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After starting 11 of his first 12 appearances in the Premier League this season, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Joao Palhinha has found game time harder to come by of late.

The Portugal international’s start against Brentford on Thursday night was his first in the top-flight since November, as he had been an unused substitute once and came off the bench three times in December, per Transfermarkt.

Palhinha has scored four goals and provided three assists in all competitions, per Sofascore, but he has not found the back of the net since the 4-0 win over Copenhagen at the start of November.

The Bayern Munich loanee’s general struggles in possession may be why he has found himself out of the side of late, as he ranks within the bottom 23% of midfielders in the Premier League for progressive passes per 90 (3.24) and the bottom 16% for progressive carries per 90 (0.53), per FBref.

Spurs eyeing move for Bundesliga star

Spurs are now reportedly in the mix to sign another central midfielder who could further restrict the game time that Palhinha gets in the second half of the season.

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According to CaughtOffside, Bayern Munich midfield star Leon Goretzka’s representatives have reached out to make contact with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Arsenal.

The report claims that their sources have indicated that the German giants would be forced to consider a sale in the January transfer window if a convincing offer lands at their desk.

It adds that the Lilywhites are closely monitoring the Germany international’s situation at the Allianz Arena, as they ponder a winter swoop for the experienced midfielder.

However, CaughtOffside does not reveal how much money it would take for Bayern to consider an offer for the £218k-per-week star to be ‘convincing’ enough for them to part ways with him.

Why Tottenham's Goretzka interest is bad news for Palhinha

It could be Déjà vu for Palhinha if Spurs manage to agree a deal to bring Goretzka to North London, because he left Bayern on loan in the summer after struggling for minutes behind the German giant last term.

The Portugal international only started six league matches for Bayern under Vincent Kompany in the 2024/25 campaign, whilst Goretzka started 13 times and played nine more games overall, per Sofascore.

24/25 Bundesliga

Goretzka

Palhinha

Appearances

26

17

Minutes per game

51

40

Goals

4

0

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.6

1.4

Ground duel success rate

60%

55%

Aerial duel success rate

53%

65%

Red cards

0

1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Germany international justified his larger role in the squad with superior performances in the middle of the park in the Bundesliga last term.

Goretzka, who has been described as a midfield “machine” by Bayern teammate Aleksandar Pavlović, is a more well-rounded midfielder who is better suited to playing in a dominant team that wants to compete at the top end of the table.

Palhinha provides great defensive qualities with his ability to make tackles and interceptions, ranking in the top 1% of Premier League midfielders for tackles per 90 (5.27) this season, per FBref.

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Midfielders in teams that want to compete at the very top need to be able to offer quality in possession to go along with their defensive qualities, though, which may be why Kompany was willing to let him go, and why Thomas Frank has dropped him in recent weeks.

The statistics in the chart above from Goretzka and Palhinha’s statistics this season show the significant difference in quality in possession between the two players, as the German ranks highly in a host of possession-based metrics.

This suggests that, as was the case at Bayern in the 2024/25 campaign, Goretzka’s presence in the squad could spell bad news for the former Fulham star in the second half of this season.

The 30-year-old star could be an excellent addition to Frank’s squad to add more quality on the ball to his options in the middle of the park, possibly leaving Palhinha’s future at the club beyond his initial loan spell in serious doubt because he could struggle for game time behind the German talent.

The start of the World Cricket League in Nairobi has been brought forward by 24 hours after the authorities at the Jaffrey Sports Club said that the match could not be staged on January 30, the scheduled date, as it fell on the Islamic holiday commemorating the Day of Ashura.As a result, the Kenya v Bermuda game will be played on January 29, the day before the other two opening matches.The ICC and Cricket Kenya were only advised of this on Monday, and the tournament’s technical committee considered the issue and decided that in order to cause as little disruption as possible to the event, it would rearrange the game.The Jaffrey Sports Club is an Islamic-based ground, unlike the other two venues at Nairobi Gymkhana and Ruaraka.

‘RP Singh bowled with a lot of energy’ – Rahul Dravid © Getty Images

Despite having a harrowing day in the field, with Pakistan scoring at more than four an over, Rahul Dravid has defended his decision to play five specialist bowlers, stating that it was their best chance to get 20 wickets and win a Test match. He added that Sourav Ganguly had been “unlucky to miss out”, and hoped that India could reprise their heroics at Adelaide in 2003, when they conceded more than 400 runs on the first day but still ended up winning the game.”It’s very difficult to drop someone like Sourav,” said Dravid at the end of a tough day. “Considering his experience and considering what a good player he is. We picked the right combination, one that will give us the best chance to win this Test. We’ve got to try and win Test matches, irrespective of the conditions and we need to look at the best combination to win it. We hadn’t bowled very well in the last match and decided to strengthen the attack with five specialist bowlers.We thought we needed five bowlers to get us 20 wickets and to have a serious chance to win it. It would give us a chance to rotate our bowlers, keep them fresh. We struggled a bit in Lahore in that aspect, and with a long season coming up we need to keep all our bowlers fit and going. It was a tough decision to make and Sourav is unlucky to miss out.”Dravid felt that India had done well in the first two sessions of the day and said they had failed to seize the opportunity when two quick wickets pulled them back into the game. “Having lost the toss, at 216 for 4 we were in control of the game. But they had a very good partnership, especially the last hour when they played positively. I thought the game ran away from us in the last hour. Until then we had had a good day. “While admitting that he had been “disappointed” with the surface, he was confident that India could still pull things back. “It still looks a good batting wicket,” he continued. “We’ll need to bowl well tomorrow and obviously try and back it up with the sort of batting we put up in the last game. We’ve won a game after conceding 400 in one day and all is not lost. They have the advantage but there’s a long way to go. If we can bat well in the first innings, things will change. One or two more wickets today would have made a difference. We could have done better than that, especially in the last hour. You also got to understand that you don’t often start of Test matches on such a dead wicket. “There was a word of consolation for Irfan Pathan – “He’s only 21 or 22 years old. He’ll sure learn” – but he hailed the debut performance of Rudra Pratap Singh. “There wasn’t much in the track, the ball didn’t swing much, but he got a wicket early on. RP Singh bowled with a lot of energy.” He was particularly elated with Yuvraj’s catch, a moment of brilliance when India were under pressure, and firmly said it was one of the best he had seen.

Trevor Hohns has denied that Australia’s much-maligned rotation policy had been scrapped. Hohns’s comments came after Allan Border, his fellow selector, had said that the rotation policy was “dead and buried”.According to Border, the policy, which resulted in the team composition being altered for every game, was responsible for Australia’s below-par batting in the VB Series against Pakistan and the West Indies. “We’ve had a fair bit to do with it and we’ve taken a bit of flak for it but I think it’s dead and buried,” said Border, talking on Fox Sports’ show. “I just think, going forward, we pick our best side and if guys need a break we give that to them accordingly.”But Hohns, who heads the selection panel, insisted that they would continue with a policy of resting players to avoid burnout. “We’ll always use a squad for one-day cricket as we have done for five years,” he told AAP. “It’s served its purpose … it’s about giving players who play both forms of the game a rest.”It’s not rotation but whether we use it to give players a rest in the future that remains to be seen. We’ll use it as we see fit.”Simon Katich, one of the beneficiaries of the rotation policy in recent times, supported it, telling ABC Sport, "I guess that for guys like myself who have been on the fringe, it’s a bonus to be playing. It’s a tough one and I can understand that guys who are permanent members of both teams wouldn’t want to be rested."

Sachin Tendulkar: can he find form before Boxing Day? ©Getty Images

Virender Sehwag will captain the Indians against Australia A in a three-day game beginning in Hobart on December 19.Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly will be rested, while Sadagoppan Ramesh and Murali Kartik are almost certain to play. Kartik was summoned to Australia on the eve of the second Test, but was left out of the side in favour of Anil Kumble, who picked up five wickets in the first innings. This will be Kartik’s first competitive game on the tour.Sachin Tendulkar, with knocks of 0,1, and 37, is likely to use the outing to regain his batting touch.Michael Hussey will lead Australia A, with two express bowlers at the forefront of the bowling attack. Shaun Tait and Paul Rofe have been included in the team, much to their surprise. But the selections were made keeping an eye on the future. Australia’s Test attack has been ageing steadily, and the drought of new quick bowlers has the selectors worried. This was accentuated by India’s domination of the under-strength bowling in Adelaide.Steve Waugh has said of Tait, “He’s probably the quickest, along with Brett Lee.” Tait, a 145kph bowler, has been given full licence to go hard at the Indians. “I think it’s good to have a licence like that, I can concentrate on just bowling fast,” says Tait. “Indians have faced fast bowling before and they can handle it but we’ll have to see how it goes. You never know.”The game will be played on a Bellerive Oval pitch that was found unsafe for play last season, forcing an inter-state match to be called off. The Tasmanian Cricket Association has quashed doubts about the condition of the wicket, saying it is fit for play. “The pitches we’ve had here this year so far have been excellent,” said David Johnstone, their chief executive. “We have no fear of having any problems whatsoever and looking at it the other day, it looked excellent. It’s in good shape.”Weather will play a vital part in the game; there has been a steady drizzle for two days, and the wind is expected to pick up speed tomorrow.Australia A 1 Michael Hussey (capt), 2 Michael Clarke, 3 Chris Rogers, 4 Martin Love, 5 Brad Hodge, 6 Cameron White, 7 Wade Seccombe (wk), 8 Matthew Nicholson, 9 Damien Wright, 10 Paul Rofe, 11 Shaun Tait.Indians (from): Akash Chopra, Virender Sehwag (capt), Sadagoppan Ramesh, Sachin Tendulkar, Deep Dasgupta (wk), Anil Kumble, Laxmipathy Balaji, Murali Kartik, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel (wk).

Sourav Ganguly is a puzzled man. He does not know why India losesthe crucial matches. By his own generous admission, he would havewon more such matches for India if he knew the problem. Oursatellite channels faithfully telecast the Indian captain’swonderfully humble attempt at self-analysis, as if to acquit himof all charges of repeated failures as captain and player.

The selectors must be pretty sanguine that theforthcoming Zimbabwe series will not tax the Indian players’technique or temperament unduly. One neat series win later, allwill be forgotten and forgiven in the euphoria of victory, theyseem to be reassuring themselves, to offer the least offensiveexplanation of their penchant for the status quo.

To be fair to him, though, the Prince of Calcutta was a littlemore forthcoming than that. He wondered aloud if inexperience wasthe root cause of India’s continued inability to win matches,even against Nasser Hussain’s scratch combination – though theywere made to look like world beaters in India – under homeconditions, with the help of incompetent umpires whose mistakescame in handy when the hosts were down. He was a trifledisappointed – and he said this with the appropriate expressionof condescending indulgence towards the newcomers in the Indianeleven – that, after he had brought the side to the threshold ofvictory in the final one-dayer, the rest of the batting simplyfolded.There was, thus, no hint of regret that he had thrown his wicketaway playing a loose, even arrogant lap-shot instead of stayingat the wicket until victory was achieved. How smug and selfsatisfied he looked, absolving himself of all guilt while puttinghis younger teammates on the mat! The selectors too seem equallysmug.Ganguly had not done badly, actually, according to chairman ofselectors Chandu Borde. After all, he had won the Test series anddrawn the one-day rubber against England. The captain’s almosttotal capitulation as a batsman, especially in Test matchcricket, does not seem to have worried him unduly.The selectors must be pretty sanguine that the forthcomingZimbabwe series will not tax the Indian players’ technique ortemperament unduly. One neat series win later, all will beforgotten and forgiven in the euphoria of victory, they seem tobe reassuring themselves, to offer the least offensiveexplanation of their penchant for the status quo.Not too long ago, there was some much-publicised rhetoric by theBCCI president declaring that those in charge of Indian cricketwould be held accountable for the results they produced. Inhindsight, it seems to have been no more than an attempt to getrid of John Wright and Andrew Leipus, the unwanted ‘foreigners.’The captain, in contrast, seems to be immune from any suchrequirement. After all, was it not suggested by many, just priorto his sensational return to Test cricket in 1996, that Gangulywas Jagmohan Dalmiya’s boy?But Indian cricket has a way of making fools of everyone. For allwe know, an Andy-Flower-inspired Zimbabwe could still spring asurprise or two, and by the end of the series, the selectorscould face pretty much the same situation as they face today. Andonce again, they will decide to let sleeping dogs lie and play itsafe with the selection of the captain and the team for the WestIndies tour.

Nicky Peng helped save Durham from potentialembarrassment on another hard-fought day at Derby.The 18-year-old right-hander played responsibly for 31overs to steady Durham who were wobbling at 139-5 inreply to Derbyshire’s 318.With Andy Pratt, he took his team past the 169 theyneeded to avoid the follow-on before wickets inconsecutive overs tilted the game back towardsDerbyshire.Peng pulled a Richard Illingworth long hop tomid-wicket and Pratt was caught behind off Tim Muntonto raise Derbyshire’s hopes of a sizeable firstinnings lead.This was one of Derbyshire’s best days of a so fardisappointing season and they start the third day witha lead of 117 and three wickets left to take.Their first score of over 300 at Derby since lastAugust was due to some spirited lower order battingand a wild over from Steve Harmison who gave away 10extras including one ball which went for four wides.A total of 48 extras was second highest score in theDerbyshire innings but Durham looked comfortable withMichael Gough and Martin Love at the wicket.But Gough played on to Nathan Dumelow and MartinSpeight played across Graeme Welch after strugglingfor 13 overs for 14.Love passed fifty for the fourth time this seasonbefore he was lbw pushing half forward at Illingworthand when Danny Law top-edged a pull, Durham were introuble.But Peng and Pratt played sensibly although Derbyshirewill still expect to strengthen their positiontomorrow as they push for their first victory sinceAugust when Durham were beaten at the County Ground.

The inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played in Dubai and Sharjah, from February 4 to 24, 2016. The PCB announced the venues in a release on Thursday, ending speculation over whether the UAE can accommodate both the Masters Champions League and the Pakistan T20 tournament in the February window.In August the PCB had said the PSL would be held in Doha, Qatar, as it had learned that the organisers of the Masters Champions League, a tournament for retired international cricketers, had already booked the stadiums. Now it is confirmed that the Masters Champions League will be held in Abu Dhabi concurrently, with the other two venues will be reserved for the PSL. This solution was offered by the Emirates Cricket Board. The PCB had listed the UAE as its first-choice host given it has been the Pakistan team’s virtual home since 2009, when the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore.”The PSL has already floated tenders for broadcasters and producers,” Najam Sethi, the chairman of the governing council of the PSL, said. “This will be followed by a tendering process for sponsorships in the second week of October. Franchise owners will be inducted between mid to end November, after which the foreign and local players will be drafted and teams constituted.”The tournament will consist of five teams, one each from Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Islamabad. According to the PCB release, the PSL will offer up to $1 million in prize money, and “the latest tally of foreign player signing consents standing at an impressive 132. The players will be selected through a draft process in December.” The teams will each have a purse of $1 million from which they can build their squads and support staff.Sethi said: “There is a pool of top coaches also, from which franchise owners will be able to pick and chose.”

Michael Edwards is now reportedly holding internal discussions about signing a replacement for the injured Alexander Isak for Liverpool in the January transfer window.

Liverpool discussing Isak replacement

Isak’s injury couldn’t have been timed much worse. Liverpool are already without Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah through injury and AFCON duties, which mean that Isak’s injury has left them scrambling for attacking options.

Arne Slot was far from happy with Micky van de Ven’s challenge, which injured Isak in the process of the Swede’s second Premier League goal for the club last weekend, telling reporters: “It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months. It’s a big disappointment for him and, as a result, for us.

Related Liverpool now in "talks" to sign £85,000-a-week Semenyo alternative in January

The Reds look set to miss out on Semenyo.

Posts 3 ByTom Cunningham

“This was, for me, a reckless challenge. I’ve said a lot about the tackle of Xavi Simons (who was sent off dragging his studs down the calf of Virgil van Dijk) which for me was completely unintentional.

“I don’t think you will ever get an injury out of a tackle like that. But the tackle of Van de Ven, if you make a tackle like that 10 times, 10 times there is a serious chance the player gets a serious injury.”

The Dutchman has now been left to find attacking solutions just as the January transfer window arrives. To that end, it remains to be seen just how busy Liverpool will be.

Given Isak’s injury, an attacking additions seems like a must if the Reds are to turn their season around, but a move for Antoine Semenyo now looks off the table.

Liverpool had been chasing his signature alongside the majority of the Premier League’s top clubs, but the Bournemouth star has reportedly chosen a move to Manchester City in January instead.

Back to square one, Edwards is now reportedly discussing the possibility of signing Goncalo Ramos next month, according to Caught Offside.

Edwards discussing Goncalo Ramos deal

The Reds are reportedly eyeing a six-month loan deal for the PSG forward, who has started just eight of 16 Ligue 1 games for the French side so far this season – scoring four goals in the process.

Whether PSG allow the Portugal international to leave on loan is the big question. Whilst he’s not first-choice, Liverpool will know themselves just how important squad depth is for sides competing for several honours.

Manager Luis Enrique is certainly fond of Ramos too, having told reporters back in May when the forward netted a hat-trick against Montpellier: “He’s a wonderful player, capable of very high performances.

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“If he plays a minute, he plays it very well. If he’s not on the pitch, he still helps the team. And today, he came into the starting eleven and scored three goals. So he’s a player who always performs at his best, and I would call him a guarantee.”

When it comes to replacing Isak whilst he remains sidelined, Ramos should be at the top of Liverpool’s shortlist given his experience at the top level.

Since his debut in 2018, Ajaz Patel has only played three Tests at home. Remarkably, he is yet to take a Test wicket in New Zealand, even as he has gone on to collect 400 first-class wickets including 85 at an average of 28.01 in Test matches away from home.With Mitchell Santner injured, a long list of fast bowlers unavailable, and a Bay Oval surface that promises some assistance for spin, Ajaz has been added to the New Zealand squad for the third and final Test against West Indies at Mount Maunganui.Related

• Ajaz Patel, Blundell back in New Zealand squad for third Test

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It has, in fact, been five years since Ajaz last played a Test in New Zealand, and even though conditions appear to align in his favour ahead of Thursday’s Test, there have been no guarantees from captain Tom Latham that he will play. With allrounders Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Michael Bracewell available as part-time spin options, Ajaz’s wait could yet continue. Still, Latham was full of praise for Ajaz’s perseverance.”You guys probably speak about it more than what we do,” Latham said, when asked about Ajaz still being without a Test wicket at home. “Ajaz has performed beautifully in overseas conditions and he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities here in New Zealand due to the surfaces that we play on.”I think with us having allrounders as well in the group that do bowl spin, it has made his opportunity hard here in New Zealand, from just a strength in our batting point of view. I’m sure if he gets that opportunity he will do everything he can to take a wicket but more importantly do his role for the team as best he can.”In the last Test played at Bay Oval, South Africa left-arm spinner Neil Brand took a first-innings six-wicket haul, while Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Ravindra took a combined nine wickets in the match. Traditionally, the surface has favoured seamers over the first two days before flattening out, with spin coming into play later in the match. Ajaz, Latham said, becomes an appealing option because of his understanding of how to operate across changing conditions.Rachin Ravindra is one of three spin-bowling allrounders in New Zealand’s squad•Getty Images

“I think it’s probably his experience, really,” Latham said, when asked what keeps New Zealand returning to Ajaz. “I saw the other day that he brought up 400 first-class wickets, which obviously shows he’s got a huge amount of experience and probably knows his game better than probably anyone else.”He has been extremely successful for Central Districts doing what he does in terms of being able to apply pressure, tie an end up, and when the opportunity presents itself, and when a spinner becomes a little bit more attacking, he knows how to bowl in those conditions that are favourable to him.”Latham also acknowledged that New Zealand’s reluctance to regularly field more than one frontline spinner at home stems from a preference to lean into their strengths – using tall seamers to exploit green surfaces while playing to their batters’ advantages against visiting teams.”For us, it’s always been about working together [with the groundstaff] and for them being able to come up with the best cricket wicket that suits our skillset,” Latham said. “We’ve certainly seen throughout the last 5-10 years that surfaces have tended to be on the greener side and that certainly suited our balance as much as possible.”If Ajaz, 37, misses out again, his next realistic opportunity may not come until March 2027, when New Zealand tour Pakistan for a two-Test series. In 2026, their away Tests are scheduled in Ireland, England and Australia, with a home series against India in between. For Thursday’s match, Ajaz is competing with fast bowler Kristian Clarke for the final place in the XI, opened up by the shoulder injury Blair Tickner suffered in Wellington.