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A round-up of the second day of the opening round of matches in Division 1 of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2010Opener Ahmed Shehzad and Saleem Elahi made merry on the second day to put Habib Bank Limited in complete control against Faisalabad at the Iqbal Stadium. HBL lost an early wicket, that of Taufeeq Umar, but more than made up to build a first-innings lead of 180 with nine wickets still in hand. Shehzad smashed 24 fours and three sixes on his way to his maiden double-century in first-class cricket while Elahi, who, like his partner, has also played for the national team, played a patient hand to finish the day on 110. The pair added an unbeaten 307 for the second wicket and looks good for more as HBL aim to extend the lead to a margin that is large enough to enable them to force an innings win.Babar Ali stormed to his maiden first-class hundred as Multan posted 226 for 5 in reply to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines first innings total of 368 at the Multan Cricket Stadium . Babar struck 17 fours and a six in his 114, which came off 140 balls. He was dismissed by Adil Raza, who was the pick of the bowlers, with 3 for 42 from 14 overs. Kashif Naved on 44 and Ahmed Raza on 30 were at the crease when play ended, having added 42 for the sixth wicket.Adnan Akmal made 79 from 106, with 10 fours, and added 76 with Adil for the ninth wicket, to help push SNPL to 358. Left-arm spinner Ahmad Raza was the most successful bowler, taking 6 for 110 from 39 overs.The contest between Islamabad and National Bank of Pakistan was even at the end of the second day at the Diamond Club Ground. The overnight batsmen Imad Wasim and Rauf Akbar took the Islamabad score past 300 on the second morning, with Imad reaching his maiden first-class century. The 109-run eighth-wicket stand was broken by left-arm spinning allrounder Qaiser Abbas, who finished with four wickets. But NBP’s bowling lacked discipline; they bowled 24-no balls and the extras tally of 46 was the second-highest run-scorer for Islamabad, who were bowled out for 352. NBP looked in good shape in their response with opener Rashid Riaz (66) and Umar Amin, who played for Pakistan on the tour of England, adding 83 for the second wicket. But seamer Shehzad Azam rattled the line-up with three wickets with the score on 148 before Rehman Qadir and allrounder Hammad Azam steered their team to 201 for 5 at stumps, still 151 behind.Left-arm seamer Mohammad Khalil ensured Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited held the edge against Rawalpindi at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. He grabbed 3 for 12 in 8.4 overs to seize the initiative after the Rawalpindi openers had put together a partnership of 92 and seemed good to wipe out the 120-run lead ZTBL had managed to build. Rawalpindi finished the day on 117 for 4, still three runs behind, but have opener Shoaib Nasir still batting on 56. Earlier in the day, fast bowler Sadaf Hussain ran through the ZTBL line-up, finishing with 6 for 69, his best figures to date. ZTBL looked set for a substantial lead with three of their batsmen, led by Shahid Yousuf who top scored with 70, reaching half-centuries. But the last six wickets fell for just 12 runs and ZTBL folded for 235 before fighting back again with the ball.Water and Power Development Authority continued to dominate their contest against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium. They had bowled out Sialkot for 126 on the opening day and built a 213-run lead on the second, thanks to an unbeaten 112 from Ali Azmat. Azmat first supported opener Adil Nisar (93) in a 74-run stand for the fifth wicket. When Nisar fell, WAPDA were 180 for 5 and Sialkot had a chance to fight back. But wicketkeeper Ahmed Said, along with Azmat, who notched up his fourth first-class century, put their team firmly on top with an unbeaten 159-run stand and extending WAPDA’s score to 339 for 5 at stumps.

According to reliable Tottenham Hotspur journalist Dan Kilpatrick of The Evening Standard, manager Antonio Conte has now made a player decision ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

The Lowdown: Big summer ahead…

The Lilywhites, currently chasing Champions League qualification, also face a big looming summer transfer window as Conte gears up for his first full season in charge.

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Tottenham have set their sights on a number of top transfer targets already, mainly in defence according to The Athletic, but they may need to offload certain players to boost their kitty.

One of those stars, club record signing and Lyon loanee Tanguy Ndombele, now looks like one Tottenham asset who could be up for grabs as Spurs’ head coach makes a pre-summer decision.

The Latest: Conte makes Ndombele call…

According to Kilpatrick, Conte has no faith in the 25-year-old with his future at Spurs now ‘uncertain’.

Indeed, Tottenham’s manager allegedly ‘sees no future’ for Ndombele at the club, with Lyon also not expected to exercise an option to sign permanently.

The hope now for Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy is his end-of-season performances attract interest from other clubs.

The Verdict: Time to go?

Ndombele, who shined under ex-boss Jose Mourinho at points last season, clearly has bags of ability and Spurs may well be able to attract a fairly substantial sum for his services.

Lauded as ‘underrated’ by pundit Martin Keown last season, West Ham star Declan Rice also revealed that some Lilywhites players believe the France international can be ‘unbelievable’.

The only question marks, as ever, will be centred around his attitude and application and that could prove a major sticking point for clubs interested in making a move.

Ndombele’s possible exit may well be one of the talking points of Tottenham’s summer transfer window and it will be interesting to see if Spurs manage to offload for a decent fee.

In other news: Tottenham eye agreement ‘in the coming weeks’ as they make offer for exciting midfielder, find out more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Maior vencedor da história da competição com dez títulos, o Corinthians deu adeus nesta teça-feira ao sonho do bicampeonato da Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. Em Araraquara, na Fonte Luminosa, o Timãozinho voltou a jogar mal e foi facilmente superado pelo Avaí, que venceu por 2 a 0 e avançou às quartas de final do torneio. Encara o Flamengo, na próxima quinta-feira.

Além da eliminação, o Corinthians teve quebrada uma série de 31 jogos sem perder na Copa São Paulo. O último tropeço havia sido na final de 2014, derrota de 2 a 1 para o Santos. De lá para cá, eram 28 vitória e três empates, com dois títulos e um vice-campeonato.

A partida do Corinthians foi a tônica da participação do time na competição. Bem abaixo de sua tradição. Com pouca criatividade e por vezes sonolento em campo, o Timãozinho esbarrou no ótimo sistema defensivo do Avaí, que em nenhum momento se viu em apuros no jogo. Ao contrário. Saía para o ataque com desenvoltura e assustava nos contra-golpes.

O primeiro gol do Avaí saiu aos 27 minutos do primeiro tempo, com Rael. Ele cobrou pênalti cometido por Lucas Minele em Caio Paulista. Novidade na escalação do Corinthians depois de acompanhar o profissional na Florida Cup, o goleiro Filipe ainda chegou na bola, mas não evitou o gol.

A diferença no placar e a atuação apática do time irritou o técnico Dyego Coelho. No intervalo, o comandante do Corinthians fez mudanças e disse que esperava outra atitude, pois achava que os jogadores estavam muito desligados para quem disputava um jogo decisivo. Ele estava certo.

O lance do segundo gol, que fechou o caixão corintiano, foi emblemático. Uma das principais apostas do Corinthians, o atacante Rafael Bilu tentou recuar a bola para a zaga, mas calculou mal o lance e acabou entregando para o ataque Alisson, do Avaí. O camisa 9 ganhou na velocidade e seguiu em disparada ao gol. Ainda driblou o goleiro Filipe antes de bater alto e decretar a classificação dos catarinenses.

O Corinthians tampouco teve força para reagir e incomodar o Avaí. Pouco incomodou após sofrer o baque. Sinal da apatia de um time que nunca convenceu na competição, mas possui bons valores, casos por exemplo do lateral-esquerdo Carlos, o volante e capitão Renan Areias, o meia Fabrício Oya,, que se mostrou inoperante na decisão, e o próprio Bilu, apesar do erro determinante.

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Corinthians

With deals for Lucas Digne, Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen completed so far in this current January transfer window, Aston Villa have not been reluctant in bringing new players in to help strengthen Steven Gerrard’s side.

However, it seems as though one reported transfer target may not be making the move to Villa Park anytime soon.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports (via Birmingham Live), despite recent reports from elsewhere suggesting otherwise, Villa are apparently not interested in signing Atletico Madrid and former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

In 682 club appearances throughout his career, the 34-year-old has managed to rack up an impressive 433 goals and 240 assists, proving himself as one of the deadliest strikers over the past few years.

A big mistake for Lange

During his time at Liverpool where he played 95 games alongside Gerrard, Suarez made a total of 113 appearances across all competitions, scoring 82 goals and providing 47 assists along the way, showing the sort of Premier League experience that he’d be able to offer this Villa side as well as a winning mentality having taken home numerous trophies in his career.

Taking into account what Suarez would be able to offer Villa on and off the pitch under Gerrard’s management, it could be a real mistake for Johan Lange if he refuses to work out a deal to bring the Uruguay international back to the Premier League with the Midlands club.

Even though he would become Villa’s second-oldest player below Ashley Young if he were to join either this month or in the next summer transfer window when his current contract at Atletico runs out, it could well be worth the risk if Gerrard can get the best from him, scoring goals for Villa on a regular basis as he did during his Liverpool days.

If by the time the summer transfer window opens and Villa aren’t satisfied with having just Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings as their senior strike options, they should definitely reconsider their current apparent stance on Suarez and see if he would be willing to make a return to the Premier League under his former teammate.

In other news: Gerrard can finally axe £46k-p/w dud as AVFC eye bid for “extraordinary” £9m-rated gem – opinion

The veteran batsman Michael Dighton has been left out of Tasmania’s list of contracted players for 2010-11, a group with few other changes from last season’s squad. The Tigers lost Daniel Marsh to retirement and did not re-sign the rookies John Rogers and Wade Irvine in the first round of offers, but the absence of Dighton was more of a surprise.Although he has not been part of the first-class team since November 2008, Dighton, 34, has remained an important part of the Tasmania top order in the 50-over format. He played every match in their triumphant FR Cup campaign and two months ago scored 80 in their victory over Victoria in the final, and the coach Tim Coyle said Dighton could yet remain in the mix.”He’s played well for a number of years but his form, he would admit, has fluctuated in recent times,” Coyle told Cricinfo. “He played a very good innings in the final but up to then he’d had an average year, and he would have admitted that himself. We know he’s a quality player so we’ll just see how things roll out next week.”The states must finalise their full lists by next Thursday, meaning Dighton could yet win a contract in the second round of offers. However, there is a large group of axed players from other states searching for a home this season, including several top-order batsmen such as Mark Cosgrove, Nick Kruger, Greg Moller and Lloyd Mash.The Tigers have added to their squad the batsman Steven Cazzulino, 23, who was the leading run scorer in Sydney grade cricket last summer with 1289 at 71.61. A left-hand opener who can bat for long periods, Cazzulino will aim to become Ed Cowan’s opening partner in the Sheffield Shield after Jon Wells and Rhett Lockyear struggled to make the position their own in 2009-10.There was no room for Rogers or Irvine in the first round of offers, while the bowler Hamish Kingston, 19, won a rookie contract. Despite finishing second last on the Sheffield Shield table last season, Tasmania were keen to retain stability by backing the core of their existing young squad.”We’ve shown some faith in quite a number of people,” Coyle said. “We had a number of new faces into the team last year. Having another major cleanout this year could have destablised the group.”We blooded some players last year who did quite well – Alex Doolan, Brady Jones had some time as the wicketkeeper, Adam Maher played some cricket – all new players and developing players. There’s still a lot of improvement in the group that we have.”Jason Krejza will spend the next couple of months recovering from hip surgery this week, although he is expected to be fully fit for the start of the pre-season. The other major injury worry is the ongoing knee problem for Ben Hilfenhaus, who this week started bowling again at the Centre of Excellence and is targeting the Australia A series against Sri Lanka A in late June for a possible comeback.Tasmania squad George Bailey, Travis Birt, Luke Butterworth, Steven Cazzulino, Ed Cowan, Gerard Denton, Xavier Doherty, Alex Doolan, Brendan Drew, James Faulkner, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith, Ben Hilfenhaus (Cricket Australia contract), Jason Krejza, Rhett Lockyear, Tim Macdonald, Adam Maher, Tim Paine (CA), Ricky Ponting (CA), Jon Wells.Rookies Matthew Day, Brady Jones, Hamish Kingston, Jeremy Smith, Tom Triffitt.

After their three-day demolition of Kent last week, when their credentials as title candidates appeared to be an impressive endorsement of much pre-season punditry, Nottinghamshire’s bright start to the season was checked a little by Somerset, who recover

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge21-Apr-2010
ScorecardStuart Broad collected three wickets but struggled for rhythm on his first outing of the English season•Getty ImagesAfter their three-day demolition of Kent last week, when their credentials as title candidates appeared to be an impressive endorsement of much pre-season punditry, Nottinghamshire’s bright start to the season was checked a little by Somerset, who recovered from 78-5 to total 272 before removing both the home side’s openers cheaply.A rare appearance by Stuart Broad, who was given dispensation by England to make only his fifth Championship appearance in his third season with the county, was of little benefit to Nottinghamshire in the event. Ryan Sidebottom, who had looked in good order against Kent, had nothing to do this time but promote the Little Siddy Club, following the launch earlier this year of the Little Siddy Trust, a fund-raising venture running alongside his benefit programme.Having been under orders to rest since the end of England’s Bangladesh tour, Broad clearly looked in need of some overs ahead of the World Twenty20 in the West Indies. In stark contract to international teammate James Anderson, who bowled impressively for Lancashire at Chelmsford, Broad struggled for rhythm and a consistently testing length, conceding 79 in his 19 overs, of which 52 came in boundaries as Somerset’s batsmen took a heavy toll.The early wicket of Marcus Trescothick might have been a fillip, the former England opener, off-balance as he tried to put away a short ball, turning an attempted pull into a loopy swat to mid-wicket, where Hashim Amla, falling backwards, did well to hold on to the catch.But it was not until the last of four brief spells, none longer than six overs, that Broad began to look more than an occasional threat. He produced a decent delivery then to have Damien Wright, on the back foot, caught at second slip, before picking up a third wicket when Peter Stiff, swinging the bat, was caught on the third man boundary.In the morning, after Broad’s opening three overs had gone for 18, it was the supporting cast who appeared to be justifying Chris Read’s decision to put Somerset in.Andre Adams, who had bowled well against Kent, struck with his third ball after replacing Broad at the pavilion end, dismissing Arul Suppiah with a delivery that moved away late, Neil Edwards taking the catch at second slip.Luke Fletcher, powerfully built and deceptively sharp, nipped one through to trap James Hildreth leg before, after which Paul Franks, who had taken over from Adams, dealt a double blow to Trescothick’s team by removing Zander de Bruyn, who chased a wide ball to give Edwards a second catch, and then – the real bonus – Craig Kieswetter.England’s Twenty20 wicketkeeper, who made seven and 17 in Somerset’s opening-round defeat by Yorkshire, fell for a single this time, caught behind to the third ball after lunch as Franks surprised him with some extra bounce. Five down for 78, Somerset looked in trouble.That they recovered owed something to Peter Trego’s decision to take the bull by the horns and attack the bowling in a style that comes naturally. It might have failed spectacularly but this time it had the desired effect. Reaching 50 off 66 balls with nine fours, he led the way in a sixth-wicket stand of 64 in 19 overs with Nick Compton, which ended when Compton pulled Fletcher to Mark Wagh, who seemed to lose the ball momentarily but recovered to take the catch.Trego’s charge ended when another expansive swing edged the ball through to Read for Franks to claim his third success but by then Somerset were looking somewhat healthier. With Wright and Alfonso Thomas then taking Trego’s lead, Wright rocking back to hit Franks clear of the mid-wicket boundary with the shot of the day, they wound up with what might just be a workable first-innings score.It will be, certainly, if Nottinghamshire do not build themselves a strong foundation on the second morning. Losing Edwards, facing his former teammates, leg before to Charl Willoughby’s third delivery, they managed only two scoring strokes in the first 10 overs, suffering another setback when Bilal Shafayat edged Thomas to first slip. Amla, after his debut century last week, needs to produce something special again.

أصبح تتويج الدولي الفرنسي كريم بنزيما بالكرة الذهبية إذا حدث، أمرًا مهمًا بالنسبة لمستقبله مع ريال مدريد الإسباني.

النجم الفرنسي صاحب الـ35 عامًا، ينتهي عقده بنهاية الموسم الحالي في صيف 2023، وفي ذلك العمر سيكون من الصعب – حسب سياسات ريال مدريد – أن يوقع على عقدًا جديدًا طويل الأجل.

بنزيما في الموسم الماضي سجل 44 هدفًا وصنع 15 في 46 مباراة بمختلف المسابقات مع النادي الملكي، وفاز ببطولتي الدوري الإسباني ودوري أبطال أوروبا، ويعتبر هو المرشح الأوفر حظًا للفوز بالكرة الذهبية.

طالع أيضًا.. تقارير: كروس يدرس قرارًا مهمًا حول مستقبله مع ريال مدريد

وحسب ما أفاد موقع “Relovo” الإسباني، في حال حصول كريم بنزيم على الكرة الذهبية، التي من المفترض أن يعلن الفائز بها يوم 17 أكتوبر الجاري، سيمدد عقده لمدة عام.

وأشارت التقارير إلى أن ريال مدريد يريد الاحتفاظ بالفرنسي، والفوز بالجائزة سيجعله تلقائيًا مستمرًا مع الملكي حسب بند في العقد الحالي له مع الفريق الإسباني.

في حالة فوزه بالكرة الذهبية سيكون كريم بنزيما أول لاعب فرنسي يفوز بها منذ 24 عامًا، بعد أن توّج بالجائزة زين الدين زيدان عام 1998.

أكد محمد بيومي خبير اللوائح، أنه من حق لاعب الأهلي صلاح محسن فسخ التعاقد والرحيل عن صفوف القلعة الحمراء مجانًا.

وكان النادي الأهلي وضع صلاح محسن مهاجم المارد الأحمر، في قائمة الانتظار للفريق.

وقال بيومي خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج “الريمونتادا” على قناة “المحور”: “صلاح محسن من حقه فسخ عقده في الأهلي من بعد يوم واحد من غلق باب القيد”.

وأضاف: “باب القيد يغلق يوم 10 أكتوبر ولو لم يتم قيد اللاعب في القائمة الأصلية سيحق للاعب فسخ عقده عن طريق إخطار النادي على مرتين”.

وتابع: “صلاح محسن لن يحصل على مستحقاته المالية في الأهلي أنه هو من طلب فسخ عقده، هناك شخص ذكي يدير خطة صلاح محسن للرحيل عن الأهلي مجانًا”.

طالع | الخطيب يكلف عبد الحفيظ بإنهاء تمرد لاعب الأهلي.. وشرط وحيد لرحيله

وأكمل: “صلاح محسن لو لم يقيد في القائمة الأصلية فيمكنه فسخ عقده والتعاقد مع أي ناد آخر، ولكن لن يتم مشاركته في فريقه الجديد إلا في شهر يناير المقبل”.

وواصل: “اي لاعب مقيد في قائمة الانتظار من حقه فسخ عقده في أي وقت طالما لم يتم قيده”.

وأتم: “قائمة الانتظار كلام فارغ ولا تعني أن اللاعب ليس من حقه الرحيل، فيفا يمنع أي اتحاد أو نادي من منع لاعب من المشاركة في المباريات طالما أن اللاعب ليس ضده عقوبة، اللاعب سيخطر النادي واتحاد الكرة بالفسخ لعدم قيده وقوانين فيفا ستحميه”.

At the end of a batsman’s career, history rates them by how many hundreds they have scored for their country, but for Paul Collingwood there should be an extra column. How many Tests he has saved for England

Andrew McGlashan in Johannesburg12-Jan-2010At the end of a batsman’s career, history rates them by how many hundreds they have scored for their country, but for Paul Collingwood there should be an extra column. How many Tests he has saved for England. In the last eight months he has played a major role in three great escapes with backs-to-the-wall efforts at Cardiff, Centurion and most recently Cape Town.In the first Test against South Africa he made 26 off 99 balls to ensure England’s late jitters didn’t cost them the match, but his 188-ball 40 at Cape Town was on a whole new level. The team were five down before the second ball was taken and the result looked a foregone conclusion.But somehow Collingwood survived a withering new-ball burst from Dale Steyn and defied South Africa until into the final hour. There was another late wobble – it really wouldn’t be England without one – but his five-hour partnership with Ian Bell meant the visitors hold a 1-0 lead heading into the final Test at the Wanderers. Collingwood has nine Test centuries, and made 91 at Durban in this series, but his match-saving efforts are what he savours.”They are right up there if I’m honest,” he said. “Centurion was a very satisfying innings but for some reason last week at Cape Town – we were five down pretty early and backs against the wall – I always had the belief we could do it. It was such an important game for us.”It’s very hard to measure those kinds of innings because it’s not about runs. It’s about the time you spend in the middle, the attitude you show to the other players that we can do it. In many ways I always think they are worth a hundred, but because you haven’t got the runs it doesn’t come across that way. To get across the line like we have done in this series it’s a big achievement.”Right from the beginning of his Test career Collingwood has shown the ability to fight it out when the going is at its toughest. When he was recalled to face Australia, at The Oval, in 2005 he played a vital role on the final afternoon alongside Kevin Pietersen’s thrilling 158. Collingwood only made 10, but used up 51 balls in a stand of 60 that extended England’s precious lead.”Those are the situations I do really, really enjoy,” he said. “I like – not upsetting the opposition – but just going out there and doing things that are not easy to do. I know I must bore people at times. But it’s a job I enjoy doing, and I hope there are more of those kind of innings in the future.”I am a fighter. I always have been, since growing up with my brother, from my early teens. I’m sure I’ll keep that kind of fighting spirit all the way through my career.”Given Collingwood’s history of rescuing his country, the Cape Town effort didn’t come as a huge surprise, unlike that of his main partner, Bell, who set a new benchmark for his career with a 213-ball 78. Collingwood believes it can be a turning point for Bell, who has often been criticised for making easy runs when the going is good.”At Durban he played a fantastic innings, he timed the ball well, he scored elegantly, but I’m sure he’s come off the other day and thought that’s probably worth more runs than he scored at Durban,” Collingwood said. “That was a fantastic knock from him. From being under pressure a couple of games ago to turn that around and to show he as the mental strength to see out a day will certainly give him a lot for the future.”The South Africans acknowledge the role Collingwood has played in this series. “He has shown the quality player he is and his experience has come into play,” Jacques Kallis said. “Perhaps he’s not the prettiest player in the world, but you’d rather take the guys who are ugly and get the runs than pretty players who don’t always produce the goods.”Those fighting qualities could well come the fore again this week as England aim to secure a memorable series triumph. With South Africa having no option but to attack for victory all the talk is of a lively pitch although that doesn’t concern Collingwood.”Let’s be honest they’re not going to produce a flat, flat wicket where it’s going to turn out to be a draw,” he said. “South Africa are in a position where they need a win and to do that, they’ve got to gamble a little bit.”This wicket does tend to go through a lot more anyway and you get a bit more bounce here. Then if they leave a bit more grass on, it will obviously seam around a bit. It could be a difficult week for the batsmen. But it’s all about adjusting to conditions. Whatever we come up against, it’s the same for both sides. The team that adapts best will win.”So far in this series it is England who have adapted best to the challenges that have faced them and in no small part that has been down to Collingwood. For England’s born fighter there’s one round to go.

According to reports by Gazzetta dello Sport (via SportWitness), Tottenham are looking at Dušan Vlahović alternatives, leading to the monitoring of Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca.

The Lowdown: Spurs need goals

Ever since Fabio Paratici arrived in London, Spurs have been linked with a move for Fiorentina’s Vlahović. The 21-year-old striker is in fantastic form this season, having scored 15 goals in 17 Serie A appearances, making him the league’s top goalscorer. Fabrizio Romano has claimed that it will take a bid of £59.5m to lure the youngster away from the Italian side.

These links emerged after Manchester City offered £125m for Harry Kane in the summer. Spurs of course rejected this offer, but retrospectively this seems like a hasty decision. Kane has struggled this campaign, having scored just one goal in 13 Premier League appearances.

At 29-years-old, the Englishman is in the prime years of his career. If Tottenham did decide to sell the striker, they may never receive an offer anywhere near this previous sum, and perhaps that is why they are searching for cheaper alternatives to Vlahović.

The Latest: Spurs monitoring Scamacca

According to a report by Gazzetta dello Sport (via SportWitness), Tottenham remain extremely interested in the signing of Vlahović.

However, the newspaper claim that Sassuolo’s Scamacca is currently being monitored by a couple of major English teams, and is deemed ‘popular’ in the Premier League.

Tottenham are allegedly one of the teams interested in the player, especially if Kane parts ways with the Lilywhites in 2022.

The Verdict: Sound alternative?

Vlahović is also on Manchester City’s radar, as Pep Guardiola remains without a proper striker. If the Premier League winners decide to not go in for Kane in the summer, it is expected that they will pursue the Serbia international, and perhaps that will take the decision out of Paratici’s hands.

However, Scamacca could prove to be a good alternative. Despite scoring just five goals in 17 appearances this season, the youngster has shown enough potential for Davide Ballardini, one of his managers at Genoa, to liken the 22-year-old to a young Christian Vieri.

The 6 foot 5 Scamacca is described by Whoscored as strong in the air and someone who ‘likes to tackle’, so perhaps he could be the perfect man to spearhead Antonio Conte’s new look Tottenham, performing the sort of role that Romelu Lukaku did for the manager last season at Inter.