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Two players hoping to be wear the baggygreen next week were in the runs while Joe Burns provided a reminder of why he shouldn’t be forgotten

Alex Malcolm28-Nov-2018Queensland opener Joe Burns sent a reminder of his class to the national selectors with a well-made 96 to help Queensland into a strong position against Victoria at the Gabba.Burns’ innings, along with 47 from Marnus Labuschagne, helped set up a 104-run first innings lead for the Bulls. The lead may have been more without a superb spell from Peter Siddle, who picked up four wickets.High-quality half-centuries from Test squad members Marcus Harris and Peter Handscomb saw Victoria claw back infront but late wickets ensured the stumps lead was only 50 with five wickets in hand and two full days to play.Burns looked set for a century early in the day after adding 25 to his overnight total before Scott Boland squared him up with an excellent delivery to get him caught at second slip.Siddle then ripped the heart of the Bulls’ middle order attacking the stumps relentlessly to remove Charlie Hemphrey, Jack Wildermuth and Jimmy Peirson in quick succession.Labuschagne was patient for his 47 but ran out of partners, eventually holing out at deep fine leg attempting to hook Boland who picked up three wickets of his own.Travis Dean then become the first Victorian opener in 13 years to bag a pair when he was given out lbw to Michael Neser from the first ball of the second innings. Seven balls later Victoria were in enormous trouble when Aaron Finch was also adjudged lbw to Luke Feldman. The ball nipped back and hit the top of the pads as Finch was up on his toes but the umpire believed it would have hit the top of the stumps, much to Finch’s displeasure.Harris and Handscomb proved why they are in the frame for the Adelaide Test with a fluent 104-run stand. Harris struck 10 fours in his 62 before he missed a ball slanting in from around the wicket from Mark Steketee. Handscomb reached his second fifty in the match before he fell to Neser, edging to slip trying to defend a good delivery on a fourth stump line.Glenn Maxwell made it to 29 at stumps but lost Seb Gotch in the last over in fading light. Labuschagne’s part-time legspin did the trick for skipper Usman Khawaja to leave Victoria with an uphill battle to set a defendable fourth innings total.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has personally identified one club's "very quick" fringe player as a possible Spurs signing.

Spurs absences take serious toll

Around this time two weeks ago, the Lilywhites were sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table after an impressive 10-game unbeaten streak – winning eight in that span.

Postecoglou's electric brand of high-pressing football was a joy for all to behold – especially for supporters – with star summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison making quite the impression.

Fast-forward to now, and Spurs have suffered back-to-back league games after losing the pair to injury. The north Londoners are without both Maddison and van de Ven till 2024, and are set to briefly miss the likes of Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero through suspension.

Coupled with injuries to Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Richarlison and Ryan Sessegnon, the Spurs squad has been stretched wafer-thin.

Spurs look to January for solutions

As a result, reports in the last fortnight have suggested that Spurs may look to January for a solution.

The transfer market is open for business in around a month and a half, with Tottenham looking to sign a left-sided centre-back as an alternative to Van de Ven.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr's absences for the Africa Cup of Nations early next year means Spurs are also targeting a new midfielder, while there have been suggestions that Postecoglou wishes to strengthen his forward ranks as well.

Postecoglou identifies Iling-Junior as Spurs target

One attacking option who has been linked recently, is Juventus starlet Samuel Iling-Junior.

The 20-year-old is a fringe player under Massimiliano Allegri, featuring over just four substitute appearances this term. Iling-Junior is a player of huge potential, though, with journalist Michele Neri even drawing comparisons with AC Milan star Rafael Leao.

“Iling Junior is a very quick player, who loves to take on opposing full-backs and attack the vertical spaces, in a very direct way,” Neri explained to TNT Sports.

“He is a left-winger who can also play as a right-winger if needed. He has a great sense for dribbling and a speed from a standing start that other Juventus players do not have.

“In these qualities, you can absolutely see shades of Rafael Leao when the AC Milan superstar was a bit younger. The fans went crazy for him after the Benfica game where he played 20 minutes and really shone, providing an assist to Milik."

Now, a report by Tuttosport (via Udinese Blog) has an update on the rumoured Spurs target.

They claim Postecoglou has personally identified Iling-Junior as a target, and the Lilywhites are now "ready to negotiate" the requested £17.5m asking price for his services.

Juventus, for their part, would plan to reinvest that money in prising Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul away from his current club Atletico Madrid.

His cheap price tag perhaps comes from the fact his contract expires in a year and a half, but whether Spurs are able to pull off a deal in the coming months remains to be seen.

Fosun have made some poor transfer decisions during their time at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Selling the likes of Pedro Neto, Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes for big fees certainly bolstered the bank balance.

It did leave the Old Gold weaker across several areas of the team, however, something that Vitor Pereira is having to try and improve.

One of the biggest mistakes the club made recently was selling Max Kilman to West Ham United.

Why Wolves must regret selling Max Kilman

Kilman joined the Irons for a fee of around £40m, which meant the Molineux side secured a stunning profit on him.

The centre-back has won 70% of his total duels contested in the Premier League for West Ham, while also losing possession just 7.6 times per game and recovering four balls per game.

West Ham haven’t exactly enjoyed the best season, but with Kilman, the club have an excellent defender who will only go from strength to strength as time goes on.

How Wolves could do with someone of his quality right now, especially as the club has been dragged into a relegation battle.

Has this been Fosun’s biggest transfer mistake? Or was selling another defender back in 2023 even worse?

Nathan Collins is now starring for Brentford in the top flight, and it looks as though the club could be rueing the decision to sell.

Wolves' bigger mistake than Kilman

Collins spent a single season with the Old Gold, making a total of 31 appearances in all competitions for the club.

During the 2023 summer transfer window, Brentford began to show interest in the Republic of Ireland international and he was soon on his way to London for a reported £23m transfer fee.

This now looks like a bargain. Stephen Kenny, Collins’ former Ireland manager, lauded him in 2022, saying:

For the Bees this season, the 23-year-old has been in excellent form indeed. Across 26 Premier League games, the centre-back has completed 87% of his passes, averages 1.2 tackles, makes 0.8 interceptions and wins an impressive 5.2 total duels per game – a success rate of 63% – in the top flight.

Against Leicester City on Friday evening, he made 12 clearances, was accurate with 60% of his long balls and finished the game with a 90% pass success rate.

There is no doubt Thomas Frank is now getting the best out of the former Wolves star and the decision to sell him two years ago is one that will surely be looked back on as a poor one.

Wolves have conceded 54 goals in the top flight this season, the third-worst defensive record in the division.

If they had Collins at the heart of their defence, things may have looked a lot more promising.

Wolves make first move to sign new £29m striker who could replace Cunha

He’s a wanted man…

By
Tom Cunningham

Feb 21, 2025

Tottenham are willing to green-light an exit for one of their squad members, and he's apparently already reached a verbal agreement with another club.

Which players have left Spurs?

Spurs let go of many players over the 2023 summer transfer window, either on loan or permanently, with star striker Harry Kane being the pick of the bunch after his multi-million-pound move to Bayern Munich. Kane has since gone on to thrive under Thomas Tuchel in Germany, and another high-earner in Tanguy Ndombele departed by signing for Galatasaray on a temporary deal. Davinson Sanchez left for the same club just after the British transfer window shut, while left-back Sergio Reguilon moved to Man United on loan before deadline day.

Harry Winks joined Championship side Leicester City for around £10 million and fan favourite winger Lucas Moura departed on a Bosman when his contract expired in late June. Joe Rodon and Djed Spence both signed for Leeds on temporary deals as well, with Japhet Tanganga joining Kane in the Bundesliga when he put pen to paper on a move to FC Augsburg.

Who will leave Tottenham?

Ange Postecoglou's high-flying Spurs have enjoyed a very promising start to the new season overall. New stars like James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are shining in place of the aforementioned bunch, but some casualties of Tottenham's brilliant beginning to 2023/24 remain.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was a mainstay in Antonio Conte's midfield at Spurs last season, scoring four goals and assisting five others in the league alone, but Postecoglou's new system has seen him relegated to the substitute's bench. The Dane is being linked with a move away from Tottenham as a result, while there have been rumours that Giovani Lo Celso could leave Spurs too.

Versatile Croatia legend Ivan Perisic, who recently succumbed to a season-threatening ACL injury, is another player who is apparently nearing the Spurs exit door. Indeed, the 34-year-old has reached an "agreement" with Hajduk Split to join them. That is according to Football Insider journalist Wayne Veysey, who says the Tottenham "star" is not expected to play for the club again.

The north London club are apparently willing to green-light his move in January and discussions are said to be advancing. Perisic's potential switch to the Croatian side was even discussed during talks to sign highly-rated defender, Luka Vuskovic, recently.

How good is Ivan Perisic?

He featured predominantly at left-back under Conte last season, registering more league assists than any other Tottenham player in the league with eight. The former Spurs boss, speaking after his ex-club signed Perisic last summer, heaped praise on him.

"It is very important we sign a player like Ivan Perisic," said Conte in 2022.

"We are talking about a real important player and top player. Sometimes it is good to bring a player in your team who is a bit over age but at the same time a good player with experience who can improve a young player in your squad."

For all the Croatian's qualities, Spurs have shone in Perisic's absence, having gone top of the Premier League after eight games following their recent win over Luton Town.

Australia have packed 10 days of cricket into the last three weeks, and their T20I captain hopes the team can cap a hard month on the road with a title win

Liam Brickhill in Harare07-Jul-2018With one match to go before a well-earned break, Australia captain Aaron Finch is hoping his team will cap a hard month on the road with a victory. “Hopefully leading into this final, we’re saving our best for last and then the boys will get a little break,” Finch said.Australia have packed 10 days of cricket into the last three weeks, and they’ll need the rest ahead of a busy 2018-19 season. After a trip to the UAE for Tests, ODIs and a T20I against Pakistan, the side will play South Africa, India and Sri Lanka over a summer that will also feature an expanded Big Bash League.Australia have also been coming to terms with a new era both on and off the field, with the addition of new faces to their squads bringing with it a general need for recalibration. While there’s still room for improvement, Finch thinks there have been “great developments” in the team.”Slowly we’re starting to find the right balance and a little bit more of an understanding of how each other play the game,” Finch said. “There’s a few new faces around, so as a captain I think it’s important to have more of an understanding of guys strengths and things where there’s room for improvement. There’ve been some great developments over the last few months on tour. We’ve trained hard.”But hard yakka in the nets hasn’t necessarily transmuted into success. Inconsistent results certainly aren’t down to any lapses in their training schedules: Australia have trained for an hour or more after their last two games in Harare, braving plummeting mid-winter temperatures, and several players have spoken about the effect new coach Justin Langer is having. All the same, their last few games have been marked by both record-breaking peaks and repeated blunders.”I don’t know if rusty is the right word,” Finch said. “We’re still just slightly off in our execution with the bat, ball and in the field. Putting down a couple too many chances in the field – well, one is too many. With the ball we’re probably just leaking that one over that’s a real big one. In the past we’ve been really good at, if we’re hit for a boundary early, shutting down the over and getting out of it. Lately there’s been too many 15, 16-plus overs. With the bat, anytime you have to get a new partnership going, it makes it more difficult.”It would have been nice for our in batters to make sure that we got the job done comfortably [against Zimbabwe]. A little too close for comfort, but in the end getting a win is important, leading into the final with momentum.”Finch’s personal returns have also been mixed in the tri-series, with 240 runs (and a new world record) in his first two innings followed by 19 runs from his next two. But such are the vagaries of T20 batting, Finch said, targetting another big knock in Sunday’s final.”I feel like I’m playing very well at the moment. I’m not too bothered by a couple of low scores to be honest. T20 cricket tends to be high risk at the start of the innings and as long as I’m moving well and hitting the ball in the middle of the bat I’m pretty confident. Having played a lot of T20 cricket now, I understand the highs and lows of a batter in this game so it’s just about making sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance, making the right decision under pressure, and I still feel as though I’m doing that. It just hasn’t gone my way in the last two games, but hopefully a big one in the final.”Sarfraz Ahmed and Aaron Finch at the toss•AFPFinch will be up against an attack Australia hadn’t seen much of in T20Is before their trip to Zimbabwe. Australia’s last T20I against Pakistan before the tri-series was at the World T20 in 2016, and while they have played each other in other formats, Australia have had to scramble to adapt their gameplans on a quick turnaround while in Harare.”They’ve got a lot of very dangerous players,” Finch said of Pakistan. “If you look at the stats from this series, Fakhar Zaman has been outstanding and a real thorn in our side for a couple of games. He’s also been really consistent in this format for quite a long time. Obviously [Mohammad] Amir came back and bowled really well in the last game. They’ve got a lot of left-arm options. And then Shadab Khan as well, bowling legspin and spinning it both ways is also a threat. We reviewed heavily after the game against Pakistan and came up with some really solid plans for their bowlers and batters.”The world no. 1 ranking will remain out of Australia’s grasp even if they win Sunday’s final – they needed an unbeaten run through the tri-series to snatch the position away from Pakistan – but Finch said that winning the tri-series, rather than gaining ranking points, was Australia’s goal throughout.”On this tour, there’s been no talk about ‘we have to win this tournament to become no. 1’. It’s about winning the tournament for Australia. We’ve put ourselves in a position to do that, so that’s a real positive. We haven’t played our best cricket in the last couple of games, but there’s room for improvement and come tomorrow I’ve got a real good feeling that we’ll bring our A game.”Though rankings aren’t the focus, a win in the final would mean that Australia’s T20 side would be their top-ranked men’s team in second position (their women’s side is no. 1 overall), and Finch put their climb up the tables from sixth position last year down to the increased number of T20Is on their calendar. Australia have played 17 T20Is since the last World T20 in early 2016, winning 12. Between the 2014 and 2016 World T20s, they had played just 10 games, losing six.”We’ve been really consistent over the years in T20 cricket with some great sides,” Finch said. “In the past there’s been a lot less T20 cricket played as a country outside of the world tournaments. When you’re playing one game generally per series, if that, it can be quite hard to get your ranking up there. I think over the last 18 or 24 months we’ve played a lot more T20; we’ve probably had a lot more settled side over that time as well. I think there’s merit in how we’ve moved up the rankings.”

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No último domingo, após a goleada por 5 a 1 que o Corinthians sofreu para o Flamengo, Cássio desabafou na saída de campo e pareceu bastante incomodado com as críticas e com o momento que o clube passa. Por essas e outras, Fábio Santos, que foi apresentado nesta terça-feira, não fugiu de comentar o assunto em entrevista coletiva virtual que marcou o seu retorno.

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Falando com a propriedade de quem tem quatro anos de convivência e títulos com o goleiro corintiano, o lateral-esquerdo fez questão de elogiar o companheiro como um dos maiores ídolos do clube e entende como algo natural a manifestação do camisa 12, principalmente por se tratar de um jogador tão dedicado e que tem tanta identificação com o Alvinegro.

– Conversei com ele (Cássio). É chover no molhado falar da história dele, é um dos maiores ídolos do clube, uma referência para todos nós. Quanto maior o seu tamanho, maior a pressão em cima de você. Da mesma forma que quando você ganha é elogiado, quando perde acaba sendo mais cobrado.

– Estamos acostumados, vejo também com naturalidade esse desabafo do cara que quer vencer e não está acostumado com essa pressão individualizada. O momento do clube é difícil e essa carga acaba sendo maior nos líderes. Ele sabe da importância dele para o clube, que é um cara amado pelos torcedores. Passando tudo isso, vai voltar a idolatria que o Cássio fez por merecer.

Para ajudar a diminuir essa pressão nas costas dos líderes do elenco, principalmente pelo desabafo de Cássio, Fábio Santos prometeu que buscará compartilhar essas responsabilidades e avisou que aceita ser mais um líder no grupo ao lado de nomes como Fagner, Gil, Jô e o próprio arqueiro, que o lateral entende que já está motivado para buscar uma vitória nesta quarta-feira.

-Falei para o Cássio: “Chegou mais um pra dividir com você, mas não vamos dividir briga, vamos levantar o astral (risos)”. Vejo o Cássio motivado a superar o que passou no fim de semana, e é assim que queremos ver todos os jogadores, já motivados em fazer uma grande partida nessa quarta-feira.

Se tiver condições de jogo, Fábio Santos será relacionado pelo técnico Vagner Mancini para enfrentar o Vasco, nesta quarta-feira, às 21h30, em São Januário, pela 18ª rodada do Brasileirão-2020. Com Cássio como titular, o Corinthians busca se afastar da zona de rebaixamento. Atualmente, o time ocupa a 16ª posição com 18 pontos, dois a mais do que o primeiro clube no Z4.

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A number of journalists were left stunned by the decision to disallow Rangers of a first-half goal in their clash at home to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

Did Rangers beat Celtic in the derby?

The Gers had made a solid enough start to the season before the weekend action, picking up six points from their opening three league matches, although their 5-1 thrashing at the hands of PSV Eindhoven in midweek saw them crash out of the Champions League before the group stages.

For that reason, confidence may not have been particularly high heading into Sunday's visit of bitter rivals and reigning Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, with the Hoops one point ahead of them before kickoff. There was the opportunity for them to overtake their adversaries, however, acting as a huge incentive.

Rangers thought they had taken the lead during the first half when Cyriel Dessers robbed Gustaf Lagerbielke of the ball, before squaring to Kemar Roofe to fire into the net and send the home crowd wild. The goal was ruled out, however, with the former adjudged to have fouled the Celtic man when getting to the ball, much to the frustration of those inside the stadium.

Michael Beale's side then found themselves behind seconds before half-time, with Kyogo Furuhashi firing home to emphatic finish to put the visitors 1-0 up, finding himself clean-through and nailing a strike past Jack Butland, a goal which proved to be the winner.

How did the media react to Rangers' disallowed goal?

Taking to X, journalist John Barnes was left shocked by the decision at Ibrox, not holding back on his thoughts on it:

"OMG can’t believe the referee has got it wrong as well as VAR. Lagerbielke kicked Dessers. The goal should have stood. Another shocker this weekend by officials @RangersFC v @CelticFC the head of referees can’t hide any longer he must explain."

Meanwhile, Jonny McFarlane described it as a "baffling" moment in the game on X, proving to be pivotal to the result, too:

"That’s a baffling decision. Totally agree with Kenny Miller. Lagerbielke kicks Dessers."

This was yet another case of VAR proving to be divisive in the modern game, and the decision not to allow Roofe's goal is another where there will be differing opinions.

In fairness, there did appear to be some contact with Lagerbielke, but whether there was enough to actually overrule the original decision is up for debate, and it ultimately cost Rangers at a critical point in the game.

Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…

It further raises question marks over how much VAR impacts the general footballing spectacle as a supporter these days, with the technology robbing fans of celebrating in the moment, instead having to worry about their joy turning to despair once a check has been done.

Granted, it does lead to some correct decisions being made, but it could be argued that it is having too detrimental impact on the all-round enjoyment of football, especially as some of the officiating remains questionable even with VAR in use, as highlighted once again at Ibrox.

Leeds United defender Junior Firpo isn't safe from an Elland Road exit despite reports emerging that he is ready to come back from his latest injury.

What's the latest news involving Junior Firpo?

As per Momento Deportivo RD via Sport Witness, Firpo has spent the last two months sidelined due to injury at Leeds United; however, has now seemingly confirmed that he is ready to return to action at Elland Road soon.

In a recent interview, the former Barcelona man stated: “Right now I feel very good, I am almost recovered from my last injury with a lot of desire to play with the team again."

He also elaborated on his international future with the Dominican Republic national side, saying: “We had a very good talk here in England, very productive in which I could see the direction of Dominican football is in good hands right now and that it has a promising future."

Back in June, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano detailed on X that Firpo looked set to leave Leeds United in search of a new challenge, stating on the social media platform: "Understand Junior Firpo will leave Leeds United this summer as several European clubs are already keen on signing him. The plan is to try a new experience after relegation."

Fotospor claimed last month that Turkish giants Galatasaray had made a loan offer with a buyout clause included to try and land the 27-year-old, who also attracted interest from French giants Marseille, which looks to have since been withdrawn.

Leeds United have very little in the way of natural left-backs and have used Sam Byram in the position in four of their five Sky Bet Championship fixtures so far, as per Transfermarkt.

Could Junior Firpo still leave Leeds?

In all honesty, it remains to be seen; however, a report from Leeds United News has inferred that both the Saudi Arabian and Turkish transfer windows remain open at present, which could well present an avenue for the defender to seek a future away from Elland Road.

In Saudi Arabia, the transfer deadline has been brought forward to September 7th despite previous reports insinuating that it would remain open until September 20th, as per Transfermarkt via TEAMtalk.

The Washington Post cite that the Turkish transfer window remains open until September 15th and it may be feasible that interest re-appears from that market for Firpo before their deadline draws to a close.

Journalist Dean Jones spoke to GIVEMESPORT earlier in the year about Firpo's situation and were 'trying to put the wheels in motion and finding Firpo new clubs to join' alongside sorting out their situation in the left-back position, which has continued to be a bugbear for Daniel Farke since his arrival at the Yorkshire-based outfit.

In his time at Leeds United, Firpo has made 51 appearances in all competitions for his current employers, registering two goals and four assists in total, as per Transfermarkt.

Whether uncertainty over his future has been shelved due to a lack of numbers in his given role is anyone's guess; nevertheless, there is still potential for movement to happen regarding Firpo if the right offer arises for his services.

It was not quicker, bouncier or scarier than Newlands but the uncharacteristic SuperSport Park pitch has not drawn any criticism from the men who have to play on it. At least, not yet.With turn from day one, this usually spin-free surface has done the one thing captain Faf du Plessis did not want and has already brought India’s spinner R Ashwin into the game. Ashwin’s three wickets have already had some impact but exactly how much of a say both he and Keshav Maharaj will have on this game may ultimately affect the assessment of groundsman Bryan Bloy’s maiden Test strip.”I feel the wicket did spin a bit but it was not outrageous. It was very slow and there was bounce, sometimes people watching the game mistake bounce for big spin,” Ashwin said.The bounce will be particularly important to the hosts, who see that as being key in allowing them to exploit home advantage. “In terms of bowling, we have got taller bowlers who are used to the conditions and it would be interesting to see how the Indians bat and make an assessment,” Aiden Markram, who top-scored with 94 said. “We’ve got taller bowlers than what the Indians have. That is the only difference I see.”Markram plays his domestic cricket for Titans and knows the Centurion pitch well. He admitted this strip was slower than usual. “It was a little bit different. Generally, there is good pace and bounce. It is still there but it lacked the extra pace that the usual wicket at Supersport is like,” Markram said. “But there is just about enough in it for both batsmen and bowlers. It is a wicket where the contest is always happening. Ideally, we would have liked to have it quicker but I don’t think it’s something bad.”Markram admitted South Africa “didn’t expect there would be so much assistance for him (Ashwin)”, which made him a tricky prospect first up. “He was difficult to face but he is difficult to face on a flat wicket as well. It will be interesting to see if the pitch does get harder or if it will continue to spin or if it spun like that because of grass covering,” Markram said.Pre-match, both teams considered playing all-pace attacks with Ashwin expecting to be benched until the eve of the match. “Two days from the game, it looked like we are going to play an all-seam attack. And then when we walked into the ground yesterday, it was white in colour, the grass was coming off. All of a sudden I really had to pull myself back and think I am in the game now,” Ashwin said. “Today morning when we came to the ground, it looked like a wicket that was really flat and had to have a spinner in the game. Personally, from my side of it, I was very happy that the grass was taken off, if not I think it would have been all-seam attack.”South Africa were also seriously considering leaving Maharaj out and going all guns blazing with a five-pronged pack. In hindsight, that would have been a grave error, even though Bloy told ESPNcricinfo that he expects the pitch to quicken up on the second and third days, something Ashwin agreed with. “I found it to be a bit damp and it was very slow. The new ball isn’t doing a lot actually and the pitch is actually flattening out and spin is going out of the surface a lot more. I think days two and three will be a very good batting day,” Ashwin said.Because this surface has elements of the unknown, it’s difficult to tell what a good first-innings total will be but Markam would like to see South Africa get at least 70 more runs before bowling at SuperSport Park. “Anything above 350 would be good but we would like to push to 400,” he said.

Everton have been linked with a summer move for Udinese striker Beto numerous times in recent weeks, and a fresh update has now emerged regarding his possible switch to England.

What's happening with Beto?

It has become abundantly clear that the Blues are crying out for attacking additions in the current transfer window, having looked light in that area of the pitch for far too long, not helped by Dominic Calvert-Lewin's ongoing injuries problems.

That was perfectly highlighted on Saturday afteroon, as Sean Dyche's side suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Fulham in their opening Premier League game of the season. That's not to say that they didn't play well, however, and they were instead guilty of missing some huge chances, especially the struggling Neal Maupay.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

One player who has emerged as one of the favourites to join Everton before the end of the month is Beto, who has become a key man for Udinese, scoring 22 goals in 64 appearances for the Serie A side.

Now, another update has dropped regarding the Blues' potential move for the 25-year-old – one that suggests there is still plenty of life in the saga before the summer is out.

According to Il Messaggero Veneto [via Sport Witness], Everton are still "thinking" about making a move for Beto before deadline day arrives, seeing him as a strong option to bring in. Instead of signing him permanently though, the Merseysiders are thought to be considering a loan move for the Portuguese giant, with a viewing to signing him for good for £22m next summer.

In a separate update, Rai claim that there is "still time left" for the Blues to get a deal over the line for the Udinese marksman, although they they believe their valuation is less than what his club want for him, hinting that a permanent switch is the preferred outcome.

Is Beto good?

While Youssef Chermiti has already arrived at Goodison in recent times, bolstering Dyche's attacking options, more faces are needed to truly make a difference in the final third this season and beyond.

In Beto, Everton could have a tailor-made option to come in and be an immediate key player, possessing the physical attributes to be a real handful, having been compared to former Blues striker Romelu Lukaku in the past and standing at 6 foot 4. He has also been spoken of fondly to his face by legendary superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

His aforementioned record for Udinese is an impressive one – a record of 21 goals in 61 Serie A games is strong, considering he is not playing for top club and is in one of Europe's toughest leagues – and a loan move could actually make the most sense, giving Everton a little more leeway if he ends up struggling in his first season at the club.

Either way, it is absolutely paramount that the Blues continue working hard on getting attacking business over the line as soon as possible, with Leeds United star Wilfried Gnonto another potential addition, as well as Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike.