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Tottenham Hotspur correspondent and reliable source Alasdair Gold has now shared some major in-house news for Lilywhites supporters.

The Lowdown: Paratici shake up?

Spurs transfer chief and managing director Fabio Paratici has been orchestrating a shake up behind-the-scenes since his appointment last summer.

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The Italian has already performed a scouting overhaul with Brian Carey, Tottenham’s former head of recruitment, leaving his post most recently.

This come as Paratici aims to back manager Antonio Conte this summer in an effort to appease the ex-Chelsea boss and ultimately display Spurs’ ambition for 2022/2023.

To do this, he will need all the technical assistance possible, with Gold now sharing a major update on Paratici’s plan to appoint a number two.

The Latest: Appointment in ‘final stages’…

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, the journalist claims Paratici is in the ‘final stages’ of hand-picking his assistant Spurs chief.

When quizzed on the former Juventus director’s progress, Gold explained:

“As far as I’m aware, Fabio Paratici has drawn up a shortlist of the candidates to assist him in running the football side of Tottenham and is in the final stages of appointing his number two, who is expected to be from abroad.

“Paratici had Spurs’ technical performance director Steve Hitchen to help him in the months after he joined from Juventus but he left the club in February and head of recruitment Brian Carey, who worked remotely and is believed to have been more of a chief scout figure, also left this week.”

The Verdict: Interesting summer ahead…

Depending on the name coming in, with little known in that regard, it’ll be interesting to see how the imminent appointment of a Paratici number two will help Spurs in the summer market.

Conte, according to reports, has his eye on as many as six major signings this summer as he seeks to transform Tottenham back into a Premier League force.

An extensive list of transfer targets has already been mocked up at Hotspur Way as Paratici and his incoming assistant are soon tasked to advance and finalise moves for Conte’s perfect players.

In other news: Spurs ready to make major bid for ‘world-beater’ who allegedly told friends he was keen to join…find out more here.

Everton’s battle to retain their Premier League status continues this weekend as Frank Lampard takes on his former club Chelsea at Goodison Park, with the hosts in desperate need of a positive result.

At present, the Toffees find themselves in 18th place and two points adrift from safety, albeit with a game in hand on relegation contenders Burnley, having registered their 19th loss of the campaign away to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby last Sunday.

While Lampard insisted that his side produced a “good performance” and were denied a clear penalty against Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasing outfit, the 43-year-old will know that it is only points on the board which will help spare his team from a first relegation since 1951.

In order to bounce book on Sunday against Chelsea, one man who needs to give way is Brazilian midfielder Allan, with the former Napoli star having endured a torrid time of it against the Reds last time out.

Allan must be axed

Although dominating the ball clearly wasn’t the name of the game for the visitors – as their opponents finished the clash with a Premier League record of 85% possession – they certainly weren’t helped out by the performance of the £16.2m-rated midfielder, who achieved just a solitary successful pass in his 73-minute display.

Even if it was not in his remit to dictate the tempo of the match, the 31-year-old still failed spectacularly in his other duties, winning just one duel throughout the game prior to his substitution, as the away side hardly laid a glove on Thiago Alcantara, who pulled the strings for the opposition.

Such a shoddy performance is not a one-off for the Everton man this season, either. He has also been dribbled past 2.7 times per game in his 26 top-flight outings and has lost 146 duels in total, showcasing his lightweight nature in the centre of the park.

Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp echoed that view earlier this season, as he suggested that the 31-year-old simply “can’t run” and that the club have “no legs in midfield”, with that potentially a key factor in their struggles so far this term.

Football Insider pundit Paul Robinson previously suggested that the club has “too much quality” to go down, but with games quickly running out, they simply cannot afford to be carrying any passengers, particularly against Thomas Tuchel’s side this weekend.

Lampard needs to be ruthless on Sunday and axe the diminutive Allan, or else risk witnessing another horror show from the £120k-per-week midfielder.

In other news, Cost £25m, now worth just £608k: Koeman made huge blunder on “dynamic” Everton flop

Crystal Palace have made Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah their top attacking target this summer, according to The Sun.

The Lowdown: January bids

Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman were after Nketiah’s services during the January window and even reportedly made two bids for the striker.

However, as we know, the striker remained with the Gunners, where he has since broken into Mikel Arteta’s first-choice XI.

Nketiah, labelled as ‘extraordinary’ by Arteta, has started the last four Premier League fixtures, scoring twice. The 22-year-old will be out of contract at the end of the season though, and it looks as if a move to Selhurst Park could be on the cards.

The Latest: ‘Real hope’

The Sun shared a story regarding Palace and ‘top target’ Nketiah on Wednesday afternoon, with Patrick Vieira keen to bring the forward across London this summer.

The report added that there is ‘real hope’ at Palace that a free transfer could materialise, with Christian Benteke a player who could leave to make way for the Arsenal attacker.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Nketiah is still in the early days of his career but already has 88 senior appearances to his name for Arsenal, scoring 20 times.

He has shown in recent weeks, especially in a match-winning display against Chelsea, that he is a Premier League quality striker, and you’d like to think he’ll only get better.

Hopefully, he’ll improve his already impressive game under Vieira at Selhurst Park, and a free transfer could be looked back on in years to come as an extremely shrewd move by Parish and Freedman.

In other news: Palace also want winger who ‘gets people out of their seats’ in cheap deal.

Frank Lampard has been working hard to keep Everton in the Premier League next season with a relegation battle going right down to the wire and to add to the relegation worries a new transfer threat has emerged.

What’s the latest?

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing not one but three Everton players this summer with Richarlison, Ben Godfrey and Anthony Gordon on Antonio Conte’s summer wish list.

Since the Toffees picked their form off the floor in the last few weeks these three players, in particular, have caught the eye of the London club, and the report suggests that Spurs are watching the developments of Everton’s end of season outcome closely.

Supporters will be furious

There is no doubt that these three players play important roles in the team and have been three of the most influential in keeping Everton’s chances of survival alive, so the prospect of them leaving will leave supporters furious if it did go ahead this summer.

Richarlison has been linked with securing a new challenge at another club for months now, so it will come as no shock that Spurs have thrown their hat into the ring for the Brazilian goal machine. However, they will need to compete with the likes of Manchester United who have also shown interest.

Gordon would be a huge blow for Evertonians as the youngster is a boyhood Blue, which means a move away would be devastating for supporters of the club as if the current season hadn’t been disappointing enough.

Out of all three of these players Gordon has been by far the most consistent and hard-working player in the team this term and the position of the club bears no reflection on the performances of the young winger who in terms of form, has had his best season yet at Goodison Park.

The 21-year-old has bagged himself four goals and two assists but it is his all-round play that has been an absolute nuisance for opponents to mark and tackle in the Premier League this season.

Gordon has created 30 chances, successfully made 52 tackles and 21 interceptions for Everton and has won the majority of his 326 duels (50.3%) which shows how effective he is in making his presence known in the team. At such a young age to dominate your position with such strength is something the Toffees cannot afford to lose under any circumstances.

Ultimately, the future of all three of the players Tottenham Hotspur have their eye on currently will not be sealed until the end of the season when Everton will either drop into the Championship or remain in the Premier League.

If Lampard can keep his side in top-flight football we’re sure he will do his best to hold onto them.

AND in other news: Everton can finally axe “poor” £68k-p/w dud by signing 22 y/o with “huge potential”

Newcastle United are reportedly keen on a deal for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, according to reports in Holland.

What’s the word?

As per Voetbaul Primeur, the Magpies are ‘very interested’ in securing the services of the 24-year-old this summer, albeit with the Dutch outfit ‘yet to receive’ a concrete offer to sign the Ivorian.

The former Toulouse man – who joined the Eredivisie side in 2020 – will likely command a fee in the region of €40m (£34m), owing to a release clause in his existing deal.

The 17-cap international had reportedly been a target for Eddie Howe and co in January, with it looking as if they will rekindle that interest, albeit with Premier League rivals Leicester City also believed to be tracking his progress.

Next Yaya Toure?

Although a largely unknown figure for most in England, the £14.4-rated gem caught the eye in the recent Europa Conference League quarter-final clash with the Foxes, with former coach Aad de Mos insisting that he is “better on one leg” than Brendan Rodgers’ midfield.

The glowing praise does not end there, however, with former boss Alain Casanova dubbing him “very complete”, while journalist Alpha Balde insisted that “he’s like Yaya Toure”, as well as making comparisons with former Chelsea man, Michael Essien.

Those similarities to Toure, in particular, will likely have piqued the interest of those on Tyneside, with the one-time Manchester City powerhouse having proven himself one of the Premier League’s most influential players during his time at the Etihad.

In 230 league games for the club, the former Barcelona giant netted 63 goals and registered 32 assists, notably bagging a remarkable haul of 20 league goals during the 2013/14 campaign.

While Sangare is yet to post anywhere near such prolific numbers – with just seven club career goals to date – there is hope that he could mirror the progression of his compatriot, with Toure having begun life as a defensive-minded asset, before blossoming into a playmaking gem.

As Balde alluded to, physically the duo share notable similarities, with the younger man just fractionally taller at 6 foot 3, with his size and stature making him a real commanding presence in the centre of the park.

This season, the £27k-per-week brute has averaged an impressive 2.6 interceptions and 3.3 tackles per game, while also winning 74% of his total aerial duels, with his average match rating of 7.38 only bettered by Kieran Tripper among the Magpies’ current squad this season.

Should PIF be able to use their financial muscle to see off any competitors, in Sangare the St James’ Park outfit could have a real talent on their hands, with hope that Howe can help mould him into his own all-action, Toure.

IN other news, Eddie Howe can now help NUFC sign “spectacular” £64m “nightmare”, he’s better than Saint-Maximin

He played nine first-class matches between 1997 and 2007, taking 34 wickets

PTI18-Sep-2021Murtaza Lodhgar, the former Bengal left-arm spinner and Mizoram’s Under-19 coach, died of cardiac arrest on Friday night in Visakhapatnam, Cricket Association Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya has confirmed.Lodhgar, 45, was in the port city with the Mizoram colts, who were set to play the league phase of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy as BCCI’s domestic season is set to commence.”The tragedy happened just after dinner,” Dalmiya told PTI. “Murtu (as he was known in Bengal circles) along with the team’s physio went out for an after-dinner walk and suddenly felt enormous chest pain and fell on the road. “The physio and other team members immediately took him to the hospital where he was declared brought dead late on Friday.”I still can’t believe that Murtu is no more. It is a personal loss for me as he was one of the pillars of our family-run first division club Rajasthan SC. He was one of the most loved cricketers in our fraternity and also worked with our women’s team with distinction. It’s an irreparable loss.”CAB is currently trying to make arrangements so that his family can bring his remains to the city for the burial.Lodhgar was a powerhouse performer in club cricket but due to the presence of domestic giant Utpal Chatterjee, he played only nine Ranji Trophy games, taking 34 wickets.One of the highlights of his short first-class career was a five-wicket haul against Karnataka at the JU (Salt Lake) ground in the 2004-05 season. He played a few more matches that season but never got consistent opportunities as he was in the wrong side of 30s and slightly portly for the top-level cricket.Lodhgar was also a regular at the bustling club cricket scene in the United Kingdom.

New-look South Australia attack knocks over Queensland for 152, with Worrall claiming four wickets, on a green Adelaide Oval pitch

Alex Malcolm15-Oct-2021South Australia quicks Daniel Worrall and Brendan Doggett have torn through Queensland’s high-quality top-order to put the Redbacks on top on a green day one pitch at Adelaide Oval.Worrall claimed 4 for 49 while Doggett, on debut for South Australia against his old side, took 3 for 25 including the prized scalps of Marnus Labuschagne and Joe Burns. Nathan McAndrew also picked up two important top-order wickets to help start the rot.It was just the second time in two seasons South Australia took all 10 wickets in an innings with Doggett’s recruitment alongside McAndrew part of coach Jason Gillespie’s strategy to vastly improve the Redbacks’ bowling arsenal.The quicks licked their chops after Travis Head won the toss on a green Adelaide Oval pitch. Burns and Bryce Street made a steady start adding 42 without loss before McAndrew made the first breakthrough nicking off Street with a superb delivery from around the wicket.Then Doggett made statements on both sides of lunch with an outstanding spell trapping Labuschagne in front with a good length ball that nipped back off the seam. Burns played nicely for 48 but was caught behind off the inside edge. McAndrew forced a loose stroke from Usman Khawaja before Worrall worked through the Bulls’ middle-order with some trademark late swing and some extra zip and bounce.Queensland were all out inside 60 overs with Burns and Street the only players to reach 20.The Bulls made a quick response with the ball when Jake Carder chopped on off Mark Steketee in the second over. Nathan McSweeney, also on debut for the Redbacks against his old side, steadied alongside Henry Hunt before McSweeney fell for 22.Hunt was joined by the in-form Head and the pair cruised through to stumps. Head played positively striking four boundaries as Queensland searched for a breakthrough, even turning to Labuschagne for two overs of medium pace late in the day.

Australian allrounder becomes the first overseas signing in the new era of professional women’s county cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2025Australia international Grace Harris has signed a deal with Surrey to play in the inaugural women’s Vitality Blast.The batting allrounder, who has represented her country 62 times in limited overs internationals, becomes Surrey’s first overseas player, and the first outright in the new professional era of women’s county cricket in England and Wales.The 2025 summer will be the first time all men’s and women’s counties will play alongside one another in the Vitality Blast. Harris’ first match will be Surrey Women’s opener against Hampshire Hawks at the Kia Oval on June 5, as part of the double-header alongside the equivalent men’s fixture.Harris is renowned for her big-hitting and wily off spin, skillsets which have made her a staple across a number of franchise tournaments. As well as featuring prominently for her home side Brisbane Heat in the women’s Big Bash, the Queenslander recently ended the WPL as UP Warriorz’ joint-highest runscorer, and is part of London Spirit in The Hundred. She also featured in the three T20Is that made up the winter’s women’s Ashes, helping Australia consign England to a 16-0 defeat.”I can’t wait to take to the pitch with the team at Surrey and the Kia Oval,” said Harris, in a statement released on Wednesday. “The club has shown a strong commitment to the women’s side and I know the team have been preparing hard over the winter. I’m really looking forward to contributing to the team and making the most of my time with them.”Emma Calvert, Surrey’s Director of Women’s Cricket, added: “We are incredibly excited to be able to announce Grace as our first overseas signing for our newly professional Surrey women’s team.”Grace brings international and franchise experience which we believe will really add value to our squad both on and off the pitch. She plays exactly the style of cricket we look to play and I can’t wait to see her wearing the three feathers at the Kia Oval this summer.”Surrey will play in the top league of the women’s Vitality Blast, along with the seven other Tier One counties. The eight sides will play each other home and away across 14 group-stage matches, with the top three securing a spot at Finals Day, which will take place at the Kia Oval on July 27.

The ground for the six-team competitions will be a temporary build and is about 50km to the east of Los Angeles

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2025Cricket will be staged at a purpose-built temporary venue at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, during the 2028 Olympics Games hosted by Los Angeles, the LA28 organising committee announced on Tuesday.Pomona is about 50km to the east of Los Angeles and the Fairgrounds, officially known as Fairplex, is a 500-acre complex that has hosted the Los Angeles County Fair since 1922.The LA28 Olympics, which will be held from July 14 to 30, sees cricket return to the event for the first time since 1900 when Great Britain played France in a two-day game.Related

• ICC set to approve continental qualification system for LA Olympics 2028

• Gabba to be demolished after 2032 Olympics, cricket to get new home in Brisbane

• Cricket at LA28: both men's and women's events to be six-team contests

There will be a six-team competition for men and women with the sport having been allocated 90 athlete quotas, meaning there will be 15-player squads for each. The qualifying pathway and cut-offs are yet to be determined.”We welcome the announcement of the venue for cricket at Los Angeles 2028 as it is a significant step towards the preparation for our sport’s return to the Olympics,” Jay Shah, the ICC chair, said. “Although cricket is a hugely popular sport, it will be a fantastic opportunity to expand traditional boundaries when it features in the Olympics in the fast-paced, exciting T20 format that should appeal to new audiences.”During last year’s men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean, a pop-up stadium was built in New York, which hosted the India-Pakistan contest among its fixtures, with Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill and Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas also used.Cricket joins five new sports at LA28 – baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash.There is an expectation that cricket will be retained for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane with the finals of the event being planned as the last matches to be staged at the Gabba before it is demolished.

Rain and Colin Ingram curtailed Gloucestershire’s day four push for a first home victory since September 2022

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Apr-2025Gloucestershire’s long wait for a home win in the Rothesay County Championship continued as Colin Ingram led Glamorgan to a comfortable draw on the final day of the Division Two match at the Seat Unique Stadium.Beginning the day on 106 for no wicket in their second innings, trailing by 55 runs, the visitors slipped to 122 for 3 in the opening half hour, but had reached 288 for 4, a lead of 127, when rain ended play at 4.20pm. First innings centurion Ingram made an unbeaten 77, off 162 balls, with nine fours, while Kiran Carlson contributed 49.Matt Taylor struck twice early on for Gloucestershire, but from then on it was an all too familiar tale for the hosts, struggling to take wickets on a placid last day pitch. They took 15 points from the game to Glamorgan’s 13 and have still not won a Championship game at Bristol since September 2022.Only two runs had been added at the start of play when Eddie Byrom, unbeaten on 47 overnight, edged a delivery from Taylor straight to the only slip Cameron Bancroft, standing where a normal third slip would be positioned. It was the early breakthrough Gloucestershire needed and they soon built on it.Glamorgan skipper Sam Northeast got off the mark with a glorious straight driven boundary off Taylor, but had made only ten when pushing forward outside off stump to Ajeet Singh Dale and edging through to wicketkeeper James Bracey.Opener ul Hassan, who began the day on 51, was struck a painful blow on the left hand by a quick delivery from Singh Dale and had added only four to his overnight score when aiming a loose drive at Taylor and directing the ball to the shrewdly-placed Bancroft, who took his second catch in the wide slip position.At 122 for 3, Glamorgan were still 39 behind and in trouble. But Ingram, fresh from scoring 103 in the first innings, and Kiran Carlson calmly took the fire out of the Gloucestershire seamers with a solid fourth-wicket stand that was worth 58 by the time lunch was taken with the scoreboard reading 180 for three.Glamorgan led by just 19 runs and required more patient application from Ingram and Carlson at the start of the afternoon session. They supplied it with few alarms, Ingram going to a 117-ball half-century, with 8 fours, as the pair took the score to 239 before being parted.One short of a deserved fifty, Carlson went back to cut a delivery from off-spinner Ollie Price and got a faint edge through to Bracey. He and Ingram had added 117 runs in 38.4 overs and Glamorgan’s lead was 78.With the pitch offering little in terms of spin or seam movement, a draw looked inevitable. Ben Kellaway clearly thought so as he blasted Price for a straight six before showers led to two brief interruptions to play ahead of tea, which was taken with Glamorgan 254 for four and leading by 93.There were a minimum of 41 overs left when the action resumed, with the second new ball due after just one of them. Three runs had been added when it was taken by Singh Dale, with Taylor operating in tandem.Predictably, it made little impact with Ingram remaining rock solid. The 39-year-old South African and Kellaway, more than 18 years his junior, looked untroubled in extending their fifth-wicket stand to 49 before more rain started falling and the heavy covers were brought on.After heavy defeats in their opening fixtures, there were positives for both teams. But the pitch looked likely to be the only winner from day one and so it proved.