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Tamworth FC have been slammed for increasing ticket prices ahead of their historic FA Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

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Tamworth FC slammed for ticket price likeWill host Tottenham in FA CupSet to charge kids under-10Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Tamworth are the only non-league club to host an FA Cup third-round fixture as they are all set to welcome Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in their 4,963 capacity stadium in Staffordshire. Generally, Tamworth charge £20 for adults and keeps entry free for children below 10.

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However, due to the Football Association's decision to scrap FA Cup replays, the fifth-tier has taken the harsh call of charging their fans huge amounts for tickets for the mega clash. In the adults category, the club will charge £42 while a standing adult ticket will cost £38. Children under the age of 10 will be charged £29. The decision to hike prices has garnered the club a fair bit of criticism from fans and pundits.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

Speaking on , former Premier League winger Darren Ambrose said: “I’m not here to batter Tamworth and I’m not here to stick up for Tamworth, but I’m in two minds about this. I think they’ve made an error in the under-10s [pricing] – £29 for an under-10 and over 66 could be decreased. Maybe members or season-ticket holders should get a discount. “But the other side of it is this is a generational game for Tamworth.

"How often are they going to have a top Premier League side come to their place? So, why can’t they cash in on it? That’s going to get a mixed reaction, I know that. “One of the things about this is there are no replays. If somehow Tamworth take Spurs to a draw – and I say somehow, that could actually happen at the moment by the way – there’s no extra revenue to be made on the replay, there aren’t any!"

He added: "I think they should definitely reduce the kids’ tickets because that’s not right. If you’ve got a family and you want to take your kids to watch your local team against a top Premier League club, do it for free.

"Let kids under 10 in for free, even if you’re going to keep the £42 main ticket, which is steep and probably a little bit overpriced. But these clubs are not run by millionaires and billionaires. They run week in, week out and they’re trying to cash in to keep the club running for the next however many years, which makes sense.”

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR?

Before facing Tamworth, Spurs will play three games including two Premier League games against Wolves and Newcastle on Sunday and January 4 and a Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash against Liverpool on January 8.

Celtic are on the hunt for late reinforcements as they look to bolster their ranks before the transfer window slams shut, and have tabled an offer to sign a fresh midfielder.

Celtic lose key man

The departure of midfielder Matt O'Riley will have been keenly felt across Brendan Rodgers' side, with the Danish midfielder finally completing a move away from Parkhead last week after months of speculation.

Though Atalanta had several bids rebuffed, it was Premier League side Brighton that ultimately stumped up the cash to take the 23-year-old away from Glasgow, a record-breaking fee for the Scottish Premiership champions.

"He has been absolutely magnificent in this last year," Rodgers said after confirming the move. "He gave everything to the team and the club.

"Right up to his very last day he was out doing extra work. That shows the mentality he has. So, I'm pleased for Matt in terms that he gets a move to the Premier League – and for us, we push on. That's the model of the club."

O'Riley played a key part in Celtic's success last season, contributing 19 goals and 18 assists in all competitions across the 2023/24 campaign and scooping the club's Player of the Year award.

O'Riley in the Scottish Premiership 2023/24

Appearances

32

Goals

13

Assists

11

Yellow Cards

3

They have already begun to try and replace the midfielder, with the club having agreed a club-record £11m deal to sign midfielder Arne Engels from Augsburg. Now, it has been claimed they are keen to add another option in the middle of the park.

Celtic table bid for Lyon gem

That comes as reports in France claim that Celtic have tabled a bid to sign Mahamadou Diawara from Ligue 1 outfit Olympique Lyonnais.

The teenage midfielder signed a new £6,500 per week deal with the French side in June, keeping him with them until 2028, but that didn't stop Rodgers' side from attempting an ambitious move in the final days of the summer window.

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As per Foot Mercato, Celtic verbally tabled a loan offer to sign the midfielder for the upcoming campaign. In fact, the Bhoys were ready to offer a temporary deal with an option to buy at the end of the loan spell set at €8m (£6.7m).

However, that was rejected immediately by Lyon, who have "no intention" of selling Diawara, especially given the impending move of Orel Mangala to Everton from the French side.

Though he has started just four Ligue 1 games in his career to date, the left-footed midfielder is seemingly very highly thought of and is one that Lyon very much want to keep hold of.

It remains to be seen if Celtic will return and try and tempt Lyon into changing their mind in the final hours of the window, though it looks unlikely given the hardline response that they have already been given by the French side.

The stance may force the Bhoys to pivot to alternative options as they look to bolster their ranks ahead of the window slamming shut.

Everton are interested in signing a Brazilian winger who has a release clause of more than £50 million, according to a new report.

The Toffees will be looking ahead to their second game of the season, as Sean Dyche and co will be keen to put things right after their opening weekend defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. It was a poor start to the campaign for the Merseyside club, but Dyche will hope that if his new arrivals bed into life at Everton, it could be a campaign that turns out to be much better than last season.

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The Toffees desperately need reinforcements after failing to score against Brighton yesterday.

ByEthan Lamb Aug 18, 2024 Everton are readying a loan offer for Eddie Nketiah

Everton saw the disappointment of last season and knew that they needed to make changes to the squad if they were going to avoid a repeat. Therefore, the club has made five new additions over the course of this summer, with the likes of Jake O’Brien, Iliman Ndiaye, Jesper Lindstrom, Tim Iroegbunam, and Jack Harrison all arriving.

Saturday’s disappointment against Brighton could spur the club on to do more business in what remains of this transfer window, and adding to their forward line could be an area they look at.

Jack Harrison

Leeds United

Tim Iroegbunam

Aston Villa

Iliman Ndiaye

Marseille

Jesper Lindstrom

Napoli

Jake O'Brien

Lyon

It was claimed over the weekend by Football Insider that Everton are preparing a bid to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah. The report stated that the Toffees are readying a loan offer before the deadline on August 30th. Nketiah’s proposed move to Marseille fell through earlier in this transfer window, and as a result, Everton could now have a run at the forward.

However, the club faces two potential hurdles in any deal for the striker, as according to Football Insider, a deal for Nketiah may depend on what happens with current striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who started in the club’s 3-0 defeat to the Seagulls.

While Everton also face competition from Nottingham Forest, who are also working on a deal to sign the Arsenal striker this summer. But as well as Everton looking at potentially signing Nketiah, the club is also looking at a deal for a Brazilian winger.

Everton in talks to sign £50m+ Brazilian forward

According to O Tempo via Sport Witness, Alisson Santana has emerged as a target for Everton. The 18-year-old currently plays for Brazilian side Atletico-MG and he was promoted to the club’s first team in 2023. He has gone on to play 29 times for the club in all competitions, scoring two goals and recording one assist.

Santana originally likes to play on the right wing, but during his time in Brazil, the left-footed forward has played in several positions across the front line, as well as in central midfield.

According to this report, Everton are keen on signing Santana this summer, with it being stated that the Toffees have already made an offer for the player, but it hasn't been revealed how much.

The report does claim that negotiations are underway between the two clubs, as Santana has attracted interest from other clubs as well as Everton. However, the offer made by the Toffees is said to have “pleased the most.”

The 18-year-old is contracted to the Brazil club until December 2027 and is said to have a release clause of €60 million (£51 million), and while he could leave the club in this transfer window, Everton are unlikely to pay that sort of figure.

تمكن منتخب مصر من الفوز على نظيره سلوفينيا بنتيجة 26-25، خلال المباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد.

وانطلقت بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد، في الفترة من 14 يناير الجاري وتستمر حتى 2 فبراير المقبل، وذلك في دول كرواتيا والدنمارك والنرويج.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الرابعة من مرحلة الدور الرئيسي لبطولة العالم رفقة آيسلندا وسلوفينيا والرأس الأخضر والأرجنتين وكرواتيا.

ويتكون الدور الرئيسي من بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد، من 4 مجموعات بمشاركة 6 منتخبات في كل مجموعة المتأهلة من دور المجموعات الأول. وفي المجموعة ذاتها حقق منتخب الأرجنتين فوزًا كبيرًا على الرأس الأخصر بنتيجة 30-25.، بينما فازت كرواتيا على آيسلندا بنتيجة 31-25. (محدث) ترتيب مجموعة مصر في كأس العالم لكرة اليد بعد فوز مصر على الرأس الأخضرترتيب مجموعة مصر في كأس العالم لكرة اليد

1 – كرواتيا 6 نقاط

2- مصر 6 نقاط

3- آيسلندا 6 نقاط

4 – سلوفينينا 4 نقاط

5- الأرجنتين نقطتين

6- الرأس الأخضر بدون نقاط

He says giving some younger players chances hasn’t produced “consistent” results

Madushka Balasuriya03-Mar-2021

“The way to go forward is having that sort of mixture in the team, youth and experience”•Cricket West Indies

Blooding young talent in the national side at the expense of consistent results has not proven to be a winning strategy, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said on the eve of the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Pollard further said it was about time the team started winning matches on a regular basis.Since their T20 World Cup triumph in 2016, West Indies have won just 16 of their subsequent 50 T20Is, losing 30 of them. According to Pollard, the team needs to “get back into the habit of winning,” and bringing senior players back into the fold is one way in which they hope to achieve that.”You look at some of the younger guys that have gotten the opportunities when we started off around 2019, and it hasn’t really produced the results on a consistent basis,” Pollard said.Related

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“As a team we need to start winning cricket matches, win series. Because we can go down the line of saying ‘we need to blood this talent, blood this talent’, but some of you same guys will start talking about the results as well. So we have to strike that balance [between youth and experience], we have to start winning T20 matches, we’re the defending champions, and we have to get back into the habit of winning. And if that means getting a couple of senior guys in to start that process, so be it.”Recalls for Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards, 41 and 39 respectively, raised more than a few eyebrows, but head coach Phil Simmons had earlier stated both players had earned their spots in the side by virtue of their strong performances in franchise cricket. Pollard echoed this view, adding that he views a blend of youth and experience as very much the way forward ahead of the T20 World Cup in India later this year.”These guys continue to perform despite their age. And one that thing that has been said throughout is that once you show that you can perform at the highest level, such as franchise cricket from the T20 point of view, the opportunity is still there.”The way to go forward is having that sort of mixture in the team, youth and experience. The youthful guys can learn from the experienced guys, and these are some of the things that have been missing. From 2016 till now can we safely say we have put forward our best T20 team to go to any series or anything like that?”With a hectic T20 schedule ahead in the coming months, Pollard also urged players in the domestic system to “stick your neck above the rest” to be selected.”We have to start somewhere and this is a starting point for us. We have 18 games plus a whole CPL tournament before the World Cup, so guys can get opportunities and we can see where we need to be come October.”[Fringe players must] continue to work hard and continue to churn out the numbers, and stick your neck above the rest.”But you have to continue to do it. If you have to pick between guys scoring 150-200 runs all the time, and there’s no one sticking out their head – I’m just talking in general, that figure is not relevant – scoring above that, then it just boils down to who you think is the best person at that point in time. And if the guys keep doing that then the opportunity will present itself.”Look at young Kevin Sinclair, he’s been economical in the couple of games he played in the Super 50 in the last couple of years for the emerging team, even this year as well in CPL. He gets an opportunity now. The opportunities are there, opportunities are going to come, things are being seen. You just have to be as consistent as possible, and not just walking around doing and saying things with a sense of entitlement.”In terms of the players that have missed out on the Sri Lanka tour, particularly Shimron Hetmyer – widely considered to be among the most talented batsmen in the West Indies set-up – Pollard refused to be drawn into the conversation, though he did say Hetmyer’s absence left a “big void”.”He knows exactly what he needs to do, he knows the reasons why he’s not here. And again we need to sometimes be open and honest and straightforward with each from different points of view, rather than just try to pamper certain situations all the way through. You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t in certain aspects, but he has left a big, big void.”

Hoping to follow up their deal to sign Flynn Downes on a permanent basis, Southampton have reportedly made a shock enquiry to sign one particular Premier League gem.

Southampton transfer news

As they prepare for their first season back in the Premier League since earning promotion at the first time of asking in the last campaign, Southampton have so far enjoyed a productive transfer window, welcoming eight reinforcements with Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Adam Lallana and, most recently, a permanent deal for Downes the highlights of those incomings.

After finally putting pen to paper at St Mary's, Downes told Southampton's official website: “It feels so good, honestly. Walking in this morning, seeing a few familiar faces, it was a real pleasure. Being a part of it last year, it was so good.

"The whole club, the people, I think everything about it is so special. I feel like when you connect with people like that, such genuine people, and I'm talking about the whole club here, it's so hard not to want to be a part of that."

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Saints may not be done there, however. According to Alan Nixon on his Patreon, Southampton have made a "shock" enquiry to sign Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on a season-long loan deal from Crystal Palace. The 21-year-old winger has reportedly also attracted the interest of Hull City, Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland, handing him quite the decision to make this summer.

Following an impressive loan spell at Charlton Athletic, Rak-Sakyi struggled for game time at Selhurst Park and may move out on loan once again. If it is to be Southampton, though, then a permanent deal could be on the cards, with Palace reportedly reluctant to allow their youngster to complete a loan move to a Premier League rival in the coming month.

"Remarkable" Rak-Sakyi could thrive given the opportunity

Rak-Sakyi proved at Charlton that he can thrive when given the chance on a consistent basis, scoring 15 goals and setting up a further eight in 43 League One appearances in the 2022/23 campaign. Since then, however, he's had his progress stalled by a lack of game time at Palace and desperately needs another loan move, allowing Southampton to emerge as a reluctant option for those at Selhurst Park.

The young winger still has plenty of fans in London, having earned the praise of former Palace manager Roy Hodgson. The former England boss told the club's official website: "He's dealt with it [stepping up] very well. For such a young man he's shown a remarkable maturity and a remarkable sangfroid.

“Coming into a group of senior players that he’s probably only watched from the terraces before, you wouldn’t notice that with his performances in the training sessions where he’s really taken the responsibility that he’s capable of taking."

If Palace really want to see Rak-Sakyi reach his true potential though, then sending him on loan to work with a talented young manager in Russell Martin could be an ideal option.

Waqar Younis, the Pakistan bowling coach, has been granted leave after the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui to spend time with his family – he hasn’t met them for over six months. They will meet in Lahore after the end of the first of two Tests before Younis rejoins the team by January 17 to prepare for the home series against South Africa.Younis has been with the team since the tour of England in the summer. He had attempted to meet his family, based in Sydney, in September, but after landing in Australia, he had to serve a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a hotel. However, on the eighth day of his quarantine, his father died in Lahore, and Younis flew across to attend the funeral. He has been travelling with the team since.Related

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“Considering Waqar has not seen his family since June and taking into account that our home series against South Africa, which follows the series against New Zealand, doesn’t finish until 14 February, we took a pragmatic view of his request and have allowed him to return home early so that he can spend additional time with his wife and children,” Mansoor Rana, the Pakistan team manager, said. “If he had returned to Lahore with the side after the second Test, he would have only got a week to spend with them.”For all of us, families always come first and we have in the past made similar exemptions so that our team members are able to achieve the correct work-life balance.”The second Test in New Zealand will be played from January 3 in Christchurch. South Africa’s tour of Pakistan starts with a two-Test series, the first of which will be played from January 26 in Karachi. The two teams will play three T20Is after that.

Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner have been called into the Test squad while Santner has also been named captain for the third T20I

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2020

Daryl Mitchell acknowledges the applause after bringing up his fifty on Test debut•AFP / Getty Images

Colin de Grandhomme has been ruled out of the Test series against West Indies due to bone bruising to his right foot and left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel will miss the opening match as he continues to recover from a calf injury.Allrounder Daryl Mitchell, who made his Test debut against England last year, has been called up as de Grandhomme’s replacement while Mitchell Santner will cover for Patel.Santner has also been named captain for the third T20I against West Indies when Tim Southee, who was standing in for Kane Williamson, will depart the squad to link up with the Test team in Hamilton. Santner and Mitchell will join the Test squad on December 1, two days ahead of the start of the opening match.”The unavailability of Colin and Ajaz has obviously had a flow on effect to our T20 squad who are providing the replacement players for the Test squad,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “I highlighted last week how tight and complex the schedule was – so when you throw in some injuries, it really begins to challenge how you juggle your resources.”Mitch and Daryl will be available for the final T20 game, before linking up with the Test squad on Tuesday where we will monitor them closely to ensure they’re fit and fresh ahead of the first Test on Thursday.”I’d like to acknowledge Mitch Santner for taking on the responsibility to captain the T20 side. It’s a great honour to lead your country and I know his calm demeanour along with the sheer amount of international experience he’s amassed in the past five years will hold him in good stead.”It’s disappointing for Colin to be ruled out of the Tests completely and he’ll now target being fit and available for the Boxing Day Test at Bay Oval. Ajaz will join the team in Hamilton to have treatment and train. We will make a call on the second Test in Wellington closer to the time.”Meanwhile, all the New Zealand and West Indies players who arrived from the IPL have cleared their third and final Covid-19 tests meaning they are on track to leave managed isolation on Thursday, the day before the opening T20I at Eden Park.

Two players representing Lightning in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy are self-isolating after breaching Covid-19 guidelines.The ECB has confirmed a report on the CricketHER website that both players were made unavailable for selection for Lightning’s last game against Northern Diamonds, which they lost by two wickets.The players have been told to self-isolate for two weeks, a stricter sanction than the one imposed by Kent on Jordan Cox, the 19-year-old batsman who breached protocols by agreeing to have his photo taken with a fan.It is understood that clubs have been given discretion on how they handle breaches, with certain minimum standards imposed. Lightning have opted to exceed those minimum standards to mitigate the risks of transmission, though the exact nature of the breach remains unclear.Lightning are currently winless after three games of the tournament. They will be without the self-isolating players during their next two fixtures, against Central Sparks on Friday and Thunder on Sunday, though are likely to have them available again for their final group game.The news follows the abandonment on Sunday of Northamptonshire’s Bob Willis Trophy match against Gloucestershire, after a non-playing Northants squad member tested positive for Covid-19.The ECB will confirm later this week whether Friday’s T20 Blast game between the two teams will go ahead as planned, depending in part on what contact the player involved had with team-mates before his positive test.The player who tested positive has not been part of Northants’ T20 campaign so far, and did not travel with the squad to Bristol. The ECB and the club are working through the relevant medical protocols, and as things stand, the fixture is still expected to be played.

BBC Radio 5 Live pundit and former Tottenham defender Alan Hutton has claimed a once-£100 million forward would prefer a move to north London with Ange Postecoglou's side this summer.

Spurs ready to back Postecoglou as new attacker targeted

Reliable media news outlets, like The Times among many others, say Spurs are ready to back Postecoglou with more major signings when the transfer window reopens.

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Emilio Galantini

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The Lilywhites are believed to be chasing a new centre-back, midfielder and striker, according to journalist Tom Allnutt, with Postecoglou also admitting recently that the Tottenham squad is in need of a real overhaul.

They've endured a disappointing run of Premier League form since the beginning of April, despite Postecoglou recording the best-ever start made by a new manager in the division's history. They've been on the wrong end of drubbings from Liverpool and Newcastle United in that time, whilst also tasting London derby defeats in blockbuster clashes against Arsenal and Chelsea.

Tottenham's last five Premier League matches
Tottenham 2-1 Burnley
Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
Tottenham 2-3 Arsenal
Newcastle 4-0 Tottenham

Spurs very nearly dropped points at home to relegated Burnley last weekend as well, with star defender Micky van de Ven's excellent solo goal sparing their blushes in the 82nd minute and gifting Postecoglou a 2-1 win.

Despite this, Tottenham could still qualify for the Champions League following Aston Villa's thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Liverpool. If they manage to beat title-chasing Man City tonight, they'll go within two points of Unai Emery's side heading into the final day.

Regardless of whether they do manage to nick fourth, planning has already begun for the summer window, and striker targets have been named. Tottenham are laying the groundwork to sign a new number nine to replace Harry Kane, and they're said to be contenders for Brentford star Ivan Toney.

The England international, who scored 20 league goals last season, was even once valued at £100 million in the January window.

Hutton says Toney would prefer to join Tottenham

Speaking to Tottenham News this week, BBC pundit Hutton has claimed Toney would prefer to join Tottenham over rivals West Ham – who are also in the mix to sign him this summer.

“Maybe I’m a bit biased, but I think he would prefer a move to Tottenham,” Hutton said.

“I think playing in that stadium and the way that they play in this moment in time, I know it looks like Julen Lopetegui will be coming into West Ham and that could change things and Michail Antonio isn’t getting any younger so maybe they’re looking for somebody else to lead the line.

“He’d score goals for both teams, there’s no doubt about that. He’s scored a barrel load at Brentford, no disrespect to them but I think other teams will make more opportunities for him.

“I just think at this moment in time, Tottenham look like a team that is going to be chasing the top four, I’m not saying they’re definitely going to get in there, but they will be chasing and that could be a good opportunity for him.

“He could be the difference between them getting in and not getting in, in future seasons.”