Joao Pedro has promised to do one thing for Chelsea team-mate Moises Caicedo after he helped end his nine-game goal drought in Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Tottenham.

Summer recruit Pedro started life at Stamford Bridge with two goals in his first three Premier League games, but had failed to find the net since August before his 34th-minute winner in north London.

Pedro, who was thwarted on three other occasions by Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, was indebted to Caicedo after he won back possession from Micky van de Ven and teed up the Chelsea forward to fire home.

Caicedo was later described as two of the best defensive midfielders in the world by boss Enzo Maresca along with Manchester City’s Rodri.

Pedro's plans for Caicedo after Chelsea winner

Brazil attacker Pedro echoed that sentiment and reflected on the importance of his goal in a period where he has struggled to train due to unspecified fitness problems and plans to take Caicedo out for dinner following his assist.

Chelsea’s fifth straight win at Tottenham helped them bounce back from a shock 2-1 home defeat to Sunderland on October 25.

It helped rebuild momentum for Maresca’s talented but youthful squad ahead of a midweek trip to Qarabag in the Champions League and Saturday’s visit of bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

Pedro added: “I think it was a big game, a derby and we know they are a good team.

“We knew we had to do 100 per cent to win this kind of game and we did. We won the game and now we need to look forward.”

Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank has major issues to solve in attack after they registered an XG (expected goals) figure of 0.05 – the lowest the club has recorded since records started in the 2012-13 season.

Maresca must drop Chelsea star who had fewer touches than Sanchez vs Spurs

What will not help Frank’s cause is the likely absence of Lucas Bergvall for Tuesday’s visit of Copenhagen after he was forced off with suspected concussion early on during the loss to Chelsea.

“That was a concussion, so he totally couldn’t stay on and I think the medical team did a good job in that aspect,” Frank reflected.

“And even if he wanted to stay on, it’s the right decision.

“Of course, we would have loved to have him continue. That’s why we picked him in the starting XI.

“Unfortunately, that couldn’t happen. So others will step in. Xavi (Simons) knew the game plan.”

Scott McTominay could be on his way back to the Premier League after Newcastle United entered the race to secure his signature alongside a number of rivals.

The Magpies, with their PSR problems behind them, have set their sights on building a side capable of staying inside the Premier League’s top four and that may start with their midfield.

Already, those at St James’ Park have tied Sandro Tonali down to a new deal at the club after holding secret talks with the Italian and now rumours are emerging as to who could join the former AC Milan man.

At 25 years old, Tonali is increasingly likely to play a key role under Eddie Howe for years to come and Newcastle could even decide to build the heart of their side around the midfielder, whilst also pursuing the likes of Elliot Anderson.

The Nottingham Forest star has been linked with a return to Tyneside just over a year since leaving Newcastle for the Midlands in what would be a sensational move.

Howe even went as far as to admit that there’s some regret that Newcastle were left with no choice but to sell Anderson amid PSR problems last year. That alone suggests that he’d be more than happy to welcome the England international back with open arms.

By signing Anderson just after securing Tonali’s future, PIF could also be opening the door for a Ballon d’Or nominee to take his place in Newcastle’s midfield.

Newcastle in pole position to sign Scott McTominay

Newcastle are now in pole position to sign McTominay from Napoli alongside Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, according to TeamTalk. Both sides are reportedly joined by Barcelona in the race to welcome the Scotland international, who is also expected to be offered a new deal in Italy.

When McTominay left Manchester United in 2024, the Red Devils were happy to show him the door. Now, over a year later, he has the world at his feet and was even a 2025 Ballon d’Or nominee. His rise has been sensational, and he could yet make a return to England to end some unfinished business.

Not just Joelinton: Newcastle's "true legend" may now be on borrowed time

Newcastle may well part ways with this Howe mainstay at the end of the campaign.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 29, 2025

To no surprise, Howe also reportedly believes McTominay is the perfect fit for his Newcastle side and views him as someone who would help the Magpies stay in the Champions League.

Described as “special” by former Man United boss Jose Mourinho, the midfielder has finally realised his full potential and now has another big decision to make.

Ross Wilson now wants Newcastle to sign Joelinton heir

Chris Dent, Gloucestershire’s long-serving opening batter, has announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect.Dent, 34, represented Gloucestershire in 356 matches, scoring over 15,000 runs across all formats, including 11,237 at 36.01 in first-class cricket, placing him 28th on the club’s all-time list.Born in Bristol, Dent joined Gloucestershire’s Pathway at the age of 12, and made his senior debut in 2009 during a Pro40 match against Nottinghamshire. He passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season on four occasions, most recently in 2019, when he captained the side to promotion to Division One, their first such appearance since 2005.This season, however, he struggled for form in the opening round of Championship games, and had not featured for the first team since April.”After 16 memorable seasons playing professional cricket, I’ve decided that the time is right to step away from the game,” Dent said. “It’s hard to put into words what cricket has given me, but I will always be truly grateful.”I want to thank Gloucestershire CCC for giving me my opportunity 16 years ago. The support and faith you’ve shown me have been a huge part of any success I’ve had over the years.”To the fans – your encouragement throughout my career has meant everything. What stands out most, especially over these last few difficult years, is the love and kindness you’ve shown me. That support helped me more than you’ll ever know.”The biggest thank you goes to all the players. You guys are what made the last 16 years so memorable. I feel incredibly lucky to have shared the field with so many brilliant people. When I look back on my career, my favourite memories are special because of the people I shared them with. Even though my time as a cricketer is over, I hope there are still more memories to be made with you all.”Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s head coach, said: “Reaching the end of a first-class playing career is always a daunting time, but I am sure Denty will look back with brilliant memories of his time with Gloucestershire.”I remember him in his teenage years, knocking around in the Academy, and I am not surprised he became one of our most valued players to come through our Pathway.”Batting at the top for most of his career in England is an unenviable task, but once again he managed to impact games from that position on a regular basis. His presence there kept him perennially in England’s shortlist, though he never quite got the call. I believe the international stage could have seen him flourish.”Although still in great physical shape, it has been more challenging mentally, and on that sad note, his appearances have been somewhat restricted.”The last few years will not define what has been a stellar career with the Glorious, and I would like to thank him for his immense contributions over the years.”

The Minnesota Twins could be at the center of this year's trade deadline. Given its middling record (49-52) and current standing on the periphery of the American League postseason chase, the Twins have a decision to make: to buy or to sell.

Should they opt to be sellers, Minnesota possesses plenty of enticing trade chips, most notably in its pitching staff. The likes of flame-throwing closer Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax would quickly be among the top relievers available should the Twins decide to trade them. Contending clubs would also find starter Joe Ryan (2.63 ERA, 132 strikeouts) to be an enticing addition for a postseason push.

But there's a catch.

Since MLB added a third wild card to each league back in 2022, the trade deadline market has become more condensed. More and more teams have a shot—or more importantly, think they have a shot—at making the postseason once the trade deadline rolls around.

That means there are far more buyers than sellers. So a team like the Twins, should they decide to sell, could largely dictate what rival clubs will need to cough up, in terms of prospects, to acquire their trade chips.

And it appears Minnesota's asking price is, understandably, high.

The Twins are seeking at least two top-100 caliber prospects in exchange for either Duran or Jax, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Passan goes on to note that such an exorbitant asking price has made teams reluctant to approach the Twins about a potential trade for Ryan, a top of the rotation starter two years away from free agency.

Duran, who can regularly touch 100 mph with his four-seam fastball, boasts a miniscule 1.94 ERA. Jax, meanwhile, owns the sixth-highest strikeout rate among MLB relievers.

The MLB trade deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. ET.

Elwiss responds with fighting 87 in lost cause for The Blaze

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jul-2025England starlet Freya Kemp smacked her first career century as Hampshire reclaimed top spot of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition from The Blaze with a bonus point win.Kemp turned around Hampshire’s batting having arrived at the crease at 34 for three to dispatch 109 in 92 balls, with Nancy Harman celebrating her PB of 77 after a 136-run partnership.In reply to 291, The Blaze hung their hopes around Georgia Elwiss’ impeccable 87, but exciting quick Daisy Gibb’s three for 21 and Ellyse Perry’s farewell three for 40 trumped her as Hampshire won by 80 runs.It ended a downbeat four days for The Blaze having lost in the Eliminator of the Women’s Vitality Blast on Sunday.The Blaze, and more specifically Cassidy McCarthy, dominated the powerplay after Hampshire had chosen to bat first.The former Utilita Bowl-based seamer ripped through the top three, taking three for 17 in the first 10 overs.Rhianna Southby couldn’t keep down a bouncer to square leg, Maia Bouchier was caught at mid on, and Perry – on her last Hampshire appearance – was wonderfully caught by Kathryn Bryce at midwicket.Kemp came to the crease at 34 for three, and immediately went into recovery mode with her captain Georgia Adams.They ticked along without taking risks and set the platform which allowed Kemp and Harman to fire Hampshire to a good score in the second half of the innings.They put on 80 before Adams was stumped by the incredibly fast hands of Sarah Bryce, with Abi Norgrove lbw to give Elwiss a quick-fire brace of wickets.But from there, Kemp found a fluency that brought boundary after boundary, while Harman ran hard to keep up.Kemp past 50 for the second time in a week, and fourth time in her last five List A innings, in 48 balls before securing her best score with back-to-back sixes, as the century stand zoomed up in 86 deliveries.Her maiden hundred came up in 86 balls before she fell with 22 balls to go to end a 136-run alliance with Harman.Harman, now with Linsey Smith in tow, had already reached her maiden half-century but made sure those last 3.4 overs went for 36 runs to take the momentum into the second innings.It worked as Gibb dislodged both Blaze openers within the first five overs.Marie Kelly cut straight to point, before Georgie Boyce swung uppishly to extra cover to give Hampshire an ideal start.But Kathryn Bryce and Elwiss recentred the visitors’ innings with a 98-run partnership, with the latter notching a 53-ball fifty at her former home.Just as they looked the favourites, Hampshire went bang-bang as Kathryn Bryce clothed to mid on, before Gibb’s return had Sarah Bryce stumped.Elwiss’s classy innings ended when she was bowled for 87 by Bex Tyson and then Ella Clarridge was castled by Perry as The Blaze were choked for runs.The Australian then had Kirstie Gordon caught scooping and Josie Groves comprehensively bowled, with Smith picking up Lucy Higham caught at mid off.Smith finished things off with 31 balls to spare when McCarthy slapped down the ground.

The batters’ decision-making and execution were found wanting as they went down quickly on the final day in Kanpur

Mohammad Isam01-Oct-2024Mominul Haque sat with an empty look on his face in the Bangladesh dressing room minutes after his dismissal on the fifth day of the second Kanpur Test. Such empty looks have been a common sight among the visitors during this Test series where Bangladesh have been comprehensively out-thought by India.Mominul had employed the sweep productively in the first innings on his way to an unbeaten 107. But in the second dig, Rohit Sharma moved KL Rahul to leg-slip as an aggressive move. Within three balls, the fielding change paid off for India and the sweep brought about Mominul’s fall.India have almost been unbeatable at home for the last 12 years. But that hasn’t allowed complacency to seep into their system. Instead, they have looked like a team that plans meticulously, and more importantly, executes those plans with precision. How Bangladesh responded to their approach was, however, disappointing.Related

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• Stats – India extend dominance at home, at breakneck speed

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe didn’t see anything wrong in Mominul playing the sweep shot, but said that his side’s decision-making and execution were found wanting on the fifth day in Kanpur.”We didn’t talk about survival [on the fifth day],” Hathurusinghe said after Bangladesh went down seven wickets. “We thought of playing according to the conditions and strength of the individuals. If you defend and get caught at bat-pad, it is the same when getting out sweeping on a wicket like this. If the batsman thinks his best form of defence or getting off strike, is a sweep shot rather than the defensive shot, that’s his option.”Execution probably let us down in this [second] innings. If you look at Mominul yesterday, he swept really well. I am sure they are disappointed at some of the dismissals and the decision-making. What stands out for me is that we lost a wicket when there’s been a bowling change. We didn’t give ourselves enough time to get used to the new bowler.”Mominul walking into India’s trap was typical of Bangladesh’s batters during this Test series. They have generally fallen in three scenarios. India’s well-planned traps were one thing, but the Bangladesh batters also hastily attacked a bowler early in his spell, and there were instances of losing concentration after seeing off a mini battle. There were examples of all three during the fifth day in Kanpur.

“We don’t have much time to make drastic changes. We have to improve our execution and decision-making.”Chandika Hathurusinghe on the changes needed before the series against South Africa

Of the three times Mushfiqur fell to Jasprit Bumrah in the Test series, his dismissal in the first innings in Kanpur was a well-thought-out plan. He packed the slip cordon which prevented Mushfiqur from playing at away-going deliveries. Bumrah then slipped a length ball that decked in, which Mushfiqur left like he was leaving the other deliveries.It wasn’t just Mushfiqur among the experienced lot to fall for such plans. Litton Das giving Rohit a catch at mid-off in the first innings was India trying to make him do something out of the ordinary. Litton could have seen off Mohammed Siraj’s spell, but instead charged the bowler, and although Rohit took a great catch, the shot was a result of a set plan. Shakib Al Hasan miscuing a heave against R Ashwin on the fourth day, the ball after hitting him for a four over extra cover, was another example.Shakib charged out of the crease again, which Ashwin definitely saw coming, so he bowled it slightly quicker but with a bit of dip on the ball and the allrounder fell into the trap.Bangladesh’s batters were also guilty of haste. Perhaps they didn’t want the Indian bowlers to execute their plans, but their choice of shot was confusing. On the fifth day in Kanpur, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto missed a reverse-sweep off the first ball he faced from Ravindra Jadeja. The shot felt unnecessary at the time and sparked a collapse after a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket.Hathurusinghe, however, said the reverse sweep was always on given how much the batters practice it, especially when they see it as an option on a spinning pitch. “[Playing the reverse sweep] is an individual and team plan as well. We are playing on a spinning wicket,” he said. “If the defence is getting challenged, it is a strategy to play the reverse sweep if you have practiced hard on the shot.”Falling just after seeing off a good spell or after batting well for a short period also brought about plenty of headaches in both Tests. Bangladesh’s last wicket in Kanpur was of Mushfiqur trying to slog Bumrah off the last ball before lunch.Ravindra Jadeja broke through with Najmul Hossain Shanto’s wicket•AFP/Getty ImagesShadman Islam had earlier fallen just after getting to his half-century with Sunil Gavaskar on air pointing out that the opener played a shot of a batter who got relaxed after reaching a milestone. He remarked that Shadman might not have played the shot, having shown control against deliveries outside the off stump all morning, if he hadn’t reached his fifty.Hathurusinghe agreed that the top-order had to make better decisions in the upcoming Test series against South Africa at home. “We don’t have much time to make drastic changes, ” he said. “We have to improve our execution and decision-making. We will be playing on different surfaces back home. We have to take it into account, and the opposition bowlers.”A cluster of wickets falling after a bit of a recovery isn’t just the top order’s problem. The middle order suffered from it, too. Litton and Shakib played needless shots after getting Bangladesh out of trouble with a decent partnership in the first innings in Chennai. Litton was caught in the deep while Shakib miscued a reverse sweep. In the second innings, Zakir Hasan and Shadman saw off a testing period in the second innings, before falling to tame dismissals.Bangladesh’s lack of fight in the two Tests was disappointing. They lost in three-and-a-half days in Chennai, while lasing technically just under two days in Kanpur. They had arrived in India on the back of a historic 2-0 win against Pakistan.This 2-0 defeat against India doesn’t necessarily cancel out their good showing in Pakistan, but it rams home the point that Bangladesh are a side still short of competing against top sides consistently. They weren’t expected to win 2-0 in Pakistan but they applied themselves in the best possible way. They, however, couldn’t withstand India’s heightened challenge, and now have to go back to the drawing board before the home series against South Africa later this month.

Not so long ago they used to go in with five frontline bowling options and trust the batters to put the runs on the board. That’s not been the case in Australia

Alagappan Muthu24-Dec-20242:00

Pujara: India should pick another fast bowler for MCG

India seem to be where they want to be with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tied at 1-1. Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane are Australian cricket strongholds and they have managed to win one of those games and draw another. Melbourne brings happy memories – they got the better of the hosts in both 2018-19 and 2020-21 – and Sydney brings spin into play. These are just ifs and buts, which don’t really win cricket matches. They do help put the people responsible for winning cricket matches in a nice state of mind. Could Prasidh Krishna be one of those people?This is largely a hypothesis. It doesn’t even have the merit of what happened in the nets, although Prasidh was quite sharp there. On pitches that were described as more for white-ball cricket, he began Saturday’s session by cutting one of India’s best batters in half. KL Rahul has thrived by playing the ball nice and late but on this occasion, he was a little too late to bring his bat down to cope with the inward movement.India have valued batting depth over bowling depth on this tour and yet they have been bowled out for less than 200 in three of their five completed innings. Is the benefit of the extra batter really coming through? Nitish Kumar Reddy is the extra batter; part of a package deal to compensate for lack of batting ability in the tail. He might be needed again in Melbourne if India go in with Washington Sundar as a lone spinner. But if they continue with Ravindra Jadeja, who has been one of their best batters in the last five years, it opens up an opportunity to bolster the seam attack.Related

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Reddy, as India’s fourth bowler in this series, has contributed only 27 of their 336 overs, picking up three wickets and giving away 4.55 runs per over. Thirteen overs is the most he has sent down in an innings and these have been helpful conditions. He is very clearly a batting allrounder and some of his shots suggest he has a really high ceiling – reverse scooping Scott Boland, cover driving Mitchell Starc and hooking Pat Cummins for sixes – but the other job he has been picked to do – hold an end up – is not going so well.There was a time, not so long ago, that India put such a premium on getting 20 wickets in a Test match that they insisted on having five frontline bowling options. It meant they could only fit in five frontline batters and came with the risk of being bowled out cheaply. One of their most famous wins had them focused on avoiding defeat even as late as the start of the fifth day and then once their batting had come through – taking them from 194 for 7 to 298 for 8 declared – they had two sessions at England and their bowling depth helped make the most of it. Jasprit Bumrah (three), Mohammed Siraj (four) and Ishant Sharma (two) all played a part in doing the improbable at Lord’s three years ago.Johannesburg 2018 and Cape Town 2024 were the same, and those were extreme conditions, where the extra batter was a necessity not a luxury. At The Oval in 2021, they won after conceding a lead of 99. Rohit Sharma was in much better form. The lowest score among the top four in the second innings was 44. Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur scored fifties from Nos. 7 and 8. Eventually it was England under scoreboard pressure, chasing 368 with Bumrah (two), Umesh Yadav (three), Jadeja (two) and Siraj (two) sharing the wickets between them.On this tour, Bumrah has taken almost as many wickets as the rest combined (21 vs 26). He needs support.One way forward is to potentially consider Jadeja as a specialist batter (he has the numbers), Washington could come in place of Reddy, and if nothing else help ease the workload on the frontline quicks. Having played only one Test of the series so far, Washington already has 17 overs under his belt, which have gone for 2.88 runs per over and fetched two wickets.Prasidh Krishna was a handful in the tour game at the MCG•Getty ImagesOr India could bring in Prasidh for Reddy. The MCG, over the last three years, has offered 80 wickets for fast bowling and only 14 for spin bowling. After India were run ragged in the first innings in Brisbane, the bowling coach Morne Morkel spoke about the need to be better between overs 30 and 50; to be tighter, bowl dry, create pressure if not by taking wickets then by keeping the runs down.Prasidh, being a specialist on a pitch expected to favour seam bowling, might be well placed to do that. He picked up 4 for 50 and 2 for 37 against Australia A at this venue last month.India have reason to want a little bit of batting insurance. A question mark remains over the captain Rohit, whose lack of form has been papered over by Rahul stepping up to open the innings. Australia would have enjoyed seeing a batter who is averaging 11.69 in 2024-25 come out to face the new ball. Especially this one which has been doing enough for Steven Smith to suggest the last two years have been the toughest of his career. Yashasvi Jaiswal scaled a huge high in Perth but has since gone quiet. Virat Kohli has a hundred too but his other four innings on this tour are 5, 7, 11 and 3. Shubman Gill has looked good for the time he spends at the crease but hasn’t been able to convert his starts. Maybe if they were contributing anywhere close to their usual levels, India might have considered – as they have previously – to go in bowling-heavy and problem-solve from there.

Fast bowler returns to group with England considering changes for The Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2025England have brought Jamie Overton back into their squad for the fifth Test against India. The addition of Overton, who played for Surrey in the County Championship last week, is the only change to the group from Old Trafford, where India salvaged a fighting draw to keep the series alive.England’s bowlers shouldered a heavy workload in vain during the fourth Test, sending down 257.1 overs across two innings, and captain Ben Stokes admitted afterwards that fresh legs might be required with a three-day turnaround between Tests.”If you look at how long we’ve been out in the field and the overs that we bowled as a bowling unit, everyone is going to be pretty sore and pretty tired going into the last game of the series,” he said. “There’ll be an assessment of everyone, and hopefully we can use these next two or three days’ rest period wisely and then have to make a decision.England squad for fifth Test against India•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”These recovery days are going to be pretty important, and we might have to make a few decisions to get some fresh legs in. But that won’t be decided until we get closer to the last game.”England have largely kept the same attack during the four Tests to date, with Jofra Archer replacing Josh Tongue after two games and Liam Dawson coming in for the injured Shoiab Bashir at Old Trafford the only changes. Chris Woakes has bowled more overs (167) than anyone on either side, while Brydon Carse (155) and Stokes (140) are not far behind. Archer, meanwhile, has only just returned to Test cricket after a four-year absence.Gus Atkinson had been expected to be involved by this stage of the series and could come in for Woakes, having proved his fitness after a hamstring injury while playing for Surrey’s 2nd XI last week. Tongue, who is still England’s second-leading wicket-taker in the series with 11, may also be in contention, while a recall for Overton would see him playing Test cricket for the first time since his debut Test in 2022.England have cancelled their training session for Tuesday to allow the players more recovery time, and will reconvene at The Oval on Wednesday.England squad for the fifth Test against IndiaBen Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes

Micky Van de Ven’s addition back in the summer of 2023 raised eyebrows among many Tottenham Hotspur supporters, especially after the hierarchy forked out £40m for his signature.

Such a fee was a hefty one during the Daniel Levy era, but it may have come as more of a surprise given the Dutchman was largely an unknown quantity to many of the fans.

However, just over a couple of years on from his move, he’s cemented himself as a key member of Thomas Frank’s squad – arguably being one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Despite his defensive role, the 24-year-old has had a huge impact within attacking areas, netting three times in the Premier League this season – putting him joint top of the Lilywhites’ goalscoring charts.

It’s not all been plain sailing for the club within the defensive department, with numerous other big-money additions unable to live up to the hefty fees paid for their services.

Spurs’ issues at centre-back for Van de Ven’s arrival

Spending big on centre-backs hasn’t been alien to Spurs in recent years, as seen by their £42m addition of Davinson Sanchez back in the summer of 2017 – a then club-record transfer.

The Colombian racked up over 200 appearances for the Lilywhites over a six-year period, subsequently leaving in the summer of 2023 to join Turkish side Galatasaray.

He was a solid option under various managers in North London, but ultimately, the fanbase were left disappointed – especially after paying a club-record fee for his signature.

Joe Rodon was another youngster signed by the hierarchy to potentially grow into an elite-level centre back, subsequently paying Swansea City £11m back in the summer of 2020.

However, the Welshman would only make 15 Premier League appearances for the club, before being sold to Leeds United as part of the Archie Gray deal in 2024.

It’s safe to say with Van de Ven, times have changed in North London, but the club have already unearthed another top-level talent who could be a real hit with the fans in the years to come.

The Spurs star who’s a bigger talent than Van de Ven

Whilst he’s been battling with injuries over the last few months, Van de Ven’s importance to the Spurs side simply cannot be understated – with Frank’s men a much better side with the Dutchman at the back.

He’s already helped the Lilywhites keep seven clean sheets across all competitions, with the 24-year-old evidently having a huge impact at both ends of the pitch.

The defender has also demonstrated his strength in another area, with the former Wolfsburg man registering the fastest speed of any player in England’s top-flight throughout 2024/25.

At present, he’s currently partnered by Cristian Romero at the heart of the backline, but that could be about to change in the years ahead, given the emergence of Luka Vuskovic.

The Lilywhites forked out a reported fee in the region of £12m for the signature of teenage sensation from Hajduk Split, with real hope he can be a first team starter in the near future.

The Croatian has spent a couple of years out on loan, with his spell on loan at Westerlo catching the eye – but for his attacking quality rather than his talent at the back – just like Van de Ven.

He scored seven times and notched two assists in his 36 outings, a simply staggering feat for a young defender, which earned him another loan move – this time to Bundesliga side, Hamburg.

The prospect of top-flight German football may have seemed like a huge jump to many, but the 18-year-old has wasted no time in impressing the supporters of Die Rothosen.

Vuskovic, who’s been labelled “one of the most exciting teenage centre-backs” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has already opened his account for the German side in 2025/26.

However, his defensive stats are just as impressive, with the youngster winning a staggering 10.2 duels per 90 – 7.5 of which have been in the air – subsequently achieving a success rate of 87%.

He’s also completed 100% of the dribbles he’s attempted, whilst completing a total of 84% of his passes – showcasing his incredible all-round game despite his tender age.

It’s very rare you come across such a dominant young centre-back, but it’s clear Vuskovic has all the tools needed to be a monster hit with the Lilywhites fanbase in the years to come.

Should he stay on his current path, there’s no reason why he can’t emulate Van de Ven’s success in North London and even surpass the Dutchman’s recent levels.

Frank's next Toney: Paratici leading Spurs move for "one of the best STs"

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a January move to land a new talisman for Thomas Frank.

By
Ethan Lamb

Oct 28, 2025

The New York Yankees suffered an embarrassing blunder during Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs on account of some sloppy plays from Oswald Peraza and Jazz Chisholm, who'll no doubt want this one back.

At the top of the third and down 2-0 to the Cubs, Peraza fielded Cubs' Dansby Swanson's hit but threw the ball to the right side of Chisholm, forcing the second baseman to reach across his body to catch it. That may have thrown off Chisholm's timing, as he then overshot his throw to first, sending the ball way up into the stands and allowing the Cubs to score a run.

Watch that pair of unfortunate mistakes below:

Both Chisholm and Peraza are arguably at fault here having squandered the Yankees' chance for a sweet double play.

Chisholm, who has been dealing with shoulder soreness that could be affecting his throwing, only recently returned to his natural position at second base after an experimental stint at the hot corner this season. For now, Peraza appears primed to handle third base duties but the Yankees may likely seek some upgrades ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, especially if more sloppy infielding like this happens again.