The longer this goes on, the noisier it will get for Liverpool and their new signings and their recruitment strategy when viewed through a wider lens.

Five defeats from six in the Premier League have snuffed out any hopes of Arne Slot retaining his throne at the top of the division. Arsenal are eight points ahead at the summit, but it is the stark polarity in technical implementation and fluency that is a greater threat to Liverpool’s campaign.

That and the Reds’ startling defensive fragilities. Ibrahima Konate has been at the centre of Liverpool’s problems this term, and Virgil van Dijk is hardly at his best either. A variety of full-back pairings have yet to provide sustainable results, and Alisson Becker’s absence through injury hasn’t helped matters.

But Liverpool are all wrong, and it has at times felt as if Slot it trying to put square pegs into round holes. To solve this crisis of confidence and cohesion, sporting director Richard Hughes appears to be getting ready to add a high-level midfielder to the Anfield ranks.

Liverpool looking to sign a midfielder

Liverpool have got plenty of creativity in their ranks, even if Slot is not wielding his playmakers’ abilities to the max at this moment. But Liverpool need more in the way of build-up play.

Ryan Gravenberch is one of the most talented midfielders in the Premier League, and he has excelled since Slot shifted his countryman into a deep-lying central berth.

But Liverpool are embroiled in a pressing conundrum this season, lacking the intensity and physicality and drive to recycle possession. This was painfully clear on Sunday against Manchester City, who outperformed Liverpool across almost every department.

The Merseysiders also look a bit lost, tactically. That’s a disquieting thing to say, and the dichotomy between Slot’s first and second terms at Liverpool are illustrated clearly through this point.

What Liverpool need is a genius midfielder to rival Gravenberch at number six and revive Liverpool’s energy and build-up and pressing. Gravenberch is great, but Fabinho’s presence is missed in the Liverpool midfield, that Brazilian anchor whose composure under pressure and crisp, intelligent distribution paid dividends under Jurgen Klopp.

It is perhaps for this reason that Hughes and FSG have centred their sights on Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha.

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are keeping a close eye on the Portugal international ahead of the turn of the year and are willing to offer a staggering €130m (about £114m) fee. Arsenal and Juventus are also understood to be keen on the 25-year-old.

This won’t be an easy one to pull off, of course. Vitinha is contracted to the Parc des Princes until 2029, and he is considered by PSG to be one of their most untouchable players.

What Vitinha would offer Liverpool

Vitinha is rather good at football. It seems obvious that he would raise the level of Liverpool’s midfield, having dominated under Luis Enrique’s wing, winning a historic quadruple last season and continuing to dazzle at the heart of the PSG super-team this term.

Described by Portugal manager Roberto Martinez as being “the best midfielder in the world”, Vitinha has been instrumental in Paris’ golden footballing age, playing 169 times across all competitions for the club since joining from Porto for £34m in 2022.

Here is a midfielder who has played in the Premier League before, featuring 19 times and starting five of those fixtures in 2020/21 while on loan with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This was a bit-part role for a young and raw player. Vitinha is now levels above that one-time player whose passing and skill have found a maturity befitting a team at the very top of the European pyramid.

It is such a player who could turn things around for Liverpool, perhaps even establishing himself as the Redmen’s finest midfielder since those days of Fabinho in Klopp’s system.

These players do not share that many stylistic similarities, but Fabinho was considered among the finest in the world when tackling his way through the Premier League, and Vitinha, as mentioned already, is believed by some to be the very creme of the world crop, finishing third in the men’s Ballon d’Or rankings this year.

Men’s Ballon d’Or 2025 Top Five

#

Club

Player

1.

PSG

Ousmane Dembele

2.

Barcelona

Lamine Yamal

3.

PSG

Vitinha

4.

Liverpool

Mohamed Salah

5.

Barcelona

Raphinha

This is a midfielder who can do it all. His passing is out of his world, and his is a scholarly footballing mind. As per data-led platform FBref, Vitinha ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe over the past 12 months for pass completion, passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 9% for shot-creating actions and the top 8% for progressive carries per 90.

Moreover, Vitinha has won 60% of his ground duels in Ligue 1 this season, emphasising the underrated combativeness to his game.

Gravenberch is mobile and crisp on the ball and progressive when the right chance presents itself, but he is not as skilled on the ball as Vitinha, and while Klopp’s heavy-metal system demanded an enforcer like Fabinho, Slot’s more centralised build-up patterns demand a profile like Vitinha, especially now Trent Alexander-Arnold has up and left.

This is why Vitinha would be such a credit to the project, very much becoming Slot’s own version of Fabinho without matching the 32-year-old, who now plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad, in regard to the deeper analytical dive of his playing style.

The ripple effect of such an acquisition would be astounding. Energy and movement and belonging would give rise to the likes of Konate and Van Dijk’s latent brilliance as a defensive partnership. Vitinha would direct play and orchestrate from the middle. Here you would find Wirtz unlocking his skills once again, and the web of passing patterns would strengthen across the central and attacking thirds.

Liverpool said their farewells to Fabinho a time ago, and success has been had in the years since his sale. But Liverpool miss him still, and while Vitinha is a wildly different profile, his technical skills and ability to navigate his way through intense pressure underscore the importance of getting this one over the line and reviving the Slot machine.

Related More than Wirtz: £36m Liverpool star is becoming a "serious issue" for Slot

Liverpool were condemned to a fifth defeat in six Premier League matches at the Etihad.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Nov 10, 2025

Liverpool have had their fair share of special European nights over the years, with the famous comeback win against Barcelona back in 2019 in the Champions League – which saw the Reds overturn a 4-0 deficit – still sticking out as the Premier League giants at their thrilling best.

The entertainment levels weren’t through the roof in a similar fashion mid-week when Arne Slot’s men got the better of Barca’s arch rivals Real Madrid by a single goal, but the impressive all-round display would have definitely pleased the Anfield masses watching on.

Indeed, away from Alexis Mac Allister grabbing the winner, faces such as Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah also stood out, when they have otherwise failed to get going this season, with the heavily scapegoated German covering a staggering 11.37km in total.

To make the win even sweeter on Europe’s grandest stage, Liverpool managed to get one over on ex-star Trent Alexander-Arnold, who would only come on for the final few exchanges for Los Blancos.

Yet, despite a chorus of boos greeting his every touch, it’s clear – when analysing Liverpool’s wobbles this season – that they have desperately missed the creativity of their former homegrown product from the right-back spot.

Why Liverpool have missed Alexander-Arnold

Of course, all of the animosity directed towards the former number 66 comes from a place of pain that he deserted his hometown club for a shot in La Liga.

Being able to replace the creativity Alexander-Arnold possessed in spades at Anfield instantly was also going to be an extremely tough ask, with his ability to burst forward and cut open a defence for Liverpool, dubbing him a “dream for strikers” by Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Alexander-Arnold would become a modern-day icon at Liverpool, with a mighty 23 goals and 92 assists falling into his lap on Merseyside.

Liverpool had their work cut out for them in the summer to try and find an attacking full-back of the same calibre as the Englishman; therefore, with the Anfield giants presumably thinking they’d hit the jackpot with the capture of Milos Kerkez.

Unfortunately, the former AFC Bournemouth star – who amassed five Premier League assists last season – has no assists next to his name for Liverpool in league action, leading to him being branded as “out of his depth” by journalist Tim Spiers.

Thankfully, Conor Bradley showed the Liverpool masses why he could be in with a shout to be a long-term fix for Trent deserting the building.

He was phenomenal against the Spanish giants, dealing with the effervescent Vinicius Junior with an energetic display, seeing him win eight duels against Xabi Alonso’s visitors.

But, there was another standout performer on Wednesday night, who could be a surprise shout to be Slot’s next Trent-style figure.

Liverpool's new Trent is in midfield

Liverpool haven’t just experienced a crisis in the full-back areas this season, with the aforementioned Mac Allister struggling in the midfield areas in patches this campaign, too.

He does look to have exited his slump now, with the winning goal against the visitors from Madrid. Dominik Szoboszlai, on the other hand, has only gone from strength to strength this season, even as meltdowns have occurred around him.

The Hungarian would live up to his reputation for being a dead-ball specialist – which saw him hammer home a glorious free-kick against Arsenal earlier this season – against Alexander-Arnold’s new employers, with Mac Allister ultimately thankful for the 25-year-old’s incisive eye for an assist.

The two-time Premier League title winner would, time after time, also come up trumps when taking his very own corner kicks and corners at Anfield, with Szoboszlai now taking on this role expertly, as seen in him already picking up three Champions League assists for the campaign.

Szoboszlai’s numbers vs Real Madrid
Minutes played	90
Goals scored	0
Assists	1
Touches	54
Shots	5
Accurate passes	30/39 (77%)
Key passes	3
Accurate crosses	3/3
Ball recoveries	6
Stats by Sofascore

Back in the bread and butter of the Premier League, Szoboszlai is in a league of his own in terms of progressive carries and crosses attempted.

Two standout characteristics of Alexander-Arnold’s expansive game in England, the Hungarian has registered 26 carries and 25 crosses already in 2025/26. That’s more than any midfielder in England’s top-flight this season.

Slot has even chucked the “unbelievable” number 8 – as he has glowingly labelled him – into the right-back spot on occasion this season, with their similarities almost becoming eerie at this point.

However, as was evidenced on Wednesday night, the 25-year-old can still be an influential figure – like the number 66 – from a number ten position.

More wins will no doubt be collected this season, off the back of Szoboszlai’s “genius” alone, as his former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp also labelled him.

Arne Slot has just unlocked Liverpool's new Coutinho vs Real Madrid

Liverpool may have unearthed their next Philippe Coutinho after getting the better of Real Madrid 1-0.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 5, 2025

Rangers have now reportedly launched an opening enquiry to sign Mujaid Sadick from Belgian side Genk in an attempt to hand Danny Rohl his first arrival at Ibrox.

The new manager has got off to a mixed start in Scotland, with victories over Kilmarnock and Hibernian at least stopping the rot in the Scottish Premiership before heartbreak in extra-time against Celtic. As Roma entered Ibrox in midweek, there may have been some hope that Rohl’s side could cause an upset before their problems were laid bare for all to see once again.

The Italian side raced into the lead courtesy of Matias Soule in the 13th minute, before Lorenzo Pellegrini put them out of sight just before half-time. Whilst it was no thumping, the gulf in quality was clear at times as Roma picked up a 2-0 victory.

Speaking to the media at full-time, Rohl admitted his disappointment – saying: “It’s disappointing, the result. We did, in some key moments, not the right things that we should do.

“I’ve said this many times, and I will repeat this, this game at the moment we need to grow in. We want to win this game in the future, but at the moment there are a lot of things that we have to increase.

“In the second half, I changed the shape and had one more player higher on the pitch. I felt then until the 75th minute that there could be something if we used one moment to bring the belief or the confidence in a good direction. But we couldn’t, and then in the end it was a very experienced side we played.”

Fewer touches than Butland: Rohl must axe Rangers man who lost the ball 11x

Rangers have now lost four out of four in the Europa League, and Danny Röhl must drop the flop who lost the ball 11 times against Roma on Thursday.

Nov 7, 2025

Defensively, Rangers were found wanting once again and it’s something that the 49ers must address in the January transfer window. As Rohl aims to mark his own stamp on the current side, a central defender should be at the top of his shopping list.

Rangers launch Mujaid Sadick enquiry

As reported by journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Rangers have now launched an enquiry to sign Mujaid Sadick from Belgian side Genk in the January transfer window. The 25-year-old has seemingly impressed the Gers and may have first caught their attention when he pocketed summer signing Chermiti in a 1-0 win over the Scottish giants in September.

The central defender completed 45 of his 46 attempted passes, made 15 defensive contributions and was not dribbled past once in a dominant display against Rangers. Chermiti, meanwhile, was limited to just one touch in the opposition box and was dispossessed three times. In a night to forget for the struggling striker, Sadick thrived.

It’s also worth noting that the Spaniard can play right-back as well as centre-back in what could offer Rohl crucial versatility. As far as first arrivals go, Sadick would be an excellent option to turn to in the January transfer window.

Rohl must drop another Rangers transfer flop with Chermiti

In the 150-year history of MLB, certain individual achievements stand out above the rest. They are held in such high regard because they are the rarest of feats.

Only 24 pitchers have thrown a perfect game. Just 36 players have hit .400 in a season. In between the two is the accomplishment that's been attained by a mere 32 players—smashing 50 or more home runs in a single campaign.

The History of 50-Home Run Seasons

Fittingly, MLB has had 50 instances of a player hitting at least 50 home runs in one season.

New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth was the first major leaguer to reach the 50-HR plateau in 1920 when he hit 54. The all-time great went on to exceed 50 homers three more times, including the iconic number of 60 in 1927—the single-season record that lasted for 34 years until Yankees outfielder Roger Maris mashed 61 HRs in 1961.

After Maris, just three players enjoyed 50-homer seasons over the next 29 years. San Francisco Giants great Willie Mays hit 52 HRs in 1965, and Cincinnati Reds outfielder George Foster clubbed 52 homers in 1977. Detroit Tigers slugger Cecil Fielder went deep 51 times in 1990.

Ruth's record of four 50-homer seasons was matched by Mark McGwire, the power-hitting first baseman of the then Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa. The home run duels between McGwire and Sosa reenergized baseball in the late 1990s.

Complete List of 50-Home Run Seasons in MLB History

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton entered the 2025 season with 429 career home runs. In 2017, he hit a career-high 59 homers, 22 more than his next-best total.

To reach 50 HRs, Stanton realizes now that he had to have a "synched-up year where a lot of things go right."

"You have to keep your balance and timing the whole year, not too many lulls," Stanton told . "And even when you’re not feeling good, you've got to be able to have your few hits be homers. Instead of having two singles in your 2-for-20-something stage, you’ve got to squeak out those as homers.

"The whole rhythm of your season has to go right."

The players listed below never missed a beat while hitting 50 or more homers in a season. Here is the full list of 50-HR campaigns.

Year

Player

Team

Home Runs

1920

Babe Ruth

New York Yankees

54

1921

Babe Ruth

New York Yankees

59

1927

Babe Ruth

New York Yankees

60

1928

Babe Ruth

New York Yankees

54

1930

Hack Wilson

Chicago Cubs

56

1932

Jimmie Foxx

Philadelphia Athletics

58

1938

Hank Greenberg

Detroit Tigers

58

1938

Jimmie Foxx

Boston Red Sox

50

1947

Ralph Kiner

Pittsburgh Pirates

51

1947

Johnny Mize

New York Giants

51

1949

Ralph Kiner

Pittsburgh Pirates

54

1955

Willie Mays

New York Giants

51

1956

Mickey Mantle

New York Yankees

52

1961

Roger Maris

New York Yankees

61

1961

Mickey Mantle

New York Yankees

54

1965

Willie Mays

San Francisco Giants

52

1977

George Foster

Cincinnati Reds

52

1990

Cecil Fielder

Detroit Tigers

51

1995

Albert Belle

Cleveland Guardians

50

1996

Brady Anderson

Baltimore Orioles

52

1996

Mark McGwire

Oakland Athletics

52

1997

Mark McGwire

Oakland A’s, St. Louis Cardinals

58

1997

Ken Griffey Jr.

Seattle Mariners

56

1998

Mark McGwire

St. Louis Cardinals

70

1998

Sammy Sosa

Chicago Cubs

66

1998

Ken Griffey Jr.

Seattle Mariners

56

1998

Greg Vaughn

San Diego Padres

50

1999

Mark McGwire

St. Louis Cardinals

65

1999

Sammy Sosa

Chicago Cubs

63

2000

Sammy Sosa

Chicago Cubs

50

2001

Barry Bonds

San Francisco Giants

73

2001

Sammy Sosa

Chicago Cubs

64

2001

Luis Gonzalez

Arizona Diamondbacks

57

2001

Alex Rodriguez

Texas Rangers

52

2002

Alex Rodriguez

Texas Rangers

57

2002

Jim Thome

Cleveland Indians

52

2005

Andruw Jones

Atlanta Braves

51

2006

Ryan Howard

Philadelphia Phillies

58

2006

David Ortiz

Boston Red Sox

54

2007

Alex Rodriguez

New York Yankees

54

2007

Prince Fielder

Milwaukee Brewers

50

2010

Jose Bautista

Toronto Blue Jays

54

2013

Chris Davis

Baltimore Orioles

53

2017

Giancarlo Stanton

Miami Marlins

59

2017

Aaron Judge

New York Yankees

52

2019

Pete Alonso

New York Mets

53

2022

Aaron Judge

New York Yankees

62

2023

Matt Olson

Atlanta Braves

54

2024

Aaron Judge

New York Yankees

58

2024

Shohei Ohtani

Los Angeles Dodgers

54

Record-Breaking and Memorable 50-Home Run Seasons

Anytime a big leaguer began a season by hitting home runs in bunches, talk of chasing the HR record inevitably followed. Maris' pursuit of Ruth had the nation riveted, and the 1961 season is regarded as one of the most magical in baseball history.

Five days after tying Ruth, Maris set a new MLB single-season mark with his 61st homer in the Yankees' regular-season finale against the rival Boston Red Sox.

After a 1994 players strike led to the cancellation of the remainder of the season, including the playoffs and World Series, severe damage had been done to baseball's reputation. The goodwill of the fans was won back by the home run record chases of McGwire and Sosa in 1998.

That year, McGwire and Sosa captured the attention of sports fans as they went head-to-head to not only win the HR title but also to eclipse Maris' 61 homers. McGwire reached 62 home runs first. Sosa joined him five days later.

McGwire homered in his final at-bat of the season to finish with an incredible 70 home runs, four more than Sosa. The record would last only three years. San Francisco Giants outfielder Bonds, at age 36, set a new standard in 2001 with an outrageous 73 homers.

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani didn't catch Bonds in 2024, but the Japanese superstar made history for becoming the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season.

Interest in Ohtani's 50-50 bid intensified as he entered September on pace to achieve both marks. He notched his 50th steal and 50th homer in the same game in one of the greatest individual performances in MLB history—6-for-6, three HRs, two steals and 10 RBIs.

Trends and Era-Based Differences in 50-Home Run Seasons

When Ruth established a new MLB standard with 60 home runs in 1927, the Yankees icon hit more homers than all but three clubs in the 16-team major leagues. Starting with the first-ever 50-HR campaign in 1920, Ruth ushered in the Live Ball Era with his monumental individual displays of power.

Over the next six decades, MLB saw just 13 seasons of 50 homers or more by a player. Despite an attempt to help hitters by lowering the mound after the 1968 campaign—known as the "Year of the Pitcher" when St. Louis Cardinals ace Bob Gibson set a modern-day ERA record of 1.12—only one big leaguer surpassed 50 home runs (Foster's 52-HR aberration in '77).

The prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball had home run totals skyrocketing in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. During that period of the Steroid Era, a total of 18 50-homer campaigns took place. Also, from 1996 to 2002, MLB had multiple 50-HR sluggers in one season.

Today's baseball is dictated by analytics, with MLB team front offices looking to leverage the launch angle of hitters' full-force swings against the unprecedented high velocity of pitchers that registers well past 100 mph. The combination has produced a perfect recipe for strikeouts—but also home runs.

The feast-or-famine style of ball caused MLB's season HR total to exceed 6,000 for the first time. In 2017, 6,105 homers were hit league-wide, and in 2019, a new all-time high was set with a combined 6,776 home runs, according to Baseball Almanac.

Generational sluggers like Aaron Judge have emerged to add to MLB's 50-homer season total. The Yankees outfielder crushed 52 HRs in 2017, an American League-record 62 in 2022 and 58 in 2024.

MLB fans, at least those who were able to watch given MLB.TV's ill-timed outage, were dealt a scare when three-time American League MVP Mike Trout was hit by a pitch on his first at-bat of the 2025 season.

In the top of the first inning with one on and one out, Trout stepped to the plate, took a fastball for a ball, then swung through a slider to even the count at 1-1. Then, White Sox pitcher Sean Burke delivered a high-and-inside fastball that veered a bit too close to Trout and hit the Los Angeles Angels superstar on the hand. Trout shook his hand in frustration, then waved off manager Ron Washington and the club's trainer as he walked to first base, indicating that he was alright.

MLB fans, knowing Trout's recent injury history, couldn't believe the Angel's star's misfortune.

Trout enjoyed one of the best starts to a career of any player in MLB history, winning three MVP awards while finishing second in the voting three more times in his first eight seasons. Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Trout has not played 130 or more games since 2019. In '21, a calf strain limited him to just 36 games played. The following season, he dealt with back inflammation. A broken hamate bone in his left hand cut his '23 season short, then a torn—and re-torn—meniscus ended his '24 season early.

Trout was able to remain in the game, but what a scare it was to start the season.

West Ham United have now submitted an offer of around £20m for a “natural goalscorer”, with Nuno personally a big fan.

West Ham targeting new striker with Fullkrug heading for exit

It has recently been revealed that Niclas Fullkrug is heading for the exit door this winter, having struggled to find the back of the net consistently since arriving from Borussia Dortmund, scoring just three goals in 28 appearances for West Ham.

Callum Wilson has been the man leading the line as of late, and the Englishman has impressed, bagging a brace in the 2-2 draw against AFC Bournemouth, but there are also question marks over his long-term future at the London Stadium.

Given that Wilson is set to turn 34 in February, and his contract expires at the end of the season, it would be a shrewd move to bring in a younger striker, and the Hammers are desperate to sign at least one new centre-forward in the upcoming window.

That is according to a report from Hammers News, which states West Ham have failed with an opening bid of £20m for Al-Hilal striker Marcos Leonardo, with the Saudi Pro League side adamant they won’t sanction a departure.

However, the Irons may return to the negotiating table with another offer, such is their determination to get a deal done, with Nuno personally a big fan of the Brazilian, who was linked with a move to Nottingham Forest during the manager’s time in charge there.

Nuno has made bringing in a new striker the number one priority for the January transfer window, and if the Hammers were able to get a deal for the 22-year-old done, they would be signing a player in red-hot form.

West Ham and Tottenham get Ivan Toney response after holding discussions

The Al-Ahli striker is fielding enquiries ahead of January.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 29, 2025 "Natural goalscorer" Leonardo on fire in Saudi Arabia

Indeed, the Al-Hilal star has been fantastic since the Club World Cup in the summer, scoring four goals in five matches in the new-look competition, and he has since impressed considerably domestically too.

Marcos Leonardo’s goalscoring record

Appearances

Goals

Saudi Pro League

6

6

AFC Champions League

5

3

King’s Cup

3

2

The former Santos man also earned high praise from scout Jacek Kulig courtesy of very impressive attacking numbers during his time in Brazil.

With Fullkrug heading for the exit door, West Ham undoubtedly need to bring in a new striker this winter, and Leonardo could be capable of leading the line for Nuno’s side for years to come.

كشف أحمد عاطف مهاجم منتخب مصر الثاني وفريق زد إف سي، عن أسباب استبعاده من قائمة منتخب مصر الثاني المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب. 

وتنطلق بطولة كأس العرب 2025 في الأول من ديسمبر المقبل وتنتهي في الثامن عشر من نفس الشهر بمشاركة 16 منتخبًا.

طالع.. رسائل هاني أبو ريدة لـ منتخب مصر الثاني قبل انطلاق كأس العرب 2025

وقال أحمد عاطف في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات: “فوجئت باستبعادي من قائمة منتخب مصر الثاني المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب في قطر، دون علمي”. 

وأضاف: “تحدثوا عن إصابتي ولا أعاني من أي إصابات، وجهاز المنتخب لم يتحدث معي عن معاناتي من أي إصابة وكنت أتمرن بشكل طبيعي دون أي أزمات”. 

وتابع: “جهاز المنتخب أجرى فحوصات وتقارير طبية لإثبات إصابتي دون علمي أو معرفة ذلك، من أجل استبعادي من قائمة منتخب مصر الثاني في كأس العرب”. 

واختتم: “بالتأكيد مستاء للغاية مما حدث، ولا أي مبرر لاستبعادي من القائمة النهائية لمنتخب مصر قبل مباراة الكويت، وكنت أتمنى الاستمرار هنا للمشاركة مع منتخب مصر في البطولة”. 

Tottenham Hotspur’s unbeaten run in the Champions League came to an abrupt end last night, with holders PSG securing a huge 5-3 triumph in Paris.

The Lilywhites twice took the lead at the Parc des Princes, but Thomas Frank’s men were unable to hold and secure yet another victory in Europe’s biggest competition.

Vitinha’s hat-trick was enough to get Luis Enrique’s men across the line on home soil, leaving Frank with huge work to do to get his squad out of their current losing spree.

Goals from Kolo Muani and Richarlison weren’t enough to get the Lilywhites all three points, but it certainly does give the manager something to build on in the final third.

However, the same can’t be said for numerous members of the first-team squad, with various starters unable to take full advantage of the chances handed their way.

Spurs’ poor performers against PSG last night

After questions were asked about the midfield department following the defeat against Arsenal, Frank decided to once again change shape and hand Pape Sarr a start in central midfield.

Many were crying out for the Senegalese international to return to the starting eleven, but ultimately, he was unable to take advantage of his opportunity.

He was arguably at fault for PSG’s third effort, with the 23-year-old robbed of possession in his own defensive third before Fabian Ruiz fired home for the hosts.

The youngster wasn’t alone in failing to deliver, with full-back Djed Spence once again unable to pounce on his starting role on the left-hand side of the back four.

The Englishman failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles or crosses, subsequently highlighting the lack of contribution he made when in transition.

However, without the ball, the 25-year-old was just as lacklustre, as seen by his measly tally of just 33% ground duels won whilst also being dribbled past on one occasion.

The Spurs star who had his worst game for the club v PSG

After Kolo Muani put Spurs ahead for the second time at the Parc des Princes last night, there was a belief within the Spurs faithful that the club could pull off a famous European result.

However, in true Lilywhites fashion, as of late, they were unable to sustain such a scoreline, with the collapse in the last half an hour no doubt frustrating manager Frank.

Certain players can absolutely leave such a defeat with credit and with their heads held high, with the aforementioned Kolo Muani undoubtedly having his best game for the club.

Other players, like Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray also impressed at the heart of the side, with the pair the beneficiaries of the manager’s selection roulette.

The same can’t be said for numerous players, with Cristian Romero undoubtedly one that springs to mind when focusing on players who failed to deliver in Paris.

The Argentine, who’s the Lilywhites captain, endured a torrid evening against the reigning European champions, which no doubt contributed to the loss last night.

He featured for the entirety of the contest, but not without struggle, with the centre-back needing to share some of the blame for Sarr’s mistake with his poorly timed pass into the midfielder.

Romero was also adjudged to have handled Vitinha’s effort late on, which led to the Portuguese international stepping up from the penalty spot to complete his first senior hat-trick.

His underlying stats further showcase his lack of impact, with the defender committing two further fouls and being dribbled past on two separate occasions.

Minutes played

90

Touches

37

Passes completed

22

Possession lost

6x

Duels lost

50%

Fouls committed

3

Penalties conceded

1

Dribbled past

2x

Other numbers, such as six times possession lost and 50% duels lost, further highlight his lack of impact and why it was perhaps his worst display in a Spurs shirt yet.

To top off his dismal night in Paris, Romero was handed a measly 3/10 match rating by Football London journalist Alasdair Gold, reaffirming how disappointing he was against the Frenchmen.

After such a showing, Frank will no doubt be questioning his starting role, with flashes of the Argentine’s rash nature rearing their head during the defeat.

However, the player will be hoping he’s still selected at the weekend to try and make amends and lead the club to a needed win the Premier League against Fulham.

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The chairman of selectors also said Rohit and Kohli had retired from Tests to make way for younger players ahead of a new WTC cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-20252:16

What to expect from Rohit, Kohli in this phase of their careers?

Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play the 2027 World Cup? Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar feels it’s too early to take any calls about that event, but he has made it clear Rohit and Kohli will not be “on trial” during India’s three-match ODI series against Australia, which begins in Perth on Sunday.”Look they [Rohit and Kohli] are part of the squad at the moment for Australia,” Agarkar said during on Friday. “In two years’ time, we don’t know what the situation is going to be. So why just them two? It could be some other younger players [who might miss out on the tournament].”Related

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Rohit and Kohli are now ODI-only players for India, having retired from Tests and T20Is. Rohit, ahead of this Australia tour, also lost the ODI captaincy, with the baton passing on to Shubman Gill. With both senior players now in their mid-to-late 30s, and with little chance for match practice between ODI series, there is a sense that their presence in the ODI team could depend on churning out performances in every series they play.”That would be a bit silly, isn’t it, when one averages over 50 and the other averages close to 50?” Agarkar said, when this was put to him. “You are not going to put them on trial in every game. But 2027 is a long way away, both of them play one format […] they haven’t had a lot of cricket [in recent months]. Once they start playing, then you assess as you go forward.”They are not on trial, they’ve achieved all they had to achieve, not just winning trophies but runs [as well], so it’s not that if both of them don’t get runs in this series that will be the reason they won’t be there, or if they get three hundreds, [that will be] the reason they play 2027.”It’s still a long way away, we’ll see how the team shapes up, but we have some ideas, and as we go along we’ll probably have a better idea of where the team is progressing.”Rohit and Kohli retired from T20Is after helping India lift the T20 World Cup in 2024, and called time on their Test careers after the 2024-25 tour of Australia. The Test retirements came in the weeks leading up to India’s tour of England, which began in June 2025, and Agarkar said both Rohit and Kohli had wanted to make way for younger players at the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The selectors, he said, were keen to have their experience in England, where Gill led the Test team for the first time. A young India team drew the five-Test series 2-2.”Both [Rohit and Kohli] have been stalwarts of Indian cricket. They felt it was a new WTC cycle, and whatever people might think or not think, that is the reality,” Agarkar said. “Both were very aware, perhaps they may not have gone [on] for those two years as Test players for the WTC cycle.”And look, England was a series where we would have loved some experience, frankly, and the performance was incredible even though we didn’t win, under a young captain, which would have always been difficult. We would have liked some experience, but they had made their decision, and once you have played for as long as they have and they are sure about what decision they want to make, to walk away from a particular format, you’ve got to respect that.”Agarkar on Shami: ‘Our domestic season has just started, and we’ll see if he’s fit enough’•PTI On Shami: ‘My phone is always on’The selection for the Australia tour ruffled at least one player’s feathers. Mohammed Shami, who hasn’t played for India since the Champions Trophy in March, wasn’t picked on fitness grounds; the fast bowler, who is currently playing for Bengal against Uttarakhand in the first round of the Ranji Trophy, disputed the idea that he wasn’t fit. “If I can play four-dayers [Ranji Trophy], I can also play 50-overs cricket.” Asked about this, Agarkar said the domestic season had only just begun, and that the selectors would keep an eye on Shami’s fitness as the Ranji Trophy progresses.”If he says that to me, I’ll probably answer that,” Agarkar said. “I’m not quite sure what he said on social media. Maybe if I read that, I might give him a call, but my phone is always on for most players, and I’ve had multiple chats with him over the last few months.”Look, he’s been an incredible performer for India. If he’s said something, maybe that’s a conversation for me to have with him or him to have with me, but [if he was fully fit] he would have been on that plane. Unfortunately he wasn’t, and our domestic season has just started, and we’ll see if he’s fit enough, and we’ll see where it goes, because this is the first round of Ranji games that’s going on. We’ll find out in a couple more games if he’s fit.”Look, with his quality, if he’s bowling well, why would you not want to have someone like a Shami? But what we found in the last six-eight months to a year, even leading up to the Australia tour, which we were desperate to have him on, unfortunately his fitness wasn’t there. If he does keep fit over the next few months, who knows, the story might be different. But at this point, as far as I know, he wasn’t fit enough for that England tour.”

England have not savoured World Cup glory since 1966, but Wes Brown has exclusively told GOAL – ahead of the group stage draw for the 2026 event – that “nobody will want to play” the Three Lions when chasing down a global crown. Thomas Tuchel’s side will head to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer sat among the favourites to go all the way.

Faultless Three Lions: England qualified in style

They made serene progress through qualification, with maximum points being taken from eight fixtures. England scored 22 goals across those outings, while conceding none. A winning formula has clearly been found, with the promise of more to come.

Tuchel has made it clear that he will not be bowing to pressure when it comes to big selection calls, with the former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain boss prepared to make unpopular decisions if required.

He has enough talent at his disposal to suggest that whoever earns seats on the plane, they will be there or thereabouts when the most prestigious of prizes is handed out. The Three Lions have made back-to-back European Championship finals – coming unstuck against Italy and Spain – while reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

AdvertisementFear factor: England should have rivals running scared

Sir Gareth Southgate oversaw an era of near misses, with thenhot seat now being filled by no-nonsense German tactician Tuchel. He has won Ligue 1, the Champions League and Club World Cup as a coach.

With the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Marcus Rashford raring to go, there is every reason to believe that Tuchel can be the man to bring 60 years of hurt to a close.

Quizzed on whether England should fear nobody, ex-Three Lions defender Brown – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “I think we are one of the teams to fear. The only thing I would say is, we have been so close now that it’s like, we know we can but we just get to that end bit… Regardless of how we get there, we know we can. People say ‘look who we played’ or ‘these are much better’, but that’s not the point because we still got there, getting the wins in.

“You look at the quality of the squad, it doesn’t matter about age now, these are established players that have no fear. They know what they need to do, they know what the set-up is. We know we can do it because we have been there before, we have nearly done it, it’s just that extra step. Regardless of the manager changing, I still feel like there is that bond in the squad which is excellent. You can see a nice buzz going around.

“The variation of different personnel is up there. You might need somebody to come on and change something in a certain way. Have we got that? I think we have. Take all that away, I think the experience they have as a group, the majority of them, they will understand that they can do it. It just takes that little bit more when we get to that next stage, when you get to the point where ‘this is it’. Can we? A lot of the players have done that, experienced it, and now you have got to believe and stay together and try to get it done. It’s going to be hard again – look at all the teams and the quality in there – but believe me, nobody will want to play England.”

Getty Images

Underdogs tag: Tuchel tries to calm expectations

Tuchel has been doing his best to calm expectations, saying of England’s current standing: “We will arrive as underdogs in the World Cup because we haven't won it for decades, and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time, so we need to arrive as a team otherwise we have no chance.

“If you've never won Wimbledon, you may be one of the favourites but you are not the favourite. You can go and if you come close, OK, you are within the pool, but you are not the favourite. It is just how it is. There is Brazil, there is Argentina, Spain, France and they just did it recently. It doesn't mean we have no chance and we know very well.”

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Getty ImagesWorld Cup draw: When & where does it take place?

England, along with their fellow World Cup hopefuls, will discover who they are set to face in the group stage when the draw for that part of the competition is made on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.