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Leicester City have enjoyed a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign as some of their new signings have helped them to win all three of their Championship fixtures so far.

Who have Leicester signed this summer?

Enzo Maresca has been able to bolster his playing squad with six additions since his appointment as head coach after a spell with Manchester City's coaching staff.

Stephy Mavididi, Harry Winks, Mads Hermansen, and Conor Coady have all come through the door on permanent deals, whilst Callum Doyle and Cesare Casadei have joined on loan.

That may not be the end of their business, though, as they were recently touted with an interest in Newell's Old Boys winger Brian Aguirre, who has reportedly been valued at $10m (£7.9m).

How good is Brian Aguirre?

The 20-year-old whiz is a talented young prospect who should not be brought in with the expectation of being able to make an immediate and significant impact on the pitch.

Instead, he should be viewed as a long-term project who could be the eventual heir to Mavididi's position on the left flank as he is five years younger than the summer signing from Montpellier.

Aguirre has only played 42 senior club career games and is yet to play outside of his home country, Argentina, which means that it could take him time to adapt to football and life in England.

Therefore, the exciting gem could be ideally suited to be a back-up to Mavididi initially as it would afford him time to adjust to his new surroundings without the pressure of being required to hit the ground running on the pitch.

The English forward has enjoyed a terrific start to life at the King Power and his performances suggest that there will be no immediate need for Aguirre to step up.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.47 across three Championship matches this season and produced one goal and one assist, to go along with 1.7 key passes per game for his teammates.

Only Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (8.23) has averaged a higher Sofascore rating for Leicester so far and this shows that the former Arsenal prospect has been one of Maresca's outstanding performers.

This could also make him the dream mentor for Aguirre as Mavididi is proving himself to be a fantastic winger at this level who could impart his wisdom to the 20-year-old ace to help him develop his own skills over the coming years.

The Old Boys forward, who scout Antonio Mango described as "compelling viewing", showcased his potential during the U20 World Cup earlier this year as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.13 and contributed with one goal and two 'big chances' created in three appearances for Argentina.

Aguirre, who has assisted five goals in 42 games for his club, seemingly has the capability to score and create chances from a left wing position but would need to translate that over to first-team football in England on a regular basis in order to be a huge success at the King Power.

Training alongside and learning from Mavididi could play a crucial role in his development, given how impressive the 25-year-old hotshot has been this season, and allow him to become the long-term heir to that position in the team if Maresca can secure his services.

Celtic will "try to the end" for one highly-rated player in particular this summer, as journalist Rudy Galetti provides a key update.

Is Dominik Livakovic joining Celtic?

While The Bhoys transfer window may have gotten underway in perhaps the worst way possible with the departure of the incredibly dynamic and engaging Jota leaving Celtic Park for the Saudi Pro League's riches, things have started to look up for Brendan Rodgers' side.

The contract extensions given to Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda, along with the signings of several new and exciting players, have given the club a real boost as the season gets underway in Scotland. However, there are still areas of the team that could be improved upon, including the goalkeeper.

The number one the Hoops have been chasing for much of this window is Dinamo Zagreb stopper Livakovic. However, with transfers expert Fabrizio Romano reporting that Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbache were days away from securing the Croat's signature last month, it looked like any hope of a deal was off.

However, in the month since the sides reportedly agreed on a deal, the Croatian international has remained in Zagreb, making five appearances for the club he was supposed to be leaving.

This stalemate between the two sides could work in Celtic's favour, and according to journalist Rudy Galetti, the Glaswegian Giants are looking to take "advantage" of the current situation.

What has journalist Rudy Galetti said about Dominik Livakovic to Celtic?

Galetti confirmed that whilst the Hoops are looking for a new left-back, they are also working to capitalise on the stalemate between Fenerbahce and Zagreb, even if it's proving to be "complicated."

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Celtic are working for a new left-back and started contact with LOSC Lille for Gabriel Gudmundsson.

"Celtic need to sign a new goalkeeper as well, and they are trying to take advantage of the stalemate between Fenerbahce and Dinamo Zagreb for Livakovic. It's a complicated option, but Celtic will try to the end for him."

How old is Dominik Livakovic

Born January 9th, 1995, in Zadar, Croatia, the 28-year-old, who has been described as a potential "wonderful" signing, is certainly a player who, whilst never playing for a club outside of his home country, has shown himself to be a classy operator.

So far, the Dinamo Zagreb star has made 45 appearances for the Croatian national team and became something of a national hero for his unbelievable performances at the World Cup last year.

The 6 foot 2 shot-stopper made seven appearances in the competition, conceding an average of just one goal a game, making 3.6 saves per game and preventing 3.52 goals a game, all while averaging a match rating of 7.33, per Sofascore.

However, his best performance – and probably the best goalkeeping performance of the entire tournament – came in their quarter-final tie against one of the competition favourites, Brazil.

Over the course of the game, the Selecao forced him into making 11 saves, which was the most saves a Croatian keeper has ever had to make in a World Cup match as well as the most saves any keeper had to make in a World Cup game since Tim Howard in 2014 against Belgium, per the Analyst.

He was also the key man when the game came down to penalties, winning the game for the 2018 runners-up by saving Rodrygo's spot kick.

His exploits were greatly appreciated by manager Zlatko Dalic who heaped praise on him following the game, saying:

"But he made the difference for us through the whole match. Brazil created some chances through their quality and speed but he prevented goals because he was in top shape – he was there in the crucial moments to save us."

Whilst Livakovic's lack of club football outside of Croatia may worry some potential suitors, his performances at the World Cup should be evidence enough of his sheer quality and were Rodgers and Celtic able to get this deal over the line, it could go a long way in helping them keep hold of the title for another year.

Bowlers dominated as 15 wickets fell on day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Tasmania and Queensland in Hobart.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2017
ScorecardMatthew Wade brought out the paddle sweep frequently•Getty ImagesTest incumbents Matthew Wade and Matt Renshaw both fell cheaply as ball dominated bat on day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Tasmania and Queensland in wintry conditions at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.After the captain George Bailey chose to bat first, the Tigers could improve only marginally on being shot out for 63 by Western Australia in round one, cobbling together 186 in the face of six wickets for the accurate seam and swing of Michael Neser. Wade, who needed a score to keep up in the race for Ashes wicketkeeping duties, was bowled by Luke Feldman for nine.Renshaw, who has also been struggling for runs in recent times though not considered as doubtful to play at the Gabba as Wade has been, could only make it to one before edging Jackson Bird, another Test contender, to Alex Doolan in the slips. Former Test opener Joe Burns was also out cheaply, Marnus Labuschagne was run out by a brilliant Jordan Silk direct hit, and the captain Usman Khawaja made it as far as 27 before edging Sam Rainbird and giving Wade his first catch of the game.Gabe Bell then chimed in to pin Sam Truloff lbw, leaving Jack Wildermuth and Jimmy Peirson with plenty of work to do if they are to gain parity with the hosts’ first innings on day two.

In the absence of Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada will lead the bowling attack, which also includes allrounders Wayne Parnell and Andile Phehlukwayo

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2017Faf du Plessis’ first assignment as ODI captain will see him take charge of a squad sans several senior bowlers for three matches against Bangladesh, starting next Sunday. With Morne Morkel joining the list of those unavailable through injury earlier in the week, Dane Paterson earned a maiden call-up after he was also included in the Test squad as Morkel’s replacement.Paterson, a fast bowler from the Cobras, has played four T20Is for South Africa, most recently in England over the winter. He took a career-best 4 for 32 in the final match, but his ability to execute during the end overs impressed the selectors.Ins and outs

Ins: Temba Bavuma, Dane Paterson
Outs: Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Keshav Maharaj

“Dane did very well in the T20 International Series against England earlier this year, particularly when it came to death bowling. We now want to see if he can do a similar job in the 50 overs format,” Linda Zondi, South Africa’s convener of selectors said.Kagiso Rabada will lead the bowling attack, which also includes allrounders Wayne Parnell and Andile Phehlukwayo. Imran Tahir is the only specialist spinner in the group. Chris Morris, who was part of the Champions Trophy squad, was not available for selection as he continues to recover from a back problem, while Keshav Maharaj was left out.The batting line-up takes on a more familiar look, especially as it sees the return to international action of AB de Villiers, who last played for South Africa during the England tour. De Villiers will make himself available across all three formats from mid-October and is also due to play a four-day first-class match to get himself ready for Tests. He will spend this season as a player only, having stepped down from all forms of leadership.JP Duminy, who recently retired from Tests, will be part of a middle order that also included David Miller and Farhaan Behardien. Temba Bavuma has also been included in the fifty-over side. Bavuma has only played one ODI, last September against Ireland, where he opened the batting and scored a century.South Africa could see this series as the start of their preparations for the 2019 World Cup. South Africa lost the ODI series against Bangladesh the last time they played in the format.ODI squad: Faf du Plessis (capt.), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada

Dean Jones has given an update on Wolverhampton Wanderers midfield pursuit.

The club are looking to strengthen in the middle of the park this summer after losing key players this window.

What is the latest Wolves transfer news?

The side are in chaos before the start of the season.

The club have recently had to make a managerial change, with former coach Julen Lopetegui leaving his post by mutual consent after just nine months at the club. A key factor behind the Spaniard's decision to depart was the clubs failure to secure him the transfer targets that he wanted due to the clubs financial position.

Wolves have moved to replace him with former Bournemouth head coach Gary O'Neil, who has identified Coventry midfielder Gustavo Hamer as a target as he looks to bolster his squad for the upcoming season, but that plan has already been foiled as he's joined Sheffield United.

Wolves haven't had much luck when it's come to transfers this summer, with the club missing out on top target Alex Scott. The midlands side saw two offers rejected for the young Englishman, with the second rebuffed offer being worth £20m. Bournemouth then stepped in and paid the Bristol City asking price of £25m and completed the deal.

The club lost Ruben Neves earlier this window as he made the switch to the Saudi Pro League in a £47m move to Al Hilal, whilst experienced veteran Joao Moutinho departed this summer following the expiry of his contract at Molineux.

Wolves pursuit of Hamer may be short-lived however, with The Telegraph reporting that newly promoted Sheffield United have agreed a deal for the player for £15m. The Dutch midfielder is set to undergo a medical with the Blades soon, so if Wolves want the player they will have to act quickly.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones revealed that the club were seriously looking at Hamer as a target, whilst Manchester City midfielder Tommy Doyle is also a name being considered.

He said: "The centre of the park is somewhere Wolves should be shopping, but there are frustrations around this and is part of why Lopetegui was wondering what he could do with this team. They have shown their liking for Scott, but beyond that, they should also be looking more seriously at Hamer, whom they have been admiring from afar, I am told.

To me, his value in this market seems golden, but maybe it’s still too much to expect from Wolves as they iron out their current problems. There is also some doubt around him being a guaranteed success as they need players that fit into the Premier League seamlessly. Tommy Doyle at Man City has also been mentioned, and I believe it remains the case that they are waiting to see if that can become more active."

What next for Wolves this window?

The club seem to be looking to add Premier League experience to the side.

According to Jones, the club are interested in signing West Ham forward Michael Antonio. The Hammers are reportedly willing to let go of the Jamaican international this summer, but the forward has reservations about making the switch to Molineux due to the uncertainty around the club, and would like a better understanding of the situation before committing to the move.

Previous boss Lopetegui wanted fellow Irons player Aaron Cresswell, and despite his departure, the interest from the Midlands club has remained, with Football Insider reporting that should Wolves up their rejected offer by £1.5m, then West Ham will sanction the move for the defender who has just 12 months remaining on his contract.

Tottenham Hotspur's new signing Manor Solomon had "a purpose to his dribbling" and left journalist Alasdair Gold feeling "really impressed" after his performances on the club's Asia-Pacific tour.

Manor Solomon's Tottenham future

The Spurs signing that has attracted the most attention so far this summer, and understandably so, is the £40m acquisition of James Maddison from Leicester City. The England international is the kind of well-known, exciting and attacking signing bound to stir fans, but people shouldn't forget about fellow new boy Solomon.

The Kfar Saba-born attacker had a brilliant – albeit injury-hit – season with London rivals Fulham last year and joined the Lilywhites on a free in early July.

Whilst the expectation has generally been that he's going to be a practical and helpful squad option for Ange Postecoglou, he has already shown to those who have been watching he has the ability to fight for a starting spot.

Read the latest Tottenham Hotspur transfer news HERE…

He has been making a good case for himself on the club's Asia-Pacific tour already as well, with the Evening Standard's Simon Collings giving him a seven out of ten for his performance against West Ham United in Perth, describing him as 'Tottenham's best player during the first-half''.

However, Collings wasn't the only one impressed by his performances as football.london's Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was also left "really impressed" by the Israeli.

He gave his impression of the player on his podcast Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham, saying:

"I was really impressed with the way he played, and also, my issue with him beforehand and something he needed to improve on was his assists and setting up others.

"With Solomon, it doesn't feel like he's just going to be head down and running into people, it feels like there's a purpose to his dribbling and he'll know the right moment to stop it and pass and to look up or shoot or whatever. So yeah, he looks good."

How good was Manor Solomon last season?

Unfortunately for the £23k-per-week man, an injury at the start of his time in west London stopped him from getting a full season of Premier League football under his belt, but when he could play, he looked quality.

In just the 563 minutes of league football he played for the Cottagers, he provided four assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 140 minutes or one every one-and-a-half games.

He also maintained a passing accuracy of 86.4% – the fourth highest among Fulham players that got at least 500 minutes of game time – and averaged a match rating of 6.52, per WhoScored.

Some of his underlying numbers are also seriously impressive and suggest that if he is able to stay fit next season, he could well make a case for himself to be a starter.

According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the 24-year-old "game changer" sits in the top 1% for non-penalty goals and tackles, the top 4% for pass completion, the top 6% for successful take-ons, and the top 18% for interceptions, all per 90.

Former boss Marco Silva will surely miss him at Craven Cottage as he waxed lyrical over his performances earlier in the season, saying:

"His one-v-one situation is really strong and coming from the left he is important."

He should be just as entertaining to watch this year, and it'll be interesting to see if he can force his way into a starting place as the season plays out.

A major chunk of that figure will have been spent on bringing the World XI team to Lahore. It is thought the players are being paid in the region of $100,000 each, and the rest is made up mostly by the logistic costs involved

Osman Samiuddin in Lahore12-Sep-2017The PCB will end up spending anywhere between US$ 2.5-3 million for the staging of the three-match T20I series against World XI, as it bids to build on unprecedented international goodwill and bring more cricket back to Pakistan.A major chunk of that figure will have been spent on bringing the World XI team to Lahore. Nobody has spoken publicly about how much the players are being paid but it is thought to be in the region of $100,000 each. The rest is made up mostly by the logistic costs involved.The PCB will not, at least, have to pay for the entire costs of the security apparatus for the series. Two international security consultants – Reg Dickason and Nicholls Steyn and Associates – have been engaged, with the $1.1 million cost picked up by the ICC. That is a result of efforts by the PCB over the last year to seek some kind of assistance from the game’s governing body from their projected loss of revenues from the absence of international cricket at home.Although the total spend on the series may appear hefty for a board that hasn’t hosted an India series in well over a decade and has hosted one international series at home since 2009, the PCB’s financial health appears to be better than has been often thought.The board has made a profit every year since 2011 and has, in fact, tripled it in the three years to June 2016 – for the year 2015-16, according to its annual report, the PCB made a profit of $14.5 million dollars.That is one reason a member of the board’s governing body said he would be happy even if they manage to just break even over the course of this week. Since this series was not part of Pakistan’s original FTP schedule, it does not come under the five-year broadcast deal they signed with Ten Sports in 2013, thought to be around $150 million.Instead, the PCB has crafted the same deal they did for the PSL, whereby they buy airtime in bulk and sell advertising space, taking a majority share of the revenues that generates.Ordinarily, the rest of their revenues would come from various series-specific commercial deals and ticket sales. But the talk around Lahore over the last few days has been of disappointing ticket sales, a result of a pricing policy that has not quite worked out. Hours before the game, the PCB chairman Najam Sethi took to Twitter calling on fans to not wait to see how the series develops and instead buy tickets now. Ten overs into the first game on Tuesday evening, the 25,000-capacity Gaddafi Stadium was nearly but not entirely full.What they end up making, the investment, as the board member pointed out, is a longer-term one. If this series goes off without incident, it paves the way for Sri Lanka to play a solitary T20 in Lahore on October 29 and, potentially, West Indies to visit for a three-match series of T20s in November.With more games of the PSL due to be played in Pakistan next season, this period becomes a critical one in determining the future extent of international cricket in Pakistan.

The ECB say they have yet to receive an approach from Cricket South Africa regarding the services of the England bowling coach, Ottis Gibson, who has been linked to the South African head coach’s position

Firdose Moonda04-Aug-20170:58

We’ve heard nothing about Gibson – Farbrace

The ECB say they have yet to receive an approach from Cricket South Africa regarding the services of the England bowling coach, Ottis Gibson, who has been linked to the South African head coach’s position which will be filled as early as next week. Current coach Russell Domingo, who has reapplied for the role, is out of contract at the end of the England tour and the first reported that CSA have been in discussion with Gibson to take over.But an ECB spokesperson said they have had no communication from their South African counterparts and will not entertain any approach until next Tuesday at the earliest, when the ongoing series has been concludedTalk of Gibson’s possible departure from the England camp was also news to Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, who also suggested any confirmation would only come when the Test ends.”Ottis is someone who has obviously had a lot of international experience. He did a great job for the West Indies, won the Twenty20 World Cup as a head coach, then lost out in a semi-final against Sri Lanka – which was a bit unfortunate for him. But at the moment Russell Domingo is head coach of South Africa and doing a brilliant job and it would be disrespectful of us to talk about his position all the time he’s in it,” Farbrace said. “We’ve obviously heard the news tonight, but I promise you we’ve had nothing official. It’s all being left now until the end of the series, I hope.”Uncertainty over South Africa’s head coaching position has hovered over the side since January, when CSA announced they would be advertising the job and not extending Domingo’s contract for a fourth time. But it took five months for CSA to clarify the process they would follow in seeking a head coach, leaving Domingo, who has been in charge since mid-2013, in limbo.In May, CSA appointed a five-man panel, including former national coaches Gary Kirsten and Eric Simons, to recommend a candidate for the coaching job. They also opened applications until June 16, after which interviews were conducted. ESPNcricinfo understands Gibson did not apply for the job.Domingo confirmed he had put himself in contention and had been interviewed but Lions’ coach Geoffrey Toyana was thought to be the front-runner, having had success at domestic level. Other names mentioned included Phil Simmons, who has been seen around the South African camp during the tour of England, and Rob Walter, the former South African fitness and fielding coach who is now with Otago.The committee were due to address CSA’s board on July 21 but were delayed in their work and a decision on the coach was put back. One source suggested CSA was unhappy with the quality and the number of applications they had received and would consider head-hunting instead, especially since the mandate for the next coach is to win a World Cup.Gibson has tasted major tournament success, having overseen West Indies’ capturing of the World T20 in 2012. He is currently in the second year of his second stint as England’s bowling coach. Gibson previously worked with England between 2007 and 2010 and rejoined them in 2015. Though he has no coaching experience in South Africa, he has played for three domestic teams in the country: Border, Griquas and Gauteng.

Tottenham Hotspur could finally be set to secure an heir to an old favourite of theirs, perfecting Ange Postecoglou's new-look midfield in the process.

Who are Tottenham Hotspur signing this summer?

With James Maddison the star new addition thus far, supplemented by the signings of Manor Solomon and Guglielmo Vicario, it seems that the Lilywhites are heading in the right direction towards building a brighter future.

However, it could certainly still be worth borrowing some ideals from the sole successful regime in recent memory though, taking a leaf out of Mauricio Pochettino's book by emulating his main men to prop up the new regime.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

Of those stars of the past, few compare to Mousa Dembele, who held down the engine room with relentless power and endless grace for seven fine years. However, there is one star on the market who does boast frightening similarities both in physical profile and play style.

Sofyan Amrabat has been touted with an exit from Fiorentina ever since his exceptional World Cup, and it is Spurs who too are reportedly interested in making the Moroccan general the heir to their Belgian maestro.

He is expected to cost around €40m (£34m), per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

How good is Sofyan Amrabat?

Whilst those performances on the world stage still stand as the apex of his career thus far, he has impressed for his club too across four years in Italy.

The 26-year-old managed a 6.86 average rating in Serie A last season, buoyed by his 90% pass accuracy, 75% dribble success and 1.3 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

When comparing that to Dembele's best year in north London, arguably throughout the 2015/16 campaign, it is clear that the similarities begin to shine through.

After all, they are both a couple of tough-tackling 6 foot 1 midfield stars, with the class to retain possession but also turn defence into attack in an instant.

During that Premier League term, the 36-year-old ace recorded a 7.41 average rating, with just four goal contributions, a 90% pass accuracy, a 92% dribble success rate, one key pass and 3.6 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

It was such form that led Pochettino to compare his key man to some of the greats he had met, claiming:

"I always say to him, ‘Mousa, when I write my book, you will be one of my genius players that I have been lucky enough to meet.

"One was Maradona; also Ronaldinho, Okocha and Iván de la Peña – he was a genius, too – and then Mousa. We always tell Mousa that if we had taken him at 18 or 19, he would have become one of the best players in the world."

Perhaps Postecoglou could now be credited with engineering that rise to the apex of world football with Amrabat, especially given that he has already received widespread praise of his own for that recent World Cup run. Journalist Carlo Garganese even noted:

"Amrabat the best centre midfielder in the tournament. MONSTER."

He too has that genius within him which is just waiting to be unleashed, with only flashes of it having been shown thus far in his career despite his ranking within the top 8% for progressive passes per 90 when compared to other midfielders across Europe.

Perhaps a switch to north London could see him truly look to Dembele as the benchmark, emulating the stylish flair that made him much more than your average defensive midfielder.

Allrounder Timroy Allen returned home to Florida due to a family emergency last week and is not expected to be available for USA’s Auty Cup tour to Canada next month either

Peter Della Penna29-Aug-2017Allrounder Timroy Allen has been replaced at Jamaica Tallawahs by his USA team-mate Elmore Hutchinson for the remainder of CPL 2017. Allen had returned home to Florida last week due to a family emergency. He is not expected to be available for selection for USA’s Auty Cup tour to Canada next month either.Allen played six matches last year for Tallawahs during their CPL championship run but had not featured in the starting XI this season. Hutchinson, 35, made his USA debut in 2012 after qualifying on residency though he still holds a Jamaican passport. Allen was the Tallawahs-designated ICC Americas contract player – one is in each of the six CPL teams – and Hutchinson was chosen as a like-for-like replacement.Hutchinson, a tall left-arm medium pace allrounder, joined the Tallawahs squad over the weekend. In his most recent tournament for USA, Hutchinson scored 52 off 50 balls at No. 9 in a Man-of-the-Match performance against Uganda at WCL Division Three last May, that ensured USA avoided relegation while the hosts were sent back to Division Four.