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Tottenham Hotspur are ready to attack the January transfer window, and if Thomas Frank gets it right, he might just land a new forward who could turn his debut season at the helm into a successful one.

However, while incomings are anticipated down N17, Spurs are also expected to push one or two of Frank’s first-team players to the exit, with Yves Bissouma, who has not played at all this season after being dropped in August, expected to leave after being filmed inhaling nitrous oxide, again.

However, for less transgressive reasons, Brennan Johnson could also be on his way out, having fallen down the pecking order after poor form.

Spurs consider swapping Brennan Johnson out

Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is the talk of the town, but ENIC Group are also keeping an eye on another high-performing winger in Europe.

The versatile Cherries forward has been in fine fettle in the Premier League this season, scoring six goals and supplying three assists for Andoni Iraola’s side.

He is far more consistent than Johnson, who bagged 17 in all competitions last season – including the winner against Manchester United in the Europa League final – but has regressed under Frank’s wing.

Crystal Palace are interested in signing the Wales international on loan this winter, and that could free up room for a Semenyo alternative who is turning the heads of some of the Premier League’s top clubs.

Indeed, according to Sky Germany, RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande is on Tottenham’s shortlist ahead of the New Year, albeit with top-flight rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City also in the mix.

The 19-year-old joined the Bundesliga club this year and has quickly established prolific form, combining that sharpness with frightening physical faculties.

Leipzig know they have a gem on their hands and have priced him at a jaw-dropping €100m (about £87m). This would make him the most expensive player in the Londoners’ history.

Why Spurs should sign Yan Diomande

Diomande moved to Germany after cutting his teeth with Leganes in Spain, and he has wasted no time in establishing himself as one of the brightest young wide forwards in the game, having scored seven goals and four assists across 16 outings this season.

That includes a recent hat-trick over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, and it’s his natural sharpness in the danger area that has led journalist Bence Bocsak to hail him as a “generational talent”.

Diomande is not just more talented than Johnson: he ruthlessly outstrips him across a vast range of metrics, and his developing goalscoring may soon see him overtake the 24-year-old’s standout quality.

When you look at how Diomande ranks up against someone like Johnson, it perhaps becomes clear why there is such a vested interest being focused, with the Welshman simply not offering enough in the build-up and when against the run of play, that and the desertion of his potency in front of goal.

League Stats – Johnson vs Diomande

Stats (* per game)

Johnson

Diomande

Matches (starts)

13 (6)

14 (10)

Goals

2

6

Assists

0

2

Touches

17.8

44.0

Shots (on target)*

0.4 (0.2)

1.6 (0.9)

Accurate passes*

6.7 (70%)

21.6 (83%)

Chances created*

0.4

1.0

Dribbles*

0.2

3.0

Ball recoveries*

0.9

4.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.1

1.4

Duels won*

1.8

4.8

Data via Sofascore

There’s no question that Johnson has a natural ability to work his way into promising positions and chalk his name onto the scoresheet, but his overall play has hardly been good enough this season. For example, he’s not dribbling enough – look at his efforts in comparison to Diomande’s – and he’s only succeeding with 33% of his infrequent efforts.

Diomande, for sure, is one of the most exciting dribblers in Europe. He is fleet-footed and instinctive with his output when carrying the ball forward. He has been hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig for “having a sensational debut season” in Germany.

Tottenham need to get this one done. If they are serious about becoming major, consistent players both domestically and abroad, this is the kind of statement signing needed, not just boosting output but reshaping the general threat of the team.

Related ENIC could fund the Semenyo move by selling Spurs' £55k-p/w "liability"

Tottenham are planning to get rid of some of the deadwood this January.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair 2 days ago

INEOS splashed the cash in the summer transfer window to provide Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim with more quality at both ends of the pitch.

Senne Lammens was brought in from Royal Antwerp, to replace Andre Onana, and has prevented 1.51 xG across five appearances in the Premier League so far this season, per Sofascore.

£62.5m was also spent on the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazil international scored his first goal for the club last month in the 4-2 win against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Bryan Mbeumo has arguably been the most successful addition to the squad. Since his £71m move from Brentford, the left-footed star has scored five goals and provided one assist in 11 Premier League games for the Red Devils.

Whilst Cunha and Mbeumo both arrived from other English clubs as known quantities, the club were also willing to splash the cash on more of a gamble, with Benjamin Sesko.

The Red Devils spent £66.4m to sign the Slovenia international from RB Leipzig in the summer to replace Rasmus Hojlund, and he has had a mixed start to life at Old Trafford.

Why Man Utd need to sign another centre-forward

Sesko has scored two goals in 11 appearances in the Premier League since his big-money move from Germany, and both of those goals came in his first seven outings.

The 22-year-old marksman scored his first goal for the club against Brentford in September, before netting his second goal against Sunderland in a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

Sesko scored 13 goals in 33 matches in the Bundesliga in the 2024/25 campaign for Leipzig, per Sofascore, so it was always going to be a tough ask for the striker to hit the ground running as a goal machine in the Premier League.

The Slovenian forward, as shown in the graphic above, has missed more ‘big chances’ than he has managed goals scored, which suggests that he needs to improve his efficiency in front of goal if he wants to be the main number nine for Amorim.

Minutes

90

30

Shots

3

0

Goals

0

0

Key passes

0

0

Big chances created

0

0

Ground duels won

0/0

0/7

Aerial duels won

0/3

2/2

As you can see in the table above, Sesko struggled in his last two appearances for United before the international break, losing the majority of his physical duels without offering any significant threat in the final third.

The former Leipzig star’s mixed start to his career at Old Trafford may explain why the club are reportedly looking to add another player in his position in the winter market.

Man Utd chasing deal for another Bundesliga striker

According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are one of a number of clubs chasing a deal to sign Borussia Dortmund centre-forward Serhou

Guirassy.

The report claims that he has a release clause in his contract with the German side that will allow him to be sold for a fee of roughly £44m to a ‘select group of elite clubs’ in the January transfer window.

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It adds that Arsenal, Manchester United, and PSG are all in the race to sign the Guinea international, but it remains unclear if any of those three teams fall into the group of clubs that can activate that release clause.

CaughtOffside reports that the Red Devils are ones to watch in the race to land the Bundesliga centre-forward because Amorim wants more experienced options in his frontline.

Sesko, 22, is still in the early stages of his development and Guirassy could be viewed as an experienced number nine who could offer a huge upgrade in the immediate term.

Why Man Utd should sign Serhou Guirassy

At the age of 29, the Dortmund centre-forward would arrive at Old Trafford as the experienced striker that Amorim wants to bolster his squad with, as he would be ready to come in and make an instant impact.

It can sometimes be the case with young players that they have the technical qualities and potential to be an incredible player in the future, but they do not have a tight grasp of the nuances that come with delivering consistently at the top level.

Guirassy, being 29 and having been around the block, has tightened up his game and is focused on output, scoring and assisting goals, which is reflected in his statistics compared to Sesko’s over the past 365 days.

His statistics when it comes to scoring goals and creating goals are far more impressive than the young Slovenian’s, which is understandable given the difference in experience between the two players.

The Dortmund striker was even described by German legend Lothar Matthaus as “one of the best strikers in Europe” back in March, which speaks to how much he has impressed in German football.

Appearances

30

33

Goals

21

13

Minutes per goal

124

185

Big chances missed

21

10

Conversion rate

23%

19%

Big chances created

7

5

Assists

2

5

As you can see in the table above, the United transfer target scored eight more goals than Sesko in the Bundesliga during the 2024/25 campaign, despite playing three fewer matches.

The experienced centre-forward has also scored seven goals in 15 appearances in all competitions during the current season, per Sofascore, whilst the Red Devils marksman has only scored twice since his move from Leipzig.

Therefore, United could immediately improve their starting line-up by bringing the Dortmund striker in to be a huge upgrade on Sesko, given that their respective performances over the past 18 months suggest that he would offer significantly more as a goalscorer.

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This is why INEOS should push to beat Arsenal and PSG to the signing of the Bundesliga star to add more goals to the team for the second half of the season, whilst also providing Sesko with an experienced mentor to help him improve in the long term.

Elly De La Cruz continues to wow people on a baseball diamond.

On Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds shortstop made a ridiculous catch to prevent the Baltimore Orioles from scoring an early run.

In the bottom of the second inning wthe Reds were nursing a 1-0 lead, with Jordan Westburg on second base and one out. Jackson Holliday stepped to the plate and sent a 1-2 pitch from Brent Suter up the middle. The ball was ticketed for center field and possibly an RBI single when De La Cruz flew across the infield and made a full-extension diving catch on the opposite side of second base.

Check this out:

The man is an absolutely ridiculous athlete.

To make things even better, De La Cruz homered to lead off the next inning, sparking a seven-run inning.

As of this article, De La Cruz is slashing .247/.319/.459 with those five home runs, 22 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

Celtic are currently searching for their next permanent head coach after they were rocked by the resignation of Brendan Rodgers last month.

The former Hoops boss decided to move on from Parkhead after a 3-1 defeat to Hearts that left his side eight points adrift of first place in the Scottish Premiership at the time.

As shown in the graphic above, the Northern Irish head coach enjoyed a largely successful second spell with the Glasgow giants, winning four trophies in two full seasons.

Martin O’Neill has been in interim charge of the Hoops since Rodgers moved on from Parkhead, and one manager who has been linked with the permanent role is Lee Carsley.

The latest on Lee Carsley to Celtic

It was recently reported that the Scottish giants are eyeing up the England U21 head coach as a potential replacement for Rodgers in the coming weeks.

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Celtic are said to be long-term admirers of the Irish tactician, who has won two U21 European Championship titles, and that he is one of the names under contention for the job.

However, it was also claimed that Carsley is not one of the frontrunners for the vacant position at this moment in time, which does not suggest that he is likely to arrive in Glasgow in the next few days.

The Hoops board, however, should push to bring the England U21 boss to Parkhead because he could unearth the club’s own version of Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer.

Celtic have their own Cole Palmer in the making

One of Carsley’s biggest selling points is that he has worked with and developed some of England’s finest talents. Per Transfermarkt, he has coached Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Conor Gallagher. Just to name a few.

Palmer delivered five goals and five assists in 17 matches as an attacking midfield player for the head coach at England U21 level, per Transfermarkt, and he has scored 45 goals in 101 games for Chelsea so far.

Celtic could unearth their own version of the England international in Arne Engels, who could take his game to the next level under Carsley, who was hailed as “refreshing” by midfielder Declan Rice

The England U21 manager typically plays a 4-2-3-1 system, per Transfermarkt, rather than a 4-3-3, which would allow the Belgium international to push on and play as a number ten, providing him with more opportunities to showcase his quality in the final third.

Engels, with ten goals and 13 assists in 52 matches, showed glimpses of his attacking quality in the 2024/25 campaign for Celtic, but he has yet to find the back of the net in the current campaign.

xG

10.05

Top 1%

Goals

9

Top 4%

Shots on target

19

Top 5%

xA

8.46

Top 1%

Assists

6

Top 7%

Chances created

57

Top 3%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, the former Augsburg central midfielder excelled among his positional peers as an attacking force in the Scottish Premiership last season.

These statistics suggest that Engels can provide a regular threat at the top end of the pitch as an outstanding contributor, just as Palmer has for Chelsea, with 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 matches, per Transfermarkt.

Engels, who assisted the winning goal against Sturm Graz in the clip above, has the potential to thrive as a natural number ten in Carsley’s 4-2-3-1 set-up.

He is also a young player, aged 22, who has time ahead of him to develop and improve, which is the profile of player that the manager has been used to working with throughout his time with England’s U21s.

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Therefore, appointing Carsley, who has shown that he can win trophies with England’s youth team, could help them to turn Engels into their own version of Cole Palmer in the number ten position, because of his attacking potential.

Newcastle United are now reportedly keeping close tabs on a “generational” star who could be ready to complete a big move to the Premier League in 2026.

Howe heaps praise on "relentless" Newcastle in Fulham victory

Following a routine victory over Benfica in the Champions League, Newcastle were once again made to work for a result in the Premier League.

The Magpies, who had won just twice in eight league games in the build-up, desperately needed to find a way past Fulham on Saturday and did just that courtesy of Bruno Guimaraes’ last-gasp winner.

Having his say on the much-needed win, Eddie Howe told reporters: “It was end-to-end. I thought it was a really attacking performance from both teams; both teams were going for the win. We’re delighted to get it ourselves.

“I thought it was a really good last 20 minutes from us; we were relentless in our pursuit to try and win. Eventually, one of those chances fell for us. Those points are so precious, but you also carry forward the belief that you can win in any situation, even when it doesn’t look like you will.”

That said, celebrations from the weekend can’t last very long. Newcastle’s focus must instantly turn towards facing Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night. In search of defending their crown, the Magpies must find a way past an in-form side searching for more silverware, themselves.

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Given how important the Carabao Cup was to Newcastle’s season last time out, it will be interesting to see whether Howe chooses to rest players or field his strongest side in the competition. There’s no doubt that, with European football to balance with domestic duties, he must get things right.

Of course, adding another piece of silverware after last season would be no bad thing and it would certainly go a long way towards attracting the next generation of stars.

Newcastle keeping tabs on "generational" Monga

As reported by The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, Newcastle are now keeping tabs on Jeremy Monga as the Leicester City star continues to enjoy an impressive rise.

Still just 16 years old, Monga has already made more first-team appearances than Arsenal’s Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha and is one of the most sought-after young players in English football.

It would represent a major coup if Newcastle managed to sign Monga ahead of Manchester City and they could even land a bargain deal for what would, in many ways, be their own version of Arsenal’s Dowman.

Leicester are unable to tie their teenage sensation down to a senior contract until he turns 17 next June, which means he could leave for a compensation fee rather than what would be a hefty transfer fee.

Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini was heavily critical of his team's attacking unit after their defeat against the Czech top-flight team Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. The manager expressed some harsh words after his team went down 2-1 on home soil, with the solitary goal coming from Paulo Dybala's spot-kick.

• Roma boss furious will team's attack

  Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Roma's biggest signing was deemed to be Piero Gasperini, the manager who led Atalanta to Europa League success in 2023-24. However, after his arrival, Roma are yet to showcase their best performance in the continental event, having lost two of their three games in the competition. In Serie A, Roma sit fourth with five wins and two losses, having gone down 1-0 at home to rivals Inter in their previous match. They have the lowest goals scored among the top six teams. In the Europa League, they boast just three goals, including Dybala's penalty from the Plzen game. Having now lost three of their last four games, Gasperini has called on his players to step up and provide more goals.

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• AFP
  

  Gasperini demands more shots and more goals

  Gasperini said after the game: "The team fought until the end, trying to equalise and score. We were sluggish in our finishing. There are a lot of players who haven't scored in a long time, we need to do some soul-searching. Why? There are problems. Confidence in the players comes from their performances, from their results. Especially in the first half, there was a lot of space; if it wasn't exploited, we have to ask ourselves why. We had the opportunity to play well, especially to get into the box more. These are things we need to do to increase our attacking prolificness.

  "Can the situation be resolved with these players? It must be resolved with these players. Everyone needs to provide one more assist, one more shot, one more goal. Everyone, even if some of their scores aren't that high. I've seen very good performances from several players, but with these results, they're being judged negatively."

• Dybala criticises co-stars amid rough patch

  Dybala's penalty was his 200th goal for club and country but the Argentine criticised the team for not doing what they do during the training sessions. He even went on to say that they will never win if they are not nasty. 

  "We lacked nastiness, we will never win like this," he said. "I think today, unlike the match against Inter [at the weekend], we created fewer chances. We started poorly because we conceded two goals early on, and it becomes difficult, because in Europe it's always difficult when you go 2-0 down. If you underestimate your opponents, that's the result, and we'll never win."

  His opinion on his team's sluggishness echoed what Gasperini shared. "We lacked determination, we came in feeling sluggish, that's the truth. It's sad to say, because we prepare a lot during the week, we watch a lot of videos and we tell each other things, but lately we haven't done them. Now we shouldn't worry, we have to look at the mistakes of the last few games but also look at the positives, run, fight and get out of it," he added.

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  What's up next for Gasperini's Roma?

  After seven Serie A games, attacking midfielder Matias Soule is their top scorer with three of the team's seven goals. Although the Gialorossi are up against seventh-placed Sassuolo this weekend and then face a Parma side with just one win under their belts so far this term. After that, they will be back against the higher-ranked sides like AC Milan, who they face on November 2, before facing Scottish side Rangers on November 6 in the Europa League. On one hand, the rapid flow of fixtures is expected to cause fatigue, but this also provides a chance for the entire unit to sharpen their attacking prowess before taking on Milan and Rangers.

MatériaMais Notícias

O mascote faz parte da identidade de um clube de futebol. Ter um personagem carismático representando a equipe aproxima torcedores mais jovens e ajuda a valorizar a marca no Brasil e no mundo. Porém, no caso doBotafogo, existe uma certa dúvida em relação ao mascote oficial. Atualmente, a maioria dos torcedores associa o posto ao cachorro Biriba, mas será?

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MANEQUINHO

O mascote mais tradicional do Botafogo ainda é o Manequinho. Em 1927, a réplica da estátua do personagem, um menino urinando, foi transferida para a Praia de Botafogo, sendo retirada do centro da cidade por ser um “desrespeito” aos bons costumes. Na comemoração de um título carioca da equipe, em 1957, um torcedor vestiu a escultura com uma camisa do Glorioso, o que iniciou a ligação histórica entre ambos. Logo, se tornou hábito vestir a estátua com uma camisa do Botafogo ao longo dos anos. Em 2008, após um ato de vandalismo, o clube assumiu a posse do monumento, que está presente em frente à sede de General Severiano.

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PATO DONALD

Na década de 40, um chargista argentino resolveu vestir o Pato Donald, figura marcante da Disney, com uma camisa do Botafogo. O fato caiu nas graças da torcida, que resolveu adotá-lo como um mascote na época. Lorenzo Mollas, responsável pela caracterização, explicou que viu semelhanças entre o personagens e os dirigentes alvinegros, em relação a luta pelos direitos sem perder a elegância. Apesar da história, o Pato Donald nunca foi oficializado como mascote, por conta dos direitos autorais. Contudo, até hoje, existem produtos relacionando o personagem ao Botafogo.

+Confira a tabela e simule os resultados do Brasileirão

CACHORRO BIRIBA

O cachorro é o mascote mais conhecido do Botafogo graças a história de Biriba, que se tornou um símbolo de sorte para os alvinegros. No Carioca de 1948, o presidente Carlito Rocha levou o animal para 19 jogos da competição, com 17 vitórias do Glorioso e dois empates, na campanha que culminou no título. A superstição era tanta, que dirigentes do Vasco tentaram barrar a entrada do cão em uma partida, sem sucesso. Biriba foi adotado como mascote não oficial, mas acabou sendo o mais utilizado pelo clube na mídia. A partir de 2008, o mascote se tornou presença constante nos jogos do Botafogo, animando e interagindo com os torcedores.

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BIRA E BIRIBA

Em 2021, junto com o lançamento de um novo programa de sócio-torcedor, o Botafogo anunciou seus dois novos mascotes oficiais: Biriba, que foi repaginado para atender ao público mais jovem, e Bira, com um visual mais feroz para animar a torcida nos jogos e em outras campanhas. O personagem Bira acabou se tornando mais popular, graças ao carisma e as performances empolgadas nas partidas em casa, além do visual bastante elogiado.

Brevis looked good for his 42 but there were no other significant contributions from CSK’s batters

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-20253:11

Did CSK get it wrong at the auction?

An impressive CSK debut for Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre’s good start in his second game, were not enough to drag Chennai Super Kings out of the mire. Winning only their third toss of the year, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) capitalised on a dry pitch in their bid to beat CSK in Chennai for the first time and also get their own campaign back on track after just two wins in eight matches. CSK’s 154 was their third-lowest total of the season.Harshal Patel tested the middle of the pitch better than the others and ended up with analysis of 4-0-28-4. Pat Cummins got the wicket of the dangerous-looking Mhatre and topped it up with two boundaryless overs in the 16th and the 18th, ending up with figures of 4-0-21-2. Kamindu Mendis wowed people again with his ambidextrous bowling, taking Ravindra Jadeja’s wicket and then removing Brevis with a sensational catch at long-off.Mhatre got CSK off to one of their more enterprising starts despite a first-ball dismissal of Shaik Rasheed, but SRH were quick to start bowling into the pitch. Only Brevis rose above the conditions and the bowling, hitting four sixes in his 42 off 25. That included three sixes in Kamindu’s third over after he had not been hit for any boundary in his first two.Related

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Brevis was looking dangerous when he hit a slower bouncer over extra cover for six, but when he smashed a shot flat off a slot ball from Harshal, Kamindu dived to his left at long-off, got both his hands to the ball and caught it behind his body.After Brevis’ dismissal, the SRH bowlers turned the screw in with their tall bowlers banging the ball into the pitch. Jaydev Unadkat got Shivam Dube, and Harshal sent back MS Dhoni. Hooda added 17 for the last wicket with Khaleel Ahmed, but it wasn’t quite the finishing kick they needed.

Worcestershire 154 and 280 for 5 (Hose 81, D’Oliveira 71*) trail Somerset 670 for 7 dec (Banton 371, Rew 152, Abell 52) by 236 runsSomerset’s Tom Banton registered the fifth-highest score in County Championship history when finally dismissed for 371 on the third day of the match with Worcestershire at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.Unbeaten on 344 overnight, the 26-year-old England white-ball international, extended his boundary count to 56 fours and two sixes, facing 403 balls before his wicket saw Somerset declare their first innings on 670 for 7, with a lead of 516. Only Brian Lara (501 not out), Archie MacLaren (424), Sam Northeast (410 not out) and Graeme Hick (405) have produced bigger innings in Championship cricket.In the face of such a daunting deficit, Worcestershire slipped to 116 for 4 in their second innings before a spirited recovery to 280 for 5, still 236 behind. Former Somerset player Adam Hose led the fightback with 82, while Brett D’Oliveira made 71 not out and Kashif Ali 51. Jack Leach claimed 3 for 69.Day three of this Rothesay County Championship opener began under cloudless skies, with the home side electing to extend their imposing first innings score of 637 for 6 and lead of 483, giving Banton the chance to build on what was already the highest individual score by a Somerset player.He rode his luck with a couple of skyers that fell safe and moved to 350 with a single off Tom Hinley, having faced 392 balls. Lewis Gregory, unbeaten on 30 overnight, was dropped at long-off, as he and Banton extended their seventh-wicket stand beyond the century mark.Banton smacked Hinley for only the second six of his marathon innings, which had spanned eight hours and 42 minutes by the time he was caught behind off the same bowler attempting a cut shot. Every Worcestershire player shook his hand as he left the pitch with the 21st highest score ever in first-class matches to his name.There were a minimum of 88 overs left in the day and Worcestershire were soon in trouble as, with their total on 16, Gareth Roderick was pinned lbw by Craig Overton. Despite that wicket falling to seam, Leach’s left-arm spin was introduced as early as the eighth over, clearly viewed as Somerset’s chief threat on a dry pitch.He didn’t disappoint, striking with the second ball of his sixth over with the score on 40, which squeezed past the inside edge of Jake Libby’s bat to hit his back pad and led to another successful leg-before appeal.It was 58 for 2 at lunch, with Kashif Ali and Ethan Brookes at the crease. Both batted positively and were looking well set when making elementary errors in the afternoon session.First Brookes, on 35, top-edged a sweep shot off Leach and presented a straightforward catch to Sean Dickson at deep backward square to make it 95 for 3. Then Kashif, untroubled in reaching an 85-ball half-century with eight fours, advanced down the pitch to the England spinner and drove in the air straight to Overton at mid-off.Kashif stood transfixed, aghast at surrendering his wicket for 51 on such a placid pitch. But if Somerset’s bowlers thought the hard work was done, Hose and D’Oliveira soon proved them wrong.By tea, they had taken the total to 191 for 4, Hose having marked his return to Taunton with a fluent fifty off 68 balls, including eight fours and a six. D’Oliveira was unbeaten on 27 and the stand worth 75.Hose, who ended a promising Somerset career by electing to join Warwickshire in 2017, continued in the same fashion after the interval, while D’Oliveira looked equally confident in moving to a half-century off 93 balls, with six fours.Keeping the ball on the ground, the pair had hardly played a false stroke when the second new ball became due with the score 257 for 4 after 80 overs and their partnership extended to 141. It accounted for Hose, lbw to a Kasey Aldridge yorker having faced 151 balls and hit 12 fours and a six.

Brooklyn Earick has formally withdrawn his record-breaking £4.5 billion bid to buy Tottenham Hotspur after the Lewis family made it clear they will not sell the club “under any circumstances.” The American businessman’s 12-member consortium had been in advanced talks, but Spurs’ owners reiterated their firm long-term commitment to keeping control.

• Earick made record £4.5bn bid for Tottenham

  Brooklyn Earick had tabled a world-record offer worth £4.5 billion, including £3.3bn for the club and a further £1.2bn in funding for transfers and wages. Despite a series of discussions with Tottenham’s representatives, the Lewis family refused to entertain a sale. Following their stance, Earick confirmed via a Stock Exchange statement that he would no longer pursue a formal bid.

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  Sale turned down by Tottenham board

  Tottenham confirmed the end of discussions and thanked all parties for their professionalism. “The Board of Tottenham Hotspur Limited (the ‘Club’) notes the recent announcements from the Firehawk and Mr Earick’s consortiums that they do not intend to make an offer for the Club,” read the statement. “The Board thanks them for the constructive approach taken in the discussions with the Club's and the Lewis family's representatives and respecting the clear position of the Lewis family that the Club is not for sale. Following the announcements made by the consortiums, the Club is no longer in an offer period under the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers.”

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  Earick led the consortium with Dan Gilbert

  Earick had formed a US-led group of 12 investors to finance the record-breaking move, with backing reportedly including NBA franchise owner Dan Gilbert. However, growing uncertainty and the Lewis family’s refusal to negotiate forced the group to pull back. Sun Sport reports that talks were held with legal counsel Douglas Armstrong before Earick agreed to step away.

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• Earick could still return to takeover at Tottenham…

  While Earick has withdrawn, the Stock Exchange confirmed his consortium “reserves the right to acquire shares” in the future under takeover regulations. The American also voiced a message after pulling out from the move, which read: "It’s been a privilege engaging with Tottenham Hotspur and the Lewis family’s representatives over the past few months. I have great respect for the Club, its leadership, and its supporters, and wish them nothing but success."