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According to The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to secure the signing of West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone during the upcoming transfer window.

The Lowdown: Spurs no longer facing competition

The 29-year-old first joined the Baggies in a £6.5m move from Manchester United in 2018, but his current contract is set to expire at the end of the season and it’s expected that the Albion hierarchy will allow him to leave.

The three-time England international has already received plenty of interest from multiple Premier League clubs, including the Red Devils, who were rumoured to have considered bringing Johnstone back to Old Trafford. However, it now appears that the Lilywhites are in pole position to win the race for his signature.

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The Latest: Spurs leading the race for Johnstone

In a new report published by The Mirror, it’s claimed that Antonio Conte’s outfit are now ‘favourites’ to land the £18k-per-week goalkeeper and look set to ‘win the race’ for his services as a result of United deciding ‘not to press ahead’ with their pursuit.

The source added that Johnstone is a very ‘attractive’ prospect to Daniel Levy and the Tottenham recruitment team, who are said to view the shot-stopper as ‘genuine competition’ and a ‘solid alternative’ to Spurs’ current number one Hugo Lloris.

The Verdict: An absolute bargain

The Preston-born talent has a very impressive record between the sticks, having kept a staggering 102 clean sheets in 319 senior club appearances since the start of his playing career.

Johnstone, who was once dubbed a “sensational” player by Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, will become a free agent in the summer due to the expiry of his West Brom contract, which would make him an absolute bargain for any potential suitors.

Should Spurs be successful in bringing the 29-year-old through the door in north London in the coming months, he would be able to keep Lloris on his toes and certainly has the potential to go on and take the number one spot from the France veteran further down the line.

In other news… a source has confirmed that Tottenham are eyeing up a potential move for this defender

Leeds United midfielder Owen Bray is thought to be on trial at Barnsley ahead of a possible summer move, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Wigan offer?

Bray is set to quit Elland Road over the coming weeks when his contract expires at the end of the season.

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The 19-year-old headed to Wigan Athletic last month and seemingly impressed, with reports suggesting the League One title winners were readying an offer for Bray.

However, Bray, who has played seven times for the Leeds’ U18s and U23s, has now made the 25-mile trip from Thorp Arch to Barnsley.

The Latest: Source shares twist

FI shared a story on Wednesday regarding Bray after being informed by a recruitment source. They claimed that the midfielder has now made the short trip to Barnsley for a trial in what is a transfer twist following the seriousness of the links to Wigan.

Bray turned out for Barnsley’s U23s on Tuesday against Watford, with the Tykes now weighing up a summer move for his services.

The Verdict: Correct call to move on

Bray hasn’t featured for the U23s this season and is up against the likes of Lewis Bate, Sean McGurk and Jack Jenkins for a midfield spot under Andrew Taylor.

The Whites are well-stocked when it comes to exciting young midfielders, so it does appear to make sense for all involved to allow Bray to move on.

It’ll be interesting to see where he ends up, but with Barnsley dropping into the third tier, a chance at first-team football could be more likely at Oakwell over The DW Stadium.

In other news: Agent of Leeds gem to talk with Orta and Radz over possible exit alongside Raphinha and Phillips. 

Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan captain, who takes over from Yawar Saeed as manager of the Pakistan team for the series against South Africa beginning later this month, believes that managing the Pakistan team is not an easy job, especially in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal.”My job will be to make sure that everything is okay in the UAE,”Alam told the . “We will try our best to enhance the image of the Pakistan cricket team.”Alam, 68, is not new to the job – he has been a track-suited manager/coach on many Pakistan tours from 1982-92, including the 1992 World Cup that Pakistan won. He was also Pakistan’s coach during their disastrous tour of Australia in 2009-10 where Pakistan lost all their matches – three Tests, five ODIs and one Twenty20 game.Alam had launched a scathing attack on Pakistan’s cricketers after that tour, calling them “mentally retarded” when he was questioned by a PCB inquiry committee. But Alam believed that would have no negative impact on his relations with the players in his new role.”The whole thing was blown out of proportion. During the probe, I just questioned the players’ cricketing sense. As the team’s coach, I think it was my duty to do so.”Alam was replaced by Waqar Younis as Pakistan’s coach after the Australia tour. He was then appointed as the head of Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy. Despite his vast experience, Alam said he would not interfere with the coaching staff. “It will be the team’s coaches who will take care of the cricketing side. I’ll be there as a guiding hand but my main job will be to manage the team and that’s it.”I know Waqar well, I know Aaqib [Javed] well. I’ve worked with the coaching staff before and I have a very good understanding with them.” Former Pakistan fast bowler Javed is the team’s assistant coach.Pakistan play two Twenty20 games, five ODIs and two Tests against South Africa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Alam warned, that despite Pakistan’s familiarity with the conditions in the UAE, South Africa would not be easy opponents. “South Africa are a very professional side. We will have to do our homework and I’m sure that the coach and captain will ensure that.”The tour begins on October 26 with the first Twenty20 game that will be played on at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Boubacar Kamara to the Premier League in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report from Spain (via Sport Witness), which claims that the Olympique de Marseille defensive midfielder is a player who both Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici are keen on, particularly as the 22-year-old looks set to become available on a free transfer upon the expiry of his current contract at the Orange Velodrome this summer.

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The report goes on to state that the former France U21 international is one of several targets Paratici is hoping to bring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the off-season, with Spurs said to have a “sporting project and the economic solvency” to attract the midfielder to north London – despite the interest of Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich.

The new Mousa Dembele

While it is true that, following the £21.5m signing of Rodrigo Bentancur in January, Conte boasts a decent number of options in the middle of the park – as, alongside the Uruguay international, the 52-year-old can also call upon Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks – it is nevertheless clear to see why the Italian would be interested in a move for Kamara this summer.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has highly impressed over his 28 Ligue 1 appearances this season, with the £22.5m-rated defensive midfielder having made an average of 1.3 interceptions, two tackles, 1.2 clearances and won 4.6 duels – at a success rate of 54% – per game.

The £46k-per-week Frenchman is also extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, enjoying an average of 80.5 touches per fixture, in addition to completing 61.1 passes, 3.1 longs balls, 0.5 dribbles, 0.8 key passes and 3.6 chipped through balls per outing.

These returns have seen the player who scoutedfootball described as “a ball-winner in multiple forms – a presser, dueller and interceptor” and Rolando claimed is “going to be a great” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as OM’s second-best player in the French top flight.

And, looking at his metrics from the current campaign, there would appear to be very clear comparisons between the 22-year-old and one of Tottenham’s former defensive midfielders – Mousa Dembele.

Indeed, over Dembele’s 29 Premier League appearances back in 2015/16 – arguably his best campaign for Spurs – the Belgium international made an average of 1.9 interceptions, 3.6 tackles, 1.1 clearances and won 8.6 duels – at a success rate of 61% – per game.

The 34-year-old was also equally adept while in possession, enjoying an average of 64.8 touches per fixture, as well as completing 42.8 passes, 1.4 long balls, 2.9 dribbles and one key pass per appearance – with these returns seeing the midfielder average a rather sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.41.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the 22-year-old shares a great many traits with the former Spurs star, leading us to believe that, should Conte be successful in his attempts to land the former French youth international this summer, the Italian could well have unearthed the club’s new Dembele – something that will be an incredibly exciting thought for supporters of the Lilywhites.

AND in other news: Paratici can land his next Bentancur as Spurs eye £21m talent whose “tempo is perfect”

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has given his reaction to Leeds United transfer news involving Rangers winger Ryan Kent. 

The lowdown: Kent a target for Leeds

This comes following a report from Football Insider which claimed that the Whites are interested in signing the 25-year-old.

The ex-Liverpool academy prospect could be viewed as a potential replacement for Raphinha should the highly sought-after Brazilian move on from Elland Road.

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Kent is believed to have a £20m release clause in his contract at Ibrox – a deal which expires in 2023 (Transfermarkt) – although Campbell has suggested that it would be money well spent by Leeds.

The latest: ‘Very good business’

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Arsenal striker claimed that Kent would be capable of filling the void left by Raphinha if the Brazilian departs.

The 52-year-old said: “He’s done a great job up there under Steven Gerrard and now Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he’s been a real star.

“If Leeds look at him as the one who can come in and take that Raphinha role, with Dan James moving over to the right, then I think that would be very good business.”

The verdict: Time to move?

Since moving north of the border, Kent has been superb for Rangers and has directly contributed to 74 goals in 164 outings for the Scottish Premiership side.

So far this season, the man once hailed as ‘sensational’ by his former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard has scored three times and provided 16 assists despite suffering with a hamstring injury for most of the autumn.

As for replacing Raphinha, the £12.6m-valued Englishman predominantly operates from the left wing and would require the switch for Dan James, as mentioned by Campbell, to work in order to make the move worthwhile.

Given that some of the Welshman’s best performances this season have come when operating on the right on occasion, it could be a reshuffle worth making, therefore adding weight to the theory behind Leeds moving for Kent.

In other news, journalist backs Leeds move for Austrian Bundesliga star. Read more here

Ricky Ponting has credited Shaun Tait with restoring some of Australia’s spark in the one-day arena, despite their loss to England at Old Trafford. The tense finish handed England the series but Tait helped bowl Australia back into the match with 3 for 28 from his ten overs, and the challenge now is to push his injury-prone body to perform in two more 50-over encounters in the next six days.Tait gave up first-class cricket so that he could drive himself as hard as possible in the shorter formats, and Twenty20 has been his staple over the past year. He hadn’t played an ODI for nearly a year and a half when he took the field at Old Trafford, where he promptly delivered a searing, swinging 152kph yorker with his fourth ball that dislodged Craig Kieswetter’s middle stump.”It’s really encouraging to have him back in the side and it’s always exciting when you’ve got someone who can bowl like that,” Ponting said after the match. “It tends to lift the rest of the group as well. It’s no fluke that we had a bit more energy in the field today, someone like Tait creates that for you.”Ponting refused to make Tait bowl spells any longer than two overs, which allowed him to make virtually every delivery an effort ball. There were grunts to rival Maria Sharapova as he kept charging in, and when he sprayed a head-high full toss well wide of Andrew Strauss in his eighth over, it looked like completing ten overs might be beyond him.But Tait regained his control and in his final over was still touching 150kph, and importantly was tailing the ball in with difficult late swing. He picked up Kevin Pietersen with a reflex return catch and had Michael Yardy caught behind towards the end of England’s chase, and Ponting was confident that Tait could play a key role in Australia’s one-day future, if he was used as a shock weapon.”You’ve always got to be mindful of using blokes like that well, and knowing that he’s come off such a long run of Twenty20 cricket only, with the IPL and then the T20 World Cup, that his conditioning for bowling longer spells is probably not where it needs to be,” Ponting said. “But he’s that sort of bowler anyway, where you’re better off using him in a couple-of-over spells and hoping he makes an impact. I think he did that in almost every spell today.”Having someone like that, who’s got that firepower and that bit of unpredictability in your team, is always nice to have. I thought that with the exception of a couple of wides that he bowled today, everything else was very, very good. It was a welcome return for Shaun.”Although he did play 50-over cricket for South Australia during the home summer, Tait struggled for impact, so his zip and menace at Old Trafford was an especially pleasing sign for Ponting. The series is gone but if Australia can reincorporate one of their stars of the 2007 World Cup into the side over the next week, they will have achieved something of value as their title defence approaches.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped a promising update on the condition of Josip Juranovic.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by The Celtic Way, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss revealed that the right-back missed the Hoops’ 3-2 victory over Aberdeen on Wednesday evening as a result of illness, before going on to suggest that the 26-year-old could be in line to make a return to first-team action this weekend, and if not, the Europa Conference League clash against Bodo/Glimt next week.

When asked about the Croatia international’s absence, the Greek-Australian manager said: “He’s got an illness mate. [He’ll be back at] the weekend, hopefully, and if not he will definitely be back for the midweek fixture next week.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how important a part of the Celtic squad Juranovic has become since his £2.5m move to Parkhead last summer, the news that the defender does not look as if he will be sidelined for any real length of time is sure to have left the Bhoys fanbase buzzing.

Indeed, over his 20 Premiership outings this season, the £3.6m-rated Croatian has helped his side keep eight clean sheets, scored two goals and created four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.4 key passes, one interception, 1.6 tackles, 1.5 clearances and winning 3.1 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old average a rather extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.25, ranking him as the joint tenth-best player in the top flight of Scottish football this term.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the return of the £16k-per-week Juranovic will come as a massive boost to Postecoglou and his side, particularly with the European clash with Bodo/Glimt coming up for the Hoops next week.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “explosive” £12.5k-p/w Celtic dud by unleashing £4k-p/w “athlete”

An update has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Adama Traore this week…

What’s the word?

According to the Telegraph’s Matt Law, Spurs are hoping to sign the Wolverhampton Wanderers star on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer.

It’s thought that the Midlands outfit may be forced into accepting such a deal as the 25-year-old wide man has entered the final 18 months of his current contract, though they would prefer a straight £20m deal.

The north Londoners’ willingness to offload Steven Bergwijn could help fund a permanent move before deadline day.

Traore is believed to be manager Antonio Conte’s first-choice to fill one of the three positions – right wing-back – that the club have prioritised this month.

Imagine him and Kane

Spurs have certainly been lacking in the final third this season, with leading talisman Harry Kane horribly out-of-sorts in the Premier League. He has scored only four goals in 17 games, as per Transfermarkt.

That accounts for 17.4% of all their goals scored – compare that to last season and the England skipper produced a whopping 33.8% of their goals.

With wing-backs ever so crucial to Conte’s system, there is a need for him to find the right option in order to provide Kane with sufficient service to get him back firing again.

This is where Traore fits the bill immensely.

A combination of his brute strength and dribbling ability make him a lethal threat along the flank. There have been concerns with his end product but ultimately, you aren’t being played at right wing-back to deliver goals.

He leads the Premier League on the ball, averaging a massive 4.5 dribbles per game – by comparison, Conte’s current first-choice option, Emerson Royal, manages just 0.8 successful attempts per outing.

Former Manchester United defender turned pundit Rio Ferdinand once dubbed the Wolves man as a “machine” to BT Sport (via BirminghamLive). “I was watching him pre-game and he could be a powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer – he’s huge,” he added.

It’s his physicality that makes him a terrifying prospect for any Premier League defender, which is why Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has previously deemed him to be “unplayable” and “undefendable.”

Therefore, sporting director Fabio Paratici could form quite the lethal duo in N17 as Traore could be the attacking wing-back that Conte desperately needs to bring the best back out of Kane.

It’s no wonder the £25.2m-rated Spain international is a priority this month.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops worrying behind the scenes Antonio Conte claim…

As per reliable reporter Alasdair Gold, writing for football.london, there has been an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of yet another Juventus player in USA international Weston McKennie.

The Lowdown: Tottenham’s Serie A shopping spree?

Over these final days of what has been a dramatic January transfer window at Spurs, it appears transfer chief Fabio Paratici has set his sights on raiding former club Juve.

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The Lilywhites are apparently in advanced talks over moves for both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, meanwhile the Old Lady’s on loan striker Alvaro Morata has also been linked with a north London move.

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is running out of time to improve his squad and make necessary adjustments as he aims to propel his new side back into the Champions League.

As such, Gold has now shared news on another Juve man who Paratici has made contact for.

The Latest: Tottenham talks held for McKennie…

According to the football.london journalist, the Spurs managing director has ‘also held talks’ in January with the entourage of their midfield maestro McKennie.

However, as explained by Gold, this potential move is deemed ‘unlikely’ despite Paratici being a ‘huge admirer’.

Turin boss Massimiliano Allegri is believed to be resistant over losing McKennie, who has starred for the Old Lady this season.

The Verdict: Blow for Spurs?

McKennie would have undoubtedly been a shrewd addition with the versatile 23-year-old possessing an abundance of desirable traits.

The Texas-born ace can play in a variety of roles across midfield including defensive, box-to-box, on either flank and even at centre-half – killing many birds with one stone.

It’s little wonder Juve reportedly value McKennie at around £35m, and if his plaudits are anything to go by, you could argue they’re within their rights to demand a greater fee.

Called an ‘outstanding talent’ by former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner, who managed the player at Schalke, McKennie also lifted the lid on how his old coach in the States branded him a ‘little tank’.

Perhaps he is one for Spurs to revisit in future, but with the window nearing it’s closure, it appears the starlet is out of bounds for now.

In other news: Romano shares late Saturday night development as Spurs table ‘official’ bid for another player, find out more here.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, reporter Alex Crook of talkSPORT has shared what he knows on Tottenham Hotspur’s talks to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing loan deal…

As first reported by reliable journalist Matt Law of The Telegraph, there has been a recent twist to the tale in Spurs’ talks to sign Traore this month.

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According to Law, Spurs are now eyeing a loan move with an obligation to buy for the player amid the club’s financial problems as manager Antonio Conte seeks to re-mould the Spaniard into a right-wing back.

The explosive forward is certainly on Tottenham’s agenda with Crook now backing this news and sharing what he knows.

The Latest: Crook shares latest…

The talkSPORT man claims that Spurs are indeed in talks for a loan move with negotiations ‘underway’.

He explained to GMS: “I think Tottenham favour a loan with an obligation to buy so talks are definitely underway.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Now half way through the window, Spurs should wrap this up as soon as possible and get on to bolstering their other three priority positions.

Traore’s plaudits from English top flight pundits highlight he could be a real snip if Spurs can agree a loan move, with Molineux legend Steve Bull calling him a ‘worldbeater’.

As well as this, former Leeds man Noel Whelan believes the 25-year-old is a ‘player who could really excite the Tottenham fans’ – citing his pace and power among other strengths (Football Insider).

Averaging far more completed dribbles per 90 than any Tottenham man this season, we wholeheartedly agree.

In other news: ‘This will get Tottenham fans excited’…Sky Sports drop big N17 transfer update, find out more here.