An update has emerged on Southampton and their plans to bolster their set of defensive options ahead of the start of the 2023/24 season…
What's the latest Southampton transfer news?
According to Football Insider, the Saints have made contact with Everton to enquire about a possible swoop for central defender Mason Holgate this summer.
The report claims that the Championship side are eyeing up a deal to sign the £72k-per-week enforcer on loan and that Sean Dyche has agreed to allow him to move on.
It states that Premier League side Sheffield United and fellow second tier outfit Leeds United have also contacted the Toffees to explore a move for the 26-year-old ace.
How good is Mason Holgate?
The Everton enforcer is a player with the potential to be an excellent performer for the Saints if Russell Martin can help him to rediscover his best form.
It has been reported by the Daily Mail that Holgate is being targeted by Southampton as a possible replacement for Duje Caleta-Car, who is attracting interest from Ligue 1 side Lyon, and his displays at Goodison Park in the past suggest that he has the scope to become a dream heir to the Croatian titan.
Southampton centre-back Duje Caleta-Car.
The English gem has averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.65 or lower over the last two Premier League seasons but his form throughout the 2019/20 campaign suggests that the quality is there for him to be a superb player.
Holgate averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01 that year, which would have placed him third in the Saints team last term, as he made 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game and won 63% of his individual duels at the back, whilst the talented battler did not make a single error leading to a shot or goal for the opposition.
This shows that the ex-West Bromwich Albion loanee does have the ability to deliver consistently brilliant performances at Premier League level, which suggests that the potential is there for him to be an outstanding performer in the Championship.
A drop down to the second tier could help the defender to get back to his best and a loan would mean that Southampton are not burdened with him in the long-term if he fails to recapture his previous form.
Holgate could, therefore, be a dream replacement for Caleta-Car if the former Marseille colossus joins Lyon as his statistics during the 2019/20 season are more impressive than the current St. Mary's defender's from last term.
The 26-year-old warrior averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.90 across 13 league matches for the club and won 57% of his duels, although he did make one mistake that led to a shot for the other team.
Only four Saints players averaged a higher Sofascore rating and this suggests that the £52k-per-week "leader" – as once hailed by the Liverpool ECHO journalist Sam Carroll – was one of the team's top performers, which is why it is crucial for Martin to bring in a quality replacement for him before the deadline.
Holgate's form for Everton in the past shows that the potential is there for him to be that player, which is why the Southampton head coach could land a dream heir to Caleta-Car at centre-back with this possible swoop for the English talent.
Marcus Rashford exploded last season, cementing himself as one of the most dangerous goalscorers in the Premier League.
Manchester United will certainly hope he can lead them to glory this season – hence his new five-year contract.
Other top clubs will hope to stop him, of course, and one of those is Tottenham Hotspur. They'll try to compete with United once again this season and will come up against Rashford and co. on 19th August.
So how well does Rashford usually fare against them? Football FanCast takes a dive into the numbers to find out.
What is Marcus Rashford's goal record against Tottenham?
Rashford has played 14 times against Spurs and it took him a while to find his feet against them. The forward didn't manage to score in any of his first four appearances, but has since gone on to be a bit of a thorn in the Lilywhites' sides.
He currently sits on five goals in 14 games, with all of them coming within 13 Premier League fixtures. Since his first goal against them, that record stands at five in nine.
What is Marcus Rashford's assist record against Tottenham?
Rashford certainly isn't known for his assists as much as his goals. There are 16 teams against which he's managed more than just a solitary assist, though – a fairly decent record for a prolific goalscorer.
Though, Tottenham aren't one of them. Rashford has just one assist in his 14 games and it actually came in his most recent outing against Spurs. He scored one and assisted another in the Red Devils' 2-2 draw in north London back in April.
What is Marcus Rashford's head-to-head record against Tottenham?
It's very good, actually – and surprisingly so, as United haven't always been comfortably better than Spurs since Rashford broke into the senior setup. But in 14 games against Tottenham, he's been on the winning side nine times. Spurs have won three, with two ending in draws. It's worth noting that one of those wins was in the FA Cup.
That record looks even better in recent times. Since 2019, Rashford has faced Spurs nine times and won seven, losing and drawing one apiece.
What is Marcus Rashford's away goal record against Tottenham?
Manchester United'sMarcusRashford
Rashford has played away at Tottenham seven times in his career. Worryingly for Spurs ahead of their August clash, it's also the ground on which he's done the most damage in this fixture.
The England star has three of his five goals against Tottenham away from home, plus that assist he picked up last season. He's also avoided defeat in his last five trips – a bad omen for Spurs.
Who has Marcus Rashford scored the most against?
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.
There are three teams against whom Rashford has more goals than his five in Spurs matches. There are then a further five who have also conceded five times to United's star.
Leicester City are his most common victim, conceding eight times in 16 appearances against Rashford. Then come Chelsea and Liverpool at six goals each in 17 and 15 games respectively.
West Ham, Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth all sit alongside Tottenham as having conceded five. It's worth mentioning that Rashford's overall record against Newcastle might be his best against any club: 11 games, five goals, five assists.
How many goals does Marcus Rashford have in August?
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.
August isn't a particularly happy hunting month for Rashford as his record in the first month of the season isn't what you would call special. Indeed, he's only got five August strikes throughout his eight-season career. That does, however, include a brace against Chelsea in 2019 and a goal against Liverpool last year.
It's also worth mentioning that the 2020/21 campaign didn't have any games played in August as the season instead kicked off in September. Rashford did grab two goals in the opening month that year, so perhaps it's a little fairer to include those in his 'August' tally.
Rashford has a whopping 45 game-winning goals in his career so far. In fact, he managed 16 last season – an incredible number which actually accounted for over half of his goals.
Two of those game-winners have come against Tottenham, too, so they know full well how dangerous he can be. Indeed, he notched in back-to-back league games against the north Londoners with winners at either end of 2019 – the latter of which was an Old Trafford brace in a 2-1 win to inflict a first defeat at Spurs for Jose Mourinho.
What is Marcus Rashford's overall goal record for Man United?
Man Unites starMarcusRashford
Rashford has now played 359 games for United – doesn't time fly? He's managed to score a very respectable 123 goals in that time, which is a goal-to-game ratio of around 0.34.
But that will only go up with time as Rashford continues to improve. Last season was his best yet – and this coming campaign could well prove to be even better.
What is Marcus Rashford's Premier League record?
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane andCasemiro
Rashford now has 76 Premier League goals, coming in 239 appearances in England's top flight. That's enough to sit in 60th on the all-time Premier League top scorers list.
But he won't be stopping there. A season like last time out could even see him climb into the top 40 – and who's to say he won't better what he managed in 2022/23?
What is Marcus Rashford's assist record?
Now, different places credit assists in different ways, so the exact number of assists for Rashford is debatable. We'll just focus on how the Premier League credits them.
And with that in mind, Rashford has 37 assists in his league career. That's good enough for 92nd all-time in the Premier League – level with Manchester United greats Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Cristiano Ronaldo. He'll move past both shortly – perhaps even before their trip to Spurs.
How many goals did Marcus Rashford score last season?
Last season was the finest of Rashford's career as he cemented himself as an elite forward. He scored an incredible 30 goals in all competitions, coming in just 56 games.
That was the best haul of his career to date and marked an extraordinary jump on the previous campaign. 2021/22 saw Rashford manage just five goals, which was even fewer than the eight he managed in his debut season as a teenager.
22 had been his previous highest, but now 30 is the figure to beat in all competitions.
That boiled down to 17 Premier League goals in 35 appearances. It's a fine record in a team that was still finding itself under Erik ten Hag and matched his previous best in the competition.
But with things looking a little more settled now, Rashford will want to go even better this time around. That 20-goal barrier just has to be his target.
What is Man United's record against Tottenham?
United's record is fantastic against just about every team in the country. It's no different against Spurs, either, in their 199 fixtures against one another.
That's right, we're coming up on the 200th meeting between United and Tottenham. So far, the Red Devils have triumphed on nearly half of the occasions – 96 times, to be exact.
Spurs have 53 to their credit, with the spoils shared 50 times.
But what about the Premier League? Since the rebrand in 1992, the two sides have met 62 times in the league. United have utterly dominated proceedings, though, winning on 39 occasions. That included a spell from 2001 to 2012 without tasting defeat once.
Spurs have managed just 10 wins in that time, with the majority of those coming since January 2014. There's a long way to go to claw things back and level things up…
What are Man United's recent results against Tottenham?
Harry Kane and Bruno Fernandes competing in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League.
Very, very good. Spurs have consistently struggled against United historically, but did enjoy a decent spell within the last decade or so.
But that's changed more recently. United are undefeated in the last five meetings, winning four before drawing the most recent encounter. That finished 2-2, with Rashford scoring one and assisting another.
Before that result, United won 2-0 and 3-2 at home, with 3-0 and 3-1 away wins prior to that. So when did Spurs last win against them?
You'll remember it – the 6-1 thrashing at Old Trafford. United have fought back in style after that embarrassment. As for the last time Spurs beat United in north London, you have to return to 2018 and a 2-0 win at Wembley Stadium. Christian Eriksen, now with United, scored the opener before a Phil Jones own goal sealed it.
When is Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United?
Man United boss Erik ten Hag
This latest clash between the two teams will take place on Saturday, 19th August at 5.30pm UK time. It'll be the second Saturday Night Football of the season and is just five days after United's opener against Wolves.
It'll be interesting to see how that affects things – as well as how the two teams line up. Neither team can be sure of who they will and won't have as the transfer window continues to intrigue.
Will Harry Kane be at Spurs? Will United have their new striker? And where will Harry Maguire be playing?
What we do know is that Rashford will almost certainly feature for United, barring an injury. His new five-year contract sets him up to be the star man at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future and it's a role he'll almost certainly thrive in.
Perhaps he'll be the difference once more as these two sides seek early statements in the top-four race.
أوضح محامي ووكيل أعمال لاعب فريق أتلتيكو مدريد، ممفيس ديباي، حقيقة مسؤولية الهولندي عن دفع الكفالة المالية الخاصة بلاعب برشلونة السابق، داني ألفيس.
كان داني ألفيس قد غادر السجن، أمس، بكفالة مالية قدرها مليون يورو، وهو خروج مشروط في ظل إدانته بارتكاب جريمة اغتصاب ضد فتاة في ديسمبر 2022 (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).
وظهرت تقارير تفيد أن والد لاعب برشلونة السابق والهلال السعودي نيمار دا سيلفا هو من دفع الكفالة المالية لـ داني ألفيس.
ولكن أفادت تقارير أخرى أن لاعب برشلونة السابق وأتلتيكو مدريد ممفيس ديباي هو المسؤول عن دفع كفالة ألفيس ومن ثم خروجه من السجن.
ولكن سيباستيان ليدور، وكيل أعمال ومحامي ممفيس ديباي، نفى الأمر في تصريحاته لشبكة “Informativos Telecinco” الإسبانية.
وقال ليدور: “هذه أخبار كاذبة، إنها أخبار كاذبة بكل تأكيد، ليست صحيحة على الإطلاق”.
وأفادت الشبكة أن وكيل ديباي طلب تصحيح تلك الشائعات على المستوى الرسمي، وتكذيب المعلومات الخاطئة المنشورة.
Tottenham Hotspur have two new names on their centre-back shortlist, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Which new names have been added?
Ange Postecoglou has his work cut out to get Tottenham's defence in order next season, with just one summer to fix a porous backline.
That will likely mean making some additions to his squad, while possibly moving on some of those who were culpable for last season's disastrous defensive displays.
One name that has been continually mentioned in recent days is Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, who could be available for as little as £26m, although, speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano suggested a fee closer to £50m.
Romano added later in the podcast that Tapsoba is not the only player Spurs appreciate, with two new names being added to the growing centre-back shortlist.
He stated: "I can tell you there are two more names in the list. Two more who I think, I will say one more name because I'm still checking with my sources, but I think tomorrow I will call one more name for Tottenham. So, I still need to do some checks."
"But there is interest in two more players, it is not only Tapsoba – Tapsoba is one of them. Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham is a player they discussed, but in this moment, from what I understand, is not a priority."
He added: "Tottenham are not in concrete negotiations for Tosin. He is a player they like in terms of being informed and the conditions of the deal, but they are not advancing on anything for Tosin, and then we will see for these other options. So, Tapsoba priority, but it is not only Tapsoba."
Due to only having one year left on his contract and having rejected an extension, it is thought Adarabioyo could be available for as little as £13m this window. The 25-year-old had an average 6.89 Premier League rating on Sofascore, adapting well to life in England's top tier.
A cut-price deal for the former Manchester City youngster could be an astute piece of business from Postecoglou and save money for investment in other areas of the team.
Who is the other centre-back?
Romano is yet to reveal who the other centre-back is since releasing the podcast episode, but the day before had linked Tottenham with Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, so it is possible that the Dutchman is the other defender on the list.
The 22-year-old is currently playing for the Netherlands at the U21 European Championship and has been impressive at the tournament so far.
The left-footed, 6ft3 centre-back has attracted interest from Liverpool as well this summer, and has already spoken about his desire to play at a higher level.
While speaking with HITC (via the Mirror), he said: "Of course, I read everything. I have good contact with my agent, so I know what’s going on. I’ll see where it will lead. Hopefully, (a big transfer after the Euros) would be nice. The Premier League? Maybe, yes."
With Van de Ven ready to make the step-up, Spurs would be foolish not to establish the parameters of a potential deal with Wolfsburg.
كشف معتمد جمال، المدير الفني السابق لنادي الزمالك، عن كواليس توليه قيادة الفارس الأبيض في فترة صعبة للغاية، موضحًا دور اللاعبين وعلى رأسهم محمود عبد الرازق شيكابالا قائد الفريق.
وقال جمال في تصريحات تلفزيونية لبرنامج “الماتش” على قناة “صدى البلد”: “استلمت الزمالك في ظروف صعبة، ونسي البعض كيف كانت الأمور حينها، أشكر مجلس إدارة النادي بقيادة حسين لبيب، فهم أشخاص محترمون ينتمون للقلعة البيضاء”.
وأضاف: “تواصل معي كابتن حسين لبيب وطلب مني قيادة الفريق، فقلت له (رقبتي)، لكنه رد قائلاً -لا أريد رقبتك، أريد التأهل لنهائي الكأس-، وكان ذلك قبل مباراة بيراميدز بثلاثة أيام فقط، وتولينا المسؤولية بعد هزيمتين أمام إنبي وزد، بالإضافة لأزمة فتوح وصبحي والزناري، ناهيك عن إصابات بعض اللاعبين وعدم جاهزية آخرين”.
طالع أيضًا | خالد الغندور: لاعب واحد فقط تألق بين صفقات الزمالك.. وعبد الله السعيد لعبه “نمطي”
وتابع: “ناصر منسي وسامسون لم يتدربا منذ فترة، ولم يكونا جاهزين للمباريات كذلك، عبد الله جمعة لم يكن يشارك منذ 3 أشهر، وعبد الشافي كان يلعب وقدمه بها نسبة رشح في الركبة، لم أر رجلًا مثل عبد الشافي”.
وأردف: “كان شيكابالا يتعب معي كثيرًا، وكأنه مدرب مساعد معي، أما عمر جابر، فكان بإمكاني أن ألعب به في 4 مراكز في نفس المباراة”.
وأوضح: “كنت أفضل البدء بـ شيكابالا، لأنه لاعب كبير ولا بد أن نُراعي عامل السن، هذا أفضل من أن يشارك بديلًا ربع ساعة وقد لا يدخل في أجواء المباراة”.
واختتم: “سعدت بخبر تجديد الزمالك لـ شيكابالا، فهو لاعب أسطورة وليس عاديًا، ما يراه الناس في المباريات ليس 10% مما يحدث في التدريب، (ساعات بشتمه غصب عني) لأنه يفعل أمورًا غريبة، محمد عواد أو محمد صبحي يعرفان أنه سيسدد في الزاوية الضيقة والكل يعلم، ومع ذلك يضعها في الشباك”.
Arsenal are set to make an offer for Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo, having held positive talks, according to a report from Football Transfers.
Is Joao Cancelo leaving Man City?
Cancelo left Man City to join Bayern Munich on loan during the January transfer window, with Pep Guardiola confirming his departure was due to a lack of game time, after the manager changed his side's play-style following the World Cup.
There were also reports the defender had a training ground bust-up with his manager, which led to his shock move to Bayern, however the German champions are set to reject the chance to sign him on a permanent basis this summer.
City proved they are more than capable of succeeding without the Portugal international, finally winning the Champions League on Saturday night, and he could be on the move this summer, having already held talks about a move to Arsenal.
According to a report from Football Transfers, those talks are progressing positively, so much so that Mikel Arteta is set to launch an opening bid of around £35m in the coming days, although that may not be enough to secure 29-year-old's signature.
Man City are asking for around £45m for the defender, £10m more than the Gunners are set to offer, but the indication is that they could table a higher bid, should their opening offer be rejected.
The report details that the £250k-per-week earner would become the starting right-back at the Emirates Stadium, allowing Arteta to use Ben White as cover in that area of the pitch.
Will Joao Cancelo sign for Arsenal?
The aforementioned report claims that Guardiola wants to get rid of the Portuguese full-back, and he does have a previous history of selling players to rival Premier League clubs, with Raheem Sterling joining Chelsea for £47.5m last summer.
As such, it would by no means be a surprise if Arsenal sign the Man City ace, and he could be a quality addition to the squad, having been hailed as "sensational" by Bayern Munich director Hasan Salihamidzic.
For a full-back, the Barreiro-born star is very impressive on the front foot, ranking in the 99th percentile for assists per 90 over the past year, and in the 98th percentile for successful take-ons, when compared to his positional peers.
Not only that, the former Benfica man is also solid defensively, ranking first in the Man City squad for average interceptions per game in the Premier League last season.
Cancelo could be a great signing for Arsenal, and it is fantastic news that Arteta is ready to test the waters with an opening bid.
كشفت تقارير صحفية ألمانية تفاصيل ما يحدث داخل أروقة نادي بايرن ميونخ في الوقت الحالي، في ظل النتائج السيئة التي يحققها الفريق تحت قيادة المدرب توماس توخيل.
وعانى بايرن ميونخ من 3 هزائم متتالية، الأولى أمام باير ليفركوزن في الدوري الألماني، ثم لاتسيو في دوري أبطال أوروبا، قبل خسارة الأمس أمام بوخوم في بطولة الدوري.
وذكرت شبكة “سكاي ألمانيا” أن هناك تذمر في نادي بايرن ميونخ، حيث ينصب التركيز تحديدًا على توماس توخيل.
وأوضحت أن توخيل سيظل في الوقت الحالي مدربًا في بايرن ميونخ، بعدما وافقت الإدارة مباشرة بعد مباراة الأمس على الاحتفاظ بخدماته.
وأشارت إلى أن مسؤولي بايرن ميونخ يريدون تجنب إقالة توخيل هذه الأيام لأن ماكس إيبرل لن يبدأ منصب المدير الرياضي حتى مارس المقبل.
ويريد المسؤولون الاحتفاظ بتوخيل على الأقل حتى نهاية الموسم حتى لا يتسببوا في المزيد من الاضطرابات وبالتالي الحفاظ على فرصة الوصول إلى ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا على الأقل.
ومع ذلك، فإن توخيل، الذي لا يفكر في الاستقالة، ليس لديه ضمان بنسبة 100% للبقاء في منصبه مع بايرن ميونخ حتى نهاية الموسم الحالي.
اقرأ أيضًا.. اندلاع مشادة قوية بين لاعب بايرن ميونخ ومساعد توخيل.. والمدرب يعلق
وأكدت أنه في حال التعرض لهزيمة أخرى أمام لايبزيج في المباراة المقبلة، فإن الأمور ستصبح أكثر صعوبة بالنسبة لـ توخيل، مع العلم أن الانفصال المبكر ليس مستبعدًا.
وفقًا للمعلومات الواردة من الشبكة نفسها، فإن مسؤولي بايرن يعملون بالفعل على إيجاد بدائل وراء الكواليس، وإن كان من الصعب أن يقبل أي مدرب تولي تلك المسؤولية في هذه الفترة القصيرة.
وفي حالة إقالة توخيل المبكرة، سيتعين على بايرن العثور على مدرب مرة أخرى خلال الموسم الحالي يمكنه، في أحسن الأحوال، البقاء بعد نهاية الموسم.
وفي حالة الانفصال الصيفي عن توخيل، يعتبر تشابي ألونسو هو الحل المفضل داخليًا، وهناك كذلك زين الدين زيدان المدير الفني السابق لفريق ريال مدريد.
Australia A captain Peter Handscomb scored 137 in a thumping 10-wicket win over South Africa A as his side swept the unofficial Test series 2-0
ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2016 Peter Handscomb scored 137 off 244 as he led Australia A to a big win in Townsville•Getty Images
Australia A captain Peter Handscomb scored his eighth first-class century to give his side a 98-run first-innings lead and set up a thumping 10-wicket win over South Africa A in the second unofficial Test in Townsville. The win meant that Australia A emerged with a clean sweep of the two-match series.Boland injured
Fast bowler Scott Boland sustained a low-grade fracture of the right hand on the final day of Australia A’s match against South Africa A in Townsville. Boland will return to Melbourne for further medical review before it is decided whether he will rejoin the squad for the latter stages of the upcoming quadrangular one-day series and four-day games against India A. Boland has not been replaced in the squad.
South Africa A had elected to bat, and started very slowly, with the openers putting on 26 runs in the best part of 15 overs before Dean Elgar departed for 5 off 40. Stephen Cook and Omphile Ramela both notched up fifties in a second-wicket partnership of 83. Ramela went on to score 82 off 199 and served as the top-order ballast in South Africa A’s first innings. But right-arm pacer Joe Mennie and legspinner Mitchell Swepson finished with figures of 5 for 61 and 3 for 55 respectively to limit South Africa A to 304.Australia A piled on 402 in reply, largely thanks to Handscomb’s 137 and a knock of 92 from opener Kurtis Patterson. The two put on 114 for the second wicket, before right-arm pacer Andile Phehlukwayo dismissed Patterson eight runs short of a century. Handscomb batted on, while useful contributions from the middle and lower order gave the home side to a healthy lead.Faced with a first-innings deficit of 98, South Africa A slumped to 180 all out in their second innings, with no one making more than Dane Vilas’ 36. Vilas was one of four batsmen to fall to Swepson in the second innings, as the 22-year-old finished with 4 for 33, to take his match haul to seven.Australia A had little trouble in chasing down a target of 83. Patterson registered his second fifty of the match as the openers swept past the finish line in 15 overs.South Africa A’s series defeat here comes on the heels of a two-match series against Zimbabwe A in which they failed to win the first unofficial Test in Harare, before winning the second in Bulawayo. For the likes of Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, this series was the last chance to prepare for an upcoming home Test series against New Zealand.
Varun Chopra, the England Lions batsman, has agreed a deal to return to Essex
George Dobell02-Aug-2016Varun Chopra, the England Lions batsman, has agreed a deal to return to Essex. Chopra, who is currently with Warwickshire, started his career with Essex and scored a century on Championship debut for the club as an 18-year-old. But he left in pursuit of more opportunities at the end of 2009 and has enjoyed seven largely successful seasons in Birmingham.He helped Warwickshire to the County Championship title in 2012 and was captain when they won the domestic T20 competition for the first time in 2014. He was the only man at the club to score 1000 runs in each Championship season between 2011 and 2013 and won a place in the Lions side as a result.He stepped down as captain before the 2016 season largely as he felt the responsibility was compromising his pursuit of an England place – aged 29, time is running out to achieve that ambition – and was replaced by Ian Bell.His relationship with the Warwickshire team management has sourced in recent times, however, and he has been left out of the white-ball sides for most of this season. The club confirmed a few weeks ago that they would not be offering him a new contract at the end of this season. He has now signed a three-year deal with Essex.”I am delighted to be rejoining Essex, a club where I have fond memories from the early stages of my career,” Chopra said. “I look forward to returning as a more developed player and being part of a talented, ambitious and exciting team led by Chris Silverwood.”As I enter a key stage in my career, I am intent on contributing in all formats of the game and in doing that, I hope to achieve my desire to play for England. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Warwickshire, the players and the fans at Edgbaston for their support over the past seven seasons.”While Warwickshire have suggested Chopra did not completely buy into their long-term plans for the club, the policy of leaving him out in limited-overs cricket has hindered their progress this season. In the one T20 match he played, Chopra made an unbeaten 97 – the highest score by a non-overseas player in Warwickshire’s T20 history – to help Birmingham Bears to victory, yet he was then omitted and the club failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.Chris Silverwood, Essex’s head coach, said: “We are delighted Varun is re-joining us and coming back to the club where he started his professional career. His Division One experience will be invaluable to our batting line-up and younger players. It is great to have an Essex man coming back to the club and he will be a great addition for us moving forward.”
Tottenham Hotspur are set to hold a meeting with Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim as they keep up the hunt for Antonio Conte's replacement.
What's the latest Spurs manager news?
The Lilywhites are running out of time to make a permanent appointment with the all-important summer transfer window slowly approaching.
Spurs have just four games of the Premier League season remaining, and with Champions League football looking an outside possibility at best, Ryan Mason would perhaps settle for a Europa League place.
Whatever the case, whoever chairman Daniel Levy hires as manager will go a long way to both determining Tottenham's success next season and getting members of the fanbase back on the side.
Chaos currently engulfs the London club, with former assistant boss Cristian Stellini recently sacked after an humiliating 6-1 defeat at Newcastle.
Ruben Amorim encourages his Sporting CP side from the sidelines.
That result went some way to diminishing Spurs' hopes of a top four finish, and they're also without an out-and-out sporting director after Fabio Paratici resigned from his post.
Attention now turns to the appointment of a top class manager for next season, with news coming to light on Amorim from Portuguese source Record (via Sport Witness).
According to the newspaper, Spurs are set hold a meeting with the 38-year-old who is an exciting option, especially considering he is arguably one of Europe's most exciting young managers.
The meeting will presumably involve talks of some kind as chairman Daniel Levy now apparently draws a 'strict list' of contenders to replace Conte.
Amorim is reportedly one of them and this face-to-face will take place at the end of the season, with Sporting apparently admitting that both the manager and his agent, Raul Costa, will analyse all approaches made for him.
What could Amorim bring to Spurs?
Despite his young age, the tactician's CV is already very impressive – boasting five major honours to his name across spells at both Sporting and Braga in Portugal.
Indeed, Amorim also has the advantage of already being 'very close' with Tottenham defender Pedro Porro, with the pair working together at Sporting earlier this campaign.
Porro shined under Amorim as a key player and Spurs supporters will be hoping he could reinvigorate the Spaniard if their club do in fact appoint him.
Journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke has also been effusive in his praise of the Sporting coach in recent seasons, calling him 'the most exciting young manager' in European football last year.