A versatile young attacker is seen as one of the most "concrete" potential Tottenham signings this month as chairman Daniel Levy and co ready an offer.

Spurs want three new January signings

According to recent reports, Spurs are chasing up to three major new additions in January – a centre-back, midfielder and winger to bolster Ange Postecoglou's options.

Tottenham in discussions to sign "fascinating" player alongside Dragusin

The Romanian isn’t the only player who Spurs are chasing this month.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 4, 2024

The north Londoners have suffered from a major lack of depth at the heart of Postecoglou's defence in particular, with both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero being absent for large periods since early November.

Tottenham's first choice centre-back pairing have often been replaced by makeshift duo Emerson Royal and Ben Davies. Spurs' record is pretty dire when they're both selected to marshal the back line, prompting Levy and technical director Johan Lange to make January moves as the window opens.

Indeed, Spurs are attempting to sign Genoa star Radu Dragusin, and it's widely reported that talks are advancing after they agreed personal terms with the defender (Fabrizio Romano).

Elsewhere, Postecoglou is reportedly keen on a new midfield engine and wide man as well, and one player who's been heavily linked is Ajax sensation Stanis Idumbo. The attacking midfielder is a target for Spurs, and rumour has it Idumbo would actually come straight into Postecoglou's first team (Kevin Sauvage).

Tottenham "putting together" proposal for Idumbo

CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs has shared an update on the matter this week. Speaking to Last Word on Spurs, he says Tottenham are "putting together a proposal" to sign Idumbo and he is a very concrete potential signing for Postecoglou – but they face stiff competition from Sevilla.

“I think Muzambo is the most concrete because Spurs are putting together a proposal but there is competition from Sevilla, and the feeling talking to sources is that Sevilla may be a bit more aggressive and that they may be ahead in that race at the moment,” Jacobs said.

“There might be a sale in January, or it might be a pre-agreement because I think he becomes a free agent in June anyway. I think that Muzambo is actually going to turn into a formal proposal, whereas I think Itakura is just being looked at.”

The Belgian is seen as a player of huge promise, with Malmo video scout Elijah Michiels already raving over his versatility, ball control and creativity.

South Africa are prepared for the reality that they may not be able to win the Newlands Test against England, but they are not quite ready to accept defeat yet. On a surface that flattened out after 18 wickets fell on the first two days, coach Mark Boucher believes a long second innings is possible, whether his men go for glory or a gritty draw.”There’s a Test match up for grabs. There are times that the characters have to come out. We understand our batters are under pressure. If we can bowl them out and look at a total worth chasing, we must do that, but good teams also manage to block out draws,” Boucher said. “Depending on how well we bowl tomorrow and if we get quick wickets then hopefully we can go for a chase, otherwise we are going to have to fight and bat out a day or a day-and-a-half.”Conditions at Newlands changed significantly on the third day when cloud cover and cooler weather prevented the cracks on the pitch from opening up and made run-scoring a lot easier than on the first two days. Then, Boucher wouldn’t have wanted “to chase anything more than 250”. Now, he thinks “anything around 330 or 340 will be great”.First, South Africa need to take six England wickets. The quicker, the better. Even though it will give James Anderson and Co more time to get South Africa out, it will also mean fewer runs to chase. That’s the conundrum the team that is not in control of the game faces, and Boucher knows it. “Let’s be honest, our backs are up against it,” he said. “If we come out tomorrow, new ball in hand, and we use it well, we believe we can pick up quick wickets but it’s still going to be a tall ask.”Especially given that batting has been South Africa’s weaker suit over the last year.With inexperience running through half the top six and no totals over 300 in their last seven innings, South Africa do not look like a side that can chase down a big target, never mind break a record. The highest successful chase in Cape Town is the 334 Australia scored almost 18 years ago, when they were the best team in the world. Since readmission, Australia are the only team South Africa have lost to at this ground, with England earning a hard-fought draw here in 2010.Boucher was part of the XI that played against England a decade ago, two years after South Africa had done what many thought was impossible and successfully chased a 400-plus target in Australia, which led to a series win. “Back when we played, we wouldn’t even think of chasing 400-odd but we did it in Perth and we took a lot of confidence out of that,” he recalled.For Boucher, the key to the Perth win was the planning that went into the chase and he will try to do approach this match in the same meticulous way over the next two days. “You have to break it down, and there’s a lot of strategic planning that needs to go into it. If we look at the way they played Keshav [Maharaj], we might have to be a little bit more positive against [Dom] Bess if we are going for the total,” Boucher said, indicating South Africa would take on the England spinner. “You don’t chase down totals like that without partnerships, big partnerships.”If one or two guys get into a position where they can bat long and get big hundreds then we can get ourselves into a position where we can think of chasing the target. There’s still a lot of work to be done. We’ve still got to bowl them out. If conditions allow us to go for the chase, I’m sure there’s a lot of guys in the change room who would love to do that.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da dobrowin： Ainda com uma equipe alternativa, o Flamengo terá mais um desafio na temporada 2021. Nesta sexta-feira, o Rubro-Negro abre a 4ª rodada da Taça Rio do Campeonato Carioca em duelo diante do Resende, às 21h, no Maracanã.

+ Veja a tabela e o regulamento do Cariocão 2021

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da luck： O Flamengo chega para o duelo com uma derrota na bagagem, pois foi superado pelo Fluminense na rodada passada, quando o Resende empatou com o Madureira. Os adversários desta sexta estão com seis e quatro pontos, respectivamente, sendo que o Rubro-Negro receberá reforços caseiros, como Bruno Viana (estreante), Renê, Vitinho e Pedro.

Confira mais informações da partida entre Flamengo x Resende:

Estádio: Maracanã, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Data e hora: 19 de março de 2021, às 21h
Árbitro:Felipe da Silva Gonçalves Paludo
Assistentes: Diego Luiz Couto Barcelos e Thayse Marques Fonseca

Onde ver: Cariocão TV, FlaTV+ e tempo real do LANCE!

FLAMENGO (Técnico: Maurício Souza)
Hugo Souza; Matheuzinho, Bruno Viana (Noga), Léo Pereira e Renê (Ramon); João Gomes, Hugo Moura e Pepê; Vitinho, Michael e Pedro (Rodrigo Muniz).

Pendurados: –
Suspensos: –
Lesionados: Thiago Maia e Rodrigo Caio

RESENDE (Técnico:Sandro Sargentim)
Fraga; Thiago Ryan (Flavio),Grasson,Marcão e Jeanderson;Guioto,Derli,Jean Deretti eMatheus Bastos (Paulo Víctor);Nunes e Jefinho (Mateuzinho).

Pendurados:-
Suspensos: Jefferson Luis
Lesionados: –

PALPITES: Na redação do LANCE!, 80% acreditam em vitória do Flamengo, enquanto 20%, em empate.

MatériaMais Notícias

da dobrowin： Principal alvo do Fluminense para a Libertadores, o atacante Willian Bigode deve ter dias decisivos pela frente. O jogador irá se reunir com o técnico Abel Ferreira, que estava em Portugal, para saber se será aproveitado em 2021. A expectativa no Palmeiras é por uma renovação do contrato, atualmente válido até dezembro deste ano. Há planos, inclusive, para que o atleta de 34 anos encerre a carreira por lá.

> Libertadores pode ter apenas dois times brasileiros como cabeças de chave
​
A proposta feita pelo Flu agradou o jogador e o estafe. O status de titular, sendo reforço de peso, e o reencontro com o técnico Roger Machado atraem. No entanto, apesar do otimismo por parte do Tricolor, o Palmeiras também está confiante de manter o atacante, no clube desde 2017, e trabalha pela renovação.

Veja a tabela do Campeonato Carioca

Willian é um sonho antigo do Fluminense e foi um pedido de Roger. O jogador já foi sondado ainda no início da carreira e posteriormente em 2020, mas a transferência nunca chegou a avançar. O atacante foi um dos destaques da vitoriosa temporada do Palmeiras, sendo o terceiro artilheiro do time, com 17 gols, atrás apenas de Luiz Adriano e Raphael Veiga. Ele foi o jogador que mais entrou em campo na temporada ao lado do Weverton, com 70 partidas das 79 possíveis.

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da realsbet： Neste momento, o Fluminense não trabalha com um plano B para a posição e, mesmo diante das dificuldades financeiras, ofereceu salários na faixa dos maiores do elenco para atrair Willian. O clube já entendia que a negociação não seria fácil, mas aposta na disputa da Libertadores e na importância para a equipe para atrair o atleta.

Veja a tabela do Campeonato Paulista
​
Para a posição de centroavante, o Palmeiras tem atualmente à disposiçãosó Luiz Adriano. Já pelos lados, outro setor que Willian também atua, o técnico Abel Ferreira pode contar comBreno Lopes, Rony, Veron e Wesley.

West Ham United need some respite from what has been a shocking start to 2024, with the chastening 6-0 home defeat against Arsenal leaving a pall of black smoke in east London.

It's a peculiar position; West Ham are outside of European contention in the Premier League only on goal difference, topped their Europa League group back in December and won the Europa Conference League last summer.

David Moyes is under fire and it would have been a bitter pill to swallow that it was Declan Rice, sold to Arsenal for £105m in the summer, who produced last weekend's talismanic performance at his old stomping ground.

It wouldn't be a bad move for Moyes to revisit his past success and promote a talented academy star to the first team, following in Rice's footsteps, with George Earthy producing some high-class performances this term.

West Ham's next Declan Rice

At the start of the 2023/24 campaign, homegrown talent Earthy penned a long-term contract with the Irons, clearly viewed by the club's powers that be as a future star in the first team.

A creative and attack-focused midfielder – who is also capable on the right flank – Earthy has been a prolific figure throughout his United youth career and has posted 37 goals and 25 assists across 102 matches, lauded for his "brilliant" displays by club insider ExWHUemployee.

This season, he has been in emphatic form, scoring nine goals and supplying six assists across 19 matches in all competitions and notably thriving in the EFL Trophy against senior opposition.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, the 19-year-old's three goal and one assist return from five matches in the EFL Trophy is an attractive tally but does not tell the full story of a remarkably rounded skill set, having completed 90% of his passes and averaged 1.4 goals and three ball recoveries per game.

He will definitely need to improve the defensive side of his game, making just 0.2 tackles and winning two duels each outing, but there is no questioning the thrilling quality woven into his core.

Indeed Rice was once at that stage, before going on to enjoy such glittering success rising through the ranks to the apex of Moyes' reign, completing 245 appearances, winning the club's past two Player of the Season awards and bringing riches – both monetarily and from a footballing standpoint – to the fore.

Having crashed out of the FA Cup against Championship outfit Bristol City last month and still seeking a maiden victory of the calendar year, Moyes needs to fashion some renewed positivity from somewhere and unleashing a talented academy member might be the perfect way to sway the fans back on his side.

Lucas Paqueta remains convalescent on the sidelines and will not return to action for several weeks, so a playmaker of Earthy's precocity could be the perfect tool to rekindle the feel-good factor that was so prominent at the London Stadium only a matter of months ago.

Eric Garcia confirmed he’s in talks with Barcelona over a contract renewal while hinting he could be a future captain at the Spanish club.

• Garcia's contract ends in 2026
• Contract renewal talks have begun
• Defender talks about potential Barcelona captaincy

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Garcia’s current contract with Barcelona expires in June 2026, which could leave him free to negotiate a move next season. To avoid that scenario, the club have already opened discussions to secure his future with an extension running until 2029. In a recent interview, Garcia confirmed the talks, revealing that Barcelona officials have initiated negotiations with his agent to finalise a long-term deal.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barcelona brought in Garcia on a free transfer from Manchester City in 2021 after his contract expired. He spent two seasons at Camp Nou before moving on loan to Girona, seeking more game time after falling out of favour under then-coach Xavi. The defender also wanted regular minutes to stay sharp for the 2024 Paris Olympics. On his return to Barcelona, Garcia’s versatility quickly impressed new coach Hansi Flick. The German tactician deployed him in multiple roles, including at right-back to provide cover for the injured Jules Kounde.

• WHAT GARCIA SAID

  Speaking about the renewal, Garcia said: “Everything will be discussed soon. We've started talking about a renewal.”

  When asked about potential captaincy in the future he said: “Captain? Who knows if I could be a candidate for captaincy in the future.”

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR GARCIA AND BARCELONA?

  Barcelona and Garcia will look to finalise the extension swiftly, allowing them to fully focus on the season ahead and the defense of their La Liga title reclaimed from Real Madrid last year.

India were able to put up 134 and it proved plenty more than enough as Anuja Patil returned remarkable figures of 3-1-3-2

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2019

Veda Krishnamurthy produced the highest score of her T20I career, her unbeaten 57 along with 50 from Jemimah Rodrigues helping India women to a resounding 61-run victory over West Indies women in Providence to sweep the series 5-0.India were able to put up 134 for 3 on the board, and it proved way more than enough as Anuja Patil, in her 50th T20I game, returned outstanding figures of 3-1-3-2.India needed to recover from a poor start after they elected to bat, with the openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana dismissed for single-digit scores. But that only meant more time for Krishnamurthy and Rodrigues to influence the game. They put on a 117-run partnership, hitting seven fours together. It appeared to be a tough pitch for run-scoring, but Krishnamurthy rose above it. Of all the batters to face at least ten balls in the game, she was the only one with a strike rate above 100.India’s bowlers made use of those conditions well, Patil picking up both her wickets in the fourth over to hurt West Indies in the chase.After that opening, which left the hosts 13 for 2, the spinners took over, each of Radha Yadav (1-10), Poonam Yadav (1-15) and Harleen Deol (1-13) picking up a wicket each. West Indies could barely get any momentum in the case; they were 31 for 4 in the 11th over and the game was pretty much done there. Kyshona Knight top-scored with 22 off 39 balls.India ended the tour having won nine out of ten matches as they continue their preparations for the T20 World Cup in February 2020.