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Roma chief Tiago Pinto "flies to London" with Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid "above all" in the race for defender Roger Ibanez, according to reports out of Italy.

Who could join Tottenham this summer?

The arrival of new manager Ange Postecoglou has brought with it a wave of fresh transfer rumours as the Australian seeks to reshape the team in his own image.

Recent claims have suggested that the 57-year-old, despite not officially starting work until July 1, is already earmarking transfer targets behind-the-scenes at Hotspur Way.

Indeed, Postecoglou has apparently given the green-light for his side to sign a star centre-back this summer as Spurs begin undergoing a major overhaul, with Leicester City star James Maddison also of serious interest.

As well as this, long-serving number one goalkeeper Hugo Lloris could well depart north London by his own admission, meaning Spurs must source a capable replacement. Resultingly, it is believed Spurs are seriously pushing to sign Brentford's David Raya, with AC Milan star Mike Maignan also on their radar as an alternative.

Going back to the central defensive area, a cause of real concern for Spurs for the last season, Roma's star defender Ibanez has been linked with a move to N17 recently.

According to Italian publication Calciomercato, there has been a fairly promising update on their pursuit, with both Tottenham and Atletico "above all" in the race to sign Ibanez this summer.

The Brazilian is up for sale as Roma need to balance their books, and what's more, they're offering a discount and have to "slightly lower" their valuation for him. Once around £30m, it is now claimed Roma will offload for a fee around £21m-£24m.

In their headline, it's added that Roma chief Pinto "flies to London" as he aims to negotiate both a move for Gianluca Scamacca and the possible sale of Ibanez.

Who is Roger Ibanez?

Going by the numbers, Ibanez was one of Jose Mourinho's star defenders over the 2022/2023 Serie A campaign.

According to WhoScored, he ranked among their top four best-performers overall, whilst making more interceptions per 90 than any other Roma player. He also came second in their squad for successful tackles and clearances made.

The 24-year-old has also been tipped for stardom by former Roma fullback Vincent Candela who, despite being error-prone on occasion, can become "one of the world’s best defenders" (Corriere dello Sport via romapress.net).

Given Roma are now attempting to sell at a discounted price, it could be an interesting opportunity for Spurs to strengthen their defence.

Everton are expected to be "in the race" to sign Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay this summer, according to a new transfer update.

Have Everton been linked with McTominay?

The £60,000-a-week Scot has had to accept being a bit-part player at Old Trafford this season, following the signings of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen last summer.

While McTominay clearly still did his bit in helping United win the EFL Cup and finish third in the Premier League, he only made 10 starts in the latter and came off the substitutes' bench 14 times, highlighting his squad role.

For that reason, it could be that the 26-year-old decides a fresh challenge needs to come his way this summer in order to become a key man elsewhere, rather than a solid cog in the machine. Everton have been linked with a move for him in the past, with the Blues eyeing him up as a strong option to bolster their midfield.

Now, a new update has emerged that further suggests the United man could be heading to Goodison Park in the near future.

Are Everton still in the hunt to sign McTominay?

According to Football Insider, Everton are "likely to be in the race to sign" McTominay in the summer window, with United "ready to listen to offers for the Scotland international following his limited involvement in the 2022-23 campaign".

That being said, the report does go on to add that he would cost the Blues "in excess of £20million", meaning it would be "very hard" for them to complete a move for him.

Should the situation resolve itself and Everton emerge in a strong position to sign McTominay this summer, he could be exactly what they are looking for, having been hailed as a "special" player by Jose Mourinho during his time at Old Trafford.

While he is arguably no longer at the level required to be a key figure at United, there is no shame in that, and his quality could really shine through at a lower-ranked club such as Everton. He has now racked up 209 appearances for the Red Devils, not to mention winning 38 caps for Scotland, and his box-to-box dynamism could boost the Blues at both ends of the pitch.

In 2022/23, McTominay averaged 1.9 clearances per game in the Premier League, as well as scoring seven goals for club and country, two of which came in a famous 2-0 win for Scotland over Spain back in March, showing how effective he can be in attack and defence, which could be the key to Everton's fortunes improving after another close shave with relegation.

India gave a lesson in how to take a grip on a Test match that was in the balance as their lower order built a lead of 134 before R Ashwin bagged three wickets in the final session

The Report by Andrew McGlashan28-Nov-2016
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:23

Ganguly: Morning session may have cost England the match and the series

India gave a lesson in how to take a grip on a Test match that was in the balance. Firstly their lower order built a commanding lead of 134, anchored around Ravindra Jadeja’s career-best 90 and Jayant Yadav’s maiden Test fifty, then R Ashwin’s three wickets left England floundering on 78 for 4, still 56 behind.The runs from the bottom half of India’s order has been a feature of their recent Test success and here they enjoyed one of their more stellar days. In total, the last four wickets added 213 to turn a precarious 204 for 6 into a three-figure advantage and it was the first time India’s Nos 7, 8 and 9 had scored half-centuries in the same innings.From a position at the start of the day where England would have hoped for something near parity – a manageable deficit of around 50 at worst – by the close it felt as though India had made the definitive moves of the series. Joe Root, who had been promoted to open in place of the injured Haseeb Hameed, remained unbeaten on 36 but Ashwin’s dismissal of Ben Stokes in the final over capped a perfect day for India.Alastair Cook’s stay was tortuous. In the space of four deliveries he survived two close DRS calls. The first was an India review for an appeal given not out against Jadeja which was, eventually after some problems forming the Hawk-Eye graphics, shown to be missing leg. The second was after he had been given lbw to Ashwin only for the review to show the ball pitched outside leg. However, the reprieve was brief as Ashwin worked him over by sliding a straighter delivery between bat and pad.Moeen Ali batted at No. 3, the only spot in the top nine he had yet to occupy in Tests, and added to the list of England’s inglorious dismissals in the match when he chipped Ashwin to mid-on. It was a lovely piece of deception from the bowler, who defeated Moeen in the flight, but regardless it was a limp shot.Just as Root and Jonny Bairstow were eyeing the close, the latter fell to a catch that, as a fellow wicketkeeper, he would acknowledge for its skill as Parthiv Patel stayed low to take a ball that skidding through low to graze the outside edge. Virat Kohli then pulled one of his Midas touches when he recalled Ashwin in the dying moments of the session and, with his first delivery, he spun one past Stokes’ edge to take the back pad. It was initially given not out by Chris Gaffaney but, with the seconds ticking down, Kohli reviewed and was justified.India were 12 behind when play resumed but England made an insipid start to the day. Chris Woakes’ opening delivery was a leg-stump half volley which Ashwin clipped to the boundary and Moeen was oddly given two exploratory overs ahead of either James Anderson or Stokes.Until Jadeja picked out long-on when he tried to up the tempo after tea it had been an innings largely out of character to how he is perceived as a batsman. In terms of balls faced it was the seventh-longest innings of his first-class career and one of his most significant in Tests. Even when he departed the end did not come swiftly for England as Jayant, who played with barely an alarm, ticked over to a 134-ball fifty.Jadeja only had two previous fifties in Test cricket: his swashbuckling effort at Lord’s in 2014, which helped build a match-winning lead, and a brisk innings against New Zealand earlier this season, which hastened a declaration. This was certainly not a tail-end jolly. On the second evening, after India had suffered a wobble of 4 for 56, Jadeja allowed Ashwin to take the lead and moved to 8 off 34 balls. He then sensed a moment to attack shortly before the new ball, but, on the third day, except for a skip down the pitch against Moeen, he did not attempt anything expansive until taking four boundaries off a Woakes over shortly before his dismissal.Jadeja’s half-century came off 104 balls and was accompanied by the familiar swordsman celebration but it was the only bat throwing on display. The disappointment of him missing a century meant we did not see what the follow-up would be. Stokes tried to prey on his patience by sending the ball wide outside off, as he had done to Kohli, but Jadeja ignored those balls. He benefited from a bonus four runs when he took a sharp single to mid-on and Jake Ball’s throw was not backed up.Ashwin had continued to time the ball elegantly until he was lured into a wider delivery by Stokes, in his first over of the day, and spooned a catch to Jos Buttler at backward point to end a stand of 97 with Jadeja. However, Jayant, in so many ways a younger model of Ashwin, from his role in the team to punching deliveries through the off side, collected two sweetly-timed boundaries off Anderson to set him on his way, but there was no hurry from India.England’s frustrations – and specifically Stokes’ – almost reached boiling point as they worked to break the ninth-wicket stand. Umesh Yadav was dropped on 9 by Cook, to his right at a lone slip, then in the same over Jayant nicked past Bairstow’s right glove, leading to an angered roar from Stokes. But before the over was done, Jayant heaved low to midwicket.Stokes and Adil Rashid shared the nine wickets taken by the bowlers with Stokes winning the race to a five-wicket haul, his third in Tests, when he removed Umesh. The catch for Bairstow meant he set a new record for wicketkeeping dismissals in a year. It was as good as the day got for England.

USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has picked out Oman as the main threat to his team winning ICC WCL Division Four on home soil

Peter Della Penna in Los Angeles28-Oct-2016USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has picked out Oman as the main threat to his team winning ICC WCL Division Four on home soil. Dassanayake is confident USA will finish in the top two and gain promotion after the last two-and-a-half weeks of training leading into the tournament that began with the Auty Cup series against Canada, which he says allowed the team to see its own flaws and work them out ahead of Saturday’s tournament-opener against Bermuda.”I think the build-up to this tournament, I’m very pleased,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo. “Playing the Auty Cup, we were just exposed in all departments and we planned what to do to get better for this tournament, analysing all three games against Canada.”I’m very happy, the guys who stayed back, we were working very hard. They put in a lot of hours training and I think the build-up to the [warm-up] game we played [on Tuesday] against SCCA [Southern California Cricket Association], I’m very happy how the guys turned out in that game. Basically everybody has put in a lot of time, effort and hard work and I feel like everything is really ready to go on Saturday morning.”After USA’s first match against Bermuda, they face Italy, which lost to the SCCA XI by 38 runs on Wednesday after failing to chase a target of 212. That came a day after a USA XI took down the local league representative side by 112 runs after posting a score of 286 for 8. The other two European sides in the tournament, Jersey and Denmark, were both beaten by a club side from Houston, Texas, by eight wickets and three wickets respectively, showcasing the strength of league cricket in the USA. It’s one reason why Dassanayake isn’t afraid to talk up his own squad’s chances of promotion.”Looking at the other teams, for me personally as a coach, I don’t think that we’ll have any threat, especially from the European teams,” Dassanayake said. “We have so much talent. We just have to transfer that talent into performance. Oman is a good team because they were in the World [T20]. The last few months they’ve played quality cricket. That’s the team for us to beat but overall, having said all these things, we’re not going to relax any game. We need to just focus one game at a time and do our best every game.”One thing USA teams have lacked in the past, despite their immense talent, is good team chemistry built up in part through clearly defined roles for each player. Dassanayake says, though, that the lead-up to this tournament has seen that change, giving the team a solid platform for a successful event.”Our strength is currently is that everybody is playing together and they take care of each other,” Dassanayake said. “We started knowing the strengths of each other and are very clear in their roles. That’s actually what I was looking for coming into this tournament. That is what we didn’t have against Canada in the Auty Cup.”In the last eight days, there’s a huge change in the atmosphere within the team. So I think that’s a really big plus point for the USA team. But again, in saying these things, it’s very important the first day of the tournament getting that momentum, start winning and start enjoying the wins. When the team does well, they need to feel that and that’s how you build the winning atmosphere in the team.”

Tottenham Hotspur are set to appoint Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou ahead of ex-Barcelona boss Luis Enrique in N17 as the former will make a bigger 'impression' on the Lilywhites squad, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur?

As per BBC Sport, Postecoglou is set to leave Celtic to become Tottenham manager on a two-year deal, with the 'final elements' of the deal set to be ratified before official confirmation.

Sky Sports News cite that the 57-year-old boss emerged as the standout candidate from the hiring process and was granted permission by Celtic to speak to the Premier League outfit on Monday.

The report states that the Hoops are already looking for Postecoglou's replacement and former boss Brendan Rodgers, ex-Leeds United man Jesse Marsch and Manchester City coach Enzo Maresca have all entered the frame for the Scottish giants.

According to The Sun, Spurs will pay around £5 million in compensation to complete the managerial switch and it is believed that Postecoglou wants to bring his trusted Parkhead coaches John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan and Greg Wallace to north London with him.

Appointing Postecoglou would bring the curtain down on an exhausting search for a new boss in N17, where the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Arne Slot and Enrique were also seriously pursued for the role; nevertheless, the Australian manager looks like he will become the new Tottenham manager.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones thinks that despite Enrique having been in dialogue with Spurs over their manager position, Daniel Levy may have elected to court Postecoglou as 'they have more belief' in his credentials to make the Lilywhites a success in 2023/24.

Jones said: "One of the reasons Spurs see Postecoglou as a better fit right now than Luis Enrique is the makeup of the squad. This is not about who they think is necessarily the best of the two, it is about who can make the biggest impression on this particular squad and change the club’s profile in the shortest time.

"The current players do not work in a Luis Enrique style as easily as they could for Postecoglou, I have been told about this a few times from different contacts. If you are going to bring in Luis Enrique then you have to pour a lot of money in and accept it may take time to overhaul the playing staff, but I get the impression they have more belief in what Ange could do next season.

"I personally think he’s a risky appointment but we shall see what this week holds, because he will have his own concerns and questions.”

Will Ange Postecoglou be a good appointment for Tottenham Hotspur?

Postecoglou is a coach with a trophy-laden history and has a reputation for taking no prisoners in any job he's been present in, making him the ideal appointment for a Tottenham side in need of surgery heading into 2023/24.

In his time at Celtic, the former Australia manager won five out of six trophies available to him north of the border, including back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles and implemented an offensive style of play that brought plenty of excitement to the Glasgow giants, as per Transfermarkt.

Recruitment is also an area that Postecoglou has shown he can excel in, as he brought the likes of key players Kyogo Furuhashi, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and Liel Abada to Parkhead, all of whom have enjoyed tremendous success in Scotland.

According to The Mirror, Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Max Kilman and Leicester City midfielder James Maddison head up a three-man shortlist of potential targets for Postecoglou to pursue this summer as he looks to get to work in north London.

Looking forward, Postecoglou will have plenty to get his teeth into in the off-season before taking his first steps into Premier League management next term.

New Zealand’s only warm-up match in a tour played during India’s off-season will be played on a pitch that bears little resemblance to the raging turners that they are likely to confront during the Test matches

The Preview by Sidharth Monga in Delhi15-Sep-2016Two weeks ago New Zealand were facing the pace barrage of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada in South Africa’s off-season. A short stop at home later, they are in Delhi, during India’s off-season, preparing for what promises to be a challenging Test series on India’s raging turners. It is so early in the season that even the pre-season fumigation in the press-conference room – Delhi is fighting an outbreak of mosquito-infested diseases – was carried out only minutes before New Zealand arrived.All New Zealand have between landing in India and the Test series, to prepare for what has the makings of the biggest challenge in Test cricket today, are a couple of training sessions in Delhi, a three-day game against Mumbai that begins on Friday, and two more training sessions at the venue of the first Test.India are not going to do them any favours either. Not that New Zealand expected any. They didn’t expect the track for the three-day game to prepare them for what is in store, and Feroz Shah Kotla is certainly in no mood to surprise them pleasantly. The track for the match against Mumbai, which won’t be a first-class fixture and will thus let all 15 have a bat and a bowl, is not quite a greentop but looks nothing like what you will encounter at Indian Test venues.”It is what we expected to see here,” Ross Taylor said of the grass on the Kotla pitch. This is consistent with what Virat Kohli felt when India gave England barely any spin to face in their warm-up matches before the Tests in 2012-13.”We were given flattest of tracks during practice matches in England and Australia, and then suddenly presented with a greentop during the Tests,” Kohli had said back then. “During practice matches, we would face those 120kmph bowlers … If they [England and Australia] wanted to be fair to us, they could have provided us with same kind of tracks for practice matches, like what were used in Tests. Especially, when they knew that visiting teams get very less time to practise. Now they would be playing on turning tracks and definitely would know where they stand.”England played three warm-up matches before the Tests on that tour, but only once, against Haryana, did they get to face genuine spinners. In the other two games, the only spin they faced was delivered by part-timers. New Zealand, having seen the pitch at the Kotla, didn’t look in a mood to complain. “We are expecting the wickets to turn,” Taylor said at the press conference a day before the warm-up game. “We are not expecting the Test wickets to look the way it is looking at Kotla.”For New Zealand the warm-up game is more about getting used to the weather, with temperatures in the mid-30s when it is winter back home. “A warm-up game is a warm-up game,” Taylor said. “A chance to get out and play in Indian conditions. Obviously a lot warmer than a couple of days ago back home in New Zealand. Stretch your legs so to speak. We are expecting a tough match against Mumbai tomorrow.”Before the reversal in South Africa, New Zealand were the side expected to present the toughest challenge to the hosts in this season of 13 Tests. They still possibly have the best spin resources among the touring teams this season. But the scheduling of the series relegates them to being a bit of a sideshow. They are used to this. When they go to England, they play in May; their last tour to India was in August-September, and this year they are playing back-to-back Test series in off-seasons. It is a fact not lost on them.”The last two tours we had here we didn’t even have a warm-up game,” Taylor said. “So it’s nice to have a warm-up game against a good opposition. It’s going to be a hard-fought series over the next three weeks. The boys are looking forward to it.”If the warm-up game is just a means to acclimatise yourselves to the heat and if you are expected to adjust from South African conditions to Indian ones suddenly, how do you do it? In the nets, Taylor said. “Regardless of whether you are playing on a bouncy green wicket or on a turning wicket, you have got to put yourself under pressure in training and try to simulate as much as possible.”Accordingly, one of the members of New Zealand’s support staff was seen asking the groundsmen to shave off the grass on the nets pitches. The next three days are not just about what goes on in the middle at the Feroz Shah Kotla, but also about how much the ones not on the field can take away from their nets sessions.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has experimented with some tactical augmentations recently as his side come swiftly towards the close of play this season.

Results have improved, as the German coach has led his side to eleven matches unbeaten in the Premier League, though their efforts to sneak into the top-four look fell just short.

Nevertheless, the last period has been a useful one in terms of finding out what may work for next term, with no learning curve coming bigger than Trent Alexander-Arnold's positive performances in a more advanced role following a tactical switch to allow the England international to drive further forward.

What's the latest news on Trent Alexander-Arnold and why is he so good when inverted?

Speaking to Football FanCast, Red TV pundit Paul Machin believes Alexander-Arnold is the 'best in the world' in his role as an inverted full-back and thinks that this tactical style may be the way forward for Liverpool.

Machin told FFC: "Right now, we still need him to do that inverted full-back job because there's no point in getting another right-back or going back to 4-3-3. We're not sure that system even works anymore. I think if if we persist with this system, Trent is the best in the world at doing that role. He's better than Zinchenko and he's better than John Stones."

It has to be said, his recent numbers do back up the notion that he should stay in his new position for good, as the 24-year-old has notched one goal and seven assists in his 10 appearances since moving into central areas more often, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored also note a marked improvement in the consistency of his performances, as £180k-a-week earner Alexander-Arnold hasn't dropped a display that has ranked below 6.91/10 since being deployed in the side with a slightly different function.

Unsurprisingly, he has earned plenty of praise recently, including from Brentford manager Thomas Frank, as per The Mirror, who said: "He’s a very, very good footballer and I understand why Jurgen constantly talks positively about him and uses him in the best way. His passing range and ability is probably among the best in the world. I can’t remember the stats but he must be one of the top assist makers in the Premier League ever. He could be a midfielder in the future. I know he’s being used there now when in possession and the game has developed where there are positions in possession and positions out of possession. But in the midfield he adds something to Liverpool that’s of a high, high value."

Liverpool have had a void regarding inventiveness in their midfield this campaign which Alexander-Arnold could help to combat moving forward. FBRef shows that he has been a skilled chance provider this season, successfully performing 142 shot-creating actions in total.

BBC Sport relay that England manager Gareth Southgate has recalled Alexander-Arnold for his side's Euro 2024 qualifiers in June and hasn't ruled out the possibility of utilising the Liverpool-born ace as a midfielder, stating: "He's a super footballer. He's playing in a slightly different role which I think has invigorated him in the last few months. He has always been in advanced areas with the ball, he is just a bit more central now. It is interesting for us and an option and something I have spoken to him about in recent weeks. We are looking forward to working with Trent."

Alexander-Arnold looks to have rediscovered his best form and will undoubtedly be a massive asset for Liverpool heading into next season as they bid to get back to their best under Klopp, who will be excited over what the future could hold for his side following some successful tactical changes.

Andrew McDonald, the former Australia allrounder, has been confirmed as the new coach of the Melbourne Renegades

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2016Andrew McDonald, the former Australia allrounder, has been confirmed as the new coach of the Melbourne Renegades. McDonald has impressed as coach of Leicestershire over the past two seasons and has been linked with the job of Victoria coach, which like the Renegades position has been vacated by Australia’s new assistant coach David Saker.”I’m delighted to have been appointed head doach at the Melbourne Renegades and it’s a role I’m very much looking forward to,” McDonald said. “The Big Bash League is extremely competitive and you do need some luck in this league but you create that as well. The smarter we play as a team and the more pressure we can put on our opposition, the more we’ll find ourselves in winning positions.”McDonald, who played four Tests for Australia during 2009, began his BBL career with the Renegades before moving to the Sydney Thunder. He played one game for the Thunder last summer but at 35, coaching appears to be the future for McDonald.”We had a good field of people who were very interested in this role and we’re really pleased Andrew has agreed to come back to the Melbourne Renegades as our next coach,” Stuart Coventry, the Renegades CEO, said.”Andrew has a wide breadth of experience playing for Australia and from a T20 perspective in the Indian Premier League, the BBL and now in his coaching role at Leicestershire. He obviously knows plenty of the players in our squad so he’ll be a great fit to inspire our team towards a finals appearance this season.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers pulled off a huge feat in confirmed Premier League survival this season after sitting bottom of the table on Christmas Day.

Since his arrival in November, Julen Lopetegui has turned fortunes around at Molineux in less than a year at the club, bringing back silky performances to the squad and a desire to improve.

Despite completing a treacherous task in cementing survival, the former Real Madrid boss faces further challenges, as the club have to save rather than spend after a lucrative period in the transfer market has raised FFP concerns.

With players expected to depart this summer, including Ruben Neves, there is still hope that Lopetegui can make the signings he requires to take this Wolves side forward.

The latest target has emerged in a Bundesliga centre-back, who has mild experience in the Premier League having previously been on the books at Arsenal.

What’s the latest on Konstantinos Mavropanos to Wolves?

As reported by Greek news outlet Sport 24 last week – relayed by Sport Witness – Stuttgart centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos could be on the move to Molineux this summer.

The 25-year-old “believes the time has come” for him to depart, as per the report, with both Fulham and Wolves “checking out” the promising defender’s movements ahead of the transfer window.

The report speculates that it will take a bid higher than €18m (£15.6m) to secure the centre-back’s signature, with a bid in that region being rejected in January and two years remaining on his current contract.

What could Konstantinos Mavropanos bring to Wolves?

Snatched by Arsenal at just 20, Arsene Wenger saw the Greek international’s talent, which has seen him establish himself as a recognised centre-back in Europe.

Despite things not working in north London, Mavropanos has found his feet in Germany and excelled at Stuttgart, ranking as the club's second-highest performer this season with an average match rating of 7.25, as per Sofascore.

Signing Craig Dawson in January has worked for Wolves in terms of his experience in the league, though Lopetegui must seek a long-term replacement for the 33-year-old veteran.

When comparing the two over the past year, the 25-year-old ranks up with the best in his position in Europe and could be a more inquisitive option than the Englishman in the Spaniard’s setup.

Dawson’s game relies solely on the art of defending, which is integral, but in comparison with the best in today’s game, the 33-year-old provides little option in breaking the ball out from defence into attack.

Hailed as a “gladiator” by former Stuttgart manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, the 6 foot 4 ace excels the arguably one-dimension game of Dawson, as relayed by FBref.

The Greek averages a colossal 2.01 tackles per 90, as well as 3.16 aerials and 2.50 interceptions, while the current Wolves centre-back averages 0.80 tackles, 2.02 aerials and 0.76 interceptions per 90, showing the difference in the quality of the two.

A key area that is lauded in the Stuttgart centre-back’s game is his ability to dispatch the ball, and was lauded as being “composed” and a “good passer” by journalist Mattias Karen, supported by his numbers.

As per FBref, the “monster” averages 4.43 progressive passes, as well as making 0.61 successful take-ons per 90, placing him in the top 5% of Europe’s top centre-backs in the process.

Wolves need a spell of invention in their squad, and Lopetegui could secure a bright spark and significant upgrade to his defence in Mavropanos should a deal materialise this summer.

With the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as the new Chelsea manager on the horizon, the Argentine must begin trimming a hideously bloated squad and attempt to repair the damage inflicted by the brazenly uncalculated Todd Boehly.

The new ownership has splashed extortionate funds on various underperforming players and with possible FFP regulations bearing down the west Londoners, they may need to resort to their wealth of academy talent as their saving grace.

One new signing, who has drastically failed to impress the Stamford Bridge faithful is Marc Cucurella, and his £60m transfer fee has emerged as a horrendous piece of business.

Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen, who spent the season on loan at Burnley has enjoyed an incredible year in the Championship and deserves to be integrated into the future first-team plans by the incoming boss.

Who is Ian Maatsen?

The 21-year-old has made 39 appearances in the second tier and has been an integral cog of a side that scored the most goals (87) and conceded the fewest (35) as Vincent Kompany’s side ruthlessly cantered to the league title.

During this run, the left-back registered ten goal contributions, as well as averaging two tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game, to demonstrate himself as an astute all-rounder with imperious attacking and defensive capabilities.

In a previous loan spell at Coventry, his former teammate Simon Moore showered the youngster in praise and said: “It says a lot about how good he is that even a slightly off day stands out as exceptional.

“It is not normal. The kid is bright, he’s hugely talented, he wants to learn, and he never gives up. Maats has got an exciting future ahead of him.”

In the last two years, the Dutchman has ruthlessly exposed himself to be far too good for Championship football – an intoxicating blend of aggression, athleticism, technique, and tireless drive.

In a 2-1 win against Swansea in January, the full-back netted two wondrous screamers to underline his potency and industrious attacking flair.

Mark Robins has said he “exhibits maturity beyond his years” and this plethora of evidence makes a hugely compelling case for his inclusion in Pochettino’s plans.

Meanwhile, Cucurella has been unable to replicate the frightening dynamism and solidity he displayed at Brighton and is yet to make his mark in the capital.

The Spaniard dismally ranks in the bottom 28% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries per 90, and his inability to acclimatise to more pressurised surroundings has inhibited all his potential.

The full-back has simply made far too many errors this campaign, notably stepping wildly out of position which ultimately led to Ben Chilwell's red card against Madrid in the Champions League.

Thus, Pochettino walks into the job, he could seal an immediate masterclass by ditching the underperforming defender for a hungry fresh face.