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Tottenham Hotspur are in talks over a deal to bring Daniel James to north London this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, following earlier reports of Spurs’ interest in a “shock” move the Leeds United winger, Fabio Paratici is indeed in discussions with the Whites regarding a deal for the 24-year-old over the remainder of the summer transfer window.

The transfer insider went on to state that Tottenham are hoping to secure the Wales international on a season-long loan with an option to purchase – believed to be in the region of £20m – the forward next summer, although it is also claimed that Jesse Marsch is not against keeping the attacker at Elland Road beyond Thursday’s transfer deadline.

In his post, Romano said: “Tottenham have discussed potential loan with buy option for Daniel James with Leeds last week – not an easy deal, also Everton asked for Dan. Situation remains open, it’s up to the player – Leeds would be happy to keep James.”

Paratici’s biggest mistake

While it is true that Antonio Conte has stated his desire to sign a replacement for Bryan Gil before sanctioning the Spain U21 international’s agreed loan to Valencia, considering just how poor James has been for Leeds since his £25m move from Manchester United last summer, the argument that the Welshman’s signing would be his biggest mistake yet is an easy one to make.

Indeed, according to FBref, the £16.2m-rated forward ranks in the bottom 28% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s big five leagues and European competitions for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the bottom 37% for assists, the bottom 8% for xG assisted – xG which follows a pass that assists a shot – and the bottom 6% for shot-creating actions over the last 365 days.

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Furthermore, the 34-cap international also ranks in the bottom 1% for passes attempted per 90, in addition to the bottom 5% for passes completed, the bottom 9% for progressive passes, the bottom 21% for progressive carries and the bottom 4% for dribbles completed over the past 12 months.

The £50k-per-week forward once again fails to impress in his defensive metrics, ranking in the bottom 30% for interceptions per 90, as well as the bottom 32% for blocks, the bottom 42% for aerial duels won and the bottom 49% for tackles over the last year.

As such, with James evidently being ineffective in the final third, poor in both his passing and carrying of the ball and underwhelming when working back in a defensive capacity, exactly what Paratici has seen in the 24-year-old to identify him as a suitable match for Conte’s squad is very much up for debate.

However, one thing that would seem much more certain is that should the Italian sporting director go on to agree a loan with a £20m option to buy the Welshman in the coming days, it would undoubtedly be his biggest mistake at Tottenham to date after an impressive transfer haul throughout 2022 so far.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele won’t be returning to former club Lyon this summer but does have other suitors in France, according to The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare.

The Lowdown: Ndombele’s prospects

Having already fallen out of favour at Hotspur Way, the arrival of manager Antonio Conte did nothing to change this situation; in fact, the Italian even banished the player from training with his squad.

Consequently, the Frenchman left Spurs in January on a loan deal for the remainder of the season, joining up with his former club Lyon.

However, nearing the end of his sixth-month tenure, the Ligue 1 outfit decided they weren’t going to make the move permanent.

Upon his return in north London, the 25-year-old failed to make Conte’s pre-season squad, hinting at his impending exit from the Premier League club.

The Latest: Eccleshare’s news

Eccleshare understands that a move away from Tottenham is expected for the former France international this summer, but he doesn’t believe a return to Lyon is on the cards in any capacity.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, The Athletic journalist said:

“Obviously he went to Lyon in the second half of last season, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen again, that’s my understanding.

“There are other clubs in France who are interested, Marseille for instance, but that’s one again where the buying or loaning club can wait.”

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The Verdict: Needs the move

Making Lyon’s starting eleven on just seven occasions in the league last season, it appears Ndombele failed to impress whilst on loan at his former club.

Therefore, with Champions League bound Marseille reportedly interested, the 25-year-old should jump at the chance to make a permanent return to Ligue 1, where he once dominated the division, earning that staggering £63m move to the Lilywhites back in 2019.

Elsewhere, La Liga outfit Villarreal have been touted with interest. As per the Daily Mail, Unai Emery’s side are keen to bring the Frenchman in on loan this summer.

With the potential to start afresh in a new country, this could also be a great option for Ndombele, who has been fully ousted at Hotspur Way, despite having made 91 appearances for the club.

Initially, his Spurs teammates were highly complimentary of his abilities. West Ham skipper Declan Rice was even quoted having said: “All the Spurs boys at England say he’s unbelievable as well so Ndombele… proper player.”

It is a mystery just how the situation at Tottenham turned so sour for the former Lyon star.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has made an exciting claim about the possibility of further transfer business at Newcastle United this summer. 

The lowdown: Three in…

So far during the off-season, sporting director Dan Ashworth and ownership group PIF have added Matt Targett (permanently), Sven Botman and Nick Pope to Eddie Howe’s squad, spending £59.4m in the process (Transfermarkt).

Meanwhile, outcast striker Dwight Gayle became the latest player to leave the Magpies as the 34-year-old joined Stoke City, following Isaac Hayden, Ciaran Clark, Freddie Woodman and Jeff Hendrick out the door at St James’ Park.

With the transfer window set to remain open until September 1, there is plenty of time for Newcastle to get deals over the line, something that one well-informed onlooker now expects to happen…

The latest: ‘A few more additions’

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Sheth has claimed that the Magpies will almost certainly add to their ranks before the deadline, earmarking two key positions in particular.

He said: “Callum Wilson, of course, is their number nine at the moment, but he’s got a history of injuries, and when he’s played, his goals to games ratio is fantastic, but he misses too many games.

“So, I think they will want to reinforce that area and reinforce the area on the right-wing as well.

“So, all along the forward line, I would expect before 31st of August, maybe not necessarily before the start of the season, but definitely before the window closes, for Newcastle to have a few more additions.”

The verdict: Fingers crossed

Newcastle have been left somewhat frustrated in multiple pursuits during the window thus far, with the long and ultimately fruitless endeavour to sign talented French striker Hugo Ekitike, particularly time-consuming.

However, despite interest in many targets seemingly falling by the wayside, including the current pursuit of Jack Harrison from Leeds United, the Tynesiders must continue to seek out worthwhile targets in order to suitably strengthen the options at Howe’s disposal.

While there was a major upturn in fortunes last season following the appointment of the 44-year-old and the January spending sanctioned by chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the depth of the squad remains threadbare in places. In order to continue on an upwards trajectory in the Premier League and perhaps mount a genuine cup run, further signings will be required.

Recently linked with a move for attacking trio Memphis Depay, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Marco Asensio, there is still a distinct possibility that there will indeed be further much-needed incomings to the Newcastle ranks.

Leeds United are set to sign teenage free agent striker Sonny Perkins, according to a report from the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: Slow-moving deal

The Whites have been linked with a move for the 18-year-old for some time now, with reputable transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano initially reporting that the parties had ‘opened talks’ at the start of June.

However, the England youth international – who has come through the youth system at West Ham – remains a free agent after the expiry of his deal at the London Stadium after rejecting a professional contract offer.

A fresh report has now emerged claiming that Leeds are finally about to make Perkins the latest addition at Elland Road…

The latest: Leeds ‘on the brink’ of Perkins swoop

As per the Daily Mail, Leeds are believed to be ‘on the brink’ of signing the England under-18 starlet.

It’s claimed that the Yorkshire club ‘are signing’ Perkins – who was hailed by Carlton Cole for his ‘outstanding’ form for the Hammers’ under-23 side, for whom he scored 10 times in 22 outings – despite interest from the Whites’ Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Tottenham.

The report also stated that 16-year-old Leeds youngster Archie Gray will have his ‘ankle assessed’ following a tackle from Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn in the 1-0 pre-season defeat over the weekend.

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The verdict: Bright future

Already boasting the youthful attacking talents of Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Gray himself, should Perkins indeed join as expected, the Whites are certainly developing a strong nucleus of exciting forwards for the immediate and long-term future.

While the ex-West Ham starlet has only made three senior appearances to date, Jesse Marsch has already shown a willingness to create a clear pathway through to first-team football at Elland Road for prodigious youngsters, a factor which may have helped Victor Orta in luring the Londoner to Yorkshire ahead of other clubs.

Capable of playing as a recognised centre-forward, on either wing and in deeper midfield roles, Perkins brings additional versatility and an ability to act as an immediate understudy to Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo to the Leeds ranks, and his imminent signing could prove to be a masterstroke from Orta and co over time.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Ousmane Dembele recently, and the Frenchman could be Jurgen Klopp’s own version of Neymar at Anfield.

The Reds have been linked with a move for the former Barcelona winger in recent days and could bring him in on a free transfer, as his contract with the La Liga side has now officially expired.

While injuries have plagued his time in Spain, Dembele’s previous form with Rennes and Borussia Dortmund emphasises his incredible talent; and if he could find his feet at Liverpool, he could prove to be a superb acquisition.

The 25-year-old enjoyed arguably his best season in a Barcelona shirt in 2021/22, as he contributed one goal and 13 assists in just 21 La Liga appearances and posted the best WhoScored rating of his time at Camp Nou. However, the club’s shocking financial issues meant that a new deal for the France international was always going to prove difficult to arrange.

Considering that the £27m-rated winger could be signed for free, it is surely a no-brainer for those at Liverpool to try and get him in, especially following the departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich earlier in the transfer window.

When Dembele first established himself at Rennes, he was described as a “phenomenon” by team-mate Gelson Fernandes. At just 25, there seems little reason why he couldn’t rediscover those performances under Klopp’s tutelage at Anfield.

If he were to make the move to Merseyside, he could be a similar player to Brazilian sensation Neymar, with FBRef suggesting that the PSG star is the most akin to Dembele in terms of their respective styles of play.

It is easy to see why the Frenchman has earned this comparison, as last season he scored in the 99th percentile among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for dribbles completed, progressive carries and assists in his performances for Barcelona.

WhoScored also suggests that Dembele and Neymar’s strengths include dribbling and key passes, while both like to cut inside and offer a serious counter-attacking threat.

Therefore, the similarities between the two are clear to see. It is also easy to envisage what Dembele could offer Klopp at Anfield next season, so Liverpool should definitely consider signing the free agent this summer.

In other news… Klopp could seal Liverpool’s very own Modric with swoop for “top class” £77m maestro

Aston Villa must revive their interest in Montpellier winger Stephy Mavididi after the Englishman’s impressive campaign in Ligue 1.

What’s the word?

Italian news outlet Tutto Mercato Web claimed back in January that both Aston Villa and West Ham were taking an interest in the former Arsenal man. A move didn’t happen but a return to England is seemingly back on the cards.

The Birmingham Mail now claim that the likes of Everton, Brighton and Southampton are taking an interest in the 24-year-old attacker, so competition will be steep for Steven Gerrard if he wants to get a deal done, with reports suggesting that he would cost around £15m.

The new Saka?

Mavididi has found his feet at Montpellier and looks to be fulfilling the promise he showed at Arsenal as a youngster, which earned him a move to Juventus in 2018.

While it didn’t work out for the youngster in Turin, he has established himself as a key player at the Stade de la Mosson since making the move to France in 2020.

Last season saw the Englishman contribute eight goals and three assists in 30 Ligue 1 appearances, averaging a solid 6.71 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Although he is four years older than Bukayo Saka, the similarities are clear to see between the two, as Mavididi progressed through the Arsenal academy and likes to cut inside from wide areas, as Saka does so well for Arsenal.

WhoScored suggests that finishing is a strength for both Mavididi and Saka, while they also both like to dribble, do layoffs and play short passes, as is perhaps ingrained in the Arsenal academy philosophy.

Both players have also earned the praise of Premier League legend Thierry Henry, as he lauded the Montpellier man last season, saying:

“What I’ve always liked about Stephy Mavididi is that he’s a hard-working player who closes (opponents) down. He’s always in the right place. What was missing was finishing — whether to give the ball or to score — but now he’s brought that to his game.”

Saka is also well-regarded for his work rate at Arsenal, so if Villa were to sign Mavididi this summer then perhaps Steven Gerrard could soon have his own version of the Gunners’ wonderkid at Villa Park.

And, in other news… Forget Suarez: Gerrard should unleash Villa’s “unsung hero” next season

Celtic are reportedly on the verge of finalising the signing of Bayern Munich youngster Christopher Scott, according to GhanaSoccerNet. 

The lowdown: Rising star

A product of Bayer Leverkusen’s youth system, the youngster was snapped up by the Bundesliga champions in 2020 and has since graduated through the academy setup at the Allianz Arena.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder boasts a glowing record across youth and reserve team levels, scoring 44 times and providing 17 assists in 114 appearances.

Despite already making two senior outings for Bayern, it appears as though the Hoops could be set to land the talented teenager…

The latest: Celtic ‘closing in’ on Scott

As per GhanaSoccerNet, Celtic are ‘closing in’ on the capture of Scott as Ange Postecoglou attempts to strengthen the Lennoxtown ranks once again.

It is claimed that the Parkhead hierarchy must meet a £250,000 asking price for compensation in order to seal a deal for the Germany under-20 starlet, who has been stylistically compared to Chelsea star Kai Havertz.

The report added that the Hoops ‘remain favourites’ to sign the prospect described as possessing ‘good speed’ by Hansi Flick amidst reported interest from Brentford.

The verdict: Exciting times

Having already shown his outstanding eye for talent in the transfer market, the prospect of Postecoglou potentially bringing in a Germany youth international from Bayern Munich is enough to whet the appetite for what could be to come at Parkhead next season.

During the 2021/22 season, Scott lit up the German fourth tier and displayed a penchant for influencing matches from deep with seven goals and six assists in 24 appearances, playing across a plethora of positions to highlight a wide-ranging versatility in the process.

Following the departure of prolific midfielder Tom Rogic from Parkhead, signing the £1.08m-rated Scott would be a superb piece of business, especially for the mooted compensation fee.

In other news: Ex-BBC man makes ‘unbelievable’ Celtic claim, read more here

Leeds United have been handed a late boost ahead of their Premier League meeting with Brentford on Sunday afternoon.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday (via Leeds Live), Jesse Marsch revealed that Patrick Bamford – who has not featured since March due to a foot injury – has looked impressive in training this week, with the manager adding that he is hopeful that the 28-year-old will be available for the trip to west London.

Regarding the centre-forward’s current condition, the 48-year-old said: “Patrick Bamford has looked really good this week. We still haven’t made a final decision on exactly where he’ll stand for the moment on Sunday, but he had a day off today, inside to recuperate effectively, but we’re hopeful that we can make the decision in the next couple of days that we can make him available for minutes on Sunday.”

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When asked what he needed to see from Bamford in order to select the England international for his 20-man matchday squad, Marsch added: “More than anything that we’re not risking him at any level. At the moment I don’t believe we would be.

“And then to just have one more meeting with Patrick tomorrow to go through what it looks like, what the loads have been, how he feels and then do a final assessment of ‘is he available?’, ‘how many minutes’, ‘what’s the best strategy’ and then we have to be ready to let him go and play.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering the fact that Leeds simply must better Burnley’s result against Newcastle United to secure their place in the Premier League next season, the news that a player as important as Bamford now looks as if he could feature against Brentford is sure to have left the Elland Road faithful buzzing.

Indeed, while a number of injury setbacks have severely limited the forward’s game-time this season, the £18m-rated talent proved just how crucial he is to the Whites over his 38 Premier League appearances last term. In the 2020/21 top flight, he scored 17 goals, registered seven assists and created five big chances for his team-mates, in addition to taking 2.8 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £74k-per-week hitman average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Leeds’ seventh-best performer in the top flight.

As such, it is clear to see that Bamford’s availability for what is a must-win fixture on the final day of the season will come as a huge boost to Leeds’ chances of leaving west London with all three points. That result, combined with the Clarets failing to defeat the Magpies, would see Marsch’s men retain their Premier League status heading into 2022/23.

AND in other news: Marsch can save Leeds millions with 20 y/o “Duracell Bunny”, he’s “such an asset”

Schoolboy error costs Kings XI Punjab; they didn’t do themselves any favours by feeding spin to Sunil Narine early on either

Srinath Sripath27-Mar-2019Russell’s knock: 3 in 5, a reprieve, then 45 off 12Mohammed Shami hasn’t had the best of times against Andre Russell in the past: he’d been smashed for seven sixes off 14 balls in the IPL before Wednesday night.And yet, keeping with his excellent recent spurt in white-ball form, Shami delivered three near-perfect yorkers to Russell to start with. The third one got Russell neck and crop from around the wicket: a well-thought-out plan, executed to perfection.ESPNcricinfo LtdBut Russell wasn’t out. And the game turned. Kings XI had made a schoolboy error, placing only three fielders inside the circle. Shami’s wicket turned into a no-ball, gave Russell a second chance, and ended up activating Russell’s beast mode. He went on to smash eight consecutive boundaries after that, muscling his way to 48 off 17 balls, 45 of them coming after that reprieve.By the end of that innings, Shami’s record had only worsened: ten sixes conceded off 22 balls, numbers which do grave injustice (and pay no heed) to how well he nailed those three yorkers at the start. Something for Luck Index to tell us more about, then.Why do IPL teams feed Narine with spin in the Powerplay?We’ve been on this train before. Sunil Narine loves facing up to spin in the Powerplay.A quick look at his stats say that he gets out often (six times in 17 innings) to spin, but just look at the common thread between some of his most destructive innings: his fastest fifty came after smashing fellow Trinidadian Samuel Badree for 30 off ten balls. Last year, he went after Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal en route to a 17-ball fifty.ESPNcricinfo LtdSo after R Ashwin brought on mystery spinner – and millionaire – Varun Chakravarthy for the second over of the innings, the familiar script played out all over again. Kings XI coach Mike Hesson explained at the post-match presser that they brought Varun on to take on Lynn, who has struggled against mystery spin in the past. The match-up went out of hand once Lynn took a single first ball to bring Narine on strike. After getting hit for a six, Varun spilled a tough chance off a full-blooded Narine drive next ball, and things only went downhill from there: four, six, six to hand him the most expensive first over in IPL history.All things considered, was the punt really worth it?Because, here’s the flipside: Narine strikes at a towering 259 against spinners in IPL Powerplays, and takes a fancy to lack of pace on the ball early on. Most tellingly, despite how improved he has become as a T20 hitter, the short ball still gets him out regularly. Mohammed Shami almost got him with one in the third over, before Hardus Viljoen sent him back minutes later, with his third ball in the IPL.Narine might have got just 24, but it was made in modern-KKR style: chancy yet fearless, off just nine balls, carrying them to a 53-run Powerplay, without worrying one bit about losing his wicket.Knight Riders had some huge overs through their innings against Kings XI•Getty ImagesRussell and Narine’s assaults meant Knight Riders’ Manhattan had some stunning skyscrapers: three massive overs went in excess of 22, only for the fourth time in IPL history, and the first time in a game not played in Bengaluru.Knight Riders get the Powerplay combination rightIt’s not often in a game at Eden Gardens that you go through the Powerplay with the Knight Riders pace bowlers in operation all the way.Their spin attack is among the most complete in the T20 franchise world – a mystery spinner in Sunil Narine, a left-arm wristspinner in Kuldeep Yadav, and a legspinner in Piyush Chawla – and they typically use them over the course of the innings in different roles, starting with Narine and/or Chawla in the Powerplay.But on Wednesday, for only the third time in the last 18 games at Eden, none of the three bowled a single over in the first six, as Dinesh Karthik stuck with an all-pace plan.Here’s why that could have been: Chris Gayle and KL Rahul have great records against the likes of Chawla (strike rate 181) and Narine (231) over the years, leading to Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson and Andre Russell starting proceedings.As it turned out, the openers fell in contrasting fashions. Rahul went through with his shot too early against Ferguson, and Gayle was beaten for pace and done in by Russell’s steep bounce. It was a double-whammy for Kings XI: they had 12 overs of spin to face, and had lost the two batsmen who had carried them to victory in the corresponding fixture last season.

Stats highlights from the opening day in Port Elizabeth, which witnessed a rare century opening stand, and several batsmen getting out after getting starts

S Rajesh26-Dec-20161970 The last time before today that South Africa had a century opening stand in a Test in Port Elizabeth: Eddie Barlow and Barry Richards had added 157 against Australia in March that year. In 26 opening partnerships at this ground since then and before this Test, South Africa’s highest had been 98, and their average stand was 23.26.5 Instances of South Africa’s top five all being dismissed between 20 and 65 in a Test innings; there have only been three such instances since their readmission to international cricket, and all three have been at home: against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein in 1999, against Pakistan in Johannesburg in 2013, and this Test.43 The previous highest partnership between Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar, in eight Test innings. They had an aggregate of 164 partnership runs in those eight innings, at an average of 20.50.49.92 Hashim Amla’s career average; he needs to score 62 in the second innings (if dismissed) to ensure his average stays on the right side of 50. The last time Amla’s career average dropped below 50 at the end of a Test match was in November 2012. In his last 16 Tests, he has averaged 34.62, with only five 50-plus scores in 24 innings.19 Instances of JP Duminy being out lbw, out of 53 dismissals in Tests. His percentage of lbw dismissals (36%) is the highest among batsmen who have been dismissed at least 50 times in Tests.4/62 Suranga Lakmal’s figures at the end of the first day, currently his best figures in Tests. The only other instance of him taking a four-for in Tests was against Pakistan in Dubai in 2014, when he took 4 for 78.