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Tottenham Hotspur are preparing for an ‘unprecedented’ transfer spending spree in the upcoming January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to an inside source, who revealed the information to Football Insider earlier this week, and claims that manager Antonio Conte is pushing the club’s hierarchy to land multiple signings after identifying several key areas since arriving in the dugout.

It’s believed that the Italian, along with sporting director Fabio Paratici, are plotting for the “biggest January window in the club’s history”, as per the report.

There could be several major signings, as well as some departures, whilst it is thought that a new central defender is amongst the 52-year-0ld’s priorities.

An exciting winter?

In the past, Spurs have hardly been notorious spenders in any transfer window, let alone in the winter. After all, the north Londoners did go 18 months without a single signing during the Mauricio Pochettino era, ending it with the £15m addition of Jack Clarke.

For instance, this time last year, there were no additions to Jose Mourinho’s squad in January, even with the side struggling to force their way into the top six.

A year earlier, only Steven Bergwijn was their ‘major’ splash, joining in a £25m deal from PSV Eindhoven – and funnily enough, he is one of the players who could seemingly depart next month, according to Mike Verweij on De Telegraaf’s football podcast (via Sport Witness).

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

There was no signing in 2019 or 2017, whilst Lucas Moura (£23m) was the sole addition on deadline day in 2018.

As you can see, any sort of substantial change in playing staff in January would represent a change in attitude from the club, and particularly chairman Daniel Levy, though that could suggest that it’s truly Paratici in charge of such decision-making now.

Despite a change in manager and some pretty drab performances – leading striker Harry Kane has even bagged just once – the Lilywhites somehow still sit in fifth place, just two points adrift of the top four, with a game in hand.

Bringing in some much-needed reinforcements could be exactly what Conte needs to steer Spurs back into the Champions League, and that would be quite some feat with this current squad.

As such, this latest development from an inside source should leave supporters around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium absolutely buzzing with excitement.

It’s no secret that the squad needs a freshen up – last season’s error-prone backline remains, Kane is out of sorts and several players have overstayed their welcome.

Backing a world-class manager like Conte will pay serious dividends and the prospect of that actually happening, as the report suggests, should leave fans – as well as the Italian himself – rather encouraged heading into next month’s window.

AND in other news, Spurs source drops major behind-the-scenes update at Hotspur Way, Conte will be fuming…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time as Manchester United manager has finally come to an end, an eventuality that will leave all four corners of Old Trafford beaming from ear to ear.

It has been a sorry tenure for the Norwegian tactician who leaves behind one of the most prestigious jobs in world football after a desperate 4-1 defeat to Watford on Saturday.

What’s the word?

A number of managers have been tipped with landing the job after Solskjaer’s sacking with Zinedine Zidane one of the most eye-catching names in the frame.

However, today, it has been claimed that Julian Lopetegui is on their radar, while they could also move for Laurent Blanc as an interim solution.

Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, has been admired by the club for a while and it’s now thought that the club’s biggest legend wants him at United.

That’s according to talkSPORT journalist Ian Abrahams who said on Twitter: “Information I’ve been told today – sources close to Sir Alex Ferguson say the former United manager wants Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s next manager. He thinks Zidane will go to PSG releasing Poch to move to Old Trafford.”

Fans buzzing

It’s fairly evident that Ferguson still has a huge role to play behind the scenes at Man United with the Scot proving key in Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to English football.

It will also come as no surprise to hear that Pochettino would be his first pick at United.

After all, the 79-year-old has hailed him previously as the finest tactician in the Premier League, while he’s also been described as the “best manager in the world” by Everton forward Andros Townsend.

He’s not far wrong either. Despite not winning anything with Tottenham, he guided them to a Champions League final despite spending minimal transfer fees, while he’s also impressed at PSG.

Based on that, his stock is incredibly high and judging by his CV and accomplishments to date, the United fanbase would surely be elated to see him walk through the door to replace Solskjaer.

The Argentine has experience of English football, something plenty of other suitors do not possess, and now he’s in Paris, he clearly knows how to live up to some of the biggest expectations in football.

Combine that with his knowledge of managing some of the largest personalities in the sport – Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for example – he could be the man to finally make this United team gel.

At the moment it looks more like a team of individuals than a collective group all fighting for each other. Pochettino, however, could be game-changing in turning that around.

Supporters will be delighted to see him so intently linked with the vacant role.

AND in other news, Forget Zidane: Glazers can save Man Utd by hiring “very serious” gem with 62% win rate…

A round-up of the action from the first round of matches in the 2009-10 Vijay Hazare Trophy

Cricinfo staff10-Feb-2010South ZoneHyderabad launched their Vijay Hazare campaign with victory after prevailing over Andhra by two wickets in a tense low-scoring fixture at the MRF Pachyappas Ground in Chennai. Hyderabad’s decision to field reaped immediate dividends when the opening bowlers reduced Andhra to a dismal 14 for 3. Despite steadying hands from the middle order, the innings seemed to have run out of gas at 104 for 6 in the 38th over. Duvvarapu Shivkumar changed the complexion of the innings with a belligerent 67 off 41 balls to take his side past 200. Syed Sahabuddin struck early to have Hyderabad stuttering at 8 for 2, before Ravi Teja and Anirudh Singh calmed the nerves with half centuries. That was when Shivkumar got into the act for the second time in the day. In partnership with Donnapaneni Kalyankrishna, he wrecked the middle order as 128 for 2 became 175 for 8. However, Amol Shinde and Alfred Absolem ensured that their side crossed the line in the penultimate over.Tamil Nadu overwhelmed Kerala by eight wickets with 84 balls remaining at the Central Polytechnic India Pistons Ground in Chennai. Asked to bat by the hosts, Kerala got off to a sluggish start before C Ganapathy struck to dismiss both openers. The middle order was unsuccessful in lifting the run-rate despite getting starts, which played into the hands of seamers L Balaji and Yo Mahesh. R Ashwin ensured that the innings never got into gear, and Kerala was eventually bowled out for 189. The visitors needed an inspired performance from their top bowler, Sreesanth, but the India seamer failed to impress. Arun Karthik and Abhinav Mukund grabbed the opportunity, scoring a ton and a fifty respectively to ensure that their side got a bonus point. Arun was at his punishing best, smashing eight fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 98-ball 106.Karnataka barn-stormed Goa in a high-scoring affair at the IIT- Chemplast Ground in Chennai, chasing down 287 with consummate ease. Goa’s innings was propped up by aggressive fifties from S Sriram and Saurabh Bandekar, with Ajay Ratra and Shadab Jakati also contributing substantially. In the middle of the mayhem, left-armer KP Appanna managed to pick a five-for. Karnataka’s chase was put on course by Robin Uthappa and Ganesh Satish who added 51 in 43 balls. Uthappa fell after reaching a quick fifty, but there was no let-up in the momentum as Manish Pandey smote the Goa attack to all corners of the ground in a murderous 95 off 69 balls. He missed his hundred closely, falling after raising 173 runs in 137 balls with Satish, who duly completed his hundred. Khesmal Waivankar picked 2 for 48, but it was not enough to deny Karnataka the bonus point and earn Goa the ignominy of a negative point.North ZoneA spate of run outs towards the closing stages and some nerveless death bowling from Haryana handed Punjab defeat by the narrowest of margins at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. The tone for a low-scoring scrap was set early in the piece by Love Ablish who struck two crippling blows, even as runs proved hard to come by. Seamer Jaskaran Singh and legspinner Rahul Sharma complemented his efforts and struck regularly to blight Haryana’s progress, and had it not been for a patient 76 from opener Rahul Dewan, they would have struggled to reach three-figures. Punjab’s reply got off to a similar start, with Sanjay Budhwar striking twice in his first spell. Ravi Inder Singh and Mandeep Singh combined to produce the only 50-plus stand of the day, and at 84 for 2 in the 25th over, Haryana had few backers. That’s when offspinner Ajit Chandila got into the act with a decisive double strike that set the cat among the pigeons. Vishwas Bhalla and Bipul Sharma seemed to have put the chase back on track before all hell broke loose. Chandila struck again, sending Bipul back before Jaskaran and Rahul were run out in quick succession. Bhalla found a calm partner in Gony and the pair added 20 runs to take their side two runs away from victory, but that’s as close as they got.A strong allround performance from Rajat Bhatia was the cornerstone of Delhi’s easy win over Jammu and Kashmir at the Cricket Academy in Sirsa. Imraj Thakur, R Bisati and Pervez Rassol made light of the early loss of a wicket to launch the J&K innings well, before Bhatia and Puneet Mehra intervened. Wickets fell at regular intervals, Bhatia accounting for three of them, to ensure that J&K did not reach 250, as three batsmen fell in the forties. No such problems for Shikhar Dhawan who gave the chase a rapid start, despite failures from Unmukt Chand and Virat Kohli. After Dhawan’s dismissal, Mithun Manhas and Bhatia joined in the fun to ensure an easy win for their side. Manhas fell for 70, but Bhatia saw it through with an unbeaten 59.Himachal Pradesh cantered to a six-wicket win against Services in their opening match at the Tata Energy Research Institute Oval in Gurgaon. Services’ innings came unstuck after a steady start, when Jitender Mehta struck in the sixth over. Sumit Singh and Tahir Khan struck 30s, but could not accelerate as wickets fell at regular intervals. Sarandeep Singh kept things tight in the middle overs, before Yashpal Singh and Mumtaz Qadir injected the much-needed momentum in the only passage of play that Services dominated. Both made fifties to take the score to 213 in the allotted 47 overs. Himachal’s openers put their side on course for a win with a 98-run stand. Hemant Dogra reached a fifty, while Sangram Singh missed by six runs. Paras Dogra and VA Indulkar gave the finishing touches to the chase that went past the target in the 43rd over.East ZoneIt proved to be a close-fought encounter at the Ravenshaw College Ground in Cuttack, as Tripura narrowly beat Bengal by two wickets in a low-scorer. Put in to bat, Bengal never really consolidated as both the seamers and spinners reaped dividends regularly. Opener Shreevats Goswami’s 67-ball 36 proved to be the highest in a limp total of 162. Tripura openers Wilkin Mota and Kaushik Aphale looked to have given them the perfect start during the reply, with a stand of 65. But Bengal’s seamers hit back well, led by Sayan Mondal’s 3 for 25 and two wickets apiece from Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Ashok Dinda. Tushar Saha, coming in at No. 9, hit a steady unbeaten 30-ball 19 to take nervous Tripura home with 10 balls to spare.Right-arm seamer Rahul Shukla was the main architect of Jharkhand’s convincing win over Assam at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. His five-for ensured Assam were bowled out for a paltry 117, a target that Jharkhand overhauled in the 24th over for the loss of two wickets. Shukla never let Assam settle down after they were invited to bat, taking out four of the top six batsmen. Varun Aaron gave him good support with 3 for 39. Abu Nechim hit a valiant 32 lower down but it was never going to be enough for the Ranji quarter-finalists.West ZoneRanji Trophy champions Mumbai made an impressive start to their campaign with a 108-run thumping of Baroda at the Sardar Patel Stadium C Ground. Leading the way was Sushant Marathe, with a classy 108, comprising 11 fours. He figured in two big partnerships, with fellow opener Ajinkya Rahane (66) and captain Wasim Jaffer (78). Abhishek Nayar blasted 49 off 22 balls to lift Mumbai to 328. With Dhawal Kulkarni removing openers Kedar Devdhar and Pinal Shah early in the reply, the going would always be uphill for Baroda. Though Rakesh Solanki shone with a 127-ball 94, including 10 boundaries, Mumbai held the upper hand to bowl Baroda out with seven balls to go.Captain Harshad Khadiwale led from the front with a quickfire fifty as Maharashtra eked out an eight-run win against Gujarat at the Sardar Patel Stadium B Ground. Put in, Khadiwale and fellow opener Rohit Motwani (48) made a strong start, putting on 106 by the 18th over. Khadiwale was in fine touch, hitting seven fours and a six during his 57-ball 66. Key contributions down the order finally saw them end on 286 for 7. The match was evenly poised throughout the chase, thanks to Gujarat’s solid beginning and Bhavik Thaker’s fluent 56 at No. 5. But the task of getting 14 off the last seven deliveries proved too difficult for the eighth-wicket pair of Jayesh Makla and Siddharth Trivedi.Central ZoneA stupendous spell of legspin from Piyush Chawla handed Uttar Pradesh a 28-run win against Railways at the Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground in Indore. Asked to bat first, UP never got going despite a host of starts for the top-order batsmen. Tanmay Srivastava top-scored with 52, and Ashish Yadav scored 46, but four other batsmen were guilty of not pushing on after entering the 20s. Defending a score of 239, the strong UP attack got into the act through Praveen Kumar who prised out Faiz Fazal and V Cheluvaraj for ducks. TP Singh and Sanjay Bangar got the chase on track before Chawla began to wreak havoc. He got Singh to give him a return catch, and then castled Bangar to bring his side back into the match. Marripuri Suresh did not last long, nicking Chawla behind to set the cat among the pigeons. Yere Goud and Dhiran Salvi looked to repair the innings, but Chawla had plans for both of them, as Railways slumped to lose their last seven wickets for 110 runs.A well-rounded team performance from Vidharba ambushed Rajasthan by 63 runs at the Emerald High School Ground in Indore. Pankaj Singh’s hostile spell of seam bowling gave Rajasthan the early momentum, with Amit Paunikar falling in the first over. After a steadying hand from Akshay Kolhar, Ravi Jangid and Ranjit Paradkar gave impetus to the innings with sparkling half-centuries. Pankaj snared four wickets in an economical spell, but Gaurav Upadhyaya smashed four sixes and ensured that the innings ended with a flourish. Despite Rashmi Parida’s steady 61 and a frantic 54 off 56 balls from Robin Bist, Rajasthan were never in the hunt and were eventually bowled out in the penultimate over. Umesh Yadav and Shrikant Wagh shared five wickets to take the bowling honours.

Leeds United are now facing a stern transfer battle to sign Basel striker Arthur Cabral amid a recent update.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were one of several Premier League clubs interested in signing the £13.5m-rated star, and there was a significant development surrounding his future at Basel.

Italian publication Corriere dello Sport claimed that Cabral has called off talks with Basel over a potential new contract, with his existing deal with the Swiss club coming to an end in less than two years time.

And now, UOL claim that a number of other sides have been alerted to the striker’s performances, and that Leeds now face competition from the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, Porto, Southampton and Fiorentina.

Fans would love him

One of the big concerns for Leeds fans this season has of course surrounded their worrying lack of depth up front, especially with Patrick Bamford being out injured for a number of weeks now.

The England international was their chief goal-scorer last term with 17 in the Premier League alone, and his injury this season has seen the Whites’ offensive threat take a real hit – they’ve scored just 11 goals in 11 top-flight games thus far.

In Cabral, those striking worries would be eased considerably.

FocusonLeeds said of the 6 foot 1 centre-forward: “His ability to find space and shoot with power and accuracy is really impressive. He really comes alive in the box and a calmness about him when in goal scoring positions. At 6ft 1 he also provides an aerial threat with 6 off his 18 goals coming from headers.

“Arthur isn’t overly quick in terms of his speed however, he also isn’t slow. Due to his movement in and around the box, he still finds himself in shooting positions a lot. If you combine this with his dribbling ability and quick feet, this helps him work room to gets shots off at goal.”

Indeed, earlier this season, the “relentless” Cabral made a piece of history, becoming the first player in the history of the Swiss Super League to score nine goals in the first seven games, surpassing the record of Christian Gimenez back in 2003/2004.

The man with 72 goals over his entire club career thus far would provide exceptional cover to Bamford while he’s out, and provide genuine competition for him when he’s back too.

Given the kind of prolific striker that he is, Leeds fans would surely love him at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Leeds must finally sell this first-team star…

Former Premier League midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes there is no chance that Manchester United will allow Jesse Lingard to return to West Ham.

The Lowdown: Lingard excels at West Ham

The Hammers enjoyed an excellent 2020/21 season and Lingard ended up being one of their star men, despite only arriving on loan in January. The midfielder scored nine goals and registered four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances, becoming an instant crowd favourite in the process.

The 28-year-old returned to United at the end of the campaign, but he has again struggled for playing time at Old Trafford, failing to start a single league game in 2021/22.

The Latest: O’Hara has his doubts

Despite rumours linking Lingard with a return to West Ham, O’Hara doesn’t see it happening for a second time.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast on Monday [via Read West Ham], the 35-year-old insisted that Manchester United wouldn’t sell to the Hammers now that they are a direct rival. He said:

“As if Man United are going to allow Jesse Lingard to go to West Ham – they are above them in the table. That’s not going to happen, that’s competition.

“There is no way they are going to allow a top player, who was brilliant for West Ham when he went there. They aren’t going to allow him to go on loan there this season when they are in direct competition. That’s never going to happen.”

The Verdict: Ideal January arrival

David Moyes’ Irons are on fire at the moment, sitting third in the table and having the strongest group of players at the club in years. If Lingard were to come back in January, it would arguably feel like the icing on the cake, giving West Ham even more quality in midfield and attacking areas.

It is sad to see him getting so little game-time at Manchester United, with the 28-year-old someone who should be starting regularly for a top-flight club based off his performances at the start of 2021. He has been described as ‘brilliant’ by Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite the Norwegian continually overlooking him from his team selection.

However, as O’Hara says, it would be a surprise if Lingard were to return to the London Stadium this season considering that the Hammers are in a top-four battle with Manchester United.

In other news, some West Ham fans love a recent update on a key Hammers player. Find out who it is here.

The rights to India’s home international games for four years from April 2010 have been provisionally awarded to Nimbus Communications for Rs. 2000 crore (US$431 million)

Cricinfo staff20-Oct-2009The rights to India’s home international games for four years from April 2010 have been provisionally awarded to Nimbus Communications for a projected valuation of Rs. 2000 crore (US$431 million). The deal is fixed at Rs 31.25 crore (approximately $6.6 million) per match, whether a Test, ODI or Twenty20, and is conditional on Nimbus furnishing a bank guarantee by January 15 of Rs 2000 crore.That figure is based on the BCCI’s current calculation of the number of games it might play between 2010-2014 but it is only a rough estimate given that the current Future Tours Programme ends in 2012 and the next one has not yet been made public.The BCCI has not issued an official statement on the deal but Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president and a member of the Indian board’s marketing committee that discussed it on Tuesday, confirmed the figures and said the package does not include internet or radio rights.”It’s the highest price ever that will be paid per match by a broadcaster to any national board,” Modi told Cricinfo. “To put the figure in perspective, the IPL gets around Rs 7 crore per match and the Champions League Twenty20 around Rs 6 crore per match. Besides, there is also the possibility that the total amount may increase going forward if India plays more games like it would, for instance, once the uncertainty surrounding India-Pakistan matches is resolved.”Nimbus, one of India’s leading television marketing companies, holds the rights at present, for which it paid $612 million – subsequently renegotiated to $549 million – in February 2006 for a deal that ends next March.

A round-up of the second day’s play of the fourth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2009Group A
Scorecard
Tamil Nadu’s decision to declare on their overnight score and exploit the early morning conditions at Dharamsala completely backfired as a string of steady partnerships put Himachal Pradesh within touching distance of first-innings points. The home side began their response with a solid 49-run opening stand between Bhavin Thakkar and Sangram Singh. Thakkar’s dismissal by L Balaji was followed by a flurry of boundaries from Paras Dogra before Abhinav Mukund struck. However, Tamil Nadu’s hopes of sparking a collapse did not materialise thanks to Vinit Indulkar who helped HP consolidate through substantial partnerships with Thakkar and Mukesh Sharma. Indulkar’s dismissal on the stroke of stumps gave the visitors something to cheer about, but they will be up against Mukesh tomorrow, who is looking good for three figures.
Scorecard
Punjab seized the initiative on the second day against Gujarat in Mohali thanks to a solid batting effort led by Taruwar Kohli and Rahul Sharma. At stumps, the hosts’ lead had grown to 201. Resuming on 77 for 2, Uday Kaul was snared by Siddharth Trivedi in the sixth over of the day. However, things went pear-shaped for the visitors from there on, as Sharma and Kohli joined forces to add 148, which handed Punjab the lead. Sharma was the more aggressive of the pair, punctuating his knock with 15 fours and a six, before falling five short of a well-deserved century. Kohli however kicked on, unfazed by the loss, to bring up his maiden first-class hundred at stumps, hitting seven boundaries.
Scorecard
Captain Wasim Jaffer and Rohit Sharma ensured Mumbai secured a crucial first-innings advantage, despite being under the cosh against Railways. Beginning on 2 for 1, Mumbai were in further trouble as Sahil Kukreja departed early. However, Wasim Jaffer, coming in at No. 4, drew from his experience of facing the new ball and initiated a rescue mission. He was the dominant partner in a sedate 83-run stand with Dhawal Kulkarni to steady Mumbai, before Rohit Sharma took over the reins. Rohit blocked one end up as wickets fell regularly, and together with Vinayak Samant added 74 for the eighth wicket. Rohit will look to push Mumbai’s lead ahead on day three, while Railways captain Murali Kartik will look to add to his three scalps.
Scorecard
Orissa had their noses ahead at the end of another low-scoring day at Hyderabad, as the hosts were left wobbling with half their side gone during the reply. Orissa began the day badly, losing top-scorer Pravanjan Mullick in the very first over. However, Alok Chandra Sahoo’s 47 lifted them to a respectable score; MP Arjun finished with four wickets. Hyderabad’s response though, never got into gear and Sahoo capped his day with a double-strike in the eighth over. The hosts soon slumped to 47 for 4 with the dismissal of Ambati Rayudu, before a sedate rearguard effort from Anirudh Singh and captain Arjun Yadav took them to three figures. Yadav became Basant Mohanty’s second victim, just before stumps, to set up a tantalising third day.Group B
Scorecard
With three centurions in the day, table-toppers Karnataka may well be on their way to an innings win against bottom-placed Maharashtra at the Poona Club Ground. Both overnight batsmen, KB Pawan and Ganesh Satish, completed classy centuries and added 170 more to the visitors’ overnight score of 125 for 1. Both were in terrific form and teamed well to hit 39 boundaries between them. Maharashtra might have been glad to see their backs at 318 for 3, but Amit Verma continued his good form from the last match against Bengal, as he scored his second century on the trot. With Verma unbeaten, having hit 11 fours and a six, the declaration isn’t too far as Karnataka, with a lead of 350-plus, may even wrap up proceedings with a day to spare.
Scorecard
Parvinder Singh reached his hundred and was well supported by Bhuvneshwar Kumar as Uttar Pradesh’s run-feast against Delhi in Lucknow continued. From the overnight score of 300 for 4, Delhi were hardly allowed to get a foot in as the two overnight batsmen went from strength to strength. While Parvinder’s 227-ball innings was studded with six fours and a six, Bhuvneshwar’s patient half-century had just three boundaries. UP finally declared their innings after 85 overs in the day. The Delhi openers – Aakash Chopra and Gaurav Chabra – negotiated the three overs before stumps.
Scorecard
The runs kept flowing for Saurashtra as contributions from every batsman gave them the upper hand against Bengal at the Eden Gardens. Leading the way on the second day was Pratik Mehta, who scored a watchful half-century coming in at No. 7. But, it all began with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja continuing strongly from the previous day as the fourth-wicket stand yielded 74. Three more fifty-plus partnerships sapped the Bengal bowlers’ morale. Shitanshu Kotak, Rakesh Dhurv and Sandeep Jobanputra all weighed in with forties. Saurasish Lahiri’s three wickets was as good as it got for the hosts, as they lost Rohan Banerjee, the centurion in the previous match, to end the day on 27 for 1.

Tottenham are reportedly interested in signing Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa, in what would be a controversial move given his past connections in north London.

The Lowdown: Martinez earns Messi praise

The 29-year-old’s career has gone from strength to strength since leaving Spurs’ bitter rivals Arsenal, with the Gunners seemingly happy to allow him to leave.

Martinez has shone between the sticks for Villa and most prominently Argentina, proving to be the penalty shootout hero in their Copa America semi-final triumph over Colombia in the summer.

Lionel Messi called his compatriot ‘one of the best goalkeepers in the world’, following their eventual win in the competition, while he was even nominated for the Yashin trophy, such has been his incredible form at Villa Park.

The Latest: Spurs keen on move

According to The Independent, Spurs are eyeing up a move for Martinez next summer as a replacement for the ageing Hugo Lloris, in what is described as a ‘spectacularly divisive transfer’.

The Argentine’s current Villa deal doesn’t expire in the summer of 2024, however, and a deal could be ‘very difficult to negotiate’ – he is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt.

Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad), Alex Remet (Napoli) and Sam Johnstone (West Brom) are also mentioned as possible targets if a deal for Martinez can’t be struck.

The Verdict: Get him in

Martinez could be a superb signing for Spurs if they managed to snap him up, no doubt infuriating some Arsenal fans as an added bonus.

With Lloris now approaching 35 years of age, a long-term replacement could be required and the Villa man fits the bill perfectly, boasting 15 clean sheets last season, the third-most in the top flight.

He is in and around his prime years and seems to be improving all the time for club and country, keeping three clean sheets in the league this season and even saving two penalties, although one of which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored from the rebound.

In other news, a Spurs insider believes one player deserves a new deal. Find out who it is here.

Tim Bresnan produced the highest score ever made by an England No. 8 in ODI cricket to transform his team’s fortunes after they had flirted with humiliation in their Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia

The Bulletin by Andrew Miller02-Oct-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outShane Watson cracked seven sixes to lead the rout of England•AFPAustralia’s cricketers proved that their recent 6-1 thrashing of England was neither an aberration nor entirely irrelevant, as Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson produced their country’s highest partnership in limited-overs cricket, a majestic alliance of 252 in 242 balls, to power their side into Monday’s final of the Champions Trophy.Chasing a target of 258 that was swelled only by an improbable career-best from Tim Bresnan at No. 8, Australia sauntered to a nine-wicket victory against their favourite ODI opponents with a massive 49 balls to spare. Ponting chalked up his 28th one-day century, and his 12,000th run in the format, en route to an unbeaten 111 from 115 balls, while Watson provided the gloss finish with 136 not out from 132 balls, his third and highest hundred in 89 games.Incredibly there were no Australian players named in the ODI Team of the Year that was unveiled at the ICC’s annual awards ceremony on Thursday night, but the world’s leading 50-over nation proved once more that they may be a side in transition, but they are by no means a spent force, as they secured the right to defend the title they won in India in October 2006. The end, when it came, was nose-rubbingly humiliating, as the Aussies claimed the batting Powerplay with 28 runs still required, and duly clobbered 23 of them in a single over from Paul Collingwood, including three of Watson’s seven sixes, all from exuberant heaves through the leg-side. For a man who started the tournament with two ducks, it was a spectacular riposte.Prime Numbers252The partnership between Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson was the highest for Australia in ODIs. Out of the 14 double-century stands for Australia in ODIs, Ponting has been involved in seven, including the four highest ones.45Number of runs Ponting scored in the cover region, which was his most productive scoring zone. Six of his 12 fours came in that area. 51.92Ponting’s average in ODIs against England. In his last ten innings against them he averages 92.14 at a strike rate of 90.97, with two centuries and five fifties.10The number of times two Australian batsmen have scored hundreds in an ODI. It was the second such instance against England, and the first by any team in Centurion. 69The number of runs Watson scored in the arc between backward square leg and mid-on. Overall, 101 of his 136 runs came on the leg side.46Watson’s previous highest score in 15 ODI innings against England.107The partnership between Luke Wright and Tim Bresnan was England’s second-highest for the seventh wicket – it fell just three short of the record. It is also England’s fourth century stand for the seventh wicket in ODIs – they’ve ended up losing three of those matches.England were utterly powerless to stem the tide, and in fact, the only thing that came close to upstaging Australia’s canter to victory was the swarm of moths that flocked to sample Centurion’s floodlights, and so delayed the start of their run-chase. Andrew Strauss won the toss, as he always does – this was his ninth in 11 ODIs in the past month, and his seventh out of eight against the Aussies – but after slashing a four and a six in his first eight deliveries, he was brilliantly caught by James Hopes at square leg in the second over of the match, and in so doing he set an unfortunate precedent for his team-mates.After 20.2 overs of the match, England’s spirited campaign was in ruins. They had chosen to bat with the same gung-ho aggression that had carried them to impressive wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa, but in so doing they shed six wickets for 101, and were in danger of being skittled with half of their overs remaining. Owais Shah followed his breathtaking 98 from 89 balls at this same venue on Sunday with a second-ball duck, and though Paul Collingwood bristled during a counterattacking 34, he was snaffled one-handed by the wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who claimed five catches in a hyperactive performance behind the stumps.The rest of the specialist batsmen followed meekly. Joe Denly looked composed before falling in the thirties, as is his unfortunate habit, while Steven Davies – making his ODI debut after replacing the ill Matt Prior – lasted a mere four deliveries before inside-edging Watson onto his off stump. When Eoin Morgan carved at a cut to end a laboured innings of 9 from 27 balls, normal service was all set to be resumed, after England’s whitewash-averting victory at Durham a fortnight ago.But instead, Bresnan and Wright set about rebuilding from the very foundations of the innings, adding 107 for the seventh wicket in a performance that both put their colleagues to shame, and proved the placid nature of the surface. After bedding themselves in with discipline, Wright signalled the charge in the 35th over by smacking Nathan Hauritz for two sixes over midwicket, and though he was caught behind soon afterwards for 48, Bresnan continued to march onwards and upwards, using a good eye and a heavy bat to punish any error in line or length.Bresnan was a late addition to the side after Stuart Broad failed to recover from a strained left buttock, and he entered the game with a slap on the wrists from the management after abusing a fan who had made fun of his weight on the social networking site, Twitter. With an improbable century on the cards, he was bowled by Brett Lee during the batting Powerplay, whereupon England’s innings finished as disappointingly as it had begun, with a spate of run-outs curtailing their innings with 14 balls remaining.After their insect interlude, Australia suffered an early setback when Graham Onions extracted Tim Paine in his first over, but from that moment on, they didn’t ever look like being troubled. Ponting dealt almost exclusively in boundaries in the formative stage of his innings, with 28 of his first 29 runs coming in fours, while Watson’s only genuine let-off came when Wright strayed out of position on the long-on boundary, and spilled a catch off Graeme Swann over the rope for his first six.Australia’s batsmen played formidably, but England’s bowlers were way off the mark, consistently banging the ball in short in a bid to ruffle a few feathers, but instead offered far too many scoring opportunities. James Anderson, as ever, was the most potent attacking option, but even he lost his groove after a hideous piece of fielding from Morgan, who collected the ball in the covers and winged a wild shy clean over the keeper’s head for four. Ponting, the beneficiary, followed up with three more boundaries from the next five balls that Anderson bowled at him.In the end, there was an inevitability to Australia’s destructive denouement. England’s campaign has been one of their most successful forays into one-day cricket for many a long year, but they still managed only a 50-50 success rate in their four games, never mind the humiliating margin of this latest contest. Australia, meanwhile, march onwards towards another yet slice of silverware. Ponting’s emotional celebrations of his century spoke volumes of his continuing resolve. On this form, it will not matter who they face in the final.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown of The Daily Star has made a claim involving superstar striker Harry Kane after his summer drama at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Kane attempts to jump ship…

As widely known, England international Kane informed Spurs of his desire to leave in the summer with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola even confirming his side’s interest in signing him.

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After a move failed to materialise, the 28-year-old released a statement and pledged to continue at Tottenham as well as giving his all for the Lilywhites shirt.

Since then, Kane’s form has taken a while to resurge with Brown now making a claim on how it could impact the Spurs dressing room.

The Latest: Brown makes Kane claim…

Speaking to GMS, reporter Brown believes that the forward still doesn’t actually want to be in north London despite his candid summer statement.

He also believes this could have an impact on the dressing room if manager Nuno Espirito Santo isn’t cautious.

“I think it’s a very unbalanced squad, and there are clearly problems in the dressing room because everyone knows the star player tried to quit in the summer,” the journalist explained.

“And while he’s playing and making all the right noises, putting a shift in, it can’t be easy in the dressing room to see the guy that you all look up to, ultimately, doesn’t really want to be there.

“I don’t think anyone can accuse Harry Kane of downing tools. I don’t think he ever will, and he was one of their better players at the weekend. But, it must put some doubt in the mind of your teammates when you’re thinking: ‘this guy tried his best to get out of the club, and how much is he really committed to us?’”

The Verdict: Nuno needs Kane revival…

Nuno’s tenuous position was perhaps on the line before Spurs narrowly edged past Aston Villa 2-1 last weekend and the Portuguese will need all the help he can get to keep his job.

Kane’s form over these next few months will be a major factor and the 47-year-old will want Tottenham’s 2020/2021 Golden Boot winner back and firing on all cylinders.

Lauded as a still very much ‘underrated’ player by reporter Matt Law, even despite his outstanding campaign last year, Spurs will benefit massively from his possible resurgence.

Alas, only time will tell if his failed summer move does indeed have an impact on the dressing room.

In other news: Levy told to hire ‘world class’ boss over Poch if Nuno is axed, Spurs players love him! Find out more here.