Category Uncategorized

The FA confirmed Jurgen Klopp will be banned from the touchline for two Liverpool matches and assessed a fine.

The FA confirmed in a statement that Klopp had received the suspension and been fined £75,000 after comments he made in the media about referee Paul Tierney following Liverpool's dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham in April.

In a newly released letter, the German manager apologised to Tierney for "questioning his integrity" and also for his behaviour towards fourth official John Brooks after Diogo Jota's late goal.

Klopp's initial comments – which were to say "I really don’t know what he has against us" – have been adjudged to have implied bias from Tierney towards Liverpool, an allegation refuted by refereeing body PGMOL and the FA – and since retracted by Klopp in his apology.

GOAL breaks down the key parts of the report and Klopp's apology letter below…

GettyHow did the FA punish Klopp?

Klopp has been fined £75,000 and issued with a touchline ban. The first match of the manager’s touchline ban is "effective immediately" – meaning he will watch from the stands as Liverpool take on Aston Villa at Anfield this Saturday. The second match of the ban will be assessed at the end of the 2023-24 season, provided Klopp doesn't incur any further FA bans or fines.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALKlopp's apology letter in full

The German head coach sent a personal letter to the FA that the organisation re-printed in its official report announcing his punishment. In it, Klopp fully retracted his comments about Tierney and Brooks, admitting what he said in post-match media interviews constituted improper conduct as they implied bias, questioned the integrity of the referee, were personal and/or offensive and brought the game into disrepute.

Here is his letter in full, dated May 3:

Getty ImagesFA's details of 'unwarranted attack'

The FA attached an appendix to its official statement entitled 'the FA v Jurgen Klopp', which detailed what PGMOL called an "unwarranted attack" from the Liverpool boss towards the officials at Anfield during the Spurs game on April 30:

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

(C)Getty ImagesFA acceptance of his apology

Klopp may have escaped further penalties because of his whole-hearted apology, which has been accepted by the FA. There has been a significant effort made by the Liverpool boss to clear any allegations of bias, although the FA and PGMOL are working to stamp out such comments, which may damage referees' reputations in the media.

This is what the FA said in response to Klopp's letter:

Manchester United return to Premier League action tonight, but face an arduous task as they travel to Tottenham Hotspur.

Whilst many would expect another comfortable victory over Ryan Mason's woeful outfit, there almost has to be a reaction from the Lilywhites after their recent 6-1 hammering, especially in front of their home support.

Not to mention that Erik ten Hag's side remain ravaged by injuries, and are fresh off the back of a rough 120-minute FA Cup clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

A win for either side could be crucial in turning the tide as they enter the run-in, with the Red Devils vying to secure Champions League football once again at Old Trafford, as Spurs seek to displace them. It should therefore make for an enthralling encounter, although the same was expected of their league last clash.

With those aforementioned stumbling blocks sure to prohibit the visitors from boasting their strongest lineup, it will be interesting to see how the Dutchman attacks this all-important fixture.

How will Manchester United line up against Tottenham Hotspur?

Ten Hag could make just three changes from the side that scraped past the Seagulls at Wembley, seeking to retain the core that led them to their second cup final of the season.

David De Gea will remain in goal, having kept Roberto De Zerbi's side largely quiet throughout their last game. He will sit behind a back four only slightly altered, as Harry Maguire comes back in as the sole change.

Although the £190k-per-week dud is often criticised, having been branded a "liability" by journalist Zach Lowy in the past, he remains one of few central defenders left fit and available.

This will see Luke Shaw return to full-back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as their penalty shootout hero Victor Lindelof starts again at the heart of defence, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane absent through injury.

Given Bruno Fernandes was forced off before that shootout, where he would have been keen to showcase his expertise, the Portuguese maestro remains a doubt for tonight's clash too.

This could hand Marcel Sabitzer another chance to impress, as the Austrian likely seeks to prove why Ten Hag should make his move a permanent one in the summer. He will sit just in front of the ever-present Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.

Anthony Martial's fitness woes in the past also present a concern, so the Frenchman would be a surprise inclusion to start two games in just five days, Therefore, Wout Weghorst may return to spearhead United's attack.

His size and pressing impetus could prove vital in affording space for Marcus Rashford and Antony, who will flank the Dutchman.

Predicted Man Utd XI (4-3-3): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Eriksen, Casemiro, Sabitzer; Antony, Weghorst, Rashford.

ScorecardAdam Wheater made his maiden first-class double-hundred (file photo)•PA Photos

For someone who does not see himself as a specialist batsman, Adam Wheater managed a fairly convincing impression of a cricketer with a considerable future in the role as Hampshire amassed their largest total in a Championship match in almost three years.Dropped by Hampshire at the end of May when first-team coach Dale Benkenstein decided he wanted 21-year-old Lewis McManus to take over as wicketkeeper, Wheater marked his second appearance since being recalled only as a batsman with a maiden double-hundred that showcased qualities he perhaps doubted he had.Naturally an aggressive hitter, strong on both sides of the wicket, Wheater turned his overnight 89 into a 147-ball century inside the first half hour, following a slightly delayed start, before taking advantage of an overworked Warwickshire attack to advance to 200 in just 79 deliveries more.He gathered 27 fours and hit three sixes, two of them off Keith Barker, who with Rikki Clarke willingly shouldered the extra burden created by Boyd Rankin’s absence with back spasms but found himself flagging at times on a pitch that remained stubbornly unresponsive.Wheater passed his previous best when he moved on from 164, the score he made for Essex against Northamptonshire in 2011, and went to 200 by reverse sweeping Jeetan Patel, whose stamina was also heavily tested in a series of long spells that added up to 48 overs in total.Wheater, who left Essex in 2013 to further his ambitions with the gloves, has found himself relieved of his duties behind the stumps for the second time since making the move, having previously had to make way for Michael Bates.Benkenstein now wants McManus to have an extended run, feeling that he brings more energy to the role and at the same time considers Wheater should focus on developing as a specialist batsman.”I rate Wheats’ batting but I’ve given him a very long run as a keeper and don’t feel he’s improved in a few areas I think are very important,” Benkenstein said recently. “But as a batter he’s still very young with a huge career ahead of him. Our top order are quite short of runs and he’s got a real chance of making his way in this team as a batter.”Wheater begs to differ, insisting that he wants to contribute more than one discipline to the team effort and that he will fight to win back the gloves again.”I was disappointed [with the decision] and the hierarchy at Hampshire know I want to keep,” he said. “I didn’t see that I was doing much wrong. I see myself as a keeper-batsman. I can’t bowl and I don’t just want to just be fielding. But having said that, when they asked me to play as a batsman in the top six I was going to take that rather than playing in the seconds. I feel I have battled to get back to where I was a couple of years ago with my batting and I feel in a good place.”That’s my role now, to score runs and it gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to contribute as I have in this match. But things change quickly in cricket and as far as keeping is concerned all I can do is take any opportunity that comes along.”Wheater passed 5000 first-class runs during his partnership runs with Sean Ervine, who coincidentally reached the milestone of 10,000 during their 144-run stand for the sixth wicket.When Ervine chipped Patel straight to short extra cover to be out for 75, however, it precipitated an unforeseen flurry of wickets — five in the space of 20 deliveries with only nine more runs added — and reward for Patel and Josh Poysden, the young legspinner, who picked up the last three for career-best figures of 4 for 85.”Losing Boyd through injury was tough but we worked really hard as a unit,” Poysden said. “I thought we kept going and kept fighting and to get the last five wickets for nine runs was really nice as we finally got what we deserved.”On days one and two in first-class cricket you are not really expecting it to spin so I knew they were going to come quite hard at me when I bowled but that gives me a chance to get wickets so I never mind that.”Warwickshire’s reply got off to a stuttering start, Andrew Umeed leaving a ball from Gareth Andrew that came back and clipped off stump before Ian Bell played inside one from Gareth Berg, at which point 11 for 2 on the scoreboard would have been a considerable fillip for a makeshift Hampshire attack.Andrew claimed another success at the start of his second spell as Varun Chopra played down the wrong line but Jonathan Trott and Sam Hain added an unbroken 53 for the fourth wicket. Trott might have been out on 59 near the close, giving a chance off Berg that McManus might have taken had he been standing further back.

Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only men on tour to have played more than 30 Tests, but it is two inexperienced players who have buoyed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Headingley18-May-2016Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only men on tour to have played more than 30 Tests, but it is two inexperienced players who have buoyed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test.Both are young players who were picked on potential, despite modest first-class records. A former captain of Sri Lanka’s Under-19 team, and a Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, 21-year-old Kusal Mendis has been spoken of as a potential No. 3 for the series. He has now strengthened his claim on that role with two half-centuries in three warm-up innings.Mathews support for landslide victims

Angelo Mathews said his team extended “love and support” to the people affected by floods and landslides in Sri Lanka, following sustained torrential rains that have caused the Kelani river to burst its banks, leading to a feared death toll of 150.
“We’re so sad to hear about all the casualties and those who were affected by the landslides and floods. There are hundreds of thousands of people who were affected and we want to show our love and support. We will wear a black armband for all of them. Unfortunately we are here, but our thoughts and prayers will be with them. People have been really affected.”
The black armband will also be a show of support for bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake, whose brother has died of natural causes in the past few days. Ramanayake is expected to remain with the squad for the duration of the tour.

Lower down the order, 24-year-old Dasun Shanaka has made a push for the No. 7 batting position. Having made his name as a limited-overs hitter, Shanaka struck 112 from 132 balls against Leicestershire, to lift the visitors from 192 for 8 to 367 all out. His seam bowling may also be viewed as an asset – to be used when the frontliners have tired.”Dasun Shanaka was a standout for me, and so was Kusal Mendis,” Angelo Mathews said on the eve of the Headingley Test. “They are both still very young. Their first tour to England, and it’s never easy, but they’ve showed a lot of character in the first two practice games.”We’ve got lots of new players, but also 7 or 8 who were there in the 2014 tour. We’ve got a fearless set of players who are willing to take the English on.”Acclimatisation is one of the major pre-Test objectives for Sri Lanka sides touring England. Having had relatively good weather towards the south of England in the warm-up games, the forecast suggests they are in for a colder, wetter week at Headingley. Temperatures are not expected to climb further than the low teens, and rain is predicted to make an appearance during the weekend.”We all know that you can’t get comfortable in England straightaway,” Mathews said. “You’ve got to work your way through, so experience also counts. We’ve got so many guys who are touring England for the first time with the national team.”But no matter how long you spend in the cold you can never get used to it. We’ve had a few good days in Essex and also in Leicester, where the sun was out. Hopefully the nice weather will come back to us. Whether it’s the cold weather or the sunny weather, we do have to take on the challenge. The weather will be our main challenge.”Though no bowler in Sri Lanka’s seam attack has more than 80 wickets to his name, there is significant expectation on the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Pradeep to cause trouble for England’s top order, in helpful bowling conditions. Dhammika Prasad has been ruled out of the match with a shoulder complaint, however.”Prasad’s injury is a setback for us,” Mathews said. “He’s our premier fast bowler. He’s performed well against England here at the same venue. He’ll be a big loss. Hopefully he can be ready and fit for the second Test.”Mathews will see some familiar faces across the battlements during this tour. England coach Trevor Bayliss had been Sri Lanka’s coach from 2007 to 2011. England’s current assistant coach Paul Farbrace had been Bayliss’ assistant in Sri Lanka as well, before he took the top job himself for two months at the beginning of 2014.”Those coaches have played a massive part in my career,” Mathews said. “Trevor was the first coach of my international career. He didn’t fiddle with my batting or bowling abilities too much. He just wanted me to go and express myself, play with a lot of freedom. Farby was the same. They are great human beings and great coaches, whom I really enjoy working with. We’ve seen the impact that they’ve had in the past 12 months with England.”

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2016
ScorecardJake Lehmann’s 148-ball 122 included 14 fours and a six•Getty Images

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour.Following Lehmann’s hundred, Joe Mennie was able to dismiss Ed Cowan cheaply before stumps were drawn. Cowan was returning to the team after he missed their draw against Western Australia in Perth due to the after-effects of a blow to the helmet inflicted by a Joel Paris bouncer in Lincoln.The match is being held on the NSW north coast in memory of the late Phillip Hughes, and Lehmann marked it with a swashbuckling left-hander’s century as part of a concerted Redbacks counterattack that followed the loss of three early wickets.SA’s selectors had been the subject of considerable debate in Adelaide after the decision to drop the experienced but underperforming Tom Cooper and Tim Ludeman.Their replacements Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey both made strong contributions. Opener Weatherald made a sprightly 58 while the gloveman added 105 with Lehmann after the visitors had slipped further to 5 for 123.Another youngster, the second-game seamer Cameron Valente, helped add further runs with Lehmann, allowing the Redbacks to reach the fringes of 300.Arjun Nair, the teenaged finger spinner who became the Blues’ 738th first-class cricketer and 11th youngest debutant, claimed a pair of tail-end wickets to help round up SA’s innings.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are "almost unstoppable" amid tight title battle.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Guardiola says title rivals "almost unstoppable"
• Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City in three-way battle
• Jurgen Klopp's side lead with two points covering top three

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  As the title battle between Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal has started to slowly boil towards the end of the season, Guardiola has admitted that his side will have to strive hard to retain the title as both the Gunners and the Reds do not seem to be in the mood to drop points.

Advertisement

• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  Speaking to the media, Guardiola said: "How they [our opponents] are playing, even Aston Villa but especially, Arsenal and Liverpool. They are scoring three, four, five goals a day. So that means they are almost unstoppable."

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  So far in February, Arsenal have defeated West Ham by six goals, scored five against Burnley, and put three past both Newcastle and Liverpool. Meanwhile, Liverpool bagged three against Burnley, and put four past Brentford and Luton Town. Currently, Klopp's men lead the pack on 60 points with City one behind on 59 and Arsenal on 58 with 12 matchdays remaining.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT FOR THE TITLE RACE?

  Liverpool will have the chance to extend their lead as they are the first of the title contenders to play on the next matchday. The Reds take on Nottingham Forest on Saturday, March 2, while Manchester City take on city rivals Manchester United on Sunday. Arsenal end the matchday with a Monday evening kickoff against Sheffield United.

The Gangas have wanted to visit the land of their ancestors for years, and now they finally have, as a family

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Oct-2009″Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor…” Daren Ganga reels off the names, in that lovely Trinidad accent, of actors from Indian movies he and his family used to watch every Sunday afternoon when he was young. His father, Bahadur “Ramesh” Ganga, mother Seerajie “Jenno” Ganga, and younger brother Sherwin pitch in with their favourites.For now, the Gangas’ own story sounds a bit like a Bollywood script: an East Indian family returning to the land of their ancestors to take in some real Indian life as opposed to the reel version they were brought up on. Daren and Sherwin are part of the Trinidad & Tobago side participating in the Champions League Twenty20, while their parents are visiting India for the first time, primarily to support their boys but also to obtain a better understanding of where they came from.Ramesh, retired now, was a teacher, and his gentility is apparent in his sons, who are well groomed, disciplined and clear-headed.Daren readily agreed to assemble his family, at a half-hour’s notice, and he leads his folks into the hotel foyer at the appointed time. Sherwin is expected shortly as he has just returned from training. The Gangas are all smartly, and simply, dressed. The parents sit side by side on a sofa, Daren to their left, fiddling with his BlackBerry as he gives studious answers without ever seeming disinterested. He is clean-shaven, wearing an ironed purple t-shirt, hair Brylcreemed. Not for him and Sherwin the usual player attire of shorts and singlets.An articulate speaker, Daren, who is T&T’s captain, is studying law externally, since playing cricket doesn’t allow him the time to be resident at a university (that includes Cambridge, which at one point was reportedly interested in having him).The talk is still on Bollywood. “We grew up in a rural community and on a Sunday there would always be an Indian movie at mid-day and that was a natural thing to do, to look forward to watch the movies,” he says. His early concepts of India naturally involved images from those movies. “A favourite was policemen with moustaches. And when they shoot in that dramatic style, it would be fun. At one point we did think it was real,” Daren says as Jenno laughs.The real India has proved rather different. On a shopping trip a few days ago, as the family walked with their hands full of purchases, a group of “men dressed in “, pounced from nowhere. “They were like… all hands all over and loud in your face and demanding,” Sherwin exclaims. Daren points out that even if the crime rate in Trinidad is among the worst in the world, the locals are never intimidating.They’re quick to allow that it’s all part of experiencing the culture of the country – one that their ancestors left in the late 1880s when they went to the Caribbean as indentured labourers. “Knowing that they came from here, we feel a little nostalgic and we feel nice, and we would like to see how India is, compared to Trinidad,” Ramesh says.The most important common ground, of course, is the love for cricket, which is as much enjoyed and talked about in India as it is in Trinidad. “We were born into cricket,” Sherwin says. Every man in the family has played cricket at some level. Ramesh was part of the Apollo XI in the village of Barrackpore, a team Jenno and her friend would go to watch since her brother was part of the team. His three sons did better: Sheldon, the oldest, played club cricket, while Daren and Sherwin have played first-class and international cricket.”When I was seven or eight the entire family, including our uncles and their families, would drive from Barrackpore to Queens Park Oval to watch international cricket,” Daren recalls. “We would start at three in the morning and the drive was an hour-and-a half.” Jenno played her part, waking up before everyone else to make and and “wrap everything up neatly so that each one could have his own”. Ramesh would make sure the beers were nicely chilled in an ice box. Then they would line up to get tickets for the bleachers.Once they were at the ground, allegiance would be split depending on who West Indies were playing. Sherwin likes Australia, Daren prefers the “natural talent of the subcontinent, compared to the mechanical skills” of the other sides. For the parents it has always been West Indies, even against India.There are nine East Indians in the T&T squad touring India, including Daren and Sherwin, but it is the Gangas who seem most excited to be returning to what Sherwin refers to as the “motherland”. For Daren, who is on his second visit to India (he toured with the 2002-03 West Indies side), coming to India has always been an act of finding himself. “We studied history in school and understood exactly how East Indians came to the Caribbean, how they settled and developed their own culture and history. Culturally we are still strong with regards to what our great grandfathers brought with them.”Sherwin (centre), thinks of India as the motherland•AFPOn his first visit to India he could see the various things the cultures had in common. “It was rewarding and fulfilling to see the beginning of where my culture originated from. It was good to make that link between who I was as a person, who I am as a person, and linking it back to India, where my ancestors started. So there was a sense of fulfillment, sense of belonging, coming back,” Daren says.As if to prove their essential Indianness, as their sons began to grow up, the senior Gangas picked the professions each of the three would pursue. “We wanted an engineer, a lawyer a doctor,” Ramesh says. Those wishes have nearly all been fulfilled: Sheldon is a mechanical engineer, Daren is soon to be a lawyer, and Sherwin has a management degree. “Our daughter-in-law [Sheldon’s wife] is a doctor, so we have no complaints,” Jenno adds with a laugh.Daren believes a good upbringing and parental support have helped the brothers think beyond cricket. He recently started the Daren Ganga Foundation to help underprivileged kids and youth back home in Trindad.”Culturally, if you look at the East Indians, you would quickly associate [with them] humility and wanting to give back and hospitality – things that are part of us, the way I was brought up,” he explains. “My foundation is an attempt to ensure that kids and young people don’t have to endure the same challenges that I went through, and go on to achieve their full potential.”His parents have paid a visit to the Satya Sai Baba (a mystic whose followers include the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohan Kanhai), and plan to go up north to visit the Taj Mahal, and also the sacred river they share their family name with. “The Hindus hold the Ganges in high regard and we would like to experience that,” Ramesh says.For now they are happy to be in the thick of one of India’s most popular festivals, one that is celebrated with as much vigour and excitement in T&T. “Happy Diwali”, Jenno and Ramesh wish with large smiles as they leave to visit an Indian family. It has been a good homecoming for the Gangas.

رد الحكم محمد العتباني على قرار لجنة الحكام بالاتحاد المصري، بإيقافه على خلفية المقطع المصور المنتشر له خلال الساعات الماضية.

وكان بطولات قد أعلن عن قرار إيقاف العتباني بعد ما أشيع عنه خلال مباراة البنك الأهلي وبترول أسيوط في كأس مصر.

فيديو | أسامة فيصل يقود البنك الأهلي للفوز على بترول أسيوط في كأس مصر

وكتب العتباني عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي فيس بوك: “الحمد الله دائما وابدًا.. وحسبي الله ونعم الوكيل في من قال فينا ما ليس فينا وكفى به وکیلا .. وعند الله تجتمع الخصوم”.

وأضاف: “وقد جاء في وصية رسول الله لابن عباس رضي الله عنهما.. وإذا سألت فاسأل الله، وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله واعلم أن الأمة لو اجتمعت على أن ينفعوك بشيء لم ينفعوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله لك، وإن اجتمعوا على أن يضروك بشيء لم يضروك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله عليك، رفعت الأقلام وجفت الصحف رواه الترمذي وقال: حديث حسن صحيح”.

يذكر، أن الفيديو الذي تم تداوله على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي، أظهر العتباني وهو يتحدث مع سامي الشيشيني، عضو الجهاز الفني لفريق البنك الأهلي، داخل ممر استاد القاهرة، حيث قال له “هيتحسبلك أي لعبة حتى لو 50٪- 50٪”.

وأدى هذا التسريب إلى حالة من الاستياء في الأوساط الرياضية، خاصة أن تصريحات العتباني أظهرت تلميحات بعدم حياديته في اتخاذ قرارات تحكيمية، ورغم أن الفيديو لم يُظهر تفاصيل كاملة عن سياق الحديث، إلا أن هذه الكلمات فُهمت على أنها تعبير عن إمكانية التأثير في سير المباراة بشكل غير قانوني.

الجدير بالذكر، أن المباراة قد انتهت بفوز البنك الأهلي بهدف دون رد، ليتأهل للدور الـ16 من البطولة، حيث سيواجه الفائز من المباراة التي ستجمع بين المصري البورسعيدي ووادي دجلة، ومن المقرر أن تُقام هذه المباراة يوم الثلاثاء الموافق 4 فبراير المُقبل.

Tottenham are now real favourites to sign a "very versatile" young attacker after making him a contract offer, and they're attempting to seal his signing ahead of January.

Postecoglou eyeing young stars for Spurs

According to Sky Sports, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou and club chiefs are keen to bring in fresh faces of a certain age range – and ones who could fit into the Australian's long-term project.

Indeed, it is believed Tottenham are prioritising the signing of younger players in January as they chase a new centre-back, midfielder and forward for Postecoglou.

Spurs in pre-January dialogue over signing big club's "very quick" forward

There’s been contact ahead of January.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 21, 2023

This fits in with their links to Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, who is 23 years old, while other rumoured Spurs centre-back transfer targets like Genoa star Radu Dragusin (21) and Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite (21) are also on the younger side.

Meanwhile, further forward, Juventus starlet Samuel Iling-Junior, 20, and Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, 23, are also being chased by Tottenham as we approach January.

The Lilywhites appear to be building something special for the future, with these reports indicating they have full faith in Postecoglou to take them forward.

Tottenham's head coach, speaking to the English press recently, has also confirmed that Spurs are actively pursuing new signings as they plot early window moves.

"I wrote my letter to Santa! Like my kids now, I've just got to see whether I've been naughty or nice and see what I get, mate," Postecoglou jokingly told Standard Sport.

"It is challenging, [but] the reason [we want to do business early] is obviously where we're at injury-wise and the players we're going to miss. We've got some significant games in January and signing somebody late in the month could mean they haven't been able to make an impact in those games.

"We're pushing hard, but you need all parties to agree. Other clubs, particularly if it's players they want [to keep], will be wanting to hold on to them for as long as possible for their own reasons through January.

"It is a challenge, I get that, but everyone at the club is working hard to get the best outcomes for us and we’ll see how it goes.”

Postecoglou's aim to sign young stars, and in quick fashion, is now backed by Belgian football specialist and reporter Kevin Sauvage.

Spurs favourites to sign Idumbo after contract offer

According to the journalist, writing for DH Sports, Tottenham are the "most concrete path" for Ajax starlet Stanis Idumbo.

The 18-year-old attacker has been offered a four-year deal in north London already, and they "would like to secure his services" pretty quickly.

It's added that this wouldn't be an academy signing, and he would be integrated right into Postecoglou's first team. If Idumbo fails to make a significant impact, he'd then be loaned out in the summer to further his development.

A decision from the teenager is expected "in the coming days", with Monaco also named as suitors.

Malmo video scout Elijah Michiels, taking to X, claimed he is a "very versatile" player – which could be useful for Postecoglou.

West Ham United and manager David Moyes are said to be keeping tabs on "extraordinary" striker as Michail Antonio's future remains up in the air.

Who could West Ham sign next?

It was a productive summer transfer window for sporting director Mark Noble and technical transfer chief Tim Steidten, who managed to bring in James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus for a total of around £134 million. Ward-Prowse in particular has gone to impress under Moyes, but the state of West Ham's current squad means they may need to dip back into the market.

Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Ben Johnson, Vladimir Coufal, Antonio, Conor Coventry, Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski and Angelo Ogbonna are all out of contract next year as things stand (Transfermarkt), while there is some uncertainty surrounding the futures of both Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma. As a result, West Ham are believed to be eyeing up a new defender, with Bayer Levekusen's Edmond Tapsoba and Man United centre-back Harry Maguire linked most recently.

The need for a new striker is also pretty prevalent, as Antonio's age and contract situation don't exactly make him a prime candidate to lead the line for Moyes in future seasons. There is also little faith in alternative option Danny Ings, who has played just 37 minutes in the Premier League so far this term.

Will West Ham replace Michail Antonio?

Reports suggest that West Ham could opt to replace Antonio soon, with Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy among the prime candidates. The Guinea striker, before his recent hamstring injury, started the Bundesliga season in scintillating form; scoring 14 goals in eight German top flight matches. However, he isn't the only option, as Dean Jones writes for TEAMtalk.

Sharing an Adam Hlozek transfer update, the reporter claims that Bayer Leverkusen's striker has found his way on to the West Ham target list as a possible Antonio replacement. It is believed Moyes and co are weighing up the possibility of signing a new forward, as Antonio's future is indeed in doubt. They did attempt to bring in the likes of Hugo Ekitike from PSG and Yuri Alberto from Corinthians in the summer, only for those prospective moves to fall through.

West Ham do have the option to extend Antonio's stay by another 12 months, but may need to consider the future, and we think Hlozek is an interesting option. The Czech Republic international, who would join a Czech contingent at West Ham made up of Coufal and Soucek (if they don't leave next year), has notched a goal and assist in the extremely limited game time he's had this season.

This isn't the first time Moyes has been considering a move for him, either, as 2021 reports claimed West Ham had held lengthy talks over signing him from Sparta Prague (90min).

"Adam is an extraordinary player," said agent Pavel Paska two years ago.

"Despite the injury he had an excellent season, he was able to make his mark even in matches at the European level. That's why I didn't really understand why he wasn't nominated for the match against Denmark, I can't think of any explanation for that decision."