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A report in the last 48 hours claims Tottenham Hotspur are in negotiations to bring Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet to the Premier League this summer.

The Lowdown: Barcelona offer Lenglet to Spurs

The Frenchman first made the switch to the Camp Nou in a £31.7m move from Sevilla back in 2018, where he’s so far made a total of 160 appearances for the Catalan giants during his spell at the club.

Despite still having four years remaining on his current contract, which expires in 2026, the 15-cap ace has recently fallen out of favour under Xavi, and therefore has been linked with a move away after it was revealed that Barca have offered him out to clubs to complete a potential loan transfer.

One of the teams named is the Lilywhites, and following a fresh update, it would seem as though Antonio Conte is very much keen on striking up an agreement for the defender.

The Latest: Spurs in transfer negotiations

In a new article published by Spanish website Sport (via Sport Witness), it’s claimed that Spurs are now ‘working on a deal’ for the transfer of Lenglet, and are currently in negotiations with the Blaugrana.

The source further states that Paratici and co initially made a proposal to sign the Beauvais-born talent on a two-season loan, but a new regulation that comes into force from July 1 prevents loans from lasting longer than one term. The two parties are now looking for a loophole.

If a move is arranged, it’s believed that the 6 foot 1 colossus would spend the ‘whole time’ getting his salary paid by the north Londoners.

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The Verdict: A risk worth taking

Lenglet, who was once valued at £54m back in 2019, has had a disappointing season in La Liga, having only recorded 21 outings after falling down the pecking order under Xavi.

Despite this, the £97k-per-week starlet was among the best centre-backs in Europe when he left Sevilla to join Barca, labelled ‘impeccable’ at passing out from the back by Catalan media outlets. The evidence in his limited appearances this season backs that label up – Lenglet ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive passes for centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues (FBRef).

He also typically plays on the left-hand side of a backline, a position that Ben Davies, who’s not a natural central defender, currently occupies.

Considering any possible move would only be temporary, we feel Conte should take the risk and give Lenglet the chance to show what he’s capable of in the English top-flight, and even if the switch doesn’t go as well as hoped, he would simply be allowed to return if he fails to impress the Italian following the conclusion of his spell.

In other news… Paddy Kenny has reacted to a ‘ridiculous’ new £310m Spurs reveal.

Adam Jones has been left thrilled by some news that he has now heard from Everton.

The Lowdown: Everton hand contract to Warrington

As confirmed by the Toffees’ official website, under-23s midfielder Lewis Warrington has now signed a new two-year deal which will keep him at the Merseyside club until the end of June 2024.

He spent the second half of this season on loan at Tranmere Rovers, where he scored one goal and supplied two assists in League Two (top-half finish as they narrowly missed out on the play-off spots.

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The Latest: Jones reacts to Warrington contract

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool Echo journalist Jones was left thrilled by the update, claiming that there is a ‘lot of excitement’ over Warrington’s contract at Everton.

Sharing a corresponding article on the news, he tweeted: “Understandably a lot of excitement around Lewis Warrington’s new contract. He’s had a very strong season, both with the U23s and on loan, and certainly given himself a great platform to build.”

The Verdict: One for the future

Warrington is certainly one for the future, and his exposure to men’s football at Tranmere should help him with his eventual transition into the Everton first team when Frank Lampard feels that he is ready.

The 19-year-old has played 51 times at youth level for the Toffees over the last four seasons, scoring five goals and supplying three assists and showing his versatility by adapting to a number of different positions across the pitch (Transfermarkt).

Also, at such a fledgling age, he will surely only get better as he continues his development with the Blues, so it’s little wonder that Jones is so enthused by the confirmation of a new Everton deal for the youngster.

In other news, Everton are now ‘waiting’ to sign this 6 foot 1 colossus

Liverpool are still in contention to sign AS Monaco star Aurelien Tchouameni, according to a report from French outlet L’Equipe (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Familiar rivals

Fresh off the back of falling to defeat in Paris at the hands of Real Madrid, the Reds have seemingly been battling the La Liga giants off the pitch too for the capture of Tchouameni for some time.

Recent reports suggested that Los Blancos were in the box seat to sign the 22-year-old sensation, however, speculation continues to rumble on with Paris Saint-Germain also in the mix.

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Now a fresh report from one reputable French source has shed some light on the situation…

The latest: Reds still in the hunt

As per L’Equipe, translated by SW, Liverpool are believed to be preparing to ‘try their luck again’ following the final heartache.

It’s claimed that the Anfield club have ‘followed’ the eight-cap ace for a prolonged period and at one stage Tchouameni was ‘more tempted’ by the prospect of a move to work under Jurgen Klopp.

The report also states that Real Madrid have ‘recently improved’ their offer to sign the French youngster hailed as the ‘complete player’ by France national team manager Didier Deschamps.

The verdict: Statement required

After losing the 2018 Champions League final against the same opposition, Liverpool swiftly secured the capture of a midfield enforcer and now Klopp favourite, Fabinho, from no other than Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

Pulling off a nigh-on identical move some four years later would be just the tonic needed to boost morale amongst Reds fans.

Also predominantly operating as a defensive midfielder, Tchouameni would provide much-needed cover for the Brazilian in a position the Liverpool ranks are currently dangerous light in. Very strong aerially and in the tackle (WhoScored), the French powerhouse shares similar characteristics to Fabinho and would likely be viewed as the long term successor for the role.

Already boasting 17 goal involvements in just 133 domestic career outings, the £36million valued apprentice to be could even present a more well-rounded overall package than his potential Brazilian mentor.

Put simply, this is a battle for a high calibre player that FSG, newly appointed sporting director Julian Ward and Klopp himself should be pulling out all the stops to get over the line and get one over their conquerors in Paris.

In other news, Liverpool ‘willing’ to sanction £42.5million move for La Liga starlet. Find out more here

He rewrote the record books, piled on runs for fun, and once again put Sri Lanka in a position of dominance

Madushka Balasuriya27-Sep-2024Grab the popcorn, guys, another Kamindu Mendis century/milestone/diss track has dropped.It’s eight fifties in eight straight Tests now, five centuries in 13 Test innings – his latest, 182 not out, being his best yet – making him the fastest Asian to that feat, and oh, he’s also the third-fastest ever to do so equalling Don Bradman.Wait, he’s not done yet? Oh yeah, he reached 1000 Test runs, the third-fastest to do that too – again equalling Bradman.Related

• Chandimal takes on No. 3 challenge 'for the future of Sri Lankan cricket'

• Peiris, Jayasuriya ravage New Zealand on 13-wicket day

• Dinesh Chandimal rises to the occasion, with a 'bit of luck' on his side

• Mendises hit powerful centuries to put Sri Lanka in position of dominance

• Stats – Kamindu's dream start in Test cricket puts him alongside Bradman

All of which makes the fact he was dropped for two years from the Test side after making a half-century on debut against Australia in 2022 kinda hilarious. One could question the selectors’ thinking, but at this point maybe we should be grateful. I mean, the guy really does make us all look bad.New Zealand for one were definitely fed up with his antics, with throws from the deep after a point resembling an angsty teen asked to play catch with his absentee father. Just a token gesture, waiting for the misery to be brought to a hopefully swift end.Even the weather gods seemed to have been stunned into inaction, perhaps taken by his majestic drives on the up. See, there’s actually been an extreme weather warning issued for the entirety of the Galle district, but while grey clouds shielded the sun across the day’s proceedings, the rain never arrived.Sure, it was there overnight – quick shoutout to the always excellent Galle ground staff for sorting out the covers blanketed in rainwater promptly – and it had definitely arrived all around Galle, and probably will again later in the evening. But in the middle, the mugginess from the previous day had dissipated, replaced by a comforting breeze, all seemingly to make Kamindu’s day of fun all that more pleasant.But all these records and achievements aside, perhaps the best thing about Kamindu is that his mere presence has forced a quiet transformative change in the playing XI.

“Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records”Angelo Mathews

It wasn’t long before his stirring form in 2024 resulted in a clamour for him to be pushed up the order. The solution, therefore, was to push Dinesh Chandimal up to No. 3 and give the gloves to Kusal Mendis, who in turn would go down to No. 7. As for Kamindu, he would push up to No. 5.It may be a small sample size since the switch, but the results speak for themselves.Kamindu, of course, hasn’t missed a beat, merely continuing from his performances at No. 7. If anything, he’s gotten better, only being deprived of a maiden double-century by virtue of a pre-planned declaration. “At tea, the talk was to bat for 15 overs before declaring,” Angelo Mathews explained after the day’s play.Chandimal’s flexibility in approach, meanwhile, has seen him thrive at three since taking it up at the start of the series – 30, 61 and 116 in three innings – while Kusal has flourished at seven, where his natural attacking instincts can be the difference between a competitive total and a winning one.Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis added an unbroken 200-stand for the sixth wicket•Associated PressIt might have been a welcome change as well for a batter that has long been seen as underperforming. Kusal’s unbeaten 106 was his third century since the start of 2023, but it was his first against opposition that wasn’t Ireland or Zimbabwe since December 2018. In terms of strike rate, it was also his fastest at 71.14 (excluding his centuries against Ireland).”All three of them have responded well, and it worked perfectly – most importantly for the team,” Mathews said. “It’s all about the team, it’s all about the balance. And it’s all about every individual, where they’re suited to playing in the team. I think it all worked really well, and it was a very good decision by everyone.”And for Kamindu? Well, at this point there’s not much more that can be said. The most striking aspect of his batting has been the seemingly effortless repeatability of it, and a measuredness that many only find much later in their careers. Something Mathews himself touched on.”Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records,” Matthews said. “He has been unbelievable, he has got the skill, he’s got the temperament, he’s got the courage, he’s got everything that a batter and cricketer needs.”His maturity also belies his age. None of us were able to do the kinds of things he’s doing at that point in our careers. Definitely one of the best batters I have seen in recent years.”This purple patch of course isn’t going to go on forever, but for now, more than speculating on how long he can carry on this form, maybe we should all just sit back and enjoy the show.

A great campaign was in danger of coming to an early close but RR found the will and the smarts to come good

Alagappan Muthu23-May-20241:22

What made Boult so effective against Kohli and du Plessis?

The littlest things can decide a cricket match. A 2-pound blade. A 5-ounce ball. A 22-yard pitch. Or in the case of the IPL Eliminator, its exact position. Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) played a make-or-break match in conditions where one square boundary was longer (68m) than the other (61m) and one team used it better than the other.The most dramatic expression of this was the 16th over of the chase. RCB had pulled the game back, picking up three wickets in a short space of time and once again there was undue spotlight on Royals and their batting depth. They needed 47 from 30 balls with six wickets in hand but that isn’t as much of an advantage when four of them are R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma and Avesh Khan.Related

• Royals eliminate RCB to set up knockout against SRH

• 'We needed a little bit more' – Faf du Plessis on the runs RCB failed to score

• The Dhruv Jurel run-out: 'I just don't think you can give it out,' says Tom Moody

• 'Confidence will come right back' for Royals after Eliminator win, says Ashwin

Clarity is crucial in these moments but when Virat Kohli takes a vital wicket with just his fielding and 87,347 people roar in unison, believing that their hero had changed the game, it is hard not to be swept up in it. Or, if you’re in the opposition, be unbalanced by it. The thing is, much like that six that MS Dhoni hit which went on to favour of the bowling side, this wicket, handed the initiative over to the batting side. That night RCB benefited from destiny. Tonight, it was Royals.Because after a 23-ball sequence where there were only three boundaries, there came this four-ball sequence with three boundaries: 6, 1, 6, 4. The difference between those two periods of play was the profile of batter at the crease. During the lull, Royals had two right-handers out there, so RCB could protect the short boundary. When the run-out happened, Shimron Hetmyer strode out to the middle. A left-hand batter to partner Riyan Parag, a right-hand batter. This meant Royals could access the short boundary in every over. So that’s what they did. Hetmyer targeted midwicket. Parag targeted cover and short third. 6, 1, 6, 4.Trent Boult’s powerplay spell was vital in the outcome of the match•BCCIIt took until the 13th over for RCB to have a left-right combination in the middle, which coincided with a time where they had to rebuild the innings. Royals had one right at the start of their chase and one at the end of their chase which are the two most crucial parts of a chase. This, of course, might just have been coincidence because Yashasvi Jaiswal only bats at the top of the order and Hetmyer only bats in the middle of it. Those are their roles. They didn’t change to exploit the ground dimensions.They did, however, make a concerted effort to provide their best bowlers the best conditions. Boult and Ashwin got the long boundary on the leg side for the right-handed batter. Royals trusted in their quality to make it as hard as possible for RCB to score runs. It was a little like front-loading but in bowling terms. And it worked.The end from which those two bowled – and later gave up to the team’s death bowlers, Avesh and Sandeep, because at that point they needed the long boundary for the right-hand batter on the leg side – cost only 51 runs and yielded six wickets. These were the odd numbered overs in the RCB innings. The even numbered overs – because they had the short boundary on the leg side for the right-hand batter – cost 121 runs but that turned out to be okay. The front-loading had done enough damage.

.@TomMoodyCricket tells us why Dinesh Karthik's lbw reversal on review was a poor decision #Timeout #RRvRCB | #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/FwiEJ1i2GD

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 22, 2024

Boult’s first spell of 3-0-6-1 suggested there was more than just the uneven dimensions to consider. He was getting the new ball to curl in the air but also there was a bit of spongy bounce off the pitch. Faf du Plessis was hit high up on his thigh when he was too late to account for the inward moment. Later, when Avesh came on from this end, his short balls were climbing on the RCB batters. Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik were caught off the top edge.”As soon as the ball swings for Trent Boult, he’s even more of a threat,” former New Zealand fast bowler and IPL winner Mitchell McClenaghan said on ESPNcricinfo’s show. “And what I liked about him today was, particularly to Faf du Plessis, he didn’t give him any width [which would’ve opened up the short boundary]. He had that ball keep on coming into him. Faf has historically struggled with that a little bit and he was able to keep the runs down. And in that powerplay, at the other end, the other bowlers were going for runs. They were getting targeted. If he hadn’t have had a miserly over after one of those big overs, that powerplay might have been a 60-70 run powerplay launching them towards a 200 total.”Royals’ slump towards the end of the season was marred with plans being poorly executed. A bowling unit that was defying the high-scoring trend this season conceded two 200-totals on the trot. Then their batting line-up started messing up. In Chennai and in Guwahati, they didn’t show enough intent. A season where they’d occupied top spot in the points table for the longest time was in danger of falling apart.During the slump, Samson called on his players to display some individual brilliance. In Ahmedabad, they got that. Ashwin defied this ground’s tendency to hurt spinners with a spell of 4-0-19-2. Hetmyer came back from injury just in time to lend an important hand. Parag weathered that period where Kohli and RCB got the crowd going. Rovman Powell finished the game with very little fuss.But pinning all of those contributions together were the plans RR made and executed to perfection.

Jamie Carragher has taken a fresh swipe at Mohamed Salah for supposedly not leading by example amid Liverpool's poor run of form. The Reds legend commended captain Virgil van Dijk for speaking to the media and demanding more from his team-mates. But the former Anfield favourite thinks Salah shouldn't shirk his responsibilities, especially after being vocal about his contract situation last season.

• Carragher feuds with Salah

  This time last year, Carragher branded Salah as "selfish" for publicly expressing his disappointment at Liverpool not offering him a new deal.

  He said on Sky Sports: "The most important thing for Liverpool this season is not the future of Mo Salah, it's not the future of Virgil van Dijk and it's not the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League. That is more important than any of those players, and if he continues to put comments out or his agent keeps putting cryptic tweets out, that's selfish, that's thinking about themselves and not the football club."

  The Egypt international bit back at Carragher but the feud eventually ended when the former Roma man signed a two-year deal at Anfield. Fast forward to the present, and the ex-England man has laid into the 33-year-old again in light of Liverpool dropping to 12th in the Premier League and losing six out of their last seven league games. 

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• Getty/GOAL
  

  Salah needs to 'come out as a leader'

  Like Liverpool, Salah has struggled to make a telling impact for Arne Slot's team this season. The forward scored 34 goals last season but this term, he has just five goals in 17 matches. Following the Reds' 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, skipper Van Dijk said "everyone has to take responsibility" for their current malaise, and urged his team-mates to get the Merseyside outfit out of this mess. Now Carragher wants Salah to do something similar going forward.

  Before Manchester United's 1-0 loss to Everton on Monday, he said on Monday Night Football: "I think Virgil van Dijk, after the game, has come out again and spoke, as he should do as a captain, he's called Liverpool a mess. I must say, on the back of all these Liverpool defeats, it's always Virgil van Dijk who comes out. And as I said, the captain should do that, but there should be other players in that dressing room coming out and speaking for the club. A year ago this weekend, Mo Salah wasn't shy in coming out and speaking about his own situation, about the club not offering him a contract. I only ever hear Salah speak when he gets man of the match, or he needs a new contract. I'd like to see Mo Salah come out as one of the leaders, as one of the legends of Liverpool, come out and speak for the team. He shouldn't always be the captain. But, obviously, the manager is the one in the firing line. Any manager with results like that, as you said, if they were part of the bottom four or a promoter team, would be under pressure. So there's no doubt the manager is under pressure now with results like that, on the back of being champions, but also on the fact of what Liverpool spent in the summer."

• Slot positive about Liverpool's future

  While Slot was naturally disappointed with Liverpool's recent results, months on from spending more than £400 million on players this summer, he struck a defiant tone ahead of a busy run of games. The Dutchman added that a "solution" for the Reds could be within their grasp.

  When asked if his players are low on confidence, he replied: "I don't feel this, or I don't see this. After we go 1-0, we struggled. I tried to pump them up and give them the information to start the second half well. Immediately, they go 2-0 up. The players kept trying, I can't blame them for that. They blocked every shot we had. The solution is not that far away. We created chances in every and it's not as if we give away 10 chances. That will not go on forever but we have to look at ourselves and what we can do better when we concede a goal. Two games in a row, we haven't scored."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  What comes next for Liverpool?

  Liverpool will hope to put the Forest loss behind them when they host PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday at Anfield. The Reds have had more joy in Europe's elite competition this season, so this may be the perfect game to reignite their campaign. After that, they face West Ham, Sunderland, Leeds United, and Inter Milan in the space of 10 days.

Newcastle United are masters at adapting and overcoming adversity. Hurdles have sprung up and sent Eddie Howe’s side tumbling in recent years, but each time the Magpies get themselves airborne once again.

They must prove this mentality remains intact, having struggled to make things click in the Premier League this season.

One ray of light through this up-and-down period has been Nick Woltemade, who has swerved a number of those hurdles to establish himself as one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe.

Could he be the Toon’s most talented player?

Why Nick Woltemade is thriving at Newcastle

Newcastle signed Woltemade from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m fee in August before Alexander Isak had completed his record-breaking move to Liverpool, signalling in all but confirmation the Swede’s looming departure.

With Yoane Wissa also brought in but sidelined before he could make his bow with a knee injury, Woltemade, 23, has assumed quite the heavy load.

But this hasn’t thwarted him.

The striker has scored six goals from his first 13 matches in black and white. Rangy and seemingly a throwback type of frontman, the German is endowed with much technical grace, with reporter Andy Sixsmith hailing him for “mesmerising” link-up ability.

Woltemade is surpassing expectations at number nine for Newcastle, and he is indeed playing like a man in a contest with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali for the crown as the club’s best player.

But there’s an up-and-coming prospect who might be the cream of the crop, albeit one who requires work over the next few years.

Newcastle's bigger talent than Woltemade

Newcastle have transformed their first team in the four years under Howe’s wing, but PIF have quietly been assembling a youth force to be reckoned with down the line.

And, right at the top of this pack is Vakhtang Salia, who joined St. James’ Park from Dinamo Tbilisi this summer despite rival interest from European heavyweights such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Injury has kept the 18-year-old from featuring for the Toon yet, but he played 57 senior matches for his former Georgian side, scoring eight goals and supplying four assists.

Salia hasn’t quite worked out his best position at this nascent stage of his career, but that’s okay. He is fast and has the mark of a clinical player down the line, and in this, he could one day surpass Woltemade.

This is a bold claim to make, but the respective forwards are at wholly different points in their careers, and his “very high work-rate”, as has been said by Genk scout Mikha Gabechava, suggests he has the drive to match his talent with a tenacious approach.

Because, after all, the Georgia U21 star has been described as “one of the best teenage prospects in the world” by journalist Graeme Bailey, and this without yet proving himself in a top division. The hype is very much real.

The sales of prospects like Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson mark a cautionary tale for the Tynesiders as they look to go from strength to strength once again. Salia’s signature must be held onto, and he must be allowed to develop into a polished Premier League star.

With the right work over the coming years, he could even prove to be a bigger talent than Woltemade.

Newcastle star was set to be sold, now he's one of their "standout" players

This Newcastle star is still performing for Eddie Howe’s side.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 7, 2025

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shared what’s impressed him most about teenager Andre Harriman-Annous after the Hale End graduate’s senior debut against Brighton on Wednesday.

The Gunners extended their unbeaten run to 11 in all competitions whilst booking a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after their victory over Brighton.

Goals from fellow youngster Ethan Nwaneri and star winger Bukayo Saka handed Arsenal a routine win at the Emirates Stadium, despite summer signing Kepa Arrizabalaga being forced into a string of early saves to deny the Seagulls, who threatened to break through first.

The headlines initially belonged to Max Dowman, after the 15-year-old became Arsenal’s youngest ever starter.

Dowman showed flashes of brilliance on the right-hand side in place of Saka and the injured Noni Madueke, who’s believed to be making “faster-than-expected” progress in his recovery from a knee injury.

However, once the teenager was hauled off Saka, and Harriman-Annouss replaced Declan Rice, attention turned towards the latest in a long queue of star-studded talents from the Hale End production line.

Harriman-Annous, who bagged 18 goals in 37 games for the Under-21s last season, has been a regular in first-team training at London Colney with Arteta taking note.

The England Under-18 international can feel hard done by that he didn’t mark his first senior appearance for the club with a goal too, having watched Jason Steele save his one-v-one effort before Saka dispatched the rebound.

Arteta shares what's impressed him about Harriman-Annous after Arsenal debut

It was a night to remember for Harriman-Annous, with Arteta explaining in a post-match press conference why he finally gave the youngster a chance to shine at N5.

Arsenal’s boss explains that Harriman-Annous has impressed him with a fierce mentality and work ethic behind-the-scenes, with the versatile centre-forward desperate to make an impact.

Arsenal supporters have plenty of reasons to feel excited about Harriman-Annous after his debut against Brighton.

Stepping onto the pitch in a high-stakes cup match is no small feat, and the teen showed glimpses of the potential that has impressed coaches throughout his development.

His composure and confidence stood out. He demonstrated good technical skills and an understanding of the game that belies his age. For a young player making his first senior appearance, showing such calmness under pressure is a promising sign of future growth.

Harriman-Annous made the bench against Liverpool in August, and if he continues to seize his opportunities like he did against Brighton, it’s only a matter of time before he makes his first Premier League outing.

Jurickson Profar is apparently pretty sneaky.

During the bottom of the first inning of Game 2 of the NLDS between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, Profar made a spectacular play. But he waited a bit to let everyone know just what he'd done.

With the Padres up 1-0 with one, Mookie Betts stepped to the plate and blasted the first pitch he saw from Yu Darvish down the left field line. It looked to be headed for the seats as Profar drifted back to the wall. He leaped into a crowd of Dodgers fans and … well, no one seemed to know what happened.

Profar stared at the fans and jumped up and down a few times as the FS1 camera operator flashed back to Betts, who was rounding the bases. Whoever was in charge of graphics for the network announced Betts had hit a home run. But he hadn't.

Despite making the catch, Profar milked things for a bit before revealing he'd robbed a home run. Video is below.

That's a heck of a play and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

It’s always nice to see a player rebound from adversity. Ahead of England’s comfortable 3-0 win over Wales on Thursday evening, Manchester City’s John Stones said he considered retiring last season amid endless injury problems.

But the 30-year-old Stones has already started five matches across all competitions for the Citizens this term, and he cruised through the win at Wembley, albeit suffering but surviving a fitness scare.

Stones isn’t the only one of a City persuasion to be targeting renaissance at the more mature end of their career, though, with Jack Grealish starting to look like a £100m player once again.

Only, he’s doing it over on Merseyside, in an Everton shirt.

Why Man City loaned out Jack Grealish

Pep Guardiola broke the bank when signing Grealish from Aston Villa for a British record £100m fee. It was 2021. The Three Lions star was silky and stylish and all the rest, but he got lost somewhere within the Man City mechanics during his four years at the Etihad.

Still, the 30-year-old is a Citizen, shipped out on loan to Everton this summer. But Grealish has returned to his finest form so far this season, notching four assists in August to claim the Premier League Player of the Month and scoring the recent winner at the Hill Dickinson Stadium to end Crystal Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run.

Grealish, perhaps, is at his best when the leading figure in a team, the talisman. Under Pep’s wing, something went awry, and he toiled on the margins for his past two Premier League campaigns.

If the Sky Blues succeed in selling the £300k-per-week talent permanently next summer, they will not recoup anything near the figure once paid.

Across 157 outings for Man City, Grealish scored 17 times and supplied 23 assists for his teammates.

He was never a prolific player, per se, but there’s no doubt plenty was left to be desired, and Guardiola knew it, handing his record signing just 17 Premier League starts across his final two terms. During this period, he notched six goal contributions.

Grealish isn’t the only one who might have been ferried out this summer, though, with Pep and co maybe looking back at the opportunity to sell Bernardo Silva for a hefty figure with something akin to regret.

Pep should have sold Bernardo Silva

Silva, 31, is one of the definitive superstars of the Guardiola era at Manchester City. A six-time Premier League champion, his 419 appearances for the club place him ninth in the all-time charts.

But he’s beginning to dip. Even though the boss named him captain this summer, Silva has lost some of the magic that has so often been discernible throughout his career, and Fabrizio Romano has said only this week that the veteran “has chances to leave Man City” ahead of 2026.

It’s been a long and storied career for Silva at Manchester City, but Guardiola’s side are evolving, and habitually have the rumours of the Iberian talent’s potential departure emerged in recent years.

Last season was a struggle for everyone at the club, but Silva felt the upheaval and tumult more than most. His output was halved, and he was placed on the substitute’s bench seven times across the latter half of the top-flight term.

Altered in his role, Silva no longer produces goals and assists with the same regularity, and Sofascore record he is averaging just one chance per Premier League game this season, losing 70% of his duels so far.

He’s captained Man City six times across all competitions this season, and remains one of the most fleet-footed and intelligent players in the Premier League, even described as “one of the best players” Guardiola has ever seen.

But, aged 31, there’s a sense he’s into the autumn of his career in English football, and is not indispensable as he once was.

He’s still a tenacious and layered attacking midfielder, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe for pass completion, the top 10% for tackles and the top 7% for carries per 90, but the Portugal international could have fetched a pretty penny indeed for City in the past, with Transfermarkt recording the ace once bore a market value of €100m (£86m).

Silva is among only the top 54% for goals and assists combined, which isn’t enough for a City side looking for different attacking dimensions, easing the burden on Erling Haaland.

Saudi Arabian suitors presented themselves last year, got their bids at the ready. It came to nought, but since the Portuguese star has hinted this coming season could be his last as he stares at the culmination of his contract in Manchester, might there be a touch of ruefulness that a big sale could not have been engineered, and instead City must wave goodbye to one of their best on a free?

News is indeed growing over the possibility of Silva’s summer departure on a free, with Benfica and AC Milan considered among the frontrunners. This is a reality that Man City must accept. Perhaps they should have sold him last season, or the year before, but having signed him way back in 2017 for £43.5m, there are some who would suggest City have received bang for their buck.

Concerning the regret over not selling sooner to speed up the rebuild, the same logic might be attributed to Grealish, who languished on the side at Man City for two years before earning a move to Everton and resurrecting his career. Had City cashed in on either before they dipped and waned, a hefty figure may have been had.

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By
Joe Nuttall

Oct 9, 2025