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Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail has made a Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie as the Lilywhites also reportedly close in on Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye move…

The Ivory Coast international has been a transfer target for Spurs since the beginning of the January transfer window with reports suggesting manager Antonio Conte is ready to make a move.

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Indeed, according to ESPN, Tottenham transfer chief Fabio Paratici was weighing a lucrative offer to sign Kessie earlier this month with The Telegraph since claiming that they are in fact weighing a move.

Conte is apparently a ‘huge fan’ of the San Siro ace with Mokbel sharing what he knows on the situation.

The Latest: Mokbel makes claim…

The Lilywhites are expected to come to an agreement with Wolves for Traore, say The Athletic, and speaking to GMS, the Mail reporter says that a deal to sign Kessie is also ‘doable’ before the January 31 deadline.

“I think that is certainly a deal that could be doable and I think that could be doable sooner rather than later,” he explained.

“I’m talking this window, if both clubs can come to an agreement.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Signing a midfielder is reportedly one of Conte’s four transfer priorities at Spurs and we believe they don’t come more accomplished than Kessie.

The 52-cap star, despite a being a natural defensive midfield player, has been utilised in a more advanced role at Milan under Stefano Pioli and has thrived – scoring 19 goals since the beginning of 2020/2021 and adding to his career total of 46 (Transfermarkt).

He’s even called ‘sumptuous’ by his manager, and if Tottenham could either land him on a free deal in the summer or this month for a cheaper fee, we believe he could provide a real injection of threat in Conte’s midfield alongside Traore.

In other news: Spurs ‘edging closer’ to signing ‘massive’ £15m defender, find out more here.

Alastair Cook ensured his Test future with a gutsy 110, but Pakistan gave themselves an outstanding chance of a victory that will keep the series alive after an inspired performance from Mohammad Amir and Saeed Ajmal

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan20-Aug-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Amir celebrates another wicket during his fabulous late spell•Getty ImagesAlastair Cook ensured his Test future with a gutsy 110, but Pakistan gave themselves an outstanding chance of a victory that will keep the series alive after an inspired performance from Mohammad Amir and Saeed Ajmal. The pace and spin pairing shared eight wickets, sparking a dramatic post-tea collapse as England lost their last 6 for 26 to leave their lead on a precarious 146 when bad light ended play.When Cook was flowing for the first time this season on the way to his 13th Test century – and his most important – adding 116 for the third wicket with Jonathan Trott, England were on course to set a very testing fourth-innings run chase, but for all the failings of this current Pakistan team they still possess the ability to spark rapid collapses. Australia found that earlier this summer, while even in their two victories in this series England’s batting has suffered swift losses.England’s demise began shortly after tea when Kevin Pietersen was bowled through the gate by a beauty from Ajmal, although the batsman had left a huge gap. In the next over Trott, having faced 130 balls, cut a wide ball low to gully and then Paul Collingwood also played a loose cut as he top edged to the keeper. Ajmal continued to mesmerise with his doosra as Eoin Morgan, who has faded badly since his debut hundred, was beaten on the inside edge and also collected Graeme Swann.It was like watching the great Pakistan attacks of the 1990s with reverse swing complemented by mystery spin and it was impossible not to draw further comparisons between Amir and Wasim Akram. That was especially true when he removed Matt Prior from around the wicket with one which straightened late and took the edge; it was only because Prior is in such fine form that he edged it.Few would have imagined that half of England’s runs would come from a man who had managed just 106 in eight previous innings this season. Cook threw off the shackles as he emerged from a career-threatening slump with a mixture of stylish strokes and a fair degree of luck, but his attacking mindset deserved some fortune. His hundred was raised in bizarre circumstances when he blocked the ball back to Mohammad Asif who then hurled it over the batsman and keeper for four. Cook removed his helmet, raised his arms and smiled rather apologetically but deserved every minute of the standing ovation given to him by a full house.He gained an early confidence-booster when he flicked Amir’s first ball of the day past mid-on, but it wasn’t long before he was getting the slips interested. Twice in two balls he pushed away from his body against Asif and edged between second and third slip; neither chance carried but it highlighted the problems Cook was facing. Yet, like Collingwood did against South Africa at Edgbaston in 2008, he battled hard and emerged stronger.He presented a clear-cut opportunity on 23 when he flashed an edge between first and second slip with neither Imran Farhat or Yasir Hameed moving a muscle as the ball flew to third man. Salman Butt’s scowls towards his fielders made his feelings clear. Wahab Riaz was the bowler to watch the ball sail between the stationary slips and couldn’t replicate his first-innings performance as he sprayed the ball too wide. Cook continued to score at a good rate and when Riaz returned for a second spell Cook tucked into a series of wide deliveries with strong cuts.A sign that his game was returning came with a couple of flowing cover drives. Even when he scored his impressive hundred against South Africa, in Durban, late last year he shelved the drive after regularly edging to the slips, but on this occasion there was no holding back. He was never quite so confident against Ajmal, although twice back-cut the offspinner to third man to move through the 90s. Having worked so hard to revive his summer it was a disappointment when he was caught down the leg side off Riaz but was able to walk off with his head held high.Cook dominated the partnership with Trott that erased the deficit and pushed England ahead and Trott batted in his own bubble. He wasn’t concerned about playing away a host of dot balls as he spent 20 overs in the twenties before picking up consecutive boundaries off Ajmal, but while he had more aggressive partners in Cook and Pietersen he was doing a decent job.Pietersen was again scratchy, especially against his nemesis Asif who tested him with reverse swing, but when he went to tea with a flurry of boundaries England were set for a final session of accumulation against a tiring attack. Pakistan, though, had other ideas and less than two hours later had set themselves up for a victory that, a few days ago, would have been barely believable.

Southampton have had a pretty quiet January transfer window in terms of new players coming into the south coast club and as time ticks away with the deadline approaching, there’s a good chance it’ll be a quiet end for them as well.

However, with a recent report from The Telegraph claiming that the Saints have shown an interest in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli on loan until the end of the season, this could see Southampton get into some late business to end the month with at least one new player added to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

Since joining the north London club back in 2015 from MK Dons, Alli has gone on to make 269 appearances for the Lilywhites across all competitions, scoring 67 goals and providing 61 appearances along the way, highlighting the sort of experience and attacking talents he’d be able to bring to Southampton.

Labelled as a “phenomenal talent” in the past by Paul Robinson and also as a “freak of a talent” by Darren Anderton, Alli also has experience of playing on the international stage with England too, having made 37 appearances and scored three goals in the process.

Taking that into account, with Southampton having their own midfield maestro that can score goals and provide assists in the shape of club captain James Ward-Prowse, who has racked up 39 goals and 45 assists in 345 appearances for the Saints, adding the £100k-per-week gem to their team to play alongside the 27-year-old could give them a deadly attacking duo from midfield.

An extra goalscoring threat in the team certainly wouldn’t go amiss at Southampton with Hasenhuttl’s side having scored 26 goals in 22 league games so far this season, fewer than the likes of Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Leicester City.

Having only made four Premier League appearances for Tottenham since October, a move to Southampton to play regularly alongside Ward-Prowse could be very tempting for Alli, especially if he isn’t likely to get much game time at his current club from now until the end of the term.

With that in mind, it would certainly be worth Southampton making an approach to the north London club to see if they would be willing to negotiate a suitable deal that would see the 25-year-old spend the rest of the season at St. Mary’s, something that may get his campaign back on track and help Hasenhuttl’s side end as high up the league table as they can.

In other news: Solak may head for Saints disaster on “nasty” £39k-p/w beast, Ralph would be furious – opinion

A barrier of netting will separate spectators from the playing field at the WACA this summer as the ground authorities aim to prevent pitch invaders

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2010A barrier of netting will separate spectators from the playing field at the WACA this summer as the ground authorities aim to prevent pitch invaders. Last season during an ODI in Perth, a man ran on to the field and tackled the Pakistan player Khalid Latif to the ground.The man was convicted of assault and trespass and was fined $9000, as well as being banned for life from the ground. However, the WACA is keen to prevent any similar incidents and the chief executive Graeme Wood said the netting was a way to protect the players without affecting the view for spectators.”Nets will be placed about two metres out from the fence and will be about 1.5 or 1.6 metres in height,” Wood said on the Perth radio station 6PR. “From the slope of the ground, and the slope of the banks, there will be no visual impairment. If you look east to west, you won’t even notice the netting.”Wood said patrons might also have their access to alcohol reduced if excessive drinking started to become a concern during one-day internationals. Fans can purchase four drinks at a time, but Wood said the WACA was considering halving that allowance.”Last year we had to cut it back to one drink per person at about 3pm during the one-dayer,” he said. “There are no issues with the Twenty20 crowd; we have very little problems with the Test matches.”With the one-day internationals it seems to be a small element of the crowd that are forcing us to take these sorts of measures. We’re not saying we’re going to impose one-drink rules from the start of play but we’re looking at cutting it from four to two. This year it will be a very safe environment for everyone that comes to the WACA.”

As per The Athletic, an update has emerged involving Aston Villa, Leeds United and West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph as more January news comes to light.

The Lowdown: West Ham have quiet window…

In the last week of the winter window, multiple reports of marquee bids and last gasp striker signing attempts came out of the woodwork as the Hammers left it too late to bring someone through the door.

Indeed, West Ham and manager David Moyes apparently made big offers for star Leeds United duo Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips before turning their attention to deadline day striker swoops for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez and Duvan Zapata of Atalanta.

Jesse Lingard was also the subject of intense final day interest but recruitment chief Rob Newman fell short in all of these last gasp attempts.

In some exit news, sharing who West Ham and Moyes stopped from leaving, The Athletic have made a claim involving Randolph.

The Latest: West Ham block Randolph exit…

According to their sources, the Irons told their third-choice shot stopper he couldn’t join Leeds or Villa as both sides plotted loan moves for the 50-cap shot stopper.

Indeed, despite being on the very fringes of West Ham’s first team, Moyes held firm and refused to green-light a temporary exit for Randolph.

The Verdict: Wrong move?

Given the 34-year-old’s lack of game time at the London Stadium, we believe not sanctioning a move away is a strange call.

Loanee second-choice goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has barely been granted game-time himself, starting just one Premier League game all season, making you wonder what purpose Randolph has sitting behind the Frenchman.

Randolph’s current deal expires in 2023, giving West Ham two more transfer windows to make a profit off his sale, and letting him attempt to establish game time at another Premier League side could’ve potentially done wonders for his market value.

Ex-Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate, Randolph’s former boss, even called the player ‘outstanding’ during their time together at Middlesbrough – perhaps indicating he is wasted on the sidelines.

In other news: ‘Fancies West Ham’…£18m man ‘let down’ after failed January move, find out more here.

Rangers moved back to within one point of the top of the Premiership table as they ran out 5-0 winners at Ibrox on Sunday.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men bounced back from their 3-0 defeat to Celtic in style as they hammered Hearts at home, with Alfredo Morelos (two), Scott Arfield, Fashion Sakala and Glen Kamara scoring the goals.

The Gers were able to find an instant response after their Old Firm drubbing and remain neck-and-neck with the Hoops in the title race.

Saved his career

One player who may have just saved his career at Ibrox with his performance on Sunday is central midfielder John Lundstram.

He has endured a difficult spell since van Bronckhorst arrived at the club and was touted with an exit to Middlesbrough in January. The ex-Sheffield United man had only started three matches under the Dutchman prior to this win over Hearts and his display in the middle of the park may show his head coach that he is deserving of more minutes in the side.

Lundstram put in an energetic, aggressive, and quality showing as he caught the eye alongside Ryan Jack in midfield. On the ball, he was effective. As per SofaScore, he had 70 touches of the ball and completed an impressive 92% of his attempted passes. He also finished the game with a 100% dribble success rate, beating an opponent with the ball six times.

This shows that he was able to progress the play for the Gers by driving them up the pitch with his ability to take players on and get past them. He then had the assurance in possession to complete the vast majority of his passes, making him a reliable option in midfield.

Off the ball, he covered every blade of grass. Via SofaScore, he won a whopping 11 of his 15 duels on the pitch in 85 minutes. He ended the match on three tackles, two interceptions and two clearances, whilst only committing one foul.

The Englishman was a workhorse in the middle as he consistently won his individual battles and won possession back for his side. He was able to merge quality on the ball with defensive robustness off it and his display may well tempt van Bronckhorst into handing him more game time, which could – in turn – save the 27-year-old’s career at Ibrox. It was timely too, with Aaron Ramsey making his debut as a second-half substitute in the middle of the park.

This, however, may well keep the Welshman on the bench for a while yet. That said, Lundstrum needs to continue producing performances in the same vein as this one to make himself a regular fixture in the starting XI for the rest of the campaign.

AND in other news, Forget Morelos: £18k-p/w Rangers gem with 4 chances created set Ibrox alight on Sunday…

Matt Prior wants England to start the Ashes tour with a warm-up victory over Western Australia to build momentum for the Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2010The wicketkeeper Matt Prior wants England to start the Ashes tour with a warm-up victory over Western Australia to build momentum for the Test series. The tourists open their trip with a three-day game in Perth on Friday, one of three matches before the start of the main event at the Gabba.While defending the Ashes is the priority, Prior said the squad’s first goal was an early victory. “It is a first-class game and we will treat that match as a first-class game, very seriously,” Prior said in Perth. “Winning is a habit and the quicker you can get into the habit the better.”England are looking for their first Ashes victory in Australia since 1986-87 and have given themselves plenty of time to acclimatise. Graeme Swann, the offspinner who hurt his thumb in the nets, is the only doubt for the match against Western Australia, who will be led by Marcus North.The pitches in Perth have excited the bowlers with their bounce and Prior said it was an ideal way to settle into the Australian environment, even though they won’t be back at the WACA until the third Test. “To be thrown in the deep end is a good thing,” he said. “You get thrown in the deep end and work backwards, which is better than taking it easy and then being given a shock.”Prior enjoyed personal success amid England’s successful run at home this summer averaging more than 50, batting at No. 7, in six Tests against Bangladesh and Pakistan. But he insisted that it was important not to let praise for his contributions with both bat and gloves distract him from what is an ongoing, and taxing, role. “Any time you get compliments from your peers like that is a great moment and obviously makes you feel good,” he said. “But it’s not necessarily anything you can listen to.””I’ve got to make sure I score the runs. It’s going to be a very important role in that late middle order, and we’re going to have to knuckle down and get some runs this tour. I’m thoroughly looking forward to that and the potential responsibility of maybe batting with a few of the guys down the order. That is a challenge in itself and one I really enjoy.”

Aston Villa were involved in one of the biggest transfer deals the Premier League has ever seen last summer when they sold Jack Grealish to Manchester City for a fee of £100m.

Now that the next summer window is on the horizon, it seems as though the Villans and Steven Gerrard could be set to cash in on another player that has been a part of the club for a fairly significant period of time.

What’s the news?

According to Football Insider’s sources, Norwich City are eyeing up a summer transfer move for striker Keinan Davis.

The report also claims that Gerrard is expected to give the green light to allow the striker to leave Villa Park this summer, with a reported transfer fee of £4m being touted for Davis’ signature.

Great news for Gerrard

Having joined Villa’s U18 side back in 2015, the centre-forward has gone on to make 122 appearances for their U23 and senior teams combined.

In those appearances, the striker found the back of the net 16 times and delivered 16 assists along the way.

Back in the previous January transfer window, the Englishman joined Championship club, Nottingham Forest, on loan until the end of the season.

Since joining the Reds, the 24-year-old has scored five goals and provided three assists in 19 appearances across the Championship and FA Cup.

To highlight how impressive the Villa man has been on loan, he is currently listed as Forest’s highest-rated player by WhoScored with a rating of 7.27.

He is also listed in the top five out of Forest’s players for the average of shots, key passes and dribbles per game he’s made in the second division.

Unfortunately, the attacker will have to spend the rest of the season on the sidelines after picking up a campaign-ending injury.

Having been described as being “a very difficult player to play against” by Lee Bowyer, Davis has shown that he has what it takes to play in the Championship and be an effective striker.

However, with only one goal in 34 Premier League appearances to his name for Villa, it’s safe to say that he hasn’t been able to cut it at that level.

With Norwich now looking likely to get relegated, it’s easy to see why they would want a player like the Villa loanee, who Dean Smith knows about, in their ranks for next season.

If Villa pick up a suitable transfer fee for the striker that they can then put towards adding some top-quality players to their squad, this would surely be great news for Gerrard.

In other news: Lange must seal £10m AVFC deal for “unplayable” £45k-p/w talent, Gerrard will love him

After playing just eight Tests, Darren Sammy finds himself catapulted to the forefront of West Indies cricket in a time of upheaval and change, but none of this appears to faze him

Tariq Engineer21-Oct-2010Darren Sammy never dreamed of being the West Indies captain. He once said his goal was to be the workhorse of the side. Yet after playing only eight Tests, he finds himself catapulted to the forefront of West Indies cricket in a time of upheaval and change, with a tough tour of Sri Lanka on the horizon, but none of this appears to faze him.”I am going to be bold and frank,” Sammy told ESPNcricinfo. “I will let the players know what I expect and I, myself, will set an example. I will bring out the passion, the energy, and the commitment to West Indies cricket.”Sammy was given the captaincy after his predecessor Chris Gayle, and vice-captain Dwayne Bravo chose not to sign central contracts last month. The pair, along with Kieron Pollard, have forged lucrative Twenty20 careers in domestic tournaments, including the IPL, and refused WICB’s contracts which stipulated that they must make themselves available for the West Indies team at all times.The selectors decided it was important to have a captain who wanted to make that commitment, and placed Sammy and the Australian-born batsman Brendan Nash in charge of the Test squad until the end of the 2011 home series, ending Gayle’s three-year period at the helm of the team. Gayle and Bravo are in the squad that is headed to Sri Lanka, and Sammy is confident of having his former captain’s support.”Ever since I started my career in 2004, Chris has been the one who has made me feel comfortable. I have a good relationship with him, and with most of the players. He has said he will give me and the team his full support, which I know he means.”Sammy said he doesn’t feel any pressure to justify his place despite not being a regular member of the Test squad since he marked his Test debut in 2007 with 7 for 66 at Old Trafford. Since then he has been in and out of the side, averaging 19.40 with the bat and 27.74 with the ball. “I have full confidence in my ability,” Sammy said. “When I have been given the opportunity to play Test cricket, my stats show that I have done well.”West Indies have slipped to seventh place in the ICC Test rankings and eighth in the ODI chart and Sammy, obviously, is keen to lead the side back up the table. To do this he talks about thinking clearly on the field and executing properly, about doing the right things. But most of all, he talks about playing with pride and passion – something West Indies teams of recent vintage have often lacked.”I vow to represent the West Indies with pride and dignity,” he said. “Whatever we do, whether we are fielding, batting or bowling, you do with pride.”He realises this is no overnight task, that West Indies are in a rebuilding phase, and the Sri Lanka tour is merely the first step in what will be a long journey back to prominence. He remains optimistic though, that everyone is on the same page. “It will take a strong work ethic and discipline to get us there. We have to work as a team. We have to enjoy what we do. When we do that, and when we play well, it brings lots of smiles to the Caribbean people.”Sammy is acutely aware of the heritage of West Indies cricket and the responsibility of the current generation to live up to it. “I am taking on a mountain that carries so much legacy,” he said, “and I will also remind the guys of the great legacy that we carry.” He talks about the honour of following in the footsteps of Frank Worrell, Garfield Sobers, Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards as the captain of the side. Sammy’s comments are in contrast to Gayle’s, who has said more than once that he does not want to be captain, and that he wouldn’t be sad if Test cricket were to disappear.Sammy plans to pick the brains of Lloyd and Richards, as well as senior players in the current team, to help him become a better captain. However, he makes it clear he will ultimately be his own man.His expectations for the tour of Sri Lanka are simple – to compete. The squad contains a lot of new faces and he cites Shivnarine Chanderpaul as someone who sets “an excellent example” as a batsman and a cricketer that newcomers can look up to. Gayle is another player he feels can inspire the youngsters in the squad. Although Sulieman Benn will miss the first Test due to suspension, Sammy is confident the team has the bowling resources to trouble the Sri Lankan batsman.But beyond the mathematics of wins and losses, Sammy wants to put the smiles back on the faces of West Indies fans. He wants to make them feel the same way he felt when he first started watching cricket with his father. “That’s what Darren Sammy wants to do. Bring back the joy.”

Financial expert Kieran Maguire has reacted to the incoming changes in Financial Fair Play regulations and the impact they may have on Celtic and Dermot Desmond. 

The lowdown: Changes afoot

European football’s governing body UEFA announced that over the coming years clubs will only be permitted to spend 70 per cent or less of their total revenue on player transfers, agent fees and wages, albeit the changes will come into force incrementally.

There are also reported plans to adopt a ‘Swiss model’ to the UEFA Champions League whereby two additional places could be awarded based on historical standings and increased revenues handed out to those sides in the competition.

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As the Hoops aim to earn an automatic spot in the group stage amongst Europe’s elite for the first time since 2017/18 by lifting the Scottish Premiership title, these new rules could have an impact at Parkhead.

The latest: Maguire delivers promising verdict

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire, a finance expert and contributor for Sky Sports suggested that Desmond and co. will fare well under the new FFP guidelines.

“Celtic are in a very strong position with regards to the new rules.

“They don’t have issues in terms of wage control. Celtic’s wages to turnover ratio in the three years pre-Covid was 58 per cent, 58 per cent and 67 per cent.

“They have three years to taper their outlay accordingly as well because the new rules, while radical, are being phased in gradually.

“Uefa’s calculation also takes into consideration not the whole staff, but only the playing staff and the first-team coach.

“Celtic are certainly in a strong position to deal with that. They don’t often make losses either, so there won’t be an issue there.”

The verdict: Good news

As ever with anything involving finances and changes in regulations, there is always a fear that it could adversely impact off-field matters.

However, such is Maguire’s expertise in this area that Celtic supporters can breathe a sigh of relief that not only will the club circumvent any issues, but life at Lennoxtown and beyond could even improve.

As the board weigh up whether or not to back Ange Postecoglou in the upcoming summer transfer window, financial foresight like this and the potential incoming windfall from Champions League qualification may further bolster the budget.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been left fuming. Read more here.