Com uma nova realidade pela frente, o Santos apostou em uma reformulação completa para 2024, e Giuliano vem se provando um dos grandes acertos do Peixe neste início de ano. O meia vem revivendo sua carreira e pode ajudar o clube a acabar com um jejum de oito anos sem títulos na final do Paulistão, contra o Palmeiras.
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Em fim de contrato no Corinthians, Giuliano não foi procurado pela diretoria do Timão para renovar o contrato. O Santos aproveitou a oportunidade de mercado e ofereceu um ano de contrato ao atleta que vinha em baixa no rival.
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Mesmo com apenas cinco jogos na temporada e mais de um mês afastado por lesão, Giuliano assumiu o papel de líder e referência técnica no meio-campo da equipe. São três gols e uma assistência pelo Santos, e o atleta foi fundamental na classificação contra o RB Bragantino.
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O meia também busca reverter o retrospecto negativo contra o Palmeiras. Somando suas passagens por Grêmio, Internacional e Corinthians, ele enfrentou o Alviverde 16 vezes, com apenas três vitórias, três empates e dez derrotas.
Newcastle United fans won’t want to dwell on Alexander Isak’s notable summer exit at all now.
The Magpies’ former fan favourite definitely left on sour terms in the summer when he forced through a mighty £125m move to Arne Slot’s Reds, though, having bagged a weighty 62 goals for the Tyneside giants across 109 outings.
Luckily, Eddie Howe’s men have recovered strongly from what had the potential to be an earth-shuddering setback, as Nick Woltemade came in through the door to instantly replace the superstar Swede for a whopping £69m.
He has filled the Isak-shaped hole well, too, with a blistering six strikes already in his back pocket for the Premier League titans from just 12 games. In stark contrast, Newcastle’s ex-star man has only one meagre effort next to his name at Anfield.
Worryingly, though, the “first class” Woltemade – as Eddie Howe has recently labelled him – has been a rare bright spark at St James’ Park this season, despite only just entering the English game.
On the contrary, many of Newcastle’s stalwarts who have been in and around the Magpies’ first team long before the 6-foot-6 menace’s arrival have been below-par this campaign, with all of Newcastle’s mounting issues clear for all to see, as they collapsed to a 3-1 defeat away at lowly West Ham United last time out.
The biggest problems facing Newcastle in 2025/26
Newcastle must wish they could only play in the Champions League at the moment, with the Magpies picking up a lethal eight goals across two wins so far in that competition, as they re-enter the illustrious stage on Wednesday night against Athletic Club.
From a far larger pool of games back in the Premier League, ten to be exact, Howe and Co only have a slim three wins next to their name, with the 3-1 defeat picked up at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon sparking St James’ Park royalty Alan Shearer into labelling the loss on the road as a “rotten” performance.
It was far from Newcastle at their very best, that’s for sure, with Woltemade even letting the side down with just 14 touches of the ball, as the Magpies only had an early Jacob Murphy effort to shout about in the attacking positions.
Defensively, the travelling Toon looked all over the place, too, with more question marks popping up at the close of the loss at the London Stadium as to how Dan Burn remains in Howe’s starting XI.
Howe has had to count on his ageing number 33 to be a stand-in in the left-back spot for the majority of the season so far, with one Newcastle-based content creator even stating that persisting with the 33-year-old here is the “stuff of nightmares.”
The Blyth-born defender certainly had an afternoon to forget in East London to back up these comments, with zero tackles and only two duels being won, as Howe now prays he has Lewis Hall back to full fitness shortly to bring this long-standing experiment to a close.
Newcastle’s long-term injury list
Player
Games missed
Yoanne Wissa
13
Tino Livramento
7
Lewis Hall
6
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Injuries have been a real pain this season so far for the Premier League underperformers, with Newcastle’s lack of depth in defence – due to Hall being in and out of the treatment room – meaning they have had to rely solely on Burn in a makeshift left-back position.
Moreover, their frustrations in this department have, no doubt, only been strengthened by the fact that summer arrival Yoanne Wissa has not been able to line up for one single Magpies game so far this season, after joining for a bumper £55m from Brentford.
With 45 Premier League goals next to his name for the Bees, he would have been a breath of fresh air for Newcastle fans to latch on to, in a similar fashion to Woltemade.
Instead, with Wissa sidelined and many more issues coming to the forefront, the feel around St James’ Park is arguably stale, with Joelinton also now showing visible signs of rust.
Yet, he continues to be selected week in, week out – like Burn – despite zero goals or assists coming his way this campaign so far.
He isn’t the only first-team star that is crumbling right now, however.
£100m Newcastle star now looks "all over the place"
Newcastle turned a few heads this summer when gaining £125m after Isak left the building.
But, this trend of selling one of their prized assets for around the £100m mark could amazingly continue on, if rumours surrounding Anthony Gordon’s long-term future at St James’ Park were anything to read into the same window Isak departed.
Indeed, the Merseyside-born winger was being tipped to relocate to Anfield, much like his former teammate, for an equally ludicrous fee, with statistician Statman Dave even noting that Gordon can be “unplayable” on his day, like the lethal Swede, as well.
The England international loved linking up with Isak when he was still situated on Tyneside, with eight of the Scandinavian’s aforementioned 62-goal tally coming directly from a Gordon assist.
On top of that, the former Everton youngster turned Newcastle first-teamer also has 26 goals in total for Howe’s men, with nine of those efforts coming just last season to pique the Reds’ clear interest.
But, away from some flashy performances in the Champions League so far this season, with Jose Mourinho even waxing lyrical about the 24-year-old when his Benfica side came to St James’ Park, Gordon has cut a disinterested presence in Newcastle’s ongoing demise in the Premier League.
The hot-and-cold number ten is now deep in a 19-game patch in the top-flight, where he has picked up zero goals and assists.
Worryingly for Newcastle, this isn’t the first instance where Gordon has mentally checked out of proceedings, having left behind boyhood employers Everton mid-season – in controversial circumstances – to jump ship to the Toon in early 2023.
While that was a major plus at the time, as Newcastle didn’t have to play the long game, it should have been a slight warning sign for what the future could hold, with the attacker even being hauled off at the half-time mark against West Ham, after an “awful” 45-minute spell, in the words of journalist Luke Edwards.
Further said to be looking “all over the place” at the moment by journalist Adam Clery, it could be that Gordon is just hurting from his synergy with Isak going to the wayside, as a possible £100m move to Anfield in January – to link back up with his deadly former teammate – now looking way off the cards.
In the same breath as criticising Newcastle’s recent downfall, though, Shearer has also offered some pearls of wisdom to the likes of Gordon, with this big-game mentality and the constant need to entertain, now having to be replaced by a “back to basics” approach to get off the mark in the league, sooner rather than later.
If Gordon can get back to his best in the bread and butter of the league, Newcastle will surely rise in the league standings, with an unsatisfactory 13th spot at the time of writing, just not cutting the mustard.
Worse than Pope: Howe must drop Newcastle star who lost 100% ground duels
Eddie Howe has a lot of Newcastle United selection decisions to ponder over after his side collapsed to a 3-1 loss away at West Ham United.
Como de costume, Vitória e Bahia fizeram um jogão, na tarde deste domingo (21), no Barradão. Após o Leão da Barra abrir uma excelente vantagem de dois gols, o Bahia reagiu e empatou em pouco mais de dois minutos. Ao fim da partida, torcedores dos dois times reagiram ao jogo nas redes sociais das equipes. Confira!
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O jogo
Vitória e Bahia se enfrentaram neste domingo (21), pela terceira rodada do Brasileirão. Em jogo movimentado, a partida terminou empatada por 2 a 2, com gols de Matheusinho e Wagner Leonardo para o Vitória e Biel e Everaldo para o Bahia.
Com o resultado, o Bahia segue na nona posição, com nove quatro pontos. A equipe tem uma vitória, uma derrota e um empate na competição. O Vitória, por outro lado, somou seu primeiro ponto no Brasileirão, mas tem um jogo a menos.
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✅ FICHA TÉCNICA VITÓRIA X BAHIA 3ª RODADA – CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO 🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 21 de abril de 2024, às 16h (de Brasília); 📍 Local: Barradão, em Salavdor (BA); 📺 Onde assistir: Globo e Premiere; 🟨 Árbitro: Raphael Claus (FIFA-SP); 🚩 Assistentes: Alex Ang Ribeiro (FIFA-SP) e Miguel Cataneo Ribeiro da Costa (SP); 🖥️ VAR: Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral (FIFA-SP).
⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:
VITÓRIA (Técnico: Léo Condé) Lucas Arcanjo, Zeca, Bruno Uvini, Wagner Leonardo e Lucas Esteves; Willian Oliveira, Léo Naldi, Rodrigo Andrade e Matheuzinho; Osvaldo e Alerrandro.
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BAHIA (Técnico: Rogério Ceni) Marcos Felipe, Arias, Gabriel Xavier (Kanu), Cuesta e Luciano Juba (Rezende); Caio Alexandre, Jean Lucas, Everton Ribeiro e Cauly; Ademir (Biel) e Thaciano.
دعا جيمي كاراجر، النجم السابق لفريق ليفربول، المصري محمد صلاح إلى تقليد القائد فيرجيل فان دايك، في ظل النتائج الكارثية لكتيبة آرني سلوت في الفترة الأخيرة.
وتعرض ليفربول لهزيمة جديدة، يوم السبت الماضي، أمام نوتينجهام فورست بثلاثة أهداف دون رد في الجولة الثانية عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي.
وأدلى فيرجيل فان دايك بتصريحات قوية، بعد مباراة ليفربول ونوتينجهام فورست، حيث أكد أن ما يعيشه حامل لقب الدوري الإنجليزي حاليًا هو فوضى، طالبًا من الجميع تحمل المسؤولية.
ويرى كاراجر أن محمد صلاح يتعين عليه الخروج والتحدث بصراحة عن سوء أداء ليفربول، مثلما فعل فيرجيل فان دايك.
اقرأ أيضًا.. جاري نيفيل يدعو سلوت إلى إحداث ثورة في تشكيل ليفربول.. موقف محمد صلاح
وقال كاراجر، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “إندبندنت” الإنجليزية: “يجب أن أقول إنه بعد كل هزائم ليفربول، دائمًا ما يكون فيرجيل فان دايك هو من يتحدث”.
وأضاف: “ينبغي على القائد أن يفعل ذلك، ولكن يجب أن يكون هناك لاعبون آخرون في غرفة الملابس يتحدثون باسم النادي، قبل عام لم يخجل محمد صلاح من الخروج والحديث عن وضعه الخاص، وعن عدم تلقيه عرضًا من الإدارة لتجديد عقده”.
وواصل: “لا أسمع صلاح يتحدث إلا عندما يحصل على جائزة رجل المباراة أو يحتاج إلى عقد جديد، أود أن أرى محمد صلاح يظهر كأحد القادة، أحد أساطير ليفربول، يتحدث باسم الفريق، لا ينبغي أن يكون القائد دائمًا”.
وتحدث محمد صلاح بالفعل، أكثر من مرة، إلى وسائل الإعلام الموسم الماضي للحديث عن مستقبله، بعدما انتشرت تكهنات حول إمكانية رحيله قبل أن يجدد عقده في أبريل 2025.
Charles and David also contributed with the bat to hand Patriots their third loss in four games
ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2025
Roston Chase’s fifty formed the backbone of the St Lucia Kings’ innings•CPL T20/Getty Images
After a washout in their opening game, St Lucia Kings beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by three runs in a last-ball thriller in Basseterre to register their first win of CPL 2025. This was Patriots’ third loss in four games.After being sent in, Kings rode on the half-centuries of Johnson Charles and Roston Chase and a 23-ball 46 from Tim David to post 200 for 8. Patriots started well in their chase but had lost three wickets by the end of the powerplay. It became 66 for 4 after nine overs. At that point, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster gave Patriots a 5.32% chance of winning.Jason Holder kept them in the game singlehandedly, striking a 29-ball 63. After he fell, Navin Bidaisee took over and brought it down to four needed off the final delivery. David Wiese bowled a slot ball; Bidaisee swung towards long-off but could not clear David. Apart from scoring a 38-ball 61, Chase also picked up 2 for 27 from four overs and was named the Player of the Match.Earlier, Kings were 21 for 2 after three overs before Charles and Chase injected momentum into the innings by adding 50 off 26 balls for the third wicket. After Charles fell, Chase and David carried on. Chase hit Dominic Drakes for three fours in an over and, later, David smashed Holder for three sixes in his one over.Jason Holder’s valiant knock could not bring a win for Patriots•CPL T20/Getty Images
They added 80 off 50 but after they both departed, the incoming batters could not keep the momentum going and managed just 21 from the last three overs.Andre Fletcher and Kyle Mayers gave Patriots a start of 43 in 4.2 overs. But once Wiese broke that stand with Mayers’ wicket, Patriots’ chase got derailed. Khary Pierre, who had opened the bowling, removed Fletcher and Mikyle Louis in the next over to make it 49 for 3 after the powerplay. Chase dropped a tough return catch of Rilee Rossouw. It did not prove costly as Chase dismissed him in his next over. Holder came and hit Tabraiz Shamsi for 4, 6, 6 off successive balls in the tenth over to take the side to 84 for 4 at the halfway stage.Holder kept hitting and brought up his fifty with his fifth six, off Wiese and off just 23 balls. He added 77 off 40 balls for the fifth wicket with Bidaisee, in which the latter’s contribution was 9 off 11.Once Holder fell, Bidaisee opened up and dispatched Shamsi for 4, 4, 6. He hit a six in each of the next four overs and got to his fifty in 35 balls. But he could not take Patriots over the line.
Antes da bola rolar no Campeonato Brasileiro, o Vasco terá uma chance para corrigir parte da rota. Mas de que maneira? A partir desta segunda-feira (1º) estão liberadas as transferências domésticas.
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Para ir ao mercado, o Vasco precisa correr atrás de jogadores que disputaram campeonatos estaduais. É o que diz o Artigo 33, Parágrafo 3º, Alínea “C” do Regulamento Nacional de Registro e Transferências de Atletas de Futebol.
“É admitida a solicitação de transferência (…) caso seja comprovada (o) a rescisão por mútuo acordo ou o encerramento do contrato especial de trabalho desportivo (inclusive de empréstimo) com o clube anterior, ou a cessão temporária, ocorrida(o) entre os dias 01/04 a 19/04/2024, sendo que, nesses casos, a solicitação de transferência deve ser concluída no SNR até o dia 19/04/2024. O atleta em questão necessariamente deve ter participado do Campeonato Estadual de 2024.”
A posição que o Vasco vai atacar no mercado já está definida. O Cruz-Maltino vai em busca de um volante. A posição é um pedido especial do técnico Ramón Díaz.
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Ao todo, o Vasco já desembolsou R$ 120,5 milhões e vai gastar ainda mais para se reforçar nesta temporada. Só em 2024, o Cruz-Maltino contratou nove jogadores – relembre aqui.
NOMES EM PAUTA A princípio, o Vasco trabalha com dois nomes. Trata-se de Marlon Freitas, do Botafogo, e Caíque, do Juventude.
Marlon Freitas é a prioridade. No entanto, a negociação pelo volante alvinegro é extremamente complexa. O Vasco chegou a fazer contatos com o Botafogo, mas o rival pediu um valor alto.
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Já Caíque disputa a final do Campeonato Gaúcho e só vai definir o futuro após a decisão. O volante também é pretendido por outros clubes grandes do Brasil.
Everton have battled their way out of relegation-threatened status in the Premier League.
After several years of low-table fortunes, things have changed, with David Moyes lifting Goodison Park on its swansong up to a mid-table finish last season.
Now, he’s targeting an ambitious push for Europe, with the signings made across the summer propping up these ambitions.
At the forefront is Jack Grealish, and he is back in contention to play this weekend as the Toffees welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Hill Dickinson, having missed last weekend’s defeat at Manchester City due to ineligibility.
Jack Grealish could be the game-changer
Grealish joined Everton from Man City on loan this summer, having fallen by the wayside across the past couple of years in Pep Guardiola’s squad.
He’s back. Four August assists served Grealish the Premier League Player of the Month award, and he’s maintained a talismanic presence, lifting the spirits and the belief of his teammates.
If Everton surpass expectations this summer, expect the plaudits to rain down at the 30-year-old’s feet.
His playmaking quality was sorely missed last weekend, but he can play once again, and it’s a good thing too, for Tottenham have many high-level players and have improved defensively since Thomas Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou this summer.
Grealish can’t do it alone, but luckily, Moyes has another talented midfielder who could share the load and maybe even outperform his senior peer on the afternoon.
The Everton star who could outshine Grealish
Last season, Tyler Dibling emerged as one of the brightest teenagers in the Premier League, and there was a swarm of interest in his signature. Everton won the race, signing the 19-year-old in a £42m deal.
However, he has only featured four times in the top flight this term, hooked at half-time on his sole start against Crystal Palace.
In fairness, this was a poor display, but for a teenage talent performing in new territory to flatter to deceive during such a scenario is hardly unheard of.
Tyler Dibling – Stats vs Palace
Match Stats
#
Minutes played
45′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots (on target)
0 (0)
Accurate passes
6/7 (86%)
Chances created
0
Dribbles
0/3
Tackles
1
Duels won
3/10
Data via Sofascore
There’s a real player in there, to be sure, with Dibling having already been on Tottenham’s radar, Spurs having pushed for a deal this summer before Everton won the race.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 17% of positional peers for pass completion, the top 20% for successful take-ons and the top 26% for tackles per 90, with this robust array of skills leading the data-driven platform to list Iliman Ndiaye as one of his most comparable players.
But there’s no denying more is needed after a slow start on Merseyside. Luckily, Dibling has all the talent in the world, and Moyes needs only to bring his confidence and balance in this new team to the fore.
And his match sharpness will have improved after two winning performances with England U19s this month. He drew praise for his performances, with data scientist Michael Green hailing the youngster for being “incredibly positive with every action”.
With Grealish sure to slot back into that left-sided berth, the competition for places is thick, but Dibling could use this chance as a springboard, having endured a testing start to his Everton career, no doubt about that.
His speed and technical quality and athleticism suggest he has what it takes to shine the brightest for Moyes’ Everton side, and there’s no doubt that this is a “world-class talent”, as has been said by his former youth coach Andy Goldie, having thrived in an abject Southampton side.
Should Dibling make an impact against Frank’s Tottenham, who lack fluency in attack right now, all eyes will be on him. In this, he could outshine the ever-impressive Grealish.
Not Keane: Moyes can fix Branthwaite blow by unleashing Everton "revelation"
Everton’s star centre-back has suffered a complication in his injury recovery.
Imam-Ul-Haq century impresses but Liam Dawson emerges on top with List A career highlight of 142
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Aug-2025
Liam Dawson acknowledges the applause for his 142•ECB/Getty Images
Hampshire are through to next month’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup final after a rain-affected semi-final win over Yorkshire at Scarborough, the visitors defending a revised 41-over target of 254 following Liam Dawson’s stunning List A best 142 off 116 balls.Hampshire, winners of this competition in 2018, will face Worcestershire at Trent Bridge on September 20 after the Rapids beat Somerset at home and the visitors won here by 18 runs on Duckworth Lewis Stern.In reply to Hampshire’s 304 for 6, which saw England Test all-rounder Dawson brilliantly recover his side from 78 for 4 inside 20 overs, Pakistani opener Imam-Ul-Haq impressed for 105.And Yorkshire were well placed at 171 for 3 in the 31st over chasing a revised 254-target in 41 overs following rain.But they lost two wickets in a Scott Currie over, including Imam run out, and Hampshire squeezed impressively, with the hosts 235 for 8.Currie, who struck twice with his seam, had earlier contributed his own List A best 61 not out off 40 balls. Dawson’s left-arm spin also accounted for two wickets, and Yorkshire have now lost 19 of their last 22 List A finals.Yorkshire started well, Matt Milnes dominating as Hampshire slipped having been inserted.Seamer Milnes, having claimed a career-best 7 for 38 in last Sunday’s group-stage win over Sussex at Hove, claimed the first three here, including forcing visiting captain Nick Gubbins to play on with his third ball in the day’s second over.He then removed Fletcha Middleton and Ali Orr before George Hill’s seam also forced Ben Brown to play on.Dawson came in at 53 for 3 in the 12th over and offered a sharp return catch to Ben Cliff on six, clearly a key moment.The 35-year-old was the glue which held the innings together before exploding late on.He shared 89 for the fifth wicket with 17-year-old Ben Mayes, whose 37 helped to turn the tide, before sixth-wicket partner Currie pressed the accelerator.Shortly after Dawson reached his fourth List A century off 103 balls, Currie’s maiden List A fifty came in 35 as Hampshire pushed on from 180 for 5 after 40 overs.Dawson finished with seven sixes and hit strongly down the ground and over cover and long-on, while both he and Currie improvised as they shared 136 inside the last 13 overs of the innings – 75 runs coming off the last five overs.Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal then bowled very tidily with the new ball, restricting Adam Lyth and Imam to 43 for 0 in the 13th over when the rain arrived.A half-hour delay through to 4.25pm was followed by Lyth edging the second ball back behind off Eddie Jack.Imam, leaving for national commitments after this game, then calmly advanced the hosts to 98 for 1 after 20 overs with a 52-ball fifty.Strong off his legs, the left-hander then united with Will Luxton to share 99.Luxton pulled a couple of sixes, including one the first ball back after the second half-hour rain break. But he chopped on to Jack with the second, falling for 30.James Wharton holed out to Currie shortly afterwards before Imam reached his fourth ton of this season’s campaign off 96 balls.But Wharton and Imam fell, alongside Fin Bean, as Yorkshire lost a defining three wickets for 10 inside two overs to slip to 171 for 5 in the 32nd, still needing 83.Imam was run out by a combination of Jack from midwicket and bowler Currie after Bean pulled and non-striker Imam slipped.Yorkshire then lost Hill and Harry Duke in successive balls to Wheal and Dawson and, seven wickets down, needed 47 off 4.5 overs.From there, they subsided, with Dawson striking again.
And so Tottenham Hotspur put the brakes on their campaign for the third time this season, having played out a frenzied draw with Manchester United in the Premier League.
And so Tottenham sit fifth in the standings, 18 points from 11 matches and eight points behind table-topping rivals Arsenal. Thomas Frank will be frustrated with the manner of this side’s dropped points last weekend, Matthijs de Ligt nodding home right before the final whistle after Richarlison had struck moments before and wheeled away in topless celebration.
How to dissect the details of Spurs’ season? Improvements have been made since Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou after that Europa League triumph last season, a strange repulsion between the continental elation and the sour taste of a 17th-place finish in the Premier League.
But Tottenham lack confidence and coherence and quality in the final third. To dare is to do. Are Tottenham doing enough? That is one of the biggest contentions of the campaign so far, and Frank simply has to find a formula to his side’s offensive struggles as the season heads into the wintry midpoint.
How Frank can fix Spurs' attacking problems
Tottenham have found a way to secure a greater number of points under Frank than they typically managed under his predecessor. However, more goals and created chances are needed if the Londoners are to hit the heights anticipated.
But this is a long-term project, and overnight success was never going to be on the cards. What Frank can do, though, is consider ditching Richarlison, even though the Brazilian scored with a deft header against United at the weekend.
We would be remiss not to acknowledge the cameo of Mathys Tel at the weekend, too. The young striker spun and scored after replacing Xavi Simons off the bench. It started the comeback that ultimately didn’t cement itself, but demonstrated the potential of a versatile forward whose talents could yet be fashioned into something special and suitable for life at the peak of the Premier League.
Dominic Solanke continues to languish in the infirmary, a frustration that has undoubtedly had an adverse effect on Frank’s start at the helm. Had the former Bournemouth striker been fit and in the form of his previous chapter across these past few months, Tottenham would have had a focal outlet from which to channel creativity.
It’s been an issue for the strikers, though, and there’s one man in particular whose campaign has been sent into a spin, even though some have acknowledged he has a bit of Jermaine Defoe about him.
Spurs' "Defoe-esque" star is becoming a big problem
Defoe was a proper Premier League striker. Something of a journeyman, he was always prolific and scored 143 goals across 363 matches in a Lilywhite shirt.
Jermaine Defoe – Career Stats by Club
Club
Apps
Goals (assists)
Tottenham
363
143 (31)
West Ham
104
40 (4)
Sunderland
100
37 (3)
Rangers
74
32 (10)
Bournemouth
64
23 (2)
Portsmouth
36
18 (5)
Toronto
21
12 (3)
Data via Transfermarkt
Quick feet, attacking smarts and a natural-born instinct in front of goal made him a force to be reckoned with.
And now, some feel Spurs have found a similar profile in Randal Kolo Muani. Indeed, presenter Ben Bowman hailed Kolo Muani for his “Defoe-esque” attacking play after the weekend match.
In August, Kolo Muani joined Tottenham on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but he has struggled for fitness across his opening months in England, left waiting until midway through October for his Premier League debut, and has yet to score or assist in four matches since.
Disaster has struck once again, with the 26-year-old having fractured his jaw during the draw against the Red Devils. Now he is set to see a specialist to ascertain the severity of the setback.
Given the nature of Spurs’ attacking problems, with the injuries, yet again, piling up, it’s fair to say that Kolo Muani is presenting quite the conundrum to Frank’s desk, with this being a “strong, fast and powerful” centre-forward, as said by one analyst, endowed with all he needs to succeed in the Premier League, yet one whose time in England may be short-lived and unsuccessful on the grass.
His time in the French capital was somewhat turbulent, having failed to nail down his presence after transferring from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023 for a whopping £76m fee. However, a short loan spell with Juventus last season led to ten goals and three assists from only 22 appearances.
Linking this back to the aforementioned Tel, Kolo Muani’s second injury of his Spurs stint could provide the Frenchman with the chance to nail down a regular starting berth.
Couple that with Solanke’s much-anticipated return and the wonders that could work on creating a more solid and dynamic attacking spread, Kolo Muani may be a striker on borrowed time as he struggles to acclimatise before the end of the season, when he will surely close the door on his loan stay down N17 without a sharp upswing in fortunes that look unlikely to materialise at this stage.
Tottenham have some issues, to be sure, but they have also shown themselves to have what it takes to make incremental improvements this season and beyond.
With Kolo Muani now sidelined once again, however, Frank’s scope at number nine has been narrowed. How big a blow will this prove to be? Whatever the verdict, the Les Bleus star is becoming a problem for the London-based outfit.
Spurs flop who's been "swallowed in the PL" must be dropped for Odobert
Thomas Frank can unleash Wilson Odobert by ruthlessly dropping this Spurs flop.