Mason Mount salary: How much does Manchester United star earn per week and annually in the Premier League?

Everything you need to know about English midfielder Mason Mount's salary at Manchester United

Mason Mount made the switch from Chelsea to Manchester United in 2023 after having come through the ranks at Stamford Bridge and breaking into the first team, even winning the Champions League with the Blues under Thomas Tuchel.

However, Mount is yet to establish himself at Old Trafford, having played very little football since his big move as injuries and poor form have held him back at United.

Despite these setbacks, Mount continues to earn a hefty salary and is currently one of the top earners at the club.

But exactly how much does the English midfielder earn playing at the club?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

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Mason Mount's wages at Manchester United in numbers

Under his current contract with Manchester United, Mount earns £250,000 ($323,069) on a weekly basis, while his annual salary scales to £13 million ($16.8m), making him the third-highest earner at the club.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in GBP

Weekly wages in USD

Annual wages in GBP

Annual wages in USD

Mason Mount

English

  £250,000

$323,069

£13,000,000

$16,799,571

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTop earners at Manchester United

Acquiring the top spot on the Manchester United wage bill is former Real madrid midfielder Casemiro.

The Brazilian is followed by Bruno Fernandes at second position and as we already saw, Mount is the third-highest earner in the squad.

Meanwhile, rounding off the list at fourth and fifth position are centre-backs Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire, respectively.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages GBP

Weekly wages USD

Annual wages GBP

Annual wages in USD

Casemiro

Brazilian

£350,000

$452,296

£18,200,000

$23,519,400

Bruno Fernandes

Portuguese

£300,000

$387,682

£15,600,000

$20,159,485

Mason Mount

English

£250,000

$323,069

£13,000,000

$16,799,571

Matthijs de Ligt

Dutch

£195,000

$251,994

£10,140,000

$13,103,665

Harry Maguire

English

£190,000

$245,532

£9,880,000 

$12,767,674

Top 5 earners in the Premier League

Casemiro is not only the highest earner at Manchester United, but also the fourth-highest earner across the Premier League.

The top spot belongs to Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, followed by his Manchester City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne.

At number three comes Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, while the number five spot belongs to yet another Manchester City player in Jack Grealish.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in GBP

Weekly wages in USD

Annual wages in GBP

Annual wage sin USD

Erling Haaland

Norwegian

£525,000

$678,444

£27,300,000

$35,279,099

Kevin De Bruyne

Belgian

£400,000

$516,910

£20,800,000

$26,879,314

Mohamed Salah

Egyptian

£350,000

$452,296

£18,200,000

$23,519,400

Casemiro

Brazilian

£350,000

$452,296

£18,200,000

$23,519,400

Jack Grealish

English

£300,000

$387,682

£15,600,000

$20,159,485

Getty Images SportHighest paid players in the world

Despite the astronomical wages of the top earners in the Premier League, they don't even come close to the salaries of the highest-paid players in the world.

At the pinnacle sits the top goal-scorer of the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays his football for Al Nassr, followed by his former Real Madrid attacking partner Karim Benzema.

Meanwhile, former Manchester City player Riyad Mahrez makes an appearance at number three, followed by Senegalese internationals Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly.

All five highest paid players in the world currently play in the Saudi Pro League.

Player

Club

Weekly wages GBP

Weekly wages USD

Annual wages GBP

Annual wages USD

Cristiano Ronaldo

Al Nassr

£3,224,935

$4,166,513

£167,696,622

$215,658,680

Karim Benzema

Al Ittihad

£1,612,468

$2,083,257

£83,848,311

$108,329,340

Riyad Mahrez

Al Ahli

£841,708

$1,087,460

£43,768,818

$56,547,915

Sadio Mane

Al Nassr

£644,987

$833,033

£33,539,324

$43,331,736

Kalidou Koulibaly

Al Hilal

£559,526

$722,890

£29,095,364

$37,590,281

Rangers now eyeing January move to sign £2m youth international

Rangers are interested in completing the signing of a £2m-rated youth international who Nils Koppen rates, according to a fresh transfer claim.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers are desperately trying to cling on to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race, but there is a huge amount of work to do in the coming months, and new signings are arguably needed in the January transfer window.

One player who has been linked with an exciting move to Rangers is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has struggled for regular playing time at Chelsea since joining from Leicester City in the summer. In fact, not a single Premier League start has come his way, so a move to Ibrox could appeal to him.

Chelsea's KiernanDewsbury-Hallin action with Southampton's Kamaldeen Sulemana

Meanwhile, Hatim Essaouabi has been mentioned as an option to come in and bolster Philippe Clement’s options in defence, with the Gers even making contact over the transfer.

On the flip side, there is a risk of Rangers losing key players, with forward Hamza Igamane linked with a move away from the club. The 22-year-old is wanted by the likes of Everton, West Ham United, Bournemouth, Brentford, Fulham and Newcastle United.

Rangers eyeing move for £2m-rated ace

According to The Daily Mail, Rangers are thought to be eyeing the signing of £2m-rated NK Osijek midfielder Marko Soldo in the January transfer window.

The report states that former Gers left-back Borna Barisic has “given a glowing recommendation to the Ibrox hierarchy”, urging them to snap up his Croatian compatriot. Technical director Koppen “likes what he sees” in the youngster, and a bid next month is now “looking increasingly likely.”

In truth, not a huge amount is known about Soldo compared to some of the names linked with Rangers above, but that’s not to say that he wouldn’t be a shrewd signing by the Scottish giants.

Only 21 years of age, the midfielder has already won a total of 19 caps at youth international level, with 10 of those coming for Croatia’s Under-21s.

Croatia Under-21s

10

0

Croatia Under-20s

1

0

Croatia Under-19s

1

0

Bosnia Under-17s

7

0

Soldo may not be seen as a player who could come in and be an instant hit, given his lack of experience at the senior level, but he could still be an effective squad player from the off, before maturing into more of a key man over time.

The Croatian ace has still bagged 10 goal contributions (six goals and four assists) in 23 appearances for Osijek, however, showing that he can already be an effective player away from the youth scene.

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While predominantly a midfielder these days, Soldo is also adept at shining as a wide attacker, but as the report states, his more disciplined new position could allow Mohamed Diomande to be given more of a roaming role for Rangers, which could appeal to Clement.

Ellyse Perry has T20 comeback at forefront of her mind

The allrounder lost her place in the side during last season’s Ashes

AAP30-May-2022Ellyse Perry is up for the challenge of proving she still belongs in Australia’s best T20I team ahead of a packed short-form schedule.Once one of Australia’s T20 stars, Perry has had battles with injuries and form in recent years and she was dropped from the Ashes opener in January.A lengthy recovery from a previous serious hamstring injury, the difficulties of Covid-19 restrictions and more recently a back stress fracture have hindered the 31-year-old.Australia’s coming schedule is packed with T20I cricket. They will play T20I tri-series against Ireland and Pakistan in Derry in July, before their Commonwealth Games campaign.Related

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Australia then tour India for five T20s in December, before three home T20I matches against Pakistan in January ahead of the short-form World Cup in South Africa in February.”The depth coming through in the women’s side of the game is tremendous and that’s a wonderful thing for the whole squad, the whole group,” Perry told reporters.”It presents challenges for everyone to make sure that they’re continuing to evolve as a player. That’s very much the case for me. But yeah, I’d love to still be a part of that. Certainly it’s working to make sure that I’m in that position.”Looking at our schedule coming up, with another T20 World Cup next year in South Africa, you always want to be involved in the big tournaments so I think we’re all looking at that.”Perry may well have to prove herself without one of her weapons: her bowling.The allrounder is in the Australian team as a batter only at this stage, after the lower back injury that restricted her earlier this year at the World Cup was diagnosed as a stress fracture.”It’s going well,” she said of her back. “It’s sort of just a progressive one where I’ll keep getting it scanned in the lead-up to playing again, but so far it’s been going really smoothly and touch wood that continues.”That’s very much the plan…to get back bowling and to full fitness. It’s sort of just when that happens over the summer is the biggest question mark at the moment.”Perry believed on the whole, selection pressure was important for an all-conquering Australian team to keep their ruthless edge.”We want to keep pushing the boat out and then not get caught,” she said. “Because it’s certainly nice having success and I think once you’ve tasted it you don’t want to go the other way.”

Kapp, Lee and du Preez ruled out of Ireland white-ball tour

Sune Luus will lead a group that includes one new cap in batting allrounder Delmi Tucker

Firdose Moonda23-May-2022South Africa will be without Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Mignon du Preez, Sinalo Jafta and Masabata Klaas during their white-ball tour of Ireland next month.Kapp, Lee and Jafta are all recovering from illnesses, Klaas is out with a shoulder injury, and du Preez, who retired from ODIs but remains available in the shortest format, has been left out of the squad scheduled play three T20Is and three ODIs in Dublin. Regular captain Dane van Niekerk is also not in the touring party as she continues to recover from the ankle injury that ruled her out of the World Cup.That means van Niekerk’s participation in the England tour that follows, which includes a one-off Test, three ODIs, three T20Is and the Commonwealth Games, is in doubt. The final squad for those matches will be announced in the first week of June, which gives van Niekerk little over a week to make the cut. She returned to training earlier this month and is currently still on an individual program, and not training with the rest of the group. The South African squad that travels to Ireland will remain in the UK, with any personnel changes for the England series and Commonwealth Games to travel in or out as needed.For the Ireland matches, Sune Luus will lead a group that includes one new cap, batting allrounder Delmi Tucker, who has recently played for the South African Emerging side against Zimbabwe and Thailand. Tucker also had a successful domestic season for Western Province, where she scored 409 runs white ball cricket and took 15 wickets with her right-arm off-spin. “Delmi Tucker has been rewarded off the back of a very successful domestic season and has really made positive strides with significant contributions, and we are looking forward to seeing her transition into the international arena,” Clinton du Preez, South Africa’s selection convener, said.The rest of the squad includes the familiar faces of Shabnim Ismail, Laura Wolvaardt, Chloe Tryon and Ayabonga Khaka as well as all three reserves who traveled to the World Cup – Raisibe Ntozakhe, Nadine de Klerk and Andrie Steyn. Anneke Bosch, who missed the World Cup with a fractured thumb, also returns.While the T20Is are part of South Africa’s preparation for the Commonwealth Games and next year’s T20 World Cup, the ODIs are part of the 2022 to 2025 Women’s Championship, which will determine qualification for the 2025 World Cup.”When we are looking at the T20Is, there is a bigger picture when it comes to that. It is a new beginning for us this year, building up towards the T20 World Cup and the Commonwealth Games,” Hilton Moreeng, South Africa’s coach, said. “The senior players know what is at stake. The ODIs are the ICC Women’s Championship qualifications for the next 50-over World Cup, so there is a lot at stake in the sense that we are also looking to grow our base.”Squad: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus (capt), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Tumi Sekhukhune, Andrie Steyn, Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt

'He’s insane' – Declan Rice hails Harry Kane and backs Bayern Munich star to hit 100 goals for England

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has hailed England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and backed him to hit 100 goals for the Three Lions.

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Kane scores 70th goal for EnglandRice hails England captain for heroics Backs Kane to score 100 goals for EnglandFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kane has been one of the best strikers to grace the sport in the 21st century as the striker has performed well for England, Tottenham Hotspur and now, Bayern Munich. Despite the lack of trophies in his cabinet, the England captain has often been described as an influential member of his sides, and he has indeed played a major part for the Three Lions as they have reached two European Championship finals and aWorld Cup semi-final over the last decade.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

England began their stint under new boss Thomas Tuchel in fine fashion as goals from Kane and Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly helped the Three Lions to a 2-0 win over Albania in World Cup qualifying. Kane brought up his 70th goal for England and Rice has now backed the captain to go on and score 100 goals for the national team.

Getty Images SportWHAT RICE SAID

Speaking to the media, Rice said: “He’s insane. I’ve seen him train for so long and play so many games for England. The amount of times he’s bailed us out with a goal, or scored a hat-trick, or scored a brace.

“He’s scored 70 for England. He’s an unbelievable guy, a great captain and I’m sure he’s looking at the hundred-mark for England. I think he can get that, for sure.”

WHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

The Bayern Munich striker looks all set to win his first-ever career title with the Bavarians holding a decent lead in the Bundesliga title race. Additionally, Kane is also in line to win the Bundesliga Golden Boot for the second season running.

Arsenal express "formal" January interest in signing £67m Barcelona star

Arsenal chiefs are eyeing a winter window move for one very highly-rated Barcelona star, as manager Mikel Arteta looks to reinforce his ranks and give his side the best possible chance of winning an elusive Premier League title.

Arsenal host Crystal Palace in Carabao Cup quarter-final

There is seemingly no rest for the Gunners heading into the Christmas period, with Arsenal set to take on London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium this evening in a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash.

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Arsenal couldn’t past Everton last weekend, despite dominating the overall play and creating chances, and were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw in what was viewed as a disappointing result for Arteta in the title race.

Their stalemate against the Toffees extended Arsenal’s run to three league games without a single goal from open play, which could be seen as a real worry, as the home side yet again struggled to break past a side deploying the low-block.

Crystal Palace (away)

December 21

Ipswich Town (home)

December 27

Brentford (away)

January 1

Brighton (away)

January 4

Tottenham (home)

January 15

Arsenal’s approach play cannot be faulted, but there is seemingly an ongoing issue with making it count on a consistent basis.

“The frustrating part is that, watching it back, all the incredible things the team does and still not get rewarded for the three points,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s struggle to bury chances.

“Looking back at other games in the league and our margins were ten times bigger than many other teams that have won that day, but this is football. At the end of the day what we have to do is put the ball in the back of the net, and then we don’t have that issue. What the team is producing and the way the team dominates the game, there is very little to say.”

Domestically, Arteta has been quite reliant on set-piece goals since the start of December, but his side did put Ligue 1 title contenders Monaco to the sword with a 3-0 win over them in the Champions League.

Arsenal express "formal" January interest in signing Raphinha

The January transfer window is looming, and it could pose a solution to Arsenal’s struggles with being more ruthless when it comes to converting opportunities.

According to reports, Arsenal are considering the prospect of signing a fresh attacking option next month, and Barcelona forward Raphinha is being linked with a move to north London.

A Spanish media source claims that Arsenal have expressed a “formal” January interest in signing Raphinha, amid the Brazilian’s exceptional season at the Camp Nou.

The 28-year-old has bagged an incredible 17 goals and 10 assists in 24 appearances across all competitions so far, including six in six Champions League games, so it will be pretty difficult for Arsenal to prise him away from the Camp Nou mid-season – given his importance to Hansi Flick’s cause.

However, they apparently have it in mind, with the £198,000-per-week ex-Leeds United star on their transfer shortlist. Raphinha’s deal expires in 2027, and it is believed the La Liga title contenders won’t let him go for less than £67 million, perhaps even more.

'A World Cup is 104 Super Bowls' – FIFA president Gianni Infantino emphasizes scale of 2026 event in terms of global interest

The FIFA president pointed out the difference in viewership between the two "football" events, also stressed "best of the best" in Club World Cup

FIFA World Cup 2022 final had 1.5 billion viewersSuper Bowl viewership estimated at around 200M worldwideInfantino highlights soccer's growth in North AmericaAFPWHAT HAPPENED

Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, drew a striking comparison between two of the biggest "football" events in the world – the FIFA World Cup and the NFL's Super Bowl.

In an interview with FOX Sports, Infantino noted that the World Cup's global viewership is equivalent to 104 Super Bowls, all compressed into one month.

"The impact will be global," Infantino said of the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. "I mean look at the Super Bowl, which is fantastic. It has what, 120, 130 million viewers, right? The World Cup has 6 billion viewers [over a month of matches], so a World Cup is 104 Super Bowls in month – which is three Super Bowls a day… This can happen every week if you have the best league in the world."

AdvertisementWATCH THE VIDEOTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the U.S will be hosting the FIFA Club World Cup in a first of it’s kind tournament. The revamped version features a $1 billion in total prize money and will be played from June 14 to July 13 this year, with 32 teams – including Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter Miami, Real Madrid and several other sides.

“You get the best of the best as Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe will be there, so will Leo Messi and many many others," Infantino told FOX. "The 32 best club teams and at stake is an incredible trophy, but the money we’re talking about is $1 billion as prize money for the winning team. First time, we’re organizing an event like that, first time there will be a club truly crowned world champion by FIFA."

WHAT’S NEXT?

It is set to be a busy summer in the U.S., as the country will host the Club World Cup and the Gold Cup, simultaneously.

West Brom now considering hijacking manager who’s never lost to Leeds

West Bromwich Albion are now considering hiring a manager from the Championship, according to a recent report.

West Brom manager rumours

The Baggies are still on the lookout for a new manager after Carlos Corberan decided to move back to Spain and take over Valencia, who are struggling at the bottom end of La Liga. The Midlands side have played three games since the Spaniard left, and they picked up their first victory on New Year’s Day, as they beat Preston North End 3-1.

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West Brom are back in action on Saturday, and they will be hopeful that they can be that bit closer to finding a replacement for Corberan. There have been a few names mentioned with the vacancy, with early suggestions claiming Liverpool’s first-team coach John Heitinga is a leading contender to become the new boss. Interest has emerged in the Dutchman due to his “experience learning in the Premier League under two top managers”. Heitinga is currently working under Arne Slot at Anfield, and before that David Moyes at West Ham.

Johnny Heitinga for Liverpool.

As well as Heitinga being under consideration, West Brom were also interested in appointing Lee Carsley as their next manager, but the England under-21 boss has turned them down. It is not reported what was offered to Carsley, in terms of finances, but talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has revealed that he has turned down West Brom. The 50-year-old was in temporary charge of the England national team from August but has now moved back to the under-21s, where he has done a rather impressive job.

West Brom now considering hiring Championship manager

Carsley’s rejection now means West Brom have to look at other targets, and according to reporter Alex Crook, when speaking to talkSPORT, relayed by Football League World, the Baggies are interested in appointing John Eustace as their new manager.

Eustace is the manager of fellow Championship side Blackburn Rovers and has been since February of last year. The 45-year-old arrived at Ewood Park with the Lancashire side near the bottom of the table, and he helped them beat the drop in the final months of the season.

Before joining Blackburn, Eustace was in charge of Birmingham City, a role he had from July 2022, and it was his first managerial role in the Championship. Eustace has done a tremendous job at Ewood Park, as he’s guided the club away from relegation, and now this season, he has his side competing for a play-off spot. Rovers have won 11 of their 24 league games, losing just seven, and are level on points with the Baggies.

Games

44

Won

16

Drawn

14

Lost

14

When speaking to talkSPORT, Crook claimed that Eustace is on the list of candidates to replace Corberan. Crook said, via Football League World: “John Eustace, doing such a good job at Blackburn, is another name who has been mentioned to me.”

West Brom may want to get this appointment right as they try to end their stay in England’s second tier, and the fact that Eustace has managed a team four times against league leaders Leeds United and never lost, winning three and drawing one, could be one of many reasons as to why he is the right man for the job.

Ollie Pope, Joe Root break England's chase after Jack Leach stars with maiden ten-for

New Zealand set daunting 296 thanks to Mitchell, Blundell, but still face 3-0 series scoreline

Andrew Miller26-Jun-2022Close England 360 and 183 for 2 (Pope 81*, Root 55*) need another 113 runs to beat New Zealand 329 and 326 (Blundell 88, Latham 76, Mitchell 65, Leach 5-66) Jack Leach justified the faith placed in him by his captain Ben Stokes with the first ten-wicket haul of his Test career, before Ollie Pope rode that same feelgood factor with the second significant score of his new role at No.3, as England emulated their exploits at Lord’s and Trent Bridge with yet another emphatic assault on what might once have been considered a daunting victory target of 296.By the close of the fourth day, England had whittled that requirement down to a further 113 with eight wickets standing, with Pope leading the line with a forceful 81, and the ubiquitous Joe Root once again offering the sort of stone-cold presence that can make the impossible seem mundane. Root brought up his own fifty with a pull for four off Michael Bracewell in the final over of the day, then followed that up with four more for good measure, as New Zealand’s spinner was battered for a total of 70 runs in 11 inconsistent overs, a return that served only to highlight the excellence of Leach’s earlier efforts.If successful, England’s chase would be the seventh-highest by any team in 140 years of Test cricket in this country (and curiously, the fifth-highest at Headingley), and yet, it would only be the second-highest of England’s three 250-plus chases this month alone. And though the fans will once again be welcomed in for free for Monday’s fifth day, only an improbable New Zealand fightback will now be able to produce the same I-was-there experience that Jonny Bairstow served up in that 299-run victory romp in Nottingham last week.Related

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For much of the fourth evening, England’s progress seemed measured by their recent standards, and yet their innings still rattled along at an insatiable rate of 4.69 per over. And, for the umpteenth time in this most peculiar campaign, it emphatically upstaged the relentless consistency of New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell. Earlier in the day, their fourth century stand of the series had carried their total partnership runs to a formidable haul of 724, and in reviving New Zealand from a sickly 168 for 5 in a wicketless morning session, it seemed that, this time, they might finally be setting their side up for a consolation victory too.The fact that they probably now won’t was thanks to Leach’s best – and not coincidentally, his most confident – display in an England shirt. As in the first innings, when he gunned down New Zealand’s tail with three wickets in five balls, Leach this time rounded up their last four in five overs as Blundell was left high and dry on 88 not out, but the rewards were due on both occasions for his ceaseless efforts across a total of 70.5 overs, including 32.2 in the second dig at a tick over two runs per over. “I’ve not seen it or felt it this good,” Leach said at the close about the faith that had been invested in him. “It’s special.”It was far from a solo effort from Leach, however. England needed to stay composed throughout an arduous morning session, as Mitchell and Blundell batted through to lunch with barely a flicker of alarm – save an lbw decision for Leach against Mitchell that was successfully overturned on review. And when, in the first half-hour after lunch, Blundell also got a reprieve on 52 against Matt Potts’ inswinger – an identical delivery, in fact, to the one that had controversially removed him in the first innings – less bullish teams might have allowed their heads to drop.Potts, however, is made – as Stokes said before his Lord’s debut – of precisely the sort of stuff he wants to see from all his players. In the very same over, he landed arguably an even bigger fish. No New Zealand batter has ever scored more runs in a series than Mitchell’s final tally of 538 at 107.60, but on 56, he walked too far across his stumps to another pinpoint inswinger, and once again umpire Richard Kettleborough raised the finger. This one was shown by Hawk-Eye to be crashing into leg.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhen the breakthrough came, at 274 for 6, New Zealand’s lead had already swollen to 243. But England sensed they had their opening. Bracewell, aka “The Beast”, emerged with a clear intent to fight England’s fiery attitude with some punches of his own, but after launching Leach for one big six over long-on, he was undone two balls later by some more canny captaincy from Stokes, who tempted him to take on the leg-side boundary once again with men set in from the fence at mid-on and deep midwicket. Sure enough, Bracewell picked out the latter with a scuff across the line to depart for 9.The rest came fairly meekly, though not without Blundell at the other end raising his own intensity to build New Zealand’s lead with a series of smeared boundaries – including four in his last eight balls – to rush towards his second century of the series. But Tim Southee prodded limply at Leach to be bowled for 2 before Neil Wagner was caught behind for a duck – a thin snick off Leach somehow wedging between Billings’ thighs as Ben Foakes’ Covid replacement stooped to conquer behind the stumps.There was just time for Trent Boult to smack one more boundary through midwicket before he too was bowled by Leach to complete his second five-for of the match, and the first ten-for of his Test career. Three years after his starring role in the 2019 Ashes Test at Headingley, Leach had reaffirmed his honorary Yorkshireman status in no uncertain terms, and as he joked after the close about being padded up on the balcony as England’s “night-pinch-hitter”, it was clear that he wasn’t about to shy away from further heroics if needed.Even so, a target of 296 was not one to be sniffed at, least of all given the one glaring void in England’s force-field of positivity. Zak Crawley’s confidence is currently running on fumes – quite literally so when, after latching onto his first emphatic drive of another listless innings, he sold his partner Alex Lees a horrendous dummy in an auto-pilot run to cover. Kane Williamson slid and released in an instant, for Boult to flick off the bails in a fluid running motion, and Lees was gone with an angry glare at his partner for 9.Joe Root punches gloves with Ollie Pope on the way to a century stand•Getty ImagesCrawley’s response was admirable, if ultimately doomed. Having begun his innings with a stilted determination to keep out Boult’s inswinger that had done him in in the first innings, he decided instead to free his arms and hang the consequences. A blaze of four boundaries in a single Boult over ensued, but then just when he seemed he was quelling his inner turmoil, he scuffed the spin of Bracewell into the covers and traipsed off for 25 from 33.At 51 for 2, England had at least taken some lumps out of their target, as well as battered some of the elaborate lateral movement out of a ball that New Zealand were quickly seeking to change. And, having kept his own counsel while all the focus was on Crawley, Pope realised the time was nigh to take the attack back to Bracewell. Five fours poured off his bat in Bracewell’s next five overs – one of them, admittedly, perilously close to slip – and suddenly he was up and running. He brought up his fifty inelegantly with an inside-edge through fine leg, but the jitters that have been a feature of his early innings had been banished. So too any real doubt that England will romp to victory, maybe even by lunch on day five.As for Root, he just offered presence and security in equal measure – the promise of permanence allied to the threat of acceleration, a trait that doubtless helped persuade New Zealand to burn two reviews in consecutive deliveries to hopelessly optimistic lbw shouts from Southee. Aside from that, his unbeaten 55 from 80 balls was most notable for his use of the reverse sweep – most particularly one extraordinary ramped six over third man off Wagner, as he briefly got bored of the big quick’s attempts to hide the ball with booming outswingers outside off, and so reversed his stance to help it emphatically to its destination. Wagner could offer only a shrug that somehow telegraphed disbelief and acceptance in the same expression. It’s becoming a default reaction for this New Zealand team.

He’d be even better than Kolo Muani: Tottenham plotting to sign £30m star

As they were towards the end of last season, Tottenham Hotspur have been incredibly inconsistent this year.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have looked sensational in some games and utterly hopeless in others, and while their Premier League campaign has gone awry, they remain in the League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.

So, it’s not been all that surprising to see the club linked with a plethora of game-changing attackers this month, such as Paris Saint-Germain’s exciting Randal Kolo Muani.

However, while the French international could be a brilliant addition to the North Londoners’ squad this month, they have also been linked with another dynamic attacker, someone who could prove to be an even better signing.

Tottenham Hotspur chasing devastating winger

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Spurs are ‘open to bringing in a new wide player’ this month, and have a number of potential targets.

One of those targets is Celtic star Nicolas Kuhn who, according to the report, has a number of ‘admirers at Tottenham.’

However, due to the German’s immense importance to the Hoops, they want to keep him in Glasgow this month, although if an offer of around £30m was made, they would be willing to sell.

Nicolas Kuhn

Now, that is undoubtedly a lot of money to pay for someone in the Scottish Premiership, but given Kuhn’s sensational output and potential, he may well be worth it and a better signing than Kolo Muani to boot.

How Kuhn compares to Kolo Muani

Okay, so if PSG hold their ground and demand a permanent fee in the region of £50m for Kolo Muani this month and, in turn, push Spurs away, would the North Londoners be smart to target Kuhn instead?

Moreover, how can we tell which one would be the better signing for the club away from the finances?

Well, one of the ways we can find out is by comparing the pair’s pure output from this season, and in this regard, even though the Scottish Premiership is considered a weaker league than Ligue 1, it’s an easy win for the German.

Celtic's Nicolas GerritKuhncelebrates scoring their third goal with Adam Idah

For example, in 14 appearances this season, the PSG star has scored just two goals and provided one assist, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 4.66 games.

In comparison, the “outstanding” Wunstorf-born dynamo, as dubbed by former Celtic star Aiden McGeady, has scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists in 27 appearances for the Hoops, which comes out to a seriously impressive average of a goal involvement every single game.

Appearances

27

14

Minutes

1875′

453′

Goals

16

2

Assists

11

1

Goal Involvements per Match

1.00

0.21

Minutes per Goal Involvement

69.44′

151′

Moreover, even when we take into account the minutes they have played this season, the 25-year-old comes out miles ahead, with an average of a goal involvement every 69.44 minutes to the former Eintracht Frankfurt star’s average of one every 151 minutes.

So, with it clear that the Celtic star is a far more potent threat, both in terms of goals and assists, what else makes him a potentially smarter signing for Tottenham?

Well, simply put, his preferred position, as unlike Kolo Muani, who mainly plays down the middle and would therefore be in competition with Dominic Solanke, who has been in fine form of late, the former Rapid Vienna gem plays off the right.

This would make Brennan Johnson his primary competition for game time in North London, and while the Welshman has looked good in spells this season, he has also had his fair share of poor patches as well and, of late, has found the back of the net just once in his last seven Premier League games.

Ultimately, Kolo Muani is a talented player who’d surely help improve Spurs, but as things stand, Kuhn is in far better form, would stand a better chance of starting, and is available for potentially £20m less.

Therefore, while he’s not necessarily a household name, Daniel Levy and Co should do what they can to bring him to N17 this month.

Spurs lead race to sign Dragusin upgrade who's a huge "unit at the back"

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1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 7, 2025

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