Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for the AS Monaco defender Vanderson at the end of the season.
The Brazilian full-back has done quite well for the Ligue 1 side, and he is likely to cost around £30 million in the summer. He is a long-term target for Tottenham.
According to GMS, Tottenham are now leading the race to secure his signature, and it remains to be seen how the situation develops.
Tottenham could lose Pedro Porro in the summer, and the Spaniard has been linked w ith multiple clubs. It remains to be seen whether they decide to sell the Spanish defender and replace them with the South American.
Vanderson has proven himself in France, and he has the physicality and technical attributes to do well in the Premier League as well. The Brazilian has been a reliable defender for Monaco this season, and he is averaging around 4.3 ground duels won per game, 5.3 ball recoveries per game, and 2.7 tackles per game in the league. In addition to that, he has been quite effective going forward. The player has 7 goal contributions in all competitions.
There is no doubt that he is a complete full-back, and he could be the ideal replacement for Porro if he decides to move on. The player is highly rated across Europe, and manager Philippe Clement has described him as an “ambitious” player who is a “huge perfectionist”.
The player is entering the peak years of his career, and Tottenham would do well to secure his signature. It remains to be seen whether they come forward with an official offer to sign him. £30 million is certainly affordable for a club with their resources, and the player has the ability to justify the outlay as well.
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According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, New York Jets starting quarterback Justin Fields did not throw a pass that traveled 10 yards in the air over the club's first two preseason games. Some have voiced concerns about the Jets' passing attack with Fields in the lineup, but he insisted while speaking with reporters on Tuesday that he's "fine with taking eight-yard completions every play." On Wednesday, Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand addressed Fields' comment. "He's going to play the play the way the defense allows him to play it," Engstrand said about Fields, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. "So if they're going to allow him to take a shot down the field, he's going to take it. If they don't allow him, he's going to check the ball down, and we'll move on to the next play. We're all good with that." Fields completed just one of five passes for four yards in the Jets' 31-12 loss to the New York Giants on Saturday. According to Fox Sports, he connected on four of nine pass attempts for 46 yards across his first two preseason appearances of the summer. Despite such lackluster numbers, first-year Jets head coach Aaron Glenn suggested on Tuesday that he is ignoring "the noise that happens on the outside" regarding the team's passing offense. On Wednesday, Jets passing game coordinator Scott Turner praised Fields for knowing when to take a checkdown and when to challenge an opposing defense. "I think you've seen a lot of quarterbacks in this league, Josh Allen pops into mind, who really cut down his turnovers last year and won MVP by not always trying to make the big huge play, but make the right play. Justin has done a nice job with that," Turner said. ESPN stats show that Fields averaged 6.9 yards per pass attempt over six starts and 10 appearances with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. Per Pro Football Reference, 22 qualified quarterbacks had a better yards per pass attempt average for the 2024 campaign. Dan Graziano of ESPN noted Wednesday that the $10M guaranteed that the Jets owe Fields for 2026 "won't prevent them from" looking for an upgrade at the position next year if he doesn't make "a major leap as a passer." It's still early into this experiment, but there's no sign that such a leap is coming anytime soon.
The New York Yankees have been having a rough couple of months, losing their once-dominant lead of the AL East. Now, both Yankees manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman are on the receiving end of some tough words by a former player, outfielder Clint Frazier. Boone has been criticized by a number of analysts (not to mention Yankees fans) for lineup and mid-game moves that range from head-scratching to downright bizarre, especially for a team that has been having a hard time securing wins. Cashman has repeatedly defended Boone, arguing that is knowledge of the players' capabilities is driving his decisions. To Frazier, Cashman's defense of Boone is self-serving because Cashman is the person who is responsible for Boone's tenure as manager. “When Cashman comes out and gives support to Boone, lowkey, I kind of feel like that’s self-preservation,” Frazier said on his podcast. “I know his resume is insane, but when he gives the confidence boost to Boone, I was saying ‘he’s got to, because Booney is the frontline of defense for him. I brought this guy in, and I have to support him, because he’s my guy.' Boone is Cashman’s shadow a little bit." Frazier, who played for the Pinstripes from 2017 to 2021, went on to discuss the Yankees' playoff chances, criticizing Boone for his lineup and mid-game decisions, which he claims will impact the team negatively during the post-season. “You need to make sure that you aren’t walking into it with bad decisions, because these are the decisions they’ll be doing in the playoffs,” he said. “They’re going to be way more under the microscope in the playoffs... You’ve got to make sure that you’re buttoned up and ready to go. If you start firing from the hip, it becomes a mockery of what every guy is trying to do.” While the Yankees are doing better now than they were at the time of Frazier's comments, surpassing the Boston Red Sox for second place in the AL East and securing the top spot in the AL Wild Card standings, they still aren't consistent. For New York to secure a trip to the World Series for the second year in a row, they're going to have to play better, which requires Boone to make better decisions. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Yankees Have Advantage in Cody Bellinger Sweepstakes Former Yankees Pitchers Swap Places On NL Contender Hall of Famer Explains Leaving Red Sox for Yankees Mariano Rivera's Injury End of Yankees Old-Timer's Game? Four Yankees Among MLB's Top 25 Free Agents
Following Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones‘ latest comments on the Micah Parsons situation, the All-Pro pass-rusher took the increasingly common step of scrubbing his X profile of Cowboys material. The Cowboys have been known to prolong negotiations, regardless of price hikes, and they are well down this road once again with another standout. Multiple teams have inquired about Parsons’ availability, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said during a "SportsCenter" appearance. Nothing is moving on that front, as Dallas continues to hold tight during its latest contract saga. That aligns with what we heard last week, with GMs indicating they have not gotten the sense Parsons is available following his trade request. Noting it would take a Herschel Walker-like offer for the Cowboys to move Parsons, so it's "off the table," and Fowler points to team optimism a deal can still be finalized before the season. It should also be noted Parsons’ camp is less optimistic. Jones attempting to go around high-powered agent David Mulugheta in negotiations has understandably irked Parsons, who employs an agent to negotiate his contract. The longtime Cowboys owner referencing a $200M guarantee also reflects what is likely a five- or six-year Dallas extension offer. With the cap soaring annually, players are increasingly opting against long-term deals. The Cowboys prefer them, but it is notable Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb convinced the team to budge here by each scoring four-year extensions. It would surprise if Parsons signed for beyond four years, but Jones continues to reference his negotiations with the player — talks Parsons classified as informal — this offseason. A Cowboys source mentioned the 49ers’ Nick Bosa situation re: Parsons. San Francisco did not have Bosa signed until four days before the 2023 regular season. Bosa played in Week 1 despite holding out until his extension was done. Parsons has spoken out about how not practicing during a negotiation can negatively impact a season, and he long preferred to have his deal done by training camp. The Cowboys are well past that artificial deadline, as these talks now remind of the Prescott and Lamb pace. Neither of those performers requested a trade, which is a notable difference between this Parsons back-and-forth and previous Cowboys extension struggles. While Fowler adds Mulugheta certainly didn’t tell Jones to stick the team’s offer “up their (expletive),” the Cowboys going to these lengths to avoid dealing with one of the game’s top agents has been an interesting chapter. Jones taking this route is not out of character. But Parsons taking issue with it to the degree he has would seem to require the team to change course and huddle up with Mulugheta — if the intent is to finalize a deal before Week 1. The Cowboys’ Thursday night assignment in Philadelphia to open the season also gives them less time than they had with Prescott last year. Mentioning the Packers, Cardinals and Ravens as potential trade fits, Fowler outlines what would certainly be a robust market if the Cowboys did decide to explore what the top player would fetch in a trade. Of course, dealing Parsons would significantly weaken the 2025 Cowboys. Jones mentioned during his Michael Irvin podcast conversation the prospect of franchise-tagging Parsons next year. That would be an option, but the Cowboys are not giving up on a 2025 deal yet.
Pittsburgh Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt got rewarded handsomely in the offseason for being one of the best in the NFL at his position, and he had a few things to say about how the deal came about. The Steelers have made some big moves in the offseason, trading for Jalen Ramsey, signing Darius Slay, Aaron Rodgers, and DK Metcalf, alongside extending T.J. Watt. It capped off one of the most un-Steelers offseasons in years, and there is still more business to be done as Cam Heyward is holding in over his contract details. Watt signed a record three-year, $123 million extension, the highest deal for a non-quarterback, following months of tough negotiations between his agent and the Steelers. Many thought Watt’s Instagram post with Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig just hours before the deal was confirmed was a major hint of it being done. It turns out that wasn’t quite the case. T.J. Watt had no idea Steelers extension was done when he posted Instagram photo with Herbig Hours before T.J. Watt’s extension was confirmed, he posted a picture with Nick Herbig, and he had a sizeable grin of someone who’d just ended his holdout and earned a massive payday. That wasn’t the case. Asked if Herbig spilled the beans on the deal on Cam Heyward‘s podcast, Watt said: “You’re talking about the picture that we posted. No, that was literally just picture day at the gym! “I got home, and the deal, they called me, and the deal was done.” Herbig was then asked if he had done pushups before the picture, as he looked ‘jacked’. Aside from the comments that Watt looked remarkably bulkier than he did last year, they had mostly been about the star edge rusher signing a new deal or that they were training in Wisconsin. Herbig and Watt’s Alma Mater was Wisconsin, so some didn’t jump the gun, but the majority of fans went wild with speculation. The fact that his agent had sealed the deal with the Steelers a few hours later looked to have validated that speculation. Well, Watt has now dispelled that for good! Steelers have one of the most stacked edge rushing rooms in NFL after drafting Jack Sawyer The beauty of the NFL draft is that you are often left wondering how players fall to certain teams, like the Baltimore Ravens with Malaki Starks, bolstering an already incredibly defensive backs room. The same can be said for the Chiefs with Left Tackle Josh Simmons, who looks like a franchise LT already, and the Steelers with the Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer. Sawyer, a National Championship winner last season, fell to the fourth round, and conveniently into the arms of the Steelers, who already have an incredible pass-rushing unit. He joins Watt, Herbig, and ROLB Alex Highsmith in one of the most dangerous units in the league, which will be a prime test for the AFC North. Here’s what Watt said about Sawyer: “I just think it’s cool to see Jack pick our brains. We give him a hard time because now you can’t really haze rookies, so we’re trying to find ways to get under his skin. “It’s not very hard. But I think he’s going to be a good player for us. I think he’s a bigger body guy who can rush inside or outside, and you see his growth each and every day. It’s been pretty cool.” Baltimore, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Cleveland Browns will have to face that unit at least twice this season!
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