A “top” manager is now Tottenham Hotspur’s number one target to replace Thomas Frank, following the 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

Spurs players called into question after City Ground defeat

Tottenham fell to 11th in the Premier League table following the heavy defeat at the City Ground, and The Athletic’s Elias Burke gave a scathing review of the performance, saying: “Utterly devoid of any inspiration or fight, even after going behind. There have been a few bad ones under Frank, and that’s right up there among the worst.”

It was a controversial decision to replace Europa League winner Ange Postecoglou, and Frank has thus far failed to make any major improvements, with the Dane’s record since taking over leaving a lot to be desired.

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham record

Games

25

Wins

10

Draws

6

Losses

9

Points per game

1.44

As a result, ENIC have now held talks about sacking the 52-year-old, and former Barcelona manager Xavi has emerged as one of the main contenders to replace him in the dugout.

However, the Spaniard is not the only option under consideration, according to a report from Caught Offside, which states USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino is the top target, having been identified as the ‘strongest potential replacement.’

At the moment, ENIC are willing to give Frank more time, but results need to improve soon, and Pochettino’s knowledge of the club and style of play means he is an ideal replacement.

Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glanser and Fulham boss Marco Silva have also been shortlisted, so there is certainly no shortage of targets, but there are signs the former Spurs manager could be the best option…

Pochettino has experience at the top level

While Silva and Glasner have now built up plenty of Premier League experience, and the latter won the FA Cup last season, the ex-Tottenham boss has more experience at the highest level, having led the north Londoners to the 2019 Champions League final.

Pep Guardiola has also waxed lyrical about the Argentinian in the past, describing him as “one of the top managers in England”, and there have been suggestions Daniel Levy made an error getting rid of him in the first place.

However, it would arguably be a backwards step to appoint a manager who has already been sacked in recent memory, and the 53-year-old may have burned some of his bridges with fans by moving to Chelsea back in 2023.

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With Pochettino, who prefers a 4-2-3-1 system, also gearing up to lead the USMNT into the World Cup, it is unclear whether he would be willing to jump ship, and Spurs may be better off targeting Glasner, with the 51-year-old winning Palace the first major trophy in their history last season.

Crystal Palace are now “interested” in signing an “incredible” Premier League forward, with his club “willing” to sanction a departure.

Palace looking to upgrade attacking options

Despite Palace suffering a setback against Manchester City on Sunday, falling to a 3-0 home defeat against the title contenders, they remain in a very strong position as we approach the half-way stage of the season, currently sitting in fifth place.

If Oliver Glasner’s side are going to sustain their push for Europe, however, they may need to improve their attacking options, having scored 20 Premier League goals this season, only one more than 18th-placed West Ham United.

Yeremy Pino was one of the Eagles’ key summer signings, but the 23-year-old hasn’t exactly been prolific in the Premier League thus far, registering just two goal contributions in 14 games.

The goalscoring burden has largely been placed on Jean-Philippe Mateta, with the Frenchman already finding the back of the net nine times in all competitions this season, but the South Londoners are now keen to provide him with some additional support in attack.

That is according to former scout Mick Brown, who recently told Football Insider that Crystal Palace are now keen on Manchester City forward Oscar Bobb, saying: “They’ve been keeping tabs on him and he’s certainty somebody they’re interested in, because I believe Man City would be willing to let him go.”

Brown also suggested the Norwegian could be an ideal signing for Palace, saying: “Oscar Bobb is a very talented player, that’s obvious,

“So it’s no surprise when you hear there is interest from a team like Crystal Palace, where they’ve got a reputation for developing young talents into better players.

“In that respect it might be a perfect move for him and for Palace.”

Bobb could be "incredible" signing for the Eagles

Lauded as “incredible” by former footballer Jan Aage Fjortoft, the 22-year-old made his breakthrough at Man City in the 2023-24 campaign, and he has since gone on to make 46 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, chipping in with three goals and four assists.

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The Oslo-born ace, who is represented by the same agent as Pino, is also an extremely impressive dribbler, averaging 3.39 successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, and 3.71 progressive carries, which places him in the top 1%, when compared to his positional peers.

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Not only does the Norway international pose an attacking threat, but he is also willing to pitch in at the opposite end of the pitch, according to Pep, who said earlier this season: “Oscar defensively is a machine, he helped us a lot and in the final third.”

Given the number of attackers Pep has at his disposal, Bobb’s game time has been limited this season, often only being used as a substitute, so the £50k-a-week winger may need to leave Man City for the good of his career, and it is exciting news that Palace are interested.

The Leicester City fans in the Transfer Tavern are resigned to losing Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City this summer as a potential deal edges closer to completion, but they are pleased that their club have been able to command such an extortionate transfer fee for his services. 

The Breakdown

According to reports from Sky Sports, Man City have finally made a breakthrough in their bid to sign Riyad Mahrez and a medical could be completed by the end of the week. Although a fee is yet to be agreed, the report states that the Foxes will receive a fee in the region of £60 million for the Algerian ace – a sum of money which would go a long way to improving the Leicester team if reinvested wisely.

Although the news will arrive as a disappointment to the Leicester supporters, it hardly arrives as any great surprise following months of speculation linking him with a move to the Etihad Stadium.

However, further unwelcome news emerged for Leicester recently as Sky Sports also believe that both Chelsea and Roma are interested in signing Kasper Schmeichel.

Schmeichel (valued at £9 million by Transfermarkt) has established a glowing reputation for his performances at Leicester in recent years, most notably during their shock title victory in 2016, but his recent showing on the international stage with Denmark appears to have firmly caught the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs.

Like Mahrez, Schmeichel would command a huge transfer fee and his Transfermarkt valuation is certainly some way off the mark, but that should not convince Leicester to sell their star player this summer.

Not only is Schmeichel a fantastic goalkeeper, he is a leader, a motivator and one of the longest serving players at the club, so selling him this summer would simply be a cataclysmic deal for the Foxes to complete.

The Mahrez deal is far from ideal, but it’s one which has been in the pipeline for months so it will feel like a relief for Leicester to finally put it behind them; the same cannot be said for any deal involving Schmeichel’s departure.

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The great Dane is quite simply indispensable and must remain at the club if Leicester want to remain competitive next season, otherwise they could find themselves in the midst of a relegation scrap.

Leicester fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Refreshed: Nel says he loves the relaxed atmosphere of county cricket © Getty Images

Andre Nel says he is very pleased to be away from international cricket and loves the opportunity he’s got to play the English county game. Back for two months with Essex, for whom he played in 2005, Nel – by his own admission a little ‘like a schoolboy’ – felt he had more than just his bowling services to offer the club.”I haven’t played domestically for almost two years in South Africa,” he told the ECB’s website. “But it’s very different to international cricket. The nice thing is that it’s not as intense. You can be more relaxed and you can have a bit more enjoyment rather than being positive and focused all the time. You can have a little bit more fun and you don’t have as much pressure on your game. It’s not as stressful as it is in international cricket.”Apart from bowling, Nel said he was keen on passing on tips to some of the youngsters in the side.”When I came over here two years ago the people were really friendly and welcoming. Ronnie Irani likes the way I play, being competitive. There’s a lot of excitement at Essex that there are several youngsters coming through who could take the club quite far.”The nice thing is that there are a lot of all-rounders and they’ve got a lot of skill,” he added. “They are a young bunch and that’s where you get your enjoyment. That is why I want to come back here as much as possible if they want me. I’m pretty lucky because I’m like a little schoolboy – quite naughty – in the changing rooms, so I fit in quite well. I get along with a lot of the youngsters because I’m quite young at heart. I hope I teach them something in a good way. If not, I’m doing something wrong.”Nel, 29, said that injuries to Essex had been tough on the other bowlers. “It’s been quite hard. The wickets have been flat,” he said. “I’m trying to give the guys energy when I bowl and help some of the younger guys, but on the flat wickets there isn’t a lot of back-up – although Danish [Kaneria] is unbelievable. But I’m certainly enjoying it and trying to take as many wickets as I can.”As for the opposition and Essex’s shot at the Division Two championship, Nel was, unsurprisingly, not lost for words. “When you play against the top sides, I think Essex will be up for it. We should do well because we’ve played good four-day cricket and we are keen to do well in the four-day competition,” he said. “I just go on the field and give it my all every time I play,” he added. “I think the biggest thing is that you can’t worry about it. You have got to do the basics and get them right first.”

ScorecardJames Taylor’s return to form might have come too late to interest England•Getty Images

James Taylor scored his first LV County Championship hundred of the season as Nottinghamshire eventually dominated an absorbing first day against Sussex at Horsham.The 25-year-old has had a modest season by his standards but he clearly enjoys facing the Sussex attack. His unbeaten 163 was his third score of over 150 against them, following 163 in 2012 and 204 in 2013, and helped his side reach 358 for 5 at stumps.There were two periods in the game when Sussex had control. Ollie Robinson, who finished the day with four wickets, helped reduce Notts to 30 for 3 before returning in the afternoon to claim Rikki Wessels (94) and Samit Patel in successive overs.That left Notts 186 for 5 but Taylor and his captain, Chris Read, wrested the initiative for their side after tea by extending their sixth wicket stand to 174.While Wessels deserved credit for his aggressive counter-attack it was the understated but effective way with which Taylor went about his business which most impressed.His first 50 runs took 119 balls but he went to his hundred from 71 more before accelerating once he had reached the milestone with some eye-catching shots, particularly through the off side.By stumps he had faced 247 balls and hit 23 fours, having batted for five hours 40 minutes so far. It was his tenth score of over 150.It is three years since Taylor played the last of his two Tests and he lost his England one-day place for the recent series against New Zealand. But as the inquest into England’s hammering in the second Test begins, the 25-year-old will be hoping that this innings can be the start of a productive end to the season.Nottinghamshire certainly needed him to be at his phlegmatic best after their top order had been wrecked by Robinson and Matt Hobden.Robinson made the breakthrough in the sixth over, removing Alex Hales courtesy of a juggling catch at second slip by Chris Nash. Hobden had Brendan Taylor lbw working to leg with his fourth ball before Robinson picked up Steven Mullaney with a ball which seamed just enough to take the edge.On a quick-scoring ground Wessels was soon into his stride, taking just 48 balls over his 50 which included a six over mid-wicket off Peter Burgoyne.After lunch Wessels and Taylor extended their fourth-wicket stand to 144 from 38 overs before Robinson made his double strike.Wessels chipped a catch to Luke Wells at mid on, having hit 13 fours and a six from 199 balls faced, before Patel was held in his follow through by Robinson.Steve Magoffin bowled without luck and Luke Wells was unfortunate to have Read dropped at slip on 35 by Ed Joyce, but otherwise Taylor and Read made unflustered progress in the evening session, even after Sussex took the new ball. Read reached his 50 with a boundary past the diving Luke Wright at third slip just before stumps.A dry pitch is expected to turn by the fourth day and Notts have recalled 40-year-old slow left-armer Gary Keedy for his first Championship appearance of the season.

Andre Nel, South Africa cricket’s original scary eyes, is back. Not to inflict another bruise on a hero, like he did when he felled Allan Donald with a fierce bouncer in a first-class match, or to stick his tongue out at the opposition and induce impromptu bat-swinging breakdance like he did against Sreesanth, but to teach others how to.Nel, who has been coaching at a school and a university academy, will coach provincial side Easterns at the Africa Cup T20 tournament, a coming-of-age position for the now-placid paceman. “I feel like life has come full circle for me because this is where I started and now I just want to help Easterns get back to the where they were,” he told ESPNcricinfo. Nel was part of the Easterns provincial side that won the premier first-class competition in the 2002-03 season, before South African domestic cricket was franchised.Since the franchise system formed, Easterns have been one of the feeder teams to the Titans. But as a semi-professional side, Easterns have underwhelmed in the three-day and List A competitions, with no titles to their name. Nel wants to begin changing that in his first assignment, a T20 competition, played between South Africa’s provincial teams as well as invited outfits from Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia, which starts this weekend.Easterns are grouped with their franchise partners, Northerns, Western Province and Zimbabwe. Only the top team in each pool advances to the knockouts, so Nel knows he has a difficult task ahead. “We’re in a tough pool and everybody expects us not to win so it’s definitely going to be a challenge,” Nel said. “But if everything in life was easy, everyone would be doing it.”But Easterns have two major advantages. The weekend’s fixtures, which incorporate all six matches in the group, will be played at their home ground, Willowmoore Park and they have a rejuvenated international in their squad. Quinton de Kock will turn out for Easterns in a bid to continue with his new-found form and play himself back into the national team after he was dropped during the Bangladesh series.Nel hopes to nudge de Kock in the right direction by putting no pressure on him and providing advice as someone who also had to work his way back into the senior side.”He has been through a tough time. I know what it is like to be dropped and then have find your way back and the most important thing is to be humble. When you get in quite young, there is extra pressure on you to stay in the side and you have to take that out of the equation.”I just want to give him the freedom to go out and express himself. Sometimes maybe he gets too nervous. He must just go out and be Quinton de Kock and not try to be someone else.” Although Nel was no batsman, his only other advice for de Kock is “work on his on-side game.”The technical tidbits will be saved for the bowlers and Nel has a number to work with, including Junior Dala, who featured regularly for the Titans last season.Dala is quick with an unusual slingy action and Nel is looking forward to moulding him for future success. “I worked with Junior at the University of Johannesburg academy so I know him pretty well. He has just come back from Sri Lanka with the South African Emerging side so he is definitely on the radar and he should be. He is looking strong and fit and he offers something different.”

A deep breath, a soft touch, a shrill sound: sometimes the most powerful things are the simplest, and that’s the strategy South Africa’s attack has stuck to in India. They have stuck to their natural strength of speed, which has proven successful in various circumstances.”The major thing about our quick bowlers is that all three bowl over 140,” Dale Steyn said. “When the guys are steaming in and bowling quickly at 145 plus, pace on the ball makes it really tough especially in these conditions. As soon as it gets to the 25th-30th over where the ball gets really soft and the wicket starts to crumble a bit, it’s really difficult to get the quicker bowlers away. Pace is the main weapon.”It’s no surprise then that South Africa’s quickest bowler, Morne Morkel, who regularly reaches speeds above 150, leads the wicket-takers’ charts. After his four-for in Rajkot, Morkel sits with seven scalps at 18.85 and has demonstrated how generating awkward bounce at pace can be successful, especially towards the end of an innings when batsmen are looking to go big.MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane all fell to the Morkel short ball as they sought to slog him over deep midwicket but only managed to find a fielder, which has been the other component of the bowler’s success. This series is the first one taking place in India under the new playing conditions, which allow for five fielders outside the circle, one more than previously. That has given teams the scope to station an extra man on the boundary and cover a wider area just behind square or straight down the ground.”With the extra man out, you can cover that midwicket area,” Steyn said. “In the World Cup, you couldn’t have that man out, so you had to bring either fine leg or third man up and guys were able to cut or paddle but now you are left with only one shot: you have to slog over midwicket and if there is a guy out there, its either six or it’s out.”The 2015 World Cup threatened to redefine the last 10 overs of innings as a free-for-all in batting terms, with teams regularly plundering in excess of 100 runs in that period. Now, according to Steyn, the balance has been restored and it is allowing teams to defend scores in those end exchanges, as South Africa have done twice in the series so far. “It makes a more even contest between bat and ball so teams cant just run away with it from the 40th to the 50th over. You really have to think and you have to play extraordinary shots,” Steyn said.But you also have to think and bowl extraordinarily because the yorker is not the only delivery teams are turning to at the end. “If you run in and bowl yorkers and you miss your length, especially to a guy like MS [Dhoni], he is going to hit you out of the park. There is no easier delivery to face than a half volley,” Steyn said. “On these wickets here, where it really slows down, you can use your bounce and slower cutter and hard length delivery.”The best exponent of that kind of variation has been Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s 20-year-old tearaway who is proving a handful at the death. Rabada has taken to responsibility with ease and is challenging Steyn as the man to watch in the South African attack, which Steyn does not seem to mind at all.”I think he is great, he has got a great attitude and he has everything that a fast bowler needs. He has got pace, he has got a good build, he is tall, quite an intimidating kind of guy and he asks a lot of questions in the nets. He is asking the right questions and he’ll just improve all the time,” Steyn said. “Every time he takes the ball, it’s exciting to watch him bowl, every one just sits up in their seats when he comes to bowl so he has got that attention around him already. He is going to have a wonderful career.” Especially if he keeps bowling quickly.

Mashrafe Mortaza has said he will play Khulna Division in their next first-class match, against Rangpur on October 10, in the National Cricket League. While his fitness remains a constant worry, Mashrafe is optimistic that a return to Test cricket isn’t far away.His last Test was in July 2009 in which he had been captain as well. Mortaza had taken a tumble in his followthrough after bowling only 6.3 overs and the resulting knee injury kept him out for three months. Thereafter he struggled to meet fitness requirements to play five-day cricket but has been a regular fixture in shorter formats, especially over the last 18 months.”I will play from the NCL’s next round for Khulna against Rangpur from October 10,” Mashrafe said. “I will also play one more game but not two in a row. I will play the other one later. Now my fitness is quite good, so I am getting the courage to play. I am even thinking about Test cricket. Now I have to see how it goes in the NCL.”His last first-class appearances were in January 2014, when he played a game each for East Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League and for Khulna in the NCL. He usually turns up in first-class cricket to prove match fitness, but this time the urge to play was due to Bangladesh’s long lay-off from international cricket.Mashrafe will join a strong Khulna Division bowling attack that comprises of Abdur Razzak, Al-Amin Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. His last competitive match was the third ODI against South Africa on July 15 and after the NCL, his next assignment would be the BPL T20 competition in mid-November.

Gloucestershire have signed Chris Liddle on a two-year deal.Liddle, the tall left-arm seamer, was released by Sussex in September after nine seasons with the club.While he was, for a while, a key figure in their white ball sides, he played only 10 Championship games in the period as it was felt his failure to hit the seam regularly could compromise the effectiveness of other bowlers. He spent a couple of years with Leicestershire before moving to Sussex and was in the Dhaka Gladiators team that won the Bangladesh Premier League in 2013.While Gloucestershire head coach, Richard Dawson, suggested Liddle had been signed with a view to white ball cricket, he made it clear that there would be opportunities for the bowler in the Championship game as well.”He’s got a lot of experience in one day and T20 cricket, having performed strongly for Sussex and he will add excellent competition to our bowling unit,” Dawson said. “It’s a great opportunity for him to come here and compete in all formats of the game as he has a lot of potential in Championship cricket.”Gloucestershire won the Royal London One-Day Cup last season but were sixth in Division Two of the County Championship.Liddle was recommended to the club by former captain Jon Lewis, who is currently on the coaching staff at Sussex.

South Zone beat Central Zone by three runs in a last-over thriller inthe Vijay Hazare (under-16) Trophy tournament at the KL Saini Stadiumat Jaipur on Tuesday.Replying to South Zone’s total of 198 for 7 in 50 overs, Central wereall out for 195 in the last over of the match. Central Zone lostwickets at regular intervals and were 82 for five. Dixit (29 off 54balls) was involved in a partnership of 34 for the sixth wicket withAfroz Khan (18 off 36 balls). This was followed by a 35 runpartnership off nine overs for the seventh wicket between Dixit and SKUpadhyay (52 not out off 60 balls). A last wicket partnership of 29runs from five overs between SK Upadhyay and Chaudhery (3) proved invain.Earlier South Zone won the toss and elected to bat. They lostthree wickets for 57 before they recovered with the only partnershipof note when Aditya Srikkanth (50 off 80 balls) and Abhinav Kumar (59off 89 balls) added 117 runs for the fourth wicket off 26 overs.With this, Central Zone ended their fixtures with two wins and twolosses from their four games while this was South Zone’s first victoryin three matches.