Tottenham are said to be very keen on bringing in a £60 million striker as chairman Daniel Levy and the recruitment team eye up Harry Kane successors.

Spurs sporadically linked with new centre-forward

While Richarlison is Spurs' current second top scorer in the league and has recently come into a rich vein of form, there is a real case to be made that the Brazilian isn't quite the long-term 20-plus-goal per-season striker which Ange Postecoglou could benefit from.

Tottenham readying bid for £43m player as Ange looks to tie up deals quick

They’re increasingly likely to make a move.

By
Emilio Galantini

Mar 21, 2024

There are even suggestions that Tottenham could opt to sell Richarlison and upgrade if they receive a big enough offer for him this summer, which perhaps adds fuel to the fire that a striker signing could well be possible.

Alasdair Gold hinted that Spurs are in contention for Brentford striker Ivan Toney earlier this week, and the England international would be quite a stellar capture if they can beat other top suitors to his signature.

"I would love to see Tottenham nick him off of Brentford and get there before Arsenal do," said Teddy Sheringham on Toney potentially joining Spurs.

"Toney has got something about him. He carries himself well and can take on the mantle of being the main man at a club. Everyone is suggesting that he could be the icing on the cake for Arsenal, but I think he could be a big, big player for Tottenham at this moment in time."

There are other, cheaper and more attainable names mentioned regarding the centre-forward role, though, with Union St. Gillosie striker Mohamed Amoura having quite the season.

Tottenham's top scorers since Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich	Goals in all competitions (via BBC Sport)
Son Heung-min	14
Richarlison	11
Dejan Kulusevski	6
James Maddison	4
Brennan Johnson	4

Amoura has admirers at Spurs who've been running the rule over him in recent weeks, according to reports, and the Algeria sensation may well be one to watch when the transfer window reopens.

Another striker apparently attracting Postecoglou's attention is Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutchman is already into double figures with 10 Serie A goals this season, and his performances are said to be turning heads in north London.

Tottenham really want to sign Zirkzee as price tag revealed

According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, as translated by Sport Witness, Tottenham have a strong interest in signing Zirkzee but Bologna could demand up to £60m to part company with their talisman.

It is unclear whether this valuation is enough to deter Spurs, but they will have to pay close to a record fee amid the growing clamour for Zirkzee's services.

"It was an excellent goal from a player with extraordinary qualities," said manager Thiago Motta, after a strike away to Sassuolo earlier this campaign.

"He scored a similar goal in training. Joshua is very talented, but I want to emphasize that he also works very hard for it."

On the whole this season, Manchester United’s League standing isn’t a true reflection of their performances, and in truth, they should be even lower in the table.

Erik ten Hag is now under increasing pressure to succeed, but the same problems continue to occur every game, with no signs of visible progression.

The only positive that can be taken from this campaign is the rise of the youth, with Alejandro Garnacho thriving in particular, becoming a key player for the Red Devils, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in the Premier League.

At just 19 years of age, the winger has truly cemented himself a spot in the starting lineup, as he continues to impress, but just imagine the levels he could go to with a new full-back providing support behind him.

Man Utd’s search for a new left-back

This season, the left-back position has been a huge problem for the Dutch boss due to often being left without a single available player in that role.

That’s currently the case at the moment, with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both unavailable due to injuries, with the latter set to miss the entire campaign. It’s seen young Harry Amass given time among the senior team, however, named among the substitutes against Liverpool last Sunday.

Therefore, it’s no surprise to see that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is desperate to sign a new left-back this summer, and his first potential acquisition could be Miguel Gutierrez, according to the Sunday Mirror via TeamTALK.

However, the English club will not get a clean run at the Spaniard, with Real Madrid having a £6.8m buy-back clause and Arsenal previously scouting him.

That said, let’s take a look at the potential influence Gutierrez could have on Garnacho in particular.

Why Gutierrez could turn Garnacho into a monster

Gutierrez has taken Spain by storm this season, thriving in the unbelievable Girona side that has won the hearts of many football fans across Europe.

The 22-year-old defender has been simply sublime across his 28 La Liga appearances, showing he can impact the game both defensively and in the final third.

But most importantly, he’s suffered no injuries all campaign, with his latest and only setback of his career occurring in the 2021/22 season.

This means that if he were to join the Red Devils, he would be able to develop a brilliant relationship down the left with Garnacho, who’s slowly nailing down that role even over Marcus Rashford.

As you can see by the table below showcasing Gutierrez’s recent performance against Rayo Vallecano, the “fantastic” ace, as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig, is an exceptionally well-rounded star.

Assists

1

Big chances created

2

Key passes

3

Successful dribbles

3/4

Duels won

6

Interceptions

2

Dribbled past

0

Firstly, the number 3 is an extremely solid defender who likes to take a proactive approach, as shown by his two interceptions, six duels won, and the fact he wasn’t dribbled past once.

However, it’s the threat that he brings in the final third that could see Garnacho improve, with Gutierrez often opting for direct dribbling to evade the opposition and drag them out of position, in turn potentially giving the Argentine more space to work his magic.

The Spaniard is also an accurate crosser of the ball, as displayed via his assist, three key passes, and two big chances created, with his overlapping runs making the United attack on the left far less predictable while giving Garnacho the option to cut inside or lay the ball off.

On top of this, the former Madrid ace currently ranks joint-first for big chances created in La Liga (14), which is the same as Bruno Fernandes in the Premier League and 13 more than Shaw.

Overall, United have needed a reliable left-back for years now, and Gutierrez does tick every box for the kind of profile that Ten Hag’s team needs. It could just prove game-changing for the progression of one of the club’s best young talents too.

Man Utd can sign bigger talent than Garnacho in “future Ballon d’Or winner”

The Man United target is starring at just 16 years old.

ByTom Lever Apr 2, 2024

David Warner has flagged his likely retirement from T20Is following the two T20 World Cups to be played in consecutive years, and also explained why he has chosen to skip the Big Bash League for much of his international career.On an emotional Australian Cricket Awards night for Warner, he took out the Allan Border Medal as the national team’s best player across all three formats despite an abominable Ashes series in which Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne scored the runs that allowed Tim Paine’s team to retain the urn in England for the first time since 2001. He fared far better on home soil after adopting the belligerent, aggressive batting approach that Australian cricket followers have grown used to, and also made runs on the brief India ODI tour last month that was the last series that featured in the medal’s voting period.At 33, Warner is starting to consider how to approach the remainder of his career, and the dropping of T20Is from his schedule appears the next step he will take to prolong it – albeit only after the T20 World Cups in Australia later this year and in India in 2021.ALSO READ: David Warner, Ellyse Perry win top honours at Australian Cricket Awards“I don’t have a BBL team; I took a break during this period, and that was about my body and my mind, making sure I’m getting ready for the next series that comes up,” Warner said. “If you look at T20 internationals, we’ve got back-to-back World Cups as well, that’s probably a format that could be one I’d probably drop in a few years.”I have to look at the schedule; it’s going to be very difficult [for me] to play all three forms, and good luck to all the guys who want to keep playing that. You talk to guys like AB de Villiers and Virender Sehwag, these guys who’ve done it for a long time, it does become challenging. Having three young kids and my wife at home all the time, the constant travelling becomes very difficult. If it was to come down to [leaving out] one format, it would probably be the international T20s.”As for the BBL, Warner denied that its rapid growth to a 61-game tournament, after starting as a 20-game, state-based event in 2005 and then growing to 31, 35, 43 and 59 games under the BBL banner from 2011 onwards, was a factor in him avoiding it. Warner’s manager had said last year that his client would consider playing in the BBL but that it would need to be financially “worth his while” to do so, but the opener also indicated that some CA-contracted players were uneasy about taking the spots of cricketers who had represented their clubs for the whole event.Ellyse Perry, winner of the Belinda Clark medal poses with David Warner, winner of the Allan Border medal•Getty Images

“For me it’s about working out timeframes with different series, identify when you need a bit of a rest,” Warner sad. “Generally, we play a Test series and go into a one-day series. We went to India and then generally you have a one-day series at home, back-to-back games and then you go away. So, it was a bit different this year; I was able to have that opportunity to have that break which I’m grateful for.”A lot of the guys try to go back and play as much as they can. Sometimes, you look at the finals as an example, they come back and play the final, you’re taking someone’s spot as well, which is always tough as a player, you don’t want to come back and just take someone’s spot for one game. So, this opportunity was great for these guys to go out and play, and to see Smithy and Gazza (Nathan Lyon) and them take part in it and win the title is fantastic.”There had been plenty of tears from Warner as he accepted the medal, after not even being invited to last year’s ceremony, which predated CA’s lengthy reintegration process for him, Smith and Cameron Bancroft after their Newlands bans.”I had no doubt that I had the capability of being back here again. It was obviously a lot of hard work and commitment to be able to put my hand back up for selection for one, and go away and just do what I know best and that’s to try and score as many runs as I can in any competition I was playing in,” Warner said. “There was obviously a lot of work behind the scenes to reintegrate the three of us and I really appreciate the way that unfolded and the way we were reintegrated back into the team and into the fold, and that was by having net sessions as well at the Test matches, keeping our sharpness up against quality bowling, and I’m extremely grateful for that.”There were tough times there with me and, my wife having two miscarriages, there were a lot of things going on in my life away from cricket that I had to work on, and I was able to do that and that was the thing about not having cricket there. I had to work out what was going to be best for me. I had to work on my fitness, me and my wife are a great team, we have three beautiful daughters, and we really enjoy each other’s company.”Australia’s next assignment is a tour of South Africa for three T20Is and three ODIs, taking Warner and Smith back to the scene of their transgressions for the first time in nearly two years. Warner said his experiences in England last year, where he was able to shrug off a constant stream of abuse from crowds while never once retaliating, would be helpful memories.”I knew what I was walking into in England and I know exactly what I’m walking into in South Africa,” Warner said. “You just look at the recent series against England; it doesn’t matter where you go in the world, you’re probably going to cop something of some sort. You’ve got to try and get that out of your head and not let that affect you. I’ve well and truly learned my lessons from last time. It’s going to be great to go back over there, and I’m just really excited to get out there against South Africa and hopefully come home with a win.”

An in-form member of Ange Postecoglou's squad could be tempted to leave Tottenham this summer, despite his importance to the side.

Spurs players who could leave before the end of 2024

Many Spurs players are currently facing uncertain futures under Postecoglou heading into the next transfer window.

£26m forward's camp contacted by Tottenham as Levy eyes bargain summer deal

He’s been in fine form this season.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 26, 2024

One of the big talking points will be midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who is now slowly entering the final 12 months of his contract at N17 and has been tipped to potentially leave this summer by reliable journalists like Fabrizio Romano.

Tottenham have been repeatedly linked with a move for Conor Gallagher, alongside Atalanta star Ederson, which certainly won't help Hojbjerg's push for starting places.

The Denmark international has been given the nod by Postecoglou on just six occasions in the league this season, with the vast majority of his appearances coming from the substitute's bench.

Meanwhile, a lack of chances for Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil have pushed them further towards the exit door, and that isn't even factoring in the plethora of senior players out on loan spells.

Luton Town (home)

March 30th

West Ham (away)

April 2nd

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 8th

Newcastle United (away)

April 13th

Arsenal (home)

April 28th

Joe Rodon, Tanguy Ndombele, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga and Sergio Reguilon all look pretty likely to part company with Spurs later this year, and some reports suggest that Leeds are very likely to sign Rodon in particular after his excellent season in the Championship on loan at Elland Road.

There have been some claims that Saudi sides still hold a firm interest in Richarlison as well, and Tottenham could be tempted by a big bid despite his excellent form. The Brazilian boasts nine goals from his last 11 top flight matches, but it is now believed he could also opt to bid farewell.

Richarlison could be tempted to leave Tottenham

According to La Gazetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, he is rated highly by clubs in the Middle East, and it is believed Richarlison could be tempted by a move to Saudi in the summer window.

While the 26-year-old has impressed lately, there is a case to be made that his sale could generate sufficient funds for Spurs to go out and sign a 20-plus goal-per-season forward to finally replace Harry Kane.

However, Postecoglou has stressed the player's importance this season.

“Obviously for Richy, getting a couple of goals as a striker that was positive for him," said Postecoglou on Richarlison after his brace against Newcastle. “Richy was important to us at the start of the year too, but he wasn’t fully fit. I think you could tell he was kind of restricted with his movements.

“At times we had to play him out wide just to get him through games. Since he’s come back, it’s fair to say he feels a lot better physically and I think that’s helped him mentally as well."

Former Liverpool and Rangers manager Graeme Souness has questioned Manchester United's decision to sign 'lightweight' Matthijs de Ligt.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Souness raises questions over De Ligt's abilityNot the solution to Man Utd's problemsJoined the Red Devils from Bayern Munich on TuesdayWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils officially announced the arrival of the Dutch defender on Tuesday as they paid £38.5m ($49.5m) plus £4.3m ($5.5m) in add-ons to Bayern Munich to secure the signature of the centre-back. De Ligt, 25, has already built an impressive resume, having played for top European clubs such as Ajax, Juventus, and Bayern Munich, however, some experts have raised concerns over his abilities.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

One such expert is ex-Liverpool boss Souness, who tagged the Dutchman as a 'lightweight' defender and questioned whether he will be able to solve United's defensive woes. The club desperately needed a centre-back with experience at the highest level after Raphael Varane left Old Trafford at the end of the 2023-24 season.

WHAT GRAEME SOUNESS SAID

Speaking to talkSPORT, the 71-year-old said: "I'm doubtful about De Ligt. He didn't get into the national team during the Euros, he was a squad member. He's been at two enormous football clubs, they normally don't like to sell players. That in itself tells a story. I'm not sure he is what Man United needs at this time. Jonny Evans played 23 times for Man United, they desperately need a centre-half. I look at De Ligt, he's a lightweight centre-half. What you want from a centre-half first and foremost is to defend."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

The Netherlands international could make his debut in the Premier League on Friday as Erik ten Hag's side take on Fulham at Old Trafford in their 2024-25 curtain raiser.

أعلن الاتحاد البولندي لكرة القدم، إصابة المهاجم روبرت ليفاندوفسكي نجم فريق برشلونة، وغيابه عن معسكر نوفمبر، لمباريات دوري الأمم الأوروبية.

منتخب بولندا يستعد لمواجهتي البرتغال وأسكتلندا، في الجولتين الخامسة والسادسة من بطولة دوري الأمم الأوروبية، لإطار المجموعة الأولى.

طالع أيضًا | “بحذاء مقاس 70”.. رافينها يسخر من تقنية الـ VAR بعد إلغاء هدف ليفاندوفسكي

وأعلن الاتحاد البولندي في بيان رسمي عبر موقعه الإلكتروني، أن روبرت ليفاندوفسكي أصيب في الظهر، خلال مباراة برشلونة وريال سوسيداد، التي خسرها النادي الكتالوني أمس.

مدة غياب اللاعب البولندي ستكون 10 أيام، حسب ما أكد منتخب بلاده، مما يعني أنه سيكون جاهزًا لمواجهة سيلتا فيجو في الدوري الإسباني بعد فترة التوقف.

ليفاندوفسكي هذا الموسم مع برشلونة شارك في 17 مباراة سجل خلالهم 19 هدفًا وصنع هدفين، ببطولتي الدوري الإسباني ودوري أبطال أوروبا.

England captain also supports increasing value of batting bonus points to ensure more games go into final day

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2020Joe Root has advocated the use of the Kookaburra ball for half of the County Championship season and an increase in the value of batting bonus points.A switch from the current Dukes ball, which has a more prominent seam and favours old-fashioned swing bowlers, to a Kookaburra for some rounds of Championship games was discussed by the ECB’s Cricket Committee at the end of 2019, but no change has been made ahead of the upcoming season.But in an interview with the , Root suggested that a change to the status quo in the county game “would be great” for England’s Test team, in helping to close the gap between the Championship and international cricket.ALSO READ: Kookaburra would bring ‘a different skillset’ into Championship – Mahmood”I would like to see a few big changes in county cricket to benefit the Test team,” Root said. “There are things we won’t be able to change, like when the games are going to be played. That is going to be a struggle with the Hundred coming in and T20 Blast not moving.”But things like using the Kookaburra ball for half a season. It is a flat seam, does not stay as hard for as long, so our bowlers get used to bowling with something that does not do as much. Batters get used to that style of cricket, which can be slow and attritional at times.”The Kookaburra is used in the majority of Test-playing countries, with India (SG), England, Ireland and West Indies (Dukes) the exceptions. In 2016, Cricket Australia mandated the use of a Dukes ball for the post-Big Bash part of the Sheffield Shield season, in an attempt to familiarise their players with the ball ahead of future Ashes tours.As Test captain, Root is among the most influential players in the English game, so his intervention could be significant. Saqib Mahmood, the Lancashire seamer, has previously called for the use of the Kookaburra for some rounds of games, while Ashley Giles, the ECB’s managing director for men’s cricket, told the that it was an issue that “we should get our heads round” in 2020, but Root is the most high-profile figure to come out in support of a change.

“We have a clear plan of how we want to go about playing, which is different to before”Joe Root

During England’s 1-0 defeat in New Zealand at the end of last year, Jos Buttler and Joe Denly both called for better pitches in county cricket in order to give batsmen more experience batting for long periods of time, and Giles has been keen to emphasise that he is hoping that can be achieved.As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the ‘uncontested toss’ rule that had been introduced ahead of the 2016 season will be scrapped next year in order to encourage a better balance between bat and ball, a change which has since been approved by the ECB board.But Root, who is likely to play at least five early-season Championship games for Yorkshire on account of his non-involvement in the IPL and a later start to England’s international summer, suggested that doubling the number of batting bonus points on offer would help prolong games and bring spinners into play.Currently, teams receive one batting bonus point for scoring more than 200 runs in the first 110 overs of their first innings in the Championship, with an extra bonus point for every 50 additional runs up to a maximum of five points for a score of 400 or more. In Division One last season, the top two teams – Essex and Somerset – compiled 26 and 25 bonus points respectively, with sixth-placed Surrey managing 33 and Warwickshire in seventh managing 26.”Incentivising batting and scoring big runs I would like to see,” Root said, “so perhaps doubling batting bonus points which in turn will bring spinners into the game because the matches will last longer.”Anything to prolong games and incentivise bowlers in particular to be more skilful and encourage them to bowl fast, or really accurate, have good reverse-swing skills that can travel well in Australia and Asia, would be great for us.”England struggled to bat for long periods in the first Test of their series in New Zealand•AFPRoot also admitted that England “did not prepare for the Tests as well as we should have done last summer,” highlighting the fact that some players only played one red-ball game between the end of their series in the Caribbean in February and the start of the Ashes in August.But he stressed that things “feel different now”, having sat down with Giles and head coach Chris Silverwood to map out the 18 Tests that England play before the start of the 2021-22 Ashes series, a campaign that they have made a point of publicly targeting.”The thing about playing well there is because the wickets are flatter, the ball does not do as much, so performing well in Australia carries well everywhere in the world,” he explained.”That is why for a lot of the time they have been a successful team in Test cricket, because in Australian conditions it is so difficult to take 20 wickets, batters get used to scoring big hundreds, teams are used to scoreboard pressure when batting second and staring at 500-run leads, so over a period of time they have got used to playing that Test-style of cricket.”If we can shape a model of how we want to play in Australia – big first-innings scores and not always picking our best players but picking the best players for certain positions. I think that is a big part of it.”We have a clear plan of how we want to go about playing, which is different to before. We felt for a while it could get a bit muddled, which was down to the interpretation by individual players rather than a really clear method that everyone could fall into line with.”

Tottenham Hotspur know that their fate hinges on their ability to create a winning streak in the closing stage of the Premier League, with the fifth-placed side currently six points behind Aston Villa in the top four, albeit with two games in hand.

The London club's form has been disappointed chequered since a blistering start to life under Ange Postecoglou back in the early phase, though improvements have been made this season and this is the foundation of – hopefully – a prosperous new era.

Regardless of whether Spurs will clinch a spot in Europe's elite competition next year, there have indeed been tantalising glimpses of what is to come, with the £43m signing of defender Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg last summer proving to be one of the catalysts of the campaign forged – and the likely linchpin of the success yet to come.

Micky van de Ven's season in numbers

Van de Ven might only be 22 years old but he has enjoyed a barnstorming maiden year in England, with his performances leading respected journalist Henry Winter to describe him as one of "the buys of summer."

As per Sofascore, the Dutchman has completed 21 Premier League appearances so far, scoring twice, completing 95% of his passes, winning 61% of his duels and averaging 1.9 tackles, 2.7 clearances and 5.7 ball recoveries per outing.

He's the real deal and Tottenham will go from strength to strength with him and Cristian Romero holding down the fort in central defence.

But he's being let down this season, not covered effectively in his backline role. Indeed, Yves Bissouma is starting to present himself as a liability and he must be sold this summer.

Why Spurs must cash in on Yves Bissouma

Once described as a "monster" by journalist Aaron Stokes, Bissouma is losing his way at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, culpable for some poor performances over recent months.

There's no question that he's a highly talented player, ranking among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 12% for progressive passes, the top 14% for successful take-ons, the top 5% for tackles and the top 7% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.

But statistics can be deceiving and the Mali international is not protecting the defence and charging the attack with the fluid fortitude needed.

He's not the highest earner in Tottenham's ranks but his £55k-per-week salary does surpass that of Van de Ven (£50k-per-week), and it might be prudent to relieve the wage bill of his signature, freeing up space to move for an improved star.

Yves Bissouma: Recent PL Match Ratings

Fixture

Score

Match Rating

Newcastle United (A)

4-0 loss

3/10

Nottingham Forest (H)

3-1 win

6/10

West Ham United (A)

1-1 draw

7/10

Luton Town (H)

2-1 win

5/10

Fulham (A)

3-0 loss

3/10

Sourced via football.london

As the table conveys, Bissouma has been on a downward spiral in recent fixtures, his early-campaign imperiousness long in the past, and is failing to hold his own in the engine room as Postecoglou's side fight for Champions League qualification.

This is reflected in his current market value of just £11m, as per Football Transfers, lower than the prices of peripheral midfield teammates such as Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Tottenham might seek to cash in this summer.

While it's unlikely that Daniel Levy would recoup the same £35m figure that was parted with for Bissouma's signing from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022, when Nuno Espirito Santo was at the helm, there's every chance that Tottenham will move for a new specialist No. 6 in the months to come.

Should this happen, Bissouma will sink further into the fringe, and his valuation might diminish further. He must be sold to continue the revival under Postecoglou's leadership.

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After being brought back down to reality this season, Newcastle United have reportedly turned their attention towards the summer transfer window, where they could land an in-form striker to bridge the gap between the Premier League's top four in the next campaign.

Newcastle transfer news

On paper, it looks as though it could be a difficult summer at St James' Park, given that they'll likely be without Dan Ashworth and teams are already circling for some of Eddie Howe's best players.

This includes Bruno Guimaraes, who has reportedly attracted the interest of Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain in what could be a big-money move this summer. Given that the Magpies have been walking a fine line when it comes to profit and sustainability rules in the last year too, they may be left with no choice but to sell at least one key man in the coming months.

Newcastle strong favourites to sign "outstanding" Dan Burn upgrade

He recently rejected a new contract at his current club.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 16, 2024

That key man will not be Alexander Isak, however, according to the striker himself. The Sweden international reaffirmed his commitment to Newcastle in a recent interview, saying: "Of course I want to be here in the future. I came here for the project, I absolutely love playing here, I really feel at home. I want to finish this season in a good way for me and the team. I love playing here.”

After a fantastic season, Isak may now even find himself next to a new strike partner next season. According to La Gazette Du Fennec, Newcastle are in the race to sign Mohamed Amoura from Union Saint-Gilloise this summer. If they want to sign the striker, however, they must fend off interest from West Ham, who reportedly saw an opening bid worth €15m (£13m) turned down by the Belgium club who are demanding no less than €20m (£17m) for their forward this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers are also interested in Amoura, creating a busy race for his signature in the coming months.

"Prolific" Amoura can form deadly Isak partnership

With Callum Wilson now 32 years old and still injury-prone, it's no surprise that Newcastle have turned their attention towards finding another striker to either partner or compete with Isak. The former Real Sociedad forward has enjoyed an excellent campaign, but adding Amoura alongside him would only add to his numbers and create an unstoppable attacking duo at St James' Park.

Goals

18

17

Assists

3

1

Expected Goals

10.7

15.9

Key Passes

17

19

Successful Take-ons

28

31

Whilst it's easy to look impressively at the goals that Amoura has scored, his expected goals are also incredibly impressive and highlight just how clinical he has been this season. The stats show that the Algerian has outperformed by a stunning eight goals in the current campaign in the type of finishing needed to take Newcastle back into the Champions League next season.

Described as "prolific" by Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig, Amoura has shown all the signs of being just that no matter where he ends up this summer.

‘Rahul really brings in a good balance if he can keep and bat that well,’ the captain says

Shashank Kishore in Bengaluru20-Jan-2020The “Dhoni, Dhoni” chants reverberated around the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. No, the former India captain wasn’t around; this was the crowd showing its displeasure towards KL Rahul for a missed stumping to reprieve Steven Smith. Without the benefit of replays, it would have been hard to tell that the ball had ricocheted off Smith’s pads to evade Rahul.Virat Kohli didn’t like what he heard and prompted the crowd to go “KL, KL” as he was shown on the big screen. Soon enough, the crowd changed their chants to “Rahul, Rahul”. This wasn’t the most significant moment of the game, of course, but it told you how much the India captain values Rahul’s presence and he compared the “sacrifice” with the one the other Rahul – Dravid – had made at the 2003 World Cup for the team’s balance.”If you look at the 2003 World Cup where Rahul started keeping, the balance became different because you could play an extra batter and guys at the top could really play positive cricket,” Kohli said at the post-match briefing after India had bounced back to win the three-match series 2-1 against Australia.ALSO READ: Has KL Rahul solved India’s middle-order muddle?Even though Kohli finished as the Player of the Series, Rahul played a massive hand, too: from doubling up as a wicketkeeper to marshalling the lower order to opening the batting – performing every role with an air of nonchalance while providing the much-required balance the team was after. “So, look, he is very open to playing anywhere because he is a proper batsman who can do you good in any format and at any position in the game,” Kohli said on Rahul performing multiple roles.Rishabh Pant’s concussion in the Mumbai ODI might have prompted India to experiment with Rahul as the wicketkeeper for a game or two, but Kohli said the team management was keen to extend that to the upcoming New Zealand series, too. Kohli was emphatic in his view that Rahul deserved a longer run with the gloves before he was judged, and having endured his fair share of being moved up and down in the batting order, and being in and out of the team, it was only fair he be given the extra opportunities in his new role. At the same time, Kohli didn’t want to be drawn into commenting on whether that would mean Pant, Sanju Samson and possibly Dhoni fall back in the pecking order.”That was a spicy question,” Kohli said jokingly, when asked about the wicketkeeping race. “Rahul really brings in a good balance if he can keep and bat that well in that position (No. 5). He has come into the slot and he has done well so we will have to persist with that a little bit and see where that takes us and not necessarily be confused about the other options we have.”KL Rahul shows his quickness behind the stumps•BCCI

The one significant advantage India get from playing Rahul as wicketkeeper is they can field an additional batsman in Manish Pandey, who is one of the best fielders in the squad as he showed in Rajkot, taking a screamer to dismiss David Warner. “So I think lack of clarity in terms of positions has really hurt us in the past. Now that we understand that this feels right, we will go ahead with that for a while and figure out if this is the right thing to do or not,” Kohli said. “You can chop and change immediately and create confusion among the group. I don’t see any reason why we should change this balance. It has done well for the team and we will continue with the same for a while.”Rahul kept his side of the bargain by scoring fluently in three outings, including a match-winning 80 off 52 balls in India’s must-win game in Rajkot, notwithstanding his yo-yoing batting position. In Mumbai, he batted at No. 3, was pushed to No. 5 in Rajkot and finally opened the batting in Shikhar Dhawan’s absence in Bengaluru. In Rajkot, he was mostly tidy behind the stumps and even quipped, “I hope I’ve kept our bowlers happy.” His tall frame hasn’t been an obvious hindrance yet to his wicketkeeping, but it is one thing keeping as a back-up, and another to do it regularly. What does help Rahul is strong fundamentals that helped him become a state regular as a wicketkeeper in age-group cricket, before he made batting his primary responsibility.In the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Rahul’s wicketkeeping skills were much lauded, especially under pressure in a tense final, in which he calmly gathered a flat throw from the deep in the final over to effect a crucial run-out that proved to be the turning point. Having also kept regularly in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the 50-over competition, prior to that, while also opening the batting, Rahul has shown he has what it takes, and Kohli is happy to back him for the moment.”He won’t go slam bang from ball one but he can do what he did in Rajkot just by playing good cricketing shots,” Kohli said of Rahul’s batting. “So I think solid game plan and understanding of his game is helping. He has reflected on what he needs to do in the last five-six months and he has come a long way. These are good signs for us. It gives a boost to the team because he keeps as well. It definitely allows us to play an extra batsman, which strengthens our batting massively. That is a very important factor as far as the team balance is concerned.”