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Test greats become legends in their own lifetimes, even as news of Shane Warne’s death casts launch in strange light

Cameron Ponsonby07-Mar-2022Ian Botham is sitting next to old friend Viv Richards as they unveil the new Richards-Botham Trophy that England and West Indies will now compete for in Test cricket. And with a press conference, a photo-op, and a handshake, they have officially done it. They have been immortalised, not for the first time, in their own lifetimes.After the press conference, Richards is asked if part of his friendship with Botham was down to the fact that took their games to a level that only the other could relate to and understand.No, comes the answer. He was attracted to the person before the cricketer. That there was a magnetism about Botham. And that he, Botham, was like Richards.Yeah, geniuses attract other geniuses.In all, it’s a strange, if nice, event that celebrates the friendship between two men, and honours them as cricketers. It’s easy to roll your eyes at gestures that are meaningless in the greater scheme of things but, on an individual level, there’s no doubt it means a lot to the two men being honoured. An act that rekindles the fires behind two names that are greats of the game, not just among the best.

“We made our first-class [County Championship] debuts together in 1974 against Lancashire at Taunton. And that was really the start of what was, well, it was there already, but to take it to the levels that it did.”Ian Botham

And people love that stuff. In 2016, we named our club’s third XI trophy after a former player. It’s still his WhatsApp profile picture. It’s nice to do nice things.What’s more, Viv and Beefy’s relationship is worth celebrating as two people who found home comforts in someone from the other side of the world. They are each other’s Irish pub on the beachfront in Benidorm.”We made our first-class [County Championship] debuts together in 1974 against Lancashire at Taunton,” Botham says. “And that was really the start of what was, well, it was there already, but to take it to the levels that it did. He is the godfather to my son and you know it’s a special relationship and these things don’t come along very often.”The event celebrated a friendship, but it also mourned the loss of another, with the uncomfortable balance of two men being immortalised while addressing the death of a friend running throughout.Related

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It was the press conference of one man (Botham) who had just lost a close friend and has unsurprisingly spent 48 hours thinking about what those around him really mean to him. And another (Richards) who was sitting next to a friend in mourning and wasn’t quite sure how to pitch it. Who really knows how to react in such circumstances.At one point Richards – who, as fate would have it, turns 70 today – made a joke about how the news about Shane Warne had him “checking my shoulder, you know – what’s coming next”.One person laughs. In fact, they find it hilarious. The rest of the room is trying to work out if they think it’s appropriate, let alone funny, but this guy is deep into a hero-worship laugh. The type your boss gets for saying, “oh, half-day is it?”, when a colleague walks in two minutes late.At one point, Botham is asked about the omission from the Test squad of Stuart Broad and James Anderson. And within an answer that eventually concludes that he thinks they will be back, he says, “Look, you move on. Time moves things on. You’ve got to look forward to the future and we can’t go on forever.”It’s a fine and sensible message. It’s just a bit of a peculiar one to emerge at a ceremony that is commemorating the past with a newly unveiled trophy, while at the same time celebrating a lifelong friendship and the memories of a recently deceased friend.And yet, there is a difference between living in the past and celebrating it. And through doing the latter, things do live on and legends and legacies remain. Otherwise, none of us would be here at the unveiling of the Richards-Botham Trophy. And that guy definitely wouldn’t have been laughing at Richards’ awkward joke.

Manchester United’s transfer strategy has been questioned, with the Red Devils told they should have signed “guarantee” of goals Harry Kane.

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Red Devils were heavily linked with strikerInvested in alternative attacking optionsStill lacking a spark in final third of the fieldFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

England captain Kane saw a big-money move to Old Trafford speculated on across several windows during his time at Tottenham. No deal was ever done, with Spurs reluctant to do business again with a Premier League rival.

AdvertisementGetty THE BIGGER PICTURE

United, as a result, were forced to explore other avenues. They invested £72 million ($92m) in Rasmus Hojlund when luring him away from Atalanta in 2023, but have seen the 22-year-old Dane register just 23 goals through 78 appearances – with only 12 of those efforts coming in the English top-flight.

DID YOU KNOW?

Joshua Zirkzee is another forward that has failed to deliver on expectations, with five goals recorded on the back of a £36.5m ($47m) transfer, and United continue to count the cost of not pushing harder for Kane – who has maintained a stunning strike rate since linking up with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

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GettyWHAT GARY PALLISTER SAID

Former Red Devils defender Gary Pallister, speaking in association with , told GOAL when asked what the recruitment priority for United needs to be in the summer of 2025: “A centre-forward! [Ruben] Amorim has said that himself.

“We need a centre-forward. I don’t think Zirkzee is a centre-forward, he likes to play in the 10 and a bit deeper. I don’t think he can lead the line. Rasmus, you can’t fault him for his effort – he puts a shift in, runs into channels. He’s finding it hard. He needs a bit more guile to his game.

“We can’t afford to wait to see if Rasmus is going to be the real deal. It’s a struggle for him at the moment and we need somebody that can come in and is a proven goalscorer. Who that is, I’m not quite sure. There has been talk of the guy at Sporting [Viktor Gyokeres], the guy at Napoli [Victor Osimhen].

“I think they definitely missed a trick not signing Harry Kane a season-and-a-half ago. We knew he was a proven goalscorer in the Premier League and with what they have been wasting of late, he would have been an absolute guarantee of scoring goals.”

Everton have a long way ahead before they reach the position that they deserve to occupy in English (and possibly European?) football, but the agreed deal for The Friedkin Group to purchase Farhad Moshiri’s 94% stake in the club does hint at exciting change.

Hopefully, things will be moving forward by Christmas. Sean Dyche’s side are toiling in the Premier League this season and look set to be scrapping for survival once again.

An impactful winter transfer window could change that. The 16th-placed side have a balanced crop, but some more quality and experience would be ideal. Ideal, however, football is not.

That said, there’s a chance that the Toffees could be in business this January, with three areas identified for improvements.

1 GK – Jordan Pickford

Somehow still criminally underrated, Jordan Pickford may remain at Everton for the rest of his career. His blood runs blue. He’s been let down by some dismal defending this term but finished second in the Premier League’s clean sheet charts last year, and third for shot-to-save percentage.

England’s No. 1 will be sure to be emboldened by some purposeful movements in the market.

2 RB – Kieran Trippier

Seamus Coleman, Ashley Young and Nathan Patterson all operate at right-back, but the first two have a combined age of 75 and the latter practically lives in the infirmary.

Kieran Trippier’s no spring chicken himself, but he’s still one of the Premier League’s most exciting playmakers, ranking among the top 8% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

He was courted in the summer and is an outcast at Newcastle United. It could be the creative injection that Everton need.

3 CB – Jarrad Branthwaite

Jarrad Branthwaite will remain at Everton – until the end of the season, at least. The monstrous centre-back was incredible last year but has suffered with injuries across the past several months.

Rejecting Manchester United’s advances could prove the difference in the months of football to come. Let’s see.

4 CB – James Tarkowski

Everton signed James Tarkowski on a free transfer after Burnley were relegated in 2022, and he has started every single Premier League fixture since.

1.

Arsenal

29

18

2.

Manchester City

34

13

3.

Everton

51

13

4.

Liverpool

41

10

5.

Crystal Palace

58

10

A real leader, he’s not been at his best this term but has still averaged 2.5 tackles per game, as per Sofascore, while winning 72% of his aerial battles.

5 LB – Vitalii Mykolenko

Vitalii Mykolenko’s grip on the left-back position at Everton isn’t made of iron, but he’ll continue to star as the club’s first choice this season.

6 CM – Abdoulaye Doucoure

Timeless. Abdoulaye Doucoure will continue to strut his stuff for Everton for the rest of the campaign, and hopefully beyond. He’s experienced, combative and creative all. He also bears a knack for an important goal that cannot be understated.

7 CM – Bryan Cristante

The Friedkin Group already own AS Roma in Italy, and thus the rumour mill has suggested, through Italian reports, that a swap deal concerning Everton’s Beto and centre-midfielder Bryan Cristante could be engineered. He’s a cultured midfielder whose arrival could spark a bit more possession and fluency.

Interestingly, Cristante’s tactical profile puts him as Martin Zubimendi’s most statistically comparable player, as per FBref.

8 RW – Ernest Nuamah

At the backend of the summer transfer window, it was reported that Everton had agreed personal terms with Lyon’s Ernest Nuamah.

Lyon signed Nuamah for €28.5m (£24m) this year but financial woes could force them to let him go. A £15m figure has been mooted, and it could prove to be a shrewd deal indeed, replacing the on-loan Merseysider Jesper Lindstrom.

An electric winger with “outrageous” qualities, as talent scout Jacek Kulig has said, the 21-year-old has what it takes to become a Premier League superstar. Lindstrom, meanwhile, should be sent packing after failing to score or assist in 2024/25 thus far.

9 AM – Dwight McNeil

Dwight McNeil has been superb this season, posting three goals and three assists across ten Premier League outings and averaging 2.7 key passes per game.

He’s the club’s attacking lifeblood right now and could take his already improved skills to another level entirely with a couple of meaningful tweaks.

10 LW – Iliman Ndiaye

A maverick. Iliman Ndiaye is perhaps the most exciting player at Goodison Park since Richarlison. The Senegalese’s tricks and skills have made for entertaining viewing, and he still has so much more to give.

Celtic could be set to lose one of their rising stars, with a new report revealing that he’s already been watched by scouts from a huge club in Germany.

How have Celtic started the season?

In the Scottish Premiership, Brendan Rodgers’ side have made a fantastic start to the new campaign where they find themselves top of the table on ten points having won three and drawn one of their opening four games, as per Sky Sports, though a lot of the players have recently been away on international duty.

The Hoops had a total of 11 squad members representing their country over the past fortnight, including the likes of Callum McGregor, Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi, but there was another less well-known youngster from the academy who also received a call-up for his nation.

Parkhead’s attacking midfielder, Rocco Vata, who currently plies his trade for the B side, has been in action for the Republic of Ireland’s U21s, and with his contract set to expire in less than a year, he has emerged as a target for several teams outside of Glasgow.

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph previously confirmed that Serie A side Torino were interested in the 18-year-old alongside other unnamed clubs across Europe, and with the teenager having changed agents to CAA Base Ltd, there’s a possibility he’s done this to try and force a move to a new club in 2024.

Is Rocco Vata leaving Celtic?

According to The Daily Record, Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig “ran the rule” over Vata during Ireland’s 3-0 victory over San Marino on Tuesday night.

Marco Rose’s side sent a scout to watch the talented prospect in action, but they weren’t alone with representatives from the Premier League’s Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion also in attendance.

Due to his contract situation, it’s stated that the youngster could leave for just £350k in training compensation next summer.

How good is Rocco Vata?

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Vata is an “exciting” up-and-coming player and one who has an extremely bright future ahead of him, and he’s already shown the bags of potential that he has to offer for the second team at Celtic.

The Hamilton-born talent has posted a remarkable 18 contributions (17 goals and one assist) in 24 B side outings, and with his high standard of performances having impressed members of staff, he made four senior league appearances off the bench last season.

Sponsored by Adidas, he also has the ability to operate in five various positions over the pitch, including everywhere across the frontline alongside two roles in the midfield, so with the excellent versatility that he provides, it would be a real blow to lose him next year.

Whilst Rodgers won't want to sanction the sale of someone like Vata, he will understand that he will want to move onto new pastures in the not too distant future should he not receive the regular game time he's craving, so his fate is currently hanging in the balance.

The CA chairman also said that former Test batsman Rick McCosker would lead the review into the culture of the Australian men’s team

Daniel Brettig06-Apr-2018David Peever, the Cricket Australia chairman, criticised former players for expressing outrage at Australia’s behaviour before the board handed down bans of up to 12 months on the captain Steven Smith, his deputy David Warner, and the young opener Cameron Bancroft, following their exposure for ball tampering in Cape Town.In audio obtained by ESPNcricinfo, Peever is heard on a teleconference call to the state associations on March 26 – the day after the Newlands Test concluded – making noises about wanting the game to be an encouragement to parents and their children, before lapsing into something more cynical about the public reaction to the events.”All of that said, though, I have been interested in the fact that I didn’t realise so many former cricketers were such angels reading the press,” Peever said, in an off-hand remark that on the audio was received with strangled laughter by others on the call.The revelation of Peever’s statement about past players took place two days before CA chose to ban Smith and Warner for 12 months, and Bancroft for nine months. Smith and Bancroft were also barred from captaincy for two years, and Warner for life. Smith and Bancroft took the lead in accepting the sanctions, before Warner also assented to them on Thursday.CA had been subject to multiple instances of former Australian players questioning the behaviour of the national team prior to the events of the Cape Town Test. Former Test allrounder Tom Veivers revealed last month that he and former captain Brian Booth had previously written to the CA chief executive James Sutherland and been rebuffed.”I would like to see James Sutherland take a tougher stance,” Veivers told . “Brian Booth and I wrote to him a couple of years ago saying this and he wrote back and said we had to realise the game has changed from our day and it is a lot tougher. I disagree. The game was tough back in our day. What has changed is the sportsmanship. Cricket Australia has to do something about it.”Peever, a former Rio Tinto executive, who joined the CA Board in 2012 and succeeded Wally Edwards as chairman in 2015, has long been evasive of speaking publicly. Before his press conference on Friday, where he named former Test batsman Rick McCosker to chair a cultural review of the game, Peever had previously made himself available for questions at the CA AGM last October, following acrimonious MoU negotiations with the Australian Cricketers Association.”I think we’re all going to come under the microscope in terms of what is occurring back in the organisation that might have contributed to this,” Peever told reporters in Brisbane. “But I can tell you this, circumstances like this are not the time for witch- hunts.”I know people in these circumstances call for everybody to be sacked. Clearly, that isn’t going to solve any problems. What we must do now is work on the issues that we have and we take responsibility for fixing them and making them better.”This week, it was revealed by that Peever had rounded on the in correspondence with the executive Armando Nunez, after CA rejected a joint broadcast rights bid by Ten and Nine as “non-compliant”. Peever described local management of Ten as “bottom feeders” to Nunez.”Unfortunately, your team has completely messed this up,” Peever said in the email to Nunez. “I expected much more, given our discussions and the unique position we were affording 10. Frankly, the tactics are appalling on a number of levels.” He then added that “I feel they [Ten] are not prepared to challenge their operating model to be anything other than bottom feeders in this market.”The ball-tampering scandal has resulted in the withdrawal of CA’s Test naming rights sponsor Magellan, while coinciding with decision to sign a five-year, A$300 million deal to cover tennis over summer, having been the major broadcaster of cricket in Australia for more than 40 years.

New Zealand kept their unbeaten ODI run alive, inflicting a rare defeat on England, in a contest which tested their resilience with bat and ball

Andrew McGlashan26-Feb-2018New Zealand are a victory away from equalling their best streak in ODIs of 10 wins on the bounce, and number nine of the current sequence was their most satisfying yet as they overcame a formidable England team in a contest that twisted and turned through 100 overs.West Indies barely offered a fight in the first ODI series of New Zealand’s season and though Pakistan occasionally challenged them, it only really came after the series had been decided. At Seddon Park on Sunday, New Zealand grabbed the early initiative inflicting England’s first defeat in a live bilateral ODI since the India series last January.The sight of Ross Taylor scoring a masterful hundred should come as no surprise – it was his 18th in ODIs, although among his better ones – but around him New Zealand found fresh matchwinners. Tom Latham, who had endured a barren run of ODI form at home since his century against Bangladesh in late 2016, counterpunched when England were on top and most thrillingly Mitchell Santner sealed victory with a late dart. To win without contributions from Martin Guptill or Kane Williamson was a big tick for the home side.”The partnership between Ross and Tom certainly set it up and was deserved of a good finish,” the coach, Mike Hesson, said. “We lost our way a little but the way Santner and even Tim [Southee] came out and were composed at the end was good for us”Under pressure, a lot of times [the middle order] have had to come in and play cameos, be quite selfless. Sunday was quite different, they had to play a substantial innings and the way Tom and Ross set the side up was exceptional”That’s why we play six frontline batsmen, you can’t always rely on your top order to set the platform even though they’ve done it for the majority of the summer. It was nice for the middle order to dominate.”For Latham it was just his second fifty-plus score in 32 ODI innings at home – and nine of his previous 13 knocks in New Zealand had been single-figures – while Santner’s batting has faded, or at least stalled, as his spin bowling had improved.”Tom’s been in good touch the last week or so,” Hesson said. “He got in really good positions yesterday which shows that he’s put the work. We know he’s a quality player. He’s taken the keeping on as well so we’ve asked quite a lot of him. He made a great start in India [last October], struggled a little bit at home and he’s been reminded of that a few times but we know he’s a good player. The more experience he gets in the role the better he’ll get.”Mitch has been doing that in the nets for us for a long time, we know what a good striker he is. He played nicely against these guys at Trent Bridge a while ago and showed his power, so it’s always nice for someone to get us over the line. He’s put a heck of a lot of work into his batting in recent times and nice to see it come off.”The chance of victory was restored by the Taylor-Latham alliance of 178 and capped off by Santner, but in a game of so many subplots New Zealand’s performance with the ball should not be forgotten. Tim Southee and Trent Boult excelled at both ends of the innings – the first 10 overs brought 41 runs, the last 67 – while someone snagged a breakthrough each time England threatened to get away. Hesson, who was a touch more critical of the bowling performance in the middle 30 overs, singled out Colin Munro’s knuckle ball to deceive Joe Root as a key moment.”The ability to keep taking wickets throughout the innings was critical, even though they can bat to 11 you’ve still got to start,” Hesson said. “If we can keep bringing out new guys, you earn yourselves some dots, a reprieve really. The key to any one-day game is to make sure you can still have an attacking option at one end.”We kept chipping away, we didn’t really go bang, bang but we just chipped away when they started to get away from us. I think the wicket of Joe Root was critical for us, to get them five down meant we got five overs of them trying to rebuild a little.”

Newcastle United haven't exactly got off to the dream start that they had been hoping for in the Premier League season, winning just once in four games, picking up three losses along the way against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Brighton game likely frustrated Eddie Howe the most, with his side comfortably beaten at The Amex. With that said, the international break came at the perfect time for the Magpies, who were handed the chance to regroup and go again.

Now, with Brentford up next, one pundit has delivered a surprising verdict on Sandro Tonali, despite the good start that the Italian has made to life in the Premier League, even scoring on his debut in a 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa.

So what's been said about Tonali?

Speaking to Football Insider's Ewan Kingsbury, TalkSport regular Gabriel Agbonlahor spoke about Newcastle's start to the season, ruthlessly assessing Tonali's opening four games for the club, delivering a damning verdict in the process.

The former Aston Villa striker said: “Newcastle look very poor at the moment. That’s not a team who are going to finish in the top four again if they continue performing like that. They need to wake up. Maybe the answer is making a few changes for the next game.

“Howe could put Longstaff back in that midfield. He was a big part of the success last season but he’s lost his place. That could be the answer. Take Tonali out for a game and get Longstaff in there with Guimaraes and Joelinton again. The Brighton performance was very poor and that’s now three losses on the bounce. They need to wake up, it’s not good enough.”

Tonali, of course, arrived from AC Milan for a reported £55m in the summer transfer window, and, as previously mentioned, hasn't had a poor start to life at St James' Park, which certainly makes Agbonlahor's verdict an interesting one.

The former Premier League forward could yet get his wish, too, after the Italian missed his country's clash against Ukraine on Tuesday through a "slight" injury. Now, it remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to start for Newcastle against Brentford.

How has Sandro Tonali performed this season?

Statistically speaking, Tonali has been far from a player that deserves to be dropped for his side so far this season. According to FBref, the Italian has been one of the standouts in Newcastle's midfield, outperforming Joelinton even as the Magpies have struggled as a collective.

Player

Progressive Passes

Progressive Carries

Goals

Sandro Tonali

5

11

1

Joelinton

5

9

0

So, perhaps if a regular feature in the XI does need a bit of a rest, it should actually be the Brazilian, who has looked fatigued so early in the season.

As the campaign goes on, too, and Newcastle's fixtures begin to become easier, rather than squaring off against two of the league's traditional top six in the first four games, the summer arrival will only get better. The Brentford game is an important one for Howe to get right, but that doesn't mean it should cost Tonali his place in the starting 11.

Kavem Hodge’s century and offspinner Shane Shillingford’s match haul of 6 for 88 consigned Trinidad and Tobago to an innings-and-37-run defeat in their clash against Windward Islands

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2018
ScorecardSportsfile/Getty ImagesKavem Hodge’s second first-class century and offspinner Shane Shillingford’s match haul of 6 for 88 consigned Trinidad and Tobago to an innings-and-37-run defeat in their Regional 4-Day Tournament clash against Windward Islands at St George’s. It was Windward Islands’ first win of the competition.T&T invited Windward Islands to bat, but could not put up a score of substance after the opposition amassed 366, managing scores of 172 and 157. Even so, they could probably have asked Windward Islands to bat again had they not allowed them to stage a recovery from 37 for 2 in the first innings.Hodge’s arrival steadied them thereafter, as they recovered through a third-wicket stand of 81 between him and Devon Smith. He later found an able partner in Kyle Mayers, with whom he added 107 for the fifth wicket. Hodge, in fact, played second fiddle as Mayers took over the scoring, slamming his 74 off just 68 balls and with the assistance of 10 fours and three sixes. After Mayers’ dismissal, Hodge batted around the tail to haul the total past 350.T&T’s new-ball bowler Daniel St Craig was wrecker-in-chief, snaring 6 for 62.T&T were reduced to 13 for 2 in reply and went into a shell thereafter. Denesh Ramdin, their captain, fought alone, holding up his end for 75, but the scoreboard remained stagnant for long periods. Yannic Cariah batted 70 balls for seven runs, while Tion Webster laboured for 32 balls for his 3. Tyrone Theophile nipped out Ramdin in his ninth over, before Shillingford put T&T out of their misery by dismissing the last man Bryan Charles in the next over.Shillingford finished with 3 for 36 and found ample support all around, with each of Windward Islands’ six bowlers, making an entry into the wickets column.Like in the first innings, T&T had a solitary batsman fighting after being asked to follow-on. This time, it was the opener Amir Jangoo, who had struck over half his team’s runs when he was dismissed for 69 with T&T slipping to 122 for 6. They folded for 157. Shillingford and Sherman Lewis shared six wickets between them equally, while the left-arm spinner Larry Edwards, and the opening bowlers Mayers and Delorn Johnson accounted for the rest.

Fulham have now shown an interest in signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Davinson Sanchez, and there are indications he could be allowed to leave for a cut-price fee this summer…

Is Davinson Sanchez leaving Tottenham?

In a recent report from Football Insider, it was detailed that Tottenham are keen to offload Sanchez before the summer transfer window shuts, given that he has fallen down the pecking order, and he is now in the final year of his contract.

Spurs would rather sell the defender this summer than let him leave on a free transfer next year, so they would be willing to accept a cut-price offer, with his value dropping considerably since he arrived from Ajax in a £42m deal back in 2017.

At this stage, a bid of £10m would be accepted, making him an affordable option for would-be suitors, of which there are many, with The Daily Mail reporting that Nottingham Forest, AS Monaco and Fulham are all interested in signing him.

With Spurs planning a major clear out, the Cottagers have been linked with a couple of the fellow London club's unwanted players, having also expressed an interest in Eric Dier, although the Englishman would prefer to see out his contract if possible.

In the same report, it is claimed that Marco Silva's side are now preparing for life without Tosin Adarabioyo, with the 25-year-old training away from the main group, amid interest from Spurs and AS Monaco, with the latter expected to bid within 48 hours.

As such, it could be important to bring in a new centre-back, and Sanchez is a potential target, but they may have to move quickly, as Rennes have already came forward with an offer of €9m (£7.7m), which was knocked back by Tottenham.

How good is Davinson Sanchez?

The Colombian was held in very high regard by former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, who once praised his defender for playing two games within a very short time period, saying:

"For me, the surprise was Davinson Sanchez, he was a beast playing two games in less than 48 hours. He has done very well, he is very strong physically and mentally.

"Today he was fantastic on the pitch, to praise him isn't enough, the effort was fantastic."

However, the 27-year-old has since slipped down the pecking order at Tottenham, making just 18 Premier League appearances in the 2022-23 campaign, and he was booed by his own fans for his performance against AFC Bournemouth back in April.

A fresh start could be exactly what the Caloto-born defender needs to reignite his career, and he would bring some experience to the Fulham backline, considering he is an established international, making 54 appearances for Colombia since his debut in 2016.

With Tottenham keen on signing Adarabioyo, it could be worth Fulham considering a swap deal for Sanchez, as it may be important to bring in a player with proven Premier League experience, and the Spurs ace has made 143 top-flight appearances.

A deal of that nature is yet to be discussed, but with just a few days remaining in the transfer window, time is of the essence in the Cottagers' pursuit of a new defender.

The schedule for the 2018 PSL has been announced, with the final of the tournament scheduled to be held in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2017The Pakistan Super League (PSL) will stage three games in Pakistan next season, including the final in Karachi at the end of March, which will be the highest-profile game in the port city in nine years.The PCB released an expanded 34-game schedule for the third season of the tournament (it was 24 last season), which will also see the entry of a sixth franchise, Multan Sultans. The tournament will last just over a month, beginning on February 22 with the defending champions Peshawar Zalmi taking on Multan.The format remains the same – all teams playing each other twice before the top four progress to qualifiers and eliminators. As before, the bulk of the games will be played in the UAE, between Sharjah and Dubai. There had been talk of using Abu Dhabi as a venue, more so after the Zayed Cricket Stadium hosted two T20s and ODIs against Sri Lanka earlier this season, but the city will miss out once again on the PSL.After the group stage matches, the first qualifier is the only one that will be played in the UAE. The two eliminators are set to be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the venue for last season’s final.All eyes, however, will be on Karachi, as it attempts to host its biggest match since it last held an international – a Test against Sri Lanka in February 2009. That was the last completed Test in Pakistan, before the attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore.There has been persistent chatter about the National Stadium in Karachi not being ready in time to host the game, though last month, the PCB chairman Najam Sethi said, “We have made a commitment to try our best to have it in Karachi.”In October, Reg Dickason, the security expert who advises the ICC and works with FICA, visited Karachi and met with senior security and government officials, the first step in assessing whether or not the city is ready to host high-profile games.West Indies are also scheduled to tour Pakistan in March next year for a three-match T20 series, though venues for that commitment have not yet been confirmed.