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Tottenham Hotspur and Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba is "definitely" one to watch this summer and he looks like their top defensive target, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Who will Tottenham sign?

Spurs and new manager Ange Postecoglou are thought to be targeting multiple senior centre-backs ahead of the 2023/2024 Premier League season.

The new campaign, and Postecoglou's debut one at that, kicks off in around a fortnight but the north Londoners are still yet to confirm the arguably crucial addition of a capable new defender.

Spurs held one of the worst defensive records of any elite side in the top flight last season, conceding a pretty woeful 63 league goals, with no side above 15th in the table leaking more.

It is a glaring issue that Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy must address quickly, especially if they are to mix it with some of the division's top sides.

The Lilywhites head coach, speaking to media recently, has also admitted that his side are actively looking at signing a new defender or two this summer.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said Postecoglou.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

Tapsoba, who has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham in recent weeks, is believed to be one of the centre-back candidates – joined by Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, Barcelona's Clement Lenglet, Juventus star Gleison Bremer and Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven – who have all been mentioned at points by the media.

Renowned transfer journalist Romano, speaking to CaughtOffside this week, shared an update on Tottenham's pursuit of Tapsoba in particular.

He says that it is "definitely" one to watch and the Burkina Faso international could well be Spurs' top transfer target in the centre-back position.

"Tottenham are still working on this one, he remains a top target for Spurs in defence," said Romano.

"Still, it’s not an easy deal to get done because Bayer Leverkusen are asking for a big fee but Spurs are still trying to find a way.

"Also with Tapsoba, let’s see if other clubs could join the race for him too – it’ll be one to watch, definitely.”

How good is Edmond Tapsoba?

The 24-year-old played more Bundesliga minutes than any other Leverkusen outfielder last campaign, highlighting his real importance for manager Xabi Alonso.

Tapsoba ranked just behind teammate Jonathan Tah for clearances made per 90 also, making him an enticing option for Spurs and Postecoglou (WhoScored).

Indeed, the Bundesliga website even likened him to former Bayern Munich star Jerome Boateng for his composure in possession and pint-point long range passing.

Everything is going to plan for Worcestershire who will hope for a matchwinning flourish by R Ashwin on the final day

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2017Daryl Mitchell has put Worcestershire in a strong position•Getty ImagesDaryl Mitchell scored his fifth Specsavers County Championship century of the campaign as Worcestershire set Gloucestershire a 401 target at New Road.The 33-year-old opening batsman put a recent lean spell behind him – 33 runs from the previous six innings – in making an accomplished 130.Then star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin struck two early blows as Gloucestershire closed on 55-3.As on many occasions throughout his lengthy career, Mitchell, the curent PCA chairman, provided the glue which held the Worcestershire innings together.He went to three figures off 156 balls with 10 fours and a six in what is his 99th appearance out of Worcestershire last 100 Championship fixtures.It followed on from his 120 against Derbyshire, 161 versus Northamptonshire, 121 off the Sussex attack and 142 when facing Kent.Mitchell was eventually run out attempting a second run shortly before the declaration which left Gloucestershire a minimum of 121 overs to chase their daunting total.He has now amassed 894 Championship runs at an average of 47 so far this summer.Brett D’Oliveira, George Rhodes and Ashwin all provided excellent support for Mitchell as Worcestershire capitalised on their first innings lead of 105.The declaration came at 295-8 and the home side will be hoping the weather forecast is kind tomorrow particularly with promotion rivals Sussex triumphing against Glamorgan and moving into second spot.Worcestershire resumed on 10-0 and D’Oliveira launched an early offensive in making 55 off 58 balls and dominating an opening stand of 76 with Mitchell. He followed up his first innings top-score of 93 by striking 10 boundaries.D’Oliveira’s dismissal – bowled by Liam Norwell – triggered a minor collapse with the out of form Tom Fell falling in the same over for a second ball duck when caught behind and Joe Clarke perishing at square leg off a top edged sweep against Tom Smith.Rhodes proved a valuable ally in a partnership of 114 in 31 overs before he went to try and paddle Smith around the corner and was lbw.Indian star Ashwin raced to 28 as a further 55 was added in nine overs with Mitchell until he chipped Norwell to midwicket.Ben Cox showed positive intent with his first two scoring shots being sixes over long off at Smith’s expense. There was a flurry of wickets before the declaration as Mitchell and Cox were run out and skipper Joe Leach was bowled. Leach then took the new ball and, after switching ends, made the first breakthrough as Cameron Bancroft was caught behind by Cox in a sharp piece of work standing up to the wicket.Ashwin came into the attack after just six overs and quickly made an impact by bowling Will Tavare for a duck and then having Chris Dent caught at second slip. He ended the day with the impressive figures of 10-3-11-2.

West Ham United "dream" of signing Fulham star Joao Palhinha this summer but it could be a very expensive deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Who will West Ham sign?

After selling former star midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal, in a marquee deal worth £105 million (including £5 million in add-ons), West Ham are set to benefit from a huge financial windfall.

The agreement took time to be finalised, as there were delays in documentation from Arsenal's end, but Rice has now become the most expensive English player of all time – overtaking the price tags of Jack Grealish (Man City) and Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid).

It's now up to David Moyes' side to put that money to good use and invest in major signings. West Ham are also in dire need of an out-and-out replacement for Rice in midfield.

Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka, Man United's Scott McTominay, Chelsea ace Conor Gallagher and James Ward-Prowse of Southampton have all been linked with taking up the role recently.

Palhinha is also a player on West Ham's radar and has been subject to approaches, and while the player is apparently keen on joining, it is believed his price tag could well be too much.

According to Romano, speaking to CaughtOffside, the east Londoners "dream" of signing the Portugal international as he shares an update on West Ham's hunt for a new midfielder.

"Monaco want Zakaria, they have submitted their first bid for the player. It’s now up to West Ham if they want to bid again after initial proposal was rejected by Juventus 15 days ago," said Romano.

"Zakaria is still assessing his options, and Monaco could be an interesting option for him as their new manager Adi Hutter knows him well.

"West Ham’s dream target in midfield is Fulham’s Joao Palhinha, but that looks like being a very expensive deal.”

How good is Joao Palhinha?

The 28-year-old was one of Marco Silva's best-performing players by average match rating, according to WhoScored, and he racked up multiple goals from midfield.

Palhinha was also a fixture in the Fulham starting eleven last season, with the former Sporting Lisbon star playing more minutes than any other outfielder (WhoScored).

To further emphasise what a phenomenal player he is, the Portuguese averaged more tackles per 90 than any other player in the English top flight – making him the division's best in that regard (WhoScored).

Serbia international forward Aleksandar Mitrovic also called Palhinha the signing of the season for Fulham, not to mention an "amazing, amazing" player for the west Londoners.

“I think this year there’s been some sensational [signings] that we have made," said Mitrovic.

“For me personally, [Joao] Palhinha is the signing of the season so far, amazing, amazing [player].

“[Bernd] Leno is the signing that we made that’s amazing. The players who fit straight away and didn’t need time to adapt like before, they fit straight away.

Ajinkya Rahane’s third ODI century and Kuldeep Yadav’s 3 for 50 helped India thrash West Indies by 105 runs in the second ODI in Port of Spain and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series

The Report by Sidharth Monga25-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Fifty overs. Forty-three overs. It doesn’t quite matter. India are a bot designed to score 300 and not too many more when batting first, which proved to be more than enough against the inexperienced West Indies batting. No team has scored as many 300s as India – 96 – and it was fitting that they took the lead by seamlessly recalibrating their approach in a rain-curtailed ODI.Ajinkya Rahane got to his third ODI century – the period approaching his hundred was the only slow spell in India’s innings, Shikhar Dhawan’s run continued with yet another half-century, and Virat Kohli knocked off an effortless 87 off 66. Shai Hope delayed the inevitable West Indies defeat with a fine 81, but once they had lost two wickets before the first run had been scored off a bat, further rain was their only ally. It was not to be.Early morning rain had left the pitch damp and the atmosphere heavy, ideal bowling conditions that prompted the hosts to invite India to bat. The conditions eventually didn’t turn out to be as treacherous as expected, but it didn’t help that West Indies’ new-ball bowlers never got their length right. They were either too short or too full, getting cut and pulled or driven with ease. There was also more intent from the India openers, who as a partnership have the best average among all pairs who have added at least 1500 runs together. Rahane got going with an upper-cut for a six, and Dhawan loved the driving practice given to him, off-driving Jason Holder for successive boundaries before pulling him for one more in the eighth over. India’s 63 in the first 10 overs was about 14 more than what has been their average since the 2015 World Cup.The busy scoring continued, especially given that Devendra Bishoo, who bowled well in the first match, struggled with his length. In Bishoo’s third over, Rahane picked up two boundaries to get into the 40s. He lost Dhawan immediately after, stumped off the offspin of Ashley Nurse for 63 off 59, but took over the dominant role as Kohli settled down. As in the first match, this was atypical of Rahane, who usually slows down after a quick start against the hard new ball. Here, as on Friday, he accelerated gradually after a sedate start.From 36 off 45, Rahane scored the next 50 runs in 40 balls, but slowed down near the hundred. The nerves were understandable. Here is a Test shoo-in who has struggled to cement a place in ODIs because he has failed to convert those quick starts on a regular basis. With KL Rahul nearing fitness, this chance, which has come through the rest given to Rohit Sharma, could be his last. You can understand Rahane wanted to grab it. He risked a run-out, he edged a cut, and the next 11 runs took 16 balls. He then laced a cover drive to bring up the hundred, but fell immediately after, looking to slog.Kohli, though, didn’t let the wickets slow India down. His acceleration was dramatic. He scored his final 50 runs in 25 balls. You could see he was struggling physically because of the high humidity, which is perhaps why there was an extra effort to set that solid base and concentrate on the swing of the bat and not the power. He didn’t over-hit any of his four sixes, but hit them so clean that he didn’t need to look up to see where they went. In the end, that lack of power did him in when he lofted an Alzarri Joseph slower ball to long-on in the penultimate over of the innings.If there were any doubts about India getting the 300, Holder put paid to them by bowling three beamers and a foot-fault no-ball in his last two overs. The extra deliveries and runs took India over, making it 99 runs in the last nine overs. The next 99 runs would take more than half the length of West Indies’ innings, and three wickets to boot.Bhuvneshwar Kumar started off bowling in areas where batsmen’s mistakes hurt them, taking two wickets in his first two overs. In the fourth over, Hope steered Umesh Yadav to score the first run off the bat. By the time he hit the first boundary of the innings, in the sixth over, the asking rate had crossed eight.Hope showed the promise he carries with a composed innings, but he alone was never going to be able to make up for the disastrous and a struggling Evin Lewis at the other end. One of the final acts of the match belonged to a man bowling for the first time in ODIs: Kuldeep Yadav had Lewis stumped off a wrong’un, and Hope lbw on the sweep moments after the batsman had hit him for a six over long-off. He later came back to have Holder stumped off another wrong’un to stamp out the last bit of resistance.

The decision to rest Rohit Sharma from India’s upcoming limited-overs tour of the West Indies was a “smart” one, according to the captain Virat Kohli

Nagraj Gollapudi at Edgbaston15-Jun-2017The decision to rest Rohit Sharma from India’s upcoming limited-overs tour of the West Indies was a “smart” one, according to the captain Virat Kohli, who stressed the need to monitor the opener’s fitness after a “massive hip surgery”.India are going to the Caribbean for five ODIs and a T20 international immediately after the Champions Trophy, and Kohli said Rohit had been left out of the squad with the view of ensuring his fitness for bigger assignments – tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa – later in the year.”Rohit has come back and really had a full IPL season, which has been hectic,” Kohli said after India won the semi-final against Bangladesh on Thursday; the squad had been announced by the BCCI during the course of the game. “They [Mumbai Indians] reached the final, so he got lesser rest than anyone else. Plus he had a massive hip surgery, so muscles around that area are always vulnerable, and today also he felt a bit of stiffness in his right knee.”There is no doubt about Rohit’s ability and what he brings to the team. We need to protect him going further, because latter half of the year we have massive tours coming up, and his batting contribution will be a huge factor for us. So we want him to be careful because after a massive surgery you do need to be careful. If you push yourself a little too hard then it snaps again, you’re out for seven, eight months.”It is a conscious decision by everyone to give him a break. He is making the most of the form he is in right now. And I’m sure he also knows and understands the whole situation.”Rohit suffered his injury during the home ODIs against New Zealand in October last year, and missed home series against England, Bangladesh and Australia. He returned to action during the IPL and led Mumbai Indians to the title, and made his India comeback in the ongoing Champions Trophy.His unbeaten 123 off 129 balls in the semi-final against Bangladesh vaulted Rohit to second place in the list of highest run-scorers in the tournament – 304 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 87.60.

Liverpool could replace the presence of Fabinho this window with a swoop for Borussia Monchengladbach ace Manu Kone, a player that the Reds have been linked to throughout the summer.

Jurgen Klopp could see two midfield enforcers depart ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, with both the Brazilian and Jordan Henderson linked with lucrative moves to Saudi Arabia.

Could Liverpool sign Manu Kone?

Named as a potential summer target for Liverpool back in January by Fabrizio Romano, Kone could still be on course to head towards Merseyside.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT this week, BILD journalist Chrisitan Falk declared that the midfielder is “on the list” of those wanted by sporting director Jorg Scmadtke.

Valued by his club around the €40m (£34m) mark, the Frenchman could be a valuable asset to Klopp’s squad should the speculated sales be made this summer.

How good is Manu Kone?

Described as a “one-man army” by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his performance against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich earlier this year, the 22-year-old could signify a rejuvenated revamp in midfield at Anfield.

While Fabinho’s presence has been integral to Liverpool’s progression over the past year, the Premier League and Champions League winner is expected to call it quits on Merseyside after five memorable years.

Kone could be the one to fill the gap left by the 29-year-old’s pending departure to Al Ittihad, with the two demonstrating similar strengths in their approach to play.

When comparing the two via FBref comparisons based on their respective 2022/23 campaigns, it’s evident just how efficient the switch in player could be, with Fabinho indicating a slight dip in form to years prior.

A combative midfielder, Kone surpassed the rate of tackles per 90 recorded by the Brazilian, averaging 2.55 to the 29-year-old’s 2.19, highlighting his militant presence in the engine room.

An area of the Frenchman’s game that could be pivotal to adding a rejuvenated outlet in the middle of the park is his approach to progressive play in comparison to Fabinho.

The 22-year-old averaged an impressive 2.04 progressive carries and 1.97 successful take-ons to the Liverpool machine’s 0.51 progressive carries and 0.24 successful take-ons per 90, displaying his dominance in transitional possession.

Hailed as having “sublime distribution” by journalist Maxi Angelo, Fabinho will be a missed presence in the middle of the park for his eye for an intricate pass, however, the departure of the Campinas-born gem could be eased by Kone’s arrival.

As per FBref, the Borussia talent averaged 5.73 progressive passes to Fabinho’s 5.49 last season, including 4.80 passes into the final third to his 4.41 per 90 to show just how much of a talent Klopp could install into his squad.

With a fee of £40m reported to be in question for Fabinho, the Reds could reinstate the funds spent on signing the midfielder from Monaco back in 2018 for £43.7m, getting the best out of the player during his time at Anfield.

The funds raised could open the door for Liverpool to make a potential snipe for Kone, in a deal that may prove to be a stellar piece of business by the six-time European champions.

Celtic appear to be edging closer to a move for Gangwon FC forward Yang Hyun-jun, with the situation “gradually being resolved”.

Are Celtic signing Yang Hyun-jun?

The Hoops and Brendan Rodgers have acted swiftly in the transfer market following the Northern Irishman’s return as manager at Parkhead, with midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and winger Marco Tilio joining from Valerenga and Melbourne City receptively on five-year deals.

Rodgers reportedly has a £30m transfer kitty to play with this summer, and that figure may have been boosted, with star man Jota since signing for Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £25m.

As a result, Celtic appear to be on the hunt for another wide forward, with Yang a player they have been heavily linked with. Reports suggested that a £2.1m fee had been agreed between the two clubs, however, as we know, a move is yet to materialise.

Yang has been keen to make the move to Scotland and even previously admitted he would give up his salary to force through a deal with the Scottish Premiership champions.

"Celtic is a good offer, so I want to go. I have to do my best as a member of Gangwon. But I think the desire to go will still be there.

"I want to go to Celtic this summer. I hope Gangwon will allow me to transfer. If the transfer fee isn’t enough, I’ll even give my salary."

The Daily Record shared an update on Celtic and Yang in the last 48 hours, saying that a dream Hoops transfer for the forward is still on. They believe a £2.1m deal is still being floated and shared more comments from the player himself, who said that “situation is gradually being resolved”, with Gangwon re-evaluating Yang’s value following a meeting.

"The stagnant situation is gradually being resolved.

"The club have re-evaluated the value through CEO Kim Byung-ji during the one-on-one meeting. Still, there seems to be some progress. I think I hurt the fans too much. I want to make the fans smile and go to Celtic."

Who is Yang Hyun-jun?

Yang is valued at a career-high €700,000 by Transfermarkt and has made 71 senior appearances for his current employers, scoring nine times and registering five assists in all competitions.

The South Korea U23 international has previously been labelled as Gangwon's up-and-coming star who is unpredictable and eye-catching by K League United columnist Nathan Sartain, so could be a shrewd addition to come in and attempt to fill the void left by Jota.

Primarily a right-winger who can also play on the left or through the middle, the 21-year-old was hailed as “excellent” and a “level above” in the media following a pre-season performance against Tottenham last year.

By the looks of things, he could be the next attacking Asian player to move to Parkhead, following in the footsteps of the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Oh Hyeon-gyu, and it appears as if a deal in the region of £2.1m could be edging closer following the player’s recent comments.

Middlesex pushed on to a second declaration after Steven Finn’s four-wicket haul and set Essex 452 or a day to survive at Lord’s

Tim Wigmore at Lord's23-Apr-2017
ScorecardIf it is the start of the English season, it must be time to talk about Steven Finn. Every summer it is a source of fascination whether Finn can channel his palpable gifts – pace, bounce from his 6ft 7in frame and the outswing that he has honed in recent years – and become the bowler England supporters have long seen in their mind’s eye. A man not flitting between squads but one who is, instead, a persistent menace in international cricket.It remains far too soon to tell whether this is the summer when Finn makes that transition, rather than just tantalisingly hinting at it, but on a docile Lord’s pitch, he produced a performance of hostility and great skill. It was not so much the four wickets he took – a quick, short ball that Simon Harmer pulled to midwicket; Dan Lawrence deceived with a ball that held its line, rather than swinging away; and a ball that slanted into Neil Wagner and uprooted off stump, to add to the wicket of Tom Westley on the second evening – as his parsimony and immaculate control.Even when bowling loosely, he has always been able to produce brilliant deliveries. But seldom can he have bowled so few poor balls. In 22.1 overs, he conceded just 51 runs; yielding 2.30 an over, Finn was the most frugal of Middlesex’s bowling quintet.”It’s as good as I’ve felt for a while,” Finn said. “Across my career it’s the one side of my game that has not been my best, my economy rate. It’s about keeping it simple, it doesn’t just happen. Without chasing wickets you get your rewards later in the day.”I felt in good rhythm at Hampshire without getting too many rewards and yesterday as well. Today I bowled two long spells and then came back to get wickets at the end.”Few cricketers are aware of the vagaries of professional sport like Finn. The 46 Test wickets at 26.23 apiece he took in 2010, his first year of international cricket, remains his best annual haul for England; last year, he took just 17 Test wickets at 46.64 apiece. Yet his talents are so seductive that England’s interest has never gone away, and here he produced a performance to gladden the selectors’ hearts. If he does it again on the final day, Middlesex will record their first Championship victory of the season, and the case for including Finn in the Champions Trophy squad will become even stronger.”There’s enough eyes around, and people in the know realise when you’re in good rhythm and bowling well,” he said, with the sense of a man who has been here before. “I don’t think everything depends on tomorrow but if you have another good day it furthers your claims even more.”The rest of Middlesex’s bowlers were impressive, too, as they needed to be to restrict Essex to 295 on a picturesque Lord’s day. Toby Roland-Jones generated persistent swing, Ollie Rayner showed his nous, James Franklin embraced bowling with the older ball and Tim Murtagh bowled an expert spell up the slope with the second new ball to account for Ryan ten Doeschate.Against such a well-balanced attack, Lawrence and Adam Wheater needed to summon all of their resolve after Ravi Bopara’s early dismissal, driving indolently at Roland-Jones.Lawrence has won rightful acclaim as one of English cricket’s most promising talents. Perhaps his defining quality is how quickly he judges length, as revealed by a sumptuous push through midwicket for four when Franklin slightly overpitched; a shot to savour. And, just as in a match-saving 141 not out against Lancashire a fortnight ago, Lawrence married such strokeplay with technical fortitude and equanimity rarely spotted in a 19-year-old.Wheater’s contribution was particularly welcome. Having helped to end the career of the brilliant wicketkeeper Michael Bates at Hampshire, his return to Essex has dislodged James Foster, widely acclaimed as the finest of his generation. And Wheater was not even able to score the runs needed to justify the decision, mustering only six in his first three innings of the season.His jittery start betrayed a man woefully short of form, and one badly in need of fortune. That he got, and in bountiful quantity, when he was dropped three times over three consecutive overs off Roland-Jones – by Rayner at second slip, by John Simpson, diving to his right in front of first slip, and by Sam Robson at third slip. In between times Wheater drove with class and swept dexterously, as befitting a man with a first-class average not far shy of 40.Yet Wheater’s dismissal, rather irresponsibly caught at square leg sweeping Ollie Rayner just before the second new ball, triggered the loss of Essex’s last five wickets for 42 runs. A lead of 212, though, was not enough to entice James Franklin to make Essex follow on. It was a “50-50 decision,” Finn said, and cautious, especially with the threat of rain on the final afternoon. Still, Middlesex ought to have claimed the first of the ten wickets needed, only for Nick Browne to be reprieved by Rayner when he edged Roland-Jones to second slip.After Middlesex decided to bat again, what came next was utterly predictable. With the intensity seeping out of the game, their top three all made breezy half-centuries; all squandered the chance to score twin hundreds in the match, Sam Robson coming closest with 77. The only puzzle was why they felt the need to bat on past a target of 420, which Essex’s openers doubtless appreciated.Only one passage of play is worth recalling. In the 33rd over, Stevie Eskinazi scooped Jamie Porter for six, then went down on his front knee to launch him over midwicket, just as Mal Loye once did to Glenn McGrath, before clipping the next delivery over square leg for another six. After launching Harmer over midwicket next ball, Eskinazi was then caught on the extra cover boundary attempting a fifth six in five deliveries. Most remarkable of all was the notion that Eskinazi is normally regarded as relatively sedate, so much so that he has only played a single white-ball game for Middlesex. That will surely change soon.

Dave Cameron has been re-elected as WICB president for the third successive term, after being the sole nomination for the post

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Mar-2017Dave Cameron has been re-elected for a third consecutive two-year term as WICB president. Cameron was the lone nominee for the position, and received 12 votes at the WICB Annual General Meeting on March 26 in Barbados. Emmanuel Nanthan, WICB’s vice-president for the last four years, was also set to be re-elected for a third consecutive stint in the position.Despite being an imposing figure within the WICB, Cameron has not been a popular administrator in the West Indies. Throughout his tenure, Cameron’s policies and decisions have been criticised by many former cricketers as well as by fans. The absence of any opposition on the WICB board has been the main reason Cameron has managed to continue as the head of the WICB.Nonetheless some on the WICB board remain sceptical of Cameron. One director, who has been part of the WICB board and observed Cameron closely, felt the Jamaican takes things “personally”, which does allow for constructive discussion.According to this director Cameron needs to focus on improving his relations with WICB board going forward. “He needs to temper himself. It seems to me he still does not have confidence in some directors. The trust is not there. It is also because if some people speak out at meetings, he will feel that those people are against him. But all those people want is the best of West Indies cricket. He takes everything personal, as if they are attacking him.”The director, who wished to remain anonymous, also felt that Cameron “favours” some territorial boards more than others. Asked why the board would elect him for a third successive term, the director said that those who oppose him “prefer to remain silent and go with the status quo”.With West Indies having already missed out on the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, the priority now is to make sure they receive direct entry for the 2019 ODI World Cup, instead of having to go through the qualifier. To achieve that goal, the WICB recently made fresh appointments, hiring former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams and former Australia batsman Stuart Law in important roles. Adams took over as director of cricket from Richard Pybus, while Law was named as West Indies’ coach after the sacking of Phil Simmons last September.It is also understood that Cameron, along with new WICB chief executive officer Johnny Grave, will travel to India to finalise the schedule for the limited-overs series scheduled in July.

Celtic forward Jota has “already spoken” to Al Ittihad manager Nuno Espirito Santo regarding a move to Saudi Arabia, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

When did Jota join Celtic?

The Hoops’ left-sided winger permanently arrived in the Scottish Premiership last summer following a successful loan spell the season before from Benfica, as per Transfermarkt, and across both periods north of the border he’s clocked up a total of 83 appearances to date.

During the 2022/23 campaign, the Portuguese starlet firmly established himself as Ange Postecoglou’s overall top-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 7.48 which highlights the significance he has, but with the boss now having left and Brendan Rodgers back in charge, his future is up in the air.

Sky Sports reported just days ago that the 24-year-old had entered advanced talks with Saudi Arabian outfit Al Ittihad, with discussions ongoing in regard to the initial fee and structure of payments – where it was stated that personal terms shouldn’t be an issue – and it sounds like all parties are now confident that a deal will go through.

Is Jota leaving Celtic?

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Romano revealed that Jota is expected to leave Celtic and has even personally chatted to his prospective new manager about the move. He wrote:

“Understand Al Ittihad coach Nuno has already spoken to Jota about his transfer considered imminent and set to be completed next week. Fee gonna be around €30m (£25m), discussions ongoing.”

Whilst Rodgers hasn’t personally worked with Jota, he will have seen the positive impact he’s made since joining from afar – the type of impact which has seen him hailed a “revelation” by Alex McLeish – so trying to retain his services is a no-brainer of a decision.

The Gestifute client posted a remarkable 21 goal contributions (11 goals and ten assists) in 29 Scottish Premiership outings last season which saw him receive five man-of-the-match awards, not to mention that he recorded 80 shots over the campaign which was the second-highest total in Glasgow, as per FBRef.

The Lisbon native also adds wonderful versatility to the manager’s ranks with his ability to operate in six different positions across the pitch, including all across the frontline and even two roles in the midfield, which is yet another great attribute to have at your disposal.

Finally, Celtic have won five trophies following Jota’s arrival which is no coincidence and he’s certainly helped to play his part in the club’s success, so there’s no doubt that this number would only continue to increase should he stay beyond the summer.