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Tanguy Ndombele’s nightmare spell at Tottenham Hotspur may finally be coming to an end, with Napoli reportedly in talks with the Frenchman over a potential transfer.

What’s the word?

Ndombele has struggled to showcase his obvious talent since joining Spurs from Lyon in 2019, and issues with his fitness and work rate perhaps always meant he was going to be a victim of Antonio Conte’s ruthless training regime.

It was claimed earlier this month that the Italian manager had ‘banished’ the midfielder from his squad, so an exit was always likely to be on the cards for the 25-year-old maestro.

Football.London correspondent Alasdair Gold has provided the latest on Ndombele’s situation on Twitter, writing:

“Tottenham are also in preliminary talks with Napoli over a move for Tanguy Ndombele, but that’s still very much in the early stages.”

Conte is ruthless

While Ndombele has been given regular chances to prove himself under Spurs’ previous managers, with Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo all offering the Frenchman a shot at redemption, he has been given no such chance under Conte.

The Italian has extremely high demands of his players and their fitness, so it is no surprise that the former Lyon man has made just seven appearances under the 52-year-old Italian, the fewest of any permanent Spurs manager during his time at the club.

Since Ndombele signed, he has seen the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma join the club, moving him even further down in the pecking order, so a move away from Spurs is best for both parties – although the chances of Daniel Levy recuperating his £63m transfer fee seem extremely unlikely at this point.

There is no doubting that, on his day, Ndombele can be a game-changer. Jose Mourinho called him “magnificent” after he scored a memorable goal in a win against Sheffield United, when it appeared as if he would finally turn his Tottenham career around.

But sadly the consistency has never been there, evidenced by the fact that he has made just 91 appearances in more than three years in north London, and the writing was on the wall when Conte allowed him to re-join Lyon on loan in January of last season.

Conte is certainly ruthless with his decisions on players he deems not good enough, but that is what makes him a winner.

Wolves star Ruben Neves now looks ‘increasingly likely’ to remain a Wanderers player beyond the transfer window, according to reliable journalist Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Neves’ future unclear

The 25-year-old looked to have potentially played his final game for Wolves last season, having waved an emotional goodbye to the supporters after their final home game.

Neves has been continually linked with moves away from Molineux throughout the summer, with Barcelona and Manchester United both backed to sign him.

Now, a huge update has emerged that could bode well for Bruno Lage, following their Premier League opener against Leeds United.

The Latest: Keen delivers positive update

Taking to Twitter, The Express & Star‘s Keen claimed that a Neves stay now looks on the cards, in what is a significant claim:

“Ruben Neves looks increasingly likely to stay.”

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The Verdict: Massive news, if true

Many Wolves supporters may have been resigned to the idea of Neves moving on this summer, so this will come as an enormous boost just as the season gets underway.

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The Portuguese maestro is arguably the first name on Lage’s team sheet these days, given his quality in the middle of the park – he enjoyed an 84% pass completion rate in the league last season – and the best years of his career should still be ahead of him.

Neves staying would lessen the need to bring in another midfielder, even if a new signing wouldn’t go amiss, and it would give the entire club a lift, suggesting they are still capable of keeping hold of talismanic figures, not succumbing to the lure of elite clubs.

Leeds United target Arnaud Kalimuendo has not convinced everyone within the Elland Road hierarchy, according to transfer guru Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Leeds keen on Kalimuendo

There have been numerous Whites transfer rumours doing the rounds this summer but few players have been linked with a move more regularly than Kalimuendo.

The Paris Saint-Germain youngster is seemingly one of Leeds’ top targets for the striker position, with Jesse Marsch seeing him as someone who can add firepower after the departure of Raphinha to Barcelona.

Kalimuendo scored 21 goals in 65 appearances across two seasons on loan at Lens, not to mention nine in ten games for PSG’s Under-19s in Europe.

The Latest: Not everyone convinced

Speaking to Give Me Sport, however, ‘transfer insider’ Jones claimed that not everyone at Leeds is sure that the 20-year-old is the right signing currently:

“Just from speaking to three people, there are already mixed views among such a small survey group on whether this guy fits the bill.

“They say that definitely not everybody at the club thinks that somebody of his profile is the way to be going right now.”

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The Verdict: Move still feels likely

This is certainly an intriguing update – perhaps those against the signing desire a more senior and experienced figure – but it still feels as though Kalimuendo is someone Leeds will end up bringing in, with moves for other striker targets falling like flies.

At 20, he would be a long-term signing under Marsch, as he looks to plan well into the future, but his record for Lens is proof that he is also ready to make an immediate impact, which is perhaps the main fear from the doubters at Elland Road.

Victor Orta and Marsch need to be trusted in the transfer market to build a squad the manager wants, so if the youngster hailed as ‘disgustingly good’ by journalist Jacque Talbot is the man they want, the hierarchy should have no qualms about making it happen.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has shared an interesting Tottenham Hotspur transfer update as the club continue to eye a move for marquee RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol.

The Lowdown: Tottenham’s busy summer…

Ahead of Antonio Conte’s first full Premier League season in charge of the north Londoners, Spurs have been working over time to appease the Italian whilst ensuring that he is fully backed.

ENIC’s £150m equity increase after the Lilywhites’ qualification for next season’s Champions League has seemingly propelled the club to new heights in the summer market, having enjoyed a very busy last few weeks on that front.

A plethora of major additions have already been confirmed, with O’Rourke now making an interesting claim on Gvardiol, who has been mentioned as a Spurs target for Conte’s back three.

The Latest: Spurs want to sign a potential ‘big, big player’…

Indeed, the journalist claimed that the Bundesliga colossus remains a key target for Paratici.

He added that Leipzig are attempting to price Spurs out of a move for the Croatia international, and while the deal may be too expensive to pull off, Gvardiol is apparently ‘among’ the top choices for Conte.

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O’Rourke explained to GiveMeSport: “He fits the bill; he’s among their top targets. The problem for Tottenham is that RB Leipzig do not want to sell the Croatia international, and they are trying to price him out of a move.

“So, this one might just be too expensive for Tottenham this season, but he’s a left-sided centre-back who’s young with huge potential to become a big, big player in the future as well.”

The Verdict: Keep pursuing…

O’Rourke’s rave review of Gvardiol goes some way to explaining why Leipzig value the Croatian at around £80m (Nabil Djellit, via DR Sports).

While this deal would be an expensive one, the 20-year-old has many years ahead of what looks like a promising career, with German football expert Manuel Veth of Forbes even saying that the youngster ‘will be a monster’ in the years to come (Twitter).

Gvardiol starred for Leipzig last term, making more interceptions per 90 than any of his team-mates and finishing 2021/22 as their third-best player by average match rating (WhoScored).

Indeed, this may well be one for Spurs supporters to keep an eye upon over the coming days and weeks.

Liverpool remain interested in a move for Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio this summer, according to a fresh transfer report coming out of Spain.

The Lowdown: Asensio linked with Liverpool

The Reds may have already signed Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho but that hasn’t stopped other attacking players from being linked with moves to Anfield.

One of those is Asensio, with recent claims suggesting that Jurgen Klopp is eyeing up the 26-year-old as another prospective new arrival.

It is a rumour which is refusing to go away, with the week beginning with another Asensio-related transfer report.

The Latest: Asensio wanted by Klopp

According to Spanish outlet Sport [via Sport Witness], Klopp believes that the Spain international is someone who could complete his new-look attack at Anfield, following the imminent departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich.

However, Los Blancos’ manager Carlo Ancelotti sees AC Milan as a better option for the 26-year-old, as the Serie A champions would likely be able to offer him more regular playing time.

Darwin’s a Red! Get your special edition Darwin Nunez tee here. The Verdict: Hard to see it happening

While Asensio is a player of huge pedigree, having won three Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles apiece and once been hailed by Bernabeu legend Guti as as a player with an ‘unlimited ceiling’, Liverpool arguably don’t need him right now.

This is assuming Mohamed Salah stays put, of course, but with him, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Darwin Nunez as great options, not to mention Fabio Carvalho, it is hard to see where the Spaniard would fit in.

It feels as though Liverpool’s transfer budget could be spent more wisely on other areas, such as midfield, perhaps allowing Asensio to join Milan instead.

In other news, a contract claim has emerged regarding one Liverpool player. Find out who it is here

West Bromwich Albion have the joint-eighth oldest squad on average in the Championship alongside recently-promoted Nottingham Forest, according to Transfermarkt.

One player in their ranks who is above the average squad age of 26.7 is Jake Livermore.

In fact, once Andy Carroll officially becomes a free agent next month, the midfielder will be the oldest outfield player at The Hawthorns.

Livermore’s latest season with the Baggies turned out to be a rather underwhelming one as he ended up being shown the same number of red cards as the number of goal contributions he made for the team (two).

With a measly overall performance rating of 6.53/10, the midfielder ended the campaign as one of the lowest-rated outfield players currently at the club to start more than one game according to WhoScored.

With that in mind, the upcoming summer transfer window could give the Midlands club the chance to bring in a suitable upgrade for the 32-year-old as they look to win promotion back to the Premier League.

One man who could fit this bill and who has been mentioned with a move to The Hawthorns recently is Lewis O’Brien.

Having racked up 126 appearances in the Championship, in which he has scored eight goals and delivered 10 assists, the 23-year-old certainly has the experience in him to be a ready-made first-team option for Steve Bruce.

To compare the two midfielders from their recent individual league campaigns, the £8k-per-week Huddersfield gem had more goals, assists, shots, crosses and successful tackles than Livermore. This highlights just how much of an all-around midfield option he could be for the Baggies.

Labelled an “exceptional” player by his manager Carlos Corberan, O’Brien earned himself an overall season rating of 7.09/10 from WhoScored, making him the highest-rated player at the Yorkshire club to start more than one league game.

This shows just how capable he is of playing in the Championship at such a high level, which is something that Livermore didn’t show often enough this time around.

Given the age difference between the two players, not only would O’Brien be a definite upgrade on West Brom’s midfielder as a result of his clear talent, he would also be a long-term figure for the club who certainly seems to have what it takes to get the Baggies back to the Premier League and keep them there.

In other news: Bruce can unearth WBA’s next Robinson by unleashing “confident” rarely-seen 22 y/o gem

Morgan Gibbs-White can become a key player for Wolves next season after returning from his loan spell, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White excels away from Wolves

The 22-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Bruno Lage last summer, with the manager struggling to promise him regular starts at Molineux. Instead, Gibbs-White joined Sheffield United on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, as he aimed to continue his progress and enjoy regular first-team action elsewhere.

The midfielder did exactly that, scoring 12 times and registering 10 assists in 37 Championship appearances as the Blades reached the play-offs, and he will now return to Wolves this summer riding the crest of a wave.

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The Latest: Gibbs-White backed for big season

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Taylor claimed that Gibbs-White could now become a fixture in Wolves’ team from the start of the 2022/23 season and backed him to quickly move on from the disappointment of penalty shoot-out heartache for Sheffield United in the Championship play-offs.

The Daily Express journalist said:

“Morgan Gibbs-White could be a player that sort of really kick-starts his career next season. He’s had an unbelievable loan spell with Sheffield United.

“He missed a penalty in the shoot-out, but Conor Coady’s already said what a player he’s going to become.”

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The Verdict: Will he stay?

While there is great hope that Gibbs-White could become a star at Molineux – he has been described as ‘brilliant’ by ex-Blades team-mate Billy Sharp – there is also no guarantee that he will stay put at Wolves.

The youngster has been linked with a move to newly-crowned Serie A champions AC Milan, further highlighting what a gifted player he is, so he may be weighing up his options.

However, one can certainly hope that Gibbs-White will realise that Lage may now see him as a big part of his plans in the Black Country, so that he ends up committing his future to Wolves, helping to fill the midfield void which could be left by the likely departure of Ruben Neves.

In other news, Bruno Lage has been backed to bring one player to Wolves. Find out who it is here.

Former Glasgow Rangers defender Alan Hutton has suggested that Giovanni van Bronckhorst could play Alfredo Morelos up top with Antonio Colak.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

It has not been the best of starts this season for the Colombian, who has only featured five times and not played more than 30 minutes in any game yet (Transfermarkt).

He was dropped by Van Bronckhorst for concerns over his fitness and attitude last month, but the manager has been slowly introducing him back into the team over the last few matches.

The Latest: Two up top?

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has suggested that the Rangers boss could tweak his system by playing Morelos up top with Colak in a two-striker formation.

The former Scotland defender said: “There’s obviously that potential there. Giovanni’s never done that and I think he has spoken about how it’s not really his style of play so I don’t expect him to go down that route.

“A fully fit Alfredo Morelos makes your team better in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, Colak has come in and hit the ground running so you can’t really argue with what he’s given.

“If he [Morelos] applies himself in the correct manner that he has before he’s obviously going to challenge him. I think that’s what the manager will want, two players vying for one position and pushing each other. So hopefully he can screw his head on and do that.“

The Verdict: Give it a go

After the 4-0 humiliation by bitter rivals Celtic over the weekend, it could be time for Van Bronckhorst to tweak his tactics in order to try and fit Morelos into the starting line-up.

The Colombia international finished as their joint-top scorer in all competitions last season, netting a total of 18 goals, and he would offer the Gers an extra threat in the final third alongside the in-form Colak.

Nonetheless, sometimes for managers it is more about getting their best players on the pitch first of all before tweaking with formations and tactics; and as his goal figures from last term illustrate, Morelos is still a key player for the Light Blues despite his recent snubs.

Between them, New Zealand’s openers have scored only 299 runs in 16 innings. It is a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away

Sidharth Monga at Chester-le-Street03-Jul-2019England have managed to – in some style – ride over the surprise thrown at them by testing batting conditions in the World Cup but, arguably, the biggest blow these conditions have struck is on New Zealand’s pre-tournament plans.They came to the World Cup with openers suited for pitches conducive to chasing 350, and now they are left with three batsmen out of form and down on confidence. Between them, the New Zealand openers have scored 299 runs in 16 innings, 131 of those scored in one chase of 137. They have four golden ducks between them. The median opening partnership has been 12. Kane Williamson has come out to bat in the first over on three occasions and once each in the second, third, sixth and ninth overs. Now we can’t even lament Williamson doesn’t get the same opportunity as the other three great batsmen of this era.WATCH on Hotstar (India only) – New Zealand’s fall of wicketsNot that Williamson should be shocked. They came to the World Cup with an extremely high-risk plan. They brought out two openers – Martin Guptill and Colin Munro – who can be explosive but rely unduly on conditions to suit them. Their back-up was a middle-order batsman, Henry Nicholls, who had only recently been converted into an opener presumably as a mild rebuke to Munro. Between the time he debuted for New Zealand and this World Cup, Nicholls had opened only six times in all List A cricket.Williamson admitted conditions have been a spanner in their works. It is Williamson’s and Ross Taylor’s job to do the scrapping, but because they have found themselves on slower pitches Guptill and the other opener – whoever it is – have also had to do the same.Jofra Archer celebrates as Martin Guptill is caught behind•Getty ImagesAnd at the business end of the tournament, Nicholls was opening with Guptill. This experiment, ironically enough, was only made possible thanks to the net run-rate cushion from that thumping win set up by the openers against Sri Lanka. And it was a great chance for the makeshift pair to get some feel back into their batting. There was nothing riding on this game for New Zealand. Their out-of-form players could have taken the time to play themselves in.WATCH on Hotstar (US only) – Highlights of England’s 119-run winGuptill will be extremely disappointed he nicked one down the leg side, as will be Nicholls for not reviewing the lbw call against him when the ball was sailing over the stumps. A more confident batsman would have felt comfortable making such calls.On the evidence of what has happened, New Zealand have tried a couple of things to work around the situation. At the start they seemed to wait for Munro – who has never scored an ODI century – to come off playing his natural game. Then they seemed to ask him to play a more percentage game. Coach Gary Stead said as much, after their defeat to Pakistan in Birmingham, that they were not looking for the funky starts. Eventually with two games to go to the semi-final, they went to Nicholls.The other option is Tom Latham. But that will cause too much disruption. For starters, he has spent the last couple of years playing in the middle order. Also, he is a naturalised wicketkeeper, which means batting at No. 5 gives him time to recover. The good news is, Latham has found some runs in Durham after having had a horror World Cup himself.Chris Woakes got rid of Henry Nicholls for a duck•Getty ImagesWorld Cups are the worst time to get into a rut as a batsman. Every match is played in new conditions and against a new opposition. “Batting has a number of different challenges, and adapting to conditions is one,” Williamson said. “And, I guess, often when you haven’t spent time in the middle you are looking to feel good and I think on a lot of these surfaces, that’s been something that’s been very difficult to do, even when you have had time in the middle.”So removing a lot of those thoughts and perhaps bringing that mindset back to ‘what can I do for the team’ rather than ‘how can I feel good’ or ‘how can perhaps I do this or that, it is ‘what can I maybe do to compliment the side and put them in a position of strength’. And that is something that is really important within our environment.”And we know the guys are certainly working really hard to do that. But it has been very challenging and I think we’ve all seen it, so it is important that when we hopefully go on to perhaps get another opportunity as a side that we go out and take that match on, play with freedom, which is very important for us to play our best cricket, but also play cricket smart because we don’t know what the surface has in store for us.”The hope for New Zealand is to get better batting conditions for the knockout games. Who’s to say Old Trafford, which is what they now get after losing and finishing fourth, might even be their preferred venue for the semi-final, even if it is hard to imagine teams going into a match with those thoughts. Still, it is a challenge to play with freedom considering the kind of tournament the New Zealand openers have had.Playing a World Cup semi-final, knowing that it is a matter of two great days, is an exciting time, but Williamson will not grudge any of them if it is their openers who end up having that great day.

Experienced domestic batsmen should come in handy for a Kolkata Knight Riders squad that is light on bench strength

Sreshth Shah03-Apr-2017Likely first-choice XIGautam Gambhir (capt), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Chris Woakes, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Trent BoultReservesBatsmen – Sheldon Jackson, Darren Bravo, Chris Lynn, Ishank JaggiBowlers – Ankit Rajpoot, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sayan Ghosh, Piyush ChawlaAllrounders – Colin de Grandhomme, Rovman Powell, Sanjay Yadav, Rishi DhawanStrengthsKnight Riders’ strength lies in their roster of experienced domestic cricketers, especially with the bat. Read: Gambhir, Uthappa, Pandey, Suryakumar. A measured start, with wickets in hand, followed by a late flourish from their allrounders has been the tested winning formula for the two-time IPL champions. And they have quite a few power-hitting allrounders to do that for them this time too: Yusuf, Shakib, Rovman. Knight Riders also have three spinners – each of whom have their own style – in Narine, Kuldeep – who will be raring to go after a memorable domestic season that culminated in a Test debut at Dharamsala – and Chawla. The spin-bowling department possesses variety that can unnerve even the best.WeaknessesTheir bench strength is not the best, with the only experienced, big names in the reserves being Lynn, Coulter-Nile and Bravo. Furthermore, Knight Riders’ bowling remains over-dependent on Narine’s spin. The West Indies bowler has been crucial to the franchise’s successes and failures, and his average show last year – 11 wickets, at an economy of 7.12 – corresponded with his team’s moderate performance. In addition, Umesh’s absence for the first couple of weeks is likely to affect the team dynamics early on in the campaign.Where they finished in 2016, and what’s different this year?Lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator after finishing fourth in the league.Knight Riders have preferred to be sparing with their team changes, but will be forced to make some alterations this year. They have already had to make one with Colin de Grandhomme being called up to replace Andre Russell, who, considered “irreplaceable” by Gambhir, will miss the IPL after a doping-code violation ban. Lynn’s top form at the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League and Big Bash League, along with other new allrounder reinforcements in Woakes and Powell, might put pressure on Shakib – currently the world’s best allrounder across all formats. Boult, currently recovering from injury, is another new entrant and will spearhead Knight Riders’ pace-attack on a relaid Eden Gardens pitch that offered seamers more help in the recent India-New Zealand Test there than it would have previously.Kolkata Knight Riders will hope Kuldeep Yadav’s fine form continues•BCCIWhat have their players been up to? Chris Lynn – Having been on and off in the Knight Riders XI, Lynn’s superb recent form in T20s might get him many more opportunities this season. In the most-recent BBL season, he scored 309 runs in five games – including unbeaten knocks of 85, 84 and 98 for Brisbane Heat. He was also the 2016 CPL’s highest run-scorer. Rovman Powell – With comparisons to Andre Russell already made, Powell has big shoes to fill for Knight Riders. With a penchant of hitting more sixes than fours, Powell was crucial to Jamaica Tallawah’s CPL title-win, and Knight Riders will look for more of the same from the young allrounder. Kuldeep Yadav – A successful season where he took 35 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, Kuldeep also stood out with the bat, top-scoring for Uttar Pradesh with 466 runs, including a maiden first-class century. His Uttar Pradesh and Knight Riders team-mate Piyush Chawla’s presence in the squad might challenge Kuldeep for a first XI spot, but then his consistent performances helped him force his way into UP’s XI for the pink-ball Duleep Trophy, where he was the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. Yusuf Pathan – Yusuf’s ability to change a game within a few deliveries keeps him relevant in the IPL year after year. Last year, he finished with an average of 72.20 and was Knight Riders’ third-highest scorer with 361 runs. Despite a lacklustre domestic season, Knight Riders will be hopeful Yusuf maintains his ability to not lose his wicket: last season, he was dismissed only five times out of the 13 times he batted.Overseas-player availabilityTwo of Knight Riders’ overseas players have international commitments during the IPL. Shakib’s commitments in Sri Lanka will see him miss Knight Riders’ opening match against Gujarat Lions on April 7, while the Ireland-Bangladesh-New Zealand tri-series in May will see him and Boult leave the tournament before Knight Riders’ final league game against Mumbai Indians on May 13.Home and away record in 2016With four victories out of seven matches at the Eden Gardens, Knight Riders fared better at home than away, where their win-loss record stood level at four each in eight matches. Out of the eight times they won, six of them were while batting second.PollTest your KKR knowledge