All posts by h716a5.icu

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is currently monitoring teenage sensation Arda Guler ahead of making a potential move for the youngster during the summer transfer window.

What’s the latest on Arda Guler to Liverpool?

According to Spanish outlet AS, Liverpool are believed to be tracking the Fenerbahce youngster alongside European heavyweights such as AC Milan, Benfica and Real Madrid as Klopp looks to bolster his midfield options ahead of next season.

His contract includes a release clause of just €17.5m (£15m) and this could represent a wonderful bargain for the Anfield side should they go ahead and trigger it.

How good is Arda Guler?

At just 18 years of age, the teen gem has already won the Turkish Cup, shining in the final against Istanbul Basaksehir, registering an assist in the eventual 2-0 victory, marking the climax of a stunning breakthrough season in style.

He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.48/10 across 20 matches in the Super Lig, registering seven goal contributions – four goals and three assists – while showcasing his creative abilities by generating seven big chances and making two key passes per game, taking to senior football with apparent ease.

Indeed, his influence in the team was key to their success as he ranked first for overall rating and key passes per game, second for big chances created and third for successful dribbles per game across the squad, displaying an excellent maturity for someone so young.

With Klopp surely keen on adding more talent to his midfield following the departures of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner, Guler could become one of Europe’s brightest stars.

Another quality that could attract the German to Guler is his versatility, as the Fenerbahce ace can operate either as an attacking midfielder or right-winger, while also dropping slightly deeper if required, giving Klopp plenty of options should he sign him.

The “serious talent” – as lauded by Duncan Castles – has even garnered international recognition, already winning four caps for Turkey while even scoring his maiden goal for his country against Wales in their recent European Championship qualifier.

The Anfield side should be doing everything they can to lure the prospect to Liverpool, as according to Italian legend Andrea Pirlo, he has “no limit” and is someone who could “play anywhere in the world”, such is his potential.

For a fee of just £15m, he could indeed become a ‘serious talent’ for Klopp over the next few seasons.

Kieran Powell’s century took Leeward Islands to their second win, while Trinidad & Tobago skirted past Windward Islands by two wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2017Leeward Islands captain Kieran Powell struck his maiden List A century, finishing with 105 off 122 balls to lead his side past West Indies U-19 by 88 runs at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The achievement for Powell comes in his first full season back on the West Indies domestic circuit following a failed attempt to transition to baseball.Powell’s previous List A best in 55 matches prior to Friday was a score of 83, but his century anchored Leewards against the West Indies junior side as they finished 245 all out after being sent in. Wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton was the next best contribution with 28 at No. 5 and he teamed with Powell for the best stand of the innings, 65 runs for the fourth wicket. But when he and Powell fell, it triggered a collapse with the last six wickets going for 44 runs. Keemo Paul dismissed Powell and added three more wickets to finish with 4 for 42.In reply, West Indies U-19 were bowled out for 157 as Nkrumah Bonner took 3 for 30 to lead the way for Leewards in the field. Four batsmen were dismissed without scoring in the innings as West Indies U-19 struggled to mount a challenge though Shamar Springer top scored with 54 off 67 balls.In the late match at Coolidge, Trinidad & Tobago scraped past Windward Islands by two wickets. Windwards posted a stiff total of 266 for 7 with Darren Sammy providing a boost late by hitting an unbeaten 60 off 36 balls. Sunil Ambris had earlier struck his second straight half-century for Windwards by top scoring with 69 while Ravi Rampaul took 4 for 43 with the ball for Trinidad & Tobago.Evin Lewis got the chase off to a terrific start, striking a half-century off just 32 balls as Trinidad & Tobago raced through the Powerplay before Lewis fell for 64 in the 11th to end a 94-run opening partnership with Kyle Hope. Jason Mohammed entered soon after at No. 4 and steered the chase almost through to the end, making 80 until he was the sixth wicket to fall, edging Kyle Mayers behind to Ambris at the start of the 45th over with 22 needed to win. Mayers and Ambris teamed up for two more wickets to put Trinidad & Tobago on edge but Roshon Primus hit the winning runs with two overs to spare.

Everton are in desperate need of reinforcements to their attacking threat this summer and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target that could finally replace Richarlison.

What's the latest on Everton's interest in Crysencio Summerville?

According to iNews' Northern correspondent Mark Douglas, Everton remain keen on signing Leeds United winger Crysencio Summerville.

As per an article written for the publication, Douglas claims that the Toffees are interested in both Summerville and his teammate Wilfried Gnonto this summer due to growing interest in Demarai Gray, which could further weaken their forward line.

The journalist adds further that whilst Summerville is a target worth chasing, Gnonto is unlikely to be allowed to leave his recently relegated club as Leeds plot to compete well in the Championship next season.

Would Summerville be a good signing for Everton?

Sean Dyche's top priority this summer will be to add quality to the forward line after a struggle in the Premier League relegation battle last season that was mainly caused by the lack of goal contributions from the team.

Only Wolverhampton Wanderers (31) scored fewer goals than the Merseysiders (34) over the 38-game campaign, which ultimately led to them hanging on by a thread to their top-flight status for another season.

As a result, the signing of Summerville – who could cost £10m – would be a valuable asset to Dyche next season and could significantly improve the presence in front of goal if he can continue to develop and polish his skills at Goodison Park.

It is no secret that Everton have been down on their luck when it comes to the final third with both Richarlison and Anthony Gordon making an exit in the last 12 months, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been in and out of the team with constant long-term injury issues.

Now the former Burnley boss can rectify the issue by taking full advantage of the summer transfer window to bring in attacking-minded players who can make a genuine impact and be trusted to deliver when needed.

Summerville could well be the perfect replacement for Richarlison judging by his dazzling quality.

That said, he was only handed 12 Premier League starts last season but offered four goals, two assists and two big chances created despite only averaging 51 minutes per game, demonstrating a keen eye for goal.

The 21-year-old ace – dubbed "unplayable" by journalist Beren Cross – ranked third for successful dribbles per 90 and was the fourth-highest scoring player in the Leeds squad which is impressive considering his limited game-time at Elland Road, as per WhoScored.

Not only that, Summerville actually outperformed his positional peer and former Toffees talisman Richarlison with his offensive output last season.

The Brazilian only tallied up one league goal, fewer dribbles per 90 (0.4) and the same amount of key passes per 90 (0.6).

With that being said, Dyche could unearth Everton's next Richarlison if they can secure a deal for the talented Leeds youngster this summer and could provide the team with a strong threat to compete comfortably against their Premier League opponents next season.

A decision not to use DRS when Shaun Marsh was given lbw while padding up to Umesh Yadav contributed to Australia’s 75-run defeat in Bengaluru

Daniel Brettig07-Mar-2017A disastrous DRS misunderstanding between Australia’s captain Steven Smith and the No. 4 batsman Shaun Marsh helped set them on the path to defeat in Bengaluru, one that allowed India back into a bare-knuckle fight for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Twice Smith appeared to have established useful stands in pursuit of a target of 188 for victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series, first with David Warner and then with Marsh. Warner was lbw to R Ashwin while attempting to sweep, and on review was found to be have been struck in line with the stumps by the barest possible margin, therefore upholding the decision.That left Australia with a solitary review when Marsh shouldered arms to Umesh Yadav’s delivery from around the wicket and was hit on the pads in the vicinity of the off stump. After Nigel Llong raised his finger in response to the appeal, the two batsmen got together to chat about using DRS.”We weren’t entirely sure,” Smith said. “I sort of said “go” as in “go have a look at it” and he sort of turned around and started walking, so I should’ve probably put my hands up and done it.”HawkEye showed the ball wouldn’t hit the wicket and Smith admitted it had been an unfortunate way to lose a batsman who had been in good form. “Obviously we saw the replay and it was missing the stumps so it would’ve been a nice one to review,” he said. “It perhaps could have been important. Shaun was looking pretty good. It was a disappointing wicket at the time, but that’s the game of cricket, you have to move on and try and do what you can from there.”Marsh’s dismissal left Australia with only two specialist batsmen in Smith and Peter Handscomb. After they were separated by the captain’s subsequent lbw, the end came quickly, exposing the limitations of Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade and the tail on a fiendishly difficult pitch and handing the match to India by a more comfortable margin than what seemed likely for most of a very memorable Test.”On a day four wicket that’s pretty challenging, you need a few things to go your way, you need a bit of luck and today wasn’t our day,” Smith said. “We competed very hard, this morning we bowled well and got the breakthroughs we needed to and got ourselves batting, but 188 was always going to be a difficult task. We probably just needed one or two batsmen to stand up a little bit more and try to get us close to that score.”In assessing where the visitors lost the thread of a contest they had begun in fine style on day one after losing the toss, Smith pointed to shortcomings in their bowling in the second innings. Rather than being patient – a quality they showed in spades throughout the first day in Bengaluru and throughout the first Test in Pune – Smith conceded his men had rushed a bit. By the time they regained the right tempo, India’s lead was past 150.”I think when we came out and bowled we were probably rushing a little bit, almost expecting things to happen instead of getting to the basics and executing our skills,” Smith said. “We were a little bit off with our lines and lengths, gave them a few too many freebies in the first innings as well.”On this wicket, it was about maintaining your line and length and letting the wicket do the work. There was a lot of natural variation in this game and at times we got a bit too wide or a bit too full and we weren’t able to continually hit those areas we were able to hit and that relieved the pressure [off India] a little bit.”What we did this morning was what we needed to do yesterday, and if we did that, things could certainly be different. But credit to the way the guys came out and did it today, 188 was always going to be a difficult task. Ashwin went to work on a wicket that was certainly suiting him and their quicks bowled in some very challenging areas.”Australia must now overcome the mental hurdle of losing a match they had made much of the running in. “It’s disappointing but I’m still proud of the way the boys competed,” Smith said. “When we came over here we were written off and expected to lose 4-0 but the boys have competed incredibly hard over the last two Test matches, so if we can continue to do that then hopefully we can get some more results go our way.”

Sarah Taylor remains in contention for the Women’s World Cup in June and July, according to head coach Mark Robinson, despite her omission from a 24-player training camp in the United Arab Emirates next month.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2017Sarah Taylor remains in contention for the Women’s World Cup in June and July, according to head coach Mark Robinson, despite her omission from a 24-player training camp in the United Arab Emirates next month.Taylor, arguably one of the most talented female cricketers in the world, has not featured for England since their defeat to Australia in the World T20 semi-final in Delhi 12 months ago.England Squad

Heather Knight (captain), Anya Shrubsole (vice-captain), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Georgia Elwiss, Tash Farrant, Jenny Gunn, Alexandra Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt, Georgia Adams, Hollie Armitage, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophie Ecclestone, Evelyn Jones, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith.

She took a break from cricket last year to undergo treatment for anxiety issues, and though she has returned to training with the England squad, the management are keen not to rush her back into the team before she is fully ready.”Sarah Taylor is going really well at the moment and is back in training,” said Robinson. “Her return is a graduated one which is regularly reviewed as she works herself back to hopefully full fitness. There are no timescales in place for her, but her goal is still to give herself the best chance of being able to play in the World Cup.”The squad, which will be led by Heather Knight, includes 17 of England’s centrally-contracted players, alongside seven members of the England Women’s Senior Academy players.Their UAE trip will include several inter-squad matches, alongside three 50-over matches between an England XI and their Irish counterparts, at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi on April 24, 26 and 28.”This is an exciting step in the build-up to the World Cup,” said Knight. “We’ve begun to show who we are as a side over the past year and we’ll continue to work hard and continue to progress.”We are looking forward to getting back outside and testing ourselves against Ireland. I’m sure there will be a few of the squad who will be keen to see who comes out on top when we play each other as well.”Robinson, who maintains that England are still a work in progress as they continue to rebuild with a new-look squad, was enthusiastic about the tour, which will be England’s first engagement of 2017.”The trip will give us the opportunity to play some internal games to get us back playing competitive cricket,” he said. “With places up for grabs, the players will start the process of building a case for selection this summer.”Having some of the Academy players with us is exciting as we are always looking for opportunities to increase their learning and exposure.”Ireland joining us will give us some different opposition and hopefully we can play our part in giving support to one of the Associate countries.Cricket Ireland Performance Director Richard Holdsworth said: “We are very grateful to the ECB for agreeing to play three matches against an England XI. These matches will not only serve as very useful preparation for our Quadrangular Series in South Africa, but also an excellent development opportunity for our players.”

Arsenal are reportedly one of the clubs interested in Israeli sensation Oscar Gloukh, as the Gunners eye reinforcements ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Mikel Arteta will hope to close the gap on Manchester City in making sufficient signings this summer, something that the Spaniard is seemingly mastering with Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber Emirates bound.

The Gunners will face competition for Gloukh, who has been linked with a potential move to north London from Austria.

Are Arsenal signing Oscar Gloukh?

As reported by The Guardian on Tuesday, Arsenal are one of the Premier League representatives eyeing RB Salzburg midfielder Oscar Gloukh.

The report names the Gunners, along with City and Tottenham as the side’s wanting to secure the teenager’s signature, stating that the player would ‘prefer’ to join an English or Spanish side next.

It's thought that all three of those clubs have made enquiries to sign the player too.

It was only in the winter window that the youngster was picked up by Salzburg from Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv for a fee of €7m (£6m), however, a sharp start to his budding career has suggested that another move could be on the cards.

How good is Oscar Gloukh?

Labelled a "wonderkid" by journalist Tom Maston, the teen lit up the recent U21 European Championships, where he actually played against Emile Smith Rowe's England on Wednesday night.

The Arsenal star bagged an assist as Gloukh's side exited the tournament following a 3-0 defeat. He did, however, bow out having created four big chances in the tournament, the most of any player, while also registering three assists.

Deployed primarily as an attacking midfielder for Salzburg, the 19-year-old clearly has talents in the final third, as further highlighted by his two goals and one assist since arriving in the Austrian Bundesliga.

In the Bundesliga, Gloukh created five big chances, as well as averaging 1.2 key passes, despite only averaging 52 minutes per game for his new club.

For Arsenal, the teenager’s talent is an exciting prospect when taking into consideration Arteta’s confidence in young players at the Emirates, with the Gunners averaging the joint-youngest team last season.

The north Londoners are expected to bid farewell to Granit Xhaka this summer, who could depart for a German Bundesliga return after an eventful seven years at the club.

The Swiss midfielder’s exit could allow for a new face to flourish in his place alongside Rice, with Gloukh signalling to be a perfect heir to the 30-year-old.

Hailed as being a “jewel” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the teenager has been tipped by Kulig to become a “future legend of Israeli football” and could emulate the creative spark that Xhaka introduced to his game in the latter stages of his Arsenal career.

Typically used as a deep midfielder, the Swiss ace was identifiable as a hot-headed cog in the engine room, before displaying a more offensive role under Arteta, scoring nine times last term.

The 30-year-old averaged 1.3 key passes per game for the Gunners, as well as creating six big chances, just one more than Gloukh in his half-a-season at Salzburg, implying that the youngster could one day fill the void left by Xhaka’s departure.

One thing that is certain is that the club that secures the signing of the starlet will have an audacious talent on their hands, in a player that has a glass ceiling to his abilities in central midfield.

Rangers transfer target Danilo is desperate to make the move to Ibrox as manager Michael Beale personally works to sign him, according to reports.

Who are Rangers signing?

So far, Beale and co have been very busy this transfer window, with the Scottish Premiership giants looking to wrestle back dominance from Old Firm rivals Celtic.

Jack Butland, Dujon Sterling, Kieran Dowell, Sam Lammers and Abdallah Sima have all joined the club in these last few weeks, with the Gers also sealing a deal for striker Cyriel Dessers from Cremonese very recently.

Speaking after the capture of Dessers, Beale raved over the business his club has conducted, claiming the forward will add another dimension of attacking quality to his side.

"He brings a lot of experience from playing in Holland, Belgium and Italy, as well as in European competitions," Beale said.

"At 28-years-old, he is at a good age and will bring personality and leadership to our team."

This summer marks a major Rangers overhaul with Scott Arfield, Filip Helander, Ryan Kent, Allan McGregor and Alfredo Morelos all leaving after their contracts expired in late May.

Following the arrival of Dessers, reports suggest they're not done there, with Beale also personally pursuing a move for Danilo from Feyenoord.

That is according to The Daily Record's print edition (via Ibrox News), who claim the Gers boss is actively chasing a move for the 24-year-old.

In a promising boost for Rangers, the Record also say that Danilo is "desperate" to join the club this summer, with more Ibrox exits on the cards.

Former manager Steven Gerrard, after his move to Saudi Arabia, is apparently targeting fringe squad member Scott Wright as he aims to bolster his squad at Al-Ettifaq.

How many goals has Danilo scored at Feyenoord?

The South American attacker has been exceptional in the Eredivisie, and while he can't quite match teammate Santiago Gimenez's goal return, Danilo did manage 10 goals and three assists in the Dutch top flight last season (WhoScored).

Danilo also racked up three assists and sits joint-fourth in Feyenoord's squad for attempts at goal per 90 over 2022/2023, marking him out as a potentially astute signing for Rangers if they can get it done (WhoScored).

Man United manager Erik ten Hag, during his time at Ajax with the player, even called Danilo the club's "best finisher" before he ultimately opted to join Feyenoord.

Gimenez, commenting on his partnership with Danilo, even hinted that his teammate is the "first striker" of Feyenoord.

"I don’t feel like I’m the first striker,” said Gimenez.

“We are a team and Danilo has his own tasks, just like me. We work for the same team and with the same price in mind. We are not 11, but a team of 25. Together we give everything to win the title.”

As the Rangers revamp continues, with Beale personally chasing Danilo, it would be a great coup for the club to seal a player who looks more than capable for the challenges of Scottish football.

Ben Sanderson led Northamptonshire to a mighty win over Glamorgan inside two days at Wantage Road with four second-innings wickets in an innings-and-22-run victory

ECB Reporters Network08-Apr-2017
ScorecardBen Sanderson led Northamptonshire to a mighty win over Glamorgan inside two days at Wantage Road with four second-innings wickets in an innings-and-22-run victory that began their 2017 season in the perfect fashion.Northants took a 209-run first-innings lead in the morning session and wrapped up victory after tea, dismissing Glamorgan for 187 in their second innings. Northants took until August to win a County Championship match last season but got off the mark at the first attempt here and won the opening game of the season for the first time since 1995.”We talked about starting well and you can’t ask for more than that and to win in two days is a great feeling,” Alex Wakely, Northants captain, said.”It was a good toss to lose – we just assumed we would be batting – but the first hour did the damage for us. The bowling all the way through was the most pleasing thing because we bowled in partnerships, there was pressure from both ends all the time. Even when we weren’t taking wickets in the second innings, we managed to contain the scoring rate and when we did pick up wickets the scoreboard had gone nowhere.”Sanderson did the principle damage with two wickets in his opening spell but it was his probing effort after lunch when conditions eased but he gave nothing away that was most impressive. Rory Kleinveldt again played his part with three wickets to finish with six in the match and Nathan Buck rounded off a winning debut with the final wicket 11 overs from the close.Glamorgan slid against the new ball in 45 minutes before lunch. Jacques Rudolph, after a confident start getting to 21, attempted to pull Sanderson and edged to wicketkeeper Adam Rossington. Nick Selman defended Kleinveldt from the crease and played into his stumps and Sanderson had David Lloyd held low at first slip by Ben Duckett to complete a pair.Reeling at 32 for 3, Glamorgan lost a fourth wicket six overs into the afternoon as Sanderson brought a delivery back into the right-handed Anuerin Donald, trapping him lbw for 15.A partnership was desperately required to try and avoid humiliation and Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke settled to share fifty for the fifth wicket. But Cooke’s patience against the probing Sanderson ended as he looked to pull a rare short ball but only found Steven Crook at midwicket. It was reward for Sanderson’s persistence, his 19 overs yielding only 31 runs.Ingram was patient and drove well when the opportunity arose but in the final over before tea he was deceived by a flighted delivery from left-arm spinner Graeme White that turned from the footholds and was bowled for 47. Craig Meschede handed White a second wicket when he swung wildly and lost his middle stump.Kleinveldt returned to have Harry Podmore caught behind and Kieran Carlson caught hooking at long leg before Marchant de Lange slapped Buck to mid-on to end the match.”Obviously we’re disappointed,” Rudolph said. “The effort we put in before this game is not a fair reflection on our performance. There were two or three moments that could have changed the game – we had them 27 for 3 and then missed two chances and then when Rory came into bat we missed an early chance too.”But I think we have to be honest today and say it wasn’t a 190 all-out wicket, it was a decent batting wicket today.”Northants’ set up their day by extending their first-innings lead to 209 in 16.1 overs in the morning. Kleinveldt failed to fire again after his 23-ball fifty on the first evening, adding 15 more to his overnight score before mistiming a drive to extra-cover. He walked off for 86 and the wait for a maiden first-class century for Northants continues.Crook fell seventh ball of the morning, lbw to Lukas Carey and White was held at second slip by Selman to hand de Lange a second wicket of the innings. The same bowler was driven for four by Sanderson to bring up a third batting bonus point and ensure it was a 22-point haul to begin the season for Northamptonshire.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, possessing the most glittering batting line-up in Twenty20 cricket, sensationally collapsed to 49 all out, the lowest score in the IPL, to lose to Kolkata Knight Riders

The Report by Sidharth Monga23-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
4:23

Agarkar: Disgraceful batting performance from RCB

One hundred and thirty-two runs. That’s all Royal Challengers Bangalore needed. A little over 13 runs per wicket, only 6.6 runs an over, with Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in their side. Against quality pace bowling led by the astute Gautam Gambhir, the most glittering batting line-up in Twenty20 cricket sensationally collapsed to 49 all out, the lowest score in the IPL and the 10th-lowest in all Twenty20 cricket. Not one man reached double figures. This was only the 10th time in the IPL that a total of 131 or under was defended successfully.At the halfway mark, Kolkata Knight Riders felt they were about 50 short of the par score, especially after the start Sunil Narine had given them: a 17-ball 34 in the fastest team fifty this IPL. They had collapsed from 65 for 1 to be bowled out only for the third time when batting first in IPL. That fall couldn’t hold a candle to Royal Challengers, though, who batted with their edges, starting with a golden duck for captain Kohli.Nathan Coulter-Nile began the slide with the wickets of Kohli, AB de Villiers and Kedar Jadhav in his first three overs, and then Chris Woakes and Colin de Grandhomme feasted on the carcass, taking three wickets each. With Umesh Yadav taking the other wicket, this was the fifth time all 10 wickets had fallen to pace in the IPL.Trini PosseAt the toss, Kohli said he expected the pitch to be a little tacky, and thus helpful to seam, after rain last night and a delayed start because of more rain. However, he opened with his trusted legspinner Samuel Badree, who has for long been one of the best T20 new-ball bowlers. Fellow Trinidadian, Narine, played him like a man who knows him inside out. Immediately he played him like a slow seam bowler angling the ball away from him as opposed to bringing it back in. 4, 4, 6, 4 in the first over, and Knight Riders had their most productive first over since 2013. Narine continuing punishing S Aravind, who had a decent Powerplay economy rate of 7.32, in the third over.Mills, Binny strikeThe Narine onslaught forced Kohli to bowl half of Tymal Mills’ quota in the first four overs. It also meant Kohli had to hold back his two other big bowlers, legspinners Badree and Yuzvendra Chahal. Mills responded, though, hitting Gambhir’s thumb on the way to Jadhav in the fourth over. A slower short ball from Stuart Binny in the sixth over accounted for Narine, who pulled and found deep square leg.Legspinners come backIn the last match at Eden Gardens, Knight Riders posted 187, and lost with 10 balls to spare. They must have been under extra pressure now to get a total that was Gayle-Kohli-de-Villiers-proof, which is perhaps why they kept going after the legspinners. Badree and especially Chahal loved it. Robin Uthappa fell playing Badree across the line, Yusuf Pathan was stumped down the leg side off Chahal, de Grandhomme skipped out and edged Chahal to slip, and Manish Pandey flicked a Chahal full toss to midwicket. The real show, though, was yet to begin.Pace like fireGoing into the chase, Royal Challengers might have thought of getting a big net run rate bonus here. Small ground, quick outfield, a paltry total to chase, with explosive batsmen in the shed, this was fertile ground for a quick finish and big momentum.Gambhir, on the other hand, walked out like a desperate nothing-to-lose Tony Montana from . He had his helmet on, and he asked Royal Challengers to say hello to his little friend: raw pace and upright seam. A pumped-up Coulter-Nile began with a massive no-ball, but he hit Gayle on the shoulder on the free hit. And when Kohli faced first up, Gambhir had a second slip in place, which is where the edge to the outswinger went.At the other end, Umesh was cut straight to point by Mandeep Singh, who had moved ahead of de Villiers in the order. The strategy for de Villiers this season has been to give him no room, doing which Knight Riders conceded two early boundaries, but a sharp bouncer from Coulter-Nile drew the fatal top-edge on the hook from well outside off.Towards the end of the fourth over, Gambhir was seen gesturing towards fine leg. He wanted one more from Coulter-Nile, who came back and accounted for Jadhav with the first ball of his third over. Gambhir also knew that Gayle was not enjoying the pace, and he kept peppering him with the pace of Umesh.Gambhir then overlooked Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav, who many might have thought were the key now, with the score 39 for 4 after six overs and with Gayle on 7 off 15. He went to Woakes, who was not going to pitch anything in Gayle’s half, even if it meant bowling a wide. That wide out of the way, perhaps Gayle felt there would be no more short balls in the over, but Woakes still bounced him, handcuffing his attempt at a big shot, and having him caught at wide mid-off. The rest was just a procession.

Celta Vigo starlet Gabri Veiga could now join Tottenham Hotspur over Paris-Saint Germain, as the attacker won't be going to France after-all.

Who will Spurs sign?

Ange Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy have been busy behind-the-scenes at Spurs, having already sealed the signings of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk.

The trio join Dejan Kulusevski, who signed for Tottenham on a permanent deal from Juventus after 18 months on loan, and Pedro Porro who has made his temporary move from Sporting Lisbon an indefinite one.

Spurs could be desperate to make a success of Postecoglou's reign, with the Australian recently joining from Scottish treble-winners Celtic.

The 57-year-old orchestrated a brilliant rebuild at Parkhead after their disappointing 2020/2021 season, winning trophies galore for the following two campaigns, and Tottenham will be hoping Postecoglou can replicate that in north London.

The signing of Maddison, who arguably stands out as their biggest coup so far, could go some way given the England international racked up a very impressive 10 goals and nine assists for Leicester City in the top flight last season.

"Really excited to get James as part of the group," said Postecoglou yesterday.

"Any manager will tell you that part of the key to being a dominant team is having multiple attacking threats and having a midfielder who can score and create goals.

“They’re not easy to come by. He’s proven himself at that level in the last few years as somebody who can do that."

While Tottenham are reliably believed to be focusing their efforts on signing a centre-back right now, even closing in on a deal for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, there have been suggestions more attackers could follow Maddison through the door.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic is attracting their interest as a possible replacement for Harry Kane, with le10sport journalist Alexis Bernard now having "confirmation" Spurs are targeting Veiga from Celta Vigo and he will absolutely not join PSG.

The 21-year-old, who is a man in demand after a brilliant La Liga campaign, is wanted by Tottenham and they could now sign him over PSG. Veiga apparently won't be joining Luis Enrique at the Parc des Princes, opening the door for English sides like Spurs to swoop in.

As well as Postecoglou's side, it is believed Arsenal and Chelsea are in the race to seal his signature. Veiga's contract contains an enticing £34 million release clause, with Bernard claiming in le10sport that Tottenham are "vying for his signing" and he is "expected" to make the move to England.

How good is Gabri Veiga?

The Spaniard was one of Celta's star players last season, scoring 11 goals and assisting four others in 36 La Liga outings (WhoScored).

Veiga has been praised by the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, who said he's a player of real "quality", with journalist Josh Bunting also holding him in very high esteem.

"Celta Vigo ahead against Barcelona at half-time," said Bunting during a match in June.

"Celta have a good record of late against Barcelona anyway but it’s the perfect time to play them already crowned kings of Spain again. Gabri Veiga the home grown boy delivering at a key time, wonderful talent with 10 La Liga goals."