All posts by h716a5.icu

One yorker on Tuesday night could have won a close game for India but an old weakness came back to hurt India yet again

Sriram Veera in Dhaka06-Jan-2010One yorker on Tuesday night could have won a close game for India but none came. There were attempted yorkers that ended up as full tosses and the dew certainly didn’t help but there weren’t any potent slower deliveries. It’s an old weakness, as MS Dhoni acknowledged after the game, one that has periodically hurt India.”Good yorkers and slower ones are always going to help you win the games but I am not too disappointed as it was tough to bowl yorkers here with the dew,” Dhoni said. “But yes, we don’t bowl too many yorkers even otherwise. It can’t happen overnight. We have bowled yorkers well in patches and I would like to think we are improving but we have to keep practising. On wickets like these, and with all the dew, we have to rely a lot on variation of pace rather than line and length. Hopefully, the bowlers will get it right in the next games.”When was the last time you remember an Indian bowler bowling yorkers at will? It’s an inexplicable gap in India’s otherwise well-stocked arsenal, one brought into sharper focus on Tuesday when Chanaka Welegedara sent down two screaming yorkers to knock out the stumps of Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir.In fact the two most memorable yorkers associated with Indian cricket history were not really yorkers. Kapil Dev’s inswinging full delivery to Qasim Omar in the World Championship of Cricket in 1985 was one of the dramatic cricket images from the 1980s, yet it wasn’t a yorker as it was well short of the blockhole. However, it became one in the retelling over the years. The second instance is Zaheer Khan’s full delivery to remove Steve Waugh in Champions Trophy in 2000; again, it was not a yorker.Manoj Prabhakar had a good slower one and a yorker and Venkatesh Prasad too could bowl a deceptive slower one but they were more an exception than the norm. The lack of yorker and slower one led to the most famous image of the 1980s – Javed Miandad swatting a full toss from Chetan Sharma beyond the boundary to win a game off the last ball, in Sharjah in 1986.Back then, the conventional explanation for the lack of such a bowler was that India didn’t produce really fast bowlers, yet that logic fell flat in the face of medium-pacers from other countries – Simon O’ Donnell and even a young Steve Waugh – perfecting this delivery. Prabhakar’s arrival was celebrated for his ability to fool the batsman with a slower one; finally, here was an Indian seamer bowling a yorker.That same ability stood Ajit Agarkar in good stead and prompted some overlooking of his occasional indiscipline with line and length at crucial moments – just as Javagal Srinath’s talents would be held up against his inability to bowl a yorker or a slower one, though he later developed a slower one and even bowled a yorker or two.Today, a yorker is still a rare commodity in Indian cricket despite the unquestioned skills of Zaheer, the nous of Ashish Nehra and Sreesanth and the pace of Ishant Sharma. Instead, India’s death bowling seems to be a mess. Zaheer overdoes the pace, Praveen Kumar overdoes the slow bouncer and Ishant can’t seem to decide whether he has to bowl full or try to get more bounce from his natural short of length. Nehra looks better than the rest as he concentrates on bowling full and straight. Sreesanth is a much better bowler when he hits the deck and gets the ball to seam away, as he almost seems to float the white ball innocuously when he hurls it really full. No wonder, then, that for a while the best Indian bowler at the death was Anil Kumble.It was a welcome change, then, when Zaheer and Nehra bowled tight lengths in the end in Rajkot last month to win a very close game against Sri Lanka. There might even have been a couple of yorkers involved.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones of Eurosport has made a rather promising claim involving Tottenham Hotspur and Lautaro Martinez.

The Lowdown: Spurs dealt Martinez summer blow…

As reliably reported, Spurs were well in the mix to sign the Inter Milan striker even before new manager Antonio Conte’s highly-anticipated arrival in north London.

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Indeed, managing director Fabio Paratici had his sights set on the Argentine at one point in the summer window and The Times even revealed that a £60m fee had been agreed with Inter.

However, in a twist to the tale, London rivals Chelsea played a heavy hand in Tottenham’s failed swoop for Martinez thanks to their capture of Belgium superstar Romelu Lukaku.

Fabrizio Romano explained that the 28-year-old’s move to Stamford Bridge prompted Inter’s reluctance to agree a deal with Spurs over Martinez, especially considering that they would have been left without a marquee centre-forward (Twitter).

The Argentina striker duly ended up putting pen to paper on a new deal at the San Siro instead, which reportedly earning him around £179,000 per week.

The Latest: Spurs could now return…

You’d think that would be the end of Tottenham’s interest, but Jones has now come out with another twist to the tale.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he believes that Spurs under Conte will return for another attempt in the winter window, explaining:

“”I’m told Lautaro Martinez is someone they’re going to look back towards again in January.”

The Verdict: Exciting…

Given their links to Fiorentina hotshot Dusan Vlahovic, with there even being talk of a meeting held in London already, this claim on an alternative star striker target is certainly exciting.

Going by Martinez’s pedigree, he is a player who would significantly bolster Conte’s options at Spurs and could partner star striker Harry Kane to devastating effect – or maybe even replace him.

According to WhoScored, the 24-year-old has scored more goals in Serie A this season than anyone for Tottenham in the Premier League, racking up a higher average of attempts per 90 in that time also.

The South American has also attracted praise from some the very best strikers in world football, including former Inter teammate Lukaku, who called Martinez a ‘beast’ on Instagram Live (via Daily Mail).

However, one major hiccup to this Spurs transfer plan may be costs, especially considering that the Argentina international is valued at around £72m by Transfermarkt.

Paratici and co will need to smash the club’s transfer record to get a deal done, but going by his age, calibre and quality, Martinez may well be worth the investment.

In other news: Tottenham tell rising star he is free to leave as they green light surprise exit from N17, find out more here.

Cameron White is second-in-command for Friday’s T20 against Pakistan and there is a push for him to take the reins permanently

Brydon Coverdale03-Feb-2010Mark Waugh believes Cameron White should be Australia’s Twenty20 captain. Justin Langer thinks White can definitely lead Australia in the future. The man himself is more interested in learning from Michael Clarke, but it’s a scenario that might not be far away after his promotion as Australia’s Twenty20 deputy.White is second-in-command for Friday’s game against Pakistan and there is a push for him to take the reins permanently, given Clarke’s ongoing back problems and his struggles in the shortest format. The chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch is in no doubt Clarke can contribute as a Twenty20 player, despite never having passed 50 in 19 internationals.Clarke’s style of batting works perfectly in Tests and he’s an effective one-day player, but he doesn’t typically show the sort of raw power associated with the shortest format. By contrast, White was one of the first batsmen to shine when the 20-over game arrived on the English domestic scene and he has captained Victoria for seven seasons and led them to four Big Bash titles in five years.”Michael’s going to do a great job and I’ll just look forward to working with him,” White said. “I’m still really young in the [Australia] job as well and very inexperienced at this level, so I think I can learn a lot off him.”I’ve been captain of Victoria for six or seven years now and captained a lot of Twenty20 especially, and had some good success there. If that opportunity came that would be great. There would be quite a different level of pressure involved but I’m pretty confident that I could do a good job.”What is not in doubt is White’s suitability to the Twenty20 game. The unbeaten 141 he made for Somerset in 2006 remains the third best score ever made and he is the only man to have two innings in the top 10 of all time.His muscular strokeplay works well in the genre and he will be a key man for Australia in May’s World Twenty20, after inexplicably being left out of the initial squad for last year’s tournament. His Twenty20 international strike-rate is 150 while Clarke’s is 102, but White is confident Clarke can be an influential player for Australia.”There’s times when you have to hit the boundary as well and Michael’s a fantastic player and has shots all round the wicket,” White said. “In this format of the game it takes a while to work out where you can play those particular shots and Michael having played so much cricket will work that out very quickly. I have no doubt that he’ll adapt his very good game to Twenty20.”You’ve got to find the way to take the pressure off and get the ball to the boundary at certain stages. The statistics show there’s still quite a lot of dot balls in Twenty20 cricket as well, so one of Michael’s great strengths in one-day cricket is that he doesn’t face a lot of balls in a row.”The first challenge for the Clarke-White leadership team is taking on Pakistan, the reigning World Twenty20 champions, at the MCG on Friday. It’s a chance not only to complete a Test, ODI and Twenty20 clean-sweep against the visitors but also to sow some seeds of doubt in their minds, with the two teams set to play each other in the pool stage of the World Twenty20 in the West Indies.”They’re the best team in the world at this format of the game. I think it suits them very well, you get to play with freedom and not a lot of fear. They can go out and play the way they naturally do and let their talents shine through. We’ll have to play exceptionally well again to beat them.”

Newcastle’s dismal Premier League campaign continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Norwich at St. James’ Park on Tuesday night.

The Magpies got off to the worst possible as Ciaran Clark hauled Teemu Pukki down and was shown a straight red card by the referee.

However, a handball by Billy Gilmour gifted Callum Wilson the opportunity to score from the spot and his effort from 12-yards snuck past Tim Krul to hand the lead.

Eddie Howe’s side failed to pick up their first win, though, as Teemu Pukki scored a stunning volley to level the scores for the Canaries.

Let Howe down

Clark’s early mistake and sending off disrupted Newcastle’s rhythm and there were some resilient performances across the pitch to dig in and pick up a result. However, one player who did let Howe down on the pitch was central midfielder Joe Willock.

He struggled in the midfield and found it difficult to make his mark defensively or in transition. He had one promising break in the first half leading to a chance for Callum Wilson, but did little else on the ball in the match – ending his time on the pitch with just 24 touches.

Magpies goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (45) had more touches than the ex-Arsenal man. Jonjo Shelvey, meanwhile, had 54 touches and completed six long balls and crosses combined, showing that he took charge in the midfield.

Defensively, the £19.8m-rated flop was poor. Per SofaScore, he lost 62.5% of his duels – five of eight – and failed to make a single tackle, interception, clearance or block whilst being dribbled past once. This shows that he was a lightweight defending his own goal and let Howe down with his attempts to win the ball back off Norwich or to close their players down.

It is difficult to blame Willock for his lack of quality on the ball due to the circumstances at play in the match, but his lack of strength off the ball is a major cause for concern.

Howe will surely be livid with his lack of involvement against the play and it could cost him his place in the XI for the clash with Burnley at the weekend. There was an effort from the 22-year-old to help Jamal Lewis out at left-back and plug gaps, but he needs to be more effective with his work rate.

In the position Newcastle are in, they cannot afford to carry passengers in the side and that was what Willock was with his performance in midfield. He needs to buck his ideas up if he wants to live up to his reported £25m transfer fee.

AND in other news, NUFC could kickstart Howe era with £275k-p/w gem who plays football “like a dance”…

Leeds United are likely to sign a backup midfielder for Kalvin Phillips in the January transfer window, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Lack of midfield depth

The Whites have suffered a number of key injury problems so far this season, with the likes of Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford missing for long periods.

Even Phillips hasn’t quite been an ever-present in the middle of the park, starting 12 of his side’s 15 Premier League matches.

There have been a lack of options in that area, especially with Robin Koch a long-term absentee, and the need for reinforcements there is clear.

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The Latest: Journalist makes transfer claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed it appears likely that a new No.6 will come into Leeds’ squad next month, in order to provide more depth:

“From what I’m hearing, they might bring in a No.6 midfield cover in January, somebody to provide some backup to Kalvin Phillips with Adam Forshaw just returning from injury. So probably a more defensive midfielder or central midfielder rather than an attacking one.”

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The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

Leeds don’t need to make wholesale signings in January, especially now Ayling and Bamford are fit again, but midfield is certainly a position that needs to be strengthened.

Phillips went off with a knock in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at home to Brentford, while Adam Forshaw has only recently returned from a two-year injury absence.

Someone like Cagliari and Uruguay enforcer Nahitan Nandez would be perfect, with the Leeds-linked man averaging two tackles and 2.6 aerial wins per game in Serie A this season, compared to Phillips’ 2.3 and 0.8 in the Premier League, respectively.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a loan move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Queensland confirmed their place in the Sheffield Shield final and kept the pressure on Victoria with a 94-run victory over South Australia

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2010Queensland 160 and 6 for 237 dec beat South Australia 72 and 231 (Harris 62, Smith 53, Feldman 4-63) by 94 runs
ScorecardLuke Feldman now has 24 wickets in five Sheffield Shield games•Getty ImagesQueensland confirmed their place in the Sheffield Shield final and kept the pressure on Victoria with a 94-run victory over South Australia. Luke Feldman and Chris Swan made sure the rain didn’t stop a win at the Gabba as they overcame some early concerns to dismiss the Redbacks for 231.Daniel Harris and Michael Klinger gave South Australia hope of chasing the 326 for victory in the difficult conditions when they put on 70 for the second wicket, but the home side surged to take 9 for 72. A damp ball suddenly didn’t concern the bowlers as the game swung in three run-less overs when four wickets fell and the Redbacks tumbled to 5 for 159.Klinger (37) and Mark Cosgrove both edged Swan, Harris departed for 62 when caught behind off Feldman and Swan removed Cameron Borgas first ball with Craig Philipson’s second catch at second slip. Daniel Christian and Aaron O’Brien hung around for 30 runs before the wickets tumbled again.Feldman knocked over Christian (18) and Tim Ludeman, who were both taken by Chris Hartley as he pouched his 250th catch in the competition. Ben Cutting bowled O’Brien when he shouldered arms to an off-cutter to have them 8 for 189.Philipson and Nathan Rimmington finished things off to end a bad game for South Australia, who were dismissed for 72 on the second day. Feldman is in his debut season and took his tally to 24 wickets in five Shield games with 4 for 63 while Swan, the swing bowler, returned 3 for 59.The win lifted Queensland to 32 points and they will battle with Victoria over the final round to determine who hosts the final on March 17. Queensland play Western Australia at the Gabba from Wednesday while Victoria are at home to Tasmania.

Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad shared five wickets as England built on a commanding batting display by reducing Bangladesh to 154 for 5 at Chittagong

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan13-Mar-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPaul Collingwood helped himself to 145 as England piled up a huge total•Getty ImagesGraeme Swann and Stuart Broad shared five wickets as England built on a commanding batting display by reducing Bangladesh to 154 for 5 at Chittagong, but Tamim Iqbal at least provided some resistance with a combative, unbeaten 81. Paul Collingwood’s 10th Test hundred, and a stand of 184 in 35 overs with Ian Bell, propelled the visitors’ total to 599 for 6 and despite a counterattack by Tamim and Mahmudullah Bangladesh have a huge task to even take the game five days.The match was crying out for an element of competitiveness from Bangladesh after an insipid performance in the field and Tamim’s performance at least ensured the England attack weren’t given as easy a ride as the batsmen. However, Swann’s removal of Mahmudallah and Shakib Al Hasan before the close were huge blows for the home side who still need 246 to save the follow onTamim’s 125 in the one-day series displayed the talent he holds, but if Bangladesh are to develop as a Test nation those innings have to be played over the longer format and Tamim’s contest with the England attack became the most compelling part of the match. He impressively restrained his attacking instincts as the close approached and also had the technique to withstand the quicks.That couldn’t be said of his first two partners as Broad exploited a glaring weakness against the short ball to remove Imrul Kayes and Junaid Siddique in the 30-minute passage before tea following Alastair Cook’s positive declaration. Both batsmen had no idea how to handle the short deliveries as Broad proved comfortably the quickest bowler of the match and extracted disconcerting lift.When Swann continued his extraordinary knack of striking in his first over, removing Aftab Ahmed courtesy of alert anticipation at short leg by Bell and a dubious decision, Bangladesh were tottering on 51 for 3 and it was threatening to become a walkover. But Tamim was joined by Mahmudullah, who scored a maiden Test century on the recent tour of New Zealand to follow impressive contributions against India, and together the pair revived the innings with a stand of 94. The stand served as a reminder that once the Kookaburra ball loses its hardness wicket-taking proves hard work.Tamim became the quickest Bangladesh player to pass 1000 Test runs – in 29 innings – as he reached a half century from 53 balls. The knock included a hooked six off Broad and he latched onto Steven Finn’s first spell in Tests as a three-over burst cost 25.Mahmudullah offered stylish support and justified his elevation up the order following the hasty reshuffle of the line-up after Raqibul Hasan’s ‘retirement’. He drove confidently through the off side, but the pick of his shots was a six straight against Swann. However, shortly after reaching fifty Swann had revenge when Mahmudullah gloved a sweep and a skilled set-up by the bowler did for Shakib who tried to drive inside-out.Graeme Swann’s first over magic

Gambhir & Dravid, lbw – first Test v India, Chennai, 2008-09

Benn, lbw – third Test v West Indies, St. John’s, 2008-09

Smith, lbw, & Taylor, bowled – fourth Test v West Indies, Bridgetown, 2008-09

Smith, bowled, & Chanderpaul, caught – first Test v West Indies, Lord’s, 2009

Clarke, bowled – second Test v Australia, Lord’s, 2009

Katich, lbw – third Test v Australia, Edgbaston, 2009

North, lbw – fifth Test v Australia, The Oval, 2009

Prince & Duminy, caught – first Test v South Africa, Centurion, 2009-10

Kallis & Prince, caught – second Test v South Africa, Durban, 2009-10

Boucher, caught – third Test v South Africa, Cape Town, 2009-10

Duminy & Boucher, caught – fourth Test v South Africa, Johannesburg, 2009-10

Aftab, caught – first Test v Bangladesh, Chittagong, 2009-10

England paced their innings perfectly with Collingwood and Bell stepping on the gas to plunder the bowling in the afternoon. Collingwood struck a single boundary between his fifty and his hundred – and that appeared to deflect of pad rather than bat – but after reaching three figures off 157 balls he began to pepper the boundary in one-day style. Midwicket, both along the ground and in the air, is Collingwood’s area and he toyed with the Bangladesh spinners.So, too, did Bell although he has not made such easy runs since the 162 he plundered off Bangladesh during his third Test in 2005. The bowling was barely first-class standard, let alone Test quality. In contrast to Collingwood’s rustic thumping, Bell was elegance personified as he regularly skipped down the pitch to counter the leg-stump line of the spinners and fed the ball through the off side with inside-out drives. He was given the chance to become the third century-maker of the innings but fell to a well-judged boundary catch which signalled the declaration.That smart piece of work from Rubel Hossain at long off was the exception rather than the rule as the fielding disintegrated, while Mushfiqur Rahim continued to be a liability behind the stumps. Bangladesh had long-since given up the pretence of trying to bowl England out and it was clear from the start of play, when Shakib removed all the slips, that they were just waiting for the visitors to score as many as they wanted.Cook ticked past his previous career-best of 160 against West Indies, at Chester-le-Street, last year but continued England’s lack of double hundreds when he pulled a long hop back to the bowler. England’s last was by Kevin Pietersen in 2007 and there have only been seven since Graham Gooch, Cook’s mentor, hit 333 against India in 1990. But while the double eluded the new captain, a Test victory is well within his grasp.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans are buzzing over a transfer update involving former Liverpool star and Paris-Saint Germain midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

It’s only been a matter of months since the Netherlands international swapped Anfield for the French capital as former Premier League boss Mauricio Pochettino brought him to PSG on a free deal.

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However, a lack of game time under the Argentine has already seen him being linked with a move away from Ligue 1 and back to the English top flight.

In a shock update, West Ham are among the clubs who could actually sign the £165,000-per-week star as 90min share a transfer update out of the London Stadium.

According to their sources, manager David Moyes and the Hammers have now been offered Wijnaldum through intermediaries as his agents work on a January move for the player.

In terms of West Ham’s stance after these representatives made an approach, it is believed that the club haven’t ruled out the possibility of negotiating a loan deal in the winter window.

West Ham fans buzz…

As this transfer update emerges, it’s safe to say this Wijnaldum story has many Irons supporters buzzing on Twitter.

Despite Pochettino’s lack of consistent starts for the 31-year-old, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s praise for the player over 2020/2021 speaks volumes for his quality.

The German lauded Wijnaldum as a ‘legend’ and ‘sensational’ last season and it’s not hard to see why going by his impressive stats.

Indeed, he actually averaged a higher pass accuracy (92.7%) than any Reds player last season and was a mainstay in their midfield – playing in every single Premier League game (WhoScored).

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder West Ham fans are raving as they are offered the chance to sign him – find all of their best reactions down below:

“If true I’d take him in a heartbeat, imagine the energy of a midfield of Gini, Rice and Soucek, we saw how good he can be in an attacking sense at the Euros, he could cause havoc in that 10 role”

Credit: @TomQuirkeJourno

“I’m on my knees”

Credit: @1bbyWHU

“Please Happen!!!”

Credit: @X3Number1

“Wages must be crazy but what a signing he’d be. A whole new dimension with a 4-3-3 and is well versed at covering for marauding DMs/ full backs, which would allow Rice and Cresswell to utilise their attacking abilities mix”

Credit: @leondepreli_

“quality signing this would be, bloke’s world-class”

Credit: @stephenlott

“Pleeeeeease”

Credit: @VammandeSammarN

“I would cry.”

Credit: @CostiaAHN

In other news: Approach already made: West Ham now willing to pay asking price for colossal 47-goal striker, find out more here.

A round-up of the action from the semi-finals of the 2009-10 Sri Lanka Cricket Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Tournament

Sa'adi Thawfeeq07-Mar-2010The much-awaited semi-finals of the Inter-provincial Twenty20 tournament at the De Soysa Stadium in Moratuwa proved to be one-sided contests, as defending champions Wayamba and Ruhuna made it to the summit clash.The Moratuwa wicket has a history of breaking up and the captains winning the toss put in the opposition on both occassions. As it turned out, the team batting first made little impression and surrendered meekly.Wayamba captain Jehan Mubarak’s decision to invite Basnahira South to bat first in the first semi-final proved a successful gamble as they bundled out the opposition for 117. Fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa, promoted as a pinch-hitter, top scored for Basnahira with a well-struck 41 off 29 balls, comprising eight fours. The rest of the batting succumbed to the pace of Chanaka Welegedara and Thissara Perera, who shared six wickets between them.Mahela Jayawardene, opening for Wayamba, raced to his third half-century of the tournament as they knocked off the required runs by the 14th over to win by nine wickets and qualify for their third consecutive final. Jayawardene, who scored 58 off 32 balls, also contributed while fielding with three good catches.The second semi-final almost followed the same pattern, as Ruhuna captain Upul Tharanga put in Kandurata and dismissed them for just 102. Ruhuna, powered by Sanath Jayasuriya’s rapid 35 off 19 balls, then raced to their target inside 10 overs to win by seven wickets. Jayasuriya was supported well by Dinesh Chandimal, who also finished on 35. Muttiah Muralitharan dismissed both batsmen, but Kandurata always found themselves short by at least 50 runs to make a contest of it.

Tottenham Hotspur remain keen on Nahitan Nandez this January and he could well become Antonio Conte’s next Arturo Vidal in the engine room…

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), the Cagliari midfielder may have played his final game for the Serie A outfit amid interest from Spurs and Premier League rivals Leeds United.

It’s thought that the 49-cap Uruguay international wanted to leave in the summer but the club stood in his way, though this time they appear willing to let him depart for less than his €36m (£30m) release clause.

Nandez was withdrawn early during the Rossoblu’s 4-0 defeat to Udinese at the weekend due to injury, so after tonight’s clash with Juventus, the Italian top-flight is on their winter break until January, in which the 25-year-old could be sold.

He is currently valued at £18m by Transfermarkt.

Shades of Vidal

Nandez fits the bill as a typical ball-winning and box-to-box enforcer that Conte loves in his system, similar to that of Vidal during his time at Inter Milan, where he guided them to their first Scudetto in over a decade last season.

It was the influence of the Chilean beast that helped Inter to such success.

The 34-year-old averaged 1.3 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and 0.9 shots per game, proving to be an integral part both defensively and in the final third, which is something that Nandez would bring.

Standing at just 5 foot 7, the diminutive dynamo has been dubbed a “machine” in the heart of the pitch by Italian football expert Conor Clancy.

“I think he’s only about five foot seven, but you wouldn’t know it if you just watched clips of him, he is a little bit of a machine. He’s so powerful but at the same time, has really, really good ball control.”

Indeed, from 16 league appearances this term, the Uruguayan has averaged two tackles and 2.4 aerial duels won, displaying his defensive capabilities, but has managed an average of 1.5 dribbles and 1.1 key passes, via WhoScored, suggesting that he is capable of driving the ball forward, much like Vidal under Conte.

As such, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici must look to seal a move for Nandez this January.

On the above evidence, the £39k-per-week Cagliari star could well emerge as the Italian head coach’s new Vidal in north London.

AND in other news, Spurs must seal deal for £86k-p/w beast who “many try to imitate”, Conte has already made contact…