Djed Spence says joining Tottenham fulfils his dream of becoming a Premier League player and now he cannot wait to learn from some of his star Spurs team-mates.

The wing-back joined Tottenham from Middlesbrough for a fee in the region of £20million including add-ons on Tuesday, signing a five-year contract.

Spence, 21, became the sixth arrival of the transfer window for Spurs, joining Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet.

"It's a dream come true to play in the Premier League at a big club like Tottenham Hotspur," Spence said to the Spurs website after his move was completed.

"It's amazing, I'm thankful that I'm here and that I'm going to get the opportunity to play for this club.

"Of course, everyone wants to play in the Premier League. As a kid, you watch it from when you're young, so it was a target of mine and I've finally reached it, so I'm happy.

"Obviously this is a big club with Champions League football as well, and you've got some of the best players who play here, so it's a privilege to be here and I can't wait to get going.

"[This environment] seems very good and it will help me develop as a player a lot. I can obviously learn from other people and the experience that they have.

"From a young age, to go from watching some of the players on TV to now playing with them – it's going to be great, and I'm excited to learn from them and take in anything they can offer me.

"In the Premier League you have high-intensity, good technical players – it will be hard, but I'm ready for the challenge. I'm excited to hit the ground running, hopefully play and try to impress.

"We have a great manager too – from what I've seen of him, he's a top manager and I can't wait to work under him."

Spence fell out of favour at Middlesbrough and was subsequently sent on loan to Nottingham Forest, where he made 42 Championship appearances in the 2021-22 season.

The England Under-21 international impressed as Forest earned Premier League promotion to return to the highest level for the first time in 23 years, and also shone in the FA Cup against top-flight opposition.

Spence was a threat at both ends of the pitch, scoring two goals and assisting four, and will likely suit Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 system as a right wing-back, competing with the likes of Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal for a place in the side.

"It's been a long journey in my career so far; it's been hard at times, but it’s been good as well, and I've been working hard to get to where I am now," added Spence.

"I try to bring excitement, skill and speed when I play – I just want to excite the fans and to play well. That’s the most important thing – when you excite your team and your fans and play well, it breeds confidence, and confidence is one of the biggest things in football."

Forest were reportedly interested in signing Spence on a permanent deal, but the lure of Champions League football helped secure the defender for Conte's side.

Spence will hope to play with freedom down the right side for Conte, having attempted (187) and completed (76) the most dribbles among Championship defenders last season.

Asked what he thought when he hears the words Tottenham Hotspur, Spence replied: "Attacking football, exciting football and obviously with the new manager coming in, a winning mentality."

Tottenham have completed the signing of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough for a fee in the region of £20million, with add-ons included.

Spence fell out of favour at Middlesbrough under Neil Warnock, and was subsequently sent on loan to Nottingham Forest, where he made 42 Championship appearances in the 2021-22 season.

​The England Under-21 international impressed as Forest earned Premier League promotion to return to the highest level for the first time in 23 years, and also shone in the FA Cup against top-flight opposition.

Spence was a threat at both ends of the pitch, scoring two goals and assisting four, while competing for the most duels (508) among defenders in the Championship.

The 21-year-old will likely suit Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 system as a right wing-back after joining the Premier League side on a five-year deal on Tuesday.

Tottenham said: "We are delighted to announce the signing of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough. The right-back has signed a contract that will run until 2027."

Forest were reportedly interested in signing Spence on a permanent deal, but the lure of Champions League football helped secure the defender for Conte's side.

Spence became the sixth arrival of the transfer window for Spurs, joining Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet.

The former Middlesbrough wing-back will hope to play with freedom down the right side for Conte, having attempted (187) and completed (76) the most dribbles among Championship defenders last season.

Spence will aim to get his first taste of Premier League action when Tottenham host Southampton on August 6.

Deandre Ayton called it "a blessing" to return to the Phoenix Suns on his new four-year, $133million contract extension.

Ayton, 23, averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this past regular season, making it four consecutive seasons he has tallied at least 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest since entering the league in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The former first overall pick finished fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (63.4 per cent), while also demonstrating he has the defensive versatility to close playoff games – a rare trait for a modern centre in the era of 'small-ball'.

Instead of paying their top pick his max contract a year early to take the pressure off – as the Dallas Mavericks did with Ayton's draft classmate Luka Doncic – the Suns decided against that route, forcing their seven-foot youngster to prove himself again a season after helping the franchise to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993.

After waiting to see what price Ayton would command on the open market, the Suns did not hesitate to match the Indiana Pacers' max offer sheet, as it was one year and $42m less than the Suns could have offered as the team that drafted him.

Speaking to ESPN in his first interview since making his extension with Phoenix official, Ayton said while he is grateful, the process has opened his eyes to the business side of the NBA.

"This is a blessing," he said. "This contract not only has generational impact for my family, but also with the way we are able to work in the Phoenix community and home in the Bahamas. 

"I've come to understand that this is a business. So, I was more anxious to know the end of the result so I could focus, move on and just get back to work. The shift in free agency brought a lot of uncertainty through the whole process. 

"I got to give a lot of respect to the Pacers organisation – they were aggressive from the start and showing a lot of love – and we agreed to a max offer sheet. The Suns matched, now, I'm back in Phoenix as a Sun.

"I'm happy the process is over. I can put all this behind me and focus on chasing a championship this upcoming season with my brothers."

Suns general manager James Jones told ESPN that the plan was always to bring Ayton back, although he called the decision to play things out through restricted free agency "negotiations", without going into it any further.

"We wanted Deandre here," he said. "He's vital to what we do, at the core of everything that we do. 

"Throughout this whole process it was, it rang true. We wanted to keep him here, and the moment we can come to an agreement, we would. 

"So, waiting 24 hours, 48 hours [to match the Pacers' offer], that wasn't something we needed to do because going into it, we knew this is where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be.

"If there's any doubt from anyone that we wanted him, I think that the matching did that. It was urgent for us. It was important. It was critical for us. So, we just wanted to make sure that we handled our business quickly."

Phoenix head coach Monty Williams also said he was ecstatic to have his starting center back, despite an incident in the Suns' Game 7 elimination against the Golden State Warriors where Ayton allegedly refused to re-enter the game during the blowout loss, which Williams called an "internal" matter at the time.

"James [Jones] and myself, we talk a lot and he'll let me know what's going on with the contract and ask for my opinion," Williams said. 

"I try to stay out of persuading him when it comes to him making decisions, but we knew any offer that he got, we were going to match.

"I'm happy for Deandre just because I know this is what he wanted. He wants to be in that class of players that's regarded in this way. From that standpoint, I think as a competitor, that's what you want. When you see a guy working for that, that part is pretty cool."

In his first comments about the Game 7 situation, Ayton said any issues are now "in the past" and that his relationship with Williams is "calm".

When Williams was asked about the situation, he simply described it as "a bad day".

"I didn't feel like I had to say anything. I was just doing my job," he said. "We had a bad day, but we had an unbelievable season. 

"Unfortunately, in sports and even in society, we focus on the one bad thing. It hurt like crazy, and it still hurts. It was embarrassing to play that way, but as the dust settles and I look at the season from a holistic perspective, I look at all the good stuff that happened."

Los Angeles Angels All-Star Mike Trout revealed Monday that he will serve as the United States team captain for next year’s World Baseball Classic.

Trout made the announcement during a media conference at Dodgers Stadium for Tuesday’s All-Star Game, in which the three-time American League MVP will be unable to participate after suffering a ribcage injury that has been causing spasms in his upper back.

The future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer has been mostly healthy this season and is tied for third in the AL with 24 home runs and fourth in OPS (.967) while recording 51 RBIs and a .270 average in 79 games.

His production has dropped off as of late, however, as he’s hit .200 with a .697 OPS in 18 games since June 20. Trout has struck out 25 times in 65 at-bats over that stretch.

Trout chose not to compete in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2017, citing personal reasons. The tournament was scheduled to be played in 2021 but wound up cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I’m looking forward to playing for our country," Trout said. "It’s going to be awesome to have ‘USA’ across my chest. It really means a lot to me. It’s going to be fun."

The 31-year-old center fielder missed the Angels’ final four games prior to the All-Star break with the injury and was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to July 12. Trout said he’s hopeful of being back in the lineup when first eligible, which would be the Angels’ visit to Atlanta on Saturday in their second game following the stoppage.

"It’s just one of the things that’s got to get right before I start swinging," Trout said. "It is frustrating for sure. I can’t really pinpoint what caused it, it just started to bother me."

Trout was elected to a 10th career All-Star Game – and ninth straight as a starter – but will miss the contest for a second straight year due to injury. He sat out the 2021 edition due to a strained right calf that limited him to a career-low 36 games last season.

The man at the centre of the the biggest potential trade story of the season, Juan Soto, gave another display of his value on Monday as he won the MLB Home Run Derby.

Soto, 23, recently rejected a 15-year, $440million extension with the Washington Nationals, sparking rumours that the franchise would instead try to cash-in on him for what is expected to be one of the greatest trade hauls in league history.

He went second in all three of his matchups, meaning he never had a chance to bat out his full time and put up a monstrous score, but he chased down his target relatively comfortably all three times.

He defeated Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez 18-17 in the first round, setting up a surprise matchup with future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols after the legend shocked top seed Kyle Schwarber 20-19 in a swing-off after tying 13-13 in regulation.

Pujols could not repeat the heroics in the second round, getting eliminated 16-15 as Soto booked his place in the final.

On the other side of the bracket, Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez would steal the show, crushing the highest total of the day with 32 home runs as the very first batter of the event, eliminating Corey Seager.

Rodriguez then showed up the reigning back-to-back champion, Pete Alonso, with a score of 31-23, storming into the final opposite Soto.

Ultimately, Rodriguez ran out of juice, only putting up 18 in the decider, which Soto was able to chase down with 30 seconds to spare to claim the crown. Soto also finished with the longest home run of the day at 482 feet.

As one of the brightest young stars in baseball, Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto was once thought to be untouchable on the trade market.  

Shortly after rejecting a 15-year contract to stay with the Nationals, however, Soto finds himself on the trading block, and he isn’t sure what to think about it.  

"It feels really uncomfortable," Soto told reporters ahead of Monday’s Home Run Derby in Los Angeles. "You don't know what to trust. But at the end of the day, it's out of my hands in what decision they make."

Over the weekend, Soto rejected a 15-year, $440million contract extension offer, leading to fresh speculation that the 23-year-old slugger is available with the August 2 trade deadline fast approaching.  

That deal would have carried the largest total value in baseball history, but the average annual salary of $29.3 million would rank 16th in the league this season – not enough to appease Soto’s representation.  

By the lofty standards he set for himself, Soto had a slow start to this season and is hitting .250 at the break, although his 20 home runs have him tied for 14th in the majors.  

Soto admitted that, despite his best efforts, his future has been on his mind during this season.  

"Here and there, you know. But you can't blame that on your stats or anything you can do on the field," he said. "At the end of the day, I just try to forget about everything outside for three hours, and try to be the 12-year-old that I've been and play baseball as hard as I can and try to enjoy it as much as I can." 

After winning the 2019 World Series, the Nationals have been well below .500 in the past two seasons, and are 31-63 this campaign.  

Washington have already traded other pillars of that championship team – notably, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner – and Soto’s situation leaves general manager Mike Rizzo on the verge of a total organizational rebuild.  

Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka will play her first tournament since the French Open at the Silicon Valley Classic after accepting wild card. 

The 24 has won a grand slam in each of the past four years, but crashed out in the first round at Roland Garros with a defeat to Amanda Anisimova – who also knocked her out of the third round of the Australian Open – before withdrawing from Wimbledon due to an injury concern.

Ir was announced on Monday that Osaka will make her return in hard-court event in San Jose that starts on August 1 - four weeks before the US Open gets under way.

Silicon Valley Classic tournament director Vickie Gunnarsson said it was a great outcome to add Osaka to the playing field in the competition where it all began for her.

"We are very excited to have Naomi Osaka returning to the Bay Area," she said. "She made her WTA debut at our event and watching her grow both on and off the court has been amazing.

"She is not only an incredible player but her commitment to equality and social change is truly inspiring."

Osaka is down in 38th place in the rankings and has not won a tournament this year, but reached the final of the Miami Open in April, losing to world number one Iga Swiatek.

Already confirmed for the Silicon Valley Classic are Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, world number five Ons Jabeur, young American star Coco Gauff and 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.

Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller has withdrawn from their pre-season camp in Switzerland after discovering a tumour, the club has confirmed.

The Ivory Coast international, who signed for the Black and Yellow on a four-year deal earlier this month from Ajax, has returned to Germany for further tests.

The Bundesliga outfit asked for the privacy of the 28-year-old and his family to be respected, adding they would provide further updates when possible.

Haller initially complained of feeling unwell after a training session on Monday, before subsequent medical examinations discovered a tumour on his testicle.

"This news today came as a shock to Sebastien Haller and to all of us," sporting director Sebastian Kehl stated.

"The entire BVB family wishes Sebastien a full recovery as soon as possible and that we can hug him again soon. We will do everything in our power to ensure that he receives the best possible treatment."

Haller's move to Dortmund marks his second Bundesliga spell, after previously playing for Eintracht Frankfurt, and comes on the back of an impressive resurgence at Ajax following a lacklustre period with West Ham.

The forward finished last season as the Eredivisie's top scorer, with 21 goals in 31 games.

Barbora Krejcikova beat Suzan Lamens in the opening round of the Hamburg European Open for her first victory on clay in over a year.

The third seed, who claimed a second Wimbledon women's double title this month, saw off qualifier Lamens 6-2 6-4 to reach the last 16.

Her most recent victory on a clay-court surface prior to Monday came at last year's French Open, winning both the singles and women's doubles titles at Roland Garros in 2021.

Last year's runner-up Andrea Petkovic is also through thanks to a 6-3 6-3 victory over Tamara Korpatsch and will now face Misaki Doi, who defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva.

At the Palermo Ladies Open, meanwhile, fourth seed Sara Sorribes Tormo battled back from a set down to overcome Ana Bogdan 2-6 6-4 6-2.

Third seed Zhang Shuai also avoided an upset as she secured a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (9-7) victory over Rebeka Masarova, while Irina Begu required three sets to beat Marina Bassols.

Erik ten Hag has warned Harry Maguire he must prove he is good enough to merit a regular spot in the heart of Manchester United's defence.

Maguire endured a difficult campaign both on and off the field last season, leading to suggestions David de Gea or Cristiano Ronaldo would take over as United captain.

However, Ten Hag clarified at a news conference during United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia that the England international will continue to wear the armband.

That was considered a huge vote of confidence for Maguire, though he now faces additional competition for a starting place with Lisandro Martinez on his way from Ajax.

United have reached a £56.5million (€67m) agreement with the Eredivisie champions for Martinez, who can play in a number of positions but favours playing as a left-sided centre-back.

That would naturally see him play alongside Raphael Varane, with Victor Lindelof also battling for a spot at the back.

While Ten Hag has reiterated he is a fan of Maguire's, the Dutchman is not offering his skipper any assurances heading into the new campaign.

"We have good centre-halves and Harry is one of them. He can play on the left side and on the right," Ten Hag told The Athletic.

"I think he is [a first-choice player]. He's proved it in the past but he also has to prove it in the present time and in the future. 

"He has played 46 times for England. Harry is really impressive and I expect a lot from him.

"But there is also internal competition and that is what a club like Man United needs. You cannot win with 11 players. We need a squad. 

"Especially this season with so many games. We have the Europa League, the Premier League and the World Cup, so we need a full squad with high-quality players."

Maguire is about to begin his fourth season as a United player after joining from Leicester City in an £80m transfer in 2019, making him the world's most expensive defender.

The 29-year-old has made 144 appearances for United, which is 11 more than next-highest Marcus Rashford during his time at Old Trafford.

However, he started only 75.5 per cent of games in all competitions last season, compared to 85.2 per cent the previous campaign and 90.2 in the 2019-20 season.

Asked about his decision to continue with Maguire as captain, Ten Hag said: "I always see the captaincy as an issue that I dictate. 

"The team building for me is an important point and I always talk about a group of leaders. The captain is a really important one and I'm happy with him.

"It can help [give him more confidence]. I will support him everywhere I can. In the end, he has to do it by himself, and he has the qualities to do it."

Maguire was not the only United player who struggled last season, with the Red Devils recording their lowest-ever Premier League points tally (58) and finishing in sixth.

United have won their opening two pre-season friendlies under Ten Hag, against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory, and the new boss is eager to restore his players' confidence.

"You can see that it affects the players. Now we have to cheer them up and motivate them," he said. "We are trying to bring the confidence back. 

"That's one of the important points to get success, that you have self-belief as an individual and as a team. That is a process, individual talks for instance, the positive approach. 

"Sometimes also you can be highly demanding because that is what we expect and we give them feedback. If they don't, you ask: 'Why are you not acting to your standards?'. 

"I want to get the maximum out of the players who are here. I think it belongs to Manchester that you're always looking for better, for competition, because that is a tool to lift, too."

After taking a shot at Russell Westbrook by using him as the butt of a joke, San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan took to Twitter to say he was "not intending on being disrespectful" to the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. 

In a social media video, Sochan and fellow Spurs rookie Malaki Branham participated in a word association game while at this month's NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. 

Branham gave the hint, "Russell Westbrook get 'em a lot", with the hope Sochan would guess "triple-double" in response.

However, Sochan immediately said "bricks".

The 19-year-old eventually correctly guessed "triple-double" and apologised for the insult on Twitter. 

"It's banter, I was not intending on being disrespectful," he said. "Heat of the moment, I was playing a game baby."

Sochan, the ninth overall pick of this year's draft, later went on to say Westbrook has "been one idol since I started watching the NBA and my dog is called Russell".

While Westbrook is the NBA all-time leader in triple-doubles with 194, the 2016-17 league MVP struggled mightily with his shot from 3-point range last season, shooting 29.8 per cent from beyond the arc. 

Among the 142 players with at least 250 3-point attempts in 2021-22, Westbrook had the fourth-worst shooting percentage.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina sprung a surprise in the first round of the Hamburg European Open as he knocked out fifth seed Botic van de Zandschulp.

Van de Zandschulp reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon before losing Rafael Nadal, and he was undone by another Spaniard on the clay in Germany.

Davidovich Fokina broke Van de Zandschulp's serve six times en route to a 6-4 6-4 victory.

He will next face qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who also progressed on Monday alongside Slovakian compatriot Alex Molcan.

Lorenzo Musetti prevailed in three sets against Dusan Lajovic, while Karen Khachanov went the distance in beating Jan-Lennard Struff.

There was a shock at the Swiss Open Gstaad as home wild card Alexander Ritschard knocked out eighth seed Joao Sousa in straight sets.

Fifth seed Pedro Martinez beat fellow Spaniard Carlos Taberner, while there were also wins for Federico Delbonis and Jiri Lehecka.