All posts by h716a5.icu

As per Fanatik, an update has come to light on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans involving Fenerbache defender Kim Min-jae.

The Lowdown: Tottenham target centre-half…

The Athletic recently revealed that Spurs and manager Antonio Conte have a new central defender in their sights this summer with a number of key targets already shortlisted.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-newest-updates/” title=”Tottenham newest updates…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

According to their information, Joško Gvardiol, Alessandro Bastoni, Sven Botman and Nico Schlotterbeck have all been identified for possible attempts this summer as club chief Fabio Paratici gets to work on the 2022/2023 campaign.

Now, with news emerging on another defensive candidate out of Turkey, it appears Conte has personally approved a move for Kim.

The Latest: Conte green-lights move…

According to Fanatik, Tottenham and Everton have ‘taken action’ over Kim with Lilywhites officials scouting the player and recommending him to Conte.

Subsequently, the Italian has now personally approved a move for the South Korea international defender by giving the ‘green-light’.

The Verdict: Right call?

The 52-year-old wants to see new additions at N17 over the summer as he seeks to improve Tottenham further over his first full season in charge next year.

Kim, who could cost around €23 million (£19m), certainly comes as an affordable alternative to fellow targets on the list with the defender also being called a ‘monster’ in his homeland.

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse, branded one of the stars of the transfer window this summer by Fanatik, may well be one to watch out for if Spurs can’t offload players like Tanguy Ndombele for a profit.

In other news: Tottenham official dispatched as Conte identifies ’emerging superstar’ signing, find out more here.

Aston Villa have been busier than most teams across the whole of Europe in this January transfer window when it comes to bringing new players to the Midlands club such as Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne, Robin Olsen and Calum Chambers.

With that in mind and the fact that the Villans still have some time left to make yet another late swoop after bringing Chambers in from Arsenal just a couple of days ago.

One player that they could try and make a deal for before Monday is Manchester City youngster James McAtee, who has been mentioned to have caught the eye of Villa in recent days thanks to his performances for City’s U23 side.

As a young, English attacking-midfielder, the City prospect could be seen as Steven Gerrard’s own version of former Villa star Jack Grealish, who joined the reigning Premier League champions and current league leaders back in the previous summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £100m.

Also, with the 19-year-old sharing similar qualities to the former Villa captain in terms of being able to score goals and provide assists with 42 goals and 26 assists under his belt in 84 appearances for City’s youth and senior sides, he could be an exciting talent for Gerrard to have at his disposal.

In terms of a potential late move to Villa, with the teenager, who has been labelled as one of the club’s “exceptional” young talents by Pep Guardiola, only having appeared in three senior games for City so far, he may feel that he would be better off at a Premier League club where he’d be more likely to get some first-team minutes under his belt, which could be at Villa Park should Gerrard see enough potential in him.

In addition to that, with current Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka apparently not keen on signing a new deal at the Midlands club due to a lack of regular game time, if he were set to leave Villa, this could pave the way for McAtee to get a shot at impressing in the first team.

Moving forward, before the window closes, Villa should definitely make an approach to City to see what the situation is surrounding the young prospect and if they would be willing to negotiate a deal for him.

If not, McAtee is definitely a player that Villa should keep their eyes on for the future in case his situation at the Manchester club does change.

In other news: Journalist claims £74k-p/w beast is “interested” in Villa move, fans would be ecstatic – opinion

Pakistan’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom has said that the ICC was “playing to the public gallery” when it provisionally suspended the three players linked to the spot-fixing scandal

Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin03-Sep-2010The provisional suspension of three Pakistani players under the ACSU code of conduct on Thursday has sparked off a war of words between the ICC and Pakistan’s top diplomat in the UK. Reacting to the suspensions, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s high commissioner to the UK, claimed that the ICC had made a mistake and that the governing body was “playing to the public gallery.”Speaking to the BBC, Hasan said that the ICC had “no business taking this action.” Instead, he claimed that cricket’s governing body had, “made an assurance to us when it said it would wait until Scotland Yard’s investigations were over.”Haroon Lorgat, the ICC’s chief executive, rejected the claim on Friday morning, telling Cricinfo that he had informed Hasan and the PCB that notices would be served to Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.”I went yesterday [Thursday] later in the afternoon as a matter of courtesy and met with the High Commissioner and Ijaz [Butt, PCB chairman] and explained to them we will be serving the notice by the end of the evening if we are completed with our work, which we did,” Lorgat said.”I obviously couldn’t give all of the details due to matters of confidentiality, but they were aware we were busy with our investigations and we were close to conclusion, and that were likely to serve notice by the end of last night.”Lorgat said that the ICC had not suspended the players without the PCB’s knowledge. “I didn’t do it without his [Ijaz Butt’s] permission. I spoke to Mr Butt on the telephone before going public. He said he is fine. In fact, I asked him to join us when we served the notice. He said he was fine and he would send the Pakistan security manager.”The ICC’s move to suspend the three players came on the same day Pakistan announced that the players had opted to voluntarily withdraw from the forthcoming limited-overs series in England. Hasan’s remarks about the suspension, which reiterated his earlier belief that the players had been “set up”, are at the centre of what appears to be the Pakistan camp’s discontent with the suspension. Though Ijaz Butt remained silent on the matter – despite attempts to contact him – another official close to the investigation also questioned the development.The official said that no evidence had yet been shared with the PCB. “We’re very surprised the ICC has done this because to my knowledge there had been no indication of this,” the official said on Thursday night, after the suspensions were announced.”This is a bit inappropriate doing it now because the Scotland Yard investigations are ongoing and they could have waited till the end of that,” the official said. “What if they clear the players of any wrongdoing now?”Pakistan are thought to be unhappy at the number of investigations currently being carried out in the case. “The ICC and ACSU are doing their investigation and helping the police, Scotland Yard are carrying out their criminal investigation and the board is also doing its own internal inquiry,” the official said. “This can cause overlapping and confusion and it would’ve been better to let things happen one at a time.”

With two weeks left until the January transfer window closes, Wolves still have time to make any changes to their squad that they think will put them in the best shape to end the season as strongly as possible and potentially secure a European place in the Premier League table.

However, it seems as though the club can put to bed any concerns about potentially seeing one of their key players leave Molineux this month.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet SPORT, Wolves winger Adama Traore wants to return to Barcelona with Jorge Mendes apparently working with both parties for a potential deal.

However, it’s likely that Traore will stay at the Midlands club until the summer before a final decision is made on his future.

Since joining Wolves back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Championship club Middlesbrough in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m, the Spaniard has gone on to make 153 appearances for the Old Gold across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing 18 assists in the process.

Lage will be relieved

Despite only managing to score one goal in the Premier League so far this season, which came in Wolves’ recent 3-1 win over Southampton at the weekend, Traore’s performances have shown what an important figure he can be for the team and why Bruno Lage will be relieved to potentially have him in the squad for the remainder of the season rather than watching him leave midway through the campaign.

For the 19 league performances he’s delivered for Wolves this season, WhoScored have given Traore an overall rating of 6.97/10, making him their fourth-highest rated player below Rayan Ait-Nouri, Romain Saiss and Max Kilman.

Looking ahead to the summer, with the 25-year-old’s contract set to expire in 2023, it could be worth Wolves working out a deal with Barcelona to sell Traore on a permanent deal after previous reports have highlighted his unhappiness and unwillingness to sign a new deal at Molineux.

This way, the Molineux outfit would get a transfer fee for him that could be used to find a replacement and Traore gets the move he wants, leaving all parties happy.

Moving forward, if Traore can end the season on a high with some goals and assists under his belt, this could help Wolves be able to get more money for him if they do end up negotiating a deal in the summer with Barcelona.

In other news: Deal agreed: Fabrizio Romano drops big Wolves transfer update, Lage surely buzzing – opinion 

Andrew Hudson, the former South Africa batsman, has been appointed Cricket South Africa’s convenor of selectors

Cricinfo staff04-May-2010Andrew Hudson, the former South Africa batsman, has been appointed Cricket South Africa’s convenor of selectors. The entire selection panel had been disbanded following the resignation of coach Mickey Arthur in January, and the board CEO Gerald Majola had held the post of convenor in the interim.The interim selection committee, which replaced the one led by Mike Procter, comprised Majola, Corrie van Zyl, who is South Africa’s coach, and former captain Kepler Wessels, who is also the team’s batting consultant. van Zyl and Wessels retain their places in the panel, while Shafiek Abrahams, the former South Africa offspinner, joins them as national high performance manager.”Shafiek is ideally qualified as he is a member of the national high performance coaching staff,” Majola said. “He is also the SA U19 national convenor of selectors, which allows him a full view of the emerging talent from CSA’s pipeline, and is a former national selector.”The national selection panel will comprise from 1 June 2010: Andrew Hudson (convenor); Corrie van Zyl (representing the national coach’s post); and Shafiek Abrahams (representing the high performance manager’s post); with Graeme Smith (representing the captain’s post) as a selector for the final XI.”Hudson, an opening batsman, represented South Africa in 35 Tests and 89 ODIs, averaging 33.45 and 29.41 respectively in each format. “I am looking forward to getting involved with the Proteas again,” Hudson said. “They have done well recently and I am confident that we also have the emerging talent to take our team forward.The sacked panel led by Procter took over as selectors in December 2008, just before the historic series victory in Australia which put South Africa on top of both the Test and the ODI rankings. Results went downhill after that, with South Africa losing the return Test series against Australia and only managing to draw the home series against England in in January this year. Between those two assignments were the loss in the World Twenty20 semi-finals and the embarrassingly early exit in the ICC Champions Trophy they hosted. The panel’s tenure was supposed to be till the 2011 World Cup, the same as Arthur’s.Majola also announced that the position of coach will be advertised soon with van Zyl remaining as interim coach until after the ICC World Cup 2011. The composition of the selection panel, Majola said, would be subject to an annual review.

In the early days of the 2022 January transfer window, Wolves have recalled Dion Sanderson and Ryan Giles from their loan deals, as well as securing a deal for midfielder Hayao Kawabe.

However, despite there still being a considerable amount of time left in the window, it appears that Wolves fans shouldn’t be holding their breath for many more incoming signings this month.

What’s the news?

In a recent article by Tim Spiers for The Athletic, comments from the club’s technical director Scott Sellars were shared about what their plans will be for the current transfer window which may not please a lot of fans at Molineux.

Sellars said: “It’s hard to predict what happens in any transfer window, but it’s certain that we won’t bring in a large number of new signings, and firstly we will focus on providing Bruno Lage with immediate back up at a time when all clubs are suffering with injuries and [virus] issues, and at the same time give opportunities to our young players who have been doing so well out on loan.

“We’d rather use the young players out on loan, and wait for our injured players to come back, than spend money on players who aren’t going to improve the squad we already have.

“If there’s someone who is going to enhance the squad and team, then of course we will explore the option and see if we can make it work.”

Fans may be furious

Taking this into account, it seems as though Sellars is trying to cover all aspects of what business Wolves could look to do in terms of transfer deals this month without trying to raise expectations or excitement among the fan base, but supporters may still be left furious over the prospect of a quiet month on the market.

Eighth in the Premier League table with 28 points on the board from 19 games, it has been a solid campaign so far for the Old Gold, especially with just 14 goals conceded in that time – only runaway leaders Manchester City have a better defensive record.

However, on the flip side, Wolves have only managed to score 13 league goals so far this season, fewer than the likes of Burnley, Newcastle United and Watford, who comprise three of the bottom four in the top flight.

With this in mind, if Wolves are to make any other new signings this month, it would be worth bringing in a player who could inject a bit of life to the attack, find the net on a regular basis and, as Sellars put it, “enhance the squad”.

In other news: Shi heading for huge Wolves howler over “talented” £58k-p/w star, Lage would be fuming

Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC, has reaffirmed his faith in the ODI format, reposing faith on its ability to draw big crowds and generate sizeable viewership

Cricinfo staff21-Jun-2010Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC, has reaffirmed his faith in the ODI format, expressing optimism over its future given its ability to draw big crowds and generate sizeable viewership. Lorgat said the ICC, together with member boards, would continue to experiment with changes to the format that would make it more appealing. He was speaking on the eve of the 3000th ODI, to be played in Southampton, incidentally, by the same two teams that inaugurated the format in 1971 – England and Australia.”That game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was arranged on very short notice after a Test match had been washed out and nobody was really sure what would happen,” Lorgat said. “When around 46,000 people showed up to watch I think the organisers realised they were on to something big. Since that day it has been hugely successful and we have been treated to some of the great moments of cricket through ODIs.”The first three World Cups, beginning with 1975, were 60-overs-a-side tournaments while the ones that followed were all 50 overs. The game, over the years, has undergone significant changes but without altering the basics of cricket, Lorgat said. “That first ODI nearly 40 years ago involved the bowling of 40 eight-ball overs per innings and the structure of the game has been constantly evolving ever since. Over the years various initiatives have been trialled and refined and we now have quite a different spectacle to the one that was first on show.”Coloured clothing, white balls, fielding restrictions, bowling limitations, Powerplays, free-hits and many other aspects of the game have all been introduced but the unmistakable and unshakable core skills required by batsmen, bowlers and fielders are still intact.”And the broad appeal remains strong. ODIs still attract big crowds and enormous television viewing figures. The ODI series between England and Australia that gets underway tomorrow will be hugely well-attended and the recent ODIs in Ireland and Scotland were also sell-outs.”Cricket Australia recently announced it would experiment with a split-innings one-day format in the country’s next domestic season. Lorgat said the “evolution” of one-day cricket would continue to make it relevant to changing times. “As we prepare for the 10th staging of the ICC Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka next year, the importance of this format to the game remains very high,” he said. “I have no doubt the ODI will continue to adapt and evolve – in fact we always encourage our Members to trial new initiatives at domestic level to see if they work – and above all, I have no doubt the ODI will continue to strengthen long into the future.”

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side head into Tuesday evening’s Premier League fixture in the midst of a worrying run of form, with the Whites having won just two of their last ten league outings – leaving the 66-year-old’s team languishing down in 15th place in the top-flight standings.

On top of this, the Argentine coach is having to deal with something of an injury crisis at Elland Road, with the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Robin Koch and Rodrigo Moreno having all missed the 3-2 loss to Chelsea on Saturday, and once again look set to be sidelined for the trip to Manchester City this evening.

As such, Bielsa will undoubtedly be nursing a rather large selection headache as he attempts to fit a number of square pegs in round holes in his starting XI against Pep Guardiola’s side, however, one player who would appear to be a shoo-in for a start at the Etihad is 19-year-old centre-forward Joe Gelhardt.

Gelhardt could give Guardiola nightmares

Despite having been handed just one Premier League start this season, Gelhardt has nevertheless proven he is something of a game-changer in the Leeds United attack.

Indeed, after being brought on with 27 minutes remaining against Wolverhampton Wanderers back in October, with his side trailing the visitors 1-0, the £1.17m-rated man single-handedly turned the course of the game on its head, first by drawing a fantastic save from Jose Sa between the Wolves sticks, before surging into the opposition penalty area in the dying moments and winning his side a penalty – which Rodrigo tucked home to secure Leeds a share of the spoils.

More recently, after being brought on in the closing stages against Chelsea last weekend, the 19-year-old who Conor McGilligan dubbed “predatorial” once again changed the game, drawing Leeds level with his first touch of the ball – fantastically sliding home Tyler Robert’s low cross past a helpless Edouard Mendy.

As such, it is an incredibly easy argument to make that, in the absence of Bamford, Bielsa simply must unleash the £16.5k-per-week Gelhardt from the off this evening, as the England U21 international undoubtedly has the ability to cause Guardiola and his side nightmares on Tuesday.

In other news: LUFC must avoid disaster on £22k-p/w gem who “transmits security”, MB would be furious

Alan Hutton thinks James Forrest will travel with the Celtic squad for Sunday’s Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian. 

The lowdown

Celtic travel to Hampden Park to battle Shaun Maloney’s Hibs for the first silverware of the season.

Forrest secured their place in the final with a 73rd-minute strike against St Johnstone in the last four, having come off the bench.

Now he’s one of a trio of Hoops players hoping to prove their fitness in time to feature in the showpiece, along with Kyogo Furuhashi and Mikey Johnston.

Ange Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference that he would use Saturday’s training session at Lennoxtown to make an assessment.

The latest

BBC Sport pundit Hutton thinks that, regardless of the results of that fitness test, Forrest will be part of the group that heads to Edinburgh.

Even if he can’t contribute on the pitch, he says, his presence will still be valuable.

“Forrest has been there, done it, bought the t-shirt,” he told Football Insider. “He’s got a pocket full of medals.

“You do need that big-game experience. He’ll be there, he will probably travel with the squad and he can keep the squad going.”

The verdict

Hutton is certainly right about Forrest’s track record: the winger has won a whopping 20 trophies at Celtic. Nine of those are league titles, but 11 are cups, indicating that he knows what it takes to prevail in an one-off, winner-takes-all contest.

And beyond that, former team-mate Mohamed Elyounoussi says the ‘amazing’ Forrest is ‘a brilliant boy off the pitch as well’.

It would be a blow if he couldn’t play, but in Liel Abada, who has notched a respectable 11 goal contributions in his first season at Celtic, Postecoglou can call upon an able replacement, and having Forrest around the squad could certainly help the likes of the Israel international shine.

In other news, Hutton also dropped this intriguing claim on Albian Ajeti. 

West Ham United manager David Moyes could seal a transfer masterclass in the upcoming January window after Liverpool defender Nat Phillips admitted he’s set to seek pastures new.

What’s the story?

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to east London in recent months after rising to prominence last season, filling in for the injured trio of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.

However, their return to full fitness coupled with the arrival of Ibrahima Konate has seen Phillips slip down the pecking order once again, limiting him to just three appearances throughout 2021/22.

As a result, he recently revealed to Sky Sports News that he’s open to an Anfield exit over the coming months, and West Ham could be a potential destination.

“The manager and I agree that the best thing for me is to play as many games as possible. I think you saw last year I developed well,” said Phillips.

“I’m going to see what comes along (in January) and go from there. I think at this moment in time, it’s unlikely that I’ll be playing lots of games for Liverpool, so if an opportunity arises where I get the chance to do that somewhere else, and it suits everyone, then it’s certainly something I’d be interested in.”

Transfer masterclass

With first-choice centre-backs Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna set for extensive spells on the sidelines after picking up serious injuries, Moyes must strengthen that position in January.

And Phillips is an ideal candidate to do just that. The £7.2m-rated gem has been labelled a “monster” on the pitch by Jurgen Klopp and also received praise from pundit Jamie Redknapp for his “unbelievable” performances in the league last term.

As per WhoScored, the 6 foot 2 beast averaged 1.7 tackles throughout 2020/21, two interceptions, 3.7 clearances and 1.3 blocks, while also winning four aerial duels.

These underlying numbers highlight his crucial role in Liverpool’s highly-respectable third-place finish and indicate how Phillips could prove to be an extremely astute purchase for Moyes this winter.

If West Ham are to maintain their push for European football over the hectic festive schedule, then extra strength in depth will be required, and Phillips’ arrival would certainly provide that in the heart of defence.

And, in other news…Forget Coufal: West Ham lightweight who lost possession 27x badly let Moyes down v AFC