Marc Guehi did little to calm transfer links to Liverpool after Crystal Palace's 1-0 victory over Fredrikstad on Thursday night. The 25-year-old England defender, who has just under a year left on his current deal, is valued at around £45 million by the south London club. But with Guehi potentially walking away for nothing next summer, the Premier League champions are determined not to overpay.
Guehi teases over Liverpool transfer rumours
Defender ready to swap London for Merseyside
Parish admits Palace may be forced to sell
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Arne Slot is pushing hard to bring in the centre-back before the transfer deadline. Talks between the clubs are expected to continue into next week, with Palace aware they may have to cash in sooner rather than later.
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WHAT GUEHI SAID
While celebrating a historic 1-0 Conference League play-off victory over Fredrikstad on Thursday, Guehi saluted supporters and then turned towards Channel 5’s cameras with a mischievous grin.
"There’s other players, you know," he quipped, hinting that the media spotlight should not fall entirely on him despite the whirlwind of rumours.
Meanwhile, Palace chairman Steve Parish admitted Guehi’s situation is becoming increasingly difficult to control.
"If Marc wants to sign a new contract, then he can stay! It’s a difficult situation," he admitted. "Everyone has to sell players to comply with the rules. That’s a situation that we will have to look at in the next 11 days."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Guehi arrived at Selhurst Park from Chelsea in 2021 and has since become one of the Premier League’s most reliable defenders. He has clocked up more than 150 appearances in red and blue, guiding the team through one of the most successful periods in their history. Earlier this year, he lifted the FA Cup, Palace’s first major trophy, and followed it up by beating Liverpool at Wembley to claim the Community Shield.
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Manager Oliver Glasner, already seething with the board’s handling of Eberechi Eze’s future, is desperate not to lose another star. Glasner is banking on having Guehi available for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest, as well as the return leg against Fredrikstad in Norway next week. The Austrian coach is well aware, though, that the decision could soon be taken out of his hands if Liverpool step up their bid.
Newcastle United have held talks with a "very high-level" player ahead of a move to the club in the summer transfer window, according to a new transfer update.
Newcastle transfer news
The Magpies' season is over for another year, and once those at the club have enjoyed a well-earned breather, much focus will be on the transfer market and which players can take Eddie Howe's side to the next level.
Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly has emerged as a constant target in recent weeks, and Newcastle are reportedly confident that they will bring him in on a free transfer from the Cherries this summer. The same applies to Fulham centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, who is also a strong option to join on a free. It has even been claimed that Howe has personally persuaded him to move to St James' Park.
Lloyd Kelly in action for Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Another player who has been linked with a summer move to Newcastle is West Ham star Jarrod Bowen, who the Magpies have felt the wrath of in the past, with the England international scoring against them at St James' earlier this season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is also a potential addition, should the striker wish to depart Everton in the coming months.
It looks as though talented English talent is being looked at by Howe and PIF, with Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey another possible option for them, as they look to pounce on their rivals' PSR struggles and snap up one of their most prized assets.
Newcastle in talks with "very high-level" goalkeeper
According to a fresh report from The Northern Echo, Newcastle have held preliminary talks with Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili over a summer move to the club.
The report says that "senior Magpies officials have discussed Mamardashvili’s situation with their counterparts at Valencia, and are lining up a formal offer for the 23-year-old Georgia international."
It does look as though Newcastle are keen on bringing in a new 'keeper this summer, perhaps no longer seeing Nick Pope as the perfect option between the sticks. Arsenal stopper Aaron Ramsdale has continually been linked with heading to the club, too.
In Mamardashvili, the Magpies could have a really exciting option, though, with one recent report claiming that £30m could be enough to get their man, hitting Valencia's potential asking price in the process. Legendary former Spain 'keeper Santiago Canizares has heaped praise on him in the past, saying:
"He’s a great goalkeeper, he’s a very high-level player. And then in addition to that he’s very young. Goalkeepers improve year on year, so I couldn’t tell you what level he could reach. If he keeps improving at the current rate, it’s impossible to say how good he could get. He could be a very interesting target for any European club. And then the position that his club are in mean that it’s natural that he’d be on the transfer market."
Deal close: Newcastle think they've clinched move to sign £30k-p/w player
Newcastle appear to be close to a summer signing.
ByJosh Barker May 26, 2024
At just 23 years of age, Mamardashvili is still such a young player, but one who has already won 16 caps for Georgia and made 93 appearances in La Liga, and he looks like a shrewd choice for Newcastle.
Northants’ Blast signing Paul Stirling had contact with Northern Knights players after returning to Belfast
ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2020Cricket Ireland has cancelled an interprovincial T20 scheduled for Wednesday because of concerns about a possible Covid-19 “chain of transmission” to the Bob Willis Trophy match between Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire that was abandoned at the weekend.The T20 between Munster Reds and Northern Knights was due to take place in Cork, but was called off before the Knights travelled down on Tuesday. Cricket Ireland said that Paul Stirling, the Ireland batsman who has been playing for Northants in the Vitality T20 Blast, had come into contact with some Knights players and although he was not part of the squad the game would not go ahead.Northamptonshire have maintained largely separate red- and white-ball squads, and have not revealed the name of the player whose positive test led to the Bristol abandonment. However, three of his flatmates are part of the T20 set-up along with Stirling, who had taken advantage of the break in Blast fixtures to return home to Belfast.Cricket Ireland’s high performance director Richard Holdsworth said that they had been waiting for confirmation from Northamptonshire that the three had all tested negative, but one result had not come back time.”While highly unfortunate, we have taken a risk management approach to our decision,” Holdsworth said. “There is absolutely no suggestion that Paul has contracted the virus, but until all three tests of his Northants team-mates have been returned, we don’t know conclusively whether the chain of transmission has been broken.”This is a case of a ‘close contact of a possible close contact’, but while Paul is somewhat removed from the player who tested positive, we left the decision on the game as late as possible to see whether Northants had received the test results of Paul’s team-mates.”Paul wasn’t in the squad for tomorrow’s game but had been in contact with some Knights team-mates over the weekend. Given the lengthy bus trip the Knights have to take for the match in Cork, they were heading down today and staying overnight in Cork. We delayed the bus departure time as long as we could hoping Northants would get the test result, but it didn’t come in time, so we reluctantly had to cancel the trip as a precaution.”These are unprecedented actions, but we are concerned first and foremost with protecting the health and safety of players, staff, match officials, volunteers and those family members close to the players.”
Ademola Lookman says he has handed in a transfer request and accused Atalanta of "poor treatment" and "broken promises" amid links with Inter Milan.
Lookman hands in transfer request
Accuses Atalanta of "poor treatment"
Winger eyes Inter Milan move
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The 27-year-old has been eyeing an Atalanta exit this summer but now the forward has taken that a step further by openly asking to leave the club. The former Fulham loanee also alleged he has been the subject of bad treatment and accused the Serie A outfit of "blocking" his chance to secure a transfer move.
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WHAT LOOKMAN SAID
Part of Lookman's bombshell Instagram statement reads: "There have been numerous clubs approach Atalanta in the past and I have previously always stayed loyal. However, myself and the ownership of the club have been in agreement that now is the right time and the club were clear with me that if a fair offer came in they would allow me to move. Despite now receiving an offer in alignment to what I believe had been discussed sadly the club are blocking the opportunity for reasons I do not understand. as a result and after many months of broken promises and what I feel has been poor treatment towards me as both a human being and as a professional footballer, sadly I feel I have no choice but to speak out for what I believe is right and I feel that enough is enough. I can confirm I have now handed in a formal transfer request."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Inter have reportedly submitted a couple of bids for Lookman this summer but have not yet met Atalanta's €50 million (£43.5m) valuation. The former Leicester City loanee has scored 52 goals and added 25 assists in 118 games for the Italian team, while starring in their Europa League triumph in 2024. However, it seems his time with the club is likely to end soon after this outburst.
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WHAT NEXT?
It remains to be seen if former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain target Lookman, who still has two years left on his current contract, will be able to secure an Atalanta exit and join Inter in the coming weeks.
Hardik Pandya’s stunning 60 not out off 21 went in vain
Hemant Brar25-Oct-20203:15
Chopra: ‘Players like Stokes know how to swim in the deep end’
Ben Stokes finally came to the party with an unbeaten 107 off 60 balls as the Rajasthan Royals chased down Mumbai Indians’ 195 for 5 with relative ease in the end in Abu Dhabi. The win not only kept the Royals in the race for the playoffs – they are now sixth on the points table with ten points from 12 games – but also brought the curtain down on the Chennai Super Kings’ campaign.Earlier, Hardik Pandya’s 60 not out off 21 balls, studded with seven sixes and two fours, had lit up the evening. But that didn’t prove enough as Stokes and Sanju Samson added 152 off 82 balls in an unbroken third-wicket partnership to take the Royals home with ten balls to spare.Archer snares in-form de Kock earlyQuinton de Kock had scores of 53, 78*, 53 and 46* coming into this game. He looked primed for another good knock when he pulled a 149.6kph Jofra Archer delivery for a six to get off the mark. Archer, however, pitched the next ball a little fuller and a bit wider, and de Kock chopped on with an angled bat.From the other end, Ankit Rajpoot was a bit wayward and Ishan Kishan, opening once again in the absence of Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav took full advantage of that. In the sixth over, both of them hit Rajpoot for a six each to take the side to 59 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.Gopal double-strike pulls Mumbai backThe Royals turned to their two legspinners – Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia – after that and the move worked straightaway as the next two overs produced only eight runs. Yadav then tried to take Gopal on by going inside-out but ended up slicing it over point for four. He attempted the same shot on the next ball and this time ended up hitting it in the air towards deep cover. Tewatia charged towards the ball, put in the dive, got his fingers underneath the ball but couldn’t hold on to it.Kishan, who was struggling to score beyond a run a ball, then slashed at Kartik Tyagi. The ball flew towards third man where Archer misjudged it before plucking it one-handed over his head to leave his team-mates gasping. A couple of overs later, Gopal dented Mumbai further by removing Yadav and Kieron Pollard in the same over. While Yadav holed out to long-off, Pollard failed to read a googly and was bowled through the gate. That was the first time Pollard was dismissed since the opening game of the tournament.Hardik blitz gives Mumbai powerful finish3:07
Chopra: Such a Hardik Pandya innings was brewing for a while
Mumbai were 120 for 4 when Tewatia dropped Hardik on the last ball of the 16th over. This was a bit easier than the one he grassed earlier, the only difference being he was fielding at deep midwicket this time. Hardik made full use of the opportunity and smashed Rajpoot for four sixes in the 18th over, three of them off full tosses. Archer conceded only three in the 19th over but Hardik wasn’t done yet. After Krunal Pandya took a single off the first ball of the final over, Hardik unleashed himself on Tyagi. Standing deep inside his crease, he hit the next five balls for 6, 4, 4, 6 and 6 to take Mumbai to a daunting total, with 74 runs coming off the last four overs.Royals off to quick start despite Pattinson double-strikeBefore this game, Stokes had scored only 110 runs off 103 balls in IPL 2020. Questions were being raised if opening with him was the right thing to do, and if the Royals should move him down the order and open with Jos Buttler instead.The Royals needed a quick start to chase down 196 and losing Robin Uthappa in the second over, who mistimed James Pattinson to mid-on, didn’t help. With the Royals 13 for 1 at the end of two overs, Stokes was yet to face a ball. But he soon hit his stride with four fours off Trent Boult in the third over. Steven Smith, who promoted himself to No. 3, then struck a four and six off Jasprit Bumrah in the next over before Pattinson bowled him with an inducker. But Stokes hit the last two balls of the sixth over for fours, bowled by Krunal, to ensure the Royals didn’t bog down.The Stokes and Samson showStokes was now growing in confidence. In the eighth over, he slog-swept Rahul Chahar over deep midwicket for his first six of the season. The next ball was sent past backward point courtesy a reverse sweep. That allowed Samson to settle down as well. While the Royals reached 99 for 2 at the end of ten overs, they still needed another 97.A couple of quiet overs made it 89 required from 48 balls. It was then Samson who took the pressure off Stokes with some timely blows. On 19 off 18 at the end of the 12th over, Samson hit two sixes and two fours in the next two overs to bring it down to 52 needed from the last six overs. With both batsmen in top gear by now, that wasn’t a big ask. With Bumrah straying down the leg side, Samson took him for two successive fours and then brought up his half-century, off 27 balls, with a brace.A couple of streaky fours further ate away from the target. With ten required, Stokes was three short of his hundred. He reached the landmark in style by hitting Pattinson for a six over midwicket and then sealed the game with a four on the next ball.
Chelsea have identified their "first option" to replace Mauricio Pochettino in the event he's sacked, and it is believed he's equally keen.
Pochettino facing Chelsea sack after 5-0 Arsenal defeat
Pressure has surrounded the Argentine for most of this season as both supporters and members of the Chelsea hierarchy question whether he is really the right man for the job.
£110,000-per-week star agrees to leave Chelsea with announcement soon
His future has been decided.
ByEmilio Galantini Apr 24, 2024
It has been reported this week that a portion of the Chelsea board feel Pochettino's sacking is inevitable, and especially after their humiliating 5-0 defeat away to title-chasing Arsenal on Tuesday.
Chelsea were already looking at potential Pochettino replacements in the event of his departure, but the loss in north London has only accelerated reports that the former Tottenham manager could be facing the axe soon.
"We are showing this inconsistency and that is why we are where we are. We are able to have an amazing performance [against Man City] and then one like this. When we have bad days, we are so bad," said Pochettino after Chelsea's heavy Arsenal defeat.
Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea
Man City 1-0 Chelsea
Chelsea 6-0 Everton
Sheffield United 2-2 Everton
Chelsea 4-3 Man United
"It's difficult to talk. We are talking after last season in the same way. We put in a fantastic performance at Wembley and then today, you can lose a game at Arsenal but in the way we competed, why one day, three days ago and then today in this way?
"For the circumstance, we needed to make changes for different reasons. Then it is about consistency."
A few big names have been rumoured as candidates to replace Pochettino if Chelsea decide to show the South American his P45, after what has been another very disappointing season since Clearlake Capital's takeover in 2022.
Jose Mourinho is apparently keen to make a return to Chelsea, but it is unclear whether the board are equally as fond of this potential move. Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim's attracting interest from Chelsea, though, and the Portuguese is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe.
Amorim's future at Sporting is up in the air, and he was even in England this week to hold talks with West Ham (David Ornstein), who are also reportedly on the lookout for a new manager to replace David Moyes.
Chelsea identify "first option" to replace Pochettino
According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea have identified their "first option" to succeed Pochettino.
Indeed, they claim that man is Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, who looks set to try and take on a new challenge away from the Amex. De Zerbi is said to be a top target for Chelsea, and it is believed that the Italian feels Stamford Bridge is the "good option" for him.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola of De Zerbi, having praised his work at Brighton on numerous occasions.
“They are really, really important players for Brighton, they’ve had a lot of injuries, they play three competitions, but the way they play always is there, always is there. He has done, is doing, an incredible job in Brighton," said Guardiola.
England captain Heather Knight and five other members of the national squad that beat West Indies 5-0 in September’s T20I series will fly to Australia for the Women’s Big Bash League on Saturday. Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt have already been announced as overseas signings by the Melbourne Stars, while Knight revealed in the presentation after Wednesday’s match that she has signed a deal to play in the competition, as have Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones and Sarah Glenn.Beaumont (Melbourne Renegades) and Knight (Hobart Hurricanes) all held contracts in last season’s WBBL, but the teams they will play for this season remain unconfirmed. Glenn, Player of the Series against West Indies, will be playing in the competition for the first time, and is set to join the Perth Scorchers while it was confirmed on Friday that Jones will return to the club.*Meanwhile, it is understood that the ECB is open to allowing players to appear in India’s Women’s T20 Challenge, and will sign No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) assuming it is satisfied with the Covid-19 protocols in place.ESPNcricinfo revealed on Wednesday that the BCCI is likely to stage the three-team tournament from November 4-9 – during the IPL playoffs week – with plans in place to involve overseas players despite the clash with the WBBL, which begins on October 25 in Sydney.Although the BCCI is yet to make any formal announcements on the tournament’s fixtures or quarantine requirements, it is understood that both the Indian and overseas players will arrive in the UAE by the third week of October. All the three squads would be put up at one hotel, which will be part of a biosecure bubble. Just like the eight IPL franchises, the women’s contingent will undergo a mandatory six-day quarantine at the team hotel during which tests would be carried out on days one, three and five.The selection process for squads the T20 Challenge has already begun, and English players are expected to be big draws. Sophie Ecclestone, the No. 1-ranked T20I bowler, and Danni Wyatt both appeared in the 2019 edition, and would be among the top overseas players involved if recruited, not least in the absence of Australian internationals due to the WBBL running parallel. Wyatt missed Wednesday’s fifth T20I for personal reasons.Danielle Wyatt goes aerial•BCCI
It is understood that at least one top-flight England player had been waiting for an official update on the T20 Challenge before committing to the WBBL, but with details on the Indian competition slow to come out and a mandatory two-week quarantine set upon arrival in Australia, time for stalling ran out. Other players who could find spots might include Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Sophia Dunkley, Anya Shrubsole and Kate Cross.England players not involved in either competition will have two weeks off at the start of October after leaving the biosecure bubble in Derby, before reporting to Loughborough for a training camp for seven weeks of training before Christmas with no international cricket scheduled for the rest of the year.”The girls will have a few weeks off, then go back to Loughborough,” Knight said. “It’s fair to acknowledge it’s been quite tough, living in a bubble the whole time. It’s been particularly hard for the girls not playing, so credit to them.”I think they need [the time off],” said Lisa Keightley, England’s head coach. “It’s been quite draining here – tougher than you might think – so it’s good to have a bit of a break, which they’re all looking forward to.”It’ll be awesome for those players that are going to get a bit more cricket. It’s been pretty lean so, I’m sure they’re really looking forward to going out there and playing.”We know [the WBBL] is a really good competition so the standard will be good. If you’re performing in that you know you’re travelling pretty well so it’s very exciting for those girls going out.”England’s next international series is likely to be in New Zealand in early 2021, with NZC describing the tour as “confirmed” in a press release this week after it had previously been mooted by ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.Cricket Australia are also in talks with NZC regarding a possible women’s tour, with some possibility that the sides could play a tri-series.October 2, 10.15am AEST: the story was updated to reflect confirmation of signings
Arsenal and Liverpool-linked Viktor Gyokeres admits his €100 million release clause is a “bit too much”, but he may end up in the Premier League.
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Swede starred in England for Coventry
Enjoyed stunning debut season in Portugal
Wants to test himself at the highest level
WHAT HAPPENED?
The prolific Sweden international spent three seasons in England with Swansea and Coventry before heading to Portuguese giants Sporting in the summer of 2023. He hit 43 goals through 50 appearances during his debut campaign in Lisbon.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Those exploits are said to have seen the 26-year-old frontman register on recruitment radars at Emirates Stadium, Anfield and Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea another of his many suitors. No deal was done in the last window, but Gyokeres is looking forward to seeing what happens in the next.
WHAT GYOKERES SAID
He has told when asked about his present and future, with suitors needing to find €100m (£84m/$111m) in order to get a deal done: “They (Sporting) wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight. That’s how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very much, so for me it was no problem to stay. Of course you want to play at the highest level. It (release clause) was probably a bit too much because nothing came of it. Of course, it’s a lot of money. But we’ll see what happens next window… I enjoy myself very much in Sporting and can’t complain about anything, so it’s absolutely no problem for me to stay. Of course, you aim to test other leagues and a higher level, but I have no stress.”
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WHAT NEXT?
Gyokeres is under contract until 2028, so Sporting are under no pressure to sell and his asking price will not be dropping any time soon. He has already registered a further seven goals through five appearances in the 2024-25 campaign, as stunning individual standards are maintained.
Tottenham Hotspur are performing well this season and there are numerous signs of promise that Ange Postecoglou is the right man to lead the club away from the malaise of recent campaigns.
Combining with chairman Daniel Levy to blend pitch performance with sharp and astute recruitment, Tottenham are fighting to reclaim a spot at the forefront of the Premier League, with one eye on European conquests to come too.
Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy.
While impactful signings such as James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have captivated and revived a sombre-feeling fanbase since the Australian manager's arrival, he has been aided by some former groundwork invested in the procurement of young talent.
Destiny Udogie, for example, was signed from Udinese for £15m back in 2022 but spent the subsequent campaign back on loan with the Serie A side, while Pape Matar Sarr was nurtured with a bit-part role last season before being unleashed with regularity at present.
Both are remarkable players but the latter, Sarr, might just bloom into one of Europe's foremost midfielders.
Pape Sarr's Spurs performance in 2023/24
Tottenham signed Sarr from French Ligue 1 club Metz in a £15m package back in 2021 before being handed back to his former club for the campaign, much like with Udogie.
Tottenham midfielder Pape Sarr.
An injury crisis gave Lilywhites supporters a tantalising glimpse of the quality at the now-21-year-old Sarr's disposal last season after he started against AC Milan in the Champions League, excelling in the first leg at the San Siro and leading Harry Kane to gush over his potential
The Three Lions skipper said: "He's got fantastic quality. I think you saw today he was everywhere. He was breaking up play, tracking back, making tackles, shots, crosses. He's a player who has all the ability and he'll only get better from experiences like tonight, playing a really good team, a really good midfield."
Minutes played
90'
Touches
77
Accurate passes
49/59 (83%)
Key passes
1
Long balls
5/6
Dribble attempts
1/2
Tackles
5
Interceptions
1
Duels won
9/16
He did, however, only earn three starting berths in the Premier League but has taken huge strides in his development since Postecoglou's arrival, having established himself as a key cog in the centre of the park, with his turbo-powered energy and multi-skilled midfield approach blending nicely with that of the tough-tackling Yves Bissouma.
Now, lauded as "one of these midfielders who really causes issues for opponents" by his Spurs boss, Sarr has demonstrated such prowess with three goals and three assists apiece across 20 Premier League starts this term, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 1.1 tackles, 4.5 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.
Moreover, he ranks among the top 14% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 6% for assists and the top 18% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, emphasising his adept offensive ability and ubiquity in his craft, also lingering back to chug balls forward with electric constancy.
To put it succinctly: Sarr is a real talent and will rise to the very forefront of the European game if he continues on his current course. He's proof of an exciting change of tack after years of mediocrity, with the Spurs academy absolutely booming at present.
Spurs' most exciting academy stars
Sarr is a prodigious young player but he's not a product of Tottenham's underbelly, though thankfully there is a wealth of promise positively begging to burst through onto the senior pitch, with no one currently playing for the development squad more exciting than Mikey Moore.
The versatile forward, aged only 16, has been in scintillating form this season and has scored 12 goals and supplied seven assists from only ten games in the U18 Premier League. He's the real deal.
"Grafts and grafts" – Young Tottenham star getting rave reviews in training
He’s been putting in extra hours.
ByEmilio Galantini Mar 26, 2024
He's not the only young gun on the block, however, with Premier League icon Yaya Toure naming Callum Olusesi alongside Moore as one of the biggest talents down N17.
Toure was an absolute powerhouse for Manchester City and had been earning a living as a youth coach at Tottenham since his retirement, thus spending much time overseeing some of the development of stars of Olusesi's age bracket.
The Ivorian said: "Yeah, definitely. Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi are top grade U16s, they are really good and most of the time they were playing with the 18s."
Given that Manchester United had a vested interest in poaching Olusesi from Lilywhite clutches before he penned a long-term contract in north London, it's patently clear that Postecoglou might have a future star on his hands.
Callum Olusesi's season in numbers
The 17-year-old Olusesi has recently penned his first professional contract with Tottenham having made a name for himself as a regular for the club's U18s in 2022/23 while still a schoolboy.
This term, the robust midfielder has racked up eight goals and four assists across the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup despite featuring from the centre of the pitch, and given his elegance and technical quality, it might just be that Postecoglou already has a Sarr regen on his hands.
The England U17 international's free-scoring success has placed him in good stead for a prominent career down the line, though he will likely need to continue his work at the current level heading into the 2023/24 campaign before making a deeper mark next term, hoping to crane Postecoglou's neck as he stands out among a host of top teenage talent.
An innate eye for goal is definitely not a bad way to start swivelling heads, and it's important to remember that Olusesi is still younger than Sarr was when the Senegal international first put pen to paper with Tottenham.
He's one to keep an eye on. If he keeps working as hard as he is at present, it might be a name on many more lips before the close of the 2024/25 campaign.
Whilst Derby County's attack took many of the plaudits at the full-time whistle of the 3-0 Port Vale victory and indeed the 3-0 win over Bristol Rovers yesterday, the stern Rams defence at Pride Park were vital on both occasions to ensuring the three points felt like a walk in the park to collect.
Darren Moore's Valiants were anything but their namesake in Derbyshire, the away side failing to register a single on-target shot at Joe Wildsmith's goal as the Derby defence confidently picked up another clean sheet alongside the win.
Whilst Eiran Cashin's name often steals the headlines at the back, alongside Sonny Bradley's face being known from his Luton Town days in the Championship, Curtis Nelson has arguably gone underappreciated from the outside looking in as the other centre-back option often utilised by Paul Warne.
Curtis Nelson's transfer value at Derby County
The former Cardiff City man could definitely be viewed as a transfer steal now when you evaluate his fantastic season to date for the automatic promotion candidates, Nelson yet to miss one game full stop for Warne's Rams machine this campaign.
Signed on a free transfer after his contract was up at Blackpool, the 30-year-old's transfer value for Derby now sits at €1.1M (£941k) to prove that the third-tier side were correct swooping in for their now star number 35 when they did.
Nelson would trudge off the pitch in the Vale win having amassed 86 touches playing out from the back, on top of winning six duels to preserve his team's clean sheet on the day without much fuss.
Surprisingly, Nelson's transfer value does see him now come in as having a higher worth in the Rams camp than that of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
Formerly on the Cardiff books himself before a move to Pride Park materialised back in 2022, Mendez-Laing has been a nuisance all season long for League One defences to attempt to nullify.
The experienced attacker is onto nine goals and 18 assists from 41 total appearances in all competitions this season, taking his full Derby goal contributions tally to an impressive 46.
Yet, Nelson still boasts a heftier value next to his name than Derby's main attacking force.
Curtis Nelson's transfer value compared to the Derby squad.
Nelson, who has been described as a "colossal" figure by his manager, comes in as Derby's fourth most expensive player currently according to Football Transfers.
The imposing centre-back is €600k (£513k) short of toppling both Eiran Cashin and Ryan Nyambe tied in second place above him, whilst Max Bird – who has won a move to the Championship with Bristol City at the end of the campaign – tops the list with a €2m value.
Player
Transfer value
1. Max Bird
€2M
2. Eiran Cashin
€1.7M
3. Ryan Nyambe
€1.7M
4. Curtis Nelson
€1.1M
5. Sonny Bradley
€0.9M
Mendez-Laing's lesser €0.8M value means the electric forward finds himself just outside the top five as can be seen in the table above, with the Rams brimming full of top assets that they'll hope can steer them to promotion finally back up to the Championship.
Derby County manager Paul Warne.
Nelson will aim to stick it out as one of Warne's reliable first names on the teamsheet until now and the end of the campaign alongside the 31-year-old winger, the towering 6 foot centre-back wanting to shine even brighter if his team make the potential jump up a division.