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Tottenham Hotspur are stuck in a cycle of repeated mistakes, time and time again struggling to establish a winning formula on home turf and struggling also to weave Thomas Frank’s tactics into their identity.

Much has been made of Spurs’ attacking problems this season, but defensively, there are imbalances too. The north Londoners’ xGD (Expected Goals Difference) stands at -6.8, marking them 18th in the division for that metric.

Despite adding a range of talented additions to their ranks after winning the Europa League last season, the residual issues that stemmed from a torrid Premier League campaign remain, and Frank has to show that he has what it takes to wipe out the recurring patterns that are threatening an exciting season.

The likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons were welcomed to the ranks, but Frank has yet to pull it all together

The potential Frank replacements ENIC should consider

It has been reported that Frank is not under immediate pressure in the Tottenham hot seat, but after picking just two points up from his past five outings, the Spurs boss will know that results need to improve, especially with the win over Burnley in August standing as a lonely win down N17.

Kudus might be the joint-top assist maker in the division so far, but Tottenham’s creativity is a big concern, and ENIC Group may have the perfect replacement they can fall back on.

Back at the start of the summer, ESPN reported Tottenham had whittled their shortlist down to two candidates, Frank being one, Fulham manager Marco Silva being the other.

The Portuguese tactician is a well-seasoned Premier League manager, having led 221 matches across four different tenures.

Known for establishing stability and a clear tactical vision, the 48-year-old has earned his share of praise, with pundit Jamie Carragher among those to suggest Silva may well be a tailor-made fit for the Lilywhites.

Why Carragher has "always seen" Silva at Spurs

Carragher remarked on The Overlap this week that he has “always seen Silva at Tottenham”, with his blend of pragmatism and shrewd ideas potentially instilling the secure and balanced foundations the club have been lacking in recent years.

Implementing a 4-2-3-1 formation, Silva, whose Cottager side beat Tottenham away from home only last weekend, seeks to strike a balance between possession-based play and counter-attacking football, with both sides of that coin on show against Spurs.

There is an emphasis on overlaps and wide play that could also give rise to Kudus’ qualities. The Ghanaian – who England fans will be threatened by at the 2026 World Cup next year – has made a positive start to life in north London, but there’s a sense that there is more to come from the versatile wideman.

As per FBref, the 25-year-old ranks among the top 3% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for successful take-ons per 90.

Matches (starts)

13 (13)

Goals

2

Assists

5

Touches*

52.4

Shots (on target)*

1.5 (0.5)

Accurate passes*

20.9 (87%)

Chances created*

1.6

Dribbles*

3.1

Ball recoveries*

5.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.9

Duels won*

6.5

Kudus needs to score more, and he also needs to make more of his inherent creative skills. Silva’s system could help achieve this.

Transfer reporter Dean Jones has even gone as far as to label Silva a “genius”, with his subtle and nuanced approach to the managerial game something Spurs may need to adapt to different situations and rediscover their fluency both in defence and attack.

Whether Tottenham decide to cut their ties with Frank down the line will be a matter of time and perserverance, but should an upswing fail to materialise, Silva could be the shrewd successor to finally take this team to a sustainable level at the top.

Spurs star is becoming Frank's own version of Kane & he's not even a forward

This Tottenham star is becoming a talismanic force for Frank’s side.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 5, 2025

It has been a torrid season so far for Everton, and they find themselves in big trouble as a busy festive period rolls around. The Toffees currently sit in 15th place in the Premier League, with 11 points to their name and one point clear of the relegation zone.

They have won just two games this season, beating relegation rivals Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town. Aside from those victories, it has not been an easy ride for Toffees fans, who have seen their side draw five and lose six in the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, that has piled the pressure on manager Sean Dyche, and there have been links with candidates to replace the Englishman.

The manager who could replace Dyche at Everton

There is definitely heat on Dyche at the moment, and the Toffees need to start picking up points or he may well be removed from his post. The Merseysiders have been linked with a couple of candidates in recent months.

One of those is former England manager Gareth Southgate. According to a GiveMeSport report from back in September, the 54-year-old has been spoken about “as an ambitious option to potentially succeed Dyche” if they decide to sack him.

There is no doubting Southgate’s ability to create a good atmosphere within the team, something the Toffees could do with. During England’s Euro 2024 campaign, The Guardian journalist Jonathan Wilson suggested he might be “perhaps rather better at the management side of football management than the football”.

The other man linked with the potentially vacant role at Goodison Park recently is Jose Mourinho. The legendary Portuguese boss is currently working at Fenerbahce, but Football Insider said in October that the former Chelsea boss can’t be ruled out if the job becomes available.

It would certainly be a bold choice from the Everton board, and there is no doubt what Mourinho would bring to the table; experience and charisma.

He has had many unforgettable moments in press conferences and on the touchline and has won it all in the game. It would be an ambitious appointment from the Toffees.

However, Mourinho is not the only Portuguese manager linked with the club should they sack Dyche.

Everton could land biggest coup since Ancelotti

The manager in question here is Sergio Conceicao. According to a report from TeamTalk late last month, the former FC Porto boss is the ‘number one target’ of prospective new owners The Friedkin Group to replace Dyche. The Portuguese manager is currently a free agent.

It would also be a bold move, given his success in the hot seat at Porto. He managed over 350 games for the Dragons, winning an impressive 11 trophies.

His final game in charge was the 2023/24 Taca de Portugal final, which his side won 2-1 against Sporting, then managed by current Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.

Stat

Number

Games

368

Wins

265

Draws

48

Losses

55

Goals for

803

Goals against

317

Trophies

11

The 50-year-old is a manager who prefers to use a 4-2-3-1 system, which certainly fits the current Toffees squad nicely. It is the formation that Dyche has tended to favour this season at Goodison Park, and whilst there would need to be tactical tweaks made, there are perhaps not many personnel changes required if they stick to such a system.

One thing that would be refreshing for the Everton supporters is Conceicao’s style of football. Football scout Antonio Mango described Porto’s style of play as “heavy metal”, and it would certainly be a big change for the Toffees, who are used to the more reserved style they currently play.

As per Sofascore, they have the lowest amount of average possession in the entire Premier League currently, with 40.3%.

It certainly feels like this would be the Toffees’ biggest managerial coup since Carlo Ancelotti became head coach. The legendary Italian manager, who is now in his second stint at Real Madrid, made the move to Merseyside in December 2019. He oversaw 67 games during his time at Goodison Park, helping them to a tenth-place finish in 2020/21.

Replacing Dyche with a Mourinho-esque figure like Conceicao would be a bold move from the prospective new Everton owners, almost as big as the appointment of Ancelotti. Not only would they be bringing in a serial winner, but a coach who could completely transform their style of play.

Manager Focus

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After the turbulent years under the likes of Rafa Benitez, Frank Lampard and current boss, Dyche, snapping up Conceicao – who is also a reported target for West Ham United – could represent a real statement capture.

3/10 Everton flop was even worse than Branthwaite & Tarkowski at Man Utd

Everton were dealt a sobering Premier League defeat against Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 1, 2024

Madeline Penna’s composed knock was the difference as Adelaide Strikers inched past Melbourne Stars in a low-scoring WBBL clash in Perth.Chasing 113 at Lilac Hill, Strikers were 3 for 18 when Deandra Dottin, Katie Mack and Laura Wolvaardt all fell.Penna (56 not out from 50 balls) and Bridget Patterson (31 off 33) put on 44 to stop the rot before Penna kicked on to see Strikers home with five balls to spare.She latched onto one pull shot for a timely six and drove well, bucking the trend on a day dominated by bowlers to embed Strikers in the top four. Incredibly, it was the third time Penna had scored 56, her highest WBBL total.Earlier Annabel Sutherland played a lone hand with the bat for Stars, her 41-ball 47 coming while Megan Schutt and Amanda-Jade Wellington had tormented her team-mates.Sutherland also took 2 for 19 from her four overs, but her solo efforts weren’t enough for Stars

أعلن الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف”، القائمة النهائية للمدربين المرشحين لجائزة الأفضل في حفل جوائر الأفضل للقارة الإفريقية لعام 2025.

ومن المقرر أن يقيم الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف”، حفل جوائز الأفضل في إفريقيا لعام 2025، يوم الأربعاء 19 نوفمبر الجاري.

وكان كاف قد أعلن عن اختيار 10 مدربين في القائمة المبدئية للمرشحين لأفضل مدرب في إفريقيا، ومن بينهم مدرب منتخب مصر حسام حسن.

إلا أن كاف، استبعد حسام حسن مدرب منتخب مصر والكرواتي، كرونوسلاف يوريتشيتش، مدرب بيراميدز، من القائمة النهائية لجائزة المدرب الأفضل في عام 2025 للقارة الإفريقية.

وتواجد من المغرب، الثنائي وليد الركراكي، المدير الفني لـ منتخب المغرب الأول، مع محمد وهبي مدرب منتخب المغرب تحت 20 عام الذي توج ببطولة كأس العالم للشباب في تشيلي مؤخرًا. المرشحون لجائزة أفضل مدرب في إفريقيا 2025

بوبستا – مدرب منتخب الرأس الأخضر.

وليد الركراكي – مدرب منتخب المغرب.

محمد وهبي – مدرب منتخب المغرب تحت 20 عامًا.

𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 (𝗠𝗲𝗻) – 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀#CAFAwards2025 pic.twitter.com/UL3ftAP3sg

— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 16, 2025

Can you hear it, the din from the summer transfer window? Newcastle United’s tumultuous market has been placed in the background, now, and Eddie Howe must be delighted that he can crack on and write another chapter into this wonderful story.

But there’s no denying the events of recent months have taken a toll on the Tyneside outfit, who have started their Premier League campaign with just two points from three games, losing that ridiculous clash against Liverpool and blanking in stalemates against Aston Villa and Leeds United.

Still, United are organised and efficient, and having signed forwards such as Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa among a host of other signings, there is hope that the disappointing departure of Alexander Isak can be offset and that targets might still be hit.

But it hasn’t all been sunshines and rainbows. Isak is bound to carry his prolific nature over to Anfield, but perhaps more frustrating is the recent success of Elliot Anderson, who was sold to Nottingham Forest over a year ago to ease the strain of PSR regulations.

Why Newcastle sold Elliot Anderson

The way Isak forced his way out of Howe’s Newcastle will sting for many years. Never again will the Sweden striker receive the ball at St. James’ Park without being the recipient of a venomous chorus of boos.

But Anderson was one of the club’s own, homegrown and sold for pure profit to avoid financial ramifications. His success with Nottingham Forest over the past two years has been quite a thing, and his recent performances for the Three Lions have underscored his value.

Newcastle sold the centre-midfielder to the Tricky Trees for around £35m in 2024, but he has since become something more, hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson as a “do-it-all midfield warrior” and regarded in the Premier League as one of the driving forces of Nuno Espirito Santo’s success last season.

The 22-year-old could have been something special for Newcastle, and now serves as a reminder to keep onto those top talents who show such promise but perhaps aren’t yet equipped to maintain the consistency of their more experienced peers.

Take, for example, Anderson’s countryman Lewis Hall, who has lulled of late but remains one of the most exciting up-and-comers within the Premier League scene.

Newcastle have struck gold on Lewis Hall

Hall has spent more time than he would have liked in 2025 in the infirmary, with the full-back’s fitness problems taking away from him the building noise after an emphatic start to life at Newcastle.

It was not that long ago that Toon reporter Dominic Scurr declared Hall to be “the best left-back in the country, bar none.”

Likewise, talent scout Jacek Kulig called the 21-year-old “one of the best left-backs in the Premier League” in December 2024, with Hall firing on all cylinders and instrumental in building the form that would lead United back toward the gates of the Champions League and the Carabao Cup title.

But injury struck in the days before that Wembley meeting with Liverpool, and Hall would be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

Matches (starts)

18 (8)

27 (24)

Goals

1

0

Assists

0

4

Touches*

39.2

70.6

Pass completion

83%

85%

Key passes*

0.2

1.3

Dribble success

55%

61%

Ball recoveries*

3.1

4.4

Tackles*

1.6

2.1

Interceptions*

0.7

0.7

Clearances*

0.9

1.9

Duels (won)*

2.9 (53%)

4.4 (54%)

Hall has also featured twice in the Premier League this season, but both times as a substitute and for a total of 43 minutes as he gets back up to speed. He will hope to reclaim his starting berth in the weeks to come, and on the basis of the evidence, his improvements last season suggest Howe will soon deploy him from the opening again.

Data-led platform FBref reveal Hall to rank among the top 12% of positional peers in the Premier League last year for passes attempted, the top 15% for assists and the top 20% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90, so it’s clear that his technical quality is crucial to erecting the build-up patterns that define Howe’s transitional approach.

It’s also clear that this ball-playing skill aligns with the methods of some of England’s finest. Indeed, Caught Offside revealed in the months preceding the summer transfer window that Liverpool and Manchester City had both registered their interest in the young England international, who Newcastle valued at a floor of £60m.

Of course, this puts Hall above a former Toon talent such as Anderson, who left for £35m and has since seen a market growth toward the ballpark of £45m, as per Football Transfers.

The aforementioned Premier League giants both signed left-backs this summer, which perhaps signals the strength of Newcastle’s response when Hall’s name was discussed in negotiations.

Hall is a defender who can do it all. After all, he played most regularly as a robust central midfielder during his younger days, since refashioned into a wide defender. Perhaps there is a future for him in the middle of the park, where he might rival players such as Anderson for a prominent role in England’s national squad.

Newcastle might have entered something of a transitional campaign, but Howe will remain steadfast in his belief that last year’s success can be used to prop up the riches still to come at St. James’ Park.

In any case, with such exciting talents as Hall set to star for years to come, there’s every reason for excitement.

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أفادت تقارير صحفية عالمية أن ليونيل ميسي نجم إنتر ميامي الأمريكي والمنتخب الأرجنتيني، قد أصبح محل اهتمام أحد العمالقة الأوروبيين لضمه قبل كأس العالم 2026.

ووفقاً للصحفي التركي زكي أوزوندروكان، فإن جالطة سراي يخطط لواحدة من أكثر الصفقات جرأة في كرة القدم، حيث يرغب النادي باستعارة ليونيل ميسي لمدة أربعة أشهر خلال فترة توقف الدولي الأمريكي، في منتصف الموسم، قبل كأس العالم 2026.

ودخل النادي التركي في تواصل مباشر مع نجم إنتر ميامي المخضرم صاحب الـ38 عاماً، ويعد على استعداد لدفع راتب يبلغ 10 ملايين يورو خلال هذه الفترة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: ليفربول يحدد بديلًا جديدًا لـ محمد صلاح حال رحيله

ويراقب جالطة سراي موقف ليونيل ميسي عن قرب، ويعتبرون فترة التوقف فرصة مثالية للاعب الأرجنتيني، لكي يعود للعب في أوروبا ويقوم بصقل موهبته.

وكان جالطة سراي قد أجرى تعاقدات ضخمة بضم لاعبين مثل ليروي ساني وفيكتور أوسيمين، ويرى النادي أن ميسي هو الخيار الأمثل لمطاردة المجد المحلي والأوروبي.

وأكد مسؤولو جالطة سراي أنهم مستعدون لدفع المال اللازم، وتغطية راتب الأسطورة الأرجنتينية والفائز بكأس العالم بدون أي عوائق، وفي حالة إتمام الصفقة ستكون سابقة في تاريخ كرة القدم التركية.

وسيكون ليونيل ميسي على استعداد للدفاع عن لقب كأس العالم 2026 مع منتخب بلاده الأرجنتين، مشتعلاً بأجواء إسطنبول الحماسية.

The loss to Liverpool has certainly made things more complicated, but Arsenal still have a great chance to win the Premier League this season.

Moreover, despite the narrative some in the media are seemingly desperate to spin, Mikel Arteta’s side were just as good as the defending champions, and were it not for a freak free-kick, would be level on points with them.

That said, while the Gunners were defensively excellent against the Reds, they were a little underwhelming in attack, although Viktor Gyokeres didn’t really get the service he needed to make an impact.

Fortunately, the team will only grow more familiar with his fame in the coming weeks and months, and if his form over the last few seasons is anything to go by, he should be scoring for fun in no time at all.

With that said, Arsenal may well have been able to save the £68m they spent on him had they not sold a youngster a few windows ago.

Why Arsenal splashed the cash on Gyokeres

While there were several problems Arsenal had to contend with last season, from chance creation to a never-ending list of injuries, one of the big ones was simply putting the ball in the back of the net.

So, if you were Andrea Berta and you wanted to help solve that problem, you’d probably go out and sign the most prolific player in the world last year, which is precisely what he did.

From January 1 to December 31, 2024, Gyokeres scored a staggering 36 goals in the league alone, more than any other player in any other top-flight league around the world.

Perhaps even more impressive than that, though, is the fact that the Swedish “powerhouse,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored a staggering 54 goals and provided 13 assists across 52 appearances last season.

In other words, the 27-year-old international averaged 1.28 goal involvements every game, which is nothing short of miraculous.

In all, it’s not his build-up play nor his passing ability that caused Arsenal to splash the cash on Gyokeres; it was his unreal ability to wallop the ball in the back of the net.

Yet, while his transfer will probably work out, it might not have been necessary had Arteta and Co shown faith in a former youngster at the club.

The Arsenal youngster who could have been their homegrown Gyokeres

For all the talents that have made it into the first team over recent years, such as Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skell and Bukayo Saka, Arsenal have let their fair share of young stars leave.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

The likes of Donyell Malen and Eberechi Eze were let go as youngsters, but in this instance, we are talking about Mika Biereth.

The Danish poacher joined the club’s youth setup from Fulham in the summer of 2021 and, within a few years, had been out on several loans, the most successful of which was at Sturm Graz, who he was sold to for around £4m in the summer of 2024.

To say the 22-year-old hit the ground running upon making the permanent move would be a massive understatement, as in the first half of this season, he ended up scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in 25 appearances.

Such an awe-inspiring start to the campaign was more than enough to convince AS Monaco to spend just north of £10m on him in the winter window.

Despite now playing in a top-five league for the first time, the “outrageous” talent, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, thrived on the French Riviera, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists in 19 appearances, totalling 1366 minutes.

In other words, the free-scoring forward, whom Arteta sold for a pittance, scored 27 goals and provided eight assists in just 44 appearances, totalling 3337 minutes last season.

Appearances

44

Minutes

3337′

Goals

27

Assists

8

Goals Involvements per Mat

0.79

Minutes per Goal Involvement

95.34′

That comes out to a monstrous average of a goal involvement every 1.25 games, or every 95.34 minutes across the 24/25 campaign.

Now, we are not claiming that Biereth would be as good a striker for the Gunners as Gyokeres could end up being this summer, but it’s clear that they probably would have been better off keeping him around.

After all, his output last season was undeniably Gyokeres-esque.

Berta must axe "clunky and indecisive" Arsenal dud who earns more than Eze

It’s time for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal to move on from the big-earner.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 2, 2025