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Dani Dyer got the chance to carry a historic Premier League match ball home after seeing partner Jarrod Bowen record a hat-trick for West Ham.

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England international starred against BeesClaimed first hat-trick of his senior careerAll smiles with partner on the way homeWHAT HAPPENED?

England international Bowen was the star of the show for the Hammers as they swept to a 4-2 derby victory over London rivals Brentford. He got David Moyes’ side off to the perfect start when netting twice in the opening seven minutes, before completing his treble just past the hour mark.

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Said hat-trick was the first of Bowen’s senior career, meaning that the match ball he picked up afterwards will always hold a special place in his heart. The 27-year-old forward was, however, happy to let girlfriend Dyer take ownership of his notable memento when heading home from the London Stadium. Former Love Island star Dyer posted a “so proud” message to her beau on Instagram.

InstagramTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Dyer also posted an image to her account of the celebrations that accompanied one of Bowen’s goals against Brentford, with the pair having been together since 2021. She has said of how that coupling came about after a series of DMs: “He slid in mine… however, I did have to give him my number, I can't be doing the DMs for days!”

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WHAT NEXT?

Bowen is now a fan favourite at West Ham, with Dyer figuring prominently in a crude terrace chant that she has had to grow accustomed to hearing whenever she is in attendance at games. The pair are proud parents to twin girls that were born in May 2023.

Stats highlights from the fifth ODI between India and Australia in Vadodara

HR Gopalakrishna and Mathew Varghese11-Oct-2007

Adam Gilchrist had a field day behind the stumps © AFP
Sachin Tendulkar became the second player after Sanath Jayasuriya to play 400 ODIs. Tendulkar becomes the first to play 400 for a national team, as four of Jayasuriya’s 402 matches have not been played in Sri Lanka colours. Adam Gilchrist took six catches during India’s innings, the ninth time a wicketkeeper has taken six dismissals in an ODI. Gilchrist himself has taken six dismissals on five occasions, but this is his first against India. On two of those occasions – including this match – Gilchrist has scored a fifty as well, making him the only keeper to do so. Gilchrist overtook Moin Khan as the wicketkeeper with the most catches against India. Gilchrist’s 59 is one better than Moin’s 58. Mitchell Johnson picked up career-best figures of 5 for 26, which happens to be the 50th time an Australian bowler has taken a five-for in ODIs. Pakistan are the only other team whose bowler have taken 50 five-fors. Johnson’s previous best was the 4 for 11 he took last year against the same opponents in Kuala Lumpur. Johnson joined Chaminda Vaas, Richard Collinge, Bruce Reid and Ashley Giles as the only left-arm bowlers to take five wickets in an ODI against India. Rahul Dravid’s fifth first-ball duck was also his fourth against Australia, joining Javagal Srinath and Kris Srikkanth as the player with most number of ducks in matches between the two sides. Zaheer Khan and RP Singh’s tenth-wicket partnership of 41 is the fourth-best for India and their best against Australia, going past the earlier record of 32 between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sreesanth in the second ODI of the series in Kochi. India’s total of 148 is their lowest first-innings total at home after their 136 against Sri Lanka in Margao in 1990. It’s also India’s lowest total at home against Australia. Harbhajan Singh became the second Indian spinner to bowl the first over of an innings in an ODI. Rajesh Chauhan has done it thrice previously, in the 1997 ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, the two offspinners haven’t managed to pick up a wicket in those innings. With his unbeaten 79, Gilchrist became the highest run-getter for Australia against India. Gilchrist is two runs shy of 1500 runs against India, while Ricky Ponting has 1462. The victory margin of nine wickets and with 145 balls to spare is also India’s worst defeat – both in terms of wickets remaining and balls to spare – against Australia at home.

Journalists Nizaar Kinsella and Michael Bridge have heaped praise on Tottenham Hotspur after some transfer news out of north London.

Who have Tottenham signed?

Ange Postecoglou saw his ranks significantly reinforced over the summer window, as Spurs sealed deals for seven major signings.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, young centre-back Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon, striker Alejo Veliz and forward Brennan Johnson all put pen to paper on moves to N17 before September 1; providing more strength in depth.

This comes as former superstar Harry Kane, Sergio Reguilon, Joe Rodon, Djed Spence, Harry Winks, Alfie Devine, Troy Parrott, Dane Scarlett, Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele seal moves elswhere is a real overhaul of the squad.

Postecoglou, chairman Daniel Levy and new Chief Football Officer Scott Munn are beginning to reshape the Spurs team in their new manager's image. It's been quite the start for him, too, as Tottenham begin the Premier League campaign with three wins from their opening four matches.

Impressively, they're currently matching last season's treble-winning Man City side for goals scored so far this season (11); highlighting the very promising early stages of Postecoglou're tenure in charge.

The Australian's appointment has also marked the return of open, attacking fooball at Tottenham with players like Dejan Kulusevski saying Postecoglou's ability has taken him by "surprise".

"I've been a little surprised but he’s really good," said Kulusevski on his new boss.

"We had a very tough time at the end of last season but he has come in with really positive energy and it has gone very quickly. We are a young team and everyone wants to play this way… It's clear that all of us players have done our best to listen as much as possible."

What's the latest Spurs transfer news?

Life under Postecoglou has been joyous for both members of the squad and players alike.

Tottenham have also been building an under-the-radar project for their new manager behind-the-scenes, as relayed by Alasdair Gold, who said this week that there is an "unseen" academy revolution happening right now.

The signing of Luka Vuskovic, who is joining Spurs' thriving youth set up when he turns 18 in 2025, is set to add further promise to their already-exciting crop of young talent at Hotspur Way.

Sky journalist Bridge, speaking to the Last Word on Spurs podcast this week (as transcribed by To The Lane and Back), says it's "very, very positive move".

“Now I don’t think Spurs will see him until 2025. But the fact that Spurs are actually thinking that far ahead is very, very positive," said Bridge.

"One person who knows the youth level has said to me that this kid could be ready at 18, which is quite unbelievable. But I suppose that’s backed up by the level he’s playing.”

Another member of the media to heap praise on Spurs after the signing of Vuskovic is The Evening Standard's Kinsella, who writes on X that the club have made a "really exciting signing" for Postecoglou.

Kinsella said: "Really exciting signing from Tottenham."

Virgil van Dijk has issued a warning to Chelsea, suggesting them to not underestimate an injury-hit Liverpool side ahead of the Carabao Cup final.

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Liverpool could miss 10 players But Van Dijk insists Liverpool ready for Chelsea challenge Could lift first trophy as Liverpool captain GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Reds could be without 10 players for the final showdown against Chelsea. Despite the challenging circumstances, Van Dijk emphasized that there is an abundance of resilience and determination within the team to prove themselves in the Cup final.

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“I think the players coming in have to step up and show they’re wrong,” the Liverpool captain told reporters. “I think that’s the only way to do it. If they [Chelsea] take us lightly, then that’s their problem. I think we have enough quality to read the opponents. Players who come in have to show that. That fear factor, we don’t have influence on that. Everyone has to step up, the ones that play have to deliver to get results.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Van Dijk praised the contributions of young talents like Connor Bradley and Jarell Quansah, who have risen to the occasion when called upon. He emphasized the collective responsibility of every player, stressing the need for confidence and self-belief among the squad ahead of a title decider.

“Younger players as well, everyone has to take responsibility,” he said.

“They also have to enjoy that. “I think everyone wants to get the opportunity and show themselves, and they have to be confident. I’m not worried about that. They just have to go out there and show their qualities. I think if you play for Liverpool, you’re quite a good player already, so go out there and make everyone proud.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT VAN DIJK SAID ABOUT KLOPP

Jurgen Klopp has already announced that he is in the final lap of his Liverpool stint and will leave Anfield in the summer. However, Van Dijk emphasized that securing victory in the final takes precedence over lifting the in honour of their departing manager.

“I think nothing has changed,” he said. “We all want to achieve this. Obviously, he’s going at the end of the season, that’s a decision that’s been made, but we all want to win trophies regardless.

“It wouldn’t change if he wasn’t leaving. We just have to go for it and let’s see what that brings. “I’m thinking about the big challenge ahead of us. Hopefully, we can make it an amazing afternoon on Sunday.

“Every game we have ahead of us is the most important game. Obviously going to Wembley will be an amazing experience again with these guys. And it’s a big opportunity to get silverware and hopefully, it gives us an extra boost for the last part of the season.”

On the South African Highveld, from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg, the grass dies in the winter and it never rains. It is cold, often bitterly so. In Cape Town, by contrast, it normally rains a lot in the winter and the grass is saturated

Neil Manthorp27-Apr-2006

Stephen Fleming basks in the orange light of the South African winter © AFP
On the South African Highveld, from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg, the grass dies in the winter and it never rains. It is cold, often bitterly so. In Cape Town, by contrast, it normally rains a lot in the winter and the grass is saturated. It is also, usually, very cold.Neither climate is conducive to any cricket, let alone attractive cricket, yet New Zealand and South Africa are battling away in the middle of the rugby season with a pile of sweaters on stand-by, bad light a constant threat, morning dew on the outfield and appalling 9.30am start times which have given the bowlers an obscene head start.Actually, the part about ‘bad’ light is untrue. The light at this time of the year is undeniably beautiful, a combination of molten gold and long, stretching shadows which, provided you are wrapped up in your winter woolies, are a joy to watch.But umpires with light metres don’t see it that way and when the sun dipped just behind Table Mountain during the Newlands Test in Cape Town on Thursday, the players left the field despite a wash of orange-tinged daylight and a cloudless sky. The floodlights were turned on, too, for good measure. And the start of play was delayed because the outfield was wet.The third Test will be played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg just six weeks away from mid-winter with rugby’s Super-14 competition approaching the semi-final stage.So why is this nonsense happening? Is it greed? Or just bad planning?South Africa’s officials and administrators cannot afford to say what they really feel, but they all know – as do the players – that the season should have finished with the departure of Australia three weeks ago. Even that would have represented the latest finish to a season ever in South Africa.But the ICC’s decision to stage their inaugural (and financiallylucrative) Super Series between Australia and a World XI in October last year meant that South Africa’s three-Test, five one-dayer series against the Kiwis could not be concluded as scheduled – also in October.”It was never our intention to play cricket at this time of the year,” said Brian Basson, the United Cricket Board of South Africa’s Manager of Playing Affairs. “The late fixtures arose out of our inability to complete our series against New Zealand in October due to the ICC’s Super Series. That’s why we had to reschedule the Test matches against New Zealand at the back end of our season.” To say he was terse would be kind.There is nothing sublime to add to the ridiculous of winter cricket in South Africa, but there appears no end to the ridiculous. In order to try and make conditions playable for the scheduled start on day two, somebody has had the bright idea of using a hovercraft to glide around the outfield at the crack of dawn clearing the early morning dew.But nature is nature. And the cricket season is the cricket season. Perhaps the ICC could find a way of keeping the sun up a bit longer. Or maybe they could help lower Table Mountain.

Cricinfo sums up the gains and losses incurred during abizarre six-day war.

Andrew Miller05-Jun-2005There really is nothing more that can be said about the series just passed. Ian Bell, with a century before lunch to his name on Saturday, summed the situation up last night, when he admitted that the bowlers he had just spanked around the park were less of a challenge than your average county attack.What, though, of the challenge ahead? Australia have arrived and the summer is about to begin in earnest, but after a warm-up of this one-sidedness, are England remotely prepared for what is about to hit them? Here, Cricinfo sums up the gains and losses incurred during a bizarre six-day war.

Steve Harmison: important wickets, but should he now be rested? © Getty Images
Steve Harmison’s confidence. A tally of 10 wickets in two Tests is no great shakes, although it is one more than he managed on thattraumatic tour of South Africa last winter. His first-day performance at the Riverside was as explosive as anyone could have wished, and the 90mph yorker that dismissed Habibul Bashar would have troubled even the best of Australia’s batting line-up.Harmison says he has an extra gear to unleash on the Aussies, althoughthere must be a strong temptation to wrap him in cotton wool until thestart of the Ashes. If he is truly England’s trump card, then why play him in seven largely irrelevant one-day games? The Aussies, naturally, would claim he was running scared, but bear in mind, they never had any qualms about hiding Shane Warne during the 1993 Texaco Trophy. And look how that little ruse turned out.Andrew Flintoff’s fitness. Compare and contrast Freddie’s recovery (or lack of) after his hernia operation in 2002-03, to the Lazarus impersonation he has pulled off in 2005. He flew home from South Africa at the end of January to have a spur on his left ankle removed, and the initial prognosis was that he would take no part in the Bangladesh series whatsoever, or at least play only as a batsman.In the event, the exact opposite has occurred. Flintoff bowled 21 fieryovers in the second Test, having eased his way back with five wickets in an exploratory performance at Lord’s, and though he was inked in at No. 6, he was not required to bat even once, thanks to the unfailing success of the England top five. That scenario, as Vaughan admitted, was not ideal, but there will be plenty opportunities in the one-dayers for Freddie to put bat to ball.

Ian Bell: effortless arrival into England’s Test team © Getty Images
Ian Bell’s arrival. Three into two didn’t go in South Africa this winter, so Bell was the unlucky man to miss out when the tour party was unveiled. But Mark Butcher and Robert Key were unable to stake an unassailable claim to the middle-order rights, leaving the way clear for England’s most assured newcomer since, well, Andrew Strauss.The beauty of Bell’s batting is its anonymity. Because he plays every ball precisely on its merits, he has never yet looked in a hurry at the crease, not even while milking 105 runs in a session on Saturday morning. He is unlikely ever to approach that sort of run-rate again, but there is every reason to believe he can survive against Australia, and ultimately flourish.Geraint Jones’s keeping. Never mind the little controversy surrounding that catch. A more savvy cricketer than Nafees Iqbal would have stood his ground, and the moment would have passed after a brief consultation. Nafees, and Bangladesh as a whole, will be older and wiser for the experience, and that, after all, is what this tour is all about.For Jones, the feeling of ball on glove is the more important aspect. South Africa was a tough tour, made tougher by his unfortunate habit of diving blindly in front of first slip and so unsettling his slip cordon as well as himself. Here, his footwork was first-rate, thanks in no small part to his one-on-one sessions with Jack Russell, and a tally of nine catches in the match took his career haul past 50 dismissals – an important milestone for one so doubted.

Matthew Hoggard: Man of the Match, but not at his best © Getty Images
Matthew Hoggard’s no-ball problem. When asked who he thought would be the England’s biggest threat to the Australians, Habibul Bashar immediately plumped for Hoggard – a curious choice that said more about Bangladesh’s unfamiliarity with swing bowling, rather than any genuine form on Hoggard’s part. For in truth, though he finished with a flourish with his fifth five-wicket haul in Tests and the Man-of-the-Match award at Chester-le-Street, Hoggard did not enjoy an impressive series.Michael Vaughan certainly wasn’t fooled by his performance. At Lord’s, he and Harmison were profligate with the new ball; at the Riverside, Hoggard was withdrawn after three ineffectual overs. What is more, he served up 23 no-balls in the two games, and resorted to running in with his eyes closed in a bid to rediscover his rhythm. It was an apt metaphor for a series in which England were not exactly challenged, but a worrying sign nonetheless. Fortunately, with no one-day duties to distract him this month, he’ll have plenty time to groove his action in county cricket before Lord’s.England’s spin options Two years ago, the question on everyone’s lips was “what is the point of Ashley Giles?” It was a cruel jibe, but at the time a valid one, for Gilo’s role in the side had not been properly defined. It took a renaissance series against New Zealand this time last year to finally put an end to the bickering, but with his fitness in doubt because of a dodgy hip, the issue of his replacement has resurfaced. So, let it now be asked, what is the point of Gareth Batty?Until his 15 overs at the death of the series, Batty’s only notable contribution had been a miraculous catch at square leg. Duncan Fletcher loves his utility players, but in Batty’s case, his versatility has usually outweighed his impact with the ball. And it has ever been thus – in Sri Lanka two winters ago, his improbable batting success against Muttiah Muralitharan meant that England’s best attacking spinner, Robert Croft, was omitted from the decisive Test of the series. The result? England lost by an innings and 215 runs. Australia will have taken note.Bangladesh’s development. Not strictly relevant to England’s Ashes prospects, but valid nonetheless to the English summer. The pleasure of watching England ease to their tenth consecutive home Test victory has been severely tempered by the quality of resistance on display, and with the most pointless triangular tournament in history to follow, it can only be hoped that Bangladesh can take heart from their second-innings performance come the one-dayers.I wouldn’t bet on it. As Vaughan noted, the Bangladeshis like to go for their shots, but for every occasion in which Aftab Ahmed’s strokeplay pays off, there are likely to be ten occasions in which he holes out to cover for a 14-ball 20. Bangladesh’s record in one-day internationals is pitiful – this form of the game is supposedly a lottery, and yet they have won just twice against senior opposition in 20 years of trying. They have been in disarray so far on this most testing of tours. For everyone’s sake, we must hope they have now overcome the worst of the culture shock.

It has been a difficult couple of years for Everton fans, as they’ve seen their side reach the top of the league in 2020 with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, to now battling to avoid relegation year after year.

The Toffees haven’t finished in the top half of the Premier League since the 2018/19 season under Marco Silva, and in the last three years, they’ve finished 16th, 17th and 18th.

Last season Everton came their closest to relegation as they only secured their survival on the last day, following a massive 1-0 over Bournemouth.

One of the reasons for Everton’s fall from grace is their poor recruitment under owner Farhad Moshiri – luckily, though, it appears there's a new era on the horizon with 777 Partners signing an agreement to buy the British-Iranian's full 94.1% stake in the Toffees.

Since becoming an initial 49.9% shareholder in 2016, Moshiri has spent £530m on 31 players and by 2022, £130m worth of players have been sold for free.

One of these huge flops was Oumar Niasse, who left Everton for free in July 2020 after signing in 2016.

How much did Everton pay for Oumar Niasse?

Prior to the striker's arrival in January 2016, Everton and manager Roberto Martínez had endured a difficult start to the Premier League season, only winning six games out of 23.

Following the poor opening games Everton spent £19m in the January transfer window, with £13.5m being used on the Senegalese forward, making him Everton’s third-most expensive signing at the time, behind Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini.

After moving to the Merseyside outfit, the 33-year-old was ecstatic to sign for the Toffees.

He said:

"It's a great day for me, a big dream to play in the Premier League and a big dream to play for Everton.

"Everton is one of the best teams in the Premier League and the Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world.

"I know Everton is one of the big clubs here in England with history, the fans and the great players, so I'm very excited and happy to be here.

"I started to watch Everton more since the beginning of October because I had heard about their interest. I was interested to see how they play and how they have good young players.

Why did Everton buy Oumar Niasse?

Before signing for Everton, Niasse enjoyed an impressive spell playing for Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia, where he made 40 appearances, scoring 19 goals and providing 14 assists, meaning he averaged a goal contribution every 0.82 games.

The Senegal international also proved himself in the Europa League by scoring four goals and registering three assists in only six games, this earned him an average rating on Sofascore of 7.22, the highest in the squad.

His attacking prowess was also backed up by his stats as in Europe for the Russian side, per game he had the most shots (3.5), the most successful dribbles (1.5), the second most key passes (1.3) and the second most shots on target (1.3).

What happened to Oumar Niasse after joining Everton?

Niasse suffered a pretty torrid time throughout his four years with Everton as his most successful games in the famous blue shirt came when he played for the U23s, as during his time with them, he played 10 games and scored 12 goals.

However, while playing for the first team he was incredibly disappointing, in his 42 appearances he only managed nine goals and four assists in all competitions, meaning he scored more for the youth teams.

Furthermore, during his first season at Everton Niasse had the 26th-worst Sofascore rating in the Everton squad with 6.54.

While playing under Dutch manager Ronald Koeman, after Martinez's sacking, the striker revealed that he was exiled from the squad and his locker was removed.

While speaking to the Guardian he said:

“It’s sad, it’s really sad.

“And, to be honest, I think I don’t deserve this but what I can do is just keep my head and fight to change things. I’m not going to make a drama over this. I just deal with it.

“I know it’s just one period.

“Koeman said: ‘You have to leave.’

“I couldn’t understand how that decision could have been made after 45 minutes but I just said: ‘OK.’

“I’m in the dressing room with the under-23s but I don’t have a locker.

“The other players have where they put their stuff but I don’t.

“I come with my bag and I just have a place I know. I put my bag down, I train and after, I put everything in my car and go home.

“He took my shirt number, and he told me I wasn’t allowed to be in the dressing room for the first team; that I wasn’t going to train with them. I had to go with the second team.”

Although his career in England did get a little better during the 2017/18 season after Koeman’s exit, as under new manager Sam Allardyce the striker’s Sofascore rating improved to 6.85, the 12th-best in the squad.

This prompted the English manager to confirm in 2018 that Niasse's position had never been stronger.

He said:

“I think Oumar’s position at Everton has never really been as good as it is at the moment.

“He’s put himself in a position to shine and score goals. He’s got goals and assists to his name and he’s starting games on a regular basis.

“Oumar’s grasped that position at the moment, making assists, scoring goals, holding it up well, so it’s made it difficult for me to replace him.”

However, the eight goals he would score for Allardyce that season would be his last for the club as at the end of the 2019/20 season he would be released and since then his career has gone even further downhill.

In February 2022, after a disappointing move to Huddersfield where he didn't play, Niasse joined League One side Burton Albion where he would make just 12 appearances and score three goals before being released just five months later.

It would take the nine-cap international eight months before he found a new club, this time he would join fellow League One side Morecambe for another disappointing spell, where he made just 10 appearances and scored one goal before being released in July this year.

Oumar Niasse's career, via Transfermarkt

Club

Appearances

Goals

SK Brann

4

0

Akhisarspor

40

15

Lokomotiv Moscow

40

19

Everton

42

9

Hull

19

5

Cardiff

13

0

Huddersfield

0

0

Burton Albion

12

3

Morecambe

10

1

Since leaving the English third division side the centre forward is still yet to find a new club, proving what a waste of money he was for Everton.

Newcastle United are now planning a January clear out, with multiple players now in line to leave, in order to raise funds for Eddie Howe.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

Newcastle are making progress towards agreeing new contracts with two key first-team players, as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported that Bruno Guimaraes has agreed to extend his stay at St. James' Park until 2028, despite interest from Liverpool.

The Magpies are also set to open talks over a new deal with Joelinton, with the 27-year-old "very happy" at the club, and now "ready to commit" to a new contract, so Howe is set to secure the long-term futures of two of his midfielders.

However, potential new arrivals are still being considered, with it recently being reported that Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie could be brought in, as CBS reporter Ben Jacobs believes they will be in the market for a new centre-back at some point in 2024.

Hincapie is expected to cost around £35m, so Newcastle would need to be willing to spend a sizeable amount to secure his signature in January, at a time when they have to be careful due to Financial Fair Play.

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Jacobs said: "It’s important to understand that Newcastle can’t break the bank because of Financial Fair Play. Just because they got into Europe once they can’t necessarily just change their model.

“Now that they have Champions League football, players will want higher wages, but Newcastle have done well to ensure they don’t have one stand-out earner. They have to be conservative, and that’s why I also sense they’ll be in for a quieter January.”

As such, the Magpies may need to make a few sales to raise funds for the January window, and Football Insider report they are now ready to sell multiple fringe players. With Howe's side aiming to adapt to the addition of European games to the calendar, they are considering adding multiple players in the January transfer window, but abiding by Financial Fair Play rules is a real concern at St. James' Park.

Who could Newcastle sell in January?

The report names Martin Dubravka, Mark Gillespie, Emil Krafth, Javi Manquillo, Loris Karius and Paul Dummett as the players who could potentially be sold this winter, having failed to play a single minute this season.

It makes sense to allow the majority of those players to leave, besides the back-up goalkeeper options, who could be called upon in the cup competitions. It is clear that Newcastle are having a hard time abiding by FFP, as they were unable to bring in Kieran Tierney or Marc Cucurella on permanent deals in the summer transfer window, instead being forced to consider signing them on loan.

The deal to sign Lewis Hall from Chelsea was structured to defer the payment, with Howe confirming they had to be "creative" to get the move over the line.

As such, the Magpies should undoubtedly look to move on a number of their fringe players in January, particularly considering they are eyeing some exciting new signings, including Hincapie, who could cost £35m.

Lionel Messi appears to have “fully recovered” from the injury that has disrupted his pre-season, just in time for the start of the 2024 MLS campaign.

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Argentine has been nursing a knockGame time limited as a resultRaring to go ahead of 2024 seasonGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner saw his fitness generate plenty of headlines during a historic international tour for Inter Miami that took them from El Salvador to Japan via Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. His absence from one friendly fixture in the Far East sparked a sporting and political storm that continues to rage.

AdvertisementWHAT MARTINO SAID ABOUT MESSI

Messi was, however, able to play an hour of the Herons’ final warm-up game against Newell’s Old Boys – his boyhood club – and is raring to go ahead of the new domestic season in the United States. Tata Martino told reporters when asked for an update on the Argentine icon: “Our plan was for Leo to play 45 to 60 minutes and he played almost 60 and felt good. The way he was playing, the way he accelerated, it looked like he is fully recovered. The idea is for him to be ready for the 21st.”

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

While Messi has worked his way up to full speed, Inter Miami are still waiting on Luis Suarez to find a spark in the final third. Martino added on the veteran Uruguayan striker, who is having to manage long-standing knee problems: “Physically he looked good, but what impeded his preseason is not enough time working with the group. Leo, (Sergio) Busquets and (Jordi) Alba know him from before but the other players don’t know his tendencies, especially players who will be in the attack with him, like (Julian) Gressel and (Diego) Gomez. They need more time together.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

Inter Miami will open their MLS campaign at home to Real Salt Lake on February 21. Martino admits that there may be more movement on the transfer front prior to that game – in and out of DRV PNK Stadium – with a deal said to be close for Argentine midfielder Federico Redondo.

Southampton have developed a reputation for being a fantastic place for players to progress their careers and seal bigger moves elsewhere over the years.

Who are Southampton's record sales?

Many players have passed through the halls at St. Mary's on their way to some of the biggest clubs in Europe after being picked up by the Saints at the start of their respective careers.

Virgil van Dijk

£72.7m

Romeo Lavia

£53.3m

Sadio Mane

£35.4m

Luke Shaw

£32.2m

Tino Livramento

£31.9m

Fees via Transfermarkt.

These are the top five biggest sales in the club's history to date and there have been a number of talents who have been sold for significant fees below that after honing their skills on the south coast.

One player whom Southampton hit the jackpot with was English winger Nathan Tella, who recently departed Russell Martin's side during the summer transfer window.

How much did Southampton sign Tella for?

The Saints snapped the talented wizard up on a free transfer from then-fellow Premier League side Arsenal after the top-six club opted against handing him a new contract.

He did not do enough to earn an extension with the Gunners ahead of the 2017/18 campaign which allowed Southampton to secure his services for £0.

Norwich City, who have also built a reputation for developing young talents like Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey Emi Buendia, and James Maddison, invited the 17-year-old prospect to train with the Norfolk-based side but he decided to make the move to the south coast instead.

Tella had only scored one goal in nine U18 league matches for Arsenal during the 2016/17 season but scored one goal in one game on trial with the Canaries before eventually ending up with Southampton.

The exciting forward went on to enjoy an impressive spell at U21 level with the Saints as he produced 12 goals and seven assists in 46 appearances.

His form for the academy side led to him making his Premier League debut against, ironically, Norwich during the 2019/20 campaign.

However, Tella found it difficult to deliver consistently impressive performances in the top flight over the following two seasons as Ralph Hasenhuttl offered him plenty of opportunities to impress.

He averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.54 across 18 Premier League outings throughout the 2020/21 season as he contributed with just one goal and one assist from out wide.

The young prospect followed that up with an average Sofascore rating of 6.39 over 14 league matches the following campaign, which included ten starts, as the former Arsenal prodigy failed to deliver a single goal and produced one assist.

Tella ranked 25th out of 25 players in the Southampton squad with that dismal Sofascore rating, which shows that he was one of the team's worst performers that term, if not the worst.

How many goals did Tella score for Burnley?

His poor form at Premier League level for Hasenhuttl's side led to a season-long loan move to Burnley in the Championship in 2022, which is where the English hotshot was able to thrive.

Tella caught the eye with his goalscoring prowess for the Clarets as he ended the campaign with 17 league goals to his name, to go along with five assists and an average Sofascore rating of 6.82.

Vincent Kompany, who described the talented phenom as a "raw diamond", got the best out of the Saints loanee and helped him to become one of the best players in the division.

The 24-year-old's fantastic performances were recognised by his peers as he made it into the PFA Championship Team of the Year for the 2022/23 campaign. This means that the other players in the league voted him as one of the most impressive attackers at that level, illustrating how successful his time at Turf Moor was.

His sublime form for Burnley was also reflected in his market value. At the time of his move to Kompany's side, FootballTransfers rated his Expected Transfer Value (xTV) at just €2.7m (£2.3m).

This soared to a whopping xTV of €10m (£8.6m) by May of this year due to his displays for the Championship title-winners, skyrocketing by a whopping 270% within the space of less than 12 months.

How much did Southampton sell Tella for?

The Saints opted to cash in on Tella whilst his stock was high as they decided to sell him to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £20m this summer.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed how much the total package could end up being worth to Southampton and added that they have a sell-on clause that could net the club another payday in the future if he moves on again.

This came after the 24-year-old whiz enjoyed a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign with Martin's side. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.30 across three Championship appearances as the talented maestro scored one goal and provided one assist from out wide.

The £20m-rated ace did initially think that his assist was a goal, as shown in the video above, as his strike from distance against Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day deflected in off his teammate Adam Armstrong's head.

Tella, who made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game for the Saints this term, currently holds the fourth-highest average Sofascore rating within the squad, although only five matches have been played so far.

He has only made one appearance for Bayer Leverkusen since making the switch to Germany, which came as a substitute in a 5-1 Bundesliga win over Darmstadt last week.

Southampton will now be hoping that the English forward is able to rip up the German top flight in the same way that he excelled for Burnley. Such an eventuality could ensure that he makes another big-money switch and earns them even more money thanks to their sell-on clause.

However, even if the former Arsenal prospect ends up being a flop for Leverkusen, there is no doubt that the Saints hit the jackpot by snapping him up for free in 2017.

The club turned a free agent academy signing into a £20m sale within the space of seven years and they deserve immense credit, as do Burnley and Kompany for their role in his development, for that outstanding piece of business.