All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur may forever regret letting Juan Foyth depart north London on a permanent basis as his stock continues to rise in Spain.

After winning the Europa League with LaLiga outfit Villarreal last season, the Argentine defender has once again played a key role under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery, helping guide the Yellow Submarines to an impressive semi-final run in the Champions League.

The 24-year-old was sold by chairman Daniel Levy and co for a measly £13m in the summer and with Spurs’ differing defensive issues throughout the campaign, that is now looking to be a costly – and gutting – mistake.

Due to a lack of quality options, manager Antonio Conte has often turned to full-back Ben Davies to line up in his back three, alongside Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, whilst injuries and inconsistencies at right-back saw the position emerge as something of a priority in January amid links to Wolves’ Adama Traore.

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Foyth is now merely one game away from another Champions League final. Meanwhile, Spurs will be looking at what went wrong in their recent defeat to Brighton, which has put their quest for a top-four finish in jeopardy.

Alongside other Premier League and Lilywhites rejects, Giovani Lo Celso and Etienne Capoue, the £25m-rated colossus – who is capable of playing centrally and out on the right – ranks as Emery’s fourth-best performer in the Spanish top-flight and his sixth-best in UEFA’s elite tournament, as per WhoScored.

He is averaging a whopping 3.4 tackles per game, as well as 1.6 headers won and two clearances per outing across the two competitions. Foyth also surpasses the 80% accuracy mark in terms of passing, too.

Spanish press has regularly waxed lyrical about the Argentine’s performances this season and as a player that Mauricio Pochettino is claimed to have “loved” by Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, it appears that Spurs may have let the 6 foot 2 titan leave prematurely.

Heading into the 2020/21 campaign, there was a serious chance at Foyth, who was dubbed a “fantastic talent” by ex-Goal editor James Dickens, was going to emerge as the first-choice right-back under his fellow countryman but an injury quickly curtailed that and by the time he was fit, Pochettino was sacked and Jose Mourinho was in charge.

With a Europa League winners’ medal around his neck and a UCL semi-final soon on the horizon, it appears that Foyth is certainly thriving away from the Lilywhites.

They could well live to rue this ghastly decision forever, thanks to Levy and co incorporating an option-to-buy in his loan to the Yellow Submarines.

AND in other news, Talks underway: Paratici in negotiations for £41.5m deal, it’d be a big coup for Spurs…

Kevin Pietersen gave England every chance of victory in Adelaide with his career-best 227, but it’s his bowling that might have made the biggest difference

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale06-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Clarke fought hard for 80 but his dismissal on the last ball of the day left Australia in some trouble•AFPKevin Pietersen gave England every chance of victory in Adelaide with his career-best 227, but it’s his bowling that might have made the biggest difference. Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey gave Australia a fighting chance of escaping with a draw to head to the third Test in Perth still 0-0, but the loss of Clarke to the last delivery on the fourth day gave England a major boost amid the gloomy conditions.Clarke had 80, and was threatening to stand between England and victory, until he inside-edged onto his pad and the ball looped over the shoulder of the short leg Alastair Cook, who took a good catch. Adding to the late drama, the umpire Tony Hill called the appeal not out, but England asked for a review and Clarke was found guilty of putting bat on ball, to hand Pietersen his first Test wicket since 2008.It was exactly what Australia didn’t need, after Clarke and Hussey put together a promising 104-run partnership. Instead of two established men walking out in the morning, the under-pressure Marcus North will join Hussey, who was on 44, with the new ball due at the end of the over Pietersen will complete with four more deliveries. And if that wasn’t pressure enough for North, there is a chance of morning showers, which could mean cloud cover and swing.Australia will be hoping the showers turn into heavier rain, and there is the chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. The battle will be ensuring they last that long, with only Brad Haddin and a long tail to follow Hussey and North, who will resume with Australia still 137 runs behind, at 4 for 238, searching for a draw that would feel like a win.It remains to be seen whether Andrew Strauss will rue his decision to bat into the fourth morning, despite already holding a 300-plus lead. He might have been questioning that call while Hussey and Clarke were together, batting solidly either side of a heavy downpour late in the afternoon. Clarke seemed to have shaken off his poor touch and his bad back, looking comfortable against pace and spin.And it wasn’t easy against Graeme Swann, who created the most problems for Australia. He removed Simon Katich and claimed the big wicket of Ricky Ponting, before Steven Finn chipped in by dismissing Shane Watson for another solid half-century that promised to be more. Swann was finding sharp spin from the rough and his drift and flight caused a few headaches for the Australian batsmen.Several times, inside edges didn’t quite fly to hand for the cluster of fielders surrounding the bat, and Clarke was given out caught at slip on 67 only to have the decision reversed on review; the ball had spun past his bat and lobbed up off his pad. Generally, though, Clarke handled Swann well, using his feet to smother the spin and driving hard through gaps on both sides of the wicket.Importantly, all the Australian batsmen played positively, refusing to simply bat for time and allow England to dictate the flow. Clarke struck 11 boundaries and Hussey, who continued his excellent series, slammed Swann over midwicket for six late in the day, ensuring that any bad balls were put away, as they would be in happier circumstances.The only batsman who really struggled was Ponting, who was mesmerised by Swann and couldn’t get off the mark until his 13th delivery. Despite punishing Swann with a vicious cut for four and a powerful sweep to the boundary, Ponting was eliminated by Swann on 9 when he played for the offspinner and edged a straighter ball low to Paul Collingwood at first slip.Swann had already ended the 84-run opening partnership when Katich tried to defend and was caught behind off a thin edge for 43. Katich had hobbled his way through the innings with an Achilles tendon injury that severely hampered his running between wickets, and although his hard work was valuable, there is every chance the Australians will need to look for another opener for the third Test in Perth if his problem persists.The man who threatened to be Australia’s anchor was Watson, who batted confidently with his usual aggression and well-timed drives, but once again he failed to convert a strong start. Watson has passed fifty on 15 occasions in Test cricket but only twice have those half-centuries turned into hundreds, and if ever Australia needed triple figures from him, it was this time.It was the patience of Finn, who peppered away consistently just outside off stump, that did for Watson when he edged to first slip for 57. The inability of Australia’s batsmen to capitalise on their starts was all the more frustrating for them given the monstrous scores racked up by England’s batsmen, led by Pietersen with his double-century.Pietersen added 14 to his overnight score but it was enough to beat his previous Test best of 226, which he made against West Indies at Headingley in 2007. He eventually fell caught by Katich at slip, when he misjudged a slog sweep, and it was a consolation wicket for Xavier Doherty, who finished with 1 for 158 and looked nowhere near as threatening as Swann.England’s batsmen scored their runs briskly after Strauss decided against declaring overnight, and in nine overs they pushed the total up by 69 before Strauss called a halt to the innings. Ian Bell had moved on to an unbeaten 68 and Matt Prior was on 27, which guided England to 5 for 620 – their highest Test innings total in 20 years and their fifth-best of all time against Australia.The visitors would be sorely disappointed if that effort doesn’t turn into a win. They’ll want a lift from James Anderson, who didn’t bowl at his best, while a stomach strain could keep Stuart Broad from playing much of a part on the final day. England can only hope the weather doesn’t play any role either.

Eddie Howe will be thrilled that his team rotation paid off this afternoon at Carrow Road, with Newcastle United taking all three points from the game in an impressive performance that has put his side ninth in the Premier League table.

The Magpies took a comfortable 3-0 win from their visit to Norwich, with Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton finding the back of the net to secure their fourth win on the bounce to put them 15 points clear of the relegation zone.

Howe’s men completely dominated in possession, with 55% of the ball over the 90 minutes, taking seven shots on target and completing over 500 passes in what was a masterclass in both an offensive and defensive regard from the North East outfit.

Despite the spotlight being firmly on the goal-scoring moments of the game, Dan Burn yet again provided a solid performance as the unsung hero worked hard to keep the clean sheet this afternoon.

The £19k-per-week titan said in an interview that he wanted to bring his “passion off the pitch, on to it” at his boyhood club, and he certainly delivered in today’s performance with a defensive showing he should be proud of.

The 6ft4 centre-back won 71% of his duels, made six clearances, four interceptions and one tackle, as well as completed 33 of his 40 passes in the clash, really getting stuck into the game and leading his line with a huge presence.

Burn was one of the signings acquired in January to improve the side and boost the chances of survival in the top flight this season, and to say he has been successful in being a part of that is an understatement with Newcastle winning eight, drawing one and losing just three games the defender has been involved in.

Newcastle have now climbed into the top half of the table and are surely safe from the relegation nightmare they had found themselves in earlier in the season, and with players like Burn joining the side the future is looking bright for the club.

AND in other news: NUFC plot £33m bid for “phenomenal” ace with “magical powers”, he’d get SJP rocking

England’s women managed a consolatory victory in the third one-day international against Australia at the WACA, chasing down 213 with two overs to spare for a seven-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2011
Scorecard
Lydia Greenway top-scored for England with 59•Getty ImagesEngland’s women managed a consolatory victory in the third one-day international against Australia at the WACA, chasing down 213 with two overs to spare for a seven-wicket win. Lydia Greenway passed fifty before she was dismissed and captain Charlotte Edwards continued her sparkling form, finishing unbeaten on 48 and striking the winning runs to ensure a measure of honour in the 2-1 series scoreline.Danielle Wyatt led an early charge with the bat as England’s openers put on 47 in under 10 overs. She struck six boundaries in a rapid 30 – her highest score for the national side – and had few problems against the new ball before she was sent back attempting a quick single in the 10th over and run out by a distance.Greenway was soon into her groove to keep the runs flowing, greeting the introduction of Shelley Nitschke’s left-arm spin by jumping out of her crease to loft a boundary. She also found the middle of the bat with a pair of perfectly executed reverse sweeps and was soon outscoring the more circumspect Heather Knight.They had put on 66 for the second wicket – the highest partnership in either innings – when Knight attempted to crack Lisa Sthalekar’s offspin over the top but picked out Rene Farrell to depart for 33. Greenway enjoyed some good fortune as she was dropped by Sarah Coyte at long leg and chopped a no-ball from Ellyse Perry onto her own stumps, but took advantage of the let-offs to register a sixth ODI half-century.After she was caught at long-off by Leah Poulton, Edwards was joined by Jenny Gunn – who was batting with a runner – and together they sealed the result with an unbeaten 53-run stand. Edwards took her series run-tally to 188, easily the highest on either side, and hit the winning run off the final ball of the 48th over. Edwards, who scored 50 in the first match and 90 in Friday’s nine-wicket defeat was named Player of the Series, while Greenway’s fifty made her Player of the Match.England’s bowlers were on a hiding to nothing in the midst of Nitschke and Meg Lanning’s 151-run opening stand two days ago, but were far more incisive this time around as Australia experimented with their top order. Alyssa Healy, opening for the first time in national colours with Lanning rested, cut Isa Guha in the air to gully where Gunn held a sharp catch in the third over and soon afterwards Poulton swiped across the line to be caught by Holly Colvin at mid-on and give Guha a second wicket.Australia had stumbled to 5 for 75 in the 26th over before the experienced Sthalekar and Jess Cameron prompted a recovery with a 65-run partnership. Sthalekar batted particularly fluently before she was dismissed for a 75-ball 60 in the 45th over, while Coyte ensured her team passed 200 with a tenacious 30, but a spate of run-outs pegged back the Australian innings and they were bowled out for 212 off the final ball of the innings.”We obviously wanted to get the series whitewash and finish the one-day series on a positive note, but England came out and played very well today and we will look to bounce back,” said Australian captain Alex Blackwell. “We lost early wickets and didn’t quite post the total we would have liked and we didn’t quite get it right with the ball either but we’re not far away and we’ll take the confidence of a series win into the Twenty20s.””It’s a nice feeling to come away with the one-day series win; last time we were in England we were soundly beaten so it’s nice to come back and play well at home. We head to Adelaide tomorrow for the first of the Twenty20s on Wednesday and we can’t wait.”We were in a bit of trouble when we lost five wickets fairly early and needed a couple of players to stand-up and build a partnership,” she added. “Lisa is a very experienced player and a key member of our middle-order and it was great to see her make a good score, especially during a very important part of the innings when we needed someone to rebuild.”She played very well and scored quickly, working well with two of the younger players in Jess and Sarah who also played well to help get our score over 200. We didn’t quite execute how we would have liked to and things didn’t quite go our way early with a few near misses. We’re really looking forward to the Twenty20 series; after the Twenty20 World Cup win last year we are really happy with how we’ve been going in that form of the game.””I’m really proud of the team’s performance today,” added England captain Edwards. “We all dug deep to beat a very good Australian side. We weren’t at full strength but the team have responded well to overcome setbacks and we will be looking to carry some momentum forward into the Twenty20 series.”I feel in really good touch at the moment and the wickets out here have been excellent to bat on. I’m looking forward getting out on the park at Adelaide on Wednesday. It’s always a great atmosphere to play in a double header with the men.”There will be an unavoidable change to England’s squad for the Twenty20s, with Caroline Atkins coming in for Beth Morgan, who will return to England for treatment after sustaining a shoulder subluxation during the second ODI.”This is a great opportunity for me, I can’t wait to get out to Australia and join the squad,” said Atkins. “I have some good memories of playing out there in 2008 and am very much looking forward to playing out there again. It’s a great shame for Beth, I wish her a speedy recovery.”

Newcastle United have been handed a golden opportunity to sign Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard this summer…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the midfielder is keen on a switch to St. James’ Park this summer because of his desire to remain up north and near his family.

They quote a source as saying: “Jesse hasn’t been happy this season.

“He feels let down that he hasn’t played as much as he wanted and feels promises made to him when he came back from West Ham haven’t been kept.

“Jesse likes the look of Eddie Howe and a move to Newcastle would give him the chance to stay closer to his family in the North West, which is important to him.”

Gazza 2.0 for Eddie Howe

He can be Paul Gascoigne 2.0 for Newcastle under Howe as he has the bright personality and attacking quality to be a major player for the club moving forward.

The retired England international enjoyed a fantastic time with the Magpies as he scored 20 goals in 94 appearances during his spell on Tyneside and found the back of the net 10 times in 57 caps for his country throughout his career.

In £18m-rated Lingard, the Toon can find another attacking midfielder with the quality to score goals. He was lauded as “absolutely phenomenal” by talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham and that is what he has the potential to be for Newcastle with his goalscoring talent. 

Last season, the £80k-per-week gem managed nine goals and five assists in 16 games on loan to West Ham and he has scored 35 times throughout his time at Old Trafford. He has also scored six goals in 32 caps for England as he has shown that he has the ability to make an impact in the final third at the top level – in a similar vein to the retired Spurs and Newcastle legend.

The similarities do not stop there, though, as The Express previously compared their enthusiastic personalities, with both players being animated in and outside of the dressing room for club and country. This shows that Lingard has the mentality to be a star man for the Magpies as he has the personality to endear himself to the supporters, much like Gascoigne did.

Therefore, PIF must pounce on this golden opportunity to sign Lingard this summer as he would be an excellent addition to Howe’s squad.

AND in other news, “Newcastle have made contact” – PIF in talks for 1st summer signing, huge coup inbound…

A round-up of the first day of the second round of the Regional Four Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2011Kirk Edwards and Ryan Hinds dominated the opening day of the game to give Barbados the advantage over England Lions at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Barbados had already made a steady start, with Edwards and Kraigg Brathwaite (43) adding 95 for the second wicket, before Hinds came to the crease. The pair then proceeded to build on that platform, adding a further 176, as Edwards ended the day unbeaten on 126 with Hinds on 80. Liam Plunkett and Jade Dernbach were the two successful bowlers, picking up a wicket each, while the rest toiled away for no reward.Denesh Ramdin set a West Indies first-class record with seven catches behind the stumps, and Trinidad & Tobago skittled Combined Campuses and Colleges for 131 on the first day of their match at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine, Trinidad. T&T chose to field and Rayad Emrit and Shannon Gabriel quickly justified that decision by removing four of the top five batsmen with only 58 on the board. There was to be no recovery for CC&C, and they were dismissed for 131 from 39.3 overs. Emrit finished with 3 for 11, Gabriel took 3 for 73, and Amit Jaggernauth chipped in with 2 for 6. In reply, T&T stumbled to 45 for 2, with Kevin McClean striking two early blows.Jamaica struggled to a score of 177 for 6 against Winward Islands at the National Cricket Stadium in St. George’s, Grenada. A number of batsmen made starts, but none of them were able to push on, with former West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels’ 40 the best effort they could muster. Things could have been worse for Jamaica, but David Bernard and Chadwick Walton added an unbeaten 41 for the seventh wicket. The spoils were shared amongst five different Windward bowlers, who picked up one wicket each.There was no play on the opening day of the game between Guyana and Leeward Islands in Georgetown because of overnight rain.

Twin centuries to Nick Kruger and Alex Doolan have secured a home Sheffield Shield final for Tasmania after they completed a come-from-behind victory over South Australia in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2011
ScorecardAlex Doolan made 122 in Tasmania’s win•Getty ImagesTwin centuries to Nick Kruger and Alex Doolan have secured a home Sheffield Shield final for Tasmania after they completed a come-from-behind victory over South Australia in Adelaide. The Tigers will host New South Wales in the decider, which starts on Thursday, despite having been bundled out for 124 in their first innings against the Redbacks.Tasmania then needed an outright win to guarantee them a Hobart final, and at 1 for 0 chasing 373 it looked far from likely. But Kruger posted his second century in consecutive matches, with 147, while Doolan picked up 122 in their second-wicket partnership of 258.The South Australia legspinner Cullen Bailey, playing his second Sheffield Shield match of the summer, collected two wickets as the Redbacks made a late fightback, but Mark Cosgrove (43 not out) saw the Tigers home with Xavier Doherty (21 not out). South Australia finished last on the table, with only one win for the season.

Italian newspaper Corriere di Verona have now shared a big transfer development out of Tottenham Hotspur involving target Antonin Barak, who they believe is the perfect fit for an Antonio Conte team.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes move…

As Spurs gear up for their highly-anticipated Premier League clash with Arsenal this evening, a make or break encounter which may well determine who is playing Champions League football, it appears transfer activity is still very much alive behind-the-scenes.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-newest-updates/” title=”Tottenham newest updates…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Czech Republic international Barak, for example, has been of serious interest to Spurs according to reports in recent days.

Earlier this week, outlet Mondo Udinese.it shared news that Lilywhites head coach Conte is personally prepared to convince the attacker to join his side this summer in a ‘sensational deal’.

Now, in an update, it appears the Italian has now given his green-light for whole club to pursue a deal for Barak.

The Latest: Italian newspaper break Barak development…

As per Corriere di Verona (via Sport Witness), the former Chelsea coach has personally ‘asked’ Spurs to bid for the 27-year-old who is ‘tailor-made’ for his side.

This comes as Barak’s move away from the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium is ‘almost certain’ this summer, but the 6 foot 3 star’s club want around €25 million (£21m) and even hope to exceed that number.

The Verdict: Tailor-made indeed

Barak is perhaps one of the more underrated players in Serie A and we believe £21m would be a more-than fair asking price.

Lauded as ‘phenomenal’ for his international performances by members of the press, he has stood out as one of Hellas’ most crucial players – racking up 11 goals and four assists from midfield over 2021/2022.

Barak also stands out as their third-best star overall going by average match rating and is just about to enter his prime, potentially backing how he could be real value for money if Spurs were to advance with a bid.

In other news: Reliable source: Tottenham agreement now ‘very likely’ as Conte closes in on ‘top signing’, find out more here.

Durham prised out the eight wickets needed to secure a win on the fourth day at Headingley, but were made to work for their success by battling half-centuries from Jonathan Bairstow and Rich Pyrah

17-Apr-2011
Scorecard
Durham prised out the eight wickets needed to secure a win on the fourth day at Headingley, but were made to work for their success by battling half-centuries from Jonathan Bairstow and Rich Pyrah. Young legspinner Scott Borthwick eventually dismissed both men, trapping Pyrah lbw for 87 to seal the result, while seamer Liam Plunkett also took three lower-order wickets as Durham wrapped up a 146-run win. Set an improbable 490 in four full sessions for victory, Yorkshire held out until 5.15pm when the last wicket went down at 343.Yorkshire began the day on the defensive at 88 for 2, still reasonably placed to bat out the day and secure a draw. They lost opener Joe Root almost immediately, however, as he was caught behind off Graham Onions for an obdurate 38. Captain Andrew Gale soon followed him, edging Borthwick to give the legspinner his first wicket of the innings, and with his departure Yorkshire were looking decidedly shaky at 95 for 4.Gerard Brophy, whose 177 helped set up Yorkshire’s nine-wicket win over Worcestershire last week, contributed just 20 before he was trapped leg before by Callum Thorp, and Plunkett ended Adil Rashid’s brief stay at the crease by having him caught behind as Yorkshire slipped to 158 for 6.Bairstow raised a gritty fifty, from 94 balls, and added a fluent 67 for the seventh wicket before he became Borthwick’s second victim, caught at slip by Michael Di Venuto for 81. Then came the most substantial stand of the innings, as Pyrah found an able partner in Ryan Sidebottom and the pair added a further 98 in just over 33 overs to raise hopes for an unlikely draw.The stand became an eighth-wicket record for Yorkshire against Durham when it exceeded the 82 by Joe Sayers and Darren Gough in 2007 and Pyrah went on to overtake his championship best of 78 against Worcestershire at New Road in 2005.Pyrah went to his half-century, from 89 balls, and Sidebottom had reached a 96-ball 31 before Plunkett had him caught behind to snap the stubborn stand. Plunkett then trapped Steven Patterson in front of his stumps first ball to reduce Yorkshire to 323 for 9. Pyrah battled on gamely, while No. 11 Moin Ashraf also clung on for a while, but Borthwick finally ended their resistance by trapping Pyrah lbw for 87.

The PCB has settled its dispute with Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland over his comments about the Justice Qayyum commission on match-fixing

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2011The PCB has settled its dispute with Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland over his comments about the Justice Qayyum commission on match-fixing. In April, Sutherland had suggested that last year’s spot-fixing scandal – after which three Pakistan players were banned for five years – might not have occurred if the PCB had acted properly on the recommendations of the Qayyum commission in 2000.An irked Pakistan board had asked the ICC to “investigate” Sutherland’s comments but the row has now been resolved without the ICC’s intervention. “PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad talked to Sutherland on the matter,” PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said. “James clarified that his comments on the Qayyum inquiry were not meant to put PCB in a difficult position. Sutherland explained that it was in response to a question during an interview and not intended to criticise anyone. PCB enjoys cordial relations with CA so we have decided not to pursue the matter any further.”The Qayyum report had several recommendations for tackling match-fixing. The main ones involved banning for life players such as Salim Malik and Ata-ur-Rehman, and fining a host of others, including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Saeed Anwar. Some of these players, such as Akram, were to be prevented from holding any positions of responsibility in or around the team.Last year, soon after the spot-fixing controversy broke out, Qayyum himself had said the PCB had not been “strong enough” in implementing some recommendations in his report.