According to LaRoma24, Tottenham could be interested in making a move for Patrik Schick this summer.
What’s the word?
The north London side were after a striker throughout the January transfer window, but in the end, failed to bring anyone through the door to help cover for Harry Kane’s absence from injury.
Now, Italian publication LaRoma24 claim that Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, who have had Schick on loan for this entire season, have asked for a discount to sign him permanently from Roma this summer – something the Giallorossi have rejected.
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The report adds that this may have opened the door for a new club to enter the race for the Czech Republic international’s signature, and that Spurs are “already working on this negotiation”.
Champions League
Spurs fans will all be aware of Schick and what he can do, having seen him start up front in both games of Leipzig’s Champions League last 16 clash with the north Londoners earlier this season.
Whilst the striker may not have scored, there can be no questioning he ran the Spurs back-line ragged with his movement off the ball, and selfless creativity. Over the course of the two matches, he completed all four of his attempted dribbles, made four key passes, and won an impressive 17 of his 26 total duels.
Even though Timo Werner may have been the man Spurs fans would have been wary about, it was arguably Schick who outshone his German counterpart – as per Sofascore, the Czech averaged a higher match rating than the forward in both legs.
It’s no surprise that Schick has received major plaudits for his work this season in Germany, with Leipzig sporting director Markus Krosche saying: “He has incredible quality and brings something different to the team which makes our squad more versatile”.
Having seen first-hand what he can do, Daniel Levy must surely be considering going all in for the £18m-rated Schick this summer.
George Bailey believes Australia’s spin bowlers must find a way to be more effective on the subcontinent if the team is to have any chance of winning the next World Twenty20, to be held in Bangladesh in 2014. After returning home Monday Bailey also defended the form of the middle-order batsmen, who besides his own 63 in the semi-final loss to West Indies had little impact in the tournament as the top three carried the bulk of the workload.Three days after Australia’s tournament ended their exit might not have looked so bad, coming as it did against the eventual champions. However, one notable feature of the final was that both sides had outstanding finger-spinners with a mystery element: Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis was the tournament’s leading wicket taker with 15 at 9.80 and the West Indian Sunil Narine was equal fourth with nine victims, including five in the semi-final and the decider.Another bowler of similar ilk, Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, was also equal fourth on the wicket tally and all three were miserly as well. In contrast, Xavier Doherty leaked 8.63 runs an over – his 1 for 48 from three overs in the semi-final seriously dented Australia’s hopes – while Brad Hogg managed only two wickets in his six games and the allrounder Glenn Maxwell was equally ineffective. Bailey knows it will be almost impossible to win in Bangladesh in 2014 with a similar slow-bowling output.”One of the things we need to look at is the way we bowl our spin,” Bailey said. “I don’t know any other way to describe it than as a Western-type way of bowling, which tends to be to try and draw the batsman out of the crease, whereas all the teams who have had success at the World Cup, their spinners are bowling into the wicket, quite fast, hitting the stumps every ball, making it very hard.”We need to find a way to develop spinners like that, and the tough thing is maybe bowling like that doesn’t really suit conditions in Australia. But I think if you look at all the stats from the tournament that was probably one of the areas that if we’re serious about winning the tournament we’re going to have to find a way to improve come Bangladesh.”During the World Twenty20, Muttiah Muralitharan said he believed one of the reasons Australia would not produce such a spinner was that unorthodox bowlers would be encouraged at junior levels to change their style. Bailey said it was important that young spinners with potential were identified regardless of whether they fit the Australian idea of what makes a good slow bowler.”As a nation we still talk about whether guys have legitimate actions or not and at the end of the day that’s really not for us to be arguing about,” Bailey said. “If that’s the rules and that’s how bowlers are bowling now and having success in international cricket then we’ve got to start developing those players and developing them at 10-11 years of age and we start to have some bowlers who do bowl like Murali or Ajmal or Narine.”You’re hoping that a few of our spinners are watching the tournament [World T20] and seeing the type of spinners that are having success. I think the way our coaching system is set up it’s going to be tough for some spinners to get through because the way a lot of the spinners who have had success bowl in the subcontinent, you’re probably not going to be playing much cricket in Australia if you bowl like that. There’s a balancing act there.”A lack of impact from the spinners cost Australia but there were also concerns about the imbalance in the batting order, with most of the runs coming from the openers Shane Watson and David Warner, and the No.3 Michael Hussey. Although opportunities were limited because of the success of the top three, there were still times when Australia needed runs from the middle order, notably in the semi-final.Chasing 206, Australia were 29 for 3 and it was the perfect time for the rest of the batsmen to step up and back the work of Watson, Warner and Hussey from earlier in the tournament. Batting at No.5, Bailey blasted 63 from 29 balls but had no real support – Cameron White was caught down leg side for 5, David Hussey chipped a return catch for a duck and Matthew Wade top-edged a sweep.”It’s a tough one. If you’re talking about winning the tournament, I think if you’re winning a World Cup you’re not talking about how well your four, five and six batted,” Bailey said. “Your one, two and three need to get you the runs. Four, five and six come in and either get you to a reasonable total or save your bacon. But if you’re winning the games it’s your top three you need to rely on.”I think whenever we’re progressing through to the back end of one of these tournaments we’re not going to be seeing much of the middle order. The challenge of the format is when you do get a chance you’ve got to be prepared to step up and make it your day.”Australia’s exit before the final was a disappointing way for Bailey to end his first tournament in charge, but he said the memories wouldn’t be all bad.”To knock out South Africa and India as we did was really pleasing,” he said. “I thought we played some really good cricket there. It’s just a matter of when you do get to the knockout stages you’ve got to be able to play your best cricket.”
Alastair Cook admitted England would have to reflect on the selection of their side after succumbing to a nine-wicket loss against India in the first Test in Ahmedabad.England’s bowling attack, with three frontline seamers and one specialist spinner, looked ill-suited for a Test played on a low, slow wicket, with the seamers claiming 1 for 254 in the match.Their batsmen also struggled and, in eight innings between them, England’s middle-order of Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Samit Patel contributed just 68 runs. By contrast, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 247 runs in the match without being dismissed and India’s two spinners claimed 13 wickets between them.While Cook admitted the problem, in part, was simply that several players had underperformed, he also conceded that the team management would have to reconsider the make-up and balance of the side ahead of the second Test which begins in Mumbai on Friday.”Clearly we’re going to have to look at our selection,” Cook said. “There are some good people making decisions in this England team and we thought we were doing the right thing for the side. The result showed we might have got it wrong. When you get beaten by nine wickets, you have a look at a lot of areas and we have to look at what we could have done better. There will be a lot to ponder. We’ll have to look at our squad for the next game.”The omission of left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has been highlighted as a key error by many critics but Cook felt the failure of England’s batting line-up in the first innings was more of an issue. He refuted any suggestion that England had been underprepared, but accepted that they would require far more of the team to contribute if they were to fight their way back in the series.”Our batting, especially in the first innings, didn’t deliver enough runs,” Cook said. “I thought it was a very good cricket wicket. There was a little bit in it for the spinners, but if you applied yourself with the bat it held together probably better than we thought it would. It was turning, yes. But runs were able to be had out there, as we showed in our second innings.”If we’re going to win out here, everyone in the game has to contribute. We need everyone to stick their hands up at certain times. The lads who haven’t performed as well as they would have liked in this game will be very disappointed. We showed a lot of character in that second half of the game. There are a lot of quality players in that dressing-room, with very good records who have scored hundreds against every attack in the world. They didn’t deliver in this game, and they know that. The middle order didn’t score enough runs. Everyone has to have a look at themselves if we want to take something out of this series.”The defeat means England have lost five out of six Tests in Asian conditions this year, leaving Cook to agree that mental scars might be as large an impediment to progress as technical deficiencies. “I’d say it’s a bit of both. Clearly, there are always technical issues before the mental ones kick in. We’re doing the right things. It’s now getting it right out in the middle and trusting our method there. We can only continue working as hard as we are doing, and I can’t fault the lads for that. It’s a case of working as hard as we can in the nets, and trusting our method out in the middle.”Cook also said the result had soured the memory of one of his finest innings. “I’m very happy with the way I batted,” he said. “To score any hundred for England is very special and to score one in that situation probably made it even more special for me.”Technically, it might have been a good innings. But you always get more satisfaction when you do it in a winning cause or to save a game. Maybe the 230 in Brisbane, in a similar match situation, is a better innings. But the result is what really matters and we weren’t good enough over the five days to win. I’d have been even prouder if I’d survived and dragged a draw out of it. I’m bitterly disappointed.”
يرى الويلزي جاريث بيل، جناح فريق توتنهام هوتسبير، أنّ جوزيه مورينيو الأنسب لقيادة السبيرز، مُشيرًا إلى أنه يتطلع إلى العمل مع المدرب الذي حاول التعاقد معه مرتين عندما كان سبيشال وان في ريال مدريد.
توتنهام أعلن أمس السبت تعاقده مع بيل على سبيل الإعارة لمدة عام، قادمًا من ريال مدريد، بعد 7 سنوات من رحيله (طالع مزيدًا من التفاصيل).
وقال بيل لـ “بي تي سبورت”: “تحدثت إلى مورينيو قبل الانتقال إلى هُنا، تحدثنا عن ما يريده مني، وعن الدور الذي يرغب أنّ ألعبه مع توتنهام، وأنا سعيد بذلك”.
وأضاف: “إنه مدرب كبير، اسم مألوف في عالم كرة القدم، يملك عقلية الفوز، وأعتقد أنه مُناسب تمامًا لـ توتنهام”.
وواصل: “الجميع هُنا يريد الفوز بالألقاب، ومورينيو يعرف ذلك أكثر من أي مدرب آخر، لذلك نأمل أنّ نتمكن من فعل ذلك هذا الموسم، سنحاول تحقيق كل ما يريده كل مُشجع لـ توتنهام، نريد التتويج بألقاب هذا الموسم”.
أقرأ أيضًا.. جاريث بيل: عقليتي تغيرت في ريال مدريد.. وجائع لحصد الألقاب مع توتنهام
وتابع: “أنا سعيد للغاية بالعوة إلى توتنهام، لقد حظيت باستقبال جيد، أحب النادي، وأحببت وقتي هُنا؛ وآمل أنّ نحصل على لقب على الأقل، ومنح المٌشجعين السعادة”.
وأكمل: “أتفهم أنه سيكون ضغط عليّ وبعض التوقعات، لكنني سأقدم كل ما لديّ، أملك عقلية الفوز، ولا داعي للقلق، سأبذل قصارى جهدي، ودائمًا ما يكون هُناك ضغوطات وانتقادات على اللاعبين”.
وأردف: “لقد استمتعت بوقتي في ريال مدريد، قلت من قبل أنني أحببت العيش هُناك، لقد كنت سعيدًا في مدريد، وتحقيق كل ما حققناه، وآمل أنّ أتمكن من فعل الأمر ذاته هُنا”.
وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “الآن حان الوقت للفصل التالي في مسيرتي، أريد الاستمرار في الفوز بالألقاب وأريد أنّ أفعل ذلك مع توتنهام”.
Wolves star Roman Saiss is being scouted by Spanish giants Atletico Madrid as they weigh up a summer move for the midfielder, as reported by Lions de l’Atlas.
What’s the word, then?
Well, having struggled to break into Nuno Espirito Santo’s starting eleven at the beginning of the season, the Morocco international is starting to see a lot more game time as the season goes on.
Saiss started 37 games for the Midlands-based side last season on their way to becoming Championship winners, but has made just eight league starts in the current campaign after the arrivals of Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker.
Atletico have strong ties with super-agent Jorge Mendes, who is heavily involved at Wolves as his clients include boss Nuno himself, whilst the club’s Chinese owners have a stake in Mendes’ company – Diego Simeone’s side could potentially have a better chance at negotiations given Mendes’ involvement.
Will Wolves miss Saiss if he goes?
As aforementioned, the summer arrivals of Moutinho and Dendoncker have seen Saiss pushed down the pecking order. Whilst he is far from being surplus to requirements at Molineux, Nuno prefers to play a two-man central midfield pairing in a 3-4-2-1 system, so it is difficult to see where Saiss will get the game time he wants in the middle.
The former Angers star can also play at centre-back, and has done already this season in the absence of Willy Boly, so in that respect, Wolves will certainly miss such a versatile player who is a valuable utility man.
Having said that, Belgian international Dendoncker can also play at centre-back, so Saiss is not the only versatile midfielder at Nuno’s disposal.
It would be a shame for Wolves to lose one of their promotion heroes, but it would be especially hard for the 28-year-old to turn down a move to a Champions League club if a concrete offer did arrive.
When Fernando Llorente missed an incredible chance to register against Watford on Wednesday night, the Tottenham Hotspur fans may have thought it was going to be another one of those nights for the Spaniard.
The 33-year-old is currently being tasked with leading the line in the absence of Harry Kane, which is not exactly the easiest thing in the world.
Overall, Llorente had a difficult night against Watford, but there proved to be a fairytale ending for the former Athletic Bilbao man as he netted an 87th-minute winner in Spurs’ 2-1 victory.
As expected, there were wild celebrations when Llorente registered and it could well be a turning point for the Spaniard, who was linked with an exit this month by The Daily Mail in December.
The Tottenham fans did a flip when Llorente – earning £75,000 a week according to Spotrac – scored the winner, with a large number taking to social media to lavish praise on the centre-forward.
A selection of the reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below:
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West Ham United midfielder Edimilson Fernandes is currently on loan at Fiorentina, having seemed surplus to requirements by Manuel Pellegrini ahead of this season.
The 22-year-old has made 48 appearances for West Ham, whilst he has been a regular for Fiorentina this term, scoring twice in 21 Serie A games.
Fernandes was on the scoresheet in Fiorentina’s 4-1 win over SPAL on Sunday night, which led to a number of West Ham fans discussing the midfielder.
One particular Twitter account claimed that the Hammers should recall Fernandes, which led to an interesting debate.
It would be fair to say that the majority were struggling to agree, however, when it comes to the Switzerland international.
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Indeed, there were those calling for the midfielder to return, but others feel that he has already proved that he is not good enough to turn out for the Hammers on a regular basis.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham supporters can be seen below:
Tottenham Hotspur continue to be linked with a move for Adrien Rabiot, the PSG midfielder.
The Daily Star reported on Saturday evening that Spurs are still interested in the France international after being linked with the player throughout the January transfer window.
Spurs failed to make a signing at the turn of the year, having also refused to add to their squad in the summer.
However, the aforementioned report claims that Mauricio Pochettino’s side attempted to secure a £20million deal for Rabiot in January.
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A family bereavement saw the deal put on hold, however, and Spurs are now said to be worried about the prospect of the 23-year-old being poached by another interested party.
Indeed, the Daily Star claim that both Liverpool and Barcelona are also taking a keen interest in Rabiot’s situation.
And Tottenham fans are readying themselves for disappointment, with many insisting that it is unlikely Rabiot will end up in north London.
The clock’s ticking and as always at this time of year, clubs are rushing around like headless chickens looking for last minute deals.
There isn’t a single club who isn’t being tipped to complete some late January business before the window slams shut on Thursday evening, with so many managers still desperate to strengthen their squads ahead of the final run-in of fixtures this season.
You’ve only got to look at any of the live transfer feeds around the internet to know that we haven’t seen the last of the business being done this month, with a number of huge deals touted to go through.
Will Solskjaer dip in to the market to make his United team even more unbeatable? Can Sarri bring in another attacker to complement Higuain in Chelsea’s attack?
Will West Ham go ahead of break another club-record transfer before the weekend? Here’s a look at the most likely deals expected to go through before Thursday’s deadline, and some of them will get fans very, very excited…
Vincent Janssen – Cardiff, Boro, Wolves, Burnley
A switch to China is currently the most likely of destinations for the Dutch striker, who is hoping to bring an end to a nightmare spell at Tottenham. Cardiff (9/1), Middlesbrough (12/1), Wolves (2/1) and Burnley (4/1) are currently the leading favourite English clubs, according to the bookies.
Youri Tielemans – Leicester City
Soccer Football – Ligue 1 – Monaco vs Montpellier – Stade Louis II, Monaco – December 1, 2018 AS Monaco’s Youri Tielemans celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Reports this week have linked Leicester with a move for Belgian wonderkid Tielemans. It’s believed, with a number of midfielders being allowed to leave the King Power Stadium this month, funds have been freed up in order for Puel to make a move for the youngster.
Gelson Martins- Newcastle
Newcastle being linked with anyone these days doesn’t normally lead to a deal being done but reports over the last few days suggest Rafa Benitez may just be able to secure a few deals before the window shuts. Gelson Martins is one of the favourites to sign for the Magpies before Thursday. Watch this space.
Adrien Rabiot – Spurs
The Frenchman is in to the final six months of his PSG contract and therefore is able to start discussing personal terms with other clubs. Tottenham have reportedly already made an offer to Rabiot and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him being brought in to replace the departed Mousa Dembele. He’s as short as 3/1 with some bookies to agree a move to North London.
Nathan Ake – Chelsea
This would be classic Chelsea, but it does seem as though Sarri is interested in bringing Nathan Ake to Stamford Bridge. He’d cost a fair whack financially but it’s no secret the Blues need to tighten up defensively and it’s believed they’re lining up a huge bid before the window closes.
Michy Batshuayi – Crystal Palace, Everton
Higuain’s arrival last weekend has all but ended the Belgium international’s Stamford Bridge career, but there shouldn’t be a shortage of suitors ready to offer him a way out. Crystal Palace (4/1) and Everton (2/1 are currently the favourites among the English clubs interested in him, but Spurs, West Ham, Watford, Southampton and Fulham are all considering late moves.
Bradley Dack – West Ham, Burnley
Bradley Dack has been smashing it in the Championship for Blackburn, so it’s no surprise to see him being linked with a move to the Premier League. It’s widely expected that he’ll be rocking up in Stratford before the month is out, with the Hammers the bookies’ favourites to sign him at 4/1, while Burnley are priced at 10/1 to complete a deal.
Gary Cahill – Crystal Palace, Fulham, Arsenal
Gary Cahill, once a mainstay stalwart of dominant Chelsea teams gone by, is widely expected to leave the Blues in January and despite his age, there does seem to be some concrete interest in his signature. Crystal Palace (9/4), Fulham (3/1), Arsenal (10/3) and even Aston Villa (4/1) are all battling for his signature this week.
Nicolo Barella – Man United, Chelsea
The 21-year-old Cagliari midfielder is quite rightly attracting interest in some of Europe’s biggest clubs, but it’s Man United and Chelsea who are both leading the chase to sign him this week. The bookies currently have Chelsea down as the favourites at 4/1 but reports suggest the youngster would prefer a move to Old Trafford. Keep an eye on this one!
Che Adams – Southampton, Burnley
Che Adams can’t stop scoring for Birmingham in the Championship, so it’s little wonder Southampton and Burnley have been keeping close tabs on him this month. Both Premier League clubs have struggled for goals this term so expect Adams to be rocking up at one of these clubs come Thursday evening.
Newcastle fans will be encouraged by their side’s performance despite losing to Tottenham at the weekend.
Spurs pinched a narrow 1-0 victory at Wembley after a Martin Dubravka error in the 83rd minute allowed Son Heung-Min to score the only goal of the game. Despite being unable to build on the win against Manchester City, there was plenty of reason to be optimistic after a decent display against Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
Benitez has his January signings to welcome into the starting eleven with Antonio Barreca making his debut from the bench. The £20m addition of Miguel Almiron will prove to be the difference maker for the Magpies. If the Paraguay international can display his magic, staying in the Premier League shouldn’t be a problem.
Turning his attention to the summer transfer window, Benitez should be keeping tabs on Huddersfield star – Philip Billing. Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the Dane joined the club in 2013 and progressed through the youth ranks to become an important member of the first-team. Huddersfield’s time in England’s top division looks to be coming to an end after registering just 11 points so far this season and Biling is likely to be snapped up.
The 22-year-old is a giant on the pitch and his presence in the engine room would give the Magpies some much-needed grit. Despite his size, Biling is also quality in possession and would thrive alongside Jonjo Shelvey. Still improving and developing, the Denmark international has massive potential and with his contract set to expire in 2020, he could be available for a great price.
Biling has already proven himself in the Premier League and could be the man to unlock Almiron in the Magpies attack.