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The Pallekele Test was one last chance for Tharanga Paranavitana to end the season with confidence, and he grabbed it

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Pallekele10-Jul-2012One of the biggest challenges for a Test specialist is the fact that he gets only a few chances to prove himself when his form plummets. The proliferation of limited-overs contests and Twenty20 leagues has shrunk the Test calendar in certain countries and, when under pressure, the lengthy periods between Test series can be agonising for these players. Many hours are spent in the nets, rectifying specific technical deficiencies. There’s always the itching need to go out there and score.Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera, both such players, sometimes find themselves in make-or-break scenarios, where their place in the side comes under threat after just a couple of low scores. Both faltered with ducks on the best batting track of the series at the SSC. The Pallekele Test was one last chance to end the season with confidence, before the wait begins for Sri Lanka’s next Test series in November.Paranavitana has played 30 Tests but no one-dayers and Twenty20s. He has been marked out as a specialist Test opener to partner Tillakaratne Dilshan, and preferred over Upul Tharanga. The other batsman with Test experience challenging him for that position is Lahiru Thirimanne, but he wasn’t named in the squad. The performances of Dimuth Karunaratne with the A squad in South Africa would also have been at the back of his mind. Paranavitana’s last fifty came in Sharjah against Pakistan last year, but in his next four games, his highest was 32. Fortunately for him, he had the backing of his captain Mahela Jayawardene, who said that it was important to be patient with him.His technique was always going to be tested in the seaming conditions in Pallekele. Junaid Khan was a handful with the new ball on the opening day, getting rid of Kumar Sangakkara for a duck, before Mohammad Sami trapped Jayawardene lbw, leaving the hosts in a slightly delicate position at 44 for 3. And that only increased the pressure on Samaraweera and Paranavitana.The rain that washed out the second day only spiced up the pitch further, before the batsmen took guard on the third. It was an edgy beginning for Paranavitana, who was circumspect with his foot movements and his off stump. Umar Gul and Junaid tried to exploit that weakness by teasing him around the off stump line, and all it needed was an error of judgment from the batsman to produce a wicket. Paranavitana was always a few inches away from that edge. One delivery from Gul nipped back in, ballooned off the back of his bat and cleared the slips. He took his eyes off a short ball by Sami and was struck on the peak of the helmet. He didn’t flinch after that blow. He cut out extravagant shots off the short balls, preferring to duck under them.He seemed more comfortable with the fuller deliveries, getting forward and behind the line to drive. He started the day with a square drive past point off Junaid, and later, off Gul, he caressed one past cover, relying purely on timing. Samaraweera’s presence at the other end was crucial, because Sri Lanka needed a solid partnership. It was to their credit that the pair saw off an extended morning session without losing a wicket. Samaraweera survived a few close shaves himself, but his positive batting against the seamers gave Sri Lanka the belief that it was possible to dictate terms in conditions stacked against the batsmen.Paranavitana reached his fifty with a cut for four off Younis Khan, and his celebrations were modest. He seemed pleased to get a load off his shoulders, and it showed when he spoke after the day’s play. “I made good starts in the first few games but couldn’t capitalise on them. It’s good to be back in form,” Paranavitana said. “I was disappointed to miss out on a century. I am pleased to be able to score 75 on a pitch that wasn’t the easiest for the batsmen.”He admitted that he was under pressure to keep his place, but a lot of it was exaggerated. “I did feel under pressure coming into this match,” he said. “But I was under more pressure put on me by the media. It’s common for any batsman to go through a lean period. But I know what I am capable of and glad that I managed to prove people wrong. I never doubted my capabilities.”Sri Lanka’s batting was built around two stands, that of 143 between Samaraweera and Paranavitana and 84 between Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara. Though the latter helped stretch the lead to an imposing 111, the stand between Paranavitana and Samaraweera stood out for its resistance in the morning session, when the bowlers had the best of the conditions.

MatériaMais Notícias

da poker： Em grande fase este ano, o atacante Lucão, hoje no Guarani, destacou a importância do elenco em buscar a evolução nas próximas partidas para iniciar uma boa sequência na temporada. Segundo o atleta, autor de um dos gols do triunfo sobre o Operário nesta terça-feira, o desejo de todos no Bugre é esse crescimento este ano.

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da dobrowin： Estamos trabalhando muito para crescermos na temporada e para melhorarmos nosso desempenho em campo em 2021. O jogo contra o Operário mostrou isso. Fizemos uma grande partida. O grupo tem se esforçado ao máximo para fazer um grande segundo semestre – comentou o atleta.

O jogador destacou o bom momento que vive na carreira e falou sobre os próximos jogos do clube no Brasileirão Série B.

Estou feliz com o ano que tenho feito, mas quero melhorar mais para ajudar o Guarani nestes próximos meses. Estou focado e na expectativa para que os próximos jogos sejam de vitórias – completou o atacante do Bugre.

Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table back to seven points as they beat Hearts 4-1 away from home on Sunday.

The Hoops took the lead through Matt O'Riley and goals from Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi made it three, before a consolation goal from Lawrence Shankland, and Tomoki Iwati added the fourth.

Reo Hatate also had the opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet as he missed from the penalty spot just seconds into the second half after Kyogo was brought down in the box.

O'Riley was one of a number of impressive performers for Brendan Rodgers' side as he caught the eye with a stunning midfield display.

Alongside the Denmark U21 international, Cameron Carter-Vickers was an unsung hero at the back for the Hoops with his fantastic contributions towards the three points.

How did Matt O'Riley perform against Hearts?

The former Fulham midfielder was exceptional in the middle of the park and at the heart of most of Celtic's good play to carve open the Hearts defence.

His sublime left-footed finish on the volley from Luis Palma's pass inside the opening four minutes set the tone for the match as his side went on to win fairly comfortably.

As per Sofascore, O'Riley created three chances and completed 84% of his passes, along with two dribbles out of five attempted. This shows that the talented youngster was reliable in possession whilst also being creative and able to take risks without giving the ball away regularly.

The ex-MK Dons man played a clever pass to Hatate in the build-up to Maeda's goal and was constantly looking to stretch and make the defence work with his movement and passes.

He played a crucial role in Celtic's victory but Rodgers' central defender – Carter-Vickers – also deserves plenty of credit for his performance in defence.

How did Cameron Carter-Vickers perform against Hearts?

The USA international, who donned the captain's armband after Callum McGregor was substituted, produced a dominant display at the back for the Bhoys.

Carter-Vickers was a rock in defence for the Hoops and did not allow Kenneth Vargas or Shankland to get the better of him during the early exchanges when the home side tried to press and probe to find an equaliser after O'Riley's strike.

He brilliantly dealt with any balls in behind, including one fantastic last-ditch challenge on Vargas, and did not allow any opposition player to get the better of him in the air.

As per Sofascore, the former Tottenham Hotspur prospect won 93% (13/14) of his duels throughout the game, which included a 100% aerial battle success rate (8/8).

The 25-year-old titan made three clearances, one block, two tackles, and two interceptions. This shows that it was far from a quiet game for the defender and his interventions were important to allow the attackers to push on and win the match comfortably.

Carter-Vickers, who completed 84% of his 69 attempted passes, provided the solid base from which the rest of the team were able to build an impressive performance in possession.

Therefore, he was the unsung hero as an excellent defender in what turned out to be a fantastic goal-filled showing from the Scottish giants.

Pep Guardiola has tipped Manchester City midfield star Rodri to become a top manager in the future.

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Guardiola tipped Rodri to become manager

Rodri integral part of Man City squad

Cityzens face Liverpool on SundayWHAT HAPPENED?

The current Manchester City boss claimed that Rodri has the ability to become a quality manager in the future as he heaped praise on the Ciyzens' star midfielder. He also claimed that the Spain international will be an important of the team set to take on Liverpool in a blockbuster Premier League clash on Sunday at Anfield.

AdvertisementWHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID

Speaking to reporters ahead of the match, the Catalan coach said: "He is a really, really important player. But not just Rodri to make a good process, we need the contribution from everyone.

Guardiola added, "Yeah, always we try to figure out how good he will settle with us. He was playing in a big team, he was with Villarreal, and they play well and then after he was at Atletico Madrid, a top team. When you take players from those environments you expect to get someone who is well educated and has personality – but you never know. All teams make mistakes. there are many thousands of reasons why sometimes it doesn’t work. Rodri was a young boy, but now with the experience and the games he has played, he has become a top-class player."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The legendary manager was also asked if Rodri could follow in the footsteps of his former charges Xavi and Xabi Alonso by becoming a manager in the future, the Cityzens manager said: "He can be yeah – always I had the theory good holding midfielders can become good managers because they have to see the game in the whole perspective. It depends on the desire they have to do it, of course."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

After facing the Premier League leaders, the reigning English champions will next take on Newcastle United in the FA Cup quarter-final on March 16.

Ian Bell’s outstanding season continued as the Bears handsomely avenged their defeat at the hands of Nottinghamshire in last summer’s T20 Blast final

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge04-Jul-2018

Ian Bell led the run chase•Getty Images

ScorecardIan Bell’s outstanding season continued as the Bears handsomely avenged their defeat at the hands of Nottinghamshire in last summer’s T20 Blast final.A bad night all round for the champions in front of a crowd of more than 12,000 was made worse with the news that Chris Nash, the batsman who joined them from Sussex during the off season and was expected to play a key role in their title defence, is likely to miss at least the next two matches – and possibly a few more – after suffering a shoulder injury in the field.Nash, fielding at extra cover to Ish Sodhi, attempted to catch a solid drive from Adam Hose but landed heavily on his right side. In obvious pain, he was attended on the field by the Nottinghamshire physio before leaving the field with his shirt folded into a makeshift sling.Peter Moores, Nottinghamshire’s head coach, was not optimistic about a quick return. “I don’t think it is dislocated but it could be his collarbone,” he said. “He’s going to hospital for an X-ray and we’ll know more after that but it doesn’t look great. He is going to be out for a bit, that’s for sure.”Download our T20 Blast Podcast

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Bell, who suffered the indignity of being left out of the Bears team on finals day as his form dipped across all formats and Dom Sibley was preferred, could not have delivered a more impressive retort on his return to the side, finishing unbeaten on 82 – his highest score in T20 for more than three years.This time, the decision was to pick him rather than Sibley and he responded with an innings that was typically Ian Bell, elegantly unfussy and for the most part made up of authentic cricket shots.Sam Hain, a young batsman beginning to ally consistency with his undoubted quality now, supported Bell in an unbroken partnership of 121 that saw his side overhaul a modest Nottinghamshire total with 16 balls to spare.Modest indeed compared with last season’s average of 196 on this ground. Trent Bridge’s reputation as the place for batsmen to prosper has only been reinforced this season but after being asked to bat first on a used pitch, a Nottinghamshire side at full strength with the exception of Alex Hales could never build any momentum.Backed up by some sharp fielding, all of the Bears’ six bowlers employed good variety and all contributed, none more impressively than the 18-year-old fast bowler Henry Brookes, who is already looking a good prospect to be young player of the season.Brookes is excelling across all formats, with 21 wickets in the Championship and nine in the Royal London Cup. This was his senior debut in this format, yet his captain trusted him to bowl at the top of the innings and at the death and he did so without a flicker of anxiety.He could barely have started his T20 career any better, in fact, opening with a wicket maiden. Tom Moores, another young man rapidly making a name for himself, pulled him for a lusty six in his second over and Riki Wessels, always dangerous, took him for three boundaries in his third. Yet he came back for the penultimate over of the innings, with Nottinghamshire desperately looking to swell a paltry total, and conceded only three off the bat.The Bears were on top from the start, restricting the home side to only 40 runs in the Powerplay overs. Jeetan Patel put down a chance off his own bowling when Wessels was on 30 but that was a rare error in the field and it was not an expensive one. Wessels hauled Will Rhodes over the mid-wicket boundary in the next over but then smacked a short, wide ball straight to Bell at backward point.Wessels made 41. Apart from Billy Root’s industrious 33 and Luke Fletcher’s cameo assault on Patel, which yielded 6-4-6-6-1, there was not much else. Colin de Grandhomme, who mixed up his pace superbly, snuffed out two of the bigger threats in Samit Patel and Steven Mullaney.This was a strong performance by the Bears, whose run to the final last year probably exceeded expectations. It was a substantially rebuilt side yet director of cricket Ashley Giles managed to find a winning blend immediately. He will believe they can qualify for finals day again at the very least.With 14 matches to negotiate, there is much that can go wrong as well as right until that point is reached. There is a lot to be said, though, for putting down a marker right at the start and they did so impressively.

England’s head coach has hinted that the batting line-up is unlikely to change much for the series against Pakistan in May, despite few of the issues being resolved over the winter

Andrew McGlashan04-Apr-2018Head coach Trevor Bayliss has hinted that the England batting line-up is unlikely to change much for the series against Pakistan in May, despite few of the issues being resolved over the last five months, but he called on domestic players to show they are better than those currently in the team.Bayliss conceded that England ended their 2017-18 Test campaign with largely the same questions as they began with following five defeats and two draws having been foiled by New Zealand’s lower-order on the final day in Christchurch.Over the seven Tests against Australia and New Zealand, Dawid Malan was the one batsman to enhance his reputation. Mark Stoneman and James Vince showed moments of encouragement but the pair finished averaging 30.23 and 30.54 respectively across all the Tests. Vince missed the Auckland Test when the line-up was reshuffled due to Ben Stokes being unable to bowl and returned with 76 in the second innings in Christchurch while Stoneman scored half-centuries in each Test.

Bayliss on…

Jack Leach “He’s the one who holds the position at this stage and I thought he had a good game for someone playing his first Test. He had good composure. Like anyone playing his first game or two, he’s still got a few things to learn at this level but I think he bowled a good line and didn’t give too much away which was a good thing.”
The batting order “We have tried Jonny up the list previously and I think he’s quite comfortable at No. 7 but he’s obviously a very good player. I think that will be revisited especially if some of the other guys don’t cement a spot and start averaging 45-plus for the batters.”
Catching “We’ve got to work harder. If what we’re doing is not working we’ve got to do it even more. We’ve tried to up the catching and fielding and at times we field and catch extremely well, as good as anyone, but it doesn’t mean you’re a good fielder if you’re inconsistent.”

“I think what they’ve all shown over this winter is that they are good players and they’ve scored some runs against quality opposition bowlers,” Bayliss said. “But what we need from them is to be doing it more often. They’re averaging high 20s, we need them to get that up and hopefully put another 20 on that.”Probably the same questions are still there but Malan for example played pretty well against the pace in Australia and the other two guys at different times stood up. Vince made a couple of good scores. Stoneman under a fair bit of pressure and a barrage of short-pitched bowling handled himself reasonably well but again to be an international batter we need to be doing better than that.”And the other side of that is who do we replace them with? We need guys and I guess this is a call-out to the guys in county cricket, the first five or six matches of the county season are very important. We’ve got Liam Livingstone here and the other one I’ll add in who’s impressed in the nets is Ben Foakes. He’s batting very well also. So there’s a couple of guys in this squad who can hopefully score runs and put a bit of pressure on and make the selectors job difficult which is what we all want.”The batting was not helped by Alastair Cook’s lean time, other than his double-century in Melbourne, which was compounded by a miserable series in New Zealand where he made 23 runs in four innings. Cook has reiterated to Bayliss that he has the desire to continue to add to his 154-cap career and after a couple of weeks off he will look to recuperate in the County Championship for Essex.”It’s dangerous to write off someone with 12,000 Test runs. He’s desperately disappointed he hasn’t contributed more but speaking to him in the sheds, he’s still got a hunger for the game and he’s still wants to do well and thinks he’s got a role to play,” Bayliss said. “Going forward I think having someone with that experience we will need, so hopefully it’s not too long before he gets back into the groove.”Then there is the captain. Root is England’s best batsman but can’t break his run of unconverted half-centuries, which now stands at nine, with two more in New Zealand added to the five in Australia (although retiring ill in Sydney can’t be held against him). Having come off a distinct second best to Steven Smith in the Ashes it was a slightly closer tussle with Kane Williamson as the New Zealand captain followed his Auckland century with a lean Test in Christchurch. Coming up for Root later this year is the head-to-head with Virat Kohli.Bayliss remains largely phlegmatic about Root’s conversion rate and would like to see the rest of the batting order take some pressure off the captain. There were just four centuries scored across the seven Tests in Australia and New Zealand, two by Jonny Bairstow and one apiece for Cook and Malan.”I’m sure he would have liked a few more runs himself but there’s a fair bit of pressure on him to be the one who scores the runs and we need a few more runs from some of the other guys,” Bayliss said. “I think that would take a little bit of the pressure off Joe. But he’s a guy who sets himself very high standards so I’m sure he’d be a little bit disappointed he hasn’t turned some of the starts into big hundreds.”

أعرب سالم الدوسري، لاعب منتخب السعودية، عن سعادته بعد الفوز على نظيره العراقي بثلاثية مقابل هدف، خلال المباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم ببطولة كأس الخليج “خليجي 26″، وحسم التأهل إلى دور نصف النهائي.

والتقى منتخبا السعودية والعراق، في ختام مواجهات الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة من دور مجموعات بطولة كأس الخليج “خليجي 26”.

وقال سالم الدوسري في تصريحات عبر قناة “SSC”: “الحمد لله على الانتصار والتأهل، هذه مكانة المنتخب السعودي، دائمًا في القمة، والحمد لله لازال طموحنا عاليا، المنتخب السعودي لم يأتي إلى الكويت من أجل المشاركة فقط أو الخروج من دور المجموعات، جئنا وكلنا أمل وهدفنا النهائي وحصد اللقب”.

طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | منتخب السعودية يهزم العراق بثلاثية ويتأهل إلى نصف نهائي كأس الخليج “خليجي 26”

وتابع: “ليس لنا دخل بما يحدث خارج الملعب، تركيزنا في الملعب فقط، سنفعل أكثر وأكثر من أجل الشعب السعودي”.

هل تصريح لاعب منتخب العراق يونس محمود استفزكم؟ أتم: “لا أبدًا، بالعكس رأيتم اليوم المنتخب السعودي وشخصيته، لم يهز أي واحد من اللاعبين 1%، أنا دوري في الملعب أؤدي كرة القدم لمدة 90 دقيقة، نحن جئنا من أجل البطولة والشعب السعودي يستحق، وهذا أقل شيء نقدمه لهم”. تصريحات سالم الدوسري بعد مباراة السعودية والعراق

Manchester United have now swooped in and made a move to sign a “relentless” £25 million star to replace Casemiro, according to a recent report.

Alejandro Garnacho turns down Al-Nassr move

Not only are the Red Devils looking to bring in new players for Ruben Amorim this summer, but they are also looking to offload several first-team players they believe are not good enough and don’t fit into the plans of the United boss.

Better than Kudus: Man Utd confident they will sign "unplayable" £60m+ star

Manchester United believe that they will sign this Premier League star who is even better than Mohammed Kudus.

1 ByDan Emery Jul 12, 2025

Alejandro Garnacho is one player that the Red Devils want to see leave this summer, and the Argentine has been offered the chance to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr. However, according to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Garnacho has turned down the move to Al-Nassr, as he wants to remain in Europe. The Saudi side held initial discussions with the attacker, as they look to be title contenders in their own league this season.

As well as looking to move Garnacho on, United are also looking to sell Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Tyrell Malacia and are said to be open to offers for Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana. While Garnacho turns down a possible transfer, it looks as though Sancho could be one step closer to leaving Old Trafford.

That is because, according to a recent report from Italy, United have accepted a £20m+ bid from Juventus for Sancho. Furthermore, the England international has accepted a contract offer from the Italian side which is worth more than £5 million a season.

Man Utd swoop in to sign "relentless" £25m+ star to replace Casemiro

Allowing players such as Garnacho and Sancho to leave means the Red Devils can enter the transfer market to strengthen their side in key positions, and they appear keen on signing a new midfielder. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by The People’s Person, Man United have made an approach to sign Richard Rios from Palmeiras.

The report states that AS Roma are very keen on signing the young midfielder and have reportedly held talks with Palmeiras and have made an offer worth €25 million, but the Brazilian side will not sell the player for anything less than €30 million, which is roughly £25 million. Their pursuit has now been affected, as United are said to have “swooped in on the player in the last few hours” with an approach of their own.

Those at Old Trafford see Rios as a potential long-term replacement for Casemiro, who is unlikely to play such a key role in Amorim’s team in the 2025/26 campaign after some ‘incosistent performances’. The Brazilian was a key performer in United’s run to the Europa League final, but he isn’t getting any younger, and Amorim is ready to find a younger replacement.

Rios

Casemiro

Apps

24

24

Starts

20

18

Goals

3

1

Assists

4

0

Progressive carries

27

4

Progressive passes

103

84

Progressive runs

51

28

Passes completed

701

780

Passes attempted

857

990

Tackles (won)

65 (36)

83 (50)

Rios, who has been dubbed “relentless” for his work rate, joined Palmeries in 2023 and has made over 130 appearances for the club. The midfielder was part of the Palmeries side that participated in the Club World Cup this summer, playing in all five games, as they were knocked out by Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

Tottenham Hotspur recruitment chiefs think one club's mainstay midfielder is a potential star in the making, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy now seemingly readying a move.

Spurs closing in on early January deals

Following the widely reported capture of RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner on a six-month loan deal, it is now believed that Tottenham are close to signing Genoa star Radu Dragusin as well.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

The north Londoners are currently chasing Champions League qualification after a stellar first season overall for manager Ange Postecoglou, who has quickly endeared himself to the hearts of Spurs supporters.

The Australian's brand of intense, attack-minded football is easy on the eye, with Tottenham sealing some impressive results this season despite a plethora of injury and suspension problems.

Postecoglou has been left very short defensively in particular. First-choice centre-back pairing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have been unavailable for long periods since early November, exposing Spurs' real lack of depth in defence and prompting them to open talks for Dragusin this month.

Spurs' head coach will be eager to get the Romanian to N17 as soon as possible, but it's also believed that Levy and sporting director Johan Lange would like to bring in a centre-midfielder as well.

Tottenham have been linked with a move for Chelsea star Conor Gallagher if they can offload Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg before January 31, alongside the likes of Royal Antwerp ace Arthur Vermeeren. Now, it is believed the north Londoners have their eyes on Blackburn Rovers star Adam Wharton as well.

Tottenham "readying a move" for Wharton

The 19-year-old, who has been a mainstay in Blackburn's midfield this season, starting 20 games and playing 24 overall, is seen as a potential "star in the making" by Spurs.

That is according to Football Insider and journalist Pete O'Rourke, who also claim Tottenham are "readying a move" to sign Wharton after scouting him extensively this season.

While it is believed a transfer is unlikely to happen in January, the Lilywhites are apparently stepping up their interest in the Englishman ahead of a possible 2024 swoop.

The teenage sensation, who can play across the midfield, currently ranks as one of Rovers' best-performing players by average match rating according to WhoScored.

Blackburn 1-2 Watford

7.82

Watford 1-0 Blackburn

7.52

Blackburn 4-2 Birmingham City

7.51

Blackburn 1-2 Preston

7.50

Coventry City 1-0 Blackburn

7.40

“I saw Adam’s quality on the ball immediately when I arrived here," said Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson to Rovers TV.

“I’ve been pushing him every day, he’s a young boy who wants to learn and he has a big future. I’m on him every day, he has to demand more from himself as well.

“He’s a great player but there’s still a lot to learn off the ball. The important thing with Adam is that he’s willing to learn. He’s done a great job, he’s a positive boy and he’s already developed a lot and he has the mentality to become better every day."

One club are reportedly anticipating a Tottenham move for their "quality" centre-half, who former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is a big fan of.

Van de Ven suffers hamstring injury

Spurs' early-season unbeaten run had to come to an end eventually, with Ange Postecoglou watching on from the sidelines as his team succumbed to a 4-1 defeat on Monday.

Tottenham performed admirably in the circumstances, boldly sticking to their high line despite a two-man disadvantage in the second half. You could make a case that the scoreline flattered Mauricio Pochettino's side, who often struggled to get past Spurs thanks in part to the exceptional performance of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

The result was a slight dampener on what has been a truly incredible start to Postecoglou's tenure at N17. Indeed, the far more worrying aspect of this defeat is the sheer number of absentees for Spurs over the next few matches.

Both Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero are suspended after their red cards against Chelsea, while James Maddison and Micky van de Ven were forced off through injury. The latter is awaiting results on what looks to be a very serious problem, with van de Ven being carried off the pitch clutching his hamstring.

Reports have suggested that the Dutch defender could be facing months rather than weeks on the treatment table, resulting in Spurs looking at the January transfer market for solutions.

Bournemouth anticipating Spurs move for Kelly

Indeed, it is rumoured that Tottenham have their eye on Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah, while other media sources claim Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo is a target for Spurs too. Another centre-half to be heavily linked with a move to north London is Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly.

The Cherries captain was subject to apparent summer interest and even a deadline day bid from Postecoglou's side, but a late move didn't come to fruition.

Now, The Evening Standard back reports that Kelly is expected to be a Spurs target yet again, coming amid van de Ven's serious injury blow. They add that Bournemouth are "braced" for a move by Tottenham as we slowly approach the winter window.

Harry Redknapp and Scott Parker praise Kelly

The Englishman has been a key player at the Vitality Stadium in recent years, leading to praise from both Scott Parker and Harry Redknapp.

"I think Lloyd Kelly has got the attributes and the ability to be a top Premier League centre-half. And I think we are blessed and very, very lucky to have someone of his quality, really," said Parker on Kelly to Bournemouth's official website.

Redknapp, speaking to Bet Victor about the 25-year-old, called Kelly a "real talent" while naming him in a September team of the week after his performance against Chelsea (via Bournemouth Echo).

Holding on to the ball

Blocking the ball

Concentration

(via WhoScored)

“I thought he put in an absolutely immense performance against Chelsea and showed why he’d been linked previously with a move away from the club," said Redknapp on Kelly.

“For me he is key for the Cherries moving forward. He’s a real talent that puts his heart and soul into it for the full game and he was one of the key reasons why Bournemouth came away with a deserved point in a hard fought 0-0."