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Tottenham Hotspur are set to revisit their previous interest in Adama Traore this summer…

What’s the word?

The stocky winger swapped Wolverhampton Wanderers for his former club Barcelona during the January transfer window, rejecting Spurs in the process, but as the 26-year-old is only on loan, he’s a player that the north Londoners remain interested in.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness), the Catalan giants are unable to fork out his €30m (£25m) option to buy this summer due to the club’s finances, though they remain hopeful of some sort of player swap deal involving Francisco Trincao, who is currently on loan in the other direction.

At the current time, this seems unlikely to happen, making Traore potentially available again ahead of next season. Antonio Conte and co retain their interest and will hold out to see what situation emerges over the coming months.

Bergwijn in danger

Forgotten Lilywhites man Steven Bergwijn should be hugely concerned by these developments, as a move for any new winger would surely push him closer to the exit door as he’s already slipped down the pecking order.

Dejan Kulusevski’s arrival on January deadline day has seen the Dutch winger further limited to game time. He has played only 486 minutes in the Premier League and 811 minutes overall this season, in which just 337 minutes have been under Conte.

Eredivisie champions Ajax have regularly been linked with a move for the 24-year-old outcast, so if Traore were to walk through the door at Hotspur Way, then you’d imagine Bergwijn – who cost £25m in January 2020 – would quickly become expendable.

It would be something of a major upgrade, too, though.

Across 76 appearances, the £18m-rated winger has only scored seven goals and laid on ten assists, as per Transfermarkt. Those are hardly inspiring numbers for an attacking player in the Premier League and whilst Traore’s returns aren’t much better, it’s the eye test that clinches it.

Built like a brick wall, the Spaniard has been lauded as “unplayable” by Premier League-winning head coach Jurgen Klopp and a “monster” by Southampton forward Che Adams.

Traore is also capable of playing centrally up front, on the other flank and at right wing-back, ticking plenty more boxes than Bergwijn, so he could be of much greater use, especially if the 26-year-old’s natural role is being taken up by someone like Kulusevski.

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It remains to be seen whether Spurs would have to splash out £25m to sign Traore, although that is around his current estimated value of £25.2m, as per Transfermarkt.

Either way, this sustained interest in the Wolves loanee certainly spells trouble for Bergwijn heading into 2022/23.

AND in other news, Spurs leading race to sign £42m-rated “special talent”, could be Conte’s next Martinez…

	The Chennai Superstars won the inaugural tournament of the ICL © Cricinfo Ltd

While the BCCI-run Indian Premier League gathers steam, the second tournament of the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) gets underway on Sunday.Unlike the Twenty20 tournament conducted late last year in Panchkula, the second edition will be 50-over contests, and will be held in Chennai and Hyderabad. The hype surrounding the inaugural edition also seems to be missing, as are the overseas recruits who took part in the Twenty20 competition.The six teams – Chennai Superstars, Chandigarh Lions, Delhi Jets, Hyderabad Heroes, Kolkata Tigers and Mumbai Champs – will play each other once, and the top two teams head into the final in Chennai on February 10.The Chennai Superstars had triumphed in the Twenty20 competition, having beaten the Chandigarh Lions in the final. Among the ICL’s signings are former Indian players Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, Reetinder Sodhi, Jai Prakash Yadav, Deep Dasgupta and Rohan Gavaskar, and promising youngsters such as Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Ambati Rayudu.Schedule of matches
In Chennai:Jan 27: Chandigarh Lions vs Chennai Superstars,28: Chennai Superstars vs Hyderabad Heroes,29: Delhi Jets vs Mumbai Champs,30: Kolkata Tigers vs Hyderabad Heroes,31: Chandigarh Lions vs Mumbai Champs,Feb 1: Delhi Jets vs Kolkata Tigers,2: Delhi Jets vs Chennai Superstars,3: Kolkata Tigers vs Mumbai Champs,4: Chennai Super stars vs Mumbai Champs,6:Kolkata Tigers vs Chennai Superstars,8: Chandigarh Lions vs Kolkata Tigers,10: Final.
In Hyderabad:Feb 3: Chandigarh Lions vs Hyderabad Heroes,5: Delhi Jets vs Chandigarh Lions,6: Mumbai Champs vs Hyderabad Heroes,8: Delhi Jets vs Hyderabad Heroes.

Irfan Pathan will breathe a sigh of relief now that his berth has been assured © AFP

Irfan Pathan, the Indian allrounder, will after all travel to the West Indies for the World Cup, Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, confirmed in Ahmedabad today. Vengsarkar, along with two other national selectors, watched Pathan’s performance for West Zone in their Deodhar Trophy match against Central Zone.”There are no alterations in the 15-member World Cup squad,” Vengsarkar told reporters. Under pressure to prove his form and fitness for the World Cup, Pathan conceded 48 off his 8.4 overs and took two late wickets.Vengsarkar reasoned that it was too early to gauge Pathan’s fitness on the basis of just one match. Pathan was part of the original 15-member squad but the selectors sprung a surprise when they warned that Pathan’s selection wasn’t guaranteed if his fitness wasn’t upto scratch.”Irfan has not played for the last one month and needs to bowl more” Vengsarkar said. “There is not much time left for the World Cup and Pathan will be bowling in the nets and will also be playing in the warm-up matches before the World Cup begins.”

Scorecard
How they were out

Gautam Gambhir pulls on his way to a fine century © AFP

Gautam Gambhir, the discarded Indian opener, made an emphatic statement with a fluent hundred that powered the Board President’s XI to a handy lead against England at Vadodara. England fought back through its lead fast bowlers – Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff – with the second new ball, but suffered a setback losing Andrew Strauss in the dying moments of the day.The day, however, belonged to Gambhir, who had been overlooked on Thursday by the Indian selectors who favoured Wasim Jaffer, his opening partner in this match. Gambhir led the Indian charge right from the start – his 62-run association with Dheeraj Jadhav (20) having blunted the attack – and in the company of Suresh Raina he marched on with authoritative drives and unflinching defense. In his career so far, Gambhir has shown himself to be a clean striker of the cricket ball, but when partnered with Virender Sehwag he has found himself playing second fiddle. It is a situation where impetuosity can creep in – the result being a tendency to get out prematurely – but today he played in a manner that would have given his critics considerable pause. Watchful against the quicks and confident against spin, Gambhir paced his innings well. Matthew Hoggard was driven with class, Flintoff was negated, and when Ian Blackwell tossed it up, Gambhir drove down the ground. When the bowler dropped it short, he cut and pulled.The nineties, as they do for many an accomplished batsman, proved a testing period but at 1:38 pm in the stifling Vadodara heat, Gambhir cut Monty Panesar past point to reach three figures and the crowd echoed their praise for an innings of fortitude. Gambhir’s innings was cut short by the resilient Flintoff 39 minutes before the interval, but by then he had taken the Indians to a position of security.Powered by Gambhir, the Indians had overhauled England’s total but their collapse had threatened to undo the good work by their centurion. Raina, who had played so well for his 62, started the collapse by giving Panesar the charge and skying it to Blackwell, moving to his right at mid-off. Twelve minutes later Flintoff gave England further success by castling Subramaniam Badrinath for a 10-ball duck. Following these strikes, England came into their own and looked the Test-match side that they are. Venugopal Rao, who had stuck around for 25 from 98 minutes, was made to play at an outswinger from Harmison and was snapped up by Flintoff at slip. Dinesh Karthik, who had endured a hostile spell from Flintoff, surviving five raucous appeals for lbw and one life through the slips, fished at Harmison and was well held by Trescothick at first slip. Vikram Singh was the last to go, cleaned up by a Flintoff yorker and forcing the declaration at 342 for 8. Ramesh Powar, the stocky allrounder, rode his luck to hit a breezy 25 from 17 deliveries and frustrate Harmison, who at one stage picked up the ball in his follow-through and hurled it back towards Powar, flattening the stumps.The bowling, if not at top gear, was consistent. Hoggard was lively and managed good carry through to the `keeper. He beat almost every batsman, on occasion – probing, cutting – and garnered that little hint of swing that kept them on their toes. Harmison strived for bounce early in the day, without undoing himself, but with Jadhav and Gambhir confident in leaving the rising balls alone his effect was negated easily. Taking the new ball however, he looked more the Harmison of Sabina Park (where he took 7 for 12) and was rewarded with key wickets. Flintoff was his usual self, testing the batsmen with some well-directed lifters and holding his nerve thoughout, while Panesar – with his high-arm action, bowled with control. Raina’s wicket was just reward for the bowler, who bowled untiringly and unwaveringly throughout the day.Kiran More, in announcing the India squad for the first Test against England yesterday, said that India were looking to their rich pool of youth to lead the way ahead. In 64.3 overs since the chairman of selectors made that statement, Gambhir and Raina did much to prove that India indeed have the firepower to guide them into the next day, and in the setting sun, Munaf Patel gave further example of his durability.”If you work with determination and with perfection, success will follow” read a painted banner atop the pavilion at the IPCL Cricket Stadium. The perfection may take a while in getting here, but the determination cannot be faulted.How they were outEngland XI
Andrew Strauss c Raina b Patel 2 (3 for 1)
Indian Board President’s XI
Dheeraj Jadhav c Jones b Harmison 20 (157 for 2)
Gautam Gambhir c Strauss b Flintoff 108 (243 for 3)
Suresh Raina c Blackwell b Montesar 62 (274 for 4)
Subramaniam Badrinath b Flintoff 0 (279 for 5)
Venugopal Rao c Flintoff b Harmison 25 (306 for 6)
Dinesh Karthik c Trescothick b Harmison 19 (313 for 7)
Vikram Singh b Flintoff 13 (342 for 8)

Railways 355 (Ali 80, Bangar 79) and 471 (Goud 138*, Yadav 97) drew with Punjab 309 (Dharmani 115) and 137 for 4 – Railways won the Ranji Trophy because they took the first-innings lead.
Scorecard
How they were out

Railways celebrate victory in the final of the Ranji Trophy© Getty Images

A game that twisted and turned on the first four days meandered to an anti-climactic, inevitable, end as Railways strolled to their second Ranji Trophy triumph by virtue of gaining the first-innings lead. After grinding their way to a massive lead of 517, Railways enjoyed a cheerful afternoon picnic at Mohali as Punjab stuttered to 137 for 4 before the game was finally called off.Within the first two hours of the day, Yere Goud had continued his resolute methods and reached a memorable hundred, his 12th in first-class cricket, the tail wagged with some unexpected restraint, and made sure that the title was completely secure. The lack of intent to go for an outright victory was a shade disappointing, but as every Railways player will tell you, too much is at stake and they couldn’t afford even the slightest of risks.The rest of the day was spent waiting for the celebrations to begin.After a solid start, Punjab lost three wickets in quick succession, two to Sanjay Bangar, and thoughts of a collapse crept in. But Ravneet Ricky’s fluent 64 prevented any such crumbling as part-timers tried their luck with the ball.The end came at 3.37pm after seven mandatory overs. Jai Prakash Yadav, the architect of the triumph, was the first to grab a stump as the Railways players converged for a raucous celebration. Every single member of the side contributed to the triumph with Yadav, Goud and Sanjay Bangar leading the way. Through the season, they unearthed Madan Yadav, a left-arm spinner with promise, while Amit Pagnis and Harvinder Singh changed from occasional contributors to genuinematchwinners.The young Punjab side – this was the first season for many players – walked off completely flat but they will look back at the several positives from the season. Intikhab Alam instilled a cladding of steel in them and their triumph at the Wankhede, something sides very rarely achieve, was a massive achievement in itself. There were initial signs that Ravneet Ricky and Reetinder Singh Sodhi might finally translate potential into performance, Dharmani soldiered on, while Gaurav Gupta, a pugnacious middle-order batsman, and VRV Singh, the fast bowler, had impressive starts to their careers. They rode on team effort rather than individuals and reached the finals for the first time in 10 years. They are probably at the same stage that Railways were in around 2001 and if they build on their gains, they could be a dominant force in the years to come.Strains of bhangra filled the air as the Railways players danced off the ground into the dressing-room. Apart from the Ranji Trophy, there was much more to look forward to – promotions, increments, a better gymnasium, improved infrastructure, renovation of their dormitory at Delhi and the like. The champagne was uncorked soon after and the fairy-tale turnaround from relegation contenders to national champions was just beginning to sink in.How they were outRailwaysHarvinder c Gupta b Rajesh 26 (396 for 9) Beaten by onethat went away and nicked to Gaurav Gupta at first slip.Madan c Dharmani b Vineet 38 (471 all out) Flashed at awide one and nicked to the wicketkeeper.PunjabSodhi c Wankhede b Bangar 15 (32 for 1) Edged one whileattempting to drive through the covers.Kakkar c Wankhede b Bangar 1 (34 for 2) Almost identicalto Sodhi’s dismissal.Muneesh c Pagnis b Madan 7 (52 for 3) Pushed forward toone that turned away and was caught at silly mid-on.Ricky b Parida 64 (110 for 4) Tried to pull a short onebut was bowled after the ball kept low.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Cricinfo.

Fate dealt Jamie How, the Central Districts batsman, a cruel hand when rain forced the abandonment of the State Championship match with Northern Districts without a ball being bowled on the last day. How, 22, was unbeaten on 97 overnight and missed out on his third first-class century.To compound the situation, CD failed to win any points from the match. ND assured themselves of first-innings points with their substantial lead of 254.There was even less chance of a result being achieved at Auckland where the outer oval at Eden Park was sodden after heavy overnight rain that left pools of water on the outfield. Rain fell throughout the morning and there was no chance of any play at all with Otago struggling at 131 for 6 in reply to Auckland’s 424.Both teams took one point from the match. That was enough for Auckland go to the top of the State Championship points table, but close rivals Wellington still have a game in hand. They will play Auckland at home from Friday.The points tally Auckland 9, Canterbury 8, Wellington 6, Central Districts 2, Northern Districts 2, Otago 1.

Adam Gilchrist isn’t sure he belongs among the top tier of Australian Test batsmen despite joining elite company with his remarkable double century against South Africa at the Wanderers.Gilchrist was today still absorbing his unbeaten 204, which again propelled him past names like Greg Chappell, Neil Harvey, Allan Border and Steve Waugh onAustralia’s list of Test batting averages.Of the batsmen to play more than 10 Tests, Gilchrist’s average of 57.30 is behind only Don Bradman (99.94) and Sid Barnes (63.06), and just 0.05 ahead ofDamien Martyn, his demolition partner yesterday.That Martyn’s excellent 133, in a record-breaking stand of 317 for the sixth wicket, was almost lost beneath Gilchrist’s onslaught on the second day said plenty about one of the most ruthless innings ever seen in Test matches.At 212 balls, it was the fastest double century recorded in Tests, eight balls quicker than Ian Botham’s knock against India at The Oval in 1982.His eight sixes, including two out of the Wanderers grounds, were the most by an Australian in one innings and his stand with Martyn was only the secondsixth-wicket partnership to surpass 300 runs.And all this from a wicketkeeper who didn’t play his first Test until nine days before his 28th birthday.But the humble Gilchrist typically wanted to play down his Test record even though just nine batsmen from all countries have averaged better than him at the same stage of their careers.”I don’t think you can focus too much on it,” Gilchrist said.”I have been up this high before in the averages and seen 10 runs get wiped off in one series. Averages are things you look at when you are finished but it is hard to gauge at the moment.”I think we are the beneficiaries of some great work by the top order which gives us the chance to play our natural games.”Gilchrist’s friends wouldn’t expect him to say anything different but it was hard even for him to downplay the nature of his fifth Test century.The left-hander was cautious after coming in against the second new ball, taking 89 balls to reach his half-century, but he wiped the next 50 off in just 32 deliveries as South Africa’s thin layer of confidence was shattered.Gilchrist, batting at No.7, doesn’t often face a new ball or the responsibility of performing each time he bats, but the more recognised batsmen don’t have the burden of wicketkeeping.Moments after Gilchrist reached his double century, captain Steve Waugh declared his first innings closed at 7-652 and South Africa was paddling at 4-111 in reply when the long second day ended under lights.”I haven’t had a lot of time to sit back and reflect but obviously it is a fantastic personal milestone,” Gilchrist said.”It was an amazing day and something that will always be memorable. We will have to wait and see when I finish my career where it rates.”It was an emotional innings for Gilchrist, who raised both arms to his teammates and then crouched to the ground after reaching his century.The 30-year-old has endured a testing summer, pulling out of a one-day international last month to be with wife Mel and baby son Harrison, who wasn’t well in his first weeks.Harrison has since recovered but Gilchrist admitted it was tough to be away from his family.”We are all under pressure and miss our family and partners. It has been a full-on summer in that regard with Harrison being born,” he said.”Everyone knows I missed a game to be with Mel and Harrison during a tough period.”You are a long time on the road and miss friends and family. It is nice to know you have the support of your team-mates who are a fantastic bunch of guys.”

After conceding a first innings lead of 134 runs, Baroda made a dream start inthe second innings running up 236 without loss by stumps on the third day oftheir West Zone Ranji Trophy league match at Baroda on Sunday. Openers ConnorWilliams and Satyajit Parab both hit centuries.Resuming at 320 for seven, Maharashtra did well in ending up with 407. AbhijitKale, 158 overnight, was last out for 222. In a stay of 393 minutes, Kale faced272 balls and hit 25 fours. With last man S Shaikh (12 not out), Kale figured ina partnership of 68 runs off 14.2 overs. NV Buch was the most successful bowlerwith four for 113.In the Baroda second innings, Williams and Parab maintained a good run rate andremained unbeaten at stumps. Both batted five hours. While the 27-year-old lefthanded Williams faced 192 balls for 115 and hit 13 fours, the 26-year-old righthanded Parab faced 225 balls for his 116 and hit 14 fours. The partnership, off69 overs, gave Baroda a lead of 102 runs. Eight bowlers were tried but nonecould break the stand.

Wolves’ woes in front of goal have continued on from Nuno Santo’s reign, as just five teams in the Premier League have failed to score more than Bruno Lage’s side, with Leeds as far down as 16th having put the ball in the back of the net more times this campaign.

Strikers Raul Jimenez and Hwang-Hee Chan have netted a disappointing total of 11 goals between them, while £36m signing Fabio Silva has managed just one goal all season – which came for the U23s team in the Premier League 2.

They could have wasted even more money last summer though, as they targeted Sheffield United striker Oliver McBurnie in a potential £15m deal, according to The Sun.

The Telegraph also reported on transfer deadline day back in August that the club attempted to complete a deal near the closure of the window, but they had just run out of time – which perhaps was a blessing in disguise.

Having made just six starts in the Championship and appearing a further 19 times from the bench, he has failed to score all campaign and has set up just two goals, in what has been a very unsuccessful season for the £6.3m-rated Scotland international.

With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that pundit Tam McManus described the attacker as “desperate” for his efforts in the final third.

After having a number of run-ins with the law in recent years, he has also become somewhat of a controversial figure in football, and fans and pundits have regularly criticised his attitude on and off the pitch.

Former Blades striker Carl Asaba is just one of the people who have leapt to his defence recently though, saying in an interview with The Star: “I watch McBurnie arrive at the ground, he’s smiling and happy, he warms up not looking like a man who is tense, or desperate to find a goal as I used to.

“He’s happy and jokey when a substitute and wishes his team mates good luck before kick off.

“He gets onto the pitch and he retains possession, ambles into the box when I’m screaming from commentary box that he needs to break his neck to get across the near post or that he should have taken a shot as you don’t shoot you don’t score.”

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With that being said, McBurnie clearly wasn’t the answer for Wolves if he is struggling for goals in the Championship – and the West Midlands club don’t need another forward to ‘retain possession’ or be ‘happy and jokey’ with teammates.

Instead, they need a proven goal-getter who can fire them into European qualification, and the 17-time Scotland international, who hasn’t yet scored for his national side either, isn’t that man.

In other news: Insider drops big Wolves claim involving Ruben Neves, it’ll devastate supporters

	Despite Australia’s win-at-all-costs attitude, Ganguly was impressed by their hunger to win © Getty Images

Sourav Ganguly has said that umpire Mark Benson should have consulted Steve Bucknor in adjudicating on the controversial catch which led to his dismissal in the second innings of the second Test against Australia in Sydney.Batting on 51, Ganguly had edged Brett Lee low to Michael Clarke at second slip who immediately claimed the catch and the Australians celebrated before awaiting the umpire’s decision. Ganguly, convinced that the catch hadn’t carried, waited at the crease. Benson opted not to consult Bucknor at square leg and instead took Ricky Ponting’s word that the catch was legitimate.It was among several decisions that went against India through the Test and played a big part in their defeat. But Ganguly was willing to shrug off the disappointment and said that the playing conditions need to be respected if agreed upon before the series.”I thought he [Benson] could have done a better job speaking to Steve Bucknor,” Ganguly told the channel Star Cricket during the second day of the warm-up game against the ACT XI in Canberra. “The moment I nicked it I turned back and saw it didn’t carry. But that’s the way is. It was agreed to stick by the captain’s word and we have to stay with that.”If it’s a decision by the captains then I think in modern day cricket it’s fine. But the umpires have a responsibility too. You can leave it to the fielders but the umpires have to make a judgment. I think the umpires should interfere if they feel it’s a 50-50.”The umpiring aside, the Test ended in acrimony after offspinner Harbhajan Singh was charged with making an alleged racist remark to Andrew Symonds. Kumble, speaking after the game, said the Australians were guilty of not playing with the right spirit. His feelings were shared by several Australians, including former players who weren’t impressed by Ponting’s conduct.Ganguly however said that he admired Australia’s hunger to win. “Sometimes things happen at the heat of the moment. But I also admired how desperate they were to win. That’s not a bad thing in sport. Some decisions didn’t go our way. It hurt us. On the other side, it showed why they win so many Test matches.”Down 2-0 in the series, Ganguly said the team was a happy bunch and that the Perth Test will be a true measure of how good they are. He agreed that the team was a little under-done before the first Test and that a second tour game would have helped.”It’s a happy team. We had a good year before this series. I spoke to the Indian board and said one warm-up was not enough. We should have had two. We had the Pakistan home series so it was difficult to fit in another game.”