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“We’re just here to have some fun, enjoy this series completely, and take a lot of positives”

Varun Shetty06-Jul-2021The India players who are in Sri Lanka for the upcoming limited-overs series are paying no heed to conversations about them being a second-string team – as Arjuna Ranatunga called them – according to Suryakumar Yadav, who is focused on taking “a lot of positives” from the short tour.”Not really [thinking about being a squad of non-first-choice players]. Everyone is completely focused,” Yadav, 30 but still a newbie at the international level, said on Tuesday. “The way the practice sessions are going, the way the [intra-squad] game went yesterday, it’s going completely fine and we’re really excited about the challenge.”We’re just here to have some fun, enjoy this series completely, and take a lot of positives from here.”Related

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The squad, on tour even as the expanded Test squad gets ready for a five-match series in England after finishing the World Test Championship final, features as many as five players who have earned their maiden call-ups to the national team, and a string of others who are new at the international level – like Yadav. He made his international debut earlier this year at home in a T20I series against England, but, in many ways, is among the senior-most players in the touring party.”That [England] was a different series. This is a different series. But the challenge remains the same – I’ve to go out and perform the same way I did,” he said. “So pressure will be there because if there’s no pressure, there’s no fun. It’ll be a great challenge and I am really looking forward to it.”Every year I’ve learnt something different from all my team-mates [at the Mumbai Indians]. That tournament is a great learning every year. It really helps me wherever I am playing. If you sum up, it’s a great learning process and it has obviously helped me gain a lot of experience.”The bedrock of Yadav’s game as an attacking batter in the IPL has been his ability to be innovative on slow pitches just as well as he is on true batting surfaces. India are scheduled to play all their games at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, and tiring pitches are more than likely to be a feature as the series begins on July 13.”From a conditions perspective, we play in similar conditions in places like Mumbai and Chennai, where the humidity is high,” Yadav said. “Most importantly, we have come here 15-20 days before the series to acclimatise to these conditions. We are adjusting well. Talking about the pitches, the surface for the intra-squad game [on Monday] was really good, and I hope it stays the same. If there are slow pitches, you need to take time and apply yourself. It will be a good challenge and I am really looking forward to it.”

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is personally targeting a £60 million forward, and it is believed the Lilywhites have opened talks with him.

Spurs expected to sign second attacker after Timo Werner

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy re-negotiated Timo Werner's loan deal to extend his stay until next summer, with the new arrangement also including a cheaper option to buy set at around £8.5 million.

Related Tottenham favourites to sign £150k-p/w forward over Arsenal and Liverpool

The north Londoners are out in front as things stand.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jul 30, 2024

The German's two goals and three assists in the Premier League helped Postecoglou's side to Europa League qualification, with his searing pace and positional awareness proving a real asset at times.

However, there are concerns over his overall finishing ability, while uncertainty surrounds the long-term futures of both Son Heung-min and Richarlison – who were Tottenham's two top scorers in all competitions last season.

Son's contract expires next summer as things stand, while Richarlison could still be sold by Tottenham. The Brazilian is thought to be attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, with technical director Johan Lange and the wider recruitment team open to selling for the right offer (HITC).

Tottenham will also need a replacement for winger Bryan Gil, who has sealed a season-long loan move to Girona, and the La Liga side could sign him permanently for around £12.6 million due to the release clause in his new contract.

Gil's 2023/24 Premier League Statistics

Appearances

11

Minutes Played

209

Goal Contributions

0

Shots Per 90

1.72

Key Passes Per 90

1.74

Successful Take-Ons Per 90

3.48

via WhoScored

Both Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze and Wolves winger Pedro Neto are on Spurs' list of attacking targets, and that has been confirmed by reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

"There is appreciation from Spurs for Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace – and also with all of the other options we always mention here like Pedro Neto, this is absolutely confirmed," said Romano on Playback (via GiveMeSport).

"So Tottenham like Eze and like Pedro Neto, and they have decided how much they want to spend in that position. So there is internal conversation, but they will bring in one more player in that position for sure – one more offensive player."

Postecoglou targeting Neto as Tottenham hold talks with him

Football Transfers have shared an update on their pursuit of Neto in particular, coming as discussions over a move for Eze stall.

They claim Postecoglou is personally targeting Neto as Tottenham hold talks with him over personal terms. The Portugal international is said to feature prominently in the Spurs head coach's plans, coming after he bagged 11 assists and three goals in all competitions last season.

He won't come cheap, though, as reports suggest Wolves want around £60 million to let him go. There is also the matter of his concerning injury record, with Neto missing a combined 112 games through fitness issues since joining from Lazio (Transfermarkt).

The 24-year-old was absent for extended periods on multiple occasions due to hamstring problems last season, so Spurs will have to consider this very carefully.

Liverpool have been busy since Arne Slot first walked through the Anfield door several weeks ago, but there remains a yearning from the fanbase for some activity on the transfer front.

There have yet to be any incomings on the red half of Merseyside but sporting director Richard Hughes has suggested that deals are in the pipeline, with Slot presently familiarising himself with the club and working on implementing his brand before turning to the market.

This is a prudent move; a fresh face might inject a frisson of excitement into the support but there are over seven weeks of spending still to occur. Time is on FSG's side.

Nonetheless, targets are still being considered, with Liverpool named among the contenders for an exciting new forward.

Liverpool transfer news

According to Sky Germany's Patrick Berger, a range of top European outfits – including the Reds – have been put on alert after Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi dumped his agent several weeks ago.

Dortmund would be willing to sell the Germany international for the right price, and Liverpool are indeed named among the suitors.

The Yellow Wall would consider offers in excess of €30m (£25m), and given Adeyemi's dynamic and positionally versatile qualities, he could be the perfect man to strengthen the Reds' frontline.

What Adeyemi would bring to Liverpool

He might not have had the most consistent of campaigns with Dortmund but the 22-year-old Adeyemi has been hailed for his "electric" pace by analyst Ben Mattinson and indeed offers one of the most frightening ball-carrying skill sets around, recorded as the 13th fastest player in world football in 2024, clocking a top speed of 36.65 km/h.

Having lost his way in the Bundesliga last season, however, it's clear that Adeyemi needs a fresh environment to build himself back up, only scoring five goals and adding two assists across 34 matches (19 starts) in all competitions.

Still, Liverpool could bring him up to the fore, having not exactly struggled in bringing forwards over from Germany in the past. Back in 2015, the Merseysiders signed Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim for a £29m fee. He ended up scoring 111 goals in over 300 outings so that went pretty well, didn't it?

And by taking a look at Adeyemi's metrics from the previous year, when he wasn't beset by injuries and a struggle for form, it can be seen exactly what kind of player Liverpool would be welcoming.

Goals

0.39

Top 17%

Assists

0.32

Top 15%

Goal-creating actions

0.78

Top 4%

Successful take-ons

2.21

Top 18%

His fleet-footed style could see him forge an exciting connection with Trent Alexander-Arnold, one of the most influential passers currently playing the game.

The Liverpool vice-captain, as per FBref, ranks among the top 5% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions and passes attempted and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90.

His staggering range of distribution could see Adeyemi thrive under Slot's wing, making incisive darts into the danger area to strike on goal or create chaos himself with his goal-creating expertise. It's no wonder that talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed him a "nightmare" for defenders.

While Liverpool have a talented and abundant frontline, Adeyemi could be the perfect addition to add an extra dimension and provide competition to the existing number.

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ESPNcricinfo’s updates from the 47th match of IPL 2020

Matt Roller27-Oct-2020

Rangers are already in pole position to complete their fourth signing of the summer window, according to an update from reliable journalist Chris Jack.

Rangers making key signings quickly this summer

The Gers fell agonisingly short of multiple trophy triumphs this season, winning the Scottish League Cup but failing to clinch Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup glory. Philippe Clement's side just needed that bit of extra quality and experience in the end, highlighting the need to make the squad even more formidable next term.

Rangers have certainly acted fast so far this summer, not messing around when it comes to reinforcements, with Clinton Nsiala becoming the third signing already, completing a move from AC Milan. The 20-year-old defender will officially join the club on July 1st, having signed a pre-contract agreement to follow Jefte and Oscar Cortes through the door.

Nils Koppen, who is the Gers' Director of Recruitment, has hailed the most recent signing, saying: "We are excited to add a talented young player in Clinton to the squad. He joins as an exciting talent who we believe can develop and take his next steps under our manager, Philippe Clement, and his staff. We look forward to welcoming Clinton to Glasgow as we continue to shape the squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign."

It looks as though as though a fourth addition is now on the horizon, following a fresh claim this week.

Rangers in "pole position" to complete fourth signing

Taking to X, The Rangers Review claimed that Rangers are in "pole position" to sign Yusuf Kabadayi this summer, sharing reliable journalist Chris Jack's update on the situation: "Clinton Nsiala has become the third signing of the summer as Philippe Clement reshapes his squad. Bayern Munich forward Yusuf Kabadayi could be the fourth arrival. Rangers are in pole position to land the forward."

Kabadayi has been linked with a move to Rangers numerous times recently, with an update over the weekend reporting that a fee has been agreed for the Bayern Munich youngster, so it appears as though the transfer will be sealed sooner rather than later for between £1m-£1.5m.

The 20-year-old forward could be such an exciting addition to Clement's attack, having already represented both Germany and Turkey across five different youth teams at international level.

Germany Under-20s

7

0

Germany Under-19s

6

1

Germany Under-18s

5

3

Turkey Under-16s

1

1

Turkey Under-15s

7

4

Kabadayi could jump at the opportunity to enjoy more regular football for Rangers compared to at Bayern, where his progress is being stunted by some big names ahead of him in the attacking pecking order, whether it be Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane or Serge Gnabry.

Clement could feel that he could turn him into a top-quality player over time, assuming the deal is a permanent one, and his past pedigree for Germany and Turkey, not to mention being described by scout/writer Antonio Mango as "extremely prolific" at youth level for Bayern, can only bode well for the Gers.

The shirt that Cole Palmer wore when making history with four first-half goals for Chelsea could break an auction record set by Cristiano Ronaldo.

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• Record books rewritten against Brighton
• Bids now being invited for historic shirt
• CR7 posted previous best while at Man Utd

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A piece of record-breaking Premier League memorabilia is coming up for grabs. The jersey that England international Palmer donned when stealing the show against Brighton is being made available by – with bids being invited from interested parties.

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  Palmer put in a stunning display against the Seagulls, which also saw him have one effort disallowed before the interval had been reached. The talented 22-year-old is maintaining the form that saw him register 25 goals for Chelsea last season.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  His historic Blues shirt has already attracted a bid of £16,000, with his employers at Stamford Bridge set to make a donation from all of the auctions that they are involved with to the Chelsea FC Foundation. Palmer is expected to bring in a sizeable sum.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Palmer could break another record in the process, with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo in his sights. The mark for most expensive shirt sold by MatchWornShirt stands at €43,000 (£36,000) – with a CR7 jersey from his second spell at Manchester United fetching that price. A flurry of late bids could see Palmer soar above that.

Less than a mile from Emerald Headingley lies 6 Welton Grove, an unremarkable red-bricked terraced house of the type that wouldn’t attract a second glance were it not for the blue plaque fixed to its outside front wall. That informs visitors they have found the birthplace of Hedley Verity, one of the greatest left-arm spinners in the game’s history and the bowler who, so the plaque also reveals, dismissed Don Bradman on ten occasions.One or two county cricket clubs distance themselves from their heritage. One has even decided not to place photographs connected to the game in the building used for corporate hospitality. Yorkshire, by contrast, reveres its past, and the club’s respect for one of its greatest cricketers is shared across the city. There is even a pub named after Verity on Woodhouse Lane, the road that leads from the centre of Leeds towards Yorkshire’s groundThere is also, though, a temptation to regard former players in any sport with excessive reverence; to forget that they were people, too, and that it should be possible to learn from their example even as one honours them. This is particularly relevant in the case of Verity, whose character inspired much more than respect, and whose death from wounds in Italy in 1943 will always colour his memory with tragedy and regret. Typically Yorkshire began the task of preserving his memory in the most useful way possible. County Championship cricket did not resume until 1946 but in the previous summer, 48 hours before VJ Day, in fact, a first-class Roses match began at Bradford, with its proceeds going to Verity’s family.Other tributes were less practical but more poignant. When Len Hutton led his England side out to Australia for the 1954-55 Ashes series, the SS Orsova stopped in Italy in order for the team to pay their respects to the late Captain Verity. The players laid a wreath, a single white rose and a Yorkshire scarf on his grave at Caserta. And there is another plaque to Verity near the Hutton Gates at Headingley.It is unrealistic to think that all six of the Yorkshire cricketers currently appearing in their first game against Lancashire have anything like an intimate sense of their county’s history. Yet it is not absurd to think that something will rub off. Such thoughts were to the fore when the teams for this match were announced and one realised that ten players would be getting their first taste of a Roses match. As it happened the frequent showers which limited our cricket to a mere 13 balls allowed only one of them, George Burrows, to take any significant role in the action.Burrows, who is making his first-class debut, bowled Lancashire’s second over and began with his career with a full toss which Tom Kohler-Cadmore gratefully drove to the cover boundary to collect his first runs in three innings. The remainder of the over was respectable, though, and a few moments later the rain swept in from the direction of Kirkstall and Bramley. This will not go down as one of the great days in the history of Roses cricket.Yet it was probably significant in that it might well have been the first Roses match that some Yorkshire members had not attended for many years. These occasions are days of obligation in the county and only the prohibitions caused by the pandemic could justify absence. Some members elsewhere show similar commitment but rarely on the scale one finds at Headingley or Scarborough. Within Yorkshire such devotion is expected, and therefore less remarkable; but for outsiders it is still retains a novel fascination however many times one samples it. Something of this, as one might expect, was captured by Duncan Hamilton as he recalled the county’s contrasting fortunes in the 1960s and ’70s in his introduction to :”It seemed to me then that nowhere else was so absorbed in cricket or regarded it so earnestly; nowhere else studied it so thoughtfully or followed it with such obsessive passion, as if the scorecards were parchment scripture; and certainly nowhere else were the vagaries of the game so cherished, so understood or so utterly and deeply felt. In my eyes those who played or merely observed cricket in Yorkshire were sure of, and never lost, an appreciation of where they came from and the proud, firm sense of self it gave them. Being from, and belonging to, the geography of Yorkshire was fundamental to them.”

Wrexham co-owner Robert McElhenney has revealed how he marks each of the The Dragons' 'special games' with a particular memento.

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• McElhenney reveals how he marks games
• Takes patches of grass from 'special games'
• Wrexham on top of the League One table

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  McElhenney and fellow Hollywood icon Ryan Reynolds have been co-owners of Wrexham for almost four years. The duo have managed to guide the Football League's once-fallen behemoth to League Two from the National League, capping a 15-year wait. Last season, the Red Dragons achieved back-to-back promotions, securing their return to League One for the first time in 19 years.

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  The duo have always been very actively involved in the operations of the club with McElhenney managing to make it to a number of Wrexham matches at SToK Cae Ras. The 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' star has now revealed that he makes a collection of patches of grass from the club's special games, with the most recent addition coming from the Red Dragons' promotion-clinching win over Forest Green Rovers last season.

• WHAT MCELHENNEY SAID

  On the Men in Blazers podcast, McElhenney said: "Every game, I take a little piece of the pitch with me. This marks all of the special games."

  On the Forest Green win: "I actually wasn't there for that game because we weren't sure that that was going to be the clincher. So I had Humphrey [Ker] grab me a bunch of grass and he put it in a plastic bag for me. Every other game I've been to, and it goes all the way back to our first home win. Wrexham five Maidstone nil."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  The Red Dragons have gone unbeaten through the start of their League One campaign having won four and drawn once. They will now take on fellow celebrity-backed side Birmingham City, when they face off against each other on Monday, September 16.

Spineless, gutless, lethargic. Three words out of many which sum up the performance of Glasgow Rangers against Dundee on Wednesday evening.

The 0-0 draw might not have ended their chances of winning the Premiership in an official capacity, but two dreadful performances in a row indicate this group of players are not up for the challenge.

The Light Blues managed only five shots on target throughout the entire match, despite having 65% of possession, which is further evidence that Philippe Clement needs to overhaul his first-team squad in the summer.

Far too many of the senior players – Connor Goldson, James Tavernier, and John Lundstram – were posted missing in action yet again, especially when a reaction was needed after the defeat to Ross County.

Lundstram, in particular, was way below par at Dens Park and continued performances like this could see him released at the end of the season.

John Lundstram’s game in numbers vs Dundee

The midfielder has missed just one match since Clement took over at the Ibrox side, but after Wednesday evening's performance, he should be dropped for the remaining games.

His performance led to a match rating of 5/10 by Glasgow World, but in truth, it should have been lower given how little influence he had on the game.

Accurate passes

82/94

Total duels (won)

7 (3)

Key passes

2

Dribbled past

2

Possession lost

12

The former Sheffield United midfielder won only three of his seven contested duels throughout the clash, while losing possession 12 times as he struggled during his one-on-one battles.

He may have taken 104 touches, yet he failed to do much with any of them, setting the tone for the rest of the midfield as the Gers struggled to create any genuine clear-cut chances.

The 30-year-old was even dribbled past on two occasions by a Dundee team well worth their performance, as they could easily have grabbed a winner.

John Lundstram’s future is unclear at Rangers

During the opening few months of Clement’s reign, the Englishman was replicating the form he showed during the club’s run to the 2022 Europa League final, as he was dominating opponents in the heart of the midfield.

In recent weeks, however, this intensity has disappeared. He failed to track the Ross County left-back prior to him scoring their second goal on the weekend, contributing to the Gers' eventual defeat.

Clement is limited in his choices with regard to midfielders, but the summer transfer window should hopefully see seismic change at Ibrox.

Lundstram’s contract expires in the next few weeks and while previously it looked as though he would be the only player offered an extension out of the six players out of contract, this may no longer be the case.

The Belgian looks like he could have a busy summer ahead, but the first thing on his to-do list must be releasing the players out of contract in order to free up some of the wage budget.

Lundstram’s displays against County and now Dundee prove he doesn’t have the mentality for a title chase and this simply cannot be tolerated next season.

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ByCharlie Smith Jan 4, 2025