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Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has asked Fabio Paratici for two defensive reinforcements in January, according to Calciomercato.

The lowdown

Spurs are seventh in the Premier League but their tally of 17 goals conceded equals that of 10th-placed Crystal Palace and 14th-placed Brentford (via Understat). Indeed, they’ve allowed 18.04 expected goals against, suggesting that they’ve been slightly fortunate not to concede more.

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Spurs started the campaign with three consecutive 1-0 wins in the top flight, but they’ve only kept one clean sheet since then in the Premier League, despite the Lilywhites strengthening their defensive ranks in the summer transfer window with moves for Cristian Romero (initially on loan) and Emerson Royal (£22.5million).

The latest

Calciomercato claimed that Conte wants to ‘overturn’ the Spurs backline and has asked director of football Paratici to furnish with him two new signings in that department.

The ‘dream’ scenario for the new Spurs boss would be a double deal for Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni, a player with whom he worked at the San Siro, and Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt.

The verdict

Bastoni was part of the Italy squad which won last summer’s European Championship, featuring in the 1-0 win over Wales in the group stage. The £54m-rated 22-year-old recently taunted beaten finalists England, accusing them of ‘celebrating’ prematurely prior to the Wembley showpiece.

He is a composed distributor of the ball, with an 89.2% passing success rate in Serie A this season (only one Spurs player has bettered that in the Premier League), while he averages 1.4 successful tackles per game, indicating that he is difficult for opponents to beat.

De Ligt is the same age as Bastoni but boasts a higher estimated value of £63m. He won the Golden Boy award in 2018 and featured in the Champions League team of the season the following year. The Dutchman is a colossus in the air, winning 3.2 headers per game – more than anyone in Spurs’ current squad.

It’s easy to see why Conte might want the pair in north London, but their lofty price tags suggest that it may remain nothing more than a ‘dream’.

In other news, read this journalist’s exciting claim about a Spurs-linked Serie A striker. 

The Tamil Nadu left-hand opener, has taken a major step towards national selection by being included in the Board President’s XI squad to take on the South Africans in Nagpur from Tuesday

Kanishkaa Balachandran02-Feb-2010He has a triple-century, hundreds on Ranji and Irani Trophy debuts, a quadruple-century opening stand, a 50-plus average after three first-class seasons and an IPL contract – all this before his 20th birthday. And now Abhinav Mukund, Tamil Nadu’s left-hand opener, has taken another step towards national selection by being included in the Board President’s XI squad to take on the South Africans in Nagpur from Tuesday.Abhinav was named in the squad to take on the touring Sri Lankans in the same fixture last year but the weather prevented him from actually playing. If he takes guard against South Africa, it will be his first knock against an international quality attack, and his survival skills and longevity at the crease will be put to test.The emergence of Abhinav, one of several newcomers starting to find their feet, coincided with – or perhaps was responsible for – the revival of Tamil Nadu’s fortunes on the domestic circuit. The team was in a rebuilding phase after losing a bunch of players to the ICL, and the prime indicator of that revival was the emergence of a strong top order featuring Abhinav and M Vijay.Shortly before the 2007-08 season, Abhinav toured Sri Lanka with the India Under-19 squad where he hit 399 runs in two matches at 99.75. He wasn’t handed a Ranji debut immediately. In fact he had to sit out Tamil Nadu’s first two games but on the morning of the third, against Karnataka, a team-mate’s misfortune gave Abhinav the break he needed.”Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that call-up at all. I was looking forward to another four days of rest when R Ashwin (the offspinner) pulled out with an injury on the morning of the match,” Abhinav told Cricinfo from his home in Chennai. “I came in at the fall of the first wicket and got off the mark with a boundary off the first ball. From then on, I was in the zone.”He has self-belief and youthful exuberance, and is willing to take risks but perhaps his most handy trait is that he’s tough to dismiss once he gets his eye in. He followed his debut hundred with another ton against Saurashtra and almost made it three in a row, falling for 96 against Himachal Pradesh.That streak was matched by Vijay, who hit a similar purple patch on his debut. The two have chemistry at the crease that has translated itself into massive partnerships, including 462 in their 2008-09 Ranji season opener against Maharashtra in Nasik. They were three short of the Ranji record when Vijay fell for 243.”We understand each other’s game very well,” Abhinav says. “We have similar styles, we like to settle down first before going for the big shots. We share a great rapport on and off the field.”Abhinav remembers the final moments of that triple-hundred vividly. “I never expected to get close to a triple,” he says. “I was dropped on 202 and by then was mentally tired. I batted till 247, expecting a declaration but the captain Dinesh [Karthik] gave me another 10 to 12 overs. From then on I just slogged.”That knock was like the pilot episode for a fantastic show that continued through the season, in which he scored 856 runs at 85.60, finishing fourth in the list of run-getters in the Ranji elite group. He also had a 100% conversion rate, going on to score hundreds on each of the four occasions when he crossed fifty. A ton in the Ranji ODI finals guided Tamil Nadu to the title and he began the next season with another century, in the Irani Trophy against Mumbai.That Abhinav took to cricket itself wasn’t surprising, given that his parents played the sport too. A regular on the school cricket scene, Abhinav took it up seriously only in his final year at school.Were his folks pleased with his career choice? “Well my mother found it difficult to digest,” he says. “She wanted me to study, which is natural in many families in the south, where there’s a stress on academics. I did find it hard mixing studies with sports.” He’s still trying to juggle between the two, now pursuing a Commerce degree on the side.He furthered his cricket education in 2009 when he won the Border-Gavaskar Scholarship to spend five weeks at the Center of Excellence in Brisbane. That stint not only tightened his technique but also introduced him to the life of a professional sportsman.”I learnt how to be self-sufficient in life. The facilities were amazing. It was a good experience batting against the Kookaburra ball, especially against the bowling machine. I also got good exposure against the short ball.”Like Gautam Gambhir, he’s a powerful cutter and driver of the ball off the front foot through the off side, and doesn’t mind the odd slash. Having been brought up on flat wickets, however, Abhinav is yet to be tested in conditions where the ball swings for considerable periods. A few A-team tours will do him a world of good, as will an opportunity against the South Africans. He says he’s received offers from clubs in the UK, but he’s yet to commit to them because of the upcoming IPL and the league season in Chennai. Another area he’s working hard on is his fielding. He feels his worth as a utility player may just give him more opportunities in Twenty20 cricket.With another Ranji season just ended, Abhinav already has noteworthy achievements jotted down on his CV. Frequent injuries have opened the doors to fringe players in India like S Badrinath and Sudeep Tyagi. At this rate, his name may crop up more often in selection meetings.

Manchester United will be hoping to build on their positive result and improved performance against Villarreal last time out when they take on Chelsea in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Red Devils secured qualification to the last-16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 victory on Tuesday evening, providing them with a much-needed boost coming into this one.

But it’s set to be an extremely tricky test for United, with the hosts currently in imperious form and sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table.

In his first game in charge, Carrick made some bold selection calls as he looked to inject some life back into the 20-time English champions.

And although the retired midfielder clearly had his charges well organised, some of the personnel who he selected from the off arguably didn’t justify his faith in their ability to affect the play.

One of those players who failed to grasp their chance under Carrick was Anthony Martial.

Following a hugely underwhelming 2020/21 campaign, it was hoped that the France international would return to form this term, but a change in fortunes has yet to materialise.

Against Villarreal, Martial had just 42 touches before he was brought off on the 66-minute mark, failed to have a single shot, didn’t play a single key pass and lost possession eight times, highlighting his ineffective display.

It was just the latest disappointing showing from the 25-year-old in the opening weeks of the current campaign, though, with his dismal performance against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup back in September attracting much criticism.

“His (Martial’s) positioning was, to put it simply, was god awful,” said Mike Parrott of the Manchester Evening News.

“We all saw how absurd it was to see how slow he was when he is supposed to be in his absolute prime or if not even a bit earlier than his prime. He just looked really off the mark, and technically he just wasn’t there.”

Martial has bagged just one goal and provided no assists in his nine outings this season, and with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes waiting in the wings, Carrick must make the bold decision to axe the £250k-per-week liability for the trip to west London.

And, in other news…Predicted XI: How MUFC may look under Rangnick after potential £196.5m spending spree

As per reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, it appears West Ham United are eyeing a Championship raid as he shares news on Derby County defender Lee Buchanan.

The Lowdown: West Ham take to January?

Manager David Moyes has confirmed that he wishes to be active in the January transfer market amid a defensive injury crisis at the London Stadium with both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma sidelined.

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The Scotsman, casting one eye on the winter window, also says that he’s already been receiving offers from agents concerning players with the club and new head of recruitment Rob Newman potentially set to get searching.

England’s second tier could be one fruitful source of incomings, with 90min claiming that West Ham have sent scouts to watch Middlesbrough defender Dael Fry, QPR mainstay Rob Dickie and Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly.

As per ExWHUemployee, it appears the Irons could also turn to Derby specifically amid their financial problems.

The Latest: West Ham eye Buchanan…

According to his information, as shared on the West Ham Way website, there is a ‘firm interest’ from Moyes and co in defender Buchanan alongside Jason Knight and Max Bird.

The Rams’ financial situation means Derby are ‘likely to offload players’, leading to West Ham eyeing a move for Buchanan as well as Knight and Bird.

The Verdict: Move for Buchanan…

The 20-year-old defender arguably sticks out among this crop of Derby players when it comes to potential and how he could thrive at West Ham, so we would strongly advise the club to make a move.

Wayne Rooney has already waxed lyrical over the Englishman, calling him ‘one of the best young left-backs in the country’ who can ‘go to another level’ (Ryan Conway).

Also calling the player ‘incredible’, Rooney believes Buchanan is destined for a senior international call up within a couple of years – lofty praise from a Premier League legend.

As current left-back Aaron Cresswell slowly approaches the twilight phase of his career at 31, we believe the Rams ace could be a tailor-made replacement.

In other news: Moyes dealt worrying news as ‘another big injury blow’ comes out of West Ham, find out more here.

Half-centuries to Jess Cameron and Shelley Nitschke kept Australia in the series as they snatched a two-wicket win from the final ball of the first ODI

Cricinfo staff03-Mar-2010Australia 229 for 8 (Cameron 68, Nitschke 51) beat New Zealand 228 for 6 (Devine 74*, Lind 68) by 2 wickets
ScorecardShelley Nitschke set up Australia’s chase with 51•Associated PressHalf-centuries to Jess Cameron and Shelley Nitschke kept Australia in the series as they snatched a two-wicket win from the final ball of the first ODI in Queenstown. Chasing New Zealand’s 228 for 6, Australia were in difficulty a couple of times before the tail-enders Erin Osborne and Julie Hunter were able to seal a thrilling result.Australia’s chase was healthy when Nitschke was in charge, but she departed for 51 as part of a collapse of 3 for 3 that left them at 90 for 5. Sophie Devine (2 for 63) had picked up Sarah Elliott when she forced Nitschke into a catch for the wicketkeeper Rachel Priest.The game seemed over but Cameron turned up and kept the visitors in sight of the total, with them needing 27 off the final four overs. However, Ellyse Perry departed for 27 and Cameron went in the penultimate over for 68 off 81, leaving Osborne and Hunter seeking 16 from nine deliveries. They whittled down the target and wanted four off the last ball, with Hunter finding the boundary off Devine.New Zealand had struggled to 85 for 5 after winning the toss but life became easier once Victoria Lind was joined by Sophie Devine. The pair put on 74 in 15.3 overs before Lind was out for 68 off 100 and then Devine sped forward with Nicola Brown as the innings concluded.Devine, who has been a big problem for the Australians, was unbeaten on 74 off 82, with two sixes, while Brown had 26 off 24. Perry had the best figures with 2 for 44 of 10 while Sarah Andrews, Hunter and Nitschke gained one victim each.New Zealand have ruled the Twenty20s, winning all five at home and away over the past month, but Australia took their recent advantage in the 50-over games to 6-0. New Zealand currently lead the home Rose Bowl series 2-1, following their Twenty20 successes, and the second and third ODIs will be played in Invercargill on Saturday and Sunday.

Newcastle United are “seriously interested” in signing Manchester United winger Jesse Lingard in January, according to Fabrizio Romano, and have reportedly made contact with the player already.

What’s the latest?

The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham United, where he spent the second half of last season on loan. However, reports have emerged that Newcastle have made the England international their number one target for the January transfer window.

Game-time has certainly been hard to come by for Lingard since returning to Manchester United after his loan spell in east London. With a new manager at United in Ralf Rangnick, Lingard will need to decide whether he wants to stay at Old Trafford and fight for his place or pursue a new challenge. However, with his contract in Manchester expiring in June, it seems likely that he will push for an exit.

Having been a revelation for the Hammers last season and a major factor in them breaking into the top six, a return to the London Stadium would certainly make sense. The £19.8m-rated attacking midfielder scored nine goals and set up a further five in 16 appearances for the Irons, settling in immediately.

However, should the Magpies be able to lure Lingard to the northeast, they could well be provided with a major boost to their survival hopes. Eddie Howe’s side have only netted 17 goals in 15 games this season and could really do with extra firepower in the final third if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship.

It’s no secret that Newcastle will have money to spend after the £300m takeover in October, and a swoop for Lingard would certainly make sense.

The Magpies have struggled to find quality from their wide men, with neither Ryan Fraser nor Miguel Almiron finding the back of the net yet this season and Allan Saint-Maximin scoring just once in his last ten league appearances.

There is no doubt that Newcastle will need to spend in January, and a swoop for Lingard would certainly be a shrewd purchase which could go down a treat with the Tyneside faithful given how his spell at West Ham rejuvenated him so drastically.

In other news: Howe drops four-word injury update which will leave Newcastle fans buzzing

The West Indian duo of Chris Gayle and Kemar Roach will join Western Australia for the Twenty20 domestic tournament next summer

Cricinfo staff29-Mar-2010The West Indian duo of Chris Gayle and Kemar Roach will join Western Australia for the Twenty20 domestic tournament next summer. Gayle was part of this season’s tournament but was limited to two matches by a side strain while Roach will be with the state for the first time.Roach, 21, left one of the biggest marks on the Australian summer when he hit Ricky Ponting on the elbow and forced him to retire hurt during the Test at Perth, his new home ground. His extreme pace makes him a worrying prospect for batsmen and he was picked up by Deccan Chargers for US$720,000 during the third IPL auction.Western Australia finished a disappointing fourth in the 2009-10 competition and have made the two signings in an effort to reach the lucrative Champions League tournament. “In Chris Gayle we have secured one of the game’s best Twenty20 players for the second successive season, while Kemar Roach is one of the most promising young pacemen in world cricket,” Western Australia’s chief executive Graeme Wood said.”It has been extremely disappointing to miss out on the opportunity to compete at the first two Champions League Twenty20 tournaments. We strongly believe that with Chris and Kemar added to the exciting local talent in the Warriors’ squad, we can give ourselves a great chance of qualifying for the 2011 edition.”

Cricinfo staff15-Mar-2010A solid second-innings batting performance helped Central Districts win their Plunket Shield match against Wellington by seven wickets in Napier, despite conceding a slender first-innings lead.Central asked Wellington to bat in what turned out to be a match with middling scores. Cameron Merchant and Luke Woodcock scored half-centuries in Wellington’s first innings but the lack of substantial scores from anyone else resulted in them being dismissed for 250. Doug Bracewell caused most of the damage, taking 5 for 47, and he was well supported by Adam Milne, who picked up 4 for 49. Central’s reply was weak: seven batsmen got past 20 but Brendon Diamanti’s 40 was the top score. Fast bowler Ili Tugaga took career-best figures of 5 for 77 to dismiss them for 232.Bracewell and Milne once again cut through the Wellington top order in the second innings and soon had in trouble at 26 for 3. Neal Parlene resisted with 90 but Wellington slipped to 207 all out. Bracewell, who finished the match with 9 for 109, and Milne, with seven wickets, had ensured their team had only 226 to chase for victory.Faced with a gettable target, Central’s top order delivered. The top three batsmen – Peter Ingram, Jamie How and Brad Patton – scored half-centuries and No. 4 Timothy Weston scored an unbeaten 41 to lead Central to 228 for 3 in only the 49th over. The victory kept Central Districts in second place in the league, behind Northern Districts.Canterbury edged ahead of Otago in the points table and took third place with a 158-run win in Queenstown. Their top order delivered a solid performance in the first innings – Michael Papps’ 83 and Dean Brownlie’s 63 were the highlights – and they were comfortably placed at 248 for 4 when the middle and lower order folded cheaply. They were dismissed for only 315 as a result.Canterbury’s bowlers rose to the challenge. Their new-ball operators, Hamish Bennett and Chris Martin, took three wickets each and Otago lost wickets steadily to be dismissed for 221. Derek de Boorder top scored 55 as they gave up a first-innings lead of 94. Canterbury’s batsmen performed once again in the second innings, with Papps leading the way with a century. He scored 122 and Johann Myburgh made 90, which allowed Canterbury to declare on 340 for 5, setting Otago a target of 435.Otago’s batsmen fared better in the chase. Opener Craig Cumming made 82 but a top-order hiccup resulted in a slide from 85 for 1 to 132 for 5. Sam Wells made a half-century in the middle order but became one of legspinner Todd Astle’s five wickets. Otago were eventually bowled out for 272 in the 93rd over of their innings.

Northern Districts 85 2 0 1 0 441.346 3555/95 3447/124 Central Districts 84 1 0 3 0 320.996 4217/117 4269/118 Canterbury 83 2 0 3 0 281.298 4534/106 4285/130 Otago 83 3 0 2 0 260.943 4282/124 4688/128 Wellington 82 5 0 1 0 180.747 4417/144 4229/103 Auckland 81 5 0 2 0 80.832 4129/113 4216/96

Rangers picked up their eighth consecutive win in the Premiership on Saturday as they scraped a 1-0 victory over Dundee United to extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points.

Right-back James Tavernier received the plaudits after his penalty proved the difference in what was a hard-fought victory for the Gers, who maintained their 100% winning record in the league under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Despite the 30-year-old’s winning goal, it was his fellow defender Connor Goldson who particularly impressed and played a vital role in securing the Light Blues’ fifth Premiership clean sheet in a row.

Gold-standard display from Goldson

The 29-year-old won nine of his duels as well as making three tackles, whilst not being dribbled past once as the Gers edged to victory. Goldson also managed an impressive 86% passing accuracy whilst having 112 touches, a significant tally for a centre-back.

The £6.75m-rated defender has been a kingpin for Van Bronckhorst’s side, both before and after Steven Gerrard’s departure for Aston Villa last month.

Having missed just two games in all competitions all season, playing the full 90 minutes for the remaining 30, the Englishman really has been a colossus for the Gers this term.

Rangers’ entire defensive unit has been a marvel this season, conceding just 14 goals in 19 games. However, what is particularly impressive is that they have only shipped four goals in the last eight league matches, going five consecutive matches without being breached.

Following today’s win over Dundee United, Football Scotland writer Euan Robertson stated that Goldson “is getting back to his dominant best”, but admittedly “breezed through the game in second gear” despite the narrow scoreline.

There is no doubt that the 29-year-old is a key fixture in this Rangers setup, and the Scottish champions will need the defender at his best and fully fit throughout the campaign if they are to retain their league title.

In other news – Forget Tavernier: Rangers gem who won 6 of his duels ran the show v Dundee United

A report from 90min at the beginning of the month claimed Everton had joined the race for Zenit St.Petersburg forward Sardar Azmoun, with the 26-year-old set to be available for free next summer.

However, with the January window now just days away, it would be a good idea for the Toffees to further their interest next month.

Dubbed previously as ‘the Iranian Messi’, the £22.5m-rated forward has scored ten goals in 21 appearances across all competitions for Zenit so far this campaign, including a goal against Chelsea in the Champions League recently.

Furthermore, having joined Zenit from Rubin Kazan three years ago, Azmoun has a prolific record of 62 goals and 23 assists in 104 appearances for the Russian giants. A goal contribution every 1.2 games.

The Iranian has reportedly attracted interest from Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, who is of Iranian decent, and, according to a previous coach of Azmoun, Moshiri previously contacted him and “tried to negotiate a transfer.”

The Russian Premier League side may have no choice but to sell the 26-year-old next month in order to receive a fee, with his contract set to expire in just seven months time.

The Toffees have appeared stuck all season, sitting in an underwhelming 14th place in the Premier League and are in desperate need of some extra firepower to propel them up the table in order to avoid any nervy moments in the second half of the campaign.

Luckily, signings that initially received a mixed reaction from fans in the summer have exceeded expectations with Demarai Gray (five goals) and Andros Townsend (three goals) helping to fill the void left by star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Moreover, with the lack of goals from Rondon who has netted only once, Rafa Benitez’s side’s attacking output could’ve been much worse.

Alas, extra options in that department will be welcomed with open arms by the Everton faithful, and a possible deal for Azmoun would be shrewd business given his goals record for Zenit.

The only doubt would be the fact that the Iranian hasn’t played professional football outside of Russia, and therefore the jump up to the Premier League may prove a tricky one…at least initially.

AND in other news, Time to go: Benitez should axe EFC’s “reckless” £18m-rated dud, he’s not good enough…