David Ornstein has shared a new update on Tottenham’s interest in Antoine Semenyo ahead of the January transfer window.

Frank warns Spurs players ahead of Palace

Tottenham players had Christmas Day off before Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace.

Spurs have endured a difficult start under the former Bournemouth boss and are 14th in the Premier League table after a run of five defeats in eight matches in all competitions, and the manager insisted his players must be “grown up” over the festive period.

“This week we actually handle in the same way I would have done with any other week. If it was not Christmas, it was still done the same,” Frank revealed.

“So, we have two days leading to the game, day off, two days. So Tuesday and Wednesday, then off on 25th and then two days. Then it’s perfectly fit the Christmas family schedule, which is very good.

“And I’m a big believer of being a top professional and that’s something I believe the players are and should be. Some need to be guided more than others, but also they are grown-up individuals.

“If I need to hold their hand the whole time, we have a bigger problem in my opinion.”

Spurs are facing an uphill battle to secure a top five spot and Champions League qualification for next season, and have scored the least goals of any ‘big six’ side this season.

Dominic Solanke has suffered with injury problems while neither of Randal Kolo Muani or Richarlison have made the number nine berth their own, with the club expected to seek attacking reinforcements in January.

Ornstein shares Tottenham transfer update

Ornstein shared an update on the future of Bournemouth star Semenyo in his Boxing Day report for The Athletic, revealing Man City are in the driver’s seat but Spurs did make a considerable offer to the player.

The Ghana international’s ability to play in multiple attacking positions and both score and create goals with either foot has made him a sought after commodity amongst the top flight’s biggest sides.

Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper Spurs transfer coverage Want more context? Subscribing to the newsletter offers in-depth coverage of Spurs transfer developments, player profiles and tactical implications, so you’ll get clearer analysis and informed perspective on transfer stories and club strategy. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper Spurs transfer coverage Want more context? Subscribing to the newsletter offers in-depth coverage of Spurs transfer developments, player profiles and tactical implications, so you’ll get clearer analysis and informed perspective on transfer stories and club strategy.

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“He’s an extraordinary, extraordinary, extraordinary player,” City boss Pep Guardiola said earlier this season.

Related Tottenham player set for January exit talks after returning from injury

A Spurs departure is on the cards for him.

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“His energy, his confidence, his movement – unbelievable. He doesn’t stop running, he attacks space so well, and when he has the ball, you feel something will happen.

“He’s improving every game. Players like him make this league special – always hungry, always brave.”

Leeds United made several significant signings in the summer of 2025, which are already beginning to have an impact at the club. One of the most successful thus far has been left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson.

The Swede, who cost £10m, was described as “an absolute bargain” and called one of the best players in the league in his position by journalist James Marshment.

Another player who has stood out at the other end of the pitch is Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The former Everton star, who joined the club for free, has been in sensational form, with seven goals in 15 games this term, and six in his last five.

Leeds are looking to add another smart signing to the squad next month.

Leeds’ latest bargain transfer target

There are already rumours swirling ahead of a crucial winter window for Leeds. One player who is linked with a move to Elland Road is Swiss winger Ruben Vargas, an attacker who could cost upwards of £9m.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Rumours are also intensifying regarding a potential move for French defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu. According to German outlet Fussball Transfers, the Whites are ‘interested’ in the RB Leipzig star, who is reportedly looking to force through a move away.

However, the West Yorkshire outfit are not alone in making a potential move for Bitshiabu this winter. Fellow relegation candidates West Ham United are also plotting a move for the Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate.

It remains to be seen if this will be a loan or permanent deal, having signed for his current side on a £13m deal back in 2023.

Why Bitshiabu would be a good signing

It has certainly not been the season that the 20-year-old defender might have expected. He has struggled to lock down a place in the Leipzig side, something which has perhaps been further impacted by the lack of European football for the German club this season.

This term, the defender, who hails from a suburb of Paris, has only played five times for Leipzig. Just three of those appearances have come in the Bundesliga; he has only played 111 minutes in the German top flight.

His minutes in a Leipzig shirt have been sparse, though Bitshiadu has struggled with injury during his time at the Bundesliga outfit. He has played 39 games in total, but a run of games as first-choice last season showed why he is so highly rated.

In fact, his numbers from last season show the quality he can bring to Daniel Farke’s side. The former PSG star averaged 1.99 blocks per 90 minutes, which ranked him in the top 3% of Bundesliga centre-backs.

On the ball, he’s impressive too, and averaged 5.5 progressive passes each game, which puts him among the top 12% of defenders in the German top flight.

Bitshiabu key stats 24/25 Bundesliga

Stat (per 90)

Number

Percentile

Progressive passes

5.5

88th

Blocks

1.99

97th

Clearances

7.73

96th

Tackles won

1.43

86th

Stats from FBref

If Leeds do get this deal over the line, it might be reminiscent of a signing they made a few years back, of Georginio Rutter.

Now plying his trade at Brighton and Hove Albion, the attacker enjoyed a successful stint at Elland Road.

After joining in January 2023, the 23-year old notched up 66 appearances in that famous White shirt.

In that time, he scored and assisted 26 goals, with 21 of those coming in the 2023/24 Championship campaign. The summer after, he was signed by Brighton.

Of course, the similarity does not come from the position, with Bitshiabu a centre-back and Rutter an attacker.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Leeds transfer analysis Curious how targets like Bitshiabu or Ruben Vargas could alter Leeds’ season? Subscribe to our newsletter for data-led transfer breakdowns, scouting context and tactical analysis that explains what signings really mean for the club. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for Leeds transfer analysis Curious how targets like Bitshiabu or Ruben Vargas could alter Leeds’ season? Subscribe to our newsletter for data-led transfer breakdowns, scouting context and tactical analysis that explains what signings really mean for the club.

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But, both players are highly-rated French talents, and will have moved to West Yorkshire from the Bundesliga in the winter transfer window. Those things, they have in common.

Rutter’s impact at Leeds was exceptional, and although he couldn’t quite get them over the line with promotion, he was a mey man for Farke.

How the Whites would love for their potential new centre-back to be the second coming of his countryman, and really have a huge impact for the club and help them stay in the Premier League.

He is an “exceptional” talent according to football scout Antonio Mango. Farke would love for that to be on show at Elland Road, as a huge second half of the season approaches for Leeds.

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The first Saturday evening kick off of the new season was an absolute belter as Swansea visited West London and went toe-to-toe with Chelsea to nab a 2-2 draw and take a point back to Wales.It was a game that the Swans more than deserved to take something from, in fact there were plenty of times where Garry Monk’s side were in the ascendency and probably deserved to nick the win.There were plenty of talking points, from debut goals, to sending offs, sluggish displays to free-flowing football… So sit back, and take a look at our three things we learnt from Chelsea 2 – 2 Swansea City.

1. Swansea are a force to be reckoned with (and we’re loving it)

The Welsh side were first to the second ball, spritely in attack, solid in defence and simply wanted it more than Chelsea today.

Montero was excellent, roaming down the left wing and causing the west London side all sorts of problems, while Gomis and Shelvey have struck up a useful relationship and new signing Andre Ayew shone (but more on him later.)

Quite simply, Garry Monk’s side are a pleasure to watch. You can’t help but enjoy their entertaining brand of

football, in fact, you can’t help but root for them – and long may it continue.

2. Andre Ayew could be one of the signings of the season

There were more than a few raised eyebrows when Andre Ayew decided to leave Marseille for Swansea City in the summer, signing a four-year deal with the Welsh club.

It was certainly deemed as a bit of a transfer coup for Garry Monk’s side and after his debut against Chelsea, it looks like a stroke of genius.

Not only was the Ghanaian nabbed on a free, the free-flowing attacked scored on his debut, after a classy drag back left the Chelsea defence floundering before he slotted past Courtois. Expect more from him this season.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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3. There’s something not quite right at Stamford Bridge

From their loss in the Community Shield, to today’s sluggish display – there’s something amiss at Stamford Bridge. It’s not time to panic yet, but Jose will want to stamp out these issues beforeÂnext Sunday when they travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City.

They will also have to do so without Thibaut Courtois after the Belgian keeper received a straight red afterÂbringing down Gomis (who converted the penalty.) Arsene Wenger must be absolutely loving it…

An interesting final day’s play is on the cards in the Buchi Babu allIndia invitation tournament between ONGC and TNCA President’s XI atthe AC Tech college ground in Chennai on Tuesday. At stumps on thesecond day on Monday, ONGC were 95 for two in their first innings inreply to the home team’s score of 383. A total of 289 runs in a daywith eight wickets in hand is a tough, but not impossible task. On theother hand, it is also possible for TNCA President’s XI to take eightwickets without conceding that many. All in all, it can be said thatthe match is nicely poised for a keen battle for the all importantfirst innings lead.Having resumed at 296 for five, TNCA President’s XI could not havebeen happy at getting only 87 runs on Monday morning. The overnightsixth wicket pair of Badri Attavar and D Dhandapani took theirpartnership to 151 before the latter was out for 62. Attavar wascomparatively subdued but got to 155 before he was leg before to Saif.He batted 426 minutes, faced 306 balls and hit 18 boundaries. Therewas some resistance from the tail but the home team’s total fell belowexpectations. Rahul Sanghvi finished the most successful bowler withthree for 90.ONGC were off a good start with openers Manoj Mudgal and Gagan Khodaputting on 52 runs off 12 overs before the former was out for 25.Skipper G Vadhera (3) did not last long but Khoda continued to go forhis shots. Shortly before close, he reached his half century witheight fours and a six. By close he had faced 67 balls and a lot willobviously depend on him as ONGC continue their run chase on Tuesday.Keeping him company is another run getter with the proper credentials,Virendra Shewag who has started off well, getting 13 runs off tendeliveries with two hits to the fence.

Perth – Brian Lara let his bat – and an Australian Cricket Board (ACB)official – do the talking for him yesterday. The star left-handedbatsman has advisedly kept his silence following allegations inIndia’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report last week that hetook money from a bookmaker to underperform in matches back in 1994.And yesterday he stroked 108 off 107 balls in the first match of theWest Indies’ Australian tour against an ACB Chairman’s team at LilacHill, a Perth suburb.He and opener Sherwin Campbell, who batted through the innings’ 50overs for an unbeaten 111, added 163 off 27.1 overs as the West Indiespiled up 276 for two.The bowling comprised of mainly Western Australian second team playersand retired Test left-arm fast bowler Mike Whitney, now 41.A rainstorm that swept the ground as the West Indies innings endeddeprived the large crowd of any more cricket and the new West Indiesbowlers their first chance of getting acclimatised.Lara did not speak directly to the media afterwards but passed histhoughts on through an ACB official.’It’s been a tough week but everything will come to fruitioneventually, I hope,’ Lara told the official.’I have responsibilities to West Indies cricket not to let otherthings affect me so I’ll just put on the blinkers and go out and do mybest by getting runs,’ he added.’Today was good. I hit the ball well. Now I have to get set to play alonger innings in the four-day match against Western Australiastarting Thursday.’Lara came to the wicket in the 21st over after Campbell and 21-yearold Daren Ganga added 87 for the opening partnership.Ganga, who is on his third West Indies tour, played impressively for43 off 52 balls. He stroked six fours, mainly in front of the wicket,before he was bowled by 20-year-old left-arm pacer Steve Nikitaras.Lara, in his first innings since the England tour on September 4,started so cautiously that he scored only two runs off his first 20deliveries.After that, he hit the ball cleanly and confidently, reaching his 50from 52 balls and his 100 from 97.By the time he was caught in the deep off Jo Angel, the 32-year-oldformer Australian Test fast bowler, he had 11 fours and three sixes inhis column in the scorebook.’This start was very significant for us,’ Lara noted. ‘We are lookingto get the team back on a good footing.’We need to be competitive so even a good performance in a festivalgame is a boost,’ he said.

ScorecardBen Duckett made his second century of the season but Northants were struggling to avoid defeat•Getty Images

Ben Duckett’s third Championship century provided a spirited response for Northamptonshire on the second afternoon against Derbyshire but the visitors closed on course for victory with Northants 245 for 6 in their second innings and the scores level.Mark Footitt’s 5 for 41 helped fire out Northants for just 116 in their first innings, their lowest total of the season, but Duckett’s hundred as Northants followed-on at least ensured Derbyshire were made to work for the strong position on a day where 15 wickets fell.Duckett’s promotion to open the innings has proved a success. He made 222 runs, including a first century of the season, at Lancashire in his second match in the role, added another half-century against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham and here avoided a king pair in some style to raise three figures.Opening the second innings with Northants 245 behind, Duckett was dropped on 26 by Hamish Rutherford at cover but thereafter played carefully to go through to fifty in 75 balls. Typically strong square of the wicket, Duckett cut and pulled to good effect and enjoyed the best batting conditions of the day after tea with the Wantage Road ground bathed in sunshine.Three boundaries in six balls from Ben Cotton took him into the 90s before he was made to wait a while on 99 as Adam Rossington received treatment for what appeared to be a hamstring tweak. But Duckett was not flustered and struck Shiv Thakor through square leg to bring up a century in 134 balls with 17 boundaries.He had Rossington for company for much of the evening session in a stand of 98 for the fifth wicket. Rossington got off the mark with a six over midwicket off Wes Durston and struck a further eight boundaries – three of them cuts off Durston – before playing a scoring stroke that didn’t go to the fence. He fell lbw as Tony Palladino returned for a new spell with seven overs left in the day; Palladino then cleaned bowled nightwatchman Olly Stone with a perfect yorker.Northants had been blown away in the morning session, as Footitt took his third five-wicket haul of the season. Alex Wakely was set up with two deliveries going across him, then shouldered arms to an inswinger and lost his off stump for 8. Footitt also had Stone caught and bowled before coming back after lunch to have Rory Kleinveldt caught at point first ball and then clean bowled Maurice Chambers.Northamptonshire’s first innings lasted just 38.1 overs so Derbyshire had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on and it took just eight balls for Footitt to strike again as a lifting delivery had Stephen Peters caught at short midwicket. Wakely was then forced to battle hard and was beaten regularly but survived 36 deliveries – albeit for only five runs – before inexplicably pulling Cotton to mid-on.Rob Keogh and Richard Levi made contrasting contributions – Keogh 11 out of a stand of 46 with Duckett, Levi 22 out of 33 – before Rossington helped Northants towards parity in tandem with Duckett.

Mohammad Hafeez, who has been banned from bowling in international cricket for one year by the ICC, is bowling in the Haier Mobile T20 Cup without having undergone any remedial measures to his action. Bowlers banned from international cricket for suspect actions can bowl in domestic cricket if their home boards let them, but it is unusual for them to do so without any attempt at correction.Hafeez has so far bowled only in one match – three overs for 35 runs on Tuesday for Lahore Whites against Islamabad – and has not been used since because of a slight side strain.ESPNcricinfo understands Hafeez has not remodelled his action since it was found to be illegal for a second time in two years in July. He was first pulled up for a suspect action in November 2014, then made the necessary changes and was cleared by the ICC in April 2015. However, he was back under scrutiny two months later and when tests revealed his elbow extended beyond the permissible 15 degrees, the ICC banned him for 12 months.Hafeez cannot approach the ICC for a retest of his bowling action until the completion of his suspension, so at present there is no conclusive way to determine if he is bowling with his old action or a changed one.

Excerpt from ICC rules on suspect bowling actions

A player who has been suspended from bowling in International Cricket shall be permitted under the supervision and with the consent of his home board to continue to play domestic cricket.
In circumstances where a suspended player is seeking to play in domestic cricket events under the jurisdiction of another member board, the consent of that member board should also be obtained prior to the player participating in such matches.

According to ICC policy on illegal bowling actions, the concerned board shall formulate and implement a strategy to deal with players with illegal bowling actions in domestic cricket.”We are monitoring him as there is a provision that he can bowl,” Intikhab Alam, the PCB’s director of domestic cricket, told ESPNcricinfo, “It’s not like we are being lenient with him. The umpires can still report him if they suspect anything wrong in his action.”Since this ongoing tournament is being televised, it’s the best opportunity for us to monitor him closely. In a while, if he is reported at this level as well then he will be suspended for another three months.”As per ICC rules, a bowler can have maximum elbow extension or flex – the amount he bends and straightens his elbow while delivering the ball – of 15 degrees; anything more, and the action is deemed to be illegal. When he was first banned, Hafeez had been found to bend his elbow as much as 31 degrees. At an unofficial retest in January, he had brought it down to 17 and 19 degrees following which the PCB applied for an official retest, which he cleared. The tests after his second report in July though indicated the elbow extension had exceeded the permissible limit again.Last year, the PCB had decided to clamp down on questionable actions right from the domestic level and had directed match officials to report any bowler with a suspected action. The results were encouraging. Dozens of bowlers were reported and all of them were cleared after a short-term session at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

It may be early days in the Ranji Trophy, but Karnataka find themselves in unfamiliar territory in the tournament standings. With four points from two matches, they are placed fourth behind Assam, Delhi and Maharashtra. After conceding the first-innings lead in their opening match against Assam, Karnataka invigorated their campaign by stacking up heaps of runs against Bengal in their first home fixture.As they head into the third round, the defending champions are well equipped to push for their first outright win. For starters, they will welcome the return of their two newest internationals – KL Rahul and S Aravind. While Rahul has recovered from a quadriceps injury, Aravind comes back to the domestic fold after his first taste of top-flight cricket.”It’s going to help the team because he is in very good form,” Vinay Kumar, the captain, said at the pre-match press conference. “And for him also, a Test series is coming up and if he performs well he can carry this confidence to the Test game.”Aravind’s role will be no less critical on a surface that is expected to be lively. In fact, it is understood that the pitch has been watered liberally after accounting for the hot afternoons. Vinay suggested he might play four seamers after having a final look at the surface.”[In the] last match maybe the wicket became slower compared to normal. This wicket looks better. Whatever game we play we always go for an outright victory.”But, it is not as if Karnataka are entirely devoid of worries, as they sweat over Shishir Bhavane’s fitness. Bhavane, who has been Karnataka’s highest scorer thus far with scores of 65, 40 and 119 in his last three innings, has still not completely recovered from the wrist injury he sustained against Bengal. He did not bat in the nets on Wednesday, but was in visible discomfort while facing throwdowns. Should Bhavane not play, Karnataka are likely to bring back Mayank Agarwal.CM Gautam is likely to take over the gloves, in line with Karnataka’s ploy of alternating between him and Robin Uthappa, who kept wickets against Bengal. “They will do alternate games. If Robin is going to open or maybe [play at] No.3, CM will remain [at] No.6,” Vinay said. The ploy of shuffling wicketkeepers was, according to Vinay, necessitated by Uthappa’s decision to keep, as “that may help him come into the Indian side.”Meanwhile, Vidarbha find themselves a spot below Karnataka, with only a point separating them. Their captain S Badrinath refused to talk up their prospects, but said “overall we are a good side.”Like Vinay, he intends to field a seam-heavy side, and said he might play three quicks. “I don’t know if it will really assist seamers or not, but definitely I don’t think there will be much help for spinners,” Badrinath said.Badrinath pinned his hopes on Vidarbha’s batting, which also comprises Ganesh Satish and Wasim Jaffer, a domestic heavyweight. “I think we have a very strong batting unit. That is the body of our side,” Badrinath said. “Hopefully our batting unit will fire and that is what I am banking upon. We have quite experienced batters in the side, who have done well against good opposition.”Vidarbha will want to ensure there is no repeat of their second-innings meltdown against Delhi, where they folded for 98 and lost by 10 wickets.”I think we played good cricket throughout the match, but I think one session is where we faltered with our batting. Overall, I am pretty happy with the way things are going even though some results are not going our way,” Badrinath said.

Assupol TUKS, will defend their campus-cricket crown, on Saturday, when the meet Loughborough Marylebone Cricket Club University in the Final of the Red Bull Campus Cricket tournament at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, Dehradun.TUKS and LMCC came through a turbulent group stage, to win their Semi-final against Shraddhanand College and International College of Business and Technology respectively on Friday.Murray Coetzee, Assupol TUKS’, captain led from the front with a quick fire 54-ball 83 in the semis to beat the team from the host-nation by 39 runs.Abhishek Vats, SC’s in-form fast bowler, failed to fire against TUKS and went wicket less. Coetzee led the charge and combined with Aiden Markram for a 119-run opening stand.Coetzee smashed five fours and five sixes in his match-winning knock. Ruben Claassen then starred with the ball for TUKS and claimed four wickets to ensure SC fell 39 runs short of making the final.LMCC outclassed an in-form ICBT side in the second semifinal of the day. ICBT won all their matches in the group-stages convincingly.But their batsmen faltered in the semis, as LMCC fast bowler Toby Lester picked up four wickets in his spell.Sadeera Samarawickrama top-scored with 52 from 46 balls but other batsmen failed to find runs. The Sri Lanka-based team managed just 129 in their innings.Irfan Karim, the Kenya international, guided LMCC to the final with a resolute 82 that came from just 58 balls. It took a 92-run stand between Karim and Nitesh Kumar to help LMCC through to the Final to be played on October 24.

After a two days play at the Bellerive Oval, Victoria’s dream of hosting the Pura Milk Cup final has evaporated as Tasmania have the upper hand thanks to centuries by Andrew Dykes and Shaun Young. The Tigers lead by 72 runs with five wickets and one would expect them to bat on and attempt to gain a big lead.Early on though it was all Victoria as they had Tassie reeling at 4/37 thanks to some good seam bowling and also thanks to helpful conditions.Dene Hills went in the days sixth over, caught at the wicket off Paul Reiffel, but it apparent following the days play that Hills was not delighted with the decision outside the off stump. Four overs later Michael Di Venuto essayed a cover drive which also went through Darren Berry and off the very next ballJamie Cox’s attempted drive found the hands of Laurie Harper at first slip to make it 3/24.Daniel Marsh added to the collapse being caught in the gully to give comeback man David Saker his first wicket. Tasmania went into recovery mode until lunch with Dykes and Young going slowly until the break, which wastaken with Tasmania at a precarious 4/60.In the middle session, both batsman continued on their partnership in varying roles, Dykes was playing the aggressive role with Young content to drop anchor. Dykes had some fortune at 48, when he pulled to mid on, where the skipper Reiffel put down what turned out to be a vital chance.Dykes continued on in positive style and brought up his century just before tea.The partnership had reached 162 at tea with Dykes on 121 and Young 41, Tasmania were 4/199. After tea Dykes eventually went top edging a hook shot to Berry and Tasmania were three and a half overs from the new ball at 5/256.Victoria’s bowlers couldn’t break through before the close and Tasmania, with little ease to play for except the six points and some pride will attempt to gain a big lead.