A round-up of the Under-19 World Cup games on February 1, 2020
ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2020 ScorecardMatthew Patrick was at the centre of a very tense game, first picking up two wickets with his offspin to further a South Africa collapse and then scoring a vital 25 runs off 61 balls to see West Indies through to victory in the fifth-place play-off match in Potchefstroom.South Africa were rather well placed at 120 for 4 in the 29th over but then Patrick and left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd (10-1-18-2) took control of the innings, triggering a collapse that resulted in the hosts losing six wickets for only 23 runs.With only 143 on the board, West Indies might have hoped for a straightforward finish but they ran straight into trouble, losing two wickets with only 11 runs on the board. Bryce Parsons and Merrick Brett turned five of their 19 overs into maidens and picked up four wickets between them as well to keep South Africa in the game, but Patrick, coming in at No. 6, absorbed all that pressure and made sure he stayed there while the winning runs were hit.Jonathan Figy plays a drive•ICC via Getty ScorecardUdaybir Walia’s Player-of-the-Match performance helped Canada take 13th place with a win over UAE in the play-off at Potchefstroom. Walia came in at No. 8 and made an unbeaten 42 as he put together an unbroken 86-run stand with Harmanjeet Singh Bedi to rescue his team after they’d fallen to 93 for 6 in a chase of 175. Earlier in the day Walia, bowling for the first time in the tournament, took 3 for 16 to close UAE’s innings after medium-pacer Akhil Kumar and offspinner Gurjot Gosal shared five wickets to restrict UAE.A Aravind, Ansh Tandon and KP Meiyappan all got into the 20s for UAE around Alishan Sharafu, who came in at 70 for 4 and was unbeaten on 65 by the end of the innings after Canada had elected to field. In response, Canada lost wickets regularly, four of them to offspinner Rishabh Mukherjee, who finished the tournament with eight wickets in his last two matches. But little damage came from the other ends as Walia and Bedi saw Canada through.Ifeanyichukwu Uboh wheels away in celebration•ICC via Getty ScorecardA five-wicket haul by Ifeanyichukwu Uboh helped Nigeria to their first win in the Under-19 World Cup, beating Japan by eight wickets. His efforts brought the opposition down from 81 for 3 to 115 all out which then set up opener Sulaimon Runsewe to score a half-century and close the game out with 164 balls to spare. Japan have not won any of their games in this tournament, nor put up a total above 120, but they looked good for it with Shu Noguchi doing his best to stick to the crease, but his wicket for 31 off 77 balls caused a seven-wicket collapse for only 34 runs.
Xabi Alonso revealed Jude Bellingham is stepping up his recovery and could return for Real Madrid before October, with El Clasico the key target.
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Alonso has offered a positive update on Bellingham’s recovery from shoulder surgery. The midfielder has been sidelined since going under the knife to fix a recurring dislocation that first struck against Rayo Vallecano in November 2023. He had continued to play with heavy strapping for both Madrid and England before the issue worsened, forcing him out of action at the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
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The 22-year-old has already missed three La Liga fixtures this season and will miss Los Blancos' opening Champions League games. The club are desperate to avoid rushing him back, but Alonso confirmed that Bellingham is already in partial, non-contact training. With El Clasico against Barcelona looming on October 26, the priority is to have him fit and firing for the biggest fixture on the Spanish calendar.
WHAT XABI ALONSO SAID
In his press conference before the Real Sociedadclash in La Liga, Alonso gave an encouraging update on the midfielder’s progress: "I want to be a little optimistic and hope he's ready before October. He's doing partial, non-contact training, but Jude is making a great effort in his recovery. Let's see if he can take steps forward next week, and when we feel good, we'll be waiting for him."
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The Englishman will miss Madrid’s upcoming clash against Real Sociedad this weekend, but his rehabilitation continues to progress positively. The target remains for him to be available in time for the El Clasico showdown with Barcelona, though Madrid will prioritise his long-term fitness over rushing him back.
A lot of the DC batters got starts but none of them managed to cross 40, with Axar’s 32-ball 39 the highest of the innings
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2025After a tough couple of days, the Ahmedabad pitch gave a bit of respite for batters on a hot Saturday afternoon. Karun Nair, KL Rahul, and Delhi Capitals’ (DC) middle-order batters got starts, but none of them crossed 39. Gujarat Titans (GT) used only five bowlers for 19 overs of the innings. Prasidh Krishna, who got hold of the purple cap, pulled the visitors back after a great start with a four-wicket haul.DC leaving out Jake Fraser-McGurk created the new opening combination of Abhisek Porel and Nair. Porel’s boundaries in the first over; a drive on the up over mid-off and a help-along flick behind square, showed that the pitch could be trusted.He fell to a full toss from Arshad Khan and Rahul’s shift in approach kept DC ticking. Rahul cut Siraj and was able to pump him down the ground. His start was ominous but an outswinging yorker from Prasidh trapped him lbw for 28 off 14 balls.Nair, too, got boundaries on both sides of the wicket. He was out in a relatively soft manner, ramping a shortish ball straight to deep third.A pristine cover drive from Stubbs off Prasidh brought up DC’s hundred in the ninth over. But he and Axar Patel were relatively sedate after that during the 53-run stand off 36 balls. They were happy to take Rashid Khan and Ishant Sharma for ones and twos.Rashid bowled quicker and at the stumps in his first two overs. He slowed the pace down in his third as Stubbs took him for six down the ground but then miscued a swipe across the line. Rashid ran back but couldn’t hold onto the catch close to the ring at mid-on. It led to a slog-swept six from Axar next ball.Ishant was struggling in the heat and went off the pitch after two overs. Siraj returned and removed Stubbs, who reverse swept a yorker and the ball lobbed to short third.GT’s death bowlers included a lot of yorker attempts with short balls peppered in between. It nearly worked first ball, but Rashid dropped Axar at the start of the 17th.The DC skipper could not hit a boundary in his last nine balls and was out caught behind. He charged Prasidh and tried to slap a length ball over cover and got an edge. Prasidh was on a hat-trick a ball later, thanks to a brilliant diving catch from Jos Buttler to dismiss Vipraj Nigam.Ashutosh Sharma was the primary boundary hitter in the final overs. He got a six and a four off Arshad early in his innings and hit two sixes off Prasidh later on. R Sai Kishore, whose only over was the final one of the innings, went for just nine, as GT inched past the 200 mark.
Celtic dropped more points in the Scottish Premiership this season as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Aberdeen away from Parkhead on Saturday in the early kick-off.
The Hoops were, in fact, fortunate to even secure a point as they went 1-0 down early in the first half thanks to a stunning goal from Bojan Miovski.
Celtic had been linked with an interest in the North Macedonia international ahead of the January transfer window, and he gave them a timely reminder of why they were looking at him with a sublime finish into the far corner of Joe Hart's goal.
Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski.
Nicolas Kuhn, thankfully, found a deflected equaliser for the Bhoys but a huge miss from Graeme Shinnie – and a great save from Joe Hart – stopped the hosts from coming away with all three points.
Brendan Rodgers' side are now only three points ahead of Rangers, having played one game more, and the Northern Irish head coach must work out a way to avoid more of these slip-ups to prevent the title race swinging the wrong way.
Getting the best out of Kyogo Furuhashi, who struggled for much of Saturday's game, could be pivotal as the Japan international is a prolific scorer at his best, and he could do that by unleashing Adam Idah from the start alongside him.
Kyogo's red-hot form last season
The 29-year-old marksman has not been able to hit the heights of last season under Ange Postecoglou as his form in front of goal has dipped drastically.
He was on fire for the Australian tactician throughout the 2022/23 campaign and earned the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award last summer for his terrific exploits on the pitch.
Kyogo plundered a staggering 27 goals in 31 Scottish Premiership starts for the Hoops and only missed 16 'big chances' in total, which speaks to his clinical finishing in the final third.
He scored 16 more goals than any other Celtic player – Jota with 11 was in second place – and played a vital role in their title success with his consistently reliable goalscoring as a centre-forward for Postecoglou.
The former Vissel Kobe star found the back of the net every 86 minutes on average throughout the season in the Premiership, which is better than one every full match, and that is a phenomenal return for any striker.
His stunning form led to The Sun reporting last summer that Tottenham and four other European clubs were ready to battle it out for the Japanese dynamo, who was valued at around £20m at the time.
However, Celtic were able to fight off interest in his services from elsewhere, including their former head coach, and may have expected more of the same this season from Kyogo after they managed to keep hold of him.
Instead, the experienced marksman has failed to replicate his form under Postecoglou and Rodgers may be scratching his head as to why that has been the case.
Kyogo's struggles this season
The Hoops striker's output in front of goal has fallen off a cliff in comparison to last season as he has only found the back of the net eight times in 24 outings.
Kyogo has not made the most of the opportunities that his teammates have provided for him with 12 'big chances' missed in those 24 matches, with more big chances missed than goals scored for the first time in a Premiership season for the club.
As you can see in the table below, the 29-year-old gem has not provided anywhere near as much of a threat to opposition defenders as he did last term.
Appearances
36
24
Gaosl
27
Eight
Big chances missed
16
12
Minutes per goal
86
212
Shots on target per game
1.2
0.8
The Bhoys dynamo has failed to hit the target as often per match, missed more 'big chances' per game on average, and scored significantly less frequently this term compared to last.
Interestingly, Kyogo has taken ten more shots from distance (16 to six) this season and this could come from frustration at a lack of chances around the box, which is where Idah could come into play.
Idah's potential partnership with Kyogo
The club swooped to secure the signing of the Ireland international on loan from Norwich City on deadline day and supporters could be forgiven for being underwhelmed.
On the face of it, Celtic brought in a back-up striker from a Championship side on loan instead of a proven Premiership scorer like Miovski, who had – as aforementioned – been linked with a move to Parkhead.
However, the 22-year-old is an exciting prospect who could fulfill his potential in Scotland with regular minutes that did not come at Carrow Road.
Idah came off the bench to help rescue a point for the Hoops against Aberdeen and his impressive cameo off the bench provided a glimpse at the possible combination between him and Kyogo.
Minutes played
31
Sofascore rating
7.2
Touches
14
Key passes
Three
Assists
One
As you can see in the table above, the Canaries loanee provided outstanding creativity in limited touches, with Sky Sports co-commentator Chris Sutton describing his centre-forward play as "sensational" during the game, in just over half an hour on the pitch on his debut.
His composed turn and well-weighted lay-off provided Kuhn with the opportunity to fire in the equaliser and he was unfortunate not to land another assist from Kyogo or Matt O'Riley, who both had efforts on goal from inside the box thanks to his passes.
Idah, who stands at 6 foot 3, has the physical presence to be the perfect foil for the Japan international to play off as part of a front two for Celtic.
Norwich forward Adam Idah.
The £23k-per-week whiz won both of his aerial duels against the Dons whilst Kyogo has won 0.2 aerial battles per game this term at a success rate of 18%.
Idah, who scored six goals from 5.83 Expected Goals in the Championship for Norwich this season, could be the focal point of Rodgers' attack and use his creativity and strong hold-up play, as he did against Aberdeen, to create chances for the Japanese marksman.
This could, therefore, ignite Kyogo by allowing him to play off the Irishman and focus on getting shots away in the box instead of competing with opposition defenders in physical battles and taking too many shots from distance, which is why the manager must unleash his new signing from the start.
The rebuild at Manchester United is well and truly underway, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe attempting to fix the way the club functions.
However, on-the-field additions are yet to occur in what has been a quiet January for the Red Devils who are yet to welcome any new faces to the club.
The attacking department is what Erik ten Hag is keen to address, with his side struggling in the final third.
Man Utd's search for a new attacker
According to reports from Spain, Man United are in the race to sign Brighton sensation Kaoru Mitoma.
That said, they face plenty of competition for his signature with Arsenal said to be favourites to sign the winger after Mikel Arteta personally ordered a move was made. Treble-winners Manchester City also interested in the Japanese forward.
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Mitoma's estimated value as per CIES Football Observatory is £68m, which likely rules out a move occurring this month due to FFP restrictions.
How Mitoma compares to Rashford
Last season, Marcus Rashford was unstoppable, scoring goals, and full of confidence, as he netted 17 times in the Premier League.
However, he has been a shadow of his former self this campaign, scoring just four in 26 total appearances, and the last thing he needs at this current moment is the attention of the media for his off-the-field activities, snapped in a Belfast night club a few days ago.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.
Nevertheless, consistency is what United have missed the most this season, and Ten Hag will want his players to perform to a certain standard for the most part. Having said that, Mitoma could just be the player to provide a continuous threat in the United attack, and that serves as bad news to Rashford.
The Japanese attacker entertained the Premier League for the first time last season when he scored seven goals and registered five assists in 24 starts.
This campaign, he's on track to match his previous numbers, as he's currently netted three times and provided four assists in 13 starts, with an ankle injury reducing his matches played.
Nonetheless, let's look at Mitoma's statistics from this season, which prove he would be an excellent signing for United.
Goals
0.20
Bottom 58%
Assists
0.27
Top 25%
Touches (Att pen)
8.04
Top 9%
Take-ons attempted
5.93
Top 9%
Successful take-ons
2.38
Top 13%
Carries into penalty area
3.82
Top 4%
Progressive passes received
14.38
Top 6%
There's nothing that Mitoma cannot do when the ball is at his feet, and based on the statistics, it is no surprise that he did his university thesis on the art of dribbling.
The 26-year-old dazzles opponents with his feints, which enable him to breeze past opponents and carry the ball into dangerous areas.
Ten Hag's side lacks players who can take people on, with only two players in the squad boasting over one successful dribble per game, which often makes United far too easy to face.
Although his goal output is low, that direct dribble into the box often provides him with an opportunity to work half a yard of space to either set up a teammate or slot the ball into the corner with finesse, which has caused Mitoma's former teammate Christian Burgess to say he "finishes like [Thierry] Henry."
However, the main problem for Mitoma is that he is often being marked by two, sometimes three players at times, because there is only going to be one winner in a 1v1 scenario. That said, it has huge benefits for the rest of the team because it allows a numerical advantage to occur elsewhere.
There's not a player in the United squad that can impact a game in the same way that Mitoma can, and therefore, signing the Japan international could be a great piece of business, even if it banishes Rashford from the first-team picture.
Barcelona could reportedly make a move for Marc Guehi as the Spanish champions are set to rival Liverpool for the Crystal Palace captain. The Catalans, fresh off losing Inigo Martinez this summer, are now circling around Guehi with SPORT claiming that director of football, Deco, has added the 25-year-old to his January hit list.
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With Guehi eligible to strike a pre-contract agreement in the New Year, the Catalan giants see a golden opportunity to lure one of the Premier League’s standout defenders without paying a transfer fee. Barcelona’s interest instantly throws a spanner in Liverpool’s carefully laid plans, after the Reds had agreed personal terms with Guehi in the summer before their move fell apart at the eleventh hour.
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The Merseysiders were left floored when Palace chairman Steve Parish pulled the plug on Guehi’s £35 million move late in the window, citing the lack of a replacement. Guehi, for his part, made it clear he was ready to join Anfield immediately, but once denied, his stance hardened: he will now run down his deal and leave on a free. That revelation has sparked a feeding frenzy across Europe. What looked like Liverpool’s second chance at a straight run on their man has now descended into a brutal multi-club tug-of-war, with Palace set to watch their most valuable asset walk out for nothing.
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Hansi Flick’s Barcelona are hardly short of centre-back options, but stability at the back has been an elusive dream. Andreas Christensen’s contract expires next summer, while Jules Kounde has been forced into right-back duty more often than he’d like. Ronald Araujo, once viewed as the cornerstone of the back line, has struggled to maintain form and fitness for nearly two seasons. That leaves teenage prodigy Pau Cubarsi as the only guaranteed long-term solution. Guehi, with his maturity, leadership and proven Premier League pedigree, would offer Barcelona both reliability and experience as they try to rebuild a title-winning defence.
DID YOU KNOW?
The plot thickens further with reports that Real Madrid are also tracking Guehi. As if a Clasico tug-of-war wasn’t dramatic enough, Europe’s other heavyweights are muscling in. Bayern Munich have identified Guehi as a solution to their shaky back line. Meanwhile, Inter Milan and Juventus are both ready to pitch the glamour of Serie A and the lure of being a marquee foreign signing.
“We could have been 15-20 runs ahead had something not happened out there in the end,” says India captain
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2019″We could have been 15-20 runs ahead had something not happened out there in the end”At the end of India’s loss to West Indies, Virat Kohli brought up a bizarre incident that happened in the 48th over of their innings. Ravindra Jadeja seemed to have got through for a single despite a direct hit at his end from Roston Chase. Umpire Shaun George initially ruled it not out – never going upstairs for help – but a few seconds later replays shown around the ground revealed that Jadeja had not made his ground and West Indies used that to go up in a second appeal which prompted George to bring the third umpire into play.Kohli looked displeased while all this was happening live and made it known in no uncertain terms at the post-match presentation. “The thought is simple,” he told . “The fielder asked how was that and the umpire said not out. The dismissal ends there. The people sitting [and watching] on the TV outside cannot tell the fielders to tell the umpire to review it again.”I’ve never seen that happen again. I don’t know where the rules are, where the line is drawn. I think the referee and the umpires have to see that incident again and figure out what needs to be done in cricket. The people sitting outside can’t dictate what happens on the field and I think that’s exactly what happened then.”West Indies’ captain Kieron Pollard said: “For me at the end of the day, the right decision was made. That’s the most important thing if you’re looking to better the sport, you’re looking to get all the right decisions. Again, for me, we appealed, the umpire didn’t take it, didn’t think it was necessary at that point of time but eventually whatever took place, the right decision was made and that’s what’s most important”A similar thing happened In the 2017 home season when Australia’s Steven Smith seemed to ask his dressing room for help on a DRS call. Kohli just stopped himself short of calling that cheating.He did have high praise for West Indies over the way they approached their chase of 288 on Sunday night. “I think they batted really well,” Kohli said. “The pitch didn’t change drastically. The fast bowlers, I think the ball wasn’t holding enough for the fast bowlers, spinners was tough to play, but I think they put enough pressure on our spinners to not let them hit one area. I think [Shimron] Hetmyer’s innings was outstanding and Shai [Hope] held one end.”There seemed indications that it got better to bat on under lights, that the ball didn’t stick in it as much as it did in the first innings when West Indies’ slower balls had India at 25 for 2. “It [the pitch] wasn’t a drastic change which we thought could’ve been an advantage if it had remained the same,” Kohli said.
Health could be one of the reasons for his decision; new chairman to be elected in May
Nagraj Gollapudi10-Dec-2019ICC chairman Shashank Manohar has indicated that he will not seek to continue in the seat when his current term ends in May 2020. Despite having the option of serving for another two years, Manohar was quoted as saying by , “I am not interested in continuing for another two-year term.”ICC’s rules allow a chairman to serve a maximum of three terms if he or she is re-elected every two years. Manohar became the global body’s first independent chairman in 2016, and then was re-elected in 2018. On both occasions he was, as the sole nominee, elected unanimously by the ICC directors.He remains popular with a majority of the ICC board’s 15 directors, which includes an independent woman director, the former Pepsico chairperson, Indra Nooyi. Imran Khawaja, the ICC deputy chairman, is believed to have met Manohar recently, asking him to continue for another term.”Majority of directors have requested me to continue but I have told them that I do not wish to,” Manohar said. “I have been the chairman for nearly five years. I am very clear, I do not want to continue from June 2020. My successor will be known next May. He has to be elected in May to take charge after me at the annual conference.”Manohar’s tenure has been, in some ways, transformative. When he was BCCI president between 2015-16, Manohar became the first heavyweight administrator to call out the constitutional revamp of the ICC, devised by the Big Three, for “bullying”.Once he took charge as the independent chairman, Manohar rolled back the Big Three’s revamp, brought in a new financial distribution model, changed the governance structure of the ICC Board and brought in an independent woman director for the first time. In the last two years, he has overseen the ICC management’s plan to introduce the the World Test Championship and the ODI League, to be launched from May 2020.His decision to not seek another term is thought to have caught the ICC management by surprise, and it is not immediately clear why he is choosing not to continue. One reason could be that Manohar is simply not inclined to chair the ICC anymore, that he is less motivated now because the ICC faces lesser challenges compared to when he took charge in 2016.Another potential reason could be health. The October round of ICC meetings were moved from Sydney to Dubai because Manohar couldn’t get on a long-haul flight to Australia: he had been advised not to do so by doctors.An ICC director who met Manohar recently told him that they needed his strong leadership now that an elected BCCI administration was back in power. The director feared that the BCCI, using its clout, could possibly once again endanger the various reforms the ICC had adopted, or is in the process of adopting.Although enjoys a strong support at the ICC, Manohar has polarised opinion within the BCCI where several members – among the state associations – have been critical of him for hurting India’s interests when he rolled back the Big Three revamp.As per the election rules, only a current or former ICC director can contest for the chairman’s position. Each director can nominate one candidate. Nominees with the support of at least two directors are eligible to contest the election.
Alejandro Garnacho has spoken for the first time after completing his move from Manchester United and explained why Chelsea are a natural fit for him.
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Chelsea have captured the signing of another bright young talent in Garnacho, who completed his move from United on Saturday, and the Argentine has given his first interview as a Blue. During the interview, Garnacho labelled Chelsea as "the best in the world" and explained why he feels the move makes sense from a sporting standpoint, while also acknowledging national team-mate Enzo Fernandez's influence behind the transfer.
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A graduate of United's youth academy, Garnacho broke into the Red Devils' first team in 2022 and went on to make 144 appearances, scoring 26 goals. However, ahead of the 2025-26 season, Garnacho was told by United head coach Ruben Amorim that he wasn't a part of his plans. Chelsea smelled an opportunity and completed the move earlier this week. The winger arrives at Stamford Bridge on a seven-year contract in a deal worth £40 million (€46m/$54m) – a figure that could prove to be a bargain if Garnacho reaches his potential.
WHAT GARNACHO SAID
Speaking to Chelsea's official website, Garnacho explained the reasons behind his switch to Chelsea. He said: "These types of moments give you the taste, and you want to keep winning. When you get to a final, you want to score goals and win the trophy. This is my mentality.
"I have a winning mentality. I have passion and a big personality. It’s a natural fit with a club like Chelsea, which have just won the Club World Cup.
"Chelsea are at the top now, and it’s important to fight for the club like the fans deserve. I watched the Club World Cup, and to join the world champions is special – it means we’re the best team in the world!
"It’s not common to have played a lot of games at this age, but it has helped me a lot. I’m only 21 and I have a lot of experience from these different types of games, stadiums and moments."
FERNANDEZ'S ROLE IN GARNACHO MOVE
The 21-year-old also went on to speak about his Argentine team-mate Fernandez, who captains Chelsea. Garnacho spoke about the link-up and revealed the role Fernandez played in the move.
He added: "I spoke to Enzo during the summer because he had been asking a lot of times, ‘When are you coming, when are you coming?’
"I kept saying that he had to be patient, and we would play together. He texted me when I joined to say congratulations, and I can’t wait to see him and play together. I had to be patient too, but now I can’t wait to get started."
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Idrissa Gueye to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.
What’s the word?
That’s according to a report by French media outlet Jeunes Footeux (via Sport Witness), who claim that, with a little over 12 months remaining on his current deal at Le Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain may be willing to cash in on the defensive midfielder at the end of the current campaign.
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The report goes on to state that this has alerted Tottenham to the possibility of bringing the 32-year-old to north London this summer, with Fabio Paratici believed to be keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Senegal international ahead of a potential €20m (£17m) move.
Conte’s new Kante
With it being reported that the signing of a new central midfielder is one of Conte’s primary targets in the summer transfer window, it is not difficult to see why the 52-year-old would be interested in a deal to bring Gueye to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of the club’s 2022/23 campaign.
Indeed, according to FBref data, the £13m-rated dynamo ranks in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for pressures per 90, as well as the top 7% for tackles, the top 31% for interceptions, the top 8% for passes attempted, the top 1% for passes completed, the top 22% for progressive carries and the top 10% for non-penalty goals over the last 365 days.
Furthermore, the £99k-per-week talent who Joe Rimmer claimed is “absolutely everywhere” is also Premier League proven, having averaged extremely impressive seasonal SofaScore ratings of 7.30 in 2015/16, 7.25 in 2016/17, 7.00 in 2017/18 and 7.09 in 2018/19 with Everton.
As such, despite his advancing years, it would very much appear as if Gueye would still make a fantastic addition to Conte’s options in the middle of the park this summer, particularly if the 32-year-old is available for as little as £17m.
And, should Paratici go on to secure a deal for the Senegalese sensation, he may well have provided the 52-year-old Spurs boss with his new N’Golo Kante – the French defensive midfielder with whom Conte won the Premier League title at Chelsea.
AND in other news: Conte now plotting £17m offer for “fantastic” Spurs target, he’s better than Soucek