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Tottenham Hotspur’s attentions have seemingly turned to Diego Carlos in a bid to bolster Antonio Conte’s backline.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported that Spurs had joined Newcastle United in race to sign him during the January transfer window and with just a few days left to go, time may be running out to secure him.

It does appear as if the north London outfit have a trick up their sleeve, though.

According to Football Insider, Spurs have opened preliminary talks with Sevilla over a potential swap deal involving Giovani Lo Celso for the 28-year-old centre-back.

Conte is said to be in the market for a new central defender during the final few days of the window.

Carlos is valued at £50m by the LaLiga outfit but the Lilywhites are hoping that Lo Celso going in the other direction can sweeten the deal.

There’s no denying, the Brazilian colossus would be an instant upgrade to the Italian’s defence, especially alongside summer signing Cristian Romero and Eric Dier, who Conte believes can become one of the best in the world.

The trio would be a frightening prospect for any Premier League frontline. You’ve got two physical and aggressive animals in Carlos and Romero and an exceptional ball-playing option between them in Dier.

Just two seasons ago, the 6 foot 1 star won the Europa League with the Rojiblancos, where he played a regular and starring role. That campaign saw him record a whopping 21 clean sheets in all competitions, including one against Lionel Messi and co, which is impressive.

He formed a solid partnership with Jules Kounde at the back, averaging a squad-high 2.8 aerial duels won, 1.1 tackles and an 88.3% passing accuracy per league outing, via WhoScored.

That aerial ability could certainly set him apart from the two Spurs defenders.

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Valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, Carlos has been dubbed a “beast” who is “built like a tank” by Spanish football expert Domagoj Kostanjsak.

“He’s a really physical player – he’s built like a tank and they don’t call him ‘The Beast’ for no reason,” he told the Liverpool ECHO. “He’s really good in the air and he’s decent on the ball as well – you have to be under Julen Lopetegui,” before later adding: “He’s been a bit of a revelation.”

If Conte wants a new centre-back, then Spurs should look no further than Carlos, who could be the final piece to their defensive puzzle. Between him, Dier and Romero, the Italian head coach would have one formidable unit that could strike fear into the opposition for the remainder of this season.

It’s on sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy to get this one over the line now.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt late January transfer blow over “devastating” target, Conte will be livid…

Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan took three wickets for Worcestershire on the third day of their County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road

27-Aug-2010
Scorecard
Promotion-chasing Sussex and Glamorgan were frustrated by the rain which washed out the first day of their County Championship Division Two match at Hove.Morning rain finally stopped at midday but umpires Peter Willey and Barry Dudleston decided at 3.30pm, after three inspections, that parts of the outfield were too damp for play.Leaders Sussex went into the game 20 points clear of second-placed Glamorgan and closing in on an immediate return to Division One.

Antonio Conte could have a new midfield partnership at Tottenham Hotspur – a pretty formidable one at that, too.

The north London outfit made a double signing on deadline day, bringing in Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus, the latter signing in a permanent deal for an initial £15.9m, per the BBC.

In the other direction, Spurs have let three central options depart with Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso leaving on loan, whilst Dele Alli made a permanent switch to Everton.

“I will give everything I can for the shirt,” the Uruguay international claimed after he was announced as the Lilywhites’ newest player. He should quickly become a favourite for Conte…

Imagine him and Hojbjerg

Bentancur may not be the exciting addition that everyone was craving in N17 but he’s one that will make Spurs an even stronger outfit, especially after a glowing endorsement from The Athletic’s Serie A expert James Horncastle.

“He’ll do a lot of the dirty work that will allow Spurs’ flair players to do their best work, and certainly having a lot of blue-collar players in the Conte team – he’s always valued players like that.”

He’s a reliable and durable option in the heart of the pitch, one capable of protecting the backline efficiently. Indeed, no other player at Juventus has managed more interceptions (73) and tackles (95) combined (168) than Bentancur since the start of the 2020/21 season.

Juve legend Gigi Buffon has also waxed lyrical about the 24-year-old powerhouse in the past, claiming:

“Bentancur has something different to everyone else. He’s reliable tactically, technically and psychologically.”

Meanwhile, Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport have previously described him as an “extraordinary talent” (in quotes sourced by football.london).

Just imagine Spurs’ engine room now with Bentancur partnering the equally-strong Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has been one of Conte’s star performers so far this season

He averages a whopping 2.2 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game himself, so pairing the two together could make Spurs a real force in the middle of the pitch. They will certainly be a hard proposition to get past.

That’s a solid foundation to build upon, then Conte can work on their attacking problems heading into the summer, where more change is expected.

AND in other news, Bentancur & Doherty in, £18m-rated “nightmare” axed: Is this Spurs’ strongest XI after January?

Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, is targeting a return to the national team for the series against South Africa in the UAE in October and the World Cup early next year

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2010Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, is targeting a return to the national team for the series against South Africa in the UAE in October, and the World Cup early next year. Sami last made an international appearance in May, during the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, and has been out of reckoning since. However, with the uncertainty over the availability of fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif following the spot-fixing controversy, Sami could be in the frame for a comeback.”I’ve not taken much time off during the off season and have been working hard on my game at the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy, as well as training on my own,” Sami told . “I want to ensure that I am 100% ready when the new season starts. I am hopeful that the hard work will pay off and I can be given another chance for Pakistan.”Sami began his international career on a high, grabbing eight wickets on Test debut in 2001, against New Zealand in Auckland, and a hat-trick against Sri Lanka in Lahore in his third game. He formed a promising opening bowling combination with Shoaib Akhtar, and was tipped for a bright future, but failed to meet expectations, averaging 50.73 in 34 Tests to date.”Sometimes statistics don’t always tell the full story,” Sami said. “I don’t want to offer excuses, but those that have followed my career will appreciate that I have not had the best of luck. I am a better bowler than my statistics suggest and I will prove that in the coming months and years if given the opportunity.Sami was dropped from the national team in 2007 and he went on to participate in the unauthorised Indian Cricket League before returning to the official fold. Since his return, he has played just one Test, the controversial defeat against Australia in Sydney in January. “I was given one opportunity in Australia and took three wickets in the first innings. I removed the top three Australian batsmen and felt in good shape, but then I never played in the next match. I’m desperate to be given another chance and to show what I can do, if given a decent run in the side.”Sami, currently the captain of the domestic team Karachi Blues, has a significantly better ODI record, averaging 28.44 for his 118 wickets. Selection to the 2011 World Cup squad means more to him than just making an international comeback. “The memory of the 2007 World Cup still haunts all of the squad,” he said. The tournament itself was a disaster for Pakistan cricket and of course Bob Woolmer’s death was heart-breaking for all of us. I want to put that terrible tournament behind me and to make the 2011 World Cup a success for Pakistan.”

Pundit Kevin Campbell has been reacting to who could join Erik ten Hag in the Manchester United dugout, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Verbal agreement…

It appears to be a matter of time until the Red Devils confirm Ten Hag as their new manager after striking a verbal agreement with the 52-year-old earlier this week.

An announcement isn’t expected anytime soon however, due to Ajax’s Dutch Cup final with PSV at the weekend, reports David Ornstein.

Reports do however believe that Ten Hag wants to bring his assistant Mitchell van der Gaag with him to Old Trafford, while Steve McClaren and Robin van Persie are also under consideration.

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Campbell, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to FI regarding the possibility of the former United duo returning to the club to work under Ten Hag.

He labelled it as ‘important’ and ‘a brilliant move’, while also admitting he can see move materialising.

“It would be a smart move because both of them know the club inside out.

“Ten Hag knows what McClaren is about. They’ve been successful. They know.

“Van Persie had great success at Man United. Getting people in who know the club and know what’s required to be successful is important.

“I think it would be a brilliant move, if I’m honest. I can see it happening.”

The Verdict: Interesting…

Along with Van der Gaag, it could be wise for Ten Hag to bring McClaren and Van Persie to Old Trafford. He knows McClaren well after serving as his assistant at FC Twente, with roles possibly reversed 14 years on.

Fellow countryman Van Persie enjoyed plenty of success as a player with the Red Devils, and could also bring something different to the coaching team.

It will be interesting to see who Ten Hag brings with him, but what is most important for United chiefs at this moment in time is that a move goes through without any late hiccups. A coaching team potentially needs to be sorted before a deal is finalised, but only time will tell.

In other news: ‘Interesting’ Man Utd news has pundit talking; says Leeds supporters ‘will be devastated’

Saurabh Tiwary will make his ODI debut during the three-match series between India and Australia, India captain MS Dhoni has said.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2010Saurabh Tiwary, the middle-order batsman who played for Mumbai Indians, will make his ODI debut during the three-match series against Australia that starts in Kochi on Sunday, India captain MS Dhoni has said. Tiwary has been part of India’s one-day squad since June and Dhoni said the time has come to give him the opportunity to prove himself.”He has got exposure against the best bowlers in the IPL and CL T20. I think it is an ideal opportunity for us to give him a place in the final XI and let him play the kind of cricket he plays.”Dhoni said Tiwary was ideally suited to bat at six or seven, where he could go after the bowlers. “He backs himself and he is hard working and spends his time at net sessions. He is good character to have. With proper guidance and with little more exposure to international cricket, he can be really successful.”Tiwary, 20, served notice in the 2009 Ranji Trophy, where he scored three centuries in five games at an average of 98.83 for Jharkhand in the Plate League. During the third season of the IPL he emerged as the poster-boy of Mumbai’s young and dynamic middle-order, hitting 419 runs with three fifties as his team made the finals of the tournament.When Tiwary does make his debut, he will be only the second cricketer from the central Indian state of Jharkhand to play for India, after Dhoni. “It is slightly tougher for a player to come from a small state and represent your country,” Dhoni said. “It is not a restriction anymore because most of cricket played in India is covered by media in a beautiful manner and selectors will notice.”Dhoni confirmed that M Vijay will open the innings in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, but was non-committal on whether Yuvraj Singh would play, saying “you will have to wait and watch”. It is unlikely that Yuvraj will be left out though, as India is already missing three of their senior-most batsmen.Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has received plenty of support from Dhoni in the past, however, needs to perform better if he is to cement his place in the team for the World Cup. Dhoni said a few places are still up for grabs, including one for a fast bowler and another for either an allrounder or a big-hitting lower-order batsman.”When he [Jadeja] came to the side, he was more of a batsman than a bowler. But in the last few seasons he has really done well with the ball. He has not so far contributed well with the bat. For a player like him, he has to contribute with both.”More often than not, we tend to play with four bowlers and one part-timer who can contribute. We still want to keep it the same – with that someone coming down the order at No. 7.”Australia has won every one-day series in India since 1998, but both sides are without some of their first-choice players and Australia captain Michael Clarke expects an even contest. “I think the opposition we are playing is very tough, especially in Indian conditions, but I am confident that if we play to our best, we will win the series. As I said earlier this series is going to be fought evenly.”

Despite a winless tour, Zimbabwe have generally committed themselves admirably in South Africa – the Benoni debacle aside – and team captain Elton Chigumbura insisted that the experience of playing top-level opponents would be helpful as Zimbabwe seek to

Liam Brickhill in Benoni22-Oct-2010Despite a winless tour, Zimbabwe have generally committed themselves admirably in South Africa – the Benoni debacle aside – and team captain Elton Chigumbura insisted that the experience of playing top-level opponents would be helpful as Zimbabwe seek to continue their development.”It’s been a positive series for us, despite the results, especially on the batting front,” Chigumbura told ESPNcricinfo. “Today was just a bad day for us all round. But for the tour as a whole, it’s been a positive thing for us because now we know where we are.”Zimbabwe may well have pushed South Africa a little harder had Chigumbura been in better form, but he struggled with both bat and ball in the one-dayers, managing 37 runs in three innings and picking up just two wickets for 129 runs in 16 overs. His struggles with the ball, in particular, contributed to a wider malaise in Zimbabwe’s bowling and the visitors’ seamers struggled to make an impression.”There’s plenty of room for improvement, especially in our bowling,” conceded Chigumbura. “We just need to get our skills to the top level, which has been the biggest let-down of the whole tour. We still have lots of work to do when it comes to control in our bowling. We are alright in the field, but our execution with the ball is where we’re not getting it right.”Chigumbura suggested that a preponderance of flat, batsman-friendly wickets had exposed Zimbabwe’s frailties rather more harshly than might have been the case if conditions had been more suited to seam and swing. “That’s the big difference,” he said.”If you play on flat wickets your margin of error is so small, and that’s when your real skills come into play. Our skills on flat wickets are not yet where we want them to be, and that’s something we need to work on with the World Cup coming up in the subcontinent and our tour to Bangladesh.”Zimbabwe’s next assignment is a trip to Bangladesh. Although the fixture list has not yet been finalised, the tour will give them vital experience in conditions similar to what they’ll encounter at the World Cup in February.”It’s going to be good to be playing Bangladesh in their sort of conditions. In a way it was also good to play against top level opposition on flat decks here, so hopefully when we go to Bangladesh our skill level will have gone up and we’ll have a better understanding of the importance of control in our bowling. I have been following their series against New Zealand, they’ve been playing very well. You know what to expect from them – they’re going to use their spinners to attack – so when we go home we’re going to be working on playing spin and also on our bowling. But our batting is good at the moment.”A noticeable omission from Zimbabwe’s squad on this tour was that of Ray Price. Since Zimbabwe’s series against Bangladesh in January last year, Price has picked up 49 wickets at just 25.46 – and that average drops to 23.73 in the 17 games Zimbabwe have won in that time – and Chigumbura suggested his absence had been keenly felt.”We missed Ray price on this tour. Pricey plays a really big role in the team. Unfortunately his father isn’t well so he wasn’t with us this time, but hopefully when we go to Bangladesh he’ll be with us and he’ll help a great deal on the bowling side.”

Leeds United are interested in signing Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi this summer, according to TEAMtalk.

The Lowdown: Batshuayi at Besiktas

Batshuayi, who has been on the books at Stamford Bridge since 2016, is currently out on loan at Turkish side Besiktas.

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The Belgium international has scored 14 goals in 28 Super Lig games, taking his senior career tally for club and country to a quite impressive 161.

The 28-year-old’s improving form appears to have caught the eye of Victor Orta once again after links last year, and the Leeds chief could now go to Andrea Radrizzani to fund a cut-price summer move for Jesse Marsch.

The Latest: Leeds interest

TEAMtalk shared a story regarding Batshuayi on Wednesday afternoon, suggesting he will depart Chelsea this summer and could remain in the Premier League in what was described as a possible gamble.

Leeds, Brighton, Everton, Southampton and Wolves are all keen, while clubs in Germany, Italy and Spain are also interested along with Besiktas.

The Verdict: Gamble indeed

Batshuayi, who previously called former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa ‘crazy’, has struggled in England, so a move to Elland Road could be a gamble by Whites chiefs.

The forward netted just three times in 34 Premier League appearances in 2019/20 and 2020/21, so despite impressing in Turkey this season, there is no guarantee he will continue that form back in England.

Leeds do need a striker ahead of Marsch’s first full season in charge following Patrick Bamford’s injury issues though, and it looks as if Batshuayi could be a real target to keep an eye on.

In other news: Sky Sports now share big news on Leeds star’s Elland Road future; ‘dealing’ already happening. 

Ricky Ponting will not take part in the third one-day international against Sri Lanka in Brisbane, and will instead travel to Hobart to prepare for Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield game against Queensland

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2010Ricky Ponting will not take part in the third one-day international against Sri Lanka in Brisbane, and will instead travel to Hobart to prepare for Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield game against Queensland in order to fit in as much first-class cricket as possible ahead of the first Ashes Test against England on November 25.”As the series against Sri Lanka has been decided the National Selection Panel has an ideal opportunity to provide Ricky with two solid weeks of red-ball cricket,” said Greg Chappell, who sits on the panel. “This allows him what we believe to be the best preparation to lead the Australian Test match team in Brisbane for the first Ashes Test match.”Australia lost the second ODI in Sydney by 29 runs to hand Sri Lanka their first ever series win on Australian soil, and have now lost seven successive matches across all three formats. Ponting admitted that “all departments are a little bit wanting at the moment”, but insisted that the team remained upbeat ahead of what is sure to be a challenging summer.”There is a good feeling around the group,” he said. “We had a good chat after the game in Melbourne and we talked about areas of our game we had to improve on and unfortunately we haven’t done that as well as we would have liked tonight. We are just far enough off to be losing games of cricket at the moment. We have had seven games in a row now where we have had opportunities to win games and we haven’t got there.Ponting refused to use the hype surrounding the Ashes as a reason for Australia’s poor form, adding: “You can’t use that as an excuse. We have known for a long time about this series and how important it was for us to play well here leading into the Ashes and we haven’t done that over the last two games. We have the chance now in Brisbane to get things back on track and a bit of state cricket after that.”We have to start winning games, it’s really important to have that attitude and feeling of winning games around the dressing room and we haven’t done that for a while now. It’s about time we got back to playing the brand of cricket we know we are capable of and if we do that I am sure we will win some games.”

An injury development has emerged over Sunderland gem Alex Pritchard… 

What’s the latest?

Black Cats boss Alex Neil has cast doubt over the midfielder’s availability to face Plymouth in the club’s League One clash this afternoon.

The former Norwich man was missing from the match-day squad on Friday and could now be out for the second match in succession.

Neil told The Northern Echo: “Alex wasn’t fit (for Shrewsbury). We’ll have a call on him (for Plymouth). But it’s obviously a quick turnaround, so we’ll see how he goes over the next day or two.”

He also added: “Hoff (Thorben Hoffmann) was ill on the morning (of the Shrewsbury game). He saw the doctor at ten o’clock and I think he was given some tablets.

“Callum Doyle was ill, and Leon Dajaku has been ill recently too. We’ve certainly got a little bit of a bug floating about at the moment. Unfortunately, three of the lads were missing because of that.”

Supporters will be gutted

This update will leave the Black Cats supporters gutted as it is yet another big blow for Pritchard and the club this year.

He only recently returned from another injury earlier this month, with his appearance against Gillingham being his first since the 5th of March against Charlton. That outing on the 2nd of April, however, was his most recent one for Sunderland and it remains to be seen when he will be able to make his return.

Getting him back fit and firing will surely be a priority for Neil as he has been a key player when fit. In League One this season, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.10 whilst chipping in with four goals and seven assists – creating an impressive 2.1 chances per game.

This highlights the level of quality he is able to bring to the table and that is why fans will be gutted with his current injury struggles. They will want to see him back out on the pitch as quickly as possible, especially given that they are four games away from potentially being in the play-offs.

Sunderland are outside of the top six on goal difference, as it stands, and supporters will be keen to see Pritchard fit and firing to help them secure their spot. This is also why they will be frustrated by the fresh illness concerns as key members of the team could catch it and miss crucial matches.

AND in other news, Neil must avoid disaster on £1.4k-p/w “young Paul Gascoigne”, he’s SAFC’s biggest hope…