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Fulham are reportedly interested in signing Blackpool winger Josh Bowler this summer and the former Everton man could be a superb addition to Marco Silva’s squad.

What’s the word?

According to Ryan Taylor of The Express, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are all in the race to sign the 23-year-old this summer after his superb performances in the Championship last term.

It has been previously reported that any deal for the tricky winger is likely to cost around £2.5m, although Blackpool could be forced to sell for cheaper if Bowler refuses a new deal with the club, as his current contract at Bloomfield Road is set to expire at the end of this season.

Would Bowler be a good signing?

Fulham’s focus this summer has seemingly been on improving the defence and midfield, with only Manor Solomon joining as a wide option thus far. This is perhaps unsurprising when you consider that Silva’s side scored 106 goals in the Championship last season, although they are now without Fabio Carvalho after he joined Liverpool.

The Cottagers have also started the season without the influential Harry Wilson, as the Wales international is sidelined with a knee injury, which suggests that Silva could do with another winger to choose from in his squad.

Bowler was in excellent form for Blackpool last season, contributing seven goals and three assists for the Tangerines as they comfortably stayed up in their first season back in the second tier.

In five games this season, the 23-year-old has scored one goal and averaged an impressive 7.08 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which is only bettered by Aleksandar Mitrovic in Fulham’s squad, which emphasises the quality he could add.

Everton coach David Unsworth was full of praise for Bowler during his time on Merseyside, saying:

“Josh Bowler was terrific. We need to get the ball to his feet in the final third and that’s where you see his magic.”

Indeed, Bowler would certainly be capable of moments of magic in Silva’s squad, as his shots per game average (3.8) is again only bettered by Mitrovic (5), while his dribbles per game average of 3.8 is far better than anyone in Fulham’s squad where Neeskens Kebano tops the tree with just 1.5.

Therefore, considering he is young, cheap and homegrown, Silva should definitely look at bringing Bowler to Craven Cottage this summer.

Tanguy Ndombele’s nightmare spell at Tottenham Hotspur may finally be coming to an end, with Napoli reportedly in talks with the Frenchman over a potential transfer.

What’s the word?

Ndombele has struggled to showcase his obvious talent since joining Spurs from Lyon in 2019, and issues with his fitness and work rate perhaps always meant he was going to be a victim of Antonio Conte’s ruthless training regime.

It was claimed earlier this month that the Italian manager had ‘banished’ the midfielder from his squad, so an exit was always likely to be on the cards for the 25-year-old maestro.

Football.London correspondent Alasdair Gold has provided the latest on Ndombele’s situation on Twitter, writing:

“Tottenham are also in preliminary talks with Napoli over a move for Tanguy Ndombele, but that’s still very much in the early stages.”

Conte is ruthless

While Ndombele has been given regular chances to prove himself under Spurs’ previous managers, with Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo all offering the Frenchman a shot at redemption, he has been given no such chance under Conte.

The Italian has extremely high demands of his players and their fitness, so it is no surprise that the former Lyon man has made just seven appearances under the 52-year-old Italian, the fewest of any permanent Spurs manager during his time at the club.

Since Ndombele signed, he has seen the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma join the club, moving him even further down in the pecking order, so a move away from Spurs is best for both parties – although the chances of Daniel Levy recuperating his £63m transfer fee seem extremely unlikely at this point.

There is no doubting that, on his day, Ndombele can be a game-changer. Jose Mourinho called him “magnificent” after he scored a memorable goal in a win against Sheffield United, when it appeared as if he would finally turn his Tottenham career around.

But sadly the consistency has never been there, evidenced by the fact that he has made just 91 appearances in more than three years in north London, and the writing was on the wall when Conte allowed him to re-join Lyon on loan in January of last season.

Conte is certainly ruthless with his decisions on players he deems not good enough, but that is what makes him a winner.

Southampton look set to miss out on signing Manchester City striker Liam Delap this summer, according to an update relayed by Fabrizio Romano. 

The lowdown: Hot property

Having made an impressive rise through the youth ranks in Manchester, the 19-year-old has become a highly sought-after commodity in the ongoing transfer window.

The England youth international has amassed 63 direct goal contributions from 68 appearances across all competitions so far between youth and senior football and has reportedly attracted attention from the Saints, along with Brighton, Newcastle, Burnley and Stoke City, among others.

However, it now appears that the striker’s immediate future has been decided upon, and it isn’t positive news for Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl…

The latest: ‘Official bid’ made

Taking to Twitter, reputable journalist Romano has relayed a report from The Athletic’s Dan Sheldon that Stoke are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Delap, citing a ‘rejected’ offer from the Saints in the process.

He said: “Stoke City are in advanced talks to sign Liam Delap, favourites to find full agreement with Man City. #MCFC

“Been told City will only let Delap go on loan. Southampton £16m official bid and Newcastle approaches have been rejected. Stoke, on it – as per @dansheldonsport.”

The verdict: Big blow for Southampton

Despite completing the signing of talented forward Sekou Mara from Bordeaux already this summer, Hasenhuttl is clearly desperate to add further firepower to the St Mary’s ranks following a disappointing campaign in front of goal for Che Adams and Adam Armstrong in 2021/22 as they managed only 11 goals between them.

Albeit relatively inexperienced at the senior level with just six first-team outings under his belt, Delap has consistently proven to be an astute operator in the final third in youth football, scoring eight goals and providing two assists in 15 appearances across all competitions at senior and youth level last term.

If indeed Southampton miss out on the £1.35m-valued teenager, seemingly owing to a desire to strike a permanent deal, they may well be forced to turn their attention to bringing back Chelsea ace Armando Broja following his loan spell at St Mary’s last term.

Tottenham fans are going to love what The Athletic’s Daniel Taylor has had to say about Djed Spence.

The Lowdown: Closing in

Spence’s move to N17 is nearly a done deal by all accounts, as Fabrizio Romano has even shared images of the young wing-back fulfilling his media duties as the soon to be sixth signing of the summer.

Richarlison, Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma and Clement Lenglet have already arrived in the club’s most memorable summer since they spent the infamous Gareth Bale money, and barring any dramatic late twists, it looks like Spence will soon be confirmed as the next piece of business.

The Latest: Taylor sends Spence message

Taking to Twitter to share his verdict on Antonio Conte’s latest target, The Athletic’s Taylor, a Nottingham Forest fan, has told the Lilywhites faithful to get excited.

“Spurs fans: you’re getting a hell of a talent/athlete in Djed Spence. One of the best loan signings I’ve ever seen at Forest (maybe *the* best).

“He’s rapid. He’s fun and he’ll get you off your feet. Needs a bit of guidance, might make a few mistakes, but enjoy him.”

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The Verdict: Best one yet?

The likes of Richarlison and Bissouma arrive with the perfect balance of Premier League experience and with plenty of room to develop, but we feel Spence is the most exciting capture of the summer so far.

His performances in the FA Cup last season showed exactly how he stacks up against top flight opposition, dubbed ‘unbelievable’ by Ian Wright for his display against Arsenal and a ‘Premier League player’ by Trevor Sinclair following the demolition of Leicester in the following round.

His numbers in league action back that praise up too, racking up six goal involvements from the right flank last season and marking himself out as the perfect fit to bomb up and down the wing for Conte’s famous three-at-the-back system.

As far as signings go, it’s hard to imagine anything better than a 21 year-old homegrown player in the form of his life with a perfect style for his new manager.

Sunderland podcaster Philip West of Roker Report has been left ‘absolutely elated’ by the news that Bailey Wright has been given a new deal at the Stadium of Light.

The Lowdown: New contract

As per the official website of the Wearside club, Wright has now signed a new contract until 2024, in a deal that Alex Neil said he was ‘delighted’ to get over the line.

The Australia international has played a total of 90 times for the Black Cats over the past three seasons, scoring four goals and making one assist (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: West reacts

Taking to Twitter, West was left ‘absolutely elated’ by the news, claiming that Wright’s new deal is a ‘massive boost’ and is ‘priceless’ given what he can offer them in the Championship:

“Absolutely elated at this news. Wright is a leader, an organiser, a warrior; an absolute rock at the heart of our defence, and his experience and ability will be priceless in the Championship. Another massive boost!”

The Verdict: Massive

The fact that Wright has committed his future to SAFC is indeed massive for the club ahead of their Championship campaign.

The 29-year-old has played for two different teams in the division before in Preston North End and Bristol City, and so would provide that vital experience needed on the pitch and in the dressing room.

In League One, Wright ranked highly among his teammates in terms of aerial duels won and average clearances and blocks per game (WhoScored), and so can be the defensive warrior the side needs in what is overall a tougher league.

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Calciomercato, the Premier League champions are one of the clubs to whom the Netherlands international could potentially move this summer, should the Bianconeri receive a suitable fee for him.

After working his way through Ajax’s youth ranks, the centre-back went on to make 117 senior appearances for the Amsterdam giants across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists along the way.

In 2019, the defender joined Juventus for an initial fee of €75m (£67.8m), making him the most expensive defender in Italian top-flight history.

Since then, the player – who described himself as feeling “invincible” in the Eredivisie – has now made as many appearances for his current club as he did for Ajax.

The next Kompany

In terms of a potential move to the Etihad Stadium, the 22-year-old could become City’s new version of Vincent Kompany.

After 359 appearances and numerous domestic trophies, the Belgian left Manchester in 2019 as a club legend with a significant legacy to his name.

While these would certainly be big shoes to fill, De Ligt certainly has the defensive chops to be a solid addition to Pep Guardiola’s ranks.

During his time at Juventus, the Dutch centre-back has won 69 tackles, made 137 blocks, 87 interceptions and 371 clearances in Serie A.

Taking into account how Kompany was so impressive for City at the back and ended his spell in the Premier League with a tackle success rate of 75%, among hundreds of interceptions and clearances made, the Netherlands international could be an ideal long-term feature for Guardiola’s side given his young age and evident ability.

In February 2020, the late Mino Raiola described the £63m-rated defender as being like an “oil tanker” in terms of being hard to stop when he’s on form.

Even though City have the likes of John Stones, Nathan Ake, Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias in their squad, if Guardiola feels the need to add some extra strength at centre-back for the future, securing a deal for De Ligt could be a great bit of prospective business from the Citizens.

In other news: Pep can land his own Ronaldo as City eye move for “spectacular” £45m-rated “diamond”

Aston Villa are reportedly still in the mix to sign Uruguayan icon Luis Suarez this summer, according to journalist Gregg Evans.

What’s the word?

Writing on Twitter, the respected Villa correspondent wrote just three simple words that are likely to get pulses racing – “Suarez waiting game” – with the Midlands outfit seemingly still bidding to sign the 35-year-old.

In his attached piece for The Athletic, Evans revealed that the Atletico Madrid man – who is set to depart the Spanish capital upon the expiry of his contract this summer – is ‘still under consideration’ by the Villa Park outfit, ahead of a potential free transfer deal.

The report goes on to suggest that manager Steven Gerrard has been ‘in regular contact’ with his former Liverpool teammate regarding a possible return to the Premier League, although the veteran marksman is also likely to have options to move elsewhere.

Villa are believed to be eyeing a new left-sided defender, a midfielder and a striker prior to the start of next term, as per the report, despite having already made three statement signings thus far.

Supporters buzzing

Although the 132-cap international remains a controversial figure, particularly in England, it is his undeniable quality on the pitch that would make him such a coup for NSWE, with the club’s supporters already likely to have been impressed by the eye-catching early business.

The arrival of Suarez, however, would no doubt be the cherry on top of the icing, with the Villans arguably in need of a striker of such pedigree to help fire them into contention for a European berth.

Concerns about his age would be understandable, although this is a man who two years ago fired Diego Simeone’s side to the La Liga title with 21 league goals, having also added a further 11 league goals in the most recent campaign.

The £9m-rated man’s former club Barcelona have already made the mistake of thinking he was over the hill, with Gerrard likely to overlook his advancing years to bring in a player who he has seen cause carnage in English football first-hand.

Plucked from Ajax on deadline day in January 2011 – alongside the more high profile capture of Andy Carroll – the dynamic forward arrived at Anfield as something of an unknown quantity, although quickly cemented himself as the Reds’ talisman, scoring 69 goals and registering 23 assists in just 110 league games for the club.

With 31 goals in the 2013/14 campaign, the £263k-per-week machine almost singlehandedly dragged the Merseysiders to the league title, before a late collapse in the closing weeks of the season proved costly for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Since then, the one-time Groningen man has won a plethora of major honours and netted with remarkable consistency, notably bagging a simply sensational 194 goals and registering 113 assists in just 284 games in all competitions during his time at the Nou Camp, before adding a further 40 goal contributions in 84 games in Madrid.

His powers may be somewhat on the wane – with last season’s league tally his lowest in a decade – although it is hard to deny just what a force of nature he is in and around the penalty area.

It may not be a long-term approach, but signing the “phenomenal” gem – as he has been dubbed by Gerrard – will no doubt ramp up both the excitement and expectancy among Villa supporters.

IN other news, Gerrard can land AVFC’s next Southgate with move for “outstanding” £120k-p/w warrior

Barcelona have now reportedly made a whopping €55m (£46.2m) offer for Leeds United star Raphinha.

The Lowdown: Relegation release clause

The Whites are currently out of the bottom three but are still in serious danger of dropping back down to the Championship. Jesse Marsch’s side travel to Brentford on the final day, with Burnley currently a point behind with a game in hand.

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Should Leeds suffer relegation, star forward Raphinha will have a €25m (£21m) release clause activated. The Brazilian’s agent Deco has been in advanced talks with Barcelona since March over a five-year deal at the Nou Camp, and it looks as if the La Liga giants have now firmed up their interest with a formal offer.

The Latest: Formal offer made

Sport Witness relayed an update from UOL regarding Barcelona and Raphinha on Monday.

They claimed that the Catalan giants have now made an offer worth an initial €55m (£46.2m), with €10m (£8.4m) worth of performance add-ons included. The report added that Leeds have yet to respond to the offer, with all their focus on remaining in the Premier League.

The Verdict: Surprise

Should this report prove accurate, then Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises have a big decision to make over the coming days.

If things go horribly wrong this weekend, then you’d expect that Raphinha will leave for around £21m and that Barcelona’s reported €55m offer will be withdrawn, so it’s certainly a surprise to see such an offer just days before the club’s fate is sealed one way or another.

It looks as if the La Liga club want to get a deal wrapped up as soon as possible and have made an offer more than double that of the player’s relegation release clause, which could be the best the Whites can get – should they bite the bullet and accept it now?

In other news: Leeds journalist claims ‘incredible’ Orta signing may now leave with Phillips and Raphinha this summer

Leaders of a winning team, check. Blessed with a strong bowling attack, check. Unstoppable run-machines, double check

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur26-Nov-20172:00

Chopra: Kohli looked in complete control

The Nagpur Test against Sri Lanka is Virat Kohli’s 62nd and Cheteshwar Pujara’s 53rd. They have both been part of 30 Indian wins, and a 31st seems imminent. Pujara’s 143 here could be his 10th hundred in a Test win, and Kohli’s 213 his ninth.Already, Pujara has more hundreds in Test wins than all other Indian batsmen barring Sachin Tendulkar (20) and Rahul Dravid (15), and it looks like Kohli won’t be tied with Virender Sehwag for too much longer.Think about all the greats of Indian batting who made hundreds all over the world, and only rarely made one in a winning cause. Sunil Gavaskar scored 34 Test hundreds, more than anyone else for a long, long time, but only six – six! – in Indian wins.Test-match batsmen are moulded by fate, the contours of their innings shaped by the teams they were destined to play for. Unlike any generation of Indian batsmen before them, the current one plays for a team habituated to winning, a team that has won 20 of its last 27 Tests.Bowlers win Test matches. Batsmen do what they can to better their team’s position – strengthen a good one, rectify a bad one, turn parity to superiority.At various points during this run of 27 Tests, Pujara and Kohli have had to fight challenging conditions or good bowling attacks or bat in difficult situations. Their runs have often turned these situations around.But Pujara and Kohli have found themselves batting when India are frontrunners far more often than occupants of Indian line-ups past. Batting is not necessarily easy in these situations – Kohli’s 81 in Visakhapatnam, for instance, came when India had a first-innings lead of 200, but it was nonetheless a masterpiece on a pitch with treacherous low bounce – but quite often the bowlers are weary and the fields spread out.This is perhaps truer in the case of Kohli. During their run of 20 wins in 27 Tests, India’s average first-wicket partnership has been 35.54, while their average second-wicket stand has been a best-in-the-world 60.40. This means, crudely, that the average Kohli innings has begun with the scorecard reading 96 for 2.So, even some of his best efforts in this period, were an elaboration of the solid foundations laid by the batsmen above him. When he made his 235 in Mumbai, he walked in with India 146 for 2 in response to England’s first-innings 400. Plenty of work still needed to be done, but it wasn’t 46 for 2.Virat Kohli plays a strong bottom-handed whip for six•BCCIKohli was often compared to Ricky Ponting early in his career, for his confrontational attitude more than anything. Now it’s perhaps even more apt: he is the alpha batsman in a team that wins often, and if Ponting followed one of Test cricket’s great opening pairs into the middle, Kohli often follows the incredibly prolific second-wicket pair of M Vijay and Pujara.For most of their careers, Brian Lara didn’t have either a match-winning bowling attack around him or top-class batting support, while Tendulkar had one but not the other; Ponting had both. So does Kohli, at least in this phase of his career.Like so many Ponting hundreds, Kohli’s double in Nagpur – his fifth overall – was an innings of relentless, remorseless feasting on an already wilting opposition. It was exactly what he had to do, and it was exactly what he did. When he walked in, India were already in the lead and only two down. He came in after a second-wicket stand of 209. Right from the time he arrived, he was faced with damage-limitation fields.But even in those circumstances, it takes an exceptional batsman to score 213 seemingly risk-free runs at a strike-rate close to 80. When he was at the crease, the batsmen at the other end, and extras, scored 154 off 299 balls – that’s a strike-rate of 51.51.This is what Kohli can do. He took a lot of singles and twos to fielders in the deep, but often he made them possible, usually by taking balls from off stump or just outside and working them into leg-side gaps. Every now and then he put away a bad or marginally bad ball, but he also manufactured boundaries off reasonably good ones.A couple of examples stood out on day three, both against Dilruwan Perera’s offspin. On 111, he received an off-stump ball that pitched just short of a good length; Kohli rocked back and created just enough room for his arms to extend into a punch that beat mid-off diving to his right. On 188, he leaned forward to a flighted, good-length ball pitching two feet outside off stump and used all the power in his bottom wrist to whip it hard and flat over the midwicket boundary.Sri Lanka could find no way to stop him or slow him down, and in the end they just crossed their fingers and waited for a mistake. Ponting gave numerous oppositions this feeling in his pomp; over the last couple of years, Kohli has done this too.In just a few weeks, though, India will begin a journey that will test just how good they are. It will ask their bowlers if they can be just as threatening away from their comfort zone, and their top three if they can be just as solid. The answers to those two questions will shape the questions that Kohli is asked.

Plays of the day from the first ODI between Zimbabwe and India at the Harare Sports Club

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Jun-2016The dropJasprit Bumrah had taken a wicket in his second over, skidding one on from just back of a length to bowl the leaden-footed Chamu Chibhabha. Now, starting his fourth over with figures of 3-2-2-1, he angled one across the left-handed Craig Ervine, pitching it on the perfect length. It was full, inviting the batsman forward, but not full enough to drive. Ervine took the bait, and edged thickly, straight into the lap of KL Rahul at second slip, and straight out, as he grabbed at the ball instead of letting it come to him.The delayed free-hitThe drop did not affect Bumrah’s outward composure – barely anything changes his placid expression – but perhaps it affected him inwardly, and he overstepped while bowling his next ball. Then, running in to deliver a free-hit, he sent down a massive leg-side wide, which left a diving MS Dhoni sprawled helplessly as the ball ran away to the boundary.The actual free-hitBumrah ran in again, and delivered a length ball. Ervine slogged, looking to hit over midwicket, and only managed a thick edge that swirled high in the air, dropping towards Barinder Sran rushing in from fine leg. Sran positioned himself under the ball, steadied himself, and let the ball slip through his fingers.Chibhabha v RayuduThe last time India toured Zimbabwe, Chibhabha was the home side’s best performer with the bat: he scored 157 runs at 52.33 in three ODIs, and 90 at 45.00 in two T20s. Rather more unexpectedly, he was also one of their brightest sparks with the ball, picking up four wickets at 26.75 in the ODI series. He came on in the 10th over of India’s innings on Saturday, and beat KL Rahul with his first ball. He kept finding late swing away from the right-handers, and in his second over he had Ambati Rayudu in plenty of bother. He kept pitching it just back of a length, and found a bit of extra bounce to go with the away movement. He beat Rayudu’s outside edge twice in succession, and then, after Rayudu managed to get forward to a slightly fuller one and block it, beat him again, opening him up completely.