The inaugural season of the GLT20, Cricket South Africa’s franchise T20 tournament, will not take place as scheduled in November and December

Firdose Moonda10-Oct-20172:06

The rise and fall of the T20 Global League

The inaugural season of Cricket South Africa’s T20 Global League, which was scheduled to begin on November 3, has been postponed to November 2018 instead.The franchises understood that the delay in securing a stable television broadcast deal and central rights sponsorship for the tournament were the main reasons for postponing the GLT20, the brainchild of former CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat who had parted ways with the board last month.SACA expresses “concern and disappointment”

The South African Cricketers Association has called for an “independent review” into what has caused the postponement of the T20 Global League.
“This has a very significant impact on a large number of local and overseas players, all of whom have signed contracts to play in the league,” Tony Irish, chief executive of SACA, said. “Some players turned down other opportunities in order to commit themselves to these contracts. We will be looking at all implications of this for players, including what compensation should be paid to them.”
“SACA is well aware of the fact that this will also affect various other groups including franchises, coaches and stadium owners. I think it will be necessary for CSA to appoint its own independent review into what has actually transpired here as there are significant implications across South African cricket.”

ESPNcricinfo learned that CSA had informed all the eight franchises of the decision over the past few days. “We have not come to this decision lightly,” CSA’s acting CEO Thabang Moroe said. “Having discussed it with all our stakeholders including the franchise owners, we believe that the interest of the league should be our first priority. We have re-assessed our strategy and believe that postponing the first edition of the T20 Global League to next year will serve us well. We will regroup and come back stronger and better.”With less than a month to go before kickoff, the event faced numerous logistical challenges, not least the inability to secure a broadcast deal or a title sponsor, resulting in hefty financial losses. Though local broadcaster SuperSport is understood to have been close to putting pen to paper, the deal was going to be worth much less than CSA anticipated.Last week, Moroe told reporters that CSA was bracing for a $25 million loss on the first edition of the tournament, which amounted to half of the organisation’s cash reserves. He also provided an assurance that the tournament would go ahead as planned.Moroe had taken over from Lorgat, who parted ways with CSA on September 28, after his relationship with the board became untenable. The board’s unhappiness with Lorgat’s methods of organisation of the T20 Global League was one of the reasons for his departure, but one of the GLT20 franchise owners told ESPNcricinfo that Lorgat’s absence had created “much bigger challenges” in putting the tournament together, because he was its driving force.”When you know that something is not right then you should not do it,” the owner said. “We are half-prepared and it will be a bigger disaster if we go this way.”There was no indication that any of the current owners, seven of whom are from overseas, would withdraw from the event. Moroe met with the franchise owners on at least one occasion and was confident they remained committed to putting the tournament together. However, the time-frame was too short to put together an event of the quality CSA and the owners wanted.The postponement of the GLT20 leaves an enormous gap in the South African cricket calendar. For six weeks in peak summer, neither the national team nor the domestic franchises will be in action because CSA had created space for the event. Zimbabwe are due to visit South Africa over Boxing Day for a four-day, day-night match that is awaiting Test status, which means that after Bangladesh’s tour ends on October 29, South Africans will not see any live home cricket until December 26, unless a contingency plan is made.

Liverpool have been boosted in their efforts to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer, with a report claiming the "doors are opening" for the move to take place.

Is Romeo Lavia a transfer target for Liverpool?

The Belgian saw his stock rise significantly last season, having joined Saints from Manchester City and made an immediate impression at the base of his side's midfield. While the south coast outfit ended up being relegated from the Premier League, finishing bottom of the table, he came away with his reputation enhanced, let alone in-tact.

A summer exit from St Mary's is now almost certainly on the cards for Lavia and he is reportedly wanted by some of the biggest teams in the country, including Arsenal and Chelsea. It is Liverpool who have emerged as arguably the favourites to sign him, however, with the Reds seeing him as a great option to bolster their midfield, especially with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson heading off to pastures new.

The 19-year-old is still at the Southampton for the time being, but it seems increasingly clear that the Merseysiders are working hard to get a deal over the line sooner rather than later. Now, a fresh update has emerged that sheds further light on the situation, as Liverpool look to complete some exciting transfer business.

What's the latest on Romeo Lavia to Liverpool?

According to Belgian newspaper La Derniere Huere [via Sport Witness], the "doors are opening" with regard to Lavia's move to Liverpool coming to fruition in the near future. The player himself is believed to be "on alert", as he waits for a significant update from his agent.

He is described as a "priority" target by the Reds, while a move to London is mentioned as being less likely at this point, suggesting Arsenal and Chelsea and lagging behind in the race to sign the Saints starlet.

Liverpool have the luxury of "time and patience" being on their side, according to the report, with plenty of the transfer window remaining and Southampton knowing they will likely have to offload key talent at some point this summer.

With each passing week, the more it looks as though Lavia is destined to head to Anfield before the 2023/24 season gets started, in what would be an eye-catching and long-term piece of business.

The teenager's ceiling looks extremely high, considering he has already stood out as a star man for a Premier League team, while City manager Pep Guardiola has said the following about him as a player:

"Really impressed with what Romeo is doing, we had and have an incredible opinion about him. We thought to keep him but we thought maybe he doesn’t get enough minutes like he’ll get in Southampton."

Lavia could help fill the void left in the No.6 by Fabinho, and Henderson to a lesser extent, but it is also important that another new arrival in that position also comes in, in order to ease the burden on him. Expecting a 19-year-old to boss Liverpool's midfield from the off is asking too much, and it is vital that he is given time to settle instead.

England 258 for 5 (Roy 84, Moeen 48*, Joseph 5-56) beat West Indies 356 for 5 (Lewis 176*, Holder 77, Woakes 3-71) by six runs (DLS method)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA late ram-raid of a sixth-wicket partnership between Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali enabled England to overcome a sensational innings from West Indies’ next big thing, Evin Lewis, and a maiden five-wicket haul from their thrusting speedster, Alzarri Joseph, to wrap up the one-day series with a game to spare in a rain-decided thriller at the Kia Oval.Set an improbable 357 to win, after Lewis’ astonishing innings of 176 from 130 balls had powered West Indies to their highest ODI total in this country, England were given a flying start by the returning Jason Roy, who made 82 from 66 balls, only for Joseph to rip out each of their first five wickets in the space of 9.4 overs.It was a misjudgement from Roy that clicked Joseph’s evening into gear. Moments after pasting a Joseph no-ball over long-on for his second six of the night, Roy attempted to run a boundary through third man but succeeded only in feathering a nick to the keeper. Two overs later, Bairstow fell in identical fashion to depart for 39 from 51, and when Joe Root toe-ended an attempted pull to give Shai Hope his third catch in a row, England had slumped to 157 for 3.Eoin Morgan, in need of some runs for his own peace of mind if nothing else, looked as busy as he has been in recent weeks in picking off three fours in a 17-ball 19. But then he climbed into a pull that seemed to be hurtling clean through fine leg for six, only for Kyle Hope, the substitute fielder, to cling onto a blinder, high and to his right just five metres the rope. And if that was good, then the identity of the next catcher arguably made Sam Billings’ departure even more spectator, as Chris Gayle defied his creaking hamstrings to stretch low to his right at a solitary slip, and complete for his young team-mate a memorable milestone.From an invidious position of 181 for 5, however, Moeen and Buttler paced their chase to near-perfection, reeling in a DLS par score that had at one stage been 37 runs in West Indies’ favour – first with measured accumulation and then with that familiar turn of timing and guile that characterises both men at their very best.We’ve seen plenty of the best of Moeen in recent times, and he was at it once again today, picking up where he left off at Bristol with another telling contribution of 48 not out from 25 balls. The first signs of a coup came in Ashley Nurse’s third and final over, a volley of six, four, six, each fiercely walloped back down the ground, and with Buttler dinking the angles and battering the drives, England’s charge was well and truly on.And, had England been able to call up the rain on cue, they could not have timed their chase any more perfectly, with Moeen drilling a pair of drives in Jerome Taylor’s final over – the second as the rain was already falling – to reach their par score of 252, and leave the field two runs later with a 3-0 series win all but mopped up.It was a cruel end to a valiant performance for West Indies, and made all the more cruel in light of the incident that brought a premature end to Lewis’ bombastic display. With 17 fours and seven sixes already to his name, he would surely have taken West Indies to even greater heights had he not inside-edged a Jake Ball yorker onto his right ankle and been forced to retire hurt with 22 balls remaining. X-rays subsequently revealed a hairline fracture and he will miss the final match at the Ageas Bowl on Friday.That injury, however, cannot detract from a truly memorable innings. Lewis, who has been spoken of in hushed tones since bursting on the scene, first in the Caribbean Premier League and more recently with a brilliant pair of T20 centuries against India, has, by and large, built his reputation on power rather than longevity. But, faced with a scoreline of 33 for 3 after Woakes had capitalised on some early life under hazy skies, he displayed another aspect of his batting character in a hugely responsible rebuilding effort.With Jason Mohammed alongside him, he set about adding 117 for the fourth wicket to reinflate his team’s prospects, but the fun really started when Liam Plunkett returned to the attack for the 40th over of the innings. West Indies, at that stage, were steadily placed on 212 for 4, but Lewis, who hitherto had barely played a single shot out of his comfort zone in amassing 109 from 105 balls with 14 fours, climbed into a steepling pull that just had the legs to plop over the head of Adil Rashid at backward square of his first six of the day.A miss is as good as a mile in such circumstances, and emboldened by the end result, Lewis planted his front foot to dump Plunkett’s next delivery straight down the ground for another six. A googly from Rashid’s next over might have ended the fun but Roy in the covers couldn’t cling on, and the upshot was another volley of six and four – a powerful strike over midwicket followed by a tickle through fine leg.Holder took his cue in the next over, from Moeen, thundering two long-levered blows straight down the ground, and thereafter it was tin-hat time for a packed Oval crowd, as the pair matched each other swing for swing in a gleeful rampage to the finish line.England’s bowlers might not agree, but West Indies’ onslaught was precisely the tonic that this match had needed, given that its build-up had been so comprehensively overshadowed by the aftermath of the last meeting of these two teams, in Bristol on Sunday. And it couldn’t have seemed further from the cards with Woakes tearing in from the Vauxhall End to claim 3 for 16 in his first 19 balls.Gayle, fresh from his 94 from 78 balls at Bristol, lasted just four deliveries before edging to second slip. Shai Hope was caught behind soon afterwards. And when Marlon Samuels’ dismal series continued – pinned lbw for 1 from seven balls to a Woakes delivery that would have trimmed his bails, the contest seemed as good as over. Instead, it turned into quite the sinecure for a series that has been so comprehensively overshadowed.

JJ Watt has been told to take Burnley to MLS as he “can afford it”, with the NFL legend admitting to having an American plan for the Clarets.

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• American football icon now an investor at Turf Moor
• Hoping to see club preserve Premier League status
• Intend to head to the States in pre-season schedule

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals defensive end acquired a stake in Premier League side Burnley alongside his former USWNT star wife Kealia back in May 2023. He has been a regular visitor to Turf Moor since then, with a promotion party enjoyed at the end of last season.

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  Watt is hoping to contribute towards the Clarets enjoying a bright future, with the plan being to cement the club among English football’s elite. He has, however, been advised by fellow former NFL star Pat McAfee to consider relocating the club. McAfee told his talk show during a discussion with Watt: “You should think about bringing Burnley to MLS. There would be a lot of travel, I assume you can afford it.”

• WHAT JJ WATT SAID

  Rather than be dragged into that rather bemusing discussion, Watt revealed that Burnley are planning to head for the United States for friendly dates at some point in the near future. He said: “We’re working on bringing them over to America for a little pre-season action. We’re working on that.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WATT & BURNLEY?

  Burnley currently sit inside the Premier League relegation zone, with a five-point gap separating them from safety. Vincent Kompany’s side have 18 more games to take in before a testing 2023-24 campaign comes to a close.

Stumps
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSikandar Raza revived Zimbabwe’s innings•AFP

Hamilton Masakadza and Sikandar Raza starred with the bat on the second day at Queens, but incisive bowling and attritional batting from West Indies ensured the honours were shared at stumps. Masakadza and Raza did enough to ensure that the hosts passed 300, which looked a long way off when they were 14 for 3 yesterday, but Zimbabwe’s progress was stalled by openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell. They ground their way to an opening stand of 76 in almost 47 overs before Brathwaite was eventually prised from the crease, as nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo partnering Powell until the close.The game had moved much faster in the morning, when Hamilton Masakadza cracked the first ball of the day through the covers for four, and then collected four boundaries in the space of seven deliveries before the first drinks break. He and Raza threatened to take the game away from West Indies with a stand that stretched to 90 runs, but with Masakadza’s dismissal West Indies forced their way back into the game. The spinners struck repeatedly with the old ball to peg Zimbabwe back, and after lunch, the quicks used the new ball to deal with the tail, as the wickets were shared around.Masakadza had looked set to surpass his Test best on the second morning, but Jason Holder’s decision not to take the new ball when it was due slowed the game down, made scoring harder, and eventually helped West Indies break through. Three runs short of his 150, Masakadza attempted to force the pace with a slog sweep at Bishoo, but the ball ballooned off the top edge to be caught by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich.Malcolm Waller then went for a golden duck, flashing a drive over the top of an extravagantly flighted ball from Brathwaite, and Regis Chakabva never settled, missing a sweep at a Bishoo legbreak to be bowled for 10.Only Raza stood firm, going to fifty with a swatted pull for six over midwicket off Bishoo. Picking the right balls to hit and using his feet effectively, he wore the responsibility of batting with the tail well and carried Zimbabwe past 300 with a flowing drive through cover point. The eventual arrival of the new ball brought about his demise, however. Raza drove at Shannon Gabriel but edged to second slip for 80 – the first catch to be taken in the slips off a pace bowler for either team all series. An overly adventurous single saw Cremer run-out for 11, and when Roach undid debutant Tendai Chisoro with a superb slower ball, Zimbabwe were all out for 326 midway through the second session.The clouds that had engulfed Bulawayo on the first day parted in the afternoon, and West Indies’ openers began their riposte under bright blue skies. There was a similar clarity to their batting, both men seeing the shine off the new ball ahead of stiffer challenges from Zimbabwe’s spinners.Cremer brought himself on as early as the 10th over, immediately finding the outer half of Powell’s bat, though the edge fell short of slip. Raza, used ahead of specialist left-arm spinner Chisoro, also had a strong lbw shout turned down in his first over. Zimbabwe weren’t helped by a couple of missed opportunities. Cremer missed two caught-and-bowled chances off Powell’s bat straight after tea, but otherwise both Powell and Brathwaite’s knocks were studies of attritional, risk-free accumulation; 19 of the 49 overs West Indies faced were maidens.Chisoro eventually had a bowl late in the afternoon, and with his stock ball turning away from the right-hander, he looked particularly menacing when bowling at Brathwaite, beating his outside edge several times in his first spell of bowling in Tests. Yet it was Cremer, who had struggled for rhythm and consistency early in his spells, who eventually brought the breakthrough. Moments before the close, he got Brathwaite to spar at a quicker, flatter legspinner to be well caught by Masakadza at slip. After a lot of hard graft – West Indies made the lowest Test score after 40 overs in the 21st century – the wicket ensured the day ended with the balance of the match at an even keel.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo figure prominently in the ‘Captains of the World’ documentary that sees Netflix go behind the scenes at Qatar 2022.

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Argentina claimed global crownThrills and spills aplentyJourney of skippers caught on cameraWHAT HAPPENED?

Argentina emerged triumphant at the end of a thrilling tournament in the Middle East, with Messi getting the chance to complete his medal collection and cement his standing among the immortals. Things did not play out as positively for Ronaldo, as he was dropped to the bench by Portugal at one stage, but a historic event gave a global audience of several billion plenty to cheer.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Netflix were on hand to capture all of the highs and lows, with supporters now being given a unique insight into life at FIFA’s flagship event. They spoke with and followed the exploits of every skipper that headed to Qatar – with 32 nations daring to dream of ultimate glory before a ball was kicked.

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WHAT HAS BEEN SAID?

Fans are given a taste of the emotion and dedication that fuels a drive towards football’s grandest prize, with Portuguese superstar Ronaldo saying at one point: “Pressure? Every player here feels pressure. Everybody wants to win.”

The seamer’s maiden five-wicket haul sent Himachal Pradesh hurtling to 167 all out. Vidarbha, meanwhile, made Bengal follow on, while Goa gained a slender lead against Services

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2017

Seamer Shahnawaz Hussain’s career-best figures of 6 for 53 helped Chhattisgarh bowl out Himachal Pradesh for 167 and hand them a thrashing by an innings and 114 runs. Shahnawaz’s maiden five-wicket haul gave Chhatisgarh their first outright win of the season and with it seven points.After Chhattisgarh posted 456 in their first innings to secure a 281-run lead, Himachal Pradesh were bowled out in 49.5 overs in their second dig. Himachal Pradesh’s innings was devoid of any momentum right from the start, as they slipped to 9 for 2, 88 for 5 and 121 for 7 at various stages. Only Nikhil Gangta (41) and Paras Dogra (35) played reasonably substantial knocks, but Shahnawaz cleaned up the middle and lower order. Earlier in the morning, Chhattisgarh added 67 runs to their overnight 389 for 6. Rishi Dhawan, Pankaj Jaiswal and Sidharth Sharma claimed three wickets each.Vidarbha held the whip hand at the end of day three after bowling out Bengal for 207 in their first innings and making them follow on in Kalyani.Resuming their first innings on 89 for 3, Bengal didn’t lose a wicket until the 15th over of the day, but once captain Manoj Tiwary (50) and Wriddhiman Saha (0) fell in quick succession, things went downhill for them in no time. From 132 for 3, they slipped to 172 for 7, and they were eventually bowled out for 207, conceding a 292-run first-innings lead.Offspinner Akshay Wakhare picked up three wickets, while seamers Rajneesh Gurbani and Lalit Yadav finished with two apiece. Following on, Bengal were in early trouble as they slipped to 10 for 3. Lalit struck three times in the space of two overs to remove Abhishek Raman, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Koushik Ghosh. There was some damage control done, however, by Sudip Chatterjee (40*) and Tiwary (36*) who ensured Bengal didn’t suffer any more jolts, moving them to 86 for 3 by stumps. They still trail Vidarbha by 206.A last-wicket stand of 27 between Keenan Vaz (70, 167b, 7×4) and Heramb Parab helped Goa secure a slender seven-run lead against Services at the Palam ground. At stumps, Services were 108 for 3 in their second innings.In the morning, resuming their first innings at 150 for 6 in reply to Services’ 263, Goa looked like they would concede the first-innings advantage when they slipped to 193 for 8. It was thanks largely to Vaz and overnight batsman Amogh Desai (52) that Goa eventually edged past Services. Vaz added 50 for the ninth wicket with Felix Alemao before the seamer Sachidanand Pandey – who would finish with five wickets – dismissed the latter. Vaz and Parab eventually ensured Goa achieved the lead.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso won't push for a summer exit to Real Betis with manager Ange Postecoglou playing a big role in that.

Who is leaving Spurs this summer?

After completing deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, midfielder James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon – there are certain squad members on the chopping block to free up more squad space and funds.

Ivan Perisic, for example, has reportedly been told he can leave Spurs this summer if a suitable offer comes in. After the signing of Vicario, long-serving number one Hugo Lloris could also make way.

The Frenchman, speaking to news outlet Nice-Matin recently, admitted as much and believes this summer could be the end of an era for him in north London.

“We have reached an important moment, whether it be for the club or me,” said Lloris.

“It’s the end of an era. I have a desire for something else. I will carefully study what is possible. However, I haven’t forgotten that I have a year left on my contract at Tottenham, and in football, it’s always hard to predict what will happen."

Meanwhile, Spurs accepted a bid from Russian side Spartak Moscow for defender Davinson Sanchez, though it remains to be seen whether the Colombian will agree to join them or if the transfer will even be authorised by government officials – due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

Japhet Tanganga, after limited playing time last season, comes as another player expected to depart while Spurs regular Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is being chased by La Liga side Atletico Madrid.

Lo Celso had been mentioned as a candidate to leave, but according to Spanish news site Mucho Deporte, he won't exactly force the issue.

Real Betis are eyeing a move for the Argentine, and while he's interested in joining them, there is a belief Lo Celso will not push for the transfer.

This is mostly down to Postecoglou, who is delighted with the midfielder's efforts in pre-season, and Lo Celso himself feels comfortable playing under the Australian and fits in well to his system.

It's added that the South American has fun in each training session under Posteocoglou and works hard for him.

How good is Giovani Lo Celso?

Signed for £27.2 million from Betis in January 2020, Lo Celso has endured a mixed Spurs career to date, but has showcased his quality on loan spells with Villarreal.

Just last season, during a temporary stint with Villarreal, he averaged their joint-highest rate of key passes completed per 90 in the final third – all the while scoring two goals and assisting three others (WhoScored).

The 27-year-old could fit in well to Postecoglou's system as a more advanced playmaker, with Spurs superstar Son Heung-min once showering praise on Lo Celso.

“I think he’s unbelievable!” said Son on Lo Celso's form in 2020.

“He’s working really hard in every single training session so I think every player is really happy for him to be doing so well and working so hard."

After three seasons of trying, it could well be the case that Lo Celso has found a perfect managerial fit in Postecoglou, so it will be interesting to see if he becomes a key player next season.

With Leeds United about to embark on their first season in the Championship for four years, journalist Phil Hay is worried about where the goals will come from and who can be Daniel Farke's Teemu Pukki in white.

Leeds United transfer news

Before the dust had even settled on the Peacocks' relegation from the Premier League last season, players started looking for a way out of the club, and after Sam Allardyce was shown the door, it didn't take long for some of the first team to follow him.

So far, the club have sent four players out on loan, including recent signings Rasmus Kristensen, Brenden Aaronson, and Marc Roca. That number could soon be five as Maximilian Wober looks likely to join Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach in the coming days.

That said, the club still, at this point anyway, possess a decent lineup of attacking wide players, such as William Gnonto, Luis Sinisterra, Crysencio Summerville, and Jack Harrison.

However, whilst those players are certainly good enough for the Championship, the options at striker of Patrick Bamford and Gerorginio Rutter could be a problem and don't fill Phil Hay with a great deal of confidence going into the new season.

He explained his feelings on the situation on The Square Ball YouTube channel:

"I do still find myself asking, 'Who is going to be his Teemu Pukki in this team? Who is going to score 20-plus goals? I'm not looking at either Rutter through the middle or Patrick Bamford through the middle and thinking you've got a dead cert there for 20-plus in the season to come.

"I would also say, and I think you're right here, that while they're well served out wide with options, and they definitely are. I'm not sure that there is somebody who is perfectly suited to that central creative role."

Who have Leeds United been linked to?

With the striking situation looking a little worrying, have the club been linked to anyone that could come in and help move the club forward this season?

Well, the good news is that, according to WalesOnline, Leeds have made contact with fellow Championship side Swansea City over their free-scoring Dutch centre-forward Joel Piroe.

The Welsh publication has revealed that the player has refused to sign a new contract with the Swans and that because of this, his valuation could be lower than the £20m it was last summer.

While the 23-year-old isn't currently the Whites 'primary focus', he would be an excellent purchase due to his proficiency in the second tier over the last two seasons.

In his first year in English football, the 6 foot 1 dynamo scored 22 goals and provided six assists in just 40 starts. He followed that up by scoring 19 goals and providing two assists last season in just 43 starts.

So far, the Dutchman has 49 goal involvements in his 7293 minutes of Championship football for the Welsh club, meaning he has produced a goal involvement every 148 minutes, or once every one and a half games or so.

While it might not quite be as prolific as Pukki was for Norwich City in the 2020/21 and 2018/19 seasons, it's still massively impressive and would give the rest of the team an excellent base upon which to build.

If Leeds can get this deal done, it could go a long way in easing Hay's concerns.

Tottenham Hotspur are still in negotiations with Bayern Munich over Harry Kane, with the Bundesliga champions now confirming "their intention to go over €80m" to sign the striker, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham Hotspur this summer?

It's the transfer saga that keeps rolling on this summer, as despite the remonstrations from Daniel Levy and Co that all-time leading goalscorer Kane is not for sale for anything less than £100m, Bayern keep coming back to test their resolve.

The Bavarians have already had two offers rebuffed by the north Londoners, with the second being worth an estimated €80m (£69m), but seem as stubborn as ever.

The two sides met for in-person talks this week, and despite the gap in valuation remaining, it sounds as if some small progress has been made, with the Germans realising that they will have to up their offers significantly should they want to complete this signing.

Read the latest Tottenham Hotspur transfer news HERE…

With that in mind, the six-time European champions have now confirmed that they intend to make a bid in excess of their previous €80m offer. However, even this is likely to be deemed insufficient by Tottenham, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"At the moment still no agreement between Bayern and Tottenham for Harry Kane. Bayern have confirmed their intention to go over €80m for Harry Kane, but it's still not enough to convince Daniel Levy.

"So what happens now? The negotiations continue, the negotiations are still ongoing. Harry Kane confirmed that he's open to joining Bayern but it depends, as always, on Daniel Levy."

How good was Harry Kane last season?

It's a bit of a strange one because in any other Premier League season, bar perhaps 2013/14 when Luis Suarez scored a mind-blowingly good 31 goals in 33 games, Kane would be getting so much more attention for his performances and probably getting held up as the best in the division.

Unfortunately for the England captain, Manchester City have a certain record-breaking Norwegian among their ranks who has somewhat overshadowed the performances of the Walthamstow-born machine.

That said, Kane was absolutely magnificent last year, somehow finding another level to his game, even as the team around him did their best to fall apart on a seemingly weekly basis.

In his 38 league appearances for the Lilywhites, he scored 30 goals, provided three assists, won eight Man-of-the-Match awards and averaged a seriously impressive match rating of 7.51, per WhoScored.

His underlying numbers, unsurprisingly, are also outstanding and suggest that were he to join a team as dominant as Bayern Munich, he could well break the goalscoring records set by Robert Lewandowski only a couple of seasons ago.

According to FBref, which compares players across Europe's top five leagues, the 30-year-old "monster" sits in the top 4% for progressive passes, the top 10% for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for non-penalty goals, the top 16% for expected assists, and the top 20% for total shots, all per 90.

His performances have drawn praise from one of the all-time great managers as well, Pep Guardiola, who heaped praise on him earlier this year, saying:

"What an exceptional player – the numbers and, more than the goals, the quality. That they didn't win a title (doesn't mean) he is not a good player. I think he proved that.

"Harry Kane remains one of the best strikers I have ever seen in my life."

Ultimately, if Bayern are serious about signing a talent as rare as Kane, then the £100m odd that Levy is holding out for doesn't seem all that unreasonable.