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Sunderland are aiming for a return to the Premier League, the Black Cats hopeful of completing this mission after a positive start in the Championship this season after 16 games played.

Winning eight of their 16 contests so far, Tony Mowbray's youthful side have the ability in their ranks to brush aside opponents with relative ease – beating Birmingham City 3-1 in their last match at home, 18-year-old midfield sensation Jobe Bellingham leading from the front with a goal against his former boyhood club.

In that same win at the weekend just gone, a cameo appearance from another exciting young talent off the bench helped the Black Cats get over the line and secure a convincing three points at the expense of Wayne Rooney's dire Blues.

Adil Aouchiche wowed home supporters with his electric 16-minute spell on the Stadium of Light turf when introduced into the contest, the young French midfielder now pushing for more immediate first-team opportunities subsequently.

Adil Aouchiche's game vs Birmingham in numbers

Substituted onto the pitch by Mowbray to replace the flagging midfield presence of Bellingham who was exhausted after running himself into the ground for the Black Cats, Aouchiche was just the injection of freshness Sunderland needed to ensure Birmingham didn't get back into the contest and instead romped home to a 3-1 victory.

With just 14 touches on the ball as per Sofascore, Aouchiche was levels above the hapless Birmingham defenders trying to contain him – the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder taking the Blues backline by surprise, especially when he scored just two minutes after being afforded a chance to positively impact the game with the clock ticking down.

Getting on the end of a Jack Clarke driven pass into the area after Sunderland's star-man had got the better of the opposing full-back, the ex-PSG midfielder tapped home into an empty net to consolidate the three points for his new employers and excite the home supporters with his short but sweet cameo appearance.

Aouchiche could be an effective calling card from off the bench by Mowbray in these crunch contests when the opposition are tiring, Sunderland's new number 22 an instant hero with this game-clinching contribution which saw the Durham-based club enter the playoff picture as a result – climbing up to sixth spot on goal difference off the back of the win, with West Brom and Hull City lingering just below.

This wasn't just a promising performance in isolation however for Aouchiche, with the 21-year-old equally as impressive off the bench this campaign in other Championship encounters for his promotion-chasing side.

Adil Aouchiche's season in numbers

Only averaging 22 minutes per game according to Sofascore this campaign having not started a single game, Aouchiche is the very definition of an impact player for Sunderland and has even been labelled as a "special talent" by football journalist Josh Bunting despite not cementing himself into the first team fold just yet.

Up against Stoke City before the victory at the Stadium of Light against Birmingham, the Frenchman nearly played the role of saviour again for his team but to no avail.

The Black Cats would lose out to the Potters 2-1, but Aouchiche would attempt three shots on Mark Travers' goal from just 15 minutes on the pitch via Sofascore – amassing an overall 7.3 Sofascore rating as a result, the new Black Cats recruit then bettering this display with a goal versus the Blues.

His midfield teammates in Alex Pritchard and Pierre Ekwah will be sweating about their first-team futures if the 21-year-old keeps this up with Sunderland striking gold by signing this 21-year-old brimming full of swagger and confidence.

Amidst an injury crisis at the club, Newcastle United's midfield looks bare, with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali out with an injury and a suspension, while academy product Elliot Anderson is set to be absent for the remainder of the year.

Significant injuries within the squad have impacted the Magpies' performances on the pitch, with Eddie Howe's side picking up just two victories from their previous six games in all competitions.

Head coach Howe has already begun the process of looking for quality players to bolster his midfield department this January and could even make a move for an England international

Newcastle's plan to strengthen the midfield

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Geordie club are keen to bring Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves back to English football, having signed for Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal during the summer after six years with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, the Italian transfer expert has also revealed that Newcastle are keeping tabs on Kalvin Phillips' situation at Manchester City.

It has previously been reported that any deal for Neves would be a loan until the summer but a transfer between the two clubs is increasingly unlikely as Premier League sides have rushed to vote on a ban on multi-club loans, preventing the Magpies from completing any deals with the four teams in Saudi Arabia in which the PIF holds a 75% stake.

With a deal for Neves unlikely to come to fruition, Newcastle could make a move for Manchester City's Phillips, who was once described by former Crystal Palace and Everton winger Yannick Bolasia as a "monster" for England during EURO 2020 when Gareth Southgate's men reached the final of the competition.

How Kalvin Phillips compares to Ruben Neves

Phillips was a star at Leeds United under legendary coach Marcelo Bielsa before earning a £42m move to Premier League champions Man City in 2022. Despite winning a treble in his debut season at the Etihad Stadium, Phillips' game-time has been massively diminished, with the Englishman making merely 29 appearances in all competitions at City, including 16 in the top flight.

This season, the Leeds-born midfielder has featured just four times in the league under Pep Guardiola and the Catalan coach has publicly admitted that the door will be left open for Phillips to leave if the right offer comes in, paving the way for Newcastle to sign him.

Despite his limited game-time over the past calendar year, Phillips is still in the top 2% for passes attempted per 90 compared to others in his position across Europe's top-five leagues, according to FBref.

Furthermore, the 27-year-old is in the top 4% for shots per 90 and the top 4% for clearances per 90, proving his box-to-box presence for City. Additionally, Phillips outperformed Ruben Neves in a number of key metrics last season when both men were plying their trade in the Premier League.

Progressive Passes

7.33

6.51

Pass Completion

90.4%

82.1

Passes to Final Third

10

6.03

Expected Assists

0.07

0.04

Progressive Carries

4.67

0.84

Dispossessed

2

0.39

Tackles Won

1.2

1.24

Stats via FBref

Both players have strengths and weaknesses but Phillips' stats are still quite impressive despite his lack of minutes on the pitch.

The midfielder is hungry to explode and show the quality he possessed at Leeds, so Howe could be making a smart acquisition by bringing the European champion to St. James' Park.

Leeds United have not always had the best of success in the transfer market over the years as they have brought in big-money flops and missed out on targets who have gone to achieve greatness.

The Whites relieved sporting director Victor Orta of his duties in May of this year after his work contributed to the club being relegated from the Premier League last season.

His transfer dealings and managerial appointments were not able to achieve the goal of staying in the top-flight and the Yorkshire-based side will be hoping for greater success in the future if they are able to return to the top table under Daniel Farke.

The likes of Brenden Aaronson, Dan James, and Rodrigo were all signed for significant fees at Premier League level for Leeds and failed to be consistent performers throughout their time on that stage.

However, the attention should also turn to the players Orta attempted to sign and was unable to get over the line as one talented gem who could have ended up at Elland Road was Josko Gvardiol.

How close Leeds came to signing Josko Gvardiol

Croatian outlet 24Sata claimed in 2020 that Leeds had an offer of €22m (£19m) accepted to sign the central defender from Dinamo Zagreb in September 2020.

The report claimed that then-manager Marcelo Bielsa viewed him as a dominant enforcer who could hit the ground running and impress at Premier League level, despite being 18 at the time.

They had already had an offer of €21m (£18m) accepted by Dinamo but the club decided to up their offer to €22m and included a 20% sell-on clause in order to improve their chances of securing his services ahead of RB Leipzig.

It was added that the Whites did not expect Gvardiol to be at Elland Road for much longer than one season as they believed that he would quickly be sold on for a significant profit to the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, or Liverpool.

However, the player seemingly decided to make the move to Leipzig instead, for a reported fee of just €16m (£14m), and was loaned back to Dinamo for the rest of the 2020/21 campaign.

Gvardiol's Leipzig career in numbers

The impressive centre-back eventually joined up with his new team for the start of the 2021/22 campaign and went on to play 87 competitive matches in all competitions across two years in Germany.

He caught the eye with his Bundesliga performances during his first season with Leipzig as the versatile ace, who can also play at left-back, showed his abilities on and off the ball.

Gvardiol ranked within the top 9% of his positional peers for progressive passes (5.87) and progressive carries (1.76) per 90 at Bundesliga level that term.

The Croatia international also made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game and won 58% of his physical duels over the course of the 2021/22 season.

These statistics show that the ex-Dinamo star hit the ground running in Germany as he was able to consistently win the ball back at an efficient rate for his side whilst also being able to impact games in possession with his progressive play out from the back.

Gvardiol, who played 30 Bundesliga matches last season, also impressed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Croatia as he displayed his quality at the very top level.

The 21-year-old titan averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.16 across seven appearances at the tournament and made 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game, to go along with a pass success rate of 90%.

How much Manchester City signed Gvardiol for

His impressive form for club and country over the last two years earned him a mega-money move to treble-winners Manchester City during the recent summer transfer window.

Pep Guardiola's side sanctioned a staggering £77m swoop for the Croatian central defender, who became the second-most expensive defender in football history – behind Harry Maguire's £80m switch from Leicester City to Manchester United in 2019.

That was significantly more than the £14m Leipzig paid for his services in 2020 and, still, considerably more than the £19m that Leeds were prepared to pay.

Even if you take 20% of profit away – as part of the proposed deal with Dinamo – the Whites would have made a colossal £46.4m profit if they were able to sell Gvardiol on for a similar fee had they been able to get that deal over the line.

Gvardiol has made 11 appearances in all competitions for the Cityzens so far this season and has already showcased his progressive quality in possession at Premier League level.

The young colossus currently ranks in the top 12% of his positional peers within the division for progressive passes (5.62) per 90, which highlights his ability to ignite attacking sequences from a defensive position.

This suggests that he has been able to quickly adapt to life in the Premier League and is already being trusted to play regular minutes under Guardiola, with seven top-flight starts to date.

Gvardiol's Ballon d'Or ranking

The 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony took place on Monday of this week and the great Lionel Messi was crowned with his eighth Ballon d'Or trophy for his exploits with Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain.

Whilst he did not win an award, Gvardiol was recognised for his outstanding performances by placing 25th out of the 30 shortlisted candidates for the trophy.

Kim Min-jae (22nd) was the only defender who featured higher on the list and, interestingly, the Croatia international finished above his teammate and Manchester City star Ruben Dias, who was 30th.

This is a particularly impressive accomplishment when you consider that the Portugal international was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2022/23 Premier League season.

He also made the Champions League Squad of the Season as City beat Inter and kept a clean sheet in the final to secure the trophy, which shows that Dias was an outstanding performer domestically and in Europe for the treble-winners.

Therefore, Gvardiol finishing above him in the Ballon d'Or ranking illustrates just how good the Croatia international was for club and country last season.

Leeds, Orta, and Bielsa must rue not being able to convince the then-teenage titan to make the switch to Elland Road as they missed out on a world-class defender who could have made them a gigantic profit.

The ball held sway on the opening day and Mohammad Abbas helped Leicestershire hit back after being bowled out

ECB Reporters Network19-Aug-2018
ScorecardOvercast conditions and a lively pitch ensured the bowlers were very much on top as the first day of the Specsavers County Championship match between Leicestershire and Kent ended with honours approximately even.Heavy cloud over the ground at the start of play ensured Kent skipper Sam Billings exercised the away team’s right to bowl first, and opening bowlers Harry Podmore and Darren Stevens made the ball swing from the start.With the ball also nipping off a pitch previously used for a T20 game, it was hard going for the Leicestershire batsmen, and although Harry Dearden hit two fine drives through the covers, Stevens swung one back in to the young left-hander to have him leg before in the eighth over.Grant Stewart dismissed Colin Ackermann lbw with a delivery that swung late from middle and leg and would have gone on to hit off stump, and Ivan Thomas, in his first over, found extra bounce to bowl Mark Cosgrove with an inswinger that came off glove and bat handle and bounced on to the stumps.In the final over before lunch legspinner Joe Denly found the edge of Ateeq Javid’s bat and Sean Dickson held the catch at slip, but Leicestershire captain Paul Horton, who earlier in the day confirmed he had signed a two-year extension to his contract until the end of the 2020 season, battled his way through to lunch.Horton scored just two runs in the first hour, and was dropped by Kent debutant Oliver Robinson at fourth slip off Stewart when he had scored just three, but kept his head down and at the interval had reached 26, having faced 94 deliveries.After lunch saw Kent drive home their advantage. Ned Eckersley and Horton had taken the score on to 114 without too many alarms when Podmore nipped one back off the seam to beat Eckersley’s back foot defensive shot and win a leg before decision.Podmore’s next delivery knocked back Ben Raine’s off-stump, and two overs later Horton, having fought his way through to 49 off 119 deliveries, tried to guide a delivery from the former Middlesex seamer to third man only to get an inside edge on to his stumps, leaving the Foxes struggling on 119 for 7.Zak Chappell and Callum Parkinson added 29 for the eighth wicket before Parkinson edged Ivan Thomas to wicket-keeper Sam Billings, but Chappell, looking to be positive, hit four boundaries in going to 31 when he was hit on the helmet by a Thomas bouncer and retired hurt with the score on 163. It was subsequently confirmed the concussion protocol had been invoked and he would play no further part in the game, with Dieter Klein replacing him.To Kent’s frustration, Abbas and Gavin Griffiths added a further 39 runs for the ninth wicket, and with Klein also chipping in, Leicestershire’s total of 220 did not look uncompetitive.That was certainly the case after Dickson edged an expansive drive at Raine and was caught by Cosgrove at first slip. Raine was also a factor in the dismissal of Heino Kuhn, taking a fine catch falling forward at gully after the South African edged Abbas, while Daniel Bell-Drummond never looked settled before edging Abbas to wicketkeeper Eckersley.Joe Denly survived a huge leg-before shout off Raine, and he and Billings were relieved when the umpires took the players off the field for bad light, with 13 overs remaining in the day.

Only 42.3 overs were possible due to intermittent showers, enough time for the opener to score a fifty and the fast bowler to show some menace

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Jun-2018Stumps Devon Smith drives•AFP

Lahiru Kumara delivered 13.3 hostile overs, and Kasun Rajitha was probing on Test debut, but a half-century from Devon Smith drove West Indies foreward on a rain-hit second day. They stand only 135 runs behind Sri Lanka, with eight wickets still in hand. Only 42.3 overs were delivered in the day, the rain arriving during lunch to wash out much of the afternoon and evening sessions, before stumps were eventually drawn due to bad light at 5:55 pm.Snith was measured for much of the day, hitting only four fours (two of which were edges past the slip cordon) and a six in his 53 not out off 134 balls. He had his outside edge beaten on plenty of occasions, even through the last few overs of the day, but he did enough to survive, and did not miss out when genuinely poor balls were on offer. The half-century is his seventh overall, and his first since April 2015. Smith was especially strong on the legside in this innings, once advancing to launch Akila Dananjaya over long on for six.Kumara, perhaps, will consider himself unlucky for having only collected figures of 1 for 48. He troubled each of the four West Indies batsmen who came to the crease on day two, often surprising them with the bounce and pace he generated. He touched 145kph on occasion, generally aiming at the batsmen’s ribs. His breakthrough came very late in the day – Kusal Mendis diving to his right from second slip to complete an excellent low take off Kieran Powell, who had attempted to drive that ball. In the first session, Kumara could easily have had Kraigg Brathwaite lbw, with a ball that jagged in from well outside off stump. The ball had hit Brathwaite above the knee-roll though, and umpire Aleem Dar felt it was probably going over the stumps.Rajitha was not quite so aggressive, but there was obviousl skill to the manner in which he operated. He moved the ball both ways off the pitch, and frequently went looking for that edge, his length often full and his line always testing. He had made the first breakthrough, shortly before lunch. Angling a ball in at Brathwaite, Rajitha got it to straighten just a fraction. The result was a feather edge to the wicketkeeper – that touch so light that Brathwaite even reviewed believing he had not hit the ball. DRS disagreed, however. Brathwaite was out for 22 off 79 balls, having gritted his way through almost the entire first session.So disciplined had Sri Lanka’s quicks been in the first session that West Indies made only 63 runs in 25 overs. The scoring rate increased after the first extended rain break, but went south again in the final 6.2-over stretch of play.Encouragingly for Sri Lanka, there was decent turn for their offspinner Dananjaya on day two. Nevertheless, West Indies are still completely in control of this game, particularly with their strong middle order still alive in the first innings.

Everything may be going in Tottenham Hotspur's favour of late, but they have recently been dealt an almighty blow to Ivan Perisic that could have far more of an impact than the actual stature of the player who will be missing…

How long is Ivan Perisic injured for?

Although Perisic is far from a starter, his performance off the bench against Sheffield United last weekend showcased just how much quality they are set to lose for a man who is content playing a smaller role. With his side 1-0 down against the relegation-touted visitors, his corner helped set up the equaliser, before his run down the left flank found Richarlison, who assisted their late winner.

It is hard to attract stars to pad out a well-rounded and deep squad, so to have someone as versatile and technically exceptional as the Croatia international struck down marks a massive disappointment for Ange Postecoglou.

The official Lilywhites Twitter would write: "We can confirm that Ivan Perisic has suffered a complex Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in his right knee. The experienced Croatia international sustained the injury in non-contact training and will undergo surgery. Wishing you well in your recovery, Ivan."

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano then offered an update with a more specific timeline: "Ivan Perisić has torn his ACL — he will miss the next 5/6 months as Tottenham confirm. Perisić, fantastic professional who’ll now work hard to be back and help Spurs in March/April… then Euro 2024 with Croatia, feeling he can do it. Wishing him speedy recovery!"

However, with every blow comes an opportunity for someone else within the squad to step up, and given the boots that need filling, it could help spur those vying for his spot even more of an incentive to perform to his standards.

Of those within the squad, it simply must be Brennan Johnson handed a boosted role, given his quality and the fact they have just unloaded £47.5m on him as the summer window closed.

How good is Brennan Johnson?

Seeking to inject some more pace, energy and directness into their attack, the Wales international has also been reduced to substitute appearances thus far in his short Spurs career, with a start surely coming soon. With Perisic's injury, he will have shot even higher up the pecking order now, where any strong performances could merit a start.

After all, he did enjoy a stellar last campaign with Nottingham Forest, scoring eight and assisting three in his first-ever Premier League season. However, such form had been foreseen by journalist and scout Antonio Mango, who lauded one earlier FA Cup showing against Liverpool: "He’s a real handful especially with his pace against Liverpool high line!"

Although the 34-year-old winger offers a far slower, more methodical play style, it could be argued that Johnson's presence would be far more suited to Postecoglou's all-action philosophy which has earned such huge early praise. Despite that, the former Inter star's nine goal contributions from last term were dwarfed by Johnson's aforementioned figures, meaning he will be far from a downgrade.

With his youth and the expectations that such a lofty price tag placed upon him, the £28m-rated new signing will need managing well to ease him into the side. However, his development could now be fast-tracked after this injury.

Hours after Chennai Super Kings lost their home advantage for the rest of the 2018 season, they suffered another blow with Suresh Raina being ruled out of the side’s next two matches because of a calf injury. Raina will miss a Super Kings match for the first time in his career when he won’t appear against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Sunday and against Rajasthan Royals in Pune on April 20.Raina had sustained the injury during Super Kings’ successful chase of 203 against Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in nearly three years. Raina needed medical attention on Tuesday after completing a single against Sunil Narine in the 10th over of the chase. He struggled to run between the wickets before eventually holing out for 14 off 12 balls.Raina’s absence further depletes a middle order that is already missing Kedar Jadhav, who had been ruled out of the the tournament with a hamstring injury.However, Faf du Plessis could be available for Sunday’s match as he is recovering from a finger injury and a side strain. M Vijay, who had missed the tournament opener against Mumbai because he was hit in the ribs while training before the match, was available for selection for the match against Knight Riders, according to batting coach Michael Hussey, but was not picked. Raina’s injury could push Vijay to the top and Ambati Rayudu into the middle order.Delhi’s Dhruv Shorey and Kshitiz Sharma and Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan are the uncapped Indian batsmen in the squad. Jadhav’s replacement David Willey “hasn’t joined the squad as his visa process is not complete yet,” a CSK official told ESPNcricinfo. “He will not be available for the Mohali match but could be expected to be available for the Rajasthan match.”Super Kings had also lost New Zealand allrounder Mitchell Santner to injury before the tournament began and have not named a replacement for him yet.

خطف نجم منتخب البرتغال، كريستيانو رونالدو، الأنظار إليه بتصرفه الرائع قبل المباراة الودية الجارية حاليًا ضد منتخب أيرلندا.

ويلتقي المنتخبان في إطار الاستعدادات النهائية لخوض منافسات كأس أمم أوروبا، يورو 2024.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مورينيو: رونالدو لن يترك يورو 2024 دون أهداف.. وأرشح 3 منتخبات للقب

وتبدأ منافسات كأس أمم أوروبا، نسخة هذا الصيف، في ألمانيا يوم الجمعة المقبل.

ويخوض منتخب البرتغال مباراته الودية الأخيرة اليوم قبل بدء مشواره في البطولة الأوروبية بمواجهة التشيك، يوم الثلاثاء المقبل.

وقبل انطلاق المباراة الجارية حاليًا، لفت رونالدو الأنظار إليه بتصرفه الإنساني الرائع تجاه إحدى الفتيات.

وشوهد رونالدو وهو يصطحب فتاة، ذات قدرات خاصة، على مقعدها الطبي، حيث أصر على توصيلها بنفسه إلى مكان وقوف اللاعيبن قبل اللقاء.

وظهر رونالدو وهو يتبادل الابتسامات مع الفتاة الصغيرة، قبل أن يقبلها على رأسها وهو في حالة سعادة، وسط تحية وتصفيق الجماهير.

🇵🇹 لفتة إنسانية من رونالدو قبيل انطلاق اللقاء#مباراة_ودية #البرتغال_أيرلندا pic.twitter.com/HlX6RdsbIZ — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 11, 2024

Trent Boult has been rested from the final ODI against Pakistan on Friday as well as the first T20I that follows next week

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2018New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult has been rested from the final ODI against Pakistan on Friday as well as the first T20I that follows next week. To ensure the team has left-arm cover, the selectors have brought in Ben Wheeler, who last played international cricket in February 2017.New Zealand T20I squad v Pakistan

Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult (2nd & 3rd T20I only), Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson (2nd & 3rd T20I only), Martin Guptill, Anaru Kitchen, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (1st & 3rd T20I only), Ross Taylor (1st T20I only), Ben Wheeler

Seth Rance, the seamer who made his debut against Ireland last year, will join the ODI squad in Wellington for the final game and stay back for the first T20I as well. New Zealand’s selectors continued their policy of rotating many of their first choice players with Tim Southee being given the second T20I off. Ross Taylor will be available for the first T20I only, while Lockie Ferguson will take that day off.”Ben’s ability to swing the ball makes him a threatening bowler and his batting power and athleticism in the field compliments that nicely,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “It will be nice to see more of Ben and Seth while we manage the workloads of Tim and Trent.”Tom Bruce retained his spot in the squad to deny Mark Chapman, who has played two ODIs and 19 T20Is for Hong Kong, a maiden call up to the New Zealand squad. Chapman has been in sizzling form in New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition, tied for second place with 300 runs at an average of 37.50, including an innings of 101 off 58 balls three matches ago against Canterbury.Bruce made 28 runs in three T20Is against West Indies earlier this year. His best score of 59 not out came in his second T20I against Bangladesh last January and, since then, has only crossed 30 once in eight innings.”We have three guys who were seriously considered for that specialist batsman spot at number five, however we’ve backed the incumbents who have performed so well of us in recent times,” Larsen said. “Mark has been really impressive for Auckland, but with the form that Tom and Ross have been in we felt they deserved to continue getting opportunities. We’d like to see Mark continue to work on his bowling, which could open up other opportunities for him outside of just that number five spot.”Chapman’s non-selection for New Zealand means he remains eligible to represent Hong Kong. He has not played for the country of his birth since a loss to Scotland at Nagpur in the opening round of the 2016 World T20, though there remains faint hope in Hong Kong circles that he may make himself available to play the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe this March.New Zealand Cricket also announced that players who are not part of the ODI squad for the ongoing series against Pakistan but have been named in the T20I squad – Wheeler, Bruce, Anaru Kitchen, Glenn Phillips and Ish Sodhi – will be free to play in the Super Smash T20 final on January 20 in Hamilton but would be unavailable should the match be pushed to a reserve day.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has been backed by the club throughout the summer transfer window as six new signings have been brought in.

Who have Tottenham signed this summer?

Spurs have snapped up James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Manor Solomon, Guglielmo Vicario, Alejo Veliz, and Ashley Phillips to improve their side, whilst Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro were also signed on permanent deals after their respective loans.

The Australian manager does not appear to be done in the market, however, as the Premier League side are seemingly keen to add another centre-back to their squad.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

It was recently reported that Torino central defender Perr Schuurs, who has been valued at €40m (£34m), is one of the players under consideration by the club as they look to bolster their side before the deadline next week.

How good is Perr Schuurs?

The 23-year-old titan is a promising young player who could provide competition for the likes of Cristian Romero and van de Ven whilst also allowing Postecoglou to finally ditch Davinson Sanchez.

Ligue 1 side AS Monaco have been linked with an interest in the Colombia international and Spurs are said to be open to cashing in on the former Ajax prospect.

Bringing in Schuurs would mean that Spurs have enough cover in the centre-back position to sanction an exit for the 27-year-old dud, who joined the club from the Dutch giants in 2017.

The Torino ace enjoyed a solid 22/23 campaign as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.87 across 30 Serie A appearances and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions to go along with 4.1 duels won per game. Romero (4.1) was the only Tottenham central defender who made more defensive interventions per clash for the club in that time.

Sanchez, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.76 over 18 Premier League outings for Spurs and made two tackles and interceptions alongside 3.2 duels won per match.

These statistics suggest that the Netherlands youth international, who was once described as "dominant" by journalist Josh Bunting, could provide more quality on a consistent basis in terms of the defensive work that he carries out each match as well as his average performance level.

Schuurs could also offer more when it comes to stepping forward with the ball to bypass the opposition's press in order to progress the team up the pitch.

Over the last 365 days, the £29k-per-week colossus has averaged 0.37 successful take-ons per 90, which places him within the top 19% of his positional peers among Europe's top five divisions, in comparison to Sanchez's 0.21 per 90.

At the age of 23, Schuurs would also come in with the potential to grow and improve as he is four years younger than the Colombian flop.

This means that Spurs would be signing him as a player with the scope to develop over the years to come instead of expecting him to make an immediate impact on the pitch.

Therefore, Postecoglou could finally ditch Sanchez and land an upgrade on the central defensive flop by signing the Dutch titan whilst also signing someone who could be an asset to the club moving forward if he is able to hone his skills with more experience under his belt.