Tag Futebol

Rangers will be looking to return to winning ways tonight as Gio van Bronckhorst’s Gers side aim to avoid drawing for the third successive Premiership match.

The Ibrox giants have been unable to pick up all three points in both of their last two outings in the league and now have the opportunity to put things right as they return to action this evening.

Van Bronckhorst’s men are three points off the top of the table and are in desperate need of positive results to take them above their arch-rivals.

One change that the Dutchman must make for their clash with St Johnstone is bringing in Leon Balogun to play at the heart of the backline.

The £14k-per-week Nigerian must replace John Lundstram at the heart of the defence after the experiment of playing the latter in a back four against Motherwell backfired badly. The Englishman was caught out positionally and then burned for pace for the first goal for the away side in the 2-2 draw, with his lack of experience in the position being exposed on the day.

Former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard claimed that Balogun plays with a “smile on his face” for the Gers and that shines through in his performances. Former Light Blues full-back Alan Hutton once dubbed him  “outstanding”, and his statistics this season back up that praise.

In the Rangers squad, the Nigeria international ranks ninth in the Premiership and second in the Europa League for average SofaScore ratings. This suggests that he has been one of the club’s top performers in 2021/22, which is why he must be brought back into the starting XI for tonight to replace Lundstram, whose error at the weekend proved that he is not a viable option at centre-back.

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.

In the Premiership, Balogun has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.06. He has made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game whilst winning 64% of his duels overall, as he has shown that he the ability to be a standout performer at this level.

The strong 33-year-old tank must now be unleashed on St Johnstone to give Rangers a better chance of keeping a clean sheet, in comparison to keeping Lundstram out of position. Van Bronckhorst must start the veteran alongside Goldson, with the pair providing a solid defensive base for the forward players to go and work their magic in the final third to secure the three points.

AND in other news, Forget Roofe: Van Bronckhorst can save Rangers millions in “big talent” who scores every 41 minutes…

Efforts to resuscitate Bob Woolmer, after he was found unconscious in his hotel room, were hindered by the position of his body, said the first doctor to attend to him, at a coroner’s inquest heard on Friday.Woolmer, the former Pakistan coach, was found unconscious in his room at the Pegasus Hotel a day after Pakistan’s shock defeat to Ireland in the World Cup. Dr Asher Cooper arrived a few minutes after Novelette Robinson, the team’s registered nurse, but could carry out resuscitation measures only after Woolmer was moved out of the bathroom.”When I went to the room, Woolmer’s head was under the toilet bowl and I could not do resuscitating exercises,” Cooper told Patrick Murphy, the inquest’s coroner and an 11-member jury. “I was only able to take pictures with my cellular phone camera, which I gave to the police.” Woolmer was moved to the hall with the help of the police after which he was administered CPR and chest compression.The measures were continued until the arrival of the ambulance, even though Woolmer was without a pulse and had stopped breathing. Cooper said there were no signs of life before Woolmer was taken to the University of West Indies hospital, where he was declared dead.Dr Simone French, who attended to Woolmer on his arrival at the hospital, said that further efforts were made to revive him before he was declared dead. “After the body was taken to the hospital we put him on the cardio machine and there was no response.”Dennis Forbes, a detective constable, also testified by displaying pictures he had taken, which showed Woolmer lying on a stretcher at the hospital. Woolmer’s face was blood-stained, with a purplish discolouration to his left side. The pictures also showed a red mark on his left hip.The inquest, which started on Tuesday, is being held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.

Bangladesh 186 for 1 (Nafees 105*, Aftab 60*) beat Zimbabwe 184 for 9 (Taylor 38, Razzak 4-33) by 9 wickets
Scorecard

Shahriaf Nafees’s third consecutive hundred against Zimbabwe was a winning effort © AFP

Shahriar Nafees scored an unbeaten 105 as Bangladesh recorded an easy nine-wicketwin over Zimbabwe in the first ODI at Khulna on Thursday. Nafees’s century, histhird consecutive ton against Zimbabwe, was part of a sound all-round performance byBangladesh; earlier, their left-arm spin trio of Abdur Razzak, Mohammad Rafique and Saqibul Hasan restricted Zimbabwe to 184 for 9.Though Zimbabwe had enough spinners in their ranks to put pressure on theopposition on a slow surface, they paid the price for an overly defensiveapproach, often allowing the batsmen to pick the gaps during the middleovers. Nafees and Aftab Ahmed, both flamboyant players, were allowed toplay their natural game, leading to the familiar story of Nafees – who came intothis match with a Bradmanesque-average of 92.75 in six matches – tormenting theZimbabweans.After a quiet start, Nafees cut loose in theeighth over, fetching three fours off Anthony Ireland. The first, a widedelivery, was smashed past point, followed by a delicate flickdown fine leg. The third was by far the best of the match, effortlesslydriven past mid-on and accompanied by a perfect follow-through that highlightedNafees’s form. His opening partner, Mehrab Hossain, complemented him with a sedate13 in a stand of 72 before handing a low catch to SeanWilliams. Nafees did the bulk of the scoring, rocking back and slapping the spinnerspast the infield, and even scooping seamer Elton Chigumbura over midwicket for asix.Aftab, who came in next, was at his aggressive best, though his start wasn’tas convincing; he played a few streaky strokes, at one stage nearly spooning acatch to the close-in fielders. But he soon came into his own, chargingRyan Higgins for a six over long on and launching Chigumbura over deep cover, stepping down the track against a deliveryjust short of a good length. Nafees ensured that he stayed at the wicket,pulling the odd loose ball from the spinners and picking up the singles.He reached his ton with a single to deep point while his side was on the brink ofvictory.The win was fashioned by Bangladesh’s three-pronged left-arm spin attack,who shared eight wickets. The attack may have lacked variety,but their relentless stump-to-stump line restricted Zimbabwe to a modest184, undoing a breezy opening stand of 52 between Brendan Taylor andStuart Matsikenyeri, who looked at ease against the seamers.The introduction of the spinners pegged Zimbabwe back almost immediately,as Razzak struck in his first over. Matsikenyeri was bowled trying to cutand Williams fell soon after to Rafique, bowled trying to drive onthe off side. At that stage, Zimbabwe were still in a fairly decentposition, scoring at a rate of over four an over. But with spinnersoperating from both ends on a sluggish surface, the rate started to dip.Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza perished trying to push the scoring, bothhitting straight down the throat of long off. Rafique, who accounted for Taylor, picked up his 100th wicket in one-dayers. The middle order caved in asthe batsmen struggled to find the gaps against the left-armers who peggedaway on a restrictive line. With half their side gone with only 100 onboard, Chigumbura and Mluleki Nkala consolidated by adding 43. Fast bowlerShahadat Hossain, brought back in the slog overs, broke through asChigumbura missed a wild swing on the on side.Razzak was by far the most effective among the bowlers, cleverly teasingthe batsmen with his flight – which he used very effectively to claim thelast three wickets. Nkala stepped down the track but failed to get to thepitch of the ball, miscuing it to Mashrafe Mortaza, who held on to adifficult running catch at cover while Gary Brent was cleaned up for aquick 20, trying to hit across the line. Prosper Utseya wasted no time indispatching Razzak over the ropes in the penultimate ball of the inningsbut Razzak came back to claim his wicket off the last, pitching it shortof a length, beating Utseya who was neatly stumped by Mashud. Razzakfinished with figures of 4 for 33, tormenting Zimbabwe for the second time, following his parsimonious spell of 3 for 17 in four overs in the Twenty20 international at the same venue on Tuesday.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Rahul Dravid handled the bowlers cautiously and remained unbeaten at the end of the day © Getty Images

Sri Lanka’s first Test match in India in eight years finally got underway, after three-and-a-half damp, funereal days, but it was a largely pointless exercise with absolutely no chance of a result. Barring Virender Sehwag, who triggered a fiery start, India’s batsmen spent most of their time negotiating the lack of bounce on the sluggish surface and ground their way to 90 for 2 at the end of the 32.3 overs that were possible today.A familiar sight during the first three-and-a-half days were of groundstaff using a press-iron to remove the moisture on the pitch, but they probably ended up removing whatever bounce there was as well. Chaminda Vaas’s very first ball hardly rose above knee height – it didn’t take too long for Kumar Sangakkara to stand upto the stumps – and a number of deliveries brushed the toe of the bat, or squirted below the blade completely. Gautam Gambhir, who hadn’t yet got off the mark, played the wrong line against a canny incutter from Vaas but he had no chance when the ball hardly rose above pad height and crashed into leg stump. Thankfully for the batsmen, not all the shooters were well directed and India lost just two wickets when bad light stopped play 5.3 overs before the scheduled close.No pitch in the world, though, is likely to fluster Sehwag, and he began as if India were chasing 300 in a one-dayer. The first ball he faced – short and wide from Dilhara Fernando – was flayed to the square fence and the bowlers were made to pay for any errors in length. Sehwag carted Fernando’s third over for 16, as two savage cuts were interspersed with a mighty pull, and suddenly the MA Chidambaram Stadium, draped in dampness for most of the last week, was the place to be. The celebrations, though, came to an abrupt end as Marvan Atapattu, at short cover, timed his jump and pulled off a fine reflex catch.In Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, though, India had two of the best to handle the low bounce and they averted any further damage. Muttiah Muralitharan, coming on as early as the eighth over, posed some searching questions – turning it both ways and varying his flight beautifully – but both batsmen were content to bide their time and wait for the loose ones. Tendulkar will resume tomorrow with a record to target, Sourav Ganguly, picked ahead of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, will have a few points to prove, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni might get a chance to blaze away on his Test debut. For the rest, though, it will be a good day’s practice as they loosen their limbs and dust off the inertia. Some quick squatting skills, though, may be vital.

Gautam Gambhir b Vaas 0 (13 for 1)
Virender Sehwag c Atapattu b Vaas 36 (45 for 2)

If 2003 was the year of the No. 3 batsmen, then 2004 belonged to the left-arm bowlers. Last year, they only managed 212 out of 1289 wickets, which translates into just 16%. In 2004, led by Chaminda Vaas, Irfan Pathan, Daniel Vettori and Ashley Giles, they increased their tally to 375, and nailed more than 24% of the total wickets. The difference was especially stark for Pathan and Pedro Collins: last year, Pathan made his Test debut against Australia at Adelaide, and returned unflattering figures of 1 for 160. Collins was even worse, taking one wicket at the cost of 263 runs in two Tests against Australia.This year, aided by a kind itinerary which included matches against Bangladesh, both enjoyed plenty of success – Pathan’s 38 wickets for the year included 18 against the Banglas and came at 24 apiece, while Collins managed 35 in eight (14 in two against Bangladesh) at a similar average. Add Vaas’s 40 scalps, and other handy contributions from Nuwan Zoysa (20), Zaheer Khan (19) and James Franklin (13), and the tally for left-arm seamers burgeoned to 168 from last year’s measly 45.The success of the left-arm orthodox spinners was even more heartening. For the past few years, they had been steadily on the decline – they didn’t have the variations of the wristspinners or the doosra that the offspinners had recently developed, making them the most toothless of the lot.However, this year, Vettori and Giles led the revival as the left-armers hit back with a vengeance. India had Murali Kartik, who at last translated some of his potential into performance, Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath showed that he was more than just another trundler, Mohammad Rafique, though not as successful as in 2003, added 25 wickets in eight Tests, and Michael Clarke put in a freak performance on a minefield at Mumbai. Vettori and Giles were the dominant players, though – both took 38 wickets at nearly the same rate (Vettori’s cost 32 while Giles claimed his at 30 apiece).

Bowler type	Wickets (2004)	Average (2004)	Wickets (2003)	Average (2003)
Right-arm fast	807	37.15	844	33.40
Right-arm finger spin	139	38.20	118	44.70
Right-arm wrist spin	218	30.62	115	36.88
Left-arm fast	168	29.81	45	50.53
Left-arm orthodox	205	33.65	122	38.39
Left-arm wrist	2	214.00	45	30.29

Among the batsmen, the No. 3 slot was dominant again, though not to the extent it was in 2003. Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara and Ramnaresh Sarwan all had a prolific season, though Ricky Ponting slipped off from his lofty perch of 2003, averaging only 41 compared to 100 the previous year.

Batting position	2004 average	2003 average
Openers	40.64	40.80
No. 3	49.48	55.69
No. 4	46.76	44.36
No. 5	39.30	36.85
No. 6	32.03	31.38
No. 7	30.45	30.38
No. 8	22.02	22.22
No. 9	16.43	19.22
No. 10	10.60	11.03
No. 11	10.32	8.93

Like in the bowlers’ list, left-handers were in the forefront with the bat as well, making up seven of the year’s top 11 run-getters, all of whom scored in excess of 1000 in 2004. It was a prolific year for Western Australians too, with two of them leading the way.

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average
Langer	14	1481	54.85
Martyn	14	1353	56.38
Kallis	11	1288	80.50
Lara	12	1178	58.90
Sehwag	12	1141	63.69
Gayle	12	1135	54.05
Jayasuriya	11	1130	56.50
Hayden	14	1123	43.19
Sangakkara	11	1114	55.70
Sarwan	12	1005	50.25
Trescothick	13	1004	43.65

Among the bowlers, Anil Kumble and Shane Warne took the honours in terms of wickets, though Glenn McGrath’s average of 18.47 was easily the best of the lot.

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average
Kumble	12	74	24.84
Warne	12	70	24.07
Harmison	13	67	23.93
Gillespie	14	55	24.89
Hoggard	13	47	30.06
Kasprowicz	13	47	23.74
McGrath	10	47	18.47
Murali	6	47	22.02
Flintoff	13	43	25.77
Pollock	11	43	29.63

Pakistani speedster Waqar Younis will touch down at Sydney Airport tomorrow, in time to face University of NSW star and former Test foe Michael Slater this Saturday. The two will go head-to-head at North Sydney Oval, rekindling old rivalries stretching back to Karachi in 1994/95. Younis will be a welcome addition to North Sydney’s bowling strength, but has only claimed Slater’s wicket once in the Test arena. Slater was part of Mosman captain Trent Johnston’s hat-trick last round, and will be looking for some much-needed runs this time out.For all prospective Speedblitz Blues players, only three match days now remain before the State Selectors name their team for the Blues’ first match, on Sunday 26 October in Bowral. This weekend will comprise Round 3’s first day on Saturday, followed by Round 2 of the First Grade Limited-Overs competition on Sunday.On Saturday, Michael Bevan will make a rare Grade appearance for Many-Warringah, against Parramatta at Manly Oval. Bevan will be looking to play himself into form, while team-mate Shawn Bradstreet returns from injury.Speedblitz Blues team-mates Mark Waugh (Bankstown) and Simon Katich (Randwick Petersham) will be attempting to outdo each other at Bankstown Oval. Katich is in white-hot form, with a batting average after two matches of 172.00.At Howell Oval, Australian one-day bowler Nathan Bracken will partner former Australia A paceman Neil Maxwell in UTS-Balmain’s clash with last year’s finalists Penrith. The Panthers are winless after two rounds, and will be hoping that their batsmen can overcome the Tigers’ strong bowling attack.All Round 3 matches (Saturday, commencing 10.00am)- Bankstown v Randwick Petersham at Bankstown; Eastern Suburbs v Western Suburbs at Waverley; Gordon v Sydney University at Killara; Manly-Warringah v Parramatta at Manly; Mosman v Campbelltown-Camden at Rawson; North Sydney v University of NSW at North Sydney 1; Northern District v Hawkesbury at Waitara; Penrith v UTS-Balmain at Howell; St George v Fairfield-Liverpool at Hurstville; Sutherland v Blacktown at Caringbah.All Limited-Overs Round 2 matches (Sunday, commencing 9.30am)- Eastern Suburbs v North Sydney at Waverley; Gordon v University of NSW at Killara; Hawkesbury v UTS-Balmain at Owen Earle; Manly-Warringah v Campbelltown-Camden at Manly; Parramatta v Mosman at Old Kings; Penrith v Northern District at Howell; Randwick Petersham v Blacktown at Coogee; St George v Western Suburbs at Hurstville; Sutherland v Bankstown at Caringbah; Sydney University v Fairfield-Liverpool at University 1.

South African cricket board president Percy Sonn today admitted he forced the Proteas to include coloured player Justin Ontong in their team for the third Test against Australia which started here today.Sonn said he was presented with a team list last night and rejected it over what he saw as a “breach of policy”.”I did intervene on a matter of policy and that right is invested in me as president,” Sonn said.South Africa had originally selected Jacques Rudolph to make his Test debut in place of axed No.6 batsman Lance Klusener. The tourists probably would have shuffled their batting order to play Rudolph at No.3 and move Boeta Dippenaar to No.6.But Sonn argued that “shuffling” was discriminatory to Ontong, who was selected on the tour as the lower order backup.”Shuffling to me amounts to exclusion of a person of colour who has the right to be given the opportunity,” said the president of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB).”If you look at our transformation charter … it says if there are people of colour, who have previously been disadvantaged, we must ensure that those people get those opportunities.”He said the matter went beyond the UCB’s stated policy of playing “at least one person of colour” in every Test.That policy was met by the inclusion of Herschelle Gibbs.”But the other policy says that if there is an opportunity for a person of colour to represent his country then we must make sure that he does get that opportunity.”I regarded that as not having been complied with.”The team was given to me without a certain player of colour (Ontong) who was selected to fill in a position in the batting list.”So I intervened and I said `you take this team back and this is how I understand the policy and this policy must be complied with. You go back and reformulate your team’.”Jacques Rudolph came over to shadow the first three – he’s a top order batsman, as is Boeta Dippenaar. Ontong was brought in to shadow positions six andlower.”If you try to shuffle number threes into number sixes you are doing something that is exclusionary to people who are brought in to shadow other positions.”Asked if he had taken into account Ontong’s poor form in his only tour match – when he made a pair of ducks against New South Wales, Sonn said: “That wasraised with me but I didn’t regard that as cogent enough for me not to take action.”And how do you determine form?”When do you start gazing into the future and saying when form is going to be permanent?”He said he spoke to South African captain Shaun Pollock about the matter, adding that the skipper didn’t initially understand the policy.Sonn rejected suggestions that pursuing the goal of transformation would weaken the team, saying his decision doesn’t “of necessity produce a team or an effort that is less than the best we give”.

Dominic Cork and Darren Gough left West Indies reeling at Lord’s today after taking six wickets with a ferocious late afternoon spell of pace bowling.Both finished the first day’s play of the Cornhill Test with four wickets a piece after a day that started poorly for England and finished on an unexpected high.West Indies had dominated proceedings from the first over of the morning, progressing easily to 180 for three at tea but the progress slowed noticeably in the last 20 overs in which England’s seamers, who had bowled loosely for most of the day, suddenly discovered untapped resources of energy, pace and aggression.They were led by Cork, who was recalled to England for this Test after an 18 month absence from the international scene. He set the ball rolling following a half hour delay for bad light which seemed to have the effect of buoying England’s confidence.For two and a half hours, right hander Hinds entertained with his natural timing and powerfully struck cover drives but on 59, he edged a delivery from Cork and the catch was taken by Stewart.It was Cork’s 100th Test wicket and a reminder of the form that earned him career best figures of 7-43 on his debut against West Indies at Lord’s in 1995. He then swept away Ridley Jacobs, caught behind for ten and Curtly Ambrose, who was snapped up by Mark Ramprakash at short leg and by the close, his figures were 4-39 from 24 overs.Amid this clatter of wickets, Darren Gough was also finding his rhythm after an indifferent spell this morning. He tempted Lara into chasing a delivery veering down the off-side and then trapped Jimmy Adams, the West Indian skipper who made 98 at Edgbaston, lbw for a single.A menacing looking Franklyn Rose, who’s fitness had been in doubt for this Test, frustrated the bowlers towards the close with some big-hitting and young Matthew Hoggard was dealt a blow when Rose lifted him high into the Mound Stand for six in an over that yielded an expensive 16 runs.There were another four boundaries as the Jamaican bowler made a quickfire 29 from 30 deliveries until Gough applied the brakes with a ball that thudded hard into his pads and was plum.When Rose went with the score 253 for eight, West Indies had lost six wickets for 78 runs and with them, the strong position so industriously secured earlier in the day. That position looked even less tenuous in the penultimate over the day when Gough picked up his fourth wicket, from an inswinger to Shivnarine Chanderpaul that was played on.Chanderpaul had been trying to play the anchor role while the mayhem went on around him, and made just 22 runs from 61 balls over two hours before Gough brought his innings to a close, the score 258 for nine. Two balls before the scheduled close, umpires once again offered the batsmen the light and with the score 267 for nine, the players came off.

Paul Robinson has told Football Insider that Everton manager Frank Lampard must address ‘the centre-half area’ given Michael Keane’s tendency to suffer ‘lapses in concentration’.

The lowdown

Keane made his second error leading to an opposition goal this season against Manchester City on Saturday evening. No Toffees player has made more, with team-mate Seamus Coleman joining him at the top of that undesirable ranking.

The £22.5m-rated Englishman miskicked as he tried to clear Bernardo Silva’s deflected cross, allowing Phil Foden to sneak in and score what proved to be the winning goal.

Everton, who sit just one place above the relegation zone, were close to securing a valuable point against the Premier League leaders before Keane’s costly error.

The latest

Former England goalkeeper Robinson said that the defender’s fateful mistake against City was no ‘isolated incident’, bemoaning a ‘severe lack of leadership’ in the backline which Lampard simply must remedy.

The ex-Tottenham ‘keeper told Football Insider: “Keane suffers from lapses in concentration. It happens far too often. This is not an isolated incident. This is not a one-off.

“The centre-half area needs to be addressed at Everton. Lampard must have known he would have to look at it when he came in.

“There is a severe lack of leadership back there. There is too many errors leading to goals for them. It is costing Everton dearly. These are errors that could be and need to be stopped.”

The verdict

Journalist Pete O’Rourke told GiveMeSport in December that signing another centre-back was a priority for Everton in January. However, Rafael Benitez was sacked midway through the month and Lampard’s appointment was not finalised until transfer deadline day, so perhaps that left the club somewhat hamstrung in the market.

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.

Alas, with Ben Godfrey sidelined for at least another fortnight and Yerry Mina not due to be back until April (Premier Injuries), Everton are looking very light in the heart of defence at the moment. As they scrap for survival, they may be ruing a missed opportunity to add reinforcements.

In the meantime, Lampard may not have all that much scope to take Keane out of the firing line, so the 29-year-old will simply need to do better in terms of cutting out costly errors from his game.

In other news, this Everton ace could face an ‘uncertain’ future amid FFP issues

An exciting claim has emerged surrounding Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Lautaro Martinez this summer…

What’s the word?

The Inter Milan forward came close to joining the north London outfit ahead of the 2021/22 campaign after a £60m fee was agreed between the two clubs, as per The Times.

Evidently, that move failed to come to fruition, though it’s clear that those at Hotspur Way still admire the Argentinian talisman, and Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has now stoked the fire with fresh comments on the matter.

Speaking to Wettfreunde.net, he said:

“I think Tottenham will go after Lautaro because they wanted him last summer. They want another forward to play with [Harry] Kane or plan for the future without Kane. Lautaro Martinez is one of the players that Fabio Paratici loves.

“I think it could be Lautaro’s summer and Atletico Madrid or Tottenham could be the perfect destinations for him.”

Conte needs him

Just as the reliable transfer expert explains, Spurs are desperate for another forward to either help lower the burden on Harry Kane or replace him later down the line, and Martinez is a hugely exciting talent and one who fits the bill immensely.

The England skipper was part of a tumultuous transfer saga last summer involving Premier League champions Manchester City, and now it appears as if he could be involved in another one, this time with the red side of the city.

Conte knows Martinez well as he was part of his title-winning side last season and during that run, in which Inter ended an 11-year wait for the Scudetto, the 24-year-old delivered 19 goals and 11 assists alongside Romelu Lukaku.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

He has since built on that success and continued such fine form this campaign, bagging himself 16 goals from 40 appearances across all competitions, including the Champions League, where he netted against Liverpool in their round of 16 exit.

Now valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, Martinez’s ability has earned quite the praise indeed, including one glowing endorsement from international teammate and one of the game’s greatest-ever players, Lionel Messi, who told Mundo Deportivo:

“He’s spectacular. He has impressive qualities. You could tell he was going to be a great player, and he is showing that. He’s very strong, really good one on one, scores a lot of goals, and in the area he fights with anyone, holds it up, he can turn, scrap to win it all on his own. He has a lot of quality. He’s very complete.”

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.

Also lauded as a “special talent” by verified journalist Joshua Jones, it’s clear that the Inter marksman would be an ideal signing for Spurs during the off-season.

His partnership with Lukaku under Conte at the San Siro makes him an intriguing candidate to play alongside Kane and at worst, his proven goalscoring record makes him a viable candidate to replace the 28-year-old, whenever that may be.

Either way, the Italian head coach badly needs a new striker and he could well find it in a player he knows better than anyone else, and the fact that Paratici also thinks highly of him will surely put Spurs in the driving seat when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season.

AND in other news, Paratici handed major boost on £21m Spurs-linked “monster”, he’s Conte’s dream signing…