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Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min absolutely cannot wait for a "raw talent" at Spurs to make his debut, with the South Korea star heaping praise on Brennan Johnson.

Who did Spurs sign this summer?

Lilywhites boss Ange Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy brought in a host of new signings over the summer transfer window.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, centre-back Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon, striker Alejo Veliz and Johnson all put pen to paper on moves to N17 before September 1.

Seven new additions in total now arrive to bolster Postecoglou's options ahead of a long and challenging 2023/2024 season at Spurs.

The north Londoners have taken to the new Premier League campaign with real gusto so far; showcasing their new brand of attacking, all-out football under Postecoglou.

Spurs sealed impressive wins against Man United, Bournemouth and Burnley just prior to the international break; scoring nine goals in just three matches.

Tottenham's new manager has been lavished with praise since, and things may only get better as summer signing Johnson is still yet to make his debut in the forward areas.

Son, speaking in a recent press conference on international duty with South Korea, heralded the 22-year-old and explained exactly why he is buzzing to play alongside him.

The winger said that with Johnson's arrival, they will play "even better" football.

"I think that by coming to Spurs (Johnson) wants to improve and go to the next step," said the South Korea captain (via BBC).

"He will feel the pressure as well but I can't wait to have him in our team, playing even better football, better attacking, better fast football, but I think everyone has to take that responsibility.

"Everyone has to take a big responsibility because certainly we've lost 30 goals. Now everybody has to step up to make those 30 goals together which is very important."

How good is Brennan Johnson?

The Wales forward stood out among Forest's best players during their successful fight against relegation last term; scoring eight goals and assisting three others in 38 top flight matches (WhoScored).

International boss Rob Page, speaking to the media last summer, also claimed the sky is the limit for Johnson, whilst journalist Mitch Fretton has called him a "raw talent".

“Brennan could potentially have had a move in January,” Page said in 2022.

“But he decided to stay because he’s at a club where he was going to play and enjoy his football. That speaks volumes about him. He didn’t go chasing the money.

“He’s almost the finished article now and Forest have got a wonderful player on their hands. I’ve been to watch him a few times and he’s playing with freedom. He’s really enjoying his football.”

Inter Miami manager Gerardo Martino has revealed whether injured Lionel Messi will take to the field against Newell's Old Boys.

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• Martino provided update on Messi's condition
• Suffered hamstring injury during Asia tour
• Set to face boyhood club Newell's Old Boys

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Inter Miami are all set to face the Argentine club in their final pre-season friendly in Miami before they kick off their 2024 Major League Soccer season campaign next week. Lionel Messi, who remained out of action for the majority of the team's tour to Asia, has been cleared to face his boyhood club as confirmed by manager Gerardo 'Tata' Martino.

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• WHAT GERARDO MARTINO SAID

  Speaking at an event held at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center in Miami, the former Barcelona coach revealed that the 36-year-old has regained full fitness and is ready to start against his former side.

  Martino told reporters, "Lio (Messi) is fine and will start. He's a starter."

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  The World Cup-winning Argentina skipper landed in trouble with Chinese authorities after he failed to play even a minute during the club's friendly encounter against a selected Hong Kong XI last week. A hamstring injury forced the star player to remain out of action but his absence on the pitch angered local fans and officials. The Beijing Football Association has reportedly cancelled Argentina's international friendlies against Nigeria and Ivory Coast where Messi was supposed to feature in March.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

  The Herons are on the verge of completing the signing of another Argentine star as they are set to beat Bayern Munich in the race to sign Federico Redendo – son of former Real Madrid star Fernando Redondo. They will begin the new MLS season on February 22 against Real Salt Lake.

County executives assured there will be no more compensation payments to Test-hosting counties until the issue has been discussed further

George Dobell08-Mar-2018ECB chairman Colin Graves has sought to ease the concerns of anxious county executives by assuring them there will be no more compensation payments to Test-hosting counties until the issue has been discussed further.In a chief executives’ meeting on Thursday, Graves insisted that plans for such payments had only been at draft stage and would have to have been ratified by the board before implementation. As a result of concerns raised by the counties – and most notably by the resignation from the board of Andy Nash – those plans will now be reviewed.While the mood among the counties does appear to be somewhat appeased – there is no serious talk of a vote of no confidence – there are still some awkward questions to answer. At least one club would appear to have already received a payment from the ECB, while at least two more have budgeted for it.Meanwhile, those counties concerned that the suggested compensation payments might signal a change in the long-term policy of the ECB were further alarmed by the news that the new County Partnership Agreements (the successor to Memorandums of Understanding) are likely to be bespoke to each club. While the aim of that is largely to reflect the differing needs of clubs in different parts of the country, it might also be interpreted as providing potential for a further divide between Test-hosting clubs and the rest. In the past, the ECB’s funds have been largely split on an equitable basis (with some room for performance-related bonus payments) among the counties.It has also been revealed that, at some stage in the last couple of years, Sport England expressed some concern over Graves’ position of chairman of the ECB’s new nominations committee.While the ECB has made much of the fact that its board will shortly be mostly made up of independent members, the nominations committee effectively has the opportunity to vet every prospective applicant. All other board members with affiliations to counties – the likes of Richard Thompson, the Surrey chairman, or Peter Wright, the Nottinghamshire Cricket Board chairman – are obliged to step down in May when they will be replaced by independent board members. Giles Clarke, the ECB president, is also expected to step down in May. Alan Leighton is expected, at some stage, to take over as chairman of the nominations committee.Furthermore, it has emerged that in March 2016 the ECB provided an assurance that Graves would abstain from “any vote or decision which could be deemed a conflict of duty… as is his statutory duty”.Although Graves, who was previously chairman of Yorkshire, did excuse himself from the room when the recent allocation of major matches was validated by the board, questions remain as to whether he did so on other occasions; notably when the decision to strip Durham of their Test status was approved. Graves no longer has any direct financial link to Yorkshire, though family trusts set up by him but run independently are owed £20m by the club.

It takes a lot to get Roy Keane excited, but the Irishman had plenty to smile about when heading to San Francisco for NFL play-off action.

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• Irishman is a big fan of American football
• Has attended International Games at Wembley
• Following bid for Super Bowl glory in 2024

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Manchester United legend was among those in attendance as the 49ers kept their hopes of Super Bowl in 2024 alive with a thrilling 24-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Keane was in the stands at Levi’s Stadium, with the side that he pledges allegiance to doing their “job” on the night.

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  Keane revealed during an NFL discussion on Sky Sports in January 2023 that he is “49ers all the way”, with the former Red Devils midfielder responding to claims from Gary Neville that he “doesn’t get” the appeal of American football.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Keane has previously attended NFL International Games at Wembley Stadium, alongside former coaching partner Martin O’Neill, and has now taken the opportunity to cross the Atlantic and get a proper taste of the live action experience on American soil.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  With the 49ers having avoided an upset against the seventh-seeded Packers, they will now play host to either the Detroit Lions or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game. If they were to prevail in that contest, then the five-time Super Bowl winners would get another shot at lofting the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 11.

San Jose Earthquakes star and USMNT winger Cade Cowell has been linked with a Liga MX move to Chivas after recently obtaining a Mexican passport.

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• Cowell linked with Chivas move
• Called into USMNT January camp
• Recently obtained Mexican passport

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  have linked the 20-year-old with a move to the Liga MX giants. With the January transfer window open, Chivas can go about negotiating with the Earthquakes, ahead of the proposed move south.

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  Cowell recently obtained his Mexican passport, making him an officail dual-citizen of both Mexico and the United States. Regardless, though, he is committed to the USMNT and is cap-tied to Gregg Berhalter's side. If his move to Chivas comes to fruition, the USMNT youngster will hope that it helps him earn a spot on the U23 USMNT Olympic roster for 2023.

• WHAT BERHALTER SAID ABOUT JANUARY CAMP INCLUSION

  "I wouldn't get ahead of ourselves here with Cade. He is an example of having a ton of potential and he is a great teammate. He has experience with the senior national team, but now it's also about him applying this in his every day, first at his club by becoming a starter, becoming a high performer on his team, scoring goals in Major League Soccer. That is going to be important. And then when he gets the opportunity with our team, it's about making an impact. For him, it's straddling between can he make an impact for this Olympic age group? Can he perform at the level that's needed to be an impact player there? And then we'll see what's next. I think for us, it's really about supporting him, and really giving him the opportunity to play his best and then continue to watch how he develops at his club, but that's definitely going to be a crucial part."

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• DID YOU KNOW

  Chivas has never fielded an American player in their club before, meaning Cowell has the potential to be the first-ever.

In the absence of Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada will lead the bowling attack, which also includes allrounders Wayne Parnell and Andile Phehlukwayo

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2017

Faf du Plessis’ first assignment as ODI captain will see him take charge of a squad sans several senior bowlers for three matches against Bangladesh, starting next Sunday. With Morne Morkel joining the list of those unavailable through injury earlier in the week, Dane Paterson earned a maiden call-up after he was also included in the Test squad as Morkel’s replacement.Paterson, a fast bowler from the Cobras, has played four T20Is for South Africa, most recently in England over the winter. He took a career-best 4 for 32 in the final match, but his ability to execute during the end overs impressed the selectors.Ins and outs

Ins: Temba Bavuma, Dane Paterson
Outs: Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Keshav Maharaj

“Dane did very well in the T20 International Series against England earlier this year, particularly when it came to death bowling. We now want to see if he can do a similar job in the 50 overs format,” Linda Zondi, South Africa’s convener of selectors said.Kagiso Rabada will lead the bowling attack, which also includes allrounders Wayne Parnell and Andile Phehlukwayo. Imran Tahir is the only specialist spinner in the group. Chris Morris, who was part of the Champions Trophy squad, was not available for selection as he continues to recover from a back problem, while Keshav Maharaj was left out.The batting line-up takes on a more familiar look, especially as it sees the return to international action of AB de Villiers, who last played for South Africa during the England tour. De Villiers will make himself available across all three formats from mid-October and is also due to play a four-day first-class match to get himself ready for Tests. He will spend this season as a player only, having stepped down from all forms of leadership.JP Duminy, who recently retired from Tests, will be part of a middle order that also included David Miller and Farhaan Behardien. Temba Bavuma has also been included in the fifty-over side. Bavuma has only played one ODI, last September against Ireland, where he opened the batting and scored a century.South Africa could see this series as the start of their preparations for the 2019 World Cup. South Africa lost the ODI series against Bangladesh the last time they played in the format.ODI squad: Faf du Plessis (capt.), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada

Manchester United have reportedly sent scouts to watch former Real Madrid winger Takefusa Kubo as they eye a replacement for £85m ($108m) flop Antony.

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• Utd scouts have watched Kubo seven times
• Ten Hag eager to replace Antony
• Brazilian could be offered to Real Sociedad on loan

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , United scouts have been present to watch Kubo in action for La Liga club Real Sociedad seven times already this season, including his Man of the Match display in a 0-0 draw against Real Betis last weekend. The Basque club would be willing to accept a bid in the region of £43m ($54m) for Kubo, who left Real Madrid in the summer after failing to break into Carlo Ancelotti's senior squad.

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  The report adds that Ten Hag is eager to replace Antony after the forward's poor start to life at United. Since moving to Old Trafford from Ajax in September 2022, the Brazilian has only managed to register eight goals and three assists in 62 appearances. United could even offer Antony to Real Sociedad on loan in a bid to close a deal for Kubo, who is under contract with La Real until 2027.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kubo has 28 goal contributions to his name from 67 games in a Real Sociedad shirt to date, having initially joined the club on loan in July last year. The former Madrid starlet, who also took in a spell at Barcelona's La Masia academy as a youngster, has also been strongly linked with Napoli, but United plan to continue monitoring his progress in the coming months.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  For now, United will have to make do with Antony and their current crop of wingers ahead of a crucial festive period, with a tricky away fixture against West Ham up next on Saturday as they bid to close the gap on the Premier League's top-four. Kubo, meanwhile, will be back in La Liga action with sixth-placed Sociedad when they take in a trip to Cadiz on Friday night.

Vernon Philander has recovered from the illness that affected him during the third Test and hopes to bring his ability with bat and ball to bear on leveling the series in Manchester

Firdose Moonda02-Aug-2017If Vernon Philander could do The Oval Test all over again, he would. And he would do it feeling the way he does now because that is infinitely better than the way he felt last week.Philander spent most of the third Test in the toilet, “losing quite a lot of fluids, top and bottom”. The same could be said of South Africa’s performance.The top order was guilty of not posting enough runs, especially in the first innings, and the bowling lacked the discipline required to contain England. Philander’s all-round ability was missed and he knew it. “In any bowling line-up, if there’s a link missing, you feel it and I’m quite an important part in that line-up,” Philander said. “I could feel my intensity was missed.”Don’t read that as a man talking himself up, read it as an international sportsperson speaking from a place of professionalism. Philander was picked to play – and the merits of including someone who was obviously ill have already been discussed on these pages – so that is what he wanted to do.He fronted up on the first morning and took the new ball even though South Africa’s initial hope was that they would bat first and he would have some extra time to recover. That day, Philander bowled 12 overs; in the innings, he bowled 17; and in the match, 32, which amounted to 17.4% of the total overs South Africa sent down. It cannot be a coincidence that at Lord’s, where Philander was coming back from an ankle injury sustained in a county stint and where South Africa also lost, he only bowled 13% of the total overs whereas at Trent Bridge, where Philander was Man of the Match, he delivered 23.9%, almost a quarter.Perhaps the more telling impact of Philander’s absence was that the most he could provide in a single spell at The Oval was five overs. While he could create pressure early on, he was unable to sustain it and neither was anyone else in the attack despite tailor-made conditions. Under thick cloud and in humidity, Morne Morkel turned in one of his best performances for little reward but Kagiso Rabada struggled for rhythm and Chris Morris with inconsistency. All Philander wanted to do was get better enough to get in on the action. “It was frustrating not to be out there or to bowl longer spells,” he said.It was even more frustrating watching the chance to win the series slip past South Africa, especially as Philander knows what victory in England tastes like. He is one of only three members of the current squad who played in the 2012 matches and took the Test mace off England at Lord’s. Philander had one of the most important hands in that victory after scoring fifty and taking a five-for. Then, a South Africa side that shone with superstars like Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn may not have realised how much they relied on Philander. Now, they know exactly how much they do. It is more than they should be comfortable with because, as demonstrated last week, if Philander is unavailable, South Africa need to have other options.It may be something that comes up in their team talks, which Philander explained involved severe self-reflection. “We’ve had a few hard chats,” he said. “We have an honesty policy and we all admitted it wasn’t our best Test match. We let ourselves down with the bat in the first innings and that’s something we would like to correct.”Philander will have a role to play in that regard because he has been promoted to No. 7 and, now that he is healthier, he can show why he has long wanted to bat higher up. “I think No. 7 is ideal for me. I enjoy having to bat longer periods,” he said. But his main role will remain with the ball in hand.With heavy cloud hanging over Manchester, rain in the week prior to the team’s arrival in the city hampering pitch preparation and drizzle expected throughout the final Test, Philander may get the chance to do at Old Trafford what he would have done at The Oval. And this time, he thinks, “there’s everything to play for”.

Rising United States star Rokas Pukstas has decided to sign a new contract at Hajduk Split despite interest from other teams in Europe.

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• Pukstas agrees new deal with Hajduk
• Midfielder will sign until 2027
• Impressing in Croatian top flight

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The midfielder has agreed to extend his stay at the Croatian club. According to, he will sign an extension that keeps him tied to Hajduk until 2027. Pukstas' current deal runs until 2025 but he will put pen to paper on a new contract soon.

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  Pukstas' impressive performances for Hajduk and the United States youth teams have reportedly caught the attention of several teams across the continent. The 19-year-old has already scored three goals in seven league games for Hajduk this season, despite having to overcome a cruciate ligament injury.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Pukstas joined Hajduk from the Barca Academy in his homeland in 2020 and rose through the youth system to make his first-team breakthrough in 2022. He has made 12 appearance for the USA Under-20s, including in the U20 World Cup this year where they reached the quarter-finals.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PUKSTAS?

  Pukstas will hope to maintain his strong form for Hajduk to boost his chances of playing a key role for the national team at the Olympic Games in Paris next year. He will also have his eye on making the cut for the 2026 World Cup with the USMNT.

Virat Kohli has said he won’t engage with Steven Smith’s suggestion that Australia are “one or two sessions” away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy

Melinda Farrell in Bengaluru03-Mar-20170:50

I know about Australia’s mind games – Kohli

Steven Smith turned the heat on India on the eve of the second Test in Bengaluru, declaring Australia are just “one or two sessions” away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy, while Virat Kohli dismissed Smith’s words as “mind games.”After starting the series as underdogs and given little chance of drawing, let alone winning a match, Australia would take an unassailable lead in the four-Test series if they win at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, a ground where Australia has an encouraging record of two wins, two draws and just one loss.”I think they will feel under a little bit of pressure,” Smith said. “Obviously, going into this series, all I heard was 4-0 to them. So they’re one down and need to come back. We’re one win away from [retaining] the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Things can happen pretty quickly here.”So we might be one or two sessions away from getting that back. I’m sure they’ll feel under a bit of pressure.”But Kohli was quick to brush off the suggestion that India would be feeling under pressure when he learned of Smith’s comments.”Me? As a team? Does it look like [we’re under pressure]?” Kohli said, smilingly. “I’m pretty relaxed. I’m happy. I’m smiling. It’s fine, those are his views and [he can say] whatever he wants to say. I think it’s time we focus on our skills more than what Australia is saying or preparing like. I know these minds games in these press conferences are something they’re very good at.”We’re still going to play the cricket that we’ve played for the last two years and see where the series ends after the fourth game.”Kohli also refused to be drawn on the importance of stopping Smith, whose gritty knock at Pune defied the conditions and was his third century from his past seven Test innings, instead pointing to the fact that India gave Smith several lives during his second innings.”The whole team has to play well against Australia to win a Test match, that’s something we’ve identified,” said Kohli. “We’re not focusing on one player at all.”If we don’t hold onto our chances it doesn’t matter, at the end of the day, how many runs we score. We’re not focusing on one player only. The whole ten wickets have to be taken twice to win a Test match. The comments and headlines don’t matter. They never have, and we won’t base our cricket on it.”