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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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Posts ByKelan Sarson

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.

Scorecard

	Shahid Afridi finished with 4 for 37 as Patron’s XI bowled out the Zimbabweans for 209 © AFP

The Patron’s XI openers put on an unbroken 65-run partnership after their legspinners grabbed seven wickets to bowl out the Zimbabweans for 209 on the opening day of the tour match in Karachi.Opting to bat, the Zimbabweans failed to capitalise on a 62-run third-wicket partnership and lost their last six wickets for only 27 runs. After Hamilton Masakadza, their stand-in captain in place of the injured Prosper Utseya, fell on the seventh ball of the innings, the Zimbabweans were carried past 50 by Brendan Taylor and Vusi Sibanda. While defensive play was the order of the morning, Taylor made it a point to latch onto anything wide of off stump. Cutting an impressive Sohail Khan to bring up his first boundary, Taylor then creamed Kamran Hussain through extra cover to ease off some pressure.While Sibanda perished to a catch behind the stumps, Taylor shifted gears and smashed Afridi over long-on for the first six of the morning. He then guided Sohail through gully and then dispatched an overpitched delivery through extra cover for another four. Tatenda Taibu, too, was in no mood to hang around. Following Taylor’s dismissal to a loose stroke off Yasir, Taibu, sensing Yasir as the weakest link in the bowling attack, swept the legspinner over midwicket for four before a similar shot fetched him a couple. However, with the next four deliveries reverse-swept – resulting in two fours, a dot ball and a leg-before appeal – Taibu made hisintentions quite clear.While Sean Williams was particularly harsh on Afridi – driving him through the covers and sweeping him over midwicket for a six – a reverse-sweep too many resulted in Taibu’s dismissal – taken at slip off Afridi – for a 60-ball 46. That was as good as it got for the touring side as the spincombination of Afridi and Yasir, as well as Fawad Alam – who managed Williams’ wicket in his first over – ran through their lower order. In search of quick runs, the Zimbabweans missed out on an ideal opportunity for batting practice in their first outing of the tour.In reply, Nasir Jamshed and Khalid Latif started aggressively as Jamshed – with 800 runs in the recently-concluded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy behind him – drove Christopher Mpofu through extra cover before pulling Elton Chigumbura through midwicket for fours. The introduction of spin failed to break the partnership, with Ray Price’s flighted delivery duly dispatched overlong-off by Jamshed.With a strong batting line-up, Patron’s XI will look to score quick runs on the second day and aim to use a a pitch which is expected to deteriorate with time to their advantage.

Scorecard

Kevin Stoute was caught by Javier Liburd off Omari Banks for 13. No Barbados batsman, other than Ryan Hinds, got more than 30 © The Nation

Ryan Hinds led by example by scoring 82 as Barbados posted 250 for 9 on the first day of their second round match against Leeward Islands at the North Stars Cultural & Social Club.Several Barbados batsmen got starts after they were asked to bat in overcast and windy conditions but no one apart from Hinds was able to convert them into a substantial innings. Dwayne Smith scored 43, Floyd Reifer 28, Ryan Austin 26 and Wayne Blackman 20 but Hinds was the only batsman to cross fifty. He struck a six and seven fours during his innings that spanned a little over four hours.The Leewards bowlers shared the wickets among them with Tonito Willett and Adam Sanford being the most successful with 2 for 5 and 2 for 63 respectively. Sanford provided the early breakthrough when he had Dale Richards caught at slip for 2.Barbados slipped to 37 for 3 before Hinds and Floyd Reifer began the recovery with a 47-run stand. Reifer looked solid until Carl Simon bowled a leg-cutter that induced the edge to second slip. Dwayne Smith joined Hinds and the pair added 66 – the highest partnership of the innings – for the fifth wicket. Smith, who had batted responsibly, perished to a cross-batted pull that was taken at deep midwicket, leaving Barbados on 150 for 5.Thereafter Barbados kept losing wickets at regular intervals and only a 57-run stand between Hinds and Ryan Austin propped them towards 250 for 9 at stumps. Austin batted with grit and Hinds was within sight of his sixth first-class hundred before he was run out.
ScorecardJamaica wasted a solid start from their openers to end the first day against Windward Islands on 231 for 6. Brenton Parchment and Danza Hyatt put on a century opening partnership but Windwards hit back with quick wickets to grab a slight advantage by the end of the day. Darren Sammy removed Wavell Hinds and finished the day with 2 for 37 off 19 overs- by far the pick of the bowlers.
The first day of the second-round match between Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana was abandoned due to heavy rain at Guaracara Park. Play was called off at 1.15pm..

The ICC has asked Goolam Vahanvati, India’s solicitor general, to investigate incidents of racial abuse that have taken place in Australia. His appointment follows an official complaint from the South African board.Vahanvati will speak to venue staff, Cricket Australia representatives and ICC officials during his visit. He will then travel to South Africa and Sri Lanka to interview players and team officials from all three sides that participated in the recent Test and ODI series before reporting back to the ICC in March.”Racism in any form is abhorrent and everyone in cricket is unhappy with the way in which players from international teams have been subjected to racist abuse in Australia,” said Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive. “The actions of what would seem to be a small number of people are reflecting poorly on Australia and on cricket. It is essential that this issue is addressed.”What is now important is that the ICC is provided with a clear and independent understanding of exactly what has taken place to ensure that cricket is able to respond appropriately.”Speed added that the Australian, Sri Lankan and South African boards had all offered their support. “Since the first incident was reported, Cricket Australia, Sri Lanka Cricket, the United Cricket Board and their players have been united in condemning this sort of behaviour. The entire international cricket community is united in its commitment to doing everything possible to eradicate any racist abuse.”Once the ICC executive board has received this report, we will be in a position to identify what further steps cricket can take to tackle this issue before it spreads beyond the incidents that have taken place in Australia.”Vahanvati was part of a two-man panel that investigated allegations of racism in cricket in Zimbabwe in 2004.

Free tickets are being offered for the eighth women’s World Cup which is being held in and around Pretoria and gets underway on Tuesday (March 22). Entry is free for all matches except the final at Centurion, where tickets are just R20 (£1.80).The free entry offer forms part of a marketing drive by the South African board (UCB) which includes TV adverts and interviews with the women’s team during the recent men’s series against England. More than 12,000 flyers have been distributed in clubs and schools.But the marketing push is limited by the relatively low budget of just R5 million (£450,000) – and the organisers have failed to find a sponsor. Cricinfo contributed £40,000 to the World Cup in New Zealand 2000, while Hero Honda sponsored the 1997-98 tournament in India but funding for this tournament has come exclusively from the IWCC and South African donors such as the Lotto. The UCB marketing manager, Ros Goldin, admits that marketing efforts could have been greater.”We’re not doing terribly much marketing,” Goldin told BBC Sport. “but that’s because there are no sponsors. The bulk of our miniscule marketing budget is going into signage and branding to at least give the games an event atmosphere.”

Pakistan 314 for 7 (Farhat 91, Youhana 64) beat New Zealand 263 for 7 (Marshall 101*, Sami 3 for 22) by 51 runs, and lead five-match series 3-0
Scorecard

Inzamam-ul-Haq – not much batting in his 300th ODI © AFP 2003

Hamish Marshall’s courageous century notwithstanding, a mismanaged New Zealand run-chase of an admittedly steep target resulted in a 51-­run win for Pakistan at Faisalabad, sealing the five-match series in their favour with two games still to come.New Zealand charged far too late at the target, and Marshall’s 101, made off 109 deliveries, came largely after the game was obviously lost. Pakistan’s bowling, for its part, capitalised on a professional batting performance to deny the New Zealanders even a slim chance of keeping the series alive.Faced with inspired bowling from Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami, who induced numerous false strokes, New Zealand’s top order failed to take off. Neither opener lasted long: Akhtar first removed Craig Cummings (10) with a snorter (12 for 1), and Abdul Razzaq then had Richard Jones mis-hitting to square leg (58 for 2). Mathew Sinclair’s quest for quick runs ended soon afterwards, with a direct run-out courtesy of Yousuf Youhana (81 for 3).Chris Harris, who replaced Sinclair, then proceeded to up the run rate with a range of strokes not to be found in any coaching manual. One particular shot – a four to midwicket, dug out off a searing Razzaq yorker – characterised the innovation that Harris brought to the chase, just when his side needed it most.Unfortunately for New Zealand, Harris could not ride his luck long enough. After sharing a plucky 107-run stand with Marshall, he played over a Sami inswinger that smashed into his stumps (188 for 4). With only eight overs remaining to score 127, the target proved to be beyond even Chris Cairns, who swung Sami to midwicket (206 for 5) after making just 9. Marshall meanwhile hung on gamely at the other end, watching the wickets tumble, and he needed no second invitation to reach three figures when Imran Farhat, Saleem Elahi and Yasir Hameed came on to bowl at the end of the innings.Earlier, the assault on New Zealand’s underpowered line-up continued as Pakistan rattled up 314 for 7, demolishing the bowling for the third time in as many games. It was a perfect innings on a good batting pitch – a solid start that built on Farhat’s sparkling 91, sprightly partnerships in the middle, and a phenomenal last ten overs. No matter where the ball was bowled, Pakistan’s batsmen seemed to find the fence.

Hamish Marshall – a fine maiden century, but in vain © AFP 2003

The 113 runs scored during the slog overs flowed mainly to Youhana and Razzaq, whose lower-order hitting has bruised New Zealand in each match of this series so far. Their 53-run partnership in just 19 balls was an exhibition of destructive batting. The raw medium-pacer Matthew Walker ended with four wickets, all of which came in the final push for quick runs.The big total was built largely on a solid start. Farhat and Hameed played out the first ten overs, when the opening bowlers exploited a pitch with some bounce. Michael Mason and Kerry Walmsley were impressive in their first spells, giving nothing away in terms of line and length. But towards the end of the first 15 overs, both batsmen milked the medium-pace of Cairns and Walker. While Hameed was all power, Farhat was all grace, and both were equally effective.Hameed scored his third successive fifty before gifting his wicket in an effort to clear the boundary (142 for 1). Farhat went on to score a half-century as well, but missed out on three figures by nine runs. Attempting a big hit off Daniel Vettori, he was brilliantly caught by Marshall at midwicket (183 for 2). Vettori was unlucky, though, going for runs even as he appeared to be the bowler most likely to make a breakthrough.Farhat’s dismissal brought Inzamam-ul-Haq to the crease, and he scored a quickfire 25 in his 300th one-day international to set the tone for the late-innings savagery. Youhana’s 53-ball 64 and Razzaq’s 34 off just 16 balls merely drove the nails more thunderously into the coffin of this depleted New Zealand outfit.

The more I watch one-dayers, the more convinced I am that this is a gamethat revolves how well a side can force the opponents to be on thedefensive. ‘Pressure’ is the keyword, and it plays an important role nomatter what the reputation of a player is.The obvious game plan is to put up a reasonable score on the board andthen try to restrict the other side. It was no different in the secondone-day international played at Cuttack, which, in my opinion, is bestdescribed as a flop show by the Indians.

© AFP

I think England did pretty well to score 250 after being asked to batfirst. There was some moisture in the wicket, but the Indian seamersfailed to make full use of it. Once again, Nasser Hussain impressed mewith his approach to the game. He played a good hand of 46 though hethrew away his wicket at the wrong time.Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood played excellent cricket. Theyshowed the Indian batsmen the importance of taking quick singles andconverting the ones into twos. It was the run out of Vaughan that gavethe Indians some respite.The target of 251 runs was never expected to be a tall order for theimposing Indian batting line up. All it needed was for one of thebatsmen to play a long innings and India were through. That, however,did not happen, as the three run outs turned out to be crucial inIndia’s defeat.

© CricInfo

I must applaud the commitment showed by this English team. Theirfielding was brilliant and this meant that the Indian batsmen wereconstantly under pressure. And once Sachin Tendulkar was unluckily runout, the pressure on other batsmen multiplied manifold and they meeklysuccumbed to it.I have written in previous columns that there is nothing to choosebetween the two teams. Now that the series is tied at 1-1, the remainingmatches are bound to be much closer affairs. I can only wish and hopethat the Indian batting comes good sooner than later as I haveabsolutely no faith in the Indian bowling attack.Nothing seems to be in sync when India is in the field. If the bowlershave to make an impression, they have to get back to the basics.Ganguly, for his part, must back his bowlers with better fieldplacements. The bowlers, meanwhile, will have to remind themselves thatit is important that they bowl on one side of the wicket (and to thefield set for them) if they are to reap any rewards at the highestlevel.Before ending, I must congratulate the England team for their fine allround display which helped them to pull off a remarkable win on Indiansoil.

Aided by a fine four wicket haul by Mohd Aleem, Karnataka scored anemphatic innings and 147 run win over Goa in their P Ramachandra RaoTrophy (Under-22) match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore onFriday.Resuming at a hopeless 85 for 5 on the final day, Goa’s second inningsfolded up with the addition of just 58 runs. Overnight batsman, AJadhav (27) departed caught in the slips by Mahesh off Chaitra. Then GPhadte (28) was caught behind by Shambal off Chaitra. Dharmichand whoreplaced Chaitra, had N Haglekar (3) caught and bowled off his firstball. Then in the 46th over, Aleem trapped G Narvekar (4)leg before and two balls later had Gonsalves (0) caught behind tosignal victory to Karnataka.Earlier, in reply to a paltry score of 80 by Goa, Karnataka declaredtheir first innings at 370 for nine aided by fine centuries by ARMahesh (103 not out) and S Ponnappa (153). Resuming at 178 for 1, onthe second day, Karnataka lost overnight batsman Amit Kumar (15) inthe second over of the day, bowled by D’Souza. Three overs later newbatsman S Shinde (2) was caught at mid off by Gonsalves off Jakati.This brought in AR Mahesh to the centre. Both Ponnappa and Maheshforged a 92 run partnership for the fourth wicket in 23 overs.Ponnappa after a 306 minute stay departed when he was caught byGonsalves at mid wicket off Jakati. Ponnappa during his stay faced 250balls and found the boundary ropes 15 times and managed to clear itonce. Though wickets kept falling at regular intervals Mahesh went onto complete his century. Mahesh during a 222 minute stay, faced 164balls and hit nine fours and three sixes. Karnataka skipper S Shindedeclared the innings with the score at 370/9.