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Tottenham Hotspur bringing in Brentford striker Ivan Toney after his football ban expires would be taking a 'risk' despite his evident qualities, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Is Ivan Toney moving to Tottenham Hotspur?

Last month, FootballTransfers reported that Tottenham had earmarked Brentford striker Toney as a potential replacement for talisman Harry Kane this summer despite his current ban for breaching gambling regulations.

The report states that Spurs are most likely to swoop for Toney in the January transfer window; however, they could act this off-season depending on the future of Kane, who may leave his boyhood club for Bayern Munich in a transfer worth as much as £100 million before the close of play in the market.

In the campaign gone by, £46k-a-week earner Toney enjoyed an unbelievable vein of form for Brentford, registering 21 goals and five assists from 36 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

In conversation with talkSPORT, pundit Darren Ambrose has urged Spurs to replace Kane with Toney, stating: "Someone mentioned it last week, go and sign Ivan Toney. I know he can’t play until January, but you’ve got a proven Premier League goalscorer that can come into the team in January. 20-plus goals again."

According to The Sun, Toney is mulling over whether to change agency and join CAA Stellar, which could be a signal that the England international is planning to seek a new challenge.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown thinks that Toney would be a risky piece of business for Spurs to try and wrap up despite his excellent exploits in 2022/23.

Brown stated: "Ivan Toney would be really interesting. I mean, the problem is that he's not going to have played any football for a long time when he finally becomes available again, so you'd be taking a bit of a risk if you wanted to go for him straight away. It's hard to know whether the season he's just had a one off or the start of something big."

What next for Tottenham Hotspur?

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has been given a bit of a raw deal due to the fact the Kane situation surrounding the club has detracted away from his positive efforts to steady the ship in north London ahead of the new campaign.

Nevertheless, the Australian boss will continue to press on with pursuing transfer targets and Nottingham Forest striker Brennan Johnson could come into his thinking if Kane does depart, though the Tricky Trees will ask for around £50 million for the Wales international, according to The Daily Mail.

Spurs are also expected to wrap up the signing of Blackburn Rovers youngster Ashley Phillips on Friday for a fee of £2 million after his release clause kicks in at Ewood Park, as per The Evening Standard.

Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo is another name on the radar in north London and it is finally anticipated that Spurs will launch an attempt to secure his services, as per Football London.

Adarabioyo would be keen to take on the challenge of playing for Tottenham and he has also attracted interest from Ligue 1 side Monaco.

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Tottenham Hotspur, despite retaining a fierce stance that Harry Kane will not leave this summer, continue to be linked with a host of replacements for their key man.

Who are Tottenham Hotspur signing this summer?

The latest comes from Mexican outlet Jovenes Futbolistas MX, who detail the Lilywhites' interest in Feyenoord forward Santiago Jimenez.

In what could prove huge news if true, the report states that Ange Postecoglou is planning to offer around €40m (£35m) to tempt the Mexico international to join his revolution.

With James Maddison and Manor Solomon having already signed this summer too, he would provide the key addition to spearhead his new-look attack.

However, a move for the young marksman remains wholly dependent on the outcome of the Kane saga, as Bayern Munich continue to push for his signature.

Despite that, the north London outfit have already met with the players' representatives.

Who is Santiago Jimenez?

Whilst the 22-year-old in question might be an unknown name to many, he has quietly been tearing up the Eredivisie with his electric play style and lethal finishing.

Just last term saw him score 15 in the Dutch league, and across all competitions including his stint in his homeland, notched an outstanding 28 goals across all competitions.

Whilst quite a volatile league for its exports, players like Luis Suarez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ruud van Nistelrooy all stand as the potential ceiling for a number nine departing that division.

Given his goalscoring levels at such a young age, Jimenez clearly has all the hallmarks of a player ready to reach those heights, especially after the praise handed to him by former Liverpool winger Dirk Kuyt, who claimed:

"He’s back here in the middle of the defenders and he’s really fast. Watching the keeper before he shoots, the rest. In my opinion, he is currently the best striker in the Eredivisie."

Such glowing praise, and an endorsement of his athleticism, will likely have Postecoglou reeling at the opportunity of working with such a malleable marksman with the world at his feet.

Whilst not a direct heir to Kane in terms of his creativity, although his 0.6 key passes per game in the Eredivisie denote an admirable level, he would be a natural successor in terms of swapping one lethal number nine for another. The England captain recorded 30 league goals last campaign, whilst averaging 1.5 key passes per game, via Sofascore.

In fact, his signing could even prove to be more beneficial for Spurs' new Australian coach, who often likes to sacrifice his striker in order to spearhead the press.

During his spell at Celtic, Kyogo Furuhashi often abandoned his goalscoring duties to lead a vicious high press, in which chances would instead be forged for his teammates. When this works to perfection, the forward should still get his opportunities.

The Japan international would manage to score 34 goals last season in all competitions despite putting in such a tireless shift.

With speed in abundance and youthful energy that could be directed into such a pursuit, Jimenez could prove instrumental in underpinning a new philosophy that should get fans back invested in the club.

Given he is already regarded as one of the paramount assets of his division, perhaps it is time for him to make the next natural step up and ply his trade in the physically-demanding Premier League.

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.

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said his batsmen have to take better decisions and make technical adjustments for an improved performance in the Colombo Test starting later this week

Mohammad Isam in Colombo12-Mar-2017Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said his batsmen have to take better decisions and make technical adjustments for an improved performance in the Colombo Test starting later this week.The visitors were back in business on Sunday with those on the bench training in the steaming afternoon. Imrul Kayes, who arrived in Colombo on Saturday evening, had his first bat along with Sabbir Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain, who will hope for a berth in the middle-order in the next game.Hathurusingha, who was overseeing the work in the nets, said batsmen would need to defend or attack with the situation in mind, and not for the sake of it. Shakib Al Hasan, at the end of the fourth day’s play in Galle, had said Bangladesh’s batsmen needed to find a balance between defending and scoring runs to remain confident in their bid to save the Test.”When you say we are defending and attacking, it comes down to your decision-making,” Hathurusingha said. “It is what we need to improve – which ball to attack, which ball to defend. Whether you want to go either way, you have to make good decisions. To make decisions, you need to assess the conditions, the opposition’s game plan and have the awareness. You can’t say, you go and attack and that’s my game.”In this game, when we had a long partnership, we were looking to score. At times, we were too defensive but that’s because of whether it is a mental block or the opposition bowling well or the condition of the pitch changing. They need to make that good decision.”Hathurusingha didn’t criticise the soft dismissals of Shakib (first innings) and Mushfiqur (second innings), with both tickling Lakshan Sandakan deliveries that were going down the leg side. But the coach said they must read the left-arm wristspinner from the hand rather than off the pitch.”Those two dismissals have a lot to do with reading the spin from the pitch,” he said. “If you read it from the hand, you get into better positions. This guy was bowling variations – wrong ‘uns and chinaman. I think our guys read the ball from the pitch, which gave them very little reaction time. It is your natural reaction to score runs when it is on leg stump.”Hathurusingha said the buck stopped with the bowlers’ ability to take 20 wickets in the game, which will enable them to win a Test. But in 46 away Tests so far, Bangladesh have only bowled out oppositions twice in the same game on three occasions. They won all three times, last doing so against Zimbabwe in 2013.”Turning around [in Colombo] is applying what you practice,” Hathurusingha said. “We need to find a way to take 20 wickets. We have a very young attack. We are asking too much of a team trying to find their feet in Test cricket. It is a fact.”Take Shakib out of the bowling attack, and Shakib is not the same bowler from 2010 who used to run through teams in helpful conditions. We are playing away now. The other four bowlers have combined for just 15 Tests.”Hathurusingha said the bowlers must not only look to bowl wicket-taking deliveries, but make sure they build their way into dismissals. He said that a breakthrough Test win will show them the right direction.”You have to set up the batsmen to take wickets, so that intelligence comes with playing in the middle; [no matter] how much we send messages and talk, it will take time,” he said. “The opposition also have plans and skills. We are improving and learning, once we get into a strong position and have the breakthrough win, I think we will start doing better.”

انضم أحمد حجازي قائد منتخب مصر لمعسكر الفراعنة من جديد استعدادا لمواجهة كرواتيا ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس العاصمة.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع كرواتيا مساء اليوم الثلاثاء في نهائي بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر.

طالع | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة مصر وكرواتيا اليوم في نهائي كأس العاصمة.. والمعلق

كان أحمد حجازي قد توجه مساء الأحد إلى السعودية بعد الاتفاق مع حسام حسن المدير الفني للمنتخب وإبراهيم حسن مدير المنتخب، بسبب ظرف أسري طارئ وتواجد عائلته في السعودية.

يذكر، أن منتخب مصر قد فاز على نيوزيلندا في لقاء نصف النهائي بهدف وحيد بالمواجهة التي أقيمت مساء الجمعة الماضي.

Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh’s captain, rued the lack of support for Mahmudullah, whose 52 helped drag the team to 141 after they had slumped to 30 for 4 in the first T20I against New Zealand

Mohammad Isam03-Jan-2017

Twice during New Zealand’s chase in the first T20I against Bangladesh in Napier, Kane Williamson escaped being caught at the boundary, with the fielder stationed several yards inside the rope on both occasions. First, with New Zealand needing 61 off 41 balls, Soumya Sarkar was about 10 yards inside the rope at deep midwicket, enabling Williamson’s slog to clear him and go for four. In the 16th over, Williamson saw his powerful loft towards long-off sail over Imrul Kayes, who couldn’t backtrack far enough in time to complete the catch.Both times the fielders made tactical errors that could have put New Zealand under pressure given that they only had one recognised batsman in the dressing room, Luke Ronchi. Bangladesh eventually lost by six wickets. Mashrafe Mortaza, their captain, felt his team could have regained control of the game had either of those moments resulted in a catch. He said, however, that the two fielders, whom he called the best in the team, may have moved off the rope to try and cut off twos.”Maybe [Sarkar] was 5-10 yards inside because that side of the ground was bigger,” Mashrafe said. “There weren’t any instructions but he thought he could manage by backtracking, but he couldn’t. I didn’t really see whether Imrul Kayes was standing too far inside. You can call it a misjudgment but our best fielders were standing in those positions. Maybe they thought that they could adjust themselves as they were looking to cut off the twos. If any of those catches were taken, the game could have shifted towards us, especially the one in Shakib’s over [the one that cleared Sarkar].”More than these incidents, Mashrafe said the key moment that turned the game came when Bangladesh slipped to 30 for 4 in the sixth over, after Lockie Ferguson took two wickets off his first two deliveries in T20Is. Mahmudullah’s 52 dragged Bangladesh to 141, but Mashrafe said he could have done with better support at the other end, and felt that was an issue that had dogged the team through their tour so far.”The turning point was when we were 30 for four. It also put us back,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for Mahmudullah’s unbelievable innings, we wouldn’t reach 141.”You would have seen that at least one batsman stepped up in our four international matches on this tour so far. But there wasn’t a collective effort with two or more batsmen also making contributions. Nobody has been supporting the batsman who is doing well. I think this is becoming a turning point for us.”

The ICC has set December 19 as the hearing date for Faf du Plessis’ appeal against his guilty verdict for ball-tampering

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-20164:31

‘I wasn’t trying to cheat, I was shining the ball’ – du Plessis (November 23)

The ICC has set December 19 as the hearing date for Faf du Plessis’ appeal against his guilty verdict for ball-tampering. Michael Beloff QC has been appointed judicial commissioner to hear the appeal.Beloff is the chairman of ICC’ Code of Conduct Commission. He has been part of independent tribunals involving ICC cases previously including the one that found the Pakistan trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir guilty of spot-fixing during 2010 Lord’s Test.On November 22, the ICC match referee Andy Pycroft found du Plessis guilty of ball-tampering and fined him his entire match fee from the Hobart Test against Australia. The ICC chief executive David Richardson had charged him on the basis of TV footage that “appeared to show du Plessis applying saliva and residue from a mint or sweet, an artificial substance, to the ball in an attempt to change its condition”.Three days later, du Plessis launched his appeal against the verdict, with Cricket South Africa supporting his decision and hoping for clarity from the ICC over what constituted an “artificial substance” in rules pertaining to polishing the ball. In response, Richardson said there was no ambiguity over the definition as far as the ICC was concerned, and said he was “disappointed” with du Plessis’ decision to launch an appeal.

Aston Villa are planning for an exciting summer transfer window despite Mateu Alemany choosing not to join their recruitment team, according to journalist Alex Crook.

What's the latest transfer news involving Matheu Alemany?

According to Birmingham Live, Alemany had agreed to take up a senior recruitment role in the West Midlands before performing a U-turn and staying at Barcelona for the foreseeable future.

Alemany spoke about his situation via DAZN, stating: "Aston Villa has an impressive institutional and sporting project and one of the best coaches in Europe, but after personal reflection, my place is here. I am committed to this club, which is the biggest in the world. I want to be here and the president wants it to be there. I hope it's for a long time."

As cited by the Shropshire Star, Aston Villa manager Emery was quick to point out that he doesn't believe that this development will harm their transfer business, commenting: “It was two weeks ago we were speaking about the possibility for him (Alemany) to come here. It was a positive but, in the end, he’s not coming. We will continue in our project and build up as a club and a team. He (Alemany) is a very good professional with experience. I know him, I sometimes meet with him. But we’re focused here with the players we have in front. We will try to analyse someone to help us. But now, Mateu Alemany will stay in Barcelona.”

Movement on player outgoings has already started to happen at Villa Park, as veteran Ashley Young and goalkeeper Jed Steer will leave the club in the off-season due to contract expiration, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Crook still thinks that Aston Villa will go all out in the market once it opens for business later this month.

Crook stated: "I'm expecting them to be one of the most active clubs, although I am a bit suspicious about why Alemany, who was going to come in as sporting director, decided to stay at Barcelona.

"Maybe there was a change of budgets, because I was told a couple of weeks ago that they were going to go really big, Villa. Let's see who comes in as sporting director. I think they are keen to kick on, to build on what Unai Emery has done in a short period of time. I think it could be an exciting future for the club."

Who will Aston Villa target in the summer transfer window?

Aston Villa have already started to make inroads on summer transfer targets and Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has emerged as a potential loan target, as per FootballTransfers.

The Athletic also report that Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, who is soon to be a free agent, has also emerged as someone who could join Aston Villa in the off-season.

As per The Daily Express, Tottenham Hotspur outcast Giovani Lo Celso is on the radar at Villa Park and could be brought in to freshen up their engine room.

Cited by The Independent, Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes is another potential addition as Emery looks to acquire some high-profile names ahead of 2023/24.

Match facts

September 23, 2016
Start time 8pm local (1600GMT)

Big Picture

Pakistan’s stellar run in Test cricket culminated with their rise to No.1 in the ICC’s rankings for the first time . In limited-overs cricket, however, they are way behind the pack: ninth in ODIs and seventh in T20Is. Their outdated style, based on a safety-first approach, has largely been responsible for their sharp nosedive.West Indies are way behind the pack in Test cricket, but their attack-first approach in limited-overs cricket, especially in T20Is, has made them the heartthrobs of the shortest format. It resurfaced when they secured their second World T20 earlier this year in India.Their MVPs – Andre Russell and Chris Gayle – aren’t in either squad, but they still have the luxury of depth. Opener Evin Lewis shellacked a 48-ball ton against India in Lauderhill last month, the sixth fastest in T20Is. The uncapped players – Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran, who hit 143 out of West Indies Under-19s’ 208 at this venue two years ago at the World Cup – overcame a top-order flutter in the warm-up game against Emirates Cricket Board XI on Tuesday. Fast bowler Kesrick Williams, who bowled a sensational triple-wicket maiden in the CPL, is also in the mix.Pakistan don’t have enough firepower, but Sarfraz Ahmed’s calmness in a team filled with mercurial batsmen stands out. They also welcome back their highest run-getter in T20Is – Umar Akmal (1689 runs at a strike rate of 122.92). They showed some late sparks on the trip to the UK, but it remains to be seen if they can they convert it into a proper white-ball revival.

Form guide

Pakistan WLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WWWLW

In the spotlight

Former Pakistan coach Waqar Younis was all for Umar regaining his berth in the national side following the World T20 if he showed domestic form. Umar has done just that, finishing as the leading run-getter in the National T20 Cup with 363 runs, including 34 in an over off Yasir Arafat, at an average and strike rate of 72.60 and 183.33. His cousin, Babar Azam, who was among those to receive glowing appraisals from coach Mickey Arthur after the England tour, seems a good investment.Finisher with bat, finisher with the ball. Excellent situational awareness. Dwayne Bravo is probably the most sought-after T20 player. Pakistan will have to be wary of the big dipping offcutter on sluggish surfaces the sides are likely to encounter in this series.

Teams news

The returning Umar is a near-certainty in the XI, which means Mohammad Rizwan, who had played as a specialist batsman in the one-off T20 at Old Trafford, is likely to miss out. Left-arm spinning allrounder Mohammad Nawaz, who claimed 4 for 26 to seal Karachi Blues’ tense National T20 Cup win, might push Hasan Ali and Saad Nasim out of the team.Pakistan(probable): 1 Sharjeel Khan, 2 Khalid Latif, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Hasan Ali/Mohammad Nawaz/Saad Nasim, 10 Sohail Tanvir, 11 Mohammad AmirPooran will jostle with Powell for a middle-order slot thrown open by the absence of Lendl Simmons, who is out because of medial reasons. The other uncapped player in the squad- Williams – did not bowl or bat in the warm-up match. This suggests there will be a shootout between Jerome Taylor and Jason Holder for the seam bowling berth.West Indies(probable): 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Andre Fletcher(wk), 5 Rovman Powell/Nicholas Pooran, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Carlos Brathwaite(capt), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Samuel Badree, 11 Jerome Taylor/Jason Holder

Pitch and conditions

Powell had said that the surface for the practice game was dry and slow. A similar surface is expected for the first T20I. Friday is expected to be a sunny day with the temperature nudging towards 40 degrees. However, it is likely to drop to 33 degrees at night.

Stats and trivia

• Sohail Tavir needs three wickets to become the fourth Pakistan bowler, after Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, to reach 50 wickets in T20Is
• Bravo is the second-highest wicket-taker in T20s this year with 63 scalps in 54 matches. Russell tops the list with 68 wickets in 51 matches
• Pakistan have lost seven out of 12 T20Is in 2016. West Indies, meanwhile, have lost only one of eight T20Is this year.

Quotes

“Even though Pakistan has not been playing international cricket in our country we have played very good sides and beaten them in their home conditions.”
“I always thought I will play for West Indies when I was 21. I am 20 at the moment. While I was a youngster, I watched these guys win two World Cups… Just trying to take the opportunity and make the full use of it. If things go my way, I will be very entertaining.”