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كشف جيانلويجي بوفون مدير المنتخب الإيطالي موقفه مما يثار حول أحد لاعبي ليفربول، وتحدث عن رؤيته للأزوري في تصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026.

ولم يلعب فيدريكو كييزا مع منتخب إيطاليا منذ يونيو 2024، عندما غادر الأزوري بطولة كأس أوروبا من دور الـ16 على يد منتخب سويسرا.

ورفض كييزا الانضمام إلى منتخب إيطاليا تحت قيادة جنارو جاتوزو، وأكد الجهاز الفني للمنتخب في وقت سابق أن اللاعب يواجه مشكلة يجب التعامل معها.

وقال بوفون في تصريحات نشرتها “فوتبول إيطاليا”: “علينا استعادة أفضل اللاعبين إذا برز لاعب ما، فلا مجال للاستثناء لأننا نحتاجه”.

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وأضاف: “ننتظر كييزا، أوروبا لا تضم لاعبين مثله، لكن جاتوزو لم يترك في إيطاليا أي لاعب يستحق التواجد هنا، المجموعة مهمة”.

وكانت قرعة ملحق كأس العالم قد أسفرت عن وقوع منتخب إيطاليا في مواجهة أيرلندا الشمالية ضمن منافسات نصف النهائي.

بينما ستلعب ويلز ضد البوسنة، وأوكرانيا ضد السويد، وبولندا ضد ألبانيا، وتركيا ضد رومانيا، وسلوفاكيا ضد كوسوفو، والدنمارك مع مقدونيا الشمالية، والتشيك مع أيرلندا.

Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate has revealed that he gets calls from compatriot Kylian Mbappe every two hours to sign for Real Madrid. The French defender is into the final year of his contract and from January he will be able to hold pre-contract talks with clubs abroad. The Reds, on the other hand, are determined to offer him a new deal to avoid another situation like Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Konate's future remains uncertain

Konate has established himself as a key figure in Liverpool’s starting lineup ever since his move from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2021. The 26-year-old has formed a strong partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Reds’ defence and has made 147 appearances for the Premier League giants across all competitions and scored six goals.

However, speculation remains rife regarding Konate’s future ahead of the January transfer window. The centre-back is into the final year of his current contract and it is up in the air as to whether he will ink fresh terms at Anfield. 

reported last week that German giants Bayern Munich are tentatively weighing up a move to rival La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid by making a bid for Konate, who is eligible to hold pre-contract talks with clubs outside of England from January 1. Los Blancos, on the other hand, have been long-time admirers of the defender.

AdvertisementAFPAgent Mbappe at work for Madrid

Konate recently revealed that he gets constant phone calls from his France team-mate and captain Mbappe, as the Madrid star is determined to convince the defender to join him at the Spanish capital next summer. Speaking to , Konate said Mbappe "calls me every two hours to sign for Real Madrid."

Los Blancos are in no hurry when it comes to Konate, as Liverpool have only a few weeks to convince the player and make him sign a new deal before he starts to negotiate new offers. Madrid would want Konate to reject a new contract and then join them in the summer for free, quite similar to the way they landed Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool told they won't miss Konate

Reds legend and pundit Jamie Carragher recently claimed that while he would love to see Konate stay at Anfield, if he leaves for Madrid next summer, the Merseyside club won't miss the centre-back much. He told the : "I’d like him [Konate] to stay but if he doesn’t stay, Liverpool will sign someone else. Liverpool won’t fall apart if Konate leaves. He's not Virgil van Dijk. He's a good centre-back who you hope will sign, but if he doesn’t want to sign, Liverpool will be absolutely fine. He's a very good centre-back, he's a title winner at Liverpool, he's played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. He's obviously a quality centre-back. It's not poor management [if he goes for free]. You can't physically make somebody sign a contract. Then it's your decision, do you keep him to the length of his contract or do you sell him?"

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Getty ImagesKonate's mixed form amid Liverpool's slump

Konate has appeared in 16 matches for the Reds across all competitions this term. Despite featuring regularly under Arne Slot, Carragher believes there is still scope for the Frenchman to improve as he added: "It's still only a couple of games. He hasn't had a great start to the season and he needs to show a bit more consistency. 

"He was fantastic against Real Madrid and he needs to keep that going over the next few months, it can't just be two games on the bounce. There are no secrets [to picking up your form]. It’s about working harder and you become more professional. It’s on your mind constantly that you want to get back into good form and every you think tiny detail will make a difference, whether that’s what you eat, what time you go to sleep, it’s just becoming an ultra-professional on and off the pitch."

Eyeing some revenge on Liverpool after the Alexander Isak saga in the summer, Newcastle United now reportedly want to beat the Reds to one impressive defender in 2026.

Newcastle transfer targets heading into January window

Newcastle have some unfinished business in the transfer market. They were forced to rush through late business in the summer after facing several rejections from their top targets and then losing Isak. In the end, they had to settle for Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, having initially targeted the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Joao Pedro.

So far, however, it seems as though they saved their best option for last. Woltemade has been a revelation. The German has scored three goals in four Premier League games and is proven to be worth every penny that Newcastle paid out to make him their record signing.

Aside from Woltemade, though, there’s work to be done in Eddie Howe’s side. Only Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored less goals than the Magpies, with their new signing scoring half of their six Premier League goals. That’s something that they simply must solve.

The return of Wissa and his long-awaited debut next month should go a long way, but when AFCON arrives, Newcastle are likely to be without their summer arrival once again. And that’s when PIF could turn back towards the transfer market.

Rumours have already suggested that their interest in Alexander Sorloth could be reignited this winter, as he seeks a starting place away from Atletico Madrid. The former Crystal Palace forward is certainly the type of player that would turn a blunt attack sharp in January.

Meanwhile, away from what should be their top priority, the Magpies have also reportedly set their sights on some Liverpool revenge.

Newcastle now eyeing Lukeba move

As reported by Caught Offside, PIF and Newcastle have now set their sights on signing Castello Lukeba from RB Leipzig. The impressive central defender is already wanted by Liverpool, but the Magpies could finally take some revenge on those at Anfield by stealing a player they may see as a replacement for Ibrahima Konate.

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What should also be music to Newcastle’s ears is Lukeba’s fresh discount. Although the Frenchman has a release clause worth as much as €90m (£78m), reports are now suggesting that Leipzig would accept closer to €60m (£52m) to sell their defender in the summer.

That would be a bargain deal for a player of both his quality and potential. At just 22 years old, Lukeba has earned praise from across the Bundesliga and from the likes of analyst Ben Mattinson, who praised his “unique” profile.

In an ageing backline, Lukeba would provide Newcastle with the perfect partner for Malick Thiaw in a duo that would dominate St James’ Park for years to come.

It wasn’t the perfect start to Nuno Espírito Santo’s tenure at West Ham United on Monday night, but it wasn’t far off.

The Portuguese manager’s first game in charge saw the Hammers take on David Moyes’ Everton, and while they fell behind in the first half, they rallied, equalised in the second 45 and could have gone on to win on another day.

However, while it’s not quite as important as the team’s fightback, the coach’s decision to leave James Ward-Prowse back in London suggests he’s ready to make significant changes to the team.

However, there is another member of the squad who isn’t good enough and should be left out, just like the Englishman, going forward.

Why Ward-Prowse's time is up under Nuno

West Ham paid Southampton around £30m to sign Ward-Prowse in the summer of 2023, and aside from a few good performances here and there, and the odd free-kick, it’s a move that can only be described as a disaster.

The former Saints star is not agile, powerful, or quick enough to play as one of the team’s two central midfielders, but at the same time, he has not shown enough in-game creativity to start in the ten, especially not when Lucas Paqueta is still at the club.

The Portsmouth-born ace has been so lacklustre since his move to London Stadium over two years ago that he was sent on a season-long loan to Nottingham Forest, only to be sent back halfway through the campaign, having made a grand total of ten appearances, six of which were starts.

Now, some may claim that with a new manager through the door, all of the players who struggled under Graham Potter should be given another chance, but unfortunately for Ward-Prowse, it was Nuno who refused to play him at the City Ground.

Perhaps the best example of why the 11-capped international has to be moved on as soon as possible are the statistics from his last game for the club.

For example, in the game against Crystal Palace, he misplaced four of five crosses, lost eight of nine duels, was dribbled past twice, lost possession of the ball 14 times, and committed three fouls.

In other words, Ward-Prowse was, and is, a liability for West Ham and therefore, should ideally be sold in the winter window, alongside another player who has consistently failed to impress in East London.

The West Ham player who has to be dropped with JWP

The unfortunate reality for Nuno is that, while West Ham do have a number of quite brilliant players in the squad, they also have plenty who should be moved on as soon as possible.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

One of those who, unfortunately, falls into the latter camp is Konstantinos Mavropanos.

The Greek defender joined the club from Arsenal in the summer of 2023, and once again, while there have been some impressive moments here and there, he’s largely failed to live up to expectations.

We can see this in his underlying numbers.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 6% for interceptions in the league among centre-backs last season, but just the top 35% for tackles, the top 56% for shots blocked and the bottom 23% for passes blocked.

In other words, the numbers back up the eye-test, and while it might sound harsh, they lend credence to the claim from journalist Tom Rennie that the 27-year-old is “nowhere near Premier League quality.”

A new manager didn’t make a difference either, as the former Stuttgart ace failed to prevent Michael Keane from opening the scoring on Monday night, despite initially being well-placed to do so.

Now, if there were no other options in the squad to replace him, Nuno might be forced to persevere with the Athens-born titan, but he has summer signing Igor Julio and Jean-Clair Todibo to choose from.

Ultimately, West Ham should look to sell Mavropanos and bring in a replacement in the winter window, as, like Ward-Prowse, he is not good enough to play under Nuno.

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Newcastle United took out their Premier League frustrations on Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Fresh off surrendering a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Arsenal in the top-flight to remain 15th in the top-flight standings, Eddie Howe’s Magpies went in for the kill against their shaken hosts, who might have expected a closer battle, considering they sit top of their own domestic league standings.

The travelling Toon contingent were treated to a goal-fest at the Joseph Marien Stadium, with Newcastle running out convincing 4-0 victors due to a whole host of standout performers, as Anthony Gordon continued his fine form in Europe’s elite competition versus Sébastien Pocognoli’s men.

Gordon's impressive performance in Belgium

Scoring last time out in the Champions League as a Marcus Rashford-led Barcelona narrowly beat Newcastle, Gordon picked up from where he left off at St James’ Park when making the trip to Belgium.

The England international hasn’t had the most vibrant of campaigns so far but was outstanding this week, with the tricky number ten a major thorn in the side of hosts all night long.

He notably completed five dribbles across the course of the one-sided contest. Still, despite his slick nature, it was his partner on the opposing right channel in Anthony Elanga who won the Toon the first of two penalties Gordon confidently put away.

Nick Woltemade had opened the scoring by this point. Still, just on the stroke of half-time, Gordon would essentially end the contest with his coolly dispatched penalty, which beat a helpless Kjell Scherpen, who had to fish another spot-kick out of the back of his net from the electric 24-year-old in the second half.

Winning nine ground duels for the cause as well, Gordon will hope he can put in an equally lively performance when Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest travel to Tyneside next in the Premier League, having yet to pick up a goal or assist this season in league action.

Amazingly, while Gordon did help himself to a brace, there was another Newcastle star who caught the eye even more.

Newcastle star proving he is now one of the best in the world

The Toon do have a lot of exciting players on their books at this moment in time who could easily slot into a lot of elite sides if given the chance to do so. Alexander Isak has now gone but Howe already has another talisman.

Sandro Tonali’s name instantly springs to mind in this regard, with one Toon-focused content creator after the final whistle had been sounded on the big win away at Union, going as far as to declare the energetic Italian as “world-class”.

Fortuitously collecting this assist when his effort was cleverly diverted home by Woltemade only tells a mere fraction of his tale in Belgium, with the relentless drive he has displayed in the Premier League in spades this season – with 3.7 ball recoveries averaged per league clash – on full display in Europe’s premier competition, too, winning four duels in total helping him to completely dominate proceedings centrally.

Tonali dictated the game throughout with 90 touches overall, which led to journalist Henry Winter declaring the 25-year-old as “incredible” for both his quality on the ball and also his unwavering stamina levels.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches

90

Accurate passes

64/72 (89%)

Total duels won

4/8

Off the back of another near faultless showing, it’s not completely absurd to say Tonali is one of the best in the world in his central midfield position, right now, with the constantly active number 8 clearly a vital cog capable of helping Newcastle through some treacherous clashes on stages such as the Champions League.

After all, if Ryan Gravenberch is in that conversation for Arne Slot’s Liverpool, Tonali should follow closely behind for Howe and Co.

Further hailed as being the “heist of the century” by Magpies-based journalist Thomas Hammond, with Tonali costing around the £55m mark to sign back in the summer of 2023 from AC Milan, Newcastle will hope they can continue to get the best out of their exceptional gem for many years to come, cautiously hoping they don’t fall victim to another Isak situation.

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Premier League champions Liverpool have been dealt a blow after centre-back Ibrahima Konate was sent home from the France camp during the international break. Konate was called up by Les Bleus despite being forced off in the 56th minute of the Reds' 2-1 loss at Chelsea last weekend. The Liverpool star made the bench against Azerbaijan but won't travel to Iceland next week.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Konate forced off against Chelsea

  Liverpool were already worrying about Konate after he walked straight down the tunnel early in the second half of the 2-1 loss at Chelsea last weekend. With Geovanni Leoni a long-term absentee, Arne Slot opted to replace the Frenchman with Curtis Jones rather than Joe Gomez, which saw midfielder Ryan Gravenberch drop in alongside compatriot Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.

  Even so, Konate linked with the France squad at the start of the week to be assessed by the national team doctors. However, having missed the 3-0 win over Azerbaijan on Friday night, the centre-back has been released back to his club earlier than expected.

  "Ibrahima Konate will not take part in France’s match against Iceland on Monday," a statement read on Liverpool's official website on Saturday.

  "The Liverpool centre-back missed ’ win over Azerbaijan on Friday and it has now been announced that he is not available for their next match in Reykjavik."

  Meanwhile, the official France website released the following on Konate's return to Merseyside: "Injured in the right quadriceps during his last match with Liverpool, Ibrahima Konate has followed a treatment and protocol since his arrival this Monday but will not be able to take his place against Iceland."

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• 'I don't know if it is a big injury'

  After appearing to limp while clutching at his thigh, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot made the decision to withdraw Konate as a precaution early in the second half at Chelsea last weekend. The Dutchman is hopeful that they caught the problem early and that it's nothing serious.

  "I don't know if it is a big injury, but what I do know is he limped a little bit and when I asked him he said he felt his quad a little bit. Then, for me, all alarm bells go off because in another sprint you never know if that is going to go good," Slot said of the decision to sub the centre-back off at Stamford Bridge.

  "It was also already a substitution I had in mind, maybe for a few minutes or a little bit later, because the right centre-back had a lot of ball possession and we needed to create from that position. We all know Ryan [Gravenberch] is quite good in that.

  "It might be OK that he went off early enough but it was clear I had to take him off because he was limping."

• AFP
  

  Konate absence another blow for France

  William Saliba started alongside Dayot Upamecano against Azerbaijan on Friday night and while the duo contained their attacking threat with ease, Konate's absence left Les Bleus at risk of being short of defensive quality for Monday's game against Iceland. As such, Marseille defender Benjamin Pavard has been called up as his replacement.

  However, France's comfortable home win against Azerbaijan came at a cost as captain Kylian Mbappe was forced off late on owing to an ankle injury. Mbappe was already carrying an ankle knock from Real Madrid's victory over Villarreal prior to the international break and walked off the Parc des Princes pitch gingerly, prompting concerns he'd miss the game against Iceland.

  "It's the same ankle he injured. The pain goes away when he rests," Deschamps initially said of the injury. "In a match, contact is inevitable. We will evaluate it. He has concerns that are not ideal for him."

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• Man Utd welcome up next for Liverpool

  Konate may have returned to Liverpool from international duty early but it remains to be seen when he'll next be available for Slot. Liverpool welcome rivals Manchester United in their first game back after the international break.

  The Reds take on Ruben Amorim's side as they look to bounce back following three successive defeats having lost at Crystal Palace and Galatasaray prior to last weekend's loss at Chelsea.

  The 26-year-old, who is out of contract next summer, has started all seven league games to date for the defending champions. Liverpool resume domestic duties one point behind league leaders Arsenal, while Gunners get their title push back underway with a trip to Fulham next weekend.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin has admitted that Hamza Igamane was unable to come on against St Mirren after informing the manager that he was unfit to play.

Speaking after the game, the Gers boss said: “I turned around to him at 60 minutes and Hamza told me he’s injured. I have to trust him, but we’ll see.”

“The issue is that the window is still open and there are people with one eye out and one eye in We had a bid this week for Hamza that we rejected. There are too many people uncertain and we have to make sure we have people that want to be here. I’m calm about it.”

Igamane was called to come off the bench in the second half, with the Gers 1-0 down to St Mirren, but declined the call, citing injury, and these comments from Martin do not suggest that an injury was the only factor at play.

The “we’ll see” and the talk of rejecting a bid for the striker, as well as players who are “uncertain” about their future seems to suggest that a possible move away from Ibrox may have influenced the decision.

Hopefully, that was not the case, and it was purely an injury concern and only that, but the window is still open for another week and the possibility that Igamane moves on from the club remains a real one.

Why losing Hamza Igamane would be a blow for Rangers

Cashing in on the Morocco international before the end of the summer transfer window would be a blow for the Light Blues because he is an exciting young talent who has the quality to deliver at the top end of the pitch.

The 22-year-old star enjoyed a terrific first season in Glasgow after his move to Ibrox last summer, scoring 16 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt.

His output in the Scottish Premiership, in particular, was impressive. The Moroccan star showed that he can be a clinical finisher whilst also providing a creative presence in the centre-forward position, or out wide on the left.

As you can see in the table above, Igamane outperformed his xG by around three goals and was let down by his teammates in front of goal, as they failed to make the most of the high-quality chances that he created for them.

An xA tally of 4.85 suggests that he should have had way more than one assist in the top-flight, and shows that he has the creativity and quality to open up opposition defences fairly regularly.

Losing Igamane would be a big blow, therefore, for Martin because of his quality in the final third, but the Gers are reportedly keen on a star who could allow the club to sanction an exit before the deadline.

Rangers eyeing move for LaLiga forward

According to the Daily Mail, Glasgow Rangers are lining up a move to bring Girona centre-forward Bojan Miovski to Ibrox before the end of the window.

The report claims that the Macedonia international is out of favour at Girona, 12 months on from his transfer from Aberdeen for a fee of £6.8m, and could be on his way out of the Spanish side in the coming days.

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It adds that Martin is a known admirer of the striker, who he wanted to sign during his time at Swansea and Southampton in Wales and England, and would like to snap him up to bolster his attack at Ibrox.

The Daily Mail reveals that the player and Girona would prefer a permanent deal to allow him to leave, but that Rangers cannot afford a permanent move for the star who cost around £7m last year.

It is said that, therefore, a loan deal for Miovski may be the route the Gers look to go down, and that the player could be tempted by the prospect of a return to Scotland.

Why this could be the end for Hamza Igamane at Rangers

Rangers have played with systems that either have one striker or none in all of their competitive matches so far, something which has been a theme for Martin throughout his career.

In their striker ranks, the Gers currently have Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, and Igamane at their disposal. This suggests that they would not be looking to add another centre-forward to the group unless they thought that one of them would move on.

Given what happened against St Mirren, what Martin said, and the interest in his services, Igamane could be the player who waves bye-bye to Ibrox before the window slams shut in order to open up the space for Miovski to join.

Losing the Moroccan sensation, as aforementioned, would be a blow to the Gers when taken in isolation, given what he achieved on the pitch in his first year at the club.

The signing of Miovski, a proven performer in the Premiership, would soften that blow because he could come in and hit the ground running as a huge goalscoring threat for Martin.

As you can see in the table above, Miovski was a clinical finisher – taking into account the xG on target versus xG – for Aberdeen on his road to scoring 32 goals in two Premiership seasons.

The left-footed star, who was described as a “complete number 9” by journalist Josh Bunting, only started 12 times in LaLiga for Girona last season, scoring twice, and did not really get a chance to build any rhythm or momentum in his performances.

Miovski is a proven performer in the Premiership, though, and his output for Aberdeen in two of the last three seasons suggests that he has the quality to hit the ground running as a lethal goalscorer for Rangers.

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This is why the club’s interest in the Girona outcast may suggest, along with Sunday’s events, that Igamane could be on his way out of Ibrox before the window shuts, and Miovski could be a dream replacement for him.

Jos Buttler should promote himself in the batting order with his England captaincy on the line in Wednesday’s Champions Trophy game against Afghanistan, according to former England opener Nick Knight.Buttler walked out to bat in the 35th over in England’s five-wicket defeat to Australia on Saturday, hitting 23 off 21 balls from No. 6 before holing out to deep midwicket. He explained before the start of the Champions Trophy that he saw that position – where he has batted more than any other in ODIs – as his “super-strength”.But Knight, who played exactly 100 ODIs between 1996 and 2003, believes that England are not getting the best out of Buttler in his current role and must give him the chance to have a bigger impact on games. “I have really strong feelings about this,” Knight said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day show.Related

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“Jos Buttler, for me, is not taking enough part in the construction of an innings,” Knight said. “He’s one of the best in the world, simple as that, let alone one of the best in the team. He’s the best player. With your best player, you want them to play as much of a role within the outcome of the innings as possible.”I thought England made an error in the last game when they had that partnership broken between [Joe] Root and [Ben] Duckett and they brought in Harry Brook. Harry Brook is a very fine player but is a little bit out of touch at the moment. I personally would have just sent Buttler in. As soon as it ticks over to 20-25 overs, Buttler’s in next… Be flexible with your batting line-up, get your best player in.”Buttler struggled in the 2023 50-over World Cup and averages 26.16 in ODIs in Asia, but Knight played down the relevance of those stats. “I’ve seen him destroy attacks in the IPL – very good, high-quality attacks,” he said. “He can play in Asia, don’t worry about that. He’s scored hundreds galore in one-day cricket in those conditions. Really, it’s just about finding the best balance for him.”When you look at the best of Jos Buttler, he gives himself five, ten, 15 balls to get in… He’s one of England’s finest players of all time. He’s one of the world’s greatest in this format. Of course, he will have areas where he might get a little exposed from time to time but get him out there. Let’s give him that chance to really shine.”Buttler and Brendon McCullum share a joke in Lahore•Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images

Nasser Hussain, Knight’s England captain at the 2003 World Cup, also believes that Buttler was wasted down the order against Australia, with England posting 351 for 8 having been 200 for 2 after 30 overs. “The damage that Buttler could do [higher up] compared to what he can do at the end, I think I would have him up the order,” Hussain said on the Sky Sports cricket podcast.”If he bats at No. 3 or 4… he could get out for ten or 20, but if he gets in, Jos Buttler at his best – one of England’s, if not England’s, greatest batter – on that surface, could go on and get 150 because he’s so talented. If, on a pitch like that, England’s best white-ball player of all time is sitting and watching 40 overs of cricket from the pavilion, as an opposition captain, I’m thinking, ‘That’s good, I’m enjoying that’.”And also, this is a defining tournament now for Buttler. If they don’t get through the qualification here, the group stages, he could well lose his job. For that reason, if I’m Jos Buttler, I’m thinking, ‘My job is hanging on the line here, I have to have a massive impact on this game and on this tournament right now’. As opposed to, at the end of the tournament, wishing, ‘Why didn’t I promote myself and give it a go?’ They see it differently. They see him as the finisher.”Buttler is expected to continue batting at No. 6 when England face Afghanistan in Lahore on Wednesday. He conceded on Tuesday that he was “absolutely” under pressure. “Any time as an England captain you want to perform, you want to perform well, and you want to lead your team to winning games of cricket. We haven’t been doing that enough in the recent past.”

Harry Kane is being backed to become a transfer stopgap for Barcelona, with the Liga giants expected to make a play for Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland at some stage. If England captain Kane could be lured away from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2026, then Barca would have time in which to generate the funds required to make their Haaland dream a reality.

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  Norwegian frontman Haaland has seen a move to Catalunya speculated on for some time. He would appear to have no immediate plans to head for Spain, with a 10-year contract being signed in England that is due to take him through to 2034.

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  Barcelona believe that said agreement can be broken, with Haaland expected to seek out a new challenge once achieving as much as possible at the Etihad Stadium. Until that day comes, another No.9 will be required at Camp Nou.

• Lewandowski replacement: Prolific Pole to move on

  Robert Lewandowski will see his contract expire next summer, with it likely that the prolific Pole will be released by Barca as a free agent at 37 years of age. There has already been talk of a move for Kane being made, with Bayern potentially open to a sale ahead of the Three Lions captain hitting the final 12 months of his deal in Germany.

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• Getty
  

  Is Kane deal feasible? Hamann answers that question

  Ex-Bayern midfielder Dietmar Hamann, speaking in association with , told GOAL when asked if Kane to Barcelona sounds feasible: "Obviously they find it hard to register players, so I’m not sure they’d be able to register Haaland. But then again, this is probably a few years away.

  "But Lewandowski went there, and I didn’t think he’d score the goals he did. I think the Bundesliga is the closest to the Premier League when it comes to physicality. Once you’re past 30, I reckon you probably find it a bit easier to score goals in Spain than you do in Germany or certainly in England. So that’s certainly something I can see.

  "And if it were to be a stopgap, obviously it’s a good stopgap because we know the record of Harry Kane. And with all the financial issues they’ve got, they’ve got three or four years to sort that out if they want to try to get Haaland to Barcelona. So, it’s certainly something I can see, yes."

Tottenham are gearing up for two first-team friendlies in one day this Saturday, and away from the pitch, Thomas Frank’s busy Lilywhites continue their summer recruitment plans.

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Spurs announced that they will be taking on both Wycombe Wanderers in a behind-closed-doors encounter at 11am tomorrow before their trip to Kenilworth Road, with their later clash against Luton Town kicking off just four hours later.

The two matches will give a number of first-team players much-needed match action, with the squad set to be split into two groups. Earlier this week, Frank explained this decision in an official statement which confirmed their additional game against Wycombe.

“We wanted an extra game in our schedule to give as many players as many match minutes as possible, in order to put them in the best position, physically,” said Frank.

“We will play two even, strong teams, and they will play between 60 and 75 minutes, maybe more. By the end of Saturday, 22 players will have played a lot of match minutes, and they will be in a very good place before we go on tour.”

As Tottenham gear up for two 90-minute contests in quick succession, chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange maintain the club’s pursuit of new signings before deadline day on September 1.

Reliable media sources claim that Brentford striker Yoane Wissa remains a target for Spurs, and they’re in ongoing talks for the Congolese who scored 20 goals in all competitions under Frank last campaign.

However, Newcastle United are also in talks for Wissa, and they’re poised to submit a new bid in an attempt to win the race for Frank’s former star (Sky Sports).

While Frank faces stiff competition for the 28-year-old, as things stand, it looks as if Spurs are the only team competing for Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White.

Morgan Gibbs-White agrees "in principle" to join Tottenham

The 25-year-old was on the verge of a move to north London a fortnight ago, with Spurs even scheduling a medical for Gibbs-White on July 11 as they prepared to pay his £60 million release clause (BBC).

However, Forest then unceremoniously blocked the transfer – threatening both Tottenham and the player’s agent with a letter of legal action against them (Sky Sports). Nuno Espirito Santo’s side objected to how Spurs found out about Gibbs-White’s ‘confidential’ clause whilst accusing them of ‘tapping up’ the player too, and this tense stalemate remains ongoing with Levy hoping for a breakthrough (Fabrizio Romano).

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, sharing an update on the situation for TBR Football, Gibbs-White has agreed “in principle” to join Tottenham, and Forest appear resigned to eventually losing the England international.

This is because Evangelos Marinakis and his recruitment team are actively pursuing replacements, with talks ongoing over a deal for Man City’s James McAtee.

Spurs are not giving up on signing Gibbs-White and the attacking midfielder remains their absolute priority. Forest were also hoping that City would come back in for Gibbs-White to spark a potential bidding war, but Pep Guardiola and co have “moved on” – giving Frank a clear run.

If the former Wolves star wishes to push through a move to N17, Sky Sports have claimed that Gibbs-White has the option of threatening Forest with legal action of his own for breach of contract.

Alternatively, Tottenham could offer to pay a larger fee to Forest in an attempt to loosen their stranglehold on Gibbs-White and finally seal the deal.