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An “incredible” Premier League forward is now an attainable target for Tottenham Hotspur in 2026, following a new update on their pursuit of Antoine Semenyo.

Spurs set to miss out on Semenyo

It now appears as though Tottenham are set to miss out on the signing of AFC Bournemouth star Semenyo, despite being willing to offer him a big contract, with the forward more keen to join rival Premier League clubs.

As such, Spurs have subsequently started to scour the market for other new attackers, and they are exploring a move for Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush, who scored in Egypt’s 2-1 victory against Zimbabwe at AFCON on Monday evening.

Marmoush is not the only Man City forward of interest to the north Londoners, however, with transfer insider Dean Jones telling TEAMtalk that Savinho is an attainable target for the Lilywhites in 2026, despite missing out in the summer transfer window.

City blocked the Brazilian’s departure at that point, as they didn’t believe they would be able to bring in a top replacement, but a move could be possible next year, and he is a more viable target for Thomas Frank than Semenyo, Maghnes Akliouche and Yan Diomande.

Speaking about Tottenham’s transfer plans, Jones added: “I like the fact that Spurs want to raise the ceiling of what is possible but obviously they are not helped by the fact this season has not started well,

“They want new attacking edge but they know they also need a back-up list of options. Savinho is one player who is part of that.”

"Incredible" Savinho may need to leave Man City

Despite being lauded as “incredible” by Pep Guardiola, the 21-year-old has found game time hard to come by in the Premier League this season, predominantly being used as a substitute, with Jeremy Doku getting the nod at left-wing.

However, the £50k-a-week winger has impressed when given the opportunity, recently grabbing an assist in a five-minute cameo against Crystal Palace, while also scoring and making several key contributions in a 2-0 EFL Cup triumph against Brentford.

Savinho’s key statistics vs Brenford

Number completed

Duels (won)

22 (12)

Dribbles (successful)

13 (8)

Tackles

3

Key passes

1

With Man City also in the race for Semenyo, however, the 13-time Brazil international is at risk of falling down the pecking order even further, so he may need to leave his current club, in order to avoid his development being hampered.

Related Tottenham officials sent to club as Spurs eye Hazard-like 'magician' after Semenyo snub

Spurs are craving a new left-winger.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

Savinho, who provided ten Premier League assists last season, could be an exciting long-term addition to Tottenham’s squad, so it is promising news that a deal could be possible next year.

	Claire Taylor’s unbeaten 64, her second fifty of the match, wrapped up England’s Ashes © Getty Images

It’s not the first time that Claire Taylor has had her name in lights after rising to the big occasion, but she ranked her two matchwinning fifties up there in what she described as “one of the best Tests to play in.”England won the one-off Test by six wickets to retain the Ashes – only their third series win in Australia – and the victory must also be considered in the context of losing their head coach Mark Dobson, wicketkeeper Jane Smit and premier allrounder Jenny Gunn beforehand. “To fight with those eleven and stand nose-to-nose it’s great to actually win the Test match,” said Taylor. “To get in the right situation and actually close it down that feels really good. It was fairly nerve-wracking, the Aussies don’t give you anything.”She credited stand-in coach Mark Lane with helping them to victory in a form of the game neither they nor Australia play often. “Mark’s being really good for us over the last week, he’s kept things really simple. We talked on a session-by-session basis and that’s made it easier for us.”Isa Guha, the player of the match, and therefore the series for her nine wickets, agreed. “He’s been great the whole way through. It’s been a tough ask for him to suddenly step into the coach’s shoes and he’s been really great for us, so positive, brilliant.”Guha was on for a ten-wicket match haul when Karen Rolton declared to give Australia a chance in their must-win encounter. “Obviously it would have been nice to get ten wickets but I’m just glad that the batters went out there and did the job.”She said victory was all the sweeter because their attacking intents had been written off prior to the match, despite Charlotte Edwards saying they would go all-out to win. “We got a lot of stick,” Guha said, “but we knew all along that we wanted to win this game and it’s so sweet to win and be the rightful owners of the Ashes. It’s a bit unfortunate that we can’t play more games but at the same time it’s such a special venue and it just means so much. You can see that in everyone. We all wanted to win this game.”The last time England won the Ashes in 2005, the country erupted in a spontaneous parade and bestowing of OBEs. This time around the celebrations are slightly more low key – and not just because it’s not a joint bash with the men nor because England have another series against New Zealand in six days. That obviously doesn’t help, says Guha: “We’ll be having a few drinks tonight, obviously not too many because we’ve got to be preparing for next week .”But Taylor revealed the true reason: “We’re just going to hang out with each other because it’s a Monday night in Bowral, a country town in Australia, so I don’t know that there’s that much going on. It’s not going to be a London, is it? A quiet night, barbecue and a beer, I think.”

ScorecardRajasthan reached the semifinals after registering a convincing six-wicket victory over Karnataka at Ferozeshah Kotla ground on 21 March 2007. Chasing a modest target of 201, Rajasthan rode on Anshu Jain’s unbeaten knock of 76 to emerge victors in the one-sided contest.Put in to bat, at one stage Karnataka were struggling at 66 for 4. But, an impressive 116-run partnership between seasoned Balachandra Akhil and Sunil Joshi for the eighth wicket rescued the side after a humiliating batting collapse.While Akhil hit a blazing 86 off 73 balls, Joshi batted sensibly for his 40 runs to help Karnataka reach a respectable score of 200.The Rajasthan seamers exploited the early morning moisture to trigger the Karnataka batting collapse. While Afroz Khan took three wickets, Shailender Gehlot and skipper Mohammed Aslam bagged two each.Rajasthan batsmen were hardly troubled during their run chase, which became easier due to the sloppy fielding of Karnataka. Openers Siddarth Joshi (25) and Rohit Sharma (42) laid the foundation with a quick 52-run opening stand.Later, Jain and Rajesh Bishnoi (42) added 93 runs for the fourth wicket to seal win for their team.

Brett Dorey, who played in the VB Series, will spend the winter in Brisbane © Getty Images

Australia’s push for suitable national-team back-up has forced Trevor Hohns’s selection panel to choose this year’s Academy squad for the first time. Brett Dorey, a 28-year-old who made his one-day debut in the VB Series, heads the list of 14 first-class players chosen in the outfit to signal a policy shift from the Centre of Excellence’s traditional focus.The Pura Cup fast bowlers Ben Hilfenhaus, Ben Edmondson, 27, and Doug Bollinger, were included for the 18-week program alongside the spinners Cullen Bailey and Beau Casson, while the Western Australia batsmen Shaun Marsh and Adam Voges, 26, were also called up. Hohns’s panel was keen to include Dan Cullen, Shaun Tait and Mark Cosgrove, but they have already agreed to English county contracts.”With the change in selection process this year, we have chosen 15 players based on a squad-type situation which will become particularly important when the scholars embark on the international tour later in the year,” Hohns said. “We have tried to select a balanced squad of players to cover all facets of the game, and within that we have selected a blend of young players, along with others who have played some first-class cricket.” Aaron Finch, the Australia Under-19 vice-captain, is the only member without a domestic four-day game on his resume.A Cricket Australia spokeswoman said the focus had switched to service the short, medium and long-term needs of the national sides. The size of the intake has been cut from 26 and the program, which starts on April 18, will be extended by five weeks. The coaching at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane is led by Tim Nielsen with the assistants Jamie Siddons, Dene Hills, Brian McFadyen and Troy Cooley, the former England bowling mentor.Academy squad Doug Bollinger (NSW), Daniel Doran (Qld), Cullen Bailey (SA), Callum Ferguson (SA), George Bailey (Tas), Ben Hilfenhaus (Tas), Tim Paine (Tas), Adam Crosthwaite (Vic), Aaron Finch (Vic), Peter Siddle (Vic), Beau Casson (WA), Brett Dorey (WA), Ben Edmondson (WA), Shaun Marsh (WA), Adam Voges (WA).

Bob Woolmer: plenty of work to do before the second Test © Getty Images

Bob Woolmer has promised a better performance by Pakistan in the second Test after they were hammered by 276 runs in the first Test in Barbados. “We will be coming back with full force in the second Test to draw the series,” Woolmer was quoted as saying by APP. “We have to be more consistent and play better cricket.”Looking back at the debacle of the first match, Woolmer said: “We were simply outplayed by West Indies. We didn’t play Test cricket well enough. Since I have been involved with the team we have not played well in Test cricket apart from couple of occasions. It was very disappointing performance.”Woolmer was particularly scathing in his criticism of the batsmen, who had a shocker in the first innings when Pakistan were bundled out for just 144. “I thought we were spineless on that particular day with our batting,” he said. “It’s something we’ll address in the next few days. It’s not like the guys are out of form. They have been playing well. It’s just that they got themselves out very stupidly. Our batsmen played too many shots square of the wicket off the new ball. There seemed [to be] no spirit, no fight at the crease which is surprising really. It is not that boys are not trying hard. It’s just [lack of] application in certain situation.”Woolmer also played down an alleged incident in the dressing-room involving Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Inzamam-ul-Haq. The Pakistan media had widely reported that Afridi was apparently upset at being asked to open the batting by Younis, but Woolmer said that the entire incident had been blown out of proportion. “There was a minor misunderstanding and it caused a concern for a while, but it did not affect the team in the middle. It was all over the Pakistan press, who made a mountain out of a molehill,” Woolmer added. “That might have affected them psychologically, but there is no excuse really to go out there and play the way they played.”

ScorecardA magnificent burst of bowling by Warren McSkimming almost set up a win for Otago, but they eventually had to settle for a draw against Sri Lanka A. McSkimming took five wickets for four runs in a seven-over burst in the morning, as Sri Lanka stumbled to 49 for 6. But Pradeep Hewage (67) and Hasantha Fernando (66 not out) then added 121 for the seventh wicket, and the declaration came at 170 for 7. Chasing 233 to win, Otago could only manage 208 for 8, with Craig Cumming smacking 92 off 104 balls.Dinuk Hettiarachchi, the left-arm spinner, followed up his four-for in the first innings with 5 for 74. Otago stood a realistic chance of winning as long as Cumming was at the crease, but they lost their way after he was out.

Disregarding strong West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) advice, Marlon Samuels journeyed to Anguilla yesterday with the Jamaica team for the opening match of the Carib Beer Series against the Leeward Islands, starting tomorrow.At the same time, Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) president Jackie Hendriks said in Kingston that Samuels had asked to have his injured left knee examined by his own specialist in Washington with whom he "would feel more comfortable"."That seems a perfectly reasonable request and, as I understand it, an appointment has been firmed up for sometime next week," he added.It conflicted with WICB president Wes Hall’s announcement Tuesday that an appointment had been made tomorrow for Samuels to see Dr Ainsworth Allen, the New York orthopaedic surgeon who has treated several West Indian players.Samuels was withdrawn from the West Indies squad for the forthcoming World Cup in South Africa last Sunday following a report to the selectors of an MRI scan on his knee by Dr Akshai Mansingh, a member of the WICB’s medical panel.But Samuels said in Kingston he felt "100 per cent fit", although acknowledging that intermittent pains in his knee during the West Indies’ training camp in Antigua last week prompted him to consult Mansingh.Both Hall and WICB acting chief executive Roger Brathwaite were adamant that Samuels should not play in the Anguilla match.They fear further damage to the knee that was operated on during the West Indies series against Pakistan in Sharjah a year ago and, according to Mansingh’s report, will require further surgery that would put him out of action for up to a year.Hall said Tuesday it would be "the quintessence of cricket stupidness" for the classy 22-year-old batsman to play with his injury.Brathwaite issued a statement Wednesday night supporting the selectors’ decision and setting out the WICB’s position."The WICB feels strongly that it is not in Marlon’s best interest for him to play in the upcoming Carib Beer series," Brathwaite said."While we are advising him not to play while carrying this injury, we do not have the authority to prevent him from playing and will not be responsible for any injury he may suffer as a result."Hendriks said he could not comment on Brathwaite’s statement as he had not seen it.The decision to replace Samuels, with left-handed all-rounder Ryan Hinds for the World Cup, has generated heated protests in Jamaica. He was one of the stars of the West Indies batting on the tours of India and Bangladesh late last year on his return after a seven-months layoff following his earlier knee operation.There have been accusations of unfairness and insularity on radio call-in programmes and from Jamaica coach Robert Haynes."It’s not cricket. We as Jamaican and West Indies supporters should do something about it," Haynes said.He claimed captain Carl Hooper, who had surgery on both knees in early December, and fast bowler Merv Dillon, who returned from the tour of India in November with a back injury, had been asked to carry lighter workloads at the Antigua camp than Samuels and said their fitness could also be questioned."The way things have transpired have left room for a lot of suspicion," Samuels’ agent, John Pinnock, told the Jamaica Observer.

Otago’s modern indoor cricket facility is starting to prove very popular as teams work on their winter programmes and clubs start to build up for their seasons.Otago has 35 winter representative squads working out of the facility and time is having to be managed carefully.Because of the high use of the indoor facilities, the Otago Cricket Association has spent another $20,000 doing up a secondary area for use by club cricket sides.”Otago chief executive Graeme Elliott said today, “The beauty of having the facility is that we can do work with all those squads.”The squads and individuals have been doing their preparations there while clubs haven’t really used it yet. However, we are starting to get enquiries.”The main part of the complex has two batting strips, one for pace and another for spin and the bowlers’ run-ups are softened to minimise injury prospects for bowlers.The coming season is a big one for Otago as it is celebrating its 125th summer.Jubilee activities are still being planned but one feature promises to be the presentation of New Zealand Cricket’s individual Test Black Caps to New Zealand’s surviving triple century makers, Glenn Turner, Ken Rutherford and Mark Richardson while a member of the Blunt family is expected to be able to attend the function to receive Roger Blunt’s cap.

The lure of guaranteed playing time is expected to see Celtic win the race to sign Bayern Munich youngster Christopher Scott this summer, according to Alex McLeish.

The Lowdown: Celtic linked with move

The 19-year-old midfielder has been linked with a move to Parkhead in recent days, with Sky Germany reporting talks with the player’s representatives even though Bayern are keen on extending his stay beyond 2022 – when his current deal expires.

It is believed that Brentford are also interested in acquiring Scott’s services, as the potential battle to sign him in the summer hots up.

The youngster has won four caps for Germany’s Under-20 side and is valued at £1.08million by Transfermarkt.

The Latest: McCleish backs Hoops for signing

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish, a pundit for BBC Radio 5 Live, backed Scott, a ‘glorious talent’ to trade Bayern for Celtic, with the promise of more minutes giving them the edge over Brentford:

“That would be a cracker. I suspect he will only come if he is promised he will be playing. I’m not saying he’ll be in the nucleus of the team.

“But he will need to be assured he will be getting games. It’s rare to see young teenagers making a breakthrough but teenagers in their late teens have a chance.

“If you’ve got a glorious talent, there’s absolutely no stopping you. But it seems that a lot of them are thinking about, not bigger clubs but the bigger leagues, to get them over that kind of foundation hurdle.

“The aim is to catch the eye of the seniors at Bayern Munich or whatever. They clearly want to get the experience of a tougher league.”

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The Verdict: One for the future

While Scott wouldn’t necessarily come in as a key man immediately, he is someone who would be viewed as a long-term signing with great potential.

That’s not to say he wouldn’t play regularly, though, as McLeish alludes to, and he has been described as ‘one of the biggest talents in Germany’ in the past, surely earning himself plenty of playing time when the Bhoys compete on multiple fronts.

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Scott could add depth and quality to Celtic’s midfield, not to mention ensure that Ange Postecoglou’s side continues to build into the future, as key midfielders like Callum McGregor begin to age.

In other news, two Celtic players could potentially start at Rangers this weekend. Find out who it is here.

Day 3
Scorecard

	South Zone will look to their captain S Badrinath to secure a come-from-behind victory © Cricinfo Ltd

A superb bowling performance helped South Zone crawl their way back into their match against East Zone in Mumbai. After an eventful third day, the game was evenly poised with South needing another 160 runs to win with seven wickets in hand.East were in command when the day started, having secured a handy 114-run lead with all their wickets intact. However, they let their advantage slip with an inept batting performance. Only one of their top six batsmen got a start – Anustup Majumdar – as they crashed to 79 for 6.No. 7 Halhadar Das, who made 93 in the first innings, top scored again with an unbeaten 52, including eight boundaries, to add some respectability to the East total. Tushar Saha also chipped in with a 28 to help set a target of 273. South’s bowlers kept the runs under check; Ashwin Raghu finished with impressive figures of 3 for 33.South’s pursuit got off to a bad start with Murali Vijay falling in the first over to former India international Debasis Mohanty. S Badrinath, the South Zone captain, and Ravi Teja stitched together an 81-run stand for the second wicket. Teja was aggressive – making 54 in 59 balls and lashing eight fours and a six – before left-arm spinner Saha trapped him in front. Arjun Yadav made 12 before falling in a similar manner. Badrinath remained unbeaten on a sedate 42 with wicketkeeper Prasad Reddy keeping him company.
ScorecardA spirited performance from England Lions’ gave them the edge going into the final day of their match against Central Zone. Chasing a stiff 296 for victory, they reached a confident 146 for 1 by stumps in Vadodara.Joe Denly was the only Lions’ wicket to fall, trapped in front by left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta for 15. Michael Carberry and captain Michael Yardy then forged an unbroken 116-run stand for the second wicket to lead the Lions’ pursuit. Needing to score the highest total of the match to win, Carberry and Yardy both played patient knocks to ensure there was no repeat of the second day’s batting collapse. Carberry, who made 35 in the first innings, didn’t throw away his start this time, finishing on an unbeaten 71, including 12 fours and a six. The experienced Yardy had reached 57 by stumps.Central had started the day in control after gaining a 115-run first-innings lead but were kept down to a moderate 180 in their second. With a top-order collapse seeing them at a parlous 39 for 4, Mohammad Kaif, the captain, tried to salvage the situation, top scoring with 42. The tail also resisted with a 60-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Jalaj Saxena (27) and Sanjib Sanyal (37).All the Lions’ bowlers chipped in, with Graham Onions being the most successful, taking three wickets. Monty Panesar was expensive but got the big wicket of the in-form Kaif while legspinner Adil Rashid made short work of the last two wickets.