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Tottenham Hotspur could make Harry Kane the highest-paid player in the Premier League to keep him in north London, with the club willing to offer a deal in the "ballpark" of £400,000-a-week, claims transfers expert Graham Bailey.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham Hotspur?

It has been an excellent start to the summer transfer window so far for Spurs this year.

The club have added genuine first-team quality to the side with the £40m signing of England international James Maddison from the recently relegated Leicester City.

The window has also seen the addition of Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli and Israieli international Manor Solomon, who looked good for Fulham last season when he was fit and playing.

However, all of that could mean very little if the club can't keep a hold of their talismanic striker and all-time record goalscorer, Kane.

The England captain has been the subject of many a transfer saga over the years, but with just 12 months left on his current deal, it feels different this time.

So far, he has been the subject of interest from both Manchester United and Real Madrid, but both clubs have seemingly cooled their interest over the price or the reluctance to enter into negotiations with Daniel Levy.

However, one club that has not been put off so far is German giants Bayern Munich, who have already made two bids for the player, with the second reported to be worth €94m (£81m), according to ESPN.

With both offers being rejected by the Lilywhites, ESPN have also reported that the Bundesliga champions will submit a third offer as they further test the resolve of the Spurs board.

It sounds like it might all be for nothing on the side of the Bavarians, though, as the North London side look to stick to their plan of keeping Kane over the summer before offering him a new and improved contract, per Graham Bailey.

He explained the situation on the Talking Transfers podcast:

"We're being told roughly the ballpark would be £400,000-a-week. That's what Tottenham would be willing to go to.

"Would he be the highest paid in the Premier League on that terms? I think he probably would."

Who earns the most in the Premier League?

While £400,000 would certainly make Kane one of the Premier League's highest earners of all time, and certainly Tottenham's all-time highest earner, according to French publication L'Equipe (via the Daily Mail), it would only be enough to make him the third highest paid player currently playing.

The highest-paid player in the league is Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, who earns an eyewatering £424,000-a-week at the Etihad. The 31-year-old has probably been the most important player at the club during Pep Guardiola's silverware-laden tenure, so it's hard to say it hasn't been money well spent in a footballing sense.

The man in second place has only been in England for a single season, but for his inhuman scoring ability, it's hardly surprising to see Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland make the list.

The former Borussia Dortmund man is on a reported £402,250-a-week in Manchester, and considering he is still only 22-years-old and showing no signs he's hit his ceiling, that wage will likely go higher still as the years roll on by.

The third spot on the list is where the Spurs legend would find himself should he accept the rumoured £400,000-a-week offer he might receive.

It would represent a 100% increase on his current £200,000-a-week pay packet and dwarf Spurs' next best-paid player Tanguy Ndombele who currently earns £200,000-a-week.

The 22-year-old has already struck 18 times in 16 appearances in all competitions this season and is now being linked with the likes of Real Madrid

Santiago Gimenez says Tuesday night's Champions League game against Atletico Madrid is going to be "one of the most important" of his career – and he's not wrong. For starters, Feyenoord need a win at De Kuip to climb above the current Group E leaders and their star striker is clearly key to them achieving their objective.

Gimenez missed the two teams' first meeting in Madrid through suspension and the Dutch champions still only lost 3-2 at the Metropolitano. The fans are cautiously optimistic, then, that Arne Slot's side can gain revenge with the Mexico international back in the starting line-up, and having already shown what he can do at this level with two goals in a 3-1 win over Lazio on matchday three.

But this isn't just a colossal clash from Feyenoord's perspective; it also very much feels like this could be a defining moment for Gimenez. A positive performance against one of Europe's biggest names – and best defensive sides – could well convince the numerous scouts certain to be in attendance that Feynoord's free-scoring forward should be their employers' top transfer target, if not in January than at the end of the current season.

We have, of course, seen plenty of strikers shine in the Eredivisie in the past only to subsequently disappoint at the very highest level, so are we looking at the next Robin van Persie here – or another Mateja Kezman?…

Getty'Already spoken with Atletico Madrid'

Just a month ago, Morris Pagniello claimed that while Gimenez's father Christian, a former professional footballer, is representing the 22-year-old's interest, he has been working alongside them as a consultant for nearly 18 months. Pagniello also claimed that several members of Europe's elite were interested in signing Gimenez.

“We have already spoken with Atletico Madrid," he told . "We also talked about him with Inter, AC Milan, Lazio and Napoli. For me, he could be perfect for both Inter and Juventus. They would be the best options for him. I've been telling various clubs to believe in him, his value went from €10m to €40m in just under 12 months. Now the teams closest to him are Real Madrid and Tottenham."

Pagniello's comments understandably caused quite the stir, but Gimenez, who has previously expressed his fondness for Madrid as well as the idea of plying his trade in Serie A by pointing out that he has an Italian passport, promptly took to social media to set a few things straight.

"In the last few hours, statements have come out about my future that have emerged from sources far from my environment," he wrote. "Given this situation, I would like to clarify that I do not have a representative and that the person in charge of my career is my father with the help of Mariel.

"It is important not to take into account claims that have not been made by them or by me. I am very grateful for the understanding and support that everyone shows me every day. We have always been very open with information and know that as soon as there is any news to give, we will gladly let you know."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesSet to surpass Suarez

Speculation surrounding his future hasn't abated, of course, and in a funny way, Gimenez only has himself to blame, given transfer talk is inevitable when a player is performing at such a high level.

Gimenez is tearing up the Eredivisie in a manner not seen since Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan sensation once scored 30 Eredivisie goals across a single calendar year; Gimenez already has 29 in 2023 – and another three games to work with. Not bad for a player that cost Feyenoord just €6 million (£5.2m/$6.6m) when he joined from Cruz Azul in the summer of 2022.

It's also worth remembering that he started slowly. It took him some time to get to grips with what Feyenoord's highly-rated coach Arne Slot was asking of him, particularly from a defensive perspective.The goals weren't exactly flowing either, though. He scored just twice during the first half of the 2022-23 Eredivisie season.

Getty From super-sub to leading man

However, at that stage, he was being used primarily as an impact substitute, with Slot often preferring to start with Danilo up front. There were flashes of Gimenez's enormous potential, though, most notably in a Europa League loss at Lazio, when he scored twice in a 27-minute cameo.

Furthermore, the longer the season went on, the more comfortable and, thus, confident he became leading the line for Slot. Gimenez became Feyenoord's first-choice forward in February and was integral to their title triumph, netting in nine consecutive games during the run-in.

He ended the campaign with a record of 23 goals in 45 appearances (only 27 of which were starts) – and his fine form unsurprisingly led to him being included in the Mexico squad for the 2023 Gold Cup, after failing to make the cut for Qatar 2022.

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Getty Argentina-born Mexico match-winner

Gimenez was tasked with serving as El Tri's super-sub by new coach Jaime Lozano – and, given his familiarity with the role, he played it perfectly. In a tight and fiercely-contested final against Panama, Gimenez was only brought on in the 85th minute. But it mattered not. Just three minutes later, he won the game – and the tournament – for Mexico by controlling a ball on halfway, turning his man, and then racing away to score with a low, left-footed strike.

It was the perfect illustration of everything he has in his locker: excellent technique, strength, speed and a cool head. For Gimenez, it was a beautiful moment that also felt like vindication for choosing to represent Mexico over Argentina.

People had told him he was crazy – and worse – for turning down the land of his birth. However for Gimenez, Mexico had always felt like home. He had lived nearly his entire life there, with his father having left Independiente for Veracruz in 2004, when Gimenez was only three years of age, before going on to spend the remaining 14 years of his professional career with Mexican clubs.

Cruz Azul was one of those clubs, and that's where Gimenez took his first steps towards stardom. He started out as a midfielder, but despite being considered a little shy and awkward at first, he developed into a lethal goalscorer, striking 100 times across four seasons at under-age level. He made his pro debut at just 16 years of age and there had been talk for some time that the boy was destined to play in Europe one day.

The move to Feyenoord still came as something of a surprise and Gimenez wasn't convinced at first. It was his father who felt that the Netherlands would be the perfect place for him to develop as a player, and he was spot on.

Kieran Powell has been recalled to the West Indies squad for the first Test against Pakistan, while uncapped players Vishaul Singh and Shimron Hetmyer were also picked

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-20171:51

Watch – Kieran Powell tries to break into Major League Baseball

Leeward Islands batsman Kieran Powell is in line to play his first Test in nearly three years after being recalled to the West Indies squad for the first match against Pakistan at Sabina Park beginning on Friday. The uncapped batting pair of Vishaul Singh and Shimron Hetmyer have also joined Powell in the 13-man squad, after all three batsmen made runs in the warm-up game against Pakistan.Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo and Leon Johnson were dropped from the squad that toured the UAE for three Tests against Pakistan in October.WI squad for first Test

Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kieran Powell, Vishaul Singh
In: Shimron Hetmyer, Kieran Powell, Vishaul Singh
Out: Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Leon Johnson, Marlon Samuels, Jomel Warrican

West Indies chairman of selectors Courtney Browne said, “We have a young Test squad, which was admirably led by Jason Holder during the last series and, though there are some noticeable absentees, we believe that the players will give a good account of themselves especially in their own backyard.”Powell, 27, last played Test cricket in 2014 and briefly quit cricket altogether not long afterward in a failed attempt to break into baseball in America. He returned to the West Indies domestic scene last summer in the Caribbean Premier League with St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, and then finished as the leading scorer in the Regional Super50 competition in February, with 513 runs in eight innings at 64.12. He earned a recall to the West Indies ODI team for the three-match series against England in March and was subsequently picked for the ODI series against Pakistan earlier this month.Powell’s form in the domestic four-day competition is not as solid as his one-day record this season, with 342 runs at 28.50 and just two half-centuries. However, he produced scores of 58 and 84 not out for the West Indies President’s XI in the drawn three-day tour match against Pakistan that concluded on Tuesday.”We are happy to be able to give a recall to Kieran Powell for one of the opening slots, although he did not have the best regional first-class season,” Browne said. “He showed for the President’s XI that his experience can add value to our team.”West Indies cricket has invested heavily in him over the years and with the void of openers within the Caribbean, the panel felt a need to fast track him through our A-Team programme last year with a view in helping him to bridge that gap.”Singh, a 28-year old right-hand batsman from Guyana, similarly had an underwhelming season in the domestic four-day competition, with 317 runs at 26.41 and a best of 71. However, he was the third-highest scorer in the 2015-16 season with 712 runs at 50.85 and three centuries. Like Powell, he also produced a strong performance for the West Indies President’s XI, making an unbeaten 135 in the first innings.”Vishal has been one of the more consistent batsmen in the Regional 4-Day Tournament over the last few seasons and had a very good A-Team series against Sri Lanka last year,” Browne said. “His hundred over the weekend for the WICB President’s XI against the Pakistanis helped to fortify in our minds that he has a place in our squad. He gives us the option of a solid middle-order batsman around whom our more free-scoring players can bat.”Hetmyer, 20, captained West Indies to the 2016 Under-19 World Cup title in Bangladesh last year and had a promising campaign for Guyana in the four-day competition, scoring 496 runs at 38.15 including four half-centuries in 15 innings. He has just one first-class hundred in his 17-match career, but it came against Jamaica in the last match of the 2015-16 season to clinch the four-day title for Guyana.The ascension of Hetmyer coincides with the continuing impasse between Bravo and the WICB. Bravo was the second-highest scorer for West Indies in the Test series against Pakistan in October, but had his match contract cancelled for criticising WICB President Dave Cameron on Twitter in November. Browne said in January that Bravo would not be considered for selection again until the dispute was settled.Also dropped from the previous Test squad against Pakistan were Carlos Brathwaite and Jomel Warrican. Though he was part of the Test squad in the UAE, Brathwaite didn’t play any of the matches and his last appearance in the format was against India in Antigua last July. He is currently at the IPL and West Indies coach Stuart Law said he had been left out of the ODI squad ahead of the Test series to work on improving his fitness and bowling.

Kusal Mendis has been omitted from Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the two-match series against Bangladesh; Kusal Perera’s inclusion subject to fitness

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Apr-20171:03

Fernando: Selectors seem to want Kusal to focus on ODIs, Tests

Kusal Mendis has been omitted from Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the two-match series against Bangladesh, while spin-bowling allrounder Shehan Jayasuriya has been called up. Also in the squad is Thisara Perera – who had not been in Sri Lanka’s recent T20I squad to Australia – and opener Danushka Gunathilaka, who returns to the T20 XI after recovering from injury.Kusal Perera has also been named, but his participation is subject to recovery from a thigh strain that ruled him out of the ODIs. If he fails the fitness test, Sandun Weerakkody – the batsman who made his debut in South Africa – will take his place. Upul Tharanga leads the side in Angelo Mathews’ continued absence.T20s have been Mendis’ least successful format – he averages 9.25 with a strike rate of 123 in eight T20 international innings. Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya said he may not be picked in T20s in the near future, so that he can concentrate on the longer formats, in which he has begun to excel. Mendis was the player of the series in the recently-concluded ODI series against Bangladesh. He was also the player of the tournament during the tri-series in Zimbabwe last year, and has played at least two match-winning Test innings over the past year.”Kusal Mendis has got a long career ahead of him and we do not want to burden him with too many things,” Jayasuriya said. “He had a very good Test and ODI series against Bangladesh and at this stage we don’t want him to alter too many things in his game.”Thisara’s reinclusion is thanks largely to his good performances with the bat in the recent ODIs, in which he struck two half-centuries in three matches. Jayasuriya meanwhile, has been playing for Sri Lanka’s Emerging Team in the ACC competition currently being played in Bangladesh.The first of two T20s – both to be played at R Premadasa Stadium – is scheduled for April 4.Sri Lanka squad: Upul Tharanga (capt.), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera (subject to fitness), Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dasun Shanaka, Vikum Sanjaya, Milinda Siriwardana, Asela Gunaratne, Seekkuge Prasanna, Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Shehan Jayasuriya.On standby: Sandun Weerakkody

Manchester United's proposed new contract for their goalkeeper David de Gea is ready to go but just waiting on the club to make their final decision.

How much does David de Gea earn?

There were a lot of positives to take from Erik ten Hag's first campaign at Old Trafford after the Red Devils lifted the Carabao Cup and secured Champions League football.

However, the Premier League giants go into the summer transfer window with a lot of significant questions still lingering over the club.

Of course, the future of the current ownership will remain the biggest concern for most fans at Old Trafford with still no real indication as to whether the Glazers will stay or sell.

But another question will remain whether De Gea will be provided with a new deal following the conclusion of his contract at Old Trafford which is set to expire at the end of the month.

It is believed the Spain goalkeeper has been earning in the region of £375k-per-week on his current deal which is set to expire.

However, a potential new deal for the 32-year-old is expected to see him take a significant pay cut which would still see him take home around £200k-per-week.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the proposed contract is ready to go but United are still deciding on whether to stick with the Spaniard:

"I told you guys, the situation looks strange around De Gea because the agreement between De Ge and Man United is almost done; it's about the final details since the end of March.

"But it's also real that at the moment they are not signing the contract and so De Ge is a potential free agent. But at the moment the situation looks really strange more on the club's side than the player's side. De Gea will be ready to sign but at the moment it still doesn't have the final green light from Man United."

What goalkeeper could Man United sign?

Although the Red Devils are said to have this proposed contract at the ready for De Gea this summer, they have been linked with a number of potential options.

Indeed, reports have suggested Ten Hag holds a keen interest in the England and Everton shot-stopper Jordan Pickford this summer.

The report claims the former Sunderland goalkeeper could be made available over the coming weeks for a fee in the region of £30m given the Toffees financial issues.

But it is not just Pickford who has been linked with a potential move to Old Trafford this summer.

Indeed, talkSPORT's report has suggested there is an interest in the 34-year-old Yann Sommer and Inter Milan's Andre Onana.

It was not a season which De Gea will look back on as one of his best – ironically despite winning the Premier League Golden Glove – given some of the criticism he received.

However, it does seem as if he could still be set to ink a big-money deal to extend his stay at Old Trafford.

The result of the tri-series match between Sri Lanka and West Indies could well hinge on how the two inexperienced batting line-ups handle the seam-friendly conditions at the Harare Sports Club

The Preview by Liam Brickhill15-Nov-2016Match FactsWednesday, November 16
Start time 0930 local (0730 GMT)Zimbabwe didn’t test Sri Lanka’s inexperienced batting line-up on Monday, but West Indies’ attack could pose a bigger threat•AFPBig PictureVisiting teams to Zimbabwe often use their time here as a looking glass into the future: which new combinations might be worth exploring? Who are the up-and-coming players? Who’s staking a claim for the next major tour? While West Indies’ circumstances might be a little more tempestuous, both they and Sri Lanka have picked forward-thinking squads for this series, and there is plenty to prove on both sides.This is particularly true of the batsmen. Darren Bravo has been culled from West Indies’ squad for his outburst on Twitter, and they are also missing batsman Marlon Samuels, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and allrounder Kieron Pollard, depriving them of a combined 521 ODIs’ worth of experience. With 44 ODIs to his name Johnson Charles is, by some distance, West Indies’ most experienced batsman. Several somewhat unknown entities have a chance to stake a claim.The same goes for Sri Lanka, who already have one eye on their tour of South Africa in the new year. Sri Lanka have captain Upul Tharanga’s 189-match ODI experience to call upon, with Kusal Perera’s international nous to back him up, but not an awful lot beyond that. Their relative familiarity with Zimbabwean conditions and the sparkling form of young batsman Dhananjaya de Silva may give them an advantage, but they will likely find themselves more tested by West Indies’ attack than by anything Zimbabwe have thrown at them in the last few weeks.Sulieman Benn and Sunil Narine have their wiles, and Shannon Gabriel’s improved fitness and balanced action enhances his menace. Captain Jason Holder will be personally buoyed by his recent second innings five-for against Pakistan in Sharjah, but the Bravo imbroglio may dampen the momentum West Indies gained from their historic Test success over Pakistan.Or it may not, given that in recent times West Indies have rarely seemed more than a tweet or two away from controversy, and weathering such storms is all in a day’s work for them. On the field, however, conditions are setting this match up as a middleweight fight that will favour the most sturdy batsmen and most incisive bowlers on either side.Form GuideSri Lanka: WLLLW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies: LLLLWIn the SpotlightKraigg Brathwaite’s Herculean efforts in Sharjah helped secure West Indies’ five-wicket win there, but his one-day record remains rather more modest than his Test record. With no Samuels or Bravo to provide the ballast in West Indies’ top order, West Indies will be looking to Brathwaite to step up and glue the top order together.Sri Lanka’s questions around their inexperienced middle order are yet to be answered, given the tiny target and limp bowling attack they faced on Monday. How they stand up to the greater challenge provided by West Indies may be crucial to their overall success.With 44 ODIs, Johnson Charles is the most experienced top-order batsman in West Indies’ tri-series squad•AFPTeam NewsMultiple changes to their squad will have shaken West Indies up somewhat, and despite their long-form success in the UAE, West Indies’ recent 3-0 defeat in the ODIs against Pakistan will be in the back of their minds. All the new names in their batting line-up have a chance to clean the slate, and there are several middle-order slots up for grabs and several all-round options.West Indies (possible): 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Evin Lewis, 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Shai Hope, 6 Shane Dowrich (wk), 7 Jonathan Carter, 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Jason Holder (c), 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Shannon GabrielShehan Jayasuriya came in for some tap from Peter Moor on Monday, but there is no urgent reason for Sri Lanka to tinker with their XI. When the tri-series moves to Bulawayo, they will have expanded opportunities to play their spinners, and there should be a similar make-up to their line-up against West Indies.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Upul Tharanga (c), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Shehan Jayasuriya, 8 Sachith Pathirana, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Nuwan PradeepPitch and conditionsZimbabwe coach Heath Streak suggested it wasn’t so much the grass on the pitch as the clouds overhead that aided swing and seam on Monday, and both the pitch and weather conditions are expected to be very similar. Much of the day is expected to be cloudy and overcast, with occasional sunny spells, while there may well be thunderstorms in the afternoon.Stats and trivia In 54 ODIs between these countries, West Indies hold the advantage with 27 wins to Sri Lanka’s 24. Yet that is weighted somewhat by West Indies’ yesteryear prowess. Sri Lanka have won six of the last seven matches between the teams Suranga Lakmal is Sri Lanka’s leading wicket-taker this year, with 11 scalps from eight matches at 26.72 West Indies last visited Zimbabwe in 2007-08, when they won a five-match series 3-1, with one game abandonedQuotes”We’ve been facing Carl Mumba who has been bowling very fast, so West Indies’ pace won’t be a problem, rather the ball seaming around will be the challenge for us.”
“It’s obviously a big impact to lose senior guys with experience who bring pedigree to your side. It’s a situation where we have to cope with what we have, and gel together as quickly as possible.”

Journalist Jacque Talbot has claimed that Jadon Sancho is likely to leave Manchester United this summer in a shock summer departure.

What is the latest on Jadon Sancho and Man Utd?

It was only as recently as July 2021 when the Englishman joined the Red Devils in a £73m transfer from German outfit Borussia Dortmund.

At the time of the deal, it was reported that the winger had signed a five-year deal at United, with an option of a further year.

However, things have not gone too well for Sancho since then and it now sounds as though he could be on his way out of the club his summer.

Indeed, while talking on his YouTube channel, Talbot said (36:48): “It will be interesting to see about Sancho. His time is probably up now, isn't it?

Will Sancho leave Man Utd this summer?

After joining for such a high transfer fee, it's not as if Sancho has lived up to expectations since arriving in the Premier League.

Indeed, he has only eight goals and five assists in 51 league games in his first two seasons at Old Trafford – with only six goals and two assists to his name in all competitions this term.

He's come in for some heavy criticism for his performances at times too over the past few months. For instance, United legend Paul Scholes slammed Sancho after he failed to impress in the Europa League defeat to Sevilla.

The BT Pundit said (via Mirror): "During the warm-ups we were eulogising about the crowd and saying how aggressive and hostile it was.

"When the United players see and hear that they need to go into the dressing room and think, 'I need to be ready for this and my first touch has got to be ready'.

"You see Jadon Sancho in the first five minutes tonight, the ball bounced off him three times, terrible weight of pass too. I’m a big fan of the lad but you’ve got to liven up and be ready."

Worryingly, his last three performances in the Premier League have been underwhelming too, delivering 6.6, 6.5 and 6.6 SofaScore ratings against Aston Villa, Brighton and then West Ham most recently.

With all that in mind, it's hard to see where a sudden shift in form is going to come from and Man United may well be best to cut their losses and sell the £350k-p/w flop this summer while they can still make back some money on that £73m originally spent.

Glamorgan would have been in deep trouble had Australian born Nick Selman not scored 101, almost half the team’s total, in an attacking innings

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2016
ScorecardMichael Hogan stood in as Glamorgan captain•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Glamorgan would have been in deep trouble had Australian born Nick Selman not scored 101, almost half the team’s total, in an attacking innings.Selman, who last month carried his bat for an undefeated hundred against Northants, looked as if would emulate that performance until he was bowled the delivery after reaching his century. He will hope that this innings will not start a run of poor form- following his first century he suffered a run of four ducks.After an uncontested toss, Mark Wallace – in the absence of Jacques Rudolph, who had a sore neck – opened the innings with Selman, but Wallace was out in the seventh over, leg before to David Payne, which prompted a spectator to shout behind the arm” that was a poor decision umpire”.Selman had started with a flurry of boundaries, and although Will Bragg and David Lloyd were both out cheaply, Glamorgan had reached 130 for 3 at lunch, with Selman and Aneurin Donald in full flow.The fourth wicket pair had put on 65, before Donald, who was only four runs short of his 1,000 first-class runs for the season, top-edged an intended pull to mid-on. Kieran Carlson, playing his second championship game, was out with scoring, and after Selman was dismissed, Craig Meschede was also dismissed by Matt Taylor.Graham Wagg, meanwhile, played a watchful innings on a pitch that was seamer friendly, and had to contend with some accurate bowling from the Gloucestershire seam quartet. Wagg and Timm Van Der Gugten added a useful 38 for the ninth wicket, enabling Glamorgan to gain a batting point, before they were both dismissed by Craig Miles who, with Taylor, took four wickets.Gloucestershire had to face 31 overs after tea, but soon lost Gareth Roderick who edged Van Der Gugten’s fifth ball to second slip. The Glamorgan seamers also bowled a tight line, but it was a short delivery that undid Chris Dent, who tamely guided the ball to square leg.Will Tavare, who had laboured 67 balls for his 18, was the next to go when he was lbw to Michael Hogan, who was leading Glamorgan in Rudolph’s absence. Hamish Marshall and George Hankin, who was the Player of the Tournament in the recent Under-19 series against Sri Lanka, guided Gloucestershire to the close at 62 for3, a deficit of 158.

Offspinner Nathan Lyon has been preparing himself for a more attacking role with the Australian side. Though his three wickets to dismantle West Indies for 116 came during the middle overs, Lyon’s captain Steven Smith has been eying a greater role for him during the Powerplay and slog overs.”Smithy and I spoke a couple of times at a few different net sessions about playing a different role potentially with the new ball, potentially at the death,” Lyon said after the game. “So I’ve just got to be able to work with what Smithy wants.”With a robust assembly line of fast bowlers and seam-bowling allrounders coming through, the role of a spinner in an Australian one-day outfit has often been limited. Lyon himself hinted that his primary objective had often been keeping the runs down and, if as a byproduct he ended up with a rich haul, all the better.Against West Indies, the 28-year old came on as first change in the seventh over, maintained an economy rate of 3.90 and dismissed Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard off successive deliveries in the 17th to establish Australia’s dominance.”Always good to be on a hat-trick,” Lyon said, “but at the end of the day I was more worried about trying to stop the runs and if a wicket came around, [then good]. It’s just about trying to create some chances.”The slow pitches in Guyana enabled the spinners to dictate terms. Legspinner Adam Zampa picked up 3 for 16 in 5.3 overs, part-time offspinner Glenn Maxwell chipped in with 1 for 3 off two overs and Lyon was quite pleased to have the support.”About time, I reckon,” he joked. “No, it’s good. I get along with Zamps and Maxi really well. We work really well together and we seem to bowl really well in tandem. So it was exciting to, firstly play the first game with Zamps, and hopefully there’s a big future for both of us.”Lyon, Zampa and Maxwell bowled nine overs between the 17th and the 25th, took four wickets and gave away only 20 runs. That left West Indies at 90 for 7, with nowhere to go.”Our communication is one of our biggest weapons,” Lyon said. “As I said, we’re all really good mates, we all want to see each other do well. So if we can have that open communication with each other and try and help each other to better the team and get the right result for Australia, then we’re heading the right way.”There was one area of concern, though. Australia were playing their first ODI since February, and their first international since March, and Lyon admitted there was “a bit of rust floating around.””But it was a good workout. All over, we’re pretty happy with the win, but we know there’s a lot more work to do in this tri-series.”

As Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici's plots potential replacements for compatriot Antonio Conte at N17, one name that has cropped up in recent times is Sporting CP boss, Ruben Amorim.

Reports in Portugal earlier this month suggested that the Lilywhites are 'at the head' of the list of suitors in the race to secure the 38-year-old's signature, with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain also believed to be in the running.

The up-and-coming coach – who has been in charge of the Primeira Liga side since 2020 – is said to now be "ready" to make the move to English football, according to Football Insider, despite having a contract in his current post that runs until 2026.

The former Braga boss has been hailed as a "special manager" by writer Zach Lowy as a result of the early success he has enjoyed in his managerial career to date, notably winning the league and cup double during the 2020/21 campaign with Sporting.

With the Lisbon native likely to have decades ahead of him in the dugout, it is no surprise that Paratici and co are seemingly looking closely at him as a potential successor to Conte, as the highly-coveted coach only recently laid bare his credentials after knocking out Arsenal in the Europa League.

That recent triumph has already put Amorim in the good books of Tottenham supporters, with that positive feeling only set to be enhanced if he can also aid the club in bringing current Sporting starlet Marcus Edwards back to north London.

Will Spurs sign Edwards?

The diminutive forward – who left the Premier League side back in 2019 after rising up through the youth ranks – has been touted for a Spurs homecoming in recent times, with the Daily Mail previously suggesting that Paratici was eyeing a double January swoop involving the Englishman and Pedro Porro.

Despite the latter man eventually making his way to London, in the case of Edwards – who is said to have a £52m release clause in his contract – the 24-year-old stayed put at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, having been in sparkling form of late in Portugal.

Once likened to Lionel Messi by former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, the 5 foot 6 dynamo has left his previous employers ruing their decision to allow him to depart, having scored 13 goals and registered 14 assists in just 55 games for his current side.

The former Vitoria Guimaraes ace has proven himself a truly "dangerous" attacking presence, as per Statman Dave, with it no surprise that there is such a clamour to see him return to his former home, as even the player himself would "give serious consideration" to the move – according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The hope will be that Edwards' connection to Amorim can help to spark that long-awaited switch, provided the exciting coach does himself agree to a move, with the Portuguese visionary having hailed the former England youth gem as a "very talented player", while also tipping him for senior international recognition from the Three Lions in the future.

Although at the moment that double move does appear someway off, it would represent a notable coup as far as Spurs are concerned if the top-four hopefuls can pull it off.