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Aston Villa have been scouting Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara for ‘the past few weeks’, according to But! Football Club (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

The 22-year-old defensive midfielder is also capable of operating as a centre-back. His contract expires on 30 June, which means he is currently free to negotiate pre-contract terms with clubs outside of France.

Villa signed Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho in January but were unable to land a defensive midfielder as they’d hoped, having refused to meet the asking price for either Yves Bissouma or Rodrigo Bentancur.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has said that the club are now expected to address that perceived weakness in the summer.

The latest

The report from But! Football Club (via Sport Witness) stated that recruitment staff from Aston Villa have been watching Kamara during the month of February.

The expectation is very much that the player will ‘pack his bags’ and leave Jorge Sampaoli’s side come the end of the season.

The verdict

Could Kamara be the answer for Villa in the middle of the park?

The Daily Mirror’s David Anderson has talked up his potential to GiveMeSport, hailing him as ‘one of the next big things’.

Indeed, figures from FBRef illustrate that the 22-year-old is a well-rounded number 6 in the same mould as Liverpool’s Fabinho. He ranks in the 70th percentile or better (relative to positional peers) for pass completion, progressive passes and interceptions.

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One potential problem for Villa, though, is that Manchester United are also said to be tracking the £22.5m-rated Frenchman, and they will hope to use the significant carrot of potential Champions League football to persuade him to choose Old Trafford over Villa Park.

In other news, Ashley Preece has an update on Bertrand Traore

It may not have looked so at any stage of the seven days of Test cricket between India and South Africa so far, but the visiting batsmen did everything they could to prepare for their trial by spin.Led by Hashim Amla, who assistant coach Adrian Birrell has called “the most precise preparer for a match that I have ever met,” they conducted “very specific training,” to try and simulate the Indian spinners. Their specialist slow-bowing consultant Claude Henderson “threw,” in the words of Birrell, left-arm spin to get them used to facing Ravindra Jadeja. Birrell himself rolled back the years to his legspinning days to bowl like Amit Mishra although he was “not even close.” They brought in youngsters at every venue of the series to try and mimic R Ashwin’s threat. They batted on scuffed up pitches and put themselves under match pressure. Yet after all that, they have not been able to answer the challenge. Why?”Unfortunately, we are not quite as good as Ashwin,” a resigned Birrell said. In these conditions who is?”He is tighter than anyone else. He doesn’t give us any bad balls and maybe that’s been the difference,” Birrell said. “We dished up a few easy runs and yet we’ve had to fight for every run. He doesn’t give you those bad balls. He keeps the pressure on all the time, and he’s at the top of his game. He’s really in form and he’s an outstanding bowler. He can bowl on any surface.” And if South Africa can get the better of him, even in a dead rubber, they will leave India somewhat satisfied they achieved something.”We are here to fight,” Birrell said. “I like Hashim’s words – win or lose you need to put up an honourable fight. That was the case in this last Test and we’ll put up an honourable fight again in this Test. The guys are determined to put in a good performance.”South Africa may have conceded the series, but they have enough reason to regard the Delhi Test with as much importance as they would any other match. Another defeat would make it the first time since 2006, the same year they last lost a series away from home, that they have come second best thrice in a series. To win would require an effort in adaptability that seems beyond this South African line-up on although Birrell begs to differ.Like others in his camp, including Amla and du Plessis, Birrell expects turn again but unlike them, he was optimistic of an even contest. “We are playing in India so we expect the pitches to turn. This one looks like it will go more than three days. We are happy with what we see,” he said, referring to a strip which seems harder and less cracked than the one in Nagpur.Birrell also tried to distance the South African team from the criticism that clouded the Nagpur match, which seemed designed not to go full term. “We are not complaining. We are playing in India and we are playing in India’s conditions.”Instead, Birrell focused on the changing nature of Test cricket which has become more cut-throat and intense. “Look at it beyond India and more worldwide. There are a lot of Tests not going the full five days. There are very few draws,” he said. “The game is a lot faster. Runs per over are a lot quicker. I don’t think there are too many easy games. Every Test I have been involved in over the last two-and-a-half years has been very competitive and very tense. I think that’s good. It’s probably the way that Test cricket should be. It’s got to be tense and be competitive and there is a lot on the line.”With so much at stake, South Africa remain hopeful they will be able to use their premier pacemen Dale Steyn. who has not bowled since the first innings of the Mohali Test when he suffered a groin strain. Steyn will undergo another fitness test on Wednesday to determine his availability.The same wide berth may not be given to a few others. Stiaan van Zyl and Dane Vilas may be sweating over their sports, especially after Birrell hinted South Africa may make use of some their reserves. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were one or two other faces in the XI.”

Richard Montgomerie is cleaned up by Tim Bresnan for 73 © Getty Images

2nd dayJames Tomlinson took 5 for 78 – his second five-wicket haul of his career – as Hampshire bowled out Worcestershire for 289 to gain a sizeable first innings lead of 155 at Kidderminster. Hampshire were finally bowled out for 444 after Shane Warne, the captain, belted a quickfire 46 from 30 balls. And they carried forward the momentum with an early wicket in Worcestershire’s reply, Tomlinson having Daryl Mitchell caught behind for a duck. Before long, Hampshire had reduced them to 88 for 5 but Steven Davies (84) and Abdul Razzaq rescued Worcestershire from the mire with a sixth-wicket stand of 122. Razzaq was the last man out for 78, and Hampshire built upon their lead before stumps.1st daySussex took control of the key clash against Yorkshire with Michael Yardy’s 119 helping them to 386 for 5 at Hove. Yardy and Richard Montgomerie (73) added 178 for the second wicket as Sussex ensured they had a platform from which they could build a large total for their spinners to bowl at. Yardy, who made his second Championship century of the season, then added 79 with Murray Goodwin before Adil Rashid removed both in quick succession. However the runs kept flowing as Andy Hodd and Robin Martin-Jenkins built another partnership.

Ed Smith’s 111 was the main contribution for Middlesex as they built a solid total against Gloucestershire at Bristol. The innings wobbled on 81 for 3 during the morning session, but Smith, with his third century, added 174 with Eoin Morgan (76). After they both fell within 10 runs, Ben Scott and Tim Murtagh added 99 to put Middlesex on course for full batting points. Scott ended the day unbeaten on 76.Already promoted Somerset took control against Essex at Chelmsford as Charl Willoughby helped rout the home side for 144 before building a lead of 140. Willoughby made excellent use of the new ball as Essex fell to 13 for 3 and they never recovered. Peter Trego struck two blows in the middle order before the spinners and Willoughby did the rest of the damage. Tom Westley, the England Under-19 batsman, played a lone hand with 72. In reply, Somerset raced out of the blocks as Marcus Trescothick (59) and Neil Edwards (54) added 114. Danish Kaneria shouldered a heavy burden, with six wickets, and James Hildreth’s half-century pulled Somerset further away.Northamptonshire were indebted to Nicky Boje’s fine 125 to heave them up to 310 on the first day against Leicestershire at Grace Road. But Boje apart, Northamptonshire’s batsmen struggled; the next highest score was Lance Klusener with an uncharacteristically patient 45. Ryan Cummins was the principle wicket-taker and picked up his maiden five-wicket haul with 5 for 60. Tom New and John Maunders, the Leicestershire openers, put on 57 without alarm and go into the second day trailing by 253.

John Wright brought a lot of fresh perspective in his early years as coach, feels Chandrasekhar © Cricinfo Ltd

VB Chandrasekhar, the national selector from South zone, has come out in support of John Wright with regard to his comments on team selection, saying that it was well within his rights to share his opinions. Since disclosing his opinions in his book , Wright has faced scathing criticism from other former selectors, who were of the opinion that his comments were in bad taste.In an interview to , Chandrasekhar said that he enjoyed a good working relationship with Wright. “He has the right to say what he has said,” Chandrasekhar said. “He has not named anyone and I respect him for that. We had long meetings, but I never had a problem working or interacting with him. There were no major arguments.”Chandrasekhar stated that Wright’s most productive period was during his initial years as India coach, when he presented new ideas to the selection committee. However, it began to stagnate after that, and the selectors felt the need for fresh inputs. “Wright, perhaps, showed the initiative in the first three years”, he said. “Towards the end, it probably wasn’t there. He was a very quiet man.”Wright mentioned instances during meetings when certain selectors openly expressed their resentment if their chosen players failed to find favour with the rest, but Chandrasekhar said that such cases are bound to happen. “Every selection meeting has a few people leaving with the wrong kind of faces. For instance, there were a few fights while choosing between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik. Karthik got his opportunity first, then Dhoni came along. I feel sorry for Karthik, but if the person performs extraordinarily well like Dhoni, we must all feel very proud about it.”Contrary to Wright’s comments that the system needed overhauling more than anything else, Chandrasekhar defended the five-man zonal selection panel, as it has produced results. He added that such a system is necessary, given the size of the country and the volume of players to pick from. “We are watching matches far away from our zones, criss-crossing the country”, he said. “We watch more domestic cricket than anybody from the team.”

Andy Flower and Olonga paid the price for their black-armband protest © Getty Images

Zimbabwe’s first black Test cricketer, Henry Olonga, is to join a campaign aimed at stopping New Zealand’s cricket tour of his homeland, according to Rod Donald, co-leader of the Greens Party. Olonga fled Zimbabwe in 2003 after wearing a black armband during a World Cup match to mourn what he called the death of democracy in his country.Donald said he would take Olonga on a speaking tour to “turn up the heat” on thegovernment. “We want Henry to give the government, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the people, the message loud and clear that the Black Caps should not be touring Zimbabwe,” he said. “The Government should be doing everything in its power to get the Black Caps offthe hook, and needs to match its tough talk with decisive action.”The government’s position is that it does not want the team to tour, but will not stop it because that would need legislation authorising the removal of passports. Foreign Minister Phil Goff last week announced a diplomatic offensive against all sporting contacts with Zimbabwe, and is urging the International Cricket Council to waive financial penalties that would be imposed if the tour does not go ahead.Goff has said the government will refuse to issue visas to the Zimbabwe team for areturn tour to New Zealand scheduled in December. NZC’s chief executive Martin Snedden said his association has no alternative but to go on tour or face crippling fines believed to be at least US$2million.Donald drafted a bill that would allow the government to stop the tour, but it hasbeen vetoed on the grounds that it would cut across New Zealand’s human rightslaws. He said: “We hope Henry’s visit will lead to public pressure increasing on the Government to stop the tour.”The Greens are bringing Olonga to New Zealand, and he will speak at public meetingsin Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland in the coming week. President Mugabe’s order to destroy thousands of homes and businesses triggered the Green’s protest.

Gavaskar: taking a stance for a noble cause© Getty Images

Sunil Gavaskar plans to institute a trust fund for former Test and first-class cricketers who have fallen on hard times. His decision to do so comes soon after the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced a monthly pension of Rs 5000 for all former Test cricketers. That trust that Gavaskar plans to establish will be funded with money donated by the more affluent former players.According to reports, he had been considering the idea for a while, and decided to go ahead once he received a favourable response from several contemporaries. Many former cricketers who have carved out a niche for themselves in various fields after retirement have expressed their desire to contribute to the trust, which will help those who lost their way once they were divorced from the game they contributed to.

Aravinda de Silva has been appointed as a national cricket selector just days after retiring from international cricket.De Silva, Sri Lanka’s highest run scorer in Tests and ODIs, is one of three new faces on a five-man selection panel to be announced on Tuesday.Former Sri Lanka leg-spinner and selector Lalith Kaluperuma and former manager Jayantha Paranathala have also been appointed.Former Sri Lanka wicket-keeper Guy de Alwis will continue as chairman and Roger Wijesuriya will remain a member.Sri Lanka’s selectors are appointed by the Minister of Sports, usually after recommendations from the Cricket Board.The panel’s first task will be to resolve a disagreement with star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who was originally omitted from a 15-man squad for the Sharjah Cup.Muralitharan has reacted with surprise and confusion to his omission from the squad, apparently on the grounds of fitness.

New Zealand’s Cricket Academy members will have a good chance to assess how much they have learned over the winter before their year at Lincoln University ends.The Academy travelled to Australia early in their year and performed well against their equivalents in the Australian Academy in Adelaide.The Australians are coming to New Zealand in October for two four-day “Test” matches and three “One-Day Internationals” at Lincoln.The Australians are reported to be using the series as part of their build-up for the Youth World Cup being staged in New Zealand from January 19 next year.

ScorecardFile photo – Ravindra Jadeja topped his 91 with eight wickets on the second day•AFP

Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin pushed Tripura towards defeat only on the second day in Rajkot. Jadeja took eight of the 13 Tripura wickets on a day that saw 17 overall. Tripura were bowled out for 103 and were 11 for 3 after being made to follow-on, still trailing by 193 runs.Jadeja rocked Tripura’s top order when he came on as the first-change bowler. Their collapse started when Arindam Das (24), Rakesh Solanki and Kaushal Acharjee were dismissed within eight runs and seven overs to leave them on 61 for 5. Three middle-order batsmen reached double-figures for a brief resistance but Jadeja’s 6 for 27, his 13th five-for in first-class matches, was assisted by Kamlesh Makvana’s offspin (3 for 32) to take the last four wickets for nine runs.Tripura’s second innings didn’t go any better and Jadeja’s figures didn’t get any worse. After Jaydev Unadkat dismissed Subhrajit Roy for a 16-ball duck, Jadeja took two more to finish the day with figures of 31.1-16-31-8. Twelve of the 13 Tripura dismissed batsmen were caught.Earlier, Saurashtra added 37 runs to their overnight 270 for 6 as Sheldon Jackson fell three short of a hundred. Chirag Jani fell on the second ball of the day and left-arm spinner Tushar Saha took the remaining three wickets to finish with 4 for 72, and bowl Saurashtra out for 307.
ScorecardMedium-pacer Diwesh Pathania, playing his maiden first-class match, ended with figures of 13 for 83, as Services closed in on a big victory against Jharkhand in Delhi. Pathania, who collected 6 for 19 in the first innings to bundle Jharkhand out for 45, as he picked up 7 for 64 to run through the visitors even in their second essay, meaning Services needed just 77 for the win.Services, who began the day at 131 for 9, managed to finish with 161 to earn a lead of 116, thanks largely to a 43-run stand for the last wicket between Raushan Raj and Poonam Poonia. Jharkhand’s hopes of an unlikely turnaround were further dented by the loss of key wickets at regular intervals, as Pathania reduced them to 41 for 4. Virat Singh (51) and Saurabh Tiwary (56) led a recovery by hitting fifties and stringing together a 66-run partnership. However, no other batsman barring Jaskaran Singh (30) could produce a vital knock, as Jharkhand were bowled out for 192 in 74 overs.
ScorecardVery little separated Jammu & Kashmir and Kerala on the second day in Srinagar, as the hosts made 330 in the first innings, before VA Jagadeesh and Rohan Prem helped shaved 158 runs off that total.J&K, who began at an overnight score of 247 for 7, were lifted by an eighth-wicket stand worth 120 between Bandeep Singh and Waseem Raza. Bandeep hit 10 fours for his 82, while Raza’s 73 featured eight fours, helping the team past 300. Left-arm spinner Karaparambil Monish was Kerala’s best bowler, collecting 3 for 63.Kerala were dealt an early blow in their reply when Akshay Kodoth was dismissed for 6, but half-centuries from Jagadessh (69) and Prem (67 not out) kick-started the innings. However, the visitors had another setback towards the end of the day, as the pair’s 129-run stand ended when Jagadeesh was run out in the 57th over.
ScorecardOnly 47 overs were possible in Porvorim, where useful lower-order contributions helped Hyderabad extend their overnight 246 for 5 to a first-innings total of 325 before Goa replied with 47 for the loss of opener Amogh Desai. Hyderabad lost B Anirudh and Akash Bhandari in successive overs, having added only 10 runs on the second day, before Mehdi Hassan and Vishal Sharma added 43 for the eighth wicket.The fall of Vishal’s wicket brought to the crease Habeeb Ahmed, who had retired hurt on 5 on the first day. He only added 6 to his score before retiring hurt a second time. Hassan then added 20 with No. 11 Sudeep Tyagi before he was last man out for 38, bowled by the seamer Rituraj Singh who finished with three wickets.

The Premier League has deservedly earned itself a reputation as one of the greatest leagues in the world, attracting top players from many different countries. While we’ve seen the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Eric Cantona come to England and enhance their reputations to world class status, there are those who start off as promising talents and never quite fulfil that potential.

Unfortunately, plenty of those players are English as they fail to match the inevitable hype that comes with the tagline of being a home grown starlet. The Premier League is littered with players whose careers simply could have been better and that’s without even considering the ones who’ve dropped out of England’s top flight, sinking without trace.

Plenty of criticism is directed at our football academies for failing to develop players to a similar level to the Spanish for example, but questions also have to be raised about what happens to those enigmas who burst onto the scene before disappearing completely.

Check out ten of the biggest names in the Premier League who should have achieved so much more and five others who wasted their promise entirely.

Click on the Villa starlet Delph below to get the ball rolling

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