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Tottenham Hotspur reportedly have ‘a future captain’ on their hands in the form of centre-back Cristian Romero, according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson.

The Lowdown: Romero off to a great start at Spurs

The 24-year-old first joined the Premier League giants from Atalanta last summer and has since gone on to make 29 appearances for the Lilywhites, most recently in Spurs’ 3-1 victory against Leicester City last weekend.

The Argentine has delivered some impressive performances of late in the top flight, and the former Spurs goalkeeper believes that Romero would make a perfect candidate to replace Hugo Lloris as club captain when the veteran Frenchman departs.

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The Latest: Romero could be future Spurs captain

When asked if he thought the defender had the potential to be a future skipper in the capital, Robinson told Football Insider:

“Romero looks like he has a lot of leadership which is great to see at such a young age. His performances on the pitch and relationship with his teammates show that. I don’t know to what extent language is a barrier but he looks a future captain to me.

“They will not take the captaincy off of Hugo, there is no call for that but whenever he choses to leave there will be a decision to make.

“If Romero is still at the club I can see him stepping up. I’m not talking about anytime in the immediate future but perhaps in a few years time.”

The Verdict: Beast at the back

The £29k-per-week Argentine has been an absolute rock at the heart of the Spurs defence since slotting into the starting XI, averaging three clearances, 2.9 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per league game this season, via WhoScored.

Romero has been hailed as “outstanding” by BBC columnist Jonathan Woodgate and still has plenty of his prime years ahead of him, quite possibly growing into an even better player in the years to come.

Antonio Conte will need all of his defensive experience available to him should he want Tottenham to secure a top-four finish at the end of the season, and the 6 foot 1 colossus could help him do just that with only four games left to go.

In terms of leading by example, Romero is doing that with his performances, so perhaps Robinson is right in name-checking him as Lloris’ possible successor for the armband at Spurs.

In other news… Spurs have officially opened negotiations for one of their ‘fantastic’ transfer targets

England have confirmed that their first-choice bowling attack will travel to Brisbane early to prepare for the first Test and therefore miss the final tour match against Australia A in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2010England have confirmed that their first-choice bowling attack will travel to Brisbane early to prepare for the first Test and therefore miss the final tour match against Australia A in Hobart. James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann will leave the main squad on Wednesday and head to Queensland to being their acclimatisation for the opening Ashes encounter.The four bowlers have played in both warm-up games to date against Western Australia and South Australia. Their workload and success has been sufficient for the management to opt for the plan of allowing them extra days in the tropical climate of Brisbane instead the more temperate Tasmania. There had been a suggestion that the rain-hit final day in Adelaide, which allowed England just 20.5 overs in the field second time around, might force a change of plans.”The reasoning is that conditions in Hobart are very different to the ones in Brisbane, and we want to give that group of bowlers a little head start,” Andy Flower, the England coach, said. “They are going three days earlier than the rest of us, and it will also give an opportunity to the other group of bowlers to put their names forward and perform well against Australia A.”Swann has enjoyed the most success with two four-wicket hauls, but the pace bowlers have all shown glimpses of top form during the two matches. Broad began the tour with two wickets in his first over against Western Australia, while Anderson has been consistent and allayed any concerns about the rib fracture he suffered during the training camp in Germany.Finn was the least convincing of the quicks in Perth but has gradually improved during his two outings and came out with impressive reports from Adelaide last week. The management will also be cautious about over-bowling Finn who is still very new to international cricket having played eight Tests.”Obviously, conditions can be quite different up in Brisbane – so we’re getting a bit of a head start and three or four days extra up there,” Broad said. “We’ve had two fantastic games as a bowling group together. Now it’s all about preparation for that first Test match – and I see going up to Brisbane early as a great opportunity to get used to conditions.”The decision to release the main attack, who will travel with the bowling coach David Saker, means England’s back-up players will get a chance to shine against Australia A. Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad and Monty Panesar will form the bowling group for the four-day game. With an intense schedule of five Tests in six weeks it is highly likely that the reserve pacemen will be needed at some point.”They haven’t had a chance in the middle yet, so they should be desperate to get out there and prove themselves,” Flower said. “Without a doubt, I would say, one or two of those guys are going to be playing Test cricket in the next couple of months – you don’t have situations where the same bowling attack, or certainly not very often, play five Tests in a row.”So it’s a very real situation, an opportunity for them to put their names forward and also an opportunity for them to get bowling into them in preparation for just maybe playing in the first Test.”It is also expected that Eoin Morgan, the spare batsman in the squad, will get his first outing of the tour probably at the expense of Paul Collingwood who hit 94 against South Australia.

Celtic are weeks away from potentially lifting the SPFL trophy if they continue to put points on the board under the management of Ange Postecoglou.

With 34 league games played, the Parkhead club have won 27, drawn four and lost three, giving them a six-point gap over their Glasgow rivals Rangers in second place.

While the Hoops boss won’t want to disrupt the rhythm that his team are on, having not lost a league game since September, one potential change to the team that we think he should consider, either for the remainder of this season or for their next campaign is to unleash Karamoko Dembele.

They have already lost the services of one promising young player in Ben Doak of late and with Dembele’s own future in doubt, proving to him that he has a pathway to regular first-team minutes is of vital importance.

As a product of the club’s youth system, the 19-year-old has made just ten senior appearances for the Bhoys, scoring one goal in the process.

His first senior appearance came all the way back in 2019.

Having spent most of the season out with an ankle injury, the attacker was an unused substitute for Celtic’s two final league games in February before making his first appearance in their 2-0 win over St. Mirren last month where he came on as a late substitute.

Since then, the teenager has not been involved in a senior matchday squad.

Earlier this month, Dembele’s performance in a youth game against Rangers B caught the attention of talent scout Jacek Kulig, who took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the young Celtic figure.

He said: “Been a while since I last saw him live. Still far from being a physical monster but his dribbling skills, trickery, and flair are on a very high level.”

Even though Kulig said that the youngster may not be at his peak physically, we feel the best way for the attacker to improve this side of the game is to get as much experience of playing senior football as possible.

Given the position that Postecoglou’s side find themselves in at the top of the league table, now could be the ideal time to give Dembele a consistent run of games to see if he can set himself up to be a regular first-team figure in their next campaign.

Also, if the Hoops are not able to work out a permanent deal for current loan star Jota, having a player like Dembele to unleash could be an ideal option for the 56-year-old moving forward.

In other news: Time to go: Ange must finally axe Celtic’s £2m Parkhead flop, he’s stealing a living

Glamorgan’s hopes of promotion from Division Two of the County Championship were dashed on the final day at Cardiff

16-Sep-2010
Scorecard
Glamorgan’s hopes of promotion from Division Two of the County Championship were dashed on the final day at Cardiff, first by Worcestershire’s win at New Road and then by their failure to bowl Derbyshire out in a contrived finish. The Welsh county’s match had been heading for a tame draw but when it became obvious that promotion rivals Worcestershire were going to beat Sussex, Glamorgan did a deal to set up a game.At 92 without loss in their second innings, the hosts were fed 177 runs in only 17.2 overs before they declared on 269 for 3 to leave Derbyshire needing 160 in 38 overs. Although Glamorgan reduced the bottom county to 63 for 5 in the 22nd over they failed to run through tail and when the players shook hands Derbyshire were 123 for 5 with sixth wicket pair Dan Redfern and Robin Peterson having added 60 in 19 overs.James Harris broke through twice in three overs to remove Wayne Madsen and Chesney Hughes, before Chris Rogers was bowled trying to leave a ball from James Allenby. From 33 for 3 Derbyshire lost two more wickets to Dean Cosker with Wes Durston and Greg Smith both going leg before wicket.Having held second place with a 22-point lead over Worcestershire going in the final two games, Glamorgan eventually finished five points behind the promotion places. They had started the day 68 runs behind Derbyshire in the first innings with little prospect of a positive result at that stage. But the Welsh county knew they could still afford to draw and even lose if Worcestershire did not manage to beat Sussex.Steffan Jones and wicketkeeper Tom Poynton continued to frustrate Glamorgan as they brought up a half-century stand for the ninth wicket after resuming on 234 for 8. But the partnership of 70 was ended when Jones was trapped lbw by Cosker to become the slow left-armer’s 50th first-class victim of the summer, the first time Cosker has achieved the feat.That gave Glamorgan a third bowling point, and Cosker wrapped up the innings when he trapped Poynton lbw to bring up his first five-wicket haul of the season. It left Derbyshire 276 all out, giving them a first innings lead of 110.Glamorgan took lunch on 53 for no wicket and seamlessly moved to 92 when both sides agreed to decide to try to contrive a result, which saw Madsen and Poynton coming on to bowl gentle spinners. But the hosts did lose three wickets in the pursuit of quick runs with Mark Cosgrove pulling Poynton straight to Hughes at midwicket, Ben Wright driving straight to Robin Peterson and Tom Maynard caught.Gareth Rees reached his century and celebrated it in slightly embarrassed fashion before Glamorgan declared on 269 for 3 – having scored 177 runs in quick time.

Aston Villa could be looking to bolster their defensive options with a move for Victor Nelsson, according to a fresh transfer report.

What’s the word?

Turkish outlet Tümspor have reported that the Galatasaray defender is wanted by Villa in the summer transfer window.

The Danish star won’t come cheap, though, with his release clause set at €25m (£21m) by Galatasaray, so Steven Gerrard may need to push the boat out to secure his signature.

His performances appear to have caught the eye of fellow countryman and Villa sporting director Johan Lange.

Gerrard could shore up Villa’s defence with a move for Nelsson

Gerrard has had a mixed beginning to life in the Midlands. A positive start was followed by a testing Christmas and New Year period, and despite stamping some form of authority on his squad in January with the signings of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho, defensively they have been poor.

Villa haven’t won in their previous five matches, with a centre back partnership of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa conceding seven goals over four of those games.

Nelsson, who was described as a “Danish Lion”, could well be the new Martin Laursen if he decides to make the move to England.

Laursen made 91 appearances for Villa and Nelsson is in a similar mould to him in being a no-nonsense centre back who could shore up the backline straight away. The 23-year-old has won 3.5 headers per game, more than any player at Villa Park this term, marking him out as a colossus in the air who would be an upgrade on what the Midlands club already have.

If Gerrard aims to take the club into European competition in the near future, then he will need to bolster the heart of the Villa defence.

Strengthening at the back will enable the former England captain to build the rest of the team from there, and with his first summer transfer window approaching, no mistakes can be afforded. Nelsson appears to be a player that Villa need, given his defensive credentials.

AND in other news, “Gerrard really keen..“: Preece drops exciting Villa transfer claim, Lange must pounce

West Ham United have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to bring Kalvin Phillips to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who suggested in a recent post on The West Ham Way that David Moyes submitted a £50m offer for the Leeds United midfielder, however, the bid was rejected out of hand by Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

The club insider did not actually mention Phillips by name in his update, but did go on to state that The Sun would be breaking the story later on Saturday evening, which the newspaper subsequently did – confirming the Hammers’ late-in-the-window approach for the England international.

In his post, Ex said: “We believe the ‘mystery’ £50m bid was not for Raphinha. We did bid for him but the £50m was for another player. This name is set to break in The Sun and we will leave them to deal with the reaction.

“The deal won’t happen now [but] could be revisited in the summer – so, at the moment, it is a little irrelevant as anything could happen by then.

“It does paint a strange light of our strategy in this window but stands by the claim [that] Moyes only wants top players – and he has stated in public he likes this player.

“We expect to continue talks with players to sign this window but this is going to go right down to the deadline.”

Fans will be livid with Moyes

While it is undeniable that Kalvin Phillips would make a fantastic addition to Moyes’ West Ham squad, the 26-year-old is neither a natural centre-back nor a centre-forward – the two positions in which it is imperative the 58-year-old must strengthen prior to Monday’s transfer deadline if he is to give his side any hope of securing a top-four finish in the league this season.

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Indeed, a move for the £36m-rated midfielder could well be preempting Declan Rice’s departure at the end of the season, with the defensive midfielder having been heavily linked with a £100m move to Manchester United this summer.

If this is the case, a move for Phillips does make sense, although, with Rice looking set to remain at the club until the end of the current campaign at the very least, it would appear a much more intelligent move for Moyes to sign players in the positions which desperately require reinforcements this month, before moving for a potential Rice replacement if the England international does end up leaving East London in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, if the 58-year-old fails to bring in a new centre-back and centre-forward prior to the closure of the January market, he would appear to be severely damaging the Irons’ chances of qualifying for Champions League football next season – an outcome that would undoubtedly leave the London Stadium faithful livid with their manager.

In other news: “In talks…”: Sheth drops huge January transfer update, he’s finally what West Ham need

The spoils were shared between Australia, England and South Africa while Pakistan, led by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, were not too far behind

Siddhartha Talya24-Aug-2010Australia and South Africa have the best bowling attacks in world cricket today, with Pakistan, led by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, and England not too far behind, according to Ian Chappell, Allan Donald and Sanjay Manjrekar. Speaking on the latest episode of , they also agreed that India and Sri Lanka didn’t measure up to the rest.Among the parameters used to rate the line-ups was their effectiveness in all conditions. The ability of Australia and South Africa’s bowlers to challenge batsmen on placid surfaces gave them an edge over the others, said Manjrekar. “When you look at bowling attacks from around the world Australia will still perhaps be No.1, because you can imagine that attack being pretty good on Indian conditions, in Sri Lanka as well,” he said.”Getting everything in the air, trying to beat batsmen in pace and not using the surface at all by bowling the ball full – that’s where Australia are good. They have got Mitchell Johnson who uses the length well. Doug Bollinger is also quite happy pitching the ball up. Australia and South Africa to me are the attacks that can perhaps make an impression in all sorts of conditions.”England, with a strong pace attack and a successful spinner in Graeme Swann, Donald said, were formidable in home conditions. But he felt they would be tested in Australia later in the year. “It’ll be very interesting for them to go to Australia during the Ashes and bowl on those flat pitches,” Donald said. “With the new ball, they’re pretty good. James Anderson is the bowler for me who really stands out in that regard. Stuart Broad is pretty much a line bowler, he’s quite aggressive. But in conditions with the Kookaburra ball, they’re going to need something off the deck as well. So they’re going to be tested during the Ashes.”

AustraliaEnglandSouth AfricaPakistanIndiaSri LankaAllan Donald6-76-76-7544Ian Chappell6.86.95 (home) and 6.5 (away)6.26.756.15.9Sanjay Manjrekar7-867766The success of the Pakistan seamers in England would have earned them more points among the experts had it not been for some poor catching and a “horrible” slip cordon. “You never know what you are going to get from Kamran Akmal, some days he has got bricks in his gloves. So that makes it very hard for the bowlers, when sometimes you have to get the guy out three times,” Chappell said.Donald rated Dale Steyn as the best fast bowler in the world, though Chappell had his doubts. “There was a classic example when Phil Hughes got his hundred in Durban. Steyn did not go after him, after Hughes at all until he got the hundred. I was starting to wonder when you had a handicap in Test cricket where they let you get a hundred before they get after you. So that’s my query with Steyn. When he is good, he is very good; but he is a little bit moody.”The uncertainty with Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh’s lack of form in the recent past meant India were among the bottom-placed teams while Sri Lanka had much to thank Lasith Malinga for. “These are the sides that will struggle bowling people out,” Donald said.

Former Newcastle United striker Andy Cole has called for his former employers to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski this month as Eddie Howe’s side look to steer clear of any relegation threat as soon as possible.

What’s the story?

Speaking to Premier League Productions, as relayed by Chronicle Live, Cole suggested that the Tyneside club would be a good fit for the 29-year-old and backed the defender to make the move to the northeast.

He claimed: “In his (Tarkowski) case, if the Newcastle deal comes up, then why not?

“Financially, they are in a better position than Burnley. If they stay up, he knows they are going to buy better players come next season.

“So, for him, it’s not really a gamble because Burnley are in the exact same position. Looking at Burnley’s form, they look like they are going to go down.

“Newcastle or Burnley? I am looking at it and saying ‘go for it’.”

The centre-back has been linked with a move to St James’ Park before, with Burnley’s chairman Alan Pace telling The Express last month: “We [Burnley] will support him any way that he would like, whether he wants to stay or go. I don’t know about the other side.”

The £19.8m-rated defender is now into the final six months of his contract and is yet to sign an extension at Turf Moor, further suggesting that the Englishman will move on in the near future after six years in Lancashire.

Newcastle should swoop for Tarkowski

It is no secret that Newcastle will need defensive reinforcements this month, with the Magpies conceding a joint-Premier League high of 42 goals in 19 games.

Although Tarkowski’s current employers are in the same relegation battle as Newcastle, the 29-year-old would be a decent addition for Howe’s side.

He is a colossus in the air, winning 4.9 headers per game – a far higher average than the Magpies’ leader in this regard, Jamaal Lascelles with 3.5. Also, the Burnley defender’s 5.1 clearances per game would theoretically put him second in Howe’s squad.

The defender has been a kingpin for Sean Dyche since the Clarets returned to the Premier League in 2016, making 175 appearances in the top flight over the course of the last five-and-a-half seasons. You would think that such experience would certainly help the Magpies in their quest for survival.

Moreover, the Tyneside club currently have four senior centre-backs and could do with greater depth in that area, as well as extra quality and experience with Howe’s team still very much in a relegation battle. That is something Tarkowski has plenty of experience in overcoming during his time at Turf Moor.

In other news, Luke Edwards delivers NUFC transfer claim which will leave fans elated

Wolves and Bruno Lage have made no secret of their intentions to make the most of the upcoming transfer window, with a number of key positions being monitored. With the window opening in less than 24 hours, it has been revealed what the manager’s priority will be.

What’s the word?

According to Give Me Sport, Luke Hatfield has claimed that targeting a defender will be the main priority for the Portuguese manager in January, stating: “I think it’s the position that Wolves are most keen on addressing.”

Wolves were dealt a blow to their defensive line when Yerson Mosquera sustained a hamstring injury in September, with the 20-year-old likely to be out for up to five months as a result, and there has not been further confirmation of a proposed return date.

Another defender who will be out of action at the Molineux in the coming weeks ahead is Romain Saiss, who has been selected to represent Morocco in the African Cup of Nations, which starts in just over a week’s time.

Therefore, it is no wonder Hatfield is predicting that Lage views adding a defender a high priority for his squad. Nikola Milenkovic was heavily linked with a move to Wolves back in November, when reports claimed that the defender remained an active target for the club.

For a different kind of entertainment, you can check out oneidabingoandcasino.net, whilst enjoying the Wolves transfer links and the Premier League season,

Fans will be buzzing

The Serbia international stands at a colossal 6 ft 5, which has given him the opportunity to become one of the top ten players when it comes to winning aerial duels in the Serie A, with 63 won this season so far, as per One Versus One.

According to WhoScored, the defender also has an impressive 90.5% pass success rate overall for Fiorentina this season and has scored two goals so far across all competitions. That is two more than Wolves winger Adama Traore has managed in 19 appearances playing in attack.

Signing a defender like Milenkovic for the squad is something about which many Wolves fans have been vocal, and they would surely be buzzing if the club could prioritise adding a quality defensive player in order to cover the inconsistencies of availability in that part of the pitch.

In other news: This Wolves star has been hailed as the Premier League’s signing of the season so far

Image from: unsplash.com

Round-up of the second day of the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy Plate League

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2010Group BA century from AG Pradeep kept Andhra’s hopes of a berth in the knockout phase alive, as they declared at 447 for 8 against Kerala at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur. With Maharashtra and Services playing each other in the last round of games, a win would guarantee Andhra a semi-final spot, while three points would be enough so long as Services don’t pick up points against Maharashtra. Andhra started the second day at 215 for 6, but Pradeep’s 132 and seamer Duvvarapu Shivkumar’s 93 took them to a strong first innings total. The pair added 217 for the seventh wicket. Andhra reduced Kerala to 42 for 1 by stumps.Maharashtra hold the edge in their top-of-the-table clash, after a century by seamer Shrikhant Mundhe gave them a first innings total of 386. But Services’ bastsmen made a strong comeback, reaching 109 for 1 at the Harbax Singh Stadium in Delhi. After helping rescue Maharashtra’s innings with a 125-run seventh wicket stand with centurion Rohit Motwani on the first day, Mundhe pushed on on the second and made sure Maharashtra reached a strong position. Opener Pratik Desai then led Services’ reply with an unbeaten 53.Jammu & Kashmir look destined to stay at the bottom after collapsing to 151 for 9 against Vidarbha at the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. Seamer Amol Jungade did the early damage for Vidarbha, taking 3 for 35. The hosts were a further 280 behind, after Vidarbha made their highest total since their first match of the season. Having built a solid base on the first day, Vidarbha’s lower order produced useful runs on the second, with legspinner Azhar Sheikh scoring 69 and Shalabh Shrivastava getting 91, to take them to 431.Group AGoa’s outside chance of staking a claim for a semi-final berth was fading away as they needed another 113 to make Tripura bat again, with six wickets in hand, in Porvorim. Tripura, who are bottom of the table with no points, managed to cross 300 for the first time in the season, getting to 353, before reducing Goa to 128 for 4. Nishit Shetty became the season’s first centurion for Tripura, while wicketkeeper Rajib Datta made 76. Tripura seamer Timir Chanda, who took four wickets in Goa’s first innings when they were bowled out for 112, took 3 for 43 on the second day. Nothing short of a win will suffice for Goa as they are four points behind the top two teams.Even a win for Goa may not make a difference to the standings, as the two top sides in Group A are in relatively strong positions in their matches. Madhya Pradesh put themselves in control against Hyderabad at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad, getting to 354 for 2 on the second day after the first was washed out. Monish Mishra’s unbeaten 206 took him to second in the season’s run charts with 453 at an average of 113. Mishra hit 25 fours and four sixes in his double-century as Hyderabad tried seven different bowlers on Thursday.Former India opener Aakash Chopra helped Rajasthan build a solid base against Jharkhand at the Field Club Ground in Udaipur. Chopra was unbeaten on 88 at the end of the second day, with Rajasthan 186 for 3 in response to the visitors’ 303. Jharkhand were able to add 49 runs to their overnight total, before seamer Pankaj Singh dismissed Ishank Jaggi for 131 and his new-ball partner Deepak Chahar took the last two wickets to finish with 4 for 86.