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On a tour where more had been said about Jonny Bairstow’s headbutt than his batting he was able to let out a few emotions on the second day in Perth

George Dobell in Perth15-Dec-2017Jonny Bairstow ensured he had the last laugh after completing a maiden Ashes century.On the first night of this tour, Bairstow ventured to the Avenue bar in the suburbs of Perth and greeted Cameron Bancroft with a now notorious genial head-butt.While it took a few weeks for the incident to come to light – Australia used it in the second innings of the first Test to unsettle Bairstow and some have subsequently suggested it provides evidence of England’s “drinking culture” – it briefly threatened to disturb the focus of both Bairstow and the England camp.But upon reaching his century here, Bairstow kissed and then gently head-butted his England helmet several times in a clear and good-natured reference to the episode. It was a celebration that demonstrated both an ability to laugh at his own errors and suggested the incident had long been put behind him. And, as he said afterwards, it may well be the whole affair gave him made him “more determined to succeed.”With that context and the fact that it had taken Bairstow until his fourth Ashes series, his 12th Ashes Test and his 20th Ashes innings to make his first Ashes century, it was perhaps not surprising that he rated it his “favourite” Test century.”The hundred in many ways was my favourite one,” Bairstow said. “I’ve played in a few Ashes series now and to score an Ashes hundred – something that had eluded me until now – is something you dream about as a kid. This is the pinnacle of the game.”It means a heck of a lot to be involved in record stands. You want to make an Ashes hundred. You want to look back in the archives when you’re retired and say to your kids or your grandkids: ‘I made an Ashes hundred at the WACA’.”There’s a huge amount of pride that comes with any hundred and in playing for your country.”The celebration was a bit of light hearted fun and it should be taken as such. It was spontaneous. I hadn’t thought about it before.”Hopefully it is a positive reaction I have given in this innings. Sometimes the chat out there spurs people on and makes them more determined to succeed.”Jonny Bairstow celebrates his maiden Ashes hundred•Getty Images

Bairstow hadn’t scored a Test century since an unbeaten 167 against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in June 2016 – 21 Tests and 38 innings ago – though he made 99 against South Africa at Old Trafford in August. But here he posted a stand of 237 with Dawid Malan – a record for England’s fifth-wicket in Ashes cricket – to steer England from the peril of 131 for 4 to the relative comfort of 368 for 4 before a now familiar batting collapse.While Bairstow admitted the collapse was “frustrating” and the manner of Malan’s dismissal “disappointing”, he maintained a ‘glass half-full’ perspective.”It was disappointing the way he got out,” Bairstow said, “but the intent we showed in our batting was much better.”Maybe we’re frustrated in some ways, but it depends how you look at things. We were 100 for 4 at one stage. You can either think it was a fantastic recovery or you can look at it and say we’ve let our position slip.”Meanwhile the ECB confirmed Mark Wood would remain with the England squad after the end of the Lions tour on Sunday. There are currently no plans to retain the services of any of the other players in that squad, most of whom will arrive back in the UK on Monday.That means that, despite the failings of the top-order, England’s only obvious batting options for the final two Tests are Ben Foakes and Gary Ballance. While others are either in Australia or shortly will be – Jos Buttler, Jason Roy and Sam Billings are among those involved in the BBL while Sam Robson is spending time with his family in Sydney – there are currently no plans to utilise any of them in the Ashes.It remains to be seen how much of a role Craig Overton will play in the rest of the match. Overton was forced off the pitch for a while on the second day after jarring a rib as he attempted to claim a tough caught and bowled opportunity. He returned to the field before the close and it was not deemed necessary to send him for a scan. But he will be assessed by the medical team before play on the third day to ascertain his fitness to bowl.

Cristiano Ronaldo surprised the son of his former Real Madrid team-mate Marcelo by sending a special Christmas gift to Brazil.

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Pair spent nine years together at BernabeuWon domestic, continental & global prizesHave remained in contact since going separate waysWHAT HAPPENED?

The Portuguese superstar, who is now on the books of Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr, spent nine years working alongside Marcel at Santiago Bernabeu between 2009 and 2018. The pair enjoyed considerable success together, claiming two La Liga titles, four Champions League crowns and three FIFA Club World Cup triumphs – while Ronaldo became Los Blancos’ all-time leading goalscorer.

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Ronaldo and Marcelo had a good relationship on and off the field in Madrid, with the duo often seen joking around on the training pitch, but CR7 opted to take on a new challenge when leaving Spain for Serie A giants Juventus.

DID YOU KNOW?

He has clearly stayed in touch with Marcelo, who is back in his native Brazil at Copa Libertadores winners Fluminense, as a unique present has made its way from the Middle East to South America. Marcelo’s son was the starry-eyed recipient of that parcel, with the youngster posting on social media after unwrapping a signed Al-Nassr shirt from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner: “Thank you so much Cris. I love you. You are my idol @cristiano”

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WHAT NEXT FOR MARCELO?

There had been talk of Marcelo following Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia when he brought a brief spell at Greek side Olympiacos to a close in February 2023, but he said of returning to his homeland: “We talked about this some time ago. I had some proposals to leave, not just there [Al-Nassr], but I needed to return here [Brazil], to my roots. Something told me that I had to go back.”

Joey Barton was spotted in the Marseille away end at Brighton a week after he caused controversy with online sexist rants.

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Barton spotted in Marseille away end41-year-old saw OM lose 1-0 to BrightonBarton's sexist rants have caused outrageWHAT HAPPENED?

On Thursday evening Barton was spotted in the away end at Brighton's American Express Stadium, where he watched his former club Marseille lose 1-0 to the Seagulls in the Europa League. Last week, Barton caused controversy when he argued that women should not work in men's football as commentators and pundits.

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Last week Barton appeared on Talk TV's Piers Morgan Uncensored, and since then has doubled down on his stance with more inflammatory tweets. On Thursday he took a break from fighting his new cause to attend the match, where he posed for photos with fans of his former club.

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Barton only spent the 2012/13 season on loan at Marseille, but he has attended away fixtures on several occasions since. Last year he was photographed giving Tottenham fans the middle finger during Marseille's 0-2 Champions League group stage defeat.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BARTON?

Barton's sexist rants have coincided with him teasing the launch of his new podcast in the new year. Whether the two are linked remains to be seen. On the pitch, Marseille advanced to the Europa League knockout stages as group runners-up, while Brighton went through as group winners.

Manchester United outcast Donny van de Beek has sensationally offered himself to Barcelona as potential cover for the injured Gavi.

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Dutch midfielder struggling for game timeEndured a testing spell at Old TraffordLikely to be on the move in January windowWHAT HAPPENED?

The Liga giants are exploring their options heading towards the January transfer window. The intention at Camp Nou is to bring in another midfielder that can help to bolster Xavi’s ranks while teen sensation Gavi recovers from a season-ending ACL injury.

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A loan deal could be done in the winter window and, according to , Van de Beek is ready to answer the call in Catalunya. The Netherlands international midfielder has played just 21 minutes of football for United this season through two substitute appearances in Carabao Cup and Premier League competition.

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Van de Beek has struggled to make an impact since moving to Old Trafford from Ajax in 2020 and desperately needs a new challenge in order to get his faltering career back on track. He has already spent time on loan at Everton amid struggles for game time in Manchester and has made Barca aware that he would jump at the chance to join their cause.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR VAN DE BEEK?

Van de Beek is, however, already being lined up for a move to Serie A giants Juventus. Talks are said to be taking place there regarding a six-month loan in Turin, but the 26-year-old could shun interest from the Bianconeri were Barcelona to decide that he could slot into their squad alongside fellow countryman and former Ajax team-mate Frenkie de Jong.

Tim Bresnan finished with 6 for 19 to close out victory for Yorkshire in front of a capacity Headingley crowd as the rain fell at the end of a must-win Roses clash

David Hopps11-Aug-2017Winning always matters in a Roses match and this extraordinary contest in front of a sellout Headingley crowd mattered more than most. Qualification for the quarter-finals of the NatWest Blast felt at stake and it was Yorkshire who prospered in a remarkable climax played out in pouring rain which turned into one of the greatest nights in Tim Bresnan’s life.Four wickets in Bresnan’s last over – three to the bowler – represented quite a finale to a match taken by Yorkshire by 19 runs. Two fine catches in the deep to dismiss Dane Vilas and Jordan Clark in conditions which have traditionally been termed impossible, a run out of Steven Parry courtesy of Bresnan’s direct hit at the bowler’s end and, finally, the wrecking of Junaid Khan’s stumps left him beaming in disbelief.Tim Bresnan claimed career-best figures of 6 for 19•Getty Images

It all added up to figures of 6 for 19 – his best return in 15 years of professional cricket. When he first began as an 18-year-old he would not have imagined it would take place on a night like this.Blast comes out for LGBT cause

Rainbow stumps were the order of the day at all NatWest Blast matches as cricket joined Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign in the biggest show of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people that the English game has ever staged.
Stonewall’s research suggests that half of all sports fans have heard homophobic abuse in sport in the past five years, although the figure drops to only one in six at live cricket matches.
Robbie De Santos, Head of Campaigns at Stonewall, said: “It’s great that cricket has joined our campaign. We know from our research that across all sports there are LGBT people who don’t feel welcome or able to be themselves. Our campaign is aimed at making sport, whatever sport that is, everyone’s game.”

A wet outfield even tempted him into a football-style celebratory knee-slide across the turf. “Why am I knee sliding? I am 32 years old,” he said afterwards. “On nights like this, it feels as good as an international. You need to test yourself when the pressure is on.”The weather has been abominable in this year’s Blast and so it was that Bresnan stood at the end of his run, running the ball desperately with a cloth, with Lancashire needing 23 off the last over. Cricket has often termed such conditions unplayable, but positive attitudes from players, umpires and fans alike have kept the tournament’s head above water.When David Willey grimaced and limped off after taking a catch in the final over, it warned of the dangers, but replays suggested the condition of the outfield was immaterial as he landed heavily on his knee.Yorkshire had other heroes in Adam Lyth and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, whose uninhibited opening stand of 95 in eight overs was an emphatic rejection of Yorkshire’s recent poor form. But on another night, in another place, Matt Parkinson, Lancashire’s 20-year-old legspinner, would have been hailed the matchwinner for his nerveless 4 for 23.As it was, the 40th anniversary of one of Yorkshire’s greatest outpourings of national pride – Geoffrey Boycott’s 100th hundred, reached with perfect timing during a Test against Australia at Headingley – was marked by a presentation in mid-innings by the Yorkshire chairman Steve Denison.Yorkshire and Lancashire began the night locked in equal fifth (Yorkshire will point out they were ahead on run rate) and with only three matches left it felt as if there would be no way back for the losers. For both Yorkshire, who had briefly led the table before losing their last three games, and Lancashire who had won only one of their last five, the decline in fortunes had been abrupt. Other results went Lancashire’s way so they have not entirely lost hope.Perhaps it was the sense of now-or-never that stung Yorkshires openers into action, or perhaps it was just the urging on of a raucous capacity crowd. Lyth and Kohler-Cadmore tore into the match with a vengeance. Their assault included seven sixes and only one of them, when Lyth struck Junaid Khan down the ground, needed a prayer to clear the field.Yorkshire never remotely matched the same standards again as Lancashire, initially under the cosh, conceded only 87 from the next 12 overs and dragged themselves back into the match.Lyth and Kohler-Cadmore offer a good blend. Lyth has the dash of D’Artagnan, hitting through the line, favouring flourishes square of the wicket and slog sweeps. Kohler-Cadmore, whose move from Worcestershire has not brought instant rewards, is an imposing figure who prefers to bully the bowlers; his 45 was his best return of the season.By the time Parkinson took to the stage, Yorkshire were 85 off seven overs and the crowd were lapping it up. Parkinson’s T20 experience amounted to only eight wickets in six games, and as rain began to fall steadily, he must have been struggling to grip the ball. But he flighted and landed it throughout and only with his last ball, an overpitched delivery that Shaun Marsh pummelled to the boundary, did his accuracy err.Adam Lyth swung four sixes in his 50 from 29 balls•Getty Images

Lyth fell for 50 from 29 balls at the end of Parkinson’s first over, his slog-sweep falling short, the signal for a break for rain. When the match resumed, Parkinson was still on song: Kohler-Cadmore’s straight hit at the end of his second over lacked the legs and was held by Steven Croft despite Arron Lilley being in disturbingly close proximity.Willey briefly threatened havoc, but the first time he tried to go big against Parkinson, he was picked up at long-on. That left Sarfraz Ahmed, a short-term overseas replacement who, like many short-term overseas replacements, did not seem attuned to the task and soon mishit to long-on, a fine diving catch by Croft.Yorkshire were never the same again. Parry added to the spinners’ tally when Marsh toed one into the leg side, Junaid produced impressive sleight of hand at the death and apart from a burst of three boundaries in eight balls by Jack Leaning, Yorkshire managed only one in the last nine overs.The lack of power hitting in the second half of the order remains a weaknesses that will cost them dear if a solution is not found.Yorkshire’s response in the field was a good one: openers Karl Brown and Liam Livingstone removed in the space of three balls in Bresnan’s second over. He had 2 for 4 in two overs, including nine dot balls and a dropped catch, while Willey went for 27. Lilley followed courtesy of a wonderful catch by Leaning, who would have filled his father Andy, a former professional goalkeeper, with pride as he leapt and held on above his head on the cover boundary. On such a mucky night, the catching was exceptional, and this was one was about to go viral.That brought in Jos Buttler, at 72 for 3 from nine overs, a street behind what Yorkshire were at the same stage, not that it mattered. Headingley felt his matchwinning 71 not out from 35 balls two years earlier and knew the danger he possessed. Steve Patterson prevented a repeat, holding a return catch as Buttler failed to work into the leg side.Amid it all, Croft, built a half-century in 38 balls, slog-sweeps to the fore, but Yorkshire’s spinners were also hard to counter. Adil Rashid’s legspin accounted for Croft in his last over, thrown flat and wide for Sarfraz to complete the stumping to end his innings of 52 from 46 balls. Between them, Rafiq and Rashid bowled eight overs for 53.Rain returned with three overs remaining. Wet ball in his hands, rain splattering his face, Bresnan yorked Ryan McLaren. That all but settled it, although even 53 from three overs seemed possible as the rain fell. Then came Bresnan’s final flourish. Yorkshire are still alive. Lancashire will fear the worst.

Paul Collingwood starred with bat and ball at Gosforth as Leicestershire never recovered from a disastrous start

ECB Reporters Network05-May-2017
ScorecardPaul Collingwood starred with bat and ball [file picture]•Getty ImagesPaul Collingwood hurried Durham to a five-wicket Royal London Cup win against Leicestershire at the South Northumberland club ground in Gosforth.After taking 3 for 42 in dismissing the visitors for 211 with one ball unused, Collingwood went in at 122 for 3 and remained unbeaten on 65.Leicestershire were brought swiftly back to earth after their 103-run win against Warwickshire, slumping to 13 for 4 after losing an important toss.Fresh from his 153, Mark Pettini edged Chris Rushworth’s second ball of the match behind and although the pitch appeared to have good carry, Cameron Delport and Aadil Ali both lobbed up easy catches from mistimed drives.They provided James Weighell with the first two of his four wickets, the third coming when Ned Eckersley also surrendered by hooking straight to long leg.Mark Cosgrove was beginning to look dangerous when, on 21, his attempted pull off Paul Coughlin flew off the top edge over the wicketkeeper for six. But, on 37, he clipped Collingwood straight to deep square leg.At 68 for 6, Zak Chappell went in and remained unbeaten in compiling his maiden one-day half-century. He reached 50 with a fierce pull wide of long-on off a slower ball by Weighell and had eight other boundaries in his 59 off 82 balls.Lewis Hill was the second-highest scorer with 44 before he clipped Collingwood to mid-wicket and was brilliantly caught by Keaton Jennings, diving to his left. Dieter Klein helped Chappell add 73 in 17 overs for the ninth wicket before he heaved across the line in the 49th over and was bowled by Weighell for 26.When Durham replied, left-armer Klein surprised Jennings with a full toss which had the Durham captain lbw for 12. But Michael Richardson was soon in full flow as two cuts off Gavin Griffiths flew to the boundary.Richardson reached 50 off 65 balls but then went back for a second run to third man and found himself at the same end as Stephen Cook with the throw heading for the other end.Cook was bowled for when trying to run Tom Wells to third man then Cameron Steel fell lbw to a yorker in the same over with 33 still needed. But Collingwood hit two sixes and six fours in his 45-ball half-century and quickly finished the job.

Manoj Tiwary and Virat Singh’s unbroken 149-run partnership for the third wicket steered East Zone to an emphatic eight-wicket win against North Zone in Mumbai.Put in to bat, North Zone’s top three amassed 85 run in 11.1 overs, with Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, and Unmukt Chand registering identical scores of 20.Yuvraj Singh top scored with a 24-ball 38. However, his dismissal in the 14th over triggered a collapse, with North Zone losing three more wickets within the next 14 balls.Manan Sharma (18) and Pradeep Sangwan (21) resuscitated the flagging North Zone innings, adding 29 runs for the eighth wicket.Pragyan Ojha returned figures of 3 for 33 for East Zone, while medium-pacers Sayan Ghosh and Pritam Das bagged two wickets each. Amit Verma accounted for Yuvraj and Parvez Rasool, who was out hit-wicket.Chasing 160, East Zone stuttered early on, losing Shreevats Goswami and Ishank Jaggi within the first two overs, before Tiwary (75 off 43) and Virat (74 off48) overhauled the target in 16.3 overs.Mayank Agarwal’s 46-ball 70 guided South Zone to a five-wicket victory against West Zone at the Wankhede Stadium.Having elected to bowl, South Zone spinners M Ashwin and Rahil Shah struck early to remove openers Sheldon Jackson (23) and Parthiv Patel (10) respectively.Medium-pacer Vijay Shankar lent able support to the duo; the three returned combined figures of 6 for 79, while Chama Milind – despite going at 10.25 in his four overs – finished with three wickets.Vishnu Vinod’s 20-ball 36 set the tone for South Zone’s 141-run chase, before Agarwal’s turbocharge – peppered with nine fours and two sixes – powered them to 136 in 16.4 overs. The Karnataka batsman shared a 52-run partnership – the highest in the match – with Dinesh Karthik (17), who came in after captain Shankar retired hurt in the seventh over with 62 for 1 on board.Pavan Deshpande and Ashwin then closed out the game for South Zone with 14 balls to spare.

David Willey will miss England’s three-match ODI series against West Indies in the Caribbean next month

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2017

David Willey will miss England’s three-match one-day international series against West Indies in the Caribbean next month.The Yorkshire allrounder had surgery on his left shoulder on Friday to further assess the injury he sustained while bowling in the third ODI against India last month. He has suffered a partial tear of a tendon and will be out of action until April.Willey will be replaced in the England squad by Middlesex seamer Steven Finn, who is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League in the UAE.England fly to the Caribbean next Wednesday, where they play two warm-up matches and three ODIs against West Indies.Willey, lightly used throughout the one-day series against India – bowling over 13 overs in three matches – was only able to manage two overs in the final ODI in Kolkata before leaving the field.He has only completed a full 10-over spell in seven of his 25 ODIs, with his captain, Eoin Morgan, seemingly reluctant to use him beyond his threat swinging the new ball.He remained behind in Kolkata for scans when the rest of the squad travelled to Kanpur for a three-match T20 series, with England Cricket tweeting that “a scan didn’t show up significant damage to his left shoulder”.That initial diagnosis proved to be overly optimistic and he returned home for an operation, the extent of which has now been revealed.Willey’s latest injury also threatens to disrupt his involvement at the start of Yorkshire’s season and will not help him claim a place in the Championship side for a county where Ryan Sidebottom, a fellow left-armer, shows few signs of deterioration at 39 and, at the other end of the age scale, Matt Fisher, if he can shake off the injury worries that have curtailed his involvement in the England Under-19 tour of India, is ambitious to prove himself England’s brightest fast bowling prospect.

Sunday evening's 2-0 defeat to Arsenal was a reminder that Newcastle United have not quite reached the desired pedestal despite exemplary work in the Premier League this season.

Having failed to qualify for the Champions League for 20 years, Eddie Howe's outfit have waltzed into top four reckoning this season and perch in third place with just four matches to play, a point above fourth-placed Manchester United and two points above Liverpool – who have played an extra game – in fifth.

Newcastle do remain a distance behind title-chasing Manchester City and Arsenal, and must now look to make apt signings to edge closer to the very forefront of the division, and bolstering the offensive ranks with someone of Harvey Barnes' ilk would be a sterling way to continue the improvements.

According to the Daily Mail, the Leicester City ace could depart from the King Power Stadium this summer, yet to enter contract negotiations with his current deal set to expire in 2025.

The report states that the winger was valued at £60m when the Magpies inquired about his availability this time last year, with Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur supposedly considering a move. They are joined in their interest by the Toon who still hold an admiration for the player.

Should Newcastle sign Harvey Barnes?

Despite United's newfound affluence since the £300m PIF takeover in October 2021, the deals forged on the transfer front have been shrewdly worked and embody the well-worked strategies implemented; a structural organisation fit for a team searching for success at the highest level.

One deal that has not quite cut the grade thus far is the £45m acquisition of 21-year-old winger Anthony Gordon, who has flattered to deceive across his 12 outings for the side since his January arrival, yet to score or assist.

Unquestionably, the Liverpudlian is a talented prospect and could yet forge a successful career at the highest level, but he's not there yet and currently yields a seasonal Sofascore rating of just 6.66 in the Premier League, hardly exuding confidence with his average of 1.2 shots and 0.5 key passes per outing.

Barnes, retrospectively, has exhibited an impressive cutting edge for his team over the past few years, integral in sustaining the offensive fluidity when Leicester were at their free-flowing best under Brendan Rodgers and prolific during the current campaign, providing a reliable striking outlet despite the club's perilous Premier League position.

Across the duration of his City career, the £40k-per-week star has scored 42 goals and supplied 32 assists from 183 appearances, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield and being singled out as "unbelievable" by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for his exploits.

The one-cap England international has indeed been a menace in front of goal this term, scoring ten league goals from 30 outings, with his talismanic aura aiding his side greatly in the fight to preserve top-flight status, above 18th-placed Nottingham Forest only on goal difference with four matches to play.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues for rate of non-penalty goals per 90, indeed encapsulating his clinical prowess and reminding the likes of Howe of the impact that he could make on Newcastle's fortunes.

He could be the "catalyst" – as he has been dubbed by his Leicester manager – for the next phase of the Toon team's ascension, and as the Magpies continue their skywards flight, Barnes' prospective inclusion could spell danger for all who oppose their claim for a spot at the top.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed there is now a "concrete chance" Tottenham Hotspur will hire Arne Slot as their new manager.

What are the latest Spurs manager rumours?

Since Antonio Conte left, Spurs have been linked with a number of men who could come in and replace the Italian this summer.

Indeed, the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique, Brendan Rodgers, and Vincent Kompany have all been touted in the media.

However, it appears that 44-year-old Feyenoord boss Slot is steadily becoming a more and more realistic option for the North London outfit.

Indeed, while speaking about the latest managerial situation on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that Spurs are holding "internal conversations" about the coach and he is also set to speak to his club soon about a possible exit too.

He explained (1:44): “Also to update on the Tottenham job, because Daniel Levy is still looking for a new director, and then he will go for the new manager.

"But internal conversations, as I told you, are taking place Arne Slot, Feyenoord manager. Really appreciated entirely Tottenham, so he's a concrete chance for the Tottenham job.

"And with Arne Slot, there will be conversations also in a direct way between Slot and Feyenoord this week to understand the potential conditions and the potential compensation needed for him to go to Premier League."

What has Arne Slot said about Spurs?

Pubically at least, Slot has remained coy about his chances of leaving, telling Dutch media on the weekend (via Evening Standard): "We're here for next Sunday's game. I'm not here to talk about my future. That could mean that English journalists are leaving with their tails between their legs."

While adding: "I’m under a huge magnifying glass in everything I say about this subject. So I choose to say as little as possible again … when it comes to new clubs there’s a huge scale in every word I use, so I try not to talk about it until I can say something about it."

But if he is set for "direct" conversations with Feyenoord behind the scenes about compensation and other things like that, as Romano claims, then it does sound as though he is genuinely considering the job.

Of course, though, Spurs are reportedly looking to hire a new sporting director first, so a move for Slot may be put on ice for a brief while as Daniel Levy finds a successor to Fabio Paratici.