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Newcastle United are in the market for quality January reinforcements, and Eddie Howe may now be set to rival Unai Emery for a former Barcelona star.

Newcastle set to make inroads for January signings

The Magpies are still in the hunt across four separate competitions under Howe. Nevertheless, the Premier League will be their immediate priority, especially given the fact they are well in contention for a continental qualification slot despite a mixed campaign.

Speaking before his side took on Leeds, the former Bournemouth boss indicated in his pre-match press conference that he has held internal talks about potential January arrivals, but there is nothing deemed to be too far down the line at this point.

He said: “There’s only been very loose discussions over the transfer window as well because we’re in the middle of a really busy spell of games. I think we’re all aware – Ross (Wilson) included – that our injury situation will dictate what happens in the market.”

Reinforcing in the full-back areas appears to be on the agenda for Howe, and Newcastle have identified Brentford defender Michael Kayode as a January target amid Kieran Tripper and Tino Livramento’s frequent injury issues.

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After coming close to landing him in the summer, the Geordies could also make a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Plates are beginning to spin in the transfer window, and it remains to be seen how many players Howe will identify to deepen his squad, though if reports are to be believed, he could land his latest target at a financially advantageous rate.

Newcastle offered chance to sign Oscar Mingueza

According to Mailsport, Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign Celta Vigo defender Oscar Mingueza, and he has also been pitched to Aston Villa and West Ham United as a market opportunity.

Valued at around the £8 million mark due to his contract being set to expire in the summer, Emery retains a known admiration for the former Barcelona man, as detailed by Fabrizio Romano after he held talks over a move to the Midlands-based outfit.

In the case of Newcastle, Mingueza is a versatile presence who can feature in either full-back position or further up on the flanks, proving his worth with a goal and three assists in 21 appearances this term.

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Now set for a new challenge, he would either be attainable at a modest January fee or even on a free transfer this summer. However, gambling on a player of his talent still being available in six months time is a dangerous game to play.

Tottenham Hotspur kicked off 2026 in fairly underwhelming fashion as they were held to a 0-0 draw in the Premier League by Thomas Frank’s former side Brentford.

To say that it was a game bereft of quality would be an understatement. Per Sofascore, neither side created a single ‘big chance’ in the 90 minutes, and Spurs ended the game with just 44% of the possession and two shots on target.

Such a toothless display from the Lilywhites may leave some supporters questioning why Brennan Johnson is set to be sold to Crystal Palace for £33.5m.

The Wales international was the team’s top goalscorer in the 2024/25 campaign, with 18 goals, and has scored 27 goals in 106 matches for the club to date, per Transfermarkt.

Why Spurs are right to sell Brennan Johnson

Despite some of his goalscoring exploits during his time in North London, Johnson should be sold by the Lilywhites because he has not offered enough to the team in his general play.

Johnson has a great knack for finding space at the back post to score, as shown in the clip above, but his lack of creativity and quality in possession in deeper areas took away from his goal threat.

The Welsh forward has scored two goals, provided 0.4 key passes per game, and failed to register a single assist in 16 Premier League games so far this term for Spurs, per Sofascore, which shows how little he has offered the team as a creative presence.

Over the last 356 days, as shown in the chart above, Johnson ranks among the worst attacking midfielders and wingers in the five major European leagues in virtually every key possession or creation-based metric that a winger should be judged on.

That is why Spurs are right to cash in after Palace’s £33.5m offer, as they could look to sign a more well-rounded winger, but the Welshman is not the only dud who should be sold this month.

The Spurs flop who should be sold after Brennan Johnson

Pedro Porro’s wasteful performance against Brentford in the Premier League on Thursday night proved that he has to be the next player to be sold after Johnson in the January transfer window.

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Last month, TEAMtalk reported that Manchester City were showing significant interest in a deal to sign the Spain international from the Lilywhites in 2026, which suggests that there is at least one club that would be willing to take him away from North London.

Spurs should take advantage of that interest and cash in on him, as they are about to do with Johnson, as he put in another disappointing display against the Bees.

Per Sofascore, Porro failed with all three of his attempted crosses and only made one key pass, without creating a single ‘big chance’, whilst he lost possession of the ball a whopping 18 times.

The Spanish right-back has not offered enough quality as a creative threat, with one assist in 19 Premier League appearances, to justify how many times he gives the ball back to the opposition.

Players with most possession lost in 25/26 PL

Player

Possession lost

Pedro Porro

361

Elliot Anderson

341

Kyle Walker

336

Mohammed Kudus

327

Yankuba Minteh

323

Lucas Paqueta

303

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, he has lost possession at least 20 more times than every other player in the entire division, in every position, which illustrates just how incredibly wasteful he has been.

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That wastefulness was on display again against Brentford, completing just 76% of his attempted passes (Sofascore), and that is why Spurs should cash in on him, amid recent reported interest from Manchester City.

On top of that, Porro also leads the entire Premier League in errors that have led to shots for the opposition, with five, per Sofascore. No other player in the league has made more than four.

If the Cityzens, as Palace are with Johnson, are willing to pay a significant fee to take Porro away from North London, the Lilywhites should jump at the chance to part ways with him.

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The Spaniard’s defensive errors, coupled with his wasteful play on the ball, suggest that now is the right time for him to move on from the club.

The arson trial of Mark Vermeulen got underway at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on Friday afternoon, where the former Zimbabwe Test cricketer was reprimanded for breaching one of his bail conditions.Vermeulen was reprimanded by Harare provincial magistrate, Mishrod Guvamombe, after admitting and apologising for contravening a bail condition in which he is prohibited from entering or using facilities at the Harare Sports Club. He was spotted at the HSC on the first day of the four-day match between the touring Sri Lanka A and Zimbabwe Select on October 16. He also proceeded to the nets, where he practised with some schoolchildren.In defending Vermeulen’s action, his lawyer, Eric Matinenga, also made an application to have his client’s bail restrictions wholly lifted. The application will be heard following consultations with a forensic psychologist, Dr A. Rajkovic, who is now overseeing Vermeulen.The case was adjourned to November 12.Vermeulen, now the Old Hararians club captain, is accused of setting fire to the Zimbabwe Cricket boardroom at Harare Sports Club on October 30, 2006. He is also charged with setting another fire the following day, which destroyed property worth millions of dollars at the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy at the Highlands Country Club in Harare.

Zaheer Khan is set to renew old ties with Mumbai © AFP

Zaheer Khan, the Indian fast bowler, has quit Baroda and is all set to represent Mumbai this domestic season. He reportedly made this decision after Dilip Vengsarkar, the new Indian chairman of selectors, asked him to apply for a transfer.Zaheer has requested a No Objection Certificate from the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) and would have submit it to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) before the September 30 deadline for all players applying for transfers. A formal announcement is likely when the MCA managing committee meets on Friday.Rakesh Parikh, the secretary of the BCA, confirmed Zaheer’s request but stated that his departure would leave a void in the Baroda side, which won the Ranji Trophy in 2001. In the final against Railways, Zaheer picked up five wickets for just 16 runs on the final day to bowl Railways out and secure the title by a narrow margin.”He had played an important role in making the team Ranji Trophy champions five years ago when Baroda had defeated Railways,” Parikh told PTI. “In subsequent years, Baroda continued to do well in Ranji with Zaheer playing his role sincerely in all the matches.”Zaheer honed his cricketing skills in Mumbai in 1996-97 but later shifted to Baroda, after failing to find a place in the Mumbai line-up. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in 1999-2000 representing Baroda and was called to the national side in 2000. However, he has been out of the Indian team since the tour of Pakistan earlier this year and failed to make the cut when the Champions Trophy squad was announced, despite a memorable season with English county Worcestershire, during which he picked up 69 wickets in the County Championship.

Darrell Hair no-balls Muralitharan at the MCG in 1995-96 © Getty Images

The appointment of the Australian umpire Darrell Hair to next month’s Super Series has revived memories of his calling of Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in Melbourne almost 10 years ago. Muralitharan has been named in the World XI squads against Australia for the three limited-overs games in Melbourne and the Test from October 14-19 at the SCG. Hair will stand in the second and third ODI matches.Hair controversially no-balled Muralitharan seven times for throwing during the second Test at the MCG on December 27, 1995, and Muralitharan refused to tour Australia in 2004 for the two-Test series in Darwin and Cairns citing hostility from Australian crowds. Muralitharan, who is second to Shane Warne with 563 Test wickets, only returned to play in Australia last January in the tsunami charity game in Melbourne.The ICC named Hair, 52, in the panel of four umpires on Friday for the Super Series along with Pakistan’s Aleem Dar, South Africa’s Rudi Koertzen and the Australian Simon Taufel. Taufel, who has never umpired a Test in his home state, will stand in the Super Test alongside Koertzen while Sri Lanka’s Ranjan Madugalle will be match referee for the four games.New technology will be trialled during the Super Series with a system of referral and consultation between the on-field officials and the TV umpire being used in the four matches. “Run outs and stumpings will be referred in the normal way to the TV umpire with the TV umpire making the final decision,” the ICC said. “But in respect of all other decisions, the on-field umpires will have the discretion to consult with the TV umpire before making the final decision.”

Australia 9 for 564 (Clarke 141, Gilchrist 126, Martyn 70, McGrath 54*, Ponting 51, Gillespie 43*, Martin 4-141, Vettori 4-154) lead New Zealand 353 by 211 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Two hundreds: Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist celebrate© Getty Images

After two days where neither side took control of this match, Australia finally grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and by the close on the third day at Brisbane were in a commanding position. Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist, who both cracked excellent hundreds, revived the innings and then, improbable as it might seem, the batting of Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie left New Zealand on the ropes. Australia closed on 9 for 564, a lead of 211 runsThe morning belonged to Clarke. He made a hundred on debut at Bangalore last month, and registered a glorious double on his home debut with a fierce pull off the final ball before lunch to bring up his century. His innings was on the whole sublime, with drives and pulls of precocious class – there were also the odd moments to forget, as when inside edge off a leaden-footed drive sneaked past his off stump. But they were rare, and he showed more than enough aggression to keep a small crowd entertained. To Stephen Fleming’s clear frustration, New Zealand’s bowlers fed his strengths time after time, and even the introduction of the new ball shortly before lunch just brought about a spate of boundaries.Gilchrist in contrast, struggled for a good hour, his initial attempts to assert dominance over Daniel Vettori failing dismally. Vettori recently picked up 20 wickets in two Tests in Bangladesh. Today he had to wait until the kettle had started to boil for tea before he got any reward, but bowled far better. Exploiting a cracked pitch, he used flight and turn to great effect but it just wasn’t to be. He had a supremely confident leg-before shout against Gilchrist turned down (the all intrusive replays showed the ball hitting middle and leg) and a pad-glove chance from Clarke, then on 74, evaded the grasp of Mark Richardson at silly point.Gilchrist, who limped to 9 off 39 balls, eventually found his touch, and after the break really cut loose with some thrilling strokeplay as New Zealand wilted. Their bowlers failed to find a consistent line and length, banging the ball in too short. More than once Fleming had cause to jog up to the offender and remind him of the value of pitching it up. Fleming’s face remained placid throughout, but inside he must have been fuming.

Glenn McGrath on his way to his Test-best score© Getty Images

Clarke finally fell to the deserving Vettori for 141, giving him the charge and playing all round a straight one, and Gilchrist followed in the next over for 126, flaying Martin for three successive leg-side fours before he was well held by Scott Styris in the deep going for a fourth. Between them, Gilchrist and Clarke, who came together with Australia wobbling on 5 for 222, added 216 at more than a run-a-minute. Vettori got his fourth wicket soon after when Shane Warne fell leg-before for 10.New Zealand’s evaporating morale was almost totally extinguished by an unbeaten last-wicket stand of 93 between Gillespie and McGrath. Ricky Ponting allowed his rabbits their moment with bat in the knowledge that the fading light meant they wouldn’t be allowed a chance with the ball.McGrath had a field day, his grin as broad when he pull-swept a six off Vettori as it was when he was dropped twice in four balls – down the leg by a tumbling Brendan McCullum and off a skyer by a flailing Richardson – off a furious Jacob Oram. At the time those let-offs didn’t seem too important. Some 70 minutes later McGrath had taken his career batting average over the magical seven mark, and New Zealand were a shambles. By the end, men were even posted in the deep for the McGrath hook, and the cheers when he brought up his fifty were every bit as loud as they had been for Clarke five hours earlier.

Glenn McGrath reprieved: Mark Richardson lunges in vain during Australia’s last-wicket stand© Getty Images

The McGrath-Gillespie cameo came long after Damien Martyn’s early dismissal had seemingly left Australia facing a first-innings deficit. His demise for 70 came out of the blue at a time he looked set for his hundred. He aimed to cut a wide delivery from Chris Martin, found the top edge, and Craig McMillan, two yards in on the wide third-man boundary, didn’t have to move. By the time the next wicket fell, the whole complex of the match had been turned on its head.Martin Williamson is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo.

Australia 254 for 7 (Ponting 101, Bevan 57) beat Bangladesh 142 (Kapali 49; Harvey 4-16) by 112 runs
Scorecard

Ponting leads from the front with one more ODI century

Australia wrapped up the one-day series against Bangladesh 3-0, as expected, beating them by 112 runs at Darwin’s Marrara Oval. Bangladesh fought lustily to start with, though, reducing Australia to 114 for 4 after they had won the toss and opted to bat, picking up three middle-order wickets for two runs at one stage. Ricky Ponting came to the rescue with his fourth ODI century of the year, and his 127-run stand with Michael Bevan was instrumental in Australia reaching 254 for 7. Bangladesh’s batsmen then duly wilted, though Alok Kapali contributed a doughty 49.Bangladesh made a cautious start but stumbled every time they tried to accelerate the scoring. Both openers, Javed Omar (16) and Hannan Sarkar (1), were done in by lack of footwork, and were out leg-before. Jason Gillespie was magnificently parsimonious early on, giving away just two runs in his first seven overs. Bangladesh were crawling, and something had to give.Both Habibul Bashar (2) and Mohammad Ashraful (4) were out charging the bowlers in an attempt to up the run-rate, then Tushar Imran was run out for 1. A sixth-wicket partnership of 66 between Kapali and Sanwar Hossain (27) took Bangladesh past 100, but both were eventually out to Brad Hogg, deceived by his guile into giving simple return catches. The tailenders attempted valiantly to last the 50 overs, but failed.Earlier, Ponting had dominated the Australian innings, rescuing it from their only slippery moment of the series. Bevan and Ponting added 127 at a rate of over six an over, efficiently wiping out any chance Bangladesh might have had of restricting Australia to a gettable total.Mohammad Rafique, who picked up the wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden for just 31 runs, bowled particularly well, as did Mashrafe Mortaza, who bowled at the business end of the innings to finish with 2 for 41. Bangladesh showed spirit; but in the end, they weren’t anywhere near good enough.

Pritam Gandhe, bowling his off-breaks with vicious effect, picked sixwickets as Uttar Pradesh collapsed in their first innings againstVidarbha on Day One of their Ranji Trophy league match at Kanpur.Aside from Uttar Pradesh skipper Gyanendra Pandey, who made 52, noneof the batsmen could make sizeable scores or put up match-winningpartnerships. Gandhe capitalised on this, returning innings figures of27.1-7-55-6.Replying to their rivals’ score of 210, Vidarbha lost opener VivekNaidu before reaching 14/1 by the close of play.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said the killing of an Italian national in Dhaka on Monday could seal the fate of the Bangladesh-Australia Test series, officially due to begin next week. However, he also said he believed that the security assurance – including a four-layered cover – given to Cricket Australia’s security team by the highest level of the Bangladesh government in their meetings over the past two days should be sufficient for a touring team.Cricket Australia, Hassan said, is likely to inform the BCB of its decision on the tour in the next couple of days.While it is quite rare for a foreign national to be a target of such an attack in Dhaka, the timing of the incident will not help matters related to the tour. The team’s departure was delayed after the Australia government issued a travel alert last Friday.”The situation is now different after the death of the Italian national,” Hassan told reporters at his residence in Dhaka on Tuesday. “The UK and US governments have also given out alerts. This is a very rare incident in Bangladesh but one has to understand the difference between this and a cricket team that is given blanket security.”Hassan said that the specific threat did not relate to the touring team but to an annual event held by Australian expatriates in Dhaka. “Every year on October 2, Australians living here hold a private party in a hotel. They had information related specifically to that programme.”He also spoke on the meetings between the two sides. “In the space of a day and a half we took them to the highest level of our security and intelligence agencies, the home minister, as well as the prime minister’s security advisor,” Hassan said. “Everyone reassured them that there won’t be any trouble. We will give them four-layered security.”

Brazilian outlet UOL have provided a fresh update on Barcelona’s attempts to sign Leeds United star Raphinha this summer.

The Lowdown: Second bid for Raphinha…

Raphinha has been heavily linked with a move to the Nou Camp following his fine campaign in 2021/22, with the 25-year-old the top of the charts at Elland Road for goals, assists and chances created. [BBC]

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According to Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona are readying a second bid worth an initial €40m (£33.9m) with various add-ons.

The Whites star will be available for just €25m (£20.9m) in the summer should the club suffer relegation, with Barcelona fully aware of that potential release clause.

The Latest: Deco jets out

UOL columnist Bruno Andrade dropped an update on Raphinha on Monday afternoon, revealing that his agent, Deco, flew out to Barcelona over the weekend to progress discussions.

They added that the former Portugal midfielder was expected for talks on Tuesday as they look to thrash out a possible contract with the Catalan giants until June 2027.

The Verdict: Leeds hold the cards…

Leeds aren’t expected to enter talks with Barcelona over a possible deal until the summer due to their Premier League position.

Jesse Marsch’s side have picked up seven crucial points in their last three games, leaving them eight clear of the relegation zone. All their focus will be on guaranteeing a third successive season of Premier League football, which could also give them control over a possible exit for Raphinha.

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They will be able to demand way more than the £20.9m relegation release clause if they stay up, and a possible big-money fee that they may receive could fund plenty of summer arrivals ahead of Marsch’s first season in charge at Elland Road.

In other news: ‘Bad news from Elland Road…’ – Big Leeds injury update emerges on Joe Gelhardt