Clayton Kershaw's infamous postseason struggles continued in the Dodgers' 8-2 loss to the Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night. Kershaw, in his first postseason relief appearance since 2019, yielded five runs—four of them earned—on six hits, including two home runs in what potentially could have been his final pitching appearance at Dodger Stadium, depending on how the rest of the postseason shakes out for Los Angeles and what plans they have for the future Hall of Famer, who will retire at the end of the season.

But Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts, after being asked how difficult it was to watch such an accomplished player like Kershaw struggle, came to the defense of the three-time Cy Young Award winner.

"It was hard to watch," Betts said. "But we can't use two innings as—He's gonna have a statue in front of Dodger Stadium. So we have to kind of keep that in mind and understand in the grand scheme of things, Kershaw is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. One of the best pitchers to ever do it. So if you let two innings kind of ruin that, then you don't know baseball."

In addition to his three Cy Young Awards, Kershaw is an 11-time All-Star, a former MVP, a five-time winner of the ERA title, a former Gold Glover and a World Series champion. He is undoubtedly one of the best pitchers to ever toe the rubber. But, aside from his standout performance during the Dodgers' 2020 World Series triumph in the pandemic-shortened season, Kershaw's postseason results have left a lot to be desired.

But to his credit, Kershaw faced the music after the game and answered the tough questions from the media, repeatedly emphasizing that he felt "fine" coming out of the bullpen, even though such an appearance has not been the norm for his career.

"Just a tough couple of innings there," Kershaw said after the game. "Kind of got bailed out there in the seventh. Good play by 'Teo [Teoscar Hernandez]. Just didn't make enough good pitches. I was battling command. It's hard when you're trying to throw strikes as opposed to getting people out. Just wasn't a fun thing."

Kershaw made it clear that the Dodgers, up 2-1 over the Phillies in the best-of-five series, are still "in a good spot."

Los Angeles can advance to its second straight National League Championship Series with a win in Game 4 on Thursday night.

أعربت نادين سلعاوي، لاعبة الفريق الأول لكرة السلة سيدات بالنادي الأهلي، عن بالغ سعادتها بتأهل الفريق إلى المباراة النهائية لبطولة أفريقيا للأندية للسيدات، التي يستضيفها النادي، مؤكدة أن هذا الإنجاز جاء نتيجة عمل شاق وإصرار كبير من جميع اللاعبات.

وأوضحت سلعاوي، في تصريحات صحفية، أن خوض المباريات على أرض الأهلي وبدعم جماهيره يشكل حافزًا قويًا للفريق لتقديم أفضل أداء، مشيرة إلى أن اللاعبات والجهاز الفني تحملوا مسؤولياتهم منذ بداية البطولة وحتى الوصول إلى النهائي.

طالع أيضًا | خاص | الأهلي يخطف صفقة قوية من الزمالك ويحصل على التوقيع

وأضافت أن الفريق يتطلع إلى إسعاد جماهير الأهلي من خلال تقديم أقصى ما لديه في المباراة النهائية من أجل التتويج باللقب، مؤكدة أن المساندة الجماهيرية المستمرة تمثل دافعًا رئيسيًا لتحقيق هذا الهدف.

واختتمت لاعبة الأهلي حديثها بتوجيه الشكر إلى زميلاتها والجهاز الفني، مثمنة الجهد الكبير المبذول طوال مشوار البطولة، ومشيرة إلى أن روح التعاون والعمل الجماعي كانت العامل الأبرز في بلوغ النهائي، مع التأكيد على أن الهدف الآن هو اختتام البطولة بالتتويج باللقب الأفريقي.

Leeds United fans have been blessed with some outrageous attackers to cheer on over recent years.

The obvious names that immediately spring to mind here are the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Raphinha, but Pablo Hernandez is also deserving of equal levels of adoration from the Elland Road masses for the magic he regularly conjured up during his time in West Yorkshire.

Hernandez would notch up a stunning 36 goals and 39 assists for the Whites in the Championship during Marcelo Bielsa’s heyday at the helm, with the much-loved Leeds boss even going out of his way to laud his Spanish playmaker as a “silent leader” who can “harm the opponent” at a moment’s notice.

Unfortunately, though, the silky attacking midfielder would only go on to collect a measly two assists for the West Yorkshire titans in the Premier League.

Noah Okafor has already matched that same amount of goal contributions for the newly promoted Whites in the here and now, as the electric Swiss international attempts to go down in his new club’s history books as a similarly entertaining spark.

Okafor's promising Leeds start

Much like Hernandez, too, Okafor has already been showered with plenty of lavish praise when pulling on Leeds white.

Leeds-based content creator Oscar Mario has dubbed the ex-AC Milan attacker as a “difference-maker” for Farke’s side, with the two goals that he’s already confidently put away this season, undoubtedly placing him in the same bracket as the captivating Spaniard before him.

With Okafor also constantly looking to bomb forward with pace to carve out an opening – as seen in him ridiculously completing six successful dribbles versus Wolverhampton Wanderers – it’s very clear that he could go on to be a fan favourite in the same ilk as Hernandez, only this time, with the talent to be a success in the top-flight.

Yet, with no assists next to his name as of the time of writing, he hasn’t quite hit the same creative peak as the former Leeds number 19 just yet, with an unexpected creative force elsewhere in Farke’s camp perhaps more in line to be viewed as a Hernandez-type talent, with the star in question boasting league-best numbers in this regard.

The Leeds star showing shades of Hernandez

While Hernandez was known for firing home an audacious strike or two during his five-season stint in England, he is definitely more commonly remembered as an ace who could “change the course of a game” with an “exceptional” assist, as former Leeds player Noel Whelan once put it.

His 2018/19 offering in the second tier for Bielsa’s Whites saw the quick-witted midfielder create a mammoth 16 big chances in total, with Sean Longstaff potentially heading towards the same jaw-dropping numbers in the Premier League for Farke’s men this campaign, if his early scintillating form in the tough division is anything to go by.

Longstaff’s PL numbers for Leeds (25/26)
Stat – per 90 mins*	Longstaff
Games played	9
Goals scored	1
Assists	2
Touches*	46.2
Accurate passes*	27.1 (85%)
Key passes*	2.0
Big chances created	5
Tackles*	3.0
Ball recoveries*	3.0
Total duels won*	5.0
Stats by Sofascore

Indeed, Longstaff has looked a man reborn since leaving boyhood employers Newcastle United behind this summer for a modest £12m, with five big chances already created by Leeds’ new star man, putting him at the very top of the list of the Premier League’s most effective playmakers.

If he can keep this unbelievable run of form going, he could give Hernandez’s Championship peak a run for its money.

The “outstanding” number eight – as Farke has also already lovingly labelled him – further has the necessary bite in his game to be a long-term success at the very pinnacle of English football, with tackles and duels also won aplenty this season, when looking at the table above, away from just offering up an incisive pass.

Ultimately, Farke will just want all of his troops to come together and battle hard to ensure relegation is staved off.

But, with Longstaff in the same conversations as Bruno Fernandes in what he offers going forward, he will hope his unbelievable start in West Yorkshire can be kept up, as he strives to be the driving force that pushes his new side way away from the relegation zone come next May.

Farke has found a new Dallas-type player in “unbelievable” Leeds star

Daniel Farke has now stumbled upon Leeds United’s next Stuart Dallas-type figure in this unbelievable star.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 27, 2025

iShowSpeed was seen leading the celebrations after Al-Nassr’s recent 5-1 win over Al-Fateh, with the streamer’s favourite player, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the second goal in the routine victory.

iShowSpeed in attendance as Al-Nassr demolish Al-Fateh

Al-Nassr continued their perfect start to the Saudi Pro League season on Saturday evening, winning their fifth game on the spin, which leaves them four points clear of nearest rivals Al-Hilal at the top of the table.

iShowSpeed was in attendance, with the American well-known to be a super-fan of Ronaldo, and the forward, who is still regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, rewarded the 20-year-old, scoring Al-Nassr’s second goal of the game on the hour mark.

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ByCharlie Smith Aug 2, 2025

After the game, the Twitch streamer was directed to lead the celebrations by the 40-year-old, who instructed him how to play the drum, with the clip subsequently going viral.

It is not the first interaction iShowSpeed has had with his idol, with a video of the two meeting a little over two years ago racking up over 25 million views.

Speed’s love of the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend stems from a £1.79 donation to his stream over three years ago, which has been credited as a life-changing moment for the Cincinnati-born streamer.

With the Al-Nassr star clearly thankful for the support, he has now followed iShowSpeed on Instagram and even posted him on his story to his 666 million followers.

Fans of the duo will be hoping the gesture could lead to a collaboration of sorts in the future, although the streamer, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, has made it clear he doesn’t want to meet his idol on stream.

Ronaldo at the top of his game ahead of 2026 World Cup

There was an expectation that the 2022 World Cup may be the Portugal star’s last, but he is showing no signs of slowing down, having scored six goals for Al-Nassr already this season, taking his tally to 99 in 112 appearances.

The legendary forward has also continued to impress at international level, most recently bagging a brace in a 2-2 draw at home against Hungary, although his side were denied early qualification as a result of Dominik Szoboszlai’s late equaliser.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s longevity can only be commended, but given that he is now 40-years-old, the 2026 World Cup will surely be the former Real Madrid man’s last opportunity to get his hands on one of the only trophies that has eluded him…

أعلن الكرواتي كرونسلاف يورتشيتش، المدير الفني لنادي بيراميدز، تشكيل لاعبيه لمواجهة فلامينجو البرازيلي في بطولة كأس القارات للأندية “إنتركونتيننتال”.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي بيراميدز مع فلامينجو، اليوم السبت، في مواجهة نارية، تقام في نصف نهائي كأس إنتركونتيننتال في قطر.

وكان فلامينجو قد فاز على كروز أوزول في كأس إنتركونتيننتال بهدفين مقابل هدف، ليتأهل لنصف النهائي ومواجهة بيراميدز.

طالع | القناة الناقلة لمباراة بيراميدز وفلامينجو اليوم في كأس إنتركونتيننتال

أما بيراميدز فوصل إلى دور نصف النهائي، بعد تخطي أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي بنتيجة 3-0 في مباراة الدور التمهيدي الأول، ثم الفوز على الأهلي السعودي في دور ربع النهائي.

وسيحجز المتأهل من لقاء بيراميدز وفلامينجو مقعده في النهائي أمام باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي. تشكيل بيراميدز اليوم أمام فلامينجو في كأس إنتركونتيننتال

حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: محمد الشيبي، محمود مرعي، أحمد سامي، محمد حمدي.

خط الوسط: أحمد عاطف قطة، مهند لاشين، مصطفى زيكو، بلاتي توريه، محمود زلاكة.

خط الهجوم: فيستون مايلي.

مقاعد البدلاء محمود جاد – زياد هيثم – علي جبر – أسامة جلال – مصطفى فتحي – أحمد توفيق – محمود دونجا – مروان حمدي – عبد الرحمن مجدي – طارق علاء – دودو الجباس – كريم حافظ – محمد رضا بوبو – إيفرتون داسيلفا.

MatériaMais Notícias

Os senadores estiveram com John Textor, dono da SAF do Botafogo, nesta segunda-feira (22), para a primeira audiência da “CPI da Manipulação dos Jogos”. Os parlamentares deram fortes depoimentos após a reunião secreta com o empresário norte-americano. Confira alguns trechos abaixo.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

ESPANTO COM FALTA DE ATITUDES DA CBF (SENADOR CARLOS PORTINHO, PL-RJ)
– Ele (Textor) é um mensageiro. A todos aqueles que nos assistem, que tenham denúncias para fazer, que essas denúncias ao menos tenham indícios, e há indícios, elementos técnicos apresentados pelo John Textor, há conteúdo. Me espanta como a CBF, que é a maior responsável pela integridade do futebol do Brasil, não foi a fundo. Como é que o STJD, que tem excelentes advogados contratados como auditores, não foi a fundo nisso. Há elementos técnicos, há conteúdo, há razões para investigar.

– O que o John Textor nos trouxe aqui podem não ser provas concretas, mas não tenho dúvida de que é fundamental que sejam essas investigadas para preservação da integridade e, para aqueles que pensem em fraudar resultados esportivos, desistam. Aqui, se todo ano tiver que abrir uma CPI, vamos estar aqui. Hoje, o que nos traz a inteligência artificial, a tecnologia… Quem resistir à tecnologia será atropelado pela história. Deve ser dado crédito a todo material aqui produzido, como nós daremos.

continua após a publicidade

– Se você (falando em direção a Textor) estiver 100% certo ou 100% errado, já valeu, porque vamos sair dessa CPI com diagnóstico e propostas para melhoria do futebol brasileiro. Aprovamos a Lei das Apostas, mas o Estado ainda não está preparado para combater a manipulação. O que você nos traz é no mínimo um alerta, uma advertência, de que o Governo, a Polícia Federal, o MP e as confederações precisam se preparar rápido, porque há casos de má interpretação da regra do jogo, há casos de edição do VAR, do que é passado na TV e há casos de comportamento de atletas que eu, sozinho, considero um indício.

INDÍCIOS PARA INICIAR INVESTIGAÇÃO (SENADOR JORGE KAJURU, PSB-GO)
– Tivemos conhecimento de diversos indícios, não queremos falar ainda em provas. Indícios importantíssimos, não participamos de mais de uma hora sem conteúdo, pelo contrário, teve conteúdo. Só temos a agradecer a toda a equipe, com gente qualificada, sem fazer acusações, apresentando tudo, com detalhes, com riqueza, mas que consideramos como indícios. Não se tratou apenas do CEO do Botafogo vir aqui só trazer fatos ou indícios envolvendo seu clube, ele falou de outros jogos, mostrou outras imagens. Temos indícios suficientes para investigarmos profundamente e independentemente e chegarmos a conclusão de quem mais queremos nas próximas reuniões.

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COBRANÇA À CONFEDERAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE FUTEBOL (CBF)

SENADOR EDUARDO GIRÃO, NOVO-CE
– Os indícios transcenderam a questão do comportamento dos jogadores, foram também para a questão do VAR, da análise de imagens supostamente negadas e que precisamos entender porque que isso aconteceu, entender o que a CBF tomou de providências em relação ao que vimos, em termos de punição, inclusive. Estamos aqui para proteger o futebol brasileiro e buscar a verdade.

SENADOR JORGE KAJURU, PSB-GO
– Apenas dizer aos jogadores, técnicos, dirigentes, árbitros, enfim, todos os envolvidos que podem ser amanhã investigados ou condenados, que prestem bem atenção nessas duas palavras: inteligência artificial

SENADOR ROMÁRIO (PL-RJ) PARABEZINA TEXTOR PELA CORAGEM
– Parabenizo o sr. John Textor pela coragem de ter vindo aqui e falado o que falou e, principalmente, o que vai fazer nessa chamada reunião secreta. Muitos lá atrás duvidaram e não acreditaram que o senhor teria provas. Inclusive ouvi muitos o chamarem de fanfarrão e mentiroso. Acredito que com sua capacidade e inteligência de demonstrar o que tem será de grande relevância para essa CPI, para o futebol e para o nosso país.

COBRANÇA COMO TORCEDOR (SENADOR DR. HIRAN, PP-RR)
– Quero pedir ao senhor, como botafoguense há mais de 40 anos, que contrate rapidamente dois zagueiros, porque Lucas Halter e Bastos ali estão fazendo a gente sofrer do coração. Por favor, fica um apelo de um botafoguense.

– Quero agradecer a presença do Sr. John Textor nessa audiência. As evidências são muito claras de que precisamos nos aprofundar com muita seriedade nessas investigações. Acho que isso se tornará público no futuro e os jogadores quando virem o que nós vimos ali vão pensar duas vezes antes de arrumarem resultados.

Tudo sobre

BotafogoFutebol NacionalJohn Textor

Cal Raleigh's incredible season continues as he smashed home runs No. 55 and 56 on Tuesday night. And both home runs were historic in their own rights.

With his first homer of the night in the Mariners–Royals game, Raleigh wrote his name in the history books. Raleigh officially passed MLB legend Mickey Mantle by notching the most home runs hit by a switch hitter in a single season. Mantle set the record with 54 homers hit in 1961. Raleigh became just the second switch hitter in MLB history after Mantle to hit at least 50 home runs in a single season.

The Mariners catcher's second home run of the night put him in conversation with Seattle legend Ken Griffey Jr. Raleigh tied Griffey with the most home runs hit in a single season in Mariners history with 56. Griffey notched 56 homers in both the 1997 and '98 seasons while playing for Seattle.

The season isn't over yet. Raleigh can continue breaking records and making history as the Mariners finish out the regular season. Seattle currently leads the AL West with a 82–68 record and are on pace to make the playoffs.

The Mets' division title hopes were all but dashed after a four-game sweep at the hands of the Phillies. And after the dust settled on the Mets' 6–4 loss to their division rivals, in which the club blew a 4–0 lead, New York clings to just a 1.5-game lead over both the Giants and the Reds for the third National League wild card.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza wouldn't go so far as to say he was worried, but he acknowledged the club's current reality.

"I'm not going to say that I'm worried, but we don't have too much time," Mendoza said. "Teams are right behind us. … The way you look at is we're still in control of the situation. We're still in control of achieving the ultimate goal but we gotta go out and do it."

As of June 12, New York had the best record in baseball and a firm 5.5-game lead on the Phillies in the NL East. Since that point, the Mets have played to the third-worst record in the majors while their pitching, both starting and a trade deadline-upgraded bullpen, has collapsed to the tune of a 5.08 ERA.

The Mets still have a 78.1% chance to make the postseason, according to . But in order for that to happen, something has to change—and fast.

"I'm responsible. I'm the manager," Mendoza said when asked if there's anything he can do to reset the team. " It's my job to get these guys going and I will. I have a lot of confidence [in] myself, my coaches and the players. It's not easy right now and we are all frustrated. But like I said, we still got an opportunity here to achieve our goal."

Mendoza's Mets will next take on two playoff-caliber opponents in the Rangers and Padres.

The work done by Glasgow Rangers during the summer transfer window has come under plenty of scrutiny after a fairly dismal start to the season for the Scottish giants.

One win in the first seven games of the Scottish Premiership campaign led to head coach Russell Martin losing his job, having only been appointed in the summer as the long-term successor to Philippe Clement.

Danny Rohl arrived at Ibrox last month and has already delivered four wins from four matches in the Premiership, but he has also lost both of his Europa League games in the dugout.

The former Sheffield Wednesday tactician has won 100% of his league games in charge, most recently beating Livingston 2-1 at Ibrox thanks to goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Mohamed Diomande.

Despite this upturn in results in the league, there will still be question marks over the summer recruitment due to poor form on the European stage from the Light Blues under both Martin and Rohl.

Who were the worst signings of the summer window by sporting director Kevin Thelwell before he was dismissed from his role on Monday? Here are our worst three…

3 Youssef Chermiti

It is almost impossible not to mention Youssef Chermiti as being among the worst signings made by Thelwell when you consider the context of the signing and the fee that was paid for him.

Firstly, Rangers had already signed proven Premiership goalscorer Bojan Miovski from Girona for a fee of up to £4.2m, which suggested that Martin already had his first-choice striker in the building.

Secondly, Chermiti cost a staggering £8m to sign him from Everton. That made him the most expensive Rangers signing in 25 years, since the £12m that was spent to land Tore Andre Flo in 2000.

Paying £8m to sign a 21-year-old striker who failed to score a single competitive goal in two years at Goodison Park is bad enough on paper, but even worse when you consider that Thelwell was the man behind the £15m deal to take him from Sporting to Everton in 2023.

The Toffees had to take a £7m hit on the striker without getting a single goal out of him because of Thelwell’s investment, and now Rangers look set to suffer a similar fate if his fortunes do not improve.

Chermiti has scored one goal and provided one assist in 13 outings in all competitions for the Light Blues this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has already offered more than he did for Everton, but it is still not enough to justify the huge outlay.

Starts

4

xG

1.29

Goals

0

Big chances missed

4

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Pass accuracy

59%

Duel success rate

35%

As you can see in the table above, he has particularly struggled in the Europa League this season, failing to offer quality in front of goal, in his general play, or physically, which is a big concern.

For the amount of money paid, the signing of Miovski made before his arrival, and how he failed when Thelwell signed him for Everton, he has to be among the ex-Gers man’s worst deals.

2 Joe Rothwell

Joe Rothwell also currently looks like one of the worst signings of the summer transfer window, in a move that was very different to the one that brought Chermiti to Ibrox.

Whilst the Portugal U21 international was signed for big money as a 21-year-old talent with room for improvement and potential to eventually hit, the English midfielder came in as an experienced 30-year-old operator who should have made an immediate impact.

Instead, the summer signing from Bournemouth has failed to hit the ground running at Ibrox and now looks to be out of favour under new head coach Rohl, after being brought in by Martin, whom he played for at Southampton in the 2023/24 campaign.

Livingston

0

Celtic

18

Hibernian

0

Kilmarnock

0

Brann

64

Dundee United

83

Falkirk

70

Sturm Graz

21

Livingston

17

Genk

10

As you can see in the table above, the Englishman has become a bit-part player for the Gers, failing to get on the pitch in the three league games that he has been available for under Rohl.

Given he was brought in as an experienced player for the here and now, it is hard to look past him as another one of Thelwell’s worst summer signings.

1 Thelo Aasgaard

Thelo Aasgaard looks to be another one of Thelwell’s worst pieces of business from the summer transfer window, as he has been as ineffective as Chermiti and Rothwell.

Rangers swooped to sign the Norway international from Luton Town for a fee of £3.5m to bolster their ranks in the attacking midfield positions, but he has been unable to provide a regular threat at the top end of the park.

Per Transfermarkt, Aasgaard has only produced one goal and one assist in 19 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, whilst Chermiti has one goal and one assist to his name in 13 outings for the club.

What makes that return even less impressive is that his assist was the pass to Djeidi Gassama in the clip above, where the winger does the majority of the heavy lifting for the goal.

The English-born number ten has not shown enough quality in his performances to suggest that he can be a difference-maker, aside from his stunning solo goal against Dundee United, which currently looks like it was a flash in the pan.

Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described Aasgaard as “rotten” at the start of this month, and it is hard to disagree with that when he has many red cards as goals this season.

Aasgaard’s red card against Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup is far from the only poor moment he has had in a Gers shirt, though, as the £3.5m signing was also hauled off at half-time against Livingston last weekend.

Rohl was clearly unhappy with his contributions in the opening 45 minutes, and it is hard to be happy with his contributions over the entire season so far, which is why he has been just as bad as Chermiti and Rothwell.

Antman upgrade: Rohl must unleash Rangers flop who Thelwell tried to replace

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ByDan Emery Nov 25, 2025

It’s a new week, and Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank will be gearing up for a return to Premier League action at the weekend, when his side travel to Arsenal.

Tottenham have been a mixed bag this season, certainly more secure and steely than last year under Ange Postecoglou’s leadership, but lacking the snap and verve that the fanbase associates with the core of the club. To dare is to do, after all.

Someone embodying that mantra right now is Troy Parrott, whose stunning hat-trick at the weekend saw Ireland defeat Hungary and seal a World Cup play-off spot, having only days before bagged a brace to sink Portugal.

The AZ Alkmaar centre-forward, 23, is shaping into quite the goalscorer, becoming the player Spurs knew he could be after he graduated from the academy.

Parrott's record at Spurs

In July 2024, Tottenham sold Parrott to AZ Alkmaar for around £7m. The Republic of Ireland international had made his Premier League debut aged 17, but only ended up featuring three further times across all competitions before leaving for good, having completed no less than five stints out on loan.

Troy Parrott – Goal Record by Club
Club	Apps	Goals
AZ Alkmaar	61	33
MK Dons	47	10
Preston	34	4
Excelsior	32	17
Ipswich	18	2
Millwall	14	0
Tottenham	4	0
Data via Transfermarkt

In fact, each of the goalscorer’s four senior outings for the Lilywhites came during the 2019/20 campaign, and while Spurs knew when they sold him last year that he had untapped potential, it was clear he was going to struggle for minutes given the club’s attacking pecking order.

There was plenty of chatter regarding Parrott and his potential, even at that nascent stage. Of course, comparisons against Harry Kane were drawn, and talent scout Jacek Kulig has since praised him for his “incredible” performances over in the Netherlands, making good on that potential that was stunted by injuries.

There was always the promise of success. While he didn’t enjoy a prolific spell with Preston North End in the Championship, the player’s tenacity could not be questioned. His former manager Ryan Lowe said: “His work rate is phenomenal. For the size of him, he is a bit of a unit inside. He’s not massive, but very strong, uses his body very well & he got down the sides plenty of times.”

If this tells us anything, it’s that development in football is not linear, and it can take talented prospects a time to find their footing after showing initial promise at the foot of their professional career.

Tottenham must learn from their past mistake – if selling Parrott for a small fee could be called an error – and devote plenty of time to their new version of the Irish hero, who arrives in London at the start of 2026.

Spurs have a bigger talent than Parrott

Parrott is growing into his skin, so sharp and dynamic in the final third. There is an expectation that he should kick on and enjoy further success over the coming years, and Spurs may have to watch ruefully on as he makes headway.

However, that poignancy will be tempered and then some by the emergence of Mason Melia, who has completed a transfer rising to £3m last season, slated to join in January after the completion of the Irish league campaign.

Having idolised Kane and made his professional debut as a 15-year-old, the rangy striker is establishing himself as quite the hot prospect, with his former youth coach Hughie Nolan remarking that “nothing has fazed him” as he has raised his level again and again over his formative years.

The Athletic’s Connor O’Neill said after the announcement that he’s “easily the best young talent I have seen in the League of Ireland”. Parrott left his homeland and signed for Spurs before he could make his senior bow, but Melia arguably has more hype around him, and still only 18, there is so much scope for growth.

Having already featured 98 times for St. Patrick’s Athletic, notching 25 goals and eight assists, Melia will provide an interesting dimension to a Tottenham side crying out for attacking inspiration. Richarlison and Dominic Solanke have not provided the answer, for differing but equally concerning reasons.

Mathys Tel is a young and talented striker, beginning to show signs of the talent that Tottenham saw when bringing him over from Bayern Munich, but the jury is very much out and there are questions relating to whether the 20-year-old has what it takes to lead the line in the Premier League.

Moreover, he has recently emerged as a transfer target for Roma in Serie A, the Italians viewing him as an alternative option to Manchester United as the winter transfer window draws near.

With Parrott doing so well at the moment, it’s inevitable that wistful gazes will be cast toward the Irishman as he establishes himself as one of Europe’s most underrated strikers.

But while there’s a romanticism about a potential deal in 2026, bringing him back home, there’s little need when Tottenham have already signed a more talented Irish striker in Melia, who is now just over a month away from heading down N17.

Frank’s ability to nurture young prospects is well known in England, and Tottenham’s wider embracing of their youth suggests that Melia has made the right choice in moving to the capital and choosing white. He might be a “hidden gem” at the moment, as said by analyst Ben Mattinson, but Melia will soon establish himself as a major player in the Premier League, notably described as “the Irish Alexander Isak” for his effortless strike of the ball.

Will he need a bit of time? It’s more than likely. But the teenager is an aggressive and mobile striker, willing to make runs and connect play while simultaneously keeping one eye on goal at all times.

His wealth of experience, despite his young age, suggests that Tottenham may well hit the jackpot with his addition to the ranks. Parrott might be the talk of the town in Ireland right now, but in Melia, the Londoners have signed a young forward with the capacity to outstrip his older countryman and seal his place among Spurs’ finest forwards of the modern age, something Parrott was unable to do before leaving for a small fee.

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