Tottenham Hotspur has confirmed the signing of Israeli forward Manor Solomon on a free transfer.
Solomon, whose contract at Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk expired in June, has agreed to join the Premier League side on a five-year deal following his fruitful loan spell at Fulham last campaign.
Solomon spent last season on loan at Fulham. He began his season-long stint at Craven Cottage with a serious knee injury but went on to chalk up 24 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals.
With Solomon joining, Ange Posteclogue will now focus on sorting out the future of wantaway striker Harry Kane.
The England international, with just one year left on his contract, is subject to two huge bids from Bayern Munich. He has communicated his desire to leave this summer. However, Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy is reluctant to sell him.
Seattle Sounders young winger Léo Chú has been named Player of the Matchday awarded by Continental Tire for Matchday 24 of the 2023 MLS season, having particpated in their 3-2 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday at BC Place.
Chú was electrifying in the final third, scoring twice set-piece chances delivered by Nicolás Lodeiro’s service and initial header courtesy of Jackson Ragen. Chú then caused a late red card on Whitecaps defender Mathias Laborda sending the game-winner Yeimar shot home to earn the Sounders all three points.
Leo who was drafted midway through the 2021 season from Brazil’s Grêmio, leads Seattle with 11 goal contributions (3g/8a) this year. In his breakout 2023 season, Chú has become the only MLS player to record a multi-goal game and a game with up to three assists.
Chú is the second Seattle player to be name MLS Player of the Matchday this season, sharing the honour with Jordan Morris (Matchday 5). Multiple Sounders players have earned this award in the same season for ther first time since 2020 whrn Morris and Raúl Ruidíaz did so.
The Sounders who are second position in the Western Conference table, will play to win a third straight game when visiting the San Jose Earthquakes for Matchday 25 on Wednesday evening (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
The MLS Player of the Matchday awarded to Leo Chú by Continental Tire is chosen for every matchday of the regular season by both media and fan voting in a process overseen by MLS Communications. A panel of journalist from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) consists 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter poll an vote comprises the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR includes members of print, television, radio, and online media.
Indianapolis took a huge chance signing quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No.4 overall pick in April’s draft and Colts owner Jim Irsay believes that the newbie should take the fielder soon for it to pay dividends.
“As you guys know, Peyton (Manning’s rookie) year we were 3-13, the first year,” Irsay said on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. “That’s a guy who played a lot of college games and was really prepared as much as he could be for the league. So, for Anthony Richardson, it’s going to be tough. We know that. But he has to play to get better. I mean, there’s no question. Gardner (Minshew) could come out and play better early on, him just being a veteran, but we have to get Anthony on the field. And that’s (head coach) Shane (Steichen’s) call when he decides to do it.
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Although Irsay did not make any announcements or demands on Richardson being a Week 1 starter, instead leaving that decision to this new head coach, he made his stance on his rookie being tested by the fires clear.
Richardson who has not signed his rookie contract yet, has 4.4 speed and a canon arm but lacks experienced.
He was Florida’s full-time starter for only one season, his draft slot was hard to forecast until the Colts bought him.
He enters the League with 215 completions in 393 attempts during his collegiate career, which summed up to 3,105 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Richardson also had 1,116 rushing yards and 12 scores on the ground.
Manning, comparatively, was a four-year starter at Tennessee with 380 or higher pass attempts in every of his last three seasons. He struggled in his first year at the helm, tossing a league-leading 28 interceptions, but he and the Colts became a formidable force with double-digit victories in 11 of his next 12 seasons.
This is a future Jim Irsay hopes to witness behind his third first-round QB as an owner.
With Irsay’s support to start Richardson on time, it seems the Florida product already has an edge on his competition entering training camp.
Anthony Richardson had 6,632 passing yards, 44 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, he has displayed signs of staying power in 24 career starts. He would probably be Indiana’s best shot at competing in the early quarter of 2023, but there is a chance the Colts take the long-view approach at the end of a 4-12-1 season.
There will be growing discomfort when Richardson takes the lineup, especially since the offensive line permitted 60 sacks last season (second-highest in the NFL).
But his legs give him the best shot of a Colts QB to create something out of nothing in case the O-line becomes porous again, and he will have excellent safety nets to aid his learning curve thanks to All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor and possession wide receiver Michael Pittman.
Plus, the earlier Richardson takes the pitch, the sooner he can start playing for his lofty ceiling in earnest.
Northwestern has fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald amidst a hazing scandal that questioned his ability to lead the program and tainted the university’s reputation after it mishandled its reaction to the accusations.
Fitzgerald’s sack on Monday brought on a quick fall from grace for the ex-Northwestern linebacker. He had been deeply connected to his alma mater, a yearly on any list of college coaches with the best job security.
“The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team,” Northwestern President Michael Schill wrote in an open letter. “The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening. Either way, the culture in Northwestern Football, while incredible in some ways, was broken in others.”
Pat Fitzgerald will start his two-week suspension on Friday after the school announced that an investigation carried out by a law firm had not found “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff was aware of the ongoing hazing, although there were “significant opportunities’’ to find out about it.
The Daily Northwestern released a story on Saturday chronicling allegations from an ex-player who described specific hazing incidents and sexual abuse within the team. The report showed that Fitzgerald “may have known that hazing took place.
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That caused Schill to write an open letter to the university community where he agreed that focusing “too much on what the report concluded (Fitzgerald) didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known.” He went on to say that he intends to meet with university leadership, members of the board of trustees and leaders of the faculty senate to decide his next steps.
