Madhya Pradesh finished the third day at 47 for 2, still trailing Delhi by 20 runs after they were bowled out for 405

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2017
ScorecardPrakash ParsekarFifties from opener Kunal Chandela and Himmat Singh, along with handy middle-order contributions from Rishabh Pant and Nitish Rana carried Delhi to a vital first-innings lead against Madhya Pradesh in their quarter-final in Vijayawada. Delhi secured a 67-run lead after they were bowled out for 405 in the 120th over. Madhya Pradesh finished the third day at 47 for 2, trailing Delhi by 20 runs.Ishwar Pandey struck early on the third morning, removing Chandela for 81, after he had added eight runs to his overnight score. Pant (49) and Rana (43) stitched up a 64-run, fourth-wicket stand to stabilise Delhi. Himmat then put Delhi in control of the game with partnerships of 62 with Manan Sharma (28) and 47 with Vikas Tokas (13).Madhya Pradesh gave themselves a chance by toppling over Delhi’s last four wickets for 17 runs. Legspinner Mihir Hirwani led the bowling with figures of 5 for 89, his fifth five-wicket haul in 13 matches.In reply, Madhya Pradesh lost Rajat Patidar early to Tokas before Ankit Dane, the other opener, was run out in the penultimate over of the day for 16. Shubham Sharma and nightwatchman Puneet Datey were unbeaten at stumps.

Arsenal have already completed a host of lucrative deals this summer, but could be set to sneak in one more in order to bolster their first team and comply with their youth-focused transfer style…

Who are Arsenal signing this summer?

With Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber having joined as part of Mikel Arteta's mini-revolution this window, all of whom are 24 or younger, it is clear the direction that he seeks to take the north London outfit just months after narrowly missing out on the title.

Therefore, the recent report from Italian outlet Calciomercato likely has some credence, as it details their efforts to sign young defender Josip Sutalo from Dinamo Zagreb.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

Although the outlet actually seeks to outline Ajax's progression towards a completed deal, with a fee of around €21m (£19m) touted, it is noted that there could be a late movement to snag the 23-year-old before his switch is finalised.

Football Transfers value the Croatia international at just €8m (£7m).

How good is Josip Sutalo?

Despite having only really featured in his homeland, aside from a brief stint in Italy, Sutalo still boasts a fine reputation across Europe as a stellar ball-playing asset capable of dominating and creating from the back.

It is, therefore, no surprise to see him linked with an Emirates switch, given the way Arteta's philosophy is built off the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes' exploits.

Should they decide to swoop in, it could provide ample cover for these two dominant defenders, who could be fearing for their starting spots in no time at all.

Especially given, when ranked against other centre-backs across Europe, Sutalo sits in the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90, the top 19% for tackles per 90 and the top 3% for blocks per 90, via FBref.

Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig praised his composure too, branding him a: "complete & elegant CB".

Such defensive excellence combined with an ability to stride out with confidence unsurprisingly draws comparisons with Laurent Koscielny, which Premier League News Now outlined by writing:

'Šutalo is very comfortable with the ball at his feet, be that when he is picking people out with passes or going on adventures driving up with the ball. He’s a good passer, both short and long but not spectacular as his passes come off slightly under-hit at moments. He’s composed and draws parallels to Laurent Koscielny'.

The Frenchman spent nine impressive years in north London, enjoying arguably his finest season at the club during the 2015/16 term. Maintaining a 7.31 average match rating, this was a figure buoyed by his insane ball progression alongside his solidity.

He would record an 87% pass accuracy, a 91% dribble success rate, 15 clean sheets as well as 3.8 interceptions and 5.6 clearances per game, via Sofascore, during that standout season.

These are statistics eerily similar to that of his potential successors during the 2022/23 campaign in the Croatian top-flight, as he maintained a 93% pass accuracy as well as two interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game, via Sofascore.

Widely recognised as one of Arsenal's finest defensive stars in recent memory – as Arsene Wenger sought to laud his compatriot back in 2011 after dubbing him a "special player" – should Sutalo bring half as much quality as Koscielny did, he would already be recognised as a success.

Georgina Rodriguez has shown off the dazzling watch that long-term partner Cristiano Ronaldo gifted her for her 30th birthday.

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• Georgina shows off birthday gift on social media
• Timepiece believed to be worth around $100,000
• Pair spend landmark birthday apart

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Argentine-born model recently celebrated her 30th with an idyllic trip to the Maldives and took to social media to thank friends and family for gifts. Her pink-strapped timepiece was displayed alongside a tag to New York City-based Jacob & Co, a jeweller popular with rappers and US sports stars, referenced as far back as 1999 in Jay-Z's single 'Girl's Best Friend'. While their items are bespoke, reports suggest Ronaldo is unlikely to have gotten much change out of $100,000 for the gift.

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• WHAT GEORGINA RODRIGUEZ POSTED

  "Gracias mi amor," – 'Thank you my love,' posted Rodriguez on her Instagram story with a picture of the diamond-encrusted watch.

  Instagram @georginagio

• Getty
  

  THE GOSSIP

  The couple spent the milestone birthday apart as Rodriguez opted for a luxury retreat in the Maldives while Ronaldo continued preparations for the resumption of the Saudi Pro League and the widely-hyped rematch with Lionel Messi when Al-Nassr take on Inter Miami on Thursday – although he has been ruled out of that clash with an untimely injury.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  It looks like the Portuguese superstar may have struck up something of a relationship with Jacob & Co.. The company's social media feeds showed Ronaldo proudly sporting one of a brand new range of watches as part of a collaboration entitled the 'Jacob & Co x CR7 Epic X' line.

Australia’s emerging Twenty20 talent D’Arcy Short has declared he wants to keep the opening spot alongside David Warner, and the recent middle-order IPL record of the vastly more experienced Aaron Finch suggests he may well be able to do so.Short has shown plenty of promise in all three of his appearances so far, following on from an explosive Big Bash League for Hobart Hurricanes – where he set a new record for the most runs ever scored in a single edition of the tournament – that vaulted him into the team in the first place. To a degree his role has been affected by the sheer effectiveness of Australia’s bowling attack in restricting England and New Zealand to low totals, but after Saturday’s innings, Short was singled out for praise by the assistant coach Ricky Ponting for his composure – the moment captured by television cameras.”He knows so much about the game, the ins and outs of it, and he was just going through saying it was a good knock and a composed knock, especially at the start where I probably could have tried to blast my way out of it,” Short said of Ponting. “I worked through it and he was just congratulating me on that one.”Definitely [want to open], I think I’m suited there and that’s where I like to bat, and hopefully I can stay there. I didn’t know what to expect until a couple of days ago, just chatting to other guys. I think they wanted to keep me opening because I’d done so well in the Big Bash and throwing me down the order might change it a little bit. Definitely a little bit surprised considering how well he [Finch] has done at the top.””I didn’t feel like I could hit a ball, especially at the start. But I knew that if we didn’t lose wickets and I stayed in with whoever was in and scoring runs then we’d get the total easily. I had to work hard in terms of trying to get my runs early, they bowled well at the start and I had to work a little bit harder. I just tried to keep at a run a ball basically and then go from there.”Before the triangular series, the stand-in leader Warner had spoken about how the preponderance of openers in the Australian squad – Short, Finch, Chris Lynn and Alex Carey have all typically opened for their teams in addition to the captain – needed to be addressed with a measure of flexibility. The combination of Finch’s injury making room for Short and his decent record as a middle-order batsman in the IPL seems to have made up Warner’s mind.Finch has played 36 of his 208 T20 matches as a middle-order batsman, most recently doing the job for Gujarat Lions in the IPL in 17 matches over the past two editions of the tournament. During that time he has made 448 runs at 32 with a strike rate of 150.33, as against career figures of 34.26 and 139.02, and on Saturday night put an explanation mark on Australia’s victory with a pair of mighty sixes after coming in at the fall of the third wicket.At the same time, the team hierarchy will also have reasoned that Short is better off starting against speed than spin, given a wide disparity in his strike rates when given pace on the ball to work with. While agreeing it was something he needed to work on, Short said he was tired of hearing about it – a pair of clean hits worth four and six from Liam Dawson’s second over during the MCG chase were a move in the right direction at any rate.”I went at [Liam] Dawson because I had a look at his first over and felt like I could take him down in the second over and it worked in my favour in the end,” Short said. “I go at a run a ball against spin, I don’t see what the problem is there. I’ll obviously keep trying to work on it and to get my strike rate up against them a bit more would be good, but I’m happy with where it’s at at the moment. A little bit [sick of it] but I can’t do anything about it, that’s people’s opinion.”I think it’s just about keeping your game plan simple and knowing how you’re going to go about the game. Working on things you need to work on and different areas you want to hit the ball, but I think if you’ve got your game plan set and if you go out with your mindset to do that, then I think you should be right. They’re always going to try different things and you’ve got to negate that, work around it and try to work through it.”The innings was all the more noteworthy for the fact that the 27-year-old Short admitted to plenty of nerves about playing an international match at the MCG for the first time, reflecting how quickly he has risen through the ranks after taking some time to mature as a player. He has been aided by an Australian T20 collective functioning impressively under the stand-in leadership of Warner. “A year to two years ago if you asked me was I going to be here I probably would’ve said no,” Short said, “but just being consistent and working hard has got me to where I am now.”I was a bit more nervous than the first two games, just because its a big stadium at the MCG, but I tried not to think about it too much. All the players playing at the moment are playing with freedom, and I think it shows in our batting, bowling and fielding as well. You’re here to go out and do what you love and show off a little bit and see how you go – play with confidence and go from there.”One major factor in the composition of this T20 side has been the looming Test tour of South Africa, for which the likes of Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins have been saved. Short expressed hope that the current group could be kept together for future assignments, but also acknowledged the scheduling issues facing the selectors.”If we win this tri-series and go through, if we can try and keep it together, that’d be good,” Short said. “I suppose you always put your best team out, and whether we all fit in the best team, that’s up to the selectors. I think it definitely gives you the opportunity to showcase your skills in front of other people on the international stage and you always try to take it with both hands.”

Afghanistan gave West Indies a hint of the struggle that could be in store for them in their bid to reach the 2019 World Cup, after battling back from the brink of a crushing defeat

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2018Afghanistan 163 for 9 (Gulbadin 48, Shenwari 42) beat West Indies 110 (Dawlat 4-26) by 23 runs (DLS)
ScorecardGulbadin Naib appeals for a runout after deflecting a drive onto the stumps•ICC

Afghanistan gave West Indies a hint of the struggle that could be in store for them in their bid to reach the 2019 World Cup, after battling back from the brink of a crushing defeat to pull off a remarkable victory in their warm-up encounter in Harare, ahead of next week’s ICC World Cup Qualifiers.The two teams are among the favourites to claim the final two spots for next year’s tournament in England, but for West Indies, two-time world champions in 1975 and 1979, failure to progress would be a particularly ignominious moment in their history.And the manner in which they capitulated in this contest, first with ball and then bat, will have given them few reasons for optimism going into their opening fixture against UAE next week, even though they have welcomed back into their ranks the likes of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who played key roles in their triumphs at the World T20 in 2012 and 2016.After winning the toss and choosing to field first, West Indies appeared to have the contest in their pocket after reducing Afghanistan to 71 for 8 in 23 overs. Without their captain, Asghar Stanikzai, who has been hospitalised with appendicitis, Afghanistan appeared rudderless as the left-arm seamer, Sheldon Cottrell, set the tone with two wickets in the first five overs of the match.But Afghanistan’s spirit is redoubtable at the best of times, and when Samiullah Shenwari and Gulbadin Naib came together in a ninth-wicket stand of 91 in 11.5 overs, Afghanistan found themselves back in the contest.With bad weather reducing the match to a 35-over affair, West Indies lost Gayle and Shai Hope early as they chased a revised total of 140, but Evin Lewis and Marlon Samuels appeared to have steadied the pursuit with a stand of 44.However, Sharafuddin Ashraf bagged Lewis and Jason Mohammed for a duck in the space of four balls to leave West Indies teetering on 80 for 4, and when Shapoor Zadran added Samuels for 34 three overs later, the writing was on the wall.Dawlat Zadran returned to rip through the tail with final figures of 4 for 26, which included a hat-trick that saw the end of Shimron Hetmyer (caught at gully by Najibullah Zadran), Rovman Powell (caught by Mohammad Shahzad) and Carlos Brathwaite (lbw) off successive deliveries of his fifth over. Captain Rashid Khan – the newly crowned No.1 bowler in ODI and T20I cricket – subsequently sniped out the final two West Indies wickets with his legspin.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is keen to strengthen his forward line and fill the void left by Harry Kane and could turn to one of Europe's most exciting young strikers to succeed the England international, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest Tottenham Hotspur transfer news?

Enjoying a fruitful summer, Lilywhites boss Postecoglou has added Ashley Phillips, James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Alejo Veliz and Manor Solomon, as per Transfermarkt.

Nevertheless, losing talisman Kane to Bayern Munich has left a bitter taste in the mouth for Spurs in the infancy of Postecoglou's project being designed in N17 and a replacement figure will be needed to enthuse a fan base who want to see major progress on the field.

According to 90min, Tottenham have failed in an inquiry to Brighton & Hove Albion surrounding Irish youngster Evan Ferguson, who has already notched 11 goals in 30 senior matches on the South Coast.

The same outlet claim that talks between Tottenham and Gent have taken place regarding the availability of Nigerian striker Gift Orban amid speculation surrounding his immediate future in Belgium.

Football Insider indicate that Spurs' scouts have been 'blown away' by Orban's exploits at Gent and feel that he has 'huge potential' to succeed in the Premier League.

Across his entire career, Orban has netted 44 goals and laid on nine assists in 50 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer guru Romano confirmed that Orban is a name that is 'on the list' of attacking targets that Postecoglou is considering this summer.

Romano stated: “So, Gift Orban is a player that they have on the list, for sure. They like and appreciate him, they have been scouting him for a long time so, for sure, he’s a player on the list. And the player is really keen on a Premier League move so that could be positive for Tottenham Hotspur.”

Who else could Tottenham Hotspur sign and who could leave the club?

Speaking to Betfair via Football London, former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov has signalled that his old side should look to Chelsea outcast Romelu Lukaku as a surprise replacement for Kane.

The 42-year-old stated: "I heard that Romelu Lukaku was a potential candidate. He's an interesting option. If the problems he's been having at former clubs are resolved, then why not? He's underrated. He can score goals wherever he goes. He has to play because, if he doesn't, then he won't be happy and there will be problems for Spurs."

According to The Independent, Nottingham Forest have set a £40 million price tag for Wales international Brennan Johnson amid interest from Tottenham, Chelsea and Brentford.

On the contrary, Tottenham fringe defender Djed Spence could depart the club on loan and it is believed that both Crystal Palace and Southampton are keen on the 23-year-old, according to Football League World.

Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco are willing to offer Colombian central defender Davinson Sanchez an escape route away from Tottenham and will consider making an offer in the coming days, as per Foot Marcato.

Liverpool missed out on both Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea this month, but now look poised to attempt a hijack of their own to complete the midfield rebuild.

What's the latest on Sofyan Amrabat to Liverpool?

According to Sky Sports, the Reds are said to be 'in talks' with Fiorentina for midfield star Sofyan Amrabat, looking to bypass the interest of Premier League rivals Manchester United, who have held talks with the Moroccan maestro ahead of a possible transfer.

Jurgen Klopp's side are closing on a surprising deal to sign Stuttgart midfielder Wataru Endo, but after a mass exodus at Anfield this summer another signature would go down a treat.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

And Amrabat, who is valued at a ballpark £30m, could be the perfect fit to complete a midfield rebuild that has also welcomed the exciting acquisitions of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, but now more defensive aces are required.

How good is Sofyan Amrabat?

Once hailed as "phenomenal" by The Star's Joe Crann, the 26-year-old pass specialist caught the eye at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, completing 85% of his passes, averaging 2.3 tackles and 1.4 clearances per game as his nation sensationally came fourth.

Lauded as the "best central midfielder in the tournament" by journalist Carlo Garganese, Amrabat would be a credit to Liverpool's team and would inject robustness and intensity into the centre, utilising his passing prowess to revitalise the midfield.

Indeed, the £32k-per-week gem ranks among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 11% for passes attempted and progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.

Given his "extraordinary" skills – as praised by Spain boss Luis Enrique – Amrabat could be the perfect heir to Liverpool maestro Thiago Alcantara, especially considering the 32-year-old Spaniard has entered the final year of his contract with the Anfield side.

Thiago has made 97 appearances for Liverpool since signing from Bayern Munich for £20m in 2020, scoring three goals and supplying six assists, though he has been sidelined for 45 matches across the past two campaigns and will not have many fans expecting a seamless ride this term – on the injury front, that is.

Amrabat, comparatively, has missed ten games during the same period, far more reliable to string together lasting periods of fitness and form, heralded as a "monster" by WhoScored's Ben McAleer.

To his credit, Thiago is one of the most technically brilliant, seamlessly slick and elegantly graceful midfielders of the modern age, having been praised as "sensational" by Klopp.

The £200k-per-week star ranks among the top 4% of midfielders for passes attempted, the top 6% for progressive passes, but also ranks among the top 5% for tackles and the top 11% for interceptions per 90, highlighting his defensive work rate.

Amrabat showcased his tenacity in the tackle during his international escapades in Qatar, and by blending the facets of his skill set together he has every chance to be a successful heir to such a renowned phenom in Thiago.

Al-Nassr players surprised Cristiano Ronaldo with a 'GOAT' cake after the Portuguese superstar won three prizes at the Globe Soccer Awards.

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Al-Nassr players surprised Ronaldo with 'GOAT' cake Did the 'Siuuu' chant to cheer for Ronaldo Ronaldo won three prizes at Globe Soccer Awards WHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo bagged three prizes at the Globe Soccer Awards earlier this week. He won the Best Middle East Player prize, the Maradona Award for the best goalscorer in 2023, and the Fans' Favourite Player of the Year award.

To mark his triumph in Dubai, Al-Nassr players surprised the 38-year-old with a special cake that had the words "Awards keep following the GOAT" written on it. They also did the 'Siuuu' chant to cheer for Ronaldo in reference to his trademark celebration.

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The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star had an eventful 2023 as he scored 54 goals for club and country and became the highest-scoring male footballer in the world. In the ongoing season, he has 24 goals to his name in 25 appearances across all competitions for Al-Nassr and has also provided 11 assists.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

The Saudi Pro League is currently on pause due to the 2023 AFCON and Asian Cup. Al-Nassr are set to play several friendly matches in the next couple of weeks, including a friendly encounter in the Riyadh Cup against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami on February 1. They will return to competitive action on February 14 against Al-Feiha in the AFC Champions League.

As many as nine India Under-19 players currently at the World Cup in New Zealand are among 578 cricketers who will go under the hammer

Shashank Kishore in Queenstown25-Jan-2018It’s the week leading up to the IPL auction and as many as nine India Under-19 players currently at the World Cup in New Zealand are among 578 cricketers who will go under the hammer. That they have filtered through to the final list from an initial pool off 1122 players signifies interest from the franchises. But with the Under-19 World Cup in the knockout stage, India coach Rahul Dravid doesn’t want his boys to look beyond their immediate challenge: Bangladesh in the quarter-final.Among those in the auction pool from the current batch are captain Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Himanshu Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Arshdeep Singh and Harvik Desai.”There’s no point hiding from the fact that it is there. It is around the corner,” Dravid said of the auction that will be held in Bengaluru this weekend. “There’s no point living in the bubble and pretending it doesn’t exist. We do discuss it. We’ve spoken about what their focus should be and what their long-term goals are as compared to their short-term goals.”Following the conclusion of the Under-19 Challenger Trophy in November in Mumbai, a number of players were invited by Mumbai Indians for selection trials, only to be called back by the team management, keeping in mind their immediate priorities of playing in a World Cup. The team management was mindful of “players being distracted” by a number of other aspects like signing bat sponsorships and being acquired by talent management companies, in the build up to the tournament.With the auction dynamics being as they are, there is a possibility that a number of players could be auctioned for the kind of money they are yet to see. There is also a flipside, having to deal with a group of young players who might go unsold. Dravid, though, has prior experience of this, during the 2016 World Cup in Bangladesh, and has passed on a clear message: ‘One or two auctions won’t make or break players.'”The auction is not something the boys can control,” Dravid said. “One or two auctions won’t really have a long-term impact on their careers. There is an auction every year, but not every year will they have an opportunity to play for India in possibly a World Cup semi-final. That doesn’t come very often.”Dravid, who has been part of six auctions as a player and four as part of the management group, was aware of the challenges of handling a bunch of aspiring professionals who are still dealing with being in the limelight. For many, playing in the ongoing World Cup is their first experience of being on global television. Dravid, though, insisted the team was focused and had their priorities sorted.”I don’t feel worried about it. I think this group of guys are really focused on playing good cricket here,” he said. “I like the energy and the spirit in this team. We’ve been here for three weeks and we couldn’t have asked for better preparation from the boys. They’ve been superb. We talked about the auction once and we said let’s keep that out of our minds.”We’re not thinking past the next game against Bangladesh. We lost to them in the Asia Cup. We are aware of the fact that Bangladesh is a good team. We haven’t even looked at the rest of the draw. The focus is right now on doing well against Bangladesh. We had a week off, that was actually part of the challenge, managing at this age, boys are keen to play, at this age a week off can be a long time. So we had a day off and they got out a bit and relaxed. Today had a light session. Sometimes it’s just a question of hoping they don’t get too overexcited.”

Newcastle United have already made a few big money signings this summer and if reports are to be believed, they may not be done yet. Transfer insider Dean Jones has spoken to GIVEMESPORT about the centre-back situation at St James’ Park and what could transpire between now and the beginning of September.

What is the latest in Newcastle United’s centre-back hunt?

This time last year, Newcastle brought in Sven Botman from Lille, a man who helped the French side to a shocking Ligue 1 title.

The Dutchman was then a mainstay at the heart of the Magpies’ defence, amassing over 3,100 minutes in the Premier League. He appeared in 36 of the 38 fixtures and only once was he used as a substitute in that period.

Botman is just 23 and was primarily partnered with the more experienced Fabian Schar. As strong as that duo was under Eddie Howe last term, Newcastle may not be resting on their laurels with reports suggesting a new defender could soon arrive on Tyneside.

The Daily Mail have reported that Crystal Palace’s defensive rock Joachim Andersen is one of those admired by the Newcastle hierarchy and another is Benfica teenager Antonio Silva. The pair are thought to be worth too much in comparison to what Howe is wanting to spend on his defender.

This ties into what Dean Jones has said to GMS below, with the budgeting on this target being a sticking point at the time of writing.

What has Dean Jones got to say?

When speaking with GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Dean Jones indicated that the transfer exploits for Newcastle in the defensive third will depend largely on the prices of players.

“I’ve always been told that the centre of defence is something to look out for. Newcastle United aren’t finished in this transfer window is what I’m led to believe. It’s really always been a case, though, of what level of spending are they willing to go to here.

“Is it going to be that they want to find good value for money, and we find someone coming in between £10-£20m? Or are they going to go out and cement their case as proper Champions League contenders again by spending upwards of £30m? I wouldn’t rule it out at all. It’ll be very interesting to see what they do.”

Who are Newcastle trying to sign?

Having already acquired fullback Tino Livramento from Southampton for a sizable fee following their relegation to the Championship, Howe and co are reportedly interested in out of favour Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney.

It is currently said to be La Liga outfit Real Sociedad leading the charge to obtain the services of the Scotsman. The one issue that could make all the difference though is that Mikel Arteta wants to strike a permanent deal for Tierney whereas the Spaniards are keen to bring him in on loan.

This is clearly a position of interest for the Magpies’ as Chelsea and Spain’s Marc Cucurella has been linked with a season-long loan at St James’ Park as reported by Felix Johnston.

New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino seemingly favours Ben Chilwell and so Cucurella may go in search of game time, Champions League game-time at that, further north.