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A fresh twist has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to bring Mauricio Pochettino back to the club…

What’s the word?

As first revealed by The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke, Spurs have held discussions with their former manager about a potential return to the north London side, and it is also thought that the Argentine would be open to leaving Paris Saint-Germain for his old club.

However, a new claim has surfaced suggesting that the 49-year-old is also a target for another European heavyweight.

According to Goal, La Liga giants Real Madrid have made Pochettino their top choice to replace Zinedine Zidane after it was confirmed that the Frenchman would walk away from his contract 12 months early.

Massimiliano Allegri was an early contender for the Bernabeu job but, with his return to Juventus on the cards, the club’s hierarchy have quickly shifted their attention to the ex-Spurs favourite.

Worrying blow

This is potentially a crushing blow to many Spurs fans’ hopes and dreams as the chances of a reunion with Pochettino could appear to be slim.

Indeed, Pitt-Brooke has since rated their chances of sealing him at “less than 50%” when speaking to ‘The Totally Football Shaw’ podcast earlier this week.

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Furthermore, it is no secret that Pochettino would love to manage Real Madrid, having made some intriguing claims back in 2018 after being approached by the Spanish outfit.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever coach Madrid, but of course it’s my dream,” he said (via The Mirror). “If it’s not the best it’s one of the best clubs in the world. I’m no different, everyone has it on their dream list.”

He has since reinforced his desire to one day talk the helm at Madrid as, following his appointment at PSG, he said: “It was always my objective to one day be able to play for Real Madrid and when you don’t realize a dream, you say, ‘Well, look, one day I’d like to coach Real Madrid – after Espanyol’.”

Pochettino has even had to deny that there is a Madrid release clause within his contract at the Parc des Princes.

If he has to pick between his dream club, who will be competing in the Champions League next season, and a Tottenham team staring at a place in the Conference League, then there is surely only one winner.

All in all, the chances of the Argentine returning to Spurs appear rather slim, and that won’t please many in north London, with numerous fans desperate to see Pochettino back at the club.

AND in other news, Forget Martinez: Levy can seal dream Spurs boss in “exciting” 51 y/o with 74% win rate…

Erapalli Prasanna, in his analysis of the third Test at Barbados,mentioned that Harbhajan Singh needed to attack the batsmen much more

Staff Reporter07-May-2002Erapalli Prasanna, in his analysis of the third Test at Barbados,mentioned that Harbhajan Singh needed to attack the batsmen much more.A fine exponent of the off-spin art himself, Prasanna averred thatHarbhajan, as a wicket-taking bowler, should be plotting the batsman’sdownfall with every ball.
Harbhajan Singh against all batsmen – West Indies first innings at Barbados
© CricInfoA look at Harbhajan’s bowling in the West Indian first inningsconfirms this view. He returned figures of 34.5-7-87-3, so his fansmay argue that he wasn’t completely ineffective. But his first wicketwas that of Carl Hooper after the West Indian skipper had plundered115 runs off the Indian attack, and his other two were of PedroCollins and Adam Sanford, two minions in a woefully weak West Indiantail.Harbhajan’s wagon-wheel against all batsmen in the West Indian firstinnings is telling. Only 20 runs were scored off him in front ofsquare, whereas 23 runs went to the point region and 32 to square leg- an indication that Harbhajan was bowling much too short.A large percentage of an off-spinner’s wickets come from making thebatsman drive against the turn, and although Harbhajan did make thebatsmen play to cover to the tune of 15 runs, that was not nearlyenough. His dropping short made it particularly easy for the batsmanto comfortably turn him behind square for runs; Hooper took 15 runsoff him in this manner.As the sole attacking spinner in the side, Harbhajan shouldundoubtedly follow Prasanna’s advice. He can definitely do so byflighting the ball more and keeping the ball up to the batsman.Knowing that most of the West Indians are not too proficient at playingspin, this tactic may help Harbhajan get back to his old ways ofbamboozling the batsmen.

As an event, Napoleon getting off Elba may have held rather more significance, but England’s escape from the jam in which they found themselves here at Lord’s on Saturday evening is an achievement in which they can take a fair measure of pride

Stephen Lamb20-May-2002As an event, Napoleon getting off Elba may have held rather more significance, but England’s escape from the jam in which they found themselves here at Lord’s on Saturday evening is an achievement in which they can take a fair measure of pride. Having failed to make half Sri Lanka’s runs in their first innings, the home side were the subject of some stern criticism, with words like “crisis” and “Dad’s Army” (again) appearing in the Sunday papers. As things stand, they are still on level terms after a two-day demonstration of steely resolve.For the record, England declared at 529 for five, their first total above 500 for more than five years, leaving Sri Lanka needing an academic 250 to win off 17 overs. 13 of those were enough to convince both captains that the game was over, with the visitors on 42 for the loss of Marvan Atapattu, who was caught at short leg by Mark Butcher off Andrew Caddick for seven.If Michael Vaughan was yesterday’s hero, the accolade today belonged to Butcher, who knew, by the time he was run out for a painstaking 105, that England’s remaining batsmen would have to make a fearful dog’s dinner of things for Sri Lanka to snatch victory. They didn’t, and Graham Thorpe’s subsequent progression to 65, as well as securing his team, provided the best entertainment of the day.After two days in the field Sri Lanka looked tired this morning, almost as though they were going through the motions. Both Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa regularly bowled deliveries that could safely be left alone, and having eschewed risk yesterday, neither Butcher nor Hussain was in the mood for extravagance. Butcher was fortunate to survive an appeal for a leg-side catch by wicket-keeper Sangakkara after he tried to glance Vaas. Replays showed he might have got the finest of edges; without their benefit umpire Harper ruled in the batsman’s favour.When Vaas made way for Perera at the pavilion end, Hussain pulled the first boundary of the morning to the Tavern. Butcher then brought the small Monday crowd to life by driving Zoysa to the rope at extra cover. Offered room on his pads, the Surrey left-hander took four more through mid-wicket, repeating the shot off Perera in the next over.Zoysa was finally rested after an 11-over spell that cost just 21 runs, and it was Perera who made the breakthrough at the pavilion end, winning a staggering lbw decision against Hussain from umpire Harper. After pitching leg, the ball hit Hussain above the roll, and would surely have passed over the stumps. Hussain had made 68 (one six, six fours, 185 balls) and added 159 for the third wicket with Butcher.England’s 400 came up with a delightfully timed square cut by Thorpe off Buddika, a stroke he repeated four overs later, piercing what had seemed a non-existent gap in a packed offside field. Butcher progressed towards his century in singles, and got there by the same means, clipping Vaas to long leg. It was the Surrey left-hander’s first first-class century at Lord’s, included nine fours and came off 291 balls. Butcher was warmly applauded by a crowd that had grown steadily since the early stages of the day.After Thorpe had snicked Buddika through the vacant slip area, Butcher took four more with a delightful late cut off Jayasuriya, but his downfall came in the same over. When Thorpe swept Jayasuriya to long leg, Butcher called for a risky third and was narrowly beaten by Vaas’ throw. His 105 included 10 fours and came off 297 balls. He had also put on 60 with his Surrey colleague.After taking a while to get off the mark, Crawley showed delightful touch as he glanced Vaas to the fine leg boundary. Thorpe went to his 50 with a pleasant push into the covers for a single. But as the session progressed the urgency of the cricket diminished; the Sri Lankans were clearly tiring after two and a half days in the field, and England were content to push ones and twos as they grew increasingly assured of safety.The occasional boundary leavened the mood, with two classical sweeps, by Thorpe off Perera and Crawley off Jayasuriya, standing out. Thorpe was ultimately outwitted by de Silva, caught at mid-on as he failed to get on top of a drive. Stewart joined Crawley, and with their Test places to confirm both players set about batting Sri Lanka firmly out of the match. By tea the Mexican wave had made its first appearance of the series, a sure indication of the game’s ultimate destiny.

Stoke City look set to allow Badou Ndiaye to leave the bet356 Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Stoke on Trent Live, who claim that the 30-year-old midfielder looks set to join Adana Demirspor in the upcoming transfer window.

Fans will be buzzing

With the £3.15m-rated Ndiaye having last played for Stoke back in 2019, the news that the Potters could finally be free of the midfielder is likely to leave fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, following his £14.4m signing from Galatasaray in January of 2018, when the Senegal international was given a £25k-per-week contract until the summer of 2022, it would be a fair claim to make that the 30-year-old has not quite lived up to his price tag during his time at Stoke.

The midfielder joined the club in the window prior to their relegation from the top tier of English football, making 13 appearances in the club’s doomed Premier League campaign back in 2017/18.

Ndiaye was then loaned back to Galatasaray in August of 2018, spending the 2018/19 season with the Super Lig side, before playing a further 13 fixtures for Stoke in the club’s 2019/20 Championship season, prior to being sent on a number of further loan deals at clubs such as Trabzonspor, Fatih Karagumruk and Al-Ain.

In total, the man who Stuart Taylor dubbed a “top class” player featured just 27 times in all competitions for the Potters, scoring two goals and providing one assist along the way.

As such, it would appear an extremely wise move for Michael O’Neill to indeed allow the midfielder to leave the bet365 Stadium this summer, as, if the club were unable to find another loan deal to send Ndiaye on, it could cost a further £1.3m in wages for a player who appears highly unlikely to play much, if any, first-team football under the Northern Irishman next season.

In other news: Stoke dealt transfer blow over £5.9k-p/w “leader” which will leave O’Neill sickened

A source from Tottenham Hotspur has dropped a big update on their pursuit of Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Tottenham eye new manager

Following the departure of Jose Mourinho just before the 1-0 Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City, Spurs have been looking for a new permanent manager to take them forward into next season.

Ryan Mason was only in interim charge in North London until the end of the 2020/21 term, and so now the manager search continues into the summer.

The Latest: Conte to Tottenham update

As per Football Insider, the Lilywhites are growing increasingly confident that they will appoint Antonio Conte as their next manager after some late-night discussions.

A THFC source has allegedly told the news outlet that the former Chelsea and Inter Milan coach is now the clear frontrunner for the job, and there is even hope that he could be unveiled in the next few days.

He has been offered a long-term deal and talked about personal terms for a contract worth more than £10m-a-year, in addition to a potential transfer kitty.

The Verdict: Nobody better available

There is no better manager available to Tottenham right now than Conte, and so they should be looking to take on the opportunity to hire him while it is still there.

There is no doubt that if other high-profile jobs become available, the Italian would be high on many club’s shortlists given that he is currently out of the job and boasts a very impressive CV.

Conte has just come from a Serie A title win with Inter, thus ending the domestic dominance of Juventus in the league, and has also won league titles with both the Old Lady and Chelsea (Transfermarkt).

The 51-year-old also has that added experience of managing in the Premier League, and with no attachment to any other clubs at the moment, Spurs may not get a better chance to hire a manager of his quality.

In other news, find out which ‘absolutely sensational’ ace THFC are in talks to sign here!

Our congratulation go to Jeremy Snape who has been named in the England OneDay International Squad for the forthcoming NatWest Series against India &Sri Lanka

Gloucestershire CCC22-Jun-2002Ladies Day 25th JulyC & G Cheltenham Cricket Festival Ladies DayThursday 25th JulyGloucestershire CCC v Middlesex CCC£25 per headPlease contact Marie Journeaux on 01242 514420 for ticketsSnape chosen for EnglandOur congratulation go to Jeremy Snape who has been named in the England OneDay International Squad for the forthcoming NatWest Series against India &Sri Lanka.The England Squad is as followsN Hussain Captain
P Collingwood
A Flintoff
A Giles
D Gough
M Hoggard
R Irani
J Kirtley
N Knight
J Snape
A Stewart
G Thorpe
M Trescothick
A Tudor
M Vaughan
C & G Trophy Quarter FinalGloucestershire CCC have been drawn away to Kent CCC in the quarter final ofthe C & G Trophy.The match will be played at Canterbury on Tuesday 16th July.Tickets will be available from Gloucestershire CCC Ticket office on 0117 9108000Ticket Prices are £12 Adults and £8 for OAP’s and Juniors

In a stunning new twist, Tottenham Hotspur appear to be on the verge of ending their long managerial search…

What’s the word?

According to reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, former AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca is incoming sporting director Fabio Paratici’s top target to fill the Spurs vacancy.

The 48-year-old departed the Serie A outfit at the end of the season and was soon replaced by Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by Daniel Levy back in mid-April.

Other outlets have since added further fuel to the fire, with the BBC claiming that the Portuguese coach was in talks with the North London outfit about becoming their next manager.

Hugely uninspiring

As Gold suggests in another tweet, this is a “big gamble” from Spurs and one that will undoubtedly cause more friction amongst the fanbase.

In recent months, several supporters have protested against both the chairman and club’s owners, the ENIC Group, after plans to create a European Super League were abandoned.

But truth be told, this was the mere culmination of many years of underachievement and a serious lack of ambition from the club’s hierarchy. After all, Spurs have not won a trophy since 2008 and it’s been downhill since they lost that Champions League final.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-manager-gossip-transfer-rumours-team-and-injury-updates-and-much-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, manager gossip, transfer rumours, team and injury updates and more!”]

Things could soon go from bad to worse as leading talisman Harry Kane wants out and several of Tottenham’s top-flight rivals, namely both Manchester clubs and Chelsea, are now circling like vultures, as per Sky Sports.

It means Levy has to get this appointment absolutely spot on otherwise he’s under even more intense pressure from those that are effectively paying the bills in North London.

In response to Gold’s initial tweet, you can quickly see that there are plenty of Spurs fans completely against the move – a small sample size but a rather damning one.

“Team will be booed off first game …that’s a shocking appointment,” claimed one supporter, whilst another added: “Seriously is it possible to get a refund on my season ticket Alasdair? We’re being mugged off here.”

There was even popular music star BassHunter chiming in with his thoughts as he suggested that he would rather appoint Sean Dyche and that it was “embarrassing.”

This is just the start, so as Spurs seemingly close in on appointing the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss, anger from around the club will surely only mount up.

AND in other news, How Fabio Paratici can transform Spurs in one window…

The new leaders of the Norwich Union League Division One, Worcestershire Royals, take on the bottom club, Durham Dynamos, in the next round of matches to be played this Sunday with every prospect of maintaining their place at the top of the table

Ralph Dellor26-Jun-2002The new leaders of the Norwich Union League Division One, Worcestershire Royals, take on the bottom club, Durham Dynamos, in the next round of matches to be played this Sunday with every prospect of maintaining their place at the top of the table. Not only did they get there by ousting the existing leaders in their last match, but they meet a side still looking for their first point of the season. The unpredictability of cricket in this competition is one of its great appeals, but it would be a major upset if the Royals did not win again at New Road this weekend.Warwickshire Bears – the team deposed by the Royals last week – meet defending champions Kent Spitfires at Edgbaston. The Spitfires came through strongly at the end of last season to grab the title and are in a reasonable position now, two wins away from the leaders but with a game in hand on the Royals and two in hand on the Bears. And a win at Edgbaston would really give their season some momentum, something against which the Bears will be on their guard.There are two other fixtures in Division One. Glamorgan Dragons are level on points with the Kent Spitfires, but they have only played three matches in the competition so far this season. They go to Taunton to meet the Somerset Sabres buoyed by their recent success playing as Wales against England. Steffan Jones will revert to being a Sabre in this fixture after masquerading as a Dragon in the “international”.Nottinghamshire Outlaws have had a pretty miserable time this season. The only difference between their record and that of Durham Dynamos is that they had one match washed out, and so have two points to show for their endeavours. They have an east Midlands derby at Grace Road against Leicestershire Foxes who have at least won once this year, but once only.In Division Two the leaders are Gloucestershire Gladiators. They meet Essex Eagles who are six points behind but who have two matches in hand. If the Eagles are to soar, they will need to win this one, but they will be without their talismanic captain Ronnie Irani who is away on international duty. The Gladiators, on the other hand, will have all guns blazing.Surrey Lions are only two points adrift of the leaders, and they have what looks like an easy match against Lancashire Lightening, although they have to travel to Old Trafford. Lightening are languishing, just off the bottom, lost by six wickets in the corresponding match at The Oval, so they need to strike once in this fixture, let alone twice.In a process reminiscent of evolution itself, the Sussex Sharks move inland from their Hove headquarters to Arundel to play Middlesex Crusaders. The visitors have four points from two wash-outs so far this season, while the Sharks have only just begun to show their teeth, although one win might suggest they are only milk teeth at this stage.

Jonathan Kodjia would consider a reunion with Slavisa Jokanovic at Sheffield United this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Sheffield Star, who claim that the Al-Gharafa SC centre-forward – the club that Jokanovic has left to move to Sheffield – would be willing to follow the 52-year-old back to England in the upcoming transfer window in order to play at Bramall Lane next season.

It is reported that the Serbian manager stated his respect for his current employers following his agreement to up the role as the Blades new manager, suggesting that he would not pillage the club of their stars, however, the Sheffield Star claim that Kodjia may still be a target for the former Fulham boss this summer.

Jokanovic must move

Having joined the Qatari team from Aston Villa in what was a £2.7m deal back in January of 2020, Kodjia has highly impressed for the Stars League side, scoring 18 goals and providing two assists over his 34 appearances for the club.

And, while the argument could be made that the league he currently plays his football in is of a considerably lower standard than the Championship, the Ivory Coast international has demonstrated in the past that he knows how to find the back of the net in England.

After joining Bristol City from SCO Angers back in 2015, the 31-year-old went on to score 19 goals and provide four assists over 52 appearances for the Robins, form which earned the striker an £11.52m move to Aston Villa in August 2016.

At Villa Park, the player whom Steve Cotterill dubbed “fantastic” went on to score 31 goals and register nine assists over 106 appearances for the club, before his eventual departure to Al-Gharafa.

In total, the £2.52m-rated man has scored 47 goals and registered 11 assists over his 144 appearances in the Championship, proving that he clearly possesses the ability to be a roaring success in the second tier.

As such, with Sheffield United hoping to secure an immediate return to Premier League under Jokanovic’s leadership next season, the addition of Kodjia would appear to significantly increase the club’s chances of going on to achieve this feat, leading us to believe that the Serbian boss should do all he can to land the 31-year-old this summer.

In other news: Transfer update emerges on “fabulous” £10m Sheff Utd target that’ll delight Jokanovic

Dinesh Mongia and VVS Laxman both reached 80 as the Indians’ tour match with West Indies A got underway at Arundel

Sean Beynon16-Jul-2002Dinesh Mongia and VVS Laxman both reached 80 as the Indians’ tour match withWest Indies A got underway at Arundel. The rest of the top order struggledto come to terms with good bowling conditions and an accurate attack. Mongia made 87, with Laxman striking an elegant 85 as India closed in a little trouble on 253/7. The pair shared an 85-run stand for the third wicket. Chris Gayle (2-30) Marlon Black (2-35) and Ryan Hinds (2-60) were the pick of the bowlers as the Indians run rate struggled to reach three runs an over.Mongia is a fluent left-hander, and found the boundary early to dispel allmemories of a poor one-day series. Mongia scored even more freely as his innings progressed and was not in the least perplexed by the accurate off-spin of Gayle. He hit seven fours in a pleasing, confidence-boosting knock. He was bowled shortly before the close by Hinds.Hyderabad-born Laxman mixed aggressive trimmings with measured defence andlooked set for a century before he was caught by Devon Smith to give Gayle his first wicket. He faced 132 balls, reaching the boundary nine times.With Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Ashish Nehra and ZaheerKhan rested, the Indians rang the changes. It gave an opportunity to those recently arrived for the Test series, under the captaincy of Laxman.Play began at a snail’s pace, with only 49 runs scored in the first session as the Indians looked for batting practice after winning the toss. Despite spending 60 minutes at the crease, Wasim Jaffer never looked comfortable and top-edged Black to Keith Hibbert for five.Black and Reon King were superbly accurate early on, with only Jermaine Lawson offering the occasional boundary ball. Gayle picked up the mantle in the afternoon, his gentle off breaks working well on a pitch conducive to the art. King left the field with an injury after taking the new ball.Laxman raised the tempo, the stylish right-hander dispatching a couple of early off-side boundaries. Shiv Sunder Das (29) battled hard, but was adjudged lbw to Hinds shortly after lunch.After Sanjay Bangar had gone for nought, the young wicket-keeper Ajay Ratraoccupied the crease for an hour and a half before he was trapped palpably leg-before by King for 15. 17-year-old Parthiv Patel hit three boundaries before he was clean bowled by Black from the final ball of the day.