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كانت هناك أنباء عن اهتمام نادي الزمالك بضم الظهير الأيسر لنادي ميدياما المنافس في بطولة الدوري الغاني، حميدو عبدول فاتاو، خلال الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي.

ولكن اتجهت الأنظار في القلعة البيضاء إلى اسم آخر داخل الدوري المصري وهو لاعب البنك الأهلي، إسحاقو يعقوبو، وبالتالي لم تحدث مفاوضات رسمية بين الزمالك وميدياما حول الغاني.

ويعد فاتاو أحد أبرز اللاعبين في الدوري المحلي في مركزه وهو ما جعله ينضم إلى منتخب غانا أكثر من مرة رغم صعوبة ذلك للتركيز على المحترفين، ولكن يتم استدعاءه لأدائه المميز.

اقرأ أيضًا | عمرو أدهم: لا يوجد ناد في مصر يتحمل مثل الزمالك.. وننتظر الحكم في قضية باتشيكو

ولكن رغم ابتعاد الزمالك عن الصفقة إلا أن فاتاو يبدو وأنه لن يبتعد عن الدوري المصري، حيث تواصل “btolat.com” مع رئيس نادي ميدياما، توني أوبين، لمعرفة وجهة اللاعب بعد حضوره إلى هنا في الساعات الماضية.

وقال أوبين في تصريحات خاصة لنا: “هناك اتفاق مع نادي غزل المحلة (الصاعد حديثًا إلى الدوري المصري)، لكن لم يحدث أي توقيع رسمي للاعب”.

وأتم: “هو متواجد في مصر من أجل الكشف الطبي وإذا نجح سيكون هناك توقيع للعقد والانتقال الرسمي”.

أفادت تقارير صحفية تونسية بتقديم النادي الأهلي عرضًا رسميًا لنظيره فيرنسفاروش المجري لضمّ اللاعب التونسي محمد علي بن رمضان.

وزادت في الأيام القليلة الماضية الأنباء عن نية الأهلي في ضم بن رمضان، في ظل إمكانية رحيل لاعب الوسط الدفاعي، أليو ديانج، إلى الدوري السعودي مع اهتمام نادي الخلود.

ويلعب بن رمضان مع فيرنسفاروش المجري منذ صيف العام الماضي ويستمر عقده مع الفريق حتى عامين آخرين إلى 30 يونيو 2026.

اقرأ أيضًا | وكيل شامار نيشولسون يكشف لـ بطولات فرص انتقاله إلى الأهلي في الصيف

ووفقًا لموقع “نسمة سبور” التونسي، فإنّ إدارة الأهلي تسعى لتعزيز صفوف الفريق في خط الوسط من خلال التعاقد مع بن رمضان خلال الفترة المقبلة، وقدمت عرضًا لنادي فيرنسفاروش بقيمة 2 مليون دولار.

ويتميّز بن رمضان بإمكانياته الفنية العالية وقدرته على صناعة اللعب وتسجيل الأهداف مما يجعله صفقة مُهمة للفريق الأحمر.

وينتظر الأهلي رد إدارة فرينكفاروش على العرض المقدم، وقد تُحدث هذه الصفقة نقلة نوعية في خطّ وسط الفريق الأحمر وتُساعده على تحقيق المزيد من الإنجازات في الموسم المقبل.

After a difficult start, Leeds United have finally found their feet under Daniel Farke, and now look on course to challenge for a place at the top of the Championship. Much of the credit for their turnaround deserves to go to the recruitment team, with Joel Piroe's arrival particularly strengthening the Yorkshire side in the final third this season.

That same team could be at the centre of things once more come January, too, when they'll look to find the players capable of making a difference for Leeds in the final stages of the campaign. And that could include the addition of one particular goalkeeper who is a man in demand.

What's the latest Leeds United transfer news?

In total, the Whites welcomed nine reinforcements during the summer transfer window, with Leeds' summer spending reaching around the £36m mark. Proving their ability to spend, the winter transfer window may open the door for further reinforcements for the 49ers Enterprises and Farke at Elland Road.

Player

Price

Joel Piroe

€14m

Ethan Ampadu

€8m

Ilia Gruev

€6.5m

Glen Kamara

€6m

Djed Spence

€1m loan fee

Karl Darlow

€400k

Sam Byram

Free

Jaidon Anthony

Loan

Joe Rodon

Loan

One position that Farke could strengthen is the goalkeeper role, with the latest Noel Tornqvist transfer news reporting that Leeds are interested in the shot-stopper. According to Fotbollskanalen, via Leeds Live, officials of the Yorkshire club actually sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old goalkeeper in action for Mjallby AIF prior to the international break. Mjallby AIF sporting director Hasse Larsson confirmed that scouts were there to watch Tornqvist, saying, via Leeds Live:

"That’s right. There were two more clubs, two Dutch clubs, who were also there to watch. There is an interest, absolutely. We’ll see what happens, we haven’t received anything concrete. We have only received requests.

“I think we have a contract for four more years. It is difficult to answer [of retaining him beyond January], but we are happy to keep him for a while longer. Then we’ll see, it depends on what comes. It’s fairly broad. There were four clubs that looked at him and there have been clubs that looked at him before.”

Who is Noel Tornqvist?

A left-footed goalkeeper, Tornqvist played an important role for Mjallby AIF last season, starting 23 of his side's 25 Allsvenskan games. Tornqvist's clean sheets were also impressive, with the 21-year-old keeping an impressive total of 11 throughout the season in all competitions. With that said, he could provide current Leeds number one Illan Meslier with plenty of competition, perhaps even taking the starting role from the Frenchman, should he end up leaving in the future.

Mjallby coach Anders Torstensson has previously been full of praise for his goalkeeper, saying:

“It was a question mark we had before the season. We know that Noel is a good goalkeeper. Then it’s about defending the shirt as the first-choice goalkeeper. He made a mistake against Varberg and also had back problems in that game, but I think he responded in a fantastic way.”

When the January transfer window swings open, the Whites may well be a club to keep an eye on, with their interest in Tornqvist potentially taking centre stage.

Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta are said to be eyeing a January transfer for one player who could be exactly what they're missing.

Who have Arsenal signed 2023?

The Premier League title contenders sealed deals for club-record signing Declan Rice, defender Jurrien Timber, forward Kai Havertz and goalkeeper David Raya – who cost north of £200 million in total.

Having enjoyed their most ambitious and productive summer transfer window in recent memory, certain squad members had to make way for room.

Indeed, Folarin Balogun, Granit Xhaka, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty, Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos, Nicolas Pepe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Albert Sambi Lokonga all left north London either on loan or permanently.

So far, despite not playing at their very best, Arsenal have been justified in their decisions with four wins secured out of their opening five top flight matches so far this season.

The Gunners also play host to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League tonight, as Arteta's side look to challenge on multiple fronts.

Who will Arsenal buy in January?

One position they were unable to shore up over the summer was further forward, as Arsenal opted to bring in Havertz as a makeshift option rather than signing a classic centre-forward.

Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah stand out as their only natural striking options. If injury were to befall either of the duo, it would arguably leave Arteta desperately short.

As such, there have been reports that Arsenal could move for a world-class striker in 2024. The likes of Napoli star Victor Osimhen, who has been free-scoring in Serie A, have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney is also believed to be of interest to sporting director Edu and Arteta.

Journalist John Cross of The Daily Mirror, sharing news on the player's future, has an update concerning Arsenal's interest.

It is believed Arsenal are among the clubs "likely" to be in the mix for Toney and are eyeing a January transfer. The 26-year-old, who is currently serving a ban for gambling breaches, is set to return to action after the new year.

Toney is said to have admirers at the club, with Cross claiming his physical presence is something "you could argue Arsenal lack". It's added that they would have "almost certainly" bid for the England international before September 1's summer deadline day, had he not been banned.

How good is Ivan Toney?

Scoring 20 league goals in 33 appearances last season, Toney is a truly prolific marksman when at his very best.

Bees boss Thomas Frank, speaking to the press this year, hailed his "£100 million" star as a "remarkable" and "amazing" player.

“Ivan is amazing in many, many aspects,” Frank said.

“The way he copes with pressure and distractions is amazing. He’s been scoring goals, performing for the team and driving the team. He’s remarkable.

“I can only talk about the Ivan that I see every day around the place and he’s a fantastic person around the group. He’s got that unique emotional intelligence to be aware of all the players, and every staff member."

West Ham United return to action in the Premier League this afternoon as they travel away from the London Stadium to take on Liverpool at Anfield.

The Hammers are heading into the match off the back of a 3-1 win over Serbian side TSC Backa Topola a home in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Petar Stanic handed the away side a shock lead shortly after half-time but David Moyes' side rallied to come back and secure all three points in their first group stage match of the campaign.

Said Benrahma crossed for Nemanja Petrovic to turn the ball into his own net before two exquisite corners from James Ward-Prowse produced two assists for Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek, whose goals sealed the 3-1 win.

What's the latest West Ham team news?

The Hammers head coach has revealed that England international Jarrod Bowen is a doubt for this match after picking up a virus, which is why he was not in the squad for the victory on Thursday.

Left-back Aaron Cresswell, who was substituted at half-time against Topola, is also a concern as Moyes has confirmed that the defender felt his hamstring and his situation is also one to watch.

However, there are no other fresh injury concerns and Kudus, who arrived from Dutch giants Ajax during the summer transfer window, could make his first Premier League start if Bowen misses out.

One change to the XI that Moyes should make, though, is bringing central defender Nayef Aguerd back into the team to replace Italian veteran Angelo Ogbonna, who had a nightmare against Topola.

How did Ogbonna perform against Topola?

The former Juventus stopper recorded a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.3 as he was almost solely at fault for the goal that West Ham conceded in the 47th minute.

Ward-Prowse played a slightly underhit pass back to the defender but he had plenty of time to deal with the ball and, instead, was outmuscled by Petrovic, who was then free to run clear on goal before slotting the ball past Lukasz Fabianski with ease.

Ogbonna had several opportunities to clear his lines, whether that was by hitting it forward when the ball first came his way or by passing it back to his goalkeeper, and his dallying ended up costing him and the club at the time.

This critical mistake is not the only reason why Aguerd should be in the side ahead of him, though, as his performances throughout the 2022/23 campaign were less impressive than the Morocco internationals's.

How many appearances did Ogbonna make last season?

The 35-year-old giant played 16 times in the Premier League last season and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.72, which was the 14th-highest rating within the squad and this suggests that he was a long way away from being one of the team's best performers.

He made 1.8 tackles and interceptions per game and won 67% of his individual duels throughout the campaign, as per Sofascore, and ranked 15th in the team for tackles per match (0.7).

These statistics show that the Italian defender was not an outstanding player for the Hammers last season as he did not make a great impact on the pitch with his defensive interventions or average performance level.

The ex-Torino star also has very little to offer in possession for West Ham. Over the last 365 days, Ogbonna ranks in the bottom 1% of his positional peers across the Men's Big Five League and European competitions for progressive passes (0.83) and progressive carries (0.00) per 90 respectively.

This shows that the veteran dud is one of the worst players in his position in Europe when it comes to playing the ball out from the back to start attacks. He does not progress his team up the pitch with clever passes or driving runs to find his teammates in better positions.

Aguerd, on the other hand, is better than Ogbonna at both sides of the game, as evidenced by his performances for the club since his move to the London Stadium last year.

How many appearances did Aguerd make last season?

The Morocco international played 18 Premier League matches, which included 17 starts, and averaged an impressive Sofascore rating of 6.92.

Only Lucas Paqueta (6.95) and Declan Rice (7.19) averaged higher Sofascore ratings than the 27-year-old titan and this suggests that he was one of Moyes' top performers at the back.

The left-footed ace delivered a significantly higher average performance level in comparison to Ogbonna and made more defensive interventions with 2.5 tackles and interceptions per clash for the team.

Aguerd, who was hailed as "exceptional" by Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, has also enjoyed a strong start to the current campaign.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 across four league starts and made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per match to go along with a goal against Chelsea, although the central defender was also shown a red card for two bookable offences in that game.

The former Rennes star also offers more than Ogbonna in possession of the ball. Over the last 365 days, Aguerd has averaged more progressive passes (1.58) and progressive carries (0.14) per 90 than the 35-year-old dud.

This shows that he can provide more quality in possession to progress the team up the pitch in matches, which can, therefore, give the attackers a greater chance of making an impact as they can receive the ball in better positions than they would from Ogbonna's passing out from the back.

Therefore, Moyes must ruthlessly ditch the £70k-per-week Italian from the starting line-up and start Aguerd against Liverpool, who have scored three goals in four of their last five matches in all competitions and in each of their last three games.

West Ham will need to be at the top of their game to keep out the likes of Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Luis Diaz, and the statistics suggest that the Moroccan colossus has a far better chance of keeping them out than Ogbonna.

This is why the Scottish head coach should select the former Ligue 1 ace from the start and resign the veteran defender to the bench, with Kurt Zouma or Konstantinos Mavropanos alongside Aguerd.

Sophie Devine swept both ODI and T20I awards in the women’s category while Ross Taylor and Colin Munro took home the men’s ODI and T20I awards

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2018Trent Boult was the biggest winner at the 2018 NZC Annual Awards, where he was named Test Cricketer of the Year and awarded the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for best International player of the year.Full list of winners

Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for Player of the Year: Trent Boult
Men’s Test Player of the Year: Trent Boult
Men’s ODI Player of the Year: Ross Taylor
Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Sophie Devine
Men’s T20 International Player of the Year: Colin Munro
Women’s T20 Player of the Year: Sophie Devine
Winsor Cup (First-Class Bowling): Neil Wagner
Redpath Cup (First-Class Batting): Ross Taylor
Men’s Domestic Player of the Year: Ajaz Patel
Super Smash Player of the Year: Anton Devcich
Ruth Martin Cup (domestic batting): Maddy Green
Phyl Blackler Cup (domestic bowling): Holly Huddleston
Bert Sutcliffe Medal for Outstanding Services to Cricket: Pat Malcon

Boult took 77 wickets across all formats during the period under consideration, during which he became the sixth New Zealand bowler to take 200 Test wickets and also became the sixth-fastest from anywhere to take 100 ODI wickets.Other big winners included batsmen Ross Taylor and Colin Munro who took home the awards for ODI and T20I Cricketer of the Year respectively. While Taylor averaged 78 in ODIs during the period, Munro averaged 57 (at a strike-rate of 182) in T20Is.Sophie Devine, opener and vice-captain of the New Zealand women’s team, collected awards for both ODI and T20 Player of the Year. During the same period, she averaged 55 in ODIs and 31 in T20s while also taking a combined 15 wickets across the two formats.Taylor also won the Redpath Cup for best first-class batting while left-arm pacer Neil Wagner clinched the Winsor Cup for best first-class bowling. Ajaz Patel, the left-arm spinner and lower-order batsman from Central Districts, took home the award for Best Domestic Cricketer while his team-mate Anton Devcich, the hard-hitting opener, won the Super Smash Player of the Tournament.In women’s domestic cricket, Maddy Green and Holly Huddleston collected awards for best domestic batsman and bowler, and were given the Ruth Martin and Phyl Blackler Cups respectively. Seventy-one-year old Pat Malcon was awarded the Bert Sutcliffe Medal for Outstanding Services to Cricket.

New rights deal to run for five years, till March 31, 2023

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Feb-2018Six months after securing the biggest television deal in cricket for the IPL, the BCCI is now preparing to sell the broadcast and digital rights for Indian cricket – both domestic and international. These rights will be sold via e-auction, on March 27, with the rights period running from April 1 this year to March 31, 2023.*The rights have been split across three categories: a global television rights plus rest-of-world digital rights package, an Indian-subcontinent digital rights package, and a global consolidated rights package.In 2012, when the rights were last sold, Star TV won the bid, paying Rs 3851 crore (at the time, USD 750 million approx) for 96 matches. That contract runs out on March 31, 2018.In that contract, the pricing varied over two stages: Star paid the BCCI INR 32.2 crore (USD 6.3m approx) per match from 2012 to 2014, and INR 43.20 crore (USD 8.5m approx) for matches from 2014 to 2018.ESPNcricinfo LtdBut, in the wake of the record-breaking INR 16,347.5 crore (USD 2.55 billion) deal bagged by Star for the IPL rights, media pundits have wondered whether Indian cricket can attract similarly top-end bids. Under the IPL deal, which includes both broadcast and digital rights, Star pays the BCCI virtually INR 55 crore (USD 8.47m approx) per IPL match.The BCCI remains unconcerned. It has stuck to the strategy of limiting the rights period to five years, as had been the case with the various deals – including the IPL one – carried out in the past year.The invitation-to-tender document will be available to interested bidders till March 5, and is priced at USD 10,000 (INR 6.5 lakh approx). The BCCI will conduct a workshop on the specifics of the online auction for these bidders on March 7. The BCCI has said that bids can be submitted till 10am IST on March 27, five hours before the start of the e-auction.*

An update has emerged on Sunderland and their pursuit of defensive reinforcements before the summer transfer window officially slams shut tonight.

What's the latest Sunderland transfer news?

According to French outlet L'Equipe, the Black Cats have reached an agreement with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain over a deal to sign defender Timothee Pembele.

The report claims that the 20-year-old gem is set to sign a long-term contract with the English club before this evening's deadline, although there is no mention of how much Kristjaan Speakman has agreed to pay for his services.

This comes amid the news that USA international Lynden Gooch is poised to complete a permanent move to Championship rivals Stoke City to link up with former boss Alex Neil on a two-year contract.

The possible swoop for Pembele could follow on from the signing of Chelsea centre-forward Mason Burstow, who is now reportedly on the verge of sealing a loan move to the Stadium of Light from the Premier League team on deadline day.

How good is Timothee Pembele?

At the age of 20, the PSG prospect is a player who could come in as a long-term addition to the team rather than one with the expectation of making an immediate impact on the pitch.

He could be a fantastic replacement for Gooch as the French talent is seven years younger than the Black Cats academy graduate and has more potential to develop into a starting XI quality player, whereas the American is already in his prime years and may not have as much growth to go through.

The 27-year-old played 30 Championship matches for Sunderland last season and lost 50% of his individual duels, whilst he was also dribbled past 0.7 times per game.

Pembele, meanwhile, played five Ligue 1 matches for PSG and caught the eye with his defensive work. He won an impressive 71% of his ground battles and 65% of his contests overall, whilst only being dribbled past 0.4 times per outing, as per Sofascore.

This suggests that the former Bordeaux loanee could offer more physical strength than Gooch, by being more efficient in his duels on the pitch, whilst also not allowing opposition players to find it as easy to take the ball past him.

The 6-foot ace, who was hailed as one of a number of "gold" French talents by scout Jacek Kulig, only has 24 Ligue 1 starts in his career to date but his superb statistics in limited minutes last term indicate that the potential is there for him to be a strong option for Tony Mowbray.

His versatility could also make him a dream replacement for Gooch as the France U23 international is capable of playing on the wing, at right-back, at the heart of the defence, or at left-back, whilst the soon-to-be Stoke player has played every position on the pitch aside from goalkeeper and centre-back.

Therefore, Pembele could be a fantastic signing to make up for the academy graduate's pending exit to the Potters due to his potential, defensive strength, and versatility, which is why this appears to be a shrewd piece of deadline day business by the club.

Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar is personally in talks with Monaco chief Thiago Scuro over selling striker Folarin Balogun, who is "expected to leave" this summer.

Who have Arsenal sold this summer?

Long-serving midfielder Granit Xhaka, defender Pablo Mari and American youngster Auston Trusty have all left the Gunners with USA international keeper Matt Turner also completing a move to Nottingham Forest.

This comes amid Arsenal's attempt to finalise a deal for Brentford keeper David Raya, as manager Mikel Arteta seeks to provide competition for current number one Aaron Ramsdale.

Balogun, who is attracting interest from both AS Monaco and Serie A giants Inter Milan, is another to be repeatedly mentioned as a player who could quit Arsenal.

Commenting on his future recently, the 22-year-old refused to rule out a move away, leaving it in Arsenal's hands.

“I obviously went away, and the point was to prove I could play first team football. I feel I was able to do that and show people I can play at that level," Balogun said.

“I think with me coming back, it’s not really much of a situation where I think I can need to try extra hard to prove something, I think it’s a decision that’s not really with me. Whatever happens, I’m cool with it.”

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

The forward, fresh off the back of an excellent loan stint in Ligue 1 with Reims last season, has recently been at the centre of a rejected bid from Monaco.

According to The Daily Mail, this hasn't deterred the French side, who are still attempting to reach a compromise with Arsenal over a fee.

Edu and their transfer chief Scuro are currently in behind-scenes talks over the prospective transfer, and it's added that Balogun is "expected to leave" before deadline day.

Nothing is said on the nature of Monaco's opening bid, just that it fell short of Arsenal's £50 million valuation. Inter are also still keen on Balogun, but cannot afford that price tag amid their ongoing search for a new striker.

Saudi Arabian side also made a verbal proposal for Balogun earlier in the window.

How good is Folarin Balogun?

Scoring 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances last season, the USA international forward is steadily growing his reputation as a fierce marksman.

Balogun's form in the French top flight has seemingly risen his market value to such an extent that Arsenal are set to dig their heels in over their £50m valuation.

Arteta, commenting on the player's brilliant 22/23 campaign, hailed him as a "really brave" and "really commmitted" player.

"He’s a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career," said Arteta.

"He’s really ambitious, really committed and really brave. We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had. He was so convinced. I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.

“When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that. But he’s got something special."

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a fine transfer window thus far, but there is still more to be done if Ange Postecoglou is to truly enjoy a seamless start to life in north London.

Is Tosin Adarabioyo leaving Fulham?

With Micky van de Ven one of the latest to join this revolution, it feels like many areas of the pitch have been bolstered well enough to suggest an improvement on last season is in the offing.

However, it will likely be a while until the squad properly embraces his culture and unusual methods, which have admittedly brought success wherever he has gone.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

Now, the 57-year-old could turn his attention towards bringing in another defender, with Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo a name that remains a fine option that has been touted in recent months.

With just one year left on his deal too, and having made his desire to depart Craven Cottage known, the reported €15m (£13m) price tag sees this potential deal come at an opportune moment for another coup.

How good is Tosin Adarabioyo?

The 25-year-old has starred for the Cottagers ever since his permanent switch from Manchester City, overseeing their Premier League return and subsequent stunning return campaign under Marco Silva.

Last term saw him struggle at times for fitness, but still impress across his 25 top-flight appearances. He maintained a 6.89 average rating, bolstered by his 82% pass accuracy, 71% dribble success rate, 1.2 tackles and 5.5 clearances per game, via Sofascore.

This form will likely have come as no surprise to his former boss Tony Mowbray, who spoke of his phenomenal physical qualities back in 2019:

“I thought Tosin today was immense. We’ve struggled with teams who played direct football against us but I told him that he had to be the man that stood up, be tall, head the ball, and it’s underestimated how important heading the ball over the halfway line is.

“That’s what he did, and scored on top of it."

In potentially treading that path from Fulham to the Spurs, he would actually be following in the footsteps of one of the club’s greatest players in recent memory, Mousa Dembele.

The Belgian joined following the departure of Luka Modric in 2012, with huge boots to fill. However, his legacy in north London arguably outranks that of the legendary Croatian, given how he connected with the fanbase due to his enigmatic play style.

He was strong, fast, elegant and emphatic, featuring 249 times before his eventual exit in 2019. Mauricio Pochettino lauded his tenure:

“I always say to him, ‘Mousa, when I write my book, you will be one of my genius players that I have been lucky enough to meet.

“One was Maradona; also Ronaldinho, Okocha and Iván de la Peña – he was a genius, too – and then Mousa. We always tell Mousa that if we had taken him at 18 or 19, he would have become one of the best players in the world.”

His starring campaign, during the 2015/16 term, helped exemplify exactly why he remains such a revered figure. Boasting a 7.41 average rating in the league, he maintained a 90% pass accuracy, 92% dribble success rate, 3.9 tackles and one key pass per game, via Sofascore.

Should Adarabioyo have half as big an impact on this Spurs squad as Dembele enjoyed during his tenure, then Postecoglou will be cruising towards an unprecedented level of success in his first year in charge.