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Tottenham Hotspur are "standing as the favourites" to sign Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet, and he's already reached an agreement with them.

Who will Spurs sign?

Ange Postecoglou's side, having sealed deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon, are entering the final stretch of this transfer window.

The last month of the summer market is upon Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and there is still plenty to do, as reports have widely suggested Tottenham want to make two senior centre-back signings.

Postecoglou, speaking to the press on Spurs' recent pre-season tour of Asia, confirmed that the north Londoners are seeking to strengthen in that area of the squad.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said Postecoglou when asked about signing new defenders.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

Many targets have been mentioned by sections of the press in this last month, namely Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, Galatasary's Victor Nelsson, Juventus defender Gleison Bremer and, of course, Lenglet.

The Frenchman, who has caps for Les Bleus at international level, has struggled to make his mark at Barcelona since he joined them from Sevilla in 2019.

Lenglet spent the 2022/2023 on loan at Tottenham, where he featured semi-regularly under Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason.

Spurs have apparently been attempting to re-sign the 28-year-old permanently, with a report by Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness) sharing the latest.

It is believed Tottenham are "standing as the favourites" to seal a deal for Lenglet, who has already reached an agreement with Spurs to re-join them ahead of next season.

Xavi's side want him gone by the end of this week, and if they can't agree a permanent departure, Barca will apparently green-light a loan with an obligatory buying option.

The report adds his exit could be just days away and Spurs' patience in talks appears to be slowly paying off, with it remaining to be seen what kind of deal will be eventually struck here.

What's been said about Clement Lenglet?

The defender has been seriously endorsed by long-serving Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris, who called him both a "very strong" and a "high level" player just last summer.

"He's a modern defender," said Lloris.

"Comfortable to be able to play from the back. He has a great left foot and can be very strong in one v one and he's strong in the air.

"Even if it's never easy when you arrive in the Premier League and he will have to adapt to the intensity of the games but he is a high level player, with experience."

Colin Ingram achieved Glamorgan’s fastest hundred in T20 cricket, Luke Wright responded with a ton of his own and tranquil Arundel soaked it all in

ECB Reporters Network09-Jul-2017
ScorecardColin Ingram achieved Glamorgan’s fastest T20 hundred•Getty ImagesA record-breaking century by Colin Ingram at Arundel on Sunday propelled Glamorgan to their first victory in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast.Glamorgan, who were beaten by Hampshire in their opening fixture on Friday, beat Sussex by 18 runs, despite the almost equally violent Luke Wright equalling Ingram’s score of 101.Ingram’s century was the fastest in the county’s history in this competition. He reached his hundred from just 46 balls, and there were eight fours and seven sixes. He and Jacques Rudolph put on 130 from only 71 balls, a third wicket record for Glamorgan and their third highest for any wicket.”I’m not too fazed by records,” he said. “But it was nice to get a win under our belts in this competition. It was a beautiful day, a good crowd, a good wicket and I just went out there and enjoyed the conditions. “Glamorgan had made a slow start to their innings, with just eight runs coming from the first four overs, by which time they had already lost two wickets..Danny Briggs had Aneurin Donald lbw, sweeping, in the third over and in the next David Lloyd played on to Jofra Archer as he swung to leg.The first four did not arrive until the fifth over, when Ingram got Chris Jordan away to the fine leg boundary. And it was only in the seventh over, bowled by Nash, which went for 14, that the innings really got going.Sussex had varied their attack cleverly, with six different bowlers involved in the first nine overs. But once Ingram and Rudolph got into their galloping stride there was little any of them could do. The 11th over, from Briggs, went for 18 as Ingram raced to his fifty from 25 balls.Sussex almost dismissed Rudolph in spectacular fashion when David Wiese, on the leg-side boundary parried the ball but it fell just short of he supporting fielder Wright.Rudolph fell to a skier off Chris Jordan for 49 but Sussex could find no way to stop Ingram, now joined by Chris Cooke, as the pair put on an unbroken stand of 61 in 4.3 overs. When the 18th over, bowled by Archer, went for 19, Glamorgan looked likely to top 200. They fell just two runs short.The Sussex innings, just like Glamorgan’s got off to a stuttering start. Nash had his off-stump knocked back by Michael Hogan for a run-a-ball 12 and then Stiaan van Zyl was lbw to the same bowler, first ball.Sussex suffered an even heavier blow when captain Ross Taylor, who looked in good touch with a six and a four in his brief came, top-edged Marchant der Lange to fine leg for 17, heaping even more pressure on Wright. When Ben Brown skied Colin Ingram to deep mid-wicket for 14 Sussex 97 for 4 in the 12th over.Sussex needed a daunting 70 from the final five. When Hogan went for 16, with Wright thumping successive deliveries for six and four, it looked on. But Sussex’s chances disappeared when Wright fell for a 53-ball 101, with five fours and seven sixes.

Manchester United could finally launch a move to land Sofyan Amrabat this weekend, with Corriere Fiorentino, via Sport Witness reporting that a “decisive” approach could be made.

How many games has Sofyan Amrabat played for Fiorentina?

The 26-year-old has been a mainstay in the Fiorentina first-team over the last three seasons, even helping them to reach the Europa Conference League final in 2022/23. In Serie A, he played on 29 occasions for them with 24 starts, and managed an assist along the way. It means that he has now spent more time with the Italian outfit than any other club during his career (or at least he’s played in more games), featuring 83 times for the side since his move there three years ago.

It was his loan stint at Hellas Verona that really put him on the radar, with the Morocco international proving that he could cut it at the top level in Italy. Despite the side being relatively unfancied, he led them to ninth and he played 34 times for them in Serie A that season.

More impressively, he had a progressive carrying distance of 4827 yards that season – ranking him ninth of everyone in that area in the division. His 75 successful take-ons also put him in the top five in that area that year. It showcased Amrabat’s abilities as a midfielder who likes to drive forward and help his side on the attack – something that caught the eye of La Viola, who snapped him up.

Are Manchester United signing Sofyan Amrabat?

Now, he could be on the move again. The Morocco star has been tracked by Man United for most of the summer window and it appears as though a bid – and the chance for a move – could finally happen this weekend.

According to a report from Corriere Fiorentino, via Sport Witness, "something is moving" and the Premier League side could launch a “decisive thrust” – a solid approach for his services – "over the weekend".

As things stand, no move is happening because no club has met the demands of Fiorentina and hit his 30 million Euro (£26m) asking price. However, the inclination is that the Red Devils may be about to do that, as it looks as though the Italian outfit are preparing for it to happen this weekend.

If United did decide to launch an official swoop for the Morocco international, it could be a shrewd bit of business for them. He not only has produced the goods for Fiorentina but has done similar for his country, helping them to a historic fourth-placed finish in the World Cup last year.

Stuart Pearce stated that Amrabat had too much “drive”, “energy” and “leadership” for his opponents in Qatar, whilst Nigel Adderley called him the African side's “player of the tournament”.

He is at the top of his game right now then and United should capitalise while they can. If they can land him in a deal around that £26m tag, it would be a positive step in the search for trophies by United.

Leeds United have agreed on a deal with Aberdeen to sign young forward Lewis Pirie, according to the reliable Fabrizio Romano.

Who could Leeds sign this summer?

The Whites look set for an extremely busy summer under new owners the 49ers Enterprises, with Daniel Farke brought in as the club’s new manager.

A two-time Championship winner with Norwich, Farke has signed a four-year deal at Elland Road and has around four weeks until the season opener against Cardiff City.

There is a lot to do during that time, especially in the transfer window, with Leeds bringing in Nick Hammond as interim football advisor to oversee transfer activity this summer.

A number of incomings and outgoings are expected in Yorkshire, with centre-back Robin Koch the first high-profile player to secure a move away after joining Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.

In terms of potential signings, Phil Hay believes a new goalkeeper, left-back, centre-back, midfielder and forward could be on the agenda for the 49ers and Farke.

The reliable reporter stated in the week that Newcastle United’s Karl Darlow is rated, as are Freddie Woodman and Angus Gunn of Preston North End and Norwich City.

At left-back, former Swansea City man and now free agent Ryan Manning has been linked alongside Burnley and former Whites defender Charlie Taylor.

Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips also appears to be of interest in defence, and further forward in midfield, there is a long-standing interest in Coventry City’s Gustavo Hamer.

In attack, Swansea City’s Joel Piroe and Nottingham Forest’s Sam Surridge are possible signings, but it looks as if the club are about to sign a highly-rated teenage attacker in Pirie.

Are Leeds signing Lewis Pirie?

Transfer expert Romano took to Twitter on Friday morning to share an update he’s heard on Leeds and Pirie, with the youngster first linked with a move to Yorkshire last year.

It is believed that a £200,000 transfer has now been agreed, with Pirie, described as a “rising star”, set to sign a three-year deal through to 2026.

“Understand Leeds United have agreed a deal worth £200k with Aberdeen to sign Scottish rising star Lewis Pirie, born in 2007.

“Pirie scored 51 goals for club & country last season and will join Leeds on a contract to 2026.”

Pirie’s 51 goals at youth level speak for themselves, so it looks as if Leeds could be making an extremely shrewd signing in the long run. You’d expect that the 16-year-old will initially ply his trade in Leeds’ youth sides at Thorp Arch, looking to develop even further and eventually break into the first team.

Leeds have shown in the past that they are willing to trust in their academy ranks, becoming the first team in Premier League history to hand eight teenagers their debuts in a single campaign back in 2021/22 under Marcelo Bielsa.

The likes of Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville all spent time at Thorp Arch before making their way into first team contention, and by the looks of things, Pirie could be the next to break through at Elland Road in years to come.

كشفت تقارير صحفية أن نادي تشيلسي الإنجليزي، يعتزم فتح باب الرحيل أمام ستة من لاعبيه، خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفي المقبل.

وأنفق تشيلسي بصورة كبيرة على التعاقدات، منذ وصول المالك الجديد تود بولي في مايو 2022، ويسعى لبيع بعض اللاعبين لموازنة اللعب المالي النظيف ولوائح الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، قبل الموعد النهائي في 30 يونيو.

ووفقًا لصحيفة “ديلي ميل”، فإن لاعبين مثل مارك كوكوريلا ورحيم ستيرلينج من بين اللاعبين الذين سيكونون متاحين للانتقالات.

كوكوريلا الظهير الأيسر لتشيلسي، لم يرق إلى التوقعات مع سعره البالغ 62 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

اقرأ أيضًا | فرناندينيو يتوقع الوجهة المقبلة لـ جوارديولا

وستيرلينج رغم إحرازه 17 هدفًا ومساهمته بـ13 تمريرة حاسمة في 73 مباراة، فإهداره للفرص أثر على مستقبله مع الفريق الإنجليزي.

الثنائي تشالوباه وأرماندو بروخا مدرجان أيضًا في قائمة انتقالات تشيلسي، وكيبا أريزابالاجا وروميلو لوكاكو، اللذين يمضيان موسم 2023-24 على سبيل الإعارة في ريال مدريد وروما على التوالي.

يشار أيضًا إلى أن تشيلسي يفكر فيما إذا كانت هناك فرص لبيع عدد من لاعبيه للأندية في الدوري السعودي، كما حدث في الصيف الماضي مع إدوارد ميندي وكاليدو كوليبالي.

The BCCI have exercised their right to withdraw the batsmen Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur from the Women’s Big Bash League before the competition has finished.ESPNcricinfo has learned the duo will return to India ahead of the WBBL finals to participate in a training camp before their 2017 World Cup qualification tournament, leaving Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder without their prized recruits if competing in the trophy decider.The development, alongside Cricket South Africa’s retrieval of Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp from Sydney Sixers duty for the last four regular season fixtures, has bolstered calls for a dedicated ICC exclusivity schedule window for the WBBL.Anthony Everard, the head of the BBL, explained that the No Objection Certificate process – which includes provision for overseas boards to call back their national players for duty as they see fit – is respected widely, but acknowledged “degrees of frustration” experienced by the affected clubs at this late stage.Everard believes the WBBL, in its second season, has built a case for a window as the first women’s competition of its kind. “Given we’ve invested significantly in this competition, and the important role it plays in the development of women’s cricket not only within Australia but globally, we have at least got a seat at the table to have that discussion,” he said.It is a view shared by former England captain, and now Adelaide Striker, Charlotte Edwards. She said it was “frustrating” that her team-mate Sophie Devine missed two games to play for Wellington in New Zealand’s T20 event days after making the WBBL’s fastest century. “Hopefully [a window] is going to be something looked at in the future where the dates don’t clash and we can have as many of the New Zealand girls as possible in this tournament,” she said.A Sixers spokeswoman confirmed their South African pair had been signed before it it was clear they would be missing over a quarter of the regular season for five ODIs against Bangladesh. In turn, she added her club’s support for the window in future seasons. “I would be surprised,” she said, “if CA wasn’t advocating on our behalf so that it became a priority.”The Thunder are at this stage unlikely to incur the cost of replacing Kaur with another international, while the Heat are hopeful that West Indian Deandra Dottin will recover from facial surgery in time to fill Mandhana’s vacancy.The Sixers, who are two games clear at the top of the table, will substitute the South Africans with England wicketkeeper Amy Jones and Irish rookie Kim Garth for their last four group games. Kapp, spearheading their attack, is the most frugal bowler in WBBL02 to date.Perth Scorchers allrounder and New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates was the most prominent international representative drawn away from WBBL duty last season, missing six games where clashes existed across the Tasman in the Christmas-New Year period.While stressing the efforts made by New Zealand Cricket, Bates says it continues to be a “really difficult” process for all parties; both boards wanting players to be available full-time. “It is hard when it is the players that are left with those decisions,” she said, concurring with Edwards that it would be “helpful” having a window to avoid the predicament into the future.Bates also noted the difference between the depth in the men’s and women’s tournaments in finding suitable players. “No one wants to dilute their teams because we just don’t have the numbers,” she observed. “The top ten players in the world are in demand from everyone.”A competition insider echoed the concern for the fledgling tournament replacing marquee players as easily as it is the case for the men’s equivalent. “There just isn’t the depth,” he said, contrasting the BBL where “every player manager in the world” is contacting clubs when a vacancy arrives due to injury or international selection.Another affected player returned home to New Zealand was allrounder Amy Satterthwaite, captain of Canterbury in New Zealand, who agreed with the Hurricanes that she would miss two games, half of the amount she wasn’t available for in WBBL01. As was the case with Devine, Hobart lost the game the experienced allrounder was absent for, while the other was washed out.Everard is confident the Trans-Tasman piece of the puzzle is “solvable” between the boards between seasons. “Ideally you want to get to a point where it becomes a win/win,” he said. “I think there’s a workable solution in there somewhere.”

Uncapped allrounder Dwaine Pretorius has been named as Dale Steyn’s replacement for the remaining Tests in Australia. South Africa needed the reinforcement because Steyn broke his shoulder while bowling on the first day of the Perth Test; he bowled only 12.4 overs in the match and was ruled out of the series.Pretorius, 27, represents the Lions franchise in domestic cricket in South Africa and made his ODI debut in September, playing three matches against Ireland and Australia. He has played 36 first-class matches and taken 115 wickets at an average of 22.27. He also has 1963 first-class runs at an average of 43.62 with four centuries.In the first three rounds of the ongoing Sunfoil Series, South Africa’s first-class competition, Pretorius made scores of 87, 80, 97, 28 and 72. He also took 6 for 81 in an innings, against Warriors.Despite losing Steyn – he is expected to be sidelined for around six months – South Africa were able to win the Perth Test by 177 runs, bowling Australia out twice with a three-man attack comprising fast bowlers Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada, and debutant left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. South Africa have Kyle Abbott and Morne Morkel, who was not 100% for the first Test, in the squad as well and they will now be joined by Pretorius.

Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign an extremely in-demand player this summer, as the Blues look to strengthen under Mauricio Pochettino.

The former Tottenham Hotspur manager will officially take charge at Stamford Bridge on July 1st, as the club hope to turn their fortunes around after an abysmal Premier League season.

Pochettino must improve the painful year the Blues have endured, making improvements all over the pitch, something he is reportedly on course to do.

What’s the latest on Manuel Ugarte to Chelsea?

As reported by FootballInsider earlier this week, Chelsea are set to ‘finalise’ a deal for Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

The report states that the 22-year-old is ‘keen’ on the move, and is ‘excited’ by the project that Pochettino could bring to the club.

The youngster has a £52m release clause in place in Portugal, with the Blues set to agree on a deal for the ace who has been a topic of interest for an array of clubs.

How could Pochettino use Manuel Ugarte at Chelsea?

Pochettino has lots to improve ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, however, the experienced manager can enforce a host of stability at the club by making crucial signings this window.

As well as Ugarte, the west Londoners have been strongly linked to Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, who could be the missing piece to the puzzle in Chelsea’s midfield as the Argentinian aims to fire the Blues back where they belong.

When looking at squads that have graced Stamford Bridge over the years, not many stand as dominant as Jose Mourinho’s back-to-back Premier League-winning sides of 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons.

The midfield trio of Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien at the time was pivotal to the club’s success, with the perfect balance of strength and finesse in the engine room.

Once hailed as being “Europe’s best midfield” at the time by The Guardian’s Jon Brodkin, the dominance of the trio could be replicated by Pochettino in the prospect of signing both Ugarte and Caicedo and placing them alongside Enzo Fernandez.

The three players, similar to the legendary Chelsea trio, all maintain stellar passing rates, with Enzo ranking in the top 2% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for number of attempted passes per 90 with a monstrous 79.77, via FBref.

The Brighton machine is a superb reader of the game, as shown through his average of 1.61 interceptions per 90, as well as winning an average of 58% of his total duels with 5.9 per game, all while maintaining a pass completion rate of 88.5%.

As for Ugarte, the 22-year-old “monster” – as described by journalist Dave Hendrick – could be the Makelele of the three in sitting deep, making a gargantuan 4.63 tackles per 90 while maintaining a pass completion rate of 91.6, also per FBref.

It’s clear to see why the youngster is in demand this summer, and Pochettino could right a lot of wrongs in building a midfield around the rising star, potentially providing the Bridge with shades of Mourinho’s magnificent trio.

Charles Watts was left baffled by the officiating in the Arsenal defeat this weekend as the linesman flagged for offside after a throw-in.

What's the latest on the referees and Arsenal?

It was a dismal Sunday for the Gunners as they fell to defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion, leaving their Premier League title ambitions in tatters.

They'd already seen Manchester City beat Everton only hours before kick-off but put the nail in their own coffin as they conceded three goals at the Emirates.

Indeed, after a tight first half, Arsenal ran out of steam in the latter stages of the game as goals from Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav, and Pervis Estupinan saw the Seagulls win 3-0.

It certainly was a day to forget but one bizarre piece of officiating may well live in the memory for all the wrong reasons.

Watts noted the incident on Twitter, writing: "Linesman just put his flag up to signal offside from a throw-in. My word.

"He quickly put it down again and apologised."

Did VAR get things wrong against Arsenal?

This was, of course, an obvious mistake as you can't be offside from a throw-in. Fortunately, the official put his flag down swiftly enough and play was allowed to go on with Arsenal in a promising position – though it ultimately lead to nothing.

Referee Andy Madley and VAR assistant Peter Bankes were also at the centre of attention throughout the encounter.

For instance, they failed to give Gabriel Martinelli a red card for a terrible foul on Kaoru Mitoma which left journalist Sam Pilger furious as he said: "More inexplicable and spineless decisions from referees and VAR."

While there were some doubts over Brighton's first goal as it could be argued that Jakub Kiwior was possibly fouled in the build-up to Enciso's finish.

Journalist Matthew Key also took to Twitter to question the overall level of officiating, writing:

"You will struggle to find a worse half of officiating from Andy Madley and co. Bizarre decisions given/not given throughout for both teams. Really affected how both sides have played. Topped off by a lino giving offside from a throw-in. Not good enough at this level."

In the end, though, as much as some of they key decisions were questionable, Arsenal only have themselves to blame as they failed to really show up for this Premier League match.

And with that, it feels as though they have finally bowed out of the title race.

Referee Peter Bankes and his VAR team may have made a big mistake in the recent Tottenham Hotspur win as they awarded Harry Kane a questionable penalty.

What’s the latest on Spurs and VAR?

Spurs’ season suffered another blow on the weekend away at Aston Villa as their Premier League campaign continues to stumble towards the finish line.

Indeed, they suffered their fourth defeat in six games as goals from Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz were enough to win the match 2-1.

The loss means Tottenham are now only ahead of Villa in sixth thanks to goal difference with three games to play and any hopes of securing Champions League football are looking like a distant memory.

One of the few enjoyable moments for Spurs on the day was a late consolation penalty for Kane but footage of the incident suggests it may well have been wrongfully awarded.

Did Harry Kane dive?

As you can see in the replay, while Kane does get to the ball first, he then initiates contact with Emi Martinez, essentially diving into the Vila goalkeeper to draw the foul.

And while this might have been enough to trick a referee live, the surprising thing is that referee Bankes didn’t initially award it. Indeed, VAR then got involved to tell the official to have another look at the incident and eventually, the penalty was awarded.

This seems quite remarkable as the technology is only supposed to intervene when a referee has made a clear and obvious error and that certainly wasn’t the case here with Kane initiating the contract by throwing himself to the ground.

Incidentally, this isn’t the first time the £200k-p/w Tottenham striker has won a dubious penalty against the Villans.

Back in 2021, he drew a foul from Matty Cash by completely missing the ball and then sticking his leg out to be tripped.

Gary Neville, on commentary duty, called it “cute”, while Gary Lineker added: “Never a penalty. A tad unscrupulous from Harry Kane” (via Inews).