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The allrounder followed figures of 4 for 33 – his best since 2012 – with an unbeaten 39 off 26 balls to give Sri Lanka their first points in the tri-series

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAssociated PressThisara Perera blasted out Zimbabwe’s top order, Nuwan Pradeep cleaned up the tail, and Dinesh Chandimal shepherded home a stilted chase, with five wickets and 31 balls to spare. This first victory of 2018 was that very rare Sri Lanka phenomenon – an occasion in which the team’s supposed senior players played in a manner befitting their station. Their efforts mean all three sides stay alive in the tournament, with two matches to play before the final.For Zimbabwe, Brendan Taylor stitched together a measured 58 and seam bowler Blessing Muzarabani shot out three top-order batsmen in the middle overs, but these were lone performances. The next-highest score in Zimbabwe’s innings was Graeme Cremer’s 34, while lower-order wickets were falling around him. The game’s tone, in effect, was set down in the first 17 overs, inside of which Zimbabwe slipped to 73 for 4.It was Thisara who was responsible for those early dismissals. Now clearly in the midst of one of his hot streaks, he has rediscovered the bowling weapon that was responsible for his early success: the short ball. With it, he had Hamilton Masakadza miscuing a pull to midwicket, Solomin Mire top-edging a hook to the keeper, and later, Taylor himself caught at fine leg thanks to another mis-hit hook. Only the dismissal of Craig Ervine – caught at slip – was the result of a fuller delivery. Thisara’s figures of 4 for 33 were his best since 2012. So often a confidence player, Thisara’s batting was also important to the victory. He hit 39 not out off 26 balls, and sealed the game with a thumping six into the empty stands beyond deep midwicket.Though no other bowlers were as penetrative as Thisara, the Sri Lanka attack, nevertheless did hunt together to produce a performance of rare quality. That Zimbabwe were bowled out in 44 overs was down to the attack’s discipline, almost all the way through the innings. The new-ball operators largely kept to good lines. The spinners were swept efficiently again, but thanks to Thisara’s early wickets, were not overwhelmed by the match situation. In fact, Lakshan Sandakan and Akila Dananjaya were proficient in tandem – the latter focusing on containment, while the former went hunting for wickets. Pradeep’s finishing blows came quickly and suddenly, the opposition slipping from 191 for 7 to 198 all out, as reverse-swinging deliveries sped through lower-order defences.Taylor’s had been a rebuilding innings, and the match situation never really allowed him to break into a high gear. All but seven of his runs came on the legside, with Sri Lanka’s bowlers often targeting the stumps. He appeared comfortable at the crease, especially during a 66-run association with Malcolm Waller, but perhaps he was hampered by a stiff back. Taylor had treatment during his innings, but did not take the field, handing over wicketkeeping duties to sub-fielder Ryan Murray.There was hope for Zimbabwe when Upul Tharanga played on to a Tendai Chatara delivery in the 10th over, but Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera strung together a 70-run stand. And despite three quick wickets later on, Sri Lanka seemed to have the measure of the chase. Kusal Perera was the busier player, finding regular singles square of the wicket, and venturing the game’s first six in the 11th over, over long off. Mendis showed glimpses of form, without ever really announcing a return to it. With just under 100 runs to get, Muzarabani had them both dismissed in quick succession to spark a minor stutter. Sri Lanka would go 52 balls without a boundary, but so long as Chandimal was at the crease, there was no cause for panic. He inched Sri Lanka close, before Thisara’s blows lurched the side to the target.Zimbabwe will regard the match as a missed opportunity, for a total of 250 might have been enough to crack this brittle Sri Lanka batting line-up. They would have progressed to the final had they won, but now, not even victory against Bangladesh – the form team of the tournament so far – will see them claim a place in the final for certain. Where on Wednesday, the contributions of Zimbabwe’s spinners were vital to taking Sri Lanka down, neither Sikandar Raza nor Cremer could make a breakthrough in this match.

Everton are in danger. The club has suffered defeats in its first two games of the Premier League season and looks destined for another year perilously resisting relegation.

Sean Dyche’s dismal frontline is in major need of an overhaul as the Toffees must improve on their 35 top-flight goals last campaign, which was the second-lowest in the division.

However, Goodison Park still remains an attractive and viable destination for many footballers, with a wantaway Championship winger desperate to move to Merseyside…

What’s the latest Everton transfer news?

Back on the 10th of August, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano revealed that Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto has wanted to move to Everton since July, and it was his ‘priority.’

The player reportedly already has an agreement on personal terms on a five-year deal.

Since then, the situation has rapidly escalated, with Sky Sports revealing that Gnonto has handed in a transfer request after failing to force a move.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

The Italian is extremely unhappy after Leeds rejected four offers – the latest on Friday was worth more than £25m – and ended talks with Everton.

As a result, Gnonto has made himself unavailable for the club’s last three fixtures.

However, Leeds have released a statement, saying:

“Willy Gnonto and his representatives were informed by the club that he would not be sold this summer.

"This is now an internal disciplinary matter and the club will make no further comment, other than to reiterate that Willy is not for sale."

Would Wilfried Gnonto be a good signing for Everton?

An injection of pace, trickery, directness, and dynamism are traits that Gnonto possesses and are exactly what Everton requires if the club is to reverse its abysmal form.

Last season, in just 14 Premier League starts the 5 foot 7 livewire recorded six goal contributions.

After a defeat against Aston Villa in January, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville singled out the 19-year-old for high praise and said:

“I've seen a special young talent. Honestly, sometimes you see potential and talent and you are excited but I watched him so closely, and his understanding of where to be, his choice of pass, his choice of when to run with it, his awareness of his teammates, really, really good.”

His natural ability on the ball is reflected by his rank within the top 17% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries per 90.

If Everton manages to progress from this saga with Gnonto, he could provide some crucial attacking depth and some much-needed competition to Dwight McNeil.

The Englishman has opened the start of the current campaign after suffering ankle ligament damage in a friendly against Stoke City and his presence has been sorely missed.

Last season, the former Burnley dynamo was the club’s top scorer in domestic football with seven goals, and was also a chief creator, averaging the most dribbles per game (1.5), and the second-most key passes per game (1.4) in the squad.

Dyche has previously lauded McNeil as “outstanding” and with Gnonto as another possible asset on the left-hand side, the Toffees would possess a threatening pair of attackers.

Jamaica captain Nikita Miller took a 13-wicket match haul and put on a ninth-wicket partnership of 141 runs with Fabian Allen as Jamaica wrapped up their second win in five matches

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2017Jamaica captain Nikita Miller’s 13-wicket match haul and ninth-wicket partnership of 141 runs with Fabian Allen consigned Windward Islands to a 10-wicket defeat at Sabina Park.Chasing 35, openers Trevon Griffith and Campbell wrapped up Jamaica’s second victory in five games, after Miller’s 8 for 54 rolled Windward over for 186 in the second innings. Only two batsmen – Devon Smith and Roland – got into the 40s.Smith had also top-scored in Windward’s first innings, with an unbeaten 116 after they elected to bat. However, Jamaica’s bowlers – led by Miller’s 5 for 60 – chipped away at the wickets. Such was the dearth of support for Smith that the next best score was Taryck Gabriel’s 23, while only two other batsmen made double-digit scores. While Miller ripped through the middle and lower order, John Campell opened the gates by accounting for captain Tyron Theophile and Cato, which sent Windward packing for 200.Griffith (37) and Campbell (71) started off strongly, putting on 96 for the first wicket in Jamaica’s response. But after Audley Alexander broke through, offspinner Shane Shillingford nipped out five Jamaica batsmen to reduce the hosts to 209 for 8. But Miller dug deep to raise his tenth first-class fifty that complemented Allen’s unbeaten 105 and stitched together 141 for the ninth wicket with Allen that took Jamaica to 350. Shillingford wrapped up the innings by dismissing Miller (52) and Reynard Leveridge to finish with 7 for 44. But the partnership had ensured Jamaica finished with a substantial first-innings lead of 152.

After reportedly reaching an agreement to sign Chelsea left-back Lewis Hall, Newcastle United have seemingly already turned their attention to another late reinforcement.

Eddie Howe's side impressed on the opening day of the Premier League season, thrashing Aston Villa 5-1 in emphatic fashion. Now, the Magpies could be about to get even better.

What's the latest on Jesper Lindstrom to Newcastle United?

Having flexed their muscles to hit five past Villa on the opening day, the Magpies are now showing "strong interest" in signing Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Jesper Lindstrom before the summer transfer window slams shut, according to Ekstra Bladet, via Sport Witness.

The reports also revealed that the Bundesliga side are now ready to sell the midfielder for €34-35m (roughly £30m), but will not wait around until the end of the window as they need to get a replacement sorted.

With that said, Newcastle will need to act fast if they are to secure Lindstrom's signature in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, they may also have to fend off interest from Juventus, who are also reportedly chasing the Dane.

The disadvantage that the Serie A side have is that they must first sell before they can consider buying the midfielder this summer, leaving Newcastle in the driving seat.

Is Jesper Lindstrom good enough for Newcastle?

After Newcastle qualified for the Champions League last season, adding depth in order to compete on all fronts in the current campaign is no bad thing.

Already, Howe has welcomed Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento, Harvey Barnes, and is reportedly set to welcome Chelsea's Lewis Hall after Newcastle agreed a deal for the left-back.

If Lindstrom is to be the next through the door, too, he would represent another piece of solid business by the Magpies.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

The Denmark international has earned plenty of praise throughout his career, and rightfully so, with Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp saying, via the Bundesliga website: "Jesper is very young and came from a different league.

"The Bundesliga is a tougher league than the Danish league, you have to get used to it. It’s normal, and everyone in the club and the team knows that. Jesper has already made significant steps forward… you can see that he's an outstanding footballer and has very good technique."

Meanwhile, former Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner previously said: "You can see that he has found his feet in the Bundesliga. He has more confidence now because he's performing well."

The statistics only back that up, too. Compared to Joelinton for example, as per FBref, £19k-p/w Lindstrom made more progressive carries per 90 last term and was involved in more goals, highlighting the different style of option that Newcastle could have at their disposal.

Whilst Joelinton makes more progressive passes per 90, Lindstrom's more direct approach would only benefit the Magpies, especially when breaking down low blocks.

Everything is pointing towards a solid option, giving Newcastle and Howe plenty to think about in the coming weeks. If they can secure the signature of Lindstrom, then it seems as though they'll have yet another player capable of performing on the big stage, as they look to qualify for the Champions League once again this season.

Virat Kohli will go to South Africa without having lost a Test series as a captain after India took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series with their joint-biggest Test win and Sri Lanka’s biggest defeat

The Report by Sidharth Monga27-Nov-20171:11

R Ashwin’s milestone timeline

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Virat Kohli will go to South Africa without having lost a Test series as a captain after India took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series with their joint-biggest Test win and Sri Lanka’s biggest defeat. As Kohli crept closer to most Test wins for India, his No. 1 matchwinner so far, R Ashwin, became the fastest man to 300 Test wickets.It is not easy to keep turning up after you have wasted all the good fortune in one Test and then lost the second Test on the first day itself. Sri Lanka’s downward slide continued into the first session of the fourth day as they gift-wrapped two wickets to India, who now need two more to take an unassailable lead in the series.Beginning the day 384 behind and needing to bat about five sessions to save the Test, Sri Lanka were expected to go down, but the point of interest was whether they would make India – already resting players and playing on pitches that reduce home advantage in order to prepare for South Africa – work hard for their wickets. Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews answered in the negative.Before that, though, Dimuth Karunaratne encountered some tough luck with a freak short leg catch from M Vijay sending him back in the seventh over of the day. Having survived 61 balls, Thirimanne then scooped a wide half-volley straight to point. Mathews soon lobbed Ravindra Jadeja straight to mid-off to end his 32-ball innings. With no hope left, Dasun Shanaka threw his bat at everything, connecting well enough for a four and two sixes, but not well enough when he skied one to end his eight-ball 17. Once given a whiff, R Ashwin was too good for Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath, whom he sent back for ducks in the space of three balls.Probably expecting more of the same capitulation, the first session was extended by 15 minutes to see if India could wrap the game up before lunch but Sri Lanka just about hung in to force a second session. Some of the capitulation was down to accurate and skillful bowling on a deteriorating surface, but India will be the first ones to say they have worked harder for wickets. The good bowling was evident in how Niroshan Dickwella was forced by Ishant Sharma to play at a length ball outside off in a spell that he extracted each-way reverse swing, playing with the scrambled minds of the batsmen.Sri Lanka went into the break trailing by 260 runs. There was three-fold uncertainty at the start of the final session with two wickets standing. Would Ashwin get the one wicket he needed to reach 300? Would Sri Lanka score the 22 required to deny India their biggest Test win and the 32 required to avoid their biggest defeat? After having scored 61, and having put together 58 for the ninth wicket, Dinesh Chandimal picked out long leg perfectly when he flicked a leg-stump half-volley from Umesh Yadav. India’s lead now was 240. Only one run was added to the total when an Ashwin carrom ball kissed Lahiru Gamage’s off stump.

New Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil will be aiming to delve into the transfer market in order to bolster his squad before it shuts in just under three weeks.

The Old Gold have seen more players depart the club than have arrived, with ten players, including Ruben Neves, Diego Costa and Nathan Collins moving on from Wolves, leaving them lacking in any real strength in depth.

All areas of the pitch needed vastly improved, although the frontline is arguably the key area which needs to be prioritised in the next few weeks.

Will Wolves sign a striker?

During the Premier League last season, the Molineux outfit netted just 31 goals across 38 games and this was the lowest total out of the whole division, signifying their need for a striker or two this summer.

Costa, who arrived on a free transfer in September last year, was a major disappointment. The former Chelsea hitman scored just once across all competitions.

With the 34-year-old leaving after less than a year in the Midlands, O’Neil will now be looking for a striker who could replace him and Wolves have shown interest in West Ham United forward Michail Antonio of late

Could Wolves sign Michail Antonio?

According to TEAMtalk, the Old Gold are keen on luring Antonio to the club in a bid to strengthen their attacking options.

The 33-year-old was also linked with Wolves during the January transfer window, yet no move materialised, but it appears they are back in for him during the dying embers of this transfer window.

The £69k-per-week Jamaica international enjoyed a decent season for West Ham during 2022/23, scoring a total of 14 goals across all competitions while he even helped the Hammers win the Europa Conference League last term, their first trophy in over 40 years.

His experience in the Premier League will be a big plus for O’Neil as Antonio has 61 goals during his senior career in the top flight and he could be the reliable goal scorer that they have craved over the previous two seasons.

He doesn’t just offer a solid threat in front of goal either as the forward ranks in the top 14% for progressive carries per 90 (2.49) when being compared to positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues while ranking in the top 20% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.32).

This suggests he isn’t fazed when taking on opposition defenders and he tends to carry the ball deep in the final third, which could allow him to create chances for others.

Teammate Thilo Kehrer lauded him towards the end of last season, saying: “Michail [Antonio] is working like crazy up front at the moment!

“He is scoring goals as well, so we are really happy that we have him. Mich is a great teammate. A great personality and positive energy. We all have a lot of jokes and laughs with him. He makes everyone have a good time and he is also a hard worker too.”

Not only can he score goals, but Antonio is also a player who will give everything in the pursuit of success and O’Neil could do worse than luring him to the Midlands in place of Costa.

Afghanistan’s coronation as kings of the Associates’ four-day competition will have to wait another day as UAE captain Rohan Mustafa and Chirag Suri strung together a record partnership and push their Intercontinental Cup match into the final day

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi01-Dec-2017Peter Della PennaAfghanistan’s coronation as kings of the Associates’ four-day competition will have to wait another day as UAE captain Rohan Mustafa and Chirag Suri rallied to string together a record partnership and push their Intercontinental Cup match into the final day.Afghanistan had seemed like they would canter to victory after taking the five remaining wickets in UAE’s first innings within the morning session. Having secured a 313-run first-innings lead, Asghar Stanikzai enforced the follow-on, before Mustafa and Suri began UAE’s resistance. They put on 146 – UAE’s highest opening-wicket stand in the Intercontinental Cup – each batsman raising his respective maiden first-class fifty.Zahir Khan had been the star of the morning session. He dismissed three batsmen, including Amjad Javed and Mohammad Naveed at the end of the 58th to leave UAE nine down. However, he was denied a chance at a hat-trick when he injured himself diving to stop a boundary in the following over, and didn’t return until the second innings. Rahmat Shah replaced Zahir in the attack and claimed the final wicket with around half an hour to go before lunch. Shaiman Anwar, unbeaten on 29 overnight, added another 56 but ran out of partners. He was left stranded on 85 not out.Suri and Mustafa safely batted out six overs before lunch, and sustained their obstinance through the afternoon session. By tea, UAE were 94 for no loss, with Mustafa two short of a half-century. He raised it in chaotic fashion early in the final session, with a scampered single that nearly had Suri runout.While Mustafa grinded his way to the landmark, Suri was slightly more fluent, striking a series of boundaries that included elegant straight drives. The fifty came off 96 balls, with a steer through backward point off Rashid Khan, who went wicketless on the day.Suri looked even more assured after passing the landmark. He put behind his short-ball discomfort from a day earlier as he pulled Dawlat Zadran to midwicket, before mixing in a few wristy flicks through the same region off Dawlat and Yamin Ahmadzai.UAE’s refusal to buckle left Afghanistan visibly frustrated. Umpire Ahsan Raza had to intervene at one point in the afternoon session, when Rashid, having fielded the ball off his own bowling, hurled it back past Suri to the wicketkeeper, triggering a verbal confrontation.UAE eventually cracked when Mustafa heaved Nabi lazily to mid-off halfway into the final session. Zahir returned after nursing his injured left shoulder to nab Suri for 81 five overs later. Replays showed the ball, which pitched on middle stump, struck Suri marginally in line with leg stump and may have spun past it.Play had ended at 5pm local time on the first two days. But the timings were amended for Friday prayers, extending play by a few minutes to accommodate a longer lunch. With the floodlights coming on amid fading light, pace spearhead Dawlat lifted Afghanistan’s spirits when he lured Shaiman Anwar into a false drive to cover, 10 balls before the players were taken off for bad light.Having secured six points for a first-innings lead, Afghanistan only need three more points from a draw to become the Intercontinental Cup champions. But with UAE still 112 runs behind and the spine of their batting dismissed, an Afghanistan win appears to be a matter of when, not if.

In the newest chapter of a sorry saga for the fast bowler, a return to bowling has re-aggravated his previous back stress fracture, a matter of months after he was ruled out of the tours of Bangladesh and India

Daniel Brettig04-Oct-20170:34

Quick Facts – James Pattinson

James Pattinson, touted as the fourth member of Australia’s Ashes pace barrage, is out of the 2017-18 Ashes series and faces a clouded future after medical staff confirmed the seriousness of his latest back injury.In the newest chapter of a sorry saga for Pattinson, a return to bowling has re-aggravated his previous back stress fracture, a matter of months after he was ruled out of the tours of Bangladesh and India due to pain he complained of following appearances in the English county season and then the Champions Trophy.”Soon after returning from the UK, following the Champions Trophy and his county cricket contract, James presented with back pain,” Cricket Australias head of sports science, Alex Kountouris, said. “We made the decision to withdraw him from the Tour of Bangladesh and monitor his pain. He returned to bowling after a period of rest and unfortunately he is still experiencing pain with bowling.”During this time we have been monitoring him, including regular scans and recent imaging has confirmed that James has begun to re-aggravate his previous lower back stress fracture. As such, he has discontinued bowling as part of his recovery which unfortunately means that he will be unavailable for the beginning of the Sheffield Shield and subsequently Ashes campaign.”At the age of 27, Pattinson has endured multiple stress fractures in his back, which Kountouris said was causing a flow-on effect, in that one part of his spine faces more stress than it would in other cases. This diagnosis leaves Pattinson and medical staff with a difficult road ahead to chart a path back to a more sustainable bowling career.ESPNcricinfo LtdEarlier this year, Pattinson revealed he had asked not to be considered for selection for the India Test tour in order not to be rushed back from injury. “I had a chat with the selectors before this series, saying that I just wanted to really get through this Shield season,” Pattinson said in March.”I know the last two times I’ve done something like this, flown over to a series where it’s in the balance and there’s the potential of me bowling close to 40, 50 overs, which I have – in South Africa in 2014 I did it, and then last year I did the same thing in New Zealand, going in with not a lot of cricket, and it hasn’t really turned out very well for me. We didn’t want to make that same mistake again, because at 26, if I went over there and did my back again or something, it would be not an ideal thing for the third time.”Much of CA’s approach to fast bowlers is based upon the theory that pace bowlers’ bodies don’t fully mature until around the age of 25, making it vital that they do not develop chronic injuries while still growing. That theory has been governed largely by case studies such as that of Bruce Reid, the left-arm paceman who took on a heavy load for Australia at a young age before losing most of his prime years due to chronic back problems.”Whilst this is very disappointing that James has re-aggravated this old injury, we are confident that he can recover from this and return to playing,” Kountouris said. “However, James’ current injury is complex because his history of old stress fractures from his teenage years means there is one part of his spine that absorbs more force than it would normally do.”This is the area of the current re-aggravation but we are hopeful that we can put strategies in place to help manage this when James returns to playing.”Pattinson, who has previously spoken about the mental toll of long months rehabilitating alone, away from the camaraderie of a cricket dressing room, was distraught at the news. “Obviously I am extremely disappointed with this setback after just getting back into a good run of playing cricket,” he said.”I’m especially disappointed to miss out on the possibility to play in a home Ashes series. Over the next few weeks I will discuss all available options available to me with medical staff, to work out the best plan to prevent this from happening again.”Pat Cummins is presently the only member of the aforementioned quartet to be fully fit, and is currently resting after the ODI series in India. Mitchell Starc is due to return from a foot injury for New South Wales in their next domestic limited-overs fixture, while Josh Hazlewood is in the latter stages of recovery from a side strain. Nathan Coulter-Nile, who bowled impressively in India, is now expected to be a part of Australia’s Ashes squad in Pattinson’s stead.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be among a raft of Premier League clubs who are interested in signing Leeds United star, Tyler Adams, with manager Ange Postecoglou seemingly keen to strengthen his midfield ranks before the end of the window.

How much would Tyler Adams cost?

According to 90min, the Lilywhites are one of the top-flight sides who are 'keeping tabs' on the 24-year-old's current situation at Elland Road, with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion also showing an interest in the American maestro.

As per the report, Tottenham's London rivals, Chelsea, are perhaps attempting to steal a march on those other suitors having made 'contact' regarding a potential summer deal, with Leeds having seemingly accepted that the former RB Leipzig man will depart following the club's drop into the Championship.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

The piece adds that the New York native – who made the move to Yorkshire on a £15m deal last summer – is set to be available for just £25m this time around due to the presence of a release clause in his existing contract.

How good is Tyler Adams?

That apparent interest in the 5 foot 9 ace has come amid reports that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is set to be allowed to depart before the end of the window, with the Denmark international looking likely to seal a move to La Liga side Atletico Madrid over the coming weeks.

Prior reports had indicated earlier on in the summer that the north Londoners were open to offers for the 27-year-old, with Postecoglou seemingly keen to take his midfield in a different direction despite Hojbjerg having been a crucial figure under the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

Having missed just five Premier League games over the last three seasons, the former Southampton man has evidently been a key cog in the centre of the park of late, albeit with there a chance for Daniel Levy to land a potential upgrade with the signing of Adams.

Even despite missing a fair chunk of last term through injury, the United States international still ranked fourth in the division for tackles made (89) as a sign of his defensive dominance in front of the back four, with Hojbjerg, meanwhile, placing 62nd after making just 56 tackles in total.

That difference in quality can also be seen by the fact that Adams averaged a remarkable 5.2 tackles and interceptions per game from his 24 league outings, while the current Tottenham man averaged just three tackles and interceptions per game from his 35 top-flight appearances.

Unsurprisingly lauded as "aggressive" and a "tackling machine" by pundit Kevin Campbell, the £55k-per-week asset also won 57% of his total duels as a further sign of that ball-winning prowess, with that again ahead of what Hojbjerg achieved in 2022/23 (53%).

That would suggest that if Postecoglou is looking for a figure who can protect the backline and provide an effective, defensive screen then Adams could well be the man for the job, with the American likely to allow Spurs' attacking talents the freedom to shine higher up the pitch.

Although at present it does appear that a move to Stamford Bridge looks more likely for the 36-cap ace, if Levy were to produce a late hijack it could be a particularly astute piece of business.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to make a long-term contract offer to Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba after sealing a deal for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven.

Who will Spurs sign?

Ange Postecoglou, as reported by reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, are closing in on the signings of both van de Ven and Rosario Central striker Alejo Veliz.

The former, who will sign from Wolfsburg for around €50 million (£43m) including add-ons, is travelling to London on Saturday ahead of a medical with Spurs as chairman Daniel Levy finally captures a centre-back.

Meanwhile, Romano has also given his famous "here we go" to a Tottenham deal for Veliz, with the highly-rated South American striker coming in as a potential star for the future.

There are suggestions that this could well be a busy final month of the window for Spurs with some reports even claiming they could sign two senior centre-backs before September 1 – not including Blackburn starlet Ashley Phillips – whose arrival has just been announced by Tottenham.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

Postecoglou, after his new side conceded 63 league goals last season, has admitted to the media that signing a new defender or two is one of their summer agendas.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said the Spurs head coach when asked about centre-backs.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

After van de Ven, it appears Spurs are indeed aiming for at least one more option in that area. Indeed, Football Insider saying they're still in the hunt for Tapsoba, with a "long-term contract" currently in the offing.

The Burkina Faso international, who played more Bundesliga minutes than any other Leverkusen outfielder last season, is at the centre of interest from Spurs.

They will apparently turn attention to prising him away from Germany following van de Ven and are set to offer him a long-term contract in a bid to tempt him towards Tottenham.

This comes as Postecoglou aims to sign two centre-backs before deadline day, with Spurs pushing to complete a number of deals, according to the outlet.

How good is Edmond Tapsoba?

An untouchable member of Xabi Alonso's starting eleven last campaign, Tapsoba has been praised for his composure on the ball and even likened to former Bayern Munich star defender Jerome Boateng.

The Bundesliga website wrote:

"The legendary Bayern Munich defender, who made 364 appearances across 11 seasons for the Bavarian giants, was as cool and calm as it gets both on the ball and in the tackle while he was also famed for his pinpoint long passing that set up many an attack for the record champions.

"Tapsoba has similar traits and such is his eagerness to start forward thrusts, he has often been referred to as a defensive playmaker."