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Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy still has the former Barcelona boss, Luis Enrique, on his managerial shortlist as the search continues.

Who will Spurs hire as manager?

What was a huge underwhelming 2022/23 campaign for the north London side has finally come to a conclusion, however, the work has not stopped for Levy.

Indeed, the Lilywhites have now been without a permanent manager since Antonio Conte's exit back in the latter stages of March this year.

Since the Italian's exit, Cristian Stellini stepped in as the interim boss and following his exit, Ryan Mason took the reins until the end of the campaign.

But now it is time for the chairman to bring in a new permanent boss who can lead the Tottenham project with the club seemingly crying out for a reboot.

One name which has climbed to the top of the Lilywhites' shortlist is Celtic's Ange Postecoglou with the Australian impressing during his first two seasons at Parkhead.

However, speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano has claimed Levy still has his eyes on Enrique who is dreaming of a job in the Premier League:

"Postecoglou is in the list. And from what I understand, Luis Enrique remains in the frame. He's a name that was in the list at Tottenham when Fabio Paratici was there. Then Fabio Paratici resigned, but he remains a name appreciated internally at Tottenham. Luis Enrique dreams of Premier League."

Who should Levy hire for Spurs?

It is believed the Australian is currently on a rolling one-year deal with Celtic which would mean Spurs could potentially prise him away from Paradise for free at the end of the campaign.

The Bhoys have a big cup final coming up this weekend which will provide the 57-year-old with the opportunity to land the treble in what has been a mightily impressive 2022/23 campaign/

However, there will be concerns over his lack of experience at the top level.

This is something which would not be a concern with Enrique given the Spaniard has lifted numerous trophies during his time at Barcelona.

But whether Enrique would bring the desired style of football to north London is another matter with the Spaniard's time in charge of the national side coming crashing to an end at the World Cup.

In comparison, Postecoglou has instilled an exciting brand of football at Celtic and has done so with a number of signings he has made with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Jota.

Now, this raises another question, the Spurs vacancy would provide him with the opportunity to operate in the transfer window on a much bigger scale.

His time at Celtic has been largely a success as a result of his recruitment from the Japanese J-League, could he translate that success into a much bigger operation that is a Premier League budget?

Enrique may provide Levy with an opportunity at quicker success, however, that has not worked over recent years with the likes of Jose Mourinho and Conte.

Rain wrecked Surrey’s Championship match against Middlesex for the second successive day

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2016
ScorecardKia Oval was a bird bath again•Getty Images

More heavy rain in south London meant a second successive day of little cricket and left Surrey’s Specsavers County Championship Division One match against Yorkshire at the Kia Oval looking destined to be a draw.Surrey have reached 164 for 5 in their first innings, from 49.4 overs, with Steven Davies and Ben Foakes the not out batsmen on 29 and 14 respectively.A total of 142 overs have been lost so far in the game, and just 16.4 overs were possible on day two before the first rain showers arrived at 12.19pm. Repeated downpours then made the Oval groundstaff’s attempts to mop up a futile exercise and play for the day was eventually called off soon after 4.30pm.The 79 minutes of play at the start of the day were action-packed, however, with David Willey and Steven Patterson taking three wickets for no runs in nine balls as Yorkshire put Surrey’s top order under severe pressure and, initially, reduced them to 121 for 5 after they had resumed on 95 for 2.Davies hit Adil Rashid for two fours in the leg spinner’s only over shortly before the weather interruption, while Foakes has also done his bit to steady the Surrey first innings after Willey removed Zafar Ansari and Jason Roy and Patterson grabbed the prized wicket of Aaron Finch.Finch and Ansari, who had rallied Surrey from 36 for 2 on the opening morning of the game, took their third wicket stand to 85 before Willey fired a yorker through left-hander Ansari’s defences to bowl him for 40 and detonate two stumps out of the ground in spectacular fashion.Two balls later, in the next over from Patterson, a checked push-drive brought Australian batsman Finch’s downfall for an aggressive 57-ball 52, with the bowler jubilant as the catch was taken at short extra cover.Then, in Willey’s next over, Roy pushed at a ball angled across him by the left-arm seamer and keeper Andrew Hodd took the thin edge at the third attempt to send back the England one-day batsman for a duck.Willey said: “It’s a pretty flat pitch, so for us to get three for 70 this morning was a good session for us. Finch is a dangerous player, and we talked about a few different options to him. We knew we’d get a chance at some stage, so it was important we took it. I think we bowled quite nicely today and got our rewards. We deserved the wickets we got.”Aaron was hitting the ball very nicely down the ground, and we thought we might get a chance in that area. Thankfully, we did.” On bowling Ansari, he added: “I missed my length by about seven foot and bowled a yorker. Anti-skill! I was meant to bowl a length ball that held its line into off-stump. It was a fluke.”

أعلن محمد أسامة، طبيب فريق الزمالك، تعرض محمد أشرف روقا، لإصابة مُفاجئة، اليوم الأربعاء، قبل مواجهة أم صلال القطري.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الزمالك مع أم صلال القطري، بعد قليل، على استاد آل نهيان في مباراة تحديد المركز الثالث بدورة نادي الوحدة الودية.

طالع أيضًا | تشكيل الزمالك أمام أم صلال القطري.. ثلاثي هجومي

وأوضح طبيب الزمالك، عبر المركز الإعلامي الخاص بالنادي، أن روقا أصيب بارتفاع درجة الحرارة وإعياء شديد، مما استدعى نقله إلى إحدى المستشفيات القريبة من فندق الإقامة لإجراء الفحوصات الطبية.

وأكد أن الفحوصات الطبية أثبتت إصابة روقا بنزلة برد حادة، وأنه سيغيب عن مباراة أم صلال.

وأوضح أن روقا يتلقى العلاج اللازم في الوقت الحالي، وأنه سيتحدد خلال الساعات المقبلة موعد عودته للتدريبات الجماعية.

ويخوض الزمالك معسكرًا في الإمارات من الفترة 20 وحتى 24 يناير الجاري بمشاركة أندية الوحدة الإماراتي والاتفاق السعودي وأم صلال القطري.

Arsenal might have instead turned into the side to surmount a two-goal deficit last night, but it proved a step too far to claim all three points as they slipped up yet again in the race for the Premier League title.

Welcoming rock-bottom Southampton to the Emirates, many thought this would be a comfortable affair in which Mikel Arteta's men would return to form after a rocky couple of recent results. However, after a sluggish start from the hosts, the visitors found themselves two goals up after just 14 minutes.

Although Gabriel Martinelli halved that deficit on 20 minutes, Duje Caleta-Car's finish reinstated their lead to 3-1 with just 24 minutes to go.

With the spirit of their late win against AFC Bournemouth maintaining belief, two goals in as many minutes drew the scores level with eight minutes of added time to play. All signs pointed towards a late winner to keep the driving seat in the fight with Manchester City, but it was not to be. Seeing penalty shouts waved away and chances spurned, the score would remain at an enthralling 3-3: a stunner for the neutral but a gut-punch for the Gunners.

With Pep Guardiola's side now boasting two games in hand and welcoming Arsenal to the Eithad on Wednesday, this could have been a crucial blunder in the race for the title.

Although Thomas Partey might receive plenty of scorn for putting in a second-straight dud of a display, last night marked one of many underwhelming performances from Rob Holding of late. The £40k-per-week man has recently proved to everyone why he is not up to the task of fighting for elite honours.

How did Rob Holding play vs Southampton?

Starting his fifth successive league match in the continued absence of William Saliba, the 27-year-old struggled to gain a foothold as the Saints pressed surprisingly high.

This led to another showing where the 95-touch defender would struggle on the ball, outlined in his 88% pass accuracy. This might seem high, but for comparison, his partner Gabriel Magalhaes maintained an accuracy of 94% and recorded a key pass, as per Sofascore.

Were he to have been a defensive stalwart throughout this game, that lack of cutting-edge might have been excused.

But instead, the former Bolton Wanderers man would make a sole defensive interaction all game, to go alongside the one time he was dribbled past. This culminated in his less-than-impressive 6.5 rating for the game, of which only two of his teammates received lower, via Sofascore.

To see his Ghanaian teammate dribbled past three times in the engine room might make Holding feel somewhat at ease for his underperformance, but at least the midfielder recorded five tackles. This was however a performance that followed up a 6.1 rating against West Ham United, exacerbating Partey's struggles as the pressure has ramped up.

Journalist Jason Soutar was somewhat sympathetic for the centre-back, although calmly outlined that he would not be good enough for the future: "Rob Holding might not have made any individual errors tonight but his presence severely weakens Arsenal. I have been saying it for a while now… we need to buy a centre-back in the summer."

With just five points separating first and second now, and the latter boasting two games in hand, their meeting on Wednesday takes on an even greater importance for Arsenal.

The hope will be that Partey can shake whatever has knocked him out of his rhythm and that Saliba can make a miraculous recovery in time. If not, it could mark a bloodbath when the unstoppable Erling Haaland faces the struggling Holding.

Tottenham Hotspur survived VAR controversy to seal a vital 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon, with the Lilywhites moving to within just three points of fourth-placed Manchester United as a result of that narrow victory.

While there may be a sense that the Seagulls were "robbed" due to some "horrendous" officiating – as per pundit Chris Sutton – the home side held their nerve to snatch victory, with talisman Harry Kane netting his 23rd top flight goal of the season with a typically clinical finish late on.

The north London outfit had initially gone ahead through milestone man Heung-min Son – who became the first Asian player to reach 100 Premier League goals in the process – before Lewis Dunk headed home a bullet header just before the break, after Kaoru Mitoma had seen his earlier effort disallowed for handball.

The away side were again denied by handball after the interval as Danny Welbeck thought he had completed the comeback, while the aforementioned Mitoma saw his appeals for a penalty waved away despite a potential foul on the Japanese winger by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The south coast side's frustration was ultimately increased as that man Kane swept home, with the England skipper having warranted that strike as a result of his all-round display, notably winning eight duels and providing two key passes on the day.

The 29-year-old – who recorded a stellar 7.9 match rating, as per Sofascore – was not alone in having impressed earlier today, however, with January arrival Pedro Porro having also been something of a shining light at right wing-back.

How did Porro perform against Brighton?

The Spain international – who is currently on loan at Spurs with an option to buy of around £39m – is beginning to adjust to life in English football, having showcased real signs of his quality down the right flank against Roberto De Zerbi's men.

The 23-year-old provided 'lots of attacking intent' throughout the contest, according to 90min's Jude Summerfield, having notably headed wide from an Ivan Perisic cross after showcasing a real desire and willingness to get involved in the final third.

That forward-thinking approach was also lauded by football.london's Alasdair Gold, who awarded the Sporting CP loanee an 8/10 match rating, while also writing that: 'A bright first half and sent a header on to the roof of the net at the end of it. Worked hard in the second half defensively down the right-hand side and little got past him.'

That hard-work ethic against the lively Mitoma was showcased by the fact that Porro won seven of his 11 duels and was not dribbled past at all in his 90-minute outing, having emerged from the battle with the in-form winger 'without too many bruises', as per Summerfield.

While the one-time Manchester City asset did lose possession on 12 occasions from his 43 touches, he is clearly seeking to make his mark in his new surroundings, with the Evening Standard's Dan Kilpatrick hailing him as looking 'technically sound and impressive at attacking the back post.'

That promising performance should well be of encouragement to Cristian Stellini and co, with the hope being that Porro can continue to go from strength to strength over the coming games.

Leeds United's season has been a fast-paced and highly-stressful one, with transfer upheaval, relegation struggles and a managerial switch around which now has Javi Gracia as the proposed man to lead the Whites to safety.

A recent string of decent results has propelled his side up the Premier League table, such is the tightness between those bottom nine sides, and lying in 14th might give a false sense of security to a side that under the surface are only two points from the relegation zone themselves.

This daylight between them and West Ham United, plus the looming international break, has clearly spurred the staff at the Yorkshire club to switch focus slightly and look to the future; a future where they are hopefully still playing Premier League football.

Should they retain their status, it was noted yesterday by Il Romanista (via Sport Witness) that they are one of the clubs vying for Hakan Calhanoglu, who could leave this summer. This comes just weeks after another report suggested they were ready to bid €25m (£22m) for his services too.

With further financial troubles haunting Inter Milan once again, Gracia could look to capitalise by tying down this tricky Turkish maestro as the potential successor to former fan favourite Pablo Hernandez.

How good is Hakan Calhanoglu?

With electric quick feet and a technical prowess beyond anything currently at the club, what he lacks in pace he more than makes up for with his ability on the ball.

During his time across Europe, where he has plied his trade at various top clubs, the Turk has always earned a reputation as someone who could create from anywhere on the pitch. This helps to explain how he maintained 28 goals and 29 assists across 115 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, and a further 32 goals and 48 assists for AC Milan too, via Transfermarkt.

Even at 29 years old, in the midst of his prime years, when compared to other midfielders across Europe, he ranks in the top 4% for shots, the top 2% for assists and, unsurprisingly, the top 1% for shot-creating actions per 90, via FBref.

It is therefore hardly a shock to see him branded capable of "magic" by journalist Deji Faremi, who saw his claim supported by a former manager of the magician. Fatih Terim noted: "We have many important players of absolute value. We can count on and trust, for example, Hakan Calhanoglu who in my opinion has now become a phenomenon, a Serie A champion."

This unbridled creativity does draw comparisons with Hernandez, who was a key component in Marcelo Bielsa's success in returning the club to the top flight.

In the season before their promotion, the Spaniard recorded 12 goals and 12 assists, before a further 18 goal contributions the campaign following would help them finally escape the Championship.

In the former term, he would average a whopping 7.52 average rating, as again his lack of speed was forgotten due to the immense quality he boasted. Hernandez is comfortably one of the most gifted players to grace Elland Road in recent memory, but Calhanoglu could just challenge that position should he hit form upon making this potential move.

West Ham are reportedly considering a move for Stade de Reims manager Will Still as they look for a long-term successor for David Moyes at the London Stadium.

The 30-year-old’s incredible start to life as a manager with the Ligue 1 side has seen him attract attention from across Europe and he could be the ideal man to replace Moyes given the Hammers’ woeful Premier League performances so far this campaign, which leave them in the relegation places with just 12 games to play.

Could West Ham appoint Will Still?

According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, the Hammers appreciate Still’s profile for next season and the young Belgian could be tempted by a switch to the London Stadium, given he has already admitted to being a West Ham fan.

The 30-year-old has progressed through various roles in football, starting out as an academy manager for Preston North End, before spending time working as a video analyst under Yannick Ferrera with Sint-Truiden and Standard Liege in Belgium.

Another analyst role with Lierse SK would follow before he became assistant manager, and then manager for eight games, winning seven during his brief time in charge, which saw him change tact and take on more coaching roles with his future clubs.

Still was assistant manager with Beerschot, Stade Reims and Standard Liege, before he returned to France with Les rouges et blancs again in 2022.

After just over 100 days as assistant manager to Oscar Garcia, the Belgian was appointed first-team manager in October of last year and has taken Stade de Reims to ninth in the French top flight.

Still would take the French side on a 19-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1, which included an away draw at PSG and an impressive away win at Monaco, before the run was finally brought to an end with a 2-1 home defeat by Marseille last weekend.

Journalist Robin Bairner labelled the unbeaten period an “incredible achievement” by Still and Reims, and it seems as if the 30-year-old will only continue to win plaudits as a manager, with a long career ahead of him.

Although he doesn’t currently have a professional UEFA coaching license, which sees Reims fined every time he takes charge of game, he has proven himself to be more than adequate in the dugout, averaging 1.95 points per game so far this season.

Considering Moyes has managed just 0.92 points per game in the top flight so far this term, the Scottish manager clearly needs replacing, and who better to succeed him than an exciting young manager in Still who already holds the club close to his heart? It would be a gamble, but perhaps one worth taking for David Sullivan and co.

Tottenham are eyeing a bargain move for Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka with Spurs officials sent to run the rule over him on Tuesday.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye new defender…

In the last few weeks, it has been highly reported by mainstream press that Spurs and sporting director Fabio Paratici are prioritising central defensive signings this summer.

It is believed that the north Londoners want two new centre-backs, one capable of playing on the left-side and another further right of Antonio Conte’s defence.

The likes of Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan) and Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) are on the transfer shortlist but a new report has now claimed that Ndicka is another name in the mix.

The Latest: Tottenham eye bargain Ndicka move…

According to 90min, Spurs officials were sent to watch over the Frenchman as Eintracht succumbed to a 2-0 Champions League loss at the hands of Napoli on Tuesday.

Seemingly impressed, Tottenham and Paratici by extension are now ‘weighing up’ Ndicka’s signing on a free deal with his contract set to expire this summer.

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The Verdict: Make the move…

On a Bosman deal, Ndicka would certainly be a bargain for what Spurs could get.

The 23-year-old ticks chairman Daniel Levy’s box of a young player with real sell-on value and it is also a proven defender in the Bundesliga.

As per WhoScored, Ndicka has seriously impressed under manager Oliver Glasner this campaign – making more clearances per 90 domestically than any of his teammates.

The colossal starlet also averages Eintracht’s joint-highest rate of successful blocks – leaving little wonder he is an undroppable in their side.

Ndicka has played more league minutes than anyone in their squad over 2022/2023 with all the signs suggesting he would be a real snip and one of the bargains of this year.

Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge took a serious dent as Manchester City emerged as 3-1 victors at the Emirates last night.

Heading into the interval with the scores tied at 1-1 following goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Bukayo Saka, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta would have been confident of pushing to secure a crucial win.

The second half turned into a nightmare however for the Spaniard, with City scoring twice and the subsequent three points allowing them to go top of the league table.

Takehiro Tomiyasu came in for Ben White at right back in the hope that he could add something different to the Englishman, yet his performance was woeful. Tom Dutton said it was a “bad night” for the player and by losing possession 17 times and completing just 70% of his passes, he was a major weakness in the Arsenal backline.

The Japanese full-back will rue not taking his chance tonight, especially with a potential opportunity there for more regular starting roles in the coming weeks to rest White and his performance let Arteta down badly.

However, captain Martin Odegeaard was the biggest letdown, especially considering the enormity of the occasion and just how little he offered to the team.

How did Martin Odegaard perform against Man City?

This season, the midfielder is ranked as the club’s second-best performer in the Premier League via Sofascore, while registering 13 goal contributions – eight goals and five assists – and taking his game to a new level in the process.

Against City, it was a different story, with the Danish star struggling with the intensity of the game and alongside Jorginho and Granit Xhaka, being “completely outmatched” in the words of writer Muhammad Butt.

He received a Sofascore rating of 5.9/10 – the second worst in the game, taking just 55 touches throughout the full game and completing only 38 accurate passes – a success rate of 88%.

The Norwegian passenger’s attacking input was limited to just the one key pass while having two shots blocked and failing to deliver either an accurate cross or succeed with an attempted dribble and these stats sum up his performance going forward.

Even defensively he was woeful, winning none of his six duels contested, losing possession 14 times, and being dribbled past twice, proving just how lightweight he was when City where attacking.

Having dropped five points in their previous two league matches, Arsenal simply couldn’t afford to lose last night and City, although not quite delivering the knockout blow, certainly have the Gunners on the ropes.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton has slammed Newcastle United midfielder Joelinton after he took a terrible dive to try and win a penalty in the club’s most recent game.

What’s the word?

Things have been going pretty brilliantly for Eddie Howe and his side this season. After all, they currently sit fourth in the Premier League and have a Carabao Cup final to play in the near future.

However, they suffered a slight setback on the weekend as they were held to a 1-0 draw at home against West Ham United as Lucas Paqueta’s 32nd-minute strike was enough to tie the game despite Callum Wilson firing the Magpies into an early lead.

During the game with the scores level an hour nearly played, Joelinton drove into the box and threw himself to the ground when Nayef Aguerd challenged him for the ball.

However, clearly, there was no contact made and the Brazilian was subsequently booked for his theatrics. While speaking about the incident live on BBC 606, Sutton didn’t hold back on his criticism.

He said: “The winner of this week’s simulation game, Joelinton. A double dive from Joelinton.

“No, no, Joelinton. You’re better than that. Newcastle, come on, sort it out. But the award which you don’t want to win, Joelinton has won it. They’ve had a great season. But you are better than that, Joelinton.”

Poor sport

It seems as though Sutton isn’t the only one to have an issue with this terrible attempt to win a penalty with fans online mocking the “absolutely shameful dive” (via Daily Star).

That incident was a notably low point for Joelinton in a game where he and his teammates really struggled to deliver any real moments of quality beyond the early goal they scored.

Indeed, the Brazilian picked up a SofaScore player rating of 6.6 which was the fifth worst of all the Newcastle players who featured in the game.

Still, Howe kept the midfielder on for the full 90 as he finished the match with 86 touches and 81 per cent passing accuracy while giving the ball away 19 times and making four fouls – which includes the dive that he was booked for.

With all that in mind, there’s certainly room for improvement next time out.