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Arsenal making an offer to sign French international Aurélien Tchouaméni from Real Madrid is "hard to believe", according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Arsenal transfer news – What's the latest on Aurélien Tchouaméni?

It has been a brilliant start to the transfer window for Arsenal fans, as the club have already sewn up the £65m deal to sign Kai Havertz and look to be incredibly close to signing West Ham United captain Declan Rice for £105m and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber for £40m.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, the Gunners aren't finished yet, and the next transfer could potentially be the most shocking yet.

According to Spanish outlet DefensaCentral, the Premier League runners-up have made the player a 'priority objective' and are looking to submit a bid in the region of €80m to €90m (£69m-£77m) for the Los Blancos star.

However, the same report also states that the Spanish giants view the player as an 'indisputable' part of their team and that the ex-Monaco man wants to remain and 'succeed at Real Madrid.'

What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about Aurelien Tchouaméni to Arsenal?

Jones was upfront about his general surprise at the rumour, pointing out that the Gunners have already spent a huge amount of money this summer, making a deal for the Frenchman unlikely.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I mean, in terms of Tchouaméni, I find it hard to believe that Arsenal could afford a deal like that on the back of what they've just had to do to be able to afford Declan Rice.

He points out that while you can convince certain clubs to accept specific payment structures, Real are a different kettle of fish, adding: "The way that the cash flow is working at the moment, it's unlikely that you can just knock on the door at Real Madrid, and propose taking one of the young stars off him that you're playing over six years or something. For some clubs. Yeah, that works. And that's feasible. But at Real Madrid, I'm not so sure."

Would Aurelien Tchouaméni be a good signing for Arsenal?

In short, yes. Tchouaméni would represent an unbelievable signing for the Gunners, especially in a window that has already seen them spend big on Rice, Havertz and Timber.

The French international has taken a little bit of time to settle into life at the Bernabeu, but he still had a great season overall last year, with WhoScored giving the player an average rating of 7.04 for his 24 starts in La Liga.

His underlying numbers are outstanding as well, with FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, placing him in the top 1% for pass completion and interceptions, the top 5% for attempted passes, the top 8% for clearances and the top 11% for aerial duals won, all per 90.

With numbers like that, it's hardly surprising that back in his Monaco days, his former boss Niko Kovac waxed lyrical about the star, saying:

"For me, he is already the best midfielder in Ligue 1 today."

Alongside his coach, he was also lauded by the pundits, with French football expert Tom Williams telling Football Espana that he was "an absolute machine when it comes to ball recovery."

If Edu and Co can get this deal over the line and play him in a midfield with Rice and Martin Odegaard, the Gunners might be able to go that one step further next season.

Ravindra Jadeja has climbed one place to join R Ashwin at No.1 in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers in what is the first instance of two spinners jointly claiming the top spot.

Top five bowlers in Tests

1. Ravindra Jadeja – 892 points
1. R Ashwin – 892 points
3. Josh Hazlewood – 863 points
4. Rangana Herath – 827 points
5. Kagiso Rabada – 821 points

Jadeja’s seven wickets, including a first-innings six-for, in the second Test against Australia helped him occupy the top rank and assured India the No.1 spot in the ICC Test Team rankings for the annual April 1 cut-off.He shares the top spot with Ashwin, whose eight-wicket haul took him past Bishan Bedi as the fifth-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 269 scalps. However, Ashwin’s poor returns with the bat – 20 in the last four innings – meant he has dropped behind Shakib Al Hasan on the list of Test allrounders.The last time two bowlers shared the No.1 rank was in April 2008, when Dale Steyn and Muttiah Muralitharan were at 897 points. Jadeja and Ashwin are currently at 892 points each, and lead Australia’s Josh Hazlewood at No. 3 by 29 points.In the rankings for Test batsmen, Virat Kohli lost his second spot to Joe Root after managing only 40 in his last two Tests. Steven Smith maintained his reign at the top for the 77th Test, edging past Ricky Ponting’s 76 matches as the third longest stint at the top among Australians after Steve Waugh (94) and Don Bradman (93).

Glasgow Rangers have submitted an offer to Los Angeles FC for target Jose Cifuentes, according to reports.

What’s the latest Rangers transfer news involving Cifuentes?

Michael Beale and those at Ibrox have wasted no time in bolstering the playing squad ahead of the 2023/24 season, with four new additions already made.

Dujon Sterling, Kiran Dowell and Jack Butland have all agreed on free transfers to Glasgow, whereas Rangers have also signed forward Sam Lammers from Italian side Atalanta for €3.5m.

That appears to be just the start of the club’s summer business, with Cifuentes looking like he could be the next through the Ibrox door.

Reports have suggested that a Rangers move for Cifuentes could be agreed upon by the end of the month, although a low fee still needs to be arranged with the MLS side, and it looks as if that bid has now been made.

According to journalist Alejandro Ruilova, Cifuentes has agreed to make the move to Rangers, with the Scottish side making an offer to LAFC, who are evaluating the proposal.

“Jose Cifuentes – Ecuadorian player has agreed to go to Rangers. Only that Los Angeles FC asks for an amount of money to be able to release the player before the end of his contract.

“It is being negotiated since Rangers offered an amount that is being studied by the club.”

Who is Jose Cifuentes?

Cifuentes is seemingly at the top of his game with a career-high €12m Transfermarkt valuation and can play as a holding, central or attacking midfielder.

The 24-year-old has made 115 appearances for LAFC after joining back in 2020, contributing to 33 goals along the way. He has also won 15 caps for Ecuador and is sponsored by Nike, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the year.

Lauded as being “very dynamic” by LAFC assistant manager Marc Dos Santos, Cifuentes has also been hailed by Ecuador football expert Benedikt Duda, who said:

“Cifuentes is a no.8, who is physical and strong in defence with a tendency to get involved in the attack. There is a good reason he wears the no.11, and footballing-wise, he models himself after Paul Pogba.”

Therefore, for the right price, it looks as if Rangers could be getting a versatile midfielder at the peak of his powers, and hopefully, he’ll be able to go from strength to strength under Beale in Scotland.

Scotland, who were semi-finalists in the Desert T20 Challenge, could only muster 205, which Hong Kong overcame with more than five overs to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Nadeem Ahmed’s returns in his first spell were 6-0-13-12 with the wickets of Calum Macleod and Josh Davey•Peter Della Penna

Hong Kong began their UAE Tri-nations series campaign with a dominant seven-wicket win over Scotland, set up largely through the performances of left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed and their captain Babar Hayat.Ahmed’s 4 for 33, his second-best returns in ODIs, helped ensure Scotland were limited to 205, despite a promising start after being put in to bat. Matthew Cross and Kyle Coetzer shared a 49-run opening partnership in 11 overs but Scotland floundered quickly after that.Nadeem struck in consecutive overs to dismiss Calum Macleod and Josh Davey to leave Scotland in trouble at 110 for 5. Craig Wallace, coming in at No. 7, led a lower-order rally, sharing in partnerships of 32 and 22 for the seventh and tenth wickets. Wallace, who brought up his fifty with a boundary in the 48th over, was the last batsman to be dismissed, having taken the team score past 200.The early wicket of Cameron McAuslan would have lifted Scotland’s hopes of defending 205, but those were soon dashed by Hayat, who struck an unbeaten 79 off 110 balls. His unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 97 with Waqas Khan sealed victory for Hong Kong in the 45th over.Scotland’s next match will be against UAE on January 24, while Hong Kong will take on the hosts on January 26.

The Sri Lanka A coach believes Thirimanne’s problem’s aren’t technical, but simply a lack of confidence

Sa'adi Thawfeeq03-Nov-2016

Lahiru Thirimanne, the Sri Lanka batsman, might need a break from cricket to sort out his problems, said the A team coach Avishka Gunawardene.Thirimanne had played in the four-day matches against West Indies A in October and averaged 9.83 from six innings, continuing his struggles in long-form cricket. Since January 2014, he has made only two fifties in 16 Tests. As a result, he has missed Sri Lanka’s home series against Australia in August and was not in the squad for the tour of Zimbabwe either.”Everyone goes through a bad patch sometimes,” Gunawardene said. “It is best to give it a break, a few weeks from cricket. Sometimes when you do wrong things and when you take a break you forget them. You basically tend to forget what you are doing wrong and you come out fresh.”Thirimanne needs to take his mind off cricket and take a break. There is hardly anything wrong with his technique. The issue is probably more mental than technical. You could see that when you talk to him.”When he debuted, in 2011, Thirimanne was seen as a player who could take over the No. 3 spot for Sri Lanka in Tests. Kumar Sangakkara had been their specialist in that position and though it has been over a year since he retired, the transition has not happened. Thirimanne has slipped down the pecking order and 21-year old Kusal Mendis has been given the No. 3 position.Gunawardene felt Thirimanne’s major problem was confidence. “In the four-day game, he dropped a few chances and it’s all to do with confidence. His confidence level is a little down. He tried to defend while batting and he got out and in the second innings. He tried to attack and still got out.”Thirimanne is a very good player and we all know he is capable of big innings. To me he just needs to get out and take a break for a couple of weeks and come out with a fresh mind.”Thirimanne would still need runs, though, to make it back to the Test side and Gunawardene believed a profitable domestic season could help him achieve that goal. “It’s a good opportunity for him in the upcoming domestic season to go and get back into form, score some big runs and get his confidence and rhythm back.”

The Bangladesh selectors continued their to and fro with the second left-arm spinner’s position in the squad, recalling Taijul Islam for the third ODI against England at the expense of Mosharraf Hossain. That was the only change in the 14-man squad from the first two ODIs.”We wanted to keep Taijul as an option because Mosharraf has very little chance of playing the third game,” chief selector Minhajul Abedin said, without elaborating.Mosharraf was first included for the third ODI against Afghanistan, in which he took three wickets in what was his first international match after eight years. He was picked for the first two ODIs against England, in place of Taijul, who had played the first two ODIs against Afghanistan.The selectors have had trouble replacing Arafat Sunny in the two ODI series so far, with Taijul taking just one wicket against Afghanistan while Mosharraf went wicketless against England and looked out of his depth as a batsman and fielder. Sunny had been sidelined due to the trouble with his bowling action, though he is now cleared to resume bowling in internationals.Currently the series against England is tied at 1-1. The decider will be played on October 12, in Chittagong.

Manchester City look like they may have to fend off interest from Bayern Munich to keep Julian Alvarez at the club this summer, according to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Is Julian Alvarez leaving Manchester City?

The striker only moved to the Etihad Stadium during the last summer transfer window but has already made quite the impression at the Premier League side. The forward hasn't been a first-team regular, but when called upon by Pep Guardiola, he has often produced the goods in front of goal.

Indeed, from just 12 starts in the league, the player has managed nine goals ahead of their midweek clash with Brighton & Hove Albion. With just under 15 matches' worth of game time, it means he has an average of 0.60 goals per 90.

The attacker has shown previously that he can deal with limited appearances and still produce the goods. Before the 23-year-old moved to England, he plied his trade with River Plate in Argentina for example and had just 17 starts in 2021. However, he still managed to get on the scoresheet 18 times, along with six assists. That led to a superb average of 1.36 goals or assists per 90.

Continuing to impress despite being more of a second-string option with City, it has now led to interest from elsewhere, according to Plettenberg. The Sky Sports journalist reports that Bayern have now put Alvarez on their wanted list and that the side have already "inquired" about the player in terms of whether he will be available for transfer.

He wrote: "Yes, he’s on the list of #FCBayern confirmed! He’s another option next to Kolo Muani. Bayern has inquired about him as he’s not a regular starter behind #Haaland. His future at #MCFC is uncertain despite of his contract until 2028."

Are Bayern Munich signing Julian Alvarez?

If the forward was tempted into a move away, it would almost certainly be a blow to City's squad.

Despite a limited number of minutes in the Premier League, the player has produced a WhoScored rating of 6.73 and has already bagged himself two Man of the Match awards – showing he can shine above the rest on occasion.

He's even impressed for Argentina, having notched an outstanding four goals in five games during the World Cup. He averages 1.4 shots per game in the league for City, showing his ability to find space and get himself chances, which is on par with most of his club teammates.

Considering his talent and potential, to lose him already would surely be a bad move for City. However, the prospect of more football with Bayern would surely appeal to Alvarez, who is left to dislodge Erling Haaland from the starting lineup.

Newcastle United are considering a summer transfer bid for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, who would likely garner a mouth-watering fee.

What's the latest on Dusan Vlahovic to Newcastle?

Switching Florence for Turin in January 2022, Vlahovic completed his £66.6m move to the Old Lady with a weight of expectation and has been of interest to some of Europe's most prominent outfits after an emphatic start to life in the Serie A.

Eddie Howe's Magpies are 'mulling' over a swoop, and according to 90min, might look to take advantage of the player's desire to move to the Premier League.

Previous reports have touted the Serbian sharpshooter as high as £96m, which could well deter all but the select few of football's most opulent sides from making a move.

Should Newcastle sign Dusan Vlahovic?

When Vlahovic signed for Juventus, he was one of the most touted and prolific young strikers in European football, but he has not quite reached the desired heights thus far in Turin.

And while the 23-year-old is still a top talent, given the exorbitant fees that have been thrown around and the striker's indifferent form in front of goal over the past few seasons, parting with a fee nearing £100m would be simply ludicrous for Howe and co, despite PIF's limitless wealth.

After scoring 29 goals and supplying six assists last year, having joined Juventus from Fiorentina at the midpoint, the ace boasts only 13 strikes and four assists from 38 matches this term, though he has started just 31 times.

As per FBref, Vlahovic ranks only among the top 42% of strikers across Europe's big five leagues for rate of non-penalty goals per 90, with his expected goals (xG) metric also illustrating his profligacy in front of goal, ranking among the top 30% of positional peers for non-penalty xG per 90.

A further stumbling block lies in the ace's wages, with Vlahovic reportedly taking home £220k-per-week. For reference, the Toon's £63m club-record signing Alexander Isak, who has scored ten goals and served two assists from just 14 matches and ranks among the top 8% of positional peers for rate of non-penalty goals, boasts only £120k-per-week.

Hailed as a "monster" by journalist Carlo Garganese, Vlahovic boasts a skill set worthy of leading the line for many outfits chasing silver-laden success, but with the Magpies on the rise and requiring a meticulous approach on the transfer front to cement their newfound stature at the forefront of English football, signing the Old Lady frontman for such a high fee would not be an auspicious move.

Rangers star Todd Cantwell has attracted serious praise from members of the media for his heroic display against Celtic in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon.

Cantwell praised for Gers display

The 25-year-old has come on leaps and bounds, especially at Ibrox today, with Cantwell’s contribution in the final third proving crucial as Michael Beale’s side stormed to victory.

The former Norwich City grabbed their opening goal just under 10 minutes into the contest, feeding off a rebounded effort to smash the ball through Joe Hart’s legs and into the back of the net.

Cantwell’s effort opened the floodgates for Rangers, who played at a high intensity throughout and seemed determined to remain on the front foot.

The Gers sealed an impressive win against their arch SPFL rivals as a result, with John Souttar and Fashion Sakala also getting in on the act this afternoon.

Cantwell’s display in particular attracted huge praise as various journalists from different outlets took to Twitter in praise of the midfielder.

Rangers Review reporters Jonny McFarlane and Joshua Barrie said this on Cantwell, who is becoming more and more a Gers favourite it would seem.

Islington Gazette reporter Josh Bunting weighed in, saying that Cantwell controlled the game, particularly in the first 45 minutes, owing to an outstanding performance in Glasgow.

What Cantwell brings to Rangers

It was quite the performance from Cantwell this afternoon, with statistical website SofaScore ranking him among Rangers’ best-performers on the day.

After this brilliant showing, the midfield ace has added to his tally of goals and assists in the league – standing out as one of Beale’s best-performing players overall this campaign (WhoScored).

If he continues like this, there is no reason that he cannot go on to become a phenomenal asset for the club.

Tottenham Hotspur are a club treading water at the moment, seemingly without a clear plan for progression. If anything, they are arguably starting to sink if their result at the weekend is anything to go by.

This summer marks a huge moment to halt that slump by bringing in the right new coach to take them into a brighter future, but with Daniel Levy's track record, there is little hope that the right decision will be made.

Whoever joins will inherit an ageing squad with a suffering mentality, and only really Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to offer moments of brilliance.

However, the two are 29 and 30 respectively, and the former is regularly linked with an exit anyway. They might be part of forging a successful platform at first, but they simply cannot uphold the future of the club.

As such, perhaps the academy boasts the requisite talent to replicate such a historic attacking pairing. Although both might have enjoyed varied loan spells this season, Dane Scarlett and Troy Parrott stand as the two outstanding candidates to fulfil such a role.

How have Scarlett and Parrott played this season?

Featuring in League One and the Championship respectively, both of these young stars have earned vital senior experience in order to take that next step up. Neither has set the world alight with their goalscoring, but having shone in the academy, it is clear both know where the back of the net is.

For example, Parrott boasts just four goals for Millwall, with the 21-year-old having recorded 15 goal contributions the season prior in League One. Scarlett, conversely, has four goals in the latter league, but is two years his junior.

The 19-year-old has still garnered high praise from Portsmouth boss John Mousinho for his all-around play, as he took to the media to claim: "Dane doesn’t lack confidence anyway, he’s a really confident young lad, and he’s going to go on to have a brilliant career, that is why Tottenham have him on a long-term contract. He is still incredibly young, at 18 he has the world at his feet, and the more goals he can get the better."

Journalist Pete O'Rourke also notes a bright future for this pair, that might come sooner than expected. He told Football FanCast: "I don't think those players [Parrott and Scarlett] necessarily right now are ready to step into the first team.

"But, if they can have a good pre-season under their belts, maybe that might be the opportunity under a new manager there potentially as well, and someone that they might give opportunities in the first team."

With Kane and Son holding the record for most goal combinations in Premier League history, they have already cemented their legacy; but their partnership was only a late bloomer.

Should Scarlett and Parrott start to earn their chances now, in a few years time they could begin getting to work on toppling that tally and rewriting history as a new dynamic duo at Spurs.