Tottenham Hotspur "will back" manager Ange Postecoglou this summer with the club, and by extension chairman Daniel Levy, "ready" to battle for Leicester City star James Maddison.

Who could Spurs sign this summer?

Spurs' long and drawn out search for a new manager is over as Postecoglou, after winning a domestic treble with Celtic, joins the Premier League side on a four-year contract.

The north Londoners have confirmed that he will commence work for the 2023/2024 season on July 1, replacing Antonio Conte who left Tottenham over two months ago.

“Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play," said Levy upon his appointment."He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy – everything that is important to our Club. We are excited to have Ange join us as we prepare for the season ahead."

His appointment also marks the return of an attacking brand of football at Spurs, with the more dogmatic eras of Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho appearing to be a thing of the past.

Now, attention turns to the transfer market and how Tottenham can shore up Postecoglou's options in key positions. Levy is believed to be chasing central defenders and a new goalkeeper, especially after Spurs' poor defensive record over 2022/2023, which was actually the worst of any side above 15th.

However, the Lilywhites are also eyeing additions further forward, with both wingers and playmakers on Levy's agenda.

According to a report by The Daily Mirror and journalist John Cross, Spurs apparently "will back" their new manager in the transfer market this summer. What's more, Levy and co are "ready to rival" Newcastle United for Leicester's Maddison – who is expected to cost around £40 million.

Who is James Maddison?

The England international has been linked with a move to N17 in recent weeks, with some reports even suggesting they're in pole position to sign him.

Maddison was a key player for Leicester last season, standing out as their star man and averaging a higher match rating per 90 than any other Foxes star over 2022/2023 (WhoScored).

He also made more key passes per 90 and attempted a higher rate of shots per 90 than any other Leicester player last season, racking up an impressive 19 goal contributions (WhoScored).

With numbers like these, it's hardly a surprise Maddison has been called "magnificent" for his displays at the King Power.

Incoming manager Ange Postecoglou is looking to bring his Celtic assistant coach John Kennedy with him to Tottenham Hotspur, according to The Times.

Is Ange Postecoglou coming to Spurs?

After he clinched a domestic treble with Celtic at the weekend, Spurs have now confirmed that Postcoglou is on his way to north London, and will commence work on July 1.

The Australian, following their 3-1 Scottish Cup victory over Inverness at Hampden Park on Saturday, has agreed to become Spurs' next manager after Antonio Conte.

"Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play," said chairman Daniel Levy upon his appointment."He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy – everything that is important to our Club. We are excited to have Ange join us as we prepare for the season ahead."

The former Celtic boss will join Tottenham and reports have already started coming out suggesting that he is set to be backed by Spurs with additions this summer.

Leicester City star James Maddison is among the targets on Tottenham's radar and it appears they can now focus on the looming transfer market.

Postecoglou will also be looking to shape the backroom in his own image as he attempts to reinstall a brand of attacking football and positivity at N17.

According to a report by The Times, he already has plans in that regard, with the Australian "keen" on stealing away his assistant manager Kennedy down south.

Spurs let go of a lot of their staff when Cristian Stellini left as interim boss, and Postecoglou will need to replace them. He apparently doesn't usually take his assistants between jobs, with Kennedy being the obvious exception.

Ryan Mason may well also decide he wants his own gig elsewhere after chairman Daniel Levy opted not to take a chance on him as permanent manager.

Despite Postecoglou wanting to bring Kennedy to Tottenham, he may well have a hard time in doing so, with Celtic eager to hang on to their 39-year-old who is highly thought of.

Who is John Kennedy?

The coach has worked his way up the ladder at Parkhead, having been under the tutelage of many previous Hoops bosses like Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon.

Kennedy briefly served as interim Celtic manager when Lennon resigned in 2021 and Celtic's board apparently rate him a lot.

The former Scotland international, who was forced to retire from playing at the age of just 26, has also been called a "world-class" coach by former Chelsea star Damien Duff.

Quinton de Kock warmed up for the Test series against Australia with a century on South Africa’s first day of play on this tour, while JP Duminy fell just short of triple figures

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2016
ScorecardQuinton de Kock enjoyed a hit-out against the pink ball•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Quinton de Kock warmed up for the Test series against Australia with a century on South Africa’s first day of play on this tour, while JP Duminy fell just short of triple figures. Against an inexperienced Cricket Australia XI at Adelaide Oval, the South Africans piled on 415 against the pink-ball in the day-night contest, with Hashim Amla also posting a half-century.The two-day match does not have first-class status and de Kock described it as little more than net practice, but all the same it has provided some valuable exposure to the pink ball for South Africa’s batsmen. They will also play a two-day game next week against South Australia with the red ball before the first Test at the WACA.The Perth and Hobart Tests will be played as day matches, but the third Test at Adelaide Oval will be a day-night fixture, and pink-ball cricket is new to most of the South African players. In addition to this game against the CA XI, they will also play a two-day pink-ball game against Victoria at the MCG starting on November 19, between the second and third Tests.The early signs were encouraging for South Africa’s key Test batsmen, although Stephen Cook and Rilee Rossouw both fell in single figures to leave their side at 2 for 19 within the first five overs of the game. But Dean Elgar and Amla steadied and found the going somewhat easier, until Elgar departed for 43 and Amla retired on 51 to give the rest of the batsmen some time at the crease.Faf du Plessis was caught off the bowling of offspinner Arjun Nair for 8, and Temba Bavuma on 11 became the second victim for Nair, but then came a 167-run partnership between Duminy and de Kock. Batting at No.8, de Kock wasted little time and struck 16 fours and three sixes on his way to 122 from 103 balls, before he too retired.Duminy’s runs did not come quite as quickly, but he still struck 10 boundaries on his way to 97, before he was caught behind off the bowling of Ryan Lees. Vernon Philander made 34 as the South Africans moved along to 415 before being dismissed in their 90th over.”It took some getting used to out there with the pink ball but the wicket was quite nice so it made life a bit easier,” de Kock told reporters after play. “It was a new experience and quite nice to be part of it.”

Celtic are set to be on the search for a new head coach ahead of the 2023/24 campaign as Ange Postecoglou closes in on an exit from Parkhead.

The Athletic's David Ornstein has reported that the 57-year-old will finalise a deal to join Tottenham Hotspur in the coming days.

Who could replace Ange Postecoglou?

Former Hoops midfielder Kris Commons has urged the club to consider a move for out-of-work boss Graham Potter, who left Chelsea earlier this year.

The Scotsman wrote: "Forward-thinking, tactically astute, innovative, an advocate of possession football; he was everything you would want in a modern manager. He eventually got the Chelsea job, only for the whole thing to go sour after barely six months. But I don't think Potter is actually damaged by that."

He added: "If Celtic can land an ex-Liverpool boss like Rodgers, then they certainly would have a chance of getting someone like Potter. It would be daft not to at least ask him the question, if and when Postecoglou does depart."

Would Graham Potter be a success at Celtic?

The English coach, who typically deploys a 3-4-2-1 system, could be a huge success at Parkhead, swiftly allowing supporters to instantly forget about Postecoglou as the 48-year-old has displayed a pattern of being able to improve teams over time.

He was given less than a full season at Chelsea to follow through on his project and that makes it difficult to judge him on his time at Stamford Bridge but his work with Brighton and Ostersunds in the past suggests that he could be an excellent appointment for the Hoops.

Potter won the title in the third tier of Swedish football in his first season and then finished tenth and fifth in the second division before being promoted in second place in his fourth campaign with the club. He then led them to eighth and fifth in the top flight before joining Swansea.

His one season with the Swans, which ended in a tenth-placed finish in the Championship, earned him a move to Brighton and the coach took them from 15th and 16th in the Premier League to ninth in 21/22. This proved that his work in Sweden was not a fluke and that the tactician has the ability to develop clubs in multiple leagues and countries.

Potter, who plays an "aggressive" press according to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, was able to gradually improve both of the teams who invested in him over the course of a number of years and this suggests that he could do the same with Celtic if they give him time to work.

Therefore, the Hoops supporters could instantly forget about their Aussie coach if the club can swoop for the "genius" that is Potter by he was dubbed by broadcaster Joe Thomlinson.

Indeed, the 48-year-old could be an excellent, progressive, appointment.

Tasmania put up some fight on the final day at the MCG but could not prevent a 113-run Victoria win as Scott Boland and Chris Tremain picked up three wickets each

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2016
ScorecardScott Boland picked up 3 for 66•Getty ImagesTasmania put up some fight on the final day at the MCG but could not prevent a 113-run Victoria win as Scott Boland and Chris Tremain picked up three wickets each. Chasing 365 for an unlikely win, the Tigers began the day on 3 for 19 and were eventually dismissed in the final session for 251, Peter Siddle and Jon Holland finishing with two wickets each.George Bailey (47) and nightwatchman Andrew Fekete (30) proved to be the initial obstacles for Victoria, before James Faulkner led a fighting lower-order effort with 78. Faulkner and Simon Milenko (43) put on 64 for the eighth wicket but could not avoid the inevitable, Faulkner the last man out to the bowling of Tremain.

Glasgow Rangers ended their 2022/23 campaign with a 3-0 win over St Mirren last weekend in the Scottish Premiership and the focus must now turn to the upcoming summer transfer window.

Michael Beale ended his first season in charge of the Light Blues without a trophy to show for his efforts and should be aiming to improve his squad in the coming weeks to ensure that his side is competing for major honours next term.

According to Monday's edition of The Scottish Daily Mail [via Ibrox News], one player the club are interested in snapping up is Cremonese attacker Cyriel Dessers.

Who is Cyriel Dessers?

He is a 28-year-old Nigerian striker who has been playing his football in the top-flight of Italian football this season and could come in as a big upgrade on current Gers ace Antonio Colak.

The Croatian centre-forward, who has been touted with a possible exit from Ibrox this summer, scored three goals and assisted one in 11 Premiership appearances after Beale arrived during the break for the 2022 World Cup. He also managed one strike in four cup appearances in 2023.

These statistics show that the ex-PAOK man has struggled under the English boss as the dynamo has rarely found the back of the net and offered little in the way of creativity for his teammates.

Whereas, Dessers has the potential to come in and offer far more than the 29-year-old in the final third based on his form over the last two seasons.

Back in April, journalist Josh Bunting hailed the ace as an "excellent" signing for Cremonese and described him as being "awkward" for defenders to play against due to his strength, as the marksman plundered six goals and two assists in 19 starts in the Serie A.

This comes after the finisher enjoyed an exceptional campaign on loan at Feyenoord in the Netherlands. He racked up 19 goals and three assists in 16 starts across the Eredivisie and Europa Conference League combined, which shows that the Nigerian international has the quality to be a prolific scorer for his side, in comparison to Colak's struggles at the top end of the pitch this year.

The £19k-per-week star has proven himself in a major European league, in Italy, and on the continental stage, for Feyenoord, and this indicates that the gem would be able to handle the switch to Ibrox, given that the talent has already adapted to multiple competitions and countries.

Therefore, Dessers could come in as a big upgrade on Colak by offering far more quality in front of goal on a regular basis, which could, in turn, improve Beale's squad next term.

Burnley romped their way to the Championship title in exciting fashion as they accumulated 101 points to secure their promotion to the Premier League.

Vincent Kompany must now use the upcoming summer transfer window to build a squad that is capable of surviving, and thriving, in the top-flight, instead of suffering an instant relegation back down to the second tier.

One area in which he is reportedly looking to strengthen is the centre-forward position following the departure of Ashley Barnes on a free transfer to Norwich City.

It was recently reported that the Clarets are one of the teams interested in signing Metz number nine Georges Mikautadze, who has been the subject of a €10m (£8.7m) offer from Italian giants AC Milan.

Who is Georges Mikautadze?

He is a 22-year-old Georgian international who has caught the eye with his impressive performances in the second tier of French football this season and the ace could come in as a big upgrade on current Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez.

In the Championship this term, the ex-Southampton man averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.93 and contributed with ten goals and two assists in 28 appearances – a strike every 2.8 outings on average.

Mikautadze, however, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.25 and plundered 23 goals and eight assists in 36 clashes in Ligue 2 for Metz – a goal every 1.56 matches on average.

This shows that the marksman has been lethal in front of goal as the gem has been able to score more than once every other game, which is far more impressive than Rodriguez's return.

The dynamo also produced 1.5 key passes per appearance and delivered seven 'big chances' on a plate for his teammates throughout the campaign, which shows that the young whiz has the vision and passing range to regularly open up the opposition's defence.

Meanwhile, the Englishman created 0.5 chances per game for his teammates in the second division and this indicates that the Metz star would provide far more creativity in the number nine role, as Rodriguez does not set up his fellow attackers on a regular basis.

Mikautadze, who writer Andres Ramos claimed is "shining" in Ligue 2, could, therefore, come in and provide Kompany's side with far more quality in the final third.

Their respective statistics this season suggest that the Georgian has the quality to score more goals and create more chances for others in comparison to Rodriguez, which is why he would come in as a big upgrade on the English veteran.

Celtic have reportedly reached an agreement with Valerenga over the transfer of midfielder Odin Thiago Holm.

What’s the latest Celtic transfer news involving Holm?

The Hoops are currently looking to bring in a new manager after Ange Postecoglou left the club for Tottenham Hotspur. Brendan Rodgers appears to be the top target at Parkhead, with a return to Glasgow for the Northern Irishman seemingly on the cards after he left for Leicester City four years ago.

A deal for the 50-year-old appears to be close after productive talks with Dermot Desmond and other Celtic officials, and it looks as if his first signing could be Holm.

According to Norwegian outlet TV2 in the last 48 hours, Celtic and Valerenga have agreed on a transfer fee for Holm’s services ahead of a move to the Scottish Premiership champions.

A total package worth in the region of £2.6m appears to have been accepted, with a medical and personal terms needing to be finalised before an announcement can be made.

Who is Odin Thiago Holm?

Holm is primarily a central midfielder but can also play in defensive or attacking midfield roles. The 20-year-old is out of contract at the end of 2024 and has made 76 senior appearances for his current employers, contributing to 10 goals.

He made The Guardian's list of promising young stars back in 2020 and has been described as a "huge talent" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig. Holm has also been praised by former Celtic striker Harald Brattbakk, who compared the player to Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard.

“As a midfielder, I would say he is more attacking than defensive. Certainly, his work ethic is really good. He runs a lot and is one of those players who you don’t see all of the time during games, but he is right behind you backing you up or he is just in front of you taking charge.

“The manager wanted to play him young, so he’s got quite a few games at a high level. You can see that he has got potential. Compared to, say, a Martin Odegaard, maybe he has the same potential, but Odegaard got the potential out when he was 15. ‘It is always exciting to see when players move if they are able to reach the next level. You don’t know until they try.”

At £2.6m, a move could prove to be a shrewd one by Celtic officials due to the player’s versatility and promise, and by the looks of it, a deal could go through over the coming weeks.

Glasgow Rangers will certainly miss Alfredo Morelos, despite his sharp drop-off in the previous few seasons. The Colombian striker scored 124 goals across just 269 games for the Ibrox side, yet his final two campaigns saw him net only 30 times, looking like a shadow of his former self at times.

Michael Beale decided not to offer him an extended contract, along with Ryan Kent and three others, and in time, it could perhaps be looked upon as the best choice for both parties.

With his departure, the Light Blues will require some attacking reinforcements ahead of next term, especially with Celtic racing away with the Premiership title last season, scoring 21 more goals than the Gers, an area which needs vast improvement.

The club have been linked with a move for West Bromwich Albion striker Karlan Grant according to Mirror journalist Darren Witcoop, who tweeted: “West Brom will listen to offers for striker Karlan Grant this summer. Grant has Championship admirers while Scottish side Rangers have registered an interest. Grant signed a six-year deal when he joined the Baggies for £15m in 2020 but he can now leave Albion.”

The forward is now valued at €4.5m (£4m) by Football Transfers and with three years left on his current deal, Beale may have to pay this sort of fee to secure his signature.

Could Karlan Grant replace Alfredo Morelos at Rangers?

Like Morelos, Grant had a fairly underwhelming 2022/2023 season, scoring just five times for the Baggies across all competitions, however, this shouldn’t put Beale off a potential move.

During 2021/2022, Grant netted 18 goals and grabbed six assists across 44 Championship matches, demonstrating how effective he can be in front of goal, while ranking first in the West Brom squad for goals, scoring frequency and big chances created as well as ranking second for shots per game, clearly suggesting his attacking talents were the best in the squad and if he could replicate this sort of form in Scotland, Grant could cause havoc for opposition defenders.

Presenter Colin Murray lauded the striker for being “clutch”, such is his talent for scoring vital goals and Beale would love a forward who could arrive at Ibrox and hit the ground running straight away.

77 goals and 22 assists in 274 matches isn’t the most prolific strike rate in the world, however his ability to float between a centre-forward role and coming just off the left wing means he can offer more than just goals for this Rangers side next season, with one of his key strengths being his ability to cut inside effectively as per WhoScored.

There will likely be more than one attacking option joining the club this summer, however, signing Grant, should remain top of the priority list, especially considering Beale lured Todd Cantwell to Ibrox following a disappointing six-month spell for Norwich in the Championship and he has already shone – bagging six goals and four assists in just 16 Premiership appearances.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will look to resolve the future of midfielder Matheus Nunes in the near future at Molineux, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest transfer news involving Matheus Nunes?

As per The Liverpool Echo, Liverpool have held an interest in Nunes for a period of time; however, their attraction towards the Portugal international has 'cooled' in recent weeks.

The report claims that Liverpool may move on to other targets, with the likes of Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach enforcer Manu Kone being linked with a switch to Anfield.

According to Football Insider, Manchester United are also keen on Nunes and have placed him on a shortlist of potential midfield additions as Erik Ten Hag demands midfield reinforcements.

Barcelona and Newcastle United are two other potential destinations for Nunes this summer, though it is unclear exactly what the future may hold for the £85k-a-week ace in the transfer window, as per Relovo.

Nunes joined Wolves from Sporting Lisbon last year for a fee in the region of £42.2 million and became a key player in their eventually Premier League survival bid.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Romano has stated that we won't need to wait too long to find out where Nunes may find himself come the end of the transfer window.

Romano said: “For Matheus Nunes, there's a lot of interest but still nothing advanced or concrete. So, we have to wait on that one. I think this is something for later in the window, towards the end of June or July.”

How did Matheus Nunes fare for Wolverhampton Wanderers during 2022/23?

Nunes enjoyed a decent debut campaign in the English top-flight with Wolves and helped them to maintain their place in the division despite being in a relegation dogfight for large portions of the season.

In 2022/23, the Portuguese midfielder amassed 42 appearances in all competitions for the Old Gold, registering two goals and two assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored shows that Nunes is also an effective ball carrier from the centre of the pitch and managed to complete an average of 1.3 dribbles per match in the Premier League.

FBRef also reflect the notion of Nunes being able to drive his side forward from midfield, detailing that he successfully performed 59 shot-creating actions across the season.

Of course, Wolves will be keen to keep hold of Nunes if possible; nevertheless, it looks like it will be a waiting game at Molineux to see if he is still there come the close of play in the market.