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Former Scotland defender believes talks will already be ongoing behind the scenes at Celtic regarding the permanent transfer of Jota. 

The lowdown: Deal to be done

Signed on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, according to a report from The Scotsman, the Hoops can land the 23-year-old permanently for £6million in the summer.

However, Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou recently claimed that talks over the permanent switch will have to wait until the end of the season as the Hoops look to wrap up a 52nd Scottish top-flight title.

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One ex-Scottish Premiership man believes the deal could already be in the offing, though, with Hutton telling Football Insider the parts are likely moving behind the scenes…

The latest: Hutton reacts

Speaking to FI, who lead with a headline of ‘secret talks’, former Rangers ace now BBC 5 Live pundit Hutton has suggested that the club’s hierarchy will be making plans as we speak.

“They will be talking about it in the background. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

“It just hasn’t probably got out there into the public domain yet. There’s no doubting his quality, we see it.

“He scores goals, he assists, he’s a real threat on his day. They’ll want to tie him down, Postecoglou will want that to happen.

“Then he can move on to other areas of the pitch where he feels he needs to strengthen and this isn’t a distraction. So I’m pretty sure, in the background, they will be talking about it.”

The verdict: Fingers crossed

Jota has been nothing short of sensational at Parkhead this season and wrapping up this deal, alongside the move for Tottenham Hotspur loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers, should be regarded as a top priority for the summer.

So far this season the Portuguese attacker has scored 11 times and registered 12 assists in 36 appearances across all competitions, earning a superb 7.53 average Sofascore rating in the process – the third highest in the league.

Valued at £4.95million (Transfermarkt), if Hutton is correct and the Hoops can complete the signing of the 18-cap Portugal Under 21 ace from Benfica for the mooted fee, it would not only add top-quality to the Celtic Park squad but would also be a shrewd financial move.

In other news, Frank McAvennie is in awe of one Celtic player’s development. Find out who it is here.

Cameron Mirza entered the record books by becoming the first USA Under-19 batsman to score a century

Peter Della Penna10-Feb-2011Cameron Mirza, a 17-year-old born and raised in the suburbs of northern New Jersey, created history on Monday by getting the highest score by a USA Under-19 player. Mirza carried his bat in USA’s 285-run win against Argentina on the first day of the ICC Americas U-19 Division One in Florida. He went on to score 118, only the second ton by a USA U-19 player, after Amer Afzaluddin’s ton against Argentina U-19 in 2001. The third highest score by a USA U-19 player is Andy Mohammed’s 90 against Afghanistan in the 2009 Youth World Cup qualifier, in Toronto.”It felt great, it was a relief,” Mirza said. “I was really excited when the coach told me I was going to open and I just couldn’t wait.” Mirza scored his century in 125 balls with 10 boundaries before finishing with 12 fours in his knock. It was his first game playing for USA at the U-19 level after previously playing in the U-15 squad at an ICC regional event in Bermuda in 2008.”I think he [Mirza] fits the bill,” Robin Singh, USA’s U-19 coach, said. “He’s somebody who takes his time and in 50 overs you have a lot of time to play and he fits that role pretty well.”Mirza’s mother, who travelled to Florida for the game, is Irish-American while his father immigrated to America from Pakistan. Mirza only started playing cricket four years ago after he saw his father watching a game on TV. Two years later, he became one of the first junior players in America to secure a bat sponsorship deal. He is one of only six American-born players in the current USA U-19 squad.Mirza is highly rated by current Bangladesh bowling coach Ian Pont. In the last few years, he has travelled to Potchefstroom in South Africa and Mumbai to take part in camps run by Pont.”[The camps in] India really helped with batting for long periods of time,” Mirza said. “[The camps in] South Africa helped me a lot with playing quick bowlers and India was great for spin. They all just chipped in little parts that came together.” Mirza has also spent extensive time training in New Jersey at DreamCricket Academy and Indoor Cricket USA, two places that have a fast growing reputation for producing USA U-19 representative players over the last three years.Mirza had set a personal goal before the start of the tournament to be the highest run-scorer at the end of the week. After the first day, he’s in the driver’s seat on the leaderboard and could very well achieve that goal. “I’d like to do that every game and I feel like because I did that in the first game, there’s expectations now for me to do it again,” Mirza said. “I’m confident but I realize its cricket. Anything can happen.”

Adama Traore’s move from Wolves to Tottenham will be completed in the coming ‘hours and days’, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Traore exit looking certain

The Spaniard has been linked with an exit from Molineux numerous times in recent weeks, with a host of clubs thought to be keen on snapping him up.

Spurs have emerged as the clear front-runners, however, with Antonio Conte seeing Traore as someone who can add much-needed firepower to his squad.

The 25-year-old’s current Wolves deal expires in the summer of 2023 and there has been no sign of a new contract being agreed.

The Latest: Romano provides update

Taking to Twitter on Saturday morning, Romano gave a key update on the situation, saying Wolves and Spurs are still working on a likely deal being completed:

“Adama Traore deal not done/fully agreed yet but Tottenham are confident to reach the agreement soon. Negotiations with Wolves will continue in the next hours and days. Personal terms already discussed with Adama. Spurs are on it.”

The Verdict: Matter of time

Traore’s exit from Wolves now feels inevitable, bringing to an end an up-and-down spell at the club, in which he has too often blown hot and cold.

While the wide man’s effort levels, blistering speed and immense power cannot be questioned, his end product has left a lot to be desired. A tally of just 11 goals and 18 assists in 153 appearances is not good enough for such an attack-minded player.

Should Wolves receive around £20million for Traore, it will be a shrewd piece of business, allowing them to sign someone more tailor-made to excel under Bruno Lage.

In other news, Tim Spiers has reacted to a fresh claim that will affect Wolves. Read more here.

Amol Muzumdar is back in Mumbai to play the Ranji Trophy, even if it is as the captain of Assam

Tariq Engineer24-Nov-2010Amol Muzumdar is smiling, unable to help himself. He’s back in Mumbai to play the Ranji Trophy, even if it is as the captain of Assam. “It’s great to be back,” he told ESPNcricinfo during practice at the Mumbai Cricket Association ground [in Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai] two days before the defending Ranji Trophy champions were due to take on the Super League newcomers.He was greeted like an old friend as he walked through the clubhouse, catching up with the Mumbai players and indulging in some good-natured ribbing with Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar. It was only when he walked into the visitors’ dressing room that the reality of the situation sank in.Muzumdar was once the man for all seasons for Mumbai. For 16 years, he plied his trade at the heart of India’s most demanding domestic side, winning eight Ranji Trophy titles and becoming the team’s leading run-scorer. But in August last year, he decided to leave the city he grew up in for Assam – then in the Ranji Plate division – after not being selected for the Buchi Babu tournament.”Yes, I said I could never imagine playing anywhere other than Mumbai, but things change. The way things unfolded, it made sense for me to leave.” Assam, he said, were desperate to get out of the Plate league, and they thought he was the person to help them do that. He admitted this game had “a different feeling” for him, but said he prepared for it like he would any other game. “I just try to play good cricket.”In his first season as Assam captain, Muzumdar helped his young side earn promotion to the upper tier, where, as it happens, they were drawn in the same group as his old team this season, along with other domestic heavyweights such as Delhi and Bengal. “The group has five Ranji Trophy champions. If we can survive in this group, then we belong here.”Assam have made a good start to their season, picking up six points from three games, and surprising Bengal by overhauling their first innings score of 562 for 6 in the last game. Yet Muzumdar has told his new team “they are here to learn” from the way Mumbai plays cricket. He said some of the players feel like they have accomplished their goal just by making it to the Super League – a far cry from Mumbai, who consider a season without a Ranji Trophy championship a failure. “Having to explain the difference between big dreams and small dreams is in itself a challenge.”The smile was widest when talking about his many happy memories of playing here. Naturally, they all involve winning. The sight of Ravi Shastri lifting the Ranji Trophy in his first season in 1993-94, after the city had gone 10 years without winning the tournament, is one that will always stay with him. “It was my debut season and I was happy to make some contributions,” he said. Muzumdar is being modest. What he calls “some contribution” includes making 260 on debut, still a record for the highest score by a debutant in first-class cricket, and a tournament average of 164.66. Not bad for a 19-year old.He also mentioned the 2006-07 season, his first as captain, when Mumbai were in danger of not even making it to the knockout stage. “There will never be another year like that. It was up and down, like a rollercoaster. We lost our first three matches, no points on the table. We had to win the next four matches with four bonus points. We won the next four matches with four bonus points to reach the semi-finals. Then being bowled out for 233 in the first innings [against Baroda]. Being 0 for 5 in the second innings.”There was so much pressure,” he says shaking his head. “It puts a big smile on my face to think about it.” In the end, you can take the cricketer out of Mumbai, but you can’t take Mumbai out of the cricketer.

Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne said his side would target a lead in excess of 150 when they resume their second innings 87 runs ahead and with three wickets in hand, in Sydney on the fourth day

Andrew Fernando at the SCG05-Jan-2013Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne said his side would target a lead in excess of 150 when they resume their second innings 87 runs ahead and with three wickets in hand, in Sydney on the fourth day. Sri Lanka had moved to within eight runs of wiping Australia’s first-innings lead when they lost their second wicket, but five more batsmen fell in the third session to leave the visitors poorly placed.Though the SCG pitch remained well-suited to batting, Karunaratne hoped Sri Lanka’s spinners could defend a modest total, as the match approached a result. Dinesh Chandimal remained unbeaten on 22 at stumps on day three, with Rangana Herath for company.”We did hard work in the first and second session, but we lost the last session which was very disappointing,” Karunaratne said. “Chandimal is at the wicket, so he can do something tomorrow. If he puts some runs on the board, like 150-175, there is a chance to do something on this track.”The wicket is turning a lot now and Australia are batting in the fourth innings. There’s something on the wicket. I think Rangana Herath and Tillakaratne Dilshan can do something for us.”Karunaratne also defended Thilan Samaraweera’s shot selection, after Samaraweera had advanced down the pitch and aimed a slog over midwicket off Nathan Lyon, off the third ball he faced. The swipe produced a top edge that was taken at mid-off, leaving Sri Lanka four wickets down, being only 20 runs ahead.”The things he is used to doing haven’t been successful for him in the last two or three innings. He tried to do something different. He tried to attack and get some runs, spread the field and then he could play his normal game. There are different plans for different players. He had a different gameplan and he tried it, but he was unlucky. I think in the next series he will come to the fore again.”We haven’t had much luck, and it’s been a disappointing series for all of us. We didn’t bat well in the whole series, except when Tillakaratne Dilshan got a hundred in the first Test and Lahiru Thirimanne batted well in the first innings here.”Sri Lanka had played Nathan Lyon aggressively throughout the Test, and Karunaratne said that that had been their plan, as most Sri Lanka batsmen felt more comfortable against spin bowling. Lyon picked up Samaraweera’s wicket, but was expensive at 4.84 runs an over, and was hit for three aerial fours in an over by Angelo Mathews despite the visitors’ dire match situation.”The Aussie fast bowlers are doing really well in the three sessions, and they do the basics right with line and length and set the field well. If we have a chance to get some runs, it’s against the offspinner through mid-on and midwicket when those fielders are in the circle. Mathews is a good player to hit some big shots. Thilan also tried to do the same thing.”

Ravi Bopara has been recalled to England’s squad for the final ODI against Bangladesh on Monday in place of the injured Ian Bell

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2010Ravi Bopara has been recalled to England’s squad for the final ODI against Bangladesh on Monday in place of Ian Bell, who injured his left foot during Bangladesh’s five-run win in Bristol.Bopara has not played an ODI for England since their Champions Trophy defeat to New Zealand last September and had originally missed out on the squad for this series. The selectors opted for Jonathan Trott ahead of Bopara, a choice Trott justified by top-scoring with 94 in England’s defeat.The injury to Bell was particularly unlucky after he had only just returned into England’s one-day side having not played since November 2008. He marked his comeback in style with a Man-of-the-Match-winning unbeaten 84 to guide England to a six-wicket victory in the first ODI at Trent Bridge, but now faces up to seven weeks out of the game after fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.Bopara has been in good form with both bat and ball for the England Lions but is unlikely to feature in the final ODI at Edgbaston unless England opt to repeat the formula that brought them defeat – playing six batsmen and leaving out the second spinner.

Celtic may have romped to a 7-0 defeat last weekend but it wasn’t a victory without negatives for Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops.

That’s because both David Turnbull and Giorgos Giakoumakis came away from the clash with injuries.

What’s the word?

With Celtic six points ahead of Rangers in the race for the Premiership title, ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a big blow.

However, the two sides now meet again in the Scottish Cup semi-finals on Sunday, meaning that missing either of them could prove significant.

Fortunately, there is slim hope over Giakoumakis being fit enough to play with Postecoglou teasing that the problem didn’t look too bad.

He said: “Nothing concrete yet. Again, we’re still waiting for the final scans on it.

“Hopefully, it’s not too bad. He feels like it’s not too bad, but until we get the information we won’t know.”

A boost for the Hoops?

Although the severity of the problem is uncertain, it’s a relief to Celtic supporters and indeed the manager that he hasn’t been ruled out entirely.

After all, the Greek has been superb since establishing himself as a key cog in the wheel of their side during 2022.

Giakoumakis already has two hat-tricks this calendar year, bagging 13 goals in all competitions.

It has been an injury-hit spell for the forward since moving to Glasgow last summer but he has proven his fitness of late and terrorised Premiership defences in the process.

With Kyogo Furuhashi only just returning from his own period on the sidelines, it will be vital to have a fit and firing Giakoumakis in the side.

Of course, the comeback of Kyogo would soften the blow of losing another forward but it’s hardly ideal for the manager if he can’t call upon someone who has been so impressive of late.

Celtic have already won one domestic honour this term and a win on Sunday would boost their chances of winning the treble. Therefore, it’s crucial that their powerful Greek can play a part.

AND in other news, Ange is starting to unearth Celtic’s new Stuart Armstrong in “silky” £405k-rated gem…

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has said that for a rotational policy to evolve in his team, the selectors must take the final call and assure players of their place in the side when rested

Cricinfo staff15-Aug-2010Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has said that for a rotational policy to evolve in his team, the selectors must take the final call and assure players of their place in the side when rested. “From team point of view, we can recommend rest to certain players, especially fast bowlers because of their load. But the final call has to come from selectors, otherwise there is too much responsibility on the individual player.”And when you have a rotational policy, I think it is important that the player has the confidence that if you are rotated out of the team, you get first choice back. It doesn’t matter if your replacement scores a hundred or a double.”That assurance given to a player, Sangakkara said, was crucial to preventing any mistrust. “You get first choice back because you were the best in that position and that’s why you earned your rest. I think all these things must be set in place before you execute a rotational policy, otherwise there can be mistrust and misinterpretation and ultimately that can fall to pieces and it can affect the side.”Both Sangakkara and his counterpart MS Dhoni acknowledged bowlers were in greater need of rest. “The workload on the bowler can be too much if you see specially those playing both the Test matches and the ODIs. Because the workload on them is a bit too much, that really challenges the limit. For batsmen, they don’t have to put in the same amount of effort compared to a bowler,” Dhoni said.”It is better off personally if you can rest someone and prevent him from getting injured. You know that actually does not hamper his form. The kind of momentum that one gets because of good performances can just continue and he will always be in a positive frame of mind.”India have rested several key members of their side for the ongoing triangular series in Dambulla.

Graham Gooch has described the prospect of Essex playing some of their future home matches at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford as a ‘win-win scenario’, after their involvement in a joint bid with West Ham Football Club and Newham Council was confirmed

Andrew Miller01-Oct-2010Graham Gooch has described the prospect of Essex playing some of their future home matches at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford as a “win-win scenario”, after their involvement in a joint bid with West Ham Football Club and Newham Council was confirmed by the club chairman, David East, following the submission of the application to the Olympic Park Legacy Company on Thursday.Gooch is a lifelong fan of both Essex and West Ham, having been born and brought up in nearby Leytonstone, and believes that the prospect of a high-profile cricket venue in the East End of London can only be good for the county’s future. “For us it makes complete sense,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We’re obviously developing our ground at Chelmsford, so it’s not intended to be a home for Essex cricket, but as a county that stretches right down to the city of London, it makes sense for us to try and have a base in the boroughs there.”Two London football clubs, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur, are in the running to take up principal residence at the Olympic Stadium in the aftermath of the 2012 games, having both registered their interest with the OPLC ahead of Thursday’s deadline. However, Tottenham’s late application is widely regarded as a back-up plan in the event that their £400million redevelopment of White Hart Lane fails to materialise.West Ham’s bid remains the strongest contender, not least because the club’s current ground, Upton Park, is just a few miles down the road in the same borough of Newham. Their bid received tacit backing from the Government on Thursday when the application was delivered to 10 Downing Street by three of its players, Carlton Cole, Mark Noble and Scott Parker.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, East stressed that Essex’s part in the bid was low-key at present, and would be subject to the overcoming of certain technical constraints – the most significant of which is the OPLC’s current insistence on a running track around the venue’s perimeter, a problem which a West Ham spokesman suggested could be overcome through the use of synthetic grass. Should those obstacles be surmounted, then the venue would in theory be available to Essex during the football off-season between May and August, and would make an attractive base for Twenty20 cricket in particular.”Our plans are at a very early stage,” said East. “We’ve expressed our interest and have formed part of the bidding process for West Ham, who are seeking to demonstrate that they can operate, not just football, but a multi-sport delivery stadium. There’s a good strategic fit for us, in that we have responsibility for five London boroughs in terms of cricket development, and one of those is Newham. But at this stage we are very tentatively dipping our toes in the water.”Essex and West Ham have forged close links over the years, not least through the exploits of Sir Geoff Hurst, who played 23 times for Essex seconds in the early 1960s, and once for the first XI in 1962, before making his name as a centre-forward for West Ham and earning immortality by scoring a hat-trick for England in the 1966 World Cup final.”There’s been a long tradition between the two professional clubs,” said Gooch, who regularly conducted his pre-season training with the football squad at Upton Park. “And for me personally, it’s a fantastic proposal, because as a lifelong supporter of Essex cricket and West Ham football, it seems a natural tie-up. A joint bid would dovetail nicely, because the months we’d want to use the ground for Twenty20 cricket would be midsummer, when the football season is not on.”A further benefit of bringing cricket to the Olympic Stadium would be the focal point it would provide for cricket in East London, not least the sizeable but largely untapped Bangladeshi community in nearby Tower Hamlets. “We’ve got to look to promote the interests of our club,” said Gooch, “and it would be great to have a visible base where we play some professional matches, and tap into the ethnic communities living there. It’s a win-win for us.”Aside from Gooch, many prominent Essex players have come from East London, including Nasser Hussain (Ilford), Ravi Bopara (Forest Gate) and Varun Chopra, who moved on last season (Barking). However, since the loss of the Ilford Festival, for financial reasons, in 2003, there has been no significant Essex cricket played in Greater London, which is something that East is keen to rectify.”We like the idea of the bid,” said East. “The Ilford festival was our foothold in East London in terms of first-class cricket, so if we were able to find a base back in the area, where we could drop in a few Twenty20 matches and capitalise on a community from which we draw a lot of players, it would be fantastic. That was our motivation behind supporting the bid, but it’s still early stages, and we will pick it up with West Ham as and when they get a green light to proceed, or at least a bright amber light.”East added that he had not been aware of any interest from Tottenham until their bid for the stadium had been made public. “I haven’t given it any thought at all,” he said. “The attraction for us was the clear strategic link [through Newham Council]. At the moment we are where we are, we’ve supported the West Ham bid, and we’ll see what the outcome is.”

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChittagong Kings registered first points in this season’s BPL after they pulled off an unlikely win over Barisal Burners by 21 runs. Defending a small total, the Chittagong bowlers, led by Enamul Haque jnr who took two crucial wickets in an economical spell, kept Barisal under pressure throughout .The left-arm spinner took the crucial wicket of Brad Hodge when theBarisal captain appeared set to take his side home. But theAustralian was stumped for 34, and it triggered a collapse that saw themrestricted to 108 for 9 in 20 overs. The other left-arm spinner,Arafat Sunny, and medium-pacer Kevon Cooper also took two wickets each.Chittagong’s total appeared not good enough on a wicket that offered little to the bowlers. Naeem Islam and Ravi Bopara added 52 for the first wicket but were separated in the eighth over. It opened the gate for other Chittagong big-hitters to come in but they too couldn’t do much to boost the run-rate. Ryan ten Doeschate made 23 while Jacob Oram managed 18.For Barisal, Kabir Ali, Azhar Mahmood and Shafiul Islam took two wickets each, and kept things tight as Chittagong didn’t manage a single hit for six during their 20 overs.