The Rawalpindi pitch may not be as extreme as the one in Lahore but spinners will remain the main threat

Danyal Rasool19-Oct-2025Big pictureIs the toss still the key to winning a Test match in Pakistan? Pakistan did win the toss in Lahore and used it to establish a position of advantage that South Africa never seriously looked like reining in. But there was enough to suggest it might not have the decisive hold on a game as it did at times during Pakistan’s last home season, with South Africa digging in for long periods with the bat against Pakistan’s spinners, and outscoring Pakistan’s third innings in their final reply.For Pakistan, the win promises to set up a better World Test Championship cycle than the last one, and a win in the second Test in Rawalpindi would get one of their tougher series out of the way and give them a platform to push for a top-two spot in what is a favourable two-year draw.Unusually for them, there has been stability and quiet around the composition of the side. Notably, the only point of selectorial discussion that emerged concerned the captaincy of the ODI team, all but ending Mohammad Rizwan’s brief stint. But in terms of personnel, strategy or game plan, continuity appears to be the keyword as far as this series goes.South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram refused to put his side’s loss in the first Test down to the toss, choosing instead to focus on controllables. They, in fact, looked solid in adverse circumstances, despite losing the toss and conceding a substantial first-innings lead. England crumbled in similar circumstances last year, but South Africa matched Pakistan toe-to-toe for the second half of the Test.Related

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Toss, turn, triumph: Pakistan's home formula pays off for now

A similar effort in Rawalpindi could see them pose even sterner questions of Pakistan, especially if they get the opportunity to bat first. Keshav Maharaj’s return changes the equation, too, with the visitors having their most crucial bowler in these conditions available. It potentially allows South Africa to sneak in another quick bowler, with Marco Jansen the likeliest option with his ability to extract bounce and add batting heft to the lower order.South Africa knew what to expect coming into the series, and after the first Test, they will be much better equipped to deal with it. For Pakistan, Lahore was yet more vindication of their turn to these slower tracks; all they are looking for is more of the same.Form guidePakistan WLWLL (last five Tests, most recent first)
South Africa LWWWWIn the spotlightPakistan won’t win the toss every game, and Shan Masood has spoken of finding different ways of winning at home. Shaheen Shah Afridi offered a glimpse of how they might go about that, using his ability to reverse swing the ageing ball on a wearing surface. With Hasan Ali not quite up to speed yet, that responsibility is set to fall on Afridi once more. While success for Noman Ali and Sajid Khan is expected, whether Afridi’s electric burst to seal the win in Lahore is repeatable will reveal if there are more dimensions to Pakistan’s Test side than a crackling dusty surface.Keshav Maharaj is back for South Africa•Associated PressThe limelight will fall invariably on Keshav Maharaj, a step up from the spin options South Africa had at their disposal in Lahore. Maharaj was made for this sort of wicket with his ability to use drift as well as the arm ball, and take wickets both with the ones that turn and those that go straight. Combine his skills with the surface he has to work with, and South Africa may find themselves using the spinner on autopilot from one end.Team newsMasood hinted strongly at satisfaction with the combination Pakistan went with in Lahore. While there is some pressure on Abdullah Shafique, an unchanged unit is the likeliest.Pakistan (probable): 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Shan Masood (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Salman Agha, 8 Noman Ali, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Sajid KhanSouth Africa have questions about both personnel and combination. They went with three specialist spinners while opting for Wiaan Mulder as the second seamer, but he ended up bowling just two overs all match. Maharaj will come in for sure, and Jansen could be an option on a Rawalpindi surface that has historically offered some bounce.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Dewald Brevis, 4 Tony de Zorzi, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Senuran Muthusamy, 10 Simon Harmer, 11 Kagiso RabadaPitch and conditionsRawalpindi is slightly cooler than Lahore, but Pakistan will attempt to prepare the same spin-friendly strip. There haven’t been any of the extreme measures – the fans or wedding-style heaters and tents – that characterised the build-up to the deciding Test against England. It may end up a slightly more balanced strip, though the slower bowlers will remain the primary sources of wickets across the game.Stats and trivia Simon Harmer is eight wickets away from completing 1000 career first-class wickets. This is set to be Masood’s 14th Test match as Pakistan’s captain, taking him past Sarfaraz Ahmed and Moin Khan, and tying him with Zaheer Abbas.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) landed in controversy immediately after their election results were announced on Monday. Within hours, the government removed one of the newly-elected directors, Ishfaq Ahsan. He was one of two government representatives in the BCB board, but his stay was short-lived.Ahsan’s political links forced the National Sports Council, the organisation that oversees sports in the country, to take this action. “We will appoint a new director [on Tuesday]. We have removed him for his political links,” Kazi Nazrul Islam, NSC’s executive director, told reporters on Monday.ESPNcricinfo understands that the NSC is likely to appoint a female board director in his place.A day-long BCB election, with physical votes as well as e-ballots, was held at a hotel in Dhaka on Monday. Aminul Islam was re-elected president. He will lead the working committee, the grounds committee and the BPL committee. Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud, a first-time director, assumes charge of the High Performance centre.Former Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzak, also a first-time director, was handed the post of chairman of women’s wing. Nazmul Abedeen will continue as cricket operations chairman while Ishtiaque Sadeuque will be game development chairman. Bangladesh’s age-group cricket will now be headed by renowned singer Asif Akbar.

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O Palmeiras, atual bicampeão brasileiro, ainda não demonstrou toda sua força neste início de Brasileirão. É verdade que o time comandado por Abel Ferreira já encarou “pedreiras” nas primeiras rodadas, mas agora, diante do Cuiabá neste domingo (5), às 18h30, na Arena Pantanal, tem a chance de fazer valer seu bom retrospecto no local para começar a embalar na busca pelo tri.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

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Os números do Verdão na casa do adversário são favoráveis, assim como o momento em que vive o Dourado no Nacional. O Cuiabá é o lanterna e ainda não pontuou no campeonato. Além disso, em três confrontos na Arena Pantanal, o time paulista venceu dois e empatou um, ou seja, está invicto. Foram também seis gols marcados e apenas dois sofridos.

+ Acredita que o Verdão vai fazer mais de 2,5 gols no Cuiabá? Se liga na odd para apostar: 2.49!

O lateral-esquerdo Caio Paulista acredita que o Palmeiras tem grandes chances de buscar a vitória após dois empates consecutivos no Brasileirão.

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– São muitos jogos, mas a virada de chave é necessária. Temos de buscar os três pontos fora de casa. Sabemos que jogar lá contra o Cuiabá é muito difícil, até pelo clima, e é uma grande equipe. Mas nós estamos bem preparados e capacitados para chegar lá, fazer um grande jogo e conseguir os três pontos.

O duelo entre as equipes aconteceu apenas seis vezes até o momento, todos pelo Brasileirão, e os números são favoráveis ao Palmeiras. O Verdão venceu quatro jogos, perdeu um e empatou outro. Na última vez em que os times se enfrentaram, no Nacional do ano passado, vitória do time paulista por 2 a 0, fora de casa.

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O Palmeiras não faz um grande início de Brasileirão. Em 12º lugar na tabela, o atual bicampeão da competição tem uma vitória, uma derrota e dois empates, e precisa voltar a vencer para saltar na pontuação, já que tem apenas cinco pontos.

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Manchester City are now ready to snap up a “superstar” Champions League player, with the same agent as two members of Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Man City looking to strengthen after Bayer Leverkusen setback

After putting together a solid run to re-establish themselves as Premier League title contenders, Man City have endured a dip in form over the past week, losing 2-1 at Newcastle United on Saturday, before succumbing to a 2-0 home defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.

It was a new-look defence for City, with Guardiola making wholesale changes to his starting XI, bringing in Abdukodir Khusanov to replace Matheus Nunes at right-back, despite the 27-year-old impressing in that area this season.

However, given that both Khusanov and Nunes aren’t natural full-backs, the Blues remain keen on bringing in another option, and there has now been a new update on their pursuit of Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now told TEAMtalk that Man City will be ready to sign Livramento if the opportunity presents itself, saying: “He’s happy at Newcastle, he is in a good position, he wants to push the limits of a new contract. But equally he knows he could secure a big transfer if he really wanted it.

“City have respect for his situation and have had to wait for him to decide what he does next. If he looks to leave, they are right there and will snap him up.”

"Superstar" Livramento could be perfect for Pep

Of course, any player in a Guardiola system must be comfortable in possession of the ball, and the Newcastle defender, who has the same agent as Stones and Nathan Ake, has averaged an 85.4% pass completion rate per 90 over the past year, placing him in the 87th percentile compared to other full-backs.

Once referred to as a “superstar” by Newcastle content creator Kendall Rowan, the three-time England international is also proven in the Premier League, having reached the 100-game mark in his side’s 2-1 win against City, during which the full-back made three clearances, two interceptions and two tackles.

Having been ranked as one of the best right-backs in the world, ahead of the likes of Nunes and Khusanov, Livramento could be a real upgrade for Pep at right-back, but a deal could be on the expensive side…

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Newcastle value Livramento at the £80m mark, which would make him one of the most expensive signings in Man City history, and given that Nunes has been impressing this season, it is questionable whether they should spend that much on another right-back.

Kenyon replaces long-serving Lisa Pursehouse as club finalise details of Trent Rockets deal

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2025

Richard Kenyon is the incoming Nottinghamshire chief executive•Nottinghamshire CCC

County champions Nottinghamshire have appointed Richard Kenyon, who has spent the last decade working in commercial and communications roles at Everton Football Club, as their new chief executive.Kenyon will take over from Lisa Pursehouse, who announced her intention to step down earlier this year and has now left the club after 14 seasons in the role. Her last week at the club coincided with their first Championship title since 2010, which was clinched with victory over Warwickshire at Trent Bridge in the final round of fixtures.During his 11 years at Everton, Kenyon worked in various marketing and communications roles, including three-and-a-half years as chief commercial and communications officer, and served as chief executive of the charity Everton in the Community. Notts said that he had played an “instrumental role” in the club’s move from Goodison Park to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.Related

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Kenyon’s appointment comes at a time when Notts are preparing to assume operational control of Trent Rockets in the Hundred. An announcement in the completion of their £40 million deal with Cain International and Ares Management is imminent, with Notts retaining a 51% controlling stake in the new joint-venture.Andy Hunt, Notts’ chair, said that Kenyon’s experience at Everton made him the standout candidate: “His leadership at Everton spanned critical areas including commercial strategy, global brand development, major infrastructure projects, and multi-stakeholder consultation – all directly relevant to the current and future ambitions of our club.”Kenyon described his appointment as “a tremendous privilege”. He said: “It’s a great credit to the outgoing CEO and her team that I’ll be joining a club in such a strong position. I can’t wait to get started later this year and look forward to working closely with the general committee, the executive team, and our members to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead for this great club and all of its teams.”Michael Temple, Notts’ commercial director, will serve as interim chief executive before Kenyon takes up his new role in December.Several counties are changing their chief executives over the 2025-26 winter. Emma White, who has previously worked in rugby union and horse racing, has replaced Sean Jarvis at Leicestershire, while Kent’s chief operating officer Nimmo Reid will fill the role on an interim basis while the club search for a successor to Simon Storey. Sussex’s Pete Fitzboyden has also stepped down after two seasons for personal reasons.

INEOS splashed the cash in the summer transfer window to provide Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim with more quality at both ends of the pitch.

Senne Lammens was brought in from Royal Antwerp, to replace Andre Onana, and has prevented 1.51 xG across five appearances in the Premier League so far this season, per Sofascore.

£62.5m was also spent on the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazil international scored his first goal for the club last month in the 4-2 win against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Bryan Mbeumo has arguably been the most successful addition to the squad. Since his £71m move from Brentford, the left-footed star has scored five goals and provided one assist in 11 Premier League games for the Red Devils.

Whilst Cunha and Mbeumo both arrived from other English clubs as known quantities, the club were also willing to splash the cash on more of a gamble, with Benjamin Sesko.

The Red Devils spent £66.4m to sign the Slovenia international from RB Leipzig in the summer to replace Rasmus Hojlund, and he has had a mixed start to life at Old Trafford.

Why Man Utd need to sign another centre-forward

Sesko has scored two goals in 11 appearances in the Premier League since his big-money move from Germany, and both of those goals came in his first seven outings.

The 22-year-old marksman scored his first goal for the club against Brentford in September, before netting his second goal against Sunderland in a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

Sesko scored 13 goals in 33 matches in the Bundesliga in the 2024/25 campaign for Leipzig, per Sofascore, so it was always going to be a tough ask for the striker to hit the ground running as a goal machine in the Premier League.

The Slovenian forward, as shown in the graphic above, has missed more ‘big chances’ than he has managed goals scored, which suggests that he needs to improve his efficiency in front of goal if he wants to be the main number nine for Amorim.

Benjamin Sesko’s last two appearances

Stats

Vs Forest

Vs Spurs

Minutes

90

30

Shots

3

0

Goals

0

0

Key passes

0

0

Big chances created

0

0

Ground duels won

0/0

0/7

Aerial duels won

0/3

2/2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Sesko struggled in his last two appearances for United before the international break, losing the majority of his physical duels without offering any significant threat in the final third.

The former Leipzig star’s mixed start to his career at Old Trafford may explain why the club are reportedly looking to add another player in his position in the winter market.

Man Utd chasing deal for another Bundesliga striker

According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are one of a number of clubs chasing a deal to sign Borussia Dortmund centre-forward Serhou

Guirassy.

The report claims that he has a release clause in his contract with the German side that will allow him to be sold for a fee of roughly £44m to a ‘select group of elite clubs’ in the January transfer window.

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It adds that Arsenal, Manchester United, and PSG are all in the race to sign the Guinea international, but it remains unclear if any of those three teams fall into the group of clubs that can activate that release clause.

CaughtOffside reports that the Red Devils are ones to watch in the race to land the Bundesliga centre-forward because Amorim wants more experienced options in his frontline.

Sesko, 22, is still in the early stages of his development and Guirassy could be viewed as an experienced number nine who could offer a huge upgrade in the immediate term.

Why Man Utd should sign Serhou Guirassy

At the age of 29, the Dortmund centre-forward would arrive at Old Trafford as the experienced striker that Amorim wants to bolster his squad with, as he would be ready to come in and make an instant impact.

It can sometimes be the case with young players that they have the technical qualities and potential to be an incredible player in the future, but they do not have a tight grasp of the nuances that come with delivering consistently at the top level.

Guirassy, being 29 and having been around the block, has tightened up his game and is focused on output, scoring and assisting goals, which is reflected in his statistics compared to Sesko’s over the past 365 days.

His statistics when it comes to scoring goals and creating goals are far more impressive than the young Slovenian’s, which is understandable given the difference in experience between the two players.

The Dortmund striker was even described by German legend Lothar Matthaus as “one of the best strikers in Europe” back in March, which speaks to how much he has impressed in German football.

24/25 Bundesliga

Serhou Guirassy

Benjamin Sesko

Appearances

30

33

Goals

21

13

Minutes per goal

124

185

Big chances missed

21

10

Conversion rate

23%

19%

Big chances created

7

5

Assists

2

5

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the United transfer target scored eight more goals than Sesko in the Bundesliga during the 2024/25 campaign, despite playing three fewer matches.

The experienced centre-forward has also scored seven goals in 15 appearances in all competitions during the current season, per Sofascore, whilst the Red Devils marksman has only scored twice since his move from Leipzig.

Therefore, United could immediately improve their starting line-up by bringing the Dortmund striker in to be a huge upgrade on Sesko, given that their respective performances over the past 18 months suggest that he would offer significantly more as a goalscorer.

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This is why INEOS should push to beat Arsenal and PSG to the signing of the Bundesliga star to add more goals to the team for the second half of the season, whilst also providing Sesko with an experienced mentor to help him improve in the long term.

Father's Day usually brings out the generous side of children who want to show their appreciation to their dads for being good parents. That proved true for Torey Lovullo's son, who found the perfect way to pay tribute to the Arizona Diamondbacks manager on Sunday.

Just a month ago, Lovullo made headlines for hilariously turning the tables on an MLB officiating crew and signaling that he was ejecting every ump on the field following a controversial call. Lovullo's son, Nick, is the manager of the South Bend Cubs, a High-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, and he apparently took a page out of his dad's UNO reverse playbook during Sunday's game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Torey shared that his son called him to wish him a Happy Father's Day and revealed the comical surprise Nick had in store for him on this special day:

"[Nick] got thrown outta the game. He's like, 'Hey dad, wanted to say Happy Father's Day. I did this one for you. I copied you and threw every umpire out of the game today,'" Lovullo said.

What a priceless moment.

You can watch Nick do his very best impression of his dad in the video below:

Happy Father's Day to all who celebrate.

Everyone from known MLB journalists to casual fans to the respective dugouts of the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs seemed to have a bone to pick with Doug Eddings on Saturday afternoon. Eddings had the home plate assignment calling balls and strikes for the matinee, and made some head-scratching calls to say the least, calling several outside pitches that looked like clear balls as strikes.

Jon Heyman quote-Tweeted David Kaplan's complaint about Eddings, going so far as to suggest that Eddings and umpires making similarly bad calls should be replaced by robo-umps . Quite a brazen critique.

Jesse Rogers noted that the reaction from the Cubs dugout in particular was bold and loud. In one instance, Eddings called a third strike on Kyle Tucker on a possible check swing without consulting with the base umpire.

Here are some of the calls in question and reactions from fans online:

We've all had a bad day at work. Having to face a very public forum of critique can't be easy for anyone, umpires included, but the expectation for the highest level of the game to make reliable and high-quality calls is reasonable.

During spring training, MLB tested ABS, which allows batters and pitchers to challenge balls/strikes and gets instant feedback from the league's automated system. Over half of the challenges resulted in an overturn of the original home plate call according to the league's report. Generally, it was a well-received system that didn't do away with home plate umpires entirely, but allowed for some checks and balances. It may be used in the regular season in the future but is not in use this year.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl will be looking to mastermind his first-ever win in European football against Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday night.

After a 3-0 win against Kilmarnock away from Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night, the German boss will be hoping that his players are full of confidence and ready to secure that first win of the league phase.

Several players will need to raise their levels, though, because too many members of the squad have failed to perform on the European stage this season.

The worst Rangers performers in the Europa League this season

When looking at the worst performers for the Gers in the Europa League, it is impossible to look past Mohamed Diomande as the standout player for the wrong reasons.

The Ivorian central midfielder has been sent off two times in three appearances in the competition, remarkably, and it is hard to get much worse than that.

Youssef Chermiti, who was signed for £8m from Everton, has challenged Diomande for that spot, though, with no goals and four ‘big chances’ missed in five starts, per Sofascore, in the league phase.

Ranking Rangers’ worst performers in 25/26 Europa League

Rank

Player

1

Mohamed Diomande

2

Youssef Chermiti

3

Thelo Aasgaard

4

Oliver Antman

5

Jayden Meghoma

Summer signings Thelo Aasgaard and Oliver Antman also rank in the worst five performers, as they have both failed to deliver a goal or an assist and both average under one key pass per game, per WhoScored.

The attacking duo have also struggled in the Premiership, with one goal and two assists combined, but they are not the only attacking players who have underperformed, as Djeidi Gassama must be dropped for Thursday’s game.

Why Djeidi Gassama should be dropped by Danny Rohl

The summer signing from Sheffield Wednesday made an electric start to his career at Ibrox with four goals in six games in the Champions League qualifiers.

Since then, though, the French forward has found it tough to make an impact on a regular basis, with one goal in 15 Premiership games and one goal in five outings in the Europa League, per Sofascore.

At the end of last month, Rangers fan and scout Kai Watson posted that Gassama “deserves just as much criticism as Antman & Aasgaard”, which is a fair comment when you look at their respective performances in the Premiership.

As aforementioned, the Frenchman has not delivered much in the way of quality in the league for the Gers, and he blanked again in the 3-0 win over Kilmarnock, with no goals, assists, or ‘big chances’ created, per Sofascore. He also lost the ball a whopping 23 times.

25/26 Premiership

Gassama

Antman & Aasgaard

Games

15

22

Goals

1

1

Big chances missed

3

3

Big chances created

1

2

Assists

1

2

Stats via WhoScored

As you can see in the table above, Aasgaard and Antman’s combined output in the Premiership is better than Gassama’s, which shows that he has not been at a level above the pair this season in the league.

These statistics show that all three of those summer signings have failed to provide goals and assists on a regular basis for the Light Blues, and that is also reflected in their combined return of one goal and no assists in the Europa League.

With this in mind, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Gassama from the starting line-up for Thursday evening’s clash with Ferencvaros because he has not offered enough quality in the final third of late.

Instead, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday manager should bring Mikey Moore back into the fold after he marked his return from injury with an impressive goal against Kilmarnock.

The Spurs loanee has scored two goals in his last two appearances for Rangers, and it would have been three if not for VAR ruling out his second goal against Killie for an innocuous foul in the build-up.

Moore is starting to show that he can be a difference-maker in the final third, with two goals and one assist in the league, and should be given an opportunity to shine from the start ahead of Gassama on Thursday.

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Tottenham Hotspur did more than just end their interminable trophy drought when defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final last season; Ange Postecoglou opened up a road to the Champions League.

Given that Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League, this was quite the saving grace at the end of a campaign that left so much to be desired, and it ensured the Londoners could make a compelling case to potential signings like Xavi Simons.

While Tottenham supporters were overjoyed when signing the Dutch playmaker from RB Leipzig for £51m, after intense interest from Chelsea earlier in the summer, there’s no denying that the 21-year-old has yet to perform on English shores.

Given his big-money profile and the expectation upon his arrival, there’s a concern that Simons is echoing the likes of Tanguy Ndombele before him.

Simons' start to life at Spurs

Thomas Frank hasn’t yet established his vision at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with his side struggling for form in the final third. Simons has been a part of the problem, but it’s important to remember this is a young talent who has entered a team lacking offensive coherence.

In just two years in Germany, Simons scored 22 goals and supplied 24 assists across 78 matches. He was the difference-maker, and many Premier League clubs were keen.

Spurs won the race, and credit to them, but Simons has yet to prove he has what it takes to raise his game to the next level, thus prompting concerns that he might mimic Frenchman Ndombele, who became the Londoners’ club-record signing when joining from Lyon in a £54m deal in 2019.

Ndombele’s temperament and commitment were among the cruxes of his demise in English football, and Simons cannot be blamed for a lack of effort, but it’s a concern all the same, and one Frank will need to rectify quickly to get his side operating at full creative capacity.

The jury is still out for the Netherlands international, who is young and talented and settling into an outfit that lacks creative direction right now.

There’s actually another Lilywhites man with far more experience who might be deteriorating into Ndombele 2.0.

Spurs' new version of Ndombele

Frank has spoken of his players’ frustrations following their recent run of form, and this was clear to see last weekend when Fulham condemned Tottenham to yet another home defeat.

Pedro Porro was incensed, but the Portugal international might want to direct that anger inwards, given his spate of shambolic displays this year.

The 26-year-old has been in the English capital for almost three years now, and while he is among the most technically gifted players in the ranks, his awareness and accuracy in defensive phases could see him become a disappointment in a similar way to Ndombele, especially when considering he had such a furore about his signature in 2023 that Manchester City came sniffing around last year.

Porro is rudderless. Sofascore record that he has made five errors already in the Premier League this season, and he is among the most dribbled-past defenders in the division thus far.

#

Player

Stat

1.

Mats Wieffer

19

2.

Neco Williams

18

3.

Pedro Porro

17

4.

Hugo Bueno

16

5.

Matty Cash

16

In fairness, Porro sits among the top 16% of Premier League full-backs this season for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, but his defensive work has been well below the desired standard.

But his lack of focus and misuse of his own athleticism led one Tottenham podcast host to brand him “an absolute liability” last season, and that’s only been underscored since then, with Frank now facing his own Ndombele-like conundrum in working out what to do with this talented but toiling star.

Porro has enjoyed some high points across his Tottenham career, but he’s been culpable for too many poor performances over the past couple of years, and in this, it is he and not the young Simons who is shaping into the London side’s new version of Ndombele.

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