Rangers could make another deadline day signing for manager Philippe Clement, following the expected arrival of winger Oscar Cortes from Lens.

Rangers back Clement with multiple January deals

In their bid to wrestle back Scottish footballing dominance from Old Firm rivals Celtic, and potentially pip them to the Scottish Premiership crown this year, the Gers board have backed Clement with multiple new additions already.

Latest Rangers transfer news: Gers want PL teen; Saudi link to midfield ace

Who is Philippe Clement eyeing up in the transfer window ahead of his first full season at Ibrox?

By
Ross Kilvington

Jul 9, 2024

Fabio Silva signed from Wolves on a loan deal to reinforce the Belgian's attacking options, with highly-rated defender Mohamed Diomande later following him through the door at Ibrox.

“Everybody is really pleased because he was one of the biggest prospects in Scandinavia and there were a lot of teams interested in him," said Clement on signing Diomande.

"He is still a young player, but he has a lot of experience also. He was really interested in the project here and we had a lot of talks about that. It is a long-term signing and that is not easy to do in January so I am delighted that the club could do that. He is really versatile, he is a good technical player with a lot of running capacity, he is still developing in strength, but I think we can make him stronger here.

“The club has made a good effort to make this transfer possible because it is a process not only from me, Nils [Koppen] and the scouts but it is from everybody in the club."

The Scottish Premiership giants, as widely reported, are also finalising their third signing of the January window as Cortes completes a move to Glasgow.

The 20-year-old, who found game time hard to come by in Ligue 1 before his pending Rangers arrival, did manage a goal and assist over four substitute league appearances for Lens this season.

The transfer will be a six-month loan initially with the option to make it permanent this summer, according to The Daily Record, but Cortes may not be their only last-minute signing.

Oscar Cortes – fact file (via Transfermarkt)
Date of birth – December 3, 2003
Age – 20
Nationality – Colombia
Position – Right-winger
Height – 1.78m

Indeed, reports suggest that Rangers are trying their best to sign a new striker before deadline strikes at 11pm this evening, with Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge now sharing what he knows about the Gers' transfer plans.

Rangers could make another deadline day signing after Cortes

As per the journalist, speaking to GiveMeSport, Rangers could make another deadline day signing after Cortes, with his "source" explaining that it's a distinct possibility.

“A source also told me there might be one more, so we’ll have to wait and see. But I think if Clement got four in, he’d be delighted because I don’t think he inherited the best squad in the world, and he inherited players who came in in the summer who just haven't done enough," said Bridge.

They were in for left-back Jefte from APOEL to, but as per Fabrizio Romano, that deal has now collapsed.

Heather Graham and Erin Burns received their maiden international call-ups, with Australia women naming a 14-member squad for the upcoming six-match limited-overs tour of the Caribbean, beginning on September 5.

Australia Women tour of the West Indies

Sept 5 – First ODI, Antigua
Sept 8 – Second ODI, Antigua
Sept 11 – Third ODI, Antigua
Sept 14 – First T20I, Barbados
Sept 16 – Second T20I, Barbados
Sept 18 – Third T20I, Barbados

Senior batsman Elyse Villani and spin-bowling allrounder Sophie Molineux, who were both part of the victorious Ashes touring party last month, missed out. Molineux, one of the stand-out performers in the one-off Test on the Ashes tour, has a shoulder injury, while Villani’s exclusion comes in the wake of her non-selection through the seven-match multi-format Ashes.Opener Nicole Bolton, who did tour the UK for the Ashes after missing the previous series against New Zealand as part of her five-month break from the game, was unavailable for selection for the West Indies tour that will feature three ODIs and three T20Is.Products of Australia’s robust domestic and pathway set-ups, 23-year-old Graham and 31-year-old Burns were both part of the Australia A squad that toured the UK last month.Batting allrounder Graham was named Domestic Player of the Year in February on the back of an impressive season with Western Australia and Perth Scorchers. In the 50-over Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) last season, Graham scored 294 runs at an average of 49 including one century and three fifties. In the T20 format, too, she made a mark, picking 22 wickets at an average of 16.95 for Scorchers in the WBBL, to jointly top the wicket-takers’ chart with Brisbane Heat’s Delissa Kimmince.Burns, who recently signed up for New South Wales (NSW) Breakers, meanwhile, is a more experienced campaigner. Having played her age-group cricket in her native NSW, she moved to Tasmania and more recently to the Australian Capital Territory in 2018-19, before switching back to NSW, who offered her a contract for the 2019-20 summer.In the WNCL last season, Burns, who bowls offspin, took ten wickets at an average of 19.2 and finished fourth on the wickets tally. As a middle-order batsman, she was a big contributor as Sydney Sixers made the WBBL 2018-19 final, making 250 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 129.53. Burns stood out with her fielding, too, having memorably put in a desperate dive to deny a victory-securing boundary off the final ball in a humdinger of a semi-final.Heather Graham makes a call after hitting into the leg side•Getty Images

Speaking of the uncapped pair’s inclusion, national selector Shawn Flegler said, “Heather was named the Domestic Player of the Year last season and was a member of the National Performance Squad as well as Australia’s ‘A’ tour to England, so we know exactly what she is capable of with both bat and ball. Her skills with the ball will add further depth to the team’s pace bowling stocks while her batting ability could see her play an important role in the middle-order.”Erin has also been a stand-out performer at domestic level and has had to bide her time for a national call-up. A handy middle-order batter, her off-spin will help to fill the void created by the omission of Sophie Molineux.”Flegler stressed that the plan was to try out a pool of uncapped players who could potentially stake a claim for a place in the squad for the home T20 World Cup next year.”These selections reinforce our desire to select players with a view to the T20 World Cup next year, who offer versatility, can play a designated role and offer skills in a number of different facets of the game,” she said. “Elyse unfortunately couldn’t force her way into the playing XI in the recent Ashes series and the selection panel believes the first round of WNCL is an ideal opportunity for her to redefine her batting and present a strong case for selection ahead of a busy summer.”Nicole has made herself unavailable for selection and we are working closely with her and the WACA to provide her the support she needs as she continues to manage her health.”Sophie will also miss the tour to give her the opportunity to focus on her shoulder rehab after a large workload over the last seven weeks. With a big season ahead, including the World Cup, it’s important she gets her body 100 per cent right and this break will hopefully allow her to do that.”Australia squad: Meg Lanning (capt), Rachael Haynes (vice-capt), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Leeds United are currently on course to secure automatic promotion straight back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, having been relegated from the top-flight at the end of last season.

The Whites brought in German head coach Daniel Farke last summer in an attempt to lead them to glory and they are second in the table with 13 games left to play.

They are above Ipswich Town on goal difference and two points ahead of Southampton, with all three sides on the same number of matches played, whilst Leicester City are nine points clear at the top.

Farke won the Championship title with Norwich City on two occasions and is now looking for a third promotion to the Premier League, with the help of the exciting squad he has available to him.

One player who has been particularly important to the club's success on the pitch this season has been terrific forward Crysencio Summerville.

The Dutch wizard has been a constant threat on the left wing and one of the top performers in his position in the division this term, alongside former Leeds starlet Jack Clarke.

When Leeds sold Jack Clarke

In the summer of 2019, then-sporting director Victor Orta decided to cash in on the talented young forward as Tottenham Hotspur swooped in to secure his services.

The Premier League side reportedly splashed out an initial fee of £8.5m to sign the teenage winger and sent him back on loan at Elland Road for the 2019/20 campaign.

Clarke had broken through into the first-team under Marcelo Bielsa during the previous season and made 24 appearances in the Championship, including the play-offs, before Spurs decided to move for him.

He produced two goals and two assists from the left flank in those 24 outings, although only four of those matches were as a starter, but his return on loan did not go as well.

The young gem made one Championship appearance for Leeds before Tottenham opted to send him out on loan to Queens Park Rangers for the second half of the campaign, in which time he played six times for the London-based side in the second tier.

Clarke failed to make the grade in the Premier League with Spurs during his time there and was eventually sold to Sunderland, after a six-month loan spell, in the summer of 2022.

Over the last two seasons, the 23-year-old wizard has been a constant threat to opposition defences in the Championship and has been an outstanding performer, which suggests that Orta fumbled Leeds' own homegrown version of Summerville back in 2019.

Crysencio Summerville's season in numbers

The former Feyenoord youngster, who arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 2021, has emerged as the star of Farke's team in the second tier this season for Leeds.

He has been in phenomenal form as both a scorer and a creator of goals as a right-footed winger who predominantly plays on the left side of the attack.

Summerville has racked up 15 goals in 30 appearances in the division – four more than any of his teammates have managed – and only missed nine 'big chances', with an xG of 11.62.

This shows that the 22-year-old whiz has been ruthless in front of goal as he has rarely passed up a good opportunity to find the back of the net for the Whites.

The electric gem has also provided his fellow attackers with eight assists in those 30 Championship games, and only Georginio Rutter (11) has produced more assists within the Leeds squad.

Summerville may, however, argue that he should have more assists to his name. The exceptional dynamo has an xA of 9.33 and has created 16 'big chances', yet has only been rewarded with eight assists for his efforts.

Along with his quality as a scorer and a creator, the Dutch gem also has the ability in possession to get supporters off their seats with his dribbling, as he has completed 2.3 dribbles per game. He can get Elland Road rocking by committing defenders and driving the ball past players to push his team up the pitch.

Clarke is a player who offers similar qualities as another right-footed winger who plays on the left flank in the Championship, which is backed up by his impressive statistics for Sunderland this season.

Jack Clarke's season in numbers

The 23-year-old has been in exceptional form for the Black Cats throughout the 2023/24 campaign, despite their turbulence in the dugout so far.

They are on their third manager of the season in Mike Dodds, who is in interim charge for the second time after Michael Beale – who replaced Tony Mowbray – was sacked earlier this week.

Despite the seemingly constant change in the coaching staff, Clarke, who was once hailed as "unplayable" by journalist Josh Bunting, has fired in an outstanding 15 goals in 33 Championship matches for Sunderland.

He has only missed four 'big chances' and plundered those 15 goals from 10.25 xG, which suggests that the talented whiz has been more clinical than Summerville as they have the same number of goals but the Black Cats gem has managed it with fewer big chances missed and less xG.

Appearances

33

30

Goals

15

15

Big chances missed

Four

Nine

Assists

Four

Eight

Big chances created

11

16

xA

7.93

9.33

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, they have both been superb options for their respective sides as scorers and creators on a regular basis from the left wing.

Like the Leeds star, Clarke has been let down by his teammates in the final third as they have only rewarded him with four assists from an xA of 7.93, with 11 'big chances' created in total. This shows that they have not made the most of his creative quality this season.

However, the former Whites academy graduate did register 11 assists from seven 'big chances' created during the 2022/23 campaign, which could even it out somewhat.

What is clear, though, is that Summerville and Clarke are both mercurial stars who have taken the EFL by storm on the left wing with their immense attacking quality.

That is why Leeds, and Orta in particular, may look back on the decision to cash in on him when they did as a mistake as they could have developed their own homegrown version of the current first-team star by working with the former England U21 international to fulfill his potential in Yorkshire.

كشف مصدر خاص بنادي الزمالك النقاب عن موقف الثنائي المحترف سيدي ندياي وجيفرسون كوستا من المشاركة في مباراة الأهلي غدًا.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه فريق نادي الزمالك مواليد 2005 نظيره الأهلي على ملعب ميت عقبة، في إطار مواجهات كأس الاتحاد للشباب.

الزمالك يتخذ قرارًا بشأن أوفي إيجاريا قبل ودية بتروجيت

وأوضح المصدر لـ بطولات أن سيدي ندياي لن يخوض مباراة الزمالك أمام الأهلي مواليد 2005 بسبب معاناته من الإصابة.

ويعاني الوافد الجديد للزمالك من إصابة في أنكل القدم والتي تعرض لها في مباراة سموحة 2005.

كما يغيب كوستا بعدما قرر جوميز استمراره مع الفريق الأول لخوض مباراة الزمالك الودية أمام بتروجيت والمقرر لها صباح الغد

يذكر، أن الأهلي والزمالك يتواجدان ضمن المجموعة الثانية فى كأس الاتحاد التي تضم فرق سموحة، الأهلى، الزمالك، والقناة.

وكان الزمالك قد أعلن خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية عن تعاقده مع سيدي ندياي، كما تم قيده تحت السن.

 

Misfiring batting unit gets final chance to impress as England attempt to salvage a drawn series

Andrew Miller09-Sep-2019England have reacted to their 185-run defeat in the fourth Test at Old Trafford by naming an unchanged 13-man squad for the fifth and final Test at The Oval, starting on Thursday. It is a contest in which England can still square the series 2-2, even though the Ashes have already been retained by Australia.Despite the glaring shortcomings of England’s batting throughout the series, the fight shown on the final day at Old Trafford, where England took their rearguard into the final hour thanks to battling cameos all down the order, has encouraged the selectors to offer a final chance to a batting line-up that, aside from positional changes for Joe Denly and Jason Roy, has remained the same throughout.With the exception of Ben Stokes, who is averaging 59 following hundreds at Lord’s and Headingley, and Rory Burns, who has cemented his status as England’s first-choice opener with 323 runs at 40.37, the remainder of England’s batting line-up has been consistently poor.The captain, Joe Root, has picked up three ducks to go along with three hard-fought fifties to average 30.87 – almost 20 runs fewer than his Test average at the start of 2019, while Denly, Root, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow have all averaged between 25.50 and 13.75.There had been speculation that England would ring a few changes for The Oval, with Surrey’s Olly Pope one name in the frame to replace Roy, while their team-mate Ben Foakes, who made a century on Test debut in Sri Lanka last year, was a potential replacement for Bairstow as wicketkeeper.However, it may be significant that the Oval Test will be the final match of Trevor Bayliss’s tenure as England coach, and therefore there is little to be gained from wholesale changes at this stage of England’s cycle. Instead, the match offers a final opportunity for an under-performing set of players to fight for their short-term Test futures, with tours of New Zealand and South Africa looming large on the horizon.Craig Overton, whose battling innings of 21 from 105 balls gave England hope on the final day at Old Trafford, retains his place in the squad and will once again compete for the role of third seamer, alongside Chris Woakes and the left-armer Sam Curran, another Surrey home boy.”It’s obviously disappointing,” Overton said, after falling to Josh Hazlewood as the last wicket of England’s second innings. “We set out at the start of the day to show some character and the boys did that. Everyone got stuck in to take it that deep on a day-five wicket against a world-class bowling attack. We are proud, but it’s disappointing that we couldn’t get over the line.”Despite the loss of the Ashes, the series remains live at 2-1 with one to play, and Overton said that England would be gunning for a share of the spoils when the fifth Test begins.”That’s been the message,” he said. “It’s disappointing that we’ve lost but the character we showed today, take that to The Oval and make sure we get that win to stop them winning the series, only retaining.”However, England may yet have to take the field at The Oval with the talismanic Stokes under an injury cloud. He injured his shoulder while bowling during the Old Trafford Test, and will be monitored by the ECB in the coming days.If he is deemed unfit to bowl, then Stokes will play as a batsman only, with the all-round abilities of Woakes or Curran coming into the mix at the expense of one of the specialist batsmen in the side.England squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes

Alisha Lehmann admitted she misses Aston Villa's Maz Pacheco and former team-mate Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah in a heartfelt social media exchange.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Lehmann close pals with Pacheco & Boye-Hlorkah
• Trio exchange heartfelt Instagram messages
• Villa's Lehmann currently enjoying summer break

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Switzerland international Lehmann has been enjoying her summer break following the conclusion of the Women's Super League season and fixtures for her country. Away from her holidays, the 25-year-old responded to Pacheco's sweet Instagram message and replied with one of her own.

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• WHAT ALISHA LEHMANN SAID

  After Pacheco posted a photo of her, Lehmann, and Boye-Hlorkah in their Villa kits from years gone by, she wrote: "Missing my lil trio. My G's come home soon please."

  Lehmann responded by writing: "Miss you so much," with three love hearts in her Instagram story.

  Instagram

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While Pacheco may want a reunion with the other two, Boye-Hlorkah has been at the London City Lionesses since 2023 and Lehmann has been linked with a move to Juventus. It remains to be seen if she will stay at Villa for next season.

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Lehmann, who also had spells with West Ham and BSC YB Frauen, is likely to return to sporting action next month when Switzerland take on Turkey and Azerbaijan in their 2025 Euros qualifiers on July 12 and 16 respectively.

Conor Bradley has had something of a break-out campaign this season with Liverpool after spending the 2022/23 campaign on loan with League One club, Bolton Wanderers.

Whilst at the former Premier League club, he had a solid season as a first-team regular. According to WhoScored, the Northern Ireland international managed to contribute to nine goals during that time.

His performances for Bolton were that good that he was awarded with all three of Bolton's player awards last season. His good form even helped the side to an EFL Trophy win.

This good form has been carried on into the 2023/24 season, where he is now among Liverpool's first-team players. In fact, his form has seemingly gotten even better as he is currently the proud owner of an 8.5 rating on WhoScored after appearing in two of Liverpool's Premier League games.

Granted, the games played need to be taken into account when looking at this rating, but, for a player of Bradley's age, these numbers are staggering, particularly when you consider he already has a goal and three assists in those matches.

However, Bradley isn't the only Liverpool academy graduate who has been among Liverpool's first-team this season. Ben Doak is another player who has made his debut for the Reds in 2023/24.

Liverpool's most exciting talent after Bradley

Scotland U21 international, Doak, was entrusted by Klopp to appear a total of three times in the Europa League this season. Although the 18-year-old is yet to score or assist for the Reds' senior squad, the versatility he can offer allows Liverpool to change their style of play in many ways.

This season alone, Doak has played on both wings and just last season, he was playing centrally for Liverpool's youth teams.

Despite making positive progression this season, the youngster has unfortunately suffered a tear in his lateral meniscus whilst playing for Liverpool's U21 squad. Pep Ljinders confirmed this, stating:

"He tore his lateral meniscus, which needs surgery. He is young, and he’s a positive guy, so for sure he will come back stronger," he said. "We need him to come back with the same fire he has with the ball."

Although this recent injury will undoubtedly be frustrating for Doak, there is clearly belief in the squad that he will be able to come back stronger and return to his form.

Ben Doak's season in numbers for Liverpool

Described as 'explosive' by Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig, there is no wonder why, before his injury, he was beginning to start games for Liverpool's senior squad.

Since arriving at Liverpool in 2022 for a compensation fee of around £600,000, the attacker has been in and around the Reds' youth set-up and has been one of their most influential players.

He has appeared for Liverpool's academy a total of 23 times and has managed to contribute to 19 goals during that time. This roughly equates to a goal every 0.8 games which, for an 18-year-old, is quite simply staggering.

During his tenure with the club, he has outperformed the likes of Kaide Gordon and Mateusz Musialowski as, combined, the attacking duo only have a total of 12 goal contributions between them.

This in itself shows how pivotal Doak is to the U21 side and how far ahead he is compared to his teammates. Once he has returned to full fitness, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the former Celtic man in and around Liverpool's first team as he makes his move to potentially dethrone Bradley as the club's current poster boy for the academy.

Both Tim Paine and the Australia coach felt umpire Joel Wilson shouldn’t be blamed for the Ben Stokes not-out call and that the team should get better with their reviews

Daniel Brettig at Headingley26-Aug-2019

Australia could have had their man if they hadn’t wasted their review•Getty Images

Justin Langer and Tim Paine conceded that poor use of the DRS had returned to haunt Australia in the nerve-shredding final moments of the Headingley Test, which left the tourists without a review to call upon for a final lbw decision by the umpire Joel Wilson on Ben Stokes that would have been overturned on review.ALSO READ: Brettig – Mistakes haunt Australia as Headingley hoodoo strikes againEngland still needed two runs for victory when Nathan Lyon beat Stokes on the sweep and appealed fervently for lbw, only to have Wilson rule it not out. Stokes later said he could not believe ball-tracking had showed the delivery to be hitting the stumps squarely enough to overturn the not-out decision, but for Langer, the sequence underlined one of the areas his team needed improvement in.Two earlier wasted reviews, one for a Lyon lbw appeal on the third evening and then another for Pat Cummins against the last man Jack Leach with England still needing five runs to win, had meant there were none available at the critical moment. Plenty of criticism has been directed Wilson’s way for not giving Stokes out, but Langer reasoned that Australia could have put themselves into a position where recourse was available with better judgment.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We’ve been really poor at it this whole series,” Langer said. “We talked a lot about getting better at our reviews. There wasn’t so many this game as there were at Lord’s, but certainly we have control of that. We have your way we go about it, but sometimes you don’t quite get it right. To be fair, the one off Pat Cummins, it was getting pretty desperate at the end there and that often happens. That’s just how it works out.”The umpire should make the decision he thinks is right regardless of reviews in my opinion. If they think it’s out they should give it, if they don’t they should give it not out. The review system is as it is and sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don’t.”Paine, who quipped that he might consider handing over reviewing duties to someone else, said that he had not watched a replay of the final lbw call, nor would he. “No. I saw it live,” he said. “That’s all I needed to see. I don’t want to watch that again.”Nevertheless, he declined to criticise Wilson, who had faced severe criticism for a string of overturned decisions during the first Test of the series at Edgbaston, served as third umpire at Lord’s and then returned to the middle for Headingley, where he had actually officiated far better across the game up until the concluding moments. There had been room for doubt, too, in the lbw appeal, given how full the ball had pitched, leaving Wilson with little chance to judge how much Lyon’s quicker delivery was turning.”I have no issue with that, we can’t control that,” Paine said. “I don’t think I’ve got a referral correct the whole series so I can’t sit here and bag the umpires and again we have got to focus on what we can control and umpiring decisions isn’t one of them.”I’m sure it is something that will be written about but we also had other opportunities to win the game and opportunities on other days with our batting and we didn’t take them, so to sit down and single out an umpire is unnecessary. He is no different to everyone else – he is allowed to make mistakes.”

After qualifying for the Champions League last season, Newcastle United have suffered from their own success in the current campaign, with a busy fixture list causing injury problems and leading to some disappointing results. As the summer approaches, however, the Magpies could start to fix their squad depth problem with the arrival of a long-term target.

Newcastle transfer news

Whatever Newcastle do this summer, they will have to do it with a new sporting director after the news emerged that Dan Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave amid links to Manchester United. CEO Darren Eales spoke about the news, telling Newcastle's official website: "We are naturally disappointed that Dan has chosen to leave, however our exciting journey doesn't stop and the process to recruit a new sporting director will begin immediately.

"We thank Dan for his efforts at Newcastle United and we wish him and his family well for the future."

Ashworth's departure hasn't stopped the transfer rumours from flooding in, however. According to reports in Spain, Newcastle are interested in Jules Kounde as they look to land a long-term target.

Related Latest Newcastle United injury news, return dates and suspensions

FFC keeps you up to date with all the latest Newcastle news involving injuries as they face Sheffield United in the Premier League.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 26, 2024

The Magpies were, of course, linked with a move for the Barcelona defender last summer, but failed to make their move. A year later, they're now interested in the Frenchman once again, but could be forced to watch on as Chelsea pursue a deal of their own having sent scouts to watch Kounde in Barcelona's recent Champions League last 16 game against Napoli.

Arsenal have also been mentioned alongside Newcastle as a side interested in securing Kounde's signature to potentially create a busy race between Premier League sides this summer. When the transfer window swings open, the defender will certainly be one to watch.

"Aggressive" Kounde can solve Newcastle problem

When injuries have piled up in Newcastle's backline this season, Eddie Howe has been forced to turn to the likes of Dan Burn far too often and it has proved costly at times. With just Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman to turn to when it comes to senior options in the middle, however, the Newcastle boss has had little choice.

It is a problem that Kounde could put an end to once and for all, with his ability to also fill in at full-back handing Howe cover for Kieran Trippier and Burn on top of Schar and Botman. What's more, Kounde's stats show that he'd be an upgrade on Lascelles.

Stats

Jules Kounde

Jamaal Lascelles

Progressive Carries

38

7

Progressive Passes

145

30

Tackles Won

14

9

Blocks

19

17

Interceptions

16

4

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez will be glad to have kept hold of his defender before the end of his tenure at the end of the season, having been so full of praise for Kounde when he signed for the club in 2022.

Xavi told Barcelona's official website: "I am very happy about the arrival of Kounde. He will bring us very good ball control. He is quick, aggressive, and corrects a lot of counter-attacking situations and transitions. He will help us a lot. He can also play full-back, like Araujo. The signing creates more competition, and that's great."

Tottenham Hotspur have been brilliant this campaign under Ange Postecoglou, who has not only improved results but also given the club a clear identity, which they have been lacking for a while.

The Lilywhites are currently fifth in the Premier League, five points behind Aston Villa with a game in hand.

#1 Liverpool

26

38

60

#2 Man City

26

33

59

#3 Arsenal

26

39

58

#4 Aston Villa

26

21

52

#5 Spurs

25

14

47

#6 Man Utd

26

0

44

#7 Brighton

26

8

39

#8 Wolves

26

0

38

The Spurs faithful will fancy their chances of securing Champions League football, especially as they now have all their key players available once again and quality in backup if any setbacks do occur.

This just proves how Daniel Levy has recruited brilliantly recently, but there are still plenty of players that he’s signed in recent years who have simply failed to produce on the field.

What Spurs paid for Sergio Reguilon

In the summer of 2020, Tottenham looked to secure a long-term suitor for the left-back role in Sergio Reguilon, who at the time had an extremely “promising future,” according to journalist Kiyan Sobhani.

Jose Mourinho spent £32m on the full-back after he impressed during his loan spell at Sevilla, where he starred in La Liga and helped the side win the Europa League.

In his first season at Spurs, Reguilon became the first-choice left-back in the team, starting 26 matches and displacing Ben Davies in the side.

Over those games, the Spanish ace picked up four assists and became known as an energetic, pacy defender who provided endless support at both ends of the field.

Reguilon kept his place in the starting XI in the following season, but this time he would operate in a left-wing back role under Antonio Conte, which suited his profile much better. The former Real Madrid prospect started 22 games, but that was the pinnacle of his Spurs career.

Sergio Reguilon’s transfer value in 2024

Last campaign, Reguilon set his sights on a return to Spain, as he joined Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan.

However, his time under Diego Simeone was a nightmare, with the defender starting just two games in La Liga, dealing with two injuries, and sitting on the bench 14 times without getting on the field.

Fast forward to this season, and he spent the first half of it on loan to Manchester United, where he featured on 12 occasions. Today, the 27-year-old is playing for Brentford on loan from Spurs once again, becoming the first-choice left-wing back and filling in for the injured Rico Henry.

The 5-foot-10 star’s lack of game time and unconvincing showings over the last few seasons have seen his estimated market value completely crash by £28m since his move to the Lilywhites, to the point where he is now valued at just over £4m according to CIES Football Observatory.

Ryan Sessegnon

£4m

Dane Scarlet

£4m

Fraser Forster

£4m

Jamie Donley

£4m

Sergio Reguilon

£4m

As you can see, this would make him the joint lowest-valued player in the Spurs squad and by far the lowest to have played frequently this season in the Premier League. To sum things up, he is rated as highly as some of the club's current academy graduates.

It’s fair to say that the transfer of Reguilon has been a howler from Spurs, and with Destiny Udogie becoming a key player at left-back, there’s no way the Spaniard can revive his career under Postecoglou.