Spurs head coach pushing for ‘one specific position’
Tottenham could offload players at end of hectic window
Roberto De Zerbi is keen to add one more signing to his Tottenham squad and has said outgoing deals are also possible before Tuesday night’s transfer deadline.
De Zerbi had dinner on Thursday night with Spurs’ owners and key executives and they discussed a final push to a window that has already exceeded his expectations. The manager welcomed Omar Marmoush to the club on Thursday from Manchester City and is preparing to involve him in Saturday’s home game against Newcastle. Spurs have also been linked with a move for Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo.
The Gotham striker said she was stepping away from the sport, but then signed for Al Qadsiah. The move sparked questions over professionalism and raised concerns of LGBTQ+ fans who have disavowed the Saudi league
A recent World Cup winner joins a historically downtrodden club, immediately leads them to their first championship, praises the level of play in the league, speaks fondly of living in the club’s market, extends her contract with the club, leads the club to another championship, is named a league MVP finalist, and breaks the club’s all-time scoring record. That’s the fairytale of Esther González and Gotham FC – a story that ended abruptly, just nine days after that scoring record was set. On 27 July, Gotham announced that they had mutually parted ways with the striker as she “temporarily steps away from soccer to attend to personal matters in Spain”. The announcement of her departure was full of gushing words going both directions, and was met with understanding and support from the women’s soccer world.
But less than a month after González left Gotham, Al Qadsiah, a club in the Saudi Women’s Premier League, announced her as their newest signing, on a one-season contract with an option to extend for a second. NWSL journalist Jenna Tonelli soon reported, “League sources tell me that Gotham did not expect Esther to sign with another club this soon.” Questions swirled: did she actually intend to take a break from soccer when she left Gotham? And why would a player who just had a child with her female partner choose to play in Saudi Arabia, a country where same-sex relations are criminalized?
With 110 matches to feature two coaches appointed this year, tactical history may be more insightful than teams’ head-to-head records
New managers are facing an almost one-in-two chance of being fired before the end of the season, a finding from Guardian analysis that shows 22 of the past 50 permanent Premier League managers to leave their roles lasted less than a year.
The betting markets reflect this reality. Six of the eight Premier League managers deemed most likely by bookmakers to be next to leave their post were appointed in 2026. Football management is a very precarious employment position. It looks inevitable that some of the 11 men who have only been in their role since earlier this year will fall before the end of the 2026-27 season – even if none of them are the first to move on.
The league said 88 players will still be named as Pro Bowlers and honored in Los Angeles after this season. Several flag football events also will take place at that time.
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