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Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Connor Goldson to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claim that Rangers have already identified their number one target to replace the centre-back this winter, amid the 28-year-old’s links with a move to Steven Gerrard’s side.

Furthermore, in a recent interview with Football Insider, Paddy Kenny suggested that the Scottish Premiership side could be happy to let the defender leave Ibrox in the January transfer window, as the fact the league champions have not yet renewed Goldson’s contract is rather strange.

Speaking about the centre-back’s contract situation, Kenny said: “I find it strange that Rangers haven’t sorted this. The fact that they have let it run down this far is a concern. They must know he can agree a pre-contract in January.

“Maybe Rangers are happy for him to move on, otherwise it makes no sense why they haven’t offered him a deal. As a player, if he has the option to follow Gerrard that might be something he considers.

“There is still time for them to sort a new deal out but it worries me that they haven’t got anything signed considering how big of a player he is for them.”

Lange must move

Considering just how important a player Goldson was for Gerrard during his time in Scotland, should a move for the 28-year-old be realistic in the January transfer window, it would appear highly advisable for Johan Lange to do all he can to lure the 6 foot 3 defender to Villa Park this winter.

Indeed, over his 38 Scottish Premiership appearances during Gers’ title-winning campaign last season, the £6.75m-rated man helped his side keep a mammoth 26 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, three clearances and winning 6.8 duels per game.

The player who Gerrard himself dubbed a “next level” centre-back also impressed going forwards, scoring four goals, registering two assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.1 shots and making 0.5 key passes per fixture.

These returns saw the £27k-per-week defender earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.39, ranking him as the club’s third-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

As such, it is clear to see that Goldson would make a fantastic addition to an Aston Villa defence that has already shipped 20 league goals so far this season, and, considering he is reported to be available for a bargain fee of just £2m, is also a player who Lange and Villa could easily afford.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops promising AVFC transfer claim that’ll surely leave fans buzzing

Plays of the day from day one, South Africa v England, 4th Test, Johannesburg

Andrew McGlashan in Johannesburg14-Jan-2010Onions goes off
He’s saved two Tests for England, but it wasn’t enough to keep Graham Onions in the line-up with Ryan Sidebottom recalled for his first Test since Barbados last March. Onions had taken just eight wickets in the series, but had often bowled without luck and done the hard yards. Andrew Strauss said the attack needed some ‘fresh legs’ which suggested Onions perhaps hadn’t pulled up 100% fit after Cape Town, but whatever the reason Graeme Smith won’t have shed any tears at his omission.Drowning out
As the players walked out to begin play the Barmy Army began a stirring rendition of . The Wanderers PA clearly thought that was far too English so turned up the volume on his collection of pop songs to drown out the patriotic singing. With perfect timing the English contingent rounded off their tune just as Dale Steyn prepared for his ball…sadly, for England, it didn’t have the desired effect. Andrew Strauss flicked the first delivery of the Test off his hip and Hashim Amla took a stunning catch at backward short leg. Could you say Strauss had been drowned out?Did I catch that?
Wayne Parnell was one of two debutants for South Africa as they picked a horses-for-courses attack for a must-win match. His first piece of action, though, wasn’t with the ball but stood at mid-on where he held a catch to remove Kevin Pietersen. The short ball from Morne Morkel had been struck at some speed and Parnell appeared to catch it before realising quite what he was doing. In an instant reaction he then hurled it at the non-striker’s stumps before joining his team-mates in celebration.Harper’s thin line
We should have known the review system would be in for an interesting time with Daryl Harper in the seat. It’s fair to say he had a few ‘issues’ when he was in control during England’s series in West Indies last year. His first involvement in this match came when Alastair Cook was pinned lbw by Morne Morkel and asked for the review. The replay showed it to be perilously close to a no-ball and the England dressing room was convinced he’d overstepped. Harper was satisfied with the legality of the ball, however, and further replays showed Cook was stone dead. Andrew Strauss was unimpressed, but closer viewing of the TV pictures showed Harper was right…just.Much more than a blocker
There was no point in Paul Collingwood blocking this time. He was at the crease less than an hour into the Test. So instead he showed the other side of his game and took the attack to South Africa. He pulled a nervous Parnell over deep square-leg for six and quickly showed conditions were not so treacherous for batting. Then, facing the last ball before lunch, he swivelled on a short ball from Jacques Kallis and cleared the ropes again. That’s the way to play for the interval.Grassed it
Morkel was proving lethal with his extra bounce from a good length on a lively surface and regularly had deliveries flying past the edge and the head. One particularly brutish ball was almost too much for Ian Bell as it took the shoulder of the bat and flew towards gully. Ashwell Prince made excellent ground and grabbed the ball in his right hand, but the jarring of his heavy landing knocked it free. Prince admitted he wasn’t sure and the umpires went upstairs, and it soon became clear the ball had bobbled out of his hand. Bell survived, but not for long.The new boo-boy
Kevin Pietersen wasn’t quite greeted with a standing ovation when he walked out, but it certainly wasn’t a patch on the welcome he received in 2005. In fact, the loudest boos were saved for Stuart Broad’s arrival in the middle and he clearly hasn’t endeared himself to the locals on this tour. The memories of events at Newlands were still fresh and Broad took a few extra minutes to prepare himself to face his first ball.

Sri Lanka A overhauled Ireland’s 147 for 5 with an over to spare in the second Twenty20 warm-up game played at the Nondescripts Ground in Colombo today. The Sri Lankans had been in some strife at 54 for 5 before their recovery, with Chinthaka Jayasinghe,

Cricinfo staff31-Jan-2010Scorecard
Sri Lanka A overhauled Ireland’s 147 for 5 with an over to spare in the second Twenty20 warm-up game played at the Nondescripts Ground in Colombo today. The Sri Lankans had been in some strife at 54 for 5 before their recovery, with Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Seekkuge Prasanna and Jeewan Mendis all making 28 to secure the win.Ireland lost Niall O’Brien early on in their innings as he gave Kosala Kulasekara the first of his three wickets. Contributions from captain William Porterfield (24), Andre Botha (20) and Alex Cusack (20) kept Ireland’s score ticking over before Andrew White and Gary Wilson came together, adding 47 runs in quick time to give the total a sheen of respectability.Kulasekara was the most successful of the seven bowlers used by Sri Lanka A, while Chaminda Vidanapathirana and Mendis also chipped in with a wicket apiece. In return, Ireland’s bowers started strongly as Dimuth Karunaratne, Nuwan Zoysa and Dilruwan Perera all fell for single figures.Chamara Kapugedera, who was captaining Sri Lanka A today, prompted a recovery with a quickfire 20 but with his dismissal – by the 17-year-old George Dockrell – half of the Sri Lankan batting line-up was accounted for before the end of the eighth over.The lower middle order rallied, with Prasanna particularly severe on the Irish bowlers, clearing the boundary four times before he became Dockrell’s second victim. Jayasinghe and Mendis then combined to add 47 and power Sri Lanka A’s innings. Cusack bowled Jayasinghe with the first ball of the 19th over, but Mendis remained to guide Sri Lanka A home.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has revealed that Club Brugge manager Philippe Clement was “mentioned” as a potential Marcelo Bielsa successor at Leeds United.

What’s the story?

During a Q&A for The Athletic, the journalist said: “Gasperini is a very interesting shout. I don’t have a name but I’m told that Leeds knew who they would go for if Bielsa had decided that one season in the Premier League was enough. They had a plan in place if they had to move suddenly.

“One name mentioned to me (but I really am just speculating here) was Phillipe Clement at Club Brugge. The one thing we all know is that it’s going to be a massive transition, not just of coaching staff but most likely of players too. And it’s going to be a huge call.”

Been superb for Club Brugge

According to The Examiner Live, “Clement adopts an aggressive pressing tactic high up the pitch”, while “his preferred formation is 4-3-3” – both of which should be music to the ears of Leeds fans.

Bielsa has built an identity at Elland Road based all around hard work and intensity off the ball, and it appears Clement is built from that same managerial cloth.

He has also won back-to-back league titles in Belgium and also picked up a domestic cup to his name too, while he has also presided over some pretty impressive results in the Champions League in particular.

This season alone has seen Brugge pick up a superb 1-1 draw against French giants PSG in the opening game of the group stages, while they followed that performance and result up with an outstanding 2-1 win away at RB Leipzig.

At just 47 years old, Clement appears to be the archetypal modern coach who seems well-equipped to step into Bielsa’s shoes should the Argentine call it quits sometime in the near future.

The tactical styles seem quite similar, while Clement’s experience at leading teams out in the Champions League and winning league titles domestically should also bode well for the future at Elland Road.

While the prospect of seeing Bielsa leave is sure to have fans worried, bringing in someone like Clement would surely be exciting.

Meanwhile, Bielsa could sign his own Mason Mount in this star…

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is considering a triple swoop in the January transfer window. What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Iranian media outlet Tasnum News Agency, who claim that Mehdi Ghaedi, Mehdi Abdi and Armin Sohrabian have all caught the eye of the 56-year-old Celtic manager, who is reported to have sent scouts to watch the trio in action for their various clubs in recent weeks ahead of a potential swoop in the upcoming winter market.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the success Postecoglou has already enjoyed with his signings from lesser-known leagues at Celtic, the news that the Bhoys boss once again looks to be scouring unfamiliar markets for January deals is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, the 56-year-old himself admitted he would be doing exactly this, stating after Celtic’s 3-0 win over Dundee United on Saturday: “It would be silly of me not to use the experience I have and the knowledge I have.

“That’s why we got Kyogo [Furuhashi] here. I was 100% certain he would do well. And it’s not just Kyogo. If you look at all the big leagues around the world, you’ll see Asian players. Not just from Japan but from Korea, from Australia, from Iran. There are some very good footballers on that side of the world. But if people don’t want to look there, I’m happy to be the only one.”

As Postecoglou suggests, the summer signings of Kyogo from Vissel Kobe and Liel Abada from Maccabi Petah Tikva – who cost Celtic a combined fee of just £8m – have proven to be extremely intelligent pieces of business, with the former having scored 14 goals and registered five assists over his 23 appearances for the Hoops, while the latter has bagged seven goals and six assists over his own 26 appearances in the green and white of Celtic.

And, with TNA describing 23-year-old winger Ghayedi as a “wonderkid” who won the Persian Gulf Pro League’s young player of the year award last season, dubbing 23-year-old centre-forward Abdi an exciting “prospect” in the Iranian league and claiming that 26-year-old centre-back Sohrabian is the “leader” of Gol Gohar, should Postecoglou indeed go on to land the trio this winter, Celtic fans could well be worshipping three more previously unknown heroes in a few months’ time.

In other news: Ange must brutally axe “scary” £19k-p/w Celtic beast dubbed “one of the best” vs Betis

James Hopes’ bid to be available for Queensland’s must-win FR Cup game against Victoria has been ended by Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen

Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2010James Hopes’ bid to be available for Queensland’s must-win FR Cup game against Victoria has been ended by Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen. The Bulls had picked Hopes for Saturday’s day-night fixture, which comes a day after the final contest of Australia’s one-day series against West Indies in Melbourne.Nielsen spoke to Trevor Barsby, the Queensland coach, to say the gap between matches was too short, but Hopes should be cleared for Monday’s Sheffield Shield clash. “I understand where they are coming from and if the game had been a day later, then there probably wouldn’t have been an issue,” Barsby said.”We would have loved him to play on Saturday – no two ways about that – but if we were going to be in the final next weekend, then he wouldn’t have been available anyway. So we will give someone else the chance to play who most likely would be in the side, if we are good enough to get there.”Hopes is part of the one-day tour to New Zealand that leaves next week, and his spot in the domestic game will be taken by the fast bowler Luke Feldman. Whoever wins the match will host the final against Tasmania on February 28, but a no-result will leave the Tigers to stage the decider at Bellerive Oval.Victoria have been forced into a raft of changes due to international duty and injury, including a change in the captain. Andrew McDonald will lead the team in the absence of David Hussey, who is with Dirk Nannes, Cameron White and Clint McKay in Australia’s squads. The batsman Rob Quiney has a groin injury while James Pattinson, the young fast bowler, has a foot stress fracture.”We’ve got a lot of depth in our squad, if someone goes out there’s always someone else there ready to step up,” the coach Greg Shipperd said. “Throughout the season guys like John Hastings, Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade have taken their games to the next level and combined with players the ilk of Andrew McDonald, Brad Hodge and Chris Rogers. We’ve still got a strong team.”Queensland squad Chris Hartley (wk), Ryan Broad, Lee Carseldine, Craig Philipson, Chris Lynn, Nathan Reardon, Chris Simpson (capt), Ben Cutting, Ben Laughlin, Alister McDermott, Nathan Rimmington, Luke Feldman.Victoria squad Brad Hodge, Chris Rogers, Aaron Finch, Aiden Blizzard, Andrew McDonald (capt), Michael Hill, John Hastings, Matthew Wade (wk), Damien Wright, Glenn Maxwell, Bryce McGain, Darren Pattinson.

Niranjan Shah, the IPL vice-president, has said he would plead his case with the IPL governing council

Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2010Ravindra Jadeja, who was banned from the IPL 2010 season for allegedly trying to negotiate a contract outside of Rajasthan Royals, has received support from Niranjan Shah, the IPL vice-president. Shah, also the president of the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), whom Jadeja represents in domestic tournaments, said he would request the IPL’s governing council to consider the case.”We are hoping that everything will be fine in the coming days and Jadeja will be able to take part in the IPL3 for his franchise,” Shah was quoted as saying in the . “We will see if his ban can be reduced to a couple of matches and not for the entire tournament.”Earlier, Jadeja had pleaded his innocence saying that he had sought prior approval from the BCCI, before deciding to negotiate with other franchises. In his letter to the BCCI, reportedly written two weeks before Saturday’s ban, Jadeja said his contract with Rajasthan had expired on December 31, 2009 and that they did not give him any indications they were going to renew his contract.”It is my understanding that my contract with Rajasthan Royals has expired and they have not at any stage offered me a renewal for Season 2010,” Jadeja said in the letter. “In addition, I have never refused until this day to sign such a contract. Hence, I believe I am free to sign a contract with any franchisee.”

Antonio Conte may have to turn to Ryan Sessegnon as his Tottenham Hotspur side return to Premier League action this evening…

What’s the word?

The north London outfit have seen their last two matches postponed following an outbreak of the virus at the club’s training base last week but the Italian’s depleted squad have been back in training since Sunday in preparation for this game.

It remains to be seen who is available but one player that isn’t expected to feature is Sergio Reguilon, who according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold is still out injured.

“I am told that Sergio Reguilon is not fully training yet after that one (his injury against Norwich City), he is on his way back but I just wonder if Thursday might come too soon,” he revealed to his YouTube channel this week.

Sessegnon chance

It leaves Conte light on options, especially as he utilises Ben Davies as a left-sided centre-back, so it’s likely that Sessegnon is gifted a rare chance to shine – he must take it.

The 21-year-old dynamo has played only 17 times since joining from Fulham in a £25m deal back in the summer of 2019 and was sent off in his first start under the Italian but here he has a chance at redemption.

Once dubbed a “big, big talent” by former Cottagers teammate Stefan Johansen, the young dynamo has the attributes to thrive in Conte’s system as he can contribute at either end of the pitch, as seen during his loan stint at Hoffenheim last season.

As per WhoScored, he provided two goals and three assists, whilst averaging two tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 0.7 key passes per game in the German top-flight.

The £16.2m-rated must fill the void left behind by Reguilon, who leads the squad for creativity, managing three assists and one key pass per game.

In replacing the former Real Madrid star in the win over Norwich last time out, Conte urged Sessegnon to do better. He told reporters (via football.london):

“I’m sure that he can do much better and he has quality. He has quality as a player with great power, he’s strong physically and he needs to take confidence. He needs to take confidence from the atmosphere and the stadium. Sess is a young player but if you stay in the Tottenham squad it means that you deserve to be here and you have to deserve this. He played a good game but he has to improve, like the other players.”

Conte must give him another chance to impress now.

AND in other news, Journalist drops exciting behind-the-scenes Antonio Conte claim…

Celtic currently have a significant number of players in their senior squad that have come through the club’s youth academy and play for the first team such as James Forrest and Callum McGregor, who have made a combined total of 42 appearances between them across all competitions this season.

Looking ahead to who could be the next regular figure for Celtic to come through the club’s academy, one potential candidate that could be set for a big future at the Parkhead club is 18-year-old Dane Murray, who has been touted to have a “bright future” ahead of him by Stephen Welsh.

As a product of Celtic’s youth system, Murray is predominantly a midfield player but has been deployed as a centre-back by Ange Postecoglou, which gives a clue as to what the Celtic manager sees in the teenager in terms of his skills and qualities on the pitch.

In Celtic’s 2-1 defeat against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League qualifying second-leg clash back in July, Murray played at the back for the full 120 minutes and managed to show everyone just what he’s capable of from a defensive point of view.

Murray managed to make six clearances, seven interceptions and three tackles as well as winning 11 duels and not getting dribbled past even once.

This display earned the youngster an impressive overall match rating of 7.3/10 according to SofaScore, making him Celtic’s joint-second highest rated player on the day, proving that he definitely has what it takes to play at a high level alongside the rest of Celtic’s more senior players.

In the first leg against Midtjylland, Murray played 45 minutes of action after Nir Bitton got sent off, after which fellow Hoops defender Welsh described the youngster’s performance as “fantastic,” which could be why Postecoglou selected him to start the second leg.

Looking ahead to the future, even though Murray hasn’t been involved in a matchday squad for Celtic in the league this season, he definitely has what it takes to break into Postecoglou’s side at some point in the future.

Consider the talent he’s shown so far and the fact that he has time on his side with his young age and he could save the club millions in potential future transfer fees.

In other news: “No estimated return date”: Devlin drops big Celtic injury update, Ange will be fuming

Plays of the Day for the 11th match, between Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings at the Feroz Shah Kotla

Jamie Alter in Delhi19-Mar-2010Sehwag scintillates
In his previous game, Muttiah Muralitharan bowled a top spell against Kolkata Knight Riders, allowing just 16 runs in his four overs while picking up the wicket of Laxmi Shukla. Today his first over went for 12, with Virender Sehwag taking a special liking for his pace and turn: a well executed late cut for four was followed by an even better shot as he gave himself room, in fact exposing all three stumps, and gently and elegantly angled the ball wide of short third man for another boundary. Nothing fazes this man.Sticking to the basics … and suffering
When bowling at the death, the gospel says “full and straight”. Poor Joginder Sharma was precisely that in the 19th over, except that Rajat Bhatia struck successive sixes off him, indicating that there really is no set method in Twenty20. The fourth ball off the over was a full toss, which Bhatia dumped over deep midwicket, and the next was pitched up on the stumps and Bhatia nonchalantly swung it over long-on for the same result. Both Joginder and Bhatia were drafted in for their first game of the season, and their contributions couldn’t have been starker: Joginder went for 43 in his four overs and Bhatia larruped a nine-ball 21 that swung the impetus back Delhi’s way after Chennai had hit back with big wickets in a clump.Suspense and suspenders
Who says the first over of a Twenty20 innings can’t be full of suspense and action even if there isn’t a single wicket or boundary? Sample the first over of Chennai’s chase, bowled by Dirk Nannes. First delivery: left alone. Second delivery: pitched and cut back sharply to nearly saw Parthiv Patel in half, Dinesh Karthik fumbled the take as he fell to his right. Third delivery: well outside off stump, Parthiv , a wide was called. Fourth delivery: length ball, tapped in front of square for a quick single. Fifth delivery: pitched on a good length, held its line, and Matthew Hayden didn’t offer a shot. You could feel the suspense building up. Sixth delivery: just as Nannes released the ball, Hayden backed out with some issues with vision down the ground. When the ball was finally bowled, he calmly opted to shoulder arms. Was the big hit around the corner, you wondered? Seventh delivery: Hayden mistimed a drive to a full ball, set off, the backward point fielder hit he stumps, the ball ricocheted, and Hayden got a second run.Ouch and out
Parthiv, into the side because of MS Dhoni’s injury, had a muted game. The first ball of the third over, bowled by Nannes, was full, straight and fast, and the yorker thudded into Parthiv’s pads. Surprised by the pace and swing, he lost balance and stooped over. Still in a daze, Parthiv set off for a non-existent single, but Hayden waved him back vehemently. It was too late, however, because de Villiers took out the stumps. It seemed Parthiv was still smarting from the yorker that thudded into his foot.Operation Mongoose
Finally we got to see what all the fuss was about. Hayden swung Pradeep Sangwan away for his fourth boundary and promptly called for Chennai’s 12th man to bring out the Mongoose bat. A single and a dot ball later, the Mongoose was on the loose as Hayden tonked three fours and a six in four deliveries. Hayden had roared back into form. The little thing worked well against spin too, as Dilshan found out when his first over went for 21 runs, including three sixes. The bullying continued until Hayden was out for an audacious 93 from 43 balls. It was an auspicious debut.