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An update has emerged on Rangers transfer target John Souttar regarding a potential move to Ibrox to join Gio van Bronckhorst’s side in 2022…

What’s the talk?

According to The Scottish Sun, the Gers target will not sign a new contract at the Edinburgh club, with the defender ‘certain’ to leave as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

The report claims that Rangers and Celtic are both interested in Souttar, with the 6 foot 1 colossus potentially available on a cut-price deal in the January transfer window.

Big issue

We recently published an article explaining why Giovanni van Bronckhorst must sell Connor Goldson in the upcoming transfer window. The defender is in a similar position to Souttar in the sense that he is out of contract at the end of the season, so the Gers may need to cash in on him soon to avoid losing him for nothing.

This would result in Rangers losing one of their first-choice defenders and cause a big issue midway through the campaign. However, a deal to sign Souttar could alleviate the problem, as he could be a terrific addition to the team and slot straight into the starting XI.

Goldson has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.05 in the Premiership this season, winning 66% of his duels and making 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game. Meanwhile, Souttar has averaged a rating of 7.39, winning 69% of his duels and completing 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game.

This suggests that he has the quality to come into Ibrox and hit the ground running, as he has performed to a higher level than Goldson consistently this season whilst playing in the same division.

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein once claimed that Souttar is capable of doing ‘wonderful things’, saying: “I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.

“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive.”

This provides extra backing to Souttar’s pedigree in the Premiership along with his statistics and emphasises the point that he could solve Van Bronckhorst’s big issue in January. The Dutchman could axe Goldson and bring the 25-year-old Scotland defender to the club knowing that he has what could turn out to be an upgrade in the centre-back position, given the players’ respective form this season.

AND in other news, Gio could save Wilson millions with Rangers beast who is a “winner and warrior”…

Uganda held off a spirited bowling display from United Arab Emirates to ensure their match ended in a draw on the fourth day at Abu Dhabi. Arshad Ali’s hundred, with able support from Saqib Ali’s fluent 77, had allowed UAE to declare at 282 for 9 to set U

Cricinfo staff23-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Uganda held off a spirited bowling display from United Arab Emirates to ensure their match ended in a draw on the fourth day at Abu Dhabi. Arshad Ali’s hundred, with able support from Saqib Ali’s fluent 77, had allowed UAE to declare at 282 for 9 to set Uganda an unlikely target of 271 to chase in their second innings. Amjad Javed, Qasim Zubair and Shoaib Sarwar then combined to reduce Uganda to 36 for 5 less than 20 overs into the innings, but Ronald Ssemanda and Frank Nsubuga’s impregnable defences salvaged a draw.Earlier, Arshad and Saqib extended their partnership, which had reached 77 runs by stumps yesterday, to a massive 183 before Davis Arinaitwe and wicketkeeper Lawrence Sematimba combined to effect Saqib’s run-out. Naeemuddin Aslam, the first innings centurion, was then trapped lbw for single figures by Arinaitwe before Arshad was run out by the young offspinner two balls later to reduce UAE to 228 for 5 in an eventful over. Arinaitwe then removed Abdul Rehman to cap a productive day in the field, and Nsubuga’s tidy offspin brought three more wickets before the declaration came.Uganda’s openers played out the first 10 overs of their second innings without alarm before Amjad sparked a dramatic collapse. Three wickets fell with no addition to the score to leave Uganda floundering at 24 for 3. Captain Akbar Baig and Benjamin Musoke provided a brief spell of stability before both were trapped lbw by Shoaib Sarwar to leave the innings in tatters.With UAE’s bowlers running rampant, Arthur Ziraba and Ssemanda opted for watchful defence but their promising partnership was nipped in the bud when Qasim returned to rattle Ziraba’s timber. With survival at a premium, Ssemanda and Nsubuga gave up any pretence of run-scoring, adding 15 runs in 15 tense overs before the match was called off.The final result means that Uganda retain their position at the top of the points table. The two teams will now play each other in three one-day games before UAE head to the World Twenty20 Qualifiers and Uganda travel to Kenya for a Twenty20 tri-series with Scotland the third participant. UAE have a break of almost five months before their next Intercontinental Shield match against Bermuda, while Uganda’s next engagement in the competition comes against Namibia in September.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has a chance to make it four wins out of four as Rangers manager at Ibrox in the Premiership on Saturday.

The Gers host Dundee in a league match and the Dutchman is looking to extend his fantastic start to life at the helm in Glasgow. Rangers have won all three of his matches in charge so far, beating Sparta Prague in the Europa League and then Livingston and Hibernian in the Premiership.

Time’s up

One change that the 46-year-old could make to his XI in order to maintain his 100% record is taking out midfielder Steven Davis after his disappointing display against Hibernian on Wednesday night, as his time should now be up.

The Northern Ireland international struggled despite Rangers winning 1-0 and was subbed off in the second half with the teams still level. Kemar Roofe was among the players who came off the bench and he scored from the penalty spot to seal all three points.

Davis lined up alongside Glen Kamara in one of the two defensive midfield roles and was shown up by the Finland international. As per SofaScore, the ex-Arsenal man won seven of his 10 duels (70%) and made three interceptions, one tackle and two clearances. He also completed 89% of his passes and created two chances for his teammates, showing off his ability on and off the ball.

However, his midfield partner failed to match those heights. As per SofaScore, Davis won a solitary duel in the game and failed to make a single tackle, interception or block, whilst making one clearance. On the ball, he completed just 77% of his passes and lost possession 14 times, failing to provide a single key pass before being hauled off the pitch.

This suggests that he was a passenger in the game as he was unable to impose himself defensively or offensively for the Gers, particularly in comparison to Kamara. In fact, over the course of the season, he has lost 55% of his duels in the Premiership, which highlights his lack of strength in the middle of the park for the club.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst must ruthlessly axe him from the starting XI and offer a starting opportunity to another player to see what they can do, with the likes of John Lundstram and Scott Arfield waiting in the wings.

AND in other news, Gio must axe “popular” £15k-p/w flop who doesn’t have a “long-term” future at Rangers…

As per Super Deporte, an update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans and it involves former fan favourite Gareth Bale.

The Lowdown: Another Bale return?

After the Wales international star spent 2020/2021 on loan at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Lilywhites have surprisingly been linked with re-signing him yet again.

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Speaking to El Chiringuito TV recently, journalist Eduardo Inda claimed that manager Antonio Conte had personally requested that Spurs snap up the Real Madrid forward over Eden Hazard.

Bale’s contract is set to expire in 2022 with the 32-year-old able to negotiate pre-contract free summer moves to other clubs in January.

Now, an update has emerged involving Tottenham as the club, and by extension transfer chief Fabio Paratici, allegedly eye a move.

The Latest: Spurs ‘most interested’…

According to Super Deporte, Tottenham are the ‘most interested’ team when it comes to signing Bale but want him on a free deal in summer 2022 as opposed to paying a fee in January.

However, it is Conte who is set to have the ‘last word’ on this potential transfer as Spurs wait for the Italian to green light a move.

The Verdict: Avoid…

Bale finished last year as Tottenham’s third-most threatening player in the English top flight in terms of goals and assists combined behind superstar duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min (WhoScored), but we believe Conte should avoid another reunion.

His return to north London was also marred by fitness issues at various points with ex-boss Jose Mourinho even calling out Bale for an Instagram post on his condition (Wales Online).

Scoring a career total 183 goals, there is little doubting the forward can shine on his day, especially at international level – with Wales teammate Daniel James recently branding Bale ‘unbelievable’ (FIFA).

However, his injury record suggests that he isn’t a player Conte can rely upon regularly, not to mention his sky high salary demands could be too much of a financial strain on Tottenham when locked into a permanent deal.

In other news: Spurs in pole position to sign ‘perfect’ player for Conte after price tag drops by nearly half, find out more here.

Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has come down heavily on the ground authorities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA)

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Feb-2010Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has come down heavily on the ground authorities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for over-ruling the recommendation of Daljit Singh last year, which led to the abandonment of the final match of the India-Sri Lanka ODI series at the Feroz Shah Kotla on December 27. As a consequence, Daljit , chairman of the BCCI pitch and grounds committee, and his panel, were sacked the same day by the BCCI, which held him responsible.But Atkinson, who visited various Indian venues hosting next year’s World Cup earlier this month, inspected the Kotla pitch on February 14 and 15. Though he was happy with the remedial work in progress that has started under the supervision of Venkat Sundaram, former head of the BCCI curators’ panel, Atkinson stated in the report to the BCCI, a copy of which was available to Cricinfo, that all the controversy could have been easily avoided if the DDCA ground officials had heard Daljit’s suggestions.”As a consequence of the state of affairs that occurred with the pitch throughout last year, the decision to use of Perennial Rye grass was the only option left at a very late stage in an attempt to obtain some grass cover for the ODI on the 27th December and was recommended by Mr. Daljit Singh (Chairman BCCI Pitches Committee) quite correctly as an emergency measure,” Atkinson wrote.”Unfortunately the then local authority of DDCA did not agree with that course of action and went ahead and planted some local Cynodon grass, creating damage to the surface levels in doing so,” he addedIn the eight-page report, addressed to Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s chief administrative officer, Atkinson explained the disastrous consequences. “As predicted this grass did not grow then, and now the remains of it which is decomposing below the surface of the pitch will need to be removed mechanically so that the organic content will not further dilute the clay content of the soil and reduce the ability of that soil to produce fast hard pitches in the future.”According to Atkinson the surface level, too, was damaged as a result of using a heavy roller, thereby “creating low and high areas (Ridges)”. This was amply evident during the Sri Lanka ODI where Alan Hurst, the match referee, in his report submitted to the ICC few days after the game, said he was forced to stop the match after 23.1 overs because he deemed the Kotla pitch “dangerous” and “unfit”.Consequently the ICC penalised the Indian board and suspended the venue from hosting any international matches until the end of 2010. Though the BCCI appealed against the ICC decision, which was arrived at by the pair Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, and Ranjan Madugalle, the chief match referee, Michael Beloff QC rejected their plea, insisting the penalty was in order.Fans were not happy when the match was called off and Andy Atkinson said the situation could have been avoided•AFPLast April, after the second edition of the IPL had moved to South Africa, DDCA decided to re-lay the whole ground and Daljit was appointed as a consultant. But just months after the main pitch block was re-laid, DDCA agreed to host the Champions League Twenty20 games, an erroneous decision according to Atkinson.”The new grasses planted then were not given adequate time to grow in and establish a resilient deep root structure,” he wrote, “and when rolling began to prepare the pitches for the IPL Champions League the grass quite unsurprisingly died off as it was too delicate at that time to survive the stresses that were put on it by the act of rolling.”But he is against the re-laying the entire pitch square. “I can find no appropriate reason to excavate and reconstruct the pitch block at this time,” Atkinson said. “The basic construction of the pitch block as supervised by Daljit Singh is sound in my opinion and the reasons for the problems encountered were basically self inflicted by basic and terminal mistakes made by playing on the pitch far too early after its reconstruction in 2009.”With just twelve months to go until the World Cup the process is at a critical stage to get the Kotla back in shape. But Atkinson is not panicking yet as long as his suggestions are followed. “The problems to be overcome for CWC 2011 are fundamental issues of additional correction of the surface levels and ensuring the re‐establishment of the correct grass species by replanting the entire pitch block with the most suitable grasses for its long term benefit.”If the various authorities, and importantly the DDCA, adhere to his guidelines, Atkinson said Delhi would have no problems in hosting their four World Cup games. But there are some strict timelines that need to be adhered to. As soon as the last IPL game ends on April 17, Atkinson has said there will be no play at the ground, which would then undergo complete corrective work for 20 weeks between April 17 and August 31. This would be followed by hosting trial matches to test the pitches between September 1 and November 30. For the next 16 weeks, between December and February 17, 2011 the ground would be completely closed for maintenance and preparations of the pitches and the venue.Atkinson also stated that he would be visiting Delhi frequently, starting on March 15, two days ahead of the first IPL game, to inspect the developments.

Leeds United winger Dan James suffered a muscle problem against Manchester City on Tuesday, Mike McGrath reports.

The Lowdown: Injury woes

The Whites are without a whole host of first-team players and have just three Premier League wins all season.

Patrick Bamford, Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips, Robin Koch, Rodrigo, Pascal Struijk all missed the 7-0 defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday, while Jamie Shackleton hobbled off at the Etihad, and it seems as if James also now has a problem.

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The Latest: McGrath’s claim

The Telegraph shared a link to McGrath’s story on Twitter on Thursday morning.

They claim that James, who was replaced at half-time, suffered a muscle problem against Pep Guardiola’s side.

The Verdict: Breaking point

Leeds could almost field a starting XI of absent players, with Shackleton and now James the latest to join the list.

The winger has been a regular in Marcelo Bielsa’s side since joining from Manchester United, but it now seems as if he could miss the game against Arsenal on Saturday.

Eight of Leeds’ nine substitutes against City normally feature for the Under-23’s, so the current situation at Elland Road is reaching breaking point ahead of the second half of the season, meaning multiple January additions may well be seriously considered by the Whites.

In other news: Leeds now back in for summer target who is ‘like a beast’ – reliable journalist. 

Mitchell Johnson achieved his second ten-wicket match haul in Tests to finish off New Zealand before lunch as Australia swept to a 2-0 series victory

The Bulletin by Peter English31-Mar-2010Australia 231 & 511 for 8 dec beat New Zealand 264 & 302 (Guptill 58, McCullum 51, Johnson 6-73) by 176 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mitchell Johnson finishes his Test summer on a high with 6 for 73•Getty ImagesMitchell Johnson achieved his second ten-wicket match haul in Tests to finish off New Zealand before lunch as Australia swept to a 2-0 series victory. New Zealand resumed at 185 for 5 chasing a record-breaking target of 479, but Johnson and Doug Bollinger dismissed them for 302 to secure a 176-run victory.Johnson was responsible for causing the early damage in the pursuit on day four when his high-speed spells gained three wickets and he backed up with another three. The 6 for 73 followed his 4 for 59 in the first innings and gave him 12 victims for the series. The performance ensured Australia finished an unbeaten summer with seven wins in eight Tests.The hosts started well through Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum, who combined for 87, but they could not push on after their half-centuries and the game was lost following some late heavy hitting from Tim Southee. Southee blasted 45 from 25 balls, with seven fours and a six, and was the last-man out when he found Michael Clarke at deep point off Johnson.McCullum was the biggest hope of a big score and he mixed attacking patches with periods of defence in his 51. After being hit on the hand by Johnson in the second over of the day, he waited and gained some revenge when he struck the bowler for three consecutive fours. The first was a streaky edge, but a crisp shot through point and a flashing drive through cover ensured some points for the batsman.Simon Katich dropped McCullum twice, at short leg on 30 and short cover on 43, but the mistakes were wiped out when Bollinger took the new ball. Bollinger pushed McCullum on to the back foot and he squirted an edge to Michael Hussey in the gully.Australia remained focused despite the early delays and after McCullum’s boundary burst Johnson and Hauritz delivered six consecutive maidens. Guptill was also determined and wanted to bat through the innings, but his resistance ended on 58 when he slashed at Johnson and Ricky Ponting collected a sharp take to his left at second slip. Guptill had eased a drive through mid-on for four off Bollinger and he later brought up his half-century with a boundary from a push through cover off the same bowler.Bollinger added his second wicket with Jeetan Patel’s edge to Marcus North at third slip before Southee helped inflate his figures to 2 for 87 off 16 overs. Southee pulled a six to start a Bollinger over that went for 12 and slogged four boundaries in a row in his next effort, which cost 17. It allowed New Zealand some smiles at the end of a difficult series.

Antonio Conte has urged Tottenham chiefs to sign centre-back Stefan De Vrij in January, according to journalist Paolo Paganini, relayed by Sports Witness.

The Lowdown: De Vrij keen on move

Reports last month suggested that the Inter Milan defender is aware of interest from Spurs and has asked English friends for more information on Tottenham and what London life is like.

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Sources claimed that the 29-year-old, labelled as a ‘monster’ by former Lazio defender Mauricio, is keen on a move to N17.

He worked under Conte at Inter Milan and was an ever-present figure in the 2020/21 Serie A triumph, and it seems as if a reunion could well be on the cards.

The Latest: Update emerges

Sports Witness relayed claims from journalist Paganini in a story on Thursday.

Paganini revealed that Inter Milan aren’t prioritising extending De Vrij’s contract at this moment in time, with the Dutch international having 18 months remaining on his deal.

He then added that an exit could be on the cards, with Conte making a ‘specific request’ for his services.

The Verdict: Smart move

Conte has just five senior centre-backs on the books at this moment in time, with Joe Rodon linked with a January exit in recent days.

Should that materialise, then Conte could definitely do with bringing another body in, especially as he likes to use three central defenders. Left-back Ben Davies has been used as one of those three on a regular basis since Conte arrived, so bringing in an experienced defender like De Vrij could be a smart move.

He’s been dribbled past on just 0.2 occasions per 90 in Serie A this season, fewer than any Spurs centre-back, showing that De Vrij would add some solidarity to Tottenham’s backline.

In other news: Conte now wants Spurs and Paratici to pip rivals in race for dream January signing. 

Stuart Broad remains hopeful of being available for the first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong as he recovers from a back problem

Cricinfo staff08-Mar-2010Stuart Broad remains hopeful of being available for the first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong as he recovers from his back problem, but he hasn’t been helped by an uncomfortable hotel bed.Broad pulled up with his injury – a spasm caused by a problem with the facet joint – during the second ODI in Dhaka and it was exacerbated by the flight to Chittagong. He has since undergone extensive physio, but revealed some less conventional methods were needed to overcome a rock-hard mattress.”The beds in our hotel are incredibly hard like someone has laid down a boundary board and that hasn’t exactly been the most enjoyable experience with my back until we got some foam put down,” he said. “The foam in the bed idea was actually Matt Prior’s. I’m in the connecting next door and all I can hear is him moaning about the bed and it creaking with each turn.”The next day some maintenance guy from the hotel walked in with a massive bit of foam and we cut it up so that we each had enough for our beds, now a few of the other lads have followed suit.”Broad is one of a glut of injury problems that have hampered England since arriving in Bangladesh. Already Ryan Sidebottom has flown home and fellow paceman Graham Onions is also receiving treatment on a back injury that has left him doubtful for the opening clash and England needing reinforcements.Broad went through his first gentle bowl on Monday, but knows he’ll have to give his back a proper workout in the days leading into the Test to find out whether he can withstand a five-day game.”I don’t think I’m far off being ready for a Test match, but I need to test myself to the max over the next couple of days,” he said. “Today was only a light bowl and tomorrow I’m going to push myself harder as is Graham and then if it all goes to plan then we will be bowling as hard as we can by Wednesday.”The key for me is to then come back and be able to bowl as hard as I can on Thursday, but if I can’t then I won’t be able to honestly say that I’ll be fit for a Test match.With James Anderson in England resting his chronic knee problem, Broad is the most experienced bowler on tour and is central to the team’s planning both with the ball and also his lower-order batting which helps balance the side. But with England looking likely to play two spinners they can’t afford for one of their quicks to pull up during the match and Broad won’t be taking any chances.”I’ve bowled a bit earlier than first hoped because that gives us time to get a proper gauge on how it is because I certainly won’t declare myself fit for a Test match if I’m not a hundred percent sure I can bowl for five days,” he said. “That would be unfair on the team, so I will only be up for selection if we know I’m fully fit. The biggest thing for me is to have got enough volume of overs before the game.”

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, has said his team is ready “tactically and technically” to defend their ICC World Twenty20 title in the West Indies from April 30

Cricinfo staff24-Apr-2010Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, has said his team is ready “tactically and technically” to defend their ICC World Twenty20 title in the West Indies from April 30. Following the penalties handed out by the PCB for breaches of discipline in Australia, Afridi also said it was his “mission as captain, with the support of players and team management, to keep the team away from any controversy.”Most of the Pakistan squad left for the Caribbean from Lahore on Saturday via Dubai and London. Mohammad Asif will fly directly to London because he is not allowed to enter the UAE, while Mohammad Sami will reach the West Indies from New York, because he does not have a British visa. Pakistan also survived a fitness scare over wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who was unwell but passed fitness tests on Friday.Pakistan’s cricketers had a rigourous training camp as preparation for the World Twenty20 and Afridi singled out fielding as a crucial area in the tournament. “We are fully equipped to face the challenges in the West Indies,” Afridi said. “I have a well balanced team in batting and bowling, and we have to further lift the standard of fielding. Fielding is crucial in this fastest version of the game and a lot of hard work was done to raise the standard.”Afridi dismissed talk of Pakistan being light in batting and also emphasised the importance of spin on pitches that could aid slower bowlers. “We have got a lot of firepower in our batting. We have the experienced Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, young Umar Akmal, Khalid Latif and Salman Butt. As we expect spinning tracks, we have good options in Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and I. In the pace department we have Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asif and Abdul Razzaq.”Pakistan took a hit when the world’s leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals, Umar Gul, failed to recover from an injury and was ruled out of the competition. Afridi, though, was confident he had enough fast bowlers to compensate. “Asif is there, we will certainly be looking for a forceful showing from him. But I also have the experienced Mohammad Sami, who is good form,” he told the . “Then there is Mohammad Aamer, who is regarded among the best fast bowlers these days. Abdul Razzaq is there who is really seasoned and is good enough to get breakthroughs for us.”Pakistan are pooled with Australia and Bangladesh in Group A for the first round of the ICC World Twenty20. They play Bangladesh in St Lucia on May 1.