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Tottenham Hotspur have identified Sam Johnstone as a possible replacement for Hugo Lloris, according to The Daily Mail. 

The lowdown

Club captain Lloris, who turns 35 next month, is out of contract at the end of the current season. Spurs signed Pierluigi Gollini, who is 12 years the Frenchman’s junior, on loan from Atalanta in the summer and will have the option to make that transfer permanent.

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Gollini had been racking up minutes in the Europa Conference League under Nuno Espirito Santo, only for Antonio Conte to select Lloris for his first game charge against Vitesse.

Intriguingly, Johnstone’s West Bromwich Albion deal also runs until June 2022, raising the possibility of Spurs snapping him up on a free transfer.

The latest

The Daily Mail’s report stated that Lloris has yet to hold talks with Spurs about extending his deal.

There has been no ‘final decision’ yet either, but there is now an ‘acceptance’ that Lloris’ time in north London may be coming to an end.

Johnstone features on a list of potential successors, as does Manchester United’s Dean Henderson, who is said to be frustrated with a lack of minutes at Old Trafford.

The verdict

Johnstone managed to impress last season even as West Brom suffered relegation. He led the Premier League for saves, finishing a full 19 ahead of Aaron Ramsdale, who has been excelling with Arsenal in recent weeks.

One save from the Albion ‘keeper to preserve a point against Manchester United last February was hailed as ‘unbelievable’ and ‘sensational’ by Gary Lineker, and he was named the Players’ Player and Fans’ Player of the Season at The Hawthorns.

The 28-year-old can also count Gareth Southgate among his admirers, having recorded two England caps this autumn despite playing in the second tier. He had featured in the squad for the European Championship in the summer too.

The signs are that he would be a worthy heir to Lloris, should Spurs opt to pursue him.

In other news, this Spurs target would apparently be open to joining Conte and co.

Former South Africa allrounder Lance Klusener has cut ties with the rebel Indian Cricket League to embark on a coaching career. Kwa-Zulu Natal, his home province, have nominated him for the next level three coaching course to be held at CSA’s High Performance Centre in Pretoria early next month.”It is great to have Lance Klusener back in the [Cricket South Africa] fold,” Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, said. “He rightfully gained legendary status as a South African allrounder, and helped change the face of limited-overs cricket worldwide.”We are particularly impressed and pleased with his decision to become a top-level coach because he still has so much to offer in bringing through the next generation.”CSA coaching manager Anton Ferreira added that other former internationals will also be attending the course. Leading coaches including Graham Ford and Gary Kirsten have graduated from the same program.”Others include Roger Telemachus, Paul Adams and Neil Johnson and it is very encouraging that we have cricketers of this quality coming into our coaching structures,” Ferreira said. “Paul has already done a lot of specialist spin bowling coaching and he is showing tremendous promise as a quality coach.”Klusener, 38, enjoyed reasonable success with the Royal Bengal Tigers in the ICL, scoring 688 runs in 24 Twenty20 games at a strike rate of 127.64 and picked up 21 wickets. He signed up with the league in 2007, effectively ending all hopes of a recall to the national team. He last played for South Africa in 2004. His crowning moment came during the 1999 World Cup, where his savage hitting won him the Player of the Tournament award.

عبر مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي، إيرلينج هالاند، عن سعادته الغامرة بعد تسجيله أول هاتريك بقميص السيتزن في مرمى كريستال بالاس في المباراة التي أقيمت في الجولة الرابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ونجح مانشستر سيتي في قلب النتيجة على كريستال بالاس من خسارة بهدفين نظيفين لفوز 4-2 على ملعبه “الاتحاد” ووسط جماهيره وتصدر جدول المسابقة مؤقتًا برصيد 10 نقاط.

اقرأ أيضًا | فيديو.. تعرف على تقييم محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وبورنموث

وتحدث هالاند عن تسجيله الهاتريك في تصريحات لشبكة “بي بي سي” البريطانية، وقال: “لحظة فخر، لدي شعور جيد للغاية، نحاول التطور في كل مباراة، أنا هنا لمثل هذه المباريات، لإحداث الفرق في أوقات صعبة”.

وأضاف: “من الممكن أن يقول والدي أنه سجل أكثر مني في الدوري الإنجليزي مع مانشستر سيتي، لذلك سأطارد رقمه في الوقت الحالي”.

وتابع: “لا زلنا بحاجة إلى التحسن في بعض الأشياء، تعديل بعض الأمور الصغيرة، خاصة بعد ما حدث في الشوط الأول، لذلك الفوز له شعور جيد لأنك لديك العقلية الكافية لقلب النتيجة من خسارة إلى فوز”.

وواصل: “ليس من السهل على أي لاعب الانتقال إلى نادٍ جديد، بلد جديد وثقافة جديدة ويتأقلم بسرعة ويسجل، لكن كانت بدايتي جيدة، عائلتي فخورون بي”. شاهد هاتريك هالاند في مباراة مانشستر سيتي وكريستال بالاس

India’s preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy included usual suspects, a handful of young hopefuls and one oddity – the reappearance of Rahul Dravid in India’s 50-over plans. Dravid last played a one-day international in October 2007 and was jettisoned from the team after a torrid home series against Australia, in which he scored 51 runs in five innings.He was out of form and looked out of place in an Indian team that had transformed into an athletic outfit filled with power-hitters after the World Twenty20 victory in South Africa. Since that defeat against Australia, India had a terrific run in ODIs, winning seven out of nine series: at home against Pakistan and England, in Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the most recent one – in West Indies – was the fifth success in a row.So, even though the pool of contenders for the tournament in South Africa is as large as 30, why is Dravid among them? Is his selection merely whimsical, to make up the numbers? Or is there reason and rationale behind a move that appears to be a step in a direction opposite to the one in which the one-day unit has progressed under MS Dhoni?The key may lie in the answer to the question: what does Dravid possess that the current Indian middle order doesn’t? He may not be endowed with bowler-shredding skills that the current middle order formed by Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Yusuf Pathan possess but Dravid has a water-tight technique, one that has brought him success on various pitches, fast or slow, across the globe. And he has rarely been fragile against the short ball, a weakness currently dogging the Indian batting line-up. A weakness that caused them to crash out of the World Twenty20 in England and one that troubled them during the first two ODIs in the Caribbean.Two of India’s newest batting success stories, Rohit and Raina, have been most susceptible to the rising ball. They were prolific in the subcontinent, on small grounds and flat pitches in New Zealand, and on slower pitches during the IPL at the end of the domestic season in South Africa. On a spicy Lord’s surface against England and West Indies bowlers targetting the body, however, Rohit and Raina had severe problems. They were pinned in their creases, given precious few balls to drive or cut, and eventually done in by deliveries that reared off a length, denying them time and space to play to their strengths.Rohit and Raina were not alone in their struggle – Gautam Gambhir, who favours stepping out of his crease to alter the bowler’s length, and Yusuf were also contained by the shorter line of attack. The malaise did not go away when India left England’s shores either for several batsmen came undone against the rising delivery during the first two one-day internationals in West Indies.The word has inevitably spread and bowlers everywhere will target the bodies of India’s young brigade until each individual is able to make adjustments to overcome the problems caused by short-pitched bowling. There are only two months to go before the Champions Trophy kicks off, and the inclusion of Dravid in preliminary plans is possibly aimed at solidifying a batting order which will be tested on lively pitches at the start of the season in South Africa. He could be back-up – if the likes of Raina and Rohit fail to show sufficient improvement in form and technique.His inclusion is a warning to the young batsmen who took over the slots occupied by the likes of Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. They took India to dizzy heights, winning the inaugural World Twenty20 and the CB Series in Australia but now their adaptability, which the aforementioned trio possessed in abundance, is being tested. Since Dravid was excluded from India’s one-day plans, four batsmen have played five innings or more at No. 3, a position that belonged to Dravid in his prime. Of those four, only Gambhir has succeeded, averaging 44.35 in that position, while Raina (23), Yuvraj Singh (18) and Rohit (14.50) have been more comfortable lower down the order.Dravid’s inclusion, however, is likely to be a short-term solution, possibly aimed at papering over India’s weaknesses for the Champions Trophy rather than a long-term answer. If he were to be selected, it would mean that possibly four out of India’s squad will be on the wrong side of 30 – Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan being the other three – marking a compromise by default on the standard of fielding that has lifted India’s performances in recent times.Whatever the reason behind the selection, the Indian selectors must convey their intentions to Dravid. They have to tell him what they expect from him and whether he is merely on stand-by in case India’s current young batsmen continue to unravel on tougher pitches overseas against bowling attacks intent on exploiting their weaknesses. Since his exclusion from the limited-overs side, Dravid has moved on as a player and person, dividing his time between Test cricket, IPL and a young family. His inclusion among the 30 probables was a bolt from the blue, and it is likely that he was as surprised as the rest of us.

Harry Winks could leave Tottenham Hotspur this January…

What’s the word?

According to The Times, the 25-year-old midfielder is keen to depart his boyhood club on loan in a bid to reignite his career, having played only 61 minutes in the Premier League this term.

He chose not to pursue an exit during the summer, despite interest from top-flight rivals Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton.

It’s thought that the Englishman is open to a temporary stint aboard in a desperate attempt to try and force his way back into Nuno Santo’s plans – he has been usurped by academy graduate Oliver Skipp so far this campaign.

Time to go

Nuno isn’t the only manager to rarely utilise Winks as he only started nine of 15 league appearances last season, under former manager Jose Mourinho and caretaker boss Ryan Mason.

The £18m-rated ace was a regular for Mauricio Pochettino between 2017 and 2020, also becoming a mainstay in Gareth Southgate’s England squad but his lack of game time and consistency has seen him fall out of the reckoning, on both the domestic and international stage.

Once described as the “perfect” midfielder and compared to Andres Iniesta by the Argentine boss, Winks really would need to impress out on loan during the final six months of the season to stand a chance of getting back into Spurs’ starting lineup.

It isn’t just Skipp that he should be fearing.

The likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Dele Alli are all playing more frequently in the engine room, so you’re looking at him being fifth or sixth choice, and that’s even after the departure of Moussa Sissoko in the summer.

Having seen his transfer value drop in half since December 2019, Winks is certainly at a career crossroad.

The Times have previously described him as ‘stale’, whilst Lilywhites legend Graham Roberts dubbed him “an average player” to Football FanCast in the summer.

As per WhoScored, the Hotspur Way youth product has never managed above a 6.57 average rating in any Premier League campaign since 2016/17, which is hugely underwhelming and some way off the standard you’d expect, especially when you consider his involvement in Spurs reaching the top three in three successive seasons.

It’s time for Winks and Spurs to part ways this winter – sporting director Fabio Paratici must do all he can to shift him on in January.

AND in other news, Spurs lining up swoop for £36m-rated “animal in the box”, he could be perfect for Kane…

VVV-Venlo director of football Stan Valckx believes Celtic forward Giorgos Giakoumakis can score between 15 and 20 goals this season.

The Lowdown: Giakoumakis’ struggles

Giakoumakis arrived at Celtic on deadline day in the summer window, coming in after Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths sealed Parkhead exits.

The Hoops paid £2.25m for the 26-year-old, who netted 26 times in the Eredivisie last season.

He’s yet to get off the mark for Celtic though and has made just one appearance, with Kieran Devlin claiming last month that he was ‘quite far off it’ at Lennoxtown.

However, Valckx who signed him for VVV-Venlo, feels the Dutch striker will come good for Ange Postecoglou.

The Latest: Valckx’s comments

Talking to The Herald, relayed by 67 Hail Hail, Valckx believes Giakoumakis can score up to 20 times before the season comes to an end and called him ‘very effective’.

“I don’t think it is unrealistic to say that between now and the end of the season he can score between 15 and 20 goals in Scotland.

“That should be realistic.

“Celtic is a big club of course in an interesting league. It’s a physical league, but normally I would expect him to be in the box more than he was with Venlo. We’re a small club and we have to defend more.

“He scored from all sorts of angles, with his left foot, right foot, bicycle kicks, quite a lot of headers. He had a real diversity in the ways he was able to finish. In the box, he is very good, very effective.”

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The Verdict: Next few months key…

It’s safe to say that Giakoumakis hasn’t had the start to life at Parkhead he’d have been hoping for, so 15-20 goals could be too much to ask for.

However, if Valckx’s prediction proves to be accurate, you’d expect the striker will need to find some form before the New Year.

He may well have the chance in five games before October comes to an end, so hopefully, for everyone associated with the Hoops, Valckx’s comments are spot on.

In other news: Celtic source now shares positive Christopher Jullien update after Sunday news. 

Australian captain Karen Rolton believes that though they are favourites to win the Women’s World Cup, there are a few teams who may give them a tough fight.”While we are confident, we know that England, India and New Zealand will be tough opponents,” Rolton said.Australia, who have won the tournament five times, and are also the defending champions, will be enjoying home support this time around, but it may not always work to their advantage, according to Rolton.”We won’t be disrespectful of any of our opponents, because in such a tournament as the World Cup, upsets can occur,” she said. “Women’s international cricket is getting better and better each year and while it is an advantage to be playing at home, there are also some disadvantages, such as more family and friends around.”Rolton also singled out England as the biggest threat to the crown. “England will be well prepared for this tournament. I think as many as nine of their girls have been out here playing grade cricket and they have been playing this season, for as long as we have, so they won’t be out of season.”England captain, Charlotte Edwards, predicted that this year’s tournament would be the closest for many years. She said the difference in playing standards between the countries had considerably reduced and England were ready for the challenge.”We had a great winter out here last year, winning the Ashes and drawing the one-day series,” Edwards said. “Australia are the favourites, especially playing at home, but we will be up for any challenge.”

A round-up of the fourth round of matches of the 2008-09 Inter-Provincial tournament

Sa'adi Thawfeeq09-Mar-2009Basnahira North clung on to a narrow two-point lead at the top of the points table with a draw against Wayamba in Dambulla. But it was second-placed Wayamba who had the better of the exchanges and first-innings points helped them narrow the gap. A feature of the Basnahira North batting was the excellent form of Angelo Mathews who completed his second century of the tournament to help his team reach 374 in the first innings after they chose to bat. Fast bowler Isuru Udana and Chanaka Welagedera shared seven wickets, dismissing the last five Basnahira batsmen for 72 runs. In reply, Wayamba lost a wicket off the third ball of the innings and slipped to 89 for 3 before being rescued by skipper Jehan Mubarak and Lanka de Silva, who put on 201 for the fourth wicket. Both batsmen hit contrasting hundreds – Mubarak scoring 136 off 187 balls and de Silva finishing with 103 off 203. The partnership enabled Wayamba to gain a vital 47-run lead. By stumps on the penultimate day Basnahira North were staring at defeat when they lost four wickets for 28 runs, but a sturdy performance from wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva (100 off 168 balls) who figured in a 119-run stand with Mathews (44), along with Gayan Wijekoon’s attacking 62 not out off 65 balls carried them to safety.Upul Tharanga’s twin knocks of 98 and 39 helped Ruhuna beat Kandurata by 87 runs in a low-scoring tie in Colombo. There were no oustanding performances individually and it was a collective effort from the Ruhuna’s bowlers which helped them clinch victory. Kandurata, set 276 for victory, collapsed for a disappointing 188 to give Ruhuna their first win of the tournament following two defeats.

Basnahira North 42 0 0 2 0 41.835 Wayamba 3 1 0 02 0 39.755 Ruhuna 31 2 0 0 0 23.76 Kandurata 3 1 2 00 0 23.26 Basnahira South 30 1 0 2 0 20.79

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts has hailed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as the “best midfield player” in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Hojbjerg was signed by ex-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho last summer and managed to make a positive impact following his arrival from Southampton.

His impact was so good that it led to his team-mates and Mourinho himself calling him Zidane.

The Portuguese manager has obviously since left Tottenham, but that has not affected Hojbjerg. On WhoScored, the 26-year-old currently has an average match rating of 7.03 (Premier League only), only Son Heung-min (7.07) and Lucas Moura (7.09) have recorded better averages in Tottenham’s squad.

On Hojbjerg, Roberts simply said to FFC: “I think Hojbjerg is the best midfielder [at Tottenham].”

Last season, Hojbjerg averaged 2.6 tackles per game in the Premier League, the second-highest average in Spurs’ squad, so it is easy to see what he brings to the pitch.

After Harry Kane and Son, the Denmark international is arguably the north London club’s most valuable player.

The last couple of weeks have been disappointing for Hojbjerg and his team-mates, losing London derbies to Chelsea and Crystal Palace, 3-0 on both occasions.

But with the quality of the former Southampton man, Kane and Son, you would expect them to bounce back in the league soon.

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper, is confident he will only improve with more exposure at the international level

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2008
Mushfiqur Rahim: “There were a few regulation chances that I shouldn’t have missed” © Getty Images
Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper, is confident he will only improve with more exposure at the international level. Mushfiqur, who has largely been Bangladesh’s first-choice keeper after being picked ahead of Khaled Mashud for the 2007 World Cup, has missed a few catches behind the stumps on the current tour of South Africa but is confident his rhythm is improving.”It’s not so easy to keep in seaming and bouncy conditions but I’m not taking it as an excuse. There were a few regulation chances that I shouldn’t have missed,” Mushfiqur told the . Graeme Smith, who scored 157 in South Africa’s innings-and-129-run win in the first Test in Bloemfontein, was given a reprieve on 83 – he came down the track and was beaten by left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan, but Mushfiqur failed to collect the ball and effect the stumping.”It’s likely that top-class keepers miss sometimes. As a keeper I was initially nervous but now I am more comfortable and confident,” he said. “And I feel, day by day, my rhythm is getting better.”Mohammad Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, highlighted the batsmen’s inability to cope with the bounce in South Africa as the reason behind the team’s poor showing after the first Test. “It’s really a new experience for all of us to play in South Africa,” Mushfiqur said. “It was really tough out there in the middle with the ball bouncing and swinging like anything. But the problem is that we rarely come across such deliveries on flat tracks at home.”Mushfiqur scored 89 in Bangladesh’s practice game before the Test, and offered some resistance with his 48 in the first innings in Bloemfontein. However, he is looking to improve his batting averages – it is below 20 in both Tests and ODIs. “I think someone’s average ultimately shows how good he is as a player. And my average in both one-day and Tests is hardly satisfying. I have a target to achieve an average of 40-plus in Test and 35 to 40 in one-day matches.”I’m trying to be consistent in my batting. I had a problem with gripping the bat and leaving the ball and worked on these in the Premier League [a domestic 50-over competition] and got the results. I scored few runs in the last few series but I have to play some long innings.”Mushfiqur’s nearest competitor for the keeper’s spot, Dhiman Ghosh, joined the ICL, but he said he cannot be complacent. “There is no scope to be relaxed in international cricket. It’s only a matter of time that an alternative will come if I fail to deliver,” he said. “I want to be an international figure and this is my ultimate goal. I am preparing myself to achieve the goal.” Mushfiqur had been dropped for a few ODI series this year, including the three-match series in Australia, but Ghosh’s signing with the unauthorised league saw him make a comeback for the recent home series against New Zealand.