Shane Warne has been named as the head coach of the Lord’s-based Hundred franchise, with Lisa Keightley taking the equivalent role for the women’s team, ahead of the first year of the ECB’s new 100-ball competition in 2020.Warne, 49, is the third men’s coach to be confirmed for the tournament, following the unveiling of his fellow Australians Simon Katich, at Manchester, and Andrew McDonald in Birmingham.The Lord’s team will count Middlesex, Essex, Northamptonshire and MCC as stakeholders, and will be one of eight city-based clubs from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton and a second London team based at The Oval.Warne was famously captain-coach of Rajasthan Royals when they won the first-ever Indian Premier League title in 2008, and hopes that history can repeat itself next summer.”I’m very proud and very honoured to be asked to be the head coach of The Hundred team based at Lord’s,” said Warne. “The opportunity to coach in a brand-new tournament and work with modern-day players is something that I will really enjoy and I am looking forward to the challenge.”This tournament will unearth some heroes and hopefully some future World Cup stars for England and other countries.”I always want to be ahead of the curve because cricket benefits from innovation and that was the case in 2008 with the IPL, when I was captain-coach of the Rajasthan Royals,” he said.”I love the concept of The Hundred and it has grabbed my attention in the same way the IPL did. We built a team from scratch with a diverse range of players from different backgrounds and ages and I can’t wait to build the same mix of players to entertain the fans who come down to Lord’s for The Hundred.”Keightley, the former Australia Women’s coach, becomes the first female coach appointed for The Hundred. She secured her place in cricketing folklore in 1998 when she became the first female player to score a century at Lord’s while playing for Australia, in a one-day international against England.She has since served as England Women’s Academy head coach before returning home to coach Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League.”It is an honour to be appointed as the first female coach for The Hundred and to be a part of a tournament that is set to showcase the best women’s players from around the world,” she said.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a coach in England and the prestige and opportunity of this role made it an easy decision for me to come back.”

Nottingham Forest make their long-awaited comeback to the European stage this season and have a World Cup winner in their sights that they hope will join the party, according to a report.

Nottingham Forest await outcome on Morgan Gibbs-White conundrum

By now, everyone connected with the Tricky Trees will know Morgan Gibbs-White is at the centre of an impasse after Nottingham Forest threatened legal action after Tottenham Hotspur activated his release clause.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen if the England international will stay put. The summer window is far from over, and plenty of twists and turns remain despite his return to training and appearance against AS Monaco in a friendly last weekend.

Addressing his future, Ola Aina confirmed that Gibbs-White is maintaining a professional approach despite rumours surrounding his future at the City Ground.

He stated: “He’s keeping it professional; I don’t know the ins and outs of that. He was here today, playing, and he’s training, keeping fit as normal. At the end of the day, we’re all professionals – we’ve got a job to do and that’s what Morgan is doing right now. He’s keeping it professional.”

Regardless, Nottingham Forest are targeting a move for Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, even if West Ham United have already submitted a £34 million offer to bring him to the London Stadium.

Nottingham Forest reach full agreement to sell "wonderful" ace in £19m deal

The Tricky Trees are set to net a windfall…

BySean Markus Clifford Jul 18, 2025

Nuno Espirito Santo and his side are awaiting the outcome of Crystal Palace’s appeal against Europa League expulsion. That may take a few weeks, though they are preparing for European football regardless, potentially paving the way for additions.

Now, with optimism growing in the East Midlands, there is every chance a World Cup winner could be on their way to join the Tricky Trees’ mission.

Nottingham Forest make contact to sign Nahuel Molina

According to reports in Spain via Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest have initiated contact with Atletico Madrid star Nahuel Molina’s camp, as it has become apparent that he is set to leave the Spanish capital this summer due to his non-EU status.

Marc Pubill has joined Diego Simeone’s men, leaving World Cup winner Molina free to explore a move elsewhere, which could occur in the form of a loan switch to the City Ground.

Nahuel Molina in La Liga – would he be a good signing for Nottingham Forest?

Appearances

93

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6

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8

The prospect of the 27-year-old coming to the East Midlands permanently also hasn’t been ruled out, and Nottingham Forest are at an advantage in their pursuit after Juventus decided to intensify their efforts to sign Porto’s João Mario.

Deemed to be on the ‘exit ramp’ at the Wanda Metropolitano, Molina is firmly in the sights of Espirito Santo and would arrive off the back of 46 outings last season across all competitions.

With the scene set for Nottingham Forest to pounce, it remains to be seen if they can tempt the Argentina international with the prospect of a shot at the Premier League.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is about to welcome another new player to his squad, with sporting director Andrea Berta also poised to build upon his impressive portfolio of Gunners signings this summer.

More exciting than Gyokeres: Romano reveals Arsenal's new "top target"

The sensational game-changer would be an incredible signing for Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 24, 2025

Their deals for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera have done wonders to reinforce multiple areas of Arteta’s side in their bid to finally win a long-coveted Premier League title.

19/20 – winter

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20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

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£101.5m

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£140m

Kepa’s top-level experience is a real asset to Arteta, and the Spaniard’s impressive performances on loan at Bournemouth last term seriously suggest that he’ll keep number one David Raya firmly on his toes.

Zubimendi comes in as a world-class replacement for Jorginho after years of convincing La Liga displays at boyhood club Real Sociedad, while Norgaard’s Premier League know-how and reliability helps to shore up Arteta’s midfield further.

Arsenal supporters will have to wait before seeing Madueke don the red and white jersey, though, as he’ll play no part in their pre-season tour of Asia. The Englishman is resting after competing in the Club World Cup with Chelsea, but the same cannot be said for Mosquera, who’s flown out to Singapore and joined up with his new teammates (The Athletic).

However, the name on everybody’s lips in the past few weeks has been Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.

The Gunners reached an agreement in principle to sign him midway through July for a potential £64 million, including add-ons (The Athletic), and after a lengthy wait, the striker is now expected to complete his move to north London after a breakthrough earlier this week (Fabrizio Romano).

Gyokeres’ eagerness to join Arteta’s side has been well documented, and his agent even reduced any commission fees due to help facilitate the transfer.

Viktor Gyokeres set for Arsenal medical in next 24 hours

In terms of when fans can expect to see the Sweden international on the field, they won’t have to wait long at all.

According to Fabrizio Romano, sharing his latest update on the saga, Gyokeres is set to have a medical at Arsenal in the next 24 hours. The 27-year-old has been given the formal green-light to travel with all necessary paperwork exchanged, with Romano adding that the centre-forward is “coming soon”.

Gyokeres’ arrival has been cried out for, especially after Arsenal’s struggles breaking down teams in the low block across 2024/2025. Indeed, the signing of a prolific striker was a long time coming, and Arteta can now breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Arsenal drew more Premier League games than any other side in the top 10 last campaign, scoring just 69 goals, but Gyokeres’ potency in the final third will come as a serious antidote to their scoring woes.

“The news on Arsenal signing Gyokores is massive; Arsenal have signed well, but signing a No9 in Gyokores can be the missing piece of the jigsaw to get Arsenal over the line for the title,” said club legend Ray Parlour, via GB News.

“He still has to prove himself in the Premier League as the Portuguese League is different, but this will give the whole club and fanbase a huge lift, and excitement will build ahead of the new season.

“We’ve been missing and out-an-out No9 and now they signed one, it can be the missing link that Arsenal have been waiting for.”

The leading run-getter for Delhi Daredevils so far, Shreyas Iyer’s confidence and his ability to score at a quick pace will serve him well, says his coach Pravin Amre

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Apr-20153:20

Agarkar: Iyer unfazed by Mumbai’s quicks

(You know why I said good, right)?” Praveen Amre asks Shreyas Iyer. Amre, the Delhi Daredevils assistant coach, had been floating balls in front of Iyer and asking him to hit along the ground during the team’s training session at Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday afternoon. Amre’s primary aim was for Iyer, playing his maiden IPL, to meet the ball under his eyeline with the right head position when bat met ball. For close to 45 minutes, coach and student focussed on the minutiae of Iyer’s batting technique.”Once I say good I need to see quite a few things,” Amre says. ” Your pick-up has to be good. Your downswing has to be correct. Your meeting point has to be correct. Your finish has to be correct. The weight transfer has to be correct. There are so many things involved for me to say good. That is my job to make sure to help them understand what is good. Otherwise they (batsmen) are hitting. They are getting the boundaries. But the correctness is important as that will help them become consistent, allow them to play against any bowler, on any wicket.”Amre has known Iyer since he joined Shivaji Park Gymkhana as a 13 year old. Hence it is easy to note the deference in Iyer’s tone when talking to Amre. The familiarity also allows Amre to be open and blunt in his assessment with Iyer.As he was fine-tuning Iyer’s technique, at one point Amre expressed his disappointment at Iyer throwing away a good start he had against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday evening. On 31, Iyer went for a slog sweep against Piyush Chawla. He had a good opportunity to notch his second half-century in the IPL but failed to consolidate a solid start.”In this format getting a good start is very important. Once you get that start you should not lose it because it takes time for the new batsman to settle down,” Amre says. “The entire team gets affected. He got out after 31 and then Manoj (Tiwary) got out similarly after getting a start and eventually the team was short by 20-25 runs. That is why I told him I was angry with him because he got the start but he left in-between. People might say he got 30, but as a coach I know that in the previous match he scored 60 so the team would have benefitted.”So today it was all about purposeful training. It was about making sure Iyer was attaining the shape coaches are pedantic about. Other than asking Iyer not to use his bottom hand too much, Amre asked him to make use of his height and stand on his toes to respond to short balls, what is the right position to leave out the bouncer, and, importantly hear to the “sound” of the stroke to determine its effectiveness.Iyer is the top run-getter for Daredevils after five matches. He has been given the freedom to play his own game, says Amre. Iyer is not the typical Mumbai cricketer. He does not believe in grafting; he likes to dominate. It is the same style of play Iyer has used in first-class cricket where he was the highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy.At 20, asking Iyer to take prime responsibility is not what Daredevils’ think tank wants to do. But they do want him to grow into the role given to him as the season grows.Can Iyer be the X-factor for Daredevils? “He has the X-factor,” Amre says. “He is aggressive and his ability to score runs is a big positive. He is the youngest member in the team. But he is confident. He has more than 800 runs in Ranji Trophy and he has brought that same confidence to the IPL.”

Sri Lanka are due to depart for SA for a two-Test series once the LPL ends on December 16

Andrew Fidel Fernando and Firdose Moonda10-Dec-2020Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa is set to go ahead as expected after SLC’s medical staff confirmed they were satisfied with the bio-bubble arrangements being planned for the series.SLC had reconsidered the tour following England’s withdrawal from their ODI series in South Africa last week. The board was concerned about the possibility of Sri Lanka cricketers returning unwell, something that could put their home series against England in jeopardy with the first Test against England to start roughly a week after Sri Lanka’s return.However, SLC’s medical staff has held talks with its CSA counterparts and is now confident that Sri Lanka will be able to undertake the South Africa tour with little risk of players contracting Covid-19. In addition, it is understood that CSA has agreed to strengthen their bio-security protocols as per the SLC medical team’s requests. In particular, SLC has asked for better PCR testing protocols and the hospitality staff which will cater to the teams to be kept on site.On Thursday afternoon, CSA put out a media release saying that the two-Test series would go ahead as planned.”Cricket South Africa appreciates the ongoing support from Sri Lanka Cricket under the leadership of Ashley de Silva, who has never wavered in its willingness to engage us in important and open discussions around our plans and the state of our readiness for the tour,” CSA’s interim CEO Kugandrie Govender said. “We are thankful that these discussions have allayed any trepidation around CSA’s ability to successfully host home tours in these unpredicted times.”As always, we are excited to host the Sri Lankan team in this important, World Test Championship series that will yield crucial points towards the points table for the eventual winners. We are also certain that cricket fans around the world will tune in for another series of thrilling cricket on display.”ALSO READ: Australia’s tour of South Africa may move to Perth amid Covid-19 falloutIn a meeting that the SLC’s medical team had with their ECB counterparts on Wednesday, the latter’s medical officers are also understood to have supported the idea that a tour of South Africa can be completed without a breaching of the bio-secure bubble. Although England withdrew from their own tour, no England player was found to have contracted Covid-19 despite some false positives being returned at one stage.Sri Lanka are due to depart for South Africa soon after the ongoing Lanka Premier League concludes on December 16. They are scheduled to play two Tests – in Johannesburg and Centurion – before returning home on January 8.Both teams will be housed at the Irene Country Club in Centurion, which includes a golf course, six tennis courts, squash courts and a driving range, thus eliminating the need for teams to leave the venue, as was the case during England’s curtailed visit. England left their biosecure hotel in Cape Town to play golf at several locations, which South Africa’s interim board chair Zak Yacoob described as “lax”, but necessary to keep their visitors happy.Sri Lanka’s first Test against England then begins on January 14. Both Tests in that England series will be played at Galle. SLC was especially nervous about putting that series in jeopardy because it carries substantial broadcast value, which the board cannot miss out on following a tough fiscal year in 2020.

Fast bowler still keen to learn on the job as England seek improvements to winning formula

Andrew Miller30-Nov-2020

Chris Jordan says that a mixture of intra-squad rivalry and on-field collaboration has been the key to England’s T20I success in South Africa, after the team came through two stiff tests in Cape Town and Paarl to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.In the course of Sunday’s four-wicket win in Paarl, Jordan also drew level with Stuart Broad as England’s leading T20I wicket-taker with 65 scalps in 54 games. But, he said, such accolades were just a by-product of the team’s success, and that he took more satisfaction from the improvements he and his fellow bowlers had made from the first match to the second.”Winning the series, that’s what we set out to do first and foremost,” Jordan told Sky Sports after Sunday’s victory. “It’s obviously a nice milestone to have but, as long as I’m doing the job for the team, and the team are winning series and winning games, I’m more than happy. If the accolades come with that, then so be it.”It was a solid team performance in the first game, but we put a lot of things right this game, especially in the bowling department and to restrict them to 146, on what we thought was a pretty decent wicket, and to get over the line, was very pleasing.”Once we’d got a couple of wickets, we were able to build a bit a little bit of pressure, build a few dots,” he added. “But with our batting line-up, most par scores feel as if the teams are 15-20 short most of the time, and [Dawid Malan’s] innings shows why he’s at No.1 right now.”England’s captain, Eoin Morgan, had been underwhelmed with England’s efforts in the field in Friday’s opening fixture, describing the performance as “average” after South Africa racked up a challenging 179 for 6 in their 20 overs – a total that was only overcome thanks to Jonny Bairstow’s brilliant 86 not out from 48 balls.And Jordan admitted he had taken that criticism on the chin and gone away to work on his game to visible effect, as did his fellow death bowler, Tom Curran, who followed up figures of 1 for 55 at Newlands – the most expensive T20I figures of his career – with a much improved haul of 1 for 37, which included an excellent 20th over in which he conceded just seven runs.ALSO READ: Jason Roy’s spin struggles could provide test of Eoin Morgan’s loyalty”We didn’t really speak as an entire group,” Jordan said. “You just drag the coaches to one side, and make your own personal assessments on the game. For the first game, I gave away a couple of soft wides which then cost me at the back end of the over with a couple of boundaries, so I just tried to tidy that up.”And TC [Curran], he tried to stick to his strengths as much as possible, and go to his slowies a little bit earlier. He was a bit more clever with the way he bowled, and was able to look after his figures as well. So it’s about making those personal assessments and trying to put those wrongs right.”As Morgan admitted ahead of the opening fixture, victory in South Africa hasn’t been England’s sole objective for the series. The process of defining roles for each player in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup has been every bit as important, and thanks to two highly competitive intra-squad warm-up games as well as the on-field collaboration that he and his fellow bowlers have been working on this week, Jordan believes they’ve already made good strides.”In the first couple of overs, we try to get a read [of the pitch] from Sam and Jof,” Jordan said. “I stand at mid-off quite a lot, so I’m just trying to get feedback from the bowlers, until I get into the game myself. Obviously Jof’s a taller bowler, Sam’s a skiddier bowler, me and TC are probably a little bit similar in height, so we try to get a read, almost every single ball, and then feed back to Morgs and try and come up with the best possible plans.”The competition for places is brilliant,” he added. “[The warm-up games] were really good fun because everyone wanted to get each other out, or match each other for sixes. It just raised the level of everyone’s game.”The way Sam [Curran] is striking the ball at the minute is pretty unbelievable, he’s come back with a lot of confidence from the IPL. Stokesy and Rooty, there’s a little bit of rivalry there as well, but it’s all in good spirits because we’re trying to pull in the same direction as a team. We’re trying to make the entire team and squad better, and those type of things just get you ready for series like this.”

The 25-year-old may have little experience of operating centrally, but he has the requisite skills to thrive in the role

What's this? Is Gareth Southgate about to go out swinging? England's famously amiable manager has already shown his ruthless streak ahead of Euro 2024 by ditching popular players such as Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford. Now, it seems he's ready, willing and able to make some bold calls as he looks to belatedly bring an end to his country's agonising 58-year title drought.

Having already taken a huge chance on Luke Shaw's fitness, the latest reports coming out of the England camp suggest that Trent Alexander-Arnold will start Sunday's Group C clash with Serbia in Gelsenkirchen – and not at right-back either, but in midfield.

It's a daring decision, given the enormity of the occasion and the fact that the Liverpool ace has so little experience of playing centrally. However, it's a risk well worth taking, an exciting gamble that could pay off spectacularly for Southgate in Germany.

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  Failed first experiment

  Southgate has had this idea in his head for an awful long time now. He first experimented with Alexander-Arnold's position in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra all the way back in September 2021.

  However, the initial results were hardly encouraging. "It was difficult to get on the ball for me," Alexander-Arnold told . "I found it a lot more difficult to get on the ball in those tight spaces."

  He's started just five more games in England's midfield in the interim – and not once against top-class opposition. We're also talking about a player who has played just 112 minutes of tournament football across two games – 79 of which came in the group-stage dead rubber against Belgium at the 2018 World Cup.

  In that sense, it seems almost unfair of Southgate to ask Alexander-Arnold on the eve of a major tournament to go and run the game for England at Euro 2024. However, there are several reasons why this could work – and why Southgate needs it to work.

Advertisement

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  'So many benefits'

  For starters, Alexander-Arnold no longer has any doubts over the change of role. On the contrary, he's welcomed it. He has admitted himself that his performances at right-back for England were, by the lofty standards he had set himself, "mediocre". At international level, he simply wasn't afforded the same "freedom" to get forward and make use of the attacking arsenal at his disposal.

  Consequently, he has welcomed the chance to move into midfield. "That's something that really excites me and I feel will get the best out of me in the [England] set-up," he said last October. "This is the most exciting time for me with England."

  Jurgen Klopp obviously played a key role in that regard by using Alexander-Arnold as an inverted full-back to great effect at the tail end of the 2022-23 campaign – and at regular intervals last season, allowing the Liverpudlian to grow ever more familiar with playing in midfield.

  "There are so many benefits," Klopp said last December on after watching Alexander-Arnold turn in decisive displays against Manchester City and Fulham in the Premier League. "As a team we were not ready in the past and Trent wasn’t ready. We thought last year in a bad moment for us that it was time to change something big and we did [against Arsenal], and it worked out.

  "Trent enjoys it. I think he is quite happy with the position and how he can interpret it. I am very happy with him and how it's going."

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  'An eight or six eventually'

  Of course, Klopp was reluctant to make the move into midfield permanent because he feared that by doing so, Liverpool would be depriving themselves of "the best offensive right-back in the world". For the Reds, it just didn't make sense at the time. They still needed Alexander-Arnold in his original position, at least occasionally.

  Unlike Liverpool, though, England have long had a plethora of top-class right-backs to choose from – which is why Southgate first started toying with the idea of playing Alexander-Arnold in midfield.

  It's also worth noting that Klopp always said that "Trent will play as an eight or a six eventually. It will happen." And the time is now, as far as Southgate is concerned.

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  Best option alongside Rice

  There are obviously other strong contenders to start alongside Declan Rice at Euro 2024. Adam Wharton has impressed all and sundry with his composure on the ball since going from the Championship to the Euros in the space of six months thanks to his impressive performances for Crystal Palace, while Kobbie Mainoo was the revelation of Manchester United's season, with the 19-year-old capping a brilliant breakout campaign with a goal in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City.

  Chelsea's Conor Gallagher also deserves the utmost credit for somehow managing to play well amid the chaos surrounding Stamford Bridge and constant transfer speculation over his future. The 24-year-old is a pressing monster and his tenacity could prove invaluable against top teams later in the tournament.

  What England are most in need of going into the group stage, though, is an adventurous player capable of finding a way through deep-lying defences with precise and progressive passing. Alexander-Arnold unquestionably fits the bill. There is no better passer of the ball in Southgate's squad, and given he'll also undoubtedly have the freedom to drift right at times, his crossing could also prove invaluable to getting the ball in behind opposition backlines – or onto the head of Harry Kane.

Batsman will play no part in Warwickshire’s County Championship campaign for the first time since 2000

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2019Ian Bell will play no part in Warwickshire’s County Championship campaign for the first time since 2000, after being ruled out for the remainder of the 2019 season due to a tendon issue in his left knee.Bell, who had been on the comeback from a foot injury sustained during the Pakistan Super League in February, reported the knee concern following Warwickshire’s Second XI Championship game with Lancashire.”It’s extremely frustrating for us, and for Ian, that another injury has happened when he was extremely close to a First Team return,” said Paul Farbrace, Sport Director at Warwickshire CCC.”Over the last couple of weeks our medical team have been regularly assessing the condition of his left knee, and we have also been supported by sports injury specialists in London. However, the outcome of this has confirmed that Ian will need to have several injections, which rules him out of action for six to eight weeks and effectively ends his season.”He will now have a three-week period of minimal activity before working closely with our medical and strength and conditioning teams to prepare him for the pre-season programme in 2020.”The injury means that Bell, 37, will be absent from Warwickshire’s first-class statistics for the 2019 season, the first time in nearly 20 years that he has failed to play at least one first-class game. He made his debut for the club as a 17-year-old in 1999.”Whilst we are naturally disappointed to lose a player of Ian’s immense talent, one of the positives of 2019 has been the way in which our young, homegrown players have fought in recent weeks,” added Farbrace.”They will continue to be given the opportunity to develop and thrive as we continue our Vitality Blast campaign and fight to retain our place in Division One of the Specsavers County Championship.”

Barcelona and Bayern Munich have been after the signing of Paris Saint-Germain's Xavi Simons and the Bavarians are now in pole position to sign him.

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Barca and Bayern wanted SimonsSpaniards pull out of the raceBavarians free to negotiate with PSGGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Simons came up through the ranks at La Masia before making the move as a 16-year-old to the French side. Having played through their youth teams, he made the move to PSV and back before going on loan to RB Leipzig, where he impressed a lot of clubs. PSG still aren't certain about the Dutch attacking midfielder and are likely to let him leave this summer.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

As per , Barcelona's economic situation has ruled them out of the race for Simons as they believe they will not be able to compete with the deal that Bayern will offer to both PSG and the player. Therefore, they are now unlikely to target the Dutchman and will focus their other targets for the summer. This will open up the door for Bayern to strike as they look to strengthen their squad for Vincent Kompany's debut season.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Since he signed Simons for Leipzig, Bayern's new sporting director, Max Eberl, is said to be his biggest supporter and has a cordial connection with him and his agency. Eberl is betting on Simons' signing to be a success at Bayern and could get the club to make a multi-million euro deal this summer.

WHAT NEXT FOR SIMONS?

Simons was said to be keen to decide his future before the start of the Euros, however, he now understands the delays caused by PSG will mean that he can only completely focus on the move after the tournament.

Everton could reportedly now sell as many as three of their players to Tottenham Hotspur as some transfer news has emerged in Mike McGrath’s column for The Telegraph.

The Lowdown: Poor season

Even though the Goodison Park faithful now look quite likely to survive the relegation threat, they have still had a poor season by their standards.

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Sitting just above the bottom three, they have not finished lower than 12th since the 2004/05 campaign, and with the amount of money that they have spent over the years, they really should not be in this position.

Given their troubles with Financial Fair Play, it would not be a surprise to see the Blues offload some players even if they stay up.

The Latest: Tottenham lurking

As per The Daily Telegraph’s McGrath, Spurs have now been keeping an eye on Richarlison, Ben Godfrey and Anthony Gordon ahead of potential moves in the summer.

Given their situation, it is likely that the Merseyside club could look to move on some of their players for big money, in order to help fund a rebuild.

The Verdict: Difficult to keep

If a club like the Lilywhites, who are pushing for UEFA Champions League qualification, come calling for some of the Toffees’ best players, then it will be difficult to keep them.

Richarlison currently ranks as their best performer in the Premier League, while Gordon has come on leaps and bounds this term with four goals, two assists and two man-of-the-match awards, and Godfrey ranks highly among his teammates in some key defensive areas (WhoScored).

Rated at £45m, £14.4m and £19.8m respectively, a value totalling £79.2m, selling them would increase the transfer budget significantly, although the Blues supporters would surely see keeping Gordon in particular as a big priority this summer.

In other news, find out what huge in-house EFC update has now emerged here!