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Known for her change-ups with the old ball, she has shown a previously hidden facet of her skillset at the Commonwealth Games

S Sudarshanan03-Aug-2022Hayley Jensen has played 42 T20Is. Only four members of New Zealand’s squad at the Commonwealth Games have played more matches than her. But what exactly is her role in New Zealand’s T20I set-up?She’s handy with the bat, but she’s hardly the first name you’d think of when you think of New Zealand’s best batters. She’s a wily medium-pacer who often gets the better of batters on sluggish surfaces with her change-ups, but her name is probably not the first that pops into your head if you close your eyes and think of New Zealand’s seamers.Over the last couple of years, Jensen has been a plug-the-hole kind of player. Suzie Bates is unavailable, who do New Zealand open the batting with? Jensen. A couple of quick wickets have fallen; who could they possibly send in to lengthen their batting? Jensen, of course. Quick lower-order runs needed? Call Jensen, maybe?During the Commonwealth Games, she’s begun fulfilling another new role, of opening the bowling. Against South Africa, she was New Zealand’s most economical bowler, her four overs costing just 22 runs and bringing the wicket of Anneke Bosch. In the 45-run win over Sri Lanka, Jensen did even better, returning figures of 3 for 5 – her best in T20Is.If Sri Lanka were to make a match of their 148-run chase, Chamari Athapaththu had to be the protagonist. In her opening exchanges with Jensen, though, Athapaththu – to quote Jos Buttler – “came third in a two-horse race”. It could have been curtains for her off the very first ball when she failed to pick an inswinger and was rapped on the pads. New Zealand didn’t review the lbw call. After flicking the next inswinger to midwicket, she had a wild dash at a full and wide ball.Off the fourth ball she faced, Athapaththu walked at Jensen, only for the inswinger to dip under her bat and clatter into leg stump. The stuff of dreams for a swing bowler. Hasini Perera was next in line to succumb to her inswing, failing to put bat to five of the first six balls she faced from Jensen, flicking and missing repeatedly.Jensen was Player of the Match when New Zealand fought back from 91 all out to beat Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup in 2020•ICCJensen had never opened the bowling for New Zealand before the Commonwealth Games, and head coach Ben Sawyer was behind the move to give her this opportunity.”Ben’s come in and just wanted me to swing the ball up top,” Jensen said. “That’s what I have tried to work on. Usually I probably bowl variations and things like that. He’s just tried to keep it simple for me to swing the ball up top and then yorkers at the back end.”I do it for Otago back in domestic [cricket]. I haven’t done it for White Ferns as much but tried to get it back in my game. Ben’s really helped me with that. He was the bowling coach of Australia and so he’s really been helping me with my bowling.”Jensen returned for her second spell after the powerplay to end Perera’s misery before having Anushka Sanjeewani playing on with a full one in the 15th over.”We saw in the warmups that she was moving it a bit and, in training also, she’s been really swinging the ball a lot here in English conditions, and you want to make the most of it,” Sophie Devine, the New Zealand captain, said. “Today she was outstanding again. She’s probably a bit underrated and I think the teams are certainly going to start watching what she can do with the ball.”In the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, when New Zealand were dismissed for 91 by Bangladesh, Jensen led the way with the ball with 3 for 11 to eke out a 17-run win. A week before that, she had dragged Sri Lanka back after a strong start and helped keep them to a gettable total.From being the saviour with the older ball to setting the tone with the new, swinging ball, Jensen has shown she can do it all. And now that she’s gained success in this new, high-profile gig, her name might be the first one that comes to your mind if you were to close your eyes and think of a New Zealand player.

England will not fare well on their future tours of India, Sri Lanka and Australia if they continue picking a keeper for his batting skills

Ian Chappell16-Aug-2020No one has said selecting an international cricket team is easy but following a few simple rules does lessen the burden.As a selector, former Australian captain Herbie Collins strove “for the right combination above all things”. The best illustration of this common-sense adage is the choice of wicketkeeper in a best ever Australian side.When you have a batsman named Donald Bradman at three and a few other exceptional willow wielders accompanying him, runs aren’t your main concern. However, with such feisty competitors in your bowling ranks as Bill “Tiger” O’Reilly, Dennis Lillee and Shane Warne, you had better choose the best fielding combination.I wouldn’t like to be the selector assigned the task of telling that trio the guy chosen as wicketkeeper was there primarily for his batting, after he missed a couple of chances. Anyway it’s not like the candidates for best ever Australian wicketkeeper are mugs with the bat; Rod Marsh and Ian Healy made three and four Test centuries respectively, and Don Tallon’s top score was 92.Former South Australian captain Les Favell stridently insisted: “When the gloveman starts hurting the team, it’s time for a change.” On that basis England’s chief selector, Ed Smith, has a tough decision looming. There’s no doubt that Jos Buttler’s shoddy glovework not only hindered England’s victory chances in the first Test against Pakistan but also put offspinner Dom Bess’ place in jeopardy.ALSO READ: Stubborn Ed Smith staking reputation on Jos Buttler’s Test careerEventually Buttler helped England claim a meritorious victory with the bat. However, it’s reasonable to mount an argument that England wouldn’t have needed his precious second-innings runs if he had accepted either of the first-innings chances century-maker Shan Masood offered with his score on 45.And then there’s the not insignificant matter of Bess’ career. He was the unfortunate bowler when Buttler flubbed those two chances, and he also missed another one off Bess, and these mishaps undoubtedly affected both the bowler’s figures and his confidence.England have proposed tours to Sri Lanka and India in the near future and this will require a keeper adept at standing up to the stumps. Buttler is far from sure-handed when standing up and that has to be a prime consideration when choosing the keeper for those series. England are slated to tour Australia in 2021-22, and on bouncier pitches, it’s crucial to have a wicketkeeper who covers a lot of territory standing back. That is not a Buttler specialty either. His footwork is poor and a couple of times in the West Indies series he failed to even attempt catches on the off side that you would expect an international keeper to swallow.On their 1991-92 tour of Australia, India chose to go with Kiran More, a good keeper under home conditions. It turned out to be an ill-conceived selection as he covered very little territory standing back – where a keeper in Australia spends the bulk of his time. With his current footwork, if England bring Buttler to Australia as their premier keeper, that’s also likely to be an error of judgement.ALSO READ: Mark Nicholas: Broad, Stokes and Root continue to learn, grow and excelA good wicketkeeper sets the standard for a fielding side and it’s no coincidence England’s catching is currently fallible.On the plus side, Smith has one ingredient that every selector hopes – or, in some cases, even prays for – an allrounder who bats in the top six. Ben Stokes is currently the best allrounder in the game. In addition to his ability to bat as high as five and his bowling versatility, he is also the best all-round slip fielder. With Stokes and a strong pace attack, England have the building blocks for a really good team.Throw in Joe Root’s class along with the batting potential of youngsters Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley and England don’t need many more pieces to complete the jigsaw puzzle.What they do require to ensure their best combination in the field is a wicketkeeper chosen primarily for his excellent glove work.

Manchester United have only made one senior first-team addition to Ruben Amorim’s squad since the 2024/25 campaign came to a close against Aston Villa.

The Red Devils swooped to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers attacking midfielder Matheus Cunha for a reported fee of £62.5m at the start of June to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the Brazil international racked up 15 goals and six assists in the Premier League for Wolves, which shows that he is a proven performer in the division.

Manchester United have, however, missed out on a deal to another proven Premier League star, as Tottenham Hotspur have snapped up Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United.

The Red Devils reportedly made contact with the Hammers to enquire about a potential deal for the Ghana international in June, but their top-flight rivals have stolen a march on them to win the race for his signature.

Whilst Kudus is an exciting player who has a lot of potential, it is also worth acknowledging that the 24-year-old star would have been a risky signing.

Why Mohammed Kudus would have been a risky signing for Man Utd

Spurs have reportedly paid a fee of £55m to sign the former Ajax starlet from West Ham this summer, and it is a fee that comes with a lot of risk based on his form in the 2024/25 campaign.

Kudus hit the ground running in England in the 2023/24 season, ending the term with a haul of 15 goals and seven assists in all competitions, but failed to kick on in his second year.

The left-footed attacking midfielder, who can play anywhere across the frontline, ended last season with a return of five goals and four assists in 32 matches in all competitions for the Hammers, a steep decline from what he produced in his debut campaign with the club.

His form in the Premier League in his second year, in comparison to his first, is concerning and shows that there is no guarantee that Spurs have signed a player who can deliver consistent quality.

Appearances

33

32

xG

5.16

6.90

Goals

8

5

Big chances missed

4

7

Big chances created

5

4

Key passes per game

0.8

1.0

Assists

6

3

As you can see in the table above, Kudus underperformed in front of goal as a finisher last term and rarely created high-quality opportunities for his teammates.

This is why it would have been a very risky signing for Manchester United to commit £55m to this summer, despite the fact that he has shown a lot of quality moments in the league, as shown in the clips below.

Meanwhile, the club are pursuing another left-footed Premier League star who would be an even better signing than Kudus for Amorim’s side this summer.

Man Utd confident of signing Premier League star

According to the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United are continuing to pursue a deal to bring Brentford sensation Bryan Mbeumo to the club before the end of the window.

The report claims that the latest bid submitted to the Bees is worth in excess of £60m, including add-ons, but there is no agreement between the two sides at this point, with two offers having been turned down already.

Transfer Focus

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

It does state, however, that the Red Devils are confident that they will be able to complete a deal to sign the Cameroon international to bolster their squad.

The Manchester Evening News also reveals that a move could become complicated if Yoane Wissa leaves Brentford first, amid interest from Spurs and Nottingham Forest.

United will want to avoid a situation where Wissa leaves the Bees and the asking price for Mbeumo soars because they do not want to lose their top two scorers in the same window.

Why Man Utd should sign Bryan Mbeumo

The club should push to get this deal done as quickly as possible because the Cameroon international would be an even better signing than Tottenham’s move for Kudus.

Mbeumo’s form in the Premier League last season suggests that he would arrive at Old Trafford with far less risk attached to him, as he is an in-form star who is at the peak of his career.

The 25-year-old sensation ended the campaign with an outstanding haul of 20 goals and seven assists in the top-flight for Brentford on the right flank, as he showcased his ability to make a big impact in the final third on a regular basis.

Mbeumo has produced at least eight goals and at least six assists in all six of his seasons at Brentford to date, whilst Kudus only managed five goals and four assists for the Hammers last term, which speaks to his consistency in the final third.

Appearances

38

65

xG

12.26

12.06

Goals

20

13

Big chances created

17

9

xA

14.89

6.37

Assists

7

9

As you can see in the table above, the Bees star scored more goals and created more than twice as much xA for his team last season than Kudus managed in both of his campaigns with West Ham combined.

The £60m+ star, who was once hailed as “unplayable” by Thomas Frank, is a winger who has shown that he can consistently deliver quality in front of goal in the Premier League, which is why he could be such an impressive signing for the Red Devils.

Unlike Kudus, Mbeumo is coming off the back of an electric season in the top-flight and could bring almost guaranteed quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, given his consistency over the last six years with his club.

It is now down to the club to ensure that they can strike a deal with Brentford to bring the winger to Old Trafford before long, as he would arrive at United as an even better signing than Kudus would have been.

Amorim's own Haaland: Man Utd make "world-class" £60m CF their top target

Manchester United appear to be making moves for a new forward in the transfer market.

2 ByEthan Lamb Jul 11, 2025

Celtic’s pre-season plans are starting to take shape, but will they get any new signings over the line before then?

On Monday, the club announced a green and white hoops Clásico, facing Portuguese champions Sporting at Estádio Algarve on 16 July, before confirming they’ll also take on Queen’s Park at Lesser Hampden 12 days earlier.

With trips to Cork, Como and now the Algarve already in the calendar for July, from a destination perspective, this is poised to be an exciting pre-season schedule for the Celtic support, but will they have a new midfielder to assess by then?

Celtic's continued interest in Lennon Miller

As has been widely reported, Celtic remain interested in midfielder Lennon Miller, with French outlet L’Équipe reporting that the 18 year old is valued at around £7.5m by Motherwell, amid interest from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.

On Monday evening, Miller made his full-senior debut for Scotland, assisting Ché Adams’ second goal during the 4-0 demolition of Liechtenstein at Rheinpark Stadion, with his performance earning rave reviews.

Thomas Duncan of BBC Sport noted how the teenager exuded calmness while, speaking during the BBC’s coverage, Celtic legend Scott Brown said that “Lennon is really special…nothing fazes him”, adding that he undoubtedly has the quality to break into the Celts’ first team.

Transfer Focus

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

However, with countless other clubs courting Miller this summer, should Celtic turn their attention to another midfield target instead?

Celtic's dream Miller alternative

As previously reported last week, Celtic have ‘already initiated’ talks to sign midfielder Demir Ege Tıknaz.

Demir Ege Tıknaz (Tiknaz)

As Mustafa Akgün of Karabük Postası outlines, Tıknaz spent last season on loan at Rio Ave from Beşiktaş, but the Portuguese club have an obligation to buy for around £4.2m, planning to do just that before selling him for roughly double that amount.

The 20-year-old, who is currently with the Türkiye national team squad in America for friendlies against the United States and Mexico, is reportedly being courted by many big European clubs, including Celtic and Sporting CP, so the Scottish champions will need to act fast.

In an interview with the Athletic, Tıknaz compared himself stylistically to Sergio Busquets, stating “I always want to have possession… I’m kind of a playmaker”.

Meantime, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout compares him to another Spaniard, namely Rodri, labelling him a midfield “anchor”, praising his “passing, vision and football IQ”.

Analyst Ben Mattinson agrees, stating that Tıknaz ‘reads the game well’, praising his ‘timing of tackles​​​​​​​’ and ability to ‘steal the ball’.

As a result, according to Aryan Suraj Chadha of Goal, he has become one of the most ‘sought-after talents across Europe’, making 33 appearances for Rio Ave of the Primeira Liga this season, scoring four goals and registering two assists.

Nevertheless, the key question remains. How does he compare to Miller? Well, let’s find out.

Appearances

33

39

Minutes

2,340

3,398

Goals

4

4

Assists

2

8

Big chances created

2

12

Tackles won (per 90)

2.1

1.8

Interceptions (per 90)

1.7

1.3

% of ground duels won

51.1%

57.9%

% of aerial diels won

53.1%

41.2%

Possession lost (per 90)

7.3

17.4

As the table outlines, while Miller is more of an all-rounder and an attacking threat, Tıknaz does come out on top for the vast majority of defensive metrics, namely tackles, interceptions and aerial duels, giving away possession significantly less frequently too.

So, while Miller is unquestionably a big talent, possibly to such an extent that Celtic will ultimately miss out on him, the Hoops should therefore make signing Tıknaz a priority.

Celtic set to sign 14-goal star who'd be Moussa Dembele 2.0 for Rodgers

Celtic are set to complete a deal for a young star who could be a repeat of Moussa Dembele.

ByDan Emery Jun 9, 2025

Sam Elliott took the last four wickets to help Victoria ease to victory but Mitchell Starc’s performance caused a buzz among both teams

Alex Malcolm23-Oct-2024

Sam Elliott helped wrap up victory on the final day•Getty Images

Victoria’s seamers steamrolled a strong New South Wales line-up to claim a 141-run victory at the MCG but both sides were left in no doubt that Mitchell Starc is primed for a big Test summer after he claimed seven wickets in the match.Victoria cruised to victory before lunch on the fourth day with Sam Elliott claiming the final four wickets they required including Josh Philippe for an excellent 88. Elliott finished with 4 for 44 while Fergus O’Neill was named player of the match for his figures of 4 for 29, 1 for 28 and two vital lower order contributions of 28 and 33.Related

Abbott presses his case with four to give NSW an edge

Smith: 'Marnus and Uzzie hated me up top'

Konstas 43, Smith 0, NSW struggle despite Starc six-for

Elliott broke a stubborn 63-run stand between Philippe and Starc when the wicketkeeper got a thin edge trying to thrash a cut behind point to fall 12 short of a deserved century. Philippe finished with scores of 45 not and 88 for the match. Starc fell for 18 top edging an attempted pull shot. Nathan Lyon also fell to the pull shot, miscuing to a catching man who was placed not far behind the square leg umpire. Elliott cleaned bowled Jackson Bird shortly after to finish the game.While all eyes had been on the performances of two Test hopefuls in Marcus Harris and Sam Konstas, the buzz from both rooms post-match was how well Starc had bowled after taking 1 for 35 and 6 for 81 in 36.5 overs across the match, including Harris in both innings. NSW coach Greg Shipperd believes India will face a stiff challenge from Starc if conditions are similar to the pitch that was offered at the MCG.”His pace, his rhythm, all of those things that go to engineering the sort of pace he was dealing with,” Shipperd said. “He did change the game once he decided to go short and really change the dynamic of the match. And second innings again, we thought perhaps he’d done enough, but he kept coming. And so that’s a good sign for Australia and troubles ahead, perhaps, on the right wicket for India.”Victoria coach Chris Rogers was thrilled with the contributions of his batting group in tough conditions, singling out the first innings partnership between Campbell Kellaway and Peter Handscomb and the second innings stand between Sam Harper and Tom Rogers as match-winning in the face of Starc’s barrage.”Against a very good bowling attack for a 21-year-old kid [Kellaway] to get 50, along with Pete, I said to Pete, that’s right up there with some of the best batting I’ve seen him do,” Rogers said. “To put on that 100, if you look back now, you probably say that that was pretty critical in us winning the game and having a first innings lead.”And in the second innings, when they had us four for not many and Mitch Starc’s got his tail up, we needed a couple of people to stand up, and two guys who were making names for themselves in Sammy Harper and Tommy Rogers played absolutely out of their skins, and that 130-run partnership, that was as good as I’ve seen from a partnership for a long time. Just absolutely fantastic.”

اتخذ مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، برئاسة حسين لبيب، قرارات صارمة ضد ثنائي فريق الأول لكرة السلة، بالقلعة البيضاء، بسبب ما بدر منهما في لقاء ألعاب دمنهور.

شهدت مباراة الزمالك وألعاب دمنهور في إطار منافسات دوري المرتبط لكرة السلة، واقعة مثيرة للجدل بعد نشوب مشادة كلامية حادة بين ثنائي الفريق أحمد إسماعيل وآدم موسي، قبل التوجه إلى غرفة خلع الملابس بين شوطي اللقاء.

وقرر الزمالك، توقيع عقوبة مالية على أحمد إسماعيل وآدم موسى، لاعبي الفريق الأول لكرة السلة بالقلعة البيضاء.

طالع.. رسميًا | استقالة مدرب الزمالك بعد سداسية ديكاداها

وأكد محمد طارق، عضو مجلس إدارة النادي، والمشرف العام على كرة السلة، أن قرار فرض العقوبة على اللاعبين، جاء كقرار تربوي، حيث إنه من ثوابت الزمالك مبدأ الثواب والعقاب، ومنع التجاوز، خاصة أن فريق السلة يحتاج إلى تكاتف الجميع، ولا يتحمل في الوقت الحالى أي تجاوز من أحد.

وأضاف طارق أنه تم تبليغ الثنائي، وباقي لاعبي الفريق بالعقوبات، مشيرًا إلى فرض عقوبات أخرى على أي لاعب في حالة تكرار أي تجاوز.

واختتم محمد طارق بأن فريق السلة تجاوز ما حدث سريعًا بين الثنائي، مشددًا على أنه سيتم تقديم أفضل مستوى للفريق في الفترة المقبلة.

This summer’s mini-transfer window, open from June 1 to June 10, presents an opportunity for Premier League sides to get deals done very early ahead of pre-season, and Arsenal could take full advantage.

Arsenal urged to invest in new signings up front

Mikel Arteta ended yet another season with no trophies to show for his side’s efforts at N5, and discounting the Community Shield, Arsenal haven’t won any piece of major silverware since their FA Cup triumph in 2020.

Fabrizio Romano: £63m star will talk to agents this week about joining Arsenal

He’s set to assess his options.

1 ByEmilio Galantini May 27, 2025

Considering the Gunners have registered a net spend of around £487 million on transfers since Arteta took over from Unai Emery in 2019, some questions are starting to be asked about the Arsenal manager when it comes to their lack of silverware return.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville, speaking after Arsenal were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle United earlier this year, drew particular attention to their “toothlessness” in the forward areas – going on to state that they simply must spend big again this summer.

“This has shown a massive spotlight on the toothlessness of Arsenal’s forward players compared to what we’re seeing at the other end of the pitch,” said Neville.

“That’s a given. They have to [spend this summer].

“I was supportive of them not panicking in the window, finding the player they want, I get that. But when the bid went in for Ollie Watkins, they are sending a message to the rest of the squad, the ones up front aren’t good enough, this game confirms it.”

The arrival of new sporting director Andrea Berta is set to play a pivotal role in their pursuit of attacking upgrades for the squad, and reliable media sources are already claiming that the Italian has got to work.

The north Londoners recently opened talks over a deal for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, which has since stalled due to wage demands (Florian Plettenberg), with Arsenal also holding “concrete” negotiations to sign striker Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.

Arsenal offer Viktor Gyokeres a five-year contract worth nearly £30m

Sesko isn’t their only option to reinforce the centre-forward area, though, with Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres also heavily linked in the last month.

Portuguese news outlets in particular have reported in the last fortnight that Arsenal are making serious progress on a move for Gyokeres, with newspaper O Jogo even claiming that they’ve agreed a fee.

While that rumour is yet to gain traction, another Portuguese media source, Correio de Manha, has come forward with a significant update of their own.

The newspaper states Arsenal have offered Gyokeres a five-year contract worth nearly £30 million, with the Swede handed an annual salary worth £5.9 million-per-year.

They’ve also apparently offered Sporting around £59 million for his signature, which is still slightly below his reported asking price of around £63 million, so it will be intriguing to see if this proposal gets off the ground.

Gyokeres’ 54 goals in all competitions this season indicates that he’s a fine candidate to resolve Arsenal’s lack of cutting edge in the attacking areas, and Sporting boss Rui Borges certainly has little doubt about the 26-year-old, even if there’s a case to be made that the Primeria Liga is inferior to English top flight football.

“I have said this before, and I will continue to say it: he brings a lot to the team, and his teammates are aware of what he contributes, which is why they look for him during games,” said Borges about Gyokeres.

“The collective effort also plays a role, as no one can succeed alone. Viktor is a game-changer, and he will continue to be, whether with us or elsewhere. His quality is undeniable; it is phenomenal.”

da betsson： Tottenham Hotspur are “dreaming” of signing a £67 million former PSG star after their triumph in the Europa League final on Wednesday night.

Tottenham summer transfer plans after Europa League win

da supremo： Now that their 17-year wait for a piece of major silverware is officially over, chairman Daniel Levy has a real to-do list to sift through ahead of Spurs’ final Premier League game of 2024/2025 and the summer transfer window’s opening.

Related Tottenham hold talks with forward compared to Messi amid Europa League glory

Ange Postecoglou’s side now have a big summer to plan for.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini May 22, 2025

An historic night in Bilbao, where Brennan Johnson etched his name into Lilywhites folklore by scoring the winning goal in their 1-0 win against Man United, has also gifted the club a major boost when it comes to their recruitment drive.

Tottenham vs Man Utd – best performers on the night

Match Rating

Guglielmo Vicario

7.7

Yves Bissouma

7.6

Cristian Romero

7.4

Bruno Fernandes

7.4

Destiny Udogie

7.2

via WhoScored

Not only will Tottenham have a far greater pull when it comes to enticing the continent’s best players, but they’ll also have more funds to play with given the seismic financial windfall they’ll receive from both winning the Europa League and competing in the Champions League next season.

According to BBC journalist Sami Mokbel, Tottenham chiefs believe they need to sign more experienced players to complement their very young squad of rising stars, and this is made all the more possible by their victory in midweek.

Spurs are also targeting a defender, midfielder and forward, with Levy looking to strengthen across the board.

As per GiveMeSport, the north Londoners have held discussions with the representatives of Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who’s bagged 20 goals in all competitions this season, with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi still a Tottenham target for the summer as well after their failed £70 million bid in January.

Spurs have a £21m first option in place for Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso from last year, as part of the deal which saw Giovani Lo Celso head to La Liga, so the USA international is another option.

Tottenham "dreaming" of signing ex-PSG star Xavi Simons

According to reports in Spain, following their Europa League winners’ medal, the north Londoners are launching “ambitious” plans.

It is now believed that ex-PSG star and RB Leipzig attacking midfielder, Xavi Simons, is firmly on their agenda.

The Netherlands international has scored 11 goals and bagged an additional eight assists in all competitions, but his asking price is around £67 million, so Levy and co will need to significantly invest in his capture from the Bundesliga.

Nevertheless, it’s reported Tottenham are “dreaming” of signing Simons after their historic night in Spain earlier this week, and they stand a much greater chance now that they can be deemed champions of Europe.

Those within Spurs apparently hold a real belief that they can convince both the 22-year-old and his club to green-light a move to N17, especially following their Europa League celebrations.

“He’s developed really well,” said Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund about Simons last year.

“I think he’s going to have a really good career at the highest level. He has everything, mentality, character and is just an exceptional player.”

Simon Cook, the Hong Kong coach, chats with ESPNcricinfo about the challenges of motivating a team that has lost its ODI status, and of retaining talent in a system without too much money

Shashank Kishore in Dubai17-Sep-2018How tough is it to motivate a group without ODI status? How do you deal with it?It’s tough. We try and isolate the players from political talk. There are always questions on issues like ODI status. ‘Is it fair’ or ‘is it not fair?’ We can sit here and debate that for hours together. We’re of the opinion that two-and-a-half years of the World Cricket League should be rewarded in a better way than having a bad week [at the World Cup qualifiers] in Zimbabwe. It happened to the Netherlands four years ago, so the same situation can be used as a catalyst, but the fact is we’ve lost four years. There’s a lot of talk at the moment about ways of assigning ODI status to top Associates: whether you assign it on a tournament-to-tournament basis or go through the ranking system, I’m not sure. I will be attending an ICC meeting in Madrid about the WCL. Whether we talk ODI status, I’m not sure, but the fact is we’re at the receiving end of a poor week in Zimbabwe.What did it take to lift the team from that slump?It didn’t take a lot. We know we had a bad week. You don’t become a bad player overnight. It’s about making sure the players still believe in themselves. Unfortunately it happened at the wrong time. We had honest chats about how we can improve and they responded brilliantly at the Asia Cup Qualifiers. After losing to Malaysia in the first game, it could’ve slid down, but they showed character to win the next six games in a row.What are the challenges for a Hong Kong cricketer currently? It’s largely an amateur sport. Even now, you play one week and then have three weeks off. In Premier Division cricket, you play 10 games in nine months. You can’t build momentum like that. We’ve got three grounds and so many teams, so you have to rotate fixtures. There are five premier clubs and the league is structured in different parts of the year, depending on the availability of the national team. They play in a T20 League, 50-over league and only two two-day matches. You can’t get a constant run of form by playing so little. As a player, you get a hundred, and then wonder what next for three weeks? Coming from an English system, where you play every Saturday-Sunday, train two days, then play two more games, this is different, but you have to live with it and be realistic.What have you done to drive more cricketers to the game?We’ve now brought in full-time contracts for 13 cricketers, strength and conditioning coaches and physios. Players are trained to work on other aspects of their games like lifestyle and wellness. The guys get cooking lessons, so that they can eat properly and manage their weights. The good thing is the average age of the current national team is in the mid-20s. Gradually we’re getting to a stage where we’re starting to move forward. These systems are also trickling down to the Under-16s and Under-19s. But it’s a gradual process.

“We can’t retain players who want to go to university for banking or law; they’re full-time careers. We can’t stop them, we shouldn’t stop them.”

There must be hindrances too?Of course. We lose players at 23-24. In a normal county system, that’s the peak age for a young cricketer, and you look at possibly having him in the mix for 10-12 years. That’s not the case here. Chris Carter for example is going to flight school probably after the Asia Cup, Jamie Atkinson, our previous captain, wanted to become a full-time teacher. He’s still available, but can’t commit all the time. Mark Chapman went to New Zealand at 20, and needs to have a three-year cooling-off period if he wants to return, but he played a lot of early cricket here. So we lose all our players at 23-24, so we have to make sure we invest a lot in the Under-16s and Under-19s. We’re slowly having a core group who will probably play international cricket at a young age, so we need to ensure we maximise their time with us before they go off to university.What can you do to prevent losing players?It all comes down to money. We’re governed by things we can’t control. Hong Kong is among the most expensive places to live and work in the world. Our player contracts are not enough for them to realistically live and work, have a family and make a career by just playing cricket. We know we can’t pay as much, but if we can provide a professional set-up to potentially play in CPL, Canada T20, PSL or BPL to earn franchise contracts, that’s great. It could also give us some spin-off benefits when it comes to their development. So we support them to find avenues to play elsewhere. It is a constant challenge.So if a player wants to study and yet play cricket, which may not allow him to commit 100% all the time, what do you do?We can’t retain players who want to go to university for banking or law; they’re full-time careers. We can’t stop them, we shouldn’t stop them. It’s just a case of giving them an opportunity at another career. Some delay going off, some don’t. I’m very big on players getting an education degree that allows them to buy opportunities to have a crack at cricket, without worrying about being picked or having an annual retainer. Once you have something to fall back on, you can play with freedom. We try and stress upon this for a lot of them from the 16-19 age-group.How does selection work in Hong Kong, with so many players also having alternate careers?We contract 13 players, but that doesn’t guarantee national selection. Selection-wise, it’s tough because we can’t go always by the numbers because of huge gaps between matches. We’re also constrained by dimensions of the ground. Suddenly you will see guys getting a lot of runs, and then when they transition into grounds that have 75m boundaries, they struggle, because they’d use the same options that got them runs in smaller grounds. We have a group of three selectors. Apart from them, we talk to coaches and umpires to get feedback. You try and look at how players play, are they playing in a way that will give them success. We also look at players sometimes who don’t get runs. That might be because they’re not willing to take risks, like to work the ball around, pick gaps and not look to hit a 45-metre six. Sometimes such players may be better suited to make the transition to international cricket. So we have to be careful to find a mix.How do you scout for talent?The one thing we have an advantage over any other country in the world is, we know every single player intimately in our system. We don’t have that many, but our five main clubs produce 90% of our players. We know all the players and coaches, so from that aspect it is pretty easy. No ground is farther than 20 minutes, you can watch every single game across the three main grounds on one day. You can’t do that in most countries. That is an advantage when it comes to talent identification, but it’s the other aspects like retaining them that is a challenge.

Daniel Levy has learned that Tottenham could be sold for "three quarters of Manchester United" if ENIC chooses to leave north London.

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• Spurs could have new owners
• Levy remains open to selling the club
• High debts remain a stumbling block

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Levy, who has overseen Spurs as chairman for over two decades under the ownership of ENIC, could soon draw the curtain on his 24-year tenure if the right offer comes in, as revealed by The north London club has just secured Champions League football for next season, and a potential change in ownership cannot be ruled out.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Spurs are expected to generate approximately £600 million ($807m) in revenue for the 2025–26 season, a figure buoyed by their Champions League qualification. Industry standards suggest a football club’s valuation typically falls between five to six times its annual revenue. Using this model, Spurs’ enterprise value is projected between £3 billion ($4bn) and £3.6bn ($4.85bn). However, when factoring in the club’s £900m ($1.2bn) debt, largely stemming from the construction of their new stadium, the net valuation ranges between £2.1bn ($2.82bn) and £2.7bn ($3.63bn).

• DID YOU KNOW?

  To place that figure into perspective, Manchester United was recently valued at £4.5bn ($6bn) during Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a 27.7 per cent stake for £1.25bn ($1.68bn). Based on this, Tottenham’s current market value would be around three-quarters of United’s valuation. When Chelsea were sold in 2022 for £2.5bn ($3.36bn), their valuation was dampened by the urgency of Roman Abramovich’s forced exit and the stadium limitations at Stamford Bridge.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

  Given all the factors, stadium infrastructure, revenue growth, Champions League football, and London appeal, it’s widely believed that any ownership bid would need to exceed £2.5 billion just to be seriously considered. This figure excludes Spurs' debt obligations, which would need to be settled separately. If Tottenham were to receive such an offer, it would mark one of the most significant deals in Premier League history.