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As relayed by The Guardian’s match preview, Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been dealt another injury worry ahead of today’s clash against Leeds United after Cristian Romero came back from international duty with a hamstring problem.

The Lowdown: Conte without key men for Leeds…

As the Italian aims to get Tottenham back near the top of English and European football, it looks like he will be without a handful of key players for his second Premier League game in charge of the club.

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Indeed, marquee summer signing and 2020/21 Serie A MVP award-winning defender Romero will not be able to feature in north London today due to his hamstring injury (The Guardian).

Meanwhile, Conte will also be without midfield gem Oliver Skipp for a different reason, with the 21-year-old currently serving a ban after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Everton.

The Latest: Lo Celso blow emerges…

As per The Guardian, Tottenham have been dealt another injury worry as midfielder Giovani Lo Celso is also doubtful for the clash with Leeds this evening.

Indeed, the attacking ace has suffered a knock and it is currently up in the air as to whether he will feature today.

The Verdict: Blow for Conte…

The Argentine’s performances have attracted criticism in parts but Conte’s arrival comes with plenty of speculation that Lo Celso could thrive in a three-at-the-back formation.

Indeed, the playmaker is capable of rotating with club record signing Tanguy Ndombele in a number 10 role just behind deadly duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, as some critics believe this could be the way forward (Alasdair Gold).

As Conte works out the kinks of his new team, potentially losing Lo Celso today could come as a blow given that he will likely want to test out the 25-year-old as much as possible.

If the Argentine can transfer his performances at international level down to Tottenham, Conte may well have a player on his hands, with Lo Celso’s national team coach Lionel Scaloni even calling him ‘one of the best in the world’ (Today.in-24).

Meanwhile, former Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho called him ‘phenomenal’, indicating that the 25-year-old has no shortage of quality.

Perhaps one of Conte’s biggest tasks at Spurs is getting the best out of Lo Celso on a consistent basis.

In other news: Tottenham tell rising star he is free to leave as they green light surprise exit from N17, find out more here.

A round-up of the second day’s action of the third round of the WICB Four-Day Competition 2009-10

Cricinfo staff24-Jan-2010Centuries from Wavell Hinds and Carlton Baugh put Jamaica in total control against Guyana in St Philip. The day began with the teams on even terms, but the overnight pair swung the game completely Jamaica’s way with a 232-run stand for the sixth wicket. Hinds, who had scored a half-century on the first day, helped himself to 151 and was supported by Baugh who finished with 124. For Guyana, Brandon Bess and offspinner Veerasammy Permaul bagged nine wickets between them, the latter recording his first five-for, but Jamaica ended up posting a formidable 429. Their bowlers were not far behind, as left-arm spinner Nikita Miller grabbed three for 25 to limit Guyana to 112 for 5 at stumps, still 317 behind.Windward Islands consolidated their dominant position gained on first day against Combined Campuses and Colleges in Bridgetown. Opener Devon Smith smashed 122 and though the next best score in the team was 36, Windwards were able to gain a satisfactory lead of 128 after having bowled out their opponents on the opening day. There was some support in the lower order, as Donwell Hector and Shane Shillingford chipped in with important contributions to stretch the lead past 100. Fast bowler Jason Bennett bagged a five-for to keep his team in the game. However, when CCC came out to bat facing a testing lead, their batsmen struggled as the openers fell quickly to leave the team at 38 for 2 at stumps, still 90 away from the deficit.Captain Ryan Hinds helped Barbados gain the advantage over Trinidad and Tobago at the Kensington Oval. T&T declared on their overnight score as Ravi Rampaul wasn unable to bat due to an illness. The Barbados reply was a collective effort but each batsman reaching double-figures, of which went past 50. Opener Jason Haynes contributed 51, Kevin Stoute made 46 but it was Hinds who held firm through the day, remaining unbeaten on 111 to take his team to 327 for 6 and secure a 56-run lead. Spinners Amit Jaggernauth and Imran Khan bagged three wickets each.

Newcastle United are still without a win in the Premier League this season after drawing 1-1 against Norwich City in midweek at St James’ Park.

Their next attempt at securing a win comes today with another home clash against Burnley.

In terms of which players could be available for selection this afternoon, the Magpies have been handed some positive news which will have a lot of Toon fans buzzing and perhaps confident of a win here.

What’s the news?

Speaking ahead of the match against Sean Dyche’s side, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said that from an injury point of view after the draw against Norwich, his side have “a few bumps and bruises but hopefully nothing too serious,” which suggests that he could have close to a full squad at his disposal today.

With Newcastle having scored two more goals than Burnley so far this season, Howe and everyone at the Tyneside club will undoubtedly be hoping that their attacking players will be in good form to help secure their first win of the season and fully kickstart their chances of avoiding relegation by the end of the campaign.

However, with the Toon having conceded 10 more goals than today’s visitors, it could prove to be a difficult match for them against the Clarets, even though Burnley are just three points above the Magpies.

Looking beyond today’s game, with Newcastle having Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United in their next four league fixtures, it would seem hard to pinpoint where they would be likely to pick up a win if they don’t get one against Burnley, which surely puts even more pressure on them to do the business today.

In their past five league games against the Clarets at St. James’ Park, Newcastle have only won two, including a 3-1 victory when the teams last met on Tyneside 14 months ago.

With no apparent serious injury issues to worry about from their midweek match against Norwich, Toon fans can at least rest easy that Howe has a near full-strength squad to call upon for today’s crunch fixture.

In other news – Discussions underway: NUFC must land £100k-p/w beast compared to “Ballack” and “Gazza”…

Andrew Flintoff, Jerome Taylor, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Mitchell Johnson were the cream of the crop in the nominations for best Test bowling performances of 2009

Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2010A list that began with ten contenders for the award for Test bowling performance of 2009 has been whittled down to five. Only the spells of four fast bowlers and an offspinner remain – and it isn’t one of Muttiah Muralitharan’s.Graeme Swann’s 5 for 54 to bowl England to an innings victory in Durban is the only performance by a spinner on the shortlist, but it is one of three spells from Englishmen to make the cut. The others are Andrew Flintoff’s injury-defying spell to lead England to an Ashes Test victory at Lord’s after 75 years, and Stuart Broad’s 5 for 37 which helped his team regain the urn at The Oval.The other contenders for the award are Jerome Taylor and Mtchell Johnson. Taylor for his spell of 5 for 11 which destroyed England at Sabina Park, dismissing them for 51 to give West Indies the victory that would help them lift the Wisden Trophy. And Johnson for his spells at the Wanderers which led Australia to victory by 162 runs, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series soon after they had been beaten by South Africa at home.The top five were drawn on basis of votes from a 14-member jury that includes some of the leading cricket experts in the world and Cricinfo’s senior editors.These five performances made it to our final shortlist while Zaheer Khan’s 5 for 65 in Wellington, Rangana Herath’s 4 for 15 against Pakistan in Galle, James Anderson’s 4 for 55 against Australia at Lord’s, Sreesanth’s comeback in Kanpur, and Shane Bond’s sterling return in Dunedin, didn’t.A departure from the usual year-end awards looking at overall performances, ESPNCricinfo’s honours are in two categories: a jury-based award looking at the year’s best batting and bowling performances and a stats-based award using numbers from Cricinfo’s extensive database.The winners for all the awards will be announced on February 19.

As per Torino Granata, a promising update has now emerged on Tottenham Hotspur’s plans to sign Torino defender Gleison Bremer.

The Lowdown: Spurs in centre-half hunt?

Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte and Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici have been tipped to raid Serie A for talent, with centre-backs especially appearing to be on the agenda.

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The likes of Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt are two big defensive names to be linked with a move to north London recently, while Bremer of Torino is another one to have emerged.

Praised as one of the Italian top flight’s best performers and a standout in the division so far this term (Calciomercato) – he has the fifth-highest performance rating of all Serie A players in 2021/22 as per WhoScored metrics – Spurs have apparently let their interest be known as Torino Granata provide the latest.

The Latest: Spurs ‘pressing’ insistently…

As per the Italian source, Tottenham’s ‘pressing’ for the Brazilian has become ‘insistent’, with Conte personally adding Bremer to his list of targets for next season.

Torino president Urbano Cairo, who is keen to avoid the prospect of losing him on a free deal akin to Andrea Belotti potentially, is now ‘already listening to possible proposals’ for his centre-back as Bremer’s contract expires in 2023.

That’s where Spurs come in, as they now push hard to meet the 24-year-old’s asking price. Cairo has apparently requested ‘over €20 million (£17.1m)’, a figure which Spurs can ‘reach’ according to this report.

The Verdict: Get it done…

A mooted fee of £17.1m is nothing short of a bargain for a player of Bremer’s calibre, form and age, so we strongly advise Paratici to back Conte with his signing.

According to WhoScored, the Brazilian has averaged an incredible 3.7 interceptions per 90, almost double that of Tottenham’s highest interceptor Sergio Reguilon, thus highlighting Bremer’s real tenacity in defence.

In another incentive, out of all Spurs’ regulars with more than one start, only Eric Dier has averaged more clearances per match (4.3) in that time than Bremer (4.2). In terms of aerial duels, Torino’s mainstay has made more on average than any Lilywhites player, and it’s clear that his colossal presence could be a real asset to Conte.

Described as ‘strong’ and ‘powerful’ by Italian football expert Conor Clancy (via Football FanCast), this could be a very shrewd move by Tottenham if they can execute it.

In other news – Talks ongoing: Spurs in contact to sign ‘incredible’ £29.9m man, club open to temporary deal, find out more here

Monty Panesar bowled four tight overs on his competitive debut for his new county but was up-staged by fellow spinner Chris Nash as Sussex clinched a nervy seven-run success against the Fly Emirates part-timers in Dubai

Mark Pennell in Dubai19-Mar-2010ScorecardMonty Panesar bowled four tight overs on his competitive debut for his new county but was up-staged by fellow spinner Chris Nash as Sussex clinched a nervy seven-run success against the Fly Emirates part-timers in Dubai.Defending a disappointing total on the opening day of the Emirates Airline Twenty20 festival , Sussex had Nash and Panesar to thank for avoiding the giant killing with tight spells on a crumbling surface at 7he Sevens stadium. Though the Emirates side made a decent start in their pursuit through Mohammad Iqbal (22) and Amjad Javed (16) the run rate started to creep up once Sussex captain Michael Yardy turned to spin.”I really enjoyed it, we assessed the pitch quite quickly and bowled according to the conditions in front of us,” Panesar said. “I got my lengths right, which made the sweep shot a dangerous stroke out there. I was given the one leg-before and might have had another, but overall I was happy with my first game for Sussex.”The key moment came in the ninth over of the pursuit when Sussex removed dangerman Shahid Afridi for 8. Chancing a tight second to Chris Liddle at deep point the Afridi comfortably lost the race back to the striker’s end and his side’s hopes of causing an upset went with him.The Sussex innings had been anchored by Man-of-the-Match Nash who took an early view that “120 would be a top score on that pitch” and he was proved right. His top-score of 45 from 42 balls included only four fours but was to prove invaluable to the Sussex cause.Only he and Michael Thornely (18) reached double figures and once Nash skied to fine leg the Sussex tail fell away badly as they lost their last six wickets for 32 in the last six overs of their innings.

Noel Whelan has tipped West Ham to fight for a Jarrod Bowen contract extension amid interest from Liverpool and believes that the Hammers’ league position will determine the outcome, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Liverpool long-term admirers of Bowen

The Liverpool Echo have claimed that Liverpool are long-term admirers of the West Ham winger, and they will continue to scout the 24-year-old with a potential move on the cards in the summer transfer window.

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Bowen has had an impressive start to the 2021/22 campaign; he currently leads the Hammers in assists in the Premier League, having produced five this season.

The English attacker has also gained valuable experience on the European stage. Bowen has appeared in five games in the Irons’ Europa League campaign, adding an extra goal and assist to his tally for the season.

The Latest: Whelan issues verdict on potential exit

According to a Rush Green source at Football insider, West Ham are planning on offering Bowen a new and improved contract, despite his current deal running until summer 2025.

And Whelan claims that the Hammers will make an effort to do anything to keep the player at the club, insisting that the team’s league position at the end of the season will determine the outcome of Bowen’s future. Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “This is what happens when players are standing out in a team that’s been very successful like West Ham.

“He’s a player that I enjoy watching. His energy, his quality on the ball, he can play down the middle, on the right and left. He’s a player that you would fit the Liverpool bill of what they want across that front three.

“Would West Ham let him go? I think they’ll do everything possible to keep him at West Ham, quite frankly. I think it’ll all come down to how successful West Ham are at the end of the season. Where they are in the league.

“It’s going be interesting. I admire him, he’s a great player, he really is. That energy, that quality on the ball, the link-up play he has.

“I can see why Liverpool would be tempted and interested in a player like that.”

The Verdict: Bowen could stay following recent success

With West Ham’s magnificent start to the season landing them in fourth place, the Hammers are well and truly in the running for Champions League qualification – they have already beat Liverpool and Chelsea, which shows exactly how competitive they can stay amongst the league challengers.

According to Whelan, this could sway Bowen into signing a contract extension and ultimately commit his career to the club.

The former Hull starlet has of course received lots of praise this season – Gary Neville has commented on how the winger “is a bundle of energy” and that ‘he is brilliant to watch”.

Perhaps to Hammers fans’ dismay, Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has continually praised him over the past year too, culminating with the German saying: “I like Bowen a lot.”

Andrew Strauss is eager to resume his day job after missing the tour of Bangladesh for a two-month break that he hopes will help England defend the Ashes in Australia next winter

Andrew McGlashan26-Mar-2010Andrew Strauss is eager to resume his day job after missing the tour of Bangladesh for a two-month break that he hopes will help England defend the Ashes in Australia next winter. Strauss controversially opted to miss the trip to the subcontinent and handed the reigns to Alastair Cook with a view to ensuring he won’t be burnt out by the time the squad head down under in November and then onto the World Cup.However, he’ll have to wait a little longer to get his hands back on the tiller because, on the merry-go-round that is the England captaincy, Paul Collingwood will take charge for the World Twenty20 in West Indies before Strauss returns for the first Test, against Bangladesh, on May 27. Strauss’s decision to rest was criticised in many quarters, but when the move was announced at the end of the South Africa tour he was adamant it was the best thing for the team and has not changed his mind.”I can understand because their argument that a captain should there all the time,” he said, “but as I said I think we have to look at ways of making the most out of the players we’ve got – both myself and others – and how to get the best out of our players when we need them. The Ashes is a huge series for us and the World Cup a huge one-day tournament for us and we need to be peaking there.”This wasn’t a unilateral decision that I said I didn’t want to go to Bangladesh, it was something we have talked about for a couple of months. When you do something different there will always be criticism for it and I hope in time we’ll see the benefits. It was about winning two series which we did and me missing it was about prioritising the cricket we have ahead of us.”England returned from the tour having secured a 3-0 one-day whitewash and 2-0 result in the Test series despite some tough resistance from Bangladesh. But there were times during the tour when Cook’s lack of captaincy experience was exposed, none more so than the second morning in Dhaka when the hosts’ tail added valuable runs.However, although Strauss admitted he “wasn’t up at three every morning” to watch the Tests, he saw enough to be impressed by Cook’s leadership and believes he will benefit in the long-term. He also resisted any temptation to captain from afar and his communication with Cook was limited to a few text messages of congratulations.”I think Alastair has done an excellent job, he has done things his own way, to an extent, which is fine, and he’s carried things on,” he said during a NatWest Cricket Force event in Middlesex. “You can’t argue with the fact they’ve won three one-dayers and two Tests which builds useful momentum for the season. I think it’s been a pretty steep learning curve for him but one from he’ll have benefited from immensely.”Before he went I said you’ve got to do it your way to get benefit out of it and I think he’s done that. I had the odd text message when he’d done well, but it was his show and Andy Flower’s show and he can take credit for what he achieved.”Everything for the England team this year is geared towards the Ashes defence and Strauss didn’t rule out resting other players during the season. Andy Flower has hinted that Stuart Broad would be the next in line for a break, while Collingwood’s workload may also be managed as he plays all three formats.”I don’t know about that,” Strauss said. “We are going to have to see how the players are doing and what their state of mind is, but if there is an opportunity to rest one or two then we’ll be looking at that because we want the team in as good a frame of mind come the Ashes. But what games they miss and if indeed anyone does miss any cricket can only be decided when we get to those situations and sometimes it will depend on our position in a series.”For Strauss, though, the focus for the next few weeks is Middlesex and he will pick up a bat for the first time in pre-season on Monday having been fortunate enough to miss the county’s boot-camp trip to an army training facility. Middlesex could benefit from Strauss’s presence for up to seven Championship matches and five 40-over games.”It’s been nice to spend time with the family, but also in the gym and get some real improvement fitness-wise,” he said. “I’m chomping at the bit now to get out there and play.”

A big Rangers transfer claim has emerged, regarding the potential sale of Romanian forward Ianis Hagi from Ibrox and his future under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League forward Noel Whelan has claimed that the Gers will need to buy and sell players like the winger for profit to compete with Celtic in the long-term, citing their business model with Virgil van Dijk in particular.

He told Football Insider: “Rangers have got to sell players like him in order to be self-sustainable.

“That’s been the case for Celtic too, not just Rangers. As much as they’re giants in Scotland and well-known across Europe, we’ve seen over the years that Celtic will take profits on their best players.

“Their recruitment has been so crucial for them, and that’s the same for Rangers. They buy them, nuture them, develop them – but then when the time is right, they sell them on.

“It just like what happened with Van Dijk at Celtic. Many have come through there and done a great job for them, winning titles at the club.

“It’s just the way of the world right now. Money talks if you are Rangers or Celtic, they just can’t compete with the Premier League clubs at the moment.”

Masterclass

Turkish outlet En Son Haber recently claimed that Rangers are preparing for Hagi’s exit as a number of clubs circle around the forward. In selling the attacker, they could repeat an Old Firm masterclass from Celtic – as they sold van Dijk for a gigantic profit back in 2015.

Per Transfermarkt, the Hoops signed the Dutchman from Groningen for £2.48m in 2013 before selling him to Southampton for £14.13m two years later. He is one of seven players Celtic have sold for more than £11m since 2014, whilst Rangers have not sold a player for more than £3m in that time.

The Gers reportedly paid £4m to sign Hagi from Genk in 2020 and the interest in his services now could offer them the chance to make a profit on him, much like Celtic did with van Dijk. Ross Wilson now has a major decision to make and he could repeat their masterclass in doing so.

Selling the Romanian international could allow them to kickstart a healthy business model moving forward where they are able to develop young talent before selling them on for big money and then replacing them with more prospects. The Gers could use Hagi as the poster boy for this, showing targets his potential success to convince them to make a similar switch.

This could aid the club in their attempts to sign talented youngsters in the future, as it would show that Rangers are willing to be a stepping stone in their footballing journey. Whilst it may not be music to the fans’ ears, it could be a profitable move by Wilson that helps the long-term future at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Gio can finally axe a “Rangers legend” by signing “perfect” £3.1k-p/w beast in January…

Glamorgan secured their first Championship victory at Lord’ s in 56 years after mopping up the last six Middlesex wickets in just over two hours to win by 78 runs and with 62 overs to spare

18-Apr-2010
ScorecardDawid Malan’s 115 could not prevent Middlesex slipping to another defeat•PA PhotosGlamorgan secured their first Championship victory at Lord’ s in 56 years after mopping up the last six Middlesex wickets in just over two hours to win by 78 runs and with 62 overs to spare.It was former Middlesex all-rounder turned Glamorgan captain Jamie Dalrymplewho proved they key figure in securing his county’s first win of the DivisionTwo campaign, leaving the hosts to contemplate their second defeat in as manystarts. It was Dalrymple’s off-spin that accounted for Middlesex top-scorer Dawid Malanfor an excellent 115, a dismissal that ultimately exposed the Middlesex tail tothe second new ball and made the result a foregone conclusion.Resuming on his overnight score of 94, 22-year-old left-hander Malan rockedback in the fifth over of the day to crack a rasping back foot force to theropes at cover to move to 99. Three overs later, he squirted the 16th four of his 212-ball stay off an open bat face and through the gully to third man to post his second first-classhundred.It was Malan’s first four-day ton since he scored 132 on his Middlesex Championship debut against Northamptonshire at Uxbridge in June 2008. His fifth-wicket partner, night watchman Iain O’Brien, enjoyed a let-off with his score on 13 when Dalrymple downed a regulation chance at second slip off Huw Waters, but O’Brien obligingly edged the very next delivery to third slip where Mark Cosgrove this time pocketed a sharp, low chance.Malan’s vigil ended after four hours to a rare lapse of concentration. Moving back on his stumps and aiming to cut a ball that turned back into him, the left-hander bottom edged and wicketkeeper Mark Wallace did the rest.Four balls later Malan’s fellow left-hander, John Simpson (12), pushed at atuning delivery from left-arm spinner Dean Cosker to be caught at slip by whoelse but Dalrymple.Glamorgan took the new ball shortly afterwards, sparking a counter-attack fromMiddlesex all-rounder Gareth Berg who clubbed six fours in a cameo 28 before aleaden-footed drive at a Waters away-swinger brushed the edge to give Wallaceanother victim.Home captain Shaun Udal (23) then carved a wide one from Waters into the handsof cover point and, 13 balls after lunch, last man Steve Finn was held at secondslip by Dalrymple off the excellent Waters to wrap up a historic win for theWelsh county as Waters, the pick of their attack, finished with 4 for 39.