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Tottenham Hotspur may "abandon" their pursuit of Micky van de Ven due to issues surrounding the player's price tag at Wolfsburg, according to Ben Jacobs.

Is Van de Ven joining Spurs?

The arrival of Ange Postecoglou in north London has shifted the mood around Hotspur Way.

There is a new and growing optimism around the club and its supporters as Tottenham prepare for a new era under the Australian coach, one which has been buoyed by several summer signings already in James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario.

Postecoglou's charisma and attitude has endeared him to players and fans wherever he has been, most recently at Celtic, and the 57-year-old will be hoping that the good feeling around Spurs can last well into the new season.

However, if Spurs defend like they did last season, those warm fuzzy feelings will disappear pretty quickly.

Postecoglou's most difficult challenge will be transforming a backline low on confidence and quality and in dire need of reinvigoration. Bringing in a top-quality centre-back would be a great start and a couple of the Bundesliga's finest young prospects have already been linked.

Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen has been considered the priority target, but talks have reportedly advanced for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven.

According to journalist Jacobs, however, a deal for the latter could yet be abandoned due to the Dutchman's high valuation, with Spurs looking for a potentially more economical solution to their centre-back problem.

Speaking on The Football Terrace, Jacobs said: "I think Tottenham are looking for a centre-back, we've known this for quite some time. Micky van de Ven is one player that they've been considering and exploring, and price has been a little bit of an issue there.

"So, we know this is a key area because Ange Postecoglou is intent effectively on having ball-playing centre-backs and defenders more generally, but Spurs will abandon their pursuit of Micky van de Ven because of the fact that ultimately price is a problem and they're still looking for value in the market.

"So, that leads the towards, perhaps, Edmond Tapsoba, another one that's been on the list for quite some time. And he's a top target, I think it's fair to say, and the valuation there is somehwere in the region of £40m, some would say £45m. So, they're going to be ones to watch over the coming weeks."

Tapsoba's greater experience at senior level may influence Spurs' decision, with Postecoglou perhaps viewing the Burkina Faso international as a more first-team ready addition.

Jacobs didn't rule out the possibility of Van de Ven still making a move to the Lilywhites from Germany, but it certainly contradicts aforementioned claims that a deal is at a very advanced stage.

How good is Van de Ven?

The 22-year-old arrived at Wolfsburg from Volendam in his home country back in 2021, but only made five appearances in his first season with Die Wolfe as he adjusted to life in the Bundesliga.

Last year was the youngster's breakthrough campaign, featuring 36 times in all competitions and helping Wolfsburg to an eighth-placed finish, missing out on European football to Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt on the final day of the season.

Van de Ven is quick, something perfectly exemplified by a recent clip circulating on social media, and stands at 6ft3 – a formidable combination.

The fact that he is left-footed makes him an even more desirable asset due to the scarcity of top-tier centre-backs who thrive on the left-hand side of defence, while he is also comfortable playing at left-back or as one of three centre-backs in a back five.

Boasting an 87.7% pass accuracy in the league last season, he also ranked in the top 11% for successful take-ons and progressive carries per 90 compared to other Bundesliga centre-backs, showcasing his technical strengths.

If Postecoglou wants a ball-playing, modern centre-back, then he need not look much further than Van de Ven.

Watch more of The Football Terrace HERE!

Spinners Liam Dawson and Mason Crane bowled Hampshire to a 90-run victory over Somerset

ECB Reporters Network28-May-2017
ScorecardSpinners Liam Dawson and Mason Crane bowled Hampshire to a 90-run victory over Somerset in their Specsavers’ County Championship game at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton. The pair picked up nine of the 10 Somerset wickets to fall on a day when the hosts suffered their third four-day defeat of the summer.With the exception of Dean Elgar, who helped himself to a second half-century of the game, it was another disappointing batting performance from Tom Abell’s side. Having begun the day needing a further 220 runs to win, with all 10 second-innings wickets intact, they slipped from 58 for 0 to 169 all out in 36.5 overs.”It was a great comeback and we are obviously delighted to have won,” Hampshire’s coach, Craig White, said. “We had a blip last week at Essex, but it was always going to be about how we responded to that.”We felt that the first partnership for Somerset was key to them. If we broke that pair up, we could look at chipping away after that. We did exactly that and we bowled really well. I felt the bowlers showed brilliant discipline with the ball and a great first session was what we needed.”After starting the penultimate day as slight favourites, Somerset lost six wickets in the first session as Dawson, in particular, bowled with purpose and accuracy.Marcus Trescothick looked in decent touch until he was adjudged to have nicked a Dawson delivery to wicket keeper Lewis McManus. Thereafter, wickets tumbled at regular intervals as Hampshire, for the first time in the game, appeared to be in total control.Abell departed at 70 for 2, once again off the bowling of Dawson, before Crane found a way through James Hildreth’s defence, three runs later. Steven Davies was trapped leg before by the increasingly effective Dawson and though Elgar, who passed 50 off 85 balls, batted without equal, he and Peter Trego were back in the locker room before the lunch interval.Trego was run out after Elgar refused a possible single. Then the South Africa opener was bowled by a Crane long-hop that bounced twice and crept beneath his bat.Lewis Gregory offered some resistance after lunch but with Craig Overton and Jack Leach departing to Crane, for 10 and 7 respectively, Somerset were soon staring down the barrel. Gregory followed, lbw to Dawson for 25, leaving Crane to help himself to the wicket of Jamie Overton and his fifth scalp of the innings.”It’s not good enough. It was a massively disappointing day and it has been a massively disappointing start to the season,” Abell said afterwards. “What is even more disappointing is the fact that we have been in a strong position in all three of the Championship games we have lost.”We have got to be more ruthless and make it more difficult for the opposition. I feel the bowlers have bowled really well. It’s the batsmen that are letting the side down. But it’s us who have got us in to this mess. Now, it’s up to us to get us out of it.”

Leicester City ramped up their preparations for the new Championship campaign this week with the signing of Callum Doyle on loan from Manchester City, but new head coach Enzo Maresca appears to be on the lookout for even more recruits.

Who are Leicester City signing?

The Foxes have so far brought in Doyle, Conor Coady and Harry Winks since being relegated from the Premier League in May, just seven years on from winning the competition.

Coady and Winks arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur respectively for a combined fee of £17.5m, helping to offset the departures of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Caglar Soyuncu among others.

The Foxes have been tipped to bring in another centre-back to potentially partner Coady, and TEAMtalk suggests Leicester are one of seven teams keeping tabs on Middlesbrough's Paddy McNair.

Middlesbrough are supposedly open to offers for the Northern Ireland international, who is on wages of around £20,000 a week at the Riverside Stadium, according to Capology.

What position does Paddy McNair play in?

McNair has shown his versatility across the past six seasons in the Championship with Sunderland and for his current side, the past five of those with the latter, having played at centre-back in central midfield and at full-back.

Indeed, as per WhoScored, McNair was used 28 times in the heart of defence last season, twice on the right and seven times in central midfield, making him a very versatile option for Maresca should he arrive.

As Boro boss Michael Carrick pointed out last season when praising McNair's "terrific" displays, it is at centre-back he prefers playing.

The 28-year-old can be trusted to do a job wherever he is fielded, with veteran Neil Warnock hailing him as the best player he has managed, while predicting he would be playing "at the very top" again one day.

It has not quite worked out that way just yet, but McNair is still clearly a man in demand, with promoted Premier League trio Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley also said to be interested.

McNair is particularly strong when it comes to his ability to move the ball forward from the back. As per FBref, he ranks in the top 4% of centre-backs for progressive carries (1.69 per 90) across the eight divisions most alike the Championship, and he is among the top 2% for progressive passes received.

Where the former Manchester United player let himself down last season was in terms of clearances per 90 (2.61) and interceptions per 90 (0.80), placing him among the bottom 4% and bottom 7% of centre-backs respectively.

Looking at Coady's figures from last season on loan at Everton, he averaged 3.78 clearances per 90 in the Premier League – only four team-mates could better that – and 0.60 interceptions.

Should they be paired together, it is likely that McNair will be the one tasked with taking the ball forward in a flexible formation – Pep Guardiola protege, Maresca is in charge, after all – while Coady will be more of a pure defender.

Either way, it will be one of the more experienced centre-back partnerships in the Championship should Leicester pull off the deal, and one with plenty of promise.

Paul Stirling, with his maiden Championship century, and Sam Robson put Middlesex in control against Yorkshire

Tim Wigmore at Lord's19-Jun-2017
ScorecardOn Thursday, Ireland’s Test status is expected to be confirmed at The Oval. At London’s other great cricket fiefdom, Paul Stirling provided more welcome news for Ireland: his maiden County Championship century. With Sam Robson serene at the other end in an alliance of 187 which could be match-shaping, the upshot was a perfect day for Middlesex’s bowlers, who had no need to take the field in the scorching sun.Stirling has long been a curious case in first-class cricket. The talent that earned him two ODI centuries against Pakistan before his 23rd birthday has not been in doubt. Yet the discrepancy between his first-class and limited overs returns for Middlesex – before this innings, he averaged 27.77 for the county against the red ball, but 41.46 in one-day cricket – has been infuriating.He has been shuffled around the order, struggled badly when used as an opener in 2015, and suffered from the sheer strength of Middlesex’s batting. Ireland commitments, which have limited his availability and made it tricky for a fringe player to return to the side, have been another complication.He chose an opportune moment to transfer his formidable limited-overs record to the red-ball game. Middlesex have had a curiously underwhelming start to their Championship defence since beginning the season with a round off; their opening five games have brought one defeat and four draws. And at Lord’s they had to confront Yorkshire’s bowling attack with a slightly cobbled-together batting line-up. They were missing three of their normal top five – Nick Gubbins, who’s with England Lions; Dawid Malan, who’s with England; and Adam Voges, who’s with the physio.A good time, then, for Stirling to play a breakthrough innings. In these conditions – the green tinge on the pitch was deceptive, just as in Middlesex’s last Championship game here – he does not need to adapt his limited-overs game much to excel in the first-class arena. His timing, punching the ball through the off side while scarcely bothering to move his feet, was impeccable. This was a distillation of how Stirling can use his natural strengths in red-ball cricket: he greeted Adam Lyth’s offspin by thumping him over mid-on for six and then, with the man moved back, calmly pushed his next delivery to long on for a single.”There’s a lot of people competing. It’s a tough gig to get in,” said Stirling. “I need to score a bit more consistently but I don’t want to take away from my instinct of playing attacking cricket which is the balance that I want to find. James Franklin just told me to take my tempo from one-day cricket into the red-ball game.”A straight drive off Ryan Sidebottom, punched past his follow-through, was the shot of a man too good to be playing his red-ball cricket in the second eleven. His own form, combined with Voges’ injury, means that Stirling will now get the opportunity to prove as much once and of all.Just before Stirling had the joy of a maiden first-class century at Lord’s, Robson completed his tenth at the ground, on which he averages almost 50. It was an innings of typically understated excellence; Robson’s purring cover drives, precise late cuts and sumptuous clips to midwicket have long since been staples of the Lord’s summer. There could be more to come in this innings, too: Robson, spilled sharply by Jack Brooks off his own bowling on 31, ended unbeaten on 152, his gluttony undimmed.Yorkshire were relatively blameless, such is the quality of the Lord’s pitch. Curiously, given that Middlesex took lunch on 82 for 2, it is on their bowling performance in the morning session that Yorkshire will reflect on with least satisfaction. It was a little too easy for Middlesex’s openers to leave the ball alone – something the recalled Nick Compton did plenty of while taking 24 balls over his first run – and set up a position from which Robson and Stirling could flourish.

It seems Chelsea and its new chaotic ownership are addicted to the headlines.

Relentlessly lurching from one transfer to the next, their commitment to constantly improving is fascinating.

Predominantly, the club has targeted the world’s most exciting young players, with the occasional, more experienced player also added into the mix.

"They've got a twin-track policy," explains Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol. "They go around the world buying up the best young players and they're going to carry on doing that but they want to buy ready-made players as well."

With this in mind, Boehly has done it again, and in an attempt to award Mauricio Pochettino the best chance of progression, he is eyeing a sensational reunion with Neymar.

What’s the latest on Neymar to Chelsea?

According to Le Parisien, the Blues are interested in signing the former Barcelona trickster this summer.

It has been suggested by a different outlet in Spain that Paris Saint-Germain may listen to offers of around €60m (£52m) for the Brazilian.

The soap opera that constantly envelopes the French juggernaut has been heightened in recent weeks due to Kylian Mbappe’s ongoing disputes with the club’s hierarchy. Whilst he reportedly refuses to sign a new deal but wants to stay for another year, the board has ruled out the possibility of losing him on a free transfer.

It remains to be seen how Neymar will react to the fanfare surrounding the loss of arguably the greatest player in the world. The 31-year-old has already seen his two-time former teammate Lionel Messi depart after receiving a torrent of abuse from a fractured and unpredictable fanbase.

Somehow, PSG has done the unthinkable – they have managed to make Chelsea look like a more stable environment and if a deal materialised for Neymar it would be one of the most eye-catching transfers in Premier League history.

Who can Neymar replace at Chelsea?

In an injury-hit season, the winger still retained his impeccable consistency, as he notched 35 goal contributions in just 29 appearances in all competitions.

Meanwhile, the term ‘consistency’ and these sorts of numbers are two things Raheem Sterling could only dream of as he endured the most miserable time of his senior career.

After comfortably surpassing double figures for league goals in each of his last five campaigns, the Englishman scored just six times in his debut campaign for the west Londoners.

In terms of creativity and productivity, the former Santos star massively outperforms the Englishman – the notable metrics are shot-creating actions per 90 (6.18 vs 3.14), progressive passes per 90 (9.41 vs 3.39), progressive carries per 90 (4.58 vs 3.71), successful take-ons per 90 (2.25 vs 1.54), and assists per 90 (0.56 vs 0.14).

It is a damning reflection of the steep decline that Sterling has experienced in recent times and a clear indication of Neymar’s ridiculous quality.

Whilst it likely remains just a sensational dream for the latter man to play English football, he would undoubtedly add a new level of flair and skill to a hugely underperforming frontline.

Described as “unstoppable” by Messi, it would be mouth-watering to see how Premier League defences would cope with one of football’s most dazzling technicians.

India’s lower order propelled them to 600 before their bowlers left Sri Lanka five down and 247 short of the follow-on mark at stumps on day two

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy27-Jul-20171:38

Maharoof: Disappointed by Gunathilaka and Mendis dismissals

Swing, seam, pace and bounce. Dip, drift, turn and bounce. Ingredients that seemed largely absent when India piled on 600, their second-highest total in Sri Lanka, haunted the home side in their reply, as they ended the second day of the Galle Test five down with the follow-on mark still 247 runs away.Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami took the top order apart, even as Upul Tharanga hurtled along with a profusion of silken off-side boundaries. Then came R Ashwin, going around the wicket to left and right-handers alike, harnessing the sea breeze and testing both edges with drift, swinging arm balls, and the occasional instance of sharp turn. Over the course of an unbroken spell of 18 overs, he gradually discovered the ideal pace and angle of seam to extract the maximum possible help from the Galle pitch, and could have easily ended the day with more than one wicket.Umesh gave India their first breakthrough, in the second over of Sri Lanka’s innings. Swing did Dimuth Karunaratne in, a full ball curling back into the left-hander from over the wicket and forcing him to play around his front pad. He missed and reviewed Bruce Oxenford’s lbw decision, a wasted referral given there was no inside edge, and that the ball had pitched on middle stump and had straightened down that line.R Ashwin got drift and dip to be a constant threat•AFPFor a time, Danushka Gunathilaka, making his Test debut, matched Tharanga shot for shot, as the two left-handers drove repeatedly on the up during a second-wicket partnership of 61 at just under five an over. But he played one shot too many, feet rooted to the crease as he flashed at, and edged, a Shami delivery angled across him.Kusal Mendis, in at No. 4, had the misfortune of getting a Shami special when he was still to get off the mark. It hit the seam in the corridor, seamed away slightly with some extra bounce, and all he could do was nick it. Two times in five balls, Shikhar Dhawan was the catcher at first slip.The next two wickets fell during Ashwin’s long and endlessly tormenting spell. The first began with his drift and dip beating Tharanga in the air. Having jumped out of his crease and inside-edged into his pad, he turned and hurried back as the ball rolled towards Abhinav Mukund at silly point. Abhinav flicked the ball to the keeper, and when the bails came off, Tharanga’s bat, after a momentary grounding on the dive, had bounced up. A cruel end to an innings of 64 and a 57-run fourth-wicket stand with Mathews.Then came the wicket of another left-hander, Niroshan Dickwella, who pressed forward but found himself nowhere near the pitch of the ball, thanks to Ashwin’s dip. Extra bounce grabbed the shoulder of his jabbing defensive bat, and Mukund, diving right at silly point, took a superb, low one-hander.Mathews struggled initially against Ashwin, and on 32 survived an lbw decision reviewed by India when ball-tracking returned an umpire’s call verdict. He slowly grew in assurance, and ended the day batting on 54 with Dilruwan Perera for company. With Asela Gunaratne, who fractured his left thumb on the first day, unlikely to bat, Sri Lanka have quite a task ahead of them.An improved bowling display from Sri Lanka, led by Nuwan Pradeep, who finished with 6 for 132, threatened at various points to limit India’s total. But the lower order, led by Ashwin and the debutant Hardik Pandya, kept counter-punching.India lost both their overnight batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, inside 12 overs of the morning, both out to seam. Away-seam and extra bounce from Nuwan Pradeep found Pujara’s edge on 153, while Rahane, driving away from his body at a rare full ball from Lahiru Kumara, edged to slip.Despite the selection of Pandya, India stuck with Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha at Nos. 6 and 7, trusting their experience and proven firefighting abilities ahead of the debutant’s promise. Ashwin and Saha had put on three fifty partnerships and one double-century stand, and averaged 47.50 as a pair since the start of 2016. They combined once again to stall Sri Lanka’s momentum, adding 59 for the sixth wicket.Not for the first time in his career, Ashwin began finding the gaps almost as soon as he walked in, and took three fours from successive Herath overs, twice driving him through the off side and once stepping out to clip him between midwicket and mid-on. In all, he would hit seven fours in a 60-ball 47.Both fell in the space of six balls, with lunch imminent, and when Pradeep took his sixth wicket after the break, cleaning up Ravindra Jadeja with the bouncer-yorker double, Sri Lanka may have hoped for a quick end to the innings.As it turned out, India’s last two wickets added 83 in 71 balls in a burst of six-hitting. The quicks leaked runs in an effort to pepper the lower order with the short ball, and Herath kept get hitting back over his head, notably by Mohammed Shami who hit him for three sixes. Pandya hit three sixes too, all off Pradeep, two hooked over backward square leg and one whipped over midwicket.The dismissal of Shami, caught on the square-leg boundary off Kumara, ended a ninth-wicket stand of 62, but Sri Lanka’s ordeal wasn’t yet over. Umesh Yadav, India’s No. 11, also joined in the hitting spree, taking Kumara for a big six down the ground and Herath for the lofted four that brought up India’s 600.Pandya, who had brought up his half-century, off 48 balls, in the same Herath over, fell soon after, finding deep square leg while going after another short ball from Kumara.

Southampton could be about to make a move for former attacker Danny Ings, with Gazzetta dello Sport, via West Ham Zone reporting that he could be allowed to leave West Ham.

How many goals has Danny Ings scored?

The 30-year-old currently plays for West Ham, having only just linked up with the club in January. He was able to play 17 times in the Premier League for the Hammers, albeit only seven of those were starts.

Still, he managed a tidy return of two goals and two assists in those fixtures. Prior to that, he had played for Aston Villa for two campaigns, managing 13 goal contributions during his first season with the Villans in the league. In fact, his rate with the Midlands outfit never dropped below 0.6 goal contributions per 90 during his time there – meaning he was largely good for a goal or assist in every other top flight game he featured in.

His most prolific time though came during when he played in a Southampton shirt. He has more league goals for them than anyone else in his career and his overall goal contribution rate of 0.68 per 90 is also the best he has ever produced. Playing for them for just three seasons, he managed 91 league outings with 41 goals and nine assists. He could never help the Saints to break into the top half of the Premier League, but he has racked up 104 league goals across the divisions in English football.

Are Southampton signing Danny Ings?

Now, according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport, via West Ham Zone, the forward could be set for a return to St Mary's Stadium this summer. That's because West Ham have already decided they may sell the 30-year-old this transfer window, with a need for the Irons to clear out some of their attacking options.

It means that Ings could be shown the door – and if he is, there could be a chance for him to link back up with Southampton according to the report. One word of warning the report for excited Saints fans though, as they believe Ings is the less likely of the Hammers' current strikers to be sold, behind Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio.

Ings was praised for his abilities in front of goal not too long ago by former teammate Matty Cash, who hailed how "brilliant" Ings was during his time at Aston Villa. He stated that the Englishman was "one of the smartest players" he had ever lined up alongside and added that any striker needs to watch the player in action.

The 30-year-old has still got the capability to hit the back of the net in his locker and still has plenty of years left to do so – and with Southampton, he could return to the club where he was arguably the most prolific. If the Saints could get him firing as he previously did with them in the Championship, it could be a huge boost in terms of a push for promotion.

Sana Mir has responded to the head coach’s criticism of her alleged “negative approach” during Pakistan’s winless campaign in the 2017 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2017Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir has responded to criticism from Sabih Azhar, the team’s coach, saying she had “fought” to play a young bowler contrary to the allegations against her. She also said she did not “intend to continue” under the current circumstances.In a report, Azhar had described Mir as “self-centered, egotistical and being wrapped up in oneself” during the course of the team’s winless campaign in the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England.He had said newcomers were discouraged in the team’s set-up, and that 25-year-old Kainat Imtiaz was dropped from the playing XI against West Indies without his knowledge. Among the matters which Mir and Azhar didn’t agree upon was the selection of 21-year-old Diana Baig, the fast bowler who picked up seven wickets in five matches. Mir wrote on Facebook of this: “My coordination with the coach suffered when I insisted on playing Diana Baig, who was in absolutely great form. That was our major disagreement. Diana is talented and was in great form in the WWC 2017.”My fight was to play a youngster in the team who is ready for international cricket. I don’t regret it. Moreover, we suffered defeats in this World Cup as spinners with the new ball penetrated our top order consistently in each game, specially left-arm spinners. We are also still short of players who can perform under pressure.”Much of the focus of the report fell on the leadership of Mir. In turn Mir, who relinquished her T20 captaincy last year, said she did not want to carry on in this set-up. “I would have preferred not to have had this conversation through the media but since a confidential report by the coach, and comments by GM Women Wing and Chairman PCB have been making headlines, I feel obliged to give a short response to clarify some issues from my point of view.”I want to make it clear I don’t intend to continue in the future with the current set-up of the Women’s Wing in any capacity. I would still be sharing a detailed report with all of you to improve women’s cricket once I get back by the end of August.”Mir had previously hinted on various occasions that she would step aside after the 2017 World Cup. Having made her international debut in 2005, Mir was appointed captain in 2009 and has led Pakistan to 26 wins each in 76 ODIs and 65 T20Is.

Leeds United have seen a loan bid for Manchester City starlet Rico Lewis rejected, according to reports.

Who is Rico Lewis?

Lewis is naturally a right-back who has plied his trade at the Etihad Stadium since his childhood days having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to get promoted to the senior fold last summer, but his game time during the previous term was very limited under Pep Guardiola.

The Sky Blues’ 18-year-old was handed just ten starts in the top-flight and was reduced to spending the remainder of the campaign on the bench and playing back-up to Kyle Walker, and there’s no doubt he knows that he would receive more regular minutes under his belt should he make the move elsewhere, especially if he was to drop down to the Championship.

Read The Latest Leeds Transfer News HERE…

The England youth international’s contract also expires in less than a year making his future uncertain, and whilst it’s been reported that he’s agreed a new six-year deal to commit himself, there’s still a chance that he could secure a temporary switch, and there’s already a potential suitor waiting for him in Daniel Farke at Elland Road.

The Whites recently sent Rasmus Kristensen out on a season-long loan to AS Roma so the boss will have to enter the market to find a suitable short-term replacement, and if the following update is to be believed, he’s already tried his luck at securing the exciting up-and-coming full-back.

Are Leeds signing Rico Lewis?

According to the Sunday Express on July 30, page five (via Hampshire Live), Leeds, Southampton and Everton are “interested” in a summer loan move for Lewis.

However, Man City have already turned down a “dozen” offers from admirers, including from the trio mentioned above, because despite attracting plenty of attention following his impressive short-lived cameos, Guardiola views the teenage prospect as an “important member” of his senior squad for the 2023/24 season.

According to journalist Josh Bunting, Lewis is a real “joy to watch” and is “aggressive” when bursting down the flank into the attacking space, so there’s no question that he’s much stronger in the offensive aspect of his game, and it’s a huge blow for Farke that he won’t be joining Leeds this summer.

The Bury-born talent, who earns £5k-per-week, has clocked up nine goal contributions (six goals and three assists) in 68 appearances since the start of his career and last season recorded a 92.2% pass success rate, which was higher than any of the regular starters in Yorkshire, highlighting his calmness and composure on the ball to link up the play with his fellow teammates.

Man City’s product, who has the versatility to operate in five various positions over the pitch, including everywhere across the backline, has already had a taste of success having secured three senior trophies with his side so he could have installed a much-needed winning mentality into the players north of him, though unfortunately for Farke, that won’t be the case after seeing his approach denied.

While India will be gunning to accomplish a 10-game winning streak for the first time in their ODI history, a consolation victory for Australia would feel like an achievement for the visitors at this point

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale27-Sep-20171:25

Agarkar: India should look to play six bowlers

Big pictureNew Zealand have done it once before. So have England. Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka have each done it twice. South Africa have done it five times and Australia six. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have never managed it. And, perhaps surprisingly, neither have India. What is “it”, though? A winning stretch of at least 10 consecutive one-day internationals. And why is that relevant? Because India have now won their past nine ODIs on the trot. In Bengaluru, on Thursday, in what will be their 926th one-day international, they have the chance to accomplish a 10-game winning streak for the first time in their history of playing the format. An extra reason, perhaps, not to fall victim to dead-rubber syndrome.India have not lost an ODI since they succumbed to West Indies by 11 runs in Antigua in July; Australia have not won a one-day international since January 26, when they beat Pakistan in Adelaide on Australia Day. While India’s form-line consists of nine straight wins, Australia have lost their past 11 ODIs away from home. They cannot rescue the series, but even a consolation victory or two would feel like an achievement at this point. Should they find themselves on the end of a clean-sweep, Australia could fall to fourth on the ODI rankings, to sit alongside their fifth ranking in Tests and seventh in T20Is.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWWWW
Australia: LLLLL
In the spotlightVirat Kohli is one-day international cricket’s Mr Consistent. In 2016, he scored 739 ODI runs from 739 balls. Incredibly, he has maintained that strike-rate of precisely 100 this year, too, having scored 1137 runs from 1137 balls in 2017. He is also the leading run-scorer in ODIs this year and has made a century in each of India’s completed bilateral series in 2017. Can he add a hundred in this series to the list?The axing of Matthew Wade in Indore left the wicketkeeping duties in the hands of Peter Handscomb, who had performed the role in two previous ODIs for Australia. In domestic cricket, Handscomb has been a semi-regular wicketkeeper over the years, though in the longest format, he has tried to leave that role behind to focus on his batting. It will be interesting to see how the job affects his run-making in the following games, and it is worth noting that in the 23 List A matches where he has kept wicket, his average is higher (45.75) than in the 43 games he has played as a specialist batsman (30.15).Team newsThere is no real need for India to make any changes unless, with the series won, they want to rest someone. An unaltered XI seems likely.India (possible) 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit BumrahAshton Agar has gone home injured, which will mean a recall for Adam Zampa. Pat Cummins will be rested from the upcoming T20Is and there is the possibility that with the series already lost, the selectors may wish to start his break even sooner, in which case they could bring James Faulkner back in.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Peter Handscomb (wk), 8 Pat Cummins/James Faulkner, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Adam ZampaPitch and conditionsThe Bengaluru pitch has become a little slower and trickier in recent times, but this will be the first ODI to be played at the venue in nearly four years, the last game having yielded a 57-run win for the hosts against Australia. It is, therefore, difficult to know precisely what to expect. There is the possibility of some stormy weather in the city on Thursday.Stats and trivia The M Chinnaswamy Stadium is Kohli’s worst home venue in ODIs: he averages 10.50 from four games there, with scores of 0, 8, 34 and 0. This will be David Warner’s 100th ODI, having made his international debut in the 50-over format in 2009 The most recent team to achieve 10 consecutive ODI wins was New Zealand, whose run ended in the 2015 World Cup final. The most recent 10-match undefeated stretch was, however, achieved by South Africa, whose winning stretch lasted 12 games, spanning September 2016 and Feb 2017.