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Tottenham Hotspur have now been backed to sign Danny Ings before the summer transfer window shuts by Paul Robinson.

The Lowdown: Ings wanted

As per Eurosport, Spurs are reportedly readying their first offer for the Southampton striker, who only has one year left on his current deal at St. Mary’s.

However, it is thought that a bid would be lower than the £20m price asked for by the Saints.

The Latest: Ings signing could happen at the deadline

Speaking to Football Insider, former Lilywhites goalkeeper turned pundit Robinson has backed his old team to complete the signing of Ings before the window closes, but admits that any deal could have to happen right at the end of the summer once Harry Kane’s future is decided:

“If Kane is to leave they will need two strikers in.

“Who comes in all depends on how the Kane deal is structured if he leaves. United or City may offer a player in exchange for Kane as well as the money.

“They might even sign three senior ones if Kane goes, depending on how Nuno sets them up next season. Ings could be one that we see done at the end of the window.

“A lot of Spurs’ activity in the market will be dependant on Kane’s future. The ideal situation would be Ings coming in and Kane staying.”

The Verdict: Sign

Regardless of whether Kane stays or goes, the North London club must look to complete the signing of Ings, especially if they can snap him up for as little as £20m.

The Englishman is a proven goal scorer in the Premier League, with no fewer than 55 strikes and a further 13 assists in 140 games in total over six seasons with Burnley, Liverpool and Southampton (Transfermarkt).

He could well make the difference in Nuno Espirito’s side climbing back up into the top four – after all, former top-flight striker Clinton Morrison described him as a ‘top-four quality’ player back in August of last year.

Nonetheless, it is a deal that THFC need to get done as soon as possible, as there is likely to be a lot of competition for his signature and proven top flight goalscorer aren’t readily available too often.

In other news, find out which former Arsenal star Tottenham are eyeing here!

A three-man board committee looking into Mohammad Asif’s detention in Dubai in June, for allegedly possessing drugs, has completed its report

Cricinfo staff05-Aug-2008
Under the scanner: Mohammad Asif © AFP
A three-man board committee looking into Mohammad Asif’s detention in Dubai in June, for allegedly possessing drugs, has completed its report. One PCB official told Cricinfo the findings were “pretty conclusive”.The report has been sent to Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, but as he is currently away on a break, no final decision is expected until he returns during the middle of the month.The official told Cricinfo a ban has been recommended, though he was unwilling to delve into any details about its duration. It is likely the ban will be for a number of matches.”The evidence and reports we received were pretty conclusive about the charges,” the official said. “A central clause of the player’s central contract has been violated so a ban for a certain number of matches is likely.”The committee, which consists of Shafqat Naghmi, Zakir Khan and Nadeem Akram, had been formed when Asif finally returned to Pakistan, after 19 days at Dubai airport’s detention centre. They initially faced a delay as they waited on legal documents from Dubai but have since interviewed and heard Asif’s side of the story.Asif is also embroiled in a separate doping mess, after he tested positive for a banned substance during tests conducted while he was playing for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL).Asif was scheduled to go to Switzerland for the B sample test but the trip has been postponed owing to visa delays. Asif was meant to be there on August 6th but is now likely to be delayed by a couple of days. The IPL had set up a three-member tribunal to look into Asif’s results, and the PCB suspended him from all forms of the game pending the results of the IPL inquiry.The fast bowler previously tested positive for nandrolone, the banned anabolic steroid, along with Shoaib Akhtar, just before the 2006 Champions Trophy in India. Though he was banned for one year by a tribunal, the punishment was overturned a month later on appeal.

Former Premier League defender Steve Howey thinks Jerome Boateng could have a Thiago Silva-like impact at Tottenham if he joined the north London club this summer.

Boateng is currently a free agent after leaving Bayern Munich at the end of his contract and The Athletic recently suggested a move to Tottenham would make a lot of sense.

Last summer, it was Spurs’ London rivals Chelsea who decided to snap up a high-profile centre-back on a free transfer when they signed Silva and it paid dividends.

The 36-year-old, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain, went on to help Chelsea win the Champions League and secure a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League.

For Howey, if Tottenham brought in Boateng this transfer window, then they could be getting their own Silva.

“Look what Chelsea did with the lad at the back, Thiago Silva,” the ex-Newcastle central defender said in an exclusive interview with TT. “Very experienced and I thought he did quite well for Chelsea at the back end of the season.

“Boateng, we all know what he’s about and how good he is. So, of course, it could certainly be an option for Tottenham.”

German journalist Christian Falk reported back in April that Spurs were interested in signing Boateng going into this transfer window, so perhaps that is one they revisit if they cannot sign their other centre-back targets and the German is still available.

Despite Hussain Butt’s unbeaten century, Hong Kong could muster only 218 in the first one-dayer against Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI at the Premadasa Stadium, a target which was easily overhauled by the hosts

Cricinfo staff11-Sep-2008

ScorecardDespite Hussain Butt’s unbeaten century, Hong Kong could muster only 218 in the first one-dayer against Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI at the Premadasa Stadium, a target which was easily overhauled by the hosts with 41 balls to spare, largely due to a hundred from Sachithra Serasinghe.Butt’s 116 was the only significant score in Hong Kong’s effort. Their openers fell cheaply and it was left to Butt to hold the innings together with a string of medium-sized partnerships in which he did the bulk of the scoring. Zain Abbas’ patient 37 off 75 balls was the second-highest score as the other batsmen occupied the crease but found scoring difficult.The Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI, however, got off to a rapid start with opener Amal Athulathmudali cracking 32 off 25 balls with seven fours. They had reached 49 in the seven over when Athulathmudali was dismissed but Kushal Perera joned Serasinghe and added 115 for the second wicket.That partnership took the game away from Hong Kong, and Serasinghe batted on until the doorstep of victory. He was dismissed for 101 off 112 balls, an innings that included a dozen fours and two sixes, with his team one run away from winning the match. Janudika Sriyapala scored the runs that gave the hosts the lead in the three-match series.

Australia will begin their tour of India on the same pitch but the curator said it was unlikely to offer the same variable bounce

Cricinfo staff08-Oct-2008
In the last Test in Bangalore, against Pakistan in 2007, the pitch offered variable bounce on the fifth day © AFP
How will the pitch behave? It’s the question everyone, and not just the punters, wants answered on the eve of a Test. You can go to some venues and know what to expect: the ball will bounce in Durban, swing at Headingley when Leeds is cloudy, and turn in Kandy. The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, however, isn’t easy to characterise unless you want to paste an ‘India struggle to win here’ label on it.India’s last victory in Bangalore was the match against New Zealand in 1995 and, since then, they’ve lost four – two against Australia – and drawn a couple. The last Test here, against Pakistan in 2007, was played on a brand new surface. That match was destined to be drawn after both teams posted massive first-innings totals on a flat track. However it came apart in the final session of the fifth day and offered variable bounce to Anil Kumble who bowled seam up and took 5 for 60. Pakistan lost four wickets for ten runs but were saved by the fading light.Australia will begin their tour of India on the same pitch but the curator said it was unlikely to offer the same variable bounce. The trouble that Pakistan’s batsmen faced was because of the new pitch, made with Mandya clay, but it had settled during the past year. The surface was hard but mostly dry. The daily showers leading up to Thursday hadn’t affected the preparation of the surface.Bangalore was also one of the more bowlers-friendly venues during the IPL when bowlers were being destroyed in other parts of the country. The pitch was one of the fastest on the circuit and the bounce and seam movement it offered kept free-swinging batsmen in check. The hardness of the surface combined with the possibility of cloudy skies could give the fast bowlers some mileage while the ball is new.”It’s [the pitch] obviously been watered yesterday afternoon, you can see that the pitch has changed a bit,” Ponting said on the eve of the match. “I was speaking to Greg Chappell and he thinks it’s the best one he’s seen here in Bangalore.”It’s nice and hard so I’d imagine it would be a very good batting surface for the first couple of days. With the weather being as it is [overcast and humid] it might swing a bit more than usual. It will probably take until very late in the game before it starts to spin too much or have variable bounce.”Ganguly, however, had put forth a different view a day earlier. “This will turn obviously as the Test match goes on,” he said. “But the Bangalore wicket has been a bit different over the years. It might get a bit up and down on the last two days. That’s what happened against Pakistan last year. It must have settled down but I’m sure there’s going to be spin for the bowlers.”Kumble didn’t offer his opinion on the pitch but he did say that he would “bowl accordingly” if last year’s seam-up strategy was required.

Nottingham Forest are interested in a deal to bring Milad Mohammadi to The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim Forest are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Gent left-back ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

The report continues by stating that West Bromwich Albion and Watford are also thought to be interested in a deal for the 27-year-old, who is available to sign on a free transfer as the Jupiler Pro League side would like to get the defender’s £8.9k-per-week wages off of their books.

Finally, it is claimed that the Iran international has already turned down offers from AEK Athens and Ferencvaros so far this summer, however, the report does not mention whether or not the defender would be open to a switch to the Championship.

Murphy must move

With it being reported that Chris Hughton has informed Gaetan Bong that he is free to find a new club this summer, and with Yuri Ribeiro having already left The City Ground upon the expiry of his contract at the end of last season, left-back is certainly a position in which Dane Murphy will be looking to bring reinforcements in ahead of the new Championship season.

And, considering how impressive Mohammadi has been during his time at Gent, the defender would certainly appear to be a prime candidate to improve Hughton’s options in the position this summer.

Indeed, over his 32 Jupiler Pro League appearances last time out, the £2.25m-rated man helped his side keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.8 interceptions, two tackles, 1.2 clearances and winning 4.3 duels per game.

The Iranian also impressed for his side in an attacking capacity, scoring one goal, providing five assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of one key pass and taking 0.9 shots per match.

These returns saw the defender earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s 11th-best performer in the top flight of Belgian football.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Murphy to do all he can to beat West Brom and Watford to the signing of the Gent left-back this summer, as Mohammadi would very much seem to be a fantastic option to have in the Championship.

In other news: NFFC dealt major transfer blow over “incredible” £16k-p/w ace, Hughton will be fuming

Shaun Tait has said that he would be ready and willing if Australia made a late decision to call him into the Test squad in India, where their fast bowlers have struggled

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2008
Shaun Tait is in form at state level while Brett Lee and his colleagues have been battling for impact in India © AFP
Shaun Tait has said that he would be ready and willing for an international return if Australia made a late decision to call him into the Test squad in India, where their fast bowlers have struggled. Tait produced a brilliant ten overs of aggressive and very fast bowling, including several wicked reverse-swinging yorkers, in South Australia’s one-day win on WednesdayHe said his sometimes injury-prone body was feeling good after a month back in cricket following his decision to walk away from the game in January, when he cited mental and physical exhaustion. Although he only bowled in short spells, Tait’s 5 for 27 against New South Wales served as a timely reminder that Australia’s best fast men are not necessarily all in India, where the attack has battled to find the reverse swing that Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have mastered.”If picked and conditions suited I could bowl reverse swing but I would have still have to bowl well,” Tait told the after Wednesday’s game. “Reverse swing can play a key role in my bowling. It’s up to selectors and I am concentrating on the next game for the Redbacks. Traditionally the Indians have been good exponents of reverse swing and I think we still have a bit to learn about it in Australia.”Tait’s success came as Australia’s vice-captain Michael Clarke voiced his concerns about the lack of reverse swing that Australia had managed in the first two Tests. India’s fast men have been holding their fingers across the seam early in their spells to help the ball scuff and it has been reversing within the first ten overs.That tactic has surprised Australia’s bowlers, who will work on the issue with the bowling coach Troy Cooley ahead of the third Test in Delhi. Jamie Cox, one of Australia’s selectors and the high performance manager at South Australia, said the lack of movement Australia’s bowlers had extracted was a worry.”It does seem to be an issue. I am sure Troy Cooley is working hard with the bowlers in developing that,” Cox said. “It caused us some grief in England in 2005 as a batting group. We need to take that on and as a bowling group work out how to benefit from it.”

Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara will be aiming for a Premier League team higher than Newcastle United, Ligue 1 expert Adam White has told Football FanCast.

Kamara is said to be a target for Newcastle this summer, with the MailOnline recently reporting that the Tyneside club are hoping to sign the 21-year-old in a £10m deal.

As per WhoScored, Kamara is capable of playing in both midfield and defence. Last season, he averaged an impressive 2.5 tackles per game in Ligue 1, so he is a player who would bring some bite to this Newcastle side.

However, the Frenchman has also been linked with a move to Arsenal, and White believes he will be hoping to secure a transfer to a team like the Gunners over Newcastle.

“Newcastle, he may have his sights a little bit higher up the Premier League table,” the Get French Football News writer said.

“But he would be a great signing for both those teams [Newcastle and Arsenal] I think. His form over the last season and a half or so, he’s kind of been a little bit under the radar because he’s been absolutely brilliant for Marseille.”

It seems like Kamara could be a very good addition to Newcastle’s roster. But if a club such as Arsenal really do have an interest in the £33.3m-rated star, then the likelihood is that Steve Bruce is going to have a hard time luring him to St. James’ Park.

A round-up of the third day’s play of the first-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2008-09

Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2008
Scorecard
Mohammad Kaif scored 144 for UP against Andhra © AFP
Ameya Shrikhande fell five short of a double-century as he took Maharashtra towards a creditable draw against Tamil Nadu in Nasik. Playing only his second first-class match, he frustrated the Tamil Nadu bowlers for 83 overs on day two and converted his overnight half-century in to a maiden hundred. Maharashtra were replying to the visitors’ mammoth 648 and Shrikhande’s innings which lasted nearly eight hours makes a Tamil Nadu win an unlikely possibility; to do that they have to take three first-innings wickets, set a target and then bowl Maharashtra out, all in one day.Rohan Bhosale (43) and Kedar Jadhav were involved in century stands with Shrikhande but at the fall of Jadhav’s wicket (63), Maharashtra still trailed by 346 runs. When Suresh dismissed Nikhil Paradkar off the next ball, Tamil Nadu may have hoped to soon enforce the follow-on – their double-centurion opener M Vijay called up to the Test side last night – and skip batting again. But Shrikhande pushed on, aided by Ankit Bawne, who batted 106 balls for his 22. He finally fell to offspinner R Ashwin with the score at 389 for 5. Two more wickets fell with five more added to the score but Rohit Motwani and Aditya Dole batted out the few overs before stumps.
Scorecard
The match in Bangalore also headed for a draw as Railways ended day three with a 25-run deficit to Karnataka’s first-innings 365. Yere Goud’s unbeaten 109, against the side he captained last season, and Raja Ali’s half-century at No. 8, revived the innings Sanjay Bangar’s dismissal.Bangar added 31 to his overnight 53 before he was run out by KB Pawan. He had added 75 with Goud, who upped the rate at the end of the stand. Though Mahesh Rawat only added 11 to the 46-run stand, his partnership with Goud ticked over at more than three an over. Goud took a more cautious approach once Rawat was bowled by offspinner Sunil Raju. But Ali looked comfortable in the 109-run stand, hitting six fours and a six in his 128-ball 52. He fell on the last ball of the day which means Railways could still be bowled out with a deficit and thereby concede points on a first-innings lead.
Scorecard
A victory seems evident for Gujarat, who need only five Saurashtra wickets on day four to pull off an innings win over last year’s semi-finalists in Rajkot. Offspinner Mohnish Parmar took 3for 6 and Saurashtra stil trail by 354 runs to Gujarat’s 581.Siddharth Trivedi added another wicket to his four on yesterday when he bowled Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored two triple-centuries in a week last month, in the first over of day three. Sandip Maniar’s half-century partnerships with Pratik Mehta and Ravindra Jadeja gave Saurashtra a brief respite from the wicket-falling but it took only 10 overs after Maniar’s dismissal for the innings to fold.Considering their appalling start in the first innings, where they were 8 for 4 in 10 overs, Saurashtra’s start to the second innings was almost decent. In 9.4 overs they were 52 for 3, with Parmar removing Jadeja and Pujara off consecutive balls. He dismissed captain Jaydev Shah two overs before stumps and ended with figures of 13-9-6-3.
Scorecard
Despite useful contributions from lower-order batsmen Pinninti Jayachandra and Rakesh Mohanty, Orissa failed to gain a first-innings lead over Hyderabad in Cuttack. The visitors extended their advantage to 83 runs after bowling out Orissa for 269.Amol Shinde and Shoaib Ahmed picked up three wickets each.The two combined to trigger the middle-order collapse when Shoaib had Preetamjit Das caught off Shinde in the fourth over of the day. Shiv Sunder Das, the innings’ top scorer, was run out two overs later, having added only five to his overnight 75. Halhadar Das was caught behind for 8 before the lower order pitched in.
Scorecard
Centuries from Tanmay Srivastava and Mohammad Kaif ensured Uttar Pradesh take points from a first-innings lead against Andhra in Meerut. UP ended the day needing five more to gain the lead but with six wickets in hand that should be managed in the first few overs of the final day.A draw is the most likely result as Andhra’s bowlers struggled to take wickets or keep the scoring-rate in check. Srivastava and Kaif added 285 at nearly three runs an over. Srivastava hit 16 boundaries in his 154, while Kaif managed two more in his 144. DP Vijaykumar, who had dismissed Suresh Raina on day two, had to wait for more than 96 overs for his second wicket – he trapped Kaif leg before with the score on 333. Stumps were drawn at Srivatasva’s fall five overs later.
Scorecard
The Delhi middle-order batsmen helped themselves to half-centuries as their match against Punjab meandered towards a draw at the Roshnara Club Ground in Delhi. Rajat Bhatia fell just short of a hundred as he helped his side overhaul Punjab’s 391. His valuable stands with Mithun Manhas and Puneet Bisht ensured Delhi ended the day 43 runs ahead of Punjab.Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan had given the hosts a solid start yesterday but their dismissals, along with Virat Kohli and Aditya Jain, early on day three left Delhi in a spot of bother at 172 for 4. Manhas and Bhatia turned their fortunes by adding 73 at more than five and a half an over. After Manhas was trapped leg before for 58 by Siddharth Kaul, the run-rate dropped to three and a half, but Bhatia’s 150-run stand with Bisht took Delhi past Punjab.
ScorecardRohit Sharma cracked a century in one session to put Mumbai in pole position for chasing 409, Rajasthan tottered at 63 for 4 at stumps on day three. With a cushioning first-innings lead of 103, Mumbai extended it further on the back of Rohit and Sahil Kukreja’s 171-run stand and declared at tea. Read the full report here.

In a positive Southampton transfer update, Ralph Hasenhuttl has iterated his strong belief that James Ward-Prowse won’t be sold this summer, despite interest from two Premier League clubs.

What’s the word?

After Danny Ings completed a move to Aston Villa earlier this month, and with Jannik Vestergaard set to join Leicester City, Southampton fans may have been worried that they were set to lose another of their key players this summer due to the interest being shown in their captain.

Both Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are said to be keen on signing the England international but the Saints are in a strong financial position due to player sales and Ward-Prowse being contracted until 2025, and Hasenhuttl seems confident that the 26-year-old won’t be leaving St Mary’s anytime soon.

The manager said: “This is normal I think. Prowsey (James Ward-Prowse) is a guy who everybody wants to have, but I don’t see a scenario for him not to be with us for the next few years.

“He knows he is the captain here, he knows how important he is for us and he feels good here, and we feel good with him. He has four years on a contract here, so the situation with him is a different one.”

A huge boost for Southampton?

Considering that Ward-Prowse was by far and away Southampton’s best performer in a less than consistent 2020/21 campaign for the team, it would have been a massive blow if he were to leave this summer.

The 26-year-old contributed an impressive eight goals and seven assists in 38 top-flight appearances, averaging a solid 7.07 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which comfortably ranked him as the top performer in Hasenhuttl’s squad.

Following Ings’ departure, the Austrian may well be looking towards his captain to be one of the main sources of goals and assists again this season, as it is difficult to know how new signings Adam Armstrong and Armando Broja will adapt to the Premier League.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, Southampton fans will surely be delighted with this latest update from Hasenhuttl, as keeping a player of Ward-Prowse’s influence and quality at the club could be huge in terms of steering the Saints away from the relegation places next season.

In other news… Tom Leach provides Southampton transfer update, fans will be worried