Tottenham Hotspur will still be without two first-team players as they return to UEFA Europa Conference League action later this evening…

What’s the word?

Spurs’ form has taken a turn for the worst in recent weeks, losing three straight heavy defeats in the Premier League, whilst they only just salvaged a point against Stade Rennes in their group stage opener two weeks ago.

Nuno Santo will probably be wanting to change things up on the pitch but he’ll be limited in his options as he won’t be able to call upon either Steven Bergwijn or Ryan Sessegnon.

Bergwijn picked up an injury during that clash in France, whilst Sessegnon has been injured since the international break at the start of the month.

“Nothing has changed,” the Portuguese told the club’s official website this week. “Sess and Stevie will not join the group. The rest of the squad is available. We will also bring in some Under-23s to help us, and we go for the game.”

Big setback

This will be hugely frustrating for the 47-year-old and it may leave him a little worried heading into kickoff, even if it is against a team of much lower quality.

Spurs will remember the Dinamo Zagreb clash from last season, which saw the Croatian champions perform a stunning comeback to knock them out of the Europa League, so no team should be taken lightly.

Nuno badly needs to shake things up, so having a player with a point to prove like Sessegnon available would’ve been an interesting option, whilst Bergwijn had started their opening three league games before his injury.

It can’t be that much of a coincidence that the Lilywhites won all three of those games, too.

He is also one of their biggest threats in the final third, having averaged 1.3 key passes and 2.3 shots per game, a feat only bettered by top goalscorer Heung-min Son, as per WhoScored.

Nuno may have to call upon some of the players that have severely let him down in defeats to arch-rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.

The Spurs boss is also thought to be under increasing pressure, according to some reports in the press, so it’s crucial that he gets a result and avoids an embarrassing upset against Mura tonight.

Given their recent performances, Nuno may well be gutted to not be able to change his side completely heading into this fixture.

AND in other news, Paratici risking catastrophic Spurs transfer disaster with £40.5m-rated “lightweight”…

A 91-run partnership between Taibur Rahman and Noor Hossain kept Bangladesh Under-19s hopes alive on the second day at the Khulna Divisional Stadium

Cricinfo staff28-Apr-2009
ScorecardA 91-run partnership between Taibur Rahman and Noor Hossain kept Bangladesh Under-19s hopes alive on the second day at the Khulna Divisional Stadium. The unbeaten eighth-wicket partnership buoyed the side after the Sri Lanka U-19 bolwers looked to have given the visitors firm control of the match.Kamrul Islam removed Shameera Weerasinghe for his fourth wicket, as Sri Lanka U-19 were bowled out after adding only nine to their overnight score of 271. The response from the hosts was insipid, as Chathura Peiris and Lahiru Jayarathne removed the top three batsmen with just 36 on the board. Weerasinghe legspin proved too hot as well, as he accounted for Sabbir Rahman and captain Mahmudul Hasan.Wicketkeeper Anamul Haque stroked a composed 43, but when he was trapped leg before by the economical Imesh Udayanga, Bangladesh U-19 were staring down the barrel at 138 for 7. Rahman and Hossain though, battled bravely to salvage the situation. It was a patient innings from both tailenders, with Rahman hitting four boundaries en route to his half-century and Hossain stroking six fours during his 94-ball stay.

Cricinfo previews the four-match ODI series between India and West Indies

The Preview by George Binoy25-Jun-2009Match factsFriday, June 26, 2009
Start time 09.30 (14.30 GMT)
The Big PictureA successful IPL proved crucial in Ashish Nehra’s selection for the ODI squad to West Indies•AFPWest Indies and India prepare for the first of four one-day internationals, in Jamaica, after extremely contrasting World Twenty20 campaigns in England. India entered the tournament as one of the favourites but underachieved tremendously, losing all their matches in the Super Eights stage. As a result of their second-round elimination, India reached the Caribbean even before their hosts, who exceeded expectations by qualifying for the semi-finals, where they lost to Sri Lanka.For India, a team shaken by defeat, injury and fatigue, this series is the last before a long break until the Champions Trophy in September. They will do well to focus on the task at hand, rather than think about the lengthy rest their tired bodies deserve. India are weakened for they are without Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Zaheer Khan, four key players either injured or resting because of their hectic schedule in recent months. Their unavailability, though, opens up rare opportunities for players on the fringes of the national squad such as Dinesh Karthik, S Badrinath and M Vijay because the Indian one-day side has been a settled unit for a while now. It also gives others, such as Ashish Nehra, a new lease of life for few would have expected him to return after four years on the sidelines.West Indies’ performance in the World Twenty20 was a dramatic improvement from their efforts during a torrid summer in which they lost both the Wisden Trophy and ODI series to England. Their run to the final four was especially heartening since Dwayne Bravo and Lendl Simmons scored runs in vital games, disproving the belief that West Indies’ batting is a three-man act of Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Surprisingly, though, the selectors have left out Lendl Simmons from the squad for the first two games. There are other tweaks too, with Darren Sammy omitted, Runako Morton and Narsingh Deonarine recalled, and the uncapped Darren Bravo brought in.ODI form guide (last five matches, most recent first)
India – LWWNW
India’s last ODI series was the five-match contest in New Zealand which they won 3-1 with one washout.West Indies – LLNLL
West Indies’ last five one-dayers were all against England and they didn’t win any, losing two at home and two away with one being abandoned.Watch out for …Ashish Nehra: The left-arm medium-pacer last played an international for India in September 2005 after which a spate of injuries kept him out of contention. However, a strong performance in the IPL, where Nehra was the third-highest wicket-taker with 19 at 18.21 each, coupled with the axing of Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan, paved the way for his return.Darren Bravo: If he’s anywhere near as skilled as his sibling Dwayne, India have a problem on their hands. Darren Bravo’s an unknown quantity to people outside the Caribbean, having played only 15 first-class games and eight List A matches for Trinidad & Tobago. It will be interesting to see what responsibility he’s given, if he plays, in the first two games against India.Team newsIndia have a few decisions to make regarding the composition of their final XI. Should Rohit Sharma continue opening in Sehwag’s absence? Or should he move down the order to give Vijay or Karthik a chance at the top? What of S Badrinath? Another worry for the team management is the delayed arrival of Karthik, Vijay and Badrinath due to issues with obtaining a transit visa to England. They were scheduled to arrive in Jamaica on Thursday evening.India (likely): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Dinesh Karthik, 3 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 RP Singh, 11 Ashish Nehra.Simmons’ omission from the West Indies squad was surprising considering he scored 150 runs during the World Twenty20, including a 50-ball 77 against South Africa, and took a four-wicket haul in the group match against Sri Lanka. They also omitted Darren Sammy who has been an underrated allrounder in the West Indian outfit.West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Runako Morton, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Darren Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Suleiman Benn, 11 Lionel BakerStats and triviaWest Indies have won four out of their last five ODIs in Jamaica – against India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland. India have played only two ODIs at Sabina Park of which they lost one and won the other.Only once has a team made more than 300 at Sabina Park: Pakistan made 349 against Zimbabwe during the 2007 World Cup. The highest target successfully chased there is 254 when South Africa made 255 for 2 against West Indies in 2005.Quotes”West Indies are playing good cricket at the moment. They had a very good World Twenty20 tournament, but in 50 overs, you have time to settle down.”
“Both teams are looking to win and they (India) are trying to prove something against us. At the same time we want to get more wins under our belt and continue our development.”

Leeds United continued their poor start to the Premier League season as they lost 1-0 to Southampton at St. Mary’s, leaving them 17th in the table.

One team enduring a worse campaign, however, is newly-promoted Norwich. The Canaries are rooted to the bottom of the league and held Brighton to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Interestingly, though, a Leeds transfer target was involved in a slight controversy, as Todd Cantwell was omitted from the matchday squad despite being available for selection after time out due to personal reasons.

Norwich manager Daniel Farke insisted that his lack of involvement was purely down to Kieran Dowell’s form in training, although the ex-Everton man was then an unused substitute. He said:

“It was not a decision against Todd. It was more about Kieran, who was always available during this period. He trains unbelievably hard and in an outstanding way.

“Todd missed many weeks and was only back in team training at the start of the week. For each and every player who comes back after missing a period of training they have to show consistency in how they train to be picked ahead of a different player.”

With Cantwell’s contract expiring at the end of the season, this potential friction at Carrow Road could allow Leeds to swoop in and secure a deal in the January transfer window. Norwich have the option to extend his terms for another year, which means that it is unlikely Leeds will be able to sign him for nothing, but the next window could represent their best chance to rake in a large fee for the attacker.

If the Canaries wait until next summer to cash in then he will only have 12 months left on his contract and could be forced to sell for a minimal fee. Therefore, Leeds could tempt them into selling him in January for a deal that would suit all parties involved, with the Whites not overpaying for his services and Norwich not losing him for next to nothing.

His former Norwich youth team coach, Gary Cockaday, hailed his talents in an eye-catching way. He told The Athletic: 

“He did things every week that were just special. It was God-given. No one taught it. I always believed if you had someone like that, don’t change them or make them conform.”

Orta must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for the midfielder as he could forge an exciting partnership with current first-team star Raphinha.

The Brazilian loves to get fans off their seats at Elland Road, with nine goals and nine assists in the top-flight since the start of last season. Cantwell was directly involved in 12 goals in the Championship last term and managed six strikes and two assists in the Premier League the year before.

This shows that, like Raphinha, the Englishman has the ability to score and create goals from an attacking midfield position. Therefore, they could form a deadly attack for Leeds by linking up together to open up chances for themselves to score, weaving inside and out of opposition defenders.

Imagine Cantwell and Raphinha playing one-twos on the edge of the box to work room for a shot or to feed the ball to Patrick Bamford for him to score…tantalising!

AND in other news, Concerning injury update emerges on £35k-p/w Leeds powerhouse, fans surely devastated…

James Tavernier joined Rangers from Wigan in 2015 for a reported fee of just £225,000 and has gone on to enjoy a sublime career in Scotland to date.

The right-back began his career in England with Newcastle and spent time with Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan, amongst others, before finally settling down and finding a home at Ibrox.

As of today (2 October), Tavernier has amassed 301 appearances for Rangers, scoring 66 goals and setting up a further 94.

Players experience peaks and troughs throughout their careers and Tavernier was no exception. His market value on Transfermarkt rose from £360k in 2015 to £5.4m in February 2020, steadily climbing over the five years in between as he became a regular at Rangers.

He then experienced a low point as his form dipped and his value followed. In April 2020, his price dropped down to £4.35m – the lowest it had been since January 2019 (£1.80m).

In the 2019/20 campaign, Tavernier played 10 games in the Europa League for Rangers and was only able to provide one assist, with zero goals, from right-back. He was also dribbled past once per game, whilst only making 0.5 interceptions per match, and lost 50% of his duels. This suggests that he was not strong enough to dominate opposition players, whilst he also gave the ball away 240 times in those 10 matches, which may have contributed to his value dropping to £4.35m that season.

His form in the competition improved in the following season. He played seven times in the 2020/21 Europa League and provided two goals and one assist. Tavernier won 54% of his duels and made 1.3 interceptions per game, whilst only being dribbled past 0.6 times per match, losing the ball 17.6 times per game instead of 24.

Meanwhile, Tavernier’s Premiership form was outstanding in the 2020/21 campaign. He averaged a sensational SofaScore rating of 7.70 as he managed 12 goals and nine assists from right-back, showcasing the quality he can provide from defence.

Steven Gerrard was able to use his man management skills and coaching to improve Tavernier’s game and get him playing his best football after a difficult period. It could have been easy for the head coach to discard the defender after that rough patch in 2020 and sign a replacement in the summer transfer window to take his spot.

Instead, he kept faith in Tavernier and now he is being rewarded by the 29-year-old. As of the start of October, Transfermarkt value him at £7.2m. This is a 33.3% increase from February 2020, showing how Gerrard has been able to help the right-back soar in the space of less than two years, bouncing back quickly from his poor form. It has been a masterclass in management from Gerrard, and hopefully Tavernier will continue to perform on the pitch.

In other news: Concerning claim made on “lightning-quick” Rangers gem, fans would be worried

The previous summer transfer window saw Southampton sell striker Danny Ings to fellow Premier League club Aston Villa after the Englishman managed to score 46 goals in 100 appearances for the Saints.

Unsurprisingly, Southampton have been struggling in front of goal so far this season with just five goals scored in their opening seven Premier League games.

Although things aren’t looking too positive at Southampton at the moment, there is one player at the club that Hasenhuttl should consider giving a chance to play in the first team to help fix their attacking output.

16-year-old attacking-midfielder Kamari Doyle has been showing his talents in Southampton’s youth teams in recent weeks.

Back in August, Doyle made three appearances for Southampton’s U18 side in the U18 Premier League where he managed to score five goals and provide one assist with all five strikes incredibly coming in their 7-2 win over Birmingham City.

Since then, the teenager has been involved with Southampton’s U23 team, playing in numerous positions as a second striker, central-midfielder and a right-winger, which shows just how skilled he is at just 16-years-old.

In addition to this, the fact that Doyle was recently named in The Guardian’s Next Generation 2021 list of the 20 best young talents across the Premier League clubs, proves how impressive he has been in Southampton’s youth ranks and how big his future at the club could be.

Taking all of this into account, we feel that it could well be worth Hasenhuttl giving Doyle a chance to show what he can do in the Premier League with the rest of the senior team, even at such a young age.

With current Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse set to begin serving a three-match ban after the current international break following a red card during the club’s previous clash with Chelsea, it could open the door for Doyle to make his senior debut from the bench.

Looking further down the line, we feel that there’s every chance that Doyle could potentially replace Ward-Prowse and be Southampton’s next academy star to come through the ranks and impress. He has the goal-scoring prowess to do so which combines nicely with his tidy ability on the ball. Doyle’s versatility is also a trait that compares well with the club’s skipper.

In our view, whether Hasenhuttl chooses to give Doyle a shot in their upcoming Premier League matches, the Saints could really do with getting their first win of the season as soon as they can to move away from the relegation zone.

In other news: Ralph could solve Southampton’s JWP problem instantly after big injury boost – opinion

Manchester United have suffered a potential injury blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Leicester City on Saturday after Raphael Varane was forced out of the UEFA Nations League final before half-time.

What’s the word?

The France defender limped off the pitch after appearing to pull up while running and was seen with ice on his right thigh following his substitution on the 43-minute mark.

Varane initially received treatment on the pitch from the national team’s medical staff, but it soon became clear that he couldn’t carry on, leaving Didier Deschamps with no choice but to replace him with Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano.

Although the true extent of the centre-back’s injury is still currently unknown, it’s possible that he won’t be able to feature for the Red Devils over the weekend, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a real selection headache.

Solskjaer will be absolutely gutted

Club captain Harry Maguire was absent from United’s 1-1 draw with Everton last time out and has also played no part in England’s fixtures over the current international break.

It is currently unclear whether or not he will be available for United’s trip to the King Power Stadium, but if he is, Solskjaer may well be without both of his first-choice centre-back’s, leaving him absolutely gutted.

Varane has made seven appearances in all competitions for the 20-time English champions since arriving from Real Madrid over the summer, starting in each of their last five Premier League encounters.

Therefore, his possible enforced absence will come as a bitter blow to United, who will be aiming to get back to winning ways against the Foxes.

Solskjaer may be forced to turn to a duo of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly if Varane is unable to recover in time, something which may be of cause for concern for the Norwegian tactician.

Maguire and Varane are both genuine international stars so to lose them would be a colossal blow to their chances.

Leicester haven’t been in great form but they still have the Premier League’s top scorer, Jamie Vardy, to contend with.

And, in other news…100% dribble success rate, 13 duels won: Man Utd gem shone on the international stage 

Graham Manou has learnt that a lot can change between two Ashes series. When England visited in 2006-07, South Australia dropped an out-of-form Manou from the side to face Andrew Flintoff’s men in a tour match. Nearly three years on, he is embarking on an Ashes tour of his own as the backup wicketkeeper to Brad Haddin.It’s hardly surprising that Manou was the most searched-for player on Cricinfo after the naming of Australia’s squad on Wednesday. The only uncapped member of the group, Manou was considered by most observers – and by himself – a long, long shot for the tour a few months ago.If Australia took a reserve gloveman, Luke Ronchi was clearly the man in waiting. A glut of wicketkeepers including Chris Hartley, Tim Paine and Matthew Wade were also pushing to be next in line. But timing is everything and as Ronchi’s runs dried up and he was dropped by his state, Manou enjoyed a prolific summer and scored 647 runs and grabbed 33 dismissals while captaining South Australia.He knows he’s unlikely to play a Test in England but having watched Haddin’s progress as the reserve for Adam Gilchrist on the 2005 Ashes tour, Manou is simply grateful for the opportunity. “It was really noticeable how much he took from that tour as an opposition player,” Manou told reporters in Adelaide after hearing of his inclusion.”When he came back to play in the Shield games following that tour he was really impressive the way he went about it all. If I can learn as much off him as he did with Gilly and then to also go out onto the field and display those qualities, then fingers crossed, my game will continue to go from strength to strength.”Manou, 30, has been on the first-class scene for a decade, since taking over from Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen as South Australia’s gloveman. He rose to win the state’s vice-captaincy under Darren Lehmann but after his axing in 2006-07, his future was far from assured.The next summer he returned more determined, won back his position, started making runs again – including 190 against the reigning champions Tasmania – and was eventually handed the captaincy. Manou’s work behind the stumps has also drawn praise from the notoriously hard-marking Darren Berry, the former Victoria wicketkeeper, who said this year Manou was easily Australia’s best gloveman besides Haddin.Having another experienced wicketkeeper in the squad will keep Haddin on his toes. However, the incumbent is happy the tradition of taking a reserve to England has continued and he hopes Manou returns home with plenty of lessons learned.”I don’t see him as a threat,” Haddin said. “From a personal point of view, going away with the Australian team, I think it will better his cricket coming back to Australia, seeing the way we prepare. I don’t think threat is the right word, I think you’re always just naturally trying to improve yourself.”Graham has got a pretty steady head on his shoulders. He captains South Australia now, so he’s been around state cricket a long time. He probably knows his game a bit better than the other keepers around the country at the moment.”If Manou does get an opportunity it is likely to be in one of the four tour matches peppered throughout the Tests. It could be the perfect time for Australia to rest Haddin, who is the only man to have played every Test and one-day international since the tour of India last October. Haddin is more than happy to have played all the games but by mid-tour his workload could begin to become tiring.”I think I’m a bit different to the other guys,” Haddin said. “I only really came into Test cricket in the last 12 months. If you look at the workload of [Mitchell] Johnson and guys they’ve been going pretty solidly for the last two years. The whole experience is still pretty new to me. From that point of view I feel pretty good.”Haddin broke a finger during his Test debut in the West Indies last year but played through pain to complete the series. And with the goal of being part of an Ashes triumph after witnessing first-hand the misery of the 2005 defeat, don’t expect Haddin to hand over the Test gloves to Manou unless his arms fall off.”This will be my first Ashes series where I’ll get the chance to play,” Haddin said. “I’m pretty excited and I’ve definitely had one eye on this for a long time.”

Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney is reportedly set to miss his side’s Carabao Cup fourth round clash with Leeds United on Tuesday night.

The Lowdown: Leeds head to Arsenal

The Whites trade Premier League duties for domestic cup action on Tuesday, making the trip to the Emirates as they look to reach the quarter-finals.

While the league clearly takes precedence for Leeds, particularly given their struggles at the moment, a good cup run could turn their fortunes around after a worrying start to this campaign.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Tierney set to miss out

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post‘s Joe Urquhart on Monday, Tierney is expected to be an injury absentee for the game.

The Scot missed Arsenal 3-1 win over Aston Villa last Friday with a bruised ankle and he is unlikely to be fit in time to take to the field.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-22/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Boost for Bielsa and co

Tierney has been an impressive signing for Arsenal, providing quality and tenacity at left-back – he has averaged 1.3 key passes per game in the league this season – so he could be a miss for the Gunners from a creativity sense.

Should Raphinha be deemed fit to start in north London, he could be buoyed by Tierney’s absence, although it remains to be seen how strong Marcelo Bielsa’s starting lineup will be, as he potentially rotates his squad.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided another worrying Leeds injury update. Read more here.

Celtic lost one of their stars in the summer as central defender Kristoffer Ajer departed Parkhead and the Hoops when he was sold to Premier League side Brentford.

After months of speculation, with reports of failed bids from Bayer Leverkusen and Norwich, Ajer sealed his permanent move to the London-based club and Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou lost a top player in the heart of his defence.

The Hoops landed Ajer from Norweigan side IK Start for a measly £540k in the summer of 2016 and he established himself as a regular starter over the years at Parkhead. He played 176 matches in all competitions for Celtic, scoring seven goals from centre-back and eventually earning himself his big-money switch to Brentford.

Last season, Ajer caught the eye with a series of impressive performances. He averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.15 as he started 34 matches in the Premiership. Celtic kept 17 clean sheets in those games, with Ajer winning 62% of his duels on the pitch. That ensured he made 2.7 tackles and interceptions and 3.3 clearances per game.

The towering Norweigan also went through the entire campaign without committing a single recognised error leading to a shot or goal. This does not include penalties as one spot-kick given away was a small blot on an eye-catching season for Ajer.

Speaking in 2020, Alex McLeish labeled Ajer “influential” and likened him to Liverpool colossus Virgil van Dijk. The ex-Villa coach told Football Insider:

“I go back to that St Johnstone game, you see sometimes when it’s not going for Celtic, and the game’s in its dying embers, and then all of a sudden you see Ajer striding up the pitch trying to inspire like Roy of the Rovers.

“Running from defence, augment the attack and then it leads to a goal – these are inspirational moments, and he is an inspirational, influential player for Celtic. Like Virgil van Dijk, he came to Celtic, and we all know what happened next.”

His superb form in the Premiership, highlighted by these comments and the aforementioned statistics, secured him his transfer to the Bees this summer. The Premier League side paid roughly £13.5m for his services, which shows that Celtic pulled off a transfer masterclass with the defender.

They bought a teenager centre-back with 61 matches of senior experience for £540k and developed him into a £13.5m player. This is a profit of almost £13m for five years of work behind the scenes on the training pitch and in games each week in the Premiership, sending a message to other young players who could see Ajer’s progress and want to go on a similar journey.

This means that Celtic made a healthy turnover on Ajer whilst potentially giving themselves a better chance of landing talented young players in the future. They could be given a boost in the transfer window as they can point to players like Ajer as examples of the excellent work they can do.

AND in other news, £7.4k-p/w Celtic wizard’s value has soared 177.7% since January, Postecoglou loves him…