Roberto De Zerbi feels Tottenham’s summer spending spree is “not finished yet” as he looks to “build a soul” for his new-look team.

Spurs have already spent some £237m as the club look to move on from consecutive 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League – and having only avoided relegation on the final day of last season.

Sandro Tonali arrived from Newcastle in a club-record deal which could rise to £100m, which followed on from a £85m swoop for Mateus Fernandes from relegated West Ham and Jan Paul van Hecke coming in from Brighton for £52m.

Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi have also signed on as free agents, though there have been outgoings – with Will Lankshear becoming the second highly-rated youngster, after Luka Vuskovic, to leave the club as he moved to Middlesbrough in a death worth up to £20m.

De Zerbi believes everyone is fully bought in to the “project” under the Italian coach, who took over for the run-in following the departure of Igor Tudor.

“I feel very good because we are working well. I think we are building a very good team, with some very important new players, and we are starting the project in another part of the history of the club,” De Zerbi told SpursPlay.

“I spent a lot of time (understanding the club) before joining in April and I knew very well the ideas of the owner of the club and the plan was clear before the Everton game.

“Now we are inside (the project), we are excited with the idea to build a very strong team. Now we have to finish as it is not finished yet, our transfer market, in and out, but at the moment I am very happy, very proud and very positive.

“To build a soul, to build a new team with the qualities for sure but with soul, with passion, with all the values we have.

“Football now is not just on the pitch, it’s not just with the ball, it is before in the private life, it is how many hours during the day you think you are doing your job and they have to be happy and proud to stay in Tottenham.”

Spurs are set to play their opening first pre-season fixture against MK Dons at the training ground in Enfield on Wednesday night.

De Zerbi hopes it will be the first step in a return to seeing Spurs moving forwards once again.

“I think Tottenham deserve to compete for the top of the Premier League,” the former Brighton and Marseille boss said.

“I know very well the Premier League is very tough, but if you have a good motivation inside of the players, a good organisation on the pitch and outside of the pitch, I think you work well and at the end you reach your target.”

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Caitlin Clark will not participate in the 2026 WNBA 3-point contest. Neither will two-time champion Sabrina Ionescu, who is the reigning champ and has the highest point total (37) in the event’s history, including the NBA. Nor will Kayla McBride, the active leader in 3-pointers (793). 

All three were invited but declined to take part, according to ESPN.

The WNBA did get No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd, as well as Marina Mabrey, who has tied both the single-game records for points (53) and 3-pointers (nine) this season. They’ll be joined in the field by Rhyne Howard, Bridget Carleton, Janelle Salaun and Natisha Hiedeman, as the 3-point contest expands to six participants for the first time since 2023 and headlines All-Star Friday Night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. 

Mabrey and Howard have both participated in the past, but neither has won. Everyone else is making their debut in the event. 

Some of the best moments in WNBA All-Star history have come in the 3-point contest. Allie Quigley winning for a record fourth time in front of her home crowd in Chicago in 2022 stands out, as does Ionescu making 25 of 27 shots, including 20 in a row, in her record-setting 37-point performance in 2023. 

The event has a way of living up to expectations, and may do so again this year, but the biggest storyline heading into Friday night will be who’s not participating. While the league has faced plenty of deserved criticism this season and in years past — Ionescu’s record-setting performance infamously came in the middle of a Friday afternoon — this one is on the players. 

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Some of the reluctance is understandable. All-Star Weekend has become such an economic engine that it’s no longer a break. Players, especially those as popular as Clark and Ionescu, are shuttled from appearance to appearance to satisfy sponsors and fans. And for those who are also playing in the All-Star Game, it’s easy for the entire weekend to disappear. Declining the 3-point contest is one of the few ways they can reclaim some of their time. 

And this year, specifically, Clark and Ionescu have both dealt with injuries they are still working to fully overcome, while McBride was snubbed for an All-Star reserve spot and may not even be in Chicago. 

But there will always be explanations and excuses. Rest and recovery are important. So is putting on a show for the fans, growing the game and building a legacy. Once again, the league couldn’t announce the contestants until a few days beforehand, and there’s a feeling that they had to beg players to show up. And, once again, the biggest name in the sport is sitting out. 

Clark declined an invitation in her rookie season, had to sit out due to injury last year in Indianapolis and said no again this year. Attempts to get her to participate in a two-on-two version of the Stephen vs. Sabrina challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend also failed. At this point, it’s fair to wonder if Clark, who revolutionized the game with her long-range shooting, will ever take part in a 3-point contest. 

One of the few criticisms of LeBron James’ NBA career is that he never participated in the Slam Dunk Contest, which arguably contributed to the event’s demise. It would be a shame if Clark follows the same path. 

As we count down to the first college football game of the 2026 season, we continue our new series: The records of each top CFB program in the West against all the others in the region.

Some schools have met many times over the years, while others are beginning new rivalries in the wake of recent realignment.

For each opponent in the table below, we provide the total games played, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, first year played, and most recent contest.

We continue with San Diego State, which has played 592 games against regional foes, winning 293, losing 285, and recording 14 ties, for a winning percentage of .507.

The Aztecs have recorded the most wins (32) and played the most games (63) against Fresno State, and lost the most games (29) against BYU.

Here is a breakdown of San Diego State’s records vs. the region’s teams.

Manchester United have been met with a backlash from a number of supporter groups after some fans had their online season-ticket accounts restricted.

The club’s official fans’ forum, Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), The 1958 and The Red Army are among the groups to hit back at United, who are aiming to crack down on the illegal resale of tickets.

However, the club’s approach has been criticised for being too heavy-handed and led to concerns the constraints on the accounts could lead to the revocation of season tickets for many innocent fans.

A joint statement from the groups said: “Professional touting, automated purchasing and those who exploit supporters for financial gain have no place at Manchester United and deserve robust action.

“However, that action must be fair, proportionate and transparent. Long-standing supporters who have followed Manchester United for decades, often across multiple generations of the same family, should never feel they are being treated as suspects without clear evidence, due process or a meaningful opportunity to respond to the allegations made against them.

“The current approach has created a growing perception among supporters of a ‘ban first and ask questions later’ process. Investigations should establish the facts before sanctions are imposed.

“The club and its supporters share the same objective: ensuring tickets are used fairly by genuine Manchester United supporters while protecting the integrity of the ticketing system.

“That objective will only be achieved through trust, transparency, proportionate enforcement, better-designed systems and meaningful engagement with supporters, not by creating an environment where loyal fans fear losing relationships with the club that have been built over decades.”

MUST claimed at the weekend the club sent out “account suspensions and season ticket cancellation notices to thousands of supporters”, adding they have been “overwhelmed with requests for help”.

The supporter groups statement added: “The fans’ forum has rightly called on the club to pause the issuing of further suspensions and to halt any cancellation of season tickets while meaningful discussions take place.”

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Animesh Kujur isn’t losing sleep over surrendering the tag of India’s fastest man to Gurindervir Singh. Instead, the national record-holder in the 200m wants his performances at the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games to do the talking.

After Gurindervir’s historic sub-10.10 run rewrote the men’s 100m national record in Odisha earlier this year, Kujur has inevitably been asked about reclaiming the crown. But the Odisha sprinter has chosen to park that conversation for now.

“Just waiting for Asian Games,” Kujur told PTI when asked about regaining India’s fastest-man tag.

When pressed further, he smiled and added: “Yeah, just wait till the Asian Games. Then we’ll talk again.” 
The calm response is characteristic of the 22-year-old, who has steadily emerged as one of India’s brightest sprinting prospects under British coach Martin Owens.

The athlete-coach partnership began during the Under-23 National Championships after Kujur, impressed by the progress of Reliance Foundation athletes Amlan Borgohain and Jyothi Yarraji, decided to join the programme.

“I had started searching about Reliance and the athletes there. I came to know about Amlan and Jyothi Didi. I saw coach Martin wearing the Reliance T-shirt. My coach asked me whether I wanted to join Reliance after seeing my race, and I said yes. From that day, we have been working together,” Kujur recalled. 

Owens, though, had his own version of the story.

“The true story is that he came and pestered me and begged and begged and begged me to coach him,” he joked. “But obviously he thought I was James. He got the wrong coach.” 
Behind the humour lay genuine belief.

“He ran 21.1 and you could see he was really tight and very raw. If we could just polish that a bit, he was going to run fast. Every day and every week we try to get a little bit better. He’s ambitious, which is very good, and we’re always striving to be the best we can.” 
Owens credited Kujur’s progress to India’s improving high-performance ecosystem.

“We’ve got fantastic facilities in Odisha, excellent support from Reliance, and great physios. People think India is way behind, but in many ways we’re well ahead. The athletes can focus entirely on athletics, and we’re benefiting from that.” 
The British coach also dismissed any notion of rivalry turning sour after Gurindervir’s record-breaking exploits.

“I think what you’ve got to realise is we’re really pleased that Guri’s running that fast. Psychologically, running 10.0 has made such a difference to Indian sprinting. Congratulations to Guri and his coaching team.

“We want a healthy rivalry. That’s what we want. We don’t want a destructive rivalry. We’re as happy as anybody else that he’s running that fast.” 
Turning point 
Owens believes Indian sprinting has reached a turning point.

“Four years ago everybody was saying breaking 10 seconds was impossible. Now it’s about when. Guri (Gurindervir), Mani (Manikanta Hoblidhar) and Pranav (Pramod Gurav) are all pushing the standards up. You can’t be complacent anymore.

“We’ve got a really good crop of young sprinters coming through and they all believe they can be the first to break 10 or 20 seconds. That’s good. We need that swagger.” 
He is convinced the country’s sprint revolution has only just begun.

“India will get there. Then it’ll be 9.8, then 9.7. That’s where we want to go. If we can find an Indian Bolt, we’ll be there.” 
Kujur said racing overseas has accelerated his development.

“When I race faster athletes, I know exactly where I stand. In India, especially over 200 metres, I’m usually ahead from the start. That’s why competing in Europe is important. I learn what I need to improve technically and then work on it in training.” 
Far from being intimidated by packed stadiums, he is motivated by the big stage.

“People think athletes get scared in front of huge crowds, but I feel excited. Even at the World Championships I wasn’t under pressure. I was excited because I was racing against the best and wanted to show what I could do.” 
The overseas exposure has also helped him grow beyond the track.

“This year I travelled alone, competed by myself in Germany and even set my personal best there. Every trip teaches me something about how to travel, how to compete and how to handle pressure. I’ll try to implement all those learnings at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.” 
Kujur said relay commitments have limited his opportunities in the 200m this season.

“We haven’t had many 200-metre races this year. I only got one in Taiwan, and because of the rain, I only ran the heats. I want more quality races over 200 metres and improve there the same way I’ve improved in the 100.” 
Owens said the World Relays and Asian Relays had affected Kujur’s 200m schedule but added: “The Commonwealth Games will be good and then the Asian Games will be super good.

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Jul 22, 2026

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made padel a mandatory training component at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, requiring players to participate in 40-minute sessions on alternate days to boost agility, reflexes, and fielding-specific movement. The new ruling has been passed by senior selector and director high performance, Aqib Javed, who said the players will have to play padel sports during long-duration training camps at the NCA.

“Many of our players are already playing padel sports regularly but had to travel long distances to the limited courts in their home towns. We have now built a padel court facility at the NCA for the players,” the former pacer said.

According to Aqib, the move is aimed at improving players’ fitness, movement, and fielding through a sport that is easy to play and physically demanding.

He said padel is simple, enjoyable, and useful for fitness.

He said players previously had to travel to play padel, but they can now use the facility at the academy alongside their cricket training.

Padel, which mixes elements of squash and tennis, is played on a small court but requires plenty of endurance and stamina.

Aqib said that he wanted the NCA to be a second home for cricketers so that they can improve their overall game skills and fitness levels.

Under the new plan, cricketers will be required to play padel every second day for around 40 minutes.

He also said the PCB is planning to build basketball courts for the players and hall, which will include snooker and other indoor games.

Aqib said the PCB had already installed an AI bowling machine at the academy which was part of the plan to make the academy more productive for players.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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