Tag Futebol

Celtic head coach Wilfried Nancy has already had to deal with an awful lot since he made the move from Columbus Crew to replace Brendan Rodgers in the dugout.

He lost his first four matches in charge of the Scottish Premiership giants, including the League Cup final to St Mirren, and finally picked up his first win against Aberdeen last weekend.

The French tactician has also had to deal with losing two of his wingers, Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha, because of the African Cup of Nations, which has left him short-staffed in the wide areas.

Why Celtic need to sign a new winger in January

With the January transfer window around the corner, the Scottish giants should be looking to add another option in the wide areas to bolster the squad.

Whilst the system is now a 3-4-2-1 without any ‘natural’ wingers, the wing-backs play very high up the pitch, like wingers, and the two number tens behind the striker can also feel like wingers at times.

When Tounekti and Balikwisha return from international duty, Nancy will have plenty of options at his disposal, but it is the quality of those options that should come into question.

25/26 Premiership

Tounekti

Balikwisha

Appearances

11

7

Goals

1

0

Minutes per goal

667

N/A

Key passes per game

1.5

0.4

Big chances created

1

1

Assists

0

1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the pair have combined for one goal and one assist in 18 appearances in the Premiership so far this season for the Hoops, which is a fairly dismal return in front of goal.

This is why the club should be looking to bolster their wide options in the January transfer window by bringing in another forward who can offer more quality at the top end of the pitch.

Whilst Celtic should look to sign a right-sided attacker to improve on Balikwisha, who has been utilised on the right and the left flank, they already have an upgrade on Tounekti in waiting at Parkhead.

The Celtic star who can be an upgrade on Sebastian Tounekti

In May earlier this year, Hoops forward Jota suffered an ACL injury that was expected to keep him out of action for around nine months, up to February 2026, which means that he has not played a single minute in the 2025/26 campaign yet.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

Speaking to supporters earlier this month, the Portuguese attacker said that he thinks his recovery is “going the right way”, which, hopefully, means that he is on track to return in February.

If Jota is back and available for selection in February, Nancy does not have too long to wait to have a brilliant wide option available for selection, and one that would be a big upgrade on Tounekti.

Celtic paid £8m to sign the wide man from Rennes in the January transfer window at the start of this year, bringing him back to Parkhead for a second spell, but he only got to play 11 Premiership games before his injury.

In those 11 appearances, though, the former Al-Ittihad attacker showed the kind of form that supporters loved him for during his first spell, when he produced 25 goals and 23 assists in two seasons, per Sofascore.

Jota scored four goals, created three ‘big chances’, and registered two assists in seven starts in the league last season, per Sofascore, which means that he scored three more goals and produced twice as many assists as Tounekti and Balikwisha have managed combined so far this term.

24/25 Premiership

Jota per 90

Rank vs wingers

xG

0.48

Top 8%

Goals

0.63

Top 6%

Shots on target

1.42

Top 6%

xA

0.37

Top 8%

Assists

0.32

Top 17%

Chances created

1.89

Top 25%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese ace was one of the most productive wide players in the division in the 2024/25 campaign, ranking highly among his positional peers in a host of goalscoring and creative metrics.

Subscribe for in-depth Celtic winger and transfer analysis Curious how Celtic could upgrade the wings? Subscribing to the newsletter gives focused breakdowns of Jota’s potential impact, transfer targets and tactical fits — concise, expert coverage that keeps you informed about the club’s winger options. Subscribe Subscribe for in-depth Celtic winger and transfer analysis Curious how Celtic could upgrade the wings? Subscribing to the newsletter gives focused breakdowns of Jota’s potential impact, transfer targets and tactical fits — concise, expert coverage that keeps you informed about the club’s winger options.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

This season, Tounekti is averaging 0.14 goals and 0.30 xA per 90 for Celtic in the Premiership, per FotMob, which shows that he has not been anywhere near as productive in front of goal as the currently injured star was.

Jota, who pundit Michael Stewart described as a “game-changer” who “raises the bar”, is a proven performer who has been there and done it for Celtic across two spells, which means that he is more or less a safe option for Nancy, as long as his injury does not have a major impact on his performance level.

Therefore, the 26-year-old wing wizard, who has not played a single minute this season due to injury, can return as a big upgrade on Tounekti and, as the winger Nancy currently lacks, when he returns to action at the start of 2026.

Related Celtic can finally replace McGregor by signing "box-crashing" SPFL star

Celtic could find their long-term replacement for Callum McGregor by sealing a deal for this star.

Posts ByDan Emery

Daniel Vettori had trouble batting under lights in the South Africa series © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has warned administrators to remember the failed experiment of day-night first-class matches before trying the same thing in Tests. Cricket Australia is looking at the idea and wants to trial it within the next decade, but Ponting and Daniel Vettori hope the traditional format remains.Night matches were played in the Sheffield Shield from 1994-95 to 1998-99 and the struggle for runs under lights concerned Ponting. “It sounded great at the time, but everyone I’ve spoken to who played in those games found that they were pretty hard work, especially the batsmen,” Ponting said. “There’s colour of balls and all that sort of stuff that they have to get on top before they start entertaining the idea of day-night Test matches. The ball one would be one of the biggest issues I imagine.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, is investigating the change in an effort to get a bigger television audience. Matches could be played from 3pm-10pm instead of the current schedule of 11am-6pm.Ponting said world captains have all been concerned about playing Tests under lights when the natural light starts to fade. “If they come up with appropriate measures to cope with a lot of things,” he said, “we will start entertaining the idea a bit more.”Vettori said he had trouble picking up the red ball at times during last month’s series in South Africa. “We had the lights put on about 4 o’clock and it made it hard,” he said. “Unless they change the colour of the ball I think it will be difficult.”Ian Chappell, who played in the day-night Supertests of World Series Cricket 30 years ago, said it was a good idea with one major handicap. “That’s the ball,” he said. “Until you fix that up, and can play 80 to 85 overs with it, you really can’t play. If the ball’s not right the integrity of the game becomes a bit of a problem.”Yellow ones were used in the Sheffield Shield competition for the first two seasons and were switched to orange when the players complained they lost them in the background of stadium seats. However, both types scuffed too easily and “behaved differently” to the red balls. The concept was introduced to attract more spectators but was dumped when the crowds were similar.

Scorecard

Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s 6 for 22 set up the home team’s win © Getty Images

Cathryn Fitzpatrick starred with a six-wicket haul including a hat-trick as Victoria Spirit levelled the best-of-three finals series with a comfortable win over New South Wales Breakers at Melbourne. Rachael Haynes dominated the Victoria chase with an unbeaten 83 as the Spirit easily overhauled the Breakers’ 144 in 43.2 overs.Fitzpatrick, who finished with the stunning figures of 6 for 22 from ten overs, ended the New South Wales innings with four wickets from five balls in the 49th over. She began by having Michelle Goszko caught in the deep for 24 and two deliveries later began the hat-trick when Sarah Aley was trapped lbw. Fitzpatrick bowled Julie Hayes and Rene Farrell each for a first-ball 0 to complete the late demolition.The visitors had been unable to build big partnerships after winning the toss and despite Leah Poulton’s 39 and 36 from Sarah Andrews, their 144 was always going to be tough to defend. Haynes, the opener, showed her class with her second half-century of the season to carry the Spirit home.The Breakers clinched a tight one-wicket victory in the first final on Friday and the series will go to the deciding third match at Melbourne’s Central Reserve on Sunday.

Michael Vaughan attends a press conference at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel after England’s arrival in Mumbai © Getty Images

Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, has insisted that England can still become the best team in the world, despite the 2-0 loss to Pakistan earlier in the winter. England head to India today to India for a three-Test series, with the first Test starting at Nagpur on March 1, followed by seven one-dayers.England will be without Ashley Giles, their senior spinner, and will rely on Shaun Udal and Northamptonshire’s Monty Panesar, who has yet to make his debut, along with Ian Blackwell. Michael Vaughan has recovered from his knee injury and Simon Jones, who was sorely missed for the tour of Pakistan, is also fit.”Forget what happened in Pakistan, we can still be the best Test side in the world,” Fletcher told the . “We can still be No.1 in the world during my time as coach. I firmly believe that. It will help if we can stay clear of injuries to key players. But if we can do that from now on, then we can achieve that aim.”First, however, it’s very important that we go to India and win the series. I don’t care who you’re playing, winning is extremely important.”It’s also hard – no matter what the situation. That’s why it’s wrong to suggest that one tour is more important than another. All games have different pressures. That’s why we’re thinking only about the trip to India. We want to beat them in their own backyard.”Beating any team in their own backyard is an admirable feat; beating India, at home, is considered mission impossible by most touring sides. Australia were the most recent to achieve it, in 2004, and Hansie Cronje’s South Africa managed it in 2000. England haven’t won an away series against India since David Gower’s side in 1984-85. However, Fletcher is confident his current squad have what it takes:”India is one country we have not won in since I became coach and that’s a real target for the team to achieve this time,” he said. “What effect it will have regarding our next Ashes campaign is difficult to assess. But from my point of view winning is vital. I don’t think motivation was the problem in Pakistan and it certainly won’t be in this time.”We’ve beaten Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa and Sri Lanka away. So it would be nice to add India to that list.”

England missed Simon Jones in their tour of Pakistan, but the Welshman is back to full fitness for the second leg of England’s subcontinent winter © Getty Images

Jones, now fully recovered, recently spent some at Dennis Lillee’s academy in India which, Fletcher feels, will stand him and England in good stead.”It was handy for Simon to go out early to India because he’s gathered some useful information about various things,” he said. “I’ve had a chat with him. He’s quite happy that the ball did swing out there and he already has an idea what to do with the ball when we play.”Simon is a major component in our bowling attack because he has that added variation of reverse swing. He’s good for those sub-continental wickets because he skids the ball through at a quick pace.””I’ve often said that it’s a huge advantage to have a second change bowler who can hit 90mph. He will be a major player in India, just as he was during the Ashes series.”Giles failed to recover from his hip injury in time for England’s tour, leaving England’s spin attack bereft of experience. Udal, who turns 37 in March, has just three Tests to his name and made his debut in Pakistan last year. While it will be an invaluable learning curve for both Blackwell and Panesar, Fletcher is understandably anxious that the pressure on their young shoulders will become burdensome, in what is one of the hardest tours in the international schedule.”It is asking a lot to send them in against India and players who play spin-bowling very well,” he told BBC Radio. “Ashley Giles is going to be a huge loss. We need a left-arm spinner and those two are the next best in the country.”

Even if you had to, who can you replace Inzamam with, asks Saleem Altaf?© Getty Images

When and how did you find out that you had become director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)?
This had been going on for a while. Once Rameez Raja had decided to resign from his post [as CEO last year in July], there were quite a few candidates, including me, in the running for the position. Eventually I believe the names were recommended by the chairman of the PCB to its patron, President Pervez Musharraf. I came to know about it on 28 January. I was on my way to get some domestic chores done and I got a call from the chairman, who said he wanted to see me. So I met him and he told me my name had been approved and welcome on board. Since I started I haven’t really had the time to think about the job. Then came the second part and I was never a candidate either, for the post of manager for this tour. This was also a very late decision. The chairman told me `you are on board and you have to go’ and that was that. It’s not an easy job. There are too many other things to worry about. The media especially are so hungry, especially in India, and everyone is looking for a story. Sometimes there is no story yet something still has to be done. So what you do is, you have to be careful, what you say is not always reported. Apart from all that, so far, so good.Do you have a brief for your role of director?
Look, I have a team with me of two general managers and we have sat down and done some work. There are two prinicipal areas we are looking at. Everyone keeps talking about domestic cricket and the second area is that the board has spent a lot of money on the national academy and that is not producing the kind of results that are needed. These are two critical areas that need to be looked at. I spent a lot of time with Intikhab Alam and we discussed the domestic structure here [in India] which he thinks is pretty good. There are some thoughts that came out of that – one is that we go back and say that change for the sake of change is not what we are looking at. What we are saying is, is it necessary to change the present setup? Mind you, the present setup of regional cricket and institutional cricket has been brought in after some thought. But if there are flaws in it, then we would like to look at it.What are your own thoughts about moving the emphasis away from institutional cricket to regional cricket?
Look, I have played and been involved with institutional cricket for most of my life and played with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for ten years or so. I think institutional cricket should stay and be strengthened. I personally believe that knocking away institutional cricket is not good. You see, one, institutions provide an income for cricketers. Two, they employ the big-name cricketers and thus their sides are generally pretty strong, especially when compared to regional teams. There are a lot of thought processes going on at the moment but if you ask me, I am for institutional cricket. I would like to talk to banks and airlines who employ these players and see if we can recreate the old days when Habib Bank and National Bank were very strong sides. That is something that has drifted away and we need to look at it. How? I don’t know at this stage.But the chairman and Rameez have always been keen to sideline institutions…
It’s just a question of how you think about it. Some people thought that a Karachi-Lahore or a Punjab-Sindh game would be great cricket and bring in great crowds. I don’t think that is going to happen. So somewhere in between is a solution. We don’t know where yet, but it is there somewhere. What we have definitely done is improve the quality of the pitches. You must understand I have been away for six years. I only got back to Pakistan last March. The general consensus when I got back was that wickets over the last two-three years have been seaming wickets with grass on them. The result was that you were not producing quality players – all the bowler had to do was to pitch the ball on a spot and he would pick up wickets. Immediately, what we have done is to give instructions to all centres where first-class cricket is played and said, “shave off the grass.” What we are looking at is hard cricket, where the bowler has to earn his wicket and not just pick them up thanks to the pitches. I think if you look at the results in the last few matches that I saw, runs were being scored and it means that bowlers have to learn to earn their wickets.

Saleem Altaf says that cricketers like Zaheer Abbas have come from the same system that has struggled to produce Test cricketers© Getty Images

Do you feel domestic cricket has failed Pakistan cricket in that it isn’t providing a good nursery for international players? The gap between first-class cricket in Pakistan and international cricket is becoming bigger and so many youngsters have struggled when they have come on to the international scene…
At this stage, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what is wrong. Past cricketers who moved to the international stage and performed well for Pakistan also came from this structure or standard. What we need to do is to find out why we aren’t producing quality Test cricketers at the moment. Let me ask you, where did Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad come from after all? It isn’t going to be easy to see what has gone wrong but it has to be done. One way would be to talk to players and ex-players and get their feedback on where they think domestic cricket has gone wrong and take it from there. By June of this year, the entire first-class fixture list will be prepared and sent out to the associations and institutions. There are nine regions, and all have coaches and referees so you need to look at whether they are qualified. All this information has to be collected and then we have to slowly and steadily bring about a change in the system. It has to be done, there are no compromises on that.What do you make of the team, having been with them for a short amount of time?
You’ve got to see that we lost two or three key players in a very short amount of time soon after the 2003 World Cup. You lost your two quicks, Wasim and Waqar, as well as a quality opener in Saeed Anwar. Plus, on this tour we do not have Shoaib Akhtar or Shabbir Ahmed, who are both injured. We don’t have Umar Gul either, who is injured. On the next tier of fit bowlers we have Mohammad Sami but he is only one. Along with him are Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan and Mohammad Khalil, who are both inexperienced. The entire bowling is dependent on Sami and Kaneria – two bowlers on subcontinent pitches is never enough.What are your first impressions of Inzamam as a captain?
If the team does well, everything is hunky-dory. If there is a dip then the first person who gets the blame is the captain. The problem is, if, for instance, there is a decision that we need to change the captain, what choices are available to you? You don’t just change a captain if his side is losing. Alright, so you say let’s change Inzamam – who do you replace him with? At the moment, he is the senior figure and the best batsman in the side so you carry on with him. You give even the best captain a relatively weak side and it won’t be easy.But does he have to be the best player or even the senior-most to be captain?
Again, at the moment, there is no option. Yousuf Youhana is one, Younis Khan is the other, what else? Someone as young as Salman Butt? You can’t do that because it takes time and experience to groom a captain. For the moment, Inzi looks the best available choice.How do you handle someone like Shoaib Akhtar?
I have already spoken to him. One of the skills I learned from my corporate experience in PIA as a senior official is man-management. If you overbook a flight, you will have a few irate passengers. You learn to keep people calm and deal with them. He is mercurial, he has a lot of media hype around him, everywhere he goes people run around after him. I think we can handle him, he’s not a problem.How do you think Bob Woolmer has done as coach of the side so far?
I have only watched him for ten days. But the point is, two things have happened. One, the fitness routine and overall fitness with the trainer has definitely improved. The work ethic has also improved. From that perspective, yes, fitness is good, there seems to be more focus in the team. Younger players take a little longer to learn but so far so good. I can’t really talk about the technical side of the improvements he is trying to bring in because I haven’t seen him for that long.

Saleem believes that under Bob Woolmer, the team’s work ethic has improved© Getty Images

What is the latest with Shoaib Malik regarding his bowling action?
To be frank, the submission we have given on him has not been accepted. There are two options now available. One is to risk bowling him and face the subsequent penalty, which could be harsh. The other option is that right now, most of these guys are going to see Bruce Elliot in Australia for remedial work. The ICC has a couple of other experts on the panel. Our thinking is that we might like to go through another one but that can only happen after the India series. Basically, he has a disability with his elbow which was the result of a road accident. We need to have a second opinion on it but, personally, I think we shouldn’t bowl him but that he [should] play purely as a batsman. Technically and mentally he is very good. Let me put it this way: he looks like good captaincy material as well. There is a Pakistan A side going to Zimbabwe and Namibia after the India tour and we would like to get him to captain the side and maybe start grooming him.Pakistan played only seven Tests but 29 ODIs last year. Are there plans to redress that balance in the next year or two?
England are coming to play four Tests later this year in November-December and three ODIs. I have seen the itinerary and that has been agreed. Then India come back in January-February for three Tests, I think, and five ODIs and then we are off to England to play a further four Tests. So there are eleven Tests lined up over the next year, so there is heavy Test cricket ahead of us. We are also touring West Indies in May-June this year for a couple of Tests. So there are quite a few matches in the next 15 months or so.How important is this tour for Pakistan?
Before we came in, everyone said we had a relatively weaker side. But the boys will learn from this tour, there will be some positives. If you’re playing against superior players and you have a little bit of a mind, you will improve. If we can acquit ourselves creditably and go down fighting, if we go down, some of the younger players might mature and come out to serve Pakistan in the future.

Fears that Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, could be out of contention for the forthcoming series against Pakistan eased a little today.Fleming, who returned home from India suffering an abdominal strain, did not lead New Zealand on their tour of Pakistan. He had been described as being doubtful for Wellington’s State Championship match against Canterbury, which starts tomorrow at the Basin Reserve.However, he saw a specialist today and was given the all-clear to play. His reaction to his complaint will then be assessed, to determine his availability for the New Zealand team for the first Test, which starts in Hamilton on Friday next week.John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said: “The specialist has advised that Stephen should play for Wellington tomorrow in order for us to determine how the injury responds. How he copes in that match will give us a clear indication of whether or not he is fit enough to be considered for Test selection.”

Concerns over the form of Allan Donald and Lance Klusener were balanced by further encouragement from the batting of Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Rudolph as South Africa’s tour match against New South Wales ended in a tame draw here in Sydney today.Three days ahead of the vital Second Test against Australia in Melbourne, the Proteas were left with major headaches after Donald and Klusener again failed to impress on the fourth and final day of the match.Veteran pace bowler Donald (0/27) was given a reduced workout, bowling just four overs after a late South African declaration left the match heading for only one possible outcome. But he was distinctly unthreatening, conceding 15 runs in an opening two-over spell before giving up another 12 runs in a later two-over stint as New South Wales ended at 2/135 in pursuit of an unrealistic victory target of 383 from just 39 overs.Captain Shaun Pollock later attributed the 35-year-old’s wicketless match to an ongoing battle with an injury sustained in Perth in an earlier game on tour, but conceded that there were doubts surrounding his readiness for a Second Test appearance.”I don’t know (about his chances); he is still battling with his foot so we will have to monitor that,” said Pollock.”It would have been nice had he have come through pain free.”Donald has claimed just one wicket to this point of the tour.All-rounder Klusener is another player without a guaranteed Test berth, after he completed a pair with the bat and claimed just one wicket in the match with the ball.More worryingly, he fell to a mistimed drive at a spinner for the third time in four innings today – this time playing all around a ball from left armer Mark Higgs (1/35) as the Proteas suffered a collapse that saw four wickets tumble for the addition of 11 runs shortly before lunch.”We haven’t selected the Test team as of yet but obviously it will be a discussion point,” said Pollock of Klusener’s hold on a berth for Melbourne.”We are aware of the fact that Lance is in the side as a batter and that’s how the number six position is decided,” he added.Pollock was understandably more upbeat about the readiness of batting tyros Dippenaar (31*) and Rudolph (28) after each had again looked composed in the midst of South Africa’s progress to a second innings score of 5/269 before a mid-afternoon declaration.”They’ve got a chance (of playing in the Test), though we discuss team selection only the night before,” he said.Both youngsters shone where others in the middle order failed, joining with opener Gary Kirsten (88) and Pollock (36*) to help the Proteas to their huge lead.They also looked comfortable for periods against Stuart MacGill (4/89), though the leg spinner was again the standout member of a New South Wales attack and reinforced his claims on a Sydney Test berth in just over a week’s time.MacGill had Kirsten sweeping off a top edge; Rudolph beaten down the leg side; and again mesmerised youngster Justin Ontong (0) into attaining a thin outside edge as he weaved his way to four wickets in the innings and nine for the match.”The wicket (for the Sydney Test) will not be massively different, it’s going to turn and the South Africans don’t play the spinners too well,” said New South Wales coach, Steve Rixon, in the wake of MacGill’s performance.”Unfortunately for us we had no one bowling down the other end … the other bowlers were not doing their job. He’s out-bowled everyone in this game.”Pollock also endowed MacGill’s effort with praise, and viewed the chance to practise against a top-class leg spinner as having been one of the great benefits of the match.There was less about which he could enthuse in the bowling as local openers Brett van Deinsen (61) and Greg Mail (54) batted through most of the lead-up to the game’s termination half an hour before its scheduled end.

A mixture of insipid Mumbai bowling and inspired Tamil Nadu battingsaw the visitors post a more than healthy 397/4 at the end of thefirst day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal at the Wankhede stadium onTuesday. With both Robin Singh and Hemang Badani at the crease withbig hundreds to their names, Tamil Nadu can look forward to puttingthe pressure on the Mumbai side tomorrow.The wicket proved to have a bit of juice in it. The ball came nicelyonto the bat off the bowling of both opening speedsters. There was noexaggerated lateral movement, but just enough nip to keep the batsmenon their toes.Sreedharan Sriram’s golden run with the bat came to a premature endafter he had scored just two runs at the Wankhede Stadium. Thesouthpaw came to this match with 1063 runs from seven innings behindhim. Ajit Agakar, generating good pace, got the ball to fly past theoutside more than once before he finally had his man. Swishing at adelivery just outside the off stump, Sriram nicked the ball through tostumper Dighe who held the catch with ease.S Ramesh looked good for his 44 at the crease but was run outattempting one cheeky single too many. Ramesh was found short of hiscrease by a good pick up and throw from Amol Muzumdar in theinfield. JR Madanagopal’s streaky stay at the crease lasted just 12balls. After edging one past the slips to pick up four, Madanagopalflashed hard at a ball from Saxena without moving his feet. All hemanaged to do was edge the ball to Dighe. Even Sridharan Sharath neverlooked convincing at the wicket. The fall of his wicket soon after theplayers returned from lunch did not come as a surprise. Hanging hisbat loosely outside off stump, Sharath edged a Powar off spinnertowards the slips. Diving low, Amol Muzumdar snatched the ball inchesfrom the ground and sent Sharath on his way.Tamil Nadu captain Robin Singh joined in form Hemang Badani out in themiddle with the Tamil Nadu score on 149/4. Singh and Badani ran well,pushing the fielders. Converting ones to twos and snatching singlesout of half chances, the two got the scoreboard ticking over at ahealthy rate.Singh and Badani proceeded to forge a partnership that put Tamil Nadufirmly in the driving seat. Mixing aggression with caution, Singh wasat his best. Choosing the right ball to go after, Robin Singh provedto be an ideal partner for Badani.The last session of play saw Tamil Nadu end what was a superb day bycompletely dominating the bowling. The seamers, tiring in the heat,grew less and less focussed. In turn, both Badani and Robin gotgoing. Badani seemed to slow down a bit after he had made hiscentury. However, having spent most of the day at the wicket, this wasunderstandable.Robin never flagged through the course of his innings. Whenever hemakes runs, Robin underlines the value of simplifying one’sgame. Playing with a straight bat to anything pitched up, Robin usedthe crease superbly. The ball slipped down leg side on more than oneoccasion and was efficiently hit away to the fence. Whether he wasnudging the ball around the corner or sending it sailing over theropes, Robin looked in command.At the end of the day, a very tired Badani had 152 to his name.Robin, not far behind, on 142, was happy with his side’sperformance. Tamil Nadu are in a good position to bat Mumbai out ofthe game tomorrow.

As Antonio Conte looks to rebuild this Tottenham squad in his own image in the coming months, the Italian will no doubt be keeping a close eye on some of the club’s brightest young academy prospects.

Marcel Lavinier is surely someone who will be at the forefront of his mind given the position he plays for the club’s U21s: right-back.

Conte has been desperately searching for a solution to his right wing-back woes from the moment that he came in, with Emerson initially handed the reins before Matt Doherty came back in from the cold to nail down the spot in recent weeks.

With Emerson hardly proving value for money and even being linked with an exit from the club, the Spurs boss will be keen for reinforcements in that position.

Indeed, according to The Times, Conte was keen to sign a new right wing-back in the January transfer window as he felt the Brazilian did not fit the profile he needs in the final third.

In Lavinier though, Spurs could finally an in-house answer to their problems.

The 21-year-old was part of Spurs’ 25-man squad for the UEFA Europa Conference League and has the kind of sheer pace and directness that marks him out compared to the likes of Emerson and Doherty.

The Daily Mail noted: “Lavinier loves to get forward and is very direct – often looking up and aiming to ping balls into the area, but he’s an equally competent defender.

“His confidence is boosted by how comfortable he is on the ball – he’s a decent finisher for a defender and has considerable technique, making him a great option as an attacking full-back.”

Lavinier left Premier League rivals Chelsea for north London a couple of years ago despite impressing for their academy sides, having contributed three goals and eight assists across the U18 and U21 squads.

Indeed, a player profile piece done by Octagon Soccer on the 6 foot 1 starlet noted that Lavinier “is a versatile and dynamic defender who is comfortable playing on the right or the centre of defence”, and it’s his ability to play as a full-back that should surely have Conte sit up and take notice.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

This season has seen the versatile youngster make 17 appearances at Premier League 2 level for Spurs, notching four assists, including having stints playing at right-back, left-back and in holding midfield too – one of those assists coming in the Lilywhites’ last fixture against Leicester just a couple of weeks ago.

Lavinier’s breakthrough into the first-team would allow the Spurs manager to finally axe the “horrendous” Emerson and bring through an exciting Hotspur Way gem.

AND in other news – Paratici masterclass: Spurs now eyeing 6 ft “phenomenon”, he’s perfect for Conte

East London and Kimberley are in a battle to become the home cities for one of two new South African franchises while Potchefstroom may be the base for the other, as CSA looks to expand its domestic structure. An insider revealed to ESPNcricinfo that there is talk of increasing the number of franchises from six to eight in order to deepen the talent pool and create a larger professional structure.”It makes sense for Potchefstroom to have one of the franchises. They have such a good stadium there, all the facilities are within a small distance of each other and there’s a population that’s very interested in the game and all live just around the ground and university,” the source said. “There is obviously the political considerations and with CSA’s transformation agenda, putting a franchise in East London may be an option. With administrative issues there and between Kimberley and Bloemfontein, there may be a case for a separate franchise there too.”In 2004, South Africa revamped its domestic system in an attempt to create a strength versus strength structure, similar to Australia’s. The 11 provincial teams were contracted into six franchises, with each retaining their identity in the second-tier amateur competition. The function of the provinces is to feed players into the franchise system. It has since become semi-professional and grown to 13 teams.When the franchises were formed, not all the provincial sides were happy to merge. Border (based in East London), together with Eastern Province (Based in Port Elizabeth), became the Warriors, while Griquas (the Kimberley-based team) and Free State (in Bloemfontein) became the Eagles (now renamed the Knights). However, there as been history of infighting in both. At the Warriors, the argument was whether Port Elizabeth or East London would be considered the main host venue while Griquas initially refused to merge with Free State before agreeing to a joint shareholding of the franchise a season later.Both East London and Kimberley are considered hotbeds of talent for players of colour. East London is the heartland of black African cricket and with an increased focus on speeding up the pace of transformation, there have long been calls for a team based in the city. Peter Kirsten is one of the people who have long championed the cause for a team there. Kimberley has a significant population of mixed race people so it would make transformation sense for a team there as well.Potchefstroom, who are currently the second ground of the Johannesburg-based Lions, would not be able to offer those benefits but it does have some of the country’s best sports facilities at its High Performance Centre. Touring international teams, most notably Australia, choose to start the stay in South Africa at this venue while in 2010, the Football World Cup winners, Spain, were based there. Potchefstroom recently hosted the Varsity Cup Cricket, a week-long tournament between the country’s university teams. It is a venue known for jovial, student, sports-mad crowds, which may also work in its favour when CSA considers where to base a franchise.The new structure could come into place as early as next season, which would not give the new franchise teams much time to contract players and would also significantly increase the running costs of domestic cricket. “CSA needs to be very careful about this because even though they might have the money for it at the moment with the Rand-Dollar exchange rate, it’s a long-term decision,” the source said. “And with all the criticism over the strength of the domestic game, maybe it will dilute that even more.”Recent results across the international level has put the domestic system under severe scrutiny; South Africa’s Test team lost back to back series, the ODI side are two-nil down against England, the A team has lacked competitiveness and the Under-19s were booted out of the age-group World Cup in the first round. Everything, from the quality of coaches to the extent of the quota system which now requires franchise teams to field six players of colour including three black Africans, is currently being examined.