Arsenal remain keen on bolstering their threadbare backline, and one move might allow Edu and Mikel Arteta to once again emulate the success of their Premier League rivals…

What's the latest on Edmond Tapsoba to Arsenal?

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners remain keen on a move for Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, among others of England's elite.

He wrote on Twitter: "Premier League clubs are now tracking Edmond Tapsoba ahead of the summer transfer window — he’s one of the CBs to keep an eye on.

"Arsenal and Tottenham scouts have monitored Tapsoba in recent games but the race is absolutely open — Bayer will only sell for huge bid."

Given that the German outfit demanded a fee of around €70m (£61m) back in 2021, it can be expected that this remains in line with the "huge bid" they will demand in the upcoming window. Edu will be keen to do his due diligence before sanctioning such a large outlay.

How good is Edmond Tapsoba?

The 24-year-old has been around the German top flight for many years now, and as such, his experience is far beyond many others of his age. For a central defender, this instantly puts him at a higher level than most.

With 136 games already played for his current club, and the expectation that the 6 foot 4 titan will be a key defensive pillar they can build Xabi Alonso's new regime upon, it is no surprise to see they are so wary to lose him.

After all, the Burkina Faso international has once again proved himself a dependable defensive asset this campaign, having averaged 1.1 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and three clearances per game, via Sofascore.

However, the peak of his powers undoubtedly came during the 2020/21 term. Whilst these defensive figures remained the same, his pass accuracy rocketed to 90% and he was successful in 65% of his dribbles. Despite his youth, Tapsoba established himself as one of Europe's top ball-playing defenders on his way to a 7.17 average match rating, via Sofascore.

It was just before that year when journalist Dominic Fifield lauded him as an "outstanding young talent" before the defender went on to prove he was more than just a prospect. He was already a star.

Having launched his career from humble beginnings, he revealed in an interview with The Athletic exactly who he had modelled his game around: "John Stones, at Everton. I really enjoyed watching him, he made a huge impression on me.

"His manner on the ball, and the way he played with the ball. I loved that. I still go back to Stones when it comes to playing in a certain style."

When harking back to those aforementioned statistics, it is clear to see how the England international has influenced Tapsoba. His remarkable pass accuracy and ability to glide with the ball out of defence is akin to the 28-year-old, who has just helped Manchester City win yet another league title. FBref showcases this, as when compared to others in his role across Europe, the former Vitoria Guimaraes ace ranks in the top 4% for progressive passes and the top 7% for successful take-ons.

For comparison, this season has seen Stones maintain a 93% pass accuracy and an 86% dribble success rate. He is far beyond that of his alternative; however, putting this growing star into Arsenal's impressive team could fast-track his growth towards that level.

Given Arteta is in desperate need of additional centre-backs to compete with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, they could do much worse than a defender who has aspirations of emulating the five-time league winner.

Ange Postecoglou is on Tottenham Hotspur's list as they search for a new manager, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

What's the latest on Spurs' manager search?

Daniel Levy has faced a few difficult weeks again as Spurs struggled to find a new manager, with pursuits of Julian Nagelsmann and Arne Slot falling through.

They have now turned their attention to the Celtic manager, and it has now been reported that the Hoops expect Postecoglou to depart the club as Spurs' interest grows.

The Australian has been a resounding success at Celtic, winning back-to-back titles, and could secure a domestic treble if his side win the Scottish Cup final.

Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Romano confirmed that the 57-year-old is being targeted for a move to North London.

"Spurs are deciding on the director very soon, and then they will pick the new manager. I'm told that Ange Postecoglou, who is doing an excellent job at Celtic, is a concrete name in the list," he stated.

"They wanted Arne Slot but no way, he extended his contract at Feyenoord, that was a crazy situation last week.

"It's really crazy, because it's not the first time it has happened, in the summer when they appointed Nuno [Espirito Santo], it was like a three, four or five weeks negotiation, with many managers, and then they ended up with Nuno so it's always like that at Tottenham. They need to clarify the situation as soon as possible."

Could Postecoglou be a good appointment for Spurs?

The Australian's success at Celtic bodes well for Spurs, taking over a team which had lost the title to Rangers, and winning back-to-back leagues in style.

Celtic scored an astonishing 114 goals in 38 league games this season, and asserted their dominance over their rivals, having knocked them out of both cup competitions.

Postecoglou has successfully implemented his style at the Hoops in this time, playing attacking football with a 4-3-3 formation, and if he can translate this success to Spurs, he could gain the support of fans very quickly if the team starts playing a more entertaining style to that of Conte or Jose Mourinho before him.

Attackers such as Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski both struggled this season, but playing under an attacking coach like Postecoglou could help them rediscover their form.

Celtic attackers Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota, Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada all scored 10 or more goals this season, and if Postecoglou can manage similarly at Spurs, who were reliant on Harry Kane going forward, they may see some improvement next season.

The series between India and Pakistan’s women’s teams, which counts towards ICC Women’s Championship points, is in major doubt

Umar Farooq16-Oct-2016The series between India and Pakistan’s women’s teams, which counts towards ICC Women’s Championship points, is in major doubt. The two have till the end of October to play the series, but the BCCI has not responded to the PCB’s queries on the series since May with either a confirmation or rejection. If the series is not played, an ICC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo that the matter of how the points will be awarded will be referred to the event’s technical committee. The PCB wants India to forfeit the six points available for the series if they do not agree to play.Pakistan is due to host India for this series, which is supposed to consist of three ODIs, and the PCB is open to holding the series in the UAE. Eight teams are part of the ICC Women’s Championship; the top four at the end of the championship, which runs over two and a half years, gain automatic entry into the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England. The bottom four will have to qualify via a ten-team qualification tournament in early 2017.”The two sides have until the end of this month to play the series, which has to be hosted by Pakistan,” the ICC spokesperson said. “If the series doesn’t go ahead, then the matter will be referred to the Event Technical Committee.”A BCCI official said the board has not made a decision on the matter yet, and that it would be binding on the Indian government’s call. “This is for the government to decide. The BCCI doesn’t have a say in this,” the official said. “We still have time to make a decision.”Cricketing ties between India and Pakistan are currently stalled, given the political tensions between the neighbours. The men’s teams have not played a bilateral series against each other since December-January 2012-13, when Pakistan visited India, but had met in various multi-team tournaments since then, including the World Cup, World T20, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup. The latest Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two boards in May 2014 featured six series from 2015 to 2023, but the series which was supposed to be played last December in the UAE was shelved; then, too, the BCCI had said it was up to the government to sanction the series.There have been two major instances of teams refusing to play matches due to non-cricketing reasons in the past, and both times those teams had to forfeit the points. In 1996 Wills World Cup, West Indies and Australia refused to send their teams to Sri Lanka due to security issues arising out of the civil war; points for both the games were awarded to Sri Lanka. In 2003 World Cup, England forfeited their match with Zimbabwe, and New Zealand forfeited their match with Kenya, both due to security concerns due to political unrest.In the ICC Women’s Championship, India currently sit sixth on the table with 13 points five points adrift of the top four. Pakistan are seventh with eight points. If the six points for the series are awarded to Pakistan, neither side will have a chance to directly qualify for the World Cup. Pakistan Women, regardless, are set to tour New Zealand for three ODIs in Nelson from November 13 to 17, counting towards the championship. It is understood the PCB wanted to play the India series ahead of this tour.India and Pakistan’s women’s teams are also scheduled to play the Asia Cup in Thailand between November 25 and December 5.

West Ham United are leading the race for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, according to a recent report from The Sun.

What's the latest West Ham transfer news?

The main transfer saga surrounding West Ham this summer will be about Declan Rice, with Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg recently reporting the midfielder could join Arsenal "immediately", despite the interest from Bayern Munich.

Plettenberg also claims Rice has held a telephone conversation with Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel, while it has previously been reported that both Manchester City and Manchester United are interested in the Irons captain.

With the 24-year-old seemingly heading for the exit door, David Moyes is now tasked with finding a suitable replacement, and the Hammers have recently been linked with moves for the likes of Conor Gallagher and Fabio Carvalho.

Another option for the Hammers appears to be Ward-Prowse, and they are now leading the race for the Southampton captain, who could cost as much as £40m, according to a report from The Sun.

The Saints are looking to fund a summer rebuild following their relegation from the Premier League, and they hope to receive a large fee for the 28-year-old, as he will be in high demand, and he still has three years remaining on his deal.

West Ham have tracked the central midfielder for a long time, and they are keen to bring him in alongside Fulham's Joao Palhinha, with both players being targeted to replace Rice.

Should West Ham sign James Ward-Prowse?

Hailed as "sensational" by pundit Darren Bent, the Englishman has, on a personal level, had a fantastic season in the Premier League, creating a remarkable 74 chances, the seventh-highest figure of any player in the top flight.

The midfielder, who shares the same agency as Gianluca Scamacca, played every single game for the Saints, being utilised in both attacking and defensive roles, and he has exhibited a number of different qualities over the past year, ranking in the 82nd percentile for interceptions, and in the 87th for non-penalty goals.

The 2022-23 campaign was not the first time the England international played every match for Southampton, as he became a Premier League record holder by becoming the first midfielder to play every minute of consecutive Premier League campaigns back in 2021.

Given that Rice also very rarely misses games, Ward-Prowse would be a like-for-like replacement in that regard, while he also poses more of a threat on the front foot, and he would be a very solid signing for West Ham.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag holds a "serious interest" in signing Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount this summer, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

Will Mason Mount leave Chelsea?

Despite reports at the end of April indicating that Mount would be willing to commit to a new long-term deal at Chelsea, there has seemingly been no progress in that regard, and he could well be on the move this summer, with a number of teams interested.

Football Insider report that Man United are now confident they will win the race for the England international, despite interest from Liverpool, who are said to be keen on agreeing a deal, while Arsenal have also been named as potential suitors.

There is still a chance the 24-year-old remains at Stamford Bridge, as new manager Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear he wants him to stay, however with the Red Devils said to be "pushing", it remains to be seen whether he is willing to extend his stay.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Crook has now claimed that Ten Hag has been a fan of the £80k-per-week Chelsea star for quite some time, which could potentially open the door for a summer move to Old Trafford.

The talkSPORT reporter said: "I think ten Hag has serious interest. I think he's been an admirer of Mount since he played in the Netherlands at Vitesse and the midfield is an area that still needs some surgery."

Should Man United sign Mason Mount?

There may be some understandable concern about Man United making a move for the Englishman, as his 2022-23 campaign was not his best by any stretch, registering just three goals and two assists in 24 Premier League appearances.

That is a considerable drop-off from the previous season, during which he recorded a remarkable 11 goals and ten assists in the top flight, reaching double figures for goals for the first time in his career.

However, the Cobham academy graduate offers a lot more than just attacking contributions, as he has also played a critical goal for Chelsea defensively over the course of the past year, averaging 1.98 tackles per 90, in the 88th percentile compared to his positional peers.

Hailed as a "superstar" by Rob Guest, Mount could be an excellent addition to Ten Hag's squad if he is able to reignite his previous form, and Man United should undoubtedly come forward with an offer this summer.

Victoria reached 6 for 263 on the second day at the MCG in reply to South Australia’s 405

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2016
ScorecardAaron Finch has made county hundreds in the past few years, but had not scored a Sheffield Shield century since March 2010 (file photo)•PA Photos

Aaron Finch scored his first Sheffield Shield century for six and a half years as Victoria moved to 6 for 263 on the second day against South Australia at the MCG. At the close of play, teenage wicketkeeper Sam Harper was at the crease on 55 and John Hastings was on 5, and the Bushrangers still trailed by 142 after the Redbacks were earlier bowled out for 405.The day began with South Australia on 5 for 360 and they lost their final five wickets for just 45 as Chris Tremain, wickteless on the first day, ran through the lower order to finish with 4 for 91. Tom Cooper began the morning on 93 but added only four to his score before he was caught behind off Tremain for 97.In reply, Victoria lost two early wickets to Test discard Joe Mennie, before Glenn Maxwell edged Chadd Sayers to slip on 3. Opener Travis Dean was lbw to Adam Zampa for 46 and Cameron White was bowled by Kane Richardson for 18, before Finch and Harper combined for a 119-run partnership that steadied the innings.It was a notable hundred for Finch, who remarkably had only ever scored one previous Sheffield Shield century. That came back in March 2010, and this was his 35th Shield game since that time. Although it was just Finch’s second Shield ton it was his sixth in first-class cricket, others having come in county games, tour matches or for Australia A. He was caught behind off Richardson for 102.