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An update has emerged on Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell, regarding Tottenham’s interest in his services…

What’s the talk?

According to Dean Jones of EuroSport, Tottenham have put together a scouting report on Norwich City attacking midfielder Todd Cantwell. Fabio Paratici is looking to improve Nuno Santo’s squad this summer and the Englishman is one of a number of midfielders the club are considering – along with Franck Kessie, Miralem Pjanic and Marcel Sabitzer.

Fans would love it

Daniel Levy must sanction a swoop for Cantwell this summer to bolster Santo’s squad. If there is a chance that he could be available in the coming weeks then Spurs must act and attempt to swoop him up as he could be an excellent addition to add depth in the attacking areas.

Cantwell has 12 months left on his contract at Carrow Road, although Norwich do have an option to extend it by a further year. This means that Spurs could, potentially, convince the Canaries to part ways with Cantwell in order to avoid his value depreciating throughout the course of next season. If Norwich are relegated from the Premier League and then have Cantwell in limbo with Championship football on the horizon and just a year left on his deal, then that could be a real cause for concern.

Therefore, the opportunity could be there for Tottenham to sign him and it could be a smart piece of business by the club. The 23-year-old is a talented young player who could have potential to improve and develop into a key player for Santo over the course of a number of years, which fans could enjoy watching.

Former Norwich and West Ham striker Dean Ashton lauded him as a “wonderful” player earlier this year and highlighted his ability to take opponents on with the ball at his feet.

He said:

“When I first saw him I said to Darren Huckerby, ‘how is that lad not training with the first-team?’. He was incredible. The way he was drifting past players. His speed of thought and his awareness. He’s just a wonderful player.”

The £19.8m-rated maestro already has experience in the Premier League. He scored six and assisted two goals in 30 starts in the 2019/20 season for Norwich, before scoring six and assisting six in 30 Championship stars as he averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.13.

Steven Bergwijn, Erik Lamela, Carlos Vinicius and Lucas Moura managed just six goals in the league between them for Spurs last season. This suggests that Cantwell could be an upgrade on Santo’s existing options behind his starting group of forwards; Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.

Therefore, Levy must work hard to land the up-and-coming midfielder this summer as fans would love to see a goalscoring wide man to complement Kane and Son, as they were missing that with the aforementioned flops last term.

AND in other news, Tottenham must sanction swoop for “devastating” £74k-p/w powerhouse, Nuno needs him…

MELBOURNE, Dec 6 AAP – Victoria’s batsmen dined out on South Australia’s bowlers to cruise to a six-wicket win in the ING Cup cricket match at the MCG tonight.

Adam Cooper06-Dec-2002MELBOURNE, Dec 6 AAP – Victoria’s batsmen dined out on South Australia’s bowlers to cruise to a six-wicket win in the ING Cup cricket match at the MCG tonight.The Victorian bats missed out on a bonus point but didn’t miss anything short or wide as they punished the Redback bowlers to race past South Australia’s 8-217 in 43.2 overs.Jason Arnberger (79 from 98 balls) and Nick Jewell (53 from 67) also established themselves at the top of the innings, posting an opening stand of 117.From there, Brad Hodge blasted a quick 48 and Matthew Elliott an unbeaten 22 to guide the Vics to 4-220 and a second ING win from four matches.South Australian captain Darren Lehmann tried eight bowlers with limited success and, to emphasise their dominance, all four Victorians dismissed were caught on the boundary.Arnberger’s knock continued his outstanding Pura Cup form this summer and cemented his spot in the one-day team after his 53 in Victoria’s eight-wicket loss to NSW on Sunday.The right-hander punched the first seven boundaries of the Victorian innings and missed a great chance of a maiden limited-overs century when he holed out to deep square leg off Ben Johnson.Like their Pura Cup loss against Victoria a fortnight ago, the Redbacks struggled with the bat early despite winning the toss.They slumped to 3-67 until Lehmann led a late onslaught that yielded 47 runs off the last five overs.Lehmann rescued the innings with an unbeaten 84 from 110 balls, but the Redbacks were struggling for runs once Jeff Vaughan (37) was run out from a Rob Cassell direct hit after a 66-run stand with his captain.Lehmann steadied the innings – at one stage racking up 28 successive singles – before he and Graham Manou (17) hit out late.Despite copping some heavy hitting, Victorian captain Shane Warne finished with 4-45 from his 10 overs.Arnberger had found the transition from Pura Cup to one-day cricket a tough one.”If you look at my record, it hasn’t been too good and the last couple of years they’ve put me in as a pinch-hitter and it’s not my game,” he said.”I’ll go out and get 20 in 20 balls and get out.”Whereas if you give me more scope to get myself in … the longer I bat, the more easier it is to get the (strike-rate) up again.”Arnberger said Jason Gillespie’s presence helped him focus on staying at the crease.But he was disappointed at getting out with a century beckoning.”There was a hundred there for me so I was disappointed in that respect. There’s not many chances you get where they weren’t really putting us under much pressure,” he said.Warne’s return meant fellow Victorian legspinner Cameron White was omitted despite being among Australia’s 30-man World Cup squad.White has just next week’s Prime Minister’s XI match against England to push his name in the one-day arena before the squad is finalised.

Derby County are interested in a deal which would bring Ravel Morrison to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claimed that Wayne Rooney has allowed Morrison to train with the Rams during pre-season, with the 35-year-old open to offering the attacking midfielder a deal at the club if he impresses at Moor Farm.

The report added that the 28-year-old would be keen to link up with Derby this summer, having been without a club since leaving ADO Den Haag in January. However, it is also claimed that the Championship side would not be able to offer the former Manchester United man a lucrative contract as a result of their current financial situation.

Rooney will be buzzing

Having played with Morrison during his Manchester United days, and thus being fully aware of the potential the midfielder once appeared to possess, the fact that Rooney could land the 28-year-old on a free transfer this summer is sure to have the Derby manager buzzing.

Indeed, with Rio Ferdinand stating his belief that Morrison could have been a “£100m player” with the right mentor – as well as Rooney himself claiming that the midfielder was “a country mile better” than Paul Pogba, in addition to dubbing the player “brilliant” and “confident” – it is clear to see why the 35-year-old is eager to give the £450,000-rated midfielder a chance to impress at Pride Park.

However, despite this early potential, it is undeniable that Morrison has not lived up to expectations so far in his footballing career, with the 28-year-old struggling to stay at any club for an extended period of time and getting involved in several off-field indiscretions. Should Rooney offer the midfielder a deal at Pride Park, it would be something of a gamble.

Having said that, if Rooney can finally be the man to get the best out of the Jamaica international, it would be seen as a masterstroke by the 35-year-old, with Morrison more than capable of being a match-winner for the Rams if he can bring his best qualities to the fore.

In other news: Derby enter into transfer talks with “massive” £22k-p/w beast, fans should be worried

Mohammad Asif is detained at Dubai airport on suspicion of possessing drugs

Cricinfo staff03-Jun-2008
Mohammad Asif has been held on suspicion of possessing a contraband item © Getty Images
Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, has been detained by authorities in Dubai on suspicion of possessing drugs. The fast bowler, who tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone nearly two years ago, was held back by airport authorities on Sunday. According to a PCB official already in Dubai, no charges have yet been brought against Asif, though he remains in the detention centre at Dubai International Airport.Nadeem Akram, a senior board official who is in Dubai handling the case, said officials had not yet identified what the substance is. “It has been sent to a lab for testing but we do not know yet what it is,” Akram, in Dubai since Sunday, told Cricinfo.Akram also stressed that Asif hadn’t yet been arrested and that he had been detained. “No charges have been brought yet. We have a lawyer here and he is due to meet the public prosecutor at 12.30pm Dubai time. We will know more about the case after their meeting.”Akram has been in constant touch with Asif, who was understandably “shattered” by the events, but maintained that he did not know what the substance was and had been carrying it in his wallet for several months.Earlier, a PCB official told Cricinfo that Asif “has been held since the day before yesterday in Dubai. So far the authorities haven’t told us much but that it is on suspicion of possessing a contraband item.” Dubai’s laws on drug possession and use are among the strictest in the region, though the top hierarchy of the PCB has always enjoyed close ties with leaders in the United Arab Emirates.The Pakistan board was to hold a press conference about the issue in the afternoon but decided to push it back till 4.30pm (PST), presumably to wait and hear developments from the meeting between Asif’s lawyer and the public prosecutor.Asif, along with Shoaib Akhtar, tested positive in an internal dope test conducted by the Pakistan board in October 2006. He was initially banned for one year, though the ban was overturned on appeal a month later. Since then, one of the most promising fast bowlers on the world circuit has been dogged by a long-standing elbow problem. The injury had already taken the sheen away from a prodigious start to his international career and this new development is likely to do so even more.

An update has emerged on Leeds transfer target Javi Galan regarding his price tag at Huesca. 

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet AS, as transcribed by Sport Witness, Leeds and Sevilla have both made enquiries to Huesca regarding a potential deal for the left-back. The report claims that the defender is expected to depart from the club following their relegation from La Liga, with the Whites one of the teams interested in signing him.

Galan has one year left on his contract at Huesca and their relegation to the second tier has presented Leeds with an opportunity to sign him for €4m (£3.4m) due to a clause in his deal allowing him to leave for a set fee upon demotion.

Bielsa will love him

Leeds signed Junior Firpo from Barcelona last month in a £13m deal and the club could land the perfect competition for him in the form of Galan. Marcelo Bielsa had no natural left-backs in his squad last season, with Ezgjan Alioski and Stuart Dallas both playing out of position there throughout the campaign. This means that the Argentine coach could love having two specialist left-back options in his squad in Firpo and Galan.

The pair could fight it out for the starting position and spur each other on to keep improving and working hard in training. This would alleviate the potential of Firpo becoming too comfortable with his position in the team, as he would know that Galan is pushing for his place in the XI, and that could create healthy competition for places within Bielsa’s squad.

Galan was highly praised on the La Liga Lowdown, as he was labelled an unstoppable full-back capable of hurting teams with his pace down the flank.

Contributor Ruairidh Barlow noted: “One of those invaluable full-backs who can cover an entire flank alone, he essentially provides a numerical advantage for his team.

“According to fbref.com, Galán ranks top in tackles won, second for crosses into the penalty area and second for players dribbled past. As football has realised in recent years, it’s hard to negate a full-back arriving at pace. So far Galán himself has proved just that; unstoppable.”

His statistics in La Liga were outstanding for a player who was in a relegated team. He averaged a sensational WhoScored rating of 7.16 in 37 appearances for Huesca. The 26-year-old made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game in the league, showing off his impressive defensive qualities in the full-back role.

Therefore, Bielsa could love coaching the Spaniard at Leeds as he combines pace with the ability to work hard defensively and win challenges at the back. At £3.4m, he could prove to be an absolute bargain, especially given that Leeds had to spend £13m to sign Firpo, who averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.54 for Barcelona in the same division.

AND in other news, Leeds must act swiftly to land £13.5m-rated magician, he’d be an upgrade on Klich…

Momentum is a key factor with the crunch stage of the Twenty20 Cup nearing and Middlesex are just threatening to lose theirs at the wrong time

Andrew McGlashan at Richmond22-Jun-2008
ScorecardMomentum is a key factor with the crunch stage of the Twenty20 Cup nearing and Middlesex are just threatening to lose theirs at the wrong time. After five straight victories, the six-run defeat against Hampshire at Richmond was their second in three days. Dimitri Mascarenhas bagged 3 for 12, after being released by England, to outshine a fantastic all-round display by Shaun Udal against his former team-matesFor a brief moment at the end it looked as Udal might foil Hampshire for the second in the tournament, but 20 off the final over proved too tough an ask despite him launching consecutive balls from Ian Harvey for four and six. When these two sides met earlier in the competition Udal took the Man-of-the-Match award for his three wickets, but he couldn’t complete the double as Hampshire took their revenge and kept themselves in the hunt for the quarter-finals.There was a bit of needle between Udal and his former club. He’d been delighted to bowl Mascarenhas during the first innings and Mascarenhas later showed his frustration when an lbw was turned down. Udal then took a painful blow on the wrist from an errant throw from Chris Benham, although any bad feeling was short-lived and handshakes were soon being shared.Udal hit the ball as cleanly as anyone on a day when the batsman struggled to find the rope, despite the enticing boundaries at Old Deer Park. He launched four sixes in his 20-ball innings, one of which flew over the press tent and into the hedge, requiring Billy Taylor to be given a leg-up by Sean Ervine to retrieve it. Hampshire’s teamwork was in good order on and off the field.Their 133 appeared a very chaseable total for Middlesex, but Nantie Hayward did the early damage with a rapid spell. He knocked back Billy Godleman’s off stump, then next ball did the same to Eoin Morgan’s middle peg, via a thin inside-edge. Andrew Strauss has been clocking up more miles than runs recently as a stand-by for England’s one-day squad, and produced a curious innings where he tried (and failed) three times to scoop Taylor over the wicketkeeper’s head.Taylor responded with a Twenty20 rarity – the maiden – before Strauss’s frustrations got the better of him when he gave himself room to Hayward and paid the price. The middle order tried to hit their way out of trouble with little success against Mascarenhas. Tyron Henderson fell in slightly unlucky circumstances when the ball rebounded off Pothas onto the stumps, but overall it was a poor chase by Middlesex, who appeared to be in two minds about how to go about it.However, it wasn’t a day where the batsmen ever really fired. Hampshire were given a good base by Harvey and Michael Lumb, but once Henderson broke through at the end of the Powerplay wickets fell regularly. Harvey chipped a catch back to Murali Kartik when a ball seemed to stop on him and Ervine was run out by a sharp piece of work by Ben Scott.Michael Carberry was becalmed and spent 14 overs in the middle without ever getting out of second gear. Largely that was down to Udal, who bowled his four overs for just 11, the joint second most economical four-over spell of the season. At that point he would have been confident of making Hampshire more regretful that they let him go, but it didn’t quite work out that way.

David “Butch” White, the former England and Hampshire quick bowler, has died aged 73

Cricinfo staff02-Aug-2008David “Butch” White, the former England and Hampshire quick bowler, has died aged 73. His international career was limited to two Tests on the 1961-62 tour of Pakistan, but he took 1,143 first-class wickets at an impressive 23.54.The majority of his 16-year career was spent with Hampshire and he was part of the side that won the Championship title for the first time in 1961. He formed a powerful new-ball combination alongside Derek Shackleton, who died less than a year ago, but after a decade of loyal service he was ignominiously discarded after an injury-blighted summer in 1971. He finished his playing days with one season at Glamorgan in 1972, but it’s his exploits on the south coast that he’ll be remembered for.A broad-shouldered bowler with a long run-up, his best figures were 9 for 44 against Leicestershire in 1966 and he took over 100 wickets on four occasions.The two Tests he played came on docile pitches in Pakistan, but he played his part on debut with 3 for 65 in the first innings at Lahore, as England went on to win by five wickets. Some attributed his lack of international recognition to the fact he had been no-balled by Paul Gibb twice in 1960, although team-mate Roy Marshall argued that White’s action made throwing an impossibility.

Wolves are facing a number of exits from the football club this summer with the Old Gold chasing more funds to spend in the transfer market.

Ruben Neves and Adama Traore are the two more high profile departures that could take place while Rui Patricio has already taken his leave from Molineux.

What’s the word?

There could be another departure in the backline at Wolves with Romain Saiss fielding interest from France.

However, there is now a threat of Max Kilman heading away from the Midlands.

That’s according to Football League World who report that both Sheffield United and Barnsley have had enquires rebuffed for the defender by Wolves.

They’ve told the Championship pair that he is part of their plans for the upcoming season and have no intention of selling.

Let him go

If other clubs are interested in acquiring the centre-back this summer then Wolves must take the decision to axe him from their plans.

After all, he struggled to get in the side towards the back end of last summer and his desire to receive more first-team football won’t be made any easier by the arrival of Yerson Mosquera.

Kilman began 2020/21 as a regular in the side but only made two starts in the league following Valentine’s day.

The £50k-per-week earner was handed a new contract last season but despite being described as “outstanding” by Conor Coady at one stage, his performances over a long period of time didn’t particularly set the world alight.

He formed part of a Wolves defence who only kept two clean sheets over a 14-game spell between October and January, amassing some poor numbers from a personal perspective in the process.

The centre-back won 1.1 aerial duels per game which was the same as Coady but fewer than Saiss, Willy Boly, Leander Dendoncker and Nelson Semedo.

Furthermore, he won just 1.2 tackles a game, the 12th best tally in the entire Wolves squad.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-news-ceballos-zinchenko-euros-felix-lage” title=”Read the latest Wolves transfer news!”]

With that in mind, Lage should happily take the brutal decision of axing the 24-year-old ahead of the new season.

With the club restricted in terms of finances, he could net them a tidy windfall to spend elsewhere.

AND in other news, Wolves offered chance to sign “exceptional” 56-cap ace, he may be another Willian Jose…

Steve Jenkin has resigned after three years in the role as New Zealand coach

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2008New Zealand women will need a new coach just ten months before the World Cup following Steve Jenkin ‘s resignation earlier this week after three years in the role.Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive, acknowledged that with the team so close to a World Cup and then the important World Twenty20, a replacement was urgent. “Putting a new coach in place is a top priority,” Vaughan said. “The White Ferns have a real chance of taking honours in the tournament and we need to ensure that the team continues to build on its recent performances. We will now work through a process to appoint a new coach in the next few weeks.”Jenkin said he needed a rest. “It was a very tough decision but everything’s fine [in the camp]. I’m just taking a bit of a break, which I probably should have done a few years ago,” Jenkin told the Dominion Post. “I’ve been in the role for three years but I’ve coached at the elite level for 16 years straight.”The girls are brilliant; they’ve worked very hard and increased their skills to a higher level. They’re just a powerful cricket team, they’re going to get better in the next ten months and they’ll win the World Cup.”Jenkin is the third women’s international coach to resign this year, after England’s Mark Dobson left the Ashes tour suddenly in February and Lisa Keightley handed in her notice with Australia in May. Mark Lane replaced Dobson, while Richard McInnes took over from Keightley.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped a teasing Aston Villa transfer claim on their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey.

What’s the story?

Reports from The Daily Mail suggested that Dean Smith’s side are now eyeing up a swoop for the Jamaica international this summer, and Preece has now delivered an exciting update on the situation.

He said (via Twitter): “Put some feelers out yesterday, and found out that he’s been offered to lots of Premier League clubs. Nothing imminent on that one, but he is on Villa’s list. He fits the profile doesn’t he? A player bang in form, 23, fits the profile and can play in a number of different positions in attack.

“That’s a deal that can be done if Villa want to act on it. So watch this space with that one, and yeah he’s on Villa’s list, I can say that with confidence. He looks the real deal.”

Fans will be excited

Bailey has been a revelation in the Bundesliga with Leverkusen, and was particularly outstanding in the campaign just gone by, scoring an impressive 15 goals and providing another 11 assists.

Ajax’s former youth coach Ronald de Boer once said of Bailey: “He’s so fast it’s not normal. His speed, combined with his technique, is very rare. Exceptional. He has no weak points.”

Given that they’ve appeared to miss out on Emile Smith Rowe after the Arsenal starlet put pen to paper on a new contract at the Emirates Stadium, a move for 23-year-old Bailey would more than make up for that.

The Leverkusen star also has the added advantage of having played Champions League football in recent seasons with the German club, and would add some more European experience to this growing Villa team.

As Preece says, he “fits the profile” of being young and with a lot of potential, but already with bags of quality as evidenced by his performances last season.

That there’s a deal to be done if Villa want to act on it should have fans excited at the prospect of him joining ahead of the new Premier League season next month.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa could sign their new Tony Daley in this star…