Batter will not play Championship cricket for another county in 2023 season

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2022

Gary Ballance, the former England batter, has been released from his contract with Yorkshire, after requesting the chance for a fresh start to his career following the damaging revelations that emerged during the club’s racism scandal last year.Ballance, the former club captain, played 23 Tests, as well as 16 ODIs, between 2014 and 2017, scoring four centuries at an average of 37.45 that compared favourably with many of England’s other middle-order selections in that period.However, he was heavily implicated in Azeem Rafiq’s explosive testimony during the DCMS parliamentary hearings in Westminster last November, after his use of the racial slur “P**i” had been deemed to be “banter” in the initial report into allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire.Ballance, who was born in Zimbabwe but was educated in England, claimed in mitigation that the word had been used in the context of a friendly relationship between the two players, with Rafiq referring to him as “Zimbo” in return. However, earlier this year, he met Rafiq in person to apologise.He has not played for Yorkshire since the end of the 2021 season, having taken a lengthy break from cricket to manage his mental health, during which time he has been supported by the club. However, with his contract due to run until the end of the 2024 season, he has agreed he will not play for another County Championship team in the 2023 season. A return to playing in Zimbabwe – and potentially putting himself forward for international selection – is his likely next step.He is one of seven Yorkshire players and staff to be charged by the Cricket Discipline Commission in relation to the racism case, although the hearing has been postponed to the new year following a series of appeals.Related

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“It has been a privilege to play for this great club,” Ballance said. “On a personal level, I have gone through a challenging period – and after much discussion I decided, together with my family, that it would be right to make a change. I asked the club if it was willing to release me from my contract, and I am grateful for its understanding as we have reached agreement.”The support Yorkshire has given me off the pitch over the past year has been fantastic and I am appreciative of the club’s help, but I hope that my decision will mean that my career can have a fresh start.”Darren Gough, managing director of Yorkshire cricket, said: “We are sad to see Gary go, but he leaves with our best wishes. He has been a mainstay of our side for many years, and a superb batsman. As a club, we recognise that the last 18 months have been difficult for Gary, for numerous reasons, and the most important thing for him is to get better and play again. He felt he could not do this at Headingley, and we agreed to his request reluctantly but knowing that it was the right decision for him personally.”

Half-centuries from Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli trumped fifties from Cameron Green and Tim David as India chased down 187 and clinched the series 2-1 in front of a sell-out crowd in Hyderabad.Suryakumar got together with Kohli after Daniel Sams and Pat Cummins had bounced out KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma respectively. Whenever the bowlers hit the Hyderabad pitch hard, the ball either kicked up or stopped on the batters. Case in point: the first ball to Suryakumar, from Cummins, reared up from a back of a length and zipped away past his outside edge.Suryakumar, however, rose above the conditions and Australia’s attack, proving a potent point of difference in India’s line-up. He struck up a 104-run partnership off 62 balls with Kohli and disrupted the bowlers by manufacturing swinging room or jumping out of the crease.After Suryakumar ultimately fell for 69 off 36 balls, with India 53 away from victory, Australia staged a mini-fightback and dragged the game down to the last over in which the hosts needed 11.Kohli shovelled the first ball from Sams over long-on and holed out next ball for 63 off 48 balls. Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya, though, got the job done for India with one ball to spare.8:05

Rohit: ‘We still need to be more aggressive and clinical’

Green’s opening salvo
With the new ball sliding onto the bat, Green immediately teed off in the powerplay, muscling his way to a 19-ball fifty in the fifth over. Much like Suryakumar, Green often backed away outside leg and lustily swung at the ball. Only David Warner and Glenn Maxwell have hit faster fifties for Australia in T20Is.Green was responsible for 52 off the 66 runs Australia had scored in the powerplay. He once again unfurled his range against spin when he cracked Axar Patel for three successive fours in the fourth over, with the pick of those being a hard, flat sweep to the midwicket boundary.Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had conceded 12 runs in his first over, however, returned to the attack in the next over and hid one away from his reach to have Green caught at backward point for 52 off 21 balls. Axar steps up once again
After being picked apart by Green, Axar got his arm ball fizzing against Maxwell and varied his pace well to make it even more effective. He had already dismissed Aaron Finch for 7 and claimed 1 for 31 in his three overs in the powerplay.Axar then returned to the attack with a double-wicket 14th over. He had Josh Inglis lobbing a catch to backward point and drew a return catch from Matthew Wade. Axar went over the wicket to the left-handed Wade, got a shortish ball into the pitch and had him spooning a punch back to him. Axar ended the series with figures of 8 for 63 in ten overs at an economy rate of 6.30. No other bowler got more than three wickets in the series.2:36

Has Tim David cemented his place in the Australia XI?

David’s end-overs bash
That Australia reached 186 for 7 from 117 for 6 was largely down to David’s big-hitting. In his first international series for Australia, David showed why he is in demand in franchise T20 leagues. Despite India posting fielders at both long-on and long-off for the most part, David took 27 of his 54 runs down the ground with Kieron Pollard-esque blows. When Bhuvneshwar marginally missed his yorker, David took him for 6, 6, 4 in the 18th over. Jasprit Bumrah, too, couldn’t control the damage, finishing with 0 for 50 – the most he has conceded in a T20I.The Suryakumar-Kohli show
India lost both their openers within four overs, but Suryakumar and Kohli quickly changed the mood and tempo of the chase. Both batters were proactive against legspinner Adam Zampa, using their feet and hitting him against the intended turn for sixes.Zampa could’ve cut Kohli’s innings short at 23 had he hung onto a tough return catch. Suryakumar soon overtook Kohli and surged to a 29-ball fifty. He then hit two sixes and a four off his next five balls and threatened to rush India home. Hazlewood and co. though applied the brakes and made India work hard for victory.India managed only one four and a six between overs 16 and 19, but Suryakumar’s early assault ensured the chase was always within their grasp.

MatériaMais Notícias

da pinup bet： Nove gols e quatro assistências em oito jogos – nem todos completos. Foram 30 minutos contra o Corinthians e 45 contra o Juventude. Pedro, do Flamengo, foi o jogador brasileiro de maior destaque no mês de julho. Ganhou até um expectador especial no Maracanã no jogo contra o Athletico-PR: Tite. Hora, então, de analisar seus gols, assistências e seu encaixe no ataque fazendo dupla com Gabigol, ou trio, com a participação de Arrascaeta.

Pedro tem cara de centroavante de área, jeito de centroavante de área e faz a maioria absoluta dos seus gols de dentro da área, mas, nos últimos jogos, vem saindo bastante para ocupar o lado esquerdo de ataque (mapas de calor no vídeo). Pedro flutua pelo lado esquerdo para que Arrascaeta possa centralizar na entrelinha e se aproximar de Everton Ribeiro e Gabigol.

>>>Confira quem seu time ainda quer no mercado da bola

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da poker：
O Flamengo vem jogando muito pelo lado direito, por característica e por modelo. A saída é feita com os zagueiros e Filipe Luis, liberando Rodinei para pisar na linha lateral já em campo ofensivo. Everton Ribeiro, pela meia direita, busca mais a bola para distribuir que João Gomes, que vem jogando na meia esquerda, e o jogo acaba se desenvolvendo pela direita. Com o time sobrecarregando o lado da bola, Pedro balança para o lado oposto. Mas essa compensação que Pedro faz não parece afetar seus números.

Dos nove gols convertidos no mês de julho, quatro foram em cabeceios, todos muito próximos ao gol, com passes ou cruzamentos que vieram do forte lado direito. Os outros cinco gols foram feitos com o seu pé direito, chapando bolas na grande área ou consertando e orientando o corpo na pequena área para finalizar o mais rápido possível.

Pedro chama a atenção tanto pelo bom chute colocado de média distância quanto pela rapidez com que se orienta para finalizar pressionado no meio da defesa adversária. E no 4-4-2 em losango de Dorival, Pedro e Gabigol foram acomodados no ataque com os pés invertidos, facilitando a finalização do passe que bem pelo meio. Gabi chega pela direita batendo com a canhota e Pedro, destro, chega pela esquerda batendo de primeira.

Mas o que faz brilhar o olho – meu e provavelmente do Tite – são as assistências quando sai da área para jogar na entrelinha. No último jogo de julho pelo Brasileirão, contra o Avaí, Pedro acionou Arrascaeta duas vezes enquanto o uruguaio rompia a defesa e atacava a profundidade. Das suas quatro assistências para gol, duas foram assim, contra o Atlético Mineiro e contra o Tolima. Sai da área, recebe, temporiza com a bola, espera o momento certo e dá o passe nas costas da zaga. As outras duas assistências foram de cabeça, raspando a bola na antecipação ou na jogada de primeiro pau para a finalização de quem vem no segundo pau.

Quando chamo o mês de julho de mágico, é porque o normal é regredir em agosto. Pensar que um atacante fará nove gols e quatro assistências todo mês é ter uma expectativa que não vai se confirmar. O que se espera, do Pedro ou de outro jogador com potencial de Seleção, é que mantenha uma boa média e bom desempenho.

da bet7： Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement may have bought himself some time after the excellent victory over Nice in the Europa League in midweek.

da fezbet： He is still under pressure, but if he can somehow turn around the club’s fortunes between now and January, he could be given the window to bring in new players.

His record in the market hasn’t been great, although there have been a few standouts.

Clement’s best Rangers signings

Vaclav Cerny can lay claim to being one of the Belgian’s best signings this season, scoring eight times and chipping in with five assists across 20 games for the Gers.

He may only be on loan, but could the board convince him to join permanently?

Nedim Bajrami is another attacking player who joined in the summer. Costing around £3.4m, the Albanian has made an impressive start to life in Glasgow, adding some class to an attack that was stagnating.

In Europe, the former Sassuolo midfielder has created six big chances, averaged 2.4 key passes and succeeded with 2.6 dribbles per game, indicating how vital he has been in the final third.

Both have been crucial at times this season. In terms of future potential, however, Mohamed Diomande has the ability to star at the very highest level. The onus is now for the Ivorian to produce the goods on a more consistent basis for the Gers.

Mohamed Diomande's stats vs Nice

The midfielder delivered one of his most impressive displays of the season against Nice, just when it mattered most. Not only did he get on the scoresheet, but Diomande also won 50% of his total duels, attempted two dribbles and made two tackles as he shone at the heart of the midfield for the Light Blues.

It was a performance which hasn’t been on show over the previous few months, despite his seemingly limitless potential. Hailed as “aggressive” by analyst John Walker upon his arrival, more displays like this in the future could attract some attention.

He certainly has the required attributes to compete in the Premier League and is even similar to Aston Villa and Scotland star John McGinn, according to FBref, among those in his position across Europe.

The Scot – who, like Diomande, is an attack-minded, left-footed midfielder – has been one of Unai Emery’s key players since the Spaniard took charge in October 2022 and Clement could unearth his very own version of the former Hibernian starlet in Diomande.

Mohamed Diomande’s Rangers stats this season

Metric

Premiership

Europa League

Goals

1

1

Key passes per game

1

0.6

Big chances created

3

1

Tackles per game

1.2

2.2

Total duels won per game

4.5

5.4

Via Sofascore

Indeed, this season, the pair have registered similar statistics across several metrics, such as shots per 90 (1.65 vs 1.86), tackles won (15 vs nine), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.35 vs 2.93) and successful take-on percentage per 90 (53.8% vs 41.2%) in both domestic and European competition this term.

The £4.5 signing from FC Nordsjaelland has demonstrated his qualities in spells since moving to Rangers at the start of the year, with the hope that he can reach similar levels to that of McGinn.

The experienced asset left Hibs for just £2m back in 2018, yet is now deemed to be worth £26m, according to Transfermarkt, and is the fifth-highest scorer in his nation’s history.

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As for Diomande, following the stunning display against Nice, this could be the start of something special, performing at a level which could see the club’s fortunes change in the next couple of months.

Clement has his own McGinn at his fingertips, no doubt about that.

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Glasgow Rangers are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Premier League attacker.

Posts ByDan Emery Nov 28, 2024

England duty has become a family affair for the Bellinghams, with Jude joining teenage brother Jobe at St George’s Park.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Real 'Galactico' forms part of senior ranksBlack Cats playmaker in U21 squadPreparing for action against Albania & FranceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ Jude forms part of the senior Three Lions ranks, having been called upon by new head coach Thomas Tuchel in his first selection. The 21-year-old has become a talismanic presence for his country and already has 40 caps to his name.

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Younger sibling Jobe forms part of the U21 squad, having made two appearances at that level. He is earning international recognition after catching the eye at Sunderland – who are pushing for promotion into the Premier League.

DID YOU KNOW?

Both of the Bellinghams will be in action on Friday, as Jude lines up against Albania at Wembley in a 2026 World Cup qualifier and Jobe heads to France for a friendly encounter. For now, they are enjoying rubbing shoulders at England’s training base at the Football Association’s national football centre.

InstagramWHAT NEXT?

Jude has been taking in an eventful spell at Real, with a controversial red card and subsequent ban accompanying Champions League progress to the quarter-final stage and a minor knock. Jobe, meanwhile, is generating transfer talk on the back of his performances for Championship play-off hopefuls Sunderland.

After suffering a rather baffling 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ipswich, perhaps this international break came at exactly the right time for Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham side.

This has been a topsy-turvy campaign, to say the least, with the Aussie battling against all sorts of demons on the domestic and continental stage.

It was classic Spurs, really. They had enjoyed a thrilling week where they beat Manchester City and Aston Villa only to lose their next two, against Galatasaray in the Europa League and then to relegation-threatened Ipswich just a few days later.

Postecoglou will have had plenty of time to get things right over the last week and a half, therefore, but it doesn’t get much easier with Manchester City to come on Saturday evening. Fortunately, some of his star players enjoyed a cracking time of it with their international sides.

Spurs' star players during the international break

This wasn’t the busiest of breaks for those who don Spurs colours with plenty of stars actually not called up. Yet, those who did get the call-up certainly caught the eye.

Club captain Heung-min Son scored twice for South Korea, once against Kuwait and another against Palestine.

There was also good fortune for Dejan Kulusevski who has only gone from strength to strength this season. He featured in Sweden’s 2-1 win over Slovakia last week before truly dazzling against Azerbaijan in a 6-0 win for the Swedes on Tuesday evening.

Man in demand Viktor Gyokeres helped himself to four goals while the other two came from the boot of Kulusevski who enjoyed an excellent night for his country.

Seemingly rejuvenated by playing in a more central role, he flourished as a no.10 behind the aforementioned Gyokeres and Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.

Not only did Kulusevski score twice but he supplied an assist and managed a total of six shots on the night, also boasting 113 touches, the most of anyone by a margin of 30.

Minutes played

90

Touches

113

Goals

2

Assists

1

Passes completed

56/68 (82%)

Dribbles completed

4/4

Key passes

8

Fouls won

4

Duels won

9

That said, he wasn’t the only Spurs star to catch the eye over the last few days. Wales’ Brennan Johnson also delivered an impressive performance on Tuesday night.

Brennan Johnson's performance in numbers

This has been a real breakthrough campaign for Johnson so far, notably scoring seven goals for Spurs with six of them memorably coming in six consecutive matches.

Not just a livewire at club level, the former Nottingham Forest winger has also shone on the international stage, scoring for Wales against Iceland during October’s international break.

He was in fine form again in the latest set of fixtures, scoring for Craig Bellamy’s side against the Icelandics again on Tuesday during a 4-1 victory. Not just content with finding the net, Johnson also registered an assist for a goal scored by Liam Cullen.

It was a phenomenal display from the 23-year-old who was awarded a 9/10 match rating courtesy of Sofascore and his overall stats summed up why.

Minutes played

89

Goals

1

Assists

1

Touches

49

Accurate passes

24/27 (89%)

Key passes

2

Accurate crosses

1/3

Shots on target

2

Successful dribbles

2/2

Duels won

8/9

Fouls won

3

Tackles

3

During the contest, Johnson impressively completed 89% of his passes and created two chances. Completing 100% of his dribbles and winning eight of his nine duels, the Icelandic defence never stood a chance of containing him.

No player on the pitch won more ground duels while no player in the Welsh attack left the field boasting more touches of the ball (49).

Hopefully, Postecoglou will get a similar tune out of the wide man against City this forthcoming weekend.

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2 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 17, 2024

The club's passionate 3252 fan base and actor Will Ferrell paid tribute to the heroes who helped victims of California wildfires

• LAFC's supporter group, The 3252, unveils a striking tifo
• Display honors firefighters and affected communities
• Hollywood star Ferrell also paid tribute before the game

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• WHAT HAPPENED

  Los Angeles Football Club's dedicated supporter group, The 3252, unveiled a striking tifo display in solidarity with victims of the recent California wildfires. The large-scale tifo, revealed during the club’s first home game of the 2025 MLS season, honored both the firefighters battling the blazes and the communities affected by the devastation. The 3252 weren’t alone in their tribute — star actor and LAFC part-owner Will Ferrell also showed his support before the match. The Hollywood star was seen alongside the Honorary Falconers, a youth team from Pacific Palisades still recovering from the recent LA fires.

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• THE TIFO

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This act of solidarity through art is not just about supporting a cause — it's a testament to the strong community spirit fostered by LAFC and its supporters. The club has a history of engaging with local issues, and this tifo continues that tradition.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  LAFC kicked off their 2025 MLS season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Minnesota United FC at BMO Stadium. Jeremy Ebobisse, a new signing, scored the winning goal in the 78th minute with a stunning left-footed strike. This victory extended LAFC's streak of winning season openers to eight consecutive years. Steve Cherundolo’s side faces Colorado Rapids in the second leg of their Round 1 CONCACAF Champions Cup next, going into the game behind 2-1 on aggregate.

Parthiv Patel, Vinay Kumar and James Franklin are part of the coaching staff too, while Robin Singh is the general manager – cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2022Shane Bond, the bowling coach at Mumbai Indians in the IPL since 2015 – a job he will continue to do – has been named head coach of MI Emirates, the Mumbai Indians-owned team in UAE’s ILT20. The staff also has Parthiv Patel [batting coach] and Vinay Kumar [bowling coach] making their debuts as coaches, and James Franklin will be the fielding coach. Additionally, Robin Singh will be the general manager of cricket.While the fixtures for the ILT20 are not out yet, the tournament will be played in the same January-February 2023 window as the SA20 league in South Africa. That required the Mumbai Indians group to appoint multiple coaching teams, since they have teams in both the competitions.With the latest round of appointments, that exercise is complete.Related

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Mark Boucher, who will step down from his position as the head coach of the South Africa men’s national team at the end of the team’s campaign at the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, has been signed up to be the head coach at Mumbai Indians in the IPL.That position opened up after Mahela Jayawardene, the Mumbai Indians head coach since 2017, was elevated to a more global role within the Mumbai Indians group. Jayawardene has been made the group’s global head of performance. He will be overseeing the scouting and coaching of all three teams that the owners have – at the IPL, the ILT20, and the SA20. And Zaheer Khan, earlier the director of cricket operations, has been made the global head of cricket development for the three teams.Simon Katich, meanwhile, has been made the head coach of MI Cape Town, the SA20 team. Katich will be assisted by Hashim Amla as the batting coach, while Robin Peterson will be the team’s general manager. James Pamment will take charge as fielding coach [and continue in the same role with Mumbai Indians at the IPL too].MI Emirates have Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult and Dwayne Bravo, among others, in their roster of non-UAE [overseas] players already.”Having been an integral part of MI for various periods of time, the coaching team is exceptionally well-versed in the values that make MI what it is,” Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, which owns the three teams, said in a statement.For his part, Bond said, “It’s always exciting to build a new team and I’m looking forward to furthering the MI legacy and inspiring our players to take the game to new heights.”Bond, the former New Zealand quick, has been a part of the coaching set-up of a number of teams in the past. Apart from being the New Zealand bowling coach and part of the team’s backroom staff at various stages, he has also been the head coach at Sydney Thunder in the BBL, a position he held between 2018 and 2021. He has also been part of the England team as a bowling consultant in the past.

West Ham United recorded yet another loss, their seventh of the season, as Ruud van Nistelrooy took charge of Leicester for the first time, guiding them to a 3-1 thrashing over the Hammers.

Julen Lopetegui’s side had more of the ball (61% possession), took more shots (31) and generated more xG in the game (3.10).

However, despite the Foxes only having eight shots in the game, they managed to create seven big chances, more than West Ham’s five big chances, which starts to tell the story of how Lopetegui’s side are struggling this season.

West Ham's big pressing issue under Lopetegui

West Ham are conceding 15.8 shots per game this season, the fourth most in the division. Teams are able to carve through the Hammers press with relative ease, due to the spacing between their lines of pressure.

The front four look to press high, aiming to lock off one side of the pitch, and force play down one side. The issue here is the depth of their midfield pivot and back four during this phase of pressure.

Teams are able to easily find the spare man around the West Ham front four, then attack the big space left between the front four and back six (pivot and back four). This pressing scheme is extremely disconnected and is becoming a key issue for the side.

So much so that Lopetgui’s future looks in doubt, and West Ham already look to be assessing their options for his predecessor.

West Ham looking at Italian manager

According to reports from Calciomercato, former Juventus manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is on West Ham’s managerial shortlist should they sack Lopetegui.

Interestingly, the Italian was in London last week to watch Tottenham take on Roma, and he’s allegedly been taking English lessons too. Perhaps this mean he could be lining up a role in England?

The biggest issue with this appointment, however, would be the money involved, as the reports claim Allegri would demand around £6.6m per year, which is double the £3.3m of Lopetegui.

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That being said, he would be a great move for the Irons. The Italian coach was with Juventus from 2021-2024, with his side finishing third in Serie A last campaign.

Playing in a 3-5-2 formation, Allegri’s side conceded just 11.6 shots per game, the sixth lowest in the Serie A last season. This could be the extra defensive unity the Hammers need in order to start getting results.

One man who could benefit from this is winger Jarrod Bowen, who could play as the secondary striker in this 3-5-2 system. Bowen has averaged 2.84 shots per 90 this season, generating 0.19 xG, and scoring 0.31 goals per 90.

Last season, the England international was scoring 0.47 goals per 90 minutes, and generating 0.35 xG per 90, often playing as a striker for the Hammers.

By unleashing him in a front two, he would have the freedom to drift into wide channels, link play, and make runs in behind, working off of a more physical striker, such as Niclas Füllkrug, who scored his first goal for West Ham in their 3-1 loss against Leicester.

This new role could allow Bowen to thrive, getting the best out of him, and allowing his output to increase, which could go hand in hand with West Ham climbing the table. Other positional changes could see the likes of Mohammed Kudus playing as a wingback, and Edson Alvarez playing as a central centre-back in a back three.

One thing is for sure, change is needed for West Ham, as they drop ever closer to that dreaded relegation zone, and the owners will want to strike before it is too late, looking to get their season back on track.

West Ham dud may have cost Lopetegui his job after a 4/10 performance

West Ham fell to yet another defeat in the Premier League last night.

1 ByEthan Lamb Dec 4, 2024

With the January transfer window edging ever closer, Tottenham Hotspur have now made an enquiry over an “unreal” attacker, according to a report from Sky Sports.

Tottenham transfer news

In light of the recent ankle injury which is set to rule Guglielmo Vicario out for months, Ange Postecoglou may have been expected to make a move for a new goalkeeper this January, but the Tottenham manager has been quick to praise back-up Fraser Forster, saying:

“Fraser is such a strong character within the group and ready to play.”

As such, a new goalkeeper might not be one of the manager’s priorities, but Postecoglou will no doubt be looking to strengthen other areas of his squad, and there is no shortage of potential options for the Australian in attacking areas.

Recent reports have indicated Spurs are running the rule over Real Valladolid winger Raul Moro, while Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo could be brought in as an alternative to James Maddison.

Tottenham eyeing "top" winger compared to Grealish ahead of potential move

The Lilywhites are running the rule over him.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Nov 28, 2024

Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens is a younger player that Postecoglou is also currently considering, and there have now been reports that Tottenham could be looking at one of the Eredivisie’s top players to bolster their attacking options.

Tottenham make Tillman enquiry

According to a report from Sky Sports, Spurs have now made an enquiry over PSV Eindhoven attacking midfielder Malik Tillman, but they may have to fend off competition from a number of other Premier League clubs.

Both Manchester United and Aston Villa are credited with a concrete interest in the PSV star, who recently scored a match-winning brace against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

There is a release clause which comes into effect this summer, meaning Tillman could be a very affordable target, as the clause is believed to be in the region of €30m-€40m (£25m-£33m).

Playing in the Premier League is said to be a major goal for the 22-year-old, and there is ample evidence that he could be a quality addition to Postecoglou’s squad, given his output for PSV so far this season.

The midfielder has weighed in with five goals in 13 Eredivisie games, and his goal-scoring ability in the Champions League has been equally impressive, amassing five goal contributions in as many games, including three goals.

The two most recent of which came in PSV’s 3-2 victory against Shakhtar, with the American inspiring a sensational comeback:

Lauded as “unreal” by ESPN writer Bill Connelly, the former Rangers man appears to be ready to realize his dream of playing in the Premier League, given that he is averaging a 7.39 WhoScored match rating in the league this season, the highest of any player.

Tottenham already have a breadth of attacking talent, but it is evident that they want to bring in additional reinforcements and Tillman has proven he is ready to take the next step in his career by signing for one of England’s biggest clubs, making this one to watch.