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Levante star Karl Etta Eyong has revealed it would be a “dream” to play for Chelsea one day, even as Real Madrid and Barcelona monitor his rapid rise in La Liga. The 22-year-old striker, who has scored six goals this season, continues to attract major transfer interest across Europe — with Levante rejecting a €30 million bid amid growing speculation about his future.

Etta Eyong's Chelsea 'dream' revealed

Eyong’s meteoric rise in La Liga has turned him into one of Europe’s most sought-after young forwards. Having joined Levante from Villarreal in the summer for €3 million, Eyong has been sensational, finding the net six times in the league and quickly becoming the heartbeat of his team’s attack, and it is Chelsea who appear to hold a special place in his heart. The  Levante striker admitted that joining the London club would fulfil a lifelong dream inspired by his African footballing heroes. Speaking to GiveMeSport, he explained his deep admiration for the Blues and what they represent to him.

“Growing up, Chelsea was the English team I probably watched the most because of Drogba, and Eto’o was there a year as well,” Eyong said. “Chelsea have often signed incredible African players. There are so many big clubs in England, but as for [joining] Chelsea, why not? It would be a dream for me to play for Chelsea.”

Though Chelsea are reportedly monitoring him closely, their current transfer priorities lie elsewhere, with a new defender at the top of the list, meaning any move for Eyong may have to wait until summer.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLevante rejected £26m bid for Etta Eyong

Eyong’s growing stardom has not gone unnoticed by clubs across Europe, prompting intense speculation about a potential transfer. But according to Levante CEO Jose Danvila, the Spanish club have already rejected a major offer and are in no rush to sell their new talisman. Danvila confirmed that a €30 million (£26.3m) bid, made by Russian side CSKA Moscow, was firmly turned down, even though the proposal included a lucrative salary for the striker.

“What I can tell you is that Barcelona and Real Madrid haven’t contacted Levante about Etta Eyong,” Danvila told Radio Marca. “And we haven’t had any calls from the Premier League either. We received one firm offer for the player, but it has already been rejected. I’m reading many stories about Etta, and it’s true there is growing interest, but he's not going to be sold this winter.”

FIFA regulations also restrict Eyong from playing for a third club this season after already featuring for Villarreal and Levante, meaning a move before the summer is impossible. Levante, therefore, are determined to keep him and are even considering offering improved terms to reflect his outstanding form. Los Granotes view him as central to their campaign and believe his presence is key to achieving their goal of a top-half La Liga finish.

Eyong opens up on Barcelona and Real Madrid links

While Chelsea remain the team Eyong dreams of joining, the striker’s performances have also drawn admiring glances from Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Both clubs have been monitoring his progress closely, viewing him as one of the most exciting attacking talents to emerge from La Liga this season. Eyong said he was “flattered” by the links but remains focused on his development at Levante.

“Eto'o was the best,” said Eyong, reflecting on one of his footballing idols. “He is one of my biggest influences. I loved him at Barcelona. And I'd call Lewandowski another role model, especially when I was younger and he was at Dortmund. Lewandowski has managed to score so many goals throughout his career. It's really impressive what he's doing at Barcelona right now. He is a great finisher and has intelligent movement. He always seems to know the right time to ask for the ball. I can learn a lot from him. When we play Barcelona next [in February at the Camp Nou], I hope to get Lewandowski's shirt to add to my collection.”

He continued: “I'm really flattered [to be linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid]. It means so much because it shows my hard work is paying off. But I just have to continue on my journey with Levante and then see what happens in the future.

"I try not to look at my phone too much because my friends call me with all the gossip. I tell them, ‘I don’t know anything – I have just been on my PlayStation!' I would much rather play Call of Duty, watch anime or read history books than occupy my head with rumours. If a big move is meant to be, it will only happen if I work hard."

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Getty Images SportEtta Eyong will wait until the summer before thinking about move

While reports in Spain have suggested Eyong favours a move to Barcelona — even resurfacing an old photo of him in a Blaugrana shirt from 2017 — the player himself insists he remains open-minded about his next destination. He continues to express admiration for both La Liga and the Premier League, refusing to choose between the two while reaffirming his commitment to Levante for now. For Eyong, the focus remains on improving his game and letting the future take care of itself.

“I can't pick between La Liga and the Premier League because I love both leagues,” said Eyong. “I have already achieved my dream of playing in La Liga and my other dream is to one day play in the Premier League. I think I have the quality to thrive in the Premier League and that my style is well suited to English football. I am physically strong and can link up play. I love watching Premier League matches. My favourite period is the Boxing Day games. You can see the players give everything – 200 percent! What I love about the Premier League is that every game feels important. But for now my focus is just on Levante and I am ignoring all other news.”

For Levante, keeping their star man beyond this season will be a challenge, with interest from across Europe showing no sign of fading. Chelsea, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, are all expected to revisit their scouting reports ahead of the summer window, where a bidding war could ignite with Manchester United and Arsenal also said to be interested.

Marcus Rashford could be thrust into the starting line-up for Barcelona for the highly-anticipated El Clasico clash on Sunday following another damaging injury to a key Barca star just hours before the match. The England international has made an excellent start to his loan spell at Barcelona, bagging five goals and six assists in 12 appearances across all competitions.

Barca's patched-up side head to Bernabeu

Barcelona head to the Santiago Bernabeu with a significantly depleted squad and assistant coach Marcus Sorg has now confirmed that forward Raphinha will also miss the game, as the Brazilian has not recovered from a leg muscle injury. Sorg will be in the dugout for the defending champions after Hansi Flick was sent off during the recent clash with Girona. 

Raphinha joins a long list of high-profile absentees, which includes Dani Olmo, Robert Lewandowski, Gavi, and goalkeepers Joan Garcia and Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The Catalans are firmly up against it, but there was some good news as key players Ferran Torres, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Frenkie De Jong all participated in Saturday's training session. And now Rashford could line-up against his Three Lions team-mate Jude Bellingham.

AdvertisementAFPRashford feeling the love at Barca

The England international has thrived under coach Hansi Flick where his performances have been a key factor in the Catalan giants’ positive start to the season, and he has expressed his strong desire to make the loan move permanent.

When asked if he would like to stay at the Catalan giants, Rashford told Barcelona's YouTube channel: "I'm really enjoying my time in Spain. The weather is the best part. It’s a very big change. I’m learning every day, I’m really enjoying it. I hope to be here for a long time. I get along really well with Roony (Bardghji), as well as Jules (Kounde) and Frenkie (De Jong). It’s a team where we all blend together. We’re united. The team is fantastic. I just have to be in the right position. I’ll keep trying to do this. We have to keep going like this to be our best. We have a lot more to do this season." 

He added: "I’m enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game so to play here is an honour. I just believe that things happen when they’re supposed to happen. It’s not the first time I spoke with Barcelona about potentially coming here, but for whatever reasons it didn’t happen in the past, and now is my opportunity to make it happen. I feel like there’s no time like the present now."

Raphinha rocked on eve of El Clasico

Sorg said: "Any team would miss Raphinha, but the situation is what it is. He is injured. We'll see if Ferran (Torres) starts, we'll decide tomorrow. Jules Kounde also trained this morning and may play. I still have no idea about the starting eleven."

Sorg also spoke about Flick’s absence, he said: "Flick will always be missed because he's one of the most important parts of the team. I think to have Flick on the sidelines, because the players trust him, he gives them confidence. His absence does have an influence. But Flick is in a good mood, positive, motivated."

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AFPYamal stirs up the tension

The war of words ahead of El Clasico shows no sign of abating with Madrid captain Dani Carvajal planning to confront Barca wonderkid Lamine Yamal at the end of the match over what he sees as "disrespectful" remarks in the build-up to the hotly-anticipated clash between the Spanish giants. Speaking on a Twitch stream ahead of the game, Yamal stoked the ill-feeling between the two sides, saying: "They (Real) steal, they complain, and they do things". 

Andres Iniesta has shared his thoughts on the situation and isn't too concerned by Yamal's words. He said: "It’s a comment to add a little spice to the Clasico. Beyond the comments or not, it will be a spectacular match. We'll see what happens. A lot of importance is always given to what is said, especially if it's before a match like this. I'm not very up to date with the news either. Some people will say it's to warm up the match and others won't like it, but what really matters is what happens in those 90 minutes."

Could a few new signings lift the mood of West Ham United supporters?

So far, Hammers fans have not been too pleased with their side’s summer business, most notably selling star attacker Mohammed Kudus to fierce London rivals Tottenham for a reported fee of £55m.

Meantime, having won only five of 19 matches in charge following his appointment in January, Graham Potter immediately begins the new season as a man under pressure.

On the pitch in pre-season, his team were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in their Premier League Summer Series opener in East Rutherford, before defeating Everton 2-1 in Chicago on Wednesday; Lucas Paquetá and Niclas Füllkrug were on target in Illinois.

So, ahead of the conclusion of their US tour on Sunday, taking on Bournemouth at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will West Ham supporters have another new signing to be excited about?

West Ham searching for new signings

This weekend, West Ham unveiled their third new signing of the summer, announcing the arrival of Callum Wilson on a free transfer from Newcastle.

The 33-year-old England international has scored more career goals against the Irons than any other club, which might have been part of the attraction.

Club Callum Wilson has scored 6+ goals against
Opposition	Appearances	Goals
West Ham United	16	12
Everton	11	8
Burnley	12	7
Huddersfield Town	6	7
Brighton & Hove Albion	14	6
Southampton	14	6
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

So, having bolstered their attacking options, will they now turn their attention to the other end of the pitch?

Well, according to a report by The Sun, West Ham have agreed personal terms with goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, amid interest from Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Burnley.

The outlet adds that the clubs are keen to get a deal over the line as quickly as possible, and this latest update has given them an advantage over their rivals in the race to sign the shot-stopper.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Elsewhere, Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sport notes that Leicester City value their goalkeeper at £35m, but have already signed a potential replacement, following Asmir Begović’s arrival from Everton, seemingly preparing for his departure.

Dharmesh Sheth and Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News add that West Ham’s new goalkeeper coach Casper Ankergren is pushing to make the move happen, having previously worked with Hermansen at Brøndby, so could the Dane soon swap the East Midlands for East London?

How Mads Hermansen would improve West Ham

It is little surprise that West Ham are in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer.

40-year-old Łukasz Fabiański has been released as a free agent, while neither he nor Alphonse Areola, who remains at the club, were particularly impressive last season, as the table below documents.

West Ham’s goalkeepers 2024/25 Premier League statistics
Statistics	Alphonse Areola	PL rank	Łukasz Fabiański	PL rank
Minutes	2,260	18th	1,160	22nd
Saves	77	15th	50	21st
Save %	64.3%	20th	74.6%	2nd
Goals conceded per 90	1.63	6th	1.63	7th
Clean sheet %	20%	13th	15.4%	17th
Post shot xG – goals conceded	-2.6	36th	+1.6	12th
% of crosses prevented	3.8%	21st	4.5%	18th
Punches	10	17th	9	19th
High claims	15	19th	9	24th
Average SofaScore rating	6.87	34th	7.08	18th
Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore

As the table emphasises, neither of West Ham’s two goalkeepers stood out last season, with the now-departed Fabiański actually ranked higher for a few key metrics.

So, would Hermansen represent a clear upgrade?

Well, his most eye-catching performance of last season came against Arsenal in September, making 13 saves, the most by any goalkeeper in a Premier League fixture since David de Gea, also against Arsenal, in December 2017, as noted by James Benge of CBS.

After this match, analyst Ben Mattinson praised his “unreal performance”, while Rob Tanner of the Athletic labeled him a ‘a safe pair of hands’ who is also capable of ‘contributing hugely with the ball at his feet’.

So, let’s assess his own Premier League statistics from last season.

Mads Hermansen 2024/25 Premier League statistics
Statistics	Hermansen	PL rank
Minutes	2,385	16th
Goals conceded	58	3rd
Saves	99	7th
Save %	64.5%	18th
Clean sheet %	3.7%	21st
Post-shot xG – goals conceded	+1.4	15th
% of crosses prevented	6.2%	11th
Punches	20	7th
High claims	24	11th
Average SofaScore rating	6.95	26th
Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore

While many of Hermansen’s statistics last season may not all leap off the page, it is worth noting that he was playing for an absolutely hopeless Leicester side, with his post-shot xG – goals conceded figure of +1.4 the most interesting number, underlining his excellent shot-stopping ability.

So, why would the Dane be a better signing than Wilson?

Well, the veteran striker accumulated a mere 458 minutes on the pitch last season due to various injury issues, so while his quality isn’t in question, Wilson has never been reliable in terms of fitness and availability.

He also isn’t guaranteed to start, given that Füllkrug and talisman Jarrod Bowen have seemingly formed a decent partnership during pre-season.

Hermansen, on the other hand, would surely arrive as the undisputed number one from day one, given Areola’s decline, and would represent a massive upgrade on what Potter already has at his disposal.

West Ham submit "formal bid" to sign "phenomenal" Brazilian wanted by Everton

The Hammers are working on another reinforcement.

By
Tom Cunningham

Aug 2, 2025

Sunderland have now submitted an offer for an “unreal” centre-back, according to a significant update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Sunderland's summer spree set to continue

It has been a memorable summer for the Black Cats, who have built on their Championship promotion last season by making 11 permanent signings in total to date.

Granit Xhaka is arguably the most high-profile addition, with the Swiss arriving from Bayer Leverkusen and immediately being made Sunderland captain, helping his side beat West Ham 3-0 in their Premier League opener on Saturday afternoon.

Habib Diarra and Simon Adingra have come in as the Black Cats’ two most expensive additions of the summer, however, joining from Strasbourg and Brighton respectively, looking to bolster Regis Le Bris’ midfield and wide options.

The early signs certainly bode well for Sunderland, in terms of their new signings ensuring that they avoid relegation straight back down to the Championship, but their business might not be done there.

Habib Diarra

Strasbourg

£27.1m

Simon Adingra

Brighton

£21m

Enzo Le Fee

Roma

£19.8m

Chemsdine Talbi

Club Brugge

£17.2m

Noah Sadiki

Union SG

£14.6m

Granit Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen

£12.9m

Nordi Mukiele

Paris Saint-Germain

£10.3m

Omar Alderete

Getafe

£9.8m

Robin Roefs

NEC Nijmegen

£9m

Reinildo Mandava

Atletico Madrid

free transfer

Arthur Masuaku

Besiktas

free transfer

Sunderland submit bid for "unreal" centre-back

Now, Romano has taken to X to claim that Sunderland have tabled an offer for Bologna centre-back Jhon Lucumi, as their summer of spending continues. He is keen to seal move to the club.

Lucumi could be just what the Black Cats are after, with the 27-year-old an experienced head but really rising into a star over the last couple of seasons, bringing high level talent and physical dominance to Le Bris’ back-line.

He is a 29-cap Colombia international, which is no mean feat, and after 94 appearances in Serie A, he may like the idea of testing himself in the Premier League.

Younger Xhaka: Sunderland could hijack move to sign "phenomenal" £30m star

Sunderland are reportedly interested in signing a star who is a younger version of Granit Xhaka.

ByDan Emery Aug 16, 2025

Lucumi was once backed to become a “great” centre-back” by scout Jacek Kulig, while journalist Ethan Todd described him as “unreal” earlier this summer.

The Colombian would be a statement 12th permanent signing of the summer for Sunderland, assuming the deal goes through, as their squad goes from strength to strength amid their efforts to remain a Premier League team beyond this season.

Gohar’s three-for keeps Middlesex fighting but big deficit is on the cards

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Apr-2025Lancashire 353 for 9 (Harris 134*, Jennings 55, Jones 40) lead Middlesex 260 (Robson 70, Holden 69, Aspinwall 4-32) by 93 runsMarcus Harris’s century on Red Rose debut helped Lancashire take charge on day two at Lord’s.The Australian Test opener, batting at No. 4, survived an early scare to share a stand of 120 for the fifth wicket with Luke Wells (38). It was Harris’ 30th first-class ton and he became the sixth overseas player to make a hundred on his debut for the county, a trend started by his fellow Australian, the late Andrew Symonds in 2005.Keaton Jennings earlier weighed in 55 enabling the visitors to reach the close on 353 for 9.The Middlesex bowlers toiled hard, with little luck, Zafar Gohar returning 3 for 77 on debut and Blake Cullen 2 for 70, the latter’s first County Championship wickets since he dismissed Mohammed Rizwan at Hove in May 2022, such have been the young seamer’s injury woes.The alliance between Harris and Wells turned the tide of a day where Middlesex had initially held sway.Their frugal bowling in the morning session especially led to a pedestrian scoring rate of two an over by the visitors on a slow, unresponsive pitch.Lancashire’s inability to break the shackles brought reward for the home side, Jennings departing to a sharp catch at slip by Robson off Ryan Higgins, shortly after raising his 50 with the aid of eight fours.The wicket came in a spell of six overs for one run from the Zimbabwean allrounder and the pressure he exerted affected other batters too.Josh Bohannon was in skittish mood from the off, edging one just short of Robson at slip before he’d scored. He’d got to 11 when he slashed at a slightly wider one from Higgins only for Leus du Plooy to grass the chance away to his right hand in the gully.Even so, there was further reward for the Seaxes shortly before lunch when Toby Roland-Jones found the edge of Michael Jones’ bat and wicketkeeper Jack Davies took a low catch away to his right.On the resumption, Bohannon briefly suggested he’d left his pre-lunch struggles behind him, driving Henry Brookes straight for four, but the introduction of Gohar proved his undoing.Bohannon played back to one from the slow left-armer which went on with the arm and crashed into off stump.And when Matty Hurst injudiciously hooked a short one from Cullen down the throat of Nathan Fernandes at long leg the visitors were 169 for 4, still almost 100 in arrears.Even Harris wasn’t exempt from such rushes of blood to the head, having charged Gohar on 11, inside edging the ball beyond both leg stump and wicketkeeper Davies. Had he not made the thinnest of contacts the stumping would have been a formality had he not been bowled in any event.Harris though resolved to make the most of his slice of fortune, knuckling down to take charge, driving with increasing authority before raising his 50 with his eighth boundary, a savage cut to the cover fence.As the home bowlers tired in the glorious evening sunshine he forged on to three figures reached via an edge out of the clutches of slip to third man.At the other end, Wells, though playing second fiddle, hit two huge sixes, one over mid-on to get off the mark and the stand reached 120 before he waved lazily at one to be caught behind with the lead at 27.Harris was reprieved on 123 when dropped at slip by Robson, but late wickets for the persevering home attack offered Middlesex some hope ahead of day three.

“We did get a little bit of swing [against GT] but that came at the expense of getting a dry ball, which probably affected Yuzi a little bit,” PBKS assistant coach Hopes said

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2025To continue with the same ball to try to get some reverse swing or opt for a drier ball to ensure spinners can grip the ball better? Punjab Kings (PBKS) will weigh up the options before making a decision, their assistant coach James Hopes said ahead of their IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).Before the start of the season, the IPL decided to revoke the ban on the use of saliva on the ball and allowed one ball change on demand by the fielding team after the tenth over of the second innings in evening games.”Arshdeep [Singh] enjoyed it [against Gujarat Titans (GT)],” Hopes said. “He was worked on the ball properly with saliva, and we did get a little bit of swing in that last game at the end. But, to be fair, that came at the expense of getting a dry ball as well because we didn’t change our ball, and that probably affected Yuzi [Yuzvendra Chahal] a little bit as well because he wasn’t bowling with the dry ball for that game.Related

• LSG aim to take down Punjab Kings in bowler-friendly Lucknow

• Thakur: 'All bowlers want is a fair chance'

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• Fleming: 'No home advantage at Chepauk'

“So we have to weigh up what we’re going to need the most: whether we’re going to need to try and get a little bit of tail with the older ball or whether we’re going to need to give our world-class spinner a dry ball to make an impact within the last ten overs of the innings.”Tuesday’s match will be played on a red-soil pitch, which has plenty of grass covering. Hopes said he expected a “spin-heavy night out” at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.”I think it’s fine to have a home-ground advantage,” he said. “If that home-ground advantage is [that] you have a spin-heavy attack and you can play on a spinning wicket, that’s fine. At the end of the day, if you’re playing there – like you only play one game there – you’ve just got to prepare accordingly and try to combat that. It’s fine in a competition that in the last two years has got very batting-centric – like the scores are starting to get large. Teams can play with a little bit of home-ground advantage. I haven’t seen a pitch that’s unplayable by any means.”

‘Bowlers raving about Shreyas Iyer’

At PBKS, Hopes has been reunited with Shreyas Iyer – the pair had previously worked together at Delhi Capitals (DC). Iyer, who is leading PBKS after taking Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title last season, entered the IPL after being India’s highest run-getter at the Champions Trophy. Hopes talked up Iyer’s calmness on the field, especially in high-pressure situations.”His batting is world-class, and has got to a point in the last seven weeks – with what he’s done at the Champions Trophy and the rest of it – that he’s now considered one of the better short-format players in the world,” Hopes said. “From a captaincy viewpoint, he keeps everything calm on the field. The bowlers were raving about it after the first game (against GT) that how clear he is with his communication, how calm he is when the ball’s flying around, [and] when the game gets on the line.”

da brdice： Tottenham are now targeting a Premier League star who’s rejected several attempts from his club to agree a contract extension, according to a fresh report, with the player also very keen to play in the Champions League.

Related Tottenham moving for £78m "crown jewel" signing after arrival of new investor

Spurs have fresh financial backing.

Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 30, 2025

da betsson： Spurs have a few key areas of Thomas Frank’s squad they still wish to strengthen before deadline day on September 1.

After missing out on Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White in bizarre fashion, the north Londoners remain in pursuit of fresh attacking options to instill some much-needed creativity.

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

According to some reports, Tottenham have held talks with intermediaries over an audacious move for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, which would potentially require chairman Daniel Levy to shatter the club’s transfer record (AS).

A new number six is also possible, if Spurs make room in their squad by selling a midfielder (Alasdair Gold), with reliable media sources confirming that Bayern Munich and former Fulham star, Joao Palhinha, is on their list of targets.

Another area to look out for is at centre-half, despite Frank’s current abundance of defenders.

Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin and Luka Vuskovic are on Tottenham’s books right now, but the latter two may not be solid options to call upon ahead of the new season.

Vuskovic is still raw and could go out on loan again, as is the case with Ashley Phillips after he sealed a return to Stoke City, while Dragusin is still in recovery from a crushing ACL injury.

Tottenham were forced to utilise teenager Archie Gray as a makeshift centre-half amid their injury nightmare under Ange Postecoglou last season, and Frank will be very keen not to suffer the same fate as his predecessor.

Spurs are believed to remain contenders for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi as a result, coming after they had a mammoth £70m offer rejected for the Englishman in January, but he isn’t the only Premier League stalwart on Levy’s agenda.

Tottenham eye Brighton contract rebel Jan Paul van Hecke

According to Voetbal International and reporter Joost Blaauwhof, Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke is attracting interest from N17 too.

The Dutchman’s form last season prompted a call to the Netherlands international team, whilst also winning Brighton’s Player of the Season award following a stellar 2024/2025.

Brighton, for their part, are desperate to agree an extension and have made ‘several’ new deal offers. Fabian Hurzeler’s side were even prepared to table a record-breaking new contract by making van Hecke the highest-paid player in their history.

However, the 25-year-old has no interest in committing his future, and he’s firmly set his sights on a move away.

According to Voetbal, Tottenham are eyeing a move for van Hecke alongside Newcastle, with the former NAC Breda sensation dreaming of moving to a Champions League side.

Tony Bloom and co have priced van Hecke at around £43m, which could be seen as amazing value considering both his age and proven top-level experience. Just two years remain on the player’s current contract, though, so there is scope for Levy to even whittle down this price tag.

South Australian seamer will be available for the Division Two club’s County Championship fixtures in May

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2025

This will be Conway’s first taste of County Cricket•Getty Images

Australian seamer Harry Conway has signed a deal with Northamptonshire to play in the County Championship during May.Conway will join Wantage Road for four Division Two matches. His first will be against Leicestershire (May 2) before fixtures against Lancashire, Glamorgan and Gloucestershire.The 32-year-old has made three appearances for Sheffield Shield finalists South Australia this winter, taking eight wickets at 27.12. A quick bowler capable of extracting decent bounce, Conway reinforces Northamptonshire’s seam options which were diminished by the loss of Jack White to Yorkshire at the end of last season.A former Australia U19, Conway came through at New South Wales, before eventually swapping states with a move to the Adelaide Oval in 2022. He boasts a first-class record of 119 wickets at 28.86 across 46 appearances.Conway joins fellow South Australian Darren Lehmann who now heads up the coaching team at Northamptonshire. Both he and South African Matthew Breetzke are the club’s overseas options for the first half of the season, before the arrival of India leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal from June until the end of the season.”I’m super excited for the opportunity to come over and try and win games for an awesome County,” said Conway in a statement released on Friday. “The team is full of young talent, and I can’t wait to play under an international standard coach in Darren Lehmann.”Lehmann believes Conway’s skillsets will see him thrive during his stint. “Harry perfectly fits the mould of English conditions and will hopefully help us get off to a positive start.””The experience that he brings will be invaluable, especially on the wickets that we’ll play on early in the season.”

The former allrounder, now president of the ACA, believes outside investment can bring fresh ideas and approaches

Daniel Brettig16-Feb-2021Shane Watson, the Australian Cricketers’ Association president, believes Cricket Australia should re-examine the notion of private ownership of BBL clubs, a decade after the governing body’s initial “float” of stakes in the T20 league met a quiet end.Private ownership of BBL clubs, the tournament model favoured by a large portion of overseas domestic leagues including the IPL, PSL, CPL and BPL, was a contentious issue at the time CA elected to move towards new identities for eight T20 teams, with a prospectus drawn up and a business mission taken to India to gauge private interest in the idea. Some of the initial structures of the BBL clubs, namely the independent boards and chief executives of the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades, were drawn up partly with private investment in mind.CA’s executives, led by the then CEO James Sutherland and former head of strategy Andrew Jones, were cooler about the idea than some members of the CA board, and the idea fizzled out as the league was launched on a trajectory towards securing a far larger slice of an A$1.2 billion broadcast rights pie in 2018. Three years on, with CA embroiled in a battle with Seven West Media over the network’s campaign for a discount to its fees and Covid-19 affecting events more broadly, Watson reckons the concept should be revisited.Related

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“Yes, it 100% needs a revisit, and it’s a way to continue to get a cash injection as well,” Watson told ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously they’d need to set things up to put things in place to make sure CA still have control that they desire across the franchises and the playing group, but absolutely, it’ll bring in an influx of different people, new money as well, to be able to continue to grow the game. So I think that absolutely would be a big step forward.”There are plenty of other backers of private investment around the ACA board table: chairman Greg Dyer and director Neil Maxwell – also a Cricket New South Wales board member – have both publicly advocated for the concept in the past. Others with considerable knowledge of the area include the NSW Cricket chairman John Knox, who in his former role with Credit Suisse drew up the prospectus when privatisation was first mooted in 2010-11. Much of the opposition to private investment focused on differing priorities between team owners and governing bodies.Other models are emerging however. Private equity investment, as is currently being explored by New Zealand Rugby to exploit the All Blacks brand, presents the opportunity to somewhat tilt the balance in negotiations over a whole range of commercial areas for a club or tournament.”I’ve seen it in a lot of the tournaments I’ve played in, one thing when you have private owners is it brings in a new type of person, a new type of industry, new money streams into a very traditional cricket environment,” Watson said. “It’s the same sort of sponsors, the same people who’ve always been around cricket in Australia for example, so if you open it up to privatisation it means you’re getting some very successful people or business with different ideas on how to be able to expand things, make them better, challenge the status quo.”Not just from a financial point of view but also just from a brand and evolution point of view. I’ve always been very surprised it hasn’t been something that CA have looked at, and gone for. I’ve seen it work so incredibly well in the IPL and the PSL for example, because it brings in new, successful people, new money into something that’s been, in CA’s case, the same sort of status quo for a long period of time.”Speaking on other issues around the game, Watson expressed his disappointment that dressing room questions about the mentoring style of the coach Justin Langer had reached the public domain, but said that it was incumbent on administrators to be “proactive” about how the national team’s leaders were operating relative to the ever-changing nature of the dressing room.”The biggest thing is having the right person at the right time, the right coach or the right captain at the right time,” Watson said. “People retire, people come in and out of the team and as soon as a couple of people move in and out of the team, that can change the whole dynamic of what’s required from a coaching or leadership perspective. That’s where we have to make sure we are really proactive, because when the decision-makers aren’t proactive around what’s required right now, that’s when we can get into trouble.”Watson noted that it was vital for the game’s custodians to be aware also that – whatever might be said publicly – leadership roles in Australian cricket were highly sought-after as prizes with rich rewards for their holders, meaning that it was critical that open discussions were had about whether anyone might be hanging onto them for too long.”That is one of the biggest things – are the people who want to be the captain of Australia doing it because that’s just been their whole goal and that’s all they want, and they’ll do anything they can to get to the top, and that’s not just in the Australian cricket team, that’s leadership in general,” he said.”What are the reasons why you want to be in the top position, is it because it’s all about you and you’ve always wanted that and you’ll just make sure you get there and then you make sure you stay there. For all different reasons, whether it’s sponsorship or marketing, whether it’s just because you love being the main man.Or whether it’s the other side of things: you love helping people, you love getting the best out of them, you weren’t chasing it, but once you got an opportunity, then you loved helping people out and guiding people. The person who stands out straight away to me there is Ricky Ponting; he was never chasing the captaincy, a great team man, but then when he got it, yes he was a leader, but he still cared about others, it wasn’t just about him.Shane Watson has branched out into producing cricket equipment•T20stars

“For some of these coaches, [Australia] is a huge job. You’re the one who’s pointing the ship of Australian cricket in one direction, you’re making the call, that’s your vision filtering down through all the layers. You’re dealing with the media, with the board, with the playing group to get the best out of them, and then your coaching staff as well. So of course, the coach of Australia does get paid incredibly well, and there’s no question that’s going to be one of the reasons why some people hang in a bit longer, because it’s such a big carrot dangling in front of them.”In addition to his ACA role, Watson has ventured into the bats and equipment game, arguing he is trying to “break the model” of established brands and high overheads with a direct-to-customer model based largely upon online sales under the T20 Stars umbrella with which he has also launched a podcast.”I’ve always been a cricket gear tragic since I was a kid, so I’m very particular about every little detail of my gear,” he said. “When it comes to challenging the pricing model that’s out there, it’s just something that when I really started to dig into it I had the realisation of just how expensive cricket gear has got from when I first started playing in my early years. My parents certainly weren’t wealthy, they just got together enough money for me to be able to feel like I never went without.”But nowadays there’s no way they could’ve afforded the top of the range gear. So when I dug into why things have got so expensive, there is a really simple way to be able to break that model down, which is going direct to consumer…and that means the people buying the equipment because they want to get into the game, can actually get it more affordably, just because it’s going directly to them.”The biggest challenge is that everyone’s used to going to cricket shops to try the gear and feel the bats. Absolutely there has to be a way for people to touch and feel the gear as well. I’m getting some guys I played cricket with around the states to be like the agents to get gear into people’s hands, and in Sydney I’ll be getting out to schools and clubs to allow them to see the products.” Shane Watson’s cricket equipment is available at shop.t20stars.com

Recent results aside, things are generally looking up for Tottenham Hotspur at the moment.

They have a popular manager in the hot seat who is dedicated to playing aesthetically pleasing, attacking football, and while they might not make the Champions League, they stand a great chance of qualifying for the Europa League.

Moreover, with the summer transfer window right around the corner, the club have an opportunity to flex their financial muscles a bit and really back Ange Postecoglou's vision.

That said, alongside bringing some players into the club, Daniel Levy and Co must cut the deadwood, and there is one high earner in particular that simply has to go.

Tanguy Ndombele's Spurs career

Come on, who else could it have been?

French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele joined Spurs from Ligue 1 giants Lyon in the summer of 2019, attracting considerable fanfare from supporters and pundits alike due to his impressive performances in his home country and the Champions League.

For example, in an assessment that might still haunt him to this day, The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote (for the Independent) that 'The £55million arrival of Tanguy Ndombele from Olympique Lyonnais is not just the most important football signing of the summer, but the loudest statement about the direction of any club for years.'

However, in his defence, most of us thought he would be a hit signing at the time, as just a year prior, Pep Guardiola described the Lyon team he was a part of as being "full of quality" after it was reported that the Spaniard encouraged Manchester City to sign the midfielder ahead of Spurs.

Fortunately for them, the Lilywhites got their man, and despite the odd good performance here and there, the Frenchman has never been able to live up to the expectations people had for him, often being labelled as "lazy" by fans and pundits for his apparent lack of effort on the pitch.

Appearances

91

Goals

10

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.20

The 27-year-old has made 91 appearances for the club since 2019, scoring ten goals, providing nine assists, and leaving on loan three times, and to make matters worse, when he returns from his current loan, he'll be the club's top earner.

Tanguy Ndombele's salary at Spurs

When Ndombele joined the North Londoners in 2019 for £63m, he was handed a massive £200k-per-week deal, which, at the time, made him the joint-top earner at the club alongside Harry Kane and means that he's currently making more money than club captain and icon Heung-min Son, who makes around £190k-per-week.

His mammoth salary comes to around £10.4m-per-season, which means, for the first two and a half years at the club, he earned £26m before spending the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan with Lyon.

With it clear that he no longer had a future in N17, Antonio Conte agreed to send the central midfielder on loan to Serie A giants Napoli last season, who paid €3.5m – £3m – towards his salary, leaving Tottenham to foot the other £7.4m.

Whereas this year, his new loan club, Galatasaray agreed to pay just €3.1m – £2.6m – meaning Postecoglou's Spurs are still paying a massive £7.8m for a player they clearly do not want.

Transfer Fee

£63m

Wages (Total)

£200k (£41.2m)

Appearances

91

Cost per Appearance

£1.1m

Goals

10

Cost per Goal

£10.4m

Assists

9

Cost per Assist

£11.5m

Goal Involvements

19

Cost per Goal Involvement

£5.4m

Therefore, when combining the Frenchman's wages from his time in England and on loan with his transfer fee, the total cost will amount to a whopping £104.2m by the end of the season, and it could be even higher depending on the agreement the club had with Lyon in 2021/22.

In other words, the Longjumeau-born flop cost Spurs around £1.1m-per-appearance, £10.4m-per-goal, or £11.5m-per-assist – talk about value for money.

Ultimately, while there have undoubtedly been worse players to have represented Tottenham in the past, the sheer amount of money involved here has to make Ndombele one of the worst transfers in the club's history, and if Galatasaray do not take up their €15m – £13m – option to buy at the end of the season, Levy and Co must be cold and terminate his deal.

Spurs were rinsed by Poch's "deadwood" who earned more than Van de Ven

The Pochettino-backed flop cost the Lilywhites an awful lot of money.

ByJack Salveson Holmes May 7, 2024