحات وتسبب في تهديد على المرمى، بخلاف تمريرته الحاسمة التي منحت هالاند هدفه”.

Celtic have now submitted an offer of up to £2.5m for an “amazing” versatile star in the summer transfer window, according to a new transfer update.

Hoops supporters will be hoping to see a flurry of attacking reinforcements between now and the end of the current window, with Bojan Miovski one such player who has been linked with a summer switch to Parkhead.

The 26-year-old is now plying his trade at Spanish side Girona, but he has proven his worth in the Scottish Premiership in the past, proving to be a star man for Aberdeen and scoring 44 goals in 98 appearances for them.

Meanwhile, Rapid Vienna winger Isak Jansson has been mentioned as a possible replacement for the outgoing Nicolas Kuhn, who is on the verge of joining Serie A side Como.

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph claimed Celtic have enquired about the availability of Jansson, and there has now been another key development.

Celtic make £2m+ bid for Jansson

According to a new update from Celts Are Here, Celtic have now submitted an offer of as much as £2.5m for the signature of Jansson this summer.

That said, a bit in excess of £3.4m has reportedly been made by an unnamed club, so the Hoops won’t have things all their own way. A rumoured valuation of £8.6m is said to be “super ridiculous”, according to the report, perhaps set with the goal of making Celtic and others enter a bidding war.

Losing Kuhn will clearly hurt the Hoops, considering what a dangerous and prolific performer he was for the Scottish champions last season, but in Jansson, they could have a fantastic option lined up.

The Swede has been capped internationally across four different youth age groups and can play on either wing or through the middle as a number nine, and he has racked up 17 goal contributions (10 goals and seven assists) in 45 appearances for Rapid.

Isak Jansson’s international stats	Caps	Goals
Sweden Under-21s	3	0
Sweden Under-17s	20	2
Sweden Under-16s	1	0
Sweden Under-15s	2	1

At 23, Jansson is still a young player with plenty of time to improve as the years pass, so Brendan Rodgers may like the idea of developing him as a footballer, with Rapid sporting director Marcus Katzer lauding both his ability and sell-on value.

“One week after we exercised the purchase option in the season, we had an offer of more than £1 million on the table. He will clearly be transferred for many times what we paid for him. He has been an amazing success for us.”

There is a lot of competition for Jansson’s signature, however, so it won’t be easy for Celtic to strike a deal, but he is an ideal right-sided winger to come in and fill the void left by Kuhn, while his versatility also allows him to add depth across the attack as Rodgers prepares to fight on multiple fronts next season.

Essex skittled Notts for 96 in their first innings before the visiting captain’s century earned back some respectability

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2024Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer shared nine first-innings wickets as Essex skittled Nottinghamshire for 93 on a morning of utter carnage at Chelmsford.Seam bowler Porter took his third five-wicket haul of the season, and second in consecutive Vitality County Championship matches, to finish with 5 for 35, season’s best figures that included three wickets in five balls.Simon Harmer also claimed his best bowling figures of the summer with 4 for 16 from 12.5 overs and then took the first two wickets of Nottinghamshire’s second innings. Allied with a season’s best 51 in Essex’s 457, it was a welcome return to form for the off-spinning all-rounder who has been dogged by persistent injury.Nottinghamshire’s inability to cope with Porter’s pace and Harmer’s guile on a wicket that had become less benign overnight, left them 364 runs adrift on first innings. When they followed on, captain Haseeb Hameed led the fightback with a patiently crafted unbeaten 100 from 151 balls and put on an unbroken 131 with Joe Clarke (62 not out) for the third wicket. At the close, Nottinghamshire were 180 for 2, still 184 runs from making Essex bat again.It was the perfect repost from Essex on the day the ECB confirmed their 12-point deduction after opening batsman Feroze Khushi was found to have used an illegally-sized bat in the reverse fixture at Trent Bridge in April. It does, however, end their dwindling hopes of challenging for the title.Nottinghamshire’s first innings fell apart spectacularly on a sunny, though chilly morning as 48 for 1 became 93 all out, with nine wickets clattering in 87 minutesThere was no sign of what was to come in the first half-hour as Ben Slater and Freddie McCann added 31 to their overnight score. But then Harmer came on and struck first ball when McCann moved forward half-cock and was the first of five LBWs in the morning. Harmer had two of the next three wickets to fall as Ben Slater was snaffled at slip and Jack Haynes was the second lbw victim.In between Porter replaced the unlucky Sam Cook, who had discomforted McCann on several occasions and might have had something to show for a venomous opening spell had Matt Critchley not dropped Joe Clarke at gulley. It did not prove too expensive as Porter had Clarke pinned lbw in his first over.Nottinghamshire’s South African wicketkeeper-batsman Kyle Verreynne came out all guns blazing, reverse-sweeping Harmer for four and driving Porter over the long-off boundary. However, his nine-ball cameo ended on 12 when he drove Porter uppishly into the covers.Lyndon James departed to a stunning full-length dive low to his left by Michael Pepper to spark Porter’s three-quick-wicket burst. Luke Fletcher, first ball, and Liam Patterson-White fell lbw before Harmer wrapped things up by having Rob Lord caught at bat-pad.Following on, Hameed and Slater looked comfortable for a dozen overs after lunch before Slater misjudged a delivery from Harmer that beat the outside edge and bowled him. The teenaged McCann was bamboozled for a second time by Harmer, the sixth player to go lbw during the day.Hameed was particularly strong off the back-foot, punching the ball through extra cover for a succession of boundaries, and reached his sixth fifty-plus score of the season from 70 balls. That Nottinghamshire made a better fist of it in the second innings was illustrated by the fact they had overhauled their first-innings total by tea for the loss of just two wickets.Hameed found a willing partner in Clarke and the pair steadied things by putting the first fifty of their stand in 14 overs, taking another 15 for the second fifty. As confidence grew, Clarke came down the wicket and smashed Harmer over midwicket for six on the way to reaching his half-century from 105 balls.A quick single took Hameed to three-figures just before stumps off his 151st ball.

Celtic are striving forwards under Brendan Rodgers and another action-packed season is in store for the Bhoys, which could now lead to a significant development at Parkhead.

Celtic find themselves pursuing several arrivals

Five signings have come through the door officially this summer for Celtic to strengthen their bid for another Scottish Premiership title. However, recent reports suggest plenty more could be on the way before too long.

Wycombe Wanderers striker Richard Kone is on the Bhoys’ radar and could be a big-money arrival at the £7 million mark, though any thought of him coming in at Parkhead may hinge on the future of Daizen Maeda.

Of course, Brendan Rodgers has already got one answer to his multi-faceted striker quest after confirming that Shin Yamada will join Celtic from Kawasaki Frontale after weeks of speculation hinting the Japanese forward is set for a move to Glasgow.

During the week, Celtic saw off Sporting Lisbon in expert fashion courtesy of goals from Reo Hatate and Luke McCowan. Speaking post-match, the Hoops’ Irish boss praised his side’s excellent tactical execution against a distinguished opponent.

He stated: “Performance wise it was outstanding. We made another step in our fitness and tactical idea with some of the players coming in. Overall it was a very, very good performance against a very good team. Tactically we were excellent with our pressure and pressing and some of our football was outstanding.

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“We maybe lacked a little bit in the final third at times just to finish off some great moves but other than that it was a very, very good workout for us.”

In spite of the Hoops’ display, Rodgers still has work to do in tailoring his side, and he will need to make sure his key players stick around for another tilt at domestic and European success.

Celtic closing in on bumper new Daizen Maeda contract

According to Football Insider, Celtic are pushing ahead with their attempts to tie down Daizen Maeda, and he is said to be willing to commit long-term with one demand – the Hoops match his ambitions.

Rodgers views the Japan international as a central part of his future plans and is willing to build his entire team around him, with talks open over a new deal amid interest from the Premier League in his services.

Daizen Maeda’s importance to Celtic
Appearances	158
Goals	62
Assists	28

Shedding some further insight, O’Rourke stated: “It makes a lot of sense for Celtic to try and keep hold of Maeda. If Celtic want to continue their dominance in Scotland, they’re going to have to keep hold of their best players, and there’s no doubt Maeda is amongst those.

“He’s under contract until 2027, so they’re looking to extend that and give him bumper new terms just to keep the player happy and ward off interest from Premier League clubs.

“There was talk that Brentford and Tottenham were interested in him.The Japan international was their top goalscorer last season, so he isn’t going to be an easy player to replace if they do end up losing him.”

With 33 goals to his name last season, Maeda became Celtic’s most reliable option whether wide left or as a centre-forward and is widely viewed as an indispensable player in Glasgow’s east end.

Only two years remain on his deal, so it would make perfect sense for the Bhoys to tie him up on an extended contract before his future becomes a main topic of conversation.

Ryan Mason has settled into the West Bromwich Albion dug-out now with a reputation for working with some of Tottenham Hotspur’s most promising starlets when he was still situated at the Premier League club above his head.

Indeed, during his lengthy stay in North London, the 33-year-old even took on the position of Head of Player Development in the Academy structure, with the likes of Mikey Moore, Jamie Donley, and Will Lankshear – who was with the Baggies last season – all benefitting from his methods.

Moore and Donley have been tipped to link back up with Mason in the West Midlands, but no such moves have gotten off the ground just yet, with West Brom now perhaps looking further afield when chasing after some up-and-coming starlets ready to burst into life in the EFL.

West Brom interested in move for £5m starlet

Of course, West Brom also have a lot of promising youngsters already on their roster, with Caleb Taylor potentially ready for a breakout 25/26 campaign, after being loaned out to Wycombe Wanderers last season.

But, a new 19-year-old attacker now looks to be on their radar to add to the youthfulness of Mason’s camp, with a hope the target in question can replicate Tom Fellows’ heroics – who was once a wide-eyed winger himself – from minute one of his Hawthorns adventure.

As per journalist Ben Jacobs via X, West Brom are now reportedly interested in a deal to land rising Genoa star Seydou Fini this summer, but they aren’t the only ones taking a peek at the teenage forward, with both Coventry City and Watford also keen to strike up a deal for the £5m attacker.

West Brom will want to win this race so they can add yet another exciting future talent to their ranks, with Fini perhaps going down as the Baggies’ next iteration of Fellows if all goes to plan, considering the Solihull-born winger was once an unknown entity in the senior environment of the Championship after soaring up the age brackets, before then becoming a staple of the West Brom main XI.

How Fini could become West Brom's next Fellows

It does feel some time ago now that Fellows wasn’t a household name at the Hawthorns, with the 21-year-old first attempting to cut his teeth in the senior ranks at the start of the 23/24 season.

He has managed to jump over any hurdles that come his way effortlessly since catching a first-team break, considering Fellows is now on the reported Everton shopping list after amassing a bumper 14 assists in league action last campaign.

Genoa U19s

45

11

14

Excelsior

38

4

5

Genoa U17s

28

21

11

Genoa U18s

10

6

5

Standard Liege

9

0

0

Genoa

5

0

0

Fini is in a similar position now as many a Championship suitor eyes him up after a promising loan stint out in the Netherlands with Excelsior Rotterdam last season resulted in the Italian winger picking up four goals and five assists in the Eredivisie.

Whilst it hasn’t quite clicked for the 19-year-old in senior action back at Genoa, his promising youth numbers for Patrick Vieira’s outfit will make him a tantalising prospect to purchase on the end of the Baggies, with Fini up to a bumper 68 goal contributions in total for his Italian employers at youth level.

Like Fellows, he’s a creative outlet and as the scout below translates, Fini possesses a “real flair for dribbling.”

Fellows wouldn’t hit such grand numbers himself back at the Hawthorns, with a lesser 28 goal contributions notched up for both the U18s and the U23s, as the direct, fast-paced Fini now tries to push his English counterpart all the way to a starting spot on the right channel.

West Brom have already gone rogue with some of their transfer business, with £4.7m forked out already on ex-Brann attacker Aune Heggebo, with another bold move now looking to be in the works for Mason and Co. to snap up their next Fellows for a similarly wild fee.

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2 ByKelan Sarson Jul 16, 2025