All posts by h716a5.icu

Liverpool are one of numerous clubs keeping an eye on Rav van den Berg, according to a report from The Daily Mail.

Who is Rav van den Berg?

The 18-year-old is a name that likely won't be familiar to too many yet, with the defender having only recently broken into the first-team picture at hometown club PEC Zwolle. He's worked his way up through the ranks at the club and having initially begun playing for their Under-17 and then Under-18 sides, he was promoted to the Under-21. His performances there – he played six times with one assist – then led to a first-team call-up.

He's now become a frequently used squad player for them. He already has 32 games under his belt for the club and even put his name onto the scoresheet on one occasion too, despite being a centre-back by trade. That's where Van den Berg predominantly plays his football, although he has also been used on a role on the right-flank as a right-back and has even been moved further forward into midfield once, and into right midfield on another occasion.

Now, having burst onto the first-team scene for PEC Zwolle, he is catching the eye of some European giants. According to a report from The Daily Mail, Bayern Munich and AC Milan have both registered an interest in the player, as have Ajax.

From the Premier League, it is Liverpool and Brentford who are monitoring the situation, but the latter are the most advanced currently and have now entered talks. For the Reds, they have not made an official approach yet, but it does seem as though he is on their transfer radar.

What is Rav van den Berg's value?

The giant defender – he stands at 6 foot 3 and may grow more yet – would be an imposing figure at the back, and does already have ties to Liverpool through brother Sepp. He spent last season out on loan in Germany and prior to that, was shipped out to Preston North End from the Reds. A move to Anfield then would reunite the two siblings.

There is no value mentioned in the report in regards to the younger of the pair, but Transfermarkt suggest that he could cost just 200,000 Euros (or around £171,000) to any interested party. The Mail's report does however say that he is seen as "one of the best emerging young defensive talents in European football", so this is the type of move that could be looked back on as a steal if he fulfils his potential.

Whilst Liverpool haven't made an official move yet, it seems there is some talent in the 18-year-old to have put him in the first-team already and at such a small fee, it may be worth the Reds launching a bid for the player this window.

The nine-run win took Rajshahi Kings to eight points in as many games at fifth spot while Khulna Titans remained at the top

The Report by Mohammad Isam26-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details File photo – Darren Sammy came good twice in two games•CPL/SportsfileDarren Sammy’s late assault helped Rajshahi Kings to a nine-run win over table toppers Khulna Titans. His unbeaten 71 not only brought Rajshahi out of a mire but ended up giving them a competitive total to fight for.It was for the second game in a row that Rajshahi needed Sammy’s big-hitting intervention to pull them back from a batting slide. When Umar Akmal, not for the first time in the tournament, was a victim of an iffy leg-before decision, they had slipped to 66 for 4 after 11 overs.Sammy took a bit of time to get his radar in order, mainly because Samit Patel and Mehedi Hasan too fell before the team score reached 100. Once he had blasted Junaid Khan for his first six, there was no looking back. He struck five more, mostly flicks over the leg-side boundary. His unbeaten 34-ball knock also included four fours.Kevon Cooper and Shafiul Islam took two wickets each while there was one apiece for Mosharraf Hossain and Mahmudullah who only bowled two overs for seven runs.Khulna’s struggle at the top continued after Mohammad Hasanuzzman was run out in the second over before Shuvagata Hom was caught at short fine leg in the next over. Riki Wessels and Mahmudullah added 47 runs for the third wicket before Wessels was bowled by Sammy for 36.Nicholas Pooran, who for the first time in the BPL played to his reputation, fell after trying a third six off Mehedi Miraz in the 14th over. Pooran made 28 off just 12 balls with a four and three sixes. Mahmudullah was Khulna’s last hope so when he fell in the following over, after a run-a-ball 33, Khulna left a lot to do for their lower order.Cooper and Ariful Haque managed to eke out just two fours in their 21-ball sixth-wicket partnership. Mohammad Sami and Farhad Reza closed out the game by bowling tight lines in the last four overs. Nazmul, Sami, Abul Hasan, Sammy and Mehedi took one wicket each.

With their off-the-field problems slowly clearing following confirmation that 49ers Enterprises have agreed a full takeover of the club, Leeds United's full focus can now turn to matters on the pitch ahead of their return to the Championship.

United are on the lookout for a new manager and new players following relegation from the Premier League last month, ending their three-year stay back in the top flight.

With a little over seven weeks to go until the new campaign begins, Leeds appear to already have a few targets in mind, including arguably the Championship's most in-demand player in Victor Gyokeres.

Who is Coventry City striker Victor Gyokeres?

Leeds are said to have made bringing in Gyokeres one of their priorities as they look to strengthen their attack for the 2023-24 season, though Football Insider previously reported that Wolverhampton Wanderers lead the race, with as many as five Premier League teams circling.

It is little wonder Gyokeres is high on the list of numerous clubs' transfer radars, having scored 21 goals last season – only Middlesbrough's Chuba Akpom (28) scored more in the Championship – and assisted 10 more.

With a combined 31 goals and assists, Gyokeres played a direct part in more goals than any other player in the second tier last season as Coventry narrowly missed out on promotion via the play-offs.

Indeed, no team was more reliant on one player for their goals in the Championship last season, with Gyokeres responsible for 36% of their strikes – Carlton Morris being next on the list with 35% (20 of Luton Town's 57 goals), as per WhoScored.

Is Victor Gyokeres the Championship version of Haaland?

Clearly, then, Gyokeres is a player who is more than capable of both scoring and creating goals for a team competing for promotion to the Premier League – or indeed a team already in the top tier.

Coventry boss Tony Mowbray has described the Sweden international – who aged just 25 still has his best years ahead of him – as a "powerful" striker in the mould of arguably Europe's deadliest striker, Erling Haaland.

The stats do indeed back up Mowbray's point regarding the presence that the two players possess, with Gyokeres winning 1.86 of his aerial duels last season, as per FBref, and Haaland 1.62 of his.

They were also identical in terms of average touches in the opposition penalty area (7.16 and 7.05 respectively) and for interceptions (0.07 and 0.10), which covers both the offensive and defensive aspects of their games.

Also, similar to Gyokeres scoring a higher percentage of his team's goals than any other player in the Championship, Haaland was second in the same list in the Premier League (38%), behind only Tottenham's Harry Kane (43%).

That is not to say Gyokeres – available for £20m when factoring in add-ons, according to Football Insider – is on the same level as Haaland, who set a new record with 36 Premier League goals this past season, but the former Brighton and Hove Albion player certainly has qualities that set him apart from others in the division.

With Patrick Bamford low on confidence following a disappointing campaign in which he scored four goals in 28 appearances, and question marks over Joe Gelhardt – he hardly lit up the Championship with Sunderland last season, after all, with just three goals to his name – Gyokeres is the proven striker Leeds need to make an instant return to the big time.

Ben Stokes produced a day of all-round dominance to rival anything produced by an England player in the subcontinent, to drag his side into the ascendancy in a thrilling first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong

The Report by Andrew Miller22-Oct-2016England 293 and 228 for 8 (Stokes 85, Bairstow 47, Shakib 5-79) lead Bangladesh 248 (Tamim 78, Mushfiqur 48, Stokes 4-26) by 273 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Stokes produced a day of all-round dominance to rival anything produced by an England player in the subcontinent, to drag his side – wicket by wicket, run by run – into the ascendancy in a thrilling first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong.With four crucial wickets in a supreme display of reverse-swing bowling in Bangladesh’s first innings, followed by a technically formidable 85 from 151 balls in England’s second, Stokes twice hauled England back from the point of no return, and in so doing, sapped the spirit of a Bangladesh side that had made much of the running in the first two days of the contest.By the close, England had recovered from a ropey 64 for 5 in their second innings to reach the close on 228 for 8 – an overall lead of 273 – with Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes once again demonstrating the depth of England’s batting resources in a comfortable ninth-wicket stand. However, with the second new ball looming within four overs of the resumption, the vagaries of the pitch are sure to be revealed once again when Bangladesh’s spinners are armed with a hard new cherry, which in turn will reaffirm the magnificence of Stokes’ performance.The ball was in its 19th over when Stokes began his vigil, with men around the bat and England in some strife after the loss of four wickets for 20 runs in the space of ten overs either side of lunch. But, in a doughty display of patience and controlled aggression, Stokes demonstrated both maturity and the fruits of his own hard graft in the nets, as he played largely off the back foot to give himself time to react to whatever came his way.Aside from one early sweep for six over square leg off Taijul Islam, it wasn’t until the final session that Stokes unfurled his more belligerent strokes, as he began to warm to the lessening bite of the spinners to crunch six fours and two more sixes in a stay that spanned 46 overs. The second of his sixes, again off Taijul, was hoisted high over midwicket to bring up a 102-ball fifty.Jonny Bairstow was his principal ally in a sixth-wicket stand of 127, during which time Bairstow went past Andy Flower’s record for the most runs by a wicketkeeper in a calendar year. He finally chopped on for 47 to give Kamrul Islam Rabbi his maiden Test wicket – a rare success for Bangladesh’s seamers who contributed 11 overs all told and none before the 40th over – and Stokes followed three overs later to give Shakib Al Hasan the fourth wicket of a fighting haul of 5 for 79.However, as Stokes departed to huge acclaim from his team-mates, it was clear that he had already carried the destiny of this match beyond any reasonable doubt. Bangladesh cannot be entirely ruled out, of course, but in what is already a stiff fourth-innings requirement, it will require a performance of at least equal skill and resolve if they are to secure a win that would surely count as their greatest Test victory.To devalue Stokes’ efforts by commenting on the identity of his opponents would do a disservice to both parties. Bangladesh may have lost all eight of their previous Tests against England, but much like Sri Lanka in the early 1990s, there comes a point when past history counts for little and teams deserve to be judged on the here and now.Ben Stokes followed his wickets with a vital innings•AFPAnd for two days of absorbing, and very traditional, subcontinental cricket, it had been Bangladesh putting in all of the inspirational performances – from Mehedi Hasan’s six-wicket debut, to Tamim Iqbal’s cool-headed 78. England started the third day with a lead of 73 and five Bangladesh wickets still to claim, no easy task given the listlessness of their spinners when armed with the soft old ball. It was clear that a lead of any description on this surface would be critical to either side, so Stokes made it his duty to be the man that England needed.Their day did, however, begin with a gift-wrapped opening wicket. His later wickets atoned for the misjudgement to a degree but, as their last remaining senior batsman, Shakib’s decision to gallop down the pitch to Moeen Ali’s second delivery of the morning was an aberration. He was stumped by three yards to depart for 31, and when the nightwatchman Shafiul Islam slogged an Adil Rashid legbreak to mid-on for 2, the door was flapping open for Stokes to kick through the tail.He had already made arguably the key incision of the match by extracting Mushfiqur Rahim for 48 on the second evening and, with the ball moving both ways seemingly at will, from over and round the wicket, Stokes was threatening left- and right-handers alike on both sides of the bat – as well as flush on the helmet, when he pinned the debutant Sabbir Rahman with a pinpoint bouncer. By the time he plucked out Rabbi’s off stump with a perfect inswinger, he had completed innings figures of 4 for 26 in 14 overs, including 4 for 10 in his last ten.By lunch, however, the pricelessness of England’s 45-run lead had become all too apparent, as Bangladesh’s spinners once again surged to the fore, armed with the hard new ball that seemed at times to detonate from the crumbling surface. In the space of eight deliveries, England lost both of their most acclaimed players of spin, as Alastair Cook was lured into a poke to slip off Mehedi before Joe Root – always eager to rotate the strike – dropped to one knee and was pinned lbw by Shakib. And right on the stroke of lunch, England lost their third wicket for two runs in the space of 20 balls, as Ben Duckett lobbed a simple chance off Shakib to short leg.Stokes’ appearance followed soon after the resumption when Gary Ballance, who had never looked comfortable as Bangladesh cramped his pads with a tight leg-stump line, swept firmly into Imrul Kayes’ midriff at leg slip for 9, and though Moeen survived his sixth TV referral of the match after a catch to short leg had been deflected off the fielder’s helmet, he too fell on the sweep to leave the fate of the game hanging on England’s redoubtable middle order. Not for the first time in recent months, they responded to the challenge.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane will sit down with the expected new Spurs boss, Ange Postecoglou, to hold talks over where his future lies in north London.

Who is Ange Postecoglou?

The managerial search in N17 is seemingly coming to a close with Daniel Levy believed to have found his man in the Celtic manager Postecoglou.

Indeed, reports have suggested the Australian has now agreed personal terms with the Premier League club just hours after completing the treble with the Bhoys.

It is now believed that it is only the final details which will need to be ironed out with Celtic to overcome in order to see the 57-year-old become the new manager at Spurs.

However, Postecoglou has a huge task on his hands as the Lilywhites appear to be in need of a major rebuild following a dreadful 2022/23 campaign.

And one of the major issues hanging over the club at the moment is the future of their star player, Harry Kane, who has just one year remaining on his current deal.

With the Australian now looking set to become the new Spurs boss, Fabrizio Romano has told his YouTube channel that Postecoglou will hold behind-the-scenes talks with Kane in an attempt to keep him:

"But what is very clear also is that Daniel Levy is still prepared to fight for Harry Kane. He will try once he will have a new manager, conversations will take place with Postecoglou to convince Harry Kane, to keep Harry Kane at the club. So Tottenham will try again in the next days."

Could Kane leave Spurs?

The England captain's future appears to be at a real crossroads this summer with a number of clubs believed to be interested amid his dwindling contract.

Indeed, it is believed the likes of Manchester United have identified him as a priority signing for the summer window as Erik ten Hag searches for a new striker.

However, interest from abroad has also increased over recent days with reports suggesting Real Madrid will look to Kane as their potential replacement for the departing Karim Benzema.

Two of the world's biggest clubs could, therefore, be on the hunt for Kane's services this summer but it seems Spurs are not willing to potentially lose him without a fight.

But is Postecoglou a big enough name to convince Kane to stay?

The Australian has enjoyed a brilliant spell at Parkhead having won a bag full of trophies over his two years in the job.

However, this potential move to north London would be the 57-year-old's first job in one of Europe's top five leagues which could leave a lot of uncertainty for the England captain.

Kane will turn 30 years old over the coming weeks and whether he is willing to invest his time in this expected rebuild at Spurs under a manager who is not proven at this level is yet to be seen.

Helping some of Sri Lanka’s Test players regain form and giving as many as 30 players a chance was a highlight for the A team coach Avishka Gunawardene

Sa'adi Thawfeeq02-Nov-2016Sri Lanka A coach Avishka Gunawardene was pleased the home series against West Indies A had served its purpose of grooming young players, despite the 3-0 loss in the one-dayers. Gunawardene was also satisfied that the four-day matches – which his team won 2-1 – had allowed Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera to find form before the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa.Karunaratne and Kusal played the first two unofficial Tests, tallying 241 runs and 176 runs respectively. While Karunaratne scored a century and a fifty, Kusal notched up two half-centuries. Both batsmen struck hundreds in the first Test against Zimbabwe.The senior squad in Harare includes another four men who had played the four-day games against West Indies A, which pleased Gunawardene. “The idea was to groom players for the next level and out of the players picked for Zimbabwe, three were fast bowlers Lahiru Gamage, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Madushanka and one batsman Asela Gunaratne. The other positive factor was we wanted to get Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera back in form. Both of them scored runs in the ongoing Zimbabwe first Test.”We also wanted to have a look at how (Niroshan) Dickwella was as a wicketkeeper-batsman at No. 6 because (Dinesh) Chandimal wasn’t sure of going on the tour. Then there was legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay who was out with an injury for almost six months. We managed to play him in two four-day games and in the last one he got his rhythm back.”Vandersay was returning to cricket after an eight-month break. In his first match back, he took 2 for 190 and Sri Lanka A lost by 333 runs. In the the series decider though, he took 6 for 47 to bowl West Indies A out for 194 and set up a 138-run win. Gunawardene also praised 19-year-old Charith Asalanka, who took 11 wickets with his offspin and scored 104 runs in the three unofficial Tests.”Another plus point is that we played Charith Asalanka throughout the tour,” he said. “Although he didn’t make any big impact, in patches he did well with both bat and ball. Both Under-19 fast bowlers [Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando] played in the unofficial Test series and one of them [Lahiru] went on the Zimbabwe tour.”Gunawardene said the pitches prepared for the A series were hard and bouncy keeping in mind those Sri Lanka might get on tour later this season. “It was a decision that was taken prior to the series that we would prepare tracks more like the ones that Sri Lanka are bound to come up against in Zimbabwe and South Africa. We played on such good surfaces that you can hardly say you were playing in Sri Lanka. Up to the fourth day we didn’t see much spin on the track.”Despite the mixed results, Gunawardene said the team had stuck to its policy of testing new players and combinations, giving a chance to 30 players in the series.”If you are talking overall about the tour, someone like Sandun Weerakkody was a good sign. We all knew that he was good and when we gave him the opportunity in the four-day match he came off with a good innings. It was also nice to see Shehan Jayasuriya getting into form with a hundred [in the one-dayers] and he is bowling well too.”Another thing was that we were trying to find out the fast-bowling combinations – who could bowl with the new ball upfront and who could bowl with the older ball at the death. The plan was whether the bowlers came off well or not. We wanted to see how well they will adapt. Even though they went for runs sometimes we persisted with them for a couple of more overs to give them the experience and expose them for the latter part of the innings.”If you take all the fast bowlers we used in the one-dayers, there was Keshan Wijerathne who has not played a single first-class game in his career, Binura Fernando was coming out of an injury and hadn’t played much but he is still in his early 20s, then Anuk Fernando, a left-arm seamer who is only 21. Out of all the fast bowlers, most of them haven’t played much first-class cricket, they are pretty young and they need to play at the higher level for some time, [play] more domestic cricket. We have identified them as good potential but they need some time, a bit of a long-term plan and we need to be patient with them.”Gunawardene praised Rahkeem Cornwall, the most impressive player for West Indies A on the tour. The offspinner from Antigua took 23 wickets in the three four-day games at 19.82, including an eight-for in the first unofficial Test.”Credit to him, he was very precise with his lines and lengths and he would give very little bad balls away,” said Gunawardene. “He used to vary his pace very well. The other factor was that we had about six left-handers in our line-up at the top and that made it easier for him.”Sri Lanka A’s next series is against England Lions who are due to visit in February.

Celtic head coach Ange Postecoglou has been heavily linked with a move away from the Scottish Premiership with several English top flight clubs on the search for new managers.

The 57-year-old was asked by Sky Sports whether any of the speculation, particularly amid interest from Spurs, had come across his radar. To which he defiantly said: "And yet, I'm still here."

Adding more to his reply, Postecoglou said:

"Listen, it doesn't,""I think anyone that knows me knows that what is important for me is the here and now. I've never planned anything in my football career."My ambitions right now are to enjoy tomorrow and have a good game and try to win a cup final to have a special year. It's not every year that you get the chance to win a Treble. If anyone thinks that I am thinking anything other than that then they don't know me."

Celtic face Iverness in the Scottish Cup final and the manager appears focused on bringing the treble home for Celtic fans.

What's the latest on Ange Postecoglou's Celtic future?

In the last 48 hours, the Daily Mail's Rob Draper reported on behind the scenes news he's heard on Spurs' interest in Postecoglou in a promising boost for Celtic fans.

With Tottenham set to part ways with acting manager Ryan Mason following the end of the Premier League season, It's reported that Xabi Alonso, their initial no.1 candidate, had ruled himself out of contention while Postecoglou looks quite likely to commit to another year at Celtic.

For Spurs there wouldn't be an exorbitant exit clause due to the 57-year-old's one-year rolling contract with Celtic. Yet, the manager's desire is to remain at the club with his "ultimate ambition" said to be to guide Celtic through to the Champions League knockout stages.

Additionally, the current Celtic side has been "largely recruited by him" and so Postecoglou wants to yield returns on that faith shown in him by the club.

What is Ange Postecoglou's contract situation at Celtic?

As reported by the Daily Mail, Postecoglou is on a one-year rolling contract. This means that unless terminated by either the club or the manager, it will renew again and "roll" into another season.

For Celtic, it's a precarious situation as they can do little to prevent Postecoglou from leaving if he decided to due to the lack of a prohibitive exit clause.

For instance, another former Spurs managerial candidate, Feyenoord manager Arne Slot has a £17m release clause, while the Daily Mail claims Postecoglou's contract does not contain an "expensive" clause.

That said, Postecoclgou seems set for another year at the club with a European adventure in sight.

A round-up of the second day’s play in round one of Ranji Trophy Group A matches

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2016Group AFast bowlers Krishnamoorthy Vignesh and Aswin Crist helped Tamil Nadu compete against Mumbai in Lahli. Vignesh finished with 5 for 41 on debut, while Crist returned figures of 3 for 51 as they made sure Tamil Nadu – who had been all out for 87 – conceded a first-innings lead of only 89 runs.Openers Washington Sundar and Abhinav Mukund then wiped out that deficit with a 107-run stand that shifted the momentum firmly in Tamil Nadu’s favour. However, Dhawal Kulkarni broke the partnership to open a passage of play in which six wickets fell for the addition of just 43 runs. Debutant left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil did most of the damage, taking 3 for 36. Tamil Nadu went to stumps with a lead of 64 and only four wickets in hand.Harpreet Singh raced to an unbeaten double-century to help Madhya Pradesh post 465 from an overnight total of 292 for 7. Seamers Ishwar Pandey and Gaurav Yadav then reduced Uttar Pradesh to 131 for 5 as Madhya Pradesh established a dominant position by stumps on day two in Hyderabad.In the morning, resuming on 112, Harpreet hit 104 of the 173 runs Madhya Pradesh added. He was well supported by Ankit Sharma, who scored 61 off 97 in an eighth-wicket stand that yielded 155 runs in 208 balls. Madhya Pradesh maintained a run-rate of almost 5 in the 36 overs they faced.With the ball, Pandey made the first breakthrough and Yadav made the next three, before the run-out of Piyush Chawla left Uttar Pradesh struggling at 96 for 5. Eklavya Dwivedi and Kuldeep Yadav saw them through to stumps without any further losses.Uday Kaul and Gurkeerat Singh scored unbeaten fifties in an unbroken 110-run fifth-wicket stand to rescue Punjab and take them to 154 for 4 against Railways in Delhi.This was after Siddarth Kaul dismissed Railways’ overnight batsman, Ashish Yadav (81) Shivakant Shukla (128), and then removed Anureet Singh to complete his five-wicket haul. Overall, Punjab took 5 for 74 in the day and bowled Railways out for 331.In their reply, Punjab were reduced to 44 for 4 by the Railways quicks, before Uday Kaul (59*) and Gurkeerat (66*) put up resistance.Baroda declared on 544 for 8, before Gujarat’s openers survived 15 overs to stumps on another batsman’s day in Jaipur.Resuming on 285 for 2, Baroda’s overnight batsmen Aditya Waghmode and Deepak Hooda added a further 57 runs before their 175-run third-wicket partnership was broken. By that stage, Hooda had got 118; Waghmode was dismissed shortly after for 142.Contributions of 47 from Hardik Pandya and 66 not out from Swapnil Singh took Baroda past 500. Gujarat’s openers, Samit Gohel and Priyank Kirit Panchal, closed out the day at 34 for 0.

Tottenham Hotspur are happy to listen to any incoming bids for Ben Davies this summer, according to reports.

Is Ben Davies leaving Spurs?

The Welshman first arrived in N17 from Swansea City back in 2014 and has since gone on to make a total of 310 appearances to date, making him Ryan Mason’s third longest-serving player slightly behind Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris.

The Lilywhites left-back has been a regular feature in the Premier League this season, registering 25 starts and five substitute outings, as per WhoScored, but despite him still having another two years to run on his contract, his future is currently uncertain.

Daniel Levy is reportedly planning a major squad overhaul this summer alongside whoever his new permanent manager will be, and with the 30-year-old not getting any younger, it would appear that he could be one of the first to get the chop if the following update is to be believed.

Are Spurs selling Davies?

According to Football Insider, Tottenham will "listen to offers" for Davies this summer no matter which manager is in the dugout ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Spurs "recognise" that they need a squad transformation of the "core" of the first-team given the disappointment of this season, and the defender is one of the players that the board are "likely" to cash in on should they receive an offer of £15m as per a "well-placed source".

Tottenham are certainly in desperate need of a clear out having failed to qualify for any kind of European football this season, so despite being a great servant under the various managers over the years, Davies departing during the upcoming window would be the right decision moving forward.

The Spurs veteran is currently ranked by WhoScored as Mason’s 13th worst defensive player where he’s averaging just 0.8 tackles per top-flight game having won only nine of the 25 he’s made since the start of the term, poor form which has seen him. recently described as “weak” in one-on-one situations by journalist Nacho Gonzalez.

Davies, who is a natural left-back, has also played as a centre-back on 27 occasions this season so can’t even establish himself as the manager’s first-choice option in his usual role, therefore highlighting that the club probably want to enter the market for a fresh face in that area, meaning that he would only be out of favour should he remain beyond the summer.

David Willey, the left-arm seamer, has been ruled out of England’s ODI series against Pakistan after suffering a hand injury on T20 Blast Finals Day

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2016David Willey, the left-arm seamer, has been taken out of England’s squad for the ODI series against Pakistan after suffering a hand injury on T20 Blast Finals Day. He will be replaced by Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball, but Willey still hopes to play a part at some stage.*Willey was struck by a fierce return drive from Mark Stoneman in his second over of the semi-final against Durham. Although he completed his four overs, and then opened the batting, he was clearly in significant pain.An X-ray on Sunday “has not excluded a significant injury” an ECB statement said and he will undergo a further scan on Monday as well as being assessed by a consultant with the statement adding Willey had been “withdrawn from England’s ODI squad until a clear diagnosis has been established.”Willey later tweeted: “Not actually ruled out of this series yet, waiting for diagnosis on hand. Hopefully just a bruise!”Willey has become a central figure in England’s limited-overs team, making 18 ODI appearances and 11 in T20Is since making his international debut in May last year. He has 29 ODI wickets at 27.82 and has often provided early breakthroughs with his new-ball swing. In his most recent ODI, against Sri Lanka in Cardiff, he took a career-best 4 for 34.Ball, meanwhile, earns his first call-up to the one-day side having made his Test debut against Pakistan at Lord’s last month.The England squad meet up in Southampton on Monday ahead of the opening match of the series at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday.*20.30BST, August 21: This story was updated with David Willey’s comment