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Tottenham Hotspur are in ongoing talks over Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba amid reports they're also negotiating Micky van de Ven.

Who will join Spurs this summer?

Incoming new manager Ange Postecoglou, before he's even officially started work, will be ecstatic at the business conducted by Spurs so far this summer.

The Australian is yet to properly begin his tenure as Tottenham manager, which is set to kick off on Saturday, but Postecoglou has so far watched both goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and playmaker James Maddison come through the door.

Both deals, after quick negotiations, have been confirmed by the Lilywhites as Spurs look to bolster weak areas of the squad and potentially challenge for a European place next season.

Reports have suggested that the north Londoners are not done there, though, with attention now turning to the capture of a star centre-half to plug their leaky defence.

Tottenham were subject to some alarming and worrisome defensive stats over 2022/2023, with no other top flight side above 15th conceding more than Spurs last campaign.

It is an issue both Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy will be eager to resolve, and quickly, as reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano claim they've now opened direct talks to sign star Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven.

The 6 foot 4 defender has been praised for his performances in the Bundesliga, but according to The Evening Standard and journalist Dan Kilpatrick, he isn't the only centre-back they're in negotiations for.

Indeed, as per their information, it is believed Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen is also tickling their fancy – with "talks continuing" for the Burkina Faso international after their Maddison deal.

To gage price and other factors, it is perhaps prudent for Spurs to engage in multiple talks for different centre-back targets, with Tapsoba still firmly attracting their interest.

Alongside both Tapsoba and van de Ven, Tottenham are said to be keen on re-signing Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet, coming after his 22/23 loan spell in north London.

What's been said about Edmond Tapsoba?

An undroppable for Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso last season, only their goalkeeper played more German top flight minutes than Tapsoba last season.

The 24-year-old also averaged more Bundesliga clearances per 90 than all of his teammates bar Jonathan Tah (WhoScored), backing why Spurs are currently in discussions for the defender.

Tapsoba has also been called a "top quality" player in recent years by members of the media, so his potential signing could be quite the enticing prospect.

Manchester United target Andre Onana is "open" to a move to Old Trafford this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Is Onana joining Man United?

With Erik ten Hag's side having finally agreed a deal with Chelsea for Mason Mount, attention has turned to replacing the departing David de Gea, who is edging towards leaving the club following the expiration of his contract.

The man they have seemingly turned to is Inter's Onana, who is in contact with United over a move to the Premier League.

Despite no fee having been agreed with the Italian side as of yet, it is believed that Inter will demand a fee of around £50m for their 27-year-old shot-stopper. United will be hoping to get that figure down, or at least spread the payment over a long period of time.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Onana is keen on a move to the Premier League and is open to joining the Red Devils on a permanent basis.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the Italian said: "Something I mentioned yesterday night and in the past few days about Andre Onana is that Manchester United interest is there. I can say that also in the recent hours, today Man United had one more contact with Andre Onana's camp."

He added: "They [Inter] want around €50/55m for Onana, not less than this. But, for sure Man United interest is there. They're very well informed on the conditions, on player and club side, and the player would be open to Premier League experience."

The fact that Onana is open to a Manchester United will only strengthen the club's position when bargaining for the Cameroon international, although it appears that United are yet to approach Inter directly to speak about the transfer.

Chelsea were also interested in Onana, with the Blues eager to replace Edouard Mendy, but United have jumped ahead of them in the queue.

Is Onana an upgrade on De Gea?

When comparing Onana with his potential predecessor De Gea, both in their domestic leagues only, the two goalkeepers are not too dissimilar in standard.

Onana conceded 0.13 fewer goals per 90 and boasted a 2.4% higher save percentage than his counterpart, while De Gea enjoyed a significantly better clean sheet percentage (44.7 to 33.3).

However, there is a difference when it comes to distribution. Despite playing 14 fewer games than De Gea, Onana managed only 29 fewer passes, boasting a 10.1% better pass accuracy, but the main difference came with long passes as both goalkeepers had the exact same short and medium pass completion percentage.

It's clear that Onana is more comfortable with the ball at his feet and is utilised in a distributor role far more often than De Gea, which is the main reason Ten Hag is looking to move for the 27-year-old.

For Ten Hag, however, it looks like a trade worth making to help him implement his style of football at Old Trafford.

Cricket South Africa has received more than 150 expressions of interest over ownership of the eight franchises in their new T20 league

Firdose Moonda09-Mar-2017Cricket South Africa has received more than 150 expressions of interest over ownership of the eight franchises in their new T20 league. South Africa are planning a tournament in the mould of T20 leagues around the world such as the IPL, BBL and CPL to be played annually in November and December. The eight teams will be privately-owned.Last Friday’s expression of interest deadline revealed that the most likely owners will be local or Indian – with 39% from South Africa and 35% from India. There has also been interest from the UK, the USA and the UAE . The next step in the process is for parties to submit tender proposals by April 15. CSA will then decide on a shortlist and then finalise the team owners.Apart from communications from potential team owners, CSA has also been in contact with what CEO Haroon Lorgat called “star players from across the world” who want to participate in the tournament. CSA has already confirmed all their internationals will be available for the event, with no other fixtures planned for that period.Previously, Kevin Pietersen, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Sohail Tanvir and Chris Gayle have been part of the South African domestic T20 tournament, which is played between the six existing franchises and has remained a low-key competition. The new tournament, whose name and logo are in the process of being confirmed, will be a completely different entity, and will run separately to CSA’s other domestic competitions.”The tournament has enormous potential and will change the face of South African domestic T20 cricket. We have been longing for a big league of our own to showcase the talent, facilities and beauty of South Africa,” Hashim Amla said. “We have great talent in South Africa and for our local players to rub shoulders and play with some of the best T20 players in the world can only be good for them.”

It could be a painful summer for West Bromwich Albion this year as the club is embroiled in financial turmoil due to owner Lai Guochuan seeming to disappear after taking a £20m loan to help the club with running costs.

This situation is made worse by the fact that the club will no longer receive Premier League parachute payments from now on.

This has meant that a summer of selling key players now looks to be a necessity, and it seems like Dara O'Shea will be the first to depart.

West Brom transfer news – Dara O'Shea

According to Sky Sports News, "a contact" has revealed that the Bagglies and recently promoted Burnley are in "advanced negotiations" for the transfer of Irish international and club vice-captain.

It appears the deal is much further ahead than people might have expected, with one Sky Sports reporter adding: "We understand a medical could take place as early as tomorrow [Thursday]"

The 24-year-old had another great year at the Hawthorns last season, making 37 appearances in the Championship, producing three goal involvements and helping the team keep 16 clean sheets.

How good has Dara O'Shea been for West Bromwich Albion?

Considering that the team managed to pick up the Dublin-born defender on a free back in 2015 from Irish side St Kevin's Boys, he has been a massive success in blue and white.

Before making it into the first team at West Brom, he would spend time on loan with National League North side Hereford FC before spending a second, more substantial loan spell with League Two outfit Exeter City.

It was with the Grecians that the 6 foot 1 titan would develop his game, playing 33 times for the club across the league FA Cup and EFL Cup.

City manager Matt Taylor was a massive fan of the player, telling The Athletic:

"If we'd got up to League One last season, we would have been straight back in for him.

"Wherever Dara ends up, I think he will be a success and that will be as much down to character as to ability."

Upon returning to the Midlands in the 2019/20 season, he quickly established himself in the team and has made 107 senior appearances to date.

It was during this time that former Baggies manager Valerian Ismael lauded the defender, saying: "He has the mentality, he's a warrior."

The campaign just gone has been his best yet for the side, and according to WhoScored, he averaged an impressive rating of 6.97 across his 37 league appearances.

Vincent Kompany has certainly got his hands on an excellent player, and West Brom will be worse off without him.

David Miller and Farhaan Behardien made the most significant scores before Imran Tahir helped South Africa to wrap up a 19-run win in the first T20

The Report by Firdose Moonda20-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDavid Miller needed to run only 10 out of his total of 40•Gallo ImagesThere is no substitute for experience in international cricket and South Africa showed that as they claimed the T20 series lead in a shortened 10-over match at SuperSport Park. David Miller and Farhaan Behardien shared in a fourth-wicket stand of 51 off 27 balls to help set a target of 127 before Imran Tahir took two wickets in his second over to put South Africa on course for victory, but not without Sri Lanka’s most serious challenge of the tour so far.The visitors got their chase off to a strong start through Niroshan Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva. They put on 59 runs for the first wicket, inside six overs, before Tahir’s double strike removed them both. Dickwella holed out to deep midwicket but de Silva was defiant and came down the wicket to hit Tahir for successive sixes before missing a slog sweep and seeing his middle stump removed.In the next over, Aaron Phangiso, the only other member of South Africa’s World T20 squad to feature in this match had debutant Thikshila de Silva caught at midwicket off a slog sweep and Sri Lanka’s middle and lower-order had much to do.Seekkuge Prasanna kept them in it with back-to-back to sixes off Phangiso but the damage was done. Sri Lanka needed 40 runs off the last three overs, which was not an impossible ask, but lost three wickets for three runs, two of them to debutant Lungi Ngidi in the same over to spoil their chances of success. Prasanna was caught behind off a back-of-a-length ball and Mendis was caught in a relay catch between Heino Kuhn and Tahir on the deep square leg boundary to prove Ngidi’s promise on a night the veterans shone.South Africa sported five new caps, including Man of the Match Ngidi, in their XI and a new captain in Behardien, and made the most of being asked to bat first after afternoon showers delayed the start of play by more than two hours. They rewarded the sellout crowd, who waited in the wet, with an entertaining encounter despite the new batsmen’s limited success in their desperation to impress.Home favourite Heino Kuhn, who was making a return after five T20s in the 2009-10 season, made a promising start but was out lbw to Nuwan Kulasekara when he shuffled across his stumps and missed a flick. Jon-Jon Smuts, the domestic T20 competition’s leading run-scorer, only lasted an over more before a top-edge ended his fun. Theunis de Bruyn, a non-playing member of the Test squad, looked the most confident of the trio – his shot arm jab for six off Suranga Lakmal was the highlight of his knock – but he found a diving Asela Gunaratne at point to leave it to Miller and Behardien to give South Africa a total to defend.Miller had already smoked a six off a Prasanna googly in the over de Bruyn was dismissed and with South Africa scoring at a rate of over 11, Behardien and Miller could take an over to get their eye in. They treated Gunaratne with respect – he was the only Sri Lanka bowler to finish with an economy rate in single figures – before launching their late assault.South Africa doubled their score in the last four overs as Behardien tucked into full tosses from Nuwan Pradeep and Miller took Angelo Mathews’ second over for 19 runs. He brought out the slog sweep, the pull and a swat thorough the covers off Mathews, before unleashing an inside-out drive and one over midwicket off Kulasekara, whose second over also cost 19. Miller holed out to long-on when he was on 40 but Mangaliso Mosehle spanked his first ball in international cricket for six and Behardien batted through to ensure South Africa had enough.

Gordon Lord, the ECB’s head of elite coach development, is set to swap his role in cricket for a similar position in rugby union, after being appointed as the new head of professional coach development at the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2017Gordon Lord, the ECB’s head of elite coach development, is set to swap his role in cricket for a similar position in rugby union, after being appointed as the new head of professional coach development at the Rugby Football Union (RFU).Lord, 55, has spent 25 years at the ECB (formerly TCCB), following a decade of first-class cricket with Warwickshire and Worcestershire. He has held his current role since 2006, during which time he has been responsible for the development and leadership of the ECB elite coach development strategy and of a new game-wide coach development strategy.He also leads the delivery of level three and four coaching and the personal development and succession plans for all elite-coaching roles at the ECB.In his new role, starting from April, he will report to Dean Ryan, the RFU’s head of international player development, and be responsible for implementing a coaching development and education programme to further the development of world-class England rugby players.”I’m delighted to be joining at such an exciting time for England rugby,” said Lord. “This new challenge offers the chance for me to help enhance the coaching culture in English rugby and build on an established coach development programme.”Commenting on the appointment, Ryan said: “Gordon is well-regarded throughout sport for his work developing coaches and has proven experience in effective coaching processes and mentoring coaches at an elite level. He has built an outstanding elite coach development programme in cricket and we look forward to welcoming him to the RFU in April.”It is understood that the ECB will be seeking a replacement for Lord but Andy Flower confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he does not intend to apply for the role.

Newcastle United are not in talks to bring Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella to the Premier League, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Is Nicolo Barella leaving Inter Milan?

The Italy international permanently arrived at the San Siro Stadium back in 2020 following a successful loan spell from Cagliari Calcio, and across both of his spells with Simone Inzaghi's side, he’s made a total of 187 appearances to date.

The Serie A veteran still has another three years remaining on his contract in his homeland, but having established himself as their overall fourth best-performing player last season with a WhoScored match rating of 6.94, has caught the attention of Eddie Howe.

On Wednesday evening, The Telegraph broke an exclusive story that the Magpies had entered talks regarding a deal to sign the 26-year-old for £50m, with Sky Sports further claiming that the northeast boss is a huge fan of the maestro, but a significant update has now emerged suggesting things aren't looking too hopeful just yet.

Are Newcastle signing Barella?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that whilst Newcastle do admire Barella, they aren’t in fact part of any ongoing negotiations to secure his services, with Inter Milan not even having yet been contacted by the hierarchy. He wrote:

“Inter have not received formal approach or bid for Nicolo Barella. Newcastle have genuine interest as Telegraph called, but nothing is advanced at this stage. Inter sources feel £50m is nowhere near his valuation… also, nothing agreed with Barella on personal terms.”

Should PIF make an offer for Barella?

Barella is naturally a central player and last season was recognised for his personal efforts by being named the Midfielder of the Year in Serie A, but he’s much stronger in the offensive aspect of his game so PIF should 100% consider tabling a bid to bring him to St. James’ Park.

The World Cup participant, who’s sponsored by Nike, racked up 13 goal contributions (seven assists and six goals) in 35 Serie A appearances during the previous campaign, with this form seeing him receive four man-of-the-match awards, and he was also a threat even when the ball didn't hit the back of the net.

Barella, who knows what it takes to be successful with seven career trophies to his name, recorded 121 shot-creating actions which was the second-highest total throughout the whole of his squad, via FBRef, so when you consider this alongside his versatility to operate everywhere across the midfield, it’s a no-brainer of a deal to attempt.

Former Australia women’s captain Karen Rolton was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in a ceremony during the tea break on the opening day of the Adelaide Test

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2016Former Australia women’s captain Karen Rolton was the latest inductee into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame. Rolton was presented with a personalised cap during the tea break on the opening day of the third Test between Australia and South Africa in Adelaide.She became the 81st player overall, and the sixth woman to receive the accolade. Belinda Clark, Rachel-Heyno Flint, Enid Bakewell, Debbie Hockley and Betty Wilson are the other five women internationals to have been presented the commemorative cap.”It’s with great honour that I accept this award of being inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, “Rolton, who was the first ever recipient of the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award in 2006, said. “To be acknowledged like this is something that I never expected and I am truly grateful to be listed amongst some of my all-time cricketing heroes.”I’d like to thank Cricket Australia, my teammates over the years and, most importantly, my parents for supporting me playing cricket as a junior and right until the end of my career. Finally, thank you to the ICC for inducting me into the Hall of Fame, and your ongoing support of women’s cricket.”Rolton is the only Australian woman to score more than 1000 Test runs; her 209* against England is the highest individual score by an Australian woman. She also scored 4814 runs in 141 ODIs at an average of 48.14, with eight centuries – a record only recently beaten by current Australian captain Meg Lanning. Rolton was also part of two of Australia’s World Cup triumphs – 1997 and 2005 – and captained the team in the 2009 edition.”Karen had a long and successful career which saw several high points, including a century in an ICC Women’s World Cup final,” ICC chief executive David Richardson said. “She proved her class time and again with superb performances, particularly in big matches, making her so well respected. She was a player women cricketers from around the world looked up to.”With increased investment, women’s cricket has grown rapidly over the past few years but it is through the exploits and example set by players like Karen that young women and girls are inspired to take up the game. We congratulate Karen on behalf of the ICC for her successful career and for this well-deserved award.”Rolton is first of four cricketers who will be formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame this season. The other three are Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, Australia’s Arthur Morris, and England’s George Lohmann.

Despite making 92 points in the league this year, Rangers ended their campaign in second place, seven points behind their bitter city rivals.The club also failed to pick up any silverware in the country’s domestic competitions and suffered a pretty miserable Champions League campaign to boot.In a bid to improve their fortunes next year and challenge the Hoops for league glory, Micheal Beale’s side are interested in bringing Swansea City’s Morgan Whittaker north of the border, per Football Insider.

What’s the latest on Morgan Whittaker?

According to the report, the 6 foot 3 winger had already been the subject of ‘multiple’ failed bids from Rangers, reaching up to £1.5m.

It was around that time that Beale made his feelings towards the player crystal clear, labelling the wide-man “excellent” in an interview with Sky Sports Scotland.

Those comments came just after Whittaker had been recalled from a supremely successful loan spell with then League One side Plymouth Argyle, where he had been “quality”, per manager Steven Schumacher.

It was during his time with the Pilgrims that the Derby-born player burst onto the scene, scoring nine times and creating seven assists in just 25 league appearances, per Transfermarkt.

Despite his return to South Wales not going to plan, starting just two games since January, he is still a wanted man.

Unsurprisingly, Argyle are linked to the player, but their comparatively restricted finances make any deal unlikely.

The primary rivals for the players’ signature are Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland and Coventry City.

Having just lost the services of Manchester United youngster Amad Diallo, the Black Cats are on the lookout for an explosive winger and have the financial muscle to compete with the Gers.

Would Morgan Whittaker be a good signing for Rangers?

With the way the Rangers boss has been talking about Whittaker, it doesn’t sound like his miserable second half of the season with the Swans has put him off the player, nor should it.

His primary body of work came from his time in the Southwest, so it would make sense to judge him based on that.

According to WhoScored, the tricky winger averaged an impressive rating of 7.02 and earned four Man-of-the-Match awards in just 19 starts in the league.

He clearly made an impact on former boss Schumacher, who lauded the player back in December, saying: “He has a left foot to die for.”

The expected departures of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morales this summer should also make it easier for the player to play his way into Beale’s starting lineup.

The Teddy Bears also need some attacking reinforcements, as their top goalscorer in the league this season is defender James Tavernier with 15 in 33 games, just six more than Whittaker achieved at Argyle in eight fewer games.

The signing would also give the Scottish giants some much-needed flexibility as the England youth international has frequently played across the wings and in attacking midfield.

West Ham's season may only have finished a week ago with victory in the Europa Conference League final, but already preparations are in full swing for the 2023-24 campaign.

It may well be that the Hammers strengthen in every position in the summer window as they look to get their squad ready for another season of European football, while at the same time improving on last term's disappointing 14th-place finish in the Premier League.

In terms of central-defensive targets, links with Manchester United's Harry Maguire refuse to go away, but it may well be that West Ham have found an alternative in the same price bracket.

West Ham were first linked with Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie last month, although they may have to pay in the region of £50m if they are to sign him this summer.

Where would Piero Hincapie fit in at West Ham United?

Hincapie is also said to be on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and other Premier League clubs after a couple of impressive seasons in the Bundesliga.

The Ecuador international played 30 times for Leverkusen last season and showed his versatility by also filling in at left-back on ten occasions, as per WhoScored.

Leverkusen had one of the better defensive records in the German top flight last season, and Hincapie played a part in that with 0.73 shots blocked per 90 minutes, as per FBref, which was behind only Daley Sinkgraven (2.11) among his team-mates.

While Hincapie more than holds his own in terms of purely defensive statistics, ranked as he is in the top 10% among his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for tackles per 90 minutes (2.32), he also catches the eye with his attacking play.

Indeed, with an average of 1.85 progressive carries – defined as moving the ball forward at least ten yards – the 21-year-old is among the top 3% compared to other centre-backs across the continent.

West Ham could do with that type of player in the heart of their defence, or indeed at full-back if required, with the impressive Nayef Aguerd appearing the best bet to partner him going forward should he arrive.

Hincapie completed 54.2 passes per 90 minutes on average last season, which compares to 37.4 for West Ham's highest-ranked defender – Thilo Kehrer – while also winning 2.16 aerial duels per 90 minutes to put him in a similar bracket to Angelo Ogbonna (2.55).

What should get West Ham fans particularly excited is that Hincapie averaged 43 carries per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga last time out. To put that in perspective, no United player in any position could top that last term, with Manuel Lanzini performing best with 41.4 while the aforementioned Aguerd registered the most of any centre-back (29.5).

As such, it could well be that Moyes and co are unable to unearth one of the most progressive defensive passing networks in the entire division.

The Ecuadorian's talent has been clear to see from an early age, as pointed out by football talent scout Jacek Kulig in 2021 when describing Hincapie as a "future legend" due to his promising displays at international level at such a young age.

If West Ham are willing to pay the price, they will have a player on their hands who can stand up to the test defensively and also bring something a little different to their back-line in an exciting period for the club.