انطلق اليوم 7 ديسمبر معسكر منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، بقيادة حسام حسن، في إطار الاستعداد لبطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية 2025.

ويستعد منتخب مصر للمشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا، والتي ستنطلق يوم 21 من شهر ديسمبر الجاري بالمغرب، إلى 18 يناير 2026، بمشاركة 24 منتخبًا.

ويقع منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا، في المجموعة الثانية مع منتخبات زيمبابوي وأنجولا وجنوب إفريقيا.

طالع… موعد مباراة مصر ونيجيريا الودية استعدادًا لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا

ويستهل منتخب مصر مشواره ببطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا يوم 22 ديسمبر بمواجهة زيمبابوي ثم جنوب إفريقيا يوم 26، ويختتم دور المجموعات بمواجهة أنجولا يوم 29.

وأقيم تدريب منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم بمركز المنتخبات الوطنية بالسادس من أكتوبر.

حضر مران منتخب مصر، مصطفى أبو زهرة عضو مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة، والدكتور مصطفى عزام الأمين العام لاتحاد الكرة.

 

While the Afghanistan captain nears a special milestone, Zimbabwe will hope their returning former captain still has it at 39

Alagappan Muthu28-Oct-2025The 2026 T20 World Cup may be three months away – it is set to begin in February, in India and Sri Lanka – but it will be at the forefront of both Afghanistan and Zimbabwe’s minds as they prepare to engage in a three-match T20I series that starts on Wednesday.

Hello again, Rashid

Rashid Khan will return to action, although he was only ever away for two weeks. The 27-year-old legspinner is on the cusp of a significant record – 500 T20 matches. Should he play every game of this series, he will join that coveted group, which currently includes seven players.Related

• Rashid rested for one-off Test against Zimbabwe, will return for T20Is

• Cremer returns to Zimbabwe cricket after seven years

Rashid, Afghanistan’s captain, will be looking for improvements considering his team exited the Asia Cup at the first group stage and then lost 3-0 to Bangladesh. His bowling form is on the up, though, which seems to be an effect of his taking some time off from the game.Over the first five months of this year, Rashid picked up 21 wickets in 26 T20s at an average of 36.80 and an economy rate of 8.40. He took a break after IPL 2025, and since his return has gobbled up 35 wickets in 20 T20s at an average of 14.17 and an economy rate of 6.70. Rushing back into cricket from back surgery in 2023 had adversely affected his wicket-taking ability; putting his body under less pressure now has rekindled the old fire.

Cremer’s return

Graeme Cremer quit cricket in 2018 to support his wife’s career as an airline pilot in the UAE and raise their kids. Now that they’ve grown up, he’s back.The 39-year-old former Zimbabwe captain has 35 wickets from 29 T20Is at an average of 18.85 and an economy rate of 6.94. That presents the picture of an accurate bowler, and these games might provide answers about whether he still remains so after all his time away.A wristspinner who turns it both ways, and who has plenty of prior international experience, could be very useful in 2026 when Zimbabwe return to the T20 World Cup having missed out on qualifying for last year’s event.Zimbabwe will only play a limited number of T20Is in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup•Zimbabwe Cricket

Zimbabwe’s time crunch

Less than two weeks ago, these three T20Is represented the only short-format cricket Zimbabwe had in the lead-up to the World Cup. Then Afghanistan pulled out of a tri-series that Pakistan will be hosting in November due to the death of three local cricketers in a cross-border attack. Zimbabwe were brought in to fill the vacancy. These three games at home, and the four coming up in Lahore and Rawalpindi, will prove invaluable as Zimbabwe prepare to set some records straight. They haven’t been part of an ICC tournament since 2022, missing two World Cups and a Champions Trophy.

Young talents

Afghanistan’s rise is tied to their players being really, really good even at a really young age. Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai (22-year-old allrounder with hundreds in first-class and List A cricket), Abdollah Ahmadzai (22-year-old fast bowler who was with the Afghanistan squad at the Asia Cup) and Bashir Ahmad (20-year-old left-arm quick who could be a long-term replacement for Fazalhaq Farooqi) are the three to watch out for in this series.Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat and Farooqi all lost their place after Afghanistan’s Asia Cup exit. It remains to be seen if they can fight their way back into contention.

Newcastle United ended a long wait for an away win in the Premier League this season with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Everton at the Hill Dickinson on Saturday.

Eddie Howe will have been delighted with how clinical his team were in the final third, as Malick Thiaw scored twice, either side of goals from Nick Woltemade and Lewis Miley.

Woltemade has now scored five goals in the Premier League this season since his £69m move from Stuttgart during the summer transfer window, after he replaced Alexander Isak.

The Germany international’s impressive form has not been great news for everyone at St. James’ Park, though, because it has meant that opportunities for other forwards in the squad have been limited.

Newcastle forward seeking January transfer

Woltemade is the guaranteed first-choice number nine for the Magpies, as evidenced by ten starts in ten Premier League outings, and that has left another player to consider their future at the club.

Transfer Focus

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

According to German outlet BILD, via Newcastle World, Newcastle United centre-forward William Osula ‘wants to leave’ St. James’ Park in the January transfer window in search of regular first-team football.

The report claims that Eintracht Frankfurt, who were keen on him in the summer, remain interested in a potential deal to snap him up from the Magpies ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Newcastle World notes that Frankfurt came close to signing the Dane on a permanent deal for £30m in the summer before they pursued a loan move at the last minute, which led to a breakdown in negotiations.

It adds that a similar transfer fee to that £30m offer could see a transfer done in January, and PIF must now move to cash in on the forward in the German side are willing to put that kind of money on the table again.

Why Newcastle should sell William Osula

Osula, who is currently out with an ankle injury, is clearly a talented prospect who could become a key player for the Magpies in the future. He has scored three goals in just 370 minutes this season, per Sofascore, including a goal against Liverpool in the Premier League.

At 22, the Danish marksman has the majority of his career left ahead of him to develop and improve, but it is a question of when and where his development will happen, because he needs to be playing games in order to progress.

Woltemade is only a year older than Osula and Newcastle have Yoane Wissa to come back from injury, which means that there is no visible short-term route to him being a first-choice option for Howe.

Alexander Isak

£125m

Andy Carroll

£35m

Elliot Anderson

£35m

Yankuba Minteh

£30m

Moussa Sissoko

£30m

Ayoze Perez

£30m

Will Osula

£30m (rumoured)

Gini Wijnaldum

£25m

Allan Saint-Maximin

£23m

Aleksandar Mitrovic

£22m

As you can see in the table above, selling the 22-year-old to Frankfurt, or any other team, for £30m in January would make the youngster one of the most expensive sales in the club’s history, with only three players having been sold for more.

Osula was once described by former teammate Curtis Davies as being like “a poor man’s Haaland” with his physicality in the number nine role, and you saw a glimpse of that with the way he bundled his way through to score against Liverpool.

However, it does not appear as though he will get the time on the pitch that is needed for him to realise his potential at Newcastle, because of Woltemade and Wissa, which may be why he now wants to leave the club in January.

PIF and Howe should not step in his way because selling him for a potential fee of £30m could be the best possible outcome for all parties involved. Osula would get to go and pursue regular football and find a new home, whilst the Magpies would have funds available to bolster their squad in other areas.

As good as Thiaw: Newcastle star is now "one of the best" players in the PL

Eddie Howe and Newcastle United have a superstar in the making on their hands.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 1, 2025

Therefore, PIF should axe the Danish striker when the January transfer window opens for business, should Frankfurt make a significant offer for his services, as it may be the right decision for the club and the player.

Mushfiqur and Litton scored centuries to lift Bangladesh to 476 earlier in the day

Mohammad Isam20-Nov-2025Ireland lost five wickets for 98 in reply to 476 to put Bangladesh in a strong position on the second day of the Dhaka Test. The day started with Mushfiqur Rahim reaching his century in his 100th Test, before the Bangladesh spinners got into their groove.Hasan Murad took two wickets, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam picked up one each so far. Ireland’s debutant Stephen Doheny and Lorcan Tucker were the unbeaten batters, on 2 and 11 respectively.When Ireland bowled earlier in the day, Andy McBrine completed his second six-wicket haul in Tests, both having come at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Matthew Humphreys and Gavin Hoey took two wickets each, making it the first instance of Ireland’s spinners taking all ten wickets in a Test innings.Mehidy Hasan Miraz celebrates after getting rid of Cade Carmichael•BCB

Paul Stirling’s string of boundaries, including a slog-swept six off Taiju lslam, got Ireland off to a positive start. But he fell lbw to Khaled Ahmed for 27. Captain Andy Balbirnie was next to go, when Murad had him caught at slip for 21. Cade Carmichael became Miraz’s first victim when he fell lbw, camping on his backfoot to play the shot.Murad then bowled the ball of the day, his arm-ball sneaking past Curtis Campher’s defensive push. Taijul Islam then got into the act with Harry Tector’s wicket, as the batter went back to a slightly good length delivery, only to be trapped lbw for 14.Bangladesh’s 476 was built around centuries from Mushfiqur and Litton Das. Mushfiqur became the eleventh batter to score a century in his 100th Test. He completed his 13th century when he took a single off the ninth ball of the second day after being unbeaten on 99 overnight.Mushfiqur though lasted for a short while longer before Humphreys had him caught at second slip for 106. Litton too got to his century later in the first session, taking an adventurous route with a six and a four through the nineties. He added 123 runs for the sixth wicket, making it three century stands in a row.McBrine rounded off the Bangladesh innings after trapping Khaled Ahmed lbw, with 30 minutes remaining in the second session.

Former England batter dies at home in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-20252:30

Remembering Robin Smith

Robin Smith, the former England batter who went toe-to-toe with some of the greatest fast bowlers of the 1980s and 90s, has died at his home in Australia at the age of 62.Smith played 62 Tests between 1988 and 1996, scoring 4,236 runs at 43.67 with nine centuries, including three against West Indies – the team that so often brought out his pugnacious best.Smith’s signature shot was a front-foot square cut that was, by many estimations, one of the fiercest strokes in the world game, and it enabled him to thrive in cricket’s adrenalin-fuelled fast lane. This was especially true on England’s memorable tour of the Caribbean in 1990, when Smith was instrumental in England’s victory in the first Test in Jamaica, and again on home soil in consecutive 2-2 drawn series against West Indies in 1991 and 1995.At Edgbaston in 1993, Smith produced a remarkable innings of 167 not out in an ODI against Australia, a score which would remain England’s highest in the format for 23 years, until surpassed by Alex Hales in 2016.However, his perceived weakness against spin counted against him at key moments of his career, in particular with the emergence of Australia’s Shane Warne, whose success in his maiden Ashes tour in 1993 persuaded the selectors to omit Smith from England’s subsequent visit to Australia 18 months later.Ironically, Smith and Warne became lifelong friends – a relationship that was central to Warne’s decision to sign for Hampshire in the latter years of his career.Born in South Africa in 1963, Smith was brought up to be a professional cricketer, and would spend hours honing his technique in the bespoke cricket net that his father built at the family home in Durban, and in which Barry Richards and Mike Procter counted among his practice partners.Richards’ own connections with Hampshire had, in turn, persuaded the club to take a punt on his two young neighbours. Smith’s elder brother Chris would also go on to play for England after emigrating from South Africa in the early 1980s, but Robin’s debut – against West Indies at Headingley in 1988 – was the more eagerly anticipated of the two.Robin Smith on his way to 90 against West Indies at Lord’s, 1995•Getty Images

In a sign of things to come, his maiden innings comprised a century stand with his fellow South African import, Allan Lamb – another great player of West Indian fast bowling – only for England to collapse to a ten-wicket defeat at the hands of Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh.Smith was still arguably in his pomp at the age of 32 when he played his final Test, against his former countrymen South Africa at Cape Town, at the end of a disappointing 1-0 series loss in January 1996. With England’s supremo, Ray Illingworth, keen to usher in a new generation, Smith was bracketed with England’s older guard and cast aside, despite boasting a batting average that – of the players with whom his career overlapped – only David Gower and Graham Thorpe could better.Post-career, Smith’s struggles with alcoholism were poignantly addressed in his 2019 autobiography, The Judge: More Than Just A Game. However, only last week, he attended the first Ashes Test in Perth, and spoke widely to the media about his ongoing recovery. He also attended an England Lions training session at Lilac Hill at the invitation of Andrew Flintoff.A statement from his family confirmed that Smith had died unexpectedly in his South Perth apartment on Monday, and that the cause of death is unknown.”Since his retirement from the game in 2004 [Robin’s] battles with alcohol and mental health have been well-documented but these should not form the basis of speculation about the cause of death which will be determined at postmortem investigation,” the statement added.”This is an immensely difficult period for us all whilst we try to come to terms with our bereavement, and we would therefore much appreciate consideration for our privacy by media and cricket followers alike.”ECB Chair Richard Thompson said: “Robin Smith was a player who stood toe to toe with some of the quickest bowlers in the world, meeting spells of hostile fast bowling with a defiant smile and an incredible resilience. He did so in a way that gave England fans enormous pride, and no shortage of entertainment.”He was a batter ahead of his time which was typified in that unforgettable unbeaten 167 from 163 balls in an ODI against Australia at Edgbaston in 1993.”His record at Hampshire is exemplary, and he’ll be remembered rightly as a great of Hampshire CCC. We’re desperately sad to learn of his passing, and the thoughts of all of us in cricket are with his friends, family and loved ones.”

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl was thrown into a difficult situation when he decided to take on the job as Russell Martin’s replacement at Ibrox.

The former Gers boss only won five of 17 matches in charge of the club, whilst the summer transfer window was navigated by Kevin Thelwell, who has since been relieved of his duties.

Now that Thelwell has departed, Rohl will have a chance to lead the charge to recruit his own players in the upcoming January transfer window, and a new winger has to be on the agenda.

Ranking Rohl's winger options for Rangers

Rohl has plenty of options who can play on the left or the right flank, but very few of them have shown that they have the quality to be reliable options in the present day.

Oliver Antman and Nedim Bajrami are both currently out through injury, which means that they are not current options for the manager, whilst Kieran Dowell has only just returned from injury and has yet to be given a chance to shine.

1

Mikey Moore

2

Djeidi Gassama

3

Findlay Curtis

4

Danilo

5

Kieran Dowell

N/A

Nedim Bajrami

N/A

Oliver Antman

As you can see in the table above, we have ranked Mikey Moore as the best current option on the wing for Rangers, because he has scored two goals in his last two Scottish Premiership games.

No other natural Gers winger, with Danilo a striker by trade, has scored more than one league goal for the Gers this season, with Djeidi Gassama on one goal and one assist.

Gassama has been particularly disappointing of late, with one goal and no assists in his last 11 matches, and Rangers could finally replace him as a starter by signing Yelimay Semey left winger Galymzhan Kenzhebek in January.

Why Rangers should sign Galymzhan Kenzhebek

The 22-year-old forward has been the subject of a bid from Rangers ahead of the January transfer window opening for business, and they should push to get a deal done for him because he could be an upgrade on Gassama.

Rangers should bolster their options in the wide areas in the winter market because we have ranked the Frenchman as their second-best wide option, despite the fact that he has only scored one league goal for the club.

A return of one goal and one assist in 15 Premiership matches for the Gers, per Sofascore, is not a good enough return for a team that should be competing to win the title, which is why Kenzhebek should be considered as a possible replacement for the starting XI.

Transfer Focus

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

The young winger currently plays in Kazakhstan, which makes it hard to predict how he will adapt to the Premiership, but it is worth remembering that Hearts, who top the league, signed Alexandros Kyziridis from Slovakia and Claudio Braga from the second division in Norway.

There are hidden gems to be found in more obscure leagues, as evidenced by those two signings, who have combined for 15 goals and nine assists for Hearts, per Transfermarkt, this season.

Appearances

11

15

Goals

6

1

Minutes per goal

162

1,171

Key passes per game

1.7

0.9

Assists

4

1

Successful dribbles per game

8.6

2.0

As you can see in the table above, Kenzhebek’s form for his current club is far more impressive than anything Gassama has produced at the top end of the pitch for the Light Blues in the Premiership.

Whilst there is no guarantee that he can translate that form over to Scottish football, there is also no guarantee that signings from the Championship or other top leagues in Europe can adapt to the league or Ibrox.

It is also worth taking into account that Kenzhebek, who was hailed as a “very pacy” player by Rangers Journal creator Kai Watson, has also shown promise at international level.

The Rangers target has scored two goals and provided one assist in six World Cup qualifiers for Kazakhstan, per Sofascore, which shows that he can compete on the international stage, as well as impress for his club domestically.

On top of being an attractive target on paper because of his statistics, Kenzhebek’s contract with his club is due to expire at the end of this month, per Transfermarkt, which means that the Gers can pick him up on a free transfer.

Therefore, Rangers must push to get a deal done for the talented youngster because he could be a hidden gem, away from the usual markets that the club shop in, who could come in and take Gassama’s place in the side.

Rangers dud was as "rotten" as Miovski, now he's Rohl's most improved player

This Glasgow Rangers flop who looked as bad as Bojan Miovski is now Danny Rohl’s most improved performer.

ByDan Emery 4 days ago

If he can then translate his current form over to Ibrox, Rohl would finally have a consistent winger who can provide goals and assists on a regular basis.

A look at the strengths and weaknesses of each WPL squad after the mega auction

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-20250:49

MI coach Keightley: ‘We’re excited to have the same core back’

Mumbai IndiansNo. of players: 16 (6 overseas)Hot take: MI went all out to retain the core of the squad that has won them two WPL titles in the first three seasons. That explained why they spent 52% of their auction purse on New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr. They also wanted South African fast bowler Shabnim Ismail so badly that they raised the paddle even before the auctioneer announced her name. MI have put together another strong squad that has an abundance of all-round options; only three of their 16 players are specialist bowlers.Possible first XI: 1 G Kamalini (wk), 2 Hayley Matthews, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 Amanjot Kaur, 7 Poonam Khemnar, 8 S Sajana, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Saika IshaqueMI squadBatters: Harmanpreet Kaur (INR 2.5 crore)
Wicketkeepers: G Kamalini (INR 50 lakh), Rahila Firdous (INR 10 lakh)
Allrounders: Nat Sciver-Brunt (INR 3.5 crore), Hayley Matthews (INR 1.75 crore), Amanjot Kaur (INR 1 crore), Amelia Kerr (INR 3 crore), Sanskriti Gupta (INR 20 lakh), S Sajana (INR 75 lakh), Nicola Carey (INR 30 lakh), Triveni Vasistha (INR 20 lakh), Nalla Reddy (INR 10 lakh), Poonam Khemnar (INR 10 lakh)
Spinners Saika Ishaque (INR 30 lakh)
Fast bowlers: Shabnim Ismail (INR 60 lakh), Milly Illingworth (INR 10 lakh)
Related

Abhishek Nayar: We wanted Shikha's experience and Deepti back through RTM

The mega auction as it happened

Deepti, Kerr, Shikha get biggest bids; Healy unsold

WPL 2026 to run from January 9 to February 5

Royal Challengers BengaluruNo. of players: 16 (6 overseas)Hot take: The overseas firepower is undeniable but the missing link is a reliable Indian batter who can be the bridge between the middle and lower middle-order. D Hemalatha and Gautami Naik are two potential candidates; one has struggled in the WPL and the other is completely untested.Possible first XI: 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Grace Harris, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 D Hemalatha, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Nadine de Klerk, 7 Pooja Vastrakar, 8 Radha Yadav, 9 Shreyanka Patil, 10 Arundhati Reddy, 11 Lauren BellRCB squadBatters: Smriti Mandhana (INR 3.5 crore), Georgia Voll (INR 60 lakh), D Hemalatha (INR 30 lakh), Gautami Naik (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeepers: Richa Ghosh (INR 2.75 crore), Pratyoosha Kumar (INR 10 lakh)
Allrounders: Ellyse Perry (INR 2 crore), Pooja Vastrakar (INR 85 lakh), Grace Harris (INR 75 lakh), Nadine de Klerk (INR 60 lakh)
Spinners Shreyanka Patil (INR 60 lakh), Radha Yadav (INR 65 lakh), Linsey Smith (INR 30 lakh), Prema Rawat (RTM, INR 20 lakh)
Fast bowlers: Arundhati Reddy (INR 75 lakh), Lauren Bell (INR 90 lakh)
UP WarriorzNo. of players: 18 (6 overseas)Hot take: They came to the auction with by far the biggest purse and made full use of it to assemble a well-rounded squad. Three of the five most expensive buys belonged to them: Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey and Meg Lanning. Deepti, who was bought using the right-to-match option, fetched INR 3.20 crore, the joint-second-most expensive player at a WPL auction. UPW also spent INR 1.20 crore on Phoebe Litchfield and INR 1.10 crore on Asha Sobhana. By comparison, Sophie Ecclestone (INR 85 lakh), Deandra Dottin (INR 80 lakh) and Kranti Gaud (INR 50 lakh) were steals. The only Associate player of WPL 2026 is also in their squad: USA’s left-arm seamer Tara Norris.Possible first XI: 1 Meg Lanning, 2 Kiran Navgire, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Phoebe Litchfield, 5 Deepti Sharma, 6 Deandra Dottin, 7 Sophie Ecclestone, 8 Asha Sobhana, 9 Shipra Giri (wk), 10 Shikha Pandey, 11 Kranti GaudUPW squadBatters: Meg Lanning (INR 1.90 crore), Phoebe Litchfield (INR 1.20 crore), Kiran Navgire (RTM, INR 60 lakh), Pratika Rawal (INR 50 lakh), Shweta Sehrawat (retained, INR 50 lakh), Harleen Deol (INR 50 lakh), Simran Shaikh (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeepers: Shipra Giri (INR 10 lakh)
Allrounders: Deepti Sharma (RTM, INR 3.20 crore), Deandra Dottin (INR 0.80 crore), Chloe Tryon (INR 30 lakh), G Trisha (INR 10 lakh), Suman Meena (INR 10 lakh)
Spinners: Asha Sobhana (INR 1.1 crore), Sophie Ecclestone (RTM, INR 0.85 crore)
Fast bowlers Shikha Pandey (INR 2.40 crore), Kranti Gaud (RTM, INR 50 lakh), Tara Norris (INR 10 lakh)
1:53

‘Wolvaardt can fill Lanning’s shoes’

Delhi CapitalsNo. of players: 16 (6 overseas)Hot take: DC paid INR 1.30 crore, their joint-highest bid of the day, to buy West Indies allrounder Chinelle Henry. DC had faced Henry’s wrath last season, when she smashed a 23-ball 62 while playing for UPW. They also paid INR 1.3 crore to buy back left-arm spinner N Shree Charani, who played an important role in India’s ODI World Cup victory. They have packed their squad with allrounders and top-order batters, but are short of Indian fast bowlers. Another exciting prospect is 16-year-old Deeya Yadav from Haryana, who DC head coach Jonathan Batty described as “a young Shafali.”Possible first XI 1 Shafali Verma, 2 Laura Wolvaardt, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Chinelle Henry, 7 Niki Prasad, 8 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 9 Sneh Rana, 10 Shree Charani, 11 Nandani SharmaDC squadBatters: Shafali Verma (INR 2.20 crore), Jemimah Rodrigues (INR 2.20 crore), Laura Wolvaardt (INR 1.10 crore), Deeya Yadav (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeepers: Taniya Bhatia (INR 30 lakh), Lizelle Lee (INR 30 lakh), Mamatha Madiwala (INR 10 lakh)
Allrounders: Annabel Sutherland (INR 2.20 crore), Marizanne Kapp (INR 2.20 crore), Niki Prasad (INR 50 lakh), Chinelle Henry (INR 1.30 crore), Sneh Rana (INR 50 lakh), Minnu Mani (INR 40 lakh), Lucy Hamilton (INR 10 lakh)
Spinners: Shree Charani (INR 1.30 crore)
Fast bowlers: Nandani Sharma (INR 20 lakh)
Gujarat GiantsNo. of players: 18 (6 overseas)Hot take: At INR 2 crore, Sophie Devine was their biggest buy of the day. With Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner retained before the auction, they have a solid batting core. But that’s about it. They did pick Yastika Bhatia but she is unlikely to be available because of injury. The rest of their Indian batters lack experience at the big stage. Except for Renuka Singh, the same can be said about their Indian seamers too, although Titas Sadhu and Kashvee Gautam are promising youngsters.Possible first XI: 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Sophie Devine, 3 Bharti Fulmali, 4 Ashleigh Gardner, 5 Georgia Wareham, 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Ayushi Soni, 8 Kashvee Gautam, 9 Tanuja Kanwar, 10 Titas Sadhu, 11 Renuka SinghGG squadBatters: Bharti Fulmali (RTM, INR 70 lakh), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (INR 50 lakh), Shivani Singh (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeepers: Beth Mooney (retained INR 2.5 crore), Yastika Bhatia (INR 50 lakh)
Allrounders: Ashleigh Gardner (retained, INR 3.50 crore), Sophie Devine (INR 2 crore), Georgia Wareham (INR 1 crore), Kashvee Gautam (RTM, INR 65 lakh), Anushka Sharma (INR 45 lakh), Kanika Ahuja (INR 30 lakh), Ayushi Soni (INR 30 lakh)
Spinners: Tanuja Kanwar (INR 45 lakh), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (INR 40 lakh)
Fast bowlers: Renuka Singh (INR 60 lakh), Kim Garth (INR 50 lakh), Titas Sadhu (INR 30 lakh), Happy Kumari (INR 10 lakh)

Tottenham Hotspur did more than just end their interminable trophy drought when defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final last season; Ange Postecoglou opened up a road to the Champions League.

Given that Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League, this was quite the saving grace at the end of a campaign that left so much to be desired, and it ensured the Londoners could make a compelling case to potential signings like Xavi Simons.

While Tottenham supporters were overjoyed when signing the Dutch playmaker from RB Leipzig for £51m, after intense interest from Chelsea earlier in the summer, there’s no denying that the 21-year-old has yet to perform on English shores.

Given his big-money profile and the expectation upon his arrival, there’s a concern that Simons is echoing the likes of Tanguy Ndombele before him.

Simons' start to life at Spurs

Thomas Frank hasn’t yet established his vision at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with his side struggling for form in the final third. Simons has been a part of the problem, but it’s important to remember this is a young talent who has entered a team lacking offensive coherence.

In just two years in Germany, Simons scored 22 goals and supplied 24 assists across 78 matches. He was the difference-maker, and many Premier League clubs were keen.

Spurs won the race, and credit to them, but Simons has yet to prove he has what it takes to raise his game to the next level, thus prompting concerns that he might mimic Frenchman Ndombele, who became the Londoners’ club-record signing when joining from Lyon in a £54m deal in 2019.

Ndombele’s temperament and commitment were among the cruxes of his demise in English football, and Simons cannot be blamed for a lack of effort, but it’s a concern all the same, and one Frank will need to rectify quickly to get his side operating at full creative capacity.

The jury is still out for the Netherlands international, who is young and talented and settling into an outfit that lacks creative direction right now.

There’s actually another Lilywhites man with far more experience who might be deteriorating into Ndombele 2.0.

Spurs' new version of Ndombele

Frank has spoken of his players’ frustrations following their recent run of form, and this was clear to see last weekend when Fulham condemned Tottenham to yet another home defeat.

Pedro Porro was incensed, but the Portugal international might want to direct that anger inwards, given his spate of shambolic displays this year.

The 26-year-old has been in the English capital for almost three years now, and while he is among the most technically gifted players in the ranks, his awareness and accuracy in defensive phases could see him become a disappointment in a similar way to Ndombele, especially when considering he had such a furore about his signature in 2023 that Manchester City came sniffing around last year.

Porro is rudderless. Sofascore record that he has made five errors already in the Premier League this season, and he is among the most dribbled-past defenders in the division thus far.

Most Dribbled-past Defenders in the Premier League (25/26)

#

Player

Stat

1.

Mats Wieffer

19

2.

Neco Williams

18

3.

Pedro Porro

17

4.

Hugo Bueno

16

5.

Matty Cash

16

Data via WhoScored

In fairness, Porro sits among the top 16% of Premier League full-backs this season for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, but his defensive work has been well below the desired standard.

But his lack of focus and misuse of his own athleticism led one Tottenham podcast host to brand him “an absolute liability” last season, and that’s only been underscored since then, with Frank now facing his own Ndombele-like conundrum in working out what to do with this talented but toiling star.

Porro has enjoyed some high points across his Tottenham career, but he’s been culpable for too many poor performances over the past couple of years, and in this, it is he and not the young Simons who is shaping into the London side’s new version of Ndombele.

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Newcastle United’s December fixture list is looking extremely busy already.

By the time the action-packed month closes, Eddie Howe’s Toon will have played eight games in all competitions, with Bayer Leverkusen up next for the frantic Magpies in the Champions League.

So far for Howe and Co, it’s been one draw and one win in the hectic month, with the 2-1 win over Burnley secured last time out in the Premier League far more nervy than it needed to be, after the hosts had gifted the ten-man Clarets a penalty right at the death.

Thankfully, no late fightback was on the cards, but with fixture congestion obviously going to become a big issue the more the month goes on, some changes could be on the agenda for the trip to Germany on Wednesday night, whether it’s because of tired legs or an actual drop in performance.

Where Eddie Howe needs to rotate against Leverkusen

With 17 shots tallied up on the Burnley goal throughout, Newcastle, arguably, should have notched up a far more comprehensive win against Scott Parker’s valiant visitors.

Nick Woltemade didn’t cover himself in much glory up top, in this regard, with just 18 touches of the ball passing him by, leading to zero on-target shots being powered at Martin Dubravka’s busy goal.

With Yoane Wissa back and available for selection after a lengthy injury, too, it could well be the perfect time to test out the ex-Brentford striker from the start against Leverkusen, with the German dismissed as having a “sloppy” performance, as per the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.

He wasn’t the only performer on the pitch that stood out for all the wrong reasons, though, with Jacob Ramsey struggling throughout, next to Bruno Guimaraes, who grabbed another memorable Toon strike.

Sandro Tonali and Joelinton will likely walk back into the midfield spots ahead of Ramsey, who would give up the handball that gifted Zian Flemming a 94th-minute lifeline.

Anthony Elanga also continues to look lost in Newcastle black and white, with just one of his seven dribbles coming off against Burnley, but other Newcastle faces managed to cement their first-team position even more on Saturday afternoon, as this often hit-and-miss attacker continues to turn around his initially underwhelming season.

Newcastle's "best player" is now undroppable again

Newcastle have been very hit and miss so far this season, but with three Premier League victories now from their last four clashes in the tough division, Howe will hope his wobbly team have turned a corner.

Anthony Gordon certainly has, with the ex-Everton winger’s days of drawing blanks in league action this season firmly over, as he has now converted two crucial penalties back-to-back at St. James’ Park.

Without the England international’s ice-cold precision from the spot, the Magpies might well have been staring at two completely different results.

It’s been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for the 24-year-old, with one analyst claiming that Gordon had entered “Gabriel Obertan territory” earlier in the campaign when he was consistently drawing blanks in the Premier League.

Obertan would only go on to score three goals for the Toon across a difficult 77-game spell, having never lived up to his early hype in England, when on the books of Manchester United.

Thankfully, Gordon now looks to have recaptured his gung-ho best, away from looking passive down the channels, with Howe – come the full-time whistle of the Burnley win – even labelling the Liverpool-born forward as the “best player” on the pitch as his “direct running” ultimately helped Newcastle overcome a stern Clarets battle.

Gordon’s numbers in 25/26
Stat	Gordon
PL games played	10
PL goals scored	2
PL assists	0
Champions League games played	5
CL goals scored	4
CL assists	1
Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, too, Gordon has the chance to firm up why he deserves to be one of Howe’s first names on the teamsheets by putting in another memorable showing in the Champions League at the BayArena, having mustered up a sublime four goals and one assist this season in Europe’s first-class competition.

With a whirlwind 37 goals and assists amassed over his previous two seasons on Tyneside, too, Gordon will hope he can enter into another purple patch of form after suffering from some shaky moments here and there this campaign, off the back of his manager’s glowing words.

There’s certainly plenty of action ahead for Gordon to sink his teeth into, as he prays more words of praise come his way soon from his manager and beyond, alongside Newcastle continuing to pick up more wins.

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