All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur are edging closer to the signing of Adama Traore…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Eurosport transfer insider Dean Jones, who delivered a promising claim to ‘The Done Deal Show’ on The Football Terrace this week.

“Spurs have had to wait because Wolves made it clear that they wanted to get a replacement in before they would allow Traore to go anywhere, so Spurs have had to be patient on that,” he revealed.

“It looks like things will move forward this week with Traore, I do expect him to join Tottenham, they just need to agree on the fee.

“He’s a player they’ve been looking at for a long time, and finally, it looks like Tottenham are finally getting the opportunity to negotiate on this fee and it will probably be at half the price they’d have paid in the summer”

Conte will be buzzing

Traore has quickly emerged as a top priority for manager Antonio Conte as he looks to bolster his right flank. The Times have previously reported that Conte does not trust Emerson Royal, especially in the final third.

They also claim that the Spain international is available for just £20m, which makes him a far cheaper alternative to Tariq Lamptey.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-conte-paratici-levy-premier-league” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Despite being a winger by trade, the 25-year-old has experienced the right wing-back role during his time at Molineux and it’s there he could really excel under Conte – just look at the way in which he transformed Victor Moses into a Premier League and FA Cup winner.

His end product has been lacking, as evident by him scoring his first goal of the season only last weekend but his league-leading dribbling ability (4.3 successful attempts per game) and physical presence makes him a frightening player to face out wide.

“He’s a machine. I was watching him pre-game and he could be a powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer – he’s huge,” Rio Ferdinand once told BT Sport (via BirminghamLive), whilst Southampton forward Che Adams has previously lauded him as a “monster”.

If he is indeed Conte’s top target, then the Italian will be absolutely buzzing to hear that the deal is edging closer – with the international break due next week, perhaps we will see plenty of movement then.

AND in other news, “Tottenham will”: Sky Sports man drops “exciting” transfer claim, Conte surely buzzing…

David Sales and Mal Loye produced an exhibition of controlled hitting as Northamptonshire beat Middlesex by 49 runs in their floodlit Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Lord’s

05-Aug-2010
ScorecardMal Loye cracked 66 at the top of the order to lay the foundation for Northamptonshire’s comfortable win•PA PhotosDavid Sales and Mal Loye produced an exhibition of controlled hitting as Northamptonshire beat Middlesex by 49 runs in their floodlit Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Lord’s.Sales smacked two sixes and eight fours in a 70-ball 84, while Loye’s 69-ball 66 included four sixes and four fours, as Northamptonshire made 264 for 5. Whereas the Northamptonshire innings contained nine sixes, the Middlesex batsmen could manage only two maximums between them as they were bowled out for 215 in 39.5 overs.John Simpson tried hard to keep up with the required rate with 48 at the top of the order, and Neil Dexter himself included one leg-side six off Andrew Hall and a lovely lofted extra cover drive for four off James Middlebrook in a cameo 27, but Middlesex lost half their side for 108 and after that it was just a matter of what the final margin would be.The result ended Middlesex’s faint hopes of securing a semi-final place from Group B, but for Northants the win was a welcome change of fortunes after they had recorded just one victory in their previous six fixtures in the competition, and lifted them off the bottom of the group table.Loye took an early liking to Pedro Collins’ left-arm pace, twice slog-sweeping him over the short boundary for six, and Rob Newton followed suit when he fetched a ball from Toby Roland-Jones from outside off stump and hit it high over the midwicket boundary. The opening stand was split in the 17th over when Newton’s 44-ball 41 was ended by a catch in the deep and, after Alex Wakely was yorked by Shaun Udal, there was a brief further flurry of strokes by Loye before he was run out by a good piece of work at point by Gareth Berg.Sales, though, reprieved on three when it was ruled an edge off Roland-Jones had not carried to wicket-keeper Simpson, was soon plundering runs at will. He added 88 in 12 overs with Peters, who also struck two sixes in 40 from 35 balls, to ensure the Northamptonshire total would be a challenging one.And it was far too much for Middlesex to chase down, especially when Scott Newman was bowled by a superb nip-backer from Lee Daggett for 11 and Owais Shah, after an uncharacteristic 21-ball struggle for only four, was caught behind cutting at Middlebrook, who picked up three good wickets with his off-breaks.Dawid Malan then mis-hit a pull to midwicket, and Simpson chipped to wide mid-on as Middlesex slipped to 93 for 4. Berg (28), Tom Scollay (26) and Udal (21) then got starts but were unable to capitalise on them as Northamptonshire completed the job.

Wolves may still have a few days left in the January transfer window to make any changes to their squad in terms of bringing new players to Molineux, however, it seems as though they have identified one figure that they could look to sign when the summer window arrives.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Wolves are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing Chelsea striker Armando Broja, who is currently on loan at Southampton.

The report claims that Leeds United and Everton are the other clubs eyeing up a move for the Albanian attacker, with Southampton keen on keeping hold of him beyond his current loan deal.

During his time with the south coast club, Broja has managed to score five goals and provide one assist in 18 Premier League appearances, showing his attacking talents and how capable he is of playing in the Premier League on a regular basis.

Lage would be ecstatic

Labelled as having a “good physical presence” on the pitch by Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, as well as being a “confident” person around the club, Broja seems to be thriving in his first real taste of playing regularly in the Premier League after making just one senior appearance for Chelsea before signing his loan deal with the Saints.

His promising levels of form this term has led to high praise, with Martin Keown stating that the loanee more than “looks the part” leading the line for Southampton.

Taking into account how Wolves have only managed to score 19 goals in 21 league games so far this season, perhaps adding a young striker such as the Blues frontman, who is now finding his feet in the Premier League to their squad in the summer for next season, is just what Bruno Lage needs for his team moving forward.

If the £8.1m-rated centre-forward can end his season with the Saints on a high note with some more goals and assists, then Wolves should definitely try and sign him in the summer if a deal can’t be arranged now.

Should a move be feasible, it would surely delight Lage to have a young and capable goalscoring option at his disposal, especially with Raul Jimenez now 30 years of age.

However, with the other teams apparently keen on securing him, as well as Chelsea who may want to keep him in their squad for next term, it could prove to be a challenge for Wolves to secure the striker’s signature.

In other news: Wolves now eyeing late swoop for “special” £23.4m-rated beast, Lage would love him – opinion

Eye catching allround performances by Azhar Mahmood and Darren Stevens eased Kent to a 42-run victory over Nottinghamshire

22-Aug-2010
ScorecardDarren Stevens top-scored for Kent with an unbeaten 49•Getty ImagesEye catching allround performances by Azhar Mahmood and Darren Stevens eased Kent to a 42-run victory over Nottinghamshire in a Clydesdale Bank 40 game reduced to 16 overs a side.Heavy rain delayed the start for three-and-a-half hours, but it was Kent who appeared sharper with bat and ball when play finally got under way in front of a small Canterbury crowd at 5.15pm.Batting first having lost the toss, Kent posted 45 through openers Rob Key and Joe Denly, who each scored 22 before running themselves out. At the start of the 10th over Martin van Jaarsveld then missed an attempted sweep against Samit Patel to have leg stump pegged back and, at 63 for 3, Kent appeared unlikely to post a competitive score.Kent’s fourth-wicket partners had other ideas, however, as they tucked into the Nottinghamshire attack to add 72 from 35 balls to set the Outlaws a testing asking rate of 8.5 an over for victory. They took 22 from one over from Paul Franks as Stevens dashed to 49 from 35 balls – including three fours and as many sixes, one of which landed in the new St Lawrence lime tree.Mahmood chipped in with 29 off 15 deliveries and cleared the ropes twice as Franks conceded 33 off his three wicketless overs. Seemingly shell-shocked at the punishment their bowlers had received, Nottinghamshire got off to a poor start to their run chase and, once behind theasking rate, never really recovered their composure.The visitors lost Ali Brown in the second over, the right-hander missed an expansive drive to have off stump plucked out by his former Surrey team-mate Mahmood. To the next delivery Matthew Wood sliced a cover drive straight into the hands of Matt Coles at point and though Samit Patel survived the hat-trick ball he soon holed out in the deep off Simon Cook.Top-scorer Alex Hales missed a slog sweep against James Tredwell to go for 21 from 17 balls and Cook struck again by having Chris Read superbly caught late cutting by Geraint Jones when stood up to the stumps. With the light fading faster than Nottinghamshire’s victory hopes, Coles put the result beyond doubt by taking three wickets for three runs in the space of five balls.Franks was yorked, Graeme White heaved across the line to lose off stump then Steven Mullaney waltzed across his stumps to be pinned leg before wicket as Nottinghamshire slid to only their second defeat in nine starts. Coles finished with 3 for 7, while Cook and Mahmood bagged two wickets apiece to secure Kent’s fourth win of the group stages.

Delightful fast bowling from Shaun Tait, solid back-up medium-pace from Daniel Christian, and a near-perfect chase from Daniel Harris and Michael Klinger took South Australia to the semi-finals

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga17-Sep-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outMichael Klinger excelled in both leadership and batting to steer South Australia into the semi-finals•AFPDelightful fast bowling from Shaun Tait, solid back-up medium-pace from Daniel Christian and a near-perfect chase from Daniel Harris and Michael Klinger, who continues to cling onto the golden bat with his third match-winning fifty in three games, took South Australia Redbacks to the semi-finals of the Champions League.For about 25 overs, this had everything a Twenty20 game should have. Tait’s pace like fire, sensational fielding, Ross Taylor’s counter-punching, Tait’s comeback to get Taylor, Dillon du Preez’s stunner in the second half of the innings, some more special fielding, and Christian’s three-wicket last over. Dale Steyn and Praveen Kumar followed it up with a spirited defence, but the South Australia openers played sensibly, taking sharp singles and getting occasional boundaries. Once South Australia had kept the opening seamers wicketless, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling became progressively looser, misfields and dropped catches found their way in and the last 100 runs were a cruise in the heavy Durban breeze.Tait set up the night beautifully. He didn’t quite burn the speed gun, but bowled quick enough and got disconcerting bounce from deliveries fuller than bouncers. Manish Pandey top-edged a quick back-of-a-length ball in his first over, and an inside edge to a surprise full toss saved Rahul Dravid in his second. In between those overs, Callum Ferguson accounted for Robin Uthappa with a diving catch at cover-point even as all eyes had moved to the square boundary.Taylor, though, seemed to be playing a different game, racing along to 46 off 26 out of a team total of 62 by the end of the eighth over. Then Klinger, who had got Dravid through the early use of Aaron O’Brien’s left-arm spin, called back Tait. That was the easy part. It is not easy for the bowler who knows he has to give his captain a wicket in six deliveries. Tait started with a short ball, not quite the bouncer, that beat the keeper. Later in the over, Taylor bent his knees to play a length ball. It seemed the correct action until it kicked up to take the shoulder of the bat. Job done.Klinger was making superb bowling changes; legspinner Cullen Bailey removed Virat Kohli in his first over. du Preez then produced the surprise of the night, giving anything pitched on a length some tonk, hitting four sixes and a four in his 26-ball 46. Harris, running from long-on towards cow corner, almost latched onto one of those. He dived full length to his right and took the catch, then realised his proximity to the rope, and flicked the ball back in. A relay throw found both du Preez and Cameron White at the same end, but the replays showed Harris’ shoulder had just touched the boundary-rope skirting before he released the ball. Strangely, though, the umpires called it a four when it should have been a six.It would hardly matter in the end. Nor would the drop catch in the next over when du Preez drilled one short and wide delivery back at Bailey. For just when du Preez looked like setting a formidable target, Christian produced a bouncer to get him out. The 2.5 overs after that produced just 20.Harris and Klinger, already with a century stand in this tournament to their credit, then backed up their contributions in the field with another match-winning effort. They are both pretty similar in their batting styles: strong on the cut, low on risks, and possessing motor feet. It is difficult to tell them apart. Their running between the wickets, at times with the ball dropped on the pitch, frustrated the bowlers. In the second over, Klinger struggled against both Steyn’s pace and sharp inward movement. If this was a tennis rally, Klinger had been pushed right into a corner. From there he produced the winner, first through an on-drive for four, then back-to-back cut fours in Steyn’s next, with not much width on offer.du Preez, who made up for Jacques Kallis’ absence with the bat, ceded territory with the ball, bowling gentle length deliveries in the sixth over. Harris hit him for three boundaries to bring up South Australia’s 50. From then on the stroke-play grew more attractive, the batsmen matched each other shot for shot, Dravid missed a tough chance at point when Klinger was 31, Pandey dropped a fairly easy one when Harris was 43 and the asking-rate fell below a run a ball in the 13th over.Despite the two quick wickets that followed, it ceased being a contest too soon for a match that had such an intense first half.

Following the Ijaz Butt’s outburst on Sunday afternoon where he accused England of taking money to lose the third one-day international against Pakistan, the ECB released a statement as did Andrew Strauss

20-Sep-2010The ECB and the England team today announced that they were committed to continuing with the current NatWest Series against Pakistan. This decision was unanimously taken by the ECB Board following a meeting between the ECB chairman Giles Clarke, CEO David Collier, ECB managing director – England Cricket, Hugh Morris, and the England captain and coach, Andrew Strauss and Andrew Flower and a subsequent meeting with all of the England team.The ECB and the England players completely reject the remarks made by the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt yesterday about the England team’s conduct in the 3rd NatWest ODI at The Brit Insurance Oval. Mr Butt’s comments were wholly irresponsible and completely without foundation.The ECB expresses its gratitude for the outstanding conduct of the England team this summer and will take all legal and disciplinary action which may result from Mr Butt’s comments.The Board and the team, however, are of a view that it remains in the best interests of world cricket , the players and in particular of cricket supporters that the tour should continue and it would set a dangerous precedent to call off a tour based on the misguided and inaccurate remarks made by one individual.ECB will continue to offer ICC its full support in taking the strongest possible action against all areas of corruption and is pledged to offering the ACSU its full support at all times.Given the current sensitivities surrounding this issue, ECB believes it is imperative that any serious allegations made against another team or player should be presented through the proper channels to the ACSU. Both ECB and Team England view the comments made by Mr Butt as defamatory and not based in fact.Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: “I welcome the decision by England to play the last two games of this tour. It is a pragmatic decision that is in the best interests of world cricket.”Media Statement issued on behalf of the England Cricket TeamThe England Cricket team has this morning issued a statement in conjunction with the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA), following allegations made yesterday by the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.The team deplores and rejects unreservedly the suggestion that any England cricketer was involved in manipulating the outcome, or any individual element, of the 3rd NatWest Series ODI at the Brit Insurance Oval between England and Pakistan last week. The players fully understand their responsibilities as representatives of their country, and would not countenance giving less than 100% in any match they play.Andrew Strauss, England captain, speaking on behalf of the team, said:”We would like to express our surprise, dismay and outrage at the comments made by Mr Butt yesterday. We are deeply concerned and disappointed that our integrity as cricketers has been brought into question. We refute these allegations completely and will be working closely with the ECB to explore all legal options open to us.”Under the circumstances, we have strong misgivings about continuing to play the last two games of the current series and urge the Pakistani team and management to distance themselves from Mr Butt’s allegations. We do, however, recognise our responsibilities to the game of cricket, and in particular to the cricket-loving public in this country, and will therefore endeavour to fulfil these fixtures to the best of our ability.”Angus Porter, chief executive of the PCA, added:”The players appreciate the difficult position the ECB finds itself in, and is fully supportive of the actions taken by the Board, along with the ICC, to ensure all allegations of wrong-doing are properly investigated and acted upon. We will continue to cooperate closely with the ECB, with the aim of ensuring that the work to root out corruption is not derailed by mischievous attempts to detract attention from the real issues.”

Rangers return to Premiership action today as they will be looking to head back to winning ways domestically after their success in Europe.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee United in their last league outing and now come up against Motherwell at Ibrox.

The Dutchman’s side progressed through to the next round of the Europa League on Thursday night as they beat Borussia Dortmund 6-4 on aggregate. They held the Bundesliga outfit to a 2-2 draw at home, with James Tavernier scoring both of the goals on the night.

How many changes will the manager make to the team that faced Dortmund? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Leon Balogun, Glen Kamara and Amad Diallo coming in.

Starting off at the back, Balogun could come in for Borna Barisic. Taking the Croatian out of the team will allow Calvin Bassey to move to left-back, where he produced a stunning piece of skill and cross to create James Tavernier’s second goal against Dortmund on Thursday.

Barisic was hauled off at half-time against the Germans after winning just one duel and completing 64% of his passes. This could lead to him being axed from the side in favour of Balogun, who will then be able to partner Connor Goldson at centre-back.

In midfield, van Bronckhorst may axe Ryan Jack from the XI in order to hand him a rest. The £12k-per-week gem only recently returned from injury and there is no need to risk overworking him when the Dutch head coach has so many options at his disposal.

Kamara can slot in at the base of the midfield with John Lundstram and Joe Aribo ahead of him, or the latter could play in the number 10 role ahead of the other two in holding positions. The Finland international is a proven performer at Premiership level, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.03 this season in the division.

Finally, we are predicting that Amad Diallo will be handed an opportunity to impress on the right in favour of Scott Arfield. The on-loan Manchester United man has struggled since his arrival in January, starting just twice in the league, but this could be a chance for him to prove the doubters wrong and kickstart his career at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Forget Morelos: “Unstoppable” 52-tackle “powerhouse” has been GvB’s true Rangers hero…

Ricky Ponting has questioned whether England have the batting strength necessary to retain the Ashes by winning in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2010Ricky Ponting has questioned whether England have the batting strength necessary to retain the Ashes by winning in Australia, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since Mike Gatting’s team did so in 1986-87.”Kevin Pietersen, obviously, is a big question mark for them at the moment,” Ponting told UAE’s Radio 2 (listen to the entire interview on ESPNcricinfo’s ). “Alastair Cook is just holding on to his spot by the skin of his teeth, and [Paul] Collingwood has probably not had the best Test summer of his life either. So there is enough happening around there to know that they will be a little nervous when they arrive in Australia.”Pietersen averaged 27.25 in four innings against Pakistan this summer and hasn’t scored a century in 19 months. John Buchanan, the former Australia coach who has accepted a consulting role with the ECB, had also suggested that Pietersen could be a ‘major problem’ for England.Cook had been under intense pressure following a prolonged lean spell before earning some breathing room with a gutsy 110 against Pakistan at The Oval. Collingwood had a successful tour of South Africa last winter but six of his previous eight Test innings have been scores of five or less.Ponting said that England could pose a strong challenge, especially with the rise of offspinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler Stuart Broad, whose five wickets at The Oval were vital to England reclaiming the Ashes last year, continuing to deliver in crunch situations.”They have some good players in their side at the moment, who are playing well,” Ponting said. “Graeme Swann is probably the stand out. Stuart Broad, and probably their captain [Andrew Strauss], these have been the guys who have stood up for them over the last couple of years. But they have certainly been the more consistent team than any English team I have played against in the past.”Australia have a formidable home record, having lost only one series since 1992-93. They blanked England 5-0 in 2006-07, and Ponting hoped his side could repeat that performance. “We all know how hard opposition teams find it coming to Australia, and particularly starting at the Gabba, they always find it a difficult place to win. So as an Australian, and an Australian captain, we are hoping for a very similar series to the last one.”Ponting has played in more Test wins than anyone else and already has three World Cup trophies – two as captain – but insisted his hunger for the game hadn’t waned.”There is no doubt about that. I mean, I would have not worked as hard as I have over the last eight weeks if the hunger wasn’t there,” he said. “I am as excited about the next period of cricket, with the Ashes and then the World Cup at the end of that, so that is about six or seven months of biggest cricket tournaments that you ever play.”

Tottenham could battle Aston Villa in the race to sign German defender Matthias Ginter this summer, according to Lyall Thomas.

The Lowdown: Defensive reinforcements needed?

Steven Gerrard could be a busy man this summer ahead of his first full season in charge at Villa Park.

Reports have suggested that eight players could be moved on from the Midlands, with Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa’s futures under scrutiny.

Should the pair depart, Villa would be left with just two senior centre-backs and then surely need to dip into the market, where it looks as if Ginter could be the first major deal.

The Latest: Thomas’ post

Sky Sports reporter Thomas took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to provide an update on Ginter. He confirmed that Villa are ‘interested’ in Ginter on a free transfer, with Premier League rivals Tottenham and West Ham also watching the World Cup winner this season.

“Aston Villa among the clubs interested in Matthias Ginter on a free transfer, acc. to Sky Germany. Separately, I’m aware he has been watched by a lot of top clubs this season including Juventus, Tottenham and West Ham.”

The Verdict: Sign

Gerrard is looking to take Villa to the next level, and bringing in an experienced centre-back on a free transfer could be an ideal move.

Ginter, who can also play as a full-back and in midfield, is valued at £21.6m and has bundles of top-flight experience in Germany as well as in European competitions and for his country. [Transfermarkt]

He appears to be a man in demand, so securing his services for nothing over the coming months could prove to be a coup and shouldn’t impact the club’s big £150m summer spending plans.

In other news: Gerrard and Lange now eyeing another free transfer for ‘superstar’ attacker. 

West Ham United have conceded 43 goals in 33 Premier League games so far this season, leaving only Leicester City (50) and Manchester United (44) having conceded more in the top half of the league table.

With the next summer transfer window on the horizon, this could give the east London club a chance to strengthen their squad at the back and make them tougher to score against moving forward.

If this ends up being an area GSB look to do some business in once the window opens, one player that could fit the bill for what they need is one that they previously tried to sign but were unsuccessful is James Tarkowski.

Back in the 2020 summer transfer window, the Hammers were heavily linked with a move for the Burnley centre-back but were not able to take him away from Turf Moor.

However, with the Lancashire club having sacked Sean Dyche recently and being in danger of getting relegated, this summer could be the opportune time for the east London club to reignite their interest in the defender and actually work out a deal for him this time around.

Since arriving at Burnley back in 2016, the 29-year-old has made 213 appearances for the Clarets across all competitions, chipping in with seven goals and five assists.

To highlight what a capable defender the Englishman is, no other Burnley player has managed to make more tackles, blocks, clearances or interceptions than Tarkowski.

In addition to this, he is currently listed as the highest-rated player at the club with an overall performance rating of 7.03/10 from WhoScored.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see why Burnley journalist Andy Jones described the centre-back as “sensational” last month.

Having also been labelled as being “solid as a rock” for Burnley by Alex James back in 2019, this shows the consistency Tarkowski has delivered in his performances over the years and why the Hammers were after him in 2020.

Moving forward, if Burnley do end up getting relegated to the Championship at the end of this season, GSB should definitely be ready to pounce on a potential deal that would finally see the £70k-per-week machine make a move to the London Stadium.

In other news: “Gives West Ham the edge…”: Insider drops huge transfer claim, Moyes will be buzzing