Tag Futebol

Tottenham Hotspur have "begun discussions" with Leicester City to sign star midfielder James Maddison, according to reports.

Who could Tottenham sign this summer?

The two-month long search for Antonio Conte's replacement is now a distant memory, with Spurs confirming the arrival of Ange Postecoglou from Celtic last week.

While he doesn't officially begin work till July 1, reports suggest that the Australian and chairman Daniel Levy have already met to discuss transfer strategy.

Of the players reportedly attracting their interest, Chelsea's Conor Gallagher has emerged as a target in recent days, with Spurs also chasing a goalkeeper to replace the departing Hugo Lloris.

Postecoglou has also apparently given the green-light for his side to sign a star centre-back this summer, leading to links with the likes of Wolves star Max Kilman among others.

Maddison, though, is a name who has been repeatedly mentioned by sections of the press. Spurs are believed to be among the main contenders for his signature, alongside Newcastle, with some reports saying both sides have already held talks with his entourage.

The Premier League duo could do battle for Leicester's prized asset, with a report by TEAMtalk sharing one possible boost for Spurs as both sides open talks.

According to their information, Newcastle actually "risk losing" Maddison to Tottenham, who could join them instead after Eddie Howe's side "baulked" at Leicester's £60 million asking price.

This could apparently "open the door" for Spurs to "sign him first", with the report also claiming that both teams have "begun discussions" with the Foxes.

Other attacking targets for Postecoglou, as per this update, come in the form of Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi.

Who is James Maddison?

The 26-year-old was, by some way, Leicester's best-performing player per 90 according to WhoScored.

Maddison, who made more attempts at goal and completed more key passes than any other player in Leicester's squad, also racked up a very impressive 19 goal contributions (10 goals, nine assists).

Called "magnificent" for his brilliant form at the King Power over these last few years, former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers was effusive in his praise for Maddison last season.

“He is a very important player for us but it is about the team," said Rodgers.

“Top players make others better and if you look at any team — Casemiro when he comes in for Manchester United — it’s no coincidence when he plays they look a much different team. Why? Because he’s a top player."

Fast bowlers Norman Vanua and Willie Gavera took three wickets each and played leading roles during a collapse in which Namibia lost six wickets for 57 runs in Port Moresby

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2016
ScorecardPapua New Guinea fast bowlers Norman Vanua and Willie Gavera took three wickets each and played leading roles during a collapse in which Namibia lost six wickets for 57 runs in Port Moresby. PNG successfully chased the target of 213 with two overs to spare, with opener Vani Morea and captain Assad Vala adding 100 for the third wicket to secure their sixth successive victory in the World Cricket League.Namibia got off to a bad start after winning the toss, with non-striker Zane Green being run-out while attempting a third run off the first ball of the match. His partner Stephan Baard went on to make a 54-ball 56 but was part of the slide that resulted in Namibia slipping from 76 for 2 to 133 for 8. Nicolaas Scholtz made an unbeaten 61 to take his team to 212 in 50 overs.Morea anchored PNG’s chase, top-scoring with 67 off 121 balls. His partner in the century partnership, Vala, made 55 off 70 deliveries. Both batsmen fell in the space of about six overs, but Sese Bau’s unbeaten 40 sealed the six-wicket victory.The result meant PNG led the table because of their superior net run rate, having drawn level with Netherlands on 12 points after eight games. Namibia have lost seven in a row since their win against Hong Kong in the tournament’s first match in May 2015.

Liverpool have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Lazio phenom Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after his value has been slashed with just one year left on his current contract.

What's the latest on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Liverpool?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Serbian gem could be available for just €26m (£22m) this summer, amid mounting interest from Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.

James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all played their final game for Liverpool and will depart Anfield, along with forward Roberto Firmino, at the conclusion of their contracts in a few weeks, and the 28-year-old Lazio star could be an astute addition to replenish the ranks.

Lazio will listen to offers and would rather sell him than allow him to depart for nothing in one year, especially given the Eagles have returned to the Champions League and are one match away from securing second place in Serie A.

Should Liverpool sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?

Milinkovic-Savic has enjoyed a blistering campaign and ostensibly been the centrepiece of Lazio's seasonal success in returning to the Champions League after a two-year absence – on course for their highest finish since winning the Scudetto in 1999/00.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, the machine has scored nine goals and supplied eight assists from 35 Serie A matches this term, averaging 1.7 shots and 1.2 key passes per match and making 1.6 tackles and 1.3 clearances per game, earning an average rating of 7.16.

He has donned the captain's armband on 14 occasions this season too, and could bring both leadership and attacking quality to Liverpool's centre as Klopp seeks a resurgence to lift his outfit back to the forefront after the summer.

As such, he could be Klopp's own version of Manchester City phenom Ilkay Gundogan, with the first-rate German midfielder among the creme de la creme on a global scale and imperative to the illustrious success of his team, having notably gleaned five Premier League titles and the FA Cup – also in the final of the latter competition again and the Champions League this season.

The 32-year-old actually used to play for Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, where they won two Bundesliga titles and the DFB Pokal together, which bodes well for Milinkovic-Savic, with the Reds' German boss perhaps best fit to unlock the full scope of his skill set on Merseyside.

The £99k-per-week Serb, hailed as a "different beast" by journalist Sacha Pisani, ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 8% for rate of assists, the top 12% for touches in the attacking box and the top 2% for aerials won, illustrating his devastating box-crashing prowess as a progressive central force.

Gundogan, comparatively, ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 20% for rate of assists and the top 3% for touches in the attacking box, and it's clear to see that both aces are superlative forward-thinking midfielders.

Klopp could unlock a "magic" new dimension – as he was dubbed by teammate Ciro Immobile – with the acquisition of Milinkovic-Savic, and must seek to emulate Pep Guardiola's success with the Citizens by providing his team with a new midfield general to orchestrate a resurgence.

The lack of clarity over Manchester United's ownership situation could put them at a disadvantage when it comes to summer transfers, Fabrizio Romano has claimed.

What's going on with Manchester United's takeover?

There have been multiple bids for ownership of the club, and it had been mooted that the Glazers could even stay in some capacity, depending on how many shares they sell.

Protests continue amongst United fans, who want a full sale, and the lack of progress in the last few months may raise some concerns as the season draws to a close.

Speaking on The United Stand, Romano pointed out that the groundwork is already being laid for some high profile summer transfers elsewhere, and United could fall behind whilst they wait to see what kind of business they can do depending on the outcome of the ownership battle.

"Now it's on the Glazers, now they have to clarify what they want to do with the preferred bidder, what they want to do in terms of timing, in terms of the next few weeks. The transfer window is coming. Other clubs are already in direct contact with players, in direct contact with agents, preparing and planning for their summer transfer window. Real Madrid are in an advanced process to sign with Bellingham. So you can't lose time now," he stated.

"I think this is absolutely crucial for Manchester United, and they have to make sure the situation will be clarified in May. So let's see what happens to the next seven, ten days.

"This is the feeling of sources close to the process to try to clarify the situation, but again, it's on the Glazers, and I think for Manchester United it will happen very soon, otherwise, on the market, you can have big problems in terms of planning for your transfer window."

How important is the transfer window for Man United?

Although they have made good progress under Erik ten Hag, winning the Carabao Cup and reaching the FA Cup final, there is a lot of work to do in the upcoming transfer window, and United cannot afford to fall behind.

The futures of loanees Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer need to be clarified, whilst there is much speculation about both the goalkeeping and striking positions in the team.

Harry Kane has been linked as Ten Hag's desired number nine, whilst it seems that David De Gea is set to sign a new deal despite making a number of errors this season.

Clarity over their ownership situation needs to be found before the window opens, so Ten Hag can recruit properly in the transfer window. With a top four place looking likely, but not yet certain, Champions League football could help United lure players to the club, but if they are unable to make transfers whilst there continues to be delays in any takeover, then they could face a difficult campaign next season.

Former Pakistan batsman Mudassar Nazar, who took charge as director of Pakistan’s national cricket academy on Thursday, has said that he chose to return to the country and to the PCB to “fix the broken cycle of development”

Umar Farooq16-Jun-2016

Former Pakistan batsman Mudassar Nazar, who took charge as director of Pakistan’s national cricket academy on Thursday, has said he chose to return to the role to “fix the broken cycle of development”. Nazar was NCA director between 2006 and 2008, before he quit to join the ICC Academy as a coach, a role he fulfilled for the last eight years. Nazar will head the NCA for the next three years.”I might have been away from Pakistan cricket but, in the last eight years, I have always been the true ambassador of the NCA,” Nazar, who is also part of the PCB’s cricket committee, said. “I was approached many times in the past but it didn’t work out, but my eyes have always been here. We all know the system was made and it was broken, and now they intend to revive it and I realised that now they are serious and [will] work towards development. So I am here.”The cycle of development is very important and, due to many reasons, it easily disintegrated twice in the last 14 years, which has cost [Pakistan cricket] five to ten years. I don’t know what the reasons were. They may be financial or whatever the circumstances were, but now my biggest task is revive this cycle and make a plan to speed up this process of development so that we can cover up the lost time.”Nazar, 60, played 76 Tests and 122 ODIs between 1976 and 1989. Before he served as NCA director in 2006, he was also a coach at the academy between January 2001 and October 2002, under the tenure of then PCB chairman Tauqir Zia. After Nazar’s departure in 2008, a number of directors were appointed to the NCA but the academy became largely defunct. The development phase was put on hold as the academy struggled to fill coaching roles for all skills. The regional academies were also gradually terminated due to lack of funds, and the Lahore terror attack in 2009, in which Sri Lankan players were injured, was another setback for cricket in the country.”I will be reviving the NCA as it was earlier, and there is no rocket science in it,” Nazar said, about his plans to correct the system. “The plan is there, as the academies will have their role from top to bottom. It will similarly will be expanded from the NCA to the regional academies, age group [cricket] will come under development, the A team will be developed with emerging players and all the 16 regional academies will start functioning from August 1. So this cycle will be alive and running in due course.”One of the players to train at the NCA during Nazar’s two-year stint was fast bowler Mohammad Amir and Nazar is credited with helping the bowler recover from three stress fractures to the back in the early phase of his career. Nazar coached the Pakistan team in 1993 and 2001, and was also Kenya coach in 2005. During his time with Kenyan cricket he also served as director of the Nairobi Cricket Academy.

Aston Villa have reportedly turned their interest to the summer transfer window, as the current Premier League season edges towards a close.

The Villans have been on a ride this season, stooping as relegation candidates back in November, to an inspired siege of form taking them to European hopefuls with just three games to go.

Unai Emery is the driving force behind the revival of Villa, who have posed a threat to most they have faced since the Spaniard’s arrival in the Midlands last winter.

Having inherited Steven Gerrard’s squad following his dismissal in November, Emery will get the chance to put his stamp on the club in his first summer transfer window, something that he has spoken openly about.

With Ollie Watkins firing and leading the line for the Midlands side, it’s been speculated that a strike partner is on the Spaniard’s radar this summer.

What’s the latest on Moussa Dembele to Villa?

As reported by Turkish outlet Fotomac, Aston Villa have emerged as a club interested in Galatasaray target Moussa Dembele.

The report states that the Turkish giants face competition from the Premier League for the Olympique Lyon striker who is out of contract at the end of the season.

Villa are reported to be one of the clubs interested, as well as Leeds United and West Ham as the representatives from the Premier League.

What could Moussa Dembele bring to Villa?

The 26-year-old who grew through Fulham’s academy, found his feet at senior level with Celtic becoming a prolific goalscorer in the Scottish Premiership.

Closing his time in Scotland with 69 goal contributions (51 goals and 18 assists) in 94 appearances in all competitions, the Frenchman was snatched by Lyon where his goal-scoring form continued.

It has been Emery’s plan since his arrival to sign somebody to accompany Watkins going forward, telling The Athletic in April of his wishes to 'add another striker to play with him'

As reported by Football Insider in February, the Villa manager is reportedly a 'big fan' of the £70k-per-week striker with it no surprise that interest remains as his contract in France winds down.

The Pontoise-born forward could be a strong introduction to the clubs’ attack, and a suitable partner for Watkins, matching his goal-scoring prowess in some ways.

As per FBref, Dembele averages 0.44 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, with the Englishman averaging slightly less with 0.39.

That said, the latter has been in rampant form under his Spanish boss, scoring 13 in 23 outings since his arrival. The idea, therefore, of being partnered with another "scoring machine" – as lauded by L'Equipe's Bertrand Latour – is a tantalising one.

Indeed. having two prolific goalscorers can bring little harm to any side, and there is no denying that the Frenchman – who boasts 152 career goals – could bring a presence for Watkins to feed off in Emery’s system.

Everton are back in Premier League action today, as they play host to a Fulham side seemingly still recovering from that frantic FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.

In a game where the travelling Cottagers had dominated, a moment of madness saw Willian, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Marco Silva all see red, spurring on the imminent collapse.

This saw them not only crash out the cup but throw their next three fixtures into doubt as they would be without a host of their most important characters. Whilst the Brazilian will be back and their manager will be in the dugout, poised for his return to Goodison Park, their Serbian marksman remains out after an unprecedented eight-game ban was upheld after his skirmish with the referee.

It offers a huge opportunity for the Toffees to grab three vital points as they enter an unfavourable run-in, and the absence of such an imperative figure for the West London outfit will only bolster their chances.

However, the Merseyside club are not without absentees of their own, as Sean Dyche detailed in his press conference. Responding to the media when asked about injuries, he noted on Seamus Coleman:

"He's got a niggly hamstring which will need a bit of time to settle down."

Although boasting form of playing the likes of Ben Godfrey out of position in a full-back role, it seems the return of Nathan Patterson from injury marks the perfect chance for the full-back to re-establish himself within the senior squad.

Will Nathan Patterson start vs Fulham?

Despite the impressive form of their 34-year-old captain, his physical deficiencies were there for all to see. Offensively the Irishman is lacking, and with his wilting dynamism, an injection of youth could be a boost at both ends of the pitch.

Their number 23 has only mustered a 6.73 average rating, upheld by his 0.1 key pass per game, via Sofascore.

When given a run in the side earlier on in the campaign under Frank Lampard, the young Scotsman had shown signs of the bright future he was once touted.

This culminated in his 2.8 tackles per game alongside a 47% dribble success rate – also per Sofascore – with his attacking statistics admittedly lacking.

However, it is less his technical assets and more his eagerness to impress that could make up for Coleman's absence, as Patterson has been noted as someone who both "bombs forward" and "sticks a foot in" by pundit Danny Murphy.

The £28k-per-week diamond showcased these attributes in their 0-0 draw in the first Merseyside derby of this season, where he made five tackles and won five of his eight ground duels.

Having not started a game since that fateful collapse against Brighton and Hove Albion at the start of January, perhaps the 21-year-old can exorcise those demons with a fine display today to help add a vital three points to their diminutive tally.

Tottenham Hotspur insiders have been left very excited by young defender Destiny Udogie amid his current loan spell at Udinese.

The Lowdown: Spurs seal starlet deal…

He became Spurs’ seventh summer recruit in 2022 after the Lilywhites sealed his signing from the Italian club. The Italy Under-21 international has stood out as one of Serie A’s most exciting talents over the last two years, prompting Fabio Paratici to seal a deal for him.

Udogie was promptly loaned back to Udinese for the entire 2022/23 campaign to further his development, with Bianconeri goalkeeper Marco Silvestri suggesting that Spurs had signed a ‘devastating’ youngster.

The Latest: Spurs insiders excited…

Writing for football.london, reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has shared news on Udogie after his brief visit to north London.

The defender travelled to watch Spurs in action as they overcame West Ham 2-0 on Sunday, with Gold claiming that there is ‘plenty of excitement within’ the club about the 20-year-old’s return in the summer.

Tottenham insiders apparently believe that Udogie will have an ‘impact’ on the pitch when he gets an opportunity next season, clearly being impressed by his ability.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-4/” title=”Tottenham latest news” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Exciting…

Those within Hotspur Way have plenty of reason to be buzzing over Udogie and his potential to become a Spurs mainstay. As per WhoScored, the 20-year-old has progressed leaps and bounds yet again on loan at Udinese this season, ranking as their third-best performing player by average match rating in Serie A.

Antonio Conte’s side could be about to see a very exciting left-wing-back option enter their ranks, given how Udogie impresses both defensively and further forward.

Hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by Udinese boss Andrea Sottil, the defender has averaged their second-highest rate of tackles per 90 and third highest number of interceptions this season. Going forward, Udogie sits among their top five players for key passes made and completed take-ons per match (WhoScored).

At such a young age, the player’s ceiling seems vast, making it little surprise that there is an air of anticipation around N17 for when he eventually makes his competitive Tottenham debut.

Spurs TV commentator Rob Daly admits that he loves to watch Dejan Kulusevski play when he puts on a Tottenham Hotspur shirt.

The Lowdown: Making an impact

Kulusevski joined Antonio Conte’s side on deadline in 2021 on an 18-month loan deal, his contract with Tottenham will expire at the end of this season, but he could join permanently if the requirements of the deal are met.

The Swede has provided 21 goal contributions in 38 matches for Spurs across all competitions since making the switch to north London.

At the end of last year, the Premier League star was given the Guldbollen which is the award for Sweden’s best male player in a calendar year.

The Latest: Daly loves Kulusevksi

Speaking on The View From The Lane Podcast, Daly raved about Kulusevki and why he loves watching him play.

He stated (34:03), “I love Dejan Kulsevski, I was blown away by how quickly he adapted to the Premier League.

“I just love the way he carries the ball, he doesn’t look quick but he is and he can drop the shoulder he can go inside and out.

“It’s either whip a cross to the back post left foot, he’ll get to the bottom or cut it back right for I just adore Dejan Kulusevski.”

The Verdict: Some talent

We believe that Kulusevki is a great talent and with him looking very likely to sign this summer, it’ll be great for them to have him on board for the long term.

Conte has raved about him in the past, labelling him as ‘fantastic’ and ‘important’ player as quoted by Football.London.

There’s no doubt he’s been an important player this season in the league, averaging a goal contribution every other game. Had not suffered a thigh injury earlier in the season, you could argue his tally could be even better.

At only 22-years-old, Kulusevki has the potential to get even better in our view and could well end up becoming a future Spurs legend, the fans have certainly taken to him.

Newcastle United have entered the January transfer window with a new central midfielder at the top of Dan Ashworth’s to-do list.

What’s the word?

The Magpies have been handed a number of injury setbacks in midfield already this season with Bruno Guimaraes missing a number of games and Jonjo Shelvey barely featuring through his respective injury. Setbacks in a key area of the pitch to big players which seem to have left Eddie Howe feeling slightly short in midfield.

This is according to the reliable Toon correspondent Craig Hope, with the Daily Mail journalist claiming a new midfielder is now the ‘absolute priority’ for the Magpies this month:

“You know central midfield, from what I’m hearing and again that was reinforced by one or two conversations today [Saturday], is the absolute priority,” Hope said on his YouTube channel.

A number of names have already been linked with a potential move to Tyneside ahead of this month’s transfer window with the likes of Youri Tielemans among the list of potential winter targets.

Another name which is believed to be on Ashworth’s radar is the 21-year-old Moises Caicedo from his former club, Brighton & Hove Albion who he signed from Independiente in 2021 for a fee of around just £4.4m.

Ashworth is also said to have set his radar on options from across Europe with Ajax’s Edson Alvarez a potential option alongside the brother of Marcus Thuram, Khephren Thuram, who is currently showcasing his talent out in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice.

Area for improvement

Newcastle’s midfield has certainly become one of their strengths under Howe with the signing of Guimaraes seeing the Brazilian become one of the most impressive players across the league in that position.

The Brazilian has been a revelation on Tyneside having as he finds himself in the top nine percentile for non-penalty goals, completed dribbles, tackles and blocks (via Fbref).

And alongside him has been his fellow Brazilian, Joelinton, whose improvement under Howe has been nothing short of remarkable with the 26-year-old’s turnaround being hailed by Jamie Carragher in recent days.

However, Shelvey’s absence has left a gap in Howe’s three-man midfield which has not exactly been claimed with any real conviction by either Joe Willock nor Sean Longstaff.

Willock’s goal-scoring prowess shown during his loan spell under Steve Bruce is now a distant memory with the Englishman scoring just four goals under Howe.

And Longstaff has been slammed for his display in the 0-0 draw against Leeds United on Saturday as the Englishman squandered opportunities to snatch all three points.

With the Magpies flying in the Premier League and Champions League football a real possibility this season, it does feel like a quality partner for Guimaraes and Joelinton could be a big addition for Howe.