Pakistan’s hopes of testing the Indian batting line-up again in the final Test at Rawalpindi suffered a blow when Umar Gul, the Man of the Match at Lahore, was ruled out with a back injury. Also missing from the 17-man squad were Shabbir Ahmed, Moin Khan and Abdul Razzaq. All three haven’t recovered from the injuries which kept them out of the second Test – Shabbir has shin problems, Razzaq has a back strain, while Moin has a groin injury.Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Fazl-e-Akbar, Abdur Rauf and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan – all right-arm seamers – were named as replacements. Naved played one match in the ODI series against India, while Anjum was part of the squad, but didn’t play a single game.Announcing the squad, Wasim Bari, the chairman of selectors, admitted that he was worried about the injuries to key players, but insisted that the replacements had the capability to fill the breach. “I am confident that the boys will put this [the injuries] behind them and display the same standard of cricket that earned them victory by nine wickets in the second Test.” The 17-member squad will be pruned down to 15 by the team management on Sunday [April 11].Squad Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Taufeeq Umar, Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Malik, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Fazl-e-Akbar, Abdur Rauf, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.
The Kenyan selectors can hardly be accused of throwing untried youngsters into the World Cup fray. When they announced their squad for next month’s tournament, two names stood out. Asif Karim, the former captain and Davis Cup tennis player, and Alpesh Vadher have both been brought out of retirement for the occasion.In fact, the party looks remarkably similar to the one that travelled to England for the last World Cup, with one notable omission. Jimmy Kamande, whose bowling action came in for unfavourable scrutiny at the start of the 1999 tournament, is left out. He is a reserve, along with Lameck Onyango and promising batsmen Alfred Luseno and Maurice Ouma.Left-arm spinner Karim retired from international cricket after the 1999 World Cup, while Vadher has also been recalled to add some experience to the team that was found wanting on their recent tour to Zimbabwe.Further experience is provided by the outstanding batsman in Kenyan cricket, Steve Tikolo, who will captain the side and will bowl his off-breaks. Former captain Maurice Odumbe will also be expected to overcome his weakness against pace bowling to score the runs of which he is capable, and to bowl off-breaks.Full squad:Steve Tikolo (captain), Maurice Odumbe, Asif Karim, Alpesh Vadher, Ravindu Shah, Hitesh Modi, Brijal Patel, Martin Suji, Tony Suji, Thomas Odoyo, Kennedy Obuya, Joseph Angara, Peter Ongondo, David Obuya and Collins Obuya.
A number of members have asked Chief Executive of Somerset, Peter Anderson, whether or not Somerset are going to recruit Mali Richards, the 18-year-old son of Sir Viv Richards.The Chief Executive said: “Following his visit to The County Ground at Taunton for indoor nets earlier this year, Peter Robinson, who was a great friend of Viv’s during his playing days, is in contact with Mali, and if he wants a trial with Somerset it can be arranged.”
Tottenham Hotspur need stability, and they also need a clear and attractive culture to work its way back into the stadium, lifting the fans and filling within the first-teamers confidence and identity.
With Spurs 11th in the Premier League, one win from their past seven matches, Thomas Frank is feeling the pressure, and failure to see an uptick in form over the coming weeks will send the Danish coach’s fragile tenure in a spin.
But projects take time, and Tottenham could yet create something akin to Mauricio Pochettino’s nostalgic tenure. The likes of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane were the defining figures of that fruitful era, but Tottenham created a team that purred from head to toe.
Dele Alli is a shining example in that regard, having joined from MK Dons as a teenager in 2015. The prodigy’s rise not only elevated his team but also strengthened the connection with the fanbase too. Now, ENIC Group are looking to repeat the trick.
Spurs looking to sign their new Dele Alli
Tottenham are hoping to get busy in the January transfer window. Frank’s squad is perforated with holes, and they need patching up. However, away from the more pressing need for impactful additions, Johan Langa and Fabio Paratici are looking to add youth to the ranks too.
Antoine Semenyo is among the Premier League superstars on the London club’s radar, and Guglielmo Vicario’s woes have prompted scrutiny on Spurs’s goalkeeping plans too.
But Tottenham have an eye for an up-and-coming talent, and they’ve found a target who might become one of the very best in the business in a few years.
According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham have joined a long list of clubs in registering their interest in Leicester City starlet Jeremy Monga. The 16-year-old has already established himself in the Championship club’s first team.
While Chelsea, Liverpool and the Manchester giants are all namechecked, it is Tottenham who are singled out as pushing ‘very strongly’ for the left winger’s signature. One year ago, PSG came sniffing around and were informed that Monga, 15 at the time, would cost £15m. That figure is sure to have since ballooned.
Why Jeremy Monga could be the new Dele
Monga is very young, but he has already made his Premier League debut, becoming the second-youngest player in the top flight when entering the fray for soon-to-be relegated Leicester against Newcastle United in April.
Leicester were doomed, but the fact that he featured seven times until the end of the campaign makes a firm comment on his potential, with the physicality and speed to succeed at the highest level.
And yet he’s still so young. Monga is way ahead of schedule, settling into a big role at the King Power Stadium this term. In this, he could emulate Spurs’s former starboy.
Jeremy Monga – Championship Stats (25/26)
Stats (* per game)
#
Matches (starts)
12 (5)
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots (on target)*
0.4 (0.2)
Pass completion
86%
Chances created*
0.5
Dribbles*
1.5
Recoveries*
0.4
Duels won*
2.8
Data via Sofascore
Monga’s ability to carry the ball forward apace has already handed him plenty of plaudits. He has been described by journalist Graeme Bailey as being “a generational talent”, having made more senior appearances than the likes of Premier League starboys Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha.
He has only scored once in the second tier this term, but what a goal it was. That’s a teenager with jaw-dropping technical quality. That’s a player who, should he join Tottenham, would fall into the category of Dele-esque.
Dele scored 16 goals across 39 League One fixtures in 2014/15, his final year in the EFL before being plucked up to the big time by Daniel Levy and Tottenham.
The 37-cap England international’s personal problems are deeply saddening, but there’s no question that he was one of the best young talents in the world back in his heyday, with Pochettino even saying in 2017 that he’s “the best young player” in Europe.
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More of a central attacking midfielder than Monga, the parallels are still there, with the Foxes starlet boasting all he needs to emulate his older countryman and make an age-belying impact at Spurs.
Though he wouldn’t be expected to take a leading role from the off in Frank’s system, Monga has what it takes to become the club’s finest winger since someone like Son.
He has what it takes to become a young superstar.
Spurs could land Poch 2.0 by hiring "one of the best managers in Europe"
Tottenham Hotspur could find their next Mauricio Pochettino by sacking Thomas Frank to appoint this manager.
Real Madrid are ready to take the initiative in the race to sign Tottenham’s star playmaker Luka Modric, and will make a £30 million bid in coming days according to The Daily Mail.
The Croatia international’s future at White Hart Lane is unsure after the side missed out on Champions League football, and with his nation now eliminated from Euro 2012 it is expected that the transfer talks will commence.
Modric was pursued by Chelsea last summer but Spurs held firm and rejected approaches from their Premier League neighbours, however Manchester United are thought to be serious suitors of the midfielder this time round.
However, Jose Mourinho’s Madrid team are looking to strengthen their Primera Division squad, and it is believed that the Santiago Bernabeu chief has told the club to make a bid for Modric.
With Spurs reluctant to part with their star man, a sale to a foreign side would be preferred over selling Modric to any of their Premier League rivals.
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As football fans around the country brace themselves for the start of the Premier League season, FFC wanted to point you in the direct of the NEW ESPN Goals App that is now available for you to download for FREE.
This ultimate Barclays Premier league app includes live scores, video highlights and clips of every goal* for all 380 games – within just minutes of it taking place.
The essential football app for fans of the Barclays Premier League will feature: Video of goals and match action from every Barclays Premier League match all season long Live scores and match stats Fixtures and results from around the league Additional video including match previews and weekend round-ups Video alerts: Alerts for goal videos, match highlight clips and Weekend roundup clips.
Can you afford not to have this app on your phone – Click here to find out more!
*
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* Goals footage is near-live with goals available shortly after being scored except for footage from matches on Saturday from 3pm, this is due to UEFA restrictions. Footage from these matches is available from approximately 5.15pm Saturday
Holger Osieck admitted Australia could have lost their Asian Cup match to Bahrain were it not for goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.The Socceroos beat the Gulf nation 1-0 in Doha on Tuesday thanks to a long-range effort from Mile Jedinak, but it was a number of clutch saves from the Fulham custodian at the other end which kept Bahrain scoreless and propelled Australia to the top of Group C.
“We know the quality that Mark has to offer to the team and I’m happy to have him there,” Osieck said.
“He had an excellent performance and made some good saves, especially in the second half.”
“He kept us in the game and we must give him credit.”
Australia remain undefeated in the tournament after a 4-0 win over India and a battling 1-1 draw with South Korea earlier in the group stage, and Tuesday’s result means Osieck’s side will face the runners-up from Group D in the quarter finals, with either Iraq or North Korea the likely opponents.
“It was our target to go to the quarter-finals and I’m glad to achieve the target,” Osieck said.
“We have seen in other games that there are quality teams and I’m happy to be still in the competition.”
“All the teams are good and whoever we are going to play against, the match is going to be tough.”
“It doesn’t matter who we play because there is great deal of quality in the group but we must be ready and play our own game.”
Australia do have some personnel issues, with Jason Culina, Luke Wilkshire and David Carney all missing from Tuesday’ match due to injury, while Brett Emerton picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Bahrain and will miss the quarter-final.
Bahrain coach Salman Sharida was pleased with his side’s performance despite the loss, and said they deserved more out of the match.
“We have had a good performance tonight and we were the better side as we controlled the game and we were organised,” Sharida said.
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“We got into the Australian area a lot but we missed a lot of chances. Missing chances in such a game is not acceptable as we wanted to get the three points but we played against an experienced side who have a lot of good players.”
“Australia and Korea Republic are strong teams and they are in a good position in Asian football.”
“We have had some difficult situations in the team but the players showed a good performance in the matches that we had.”
Theo Walcott is a major doubt for England’s decisive Euro 2012 Group D game against Ukraine on Tuesday after he picked up a knock in training.
The Arsenal man impressed when he came off the bench against Sweden on Friday by scoring one and setting up another, which give the Three Lions a 3-2 victory.
England boss Roy Hodgson has revealed that Walcott could well miss the game against Oleg Blokhin’s men after pulling up in training.
“Unfortunately he had a slight setback in training,” Hodgson said.
“He felt the hamstring that kept him out for so long at the end of the season and which we were slightly concerned about when he came to us,” The Telegraph quote Hodgson as saying.
“We have been lucky nothing has occurred with that but in a little training session today we had to take the precaution of taking him from the field because he felt some tightness there.
“Whether he is a real contender for a starting position will depend upon what the medical people can tell me and how much guarantee they can give me that if I do start him he won’t be leaving the field after five minutes, forcing us to have 13 men rather than the 14 I would rather count on,” he confessed.
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Yesterday it was announced that Aston Villa have agreed a £9.5m fee with Wigan Athletic for Charles N’Zogbia and the 25-year-old is set travel down to Villa Park to discuss personal terms today.
The French international who was last capped in 2010, will be a straight forward replacement on the left wing for the recently departed Stuart Downing and will become McLeish’s second summer signing after capturing N’Zogbia’s former Newcastle teammate Shay Given from Man City last week.
McLeish has long been an admirer of N’Zogbia and actually came within a whisker of signing him last summer for his former club Birmingham City but the deal collapsed at the 11th hour as they couldn’t agree personal terms. So although a fee has now been agreed it is still not 100% that he will be joining the club. However if as expected he does agree terms this week, McLeish will be hoping that he will be a suitable replacement for Downing and Young who had started to build up a potent attacking force alongside Darren Bent last season.
Villa have so far raised over £40 million from player sales this summer and N’Zogbia will be a major part of a new look Aston Villa side with the Alan Hutton and Scott Parker two other possible arrivals at Villa Park. Although he has experienced controversy in the past especially at Newcastle, I can see McLeish being disciplined with the winger and he will make sure the Villa fans only see N’Zogbia’s good side.
Interestingly he is actually classed as a home-grown player after being affiliated with an English club since the age of 18 when he brought over by Newcastle from Le Havre and will count as one of the eight players home-grown players needed in Villa’s 25-man-squad. This make it even more of a transfer bargain as everyone has seen that English players are moving at overinflated transfer fees partly due to this rule.
With Downing and Young sold, Villa were looking for a player that can create threats to the opposition and would also be responsible for set-pieces. In N’Zogbia they have this player as he is known for his match-winning ability, his excellent all round play and is one of the most exciting players to watch in the Premier League. He can also operate on either flank or as an attacking midfielder so it is understandable why Villa have snapped him up.
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It will be a new challenge for N’Zogbia who was influential in keeping the Latics in the Premier League last season and his two goals against West Ham in the penultimate game of the season all but secured their survival. Dave Whelan recently said of his prized asset: “I have always said for £10 million he is an absolute snip, if Stewart Downing can change hands for £20 million I don’t know what Charles is worth.”
He contributed with ten goals and seven assists for the Latics last season which is not too different to Downing’s total of seven goals and nine assists and this shows what a good deal Villa are getting with a reported £10.5 million difference in transfer fees.
With only 12 months left on his contract Wigan are getting a decent price for the winger but in terms of Downing’s move, it is still relatively cheap. He will only improve at a bigger club and in the right environment so N’Zogbia could be worth a lot more in the future. Downing’s £20m price tag was over-inflated by the fact he still had four years left on his contract at Villa Park but Villa fans must feel they are the end of a very good deal.
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Villa fans would have been saddened to see their player of the year Downing leave after his impressive form last season but I feel they are getting a more than adequate replacement in N’Zogbia. He has a similar goal scoring record, has the ability to change a game and is signing at a very reasonable price. The rebuilding has begun and securing N’Zogbia’s signature would be a great way to kick-start it.
Do you agree? Do you think N’Zogbia is the right man to replace Downing? Follow me on twitter @aidanmccartney
Steven Pienaar has said speculation surrounding his future will not affect his current form.
The South Africa international has been strongly linked with a move away for weeks, with Tottenham looking the most likely destination for the 28-year-old.
The Toffees are still trying to persuade Pienaar to sign a new contract but time is running out.
Everton have already hinted they would rather sell him in January rather than lose him for nothing when his contract expires.
When asked whether he would still be on Merseyside come the end of the season Pienaar told Sky Sports: "No comment."
The winger did go on to say that he knew nothing of the apparent link with Tottenham, claiming it was all media speculation at this point in time.
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"I was also told this by one of my team-mates, so I don't know what is going on.
"The media in England is quite big and everyone can say what they want. I am just happy at Everton and I want to focus on my game."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email