It has been revealed that Manchester United opted to target Benjamin Sesko over Viktor Gyokeres in the summer, as the Red Devils believed that the young Slovenian was better suited to their project and style of play based on data. Sesko has had a slow start to life in the Premier League, but the club retain faith that the 22-year-old has a bright future at Old Trafford and is a big part of the club's future under Ruben Amorim.

United choose to pursue Sesko over Gyokeres, reports reveal

According to reports by The Mirror, United considered the signings of both Sesko and Gyokeres, but decided to prioritise the former as the ideal centrepiece to their new-look attack under Amorim. 

The former RB Leipzig striker has only scored twice for the Red Devils thus far and has found himself in and out of the side following his £74million ($96.8m) move, but the club remain patient with the highly rated young forward. 

Reports continue that Sesko’s running stats were crucial in his signing, as per The Times. Mike Sansoni joined the club as director of data in the summer following 11 years with the Mercedes Formula 1 team, and has led the new focus on data across the Red Devils’ recruitment process.

Sansoni works closely with Director of Football Jason Wilcox and is leading an initiative for the club to become a “fully data-driven club which will lead to success on and off the pitch”, using his extensive range of data on tens of thousands of players. This data led to the marquee signing of Sesko, who will hope to prove the club right in Red over the coming months. 

AdvertisementGettySlow start for Sesko at Old Trafford after big-money move

Sesko’s two Premier League goals so far this season have come in defeat at Brentford and the victory at home to Sunderland at Old Trafford, which marked the beginning of United’s three-game winning streak which included a historic 2-1 win at Anfield.

The 22-year-old struck 39 goals in two impressive seasons with Leipzig, scoring 13 times in the Bundesliga last term and four in the Champions League. He is still developing into his role at United and will hope that his strong data-led profile leads to strong results on the pitch with his new employers – though he is currently out injured.  

Gyokeres, meanwhile, has scored four times in the Premier League for leaders Arsenal and six times overall, following his £63.4m ($83m) move from Sporting Lisbon, where he was prolific under Amorim and drew inevitable links as a result. 

'I'm relaxed' – Amorim backs new signing

Amorim said on Sesko's adaptation period: "I'm relaxed, he's not relaxed. I understand how things are in football and he's going to struggle. That is normal. He has no experience here.

"Ben is a young kid, a control freak. He wants to control everything – and he's not going to control everything. He has more potential than I was thinking [but] we need to understand how he likes to play and also to put in our ideas.

"I'm quite relaxed with that. He is going to be our striker for the long term but he's going to have these struggles and these bumps during the ride. That is a normal thing in football."  

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GettySesko set for period on the sidelines

Sesko could be out for three weeks following a knee injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur prior to the international break. He will hope to regain his goalscoring boots on his return, which could come after Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo have departed for the Africa Cup of Nations.

United face Everton on Monday at Old Trafford, knowing that victory could see them regain their place in the top six of the Premier League. There will be a tribute to the late Mani of the Stone Roses prior to kick-off, after the massive Red Devils fan passed away aged 63 on Thursday.

The tribute will create a powerful atmosphere prior to kick-off in a match which could continue United’s strong recent run of form, amidst a five-match unbeaten streak which has seen Amorim win the Premier League’s Manager of the Month for October.   

تحدث الألماني فلوريان فيرتز، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول عن التعادل مع سندرلاند ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وواجه ليفربول نظيره سندرلاند مساء اليوم، الأربعاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وحسم التعادل الإيجابي 1/1 مباراة ليفربول أمام سندرلاند في مواجهة قوية للغاية واستمرت إثارتها حتى اللحظات الأخيرة.

بتلك النتيجة، احتل ليفربول المركز الثامن برصيد 22 نقطة في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”.

اقرأ أيضًا | تقييم محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وسندرلاند بالدوري الإنجليزي

واستطاع فيرتز أن يساهم في هدف التعادل في الدقيقة 81 بعد مهارة كبيرة من نجم خط الوسط الألماني واخترق منطقة الجزاء وسدد الكرة على يمين حارس سندرلاند، لكنها ارتطمت في قدم مدافع الخصم نوردي موكيلي.

وقال فلوريان فيرتز لاعب وسط ليفربول لشبكة سكاي سبورتس: “أردنا الفوز لكن النتيجة انتهت بالتعادل بطريقة سيئة للغاية”.

وعن موسمه حتى الآن: “لقد استقبلني الفريق بحفاوة وترحيب كبير، إنه فريق جيد جدًا وأنا سعيد جدًا بوجودي هنا في ليفربول”.

وأتم: “نحن في طريقنا للعودة بقوة ونبذل قصارى جهدنا للعودة والفوز بالمباريات، كنا نرغب في الفوز اليوم ونريد أن نكون في صدارة جدول الترتيب، علينا فقط مواصلة العمل الجاد ونأمل أن تتغير الأمور للأحسن”.

Every member of the Dodgers bullpen was put on notice Monday night when K-Pop star V from the blockbuster boy band BTS threw a surprisingly epic first pitch at Los Angeles's game vs. the Reds.

The left-handed pitch—which was deemed a strike—sent stan Twitter (as it is still colloquially known) into a frenzy, as surprised Dodgers fans, meanwhile, called on the front office to sign him.

MLB's initial post has an eye-watering 72,000 retweets. That's the power of the BTS Army, baby.

Take a look at that reaction below:

MatériaMais Notícias

Ronaldo Fenômeno vive sua maior crise como gestor da SAF do Cruzeiro, e o ex-jogador possui conversas avançadas para negociar as ações com Pedro Lourenço, dono da rede varejista Supermercados BH. A informação é do jornalista Samuel Venâncio.

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➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

As porcentagens e valores do negócio serão anunciados na próxima semana, mas a mudança no comando da SAF do Cruzeiro será de forma gradual. 90% das ações estão sob controle da Tara Sports, empresa de Ronaldo Fenômeno.

➡️ Siga o Lance! São Paulo no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Tricolor

Quando se tornou sócio-majoritário, Ronaldo assinou documento no qual consta que ele não poderia vender o controle da SAF a um terceiro durante o período de 60 meses, ou até alcançar os R$ 350 milhões de investimento adicionais.

continua após a publicidade

O momento recente do Cruzeiro, eliminado pelo Sousa-PB na Copa do Brasil e o vice-campeonato para o Atlético-MG, na final do Campeonato Mineiro, deixaram a relação entre a torcida e Ronaldo Fenômeno mais tensa, com protestos cobrando o ex-jogador.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários dos jogos do Brasileirão

A ida de Pedro Martins, diretor de futebol da Cruzeiro, para o Vasco, foi o estopim para a crise vivida por Ronaldo na Toca da Raposa.

Tudo sobre

CruzeiroRonaldo Fenômeno

Daniel Farke was already on borrowed time in the Leeds United dug-out heading into his lowly side’s clash with Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Indeed, the depressing backdrop heading into this big tie at Elland Road was four defeats from their last five games in the intense Premier League, and now, it’s five defeats from their last six, culminating in the West Yorkshire outfit sinking into that final relegation spot.

At one stage, Leeds looked in control after a scrappy Lukas Nmecha goal found the back of the net after just eight minutes had been played.

But, in the end, Villa’s quality shone through courtesy of a Morgan Rogers brace in the second half, and while Rogers came good in that pivotal second 45 minutes, Brenden Aaronson produced another no-show to trouble his manager’s precarious position even more.

Why Aaronson must now be dropped by Farke

Not even home comforts could save Leeds from a late Villa comeback.

Of course, last time at home, before this disastrous slip-up, Leeds picked up a much-needed 2-1 win over relegation rivals West Ham United, as Aaronson stole the show with a goal and an overall energetic outing.

Unfortunately for Aaronson, his showing against the Villans was a far cry from his standout performance against Nuno Espirito Santo’s visitors.

Against the Hammers, the American attacking midfielder successfully completed all three of his dribbles as a nuisance that the East Londoners had to keep tabs on throughout. On the contrary, on Sunday afternoon, Aaronson routinely lost the ball when attempting to burst forward with pace, with just one of his five dribbles coming off.

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On top of that, the hard-working figure who won eight duels during that 2-1 win was replaced by a weak number 11 who won just five of his 13 duels. Most importantly, too, the right winger only managed one effort on target at Emiliano Martinez’s goal, as Villa always felt like they had the below-par ex-Union Berlin playmaker under control.

If the German continues to select Aaronson, he will be very much on the chopping block for the sack, with both Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto perhaps better suited to this right-wing role, over the hot-and-cold 25-year-old.

After all, the Welshman at least excited the Elland Road masses late on when his goalbound effort was disallowed for a handball by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

That being said, Aaronson isn’t the only underperformer who looks out of his depth in the Premier League.

Not just Aaronson: Big-money signing must be ditched

How much longer will the Leeds hierarchy persist with the former Norwich City boss in the dug-out?

After today’s defeat, they will want to see some immediate positive results, but with Manchester City and Chelsea up next in a very tricky double-header, the near future looks grim.

Still, he could pull off a shock result against either team, as is the unpredictability of the division, particularly if he ditches Lucas Perri in between the sticks, who fell victim to another shaky day at the office on Sunday.

The decisive match-winning free-kick was a wonderfully hit effort from the man of the moment in Rogers, but Leeds fans would have watched on in disbelief as Perri stayed rooted to his spot, with The Athletic’s Beren Cross critical of the ex-Lyon goalkeeper, who “barely moved”.

Away from helping Rogers to collect his brace, Perri also failed to look convincing with just two saves registered, alongside only ten of his passes hitting their intended target, leaving him with a dire 53% pass accuracy come the final whistle.

Games played

7

Goals conceded

14

Goals conceded*

2.0

Saves made

14

Saves made*

2.0 (50%)

Goals prevented

– 1.53

Pass accuracy*

19.0 (58%)

Clean sheets

2

For a newly promoted side who were on the hunt for a clear upgrade on Illan Meslier in the summer, they might well feel ripped off now that they forked out £13.9m on his services, with the flappy Brazilian conceding an average of two goals a game now, having kept just two clean sheets to date.

Amazingly, Karl Darlow – who cost £400k – might be the better option now, having averaged more saves per game than Perri this season from his limited minutes at 2.6 per clash, with Leeds surely fearing a drubbing at the hands of City up next if their new number one is retained.

Journalist Adonis Storr at the full-time whistle stated that Farke must be “in serious trouble” now, as boos headed his direction with some ferocity at the end, with both Perri and Aaronson needing to be dropped for the next crucial game to try and somehow steer the sinking ship back on course.

If they remain in the XI, Farke will likely be out of a job very swiftly.

Leeds 1-2 Aston Villa: "Sneaky" Elland Road moment that VAR may have missed

There was a controversial moment in Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory at Elland Road.

ByDominic Lund Nov 23, 2025

New Zealand 224 for 6 (Mitchell 78*, Bracewell 51, Carse 3-45) beat England 223 (Brook 135, Overton 46, Foulkes 4-41, Duffy 3-66) by four wickets There was a strong westerly wind blowing across the Bay Oval on Sunday afternoon. If you happened to cock your ear to the breeze during the first hour of play, you would have heard – clear as day – the sound of mocking laughter, floating across the Tasman Sea and down through the shires of Hobbiton.In a contest billed as the official start of the Ashes phoney war, England’s Australia-bound top-order produced a stunning false start. Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jacob Bethell – Ashes bankers, bolters and, as the Aussies might now contend, bottlers – all found themselves caught up in a catastrophic collapse of 10 for 4 in 5.1 overs that was precisely as serious as the discourse that it will generate.Related

• Brook brilliance can't mask issues for brittle England batting

• England seek clarity for seam attack as ODI reboot gathers pace

• Switch Hit: Rainy, phoney, baloney

• 135/223 – Harry Brook rewrites record books with one-man show

Jos Buttler soon joined the procession at 33 for 5, and it was a measure of the nonsensical scenario that – when Sam Curran nicked off at 56 for 6, to become the fourth wicket of Zak Foulkes’ remarkable maiden spell in ODI cricket – the time back home in the UK, thanks to the peculiarities of daylight-saving, was 1.59am: in other words, one minute prior to the contest’s original start-time.New Zealand duly wrapped up victory with time to spare as well, by four wickets and with 80 balls left unused, thanks to Michael Bracewell’s run-a-ball 51 and a 91-ball 78 from Daryl Mitchell that had to surmount its own dicey circumstances at 24 for 3, courtesy of Luke Wood and Brydon Carse’s new-ball breakthroughs – including a first-baller on his return to action for the great Kane Williamson, his first in 15 years of ODIs.Harry Brook carried England’s innings on his shoulders•Getty Images

And yet, the game would scarcely have outlasted one of last week’s rained-off T20Is had it not been for Harry Brook – England’s white-ball captain, Test vice-captain-elect, and a man in no mood to let circumstance dictate his game-plan. His response to his team’s extreme adversity was a startling lone-wolf innings of 135 from 101 balls that turned an impending humiliation into an almost serviceable total of 223 in 35.2 overs.It was Brook’s fourth century in the country, following his three hundreds across two previous Test tours, and – given the circumstances – it was more extraordinary even than his 186 at Wellington in 2023 which, for those who witnessed that onslaught, is saying something.Brook scored each of his first 36 runs in boundaries, en route to a total of nine fours and 11 sixes. The latter included three in a row off Jacob Duffy to reach his hundred from 82 balls, and four more thereafter, as he juiced 80 runs from England’s final two wickets in an innings in which just one other batter scored more than 6.That man was Jamie Overton, who contributed 46 from 54 balls in a seventh-wicket stand of 87 that wrested the momentum back from New Zealand, after Foulkes and Matt Henry had rumbled their way through 15 new-ball overs in a row. His performance had distinct echoes of a previous tussle with New Zealand – on Test debut in 2022, when he had arrived at a near-identical 55 for 6 and partnered Jonny Bairstow with a career-best 97.Once again, Overton fell short of a milestone in this innings, as he chipped a Duffy slower ball to cover, whereupon Carse joined the procession of Ashes-bound players by cutting his first ball straight to the returning Williamson at point. Brook, by then, had had one key let-off on 63, when Rachin Ravindra dropped a fast-travelling slog-sweep at square leg, but the power and clarity of his subsequent onslaught took the breath away.And to think Mitchell Santner hadn’t even been sure whether bowling first was the sensible option. Henry’s first ball of the match immediately laid any doubts to rest as he wrecked Smith’s first outing of the winter with a perfect stump-rattling inducker, one that deserved to rouse a few memories of Rory Burns’ catastrophic start to the 2021-22 Ashes proper.Brydon Carse removed Kane Williamson for his first golden duck in ODIs•Getty Images

Foulkes then ripped into the contest with the first-over wickets of Duckett, caught flinching outside off for 2, and Root, who stepped into a wild drive and was also bowled by lavish seam movement. Two Foulkes overs later, Bethell too had his off stump plucked out by a jaffa, and there seemed no earthly way for England’s innings to pull out of its death spiral.Brook, though, had other ideas. His 135 out of 223 comprised 60.53% of England’s innings, a new record that outdid Robin Smith’s legendary 167 not out against Australia in 1993 – which, coincidentally was another mighty knock that was unable to stave off ultimate defeat.England gave it a good crack, mind you. Carse, a star of last year’s Test-series win in New Zealand, matched Foulkes with two wickets in his opening over as Will Young was bowled by an inswinging yorker for 5 before Williamson snicked a first-ball snorter through to Buttler behind the stumps.Luke Wood then did for a free-flowing Ravindra, well caught by Overton at second slip as the bowler – remarkably – claimed his first List A wicket since 2019. And when Carse fired a wobble-seam delivery into Tom Latham’s shin for 24, New Zealand were 66 for 4 and in clear danger of frittering away their unbelievable start.Bracewell and Mitchell turned the tide in a fifth-wicket stand of 92, though they needed some luck along the way. Bracewell was dropped at slip on 2 by Root, in Overton’s opening over, while Mitchell had an even more glaring let-off on 33, when Wood at backward point dropped a sitter of a reverse-sweep off the legspin of Adil Rashid.With the requirement under control, however, New Zealand were able to play well within themselves – at least until Bracewell needlessly ran himself out with 66 still needed, whereupon Mitchell ramped New Zealand’s first six over fine leg to signal the final charge. Santner added two more in quick succession off Rashid before holing out to long-on for 27, but Mitchell launched the winning hit over backward square.The fireworks, and the talking points, however, had long since been and gone.

The Premier League is finally back tomorrow, and Arsenal continue their campaign with the North London Derby on Sunday afternoon.

However, it could be a more challenging game than last year, as even with Martin Odegaard back in training, Mikel Arteta’s side could be without several key players.

The manager wouldn’t say whether the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz or Gabriel Martinelli were back in contention, for example, but one player who is sure to be out is Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Brazilian centre-back is set to be out for at least a few weeks, and while that’s a massive blow, the solution could be to move another defender into a different position.

Arsenal's record against Spurs

Arsenal’s game against Spurs on Sunday afternoon will be the 212th competitive meeting between the rivals.

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Their first encounter came all the way back in November 1896, when the Gunners were still south of the River, and ended in a 2-1 Arsenal victory.

Since then, while the Lilywhites have had periods of dominance, it’s the red side of North London that have had the better of the rivalry, winning 89 games, drawing 55 and losing 67.

Unsurprisingly, Arteta’s side have been even more dominant than that in recent years, losing just two of the last ten meetings, drawing one and winning the other seven.

Moreover, the title chasers are undefeated in their last six games against their old enemy and, despite being in a spot of bother form-wise at the time, won the most recent meeting 2-1.

Arsenal’s recent record v Spurs

Season

Home/Away

Result

22/23

Away

2-0 (W)

23/24

Home

2-2 (D)

23/24

Away

3-2 (W)

24/25

Away

1-0 (W)

24/25

Home

2-1 (W)

What makes that win all the more impressive is that Son Heung-min actually opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute.

However, Arsenal were back in front just 19 minutes later, thanks to a Dominic Solanke own goal and a brilliant effort from Leandro Trossard.

With all that said, even though Arteta has consistently gotten the better of Spurs, the game on Sunday will be a tough one, but he might already have a solution to Gabriel’s injury.

Arteta's solution to Gabriel's injury

The good news for Arsenal is that there are a few ways Arteta can go about replacing Gabriel.

For example, he could bring Cristhian Mosquera back into the side, play Ben White there or even hand a start to Piero Hincapie.

However, the former is right-footed, White hasn’t played at centre-back in a long time, and the Ecuadorian is still unproven in this team, so throwing him into a derby might be unwise.

Therefore, while it might not be the most popular decision, Arteta should move Riccardo Calafiori from left-back into the Brazilian’s position.

Now, there are a few reasons for this, and the first is that, like the injured star, the Italian international is left-footed, and while that might not seem all that important at first, it really is.

It gives the defence some real balance and makes it easier for him to play out from the back when going up the left-hand side of the pitch.

The second reason the dynamic defender should be moved into the back two is that he’s already got plenty of experience playing there.

For example, during his time with Bologna, he made 29 appearances at centre-back and only six as a full-back. Moreover, during pre-season, he once again played there when Gabriel was out with the injury he picked up against Fulham last season.

Finally, the 23-year-old “wild horse,” as dubbed by the Telegraph’s Sam Dean, has already played plenty of football this season, so he should be far more familiar with the tactics than one of the other options. And while he did return early from international duty, there is a good chance he is ready to play.

Ultimately, while Arteta has several options to replace Gabriel on Sunday, he should go with the £120k-per-week Calafiori.

Related Arsenal handed another injury doubt for Tottenham clash after twist and Gabriel blow

It could see the recall of an exciting talent.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Nov 21, 2025

Three games into the 2025-26 season under new head coach Thomas Frank, Tottenham must have believed they were onto a sure-fire winner. They showed tremendous promise in their eventual UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, destroyed Burnley in their Premier League opener, and then tore apart Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Fast-forward three months, though, and you'd be hard pressed to find a Spurs fan who didn't have major reservations over Frank, let alone a growing contingent of people wanting him sacked. Tottenham were incredibly lucky to lose only 1-0 to Chelsea at the start of November, while they could have few complaints over Sunday's 4-1 hammering at the hands of north London rivals Arsenal.

Across those two matches against their most bitter of foes, Frank's side registered only six shots and a combined expected goals tally of 0.17. Their only goal came courtesy of Richarlison, who lobbed David Raya from just inside Arsenal's half during the second of those two defeats.

Frank was hired to bring organisation and a calmer head to a young team that had been burnt too much by their own adventure under Ange Postecoglou. However, by completely throwing that identity in reverse, Frank has made Spurs one of the most boring teams in the Premier League without a requisite number of points to make this at least palatable. Even his Brentford teams of far lesser quality never resorted to the lows we've seen of Tottenham over the last few weeks.

CEO Vinai Venkatesham declared upon Frank's hiring that he scored highest on a 10-point checklist of 30 managerial candidates. The club's belief in such a system will be put to the test over the winter unless the Dane gets his house in order again.

There isn't a simple fix to Spurs' issues, not least because they severely lack the star power of a Harry Kane or a Son Heung-min to get them out of a hole these days, but there are definitely solutions within Frank's reach to curb this unrest. GOAL runs through eight ideas to get Tottenham firing again:

Getty Images SportDestroy the 'Bentinha' midfield

Jamie Carragher broke down the number one problem with Spurs' build-up play prior to the November international break, which is that Frank has put far too much trust in two destroyers to anchor his midfield, particularly loan signing Joao Palhinha.

"Palhinha hasn't got the quality," he began, commentating over a clip from their loss to Chelsea. "For me, for a player playing in central midfield for Tottenham, that is a pass you have to be able to make. He can't make it, so… he goes back. Listen to the boos. The only reason he does a clever turn on the ball is because of the boos. Otherwise, he’d have gone back to the goalkeeper. Palhinha gets back on the ball and he takes five touches because he hasn't got the confidence or the ability.

"You might look at that result and think there's not a lot wrong, but when you watch the game at the weekend, that was like watching a League Two team against a Premier League team in the FA Cup. When you look at the stats, there was a huge contrast with the ball, and that is the biggest challenge for any coach making that jump from one of the teams in the bottom half of the Premier League to one of the big boys."

Pairing Portugal international Palhinha with Rodrigo Bentancur hasn't helped matters. In isolation, they're OK footballers who can break up play, but together they present huge challenges for Spurs both in and out of possession. They don't show for the ball, they don't want to progress the ball centrally, and they're not clean when they do get on the ball. The derby defeats showed their positions are effectively redundant too, seeing as Spurs gave away so many shots on the edge of the own box in the area the duo ought to be occupying.

Pape Matar Sarr, with his lung-busting energy and determination to actually get into the game, has inexplicably had his minutes cut following a fine start to the season. It probably isn't a coincidence he played out of his skin against PSG and Man City before results and performances took a tumble when he was removed from the XI. Meanwhile, Lucas Bergvall – the only player in the squad that resembles a deep-lying playmaker – and Archie Gray haven't featured enough considering those ahead of them have been churning out mediocre performances bi-weekly. Frank has to turn to fresh blood in midfield.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportKeep the ball on the floor

Spurs' inability to progress play in central areas has made them even more predictable than they were under Postecoglou. Guglielmo Vicario passes to Micky van de Ven, Van de Ven passes it back, Vicario passes it back again, Van de Ven doesn't have any other option but to smash it into the channel, where nobody is willing to challenge for it and they turn the ball over. Rinse and repeat every time you get a goal-kick.

Frank has tried to simplify Tottenham's game too much. It's overkill. As Gary Neville pointed out on commentary during the Arsenal loss, there's a difference between playing direct and playing long without any plan whatsoever.

Part of Spurs' current predicament is the only in-possession principles they appear to be abiding by are from set pieces. The Dane could perhaps take some tips from one of his predecessors, Mauricio Pochettino, in this sense.

Before Tottenham scored their second goal in what was an eventual 3-2 loss at Liverpool in 2015 during his first season, Pochettino was seen shouting one particular instruction towards defender Eric Dier. "Eric! To feet! No long balls!" he yelped from the sidelines. Now, this version of Spurs would go on to become a team who could cut teams open with ranging passes, but the point is that Pochettino wanted his troops to learn a rudimentary way of his final philosophy first. To boot, this came after the Argentine had made sweeping squad changes to overthrow the old guard and build around a younger core. This wouldn't be unprecedented territory for Frank to head into as a Tottenham head coach.

Getty Images SportLean on natural full-backs

This is a minor point in the grand scheme of this rebuild given there are only three full-backs in the Tottenham squad and Destiny Udogie has been injured for part of the season, but it's a structural issue all the same.

Pedro Porro, one of the Premier League's best attacking full-backs, hasn't hit top form yet this season. He's getting into promising positions, though has been let down by some poor deliveries and his team-mates not exactly knowing where to stand and which runs to make. Playing a back five at Arsenal would have made far more sense if Spain's first-choice right-back was starting instead of the defence-first option of Djed Spence.

Speaking of the England star, Spence's inclination to tuck infield when deployed on the left has also contributed to an overload of nothingness in the middle of the park. In the absence of Udogie, it would be worth giving Van de Ven some more opportunities at full-back, where he has been playing for the Netherlands national team.

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Getty Images SportTrust in Simons

Back in August, Tottenham nearly wrapped up a deal to sign Eberechi Eze. At the eleventh hour, Arsenal swooped in and brought him back to his boyhood club instead. The silver lining for Spurs was this led to a deal for Xavi Simons, who was only lower down their list of targets because it seemed for all the world he would be heading to Chelsea instead.

It would have hurt the Lilywhites immeasurably that Simons was dropped for the derby while Eze dropped a hat-trick on them. The point made by fans on social media post-match was there's an irony that Eze probably wouldn't have even been selected for this encounter had he joined Tottenham, such has been the extent of Frank's pragmatism to this point.

Simons, much like Liverpool's Florian Wirtz, is still adapting to the Premier League following a successful stint in the Bundesliga. If Spurs fans want any consolation over what happened at the Emirates Stadium, the Dutchman is five years Eze's junior and clearly has the potential to become a leading attacking midfielder, though his development is only being stifled by Frank and his deep-lying midfielders refusing to get him into games more.

This Tottenham team have created very little over the course of the season irrespective of whether Simons has been playing, though arguably one of their more potent spells came when they were trailing at Brighton in October, and the introduction of the No.10 in his natural position helped Spurs come from two goals down to earn a well-deserved 2-2 draw. Simons may as well be given more of a licence to roam and feel his way into games if Frank's men are putting up such measly xG totals anyway.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League triumph in the 2024/25 campaign allowed numerous players to write themselves into the club’s history books forever.

The Lilywhites ended their 17-year wait for a piece of silverware, and did so in tremendous fashion after defeating fellow Premier League side Manchester United in Bilbao.

Ange Postecoglou handed the fanbase memories to last a lifetime with the triumph, but it wasn’t enough to maintain his position as manager in North London.

Thomas Frank was elected as the man to take the reins during the summer, with the Dane handed the responsibility of taking the club to the next level after the European success.

However, his appointment has prevented numerous players from kicking on in their careers, with the first-team members often struggling to replicate the form they demonstrated under the Aussie.

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Yves Bissouma was often one of Postecoglou’s first names on the teamsheet during the 2024/25 campaign, as seen by his tally of 44 appearances across all competitions.

The Malian international featured in 11 of the 15 club’s European outings last campaign, but it’s safe to say his spell under Frank has been far from successful to date.

He was left out of the club’s UEFA Super Cup final after being late numerous times, resulting in missing out on the club’s Premier League squad for the current 2025/26 campaign.

However, he’s not alone in that regard, with Brennan Johnson one of the Lilywhites’ most important players in the previous campaign, as seen by his phenomenal goalscoring record.

The Welshman scored 18 times across all competitions – even netting the winner in the Europa League final – subsequently ending the year as the club’s top goalscorer.

Like Bissouma, he’s struggled for consistency this time around, with the 24-year-old only starting five league games out of a possible 11 since Frank took charge in the summer.

Mohammed Kudus’ arrival has no doubt pushed him down the pecking order, with the manager seemingly preferring the Ghanaian international over him at present.

Spurs star is no longer "one of the best in the world"

Spurs’ £120m spending spree during the summer window has made competition for places even tougher in 2025/26, with the first-team now having incredible depth in certain areas of the squad.

Given the number of competitions the Lilywhites are currently featuring in this season, it’s crucial Frank has the ability to rotate and rest certain players when needed.

Competitions such as the Premier League and Champions League will likely take priority, which has seen numerous players have to settle for minutes off the bench as a result.

Djed Spence has taken his career in North London to the next level over the last couple of years, with the full-back taking advantage of the injury crisis last campaign.

The Englishman made himself a regular starter under Ange last campaign, which has resulted in the 25-year-old now becoming an international regular under Thomas Tuchel.

His starts at right-back has provided competition for Pedro Porro in such an area of the pitch, with the Spaniard often missing out from the starting eleven as a result in recent months.

The 26-year-old has become known for his ability in possession rather than out of it, with Spence the complete opposite and making him an excellent fit for Frank’s system.

In 2024/25, Porro registered nine assists across all competitions, the most in a single season since his move to England – resulting in one journalist labelling him the “best in the world”.

However, in the ongoing campaign, the full-back has only registered one assist to date – showcasing his struggles – with his underlying stats also a cause for concern.

He’s completed just 72% of the passes he’s attempted to date, with such a tally ranking him in the bottom 8% of all players in England’s top-flight this season.

Porro’s crossing success has also taken a massive hit in recent months, as the Spaniard has only completed a total of 17% of his efforts as of the middle of November.

Out of possession, he’s struggled just as much, as seen by his tally of just 3.9 duels won per 90, with such a figure placing him in the bottom 25% of all defenders in the league.

His lack of defensive talent is also evident in his tally of being dribbled past 1.3 times per 90, which is higher than 82% of other full-backs in the division at present.

Such numbers will certainly be a cause for concern to the manager, especially given the quality of players such as Spence already on the books in North London.

Despite his form under Ange, Porro could now find himself on borrowed time in the near future, with the hierarchy potentially tempted to cash in on him and invest in other areas of the squad.

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ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2025As the fans continue to wallow in the warm memories of the fiery Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India’s fast bowlers, such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and others, get some well-deserved rest this month. Which of them plays the Asia Cup next month and which one doesn’t is a question for later. For now, the trio of Sidharth Monga, Karthik Krishnaswamy and Dustin Silgardo get together to discuss the workload management of India’s fast bowling contingent: what’s the best way to manage Bumrah; is there a fitness issue with Akash Deep; how should the BCCI – the selectors, the NCA and the coaches – prepare a bench strength for the quicks? Listen to the latest episode of here: