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Manchester United will now turn to signing a defender or two before the transfer window slams shut in just three weeks.

Erik ten Hag has already signed Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund, giving his team a new look spine, yet the focus now turns to defensive reinforcements.

Benjamin Pavard has been strongly linked, however, could it be a deal for Jean-Clair Todibo that will be the priority for Ten Hag over the coming days?

How much will Jean-Clair Todibo cost Man United?

According to The Athletic, United are looking at defensive reinforcements and Todibo, along with Pavard, are top of the list.

The Nice defender has been tracked by scouts at the Red Devils, and he could cost as little as €30m (£26m) this summer, representing excellent value.

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The need for another centre-back has heightened due to the fact that Harry Maguire is edging closer to securing a move to West Ham United following four years at Old Trafford.

Todibo’s former club, Barcelona, have also been offered the chance to sign the Frenchman during the transfer window, yet it appears as though United are in the ascendancy with regard to a potential swoop.

Could Jean-Clair Todibo improve Manchester United?

The 23-year-old has already played in Ligue 1, La Liga, and the Bundesliga across his short career so far, yet it is at Nice where he has made the biggest impression.

He has racked up 103 appearances over just three seasons and the Frenchman has also been likened to a World Cup-winning United centre-back – Raphael Varane.

Writing in his Substack column, Jonathan Johnson said: 'I do think there is the potential that Todibo makes that kind of Man United move in the near future and if the Manchester club do get him, I think there are some similarities with Raphael Varane in many ways.'

It certainly isn’t a bad comparison considering just how impressive Varane has been over the previous decade. The 30-year-old has won a plethora of honours, including four Champions League titles, three Spanish titles with Real Madrid and steering France to glory at the 2018 World Cup.

Indeed, WhoScored lists concentration as being a major strength for both Todibo and Varane and it’s evident that the younger defender could be an ideal heir to the former Madrid player in the coming years.

Additionally, the former Barcelona starlet has actually registered a higher pass completion rate (88.5% to 86.3%) than Varane, while also winning a higher percentage of challenges (73.2% to 41.2%) and winning more tackles (48 to nine) indicating that he was not only a reliable passer, but strong in the challenge and looked to win the ball back as often as possible.

When compared to positional peers across the top five European leagues, Todibo also ranked in the top 15% for progressive passes per 90, and in the top 10% for tackles and successful take-ons per 90, suggesting that his forward-thinking approach would be an ideal fit for Ten Hag’s tactical system.

Varane missed a total of 32 games across his first two seasons at United and given that he will turn 31 towards the end of the forthcoming campaign, Ten Hag must be eyeing up someone who could turn into a perfect heir.

The Nice gem has shades of Varane about him and over the previous 12 months, he has certainly proven his worth on the continent.

Barcelona are reportedly aiming to recruit River Plate wonderkid Claudio Echeverri for €25 million.

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Barcelona eye €25m move for EcheverriBarca boss Xavi impressed by teenagerPlayed in River Plate's Cup final winGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

According to journalist Pablo Giralt, the Catalan side will aim to pay River Plate £21.7m ($27.56m) for the 17-year-old. The attacking midfielder, who has been linked with Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, started in his side's 2-0 win over Rosario Central as they won the Trofeo de Campeones on Friday night.

Advertisement@ArgentinaTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Echeverri, who turns 18 next month, is seen as one of the next big hopes in Argentinian football. He himself has also set his sights on joining Barca one day and as a kid he used to watch when Lionel Messi played for the Spanish giants.

Getty WHAT XAVI SAID

Earlier this month, the Barcelona boss said this about Echeverri: "The boy [Echeverri] is a talent. Beyond the hat-trick he scored against Brazil [at the U17 World Cup], he's a difference-maker, but it's something for the scouting department [to deal with]."

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WHAT NEXT FOR ECHEVERRI?

The January transfer window opens in just over a week's time. It remains to be seen if Barcelona will make a move for him in early 2024.

Richard Levi completed an important century on the second day in Cardiff to keep Northamptonshire on course for the win they need to maintain hopes of promotion in the Specsavers County Championship.But Glamorgan fought back in the second half of the day, taking seven wickets for 69 then reducing their deficit to 40 for the loss of a single second-innings wicket.Levi’s 101 from 97 balls included 15 fours and a six and was his first in the Championship in a season in which he missed several weeks because of concussion. He received useful support from Rob Newton and Rob Keogh.After 16 overs were lost to rain in the morning, Newton and Levi made rapid progress against a Glamorgan attack, Michael Hogan apart, that lacked direction and bowled far too many “four balls”.It was no surprise that Robert Croft, the Glamorgan head coach, had his bowlers out on the outfield practising for 10 minutes during the lunch interval, and they did improve as Hogan trapped Newton leg before for 67, made from 119 balls with eight fours.The third wicket pair had added 104 in 21 overs, and with Levi ready to play an attacking role, the South African reached his century from only 95 deliveries. He was then out in the following over when he chased a wide ball from Lukas Carey and was comfortably caught by wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.Richard Levi kept Northants’ ambitions high•Getty Images

Keogh made 45 from 98 balls although he had one escape when he was athletically caught by Craig Meschede off Andrew Salter’s off spin, but the umpire had called no ball for a delivery that was over waist high.Levi and Keogh had put on 88 for the fourth wicket, but Northants then lost four wickets for 19 runs on either side of the tea interval. After Keogh was leg before to Marchant De Lange, Alex Wakeley, the Northants captain, who batted at No. 7 after aggravating a finger injury, was bowled by Hogan without scoring.Rory Kleinveldt struck a breezy 23 before he was caught at cover, then Simon Kerrigan edged De Lange to Chris Cooke, and the innings ended when Richard Gleeson was bowled by Meschede. Hogan ended with four for 58 for Glamorgan, and de Lange three for 85.Glamorgan had 15 overs to face at the end of the day, and soon lost Nick Selman who was bowled by Gleeson’s ninth delivery – a sixth wicket in the match for the bowler. But Jacques Rudolph and Jack Murphy played out the remaining overs without any further alarms.

Arsenal are set to hold talks with FC Porto over a potential summer move for striker Mehdi Taremi, who could be available for a fee of just £17m, according to recent reports from Portugal.

Which striker are Arsenal signing?

Back in April, Football Insider reported that Mikel Arteta wanted to sign a striker with a completely different profile to the options he currently has at the club, namely Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Folarian Balogun.

The manager has been preoccupied with deals for Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice, but he could now turn his attention back towards bringing in a new centre-forward, having previously been linked with a number of different players.

Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin was on the Gunners' radar back in April, while they have also been named as potential suitors for Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic, with the 6 foot 3 forward making it clear he wants to leave the Italian club this summer.

According to reports from Portugal (via TEAMtalk), Arsenal have now joined the race for Taremi, and talks with Porto officials are set to open soon over his possible signing.

However, there is set to be competition for the striker's signature from Premier League rivals Manchester United, who have also made their interest clear in recent days, as they are attracted by his relatively low price tag.

It is detailed that the 30-year-old could be available for around £17m this summer, making him a low-cost option to strengthen the Arsenal frontline.

How good is Mehdi Taremi?

Journalist Zach Lowy waxed lyrical about the Iranian forward back in March, saying:

"Given Heung-min Son’s dismal form this season, think there’s a serious argument to be made that Taremi is the best Asian player in football right now."

It is clear to see why Lowy has been so impressed by the 6 foot 1 forward, as he has recorded a phenomenal goal tally in Portugal across a number of seasons now, weighing in with 22 league goals and assists in the 2022-23 campaign.

Not only that, the 66-time Iran international also found the back of the net five times in the Champions League last season, which indicates he would be able to hit the ground running for Arsenal, when they return to Europe's elite competition in the 2023-24 campaign.

Against Atletico Madrid, the FC Porto star put in a particularly impressive performance, getting on the scoresheet and winning a total of four duels, while also showcasing his creative talent by making four key passes.

Although Taremi has never played in one of Europe's "big five" leagues, his performances at Champions League level indicate he could be ready to make the step up to a club the size of Arsenal.

Jesus had a solid first season in north London, recording 11 goals and seven assists in the Premier League, however, it would still be nice for Arteta to have an alternative option to bring on when chasing a game, and having sufficient squad depth is vital now the Gunners are back in the Champions League.

The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which had been tasked with finalising India’s new head coach, was yet to reach a decision by Tuesday evening

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-20172:12

Kohli will be consulted, but he’s not the main decision-maker – Ganguly

By Tuesday evening, no decision had been reached on the next coach of India, despite the Committee of Administrators’ urging the BCCI to make a decision as soon as possibleA BCCI official said the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which was tasked with finalising India’s new head coach, was yet to arrive at a unanimous choice, but was hopeful that a decision would be made on Tuesday night.”CoA has advised us to that effect and rightly,” the official said. “We are also of the same view.”The official, though, said the BCCI was not pushing the CAC to make a hurried decision. “Nobody is pushing them,” he said. “There is no problem, and they are also equally sensitive to the fact that the conversation should be comprehensive. But it should also be time-sensitive.”The CAC, comprising former India cricketers Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar, had interviewed five candidates in Mumbai on Monday, and said they would make their final decision after speaking with captain Virat Kohli. Ganguly even hinted that India could embark on their tour of Sri Lanka with the current set-up of batting and fielding coaches, but no head coach or bowling coach.ESPNcricinfo understands that CoA chairman Vinod Rai suggested to the BCCI that if a decision had been made it was best to announce the final pick and end all uncertainty and speculation. Rai offered that suggestion once he was told that there was a difference of opinion within the CAC as to when they should finalise their choice.Ganguly indicated that the CAC had not expected the CoA to push so strongly for a quick announcement.”We’ll speak to him. He’s a very respected man, Mr. Vinod Rai, and I will speak to him this afternoon,” Ganguly said. “I was supposed to go to Delhi, so obviously that’s been cancelled now because of this. We’ll speak to him, because what all was announced yesterday was with all permission and everybody was informed about it.”Although the CoA had not been involved in the interview process, it was happy with the CAC’s decision to speak to Kohli on his return from the USA to discuss the issue before announcing the new coach.”The COA was fine with the CAC having a discussion with Virat – not about him getting involved with their decision, but whatever decision they made surrounding the coach,” a BCCI official said. “There is no harm in having a discussion with the captain saying we have gone through a process, this is the individual that we believe is good for the team. These are his views in terms of how he views his role. Hopefully this will work out so that there is no repeat of the Kumble situation. So there is no harm in a having a transparent conversation and then making it public.”

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s journey at Wrexham has left Charlie Day emotional, with the ‘Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ star reduced to tears.

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• Hollywood stars completed takeover in 2021
• Fully invested in sporting project
• Invited famous friends along to games

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Hollywood actor is among the A-list guests to have made a trip to North Wales to watch the Red Dragons in action. He was invited over by friend and 'Always Sunny' co-star McElhenney to take in a National League fixture with Yeovil back in April.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Day courted controversy when spotted drinking alcohol in the stands, but thoroughly enjoyed his trip to experience a different brand of football to the one that American audiences are most accustomed to. He was given a first-hand look at what Reynolds and McElhenney have taken on in Britain, and the success that they have enjoyed at Wrexham AFC and in the wider community.

  Instagram/FX

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Day said on the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary after seeing the Red Dragons move a step closer to wrapping up their record-breaking promotion back into the Football League: “A lot of this talking on TV, but I just wanted to take a second to say how amazing this was from an outside standpoint, to come in here and see what you’ve done with this team and for this town. I wept openly. I never f*cking cry. I’m very proud of you guys.”

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• Getty/GOAL
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Reynolds and McElhenney have invested financially and emotionally in Wrexham – experiencing a number of highs and lows along the way – and are hoping to see Phil Parkinson’s side bounce straight up into League One this season.

Virat Kohli, the India captain, has been honoured as the Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2017 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which is published this week

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-20171:10

Archive: Kohli’s record year

Virat Kohli, the India captain, has been honoured as the Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2017 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which is published this week.Kohli produced “the year of his dreams”, writes editor Lawrence Booth, “averaging more with the bat in each of the three formats than anyone: 75 in Tests, 92 in one-day internationals and 106 in Twenty20 internationals”.On his watch, India completed a clean sweep of trophies in the Test, ODI and T20 series against England in 2016-17, with his 235 against England in the fourth Test at Mumbai confirming him, in Booth’s words, as “the spiritual successor to Sachin Tendulkar”.Kohli is the third Indian to win an award that has been running since 2003, and which covers all formats of the international game in the preceding calendar year. Virender Sehwag won it twice, in 2008 and 2009, and Tendulkar once, in 2010. The women’s award was won by Australia’s Ellyse Perry.There is an Asian theme to the Almanack’s awards this year, with Pakistan’s veteran batsmen, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, each being named as one of Wisden’s prestigious Five Cricketers of the Year, following their roles in a memorable 2-2 drawn series in England last summer, which contributed to their country’s brief tenure as the No.1-ranked Test nation.”Misbah-ul-Haq was central to one of the most riveting series in England for years,” writes Booth. “His century in the First Test at Lord’s set a benchmark for his team-mates, while his celebratory press-ups became one of the motifs of the year. Against the odds, he led Pakistan, without a home Test since 2009, to the top of the rankings – and all at the age of 42.”Virat Kohli is the cover star of the 2017 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack•Wisden

“With the pressure on, Younis Khan delivered. His classy 218 in the final Test of the summer, at The Oval, helped Pakistan square the series after successive defeats had left them in danger of squandering their win at Lord’s. It was his 32nd Test hundred – and a reminder that his struggles earlier in the series had been a blip rather than part of a decline.”Chris Woakes, England’s breakthrough cricketer of 2016, is also a recipient of Wisden’s oldest honour, which dates back to 1889 and can only be awarded once in a player’s career, after claiming 26 wickets at 16 in the four Tests against Pakistan. “This was the year Chris Woakes announced himself as an international-class all-rounder,” writes Booth.Toby Roland-Jones, whose hat-trick against Yorkshire at Lord’s sealed Middlesex’s first County Championship triumph in 23 years, and Ben Duckett, who amassed 2,706 runs in all formats in a stellar summer, complete the list.Having praised England’s positive approach across all formats in his 2016 Notes by the Editor, Booth has to reflect this year on a more retrenched approach, particularly in Test cricket, which resulted – at the end of the 4-0 defeat against India – in the resignation of Alastair Cook after five years as captain.”He chose the right time to go,” writes Booth. “By his own admission, England’s Test cricket had stagnated. This was partly a result of being lumbered with seven matches in less than nine weeks in Bangladesh and India, a touring schedule that must never be repeated.”But the two meltdowns during his reign – Australia 2013-14 and India 2016-17 – reflected an abiding weakness. Lacking the tactical acumen to influence a game on its own, Cook was half the leader when he wasn’t scoring runs. That his team lost only four of his 17 Test series in charge was testament to a very English grit: understated, occasionally self-conscious, always bloody-minded. It proved an exhausting combination.”Elsewhere in his notes, Booth reflects on an extraordinary turn of events at the ICC meeting in Dubai in February, in which, as he puts it, “the world ganged up on India”, and he also takes the ECB to task for their hard-handed approach to Durham’s financial woes, which resulted in their relegation to Division Two of the County Championship.”In September, believing they were fighting for their first-division lives, Durham fielded fast bowler Mark Wood against Surrey; Wood aggravated an ankle injury, and was ruled out of England’s winter tours, when his skiddy pace might have come in handy.”Not only that, but other teams threw everything into avoiding a relegation which was 50% less likely than they realised. It would have been better to come clean about Durham’s fate at the time. Instead, with games taking place which some officials appeared to know would be meaningless, the County Championship was brought into disrepute.”

A round-up of the Group D games in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, which took place on February 25, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2017

Hyderabad seamer Ravi Kiran and left-arm spinner Mehdi Hasan took three wickets each to help their side bowl out Jammu & Kashmir for 228 and set up a 29-run win. A 70-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Parvez Rasool and Ahmed Bandy, which came at more than eight runs an over, had put J&K’s chase of 258 back on track after quick wickets. However, once both batsmen were out, the lower order slumped quickly – J&K lost their five wickets for 22 runs to fold in the 43rd over.Earlier, fifties from openers Tanmay Agarwal and Akshath Reddy carried Hyderabad to 257. Their 127-run opening partnership gave Hyderabad a platform strong enough to survive a brief slide where they lost four wickets within five overs, before S Badrinath and Hasan nudged the score past 200. Hasan remained unbeaten on 28 off 26 balls, having seen the side through to 257.MS Dhoni’s 50-ball 43 and Saurabh Tiwary’s 68 were not enough to help Jharkhand chase down a target of 267 against Karnataka, who won by five runs with only one ball to spare. The pair came together with Jharkhand at 79 for 4 in the 20th over and added 81 runs to put the chase back on track. After Dhoni fell, Tiwary kept the chase alive with a rapid 39 runs for the seventh wicket with Shabaz Nadeem off 26 deliveries. However, Tiwary’s dismissal in the 42nd over left Jharkhand with another 63 to get and although the lower order strung up partnerships, the side was eventually dismissed off the penultimate ball of the game. Rahul Shukla was the last man to fall, run out for 23 off 20 balls, having driven the lower-order partnerships. K Gowtham had returns of 4 for 58.Shukla had earlier taken 4 for 45 in his nine overs as Karnataka were bowled out for 266. Ravikumar Samarth (71) and Manish Pandey (77) struck fifties and shared a 116-run partnership for the third wicket. Pavan Deshpande, too, chipped in with 36 off 34 balls.Seamer Suraj Yadav and wicketkeeper-batsman Nakul Verma played stellar hands in Services’ 48-run victory over Saurashtra.Yadav struck three times in his first two overs – including two wickets off two balls in the first over – to leave Saurashtra’s chase of 263 in trouble. Their score of 6 for 3 soon became 44 for 5 and they only managed to limp to 215 due to half-centuries from Prerak Mankad (58) and Jaydev Unadkat (57). Yadav returned to pick up one more wicket for figures of 4 for 47.Earlier, Verma’s second List-A century, 124 off 132 balls at the top of the order, set the base for Services’ total of 263 for 9. The remaining Services batsmen got starts but only Soumya Swain made a substantial contribution among them, with 32 off 36 deliveries. Seamer Shaurya Sanandia took 4 for 67 for Saurashtra

The striker grabbed a treble after working up a superb understanding with his co-star

Erling Haaland smashed in his seventh Manchester City hat-trick after working up a wonderful partnership with Julian Alvarez, turning a tricky fixture against Fulham into an eventual thrashing. The little and large partnership did not always work well last season but here the Norwegian and the Argentine were on exactly the same page.

Haaland squared for Alvarez to knock in the opening goal in the 31st minute, only for Tim Ream to pounce and equalise two minutes later. Nathan Ake powered in a header to restore City's lead on the stroke of half-time and Haaland made sure of the three points with three strikes in the second half, two served up by partner in crime Alvarez.

It crowned an excellent week for Haaland, who won the PFA Men's Player of the Year award in recognition of his record-breaking season. It was far from a fluid performance from City although Phil Foden was in mesmeric mood and, thanks to their brilliant strike pairing, the champions have four wins from four.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

• Getty
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Ederson (4/10):

  Gave an unconvincing performance and should have done better with Bobby De Cordova-Reid's shot which he spilled at Ream's feet.

  Kyle Walker (6/10):

  Led with authority at the back but not as influential in attack as in earlier games.

  Ruben Dias (6/10):

  Pretty solid without being outstanding.

  Manuel Akanji (7/10):

  Played the 'John Stones role' for much of the game, stepping into midfield and building attacks. Played a crucial if controversial part in the second goal.

  Nathan Ake (6/10):

  Looked a bit uncomfortable on his return to the left-back position, making a couple of bad passes. But compensated by heading City back in front.

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• Getty
  

  Midfield

  Phil Foden (8/10):

  Played some wonderful football, gliding past Fulham's defenders as if they were plastic cones. Created a lot of City's best moments, including the corner from which Ake scored.

  Rodri (6/10):

  Looked a little rusty, playing imprecise passes.

  Mateo Kovacic (7/10):

  Played with purpose and flair. Played a beautiful pass to slice open Fulham's defence for the opening goal.

  Jeremy Doku (5/10):

  Had a pretty unremarkable debut. Made some nice touches which drew applause from the fans but didn't do many things of note.

• Getty
  

  Attack

  Erling Haaland (10/10):

  The Norwegian had not scored in his previous four matches at the Etihad but filled his boots here, aided by Alvarez. Scored his first hat-trick since his treble against Burnley in March.

  Julian Alvarez (8/10):

  One goal and two assists. Had a superb game, dovetailing to devastating effect with Haaland and getting his scoring touch back after missing a pair of glaring chances against Sheffield United.

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  Subs & Manager

  Bernardo Silva (6/10):

  Kept City's play flowing in the 15 minutes he was on.

  Sergio Gomez (7/10):

  Gave City extra potency down the flanks and grabbed a rare assist.

  Kalvin Phillips (N/A):

  Only introduced for the final five minutes.

  Oscar Bobb (N/A):

  Came on in added time to make his Premier League debut.

  Rico Lewis (N/A)

  Came on in added time.

  Juanma Lillo (7/10):

  Enjoyed a big win in his second and last match in charge after a scrappy victory at Bramall Lane last week. Made a big call by dropping Josko Gvardiol and mad full use of his bench.

Shaun Marsh and Ashton Agar have been named in Western Australia’s squad for next month’s Matador Cup, despite both carrying injuries that will likely prevent them from being available for the start of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2016Shaun Marsh and Ashton Agar have been named in Western Australia’s squad for next month’s Matador Cup, despite both carrying injuries that will likely prevent them from being available for the start of the tournament. Fast bowler Jason Behrendorff has also been included and will make his return from a lengthy lay-off, having not played since the BBL in January due to a stress fracture of the lower back.Western Australia have named a near full-strength group for the one-day tournament, with only Mitchell Marsh unavailable due to Australian duties and Nathan Coulter-Nile injured. However, Shaun Marsh’s broken finger and Agar’s shoulder injury will likely mean they are unavailable until later in the tournament, in which case WA can apply to Cricket Australia for injury replacement players.”It’s great to see Jason [Behrendorff] back in the squad after a long time out,” coach Justin Langer said. “He’s a consummate professional with his rehab and has been diligent throughout so we’re confident he can return to his best during the Matador Cup.”It’s great to have Adam Voges here to lead the side, while we’ve got good experience with players like Michael Klinger and Nathan Rimmington around him.”Western Australia squad Adam Voges (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Michael Klinger, Shaun Marsh, David Moody, Joel Paris, Nathan Rimmington, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Jonathan Wells, Sam Whiteman.