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Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Michael Bridge of Sky Sports has made a transfer claim involving Tottenham and AC Milan star Franck Kessie.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Kessie move…

As reported by numerous sources, Spurs are one of the clubs in contention to sign one of Milan’s prize assets as his contract at the San Siro steadily winds down.

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The Ivory Coast star could leave at the end of 2021/2022 for free as it stands with the Italian giants still yet to agree a contract extension, putting many clubs on high alert.

One of them is Tottenham, with reports even recently suggesting that it is far more advanced than simply interest.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Get Italian Football News) claimed that the Lilywhites were in very advanced talks to sign Kessie while reporter Rudy Galetti even stated that a Spurs agreement was ‘close’ (Twitter).

While not exactly backing those audacious updates, Sky reporter Bridge believes Spurs’ interest isn’t going anywhere.

The Latest: Bridge makes Kessie to Spurs claim…

Speaking to GMS, sharing what he’s heard from Italy, the journalist relays that Antonio Conte has apparently given the ‘thumbs up’ for his new club to swoop for Kessie – green lighting a move.

He explained:

“The talk of Kessie at AC Milan is not going away. There’s talk in Italy that Spurs really want him and Conte’s given the thumbs up.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Given his new deal situation, managing director Fabio Paratici and Conte could secure a real bargain for Tottenham by signing him on a pre-contract in January.

Valued at a sky-high £49.5 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs could bypass that fee entirely and snap up a proven Serie A star who has attracted all sorts of praise.

European football specialist Nicky Bandini lavished Kessie as ‘extraordinary’ on ESPN, for example, while the player’s manager, Stefano Pioli, called Kessie ‘sumptuous’.

An all-round midfield star, the African racked up an impressive 13 goals and four assists in 36 Italian top flight starts last season despite being a natural defensive midfield player (WhoScored).

Meanwhile, this campaign, he’s averaged a higher pass accuracy (92.2%) than any of Tottenham’s midfielders – indicating he would add real class and composure in the middle of the park under Conte.

Taking all this into account, we quite simply urge Spurs to get a deal done.

In other news: Spurs agreement to sign £200,000-per-week star possible as Paratici makes exciting plea to club chiefs, find out more here.

While Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side overcame a rather large hurdle in the Premiership title race on Thursday evening, securing a 1-0 win over third-placed Hearts, the victory came at quite a significant cost for the 56-year-old manager and his side.

Indeed, Jota, Stephen Welsh and Anthony Ralston all had to be substituted due to injury, while Carl Stafelt also appeared to finish the fixture with a knock to his knee.

As such, it looks as if Celtic will travel to Dundee United today with something of a depleted squad. However, speaking after the Hearts game, Postecoglou suggested that the injuries picked up by a number of his regular starters will, in turn, provide an opportunity for those who are yet to get many games under their belt this term.

The 56-year-old said: “We saw on Thursday night that Adam Montgomery had to come on and he has not played for four or five weeks. We still have a fair chunk of important games coming up after [Real] Betis so it makes sense to get some minutes into some of the other guys so that when we call on them they will have played in this period.

“James McCarthy, Mikey Johnston, Liel Abada and Nir Bitton all come into that category. There is an opportunity to get some minutes into their legs and have them ready when required.”

Postecoglou must unleash Johnston

One of the players Postecoglou mentions above, Mikey Johnston, would appear to be in more need than most for regular first-team minutes, as, since his return from injury earlier this season, the 22-year-old has started just once for the Hoops.

Indeed, the winger has endured a frustrating last couple of years at Celtic, with the £900k-rated man featuring in just 10 fixtures last season due to injury, as well as missing a large portion of the start of the current campaign with a knock.

However, the former Scotland U21 international has proven that, when he is fully fit, he can be an extremely useful player in the Bhoys’ attack, scoring six goals and registering six assists over 22 appearances back in 2019/20, as well as bagging five goals and one assist over 23 appearances in 2018/19.

Furthermore, Celtic captain Callum McGregor is quite clearly convinced of the £7.9k-per-week forward’s ability, with the 28-year-old midfielder stating: “He’s such a brilliant talent, bags of ability, bags of potential and he’s one as well that the manager’s asking a lot of him physically.

“He’s responding really well and the guys are doing some great work with him in the physio department and sports science to really get him to a level where he can go and make that impact. Against Hibs, I thought he was sensational.”

As such, with it being clear that Postecoglou simply must begin rotating his side more frequently if he is to avoid a catastrophic injury crisis at Parkhead, the 56-year-old must unleash Johnston against Dundee United this afternoon, as the winger could well prove to play pivotal in Celtic’s Premiership push this season – if given the chance.

In other news: Ange must seal Celtic deal for “prominent” £13m-rated beast who “stole the show” in EL

Worcestershire have announced a pre-tax loss of £118,439 for the year ending 30th September 2009

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2010Worcestershire have announced a pre-tax loss of £118,439 for the year ending 30th September 2009. The deficit compares with a profit of £359,856 in 2008 and epitomises the torrid year the club has had.They finished bottom of Division One of the Championship, where they failed to win a game and didn’t progress to the latter stages of any of the knock-out limited-overs tournaments. The poor on-field performances, combined with the fixture schedule, is what Mark Newton, Worcestershire’s chief executive, felt was behind the financial troubles.”These disappointing figures are the result of a number of issues we faced last year, particularly the recession, the poor fixture schedule and the team’s performance,” he said. “While the recession will continue to have an impact commercially, we have addressed the fixture schedule which will be a great deal more spectator friendly in 2010.”The upcoming season is already looking challenging for Worcestershire after a glut of senior players left the club, including their most experienced paceman, Kabir Ali, who was released on Thursday after an ongoing contract dispute.Yet Newton feels the offshoot of players leaving is that the finances will be less stretched and he is confident of returning to a profit next year. “We invested heavily in the team last year but unfortunately performances failed to meet expectations. A number of senior players have since moved on and our cricket budget has been reduced by around £300,000 this year. We expect to return to a surplus position this year.”The overall income of the club remained static in 2009 but only because of a 19% increase in the distribution from the ECB. While membership subscription held up to 2008 levels, income from both commercial and catering fell by 31% and 25% respectively.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was unable to continue his 100% record in charge of Rangers as his side were held to a 1-1 draw on Thursday night.

The Gers ended their Europa League group with a draw against French outfit Lyon, finishing second and qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition.

Scott Wright handed Rangers the lead in the first half with a deflected effort from distance after excellent work from Glen Kamara down the left. However, an own goal from Calvin Bassey – as he diverted a cross into his own net – ensured that the points were shared on the night.

Let his manager down

One player who let the manager down badly on the night was centre-forward Kemar Roofe. He was handed the opportunity to start against the Ligue 1 side and failed to grasp his chance with both hands as he struggled throughout the match.

Whilst John Lundstram in midfield was able to show the Dutchman why he is deserving of more minutes in the team, Roofe may have played his way out of any more starts in the immediate future. The former Leeds man has scored six goals in six Premiership starts this term, but this latest display will not improve his chances of increasing those numbers.

Off the ball, he was a lightweight. As per SofaScore, he lost three of his four aerial duels and five of his seven battles on the ground, whilst also committing four fouls and making just one tackle and zero interceptions. This shows that he was too weak in his individual duels against the Lyon defenders and was easily marked out of the game, having been unable to impose himself on the physical side of the contest.

He did not fare much better in possession. As per SofaScore, he failed to get an effort on target and did not create a single chance for one of his teammates. He also failed to complete a dribble or cross, whilst only finding another Rangers player with 56% of his attempted passes, completing a meagre 10 in total. He had just 25 touches of the ball, significantly fewer than goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin (66).

Therefore, the Jamaica striker let Van Bronckhorst down badly as he struggled with and without the ball against Lyon. It could suggest to the 43-year-old that he is not a player who can be relied upon in big games, which could work against Roofe as the season progresses and the matches become more important.

AND in other news, Forget Kent: “Exemplary” Rangers beast who won 88% duels finally took his chance…

Essex have appointed Chris Silverwood, the former England paceman, as bowling coach following the recent departure of Graeme Welch

Cricinfo staff23-Feb-2010Essex have appointed Chris Silverwood, the former England paceman, as bowling coach following the recent departure of Graeme Welch.Silverwood is currently in Zimbabwe with the Mashonaland Eagles where he is player-coach and applied for the vacant role of England bowling coach but he will now join Essex. Paul Grayson, the Essex coach, is thrilled to have such strong candidate.”Chris will be joining us as bowling coach from March 1 when the players report back for full pre-season training,” he said. “He will also travel with us to Barbados where he will be able to work really close with the bowlers as we prepare for the start of the season.””We were obviously keen to replace Graeme [Welch] as quickly as possible. Chris is a highly respected person having played plenty of first-class cricket and of course he has represented England. He is desperately keen to make an impact and is the perfect bowling coach for the club as he ticks all of the boxes”.Silverwood played six Tests for England between 1996 and 2002 and took 577 first-class wickets at 27.41 over a career stretching back to 1993.

Aston Villa have suffered a potentially significant injury blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Norwich City at Carrow Road this evening.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans, Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury, although the seriousness of the issue is not yet known.

He tweeted: “Big blow for Nakamba sustaining a knee injury. The severity will be revealed later in the week but if it is bad, #AVFC may consider sourcing a replacement in the transfer window.

“Villa have acted on injuries before in the Jan window and will be flexible enough to do so again.”

The in-form 27-year-old has been a key player for Steven Gerrard’s charges in the opening period of the current campaign, and his absence from the matchday squad to face Norwich will come as a huge setback.

Steven Gerrard will be gutted

News that Nakamba is expected to be unavailable for the trip to Norfolk and potentially beyond will leave Gerrard feeling gutted, given his importance to the first-team squad.

The Zimbabwe international has forced his way into the starting lineup in recent weeks, featuring from the off in Villa’s last seven top-flight fixtures – including all five games of Gerrard’s short tenure.

And when taking a closer look at the defensive midfielder’s underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why he has become a mainstay for the Midlands outfit.

As per WhoScored, Nakamba has averaged two tackles per league game throughout 2021/22 – the third-highest total compared to his teammates – and 1.5 defensive dribbles, the highest tally amongst his colleague.

The midfield gem has also produced 0.8 interceptions and one clearance while recording a passing accuracy of 86.6%, highlighting his hugely effective displays of late.

With the busy festive schedule set to kick in, Gerrard will be disappointed to lose such a pivotal player at this moment in time, and he’ll be hoping the likes of Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey can step up in his absence.

And, in other news…Imagine him & McGinn: Gerrard can form scary AVFC duo with £21k-p/w “special talent” 

Michael Clarke has arrived in New Zealand to prepare for the two-Test series after taking a week off to deal with the breakdown of his engagement

Cricinfo staff15-Mar-2010Michael Clarke has arrived in New Zealand to prepare for the two-Test series after taking a week off to deal with the breakdown of his engagement. Clarke did not speak to the media on his departure in Sydney on Monday morning or after landing in Wellington and was flanked by team officials and security at both ends of the trip.Clarke, the vice-captain, was given time off by Cricket Australia to deal with his personal life but his team-mates are confident he will be in Test mode by the start of Friday’s opening game at the Basin Reserve. After missing the final three one-day internationals in the 3-2 series win over New Zealand, Clarke’s next step is to train with the squad on Tuesday.Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach, said Clarke would be treated as just another batsman during the series. “He’s a qualified and wonderful Test player, we’ll have plans to bowl to him like we have for the other guys,” he said. “He won’t be any different.”Phillip Hughes, Steven Smith, Marcus North and Simon Katich also touched down in New Zealand to join the outfit. Smith, the batsman-legspinner, is on a high after his selection in the squad and he also won the Steve Waugh Medal as New South Wales’ player of the year in Sydney on Sunday.

As per a report in the paper edition of Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur’s plans to sign Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic have turned up a gear.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Vlahovic move…

The Serbia striker has long been on the wanted list of Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici with reports over the summer indicating he was a transfer target (The Telegraph).

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Those reports haven’t died down with manager Antonio Conte’s arrival at N17, either, with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) even claiming that a meeting has already been held in London.

Since then, reliable sources like Fabrizio Romano have backed that Paratici and Spurs are still eyeing a move with an update now emerging from Italy.

The Latest: Spurs ‘pressing’…

As per CDS, via Sport Witness, Tottenham are now ‘pressing’ to sign Vlahovic for next summer and are ready to get ‘serious’ in the race for his signature.

It is also believed that Fiorentina, after confirmed contract offers to make him one of the highest-paid players in their history, may well be resigned to losing their star man as they already eye replacements.

The Verdict: Get it done…

As Tottenham actively scour the market for a new striker, as backed by reliable reporter Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Athletic, we believe signing Vlahovic would be the ultimate addition.

Scoring a phenomenal 18 goals in all competitions already, the 21-year-old would also come with major potential sell-on value, with comparisons to Erling Haaland arguably coming as another incentive to move.

He would certainly provide competition for Harry Kane in the forward positions, with reporter Romano hailing the attacker as ‘unbelievable’.

As Spurs allegedly push for his signature, Vlahovic’s addition would be the ultimate boost for Conte, but the Lilywhites may have to fight tooth and nail given the interest of other top clubs like Man City.

In other news: £135,000-per-week star now eyeing move to Spurs after Conte personally contacted him, find out more here.

Cricket Scotland enjoyed its best-ever financial year in 2009, making a pre-tax surplus of £135,000

Cricinfo staff12-Mar-2010Cricket Scotland enjoyed its best-ever financial year in 2009, making a pre-tax surplus of £135,000.The increased turnover was a result of increased ICC and investment, and participation in the World Twenty20 in England last year. As a result, Cricket Scotland’s financial reserves were boosted to £164,000.Additional investment in the performance development programme enabled a greatly increased playing programme for all national and regional age group teams. Although the national team failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, they retained their One-Day International status and, with it, a place in the ICC’s High Performance Programme for the next four years with a confirmed playing programme.”It is clear that our national side is going through a period of transition,” said Keith Oliver, chairman of Cricket Scotland. “So it was pleasing to be able to set aside significant reserves to support future success – and to consolidate our award-winning development programme in such an impressive manner.””We are delighted that our annual report is showing such positive growth across all aspects of the game,” added Roddy Smith, Crick Scotland’s chief executive. “Increased ICC funding enabled us to invest more in all our activities, and our structures and development programmes are in excellent shape for the future.”It is especially pleasing in difficult economic times to report a healthy surplus for the year, which will enable us to continue to invest in the sport’s further development in Scotland.”

Cricinfo previews the return match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab in Delhi

The Preview by Jamie Alter 10-Apr-2010Match factsSunday, April 11
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Big pictureKings XI Punjab’s win over table toppers Mumbai Indians has given this north Indian clash some and Delhi Daredevils, sitting at second place, have a little more reason to be wary of the underdogs. The last time these teams met, Gautam Gambhir’s half-century helped Delhi to a tense final-over victory and they went on to win their next game, lost three in a row, and bounce back with four victories on the trot. Defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday interrupted their momentum but at home against Punjab, who are out for the count, they’ll expect to get right back to winning ways.Delhi are currently placed third and are two wins away from confirming their qualification for the semi-finals. Their rise to No. 2 on the points table has been based on a very strong batting order, especially the top four, and Amit Mishra’s success at the start and end. Throw in consistent display from Dirk Nannes, when fit, and the odd burst from one of the Indian players, and Delhi have been a tough opposition. Defeat to Kolkata was something of a surprise, but with Virender Sehwag finally hitting some form and Nannes expected to slot back into the starting XI, signs are ominous of a well-oiled machine hitting full throttle.Conversely, Punjab have been run ragged by anything from poor form, abysmal fielding, uninspiring leadership and reported rifts in the camp. You name it, and it’s gone wrong for them. Despite trying several combinations, Punjab’s woes have left them down for the count but if they can replicate the winning formula a few more times they can seriously change the shape of the points table going into the semi-finals.Form guide (most recent first)Delhi Daredevils LWWWW
Kings XI Punjab WLWLL
Team talkDelhi have not indicated any changes. All those present, including Ashish Nehra, trained on the eve of the clash and looked match-fit. Nehra had a spring in his step and that’s good news for Delhi, but he will not be available for tomorrow’s match. Absent from training were Tillakaratne Dilshan – word is that he’s picked up a bout of kidney trouble – and AB de Villiers and Gautam Gambhir. Sehwag spent a long time taking throwdowns from the support staff, while the other batsmen appeared to be concentrating on spin given the success of Piyush Chawla in the last game.Punjab won’t want to tinker with the unit that won them a surprise game against leaders Mumbai, though Brett Lee’s continued failure to take a wicket will put pressure on him.Previously…Punjab 3 Delhi 2
Punjab beat Delhi in both matches during the 2008 season: by four wickets at home and by six runs away. They then suffered a heavy ten-wicket loss in their first encounter in 2009 but restored the advantage by beating Delhi by six wickets. Delhi beat Punjab in their first encounter this season, by five wickets.In the spotlightVirender Sehwag: Roused from his slumber, Sehwag gave Kolkata Knight Riders a scare with a 40-ball 64 in Delhi’s last game. His dismissal, as Sourav Ganguly said with a big smile and a sigh of relief, turned the game. Now that he’s managed to get a start and convert it, Sehwag should look to step on it against Punjab and go the distance. Sehwag is a player who you’d expect to win three or four games for Delhi on his own. So far he’s done it just once, so …Adrian Barath: This pocket-sized rocket produced a 27-ball 33 in his second appearance, and that was more than enough to ensure he stays in the XI. On Friday during Punjab’s successful chase against Mumbai Indians, Mahela Jayawardene again appeared in fine touch as he blazed controlled boundaries either side of square. Occasionally these partnerships collapse if the more restrained partner gets jealous and tries to keep up – sensibly Barath realised Jayawardene was on song and didn’t try to match him. He took a back seat for the sake of the team. When Jayawardene departed Barath took over and things moved along at the same brisk rate with the aim to build a platform for a late charge if needed. Such cool innings can only work for Punjab.Spin at the Kotla: The track has been slowing down as the tournament has progressed – in fact Anil Kumble wasn’t too pleased at the track after his team were hammered here last Sunday – and thus Delhi’s duo of Mishra and Daniel Vettori will be key. Mishra bowled extensively to Vettori and Paul Collingwood at the nets, tossing the ball up frequently, and the way in which he initially had Collingwood in some trouble was indicative of what’s in store. Punjab also have a good duo in Piyush Chawla and Ramesh Powar, making this a contest that could be decided by slow turn.Prime Numbers Delhi have 52 sixes compared to Punjab’s 43. Of Delhi’s 52, 37 have come from Virender Sehwag (14), David Warner (13) and Paul Collingwood (10), who bat in the top four. Seven different batsmen – Manvinder Bisla, Ravi Bopara, Irfan Pathan, Kumar Sangakkara, Yuvraj Singh, Shaun Marsh and Mahela Jayawardene – have opened for Punjab. Delhi have used three – Sehwag, Warner and Gautam Gambhir.Brett Lee has yet to take a wicket after four games and his economy rate is 10.27.