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One win across their latest five Premier League games has ensured Tottenham Hotspur have failed to capitalise on the chaos surrounding many of their top-flight rivals, with Thomas Frank likely to come under fire himself if results do not start to improve.

A key crux of the issue remains the Dane’s often pragmatic approach, with the Lilywhites netting just three goals across those five outings, a far cry from the flawed, yet frenzied attacking play under Ange Postecoglou.

Last season’s top scorer, Brennan Johnson, has been sent packing to boot, even with the Wales star having still been the club’s third most prolific presence this term across all fronts, alongside Joao Palhinha (4), and behind Micky van de Ven (6) and Richarlison (8).

As that list indicated, Richarlison aside, Frank simply hasn’t got enough out of his forward line, while the continued absence of Dominic Solanke has hardly helped matters either.

In need then of further firepower, Spurs look to be making their move…

Spurs make enquiry over signing the new Solanke

It was only 18 months ago that Spurs dished out a club-record £65m fee to prise Solanke from Bournemouth, with the Englishman selected to be the belated replacement for Bayern-bound Harry Kane.

Seen just three times in action so far this term, however, the 28-year-old has sparked a real need for a genuine rival or replacement, with Porto’s Samu Aghehowa believed to be on Frank’s radar.

Away from the in-form Spaniard, TEAMtalk has also reported that Spurs are among the clubs in the mix of Wolverhampton Wanderers striker, Jorgen Strand Larsen, with the Premier League’s bottom club ready to cash in on the Norwegian this month.

As per the report, enquiries have been made by Nottingham Forest, although the north Londoners, alongside Everton, Crystal Palace and Fulham, appear to have done the same, with the quartet all said to be being ‘kept informed’ regarding his situation.

The 25-year-old was close to heading to Newcastle United over the summer, for a figure approaching £60m, although he could now be worth closer to £40m, as Wolves look to rake in almost double what they paid for him.

Why Strand Larsen could be another Solanke

It’s been a solid, albeit largely frustrating tale for Spurs’ leading man of late, with Solanke having scored 16 times in 48 games across all fronts, a record of a goal every three games.

Just nine of those came in the Premier League, however, with the one-time Chelsea and Liverpool forward failing to hit the heights of his 19-goal league haul the year prior for the Cherries – the standout season of his career to date.

There may be concerns that Spurs have snapped up something of a one-season wonder, considering the England international has scored just 38 goals in 163 top-flight games, with there a fear of a similar scenario occurring with regard to Strand Larsen.

Indeed, the Norwegian striker did dazzle for the Old Gold in 2024/25, after netting 14 league goals to steer the club to safety, although he has since scored just once in the league this time around, hence Wolves’ willingness to sell.

Looking further back, like Solanke, the towering marksman hasn’t exactly been prolific at his previous clubs, scoring just 18 in 74 games for Celta Vigo, while chalking up 27 in 71 for Groningen.

Spurs may well have been spoiled by the remarkably reliable heroics of Harry Kane, but after such high standards, they can’t expect any form of mediocrity or inconsistency.

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Solanke, unfortunately, is drifting into that type of territory, and on the evidence of his form at Molineux this season, so could Strand Larsen, with the pair having even been deemed statistically and stylistically similar players in the Premier League in 2024/25, as per FBref.

Larsen vs Solanke – 24/25 PL stats

Stat (*per game)

Larsen

Solanke

Games

35

27

Starts

30

25

Goals

14

9

Assists

4

3

Big chances missed

13

12

Mins per goal

186

245

Key passes*

0.6

0.5

Big chances created*

6

6

Total duels won*

33%

38%

Stats via Sofascore

Of course, as he did show last term, the Scandinavian star can be a real “nuisance” for top-flight opposition, as noted by the great Alan Shearer, but can Spurs really afford another expensive gamble?

Frank and co only have to look to the summer to see how spending big on a striker doesn’t translate to instant rewards, be it Alexander Isak, Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres, with it perhaps just as important to enhance the creative supply line behind the attacking unit.

Indeed, for all Spurs’ centre-forward woes, maybe now is not the time to panic in the window – they can’t afford Solanke 2.0.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair

Heading into the final 20 minutes of action at St James’ Park, it looked as if Newcastle United and Crystal Palace were destined to play out a drab 0-0 stalemate in the Premier League.

However, as has often been the case this season, Bruno Guimaraes delivered the goods for the Toon yet again when his team desperately needed a hero, with the talismanic Brazilian in the right place at the right time to nod home the opener.

Malick Thiaw then made sure of all three points when scrambling home the game-clincher from a late corner kick, as both Guimaraes and the Dusseldorf-born defender continue to have exceptional seasons on Tyneside.

But, it wasn’t all rosy for the hosts during the relatively straightforward 2-0 win, as some of Howe’s first team also struggled to get going against Oliver Glasner’s Eagles.

Newcastle's best and worst performers vs Palace

It would be wrong not to also mention Lewis Miley’s standout performance against Palace, before delving deeper into those who underperformed, with the teenage sensation rightly hailed as one of Howe’s “best performers” at the moment by journalist Martin Hardy, completing 100% of his passes at St James’ Park.

One of those passes would result in Guimaraes breaking the deadlock, and with nine duels also won, the 19-year-old will now want to nail down a starting spot in Howe’s main side, from a makeshift right-back position.

Yoane Wissa won’t feel so confident about his chances of remaining in the starting XI, however, with the ex-Brentford striker a quiet presence throughout, mustering up only one shot all afternoon, from a paltry 13 touches of the ball.

Moreover, Sandro Tonali’s noticeable drop in standards continued against Palace, with the Italian losing possession 13 times.

He also failed to be as energetic as a revitalised Joelinton in the middle of the park, who won a valiant eight duels himself. In contrast, Tonali only won four of his 12 attempted duels.

Podcast host Taylor Payne would even take to social media to call out Tonali’s “sloppy” approach on the ball, as a usual starter under Howe appears to be on ever-increasing shaky ground regarding his concrete spot.

He isn’t the only stalwart at St James’ Park becoming more fearful by the match for his long-term position in the starting ranks, however.

5/10 Newcastle star must be dropped

It’s been a sorry regression for Tonali in the first team over the past couple of matches, with his usual desire to win tackles bravely and pass the ball effortlessly not on show against Manchester United or Burnley, either.

Similarly, Jacob Murphy hasn’t quite been at his best for a while, now, having been in “the form of his life” earlier in the season in the words of Newcastle-based blog Mouth of the Tyne.

Looking back, this was slight hyperbole, but at the start of the campaign, Murphy was regularly in amongst the goals, with two goals and three assists coming his way during the early stages of the season.

Recently, though, the 30-year-old hasn’t looked up to speed with the rest of his teammates, as the Newcastle veteran’s goalless stretch in the side has now hit 12 straight clashes, after another unmemorable showing on Sunday.

Murphy’s performance in numbers

Minutes played

88

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

55

Shots

1

Offsides

2

Accurate passes

21/31 (68%)

Accurate crosses

3/9

Successful dribbles

1/3

Possession lost

20x

Total duels won

1/5

Stats by Sofascore

Worryingly, Murphy trudged off at the end of the 2-0 success with more offside calls going against him than shots registered at the opposition goal.

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To further add insult to injury, the 5-foot-10 attacker also gave away possession a costly 20 times, only completed one dribble, and won just one duel from five attempts, with Howe putting him out of his misery rather late into the contest, when Joe Willock was given a run-out.

Unsurprisingly, Murphy was on the receiving end of a low 5/10 post-match rating from Newcastle World’s Jordan Cronin, who simply stated that the ageing forward was “not at the races” for the majority of the match.

Against Leeds, Howe could test Anthony Elanga out on the right again, in place of the ex-Norwich City attacker, with Murphy going down as one rare low point from Newcastle’s second successive Premier League win.

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Tottenham Hotspur are now preparing a winter move for an “impeccable” defender, amid doubts over Radu Dragusin’s future in north London.

Spurs looking to strengthen in defence with Frank under pressure

Tottenham have struggled to put together a consistent run in the Premier League, recently drawing 0-0 at Brentford, and there has been speculation over Thomas Frank’s future in north London, with Oliver Glasner, Marco Silva and Andoni Iraola being shortlisted last month.

The Dane has even admitted he hasn’t been enjoying his time in the Spurs dugout, saying: “When you need to ​put in a big, big shift and it’s not smooth, and it’s tough, it’s probably ‍difficult to enjoy it.

“If I run hard, I don’t enjoy that moment but I know I need ‍to keep my ‌head down and run hard to get through it. We are in a situation where you need to run hard, to stay in it.”

Frank’s defence hasn’t been the main issue, with the Lilywhites keeping clean sheets in their last two matches, but a lack of attacking quality has been a real problem, recording an xG of just 0.86 in the goalless draw against Brentford last time out.

However, there are now doubts over Dragusin’s future at Tottenham, with Crystal Palace making an approach to sign the Romanian, which means Frank may need to bring in another centre-back this month, and a move for Udinese’s Oumar Solet is now being prepared.

The speculation surrounding Dragusin’s future means Spurs are eager to strengthen at the back, and Solet, who is represented by the same agent as Brennan Johnson, has now emerged as a January transfer target.

However, there may be plenty of competition for the Frenchman’s signature, with Chelsea, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Manchester United also being named as potential suitors.

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Posts 3 ByEmilio Galantini "Impeccable" Solet could be solid Dragusin replacement

Dragusin, who rakes in £85k-a-week has only just returned from a long injury lay-off, appearing for the first time since January 2025 in the 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace, but if Tottenham sanction the 23-year-old’s departure this month, the Udinese defender could be a solid replacement.

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Lauded as “impeccable” by Italian journalist Leonardo Bertozzi, the 25-year-old is strong at winning back possession, while he has also displayed an impressive ability to drive the ball up the pitch over the past year.

Oumar Solet’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Tackles

1.89 (80th percentile)

Progressive carries

1.38 (91st percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.13 (99th percentile)

The colossus, who stands at a towering 6 foot 4, also displayed his attacking quality when he scored his first Serie A goal back in March.

Solet is clearly a very well-rounded defender, capable of making an impact at both ends of the pitch, so Tottenham should look to get a deal done if Dragusin leaves this month.

It was day two on Tuesday at Deccan Gymkhana, Pune, in the Cooch BeharTrophy quarterfinal match between Haryana and Railways. ManvinderBisla who was unbeaten on 181 at the end of the first day’s playcarried on to score a masterly double century of 236. Bisla was severeon Railways bowlers as he went on to smash 28 boundaries and 3 sixes.By the time Bisla was dismissed he added 160 runs with Deepak Joon forthe fifth wicket. Joon who started the day on 35 added to Railway’smisery by notching up a century and went on to make 152. Haryanadeclared at 616/8 on Joon’s dismissal. His 152 came in as few as 191balls and included 16 strokes reached the fence and two that flew overfor sixes. Railways were brought to their knees by Amit Mishra14-7-25-3 and by the close of play were 117/4 in 41 overs with openingbatsman Sriram Yadav on an unbeaten 36 putting up a fight.

West Brom’s Championship woes have continued even past the sacking of Valerien Ismail, dropping points in three of the club’s last five and winning just three games since the turn of the year.

Just seven teams in the entire division have scored less than their total of 42 goals for the season – a terrible return for a club expected to bounce straight back up to the Premier League after being relegated at the end of the last season.

To make matters worse, Baggies academy graduate Tyler Roberts looks like he could remain in the top flight for another season with Leeds, after joining the club from West Brom back in 2018 for £2.5m – once again proving to them that they shouldn’t have sold him for so little.

Now worth £7.2m according to Transfermarkt, the Wales International remained part of Leeds’ plans under new manager Jesse Marsch, until he suffered an injury earlier in the month which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

He is also being tipped for a summer exit by the likes of journalist Dean Jones, who said: “You do get the feeling that his position is one of those that will be targeted in the summer to be strengthened.”

Despite that update, he could still be a valuable asset to a newly promoted Premier League team, and still has plenty of talent left to offer to his next club – which will likely not be West Brom due to their poor standing in the Championship right now.

The 23-year-old has previously been name-dropped by Spain manager Luis Enrique as one of Wales’ biggest threats, saying: “They have good, young players, like Tyler Roberts, and we know it will not be easy.”

Among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions, Roberts ranks in the top 4% for pressures in the attacking third per 90 (5.75), top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (4.06) and top 6% for carries into the penalty area per 90 (0.55) – evidence that he can still compete in the top flight and be a solid option for teams in the lower half of the top-flight.

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With great energy, work rate and attitude, the 19-time Wales international could have been a star at Albion, if they gave him more of a chance and a larger role within the squad – and now they are suffering the consequences while Roberts has become a Premier League level player.

In other news: Disaster: Ismael could now inflict even more misery on West Brom this summer

	Aaron Bird could be back in New South Wales colours this week after a disappointing 2006-07 that featured injuries and questions over his bowling action © Getty Images

Aaron Bird is in line for his first state match since clearing his name over a suspect bowling action. Bird, the New South Wales fast bowler, has been included in the Blues’ squad for their FR Cup game against Western Australia at the SCG on Wednesday.Last season Bird’s whippy action was reported by several umpires but it took until September for his bowling style to be passed as legal after stress fractures in his back significantly delayed his biomechanical testing. Bird replaces Mark Cameron, who has a side strain, in the New South Wales squad.He said facing a potential ban from state cricket had been devastating. “It was the worst point of my career,” Bird told the . “For something you love so much, and you work so hard for, to be taken away like that breaks your heart.”I always knew I was right to go and I proved that. Whenever there is a different action, people are going to have questions or queries on it. When there is enough mud thrown, sometimes it sticks.”What has come out of all of this is how much I love the game. Even though I was struggling so much with it all, I was still enjoying playing.”Wednesday’s one-day game is followed by a Pura Cup match between the two sides that starts on Friday. Western Australia have regained their captain Marcus North for both encounters, and he is set to play his first state games for the season after missing more than half the summer with a degenerative knee condition.New South Wales FR Cup squad Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich (capt), Daniel Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Dominic Thornely, Steven Smith, Moises Henriques, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Aaron Bird, Doug Bollinger.New South Wales Pura Cup squad Phillip Hughes, Greg Mail, Simon Katich (capt), Brad Haddin (wk), Peter Forrest, Dominic Thornely, Steven Smith, Grant Lambert, Moises Henriques, Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Doug Bollinger.Western Australia FR Cup squad Justin Langer, Luke Ronchi (wk), Shaun Marsh, Marcus North (capt), Adam Voges, Luke Pomersbach, Sean Ervine, Theo Doropoulos, Aaron Heal, Brett Dorey, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson.Western Australia Pura Cup squad Chris Rogers, Justin Langer, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Marcus North (capt), Luke Pomersbach, Luke Ronchi (wk), Aaron Heal, Brett Dorey, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson, Mathew Inness.

Andrew Symonds injured his arm while batting against England in Sydney © Getty Images

Andrew Symonds can be named in Australia’s World Cup squad and be replaced if he fails to recover from a serious arm injury, the ICC has ruled. Australia made the request because they are unsure how long Symonds will be out with a torn biceps.Symonds suffered the injury during Friday night’s loss to England and had surgery on Sunday morning. Estimates on the speed of his return seem to vary from six weeks to six months, but he is in serious doubt for the tournament in the Caribbean. Australia’s first game of the World Cup is against Scotland on March 14 while the more important Super Eight stage begins on March 27.Australia must announce their 15-man squad by Tuesday and Cricket Australia did not want to be forced into a situation where Symonds would be picked in the outfit and then have to drop out, leaving them a player short. AAP reported Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, allowed the change.The deadline has come at a difficult time for Australia as they still have the best-of-three CB Series finals to play followed by the Chappell-Hadlee Series in New Zealand, which starts on February 16. The selectors have hard decisions to make after Stuart Clark and Shaun Tait were left out of the 13-man group for the match against England at the MCG on Friday.

ScorecardSaurashta took the honours on the first day of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group final at Rajkot thanks to an impressive spell of fast bowling from Sandip Maniar that dismissed Rajasthan for just 201.Maniar struck blows at vital junctures: he drew first blood by forcing Mithun Beerala to edge behind in the fourth over, and then, broke a threatening 89-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Nikhil Doru and Ajay Jadeja, Rajasthan’s captain. Following Doru’s dismissal, Maniar ran through Rajasthan’s tail en route to his fifth first-class five-for.Maniar’s initial strike opened the gates for Sandeep Jobanputra to prise out additional wickets at the top, leaving Rajasthan at 91 for 4 going in to lunch. Rajasthan’s fightback came in two spurts: in the first session Rahul Kanwat smacked a 58-ball 50 to add 44 with Doru, while in the afternoon Jadeja scored an impressive 71. Barring these three, no other Rajasthan batsman contributed anything of note, and this may prove costly as the match progresses.In reply, Kanaiya Vaghela and Sagar Jogiyani, Saurashtra’s openers, put up 36 in 13 overs.

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Swarming support: Team-mates surge to congratulate Nathan Bracken on his six wickets© Getty Images

Nathan Bracken destroyed Queensland’s Pura Cup home final with 6 for 27 as the Bulls fell for a miserable 102 at the Gabba. New South Wales, who decided against flying in Brett Lee from New Zealand, steamed through a disrupted opening day and held a pressing advantage as they reached 1 for 26 at stumps.Needing only a draw to win the trophy, Queensland started badly when Clinton Perren, Jimmy Maher and Shane Watson fell in 16 balls before Andrew Symonds (36) and Martin Love (24) shared the innings’ highest partnership of 42. But Grant Lambert, the allrounder preferred to Ed Cowan, dismissed Love, Matthew Nicholson added the important wicket of Symonds to go with Watson’s scalp, and Bracken returned with four more successes.Bracken was on a hat-trick after cleaning up Wade Seccombe and Ashley Noffke, but Joe Dawes defended his next ball, a swinging yorker, before becoming his sixth victim. The figures of 6 for 27 from 13.2 overs were the best since Wayne Holdsworth collected 7 for 41 against Queensland in the 1992-93 final.New South Wales suffered one setback in their chase when Greg Mail edged Watson to Andy Bichel at third slip, but bad light ended any hopes of more Bulls charging. Rain interrupted the first session and only six overs were possible before lunch, Queensland moving to 0 for 10 after being sent in by Brad Haddin.The Bulls appeared in their sixth consecutive Pura Cup final but they have not won the trophy since beating Tasmania at the Gabba in 2001-02. New South Wales also upset Queensland’s home advantage two seasons ago when they delivered a crushing 246-run victory.

Close
ScorecardPakistan provided another example of their great capacity for unearthing newbatting talent on the opening day of their tour of New Zealand against Auckland. They won the toss, batted first and made 318, with fine half-centuries from Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed.Farhat continued from where he left off in the recent one-day series against New Zealand in Pakistan, scoring 73 off 70 balls. He added 74 for the second wicket with Hameed, before being dismissed by Brooke Walker, Auckland’s legspinning captain, who ended the day with 5 for 55.Hameed went on to score 96, being caught on the backward-square-legboundary by Kerry Walmsley, off Paul Hitchcock’s bowling, after the trap hadbeen set for him. Auckland’s fielding helped to break down the strength inthe Pakistanis batting, with Inzamam-ul-Haq smartly run out by Matt Horne as heattempted to take a second run.Walmsley’s catch was outstanding while Horne also took a fine catch later inthe innings. After the lightning start by the Pakistani batsmen, it wasAsim Kamal who held up the later stages of the innings, scoring 43 off107 balls. Shoaib Akhtar made 32 off 50 balls.Auckland suffered a blow when Kyle Mills damaged his shoulder in the field, forcing him out of the rest of the match. He had taken 1 for 20 off seven overs when that happened.Auckland, when stumps was taken early due to bad light, had reached 35for 1, with Mark Richardson and Tim McIntosh both on 13 – McIntosh havingtaken three boundaries from one over by Mohammad Sami.