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Tottenham Hotspur chiefs are scheduling an imminent ‘summit’ as they seek a transfer agreement for manager Antonio Conte, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Conte makes demands…

The Italian is allegedly plotting a major overhaul at Spurs in the next summer window with as many as six major signings in his sights (The Telegraph).

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A reserve goalkeeper is on the agenda with links to West Bromwich Albion ace and soon-to-be free agent Sam Johnstone becoming extremely prevalent in recent weeks.

Tottenham are apparently in pole position for the 29-year-old as the Lilywhites allegedly eye a back-up and eventual heir to long-serving number one Hugo Lloris.

However, sharing a twist on Conte’s goal, TUTTOmercatoWEB journalist Dimitri Conti has some interesting news for supporters.

The Latest: Tottenham chiefs eye Gollini loan agreement…

According to his sources, as shared on Twitter and for TMW, Spurs ‘management’, presumably meaning club chiefs, have scheduled an end-of-season ‘summit’ with the entourage of current loanee Pierluigi Gollini.

Despite his real lack of game time under Conte, Tottenham now want to extend the Italian’s loan for another year as they eye a temporary transfer agreement for 2022/2023.

The Verdict: Bizarre development…

Gollini, despite being called ‘amazing’ by defender Eric Dier earlier this season, has barely been given a sniff at Spurs, playing zero Premier League minutes.

Taking this into account and the fact Johnstone is available for free, this TMW update certainly comes as a bizarre one.

Spurs should undoubtedly prioritise a move for the Baggies ace to solve their goalkeeping issue, especially since Johnstone’s addition could balance their homegrown quota books and add proven Premier League quality to their ranks.

In other news: ‘Could leave Spurs’ – Alasdair Gold now makes ‘unexpected’ exit claim…find out more here.

Nottingham Forest are reportedly confident of securing the permanent signing of right-back Djed Spence from Middlesbrough during the upcoming transfer window.

The Lowdown: Top flight interest

The 21-year-old made the move to the City Ground on a season-long loan from Boro last summer where he has been an absolute revelation under Steve Cooper, making 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing five assists during that time, as per Transfermarkt.

Such form has seen Spence attracting interest from multiple top-flight clubs in recent weeks, including the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham.

Following a fresh update though, it appears that the Reds are interested in the defender’s services on more than a temporary basis and believe that they would be able to tempt him into committing his future to the club in the coming months.

The Latest: Forest confident of securing deal

Sources has revealed to Football League World that if Forest can book a place in the Premier League at the end of the campaign, the hierarchy will be ‘confident’ of landing the full-back’s signature.

It’s believed that Middlesbrough have set the asking price for their star in the making somewhere between the region of £15-£17m, with the Championship outfit possibly able to afford that, given what promotion would do for the club financially.

The Verdict: Highly-rated prospect

Before leaving Teesside, Spence signed a new deal with Chris Wilder’s side which runs until 2024, and now knowing that they have such a sought-after talent within their ranks, it won’t be easy for any potential suitors to prise him away from the Riverside.

He currently averages a 74% tackle success rate, per infogol, wins nearly six individual duels per game and completes 1.9 dribbles per game, via Sofascore, which just goes to show that he can be effective at both ends of the pitch.

Once hailed an “unbelievable” player by BBC pundit Ian Wright, the future of Spence remains very much up in the air, but with Middlesbrough also still in the fight for a top-six place with just one game left to play, whatever happens, the likelihood is that we’ll be seeing the young prospect playing at the highest level of English football next season.

In other news… a Premier League are said to be eyeing up a move for one of Forest’s pivotal players.

Manchester United are looking to recruit a new centre-back this summer and see Villarreal’s Pau Torres as an option.

What’s the word?

That is according to the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano who took to his Twitter page to present the latest report around Manchester United.

He said: “Manchester United are discussing Villarreal’s Pau Torres as one of 3/4 options for the new centre-back. No proposal made yet, as it depends on Erik ten Hag decision and Man Utd board changes.

“Chelsea are also monitoring Pau.€55/60m release clause into his contract.”

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A Ten Hag signing

Pau Torres’ attributes in possession make him a typical ten Hag signing.

Whilst he has scored 4.43 progressive passes per game with an average of 4.68 passes into the final third – exceptional stats considering his position as a centre-back.

As a natural left-footer, the 25-year-old Villarreal youth product presents an option that does not currently exist at Manchester United, with all of the Red Devils’ centre-backs natural right-footers.

In terms of his individual defensive stats, they are rather lacklustre this season and sit in and around the same average numbers as Harry Maguire.

Though it is worth noting that Villarreal boasts the third-best defence in La Liga this season having conceded just 34 goals throughout the entirety of the campaign, and with Torres featuring in 86% of the Yellow Submarine’s games this season, he has of course played his part in helping Unai Emery’s side to achieve that feat.

The Villarreal youth product would slot in nicely into the four-man defence at United and would most likely take Maguire’s place in the team, with the fact that he is a natural left centre-back playing a big part in this and Ten Hag also preferring a left-footed player in that position.

The Spaniard could present an astute option in the hunt for a new centre-back and as Romano points out, “he is one of 3/4 options.”

United will await the decision of Ten Hag on this signing and if he gives the green light, United will have bagged an experienced, composed, left-footed defender to bolster their ranks, something the new manager will undoubtedly love.

In other news: “Pushing to sign..”: Fabrizio Romano drops big transfer claim, it’s bad news for MUFC 

Leeds United have had to get through the majority of this current Premier League campaign without star striker Patrick Bamford.

After scoring 17 goals in 38 league games last term, the Englishman has been dogged by injuries this time around which have left him with just nine league appearances to his name in 2021/22.

One figure in Leeds’ squad who has failed to effectively deputise for the injured Bamford is Rodrigo, who despite playing in 29 top-flight games has only racked up six goals and one assist.

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Signed for a club-record fee of £26m from Valencia in August 2020 under Marcelo Bielsa’s reign, the Spaniard has not been able to take up Bamford’s mantle of being a consistent goalscorer for Leeds this season.

As a result, the upcoming summer transfer window could give Jesse Marsch the chance to get the 31-year-old, who has been dubbed “non-existent” by Kevin Phillips, and his £100k-per-week wages off their books.

In terms of who could come in as a potential replacement for the misfiring Leeds dud, one man who could fit the bill is Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

Last month, Leeds journalist James Marshment shared a post on Twitter relaying news that the Elland Road outfit were interested in signing the Englishman this summer.

Having spent some time with the Yorkshire club on loan, scoring five goals in 19 appearances during the promotion-winning 2019/20 campaign, the 22-year-old has experience and knowledge of the club, which could make a potential return on a permanent basis tempting for him.

During his time with Arsenal’s senior and youth sides, Nketiah has scored 68 goals and provided 13 assists in 150 appearances across all competitions. This shows just how dangerous an attacking figure he is when at his best, with 22 goals in 90 senior games for the Gunners.

With 19 league appearances under his belt in the current campaign, the former Leeds loanee has found the net four times. Two of those came against the Whites earlier this month, which led to the £9m-rated talent being dubbed “clinical” by journalist Kweku Lawrence.

To further highlight just how deadly he can be in front of goal, only Emile Smith Rowe has a higher percentage for shots on target than Nketiah in the league this season out of players currently at Arsenal.
If Marsch feels the need to get rid of Rodrigo this summer, securing the Arsenal attacker on a free transfer could be a great bit of potential business from the Elland Road club.
In other news: Insider drops huge Leeds transfer claim involving “big names”, supporters will love it

Sunderland have been handed a injury lift over Leon Dajaku ahead of the League One play-off final at Wembley on Saturday…

What’s the latest?

Alex Neil has revealed that the 21-year-old is now in contention to make his return to the squad this weekend after working hard to get back to fitness.

He has been out of first-team action since featuring on 19 March against Lincoln and is now fighting to make his final appearance of the campaign against Wycombe on Saturday.

The Black Cats manager told the Sunderland Echo: “Leon has done a lot of work recently, so again it’s one where we’ll see where he is over the next couple of days.

“He’s been working hard. We’ve got a plethora of choices now, people who have put themselves into contention. There’ll be difficult choices, but I’ll try and make the right one for what I feel the game needs.”

Neil will be delighted

The former Preston boss will be delighted with the German’s potential involvement, as the youngster has the quality to be a game-changer on his day.

Dajaku, who is on loan from Union Berlin, made 22 appearances in the regular League One campaign as he showed glimpses of his ability. The winger started 14 matches and chipped in with four goals and three assists, which means that he was directly involved in a goal for every other start he managed.

This shows that he is capable of having a huge impact in the final third when he is on form. He has proven that he can score and set up goals in English football, and this is why it will be a big boost for the club to have him back fit for the play-off final this weekend.

Neil will be delighted to have another player with the potential to be a match-winner in his squad, whether that’s from the start or off the bench. Dajaku can be a useful player to call upon in a variety of scenarios – a late impact sub, a starter, or to come off the bench if one of the starting XI picks up an injury in the first half.

The 21-year-old may be playing for his future on Wearside, given that he is currently on loan, and this should give him added motivation to make a huge impact on the game at Wembley. He will surely be desperate to get out on the pitch, and hopefully Neil will give him an opportunity to make the difference against the Chairboys.

AND in other news, Sunderland handed huge injury boost ahead of play-off final, Neil surely buzzing…

To finish up at the conclusion of the next round of ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 matches on September 19

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2021Dav Whatmore has communicated to Cricket Association of Nepal his wish to resign as head coach of the men’s national team. The next round of ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 matches in Oman on September 19 will be his last assignment. It is understood that 67-year-old Whatmore’s decision was influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has made it difficult for him to see his family.Whatmore, the former Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Zimbabwe coach, was appointed as Nepal’s head coach in December last year and took charge at the start of 2021 with qualification for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia the primary focus. Nepal failed to qualify for the 2021 edition. Whatmore had taken over after Nepal were without a head coach for around ten months following the resignation of Umesh Patwal.Related

• Covid-19 piushes back three WC League 2 series

Nepal are currently sixth in the seven-team CWC League 2 table, with four points from four games. Some of the series in the competition have been affected by the pandemic, and that has meant Oman, the table-toppers at this stage, have played ten games, while USA, currently second on the table, have played 12 games. In Al Amarat in September, Nepal will face the home side and USA, with the hope of moving some way up the table.Whatmore’s highest honour as coach remains steering Sri Lanka to a 50-over World Cup title in 1996. He then went on to oversee Bangladesh’s rise from 2003-07, guiding them through to the Super Eights of the 2007 50-over World Cup where they knocked out India and also upset South Africa.In the past, he has also coached India Under-19 and the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL franchise for two seasons as well as Indian domestic side Kerala, who made their first Ranji Trophy semi-finals in 2018-19 under his guidance.

“The longer you go without contributing a significant score, the closer you are to actually contributing. And that’s coming from experience”

Sidharth Monga03-Oct-20212:50

Dasgupta: Varun will be my first-choice specialist spinner at T20 WC

Being an overseas captain of an IPL team is not an easy job. The moment you start to struggle, debates start if it is tenable to have an overseas captain because you are occupying one of the four key positions. The underlying implication is that it is okay if you take up one of the seven Indian spots and struggle, but those four positions need to be maximised.

Watch the IPL on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the IPL live in the US. Match highlights of Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

Also if you are considered for the captaincy job in the IPL, chances are, you are already captaining your national side and perhaps another team in another league. Not everyone wants that extra pressure of leading another team, especially in the toughest T20 competition in the world.Dinesh Karthik told the podcast that Eoin Morgan was reluctant to take up the Kolkata Knight Riders captaincy mid-season last year when Karthik was himself struggling for runs and didn’t want to block one spot in the team. It’s the darnedest thing. Morgan is struggling even more for runs.In this year’s IPL, Morgan has played 11 innings of any length, but only two of them have gone past single digits. He is lucky Knight Riders are still in the tournament. After the win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in which Morgan scored two unbeaten runs, they need to beat Rajasthan Royals in their last match to make it through to the playoffs. There are also other permutations for them to go through should they not win their last match.That still has not taken focus away from Morgan’s form although his experience tells him he is not far off from contributing. “Absolutely,” Morgan said when asked if it was a concern. “I am short of runs in this phase of the tournament, the whole tournament in general. I am very lucky to be in a position where I have been through stages like this in my career. I think the longer you go without contributing a significant score, the closer you are to actually contributing. And that’s coming from experience.”Eoin Morgan gets a feel of the conditions•BCCI

Moving to the UAE with a team built for Indian conditions hasn’t helped them at all. The pitches have been difficult to play the brand of cricket Morgan’s England team does in limited-overs cricket. And the conditions have varied more than they usually do: Knight Riders’ last match two nights ago in Dubai was on a quickish pitch where 165 was chased down successfully; this one was slow and spongy, making 116 a scrap. However, Morgan said you just have to adjust to the pitches and play good cricket.”We were here two nights ago and the ball seemed to come onto the bat,” Morgan said. “Yes it swings early in the Powerplay and a little bit of nip, which is expected here in Dubai, but today was a little bit sluggish. Obviously the wicket is one thing, you need to adapt to conditions, bowl well, field well, and we did that incredibly well.”Morgan was asked if these conditions are good for T20 cricket. “The purpose of T20 cricket is to be our most entertaining format,” he said. “It is very appealing to the wider audience of sorts fans around the world. I think an element of pure cricket was in the wicket today. If bowlers bowled in the right area, they got their due reward. The batsmen had to work a little bit harder. I think sometimes in T20 it is nice to have that element to give an insight into the real game of cricket as opposed to the ball flying everywhere and everything in the batsmen’s favour.”Knight Riders have also had to deal with injuries to key players. Andre Russell and Lockie Feguson continue to sit out. Morgan said Ferguson did make the trip the ground, and started to do some run-throughs, which is a positive sign. Russell continues to rehab in the hotel.

Tasmania edged into a lead but a number of their batters didn’t convert starts

AAP18-Oct-2021Allrounder Hilton Cartwright produced the goods with the ball after star Western Australia quick Jhye Richardson was cut down by injury during the Sheffield Shield clash with Tasmania at the WACA Ground.Richardson scored a handy 34 on Sunday before snaring the wicket of Tim Ward for a duck in the dying minutes of the opening day.But the 25-year-old couldn’t take to the field on Monday after suffering a back spasm during the warm-up. WA remain hopeful Richardson will be able to play a role during the final two days of the match, but a lot will depend on how he pulls up on Tuesday morning.The setback is yet another unlucky blow to Richardson, who has been plagued by shoulder injuries over the past few years, and more recently was battling a side strain and an ankle complaint. He was also struck in the abdomen by a rising Peter Siddle delivery while batting on Sunday.In reply to WA’s first innings total of 238, Tasmania were bowled out for 252, with Cartwright snaring a career-best 4 for 23 from his seven overs.WA finished day two at 1 for 42 in their second innings, with Cameron Bancroft the only wicket to fall.”He’s had a heat pack on his back the whole day to try to get himself going,” Cartwright said of Richardson. “He must be in a fair bit of pain to not even be able to come out and field. I’ve had a few back spasms in my time and they’re not ideal to have, let alone trying to send it down at 140 clicks.”Cartwright took the key wickets of Ben McDermott (49) and Jordan Silk (47) among his haul, with Tasmania losing their last four wickets for five runs.”It’s a hard one to digest because my first few overs were a bit of junk,” Cartwright said with a laugh when asked about his four-wicket haul.  I was very fortunate to get the early wicket of McDermott, and then I just literally tried to do a job for the guys to get to the new ball, and the guys just nicked them for me.”I actually had a bit of a glute strain last game, so I hadn’t even bowled at all in the week leading into this, so I went in very fresh and very nervous.”Tasmania nightwatchman Lawrence Neil-Smith overcame a blow to the helmet to top score with 60 in his side’s first innings, while Beau Webster finished unbeaten on 53.Up to 35mm of rain is forecast for Perth on Tuesday, while wet weather is also forecast for Wednesday, meaning a result is unlikely.

The Rajasthan Royals seamer has added the cross-seam length ball into the pitch and the wide yorker to his arsenal, and it’s working for him

Shashank Kishore06-Apr-20251:25

Boucher: Archer’s pace and rhythm show he’s back

Sandeep Sharma’s journey with Rajasthan Royals (RR) has been nothing short of a fairy tale. What began as a late entry in 2023 – drafted in as a replacement for the injured Prasidh Krishna – has evolved into a remarkable redemption story after he was one of their retentions ahead of IPL 2025.Sandeep’s redemption has been down to two key developments. He is no longer just a powerplay specialist reliant on swing – he has evolved into a versatile bowler who can also deliver in the middle overs and at the death. There is also his expanded arsenal: a cross-seam length ball into the pitch that proves effective on two-paced surfaces, and the skill to nail wide yorkers with precision.On Saturday, the first of those variations helped him finish with 2 for 21 in four overs – two at the top and two at the death – as RR defended 205 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) comfortably.Related

• Archer leads PBKS demolition job after Jaiswal & Co set the platform for Royals

• Jaiswal still 'trying too hard, too early', says Jaffer

• Royals inch closer to their favourite template

“When I came here two years back, I had a discussion with the management and they told me what they were looking [at] from me,” Sandeep said in a press conference after the game. “They told me my role. From there, I started working on myself. They told me they were not looking at two-three overs from me [upfront], and then when I was back home, I was practicing this.”They started using me after fourth-fifth over, when the ball gets older. And I also started preparing like that. I think it’s a result of good preparation. Obviously, when you want to play, you need to grow, right? That’s what I thought, that I needed to grow. I can’t ask the captain to give me the new ball all the time.”If you’re playing in a team where [Jofra] Archer is playing, and he’s so good with the new ball, and you have to play in the XI, you have to bring something [else] to the table. That’s what I did – I went back to my hometown, into the nets and practiced all these deliveries. And I’m so lucky and happy that it’s coming off so nicely.”Sandeep showcased his death-overs mastery in the 17th and 19th overs, blending yorker-length deliveries with cross-seam variations to stifle a well-set Shashank Singh, who has earned his stripes in the IPL as a finisher. His control and execution were on full display as he delivered seven yorkers in those two overs, giving Shashank no room to innovate.He also outsmarted the in-form Suryansh Shedge, fresh off a strong Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, with a well-disguised slower ball that angled away from his hitting arc. It was a clinic in precision and tactical acumen.”That is a very deadly combo – one guy bowling around 150kph and another bowling around 115,” Samson said of Archer and Sandeep. “I think we should cut a cake on that, maybe,” when reminded that Sandeep had clocked 130kph too. “I can trust them with pressure overs. We all love it when he [Archer] bowls those quick overs. Sandy has been doing it for me for the past few years. He is one of the best guys in India who bowls both in the powerplay and death overs.”Sandeep revealed that he tailored his plans based on feedback from the RR batters about the Mullanpur surface, which hasn’t been an ally for PBKS, who now have lost five out of their six games here.”Because we bowled in the second half, we had an advantage of taking some feedback from our batters, that was massively helpful,” Sandeep said. “Bowling back of a length, hitting top of off was our plan, as hitting was tough. That’s what our spinners also tried to do. Balls bowled on the back of a length were skidding and keeping low.2:28

Did the two teams read the pitch differently?

“We observed this when we batted, we read the pitch faster than the other team. During the time out, we spoke to the batters and took feedback from them on what’s tough to hit, what kind of deliveries are tough to convert into boundary balls, and we cut down on those balls on this wicket.”Sandeep was also full of praise for Archer. After conceding 109 across 6.3 wicketless overs in his first two games, Archer has had 4 for 38 from seven in the next two. On Saturday, Archer was high on pace, hitting the high 140s and early 150s every delivery in his first over that accounted for two wickets, including Shreyas Iyer’s.”In the first two matches, your nerves are there. But we always knew he’s world-class, the skill he brings to the table or into the game is totally different, very few bring that,” Sandeep said of Archer. “The management had confidence the day he gets that one over, one wicket or two good overs, that will boost his confidence.”He’s one of the toughest bowlers to face or play. It was just our fourth game; with more games, he’ll get better and better. Earlier, when he went for runs, his length was different, now his lengths are different. That’s what champions do, they change quickly [depending on] what is needed and that’s what he did.”

First was a century opening stand, and then came a dazzling partnership of 94* off 44 between Suryakumar and Hardik

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-20254:31

‘MI haven’t figured out their powerplay attack’

Mumbai Indians (MI) came to Jaipur having not won there since 2012. They must not have liked that very much because they now have the joint-highest total at the ground in IPL.There were fifties from Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton that set up a platform. Their partnership broke at a good time for MI because it still left 8.1 overs for Suryakumar Yadav to have an influence. His team had set him up with a platform – 116 runs were already on the board – so he wasted no time. Suryakumar attacked six of the first seven balls he faced. The one he didn’t was one he couldn’t. It was wide, a mistake that he invites from the bowlers as they try to keep it off his hitting arc.Suryakumar finished with 48 not out, an IPL record considering it was his 11th consecutive score of 25 or more. In an innings full of intent – he tried to hit a boundary off every other ball he faced – 13 attempts in 23 deliveries – there was always going to be jaw-dropping moments and one of those happened in the 19th over when he nailed a full-speed Jofra Archer attempted yorker which became a full toss for four over short fine. He was rolling around on the floor, bat falling out of his hands, but he’d done the job.At the other end, Hardik Pandya was just as destructive. His methods involve staying deep in the crease and exploiting the balls that miss the blockhole. Rohit is looking more and more like his old self. He had his timing. He was moving around the crease, manipulating both the field and the bowlers whether there was pace on or pace off. Rickelton, though, was the one who started it all off. RR tried to cramp him up and force him to hit to the longer leg-side boundary and he took on the challenge. Thirty-four of his first 51 runs came on the leg side because he was so good playing the short-arm pull shot and holding his shape against the slower balls.