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Tottenham Hotspur need to improve across the second half of the 2025/26 campaign, 13th in the Premier League after the midpoint and yet to kindle a sense of culture and identity under Thomas Frank.

It’s important to remember that the Danish tactician, who worked wonders in west London with Brentford, has had a mountain to climb down N17, with Spurs slumping to a 17th-place league finish with Ange Postecoglou last year, albeit winning the Europa League too.

But Frank hasn’t helped himself, unable to get an attacking tune out of his players. That needs to change this month, and the £35m sale of Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace has been a first step toward that.

Spurs lining up Brennan Johnson replacement

It was Johnson who bundled in the winning goal against Manchester United in Bilbao to end so many years of silverware-searching. That was the Welshman’s 18th of the season, but he’s fallen flat since the summer.

Johnson has a natural goal sense, but his overall play simply hasn’t been good enough, and that’s why Frank has allowed him to go.

But a replacement is now needed.

According to Caught Offside, Tottenham are growing increasingly confident that they might be able to act on their long-standing interest in Manchester City winger Savinho, whose future at the Etihad is in jeopardy amid Pep Guardiola’s bid to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth.

Tottenham enquired last summer, but to no avail. Now, a deal could be struck, but for a rather hefty £63m fee.

Why Savinho could be a star at Spurs

In 2024, Manchester City signed Savinho from sister club Troyes for about £31m, and he made quite a positive impression throughout his debut campaign in England, providing energy and pace and creative impetus.

He’s tapered away from that exciting level this season, but Savinho has been used sporadically, only starting six times in the Premier League.

Even so, the 21-year-old still ranks among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 1% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, underscoring his potential as one of the most athletic wide forwards in the business.

Hailed for his “electric turn of pace” by City-focused content creator Steve McInerney, Savinho has all he needs to become a standout winger for Tottenham, with his specific skillset perhaps even comparable to Gareth Bale back in the retired Welshman’s heyday.

Bale needs no introduction. One of the finest players of his generation, the Wales legend left Spurs for Real Madrid in a world record deal back in 2013, returning for a nostalgic stint in 2020/21.

Savinho has a long way to go before he can be considered in the same breath, but he’s immensely talented and unquestionably one of the fleetest wingers in the game, sharing qualities with the Tottenham icon in that regard.

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See, for example, how he ranks up against Johnson over the past year – it’s clear to see that he offers far more.

Savinho vs Johnson (past 12 months)

Stats (per 90)

Savinho

Johnson

Goals

0.09

0.39

Assists

0.20

0.04

Shots taken

2.20

1.08

Touches (att pen)

6.82

2.75

Pass completion (%)

80.5

67.4

Shot-creating actions

3.95

1.59

Progressive passes

2.56

2.19

Progressive carries

6.69

1.98

Successful take-ons

2.02

0.73

Recoveries

4.62

2.62

Tackles won

0.54

0.95

Data via FBref

Analyst Ben Mattinson has even singled the Brazilian winger out for being able to zip past opponents and complete the “type of Gareth Bale” finishes that drew such acclaim throughout his career.

Savinho isn’t there yet, but he notched eight assists from just 21 Premier League starts in his first year, and it’s worth remembering that Bale took some time to get going after his move from Southampton way back when.

If Tottenham succeed in landing and then harnessing such a player, they might just restore the kind of attacking intent craved and not seen for so many years.

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Posts ByDan Emery

ScorecardIt was a startling change of narrative in Ranchi – the first day produced over 300 runs and the second, which turned out to be the final day of the match, resulted in 26 wickets and Shahbaz Nadeem took 11 for 90 to lead Jharkhand to an innings-and-71-run victory over Himachal Pradesh.It was deadly symmetry for the HP. They were bowled out for 133 in the first innings and were bundled out for the same total when they were asked to follow on. More fun with numbers: Nadeem, who was the wrecker-in-chief, gave away 45 runs in both innings.Jharkhand were not immune from the wrath of the bowlers either. They crumbled from an overnight 306 for 4 to 337 all out with left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma claiming 6 for 59. But HP’s response with the bat was woeful. Ankit Kalsi made a half-century, but he was the only man to score more than 22. Nadeem bowled only 14.2 overs and yet came away with seven wickets.With a lead of 204 runs, Jharkhand enforced the follow-on and hurtled to victory in 32.1 overs. This time there were no fifties. Prashant Chopra and Nikhil Gangta made 32 and 38. There were six single-digit scores around them. This time Jharkhand rallied around Nadeem. He took four wickets, Kaushal Singh took three Sonu Singh, on first-class debut, took two.
ScorecardFrom conceding a first-innings lead to sitting on the cusp of an outright victory, Saurashtra had a see-saw day to savor thanks to a Jadeja. Dharmendrasinh is a No. 11. He couldn’t have prevented his team being bowled out for 157, but he did ensure Kerala suffered a massive collapse in their second innings. His 6 for 59 was the major reason the hosts fell from 51 for 2 to 105 all out. That left Saurashtra with a target of only 115.Saurashtra resumed on 55 for 6 and received a much needed boost from 19-year old Samarth Vyas making a fine show of himself on first-class debut. He came in at No. 8 and struck 54 off 90 balls with two fours and three sixes. Thanks to him the final three wickets were able to add 87 runs and Saurashtra ended up with 157 runs – an agonizing nine runs away from Kerala’s 166.Spin had been the way to go in the first innings and Jadeja was given the new ball. After all, he had taken five wickets the first time around. The move worked as VA Jagadeesh, who had struck a half-century on the first day, was bowled in the fifth over. But he needed help to make the match-turning impact and that came from 24-year old Vandit Jivrajani (4 for 31), the offspinner who was making his first-class debut. They sank their teeth into the Kerala middle order – Sachin Baby out for 6 and Sanju Samson bagged a duck as the score slipped from 51 for 2 to 57 for 7. Saurashtra gained a firm hold over the match and are now 99 runs away from a win with nine wickets in hand.
ScorecardHanuma Vihari, who began the second day in Hyderabad on 94, kicked on to make his third first-class double-century, propelling his team to 548 for 5. He occupied the crease for 555 minutes, striking 22 fours and two sixes to punish the Tripura attack.B Anirudh added only three runs to his overnight score of 75 before he was pinned lbw by seamer Manisankar Murasingh. Bavanaka Sandeep was more adhesive and kept Vihari good company in a 213-run partnership, the second 150-plus stand of the innings. Vihari was finally dismissed, by offspinner Swapan Das, for 219, but 26 runs each from Himalay Agarwal and Kolla Sumanth took Hyderabad to 548 before the declaration arrived.The hosts amplified their advantage further with former Under-19 pacer Chama Milind removing Tripura opener Virag Awate for 3. The day ended with Tripura facing a deficit of 535 runs.
ScorecardGoa piled on the runs against Jammu and Kashmir, declaring on 552 for 5, before pacers Rituraj Singh and Prasanth Parameshwaran dismissed the J&K openers inside four overs. Pranav Gupta and Ian Dev Singh survived till stumps but stare at a deficit of 509 runs.The day though belonged to Swapnil Asnodkar, who resumed from an overnight 74, stroked 28 fours and three sixes during his marathon innings of 232. The other overnight batsman – Sagun Kamat – scored a century of his own before he became Parvez Rasool’s second victim. Rasool claimed two more wickets but ended up conceding 169 runs.

Malik bowling in 2001 © Cricinfo Ltd

Nadeem Malik has returned to his former county Nottinghamshire on a one-month loan from Worcestershire to help them out in their injury crisis.Malik, the 24-year-old seamer, will play in Wednesday’s Championship match against Somerset to replace Kyle Hogg – another loan player – who has an ankle problem.Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket Mick Newell said: “With five seamers already out injured, we simply didn’t have any other fast bowling options from within the club to turn to.”As soon as Kyle failed a fitness test this morning we were on the phone to a few contacts and when we knew that Nadeem was available, it was an easy decision to make. He is familiar with the set-up here and should be able to settle in immediately.”Malik signed for Worcestershire in 2004 after coming up through the youth system at Nottinghamshire and playing for England Under-19s. He has played 45 first-class matches, taking 126 wickets at an average of 33.84.Nottinghamshire’s injury list is currently creaking with Mark Ealham, Charlie Shreck, Paul Franks, Mark Footitt and Simon Francis, while Ryan Sidebottom is on England duty.

Ricky Ponting will have to tread carefully following another breach of the ICC code of conduct © Getty Images

Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s acting chief executive, has described Ricky Ponting’s latest breach of the ICC code of conduct during his side’s DLF cup win against the West Indies as “unacceptable”. Brown did concede, however, that he was heartened by Ponting’s apology to Asad Rauf, the umpire, his team and the public.Ponting appraoched Rauf after the umpire called a wide in the innings’ 33rd over and questioned his decision. The incident led to Ponting being fined his entire match fee. “Let’s be clear, Cricket Australia doesn’t condone any actions that go outside the Spirit of Cricket. We’ve worked very hard with Ricky and our players to ensure it is observed at all times,” Brown told the Melbourne-based .”It’s a concern for Ricky and it’s a concern for us,” he added. “But the fact he’s taken the initiative to publicly and privately address these issues will ensure he and his team go forward from here. We’ve got to be positive in that regard.”Ponting spoke to Brown after his side’s remarkable and ultimately comfortable win over West Indies in the tri-series opener on Tuesday. “As the game finished late last night I was very keen to understand what had happened and obviously very keen to reaffirm our position, and to make clear to him that it was unacceptable,” Brown said.”I’m very heartened to see that Ricky has taken it upon himself to acknowledge his actions and publicly apologise. In the end what matters is that the Australian cricket team will continue to play this series hard and fair … We look forward to him learning from the experience.”He might have to do that quickly for there are fears now that any further outbursts now or in the Ashes later this year could lead to a possible suspension for a Test. This was Ponting’s second such offence in the past year – the other took place during the second Test in Bangladesh in April – and it is why the charge was upgraded to a level-two offence. Ponting was also fined during the fourth Ashes Test in 2005 for an outburst directed at the England dressing room after he was run out by the substitute fielder Gary Pratt.The level-two offence – serious dissent – can carry a suspension of two ODIs or one Test, and the match referee is entitled to consider the player’s previous history. The newspaper said than an ICC source had indicated Ponting had been warned after his latest breach that he was on dangerous ground and could face a ban were he to slip up again in similar fashion.

Division One

Points Table

Ryan Sidebottom: concentrated on line and length to take 4 for 41 © Getty Images

Leaders Kent suffered a frustrating third day after dominating the morning session against Hampshire, who lost six wickets before lunch as they slipped to 182 for 7 and seemingly faced the follow on. But that was about as good as it got, as Andy Bichel cracked 87 and Nic Pothas 74 in an eighth-wicket stand of 138 as they recovered to 325 all out. Kent, with a first-innings lead of 121, pressed for quick runs but lost their way as they creaked to 153 for 7, leaving the game in the balance.It wasn’t much better for defending champions Warwickshire on the first day of their match against Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston. After winning the toss, they were bowled out for 156, with Ryan Sidebottom, who bowled 17 overs unchanged from the pavilion end, and Andrew Harris both grabbing 4 for 41. Nottinghamshire, who had struggled earlier in the week against Middlesex, had an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 119 between Chris Read (73 not out) and David Hussey (55 not out) to thank after they had slipped to 75 for 4, closing on 194 for 4

Division Two

Points TableAfter two rain-blighted days at Riverside, there was finally some meaningful action as Durham made 315, thanks largely to Mike Hussey’s 146, spread over three days, with David Masters the pick of the Leicestershire bowlers with 6 for 74. The visitors then reached 217 for 3 by the end of the day, with Dinesh Mongia, who battled through a poor start, unbeaten on 77. Inspired captaincy and sporting declarations will be needed if there is to be any chance of a result.

Shoaib Akhtar: must prove his discipline to team morale© Getty Images

Shoaib Akhtar will escape punishment from the Pakistani board after it found that he did not fake an injury in the recent third Test against India.Shoaib missed the third day of the Test in Rawalpindi because of a back problem which stopped him bowling. It was later suggested that he feigned injury due to a lack of commitment to the cause, but a medical examination last month revealed a bone scan which put him in the clear.However, it wasn’t all good news for Shoaib. In a statement released today, the board reminded him what was expected of him, and that he would have to prove himself in all areas in domestic cricket.”The Board has taken serious note of Shoaib Akhtar’s conduct after he left the field which according to the doctors, management and captain led to demoralizing in team spirit in the dressing room,” the statement read. “There followed an abject surrender by the Pakistan team in the second innings for which other offending members of the team must share the blame for not showing grit and fighting spirit required from the national squad.”Accordingly the board has decided not to invoke a penalty against Shoaib Akhtar, but he will have to demonstrate his discipline to team morale, his fitness and prove his playing ability in domestic cricket to earn selection. Other players have similarly been cautioned that they need to demonstrate 150% commitment to team spirit and morale to merit selection in the national squad.”Meanwhile, four other players also had their injuries investigated. Umar Gul’s will have further treatment for his bad back, Abdul Razzaq should be fit for the training camp set for May, Shabbir Ahmed is suffering from shin splints and should continue with existing treatment, while Moin Khan’s back problem led the medical staff to suggest hydrotherapy should be made available for all wicketkeepers.

The Tasmanian selectors have today named an unchanged squad of 13 to play the Western Warriors in the ING Cup fixture to be held at Bellerive Oval on Sunday 9th February 2003.CASCADE TASMANIAN TIGERS

Jamie COX (Captain)
George BAILEY
Sean CLINGELEFFER
Graeme CUNNINGHAM
Michael DIGHTON
Michael Di VENUTO
Xavier DOHERTY
Brett GEEVES
Adam GRIFFITH
Scott KREMERSKOTHEN
Daniel MARSH
Ben OLIVER
Damien WRIGHT

The final twelve to represent Tasmania in the match will be decided on the morning of the match

With the series deadlocked after two drawn ‘Tests’, Pakistan A willtry to draw some inspiration from the deeds of their senior team at theGalle International Stadium, when they meet Sri Lanka A in the third andfinal four-day ‘Test’ beginning on Monday.Moin Khan’s Pakistan side subjected Sri Lanka to their only defeat in fiveTests played at this venue since 1998 when they won by a big margin of 163runs last year.It was the only occasion the Galle pitch helped the seamers and WasimAkram, Waqar Younis, Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood revelled in theconditions to take 17 of the 19 wickets that fell to the bowlers.On the other four occasions it has helped the spinners and Sri Lanka haverecorded three wins and drawn one.It was a memorable Test for Razzaq who became the youngest bowlerto take a hat-trick and the first to achieve the feat in Sri Lanka.The pitch for Monday’s unofficial Test is expected to help the seamers, andPakistan A can gain some inspiration from that.The only setback they face is that two of their quickest bowlers who canexploit such a wicket are not fully fit. Shabbir Ahmed has been ruled outof the series with a groin strain and will concentrate on playingonly in the one-dayers. Irfan Fazil, who has a long run-up, bowled only fourovers in the Sri Lanka A second innings before pulling up due to a stiffback, which coach Mudassar Nazar said was a result of him having to carry aheavy workload. Irfan is expected to play on Monday.Though the series is deadlocked, Sri Lanka A came the closest to victorywhen they were one wicket away from success in the first ‘Test’ at Dambulla.However, as the thinking of the two coaches in the team goes, a winningresult is furthest from their minds in contests of this nature. HemanthaDevapriya (Sri Lanka) and Mudassar Nazar have both said that if they canfind about four to five players who could fit into the national team, thenthey would have achieved something from the series, although Devapriyaadmitted that if there is a possibility of a win, they wouldn’t ignore thatfactor.The weather in this part of the country is a worrying factor. But curatorand Galle District CA secretary Jayananda Warnaweera promised that it wouldn’tbe a problem and little time would be lost as the ground had been upgraded toface such vagaries of the weather.In a bid to give those who have not got an opportunity to display theirtalent in the series so far, the national selectors have made radicalchanges to the squad of 15 named for the ‘Test’.Missing from the squad that was on duty at the NCC are DhammikaSudarshana, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Indika de Saram, Suresh Perera, AkalankaGanegama and Sajeeva Weerakoon. They are replaced by opening batsmanShantha Kalavitigoda, wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene, leg-spinnerMalinga Bandara, left-arm fast bowler Ruchira Perera, and all-roundersMalintha Warnapura and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara.Perera and Pushpakumara return to the squad after missing out at the NCC,but the most interesting change is that of the wicket-keeper. After tryingout two batsman/wicket-keepers in the first two ‘Tests’, the selectors haveresorted to a genuine glovesman in Prasanna Jayawardene.The advent of the one-day game has brought to the fore batsmen who can keepwickets. This has to some extent spread into the longer game as well wherea batsman/wicket-keeper stands a better chance of being selected than agenuine wicket-keeper who can bat a little down the order. Jayawardenefaces such a calamity. To make matters worse he has not been able to retaina regular place at the SSC and, in the only Test he was picked to play(against Pakistan at Kandy in June 2000) he never got an opportunity todisplay his wicket-keeping prowess as rain prevented Pakistan from batting.Now at Galle, Jayawardene finally gets an opportunity to press his claims for a Test place on his wicket-keeping abilities alone. A good performance would surely put pressure on the selectors to include him for the forthcoming Test series against India.The teams: Sri Lanka A (from): Tilan Samaraweera (captain), AvishkaGunawardana, Shantha Kalavitigoda, Michael Vandort, Jeevantha Kulatunga,Chamara Silva, Muthumuthalige Pushpakumara, Gayan Wijekoon, MalinthaWarnapura, Prasanna Jayawardene, Ruchira Perera, Ishara Amerasinghe,Dinusha Fernando, Malinga Bandara, Chandana Samarasinghe.Pakistan A (from): Hasan Raza (captain), Imran Farhat, Faisal Naveed,Toufiq Umer, Qaiser Abbas, Humayun Farhat, Misbah-ul-Haq, Yasir Arafat,Danish Kaneria, Irfan Fazil, Najaf Shah, Salman Butt, Kashif Raza, AzamHussain.Umpires: Peter Manuel and Jagath Nandakumar, Match Referee: Roger Wijesuriya.

Alan Pardew has criticised the quality of Maritimo’s pitch after both teams fired blanks in a lethargic goalless draw.

The uneven surface was a definite factor in the Toon Army’s slow start in Portugal, but despite this Pardew still believes his side did enough to win.

The ex-West Ham boss stated to The Journal, “I thought the pitch was of a very poor standard. Both teams suffered from it.

“But I’m probably the happier of the two managers as we didn’t suffer any more injuries. The performance of the team was outstanding.

“The first ten minutes of the game I thought they were in control and I am disappointed we didn’t get the win with the chances we had at the end.”

Pleased to pick up an away point the 51 year old now has the relief of knowing his next two European ties are at home, with Bordeaux and Club Brugge next up in the Europa League.

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Pardew added, “Now it will be easier for us as we have to home games successively. It will be like a normal week for us.”

Thirty-six teams, 32 matches and three days of non-stop cricket action would be the best way to describe the 17th edition of the Glucofit Cricket Sixes organised by the Old Wesleyites Sports club.The final day started off with Lumbini Mv, Mahanama College Colombo, Jaffna Combined Schools and Ananda College Colombo already comfortably in the quarter-finals from their merits on day one and two. However none of them could capitalise on moving forward as they fell prey to seasoned campaigners.Lumbini Mv lost to Nalanda College by 32 runs, the favorites from yesterday Jaffna Combined schools lost by two runs to underdogs Richmond College Galle, while Mahanama and Ananda Colleges were undone by St. Joseph’s College and St. Sebastian’s College respectively. The two semi-final matches were electric with four of Sri Lanka’s best schools taking part.The first game between Nalanda and St. Joseph’s was expected to be a one-horse race for the Nalandians. However the Joes had other plans, batting first and racing to 86 for 2 courtesy of a brilliant half-century by Chatura Kumara. Nalanda were never in the hunt and every time they did try to get away with the game, the Josephian bowlers held their nerves and clawed right back, ultimately winning against all odds by a good 35 runs.The second semi-final was a blockbuster with St. Sebastian taking on the in-form Richmond College, who, up that point, did everything right. However inexperience showed as they chased down a mere 55. The boys from the south self-destructed with three run-outs in quick succession to ultimately lose by 13 runs.The final was yet again expected to be an easy victory for St. Sebastian’s given their consistency in the tournament; however the Joes went about their business as usual initially restricting the Sebastian’s to 61 for 2 with some very good bowling and fielding. The highlight in that inning was that both wickets to fall were run-outs.St. Joseph’s started off shakily losing Roscoe Thatil and Chathura Kumara in the first over, but thanks to sensible batting by Jayathilake (28*) and Jayasinghe (21*) the boys from Darley Road managed to win the Glucofit Sixes 2009 in style.Thatil walked away with the best bowler and player of the tournament awards. St. Sebastian’s wicketkeeper PD Dias was adjudged best fielder and even though Chathura Kumara failed in the final he was still the best batsman with most runs and most sixes in the competition. MAS Jayathilake bagged the Man-of-the-Match award for his all-round performance in the final.