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Also: Vijay Shankar returns for Tamil Nadu, and Delhi coach KP Bhaskar urges Rishabh Pant to show match awareness

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2016

Karnataka squad unchanged for Assam clashKL Rahul will not feature for Karnataka in their fourth-round Ranji Trophy fixture against Assam in Mumbai, starting on Thursday. Rahul, recovering from a hamstring injury he picked up during the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, is undergoing rehabilitation and is yet to go through a fitness test, according to the Karnataka State Cricket Association. With the first Test against England starting on November 9 in Rajkot, the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy was seen as an opportunity for all the members of the Test squad to regain match fitness, after a two-week break.Wriddhiman Saha will turn up for Bengal in their clash against Railways in Dharamsala. M Vijay, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, are all in the midst of a short NCA stint in preparation for the five-Test series against England.Vijay Shankar boost for Tamil NaduAllrounder Vijay Shankar is set to return to competitive cricket after an nine-month layoff. He passed a fitness test and will be available for selection in Tamil Nadu’s fourth match, against Madhya Pradesh in Cuttack. Vijay completed a two-month rehabilitation, following a surgery on his left knee, which he injured in July, before India A’s tour of Australia. He was subsequently withdrawn from both the limited-overs and four-day squads, and was replaced by Hardik Pandya.Delhi coach calls for Pant to temper his gameDelhi coach KP Bhaskar has called for more match awareness from Rishabh Pant, the season’s highest run-scorer so far. Pant, one of three triple centurions this season, made 24 and 9 in Delhi’s innings and 160-run loss to Karnataka last week. “You can’t play the same pattern in every pitch. Sometimes, there will be a pitch which is holding on, there’s a green top, so the shot selection becomes very important,” he said. “That’s the hallmark of a good player. You can’t just play in the same pattern and the same gear, you can’t do that. Sometimes, the situation demands where you need to be a little choosy. As I said, he is a stroke player, that’s the way he plays. Sometimes you connect, and law of averages had to catch up with him.”

Newcastle United supporters might be expecting prominent arrivals this summer, but manager Eddie Howe will be looking to ensure prodigious talents are secured to ensure the newfound success is not fugacious.

What's the latest on Azeem Abdulai to Newcastle?

One such rising starlet who could fit into this strategy is Swansea City's Azeem Abdulai, with the 20-year-old midfielder on the Magpies' radar, according to the Daily Mail, with Aston Villa also interested.

The Scotland U21 international is still within the academy ranks at Swansea, but is impressing with his exploits on the pitch and has been viewed as a perfect project for the aforementioned Premier League outfits, who could nurture him into the limelight.

While a transfer fee is presently unknown, Abdulai could be a shrewd acquisition for Newcastle and one that could prove worthwhile as the ace continues his progress over the next few years.

Who is Azeem Abdulai?

Something of a late bloomer, Abdulai is yet to make his Championship debut with Swansea and has only featured once this term, coming off the bench in the Carabao Cup against Oxford United.

Development in football is not linear, however, and Abdulai is earning plaudits for his robust presence on the pitch and tactical flexibility, capable both in a pivoting midfield role and as a more defensive cog, at the foot of the midfield or in central defence.

Signing a contract extension last year until 2025 is an indication that the Swans wish for him to continue his development in Wales – with the club's senior professional development phase coach, Jon Grey, saying: “Azeem has been a fantastic addition for us since he has come into the club.

“He came in as a defender but has played more in midfield and adapted to it really well. He has done well for us and had time with the first team and made his debut. That is fantastic, it’s just that next step for him now.”

The aforementioned report from the Daily Mail likens his qualities to that of Jude Bellingham, highlighting his 'stature, playing style and ability' is akin to the Borussia Dortmund phenom reportedly closing in on a move to Real Madrid this summer.

Bellingham is one win away from ending Bayern Munich's decade-long dominance in the German Bundesliga, with the Yellow Wall leading the table entering the final day of the campaign.

And the 19-year-old prodigy has unequivocally been a centrepiece to the feats, recording an average divisional Sofascore rating of 7.4, scoring eight goals and providing four assists, completing 83% of his passes, averaging 2.5 tackles and completing 67% of his attempted dribbles.

The all-encompassing gem is listed as a comparable player to Joelinton on FBref, who is thriving at the heart of Howe's Newcastle system, which will bode well for the Magpies when assessing the feasibility of signing Abdulai, who could be a deadly partner alongside Bruno Guimaraes.

Guimaraes signed for Newcastle for £40m in January 2022 and has since made 56 appearances for the Toon, hailed as "world-class" for his impact by teammate Dan Burn.

Abdulai has a long way to go, but by following the template Bellingham exhibits, he could grow into one of English football's more pleasing success stories on Tyneside with a transfer.

Glasgow Rangers will be aiming for nine points from their last three matches of the Scottish Premiership season in order to end the campaign on a high note.

Michael Beale’s side showed exactly what they can do if every member of the squad is pulling in the same direction during their Old Firm triumph at Ibrox last weekend, and an away trip to Easter Road to take on Hibernian this afternoon could allow the manager to experiment with the line-up slightly.

Beale will have to make a few decisions on his starting XI, and one of them should be unleashing Ianis Hagi from the first whistle, and having scored twice and grabbed an assist against Hibs in eight previous matches, he could cause havoc again.

Could Ianis Hagi start for Rangers against Hibs?

The £21k-per-week gem has not long returned to the squad following a year-long layoff due to an injury suffered in the Scottish Cup last year, and Beale has slowly reinstated him into the first team.

If Hagi can return to the form he displayed during the 2020/21 campaign, Beale will have a real star on his hands. Across 45 matches during that title-winning season, the Romanian scored eight goals and registered 15 assists – with 15 of these contributions coming in the league as the Gers strolled to success.

The Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie was full of praise for Hagi, lauding him as “impressive” while praising his ability to “split” teams open with his wide range of passing and creative talents.

Although perhaps not yet at his best since returning to the first-team fold, the 24-year-old has managed to succeed with 83% of his attempted dribbles and win 71% of his total duels across his six league appearances this term, and as his fitness improves, he will continue to get better and hopefully return to the form he showed pre-injury.

Should the manager be looking to take someone out of the firing line then the man Hagi replaced in the win over Celtic, Rabbi Matondo, could be a good bet.

He has shown flashes of brilliance this term, albeit in limited spells, and was dragged off with 20 minutes remaining of that Old Firm tie having made just five passes in the entire game, a damning indictment of his qualities.

Beale must unleash him today in order to allow him to showcase his talents, and he could well run Hibs' defence ragged.

Newcastle United are among the Premier League clubs to have sent scouts to watch OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo in action, Fabrizio Romano has claimed.

How big a prospect is Todibo?

The Frenchman is a bit of a rising star at Nice currently, proving to be one of their most important players and performing consistently well at centre-back. He made 35 appearances in all competitions this season, 34 of which have been starts, and he has averaged 2.3 tackles per game in Ligue 1.

Todibo was once at Barcelona, but struggled to make the grade there, and he has also enjoyed loan spells at the likes of Schalke, Benfica and Nice, prior to joining the latter on a permanent basis in 2021. At 23, he has increasingly matured in recent years and his reputation appears to be growing all the time.

While Newcastle have been superb defensively all season long, only conceding 29 times in 34 Premier League outings, they could still be looking for centre-back reinforcements in the summer transfer window. That's where Todibo comes into play, with the Magpies seemingly eyeing a move for him.

Are Newcastle interested in Todibo?

Taking to Twitter, Romano reported that Newcastle have sent representatives to watch the Nice defender in action, although they aren't alone in showing an interest in him:

"Understand Newcastle, Manchester Utd and Liverpool scouts were in attendance at Nice-Rennes game to monitor Jean Clair Todibo. French centre back could get top club move in the summer — with price tag understood to be around €45m."

Todibo certainly looks like a massive prospect – football talent scout Jacek Kulig has labelled him as the "complete package" and lauded his "superb build-up and defensive attributes" – and he could be a brilliant signing by Newcastle at the end of the season.

Sven Botman is clearly a huge player for the Magpies, but it could be argued that an upgrade on Fabian Schar as the Dutchman's regular centre-back partner could take them to another level. The Swiss is now 31 years of age, and if Eddie Howe's side are reach that next step in 2023/24 and beyond, he possibly needs to become a squad player moving forward.

In Todibo, Newcastle would be getting a top-quality young prospect with a high ceiling, and while he hasn't yet been capped for France, he has every chance of it on his current trajectory, having made one appearance for his country's Under-21 side, and five for the Under-20s.

Batsman Lahiru Thirimanne has left Sri Lanka’s ongoing tour of England after sustaining a lower-back strain, which restricted his movement

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jun-2016Batsman Lahiru Thirimanne has left Sri Lanka’s ongoing tour of England after sustaining a lower-back strain, which restricted his movement. Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who was in England already with the A team, has joined the national squad as Thirimanne’s replacement. Thirimanne played all three Tests, but had not played in the ODIs – against Ireland or England – on the tour.Angelo Mathews and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal are nursing hamstring injuries, but have been named in the XI for the third ODI in Bristol. An SLC statement said seam-bowling allrounder Farveez Maharoof is also “sporting an injury to his left hand”, though he too continues to play.Dickwella had been in Sri Lanka’s Test squad, but did not play a game. He has played one ODI – in India in 2014 – four Tests and three T20 internationals.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، عن حكم مباراة الكلاسيكو بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة في نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني.

وحقق ريال مدريد فوزًا هاماً على نظيره أتلتيكو مدريد في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن نصف نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني على ملعب الأول بارك بخماسية مقابل ثلاثة أهداف.

وفاز برشلونة على نظيره أوساسونا بنتيجة 2/0، ضمن منافسات دور نصف النهائي من كأس السوبر الإسباني على ملعب “الأول بارك” في جامعة الملك سعود بالرياض.

وسيلاقي برشلونة غريمه التقليدي ريال مدريد في نهائي البطولة، يوم الأحد المقبل الموافق 14 يناير في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

اقرأ ايضاً.. آس توضح تطورات إصابة رافينها.. وموقفه من المشاركة أمام ريال مدريد في نهائي السوبر الإسباني

وأشارت صحيفة ماركا الإسبانية، إلى أن مباراة الكلاسيكو بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة في نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني ستكون تحت إشراف الحكم الدولي الإسباني، مارتينيز مونويرا.

جدير بالذكر أن، مونويرا، قد أدار 3 مباريات كلاسيكو سابقاً حيث فاز ريال مدريد في مواجهتين، وفاز برشلونة في مرة واحدة.

Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead for the second successive weekend and now their Premier League title hopes are in jeopardy, with a crunch clash against defending champions Manchester City to come.

On their travels once again, Mikel Arteta’s men took an early lead through Gabriel Jesus before his namesake and fellow countryman Gabriel Martinelli found Martin Odegaard at the back post to double the tally inside ten minutes.

But the Hammers fought back and could have gone on to win the game, starting with a spot-kick from Said Benrahma before the break. In the second half, the home side equalised through Jarrod Bowen, who ran riot all afternoon against the Gunners.

It came just minutes after Bukayo Saka missed a penalty himself, which would have had Arsenal 3-1 up heading into the final 30 minutes.

A lot of criticism will come for the England talisman, especially after a particularly woeful display but he wasn’t the only star to let Arteta down at the London Stadium…

How did Thomas Partey perform against West Ham?

In his 67-minute outing, Thomas Partey delivered a total disasterclass in the heart of midfield, perhaps uncharacteristically considering he is currently the Gunners’ most consistent and highest-rated central midfielder (7.24 before kick-off) in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored figures.

A nonchalant flick on the edge of his penalty box saw a turnover in possession and forced Gabriel Magalhaes into a mistake, conceding the aforementioned penalty to the tricky feet of Lucas Paqueta. He was also booked in the first half after a culmination of rash and cynical fouls.

As per Sofascore, the £230k-per-week ace was graded as Arsenal’s worst performer with a rating of 6.1 and it’s easy to see why, not just because of the above exploits but because he was also dribbled past twice, whilst he won only three duels from a total of nine contested – a failure rate of 66.6%.

Only two other starters managed fewer touches of the ball than the Ghana international (50), including goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and left-winger Martinelli, and with what possession he had, the midfielder did very little as he failed to provide a single key pass or shot and managed only one defensive contribution in the form of a solitary tackle.

Evening Standard journalist Simon Collings lambasted Partey in his post-match column, he wrote: ‘Never really looked at the races all game. Contributed to the West Ham penalty by giving the ball away near the box. Hooked with 25 minutes to go for Jorginho.’

That wasn’t the only scathing review as Daily Telegraph reporter Sam Dean slammed the £45m ace as “silly” and “dumb,” whilst The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell thought he looked “shaky” throughout the opening spell of the match.

Either way, it was one of the 29-year-old’s worst performances of the season and it has come at the absolute worst time, with Arsenal potentially letting slip of the title in awful fashion against the Irons on Sunday afternoon.

Arsenal enjoyed a near decade of success under Arsene Wenger between 1996 and 2006, with the Frenchman changing the landscape of English football while leading the Gunners to three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, coming close to European glory on two occasions also.

His success in the transfer market was key to all of this, managing to sign players such as Thierry Henry, Marc Overmars and Sol Campbell and turn them into the finest on the continent within their respective positions which made Arsenal a club to be feared.

His final decade wasn’t as enjoyable, with the manager seemingly losing his touch when it came to transfers. Lucas Perez, Calum Chambers and Gervinho all arrived for fees which probably didn’t reflect their actual ability, and they struggled to live up to expectations.

One of his worst signings however was that of Sébastien Squillaci, who rinsed the club during his stint in London.

How much did Sébastien Squillaci cost Arsenal?

The Frenchman arrived at the Gunners in the summer of 2010 for a fee of £4m from La Liga side Sevilla, and it looked as though it could be another Wenger masterclass in the transfer market.

Here was a defender who had won two Ligue 1 titles with Lyon while also claiming a Spanish Cup with Sevilla and had represented France on 21 occasions, including at the 2010 World Cup and arrived with considerable pedigree.

His spell with the Gunners would be an unequivocal disaster. His first season saw the player make 32 appearances and score twice, yet over the next two campaigns he would make just seven appearances across all competitions all while collecting wages reported to be around £50k-per-week in the process.

He twice clashed heads with fellow defender Laurent Koscielny and was sent off against Huddersfield in the FA Cup during his spell at the club and Wenger finally lost patience with the defender, as his performances left much to be desired.

The former Lyon centre-back left the North Londoners in the summer of 2013, returning to France to join SC Bastia and across his 148-week spell under Wenger, Squillaci rinsed the club for £11.8m (his £4m transfer fee plus £7.8m in wages earned during that spell) and it’s clear this money could have been spent on other areas.

His signing proved to be a colossal waste of money and Wenger’s final years were littered with such transfers. Thankfully, Mikel Arteta looks to be signing players who will only add quality to the Arsenal side.

Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell is the subject of ‘genuine interest’ from Manchester City ahead of a potential move during the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Chilwell not always a regular

The 26-year-old has suffered a frustrating season for the Blues overall, not always managing to make himself an important part of Graham Potter’s plans and dealing with injury issues.

Chilwell has only actually started eight Premier League matches in 2022/23 to date, with another seven appearances coming his way as a substitute, with a serious hamstring injury earlier in the campaign also not helping matters.

Marc Cucurella has often been preferred on the left-hand side, starting 18 times in the league, and the Englishman has a battle on his hands moving forward.It could even be that an exit from Stamford Bridge materialises this summer, with a new update suggesting that that could end up being the case. The Latest: Man City interested

According to The Athletic’s Simon Johnson, there is ‘genuine interest’ from City regarding a move for Chilwell at the end of the season, as Pep Guardiola looks to bring in a new left-back to replace Joao Cancelo.

It is stated that the reigning Premier League champions were keen on signing him back in 2020, prior to him eventually joining Chelsea instead.

The Verdict: A worry for Blues

While Chilwell hasn’t been a regular starter for the Blues this season, losing him would still be a blow this summer, given the overall quality he possesses.

Thomas Tuchel described the England international as ‘very important’ during his time as Chelsea manager and he possesses defensive nous and attacking quality that few other left-backs in the country do.

Chilwell is now a 17-cap England international, and having only turned 26 years of age back in December, his peak years may well still be ahead of him.

Cucurella hasn’t exactly enjoyed a standout first season at Chelsea and it could even be argued that Chilwell has the higher ceiling moving forward – they both have two league assists this season, despite the latter playing far less, for example –  further showing why the club would be wise to keep hold of him this summer.

The lure of City can be great for any player, however, given Guardiola’s reputation as arguably the world’s greatest manager and the team’s constant likelihood of silverware, so it would be hard to begrudge Chilwell a move there, especially if he isn’t playing enough in west London.

While the January transfer window has only recently come to a close, Tottenham Hotspur will likely already be plotting to strengthen come the end of the season, with a new attacking option believed to be on the agenda for the north London outfit.

Although the Lilywhites have moved to bolster their forward line with the signings of Richarlison and Arnaut Danjuma over the last six months, the former is yet to score a Premier League goal, while the latter only arrived on a temporary deal last month.

With that in mind, there have been reports that Antonio Conte’s side could be identifying another possible recruit ahead of next term, with Leicester City star Harvey Barnes one such asset who is said to be on the club’s radar.

What’s the latest on Harvey Barnes to Spurs?

A report from football.london back in December suggested that the 25-year-old is a player that sporting director Fabio Paratici is fond of, albeit with Spurs having reservations over a move due to what could be a potentially hefty asking price for the Englishman – whose current deal is set to run until 2025.

Nevertheless, it would appear that Barnes – as well as teammate James Maddison – are among the possible targets for Conte and co this summer, with CBS reporter Ben Jacobs telling GIVEMESPORT:

“Yeah, they’ll definitely be on the list.

“They’re players that have been looked at a long time anyway. What will be interesting is to see whether on the back of this turn in form, Leicester can actually convince players to give this project a bit longer for a revival.

“If they can have a bounce back season for the rest of the term, and take that into the summer, they’ll try to keep these players if they can.”

Could Barnes replace Heung-min Son at Spurs?

Should Tottenham step up their interest in Barnes in the coming months, the £22m-rated man could well prove a dream heir to Heung-min Son down the left flank, with the South Korean sensation currently enduring an underwhelming campaign thus far.

After finishing as the joint-top scorer in the league last season with 23 goals, the 30-year-old has only contributed four Premier League goals this time around, with three of those having come in the win over Leicester back in September.

The typically-reliable asset has looked “so far off the boil” of late, according to talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara, with the former Bayer Leverkusen man no longer offering a real potent threat from his wide berth.

In need of a potential long-term solution in that role, the signing of Barnes – who has eight league goals to his name this season – could prove a perfect option, with the “unbelievable” talent, as previously lauded by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities with the current Spurs man, as per FBref.

The two men offer real a real direct and dynamic quality off the left, with the Foxes ace racking up 58 progressive carries this season and 43 progressive passes as a marker of his creative brilliance, while Son has recorded 55 and 45 for the same two metrics, respectively.

Barnes – who has previously admitted to taking inspiration from both Son and Mohamed Salah – has already showcased his quality to Conte and Paratici in recent times, after producing a standout display in the 4-1 thrashing at the King Power Stadium last weekend.

The former West Bromwich Albion speedster seemingly terrorised debutant Pedro Porro on the day, with the latter man having looked ‘shaky’ according to journalist Alasdair Gold, notably being ‘left for dead’ by a clever dummy from Barnes early on, as per the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick.

Those woes ultimately saw the recent arrival withdrawn on the 75-minute mark, while his opposite man ended that eye-catching performance with a goal to his name, having also created one big chance.

That performance will likely have captivated the attention of those at N17 even more, with it set to be no surprise if the Leicester gem is to be the man to emerge as Son’s successor in the near future.