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Tottenham have joined Aston Villa in the race to sign Stoke City defender Harry Souttar, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Souttar profiled

Souttar, described as ‘quality’ by Potters boss Michael O’Neill, is 22 years of age and stands at a huge 6 foot 5.

The Australia international has been with Stoke since 2016 and has made 56 senior appearances for the club, 11 of which have come during the current campaign.

He appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high £3.6m Transfermarkt valuation, and it seems as if Daniel Levy is willing to get the chequebook out for Souttar’s services.

The Latest: Scouting mission

Football Insider shared a story on Thursday afternoon, claiming Spurs are looking to pip Aston Villa to a deal for Souttar.

They were informed by a Spurs source that the club have sent scouts to watch the defender in action on multiple occasions already this season and are keeping tabs on Souttar ahead of the winter window.

The Verdict: Revenge on Villa?

Villa pipped Spurs to a deal for Caleb Chukwuemeka over the summer, and it appears as if the two could go head-to-head again in the New Year.

However, Tottenham have five senior centre-backs on the books at this moment in time, four of which are 25 years of age or younger, so a winter window deal doesn’t seem vital.

Spurs may like what they see in Souttar, though, so it’ll be interesting if they firm up their interest and battle Villa for his signature.

In other news: ‘Get rid’ – Sky pundit erupts after source leaks news on senior Spurs players. 

Auckland have appointed former Zimbabwe spinner Paul Strang as their head coach for the remainder of the New Zealand domestic season. Strang will fill in for Mark O’Donnell who was recently appointed assistant coach of the national side for the ongoing series against India.Strang has been part of the coaching staff at Auckland for eight months and has also worked with their A team. He will be assisted by former New Zealand opening batsman Matt Horne.”Having worked with a lot of these guys already there won’t be too many new faces for me to get to know but it will be a different environment and with a different end goal,” Strang said. “Matt and I have already worked together a good deal and have a great understanding so the partnership should work well.”Auckland Cricket will review the position of long-term coach at the end of the season.

A round-up of the third day’s play from the tenth round of Quaid-e-Azam trophy matches

Cricinfo staff21-Feb-2009
Nasir Jamshed boosted his chances of a Test spot with a quickfire century © AFP
Group AWater and Power Development Authority conceded the first-innings lead against Pakistan Customs in Sialkot, but dismissed the hosts cheaply in the second innings to end the penultimate day in sight of victory. Jahangir Mirza added 28 to his overnight 107 to help WAPDA, resuming on 212 for 9, restrict Pakistan Customs’ advantage to 59. Naved-ul-Hasan and Kashif Raza each took three wickets as Pakistan Customs were dismissed for 144 in 50.1 overs. Opener Rameez Raja made 41, and only three other batsmen made it to double figures. Bilal Shafayat, the Pakistan Customs captain, was absent hurt. Pursuing 204, WAPDA lost Ahmed Said cheaply, but Mirza and Salman Akbar guided them to 59 for 1 at stumps.Habib Bank Limited did well to take the remaining eight wickets in Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited’s second innings for 118 runs, but chasing 462, they slipped to a precarious 135 for 4 at close on the third day in Sheikhupura. ZTBL captain Abdul Razzaq scored 74 to back up his five wickets on the second day, but the last five wickets fell for 43 runs as they were dismissed for 256. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Aslam took 4 for 61 off 25.5 overs. At stumps, HBL still needed 327 for an improbable win.Karachi Whites secured a 117-run first-innings lead on the third day against Lahore Shalimar in Muridke. Lahore, who finished day two at 60 for 2 in reply to Karachi’s 501 for 7 declared, were dismissed for 384. Mohammad Asim top scored with 64, while Suleman Khan and Asif Raza also managed half-centuries, and Mohammad Saeed missed out with 49. Tanvir Ahmed and Faraz Ahmed took three wickets apiece for Karachi, with Mohammad Sami and Khalid Mahmood striking twice. Karachi’s openers played out five overs till stumps.In the clash of the leaders in Rawalpindi, Khan Research Laboratories gained the first-innings against National Bank of Pakistan. KRL captain Mohammad Wasim, overnight on 25, made 49 and No. 10 Jaffar Nazir contributed 26 to help their team push from 168 for 7 to 237, a lead of 53. Sixteen-year old Mohammed Aamer added two wickets to finish with 6 for 95 – he now has 48 for the tournament at 13.60 apiece. However, what could have proved costly for NBP were the 19 no-balls from their new-ball operators: Aamer bowled nine, and Wahab Riaz the rest – he bowled three wides as well. NBP opener Nasir Jamshed, overlooked for the first Test against Sri Lanka, then made 107 off 105 balls as his side reached 292 for 3 in their second innings. Umar Amin scored 85, while Naumanullah and captain Qaiser Abbas stayed unbeaten on 48 and 33. Sohail Tanvir took 2 for 83 in his 20 overs.In another see-saw contest, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited gained the first-innings lead against Pakistan International Airlines in Faisalabad, but closed the day with an advantage of 264 and two second-innings wickets in hand. Beginning at 166 for 6, PIA did well to reach 223, with wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed adding 32 to his 56. However, defending champions SNGPL came up with a lacklustre performance in their second innings. The batsmen failed to convert their starts to bigger scores, and they were at 162 for 8 at close, with wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal unbeaten on 32. PIA’s Najaf Shah took 4 for 44.Group BAn interesting finish is on the cards in Mirpur Khas, with Hyderabad at 148 for 5 chasing 274 against Quetta. Starting the day at 179 for 4 in their second innings – a lead of 93 – Quetta doubled their total, finishing with 359. Jalat Khan, overnight on 92, scored his second first-class ton: a career-high 170. Sanaullah Khan and No. 10 Gauhar Faiz made useful 30s. Nasim Khan, the Quetta captain, was unable to bat. Faiz then struck twice, and his new-ball partner Nazar Hussain took three wickets to leave Hyderabad reeling at 56 for 5. However, an unbeaten 63 from Lal Kumar, supported by Hanif Malik’s 25 not out, kept Hyderabad’s chances of a win alive.Faisalabad’s first-innings lead was kept to 120 thanks to Jamaluddin’s unbeaten 102, but Peshawar could face the prospect of trying to battle for a draw on the final day after the hosts raced to 220 for 4 in their second innings in Sargodha. Overnight on 137 for 6, Jamaluddin, resuming on 28, held anchor at one end and strung together partnerships with the lower order. Hidayatullah Khan, the other overnight batsman, made 37 and captain Nauman Habib made 26. Left-arm spinner Saadat Munir picked the final two wickets to finish with 4 for 57 in the innings. Opener Qaiser Iqbal then scored 69, and Usman Arshad finished on 87 not out as Faisalabad added 220 in 55 overs.Karachi Blues need six more wickets to complete a win against Multan after 15 wickets fell on the third day in Karachi. Multan, who began the day at 147 for 8 in their first innings, scored 185: a first-innings deficit of 141. However, they fought back strongly. Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar scalped 5 for 69, and two others snared two wickets apiece, as Karachi Blues managed only 194 for 9 declared in 54.3 overs. However, set 336 to win, Multan closed the day struggling at 44 for 4. Opening bowler Tabish Khan took 3 for 14 in his eight overs, while Adnan Kaleem removed opener Taimur Ahmed for 25.Overnight batsmen Raza Ali and Sohail Ahmed both got their centuries as Lahore Ravi scored 437 in their first innings against Abbottabad at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Abbottabad, trailing by 150 on the first innings, ended the day at 73 for 2, with Adnan Raees unbeaten on 36. Resuming on 193 for 2, Lahore lost Raza, who made 111, on 237. Sohail then combined with Ashraf Ali (53) for a 87-run stand. No. 10 Usman Malik scored a quickfire 42 not out. Abbottabad conceded 40 extras as well, with 10 wides, 15 no-balls and five penalty runs.At Diamond Club Ground, hosts Islamabad took the first-innings lead against Sialkot. Resuming on 6 for 0 in reply to Sialkot’s 268 after no play was possible on the second day, Islamabad reached 354 for 9 thanks to Ashar Zaidi’s 124, and half-centuries from opener Raheel Majeed and No. 8 Imad Wasim. Naved Arif and Nayyer Abbas took three wickets apiece. With two innings still to go and one day left, the game seems headed for a draw.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the commentator and former cricket correspondent, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s honours list.Known throughout the game as CMJ, he stood down as the correspondent in May to be replaced by Michael Atherton, having previously held the same position with the , but still writes occasional columns for the newspaper and remains part of the TMS team which he first joined 35 years ago. He was also the BBC’s cricket correspondent in two spells from 1973 to 1980 and 1985 to 1991″It has been a great privilege to go round the world writing about cricket,” he told the . “The older one gets, the requirement for England to win becomes less important than the needs of the game as a whole, but nonetheless England’s rare successes in Australia have been the most exciting.”One concern for me is the contraction of cricket coverage towards the England team alone,” he added. “We should not forget the county game and the grass roots, without which you couldn’t have an England team. Nor should we overlook the fascination of the world game generally.”He provides the only representation for cricket in this year’s list, which on a sporting front is dominated by the British Olympic medallists from the Beijing Games.

Bernardo Silva looks like one of the players most likely to leave Manchester City this summer, with recent reports suggesting that he has agreed terms with AC Milan.

What’s the word?

After two fairly disappointing seasons for the Citizens, the Portugal international looks to be a prime candidate to leave the club this summer, especially after the £100m arrival of Jack Grealish.

City were trying to sell first-team players in order to afford a move for Harry Kane and whilst that transfer now looks to be off the table, it seems as if Silva could still leave, as journalist Ekrem Konur suggested that he has agreed terms with AC Milan, with conversations between the two sides ongoing.

Should Man City sell Silva?

During the 2018/19 season, Silva was a driving force behind City’s title win, contributing seven goals and seven assists in 36 Premier League appearances, averaging a superb 7.26 rating from WhoScored for his performances, whilst he was also named in the PFA Team of the Year.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

Pep Guardiola praised his performances from that season earlier this year when he enjoyed a strong run of form, saying:

“Everything he does, he does incredibly well. The year we won a second Premier League title in a row, he was unstoppable and now he is back.”

However, his performances have unfortunately declined since then and he managed just two goals in the top-flight last season, with his influence from midfield clearly waning, so it is perhaps no surprise that he is keen on a move away this summer.

Considering the 27-year-old is currently valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, this summer could be the ideal time to sell him from Manchester City’s perspective, as they can receive a hefty fee for a player who is arguably well down the pecking order when it comes to the wing options in Guardiola’s side.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

Therefore, after it was reported that he has agreed terms with the Serie A giants, sporting director Txiki Begiristain must ensure that City receive a suitable fee for Silva, before sending him on his way.

And, in other news… Txiki heading for Man City transfer disaster with “world-class” beast

MatériaMais Notícias

A Chapecoense está de volta à liderança do Campeonato Brasileiro. Nesta noite de domingo, o time catarinense visitou o Cruzeiro e venceu por 2 a 0 dentro do Mineirão. Os gols da partida foram marcados por Wellington Paulista, no primeiro tempo, e Douglas Grolli, na etapa final.

Com o resultado, a Chape foi aos dez pontos e superou o Corinthians no saldo de gols. Já o Cruzeiro caiu para o oitavo lugar e permanece com sete pontos.

O jogo

Apesar de ter ficado mais com a bola durante a etapa inicial, o Cruzeiro não conseguiu transformar a posse em domínio e chances reais de gol. Com Thiago Neves apagado e seus companheiros de ataque encontrando dificuldades para encontrar espaços, a equipe celeste mal ameaçou a meta de Jandrei. Do outro lado, a Chapecoense mostrou-se mais perigosa em suas ações, principalmente quando atacava com Rossi e Apodi, pelo lado direito. Contudo, foi do lado esquerdo que a Chape inaugurou o marcador. Após a batida de lateral, Seijas colocou a bola na cabeça de Wellington Paulista, que testou firma para marcar.

Banho de água fria garante vitória da Chape

Com duas mudanças, o Cruzeiro voltou para o segundo tempo disposto a empatar a partida. Porém, a equipe voltou a sucumbir logo no primeiro minuto de jogo. Luiz Antonio cobrou um escanteio curto e rasteiro, Douglas Grolli se antecipou a Fábio e tocou de leve para fazer o segundo. 2 a 0.

Insatisfeita com o time, a torcida do Cruzeiro pediu a entrada de Robinho e foi atendida. Com o jogador, o time voltou a mostrar força em seu ataque, mas seguiu esbarrando na forte marcação da Chape. Com exceção de um ou outro lance, o time celeste não mais conseguiu ameaçar a meta catarinense.

CRUZEIRO 0x2 CHAPECOENSE

Motivo: 4ª rodada, Brasileirão 2017
Data/Hora: 04/06/2017, às 19h
Local: Mineirão, em Belo Horizonte (MG)
Árbitro: Claudio Francisco Lima (SE)
Assistentes: Cleriston Clay Barreto Rios (SE) e Fabio Pereira (TO)

GOLS: Wellington Paulista, 26’1ºT (0-1) e Douglas Grolli, 1’2ºT (0-2)
Cartões amarelos: Rossi, Victor Ramos, Osman (CHA)
Cartão vermelho: Não teve.
Público/Renda: 13.371 pagantes/16.591 presentes/R$249.694,00.

CRUZEIRO: Fábio; Hudson (Lennon – Intervalo), Kunty Caicedo, Léo e Diogo Barbosa; Henrique, Ariel Cabral (Robinho – 16’2ºT); Thiago Neves, Rafinha (Ramón Ábila – Intervalo), Alisson; Rafael Marques. Técnico: Mano Menezes.

CHAPECOENSE: Jandrei, Apodi, Douglas Grolli, Victor Ramos e Reinaldo; Luiz Antônio, Andrei Girotto e Seijas (Madson – 22’2ºT); Rossi, Wellington Paulista (Túlio de Melo – 41’2ºT) e Arthur (Osman – 33’2ºT). Treinador: Vagner Mancini.

Nathan Bracken, the Australian fast bowler, says he does not know what else he must do to make Australia’s Test side. Despite remaining one of Australia’s top one-day international bowlers, Bracken has played only five Tests and has been overtaken by several less experienced men in the Test queue.”I have done everything – and more – that has been asked of me by Cricket Australia,” Bracken told the . “They pointed out a few areas I needed to work on. I have ticked off each and every box on that list.”I have worked hard on and off the field. I go to the gym in my own time, I even did early-morning boxing classes with the former world-title contender Troy Waters before I needed to rest my knee after surgery. I do plenty of net bowling sessions, I work on my batting where possible and think a lot about my bowling and how to improve. As soon I received the summer schedule I was thinking about where I wanted to be at certain stages of the summer season.”Despite taking 203 first-class wickets, Bracken – who has 148 wickets from 92 ODIs – is primarily seen as a limited-overs bowler. In August, Bracken made it to the top of the ICC rankings for ODI bowlers. In his view, that should have counted in his favour when it came time to pick Australia’s Test squad.”It’s funny but I have people come up to me on the street – and they’re cricket supporters, not former Test players or critics – who say they can’t understand why I don’t make the Test team because they see me take wickets in the one-dayers,” he said. “Their view is if I can take wickets in the one-dayers then I should be able to get them in the longer form. It’s my view, too. Maybe they should send letters and emails to the selectors.”Bracken, 31, said no one from Cricket Australia spoke to him about his non-selection. He did, however, admit that a decision to bowl against India at the SCG in 2004, despite having a groin injury, affected his Test chances. Bracken went wicketless for 133 runs, but said he decided to bowl, even on three paces, “for all the right reasons”.”I have no doubt about that. I was asked by someone I respected to keep bowling despite the injury,” he said. “It wasn’t my best bowling performance but because it was my captain’s last game and I wanted to do what I could for Steve [Waugh].”I did it for all the right reasons and that was important. I’d also been told there was a perception that I struggled to play with injury or through pain. I thought that view might change after that Test. It actually helped me mentally, taught me to push through things. Last season I played with a knee injury up until it reached the stage where I needed an operation.”Asked if he would consider leaving Australia to play exclusively in lucrative Twenty20 leagues, such as the IPL or Stanford competitions, Bracken said it had crossed his mind. “Twenty20 is already very popular and it is only getting bigger. It is something a lot of players will probably consider because it is played in a relatively short amount of time, the money is good and you’re able to play cricket. And we all love playing cricket.”

As the never-ending saga surrounding Tottenham Hotspur and their chase for defender Takehiro Tomiyasu continues, local Italian news outlet Corriere di Bologna (via Sport Witness) have brought an interesting update.

The Lowdown: Spurs in Tomiyasu hunt..,

You can trace Tottenham’s talks to sign the Japan international as far back as early July with Sky Sports confirming that an offer of around £12.9m (€15m), plus an extra £2.6m (€3m) in add-ons, had been rejected by Bologna.

The Athletic then stated that Spurs were closing in on a move and finalising terms on a deal amounting to around £15 million plus add-ons.

Once the Olympic games commenced, however, the move appeared to collapse with little to no movement until Alasdair Gold shared information from the player’s side – with the journalist saying sources were ‘confident’ a move could happen (football.london).

Just two weeks remain of the transfer window and there is still no sign of Tomiyasu to Spurs nearing completion, but Corriere di Bologna may have just offered an interesting update at the very least.

The Latest: Tomiyasu green lights move to England as Spurs push…

As per the regional Italian news outlet, Fabio Paratici’s defensive target has ‘already given the OK to the transfer to England’.

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While Tomiyasu green lights a switch to the Premier League, both Tottenham and Leicester City ‘keep pushing’ to sign the 22-year-old with ‘new contacts’ recently taking place.

As well as this, ‘economic proposals’ made by the interested clubs edge towards Bologna’s ‘minimum requirements’ for a sale agreement this summer.

The versatile ace appears to be a man in demand as both the Foxes and Tottenham lead the chase for his signature.

The Verdict: Please, just get it done…

Over a month and a half since Tottenham first lodged their bid for the player, this move seemed like it would be a fairly straightforward one at first, leaving us to wonder how it has dragged on this long.

That being said, Tomiyasu would still be an astute option to strengthen Nuno Espirito Santo’s options in defence and could solve two glaring problems for the Portuguese.

He can deputise as both a right-back and natural centre-half, potentially coming as an alternative to impressive youngster Japhet Tanganga who doesn’t exactly have a spotless injury record (Transfermarkt).

Still young, the defender also comes with plenty of sell-on value.

In other news: Bid pending: Spurs offer now expected to sign ‘incredible’ player after behind the scenes talks, find out more here.

Following Toby Alderweireld’s exit from Tottenham Hotspur, Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has made an exciting prediction which will undoubtedly delight Spurs fans.

What’s the word?

After it was confirmed that Alderweireld had left Spurs to sign for Al-Duhail SC, Romano wrote on Twitter: “Official. Tottenham have reached an agreement with Al-Duhail SC in Qatar for the transfer of Toby Alderweireld. New centre back coming soon for Spurs…”

Spurs have already completed the signings of Pierluigi Gollini and Bryan Gil so far this transfer window, and it seems as if a third incoming is not too far away for the north London club judging by Romano’s tweet.

Although Alderweireld was past his peak and was struggling to replicate the performances he consistently produced under Mauricio Pochettino, he still made 25 appearances (all of them starts) in the Premier League last season, which emphasises that he needs to be replaced.

Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier will likely be given opportunities to impress under the new manager but both have proven themselves to be far too unreliable in recent seasons, whilst Joe Rodon has very little Premier League experience, so it was perhaps always likely that a new top-quality centre-back was going to be brought in.

As it stands, it seems as if that man will be Atalanta’s Cristian Romero, who has been heavily linked with a move to Spurs in recent weeks.

The latest report suggests that Spurs are in talks with the Serie A club over his potential transfer, although they remain quite far apart in terms of his valuation at the moment, with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kurt Zouma and Nikola Milenkovic other potential options at the back should they fail to agree to a deal for Romero.

Regardless of who they sign, Spurs fans must surely be delighted that Paratici is working quickly to bring in new signings, as a rebuild has been needed for some time given the club’s declining fortunes over the last couple of years. Swapping Alderweireld for a promising young centre-back such as Romero would appear to be a great step towards a better future at the north London club.

In other news… Nuno can save Levy millions with Spurs academy startlet 

MatériaMais Notícias

Virou sina nesta temporada. Se é clássico, Jô vai fazer gol para o Corinthians. Até aqui são cinco gols em cinco jogos contra os rivais. E foi assim novamente neste domingo, diante do São Paulo. O centroavante deixou a sua marca ao abrir o placar, nos acréscimos do primeiro tempo, e praticamente decretar a vaga para a final.

No entanto, se não fosse o atitude Rodrigo Caio na partida de ida da semifinal, evitando o terceiro cartão amarelo para o centroavante corintiano, a história talvez fosse outra. O zagueiro tricolor avisou ao árbitro que Jô não havia feito falta no goleiro Renan Ribeiro e, assim, o alvinegro se livrou de suspensão:

– Eu nem estaria (no jogo). Mas acabou acontecendo. É coisa de Deus – afirmou o jogador na saída de campo.

Ao ser questionado sobre a polêmica sobre impedimento no lance de seu gol, Jô preferiu não polemizar e desconversou, valorizando a classificação corintiana.

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– É muito difícil falar em Fair Play nesse lance, é tudo muito rápido. Mas a equipe está de parabéns, mostrou raça nos dois jogos e merecidamente está na final. No começo do ano nosso time era muito criticado.

Para o centroavante, um dos grandes trunfos do Corinthians nessa semifinal foi deixar para trás o fracasso na Copa do Brasil, o que aumentou o valor da vaga na final.

– Como eu falei na quarta, a gente tem jogadores com maturidade e experiência para esquecer o jogo do Inter e pensar nessa. O time entrou concentrado, motivado, sabendo da importância do jogo. Conseguimos marcar e neutralizar os pontos fortes do São Paulo – finalizou.

O Corinthians volta a campo no próximo domingo pela primeira partida da decisão do Paulistão, que terá o mando da Ponte Preta em horário e local a serem definidos pela Federação Paulista de Futebol nesta segunda-feira.