When pitcher Roki Sasaki announced he would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, baseball fans were predictably peeved. Three months after winning the World Series, the Dodgers appear poised to dominate for the foreseeable future.

However, there's a difference between a mere vulgar display of power and a signing that actually breaks MLB rules—and according to a baseball official, the Sasaki signing was not the latter.

"According to a league official, MLB conducted an investigation prior to authorizing Sasaki’s posting to 'ensure the protocol agreement had been followed,'" Jack Harris of wrote Saturday.

That would mean making sure that Sasaki had not agreed to a handshake deal with Los Angeles or any other team.

"Another person with knowledge of the situation, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said the league interviewed 'numerous parties' in its probe, but found no evidence to substantiate" rumors of an informal deal, Harris wrote.

The Dodgers may be innocent of any wrongdoing, but that will do little to assuage 29 fanbases envious of one of world sport's few true modern juggernauts.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have entered the 2025/26 campaign with huge expectations, especially after the Europa League triumph against Manchester United at the end of May.

The Lilywhites ended their 17-year wait for a trophy in Bilbao, which has no doubt cranked the pressure up on Thomas Frank after he took the reins from Ange Postecoglou during the off-season.

He completed four deals of his own during his maiden summer in North London, with his arrivals racking up over £100m spent to help improve the options at the Dane’s disposal.

The likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons made the move to join the Lilywhites, with the pair helping the side sit in fifth-place in the Premier League at present.

However, Frank will no doubt want to further bolster his squad in the upcoming January transfer window to improve the club’s chances of finishing in the Champions League places once again.

Numerous players have been strongly touted with a switch to North London, but one name has been continuously been mentioned over the last couple of weeks.

The latest on Semenyo's move to Spurs in January

Over the last couple of days, Spurs have been named as one of numerous Premier League clubs in the hunt to land a deal for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo in January.

The 25-year-old has been one of the division’s biggest talents in the 2025/26 campaign, with the Ghanian already scoring six times and registering three assists in his 11 appearances.

Such a tally of nine combined goals and assists is the second-highest of any player in the division, with only Erling Haaland notching more at this stage of the season.

Over the last couple of days, it’s become apparent that the winger could be available in the upcoming transfer window, with the Cherries potentially powerless to losing their starman.

It’s been reported that Semenyo has a £65m release clause which becomes active in the winter market, with Spurs just one side currently interested in a move for his signature.

The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool also remain keen on a deal for the attacker, but it’s unclear who is leading the race for his signature.

However, it would be yet another huge investment by Frank, especially after splashing upwards of £50m on two different additions during the recent summer window.

A deal for Semenyo would also be a joint-club record, with such a fee matching the price paid for Dominic Solanke after his own switch to North London from Bournemouth back in 2024.

If the club are to afford such a deal in the coming months, the club will likely have to offload numerous first-team players to help balance the books in the process.

How Spurs can fund the Semenyo move

Over the years, Spurs have spent big on numerous players across various areas of the pitch in an attempt to try and battle for Premier League supremacy.

The hierarchy have spent upwards of £400m in the last couple of years to back various managers, but their investment has often been wasted on numerous players who have failed to match the demands in North London.

Tanguy Ndombele is arguably the biggest example, after the hierarchy forked out a reported £63m for the Frenchman’s signature back in the summer of 2019.

He only made a total of 91 appearances for the Lilywhites over a five-year spell, before being released and returning to his homeland to join Nice back in the summer of 2024.

Frank’s current squad also does boast numerous big-money additions, with the centre-back partnership of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero costing nearly £100m combined.

However, the pair have been worth every penny in North London, with the partnership helping the Dane’s side keep the fourth-best defensive record in the division at present.

However, not all the club’s big-money investments have paid off in recent years, with Richarlison one player who has massively struggled to match expectations at the club.

The Brazilian joined the Lilywhites for a reported £60m back in the summer of 2022, with such a move raising the eyebrows of many supporters given the nature of the transfer fee.

In the three and a half years since such a move, the 28-year-old has racked up a total of 108 appearances for the first-team, only finding the back of the net on 24 occasions.

This season alone, Richarlison has massively struggled to match the levels many expect of him, with the club desperately needing to move the former Everton man on in the near future.

He’s often been ineffective in numerous matches, as seen by his average of 22.3 touches per 90 this season, with the Brazilian only notching 10 touches in 90 mins against Bodo Glimt in the Champions League.

Other figures, such as a 50% dribble success rate and just 42% aerials won in the Premier League to date, showcase his poor all-round quality at the top end of the pitch.

As a result of his disappointing displays in recent months, Gabriel Agbonlahor stated that he believes the Brazilian is “one of the worst signings in Premier League history”.

Games played

11

Goals scored

4

Pass accuracy

63%

Dribble success

50%

Aerials won

42%

Big chances missed

5

Fouls committed

1.5

Touches per 90

22

The manager will no doubt want added quality in the final third, as seen by their move for Semenyo, but they will likely need to move Richarlison on to generate the funds needed to land the Ghanaian.

However, Richarlison has been subject to interest in recent months, with MLS outfit Orlando City FC already registering interest in a potential transfer for the striker.

Frank and the hierarchy will certainly need to jump at the rumoured interest, with this window one of the last opportunities to get some of their £60m investment back.

If the club want to land Semenyo, a sale of the Brazilian is desperately needed, with all parties needing a fresh start, which could help secure a move for the Bournemouth star in the process.

Spurs already have their answer to Semenyo out on loan & he's "like Son"

Spurs could save themselves from having to dip into the transfer market for Antoine Semenyo…

ByRobbie Walls Nov 19, 2025

Worcestershire 188 for 7 (Brookes 57, Currie 5-34) beat Hampshire 237 for 7 (Orr 110, Waite 3-60) by three wickets (DLS) Worcestershire ended a week that saw them relegated in the Rothesay County Championship by winning the Metro Bank One-Day Cup by three wickets in a sensational finish to a rain-affected final at Trent Bridge, despite a brilliant century from Ali Orr for Hampshire.Chasing a twice-revised target of 188 from 27 overs after Hampshire had made 237 for seven in 45, the Rapids clinched victory with two balls to spare after ninth man Henry Cullen, with four required to win, was caught on the boundary at long leg only for the fielder, Kyle Abbott, to touch the rope while the ball was still in his hand.The heartbreak for Hampshire came only a week after their defeat by Somerset in the Vitality Blast final.Hampshire’s Scott Currie, who had earned an England call-up earlier in the week but was not required for the T20s against Ireland, looked to have bowled his side to victory here as three wickets in his final over gave him figures of five for 31.But after Ethan Brookes hit four sixes in a superb 34-ball 57 to haul Worcestershire back into contention after falling behind the rate required, Matthew Waite’s two sixes in a five-ball 16 set up what had seemed an unlikely victory with 13 needed off Brad Wheal’s final over.Until then, Orr’s 110 – his third century in this season’s competition – including two sixes in addition to 10 fours and came off 130 balls, looked to have been the match-winning performance.It took a superb one-handed catch off his own bowling by Waite to dismiss him.Orr and fellow left-hander Nick Gubbins (38) put on 82 in 16.2 overs for the first wicket, but the opening pair apart, all-rounder James Fuller’s 23 from 20 balls was the highest Hampshire score in the face of a disciplined response from Worcestershire’s seam attack.Ali Orr’s century gave Hampshire the upper hand in the early part of the final•Getty Images

Bowling nine overs each, Waite took three for 60, Ben Allison impressed with two for 41 and a miserly Tom Taylor took one for 24.Play had begun at the scheduled 11am start time, with Worcestershire opting to bowl first, perhaps with a nod to overcast conditions.Orr and Gubbins, mainstays of the Hampshire batting along their path to a fourth final in the last seven editions of the 50-over competition, had the upper hand against Taylor and Khurram Shahzad, hitting nine boundaries to be 55 without loss in the opening 10-over powerplay.Allison and Waite slowed their progress – and forced a breakthrough when Waite squared up Gubbins, who was caught at backward point off a leading edge. The skipper’s 38 had taken him to 707 as the leading runscorer in this season’s competition.Fletcha Middleton departed between showers, mistiming Taylor to be caught at extra cover. The second break for rain came at 141 for two from just under 31 overs, after which Hampshire pushed the accelerator.Orr walloped Brookes over deep midwicket before completing the fifth List A century of his career in a costly over for Waite that included a six and three fours, reaching the milestone off 118 balls with 14 fours in addition to his two maximums.But Worcestershire removed Toby Albert via a top-edge to deep square and Ben Mayes, bowled by Brookes before Waite ended Orr’s impressive innings via a brilliant one-handed caught-and-bowled.Worcestershire’s bowlers maintained their grip, conceding only one boundary in the last five overs, delivering 15 dot balls and picking up two more wickets as Fuller and Andrew Neal both picked out Brookes on the fence at wide long-on.Their chase did not begin until 5.15pm after a long stoppage between innings but it got off to a flyer despite – 28 without loss from four overs after 19-year-old Daniel Lategan had lofted Wheal high over wide long-on for the first six of the innings.But two setbacks checked their progress as Roderick sliced Fuller to third man and Currie’s first ball had Lategan caught behind.Kashif Ali and Jake Libby added 62 for the third wicket but their rate of progress was well behind what was needed as Gubbins rotated his quintet of bowlers, none of whom gave away easy runs and when Kashif was caught on the reverse at backward point, the Rapids still needed 94 at 93 for three in the 17th.Libby was caught behind swinging at Currie, at which point Hampshire were clear favourites with Worcestershire still 81 short and less than seven overs remaining.But Brookes kept them in contention and though Currie ended his charge via a steepling catch to ‘keeper Ben Brown and dismissed Rob Jones and Taylor in his last over, Cullen had the final word.

MatériaMais Notícias

Júnior Pedrosa, empresário de Gabigol, desmentiu a declaração de Augusto Melo, presidente do Corinthians, e afirmou que em nenhum momento o centroavante do Flamengo negociou para jogar no Timão.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Durante coletiva para anunciar o novo patrocinador master, o presidente alvinegro assegurou que o Timão fez proposta para Gabigol assinar por cinco temporadas, mas a demora do Flamengo e staff do atleta fizeram o Corinthians desistir da contratação.

– A gente ouve falar muitas coisas, mas ninguém sabe o que realmente acontece. Tudo certo, diferente do que muita gente fala, tudo conversado, Flamengo, Corinthians, empresário, proposta, cinco anos de contrato… Tudo pronto, só dependendo deles, um para o outro, mas existe um limite. Era meu foco, sempre deixei claro, era um atleta que gostaria de ver com a camisa do Corinthians, como ele também quer. Mas tem um limite, a gente falou “até tal dia espera” – afirmou Augusto Melo.

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Através de sua assessoria, Júnior Pedrosa garantiu que jamais conversou com o Corinthians sobre Gabigol, que possui acerto verbal para renovar com o Flamengo.

+ Veja como ficou a tabela do Brasileirão após a última rodada

– Em resposta à declaração do presidente do Corinthians, levando em consideração o respeito máximo ao Sr. Augusto Melo e a instituição Corinthians, mas precisamos esclarecer um ponto importante da declaração dada por ele. Não abrimos negociações com o Corinthians em momento algum. Desde sempre, deixamos claro que o Gabriel tem contrato com o Flamengo e um acordo verbal de renovação. Portanto, quando o Presidente menciona que estava tudo certo com o agente do Gabriel, sinto a necessidade de esclarecer – assegurou Júnior Pedroso.

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Sem Gabigol, a diretoria já trabalha nos bastidores para contratar um novo atacante. O clube alvinegro busca um centroavante para disputar posição com Yuri Alberto, além de um atacante que atue pelos lados, que tenha como principal característica a velocidade e drible. 

Adam Lallana would be “interested” in becoming the next manager of Southampton.

Since winning the 2024 Championship play-off final, it has hardly been the future that Southampton would have anticipated. Russell Martin, who guided them back to the Premier League, was replaced by Ivan Juric mid-season, following a turgid start to the 2024/25 campaign.

Juric was unable to turn around Southampton’s misfortune, as they became the first club to be relegated from the English top flight with as many as seven games remaining.

Will Still, who made a reputation for himself with Reims and Lens, joined in the summer. Despite his promise and an influx of summer signings, though, Still also struggled for form. After just two Championship wins in 13 matches and a three-game losing streak, Southampton parted ways with Still and have since been on the hunt for a new manager.

Now, it would appear that an unlikely candidate would happily take on the role were he offered the job.

Lallana to replace Still?

Following the 2024/25 season, Adam Lallana called time on his 19-year playing career. The midfielder, who came through the ranks at Southampton, played for the Saints for eight years until joining Liverpool in 2014. Six years later, Lallana moved to Brighton before returning to St. Mary’s, for a single season, in 2024.

As per Sky Sports, Lallana, who currently works as a first-team coach with the Saints, would be “interested in becoming a head coach”.

Across his playing career, Lallana played with some incredible managers, including Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton. Lallana has been outspoken about his “love” for De Zerbi, who now manages Ligue 1 side Marseille. No doubt then that he would look to draw from the Italian for inspiration in his own coaching career.

Despite his enthusiasm however, it appears that he is “an unlikely option at this time, given his lack of experience in the role”.

Southampton are aiming for a swift return to the English top flight, though their start to the 2025/26 season suggests that they may fall short of the mark they were aiming for.

Lallana could, no doubt, start his career as a first-team head coach in the coming years. With Southampton, however, it could well be too much, too soon for the former midfielder. He would be inheriting a club that desperately need lifting from the slump they find themselves in and a more-experienced option may better benefit the Saints at this time.

Southampton consider short-term deal for new manager

تقدم فريق الكرة بنادي بيراميدز بالهدف الثاني أمام منافسه المقاولون العرب في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري.

وتقام مباراة بيرامديز والمقاولون العرب على استاد الدفاع الجوي ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من الدوري المصري الممتاز لموسم 2025-2026.

طالع|فيديو | بلاتي توريه يسجل هدف بيراميدز الأول أمام المقاولون العرب  وجاء هدف مروان حمدي في الدقيقة 82 من زمن الشوط الثاني من ركلة جزاء، علما بأن الهدف الأول سجله بلاتي توريه في الدقيقة 9 من زمن الشوط الأول.

ويدخل بيراميدز اللقاء محتلاً المركز الرابع في جدول الترتيب برصيد 20 نقطة، بعدما خاض 9 مباريات حقق خلالها 6 انتصارات وتعادلين وتعرض لهزيمة وحيدة.

في المقابل، يدخل المقاولون العرب المواجهة وهو في المركز الثامن عشر برصيد 10 نقاط، بعد خوض 13 مباراة حقق فيها فوزًا واحدًا وتعادل في 7 لقاءات وخسر 5 مباريات. هدف بيراميدز أمام المقاولون العرب

Angry Ginge has named a Manchester United legend as the one person he “would love” to join him in the I’m A Celebrity jungle if he could choose anyone.

The Twitch streamer has now touched down in Australia, having been confirmed as part of the line-up for the latest series of I’m A Celeb, which is due to start this Sunday at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

The 23-year-old is not the only Mancunian taking part either, with his close friend, Aitch, also being revealed as one of the new contestants on Monday evening.

Having a friend in the camp will no doubt make it easier to settle into life in the jungle, but Angry Ginge, whose real name is Morgan Burtwistle, has now revealed he wishes a Man United legend was also heading down under this winter.

Angry Ginge "would love" Wayne Rooney to join him on I'm A Celeb

Speaking about the type of contestant he plans to be in a recent interview with ITV, Burtwistle said: “I will try to be the motivator in camp and make sure everyone is chatty and happy. I’m not argumentative either.

“And if I could pick anyone, I would love it if Wayne Rooney was in camp with me. We would have a laugh.”

The 40-year-old making an appearance may not be completely out of the question, having recently revealed he would be open to one day being a part of the ITV show, saying: “Would I? I think I would, at the right time.

“I’d struggle with some of the trials, though. You know the worst one, you know where they walk into a room…and there’s like a big ostrich looking at you. I didn’t [know he was scared of ostriches] but I’m just picturing them being there.”

The former Man United star also knows Angry Ginge well, having bizarrely joined his Pro Clubs team ‘Girth N Turf’ on EA Sports FC 24.

However, should he one day jet out to Australia, Rooney will have big shoes to fill, given that his wife Coleen finished as runner-up in the 2024 edition, behind only McFly singer Danny Jones.

With Angry Ginge, who has 1.4m Twitch followers, due to take part, this year’s I’m A Celeb is shaping up nicely regardless, but maybe 2026 will be the year we finally see Wazza taking part in a Bushtucker Trial…

Wayne Rooney says one Man Utd player has proven him wrong this season Rooney: £150k-p/w star has been Man Utd's "best player" and "proven me wrong"

The Manchester United legend has praised one of Ruben Amorim’s key players, who he was initially “sceptical” about.

ByDominic Lund Oct 21, 2025

India will face the winner of Thursday’s clash between Bangladesh and Pakistan, while Sri Lanka are out of contention now

Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Sep-20251:20

Chopra: Very little the bowlers could do against Abhishek

India are in the final of Asia Cup 2025, where they will meet the winner of Thursday’s Super Fours clash between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Sri Lanka are out of contention, and their game against India on Friday is now a dead rubber.India sealed their place in the final with a 41-run win over Bangladesh that was, for the victors, both comfortable and discomfiting. Bangladesh never really looked in contention at any point during their chase of 169, with their limitations as a T20 side exposed by the depth and variety of India’s bowling. But they would feel they should have made a much better fist of that target, after their bowlers had done brilliantly to haul India back when Abhishek Sharma had seemingly put them on course for 200 and beyond.Related

The relentlessness of Abhishek and the ruthlessness of Bumrah

Aaron: 'Axar ahead of Samson? I do not understand it'

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Shaheen Afridi brushes off criticism as Pakistan eye Asia Cup final

Abhishek continued his magnificent tournament, following up his 39-ball 74 against Pakistan with a 37-ball 75, but India struggled when he wasn’t at the crease.Their innings followed a pattern not unlike Pakistan’s against their bowlers on Sunday: a strong start followed by a dramatic slowdown when the ball became older and harder to time. India scored 95 runs in overs 3-11, when Abhishek ran rampant, and just 73 runs in the 12 overs either side of that stretch.In the end, Abhishek’s innings proved the difference between the teams. Bangladesh didn’t have anyone in their line-up with that level of relentless boundary-hitting ability, even if Saif Hassan showed the promise in their ranks, hitting five sixes in a 51-ball 69.Bangladesh begin brightlyBangladesh could have dismissed Abhishek for 7 off 8 in the third over, had the wicketkeeper held on to an edge off Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who came into an XI with as many as four changes, and bowled brilliantly with the new ball, swinging it prodigiously while also hitting the deck hard.The wicketkeeper who shelled that chance – and Bangladesh’s captain on the night – was Jaker Ali, standing in for Litton Das who was ruled out with a side strain.That moment ended the first chapter of this match, which Bangladesh dominated without quite being able to separate Abhishek and Shubman Gill. Tanzim had beaten Gill’s bat twice in the first over, and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed had used his swinging arm ball cleverly to take the ball away from Abhishek’s hitting arc in the second. By the end of the third over, India were still going at less than a run a ball.Abhishek and Gill take overGill began the counterattack by stepping out to the first two balls of the fourth over and hitting Nasum for four and six. That began a torrent of boundary-hitting that Bangladesh seemed powerless to stop. Abhishek looked unstoppable once he got to grips with the conditions, hitting Mustafizur Rahman for two sixes in the fifth over, peppering the off-side boundary with four fours off Mohammad Saifuddin in the sixth, and carrying on in similar vein beyond the powerplay.In all, Abhishek hit five sixes and jumped to joint No. 7 on India’s all-time T20I six-hitting charts. He has now hit 58 sixes in just 21 innings; Suresh Raina, with whom he drew level, hit 58 in 66 innings.2:57

Chopra questions India’s batting order logic

Experimental India slow downIndia were 112 for 2 at the start of the 12th over, and Bangladesh seemed powerless to stop Abhishek. But they did, via a run out manufactured by Rishad Hossain’s brilliance at backward point. He dived to his left to stop a dab from Suryakumar Yadav and sprang up, ready to throw in one motion, leaving Abhishek with little chance of regaining his ground at the non-striker’s end.That moment changed the complexion of the game, exposing India’s middle order to an issue that has troubled every line-up in these conditions in the UAE – the difficulty of starting innings against the old ball. Bangladesh’s bowlers did their bit too, with Mustafizur, Tanzim and Saifuddin finding plenty of purchase with their slower cutters and with Nasum varying his pace cleverly, and India only scored 56 runs across their last nine overs. Hardik Pandya, who was out off the last ball of the innings for 38 off 29, did the bulk of the scoring.India’s slide looked worse for coming against the backdrop of batting-order changes that didn’t come off on the day. India promoted Shivam Dube to No. 3, and sent in Hardik, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel above Sanju Samson, who did not get to bat at all.Handshakes all around after India completed an easy win•AFP/Getty Images

Saif wages lone fight as Bangladesh fade awayBangladesh seemed in with a real chance at the halfway mark, but the required rate kept slipping further and further away from their reach. Jasprit Bumrah, once again bowling three overs in the powerplay, struck in his first over, and looked close to unhittable with the new ball, finding prodigious swing and at one stage beating Parvez Hossain Emon’s bat six times in eight balls.And then, just as Emon had seemed to shrug off that early struggle with a six off Bumrah and a pair of swept fours off Varun Chakravarthy, he fell while miscuing a slog-sweep in Kuldeep Yadav’s first over, the seventh of the innings.Then it became a game of two ends. At one end, Saif showed off his hitting range, particularly off Axar whom he hit for three sixes. At the other, batters came and went, with Jaker’s run-out dismissal in the 13th over, while trying to steal a quick single to get Saif to his fifty, effectively bringing Bangladesh’s challenge to an end.All that remained was for Kuldeep to pull off his customary two-wickets-in-two-balls trick, for India’s fielders to shell a series of catches to extend Saif’s innings into the 18th over, for Bumrah to come back and pick up a second wicket, and finally for part-timer Tilak to roll his arm over and end the match with three balls to spare.

A new update has emerged regarding Manchester City’s pursuit of Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning attacking midfielder Arda Guler, with Pep Guardiola’s stance made clear.

The Turk is arguably one of the most talented and exciting young attackers in Europe currently, gradually becoming more of a key man for La Liga giants Madrid.

Guler has started 10 league games so far this season, scoring three goals and bagging five assists, while Madrid legend Toni Kroos has lauded him, also discussing comparisons between the pair.

“But I don’t believe in comparisons. Arda is also a different type of player than me. His best position is much more attacking than mine, so it’s not about me succeeding him at all. But I’m generally pleased because he’s a good lad. I’ve played alongside him.

“He has a really delicate touch, which he’s already used very effectively for Real this season. That’s why I hope he continues to get consistent playing time, because that’s the only way to improve. Then I’m sure he can make his mark at Real for many years to come.”

At 20 years of age, Guler has an enormous amount of potential, and while Madrid are no doubt hesitant to allow him to leave, it looks as though he remains on City’s radar.

Guardiola wants Man City offer for Guler increased

According to a report from Spain, Manchester City are readying an offer of £88m for Guler, but that won’t be accepted by Madrid, who will demand more for his signature.

Guardiola has asked ‘whether it’s feasible to increase the offer’, though, no doubt considering him a player who he values greatly, as he looks to snap up some of the biggest young talents in the game.

The idea of Guler in a City shirt is a mouthwatering prospect, with the Turkey star someone who could fit perfectly into Guardiola’s style of play, with his technical ability right up there with the best in Europe.

Like Phil Foden, he possesses an effortless class with his left foot, being capable of drifting in off the right flank or adopting a No.10 role, while Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has lauded him.

“With his quality, he’s a mix between Ozil and Guti. Guti had that vision and finesse to link play or operate closer to goal, and with Mesut I enjoyed football so much. Arda has that something special – that natural talent you can’t teach.”

Man City now willing to make shock Rodri decision as part of £100m+ Bellingham move

The Citizens could take their midfield to a whole new level.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 15, 2025

For now, it looks as though Madrid are going to be stubborn in allowing Guler to leave the club, but City and Guardiola should continue to pursue him as a top target, given his world-class long-term potential.

Man City leading race for Rodrygo with Real Madrid future now in major doubt

Scotland are heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean all scored incredible goals to inspire the Tartan Army to a 4-2 victory over Denmark in Tuesday's do-or-die qualifier. The hosts needed all three points, whereas the Danes would have qualified with a draw. And in a frantic see-saw battle until stoppage time, Scotland emerged triumphant.

Tartan Army heading to first World Cup since 1998

Scotland’s meeting with Denmark had barely begun when one of the most extraordinary goals ever scored at Hampden Park sent the crowd into delirium. It came from McTominay, a player long admired for his engine and commitment but not typically spoken about in the same breath as audacious acrobats. Yet here he was, suspended in mid-air, executing a bicycle kick so clean that even Cristiano Ronaldo would have be proud of it.

The move began with Ben Gannon-Doak reading an attempted Danish clearance. He stepped in with confidence and turned away from his marker with elegance. He then floated a left-footed cross into the penalty area, a delivery that looked harmless enough until McTominay scored the wonder goal. 

However, only minutes after his decisive combination of anticipation and artistry had helped conjure McTominay’s wonder strike, Gannon-Doak collapsed to the turf clutching his hamstring. He buried his head in his hands as the medics rushed on, a stretcher in tow. He had been electric from the opening whistle, and his withdrawal sucked much of the early electricity out of Scotland’s performance. McLean, steady and experienced, came on in his place. But the shift in dynamic was undeniable as Scotland had lost their spark.

A tense and absorbing night at Hampden took a dramatic turn early in the second half when Denmark were awarded a VAR-assisted penalty, sparking the first major twist of a frantic 45 minutes. In the 53rd minute, Gustav Isaksen burst toward the edge of the Scotland box, spinning away from Andy Robertson before tumbling under a late challenge. The on-field referee waved play on, but the replays triggered an immediate VAR review.

After several minutes of deliberation, the verdict arrived, and it was a penalty for Denmark. Scotland’s frustrations grew as Craig Gordon dived left while Rasmus Hojlund calmly curled the ball into the opposite corner. Just as Denmark seemed poised to tilt the match in their favour, the game flipped again. With 61 minutes on the clock, John McGinn spun past Rasmus Kristensen. The defender dangled a leg, and McGinn hit the deck theatrically. The referee, convinced by the tumble, produced a second yellow card and Denmark were down to ten.

Three minutes after the red card, Clarke rolled the dice. Off came Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes; on came two out-and-out strikers, Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland. It was a declaration of intent that Scotland were going for the win. And the gamble paid off. In the 78th minute, Scotland won a corner on the left. Lewis Ferguson whipped in a devilish delivery that skimmed off Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the near post. Shankland reacted instinctively, nudging the ball in from point-blank range. 

But the joy lasted less than three minutes. Down to ten men but refusing to wilt, Denmark pieced together a wonderfully composed move. Hojlund held the ball brilliantly, Isaksen’s cross caused panic, and after Scotland failed to clear, Mattias Kristensen teed up Patrick Dorgu on the edge of the area. He opened his body and stroked the ball past Gordon to complete a finish full of class. 

But Scotland clawed their way back again when Tierney scored from 25 yards out in stoppage time. It was an extraordinary strike as he curled the ball into the top corner to send Hampden Park into a frenzy. However, the icing on the cake was McLean's strike from the halfway line as he chipped Kasper Schmeichel, who was way off his line. 

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McTominay produced a moment of individual brilliance to put Scotland in front. It is a goal that would have gone straight into his career highlight reel, and he would be thankful to Tierney that his sublime strike went in for a winning cause.

The big loser

Kristensen took his first yellow card to stop McGinn after he was pick-pocketed in a dangerous area in the first half. And just after the hour mark, he emerged second best in a duel once again, and the referee flashed a second yellow. A 10-man Denmark gave their all but ultimately laid down their weapons in stoppage time as Tierney and McLean took centre stage. 

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