Sports
Who needs Eze? Spurs’ win at Man City shows transfers aren’t everything
MANCHESTER, England — After a week in which they’ve missed out on signing Eberechi Eze to rivals Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur delivered a timely message with their 2-0 win at Manchester City that the success of a season doesn’t just come down to what you can do in the transfer market.
Already in coach Thomas Frank’s short time in charge, Spurs have come within minutes of beating European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup and started their Premier League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Burnley. But this week the tone has changed — primarily because of Eze’s decision to join Arsenal rather than their North London neighbors.
Radio phone-ins have been inundated with furious fans. The supporters who traveled to City for Saturday’s early kickoff began their afternoon with chants of “We want Levy out” in a show of frustration — it must be said, not only linked to the failed bid to sign Eze — at chairman Daniel Levy.
Within 45 minutes, though, the mood had flipped again. Tottenham went in at halftime at the Etihad Stadium leading 2-0. A controlled, disciplined performance in the second half meant the match finished that way and, for a few hours at least, Spurs went top of the Premier League. Maybe they’ve already got their signing of the summer by hiring Frank. Eberechi who?
– Has Frank got Tottenham ready for a Premier League revival?
– How did Arsenal beat Spurs to Eze, and why do they need him?
– How will Premier League’s new stars fare? Wirtz, Sesko, Gyökeres, more
“Extremely proud of the players’ performance, an exceptionally good performance,” Frank said postmatch. “I think it’s fair to say we’ve had a few questions about the transfer market. ‘Why not?’ and ‘What if?’
“We have a good group of players, a talented group of players, that I’m very pleased with. If we can improve it, perfect. If we can’t, then we have very good players, and we showed that today.”
Asked about Eze’s snub at his prematch news conference on Friday, Frank said he “doesn’t want any players that don’t want to come to this club.” He might find his transfer targets in the final days of the window are more willing to join after his team put in a clinical display against City.
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Thomas Frank ‘extremely proud’ after Tottenham’s win vs. Man City
Thomas Frank speaks after Tottenham’s 2-0 victory against Man City in the Premier League.
For 35 minutes, they soaked up pressure and needed goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to save well from Omar Marmoush. The final 10 minutes of the first half were all about the manager’s game plan.
A long ball forward exposed City’s high line and Richarlison raced through before squaring his pass for Brennan Johnson. Initially ruled out for offside, VAR Andrew Madley intervened and the goal stood. Then, high pressure on the edge of the penalty area forced goalkeeper James Trafford — starting ahead of Éderson — to make a poor pass, and João Palhinha gratefully accepted the gift to score a second.
You don’t necessarily need new signings to play well and win games. Sometimes it’s more important to have a manager who knows what he’s doing. Frank, a winner at the Etihad before with Brentford in 2022, picked a team against City that included two summer arrivals — Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus — but, crucially, he’s getting more out of the players he’s inherited.
The way Spurs closed out the game by limiting City’s chances looked a million miles away from former coach Ange Postecoglou’s cavalier approach. Last season, Postecoglou’s team managed just six clean sheets in the league. This season, it’s two in two games for Spurs. Frank is trying to rebuild a team which, for all the euphoria of their UEFA Europa League triumph, finished 17th last season. There will be bumps in the road. For now though, it’s so far, so good.
“Second half I think we were very good,” said Frank. “The spell where they could put pressure on us, we were very aggressive in the pressure.
“The clean sheet makes me very happy. It is a big thing we have been working on. Blocking shots, everything. Last year we had six clean sheets.”
City manager Pep Guardiola has now lost eight Premier League games to Tottenham, his most against any opponent. It wasn’t lost on the traveling fans who spent the final minutes alternating between chants of “It’s happened again” and “We are top of the league.”
It’s too early in the season to force Guardiola into a major rethink, but he has issues to solve. His defensive line — always high — has been pushed up even further since the arrival of Jürgen Klopp’s former assistant at Liverpool, Pep Lijnders. Spurs took advantage of John Stones jumping out in an attempt to catch Richarlison offside in the build-up to the first goal.
Guardiola’s other problem is in goal. Trafford was picked after a positive debut and a clean sheet last week against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but it was his mistake which cost City the second goal. With Ederson on the bench, the 22-year-old looked shaky, particularly when coming out of his area to deal with balls over the top. You imagine Gianluigi Donnarumma, unwanted by PSG, is waiting by the phone.
Afterward, Guardiola offered no guarantees about who will start when City travel to Brighton & Hove Albion next weekend. He does, however, want to see improvement at the Amex Stadium.
“James made a good first game [against Wolves] and I decided to continue,” said Guardiola. “When I take decisions in the first part of the season, for all the players, you play one or two and everyone thinks ‘OK, this is the starting lineup’. It was just today I decided that.
“It’s just the second game. The last game against Wolves everyone said everything was fine, but I said it was just the first game and it’s the same now. We have to improve. We have seven days rest and then Brighton.”
Another win next Saturday against Bournemouth ahead of deadline day would be another nudge that Spurs’ first season under Frank won’t just be decided in the transfer market.
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: Micah Parsons trade gives team ‘chance to be better’ than recent years
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sat in front of reporters Thursday addressing the stunning Micah Parsons trade to the Green Bay Packers.Â
The main question on everyone’s mind was why make the trade?
“This gives us a chance to be a better team than we’ve had the last several years,” Jones said with his son, CEO and director of player personnel Stephen Jones, sitting to his right.Â
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at training camp at the River Ridge Fields July 27, 2025. (Kirby Lee/ Imagn Images)
“We did think it was in the best interest of our organization, not only the future, but right now in this season as well.”
It’s hard for Cowboys fans to fathom the deal was made to benefit the team’s win total in 2025 and the future, but Jones offered some specifics to the contrary, starting with the acquisition of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark as part of the deal.Â
“We’ve gained a Pro Bowl player in an area that we had big concerns in — in the inside of our defense,” Jones said.Â
“The facts are we need to stop the run. We haven’t been able to stop the run for several years.”
Jones added trade talks for Parsons went on throughout the spring, though he said he offered Parsons a deal in April. He has previously said he offered Parsons the highest contract for a non-quarterback in NFL history, and he doubled down Thursday night that he offered him more guaranteed money than the reported $136 million he got in the four-year, $188 million Packers extension he received after being traded.Â
“I will say this: It was important that we did get, if we could get it, the kind of interest that we got in making a trade for Micah,” Jones said. “He was an asset we got four good years out of. But when you’re talking about making the contract that he got and for the future, that’s quite a commitment. None of that counts about what he did the first four years. It goes against what he can do for you in the future.”
The Cowboys also received the Packers’ 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, which Jones said he wouldn’t rule out trading for another established player.Â
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons at training camp at the River Ridge Fields July 26, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“Not only do we immediately get a player, but those draft picks could get us … I’m talking top Pro Bowl-type players — could. I’m not necessarily going to say you’ll get those players. You gotta draft them or acquire them,” Jones explained.Â
“But they could get us as few as three or as many as five outstanding players. Now, not only do they contribute to a game that needs a lot of players on the field, but they also give you better odds that a high percentage of those are going to be available.”
Jones said that it was a consensus decision, both in the front office and by the coaching staff, to make the trade with the Packers. He added that it was still up in the air Thursday morning, as Clark went to Packers practice as usual.
Jones was also asked about an NFL Network report that said Parsons returned to the Cowboys out of “empathy” when the trade interest was leaked earlier this week. Parsons claims he was told by the team to “play on the 5th year or leave.”
“It was not in any way out of the order or anything like that,” Jones replied when asked about that report. “I think I’ve read where they said I replied, ‘We’re playing under the contract as it exists right now. Get ready to play Philadelphia.’ Correct, that was correct.”
With the trade finalized, the Cowboys are looking toward their future while also being of the belief they can win right now, starting with Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.Â
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium Aug. 16, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
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“I want to be sure that our fans understand I think a lot of Micah, and I wish him so much success,” Jones said. “I don’t want him to have success when he plays the Cowboys as much as I do want him to have overall success. Micah Parsons did an outstanding job for us for four years.
“There’s no question that I could have signed him in April. We all know that, to have agreements, all parties have to agree. This was by design. I did make Micah an offer. It wasn’t acceptable, and I honored the fact that it wasn’t done in the way he wanted to do it through an agent.Â
“So, he was made an offer. … There’s not an ounce of vindictiveness. There’s no bad feelings on my part on the fact that we didn’t come together on an agreement.”
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee wants to make sure Rick Barnes stays with the Volunteers as long as he wants to coach the men’s basketball team.
Athletic director Danny White announced Thursday that Barnes has signed essentially a lifetime contract with Tennessee.
“Rick has taken our program to unprecedented heights, and we are absolutely thrilled to have him continue coaching on Rocky Top for the rest of his career,” White said. “He has constructed this program the right way, achieving elite-level success on the court while also ensuring that all our players excel off the court.”
Barnes, who turned 71 in July, last signed an extension in September 2023 that took him through the 2027-28 season. The contract announced Thursday automatically extends Barnes’ deal for a year every April 15 starting in 2028.
Kansas gave men’s coach Bill Self a lifetime contract in 2021 and added to that in 2023. UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma, now 71, got a five-year extension through 2029 in June 2024.
Barnes said it’s an honor and blessing to serve as Tennessee’s men’s basketball coach. He thanked university officials for their continued belief in the program.
“Tennessee basketball would not be where it is today without the consistent efforts of so many players, coaches and staff members whom I am forever indebted to,” Barnes said. “Their relentless dedication and the unrivaled support of Vol Nation are truly why we have been so successful.”
Barnes is 232-109 (66.4%) in 10 seasons with Tennessee, including 112-67 in Southeastern Conference play. He has won at least 25 games in six seasons with four Sweet 16s, four top-10 finishes, three SEC championships and two Elite Eight berths.
The Vols have made seven straight NCAA tournaments, the fourth-longest active streak in the country recognized by the NCAA. They also are one of two teams to reach the past three Sweet 16s and past two Elite Eights.
Tennessee has been ranked in the Associated Press’ Top 25 the past four years with 80 straight appearances, the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Barnes also currently is the active Division I leader with 836 wins over 38 seasons as a head coach.
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