Tim Southee and Trent Boult were responsible for nine of the ten Bangladesh wickets to fall on a flat Hagley Oval surface on the first day

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy19-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:31

Isam: Blow to Rubel adds to Bangladesh’s woes

Tim Southee and Trent Boult shared nine wickets as New Zealand bowled Bangladesh out for 289, pegging the visitors back after a 127-run third-wicket stand between Soumya Sarkar and Shakib Al Hasan had threatened to set up a big first-innings total on a flat Hagley Oval surface. The Sarkar-Shakib stand, rattling along at 4.98 per over, had moved Bangladesh to 165 for 2 in the 36th over before Boult and Southee turned the day around with three wickets in the space of 17 balls.The pace and texture of the day was transformed. The last five Bangladesh wickets stretched the innings out by a further 46 overs, during which time they scored 110 runs, with the lower order – particularly the debutants Nurul Hasan and Nazmul Hossain Shanto, who added 53 for the sixth wicket – batting resolutely and New Zealand helping them with some puzzling tactics. Kane Williamson, their captain, did not use their specialist spinner Mitchell Santner all day, and got his quicks to pepper the lower order with incessant short balls, not changing tack even after taking the second new ball.Southee’s feast at home after famine

2 Five-wicket hauls for Tim Southee in his last three home Tests, including this. Prior to the Christchurch Test, he had not taken a five-wicket haul in 24 consecutive home Tests since picking up 5 for 55 on Test debut, against England in Napier in 2008.

2013 The last time New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers shared nine or more wickets between them, against England in Auckland – Trent Boult picked up six wickets and Southee three. In Christchurch on Friday, Southee claimed five wickets and Boult four. This was Boult’s first four-wicket haul in home Tests since 2014.

37 The previous-highest score for Soumya Sarkar in Tests, before scoring his maiden fifty in this innings. This was the first time he opened in Tests, having batted at Nos. 6 and 7 in his previous three matches

6 Scores of 50 or more for Shakib Al Hasan against New Zealand – the most by him against any opposition. He averages 68.63 against New Zealand, and it vaults to 84.83 in New Zealand.

The short ball dismissed Nazmul, Taskin Ahmed and Nurul, but by no means swiftly, and dealt the No. 11 Rubel Hossain a jarring blow to the elbow, but it was hard not to wonder if the fast bowlers wouldn’t have been better served bowling a good length and looking for some swing. It was via this method that Southee ended Bangladesh’s innings with his fifth wicket, pinging Kamrul Islam Rabbi’s back pad in front of middle and off stump with late away-swing from a good length. Kamrul faced 63 balls to score 2, and added 32 for the last two wickets – in 18 overs – with Nurul and Rubel.New Zealand could have wrapped up the innings far more swiftly had they held on to their catches. Nurul alone enjoyed three lives. On 4, he reached out to a wide one from Boult and nicked towards third slip, where the ball bounced off Southee’s hard hands. Then, on 21, he sparred at Colin de Grandhomme with an open bat-face, and bisected first and second slip, leaving Ross Taylor and Jeet Raval looking questioningly at each other. Finally, on 36, he jabbed at a short one from Neil Wagner angled across his body, and Taylor got his hands in a tangle while going for a straightforward chance coming at his chest.In all, it wasn’t the greatest day for New Zealand’s catchers; Raval, diving across from second slip, had dropped Sarkar off de Grandhomme on 52, denying Taylor what would have been a simple shoulder-high chance.Still, New Zealand will have been pleased to restrict Bangladesh to under 300 after the start they had made. The turnaround began in the ninth over after lunch, when Boult got a fullish ball to stop on Sarkar and leave him off the pitch as he strode forward to drive; checking his shot; he only managed to spoon a catch into the covers. Then came a perfectly delivered short ball angled across Sabbir Rahman to square him up and produce a nick to the slips. Four balls later, Shakib overbalanced a touch while trying to glance Southee and tickled a catch down the leg side.Tim Southee picked up his sixth five-wicket haul in Test cricket•AFP

Sarkar, making a comeback thanks to a spate of injuries to Bangladesh’s players, made his maiden Test fifty and eventually fell 14 short of a hundred. It was an odd innings, defined by his willingness to go after anything remotely close to his driving arc, often stroking the ball on the up, and while it looked pretty when it came off, it often didn’t, as his control percentage – 74 – suggested. His innings contained its share of plays-and-misses, airy drives that sneaked into gaps, and edges that streaked to the third-man boundary.At the other end, Shakib was equally keen to drive on the up, but looked more secure while doing so, his footwork and weight transfer indicating the form he was in, coming off a double-hundred in the first Test. Both batsmen also pulled with authority, the fast bowlers’ attempts at banging it in short causing little discomfort on a pitch with true bounce but not a lot of pace.Sent in to bat under largely blue skies, Bangladesh’s patched-up top order had to contend with a new-ball pair generating swing consistently. Southee struck in the fourth over, cramping Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s stand-in captain, with a short, rising ball that came back in towards the left-hand batsman’s right armpit. Looking to tuck it away into the leg side, Tamim only managed to glove it to the keeper.Mahmudullah and Sarkar then added 31 brisk but uneasy runs as Southee and Boult continued to swing the new ball and beat their edges. Twice in a row, Boult bent the ball back through the gap between bat and pad after angling it across Mahmudullah, and missed the off stump by inches. Two balls later, he had a confident caught-behind appeal turned down when a short ball climbed awkwardly at the batsman. New Zealand reviewed Paul Reiffel’s not-out decision, and technology confirmed the ball had gone past bat and brushed only right shoulder.Boult didn’t have to wait much longer, though. In only his next over – the 11th of Bangladesh’s innings – Mahmudullah drove away from his body and outside the line of another inwardly curling delivery, and BJ Watling dived to his left behind the wickets to pluck an excellent catch off the inside edge.

Tottenham Hotspur have frequently sent scouts to keep an eye on Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, who could be available for as little as £45m according to Fabrizio Romano.

Are Tottenham signing Tapsoba?

Now in charge of a defence that was in disarray last season, Ange Postecoglou has no time to waste in strengthening his backline this summer.

Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier have been tipped to leave Tottenham this window, while loanee Clement Lenglet has returned to Barcelona, meaning that Postecoglou is likely to need new faces to make up the numbers in defence.

One of those that has been readily linked with a move to north London is Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen. The Burkina Faso international has blossomed into one of the Bundesliga's best central defenders and it seems inevitable that he will move onto bigger and better things this summer.

Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano insisted that Spurs are one of the leading candidates for his signature, having claimed that Tottenham's scouts have frequently gone to watch the 24-year-old.

"I keep saying that Tapsoba is a priority target because they [Spurs] love Tapsoba. Tottenham scouts have been there many times this year to follow Tapsoba. So, he is a player they really love and they feel is perfect for Premier League football."

"He is a leader. So, there are many factors in a deal and Tottenham think he is a fantastic option".

When quizzed about how much he thought Tapsoba would fetch in the current market, Romano suggested approximately £45-50m, potentially with some add-ons. The top end of that valuation, excluding add-ons, would make him Spurs' second most expensive player of all-time, as per Tranfsermarkt.

Tapsoba, who has been hailed as "frightening", is not the only defensive name on Spurs' shortlist, however, with Marc Guehi, Tosin Adarabioyo and Micky van de Ven all having been linked.

Would Tapsoba make Spurs better?

Having featured 33 times in the Bundesliga last season and five times in the Champions League, Tapsoba was given plenty of opportunities to progress, and he took those opportunities.

Tapsoba is a modern centre-back and is comfortable stepping out of defence and moving the ball directly up the pitch. Compared to other centre-backs in the Bundesliga last season, he ranked in the top 13% for progressive carries per 90 (1.25) and the top 10% for progressive passes (5.30).

He is good under pressure, rarely gifting possession to the opposition, and generally employs a good range of accurate passing. However, his major strength is one-v-one defending, with the 24-year-old coming out on top on 71.4% of occasions he is dribbled at.

Spurs' defensive shoddiness last season must be improved upon if they have any hope of returning to the Champions League places, with Taposba potentially being a solid foundation on which Postecoglou can build.

Everton narrowly avoided relegation to the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign as Sean Dyche masterminded a final day escape with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

The Toffees flirted with the drop throughout the season and their lack of potency in the final third was one of the big reasons as to why they struggled so much.

Only Wolves (31) scored fewer goals than the Blues (34) and this shows that they had one of the worst attacks in the entire division, which is something that must be addressed in the summer transfer window.

The Liverpool Echo recently reported that the club have discussed a possible swoop for free agent centre-forward Michael Olunga, who currently plays for Al-Duhail SC in Qatar.

What is Michael Olunga's style of play?

Dyche could land his own version of ex-Manchester United and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie by securing a deal to sign the 29-year-old marksman this summer.

Kenyan journalist David Kwalimwa described the ace as a "reliable finisher" and compared him to the former Premier League star:

“Michael is tall (6ft 4in) and possesses a solid aerial threat. His left foot is the strongest and he can create space and shoot from whichever angle and I would liken his playing style to that of Robin van Persie.”

The now-retired Dutch dynamo enjoyed a terrific career in the English top flight. He scored 144 goals and assisted 67 in 280 appearances in the division for United and the Gunners combined.

Olunga, who – as Kwalimwa explained – has a comparable style, could provide a similar level of quality if the Kenyan international is capable of translating some of his form from Qatar and Japan over to England.

During his time with Kashiwa Reysol, the 6 foot 4 titan plundered an exceptional 61 goals and 15 assists in 78 matches, which included 28 strikes in 32 J1 League outings.

The prolific hotshot then moved to Al-Duhail SC in Qatar and racked up a sensational 83 goals and seven assists in 83 games in all competitions, which shows that the lethal dynamo knows how to find the back of the net week-in-week-out.

Olunga, who has scored 21 goals in 48 caps for Kenya as their captain, has been an outstanding goalscorer for a number of years and his proven record in front of goal could be attractive to Everton, particularly given their lack of potency in 22/23.

Therefore, Dyche must snap the ace, who could be available for roughly £7.5k-per-week, as the incredible centre-forward has the potential to be his own version of Van Persie at Goodison Park next season.

Mohammad Nawaz was having a rough night with the ball in Sharjah. The three overs he had bowled until the 20th had already gone for 46. Excessive dew meant he could barely grip the ball and it hadn’t helped that he was bowling one-over spells. There had been moments of smartness – the key dismissal of Mohammad Hafeez was one, and without the ball the catch to dismiss Shahid Afridi was, in hindsight, the moment the game turned.But he had already conceded four sixes and three fours, thus defending six off this final over, with a two-time World T20I winner on strike, could only produce an unhappy ending.Leaving him, or the rookie left-arm spinner Hasan Khan (3-0-36-0) with the last over, in fact, had seemed like a mistake. And when Tymal Mills’ valiant but unsuccessful effort at short third man off the second ball actually helped the ball along to the boundary, the game was done. Except it wasn’t.Nawaz conceded a single off the next four balls. He dismissed Chris Jordan first, a flatter, quicker delivery that found the edge and which Sarfraz Ahmed did well to hold on to. And then two inch-perfect yorkers in succession forced two run-outs, allowing Quetta to pull off a sensational one-run win – a margin replicating last year’s playoff win over the same opponents.”There was a lot of pressure, the way the ball had been coming on to the bat and how wet it was,” Nawaz told Geo TV. “But our plan was to bowl the first three balls outside off and break it away.”Once the equation came down to two off three, the plan changed. Among others, Kevin Pietersen, playing his last game of the tournament, suggested going for yorkers.”KP said on the fifth ball ‘just bowl a yorker’. It came out perfect. On the last ball a few said bowl length, some said go for the yorker. But we agreed to bowl a yorker and they just came out perfect.”I had a lot going through my mind at the time. But I was also calm, thinking I could do this.”Nawaz was one of the poster boys of the PSL’s first season, the very reason such a league was created in the first place – to bring to the fore young players like him and turn them into big-game players.He was the third-highest wicket-taker last year and his 13 wickets included arguably the ball of the tournament: a delicious, orthodox spinner that undid Brad Hodge, incidentally also in the playoff win over Peshawar.Finding his feet with Pakistan has not been as simple, in any of the formats, even with their desperate search for any kind of allrounder. But bowling an over like this – all of it to international cricketers – can be an important developmental landmark.”Absolutely, this is one of the best overs I have bowled. In such a big match, on this pitch, with so much dew. Especially after that kind of over I can’t help but feel pretty confident.”This is how big players are made, when they perform in big matches like this. This is only the start of my career, but in future I hope to learn more from it and keep performing.”

Indore, which last hosted an IPL match in 2011, returns as one of the 10 venues for IPL 2017, which starts on April 5 when defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad host Royal Challengers Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2017

Indore, which last hosted an IPL match in 2011, returns as one of the 10 venues for IPL 2017, which starts on April 5 when defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad host Royal Challengers Bangalore in Hyderabad. Indore’s Holkar Stadium hosted its first Test in October 2016, more than 10 years after its first ODI in 2006. The city’s previous international venue, Nehru Stadium, hosted nine ODIs between 1983 and 2001.Indore hosted two IPL games in 2011 when it was the second home base to Kochi Tuskers Kerela. It will be the second home to Kings XI Punjab this season and will host three games: on April 8 (Kings XI Punjab v Rising Pune Supergiants), April 10 (Kings XI v Royal Challengers ) and April 20 (Kings XI v Mumbai Indians). The VCA Stadium in Nagpur was scheduled to host three matches for Kings XI last season, but a drought in Maharashtra forced those games out of the state, with Mohali staging all of Kings XI’s seven home games.The IPL 2017 final will also be played in Hyderabad, on May 21, 10 days before the start of the Champions Trophy in England. According to IPL norms, the defending champions get the rights to host both the opening and final match of the tournament.This season will see four afternoon games (1600 IST start) on weekdays – Monday and Friday, unlike last season where there were no afternoon games on weekdays.

Roma chief Tiago Pinto has received interest from Fulham over signing defender Roger Ibanez after his latest trip to London, according to reports.

Who will sign for Fulham this summer?

Marco Silva will be looking to build upon what was a successful first campaign back in the top flight, with Fulham securing a mid-table finish and comfortably avoiding relegation.

In what was a memorable season in parts, the Whites finished above west London rivals Chelsea, as Silva even mounted a challenge for European qualification over much of 2022/2023.

While they fell just short of Aston Villa, Brentford and Liverpool in that regard, the foundations are certainly there, with Fulham now turning their attention to the transfer market.

There have been reports of many targets, particularly midfield, as Man United's Fred, Southampton star James Ward-Prowse and Lyon's Romain Favre attract their interest.

Defence is also said to be a priority position for Silva, with Fulham reportedly eyeing moves for Leicester City full-back, Timothy Castagne, Norwich's Max Aarons and centre-back Igor from Fiorentina.

The latter man, however, isn't the only Brazilian defender from Serie A who Fulham hold a firm interest in.

According to Italian media outlet RomaGialloRossa.it, they are also targeting Ibanez from Roma, with their transfer chief Pinto receiving an expression of interest from Fulham after a trip to London.

Pinto has been in the English capital for two reasons, as he looks to seal a deal for striker Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham and find suitors for Ibanez.

The transfer chief "collects Fulham's interest" in the South American, and while that is yet to evolve into concrete negotiations, Silva's side have apparently expressed their desire to sign him.

Who is Roger Ibanez?

The 24-year-old was one of Roma's best defensive assets last season, at least statistically, with WhoScored detailing that none of Jose Mourinho's other players made more top flight interceptions per 90 over 22/23.

Ibanez also sits tops Roma's charts for successful tackles per match alongside Bryan Cristante, all whilst averaging a solid 88% pass accuracy out from the back as a brilliant ball-playing defender (WhoScored).

Mourinho, speaking to the press last season, called Ibanez an "untouchable" in his starting eleven and praised the player's attitude.

"When we went to Seville to face Real Betis earlier this season, the morning of the game I saw him and thought it was going to be impossible for him to play. And yet he played," said Mourinho.

"He’s one who always fronts up. When we win, we all win together. When we lose, we all lose together. For me he is untouchable."

Chelsea have been one of the busiest clubs on the continent in terms of transfer activity so far this summer, with Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic the latest big names to depart.

Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly have all moved to clubs in Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, and it looks likely that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be next out the Stamford Bridge exit in a move to AC Milan.

Mauricio Pochettino is no doubt eager to replenish the squad, which was in clear need of a facelift, having so far brought in only Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig – a deal sanctioned well before he arrived at the club.

Who is Chelsea target Angelo Gabriel?

According to Nizaar Kinsella in a report for the Evening Standard, Chelsea are in advanced talks to sign Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel from Santos in a deal worth around £15m.

It is unclear whether Angelo will slot straight into Chelsea's first-team squad ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League season, or instead go out on loan to affiliate club Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

As someone with 129 senior games to his name despite not turning 19 until December, it might well be that Pochettino – a coach well known for giving youngsters a chance – decides to see what the teenager is all about during pre-season.

Is Angelo Gabriel a good fit for Mauricio Pochettino?

Angelo, as he is known, has been on the radar of major clubs such as Real Madrid and Liverpool ever since becoming the youngest goalscorer in Copa Libertadores history at the age of 16 two years ago, a record that Madrid-bound Endrick has since taken.

In terms of his playing style, Angelo plays out wide and thrives when it comes to beating his opponent, as highlighted by his 4.55 successful take-ons per 90 minutes over the past year. Indeed, as per FBref, that places him among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across the eight leagues most similar in quality to the Brasileiro Serie A.

As pointed out by his former coach Betinho in an interview with Goal in 2021, Angelo "is like Neymar in terms of his dribbling at speed and his change of direction". Neymar, it is worth pointing out, did not make his Santos debut until a year after Angelo.

That is not to say Angelo is necessarily on the same path as his compatriot, who has starred for both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but Pochettino appears to be the dream manager to ensure he lives up to the hype.

After all, there are plenty of previous examples of Pochettino getting the most out of big-money players and indeed forwards looking to make their way in English football, arguably the biggest of all being Son Heung-min at Tottenham.

Son joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen for £22m in 2015 and initially struggled, but he became one of Europe's hottest talents in his four years working with Pochettino.

As Son said in 2016, he is "very grateful" that Pochettino persuaded him to stay at Spurs and become the player he is, with the South Korean going on to find the net 145 times for the Lilywhites to date, 75 of which came under the new Chelsea boss.

Known for his fleet-footed nature, it's easy to see how he and Angelo are alike.

Being compared to Neymar and Son means Angelo has a lot to live up to, but if he remains patient and takes the advice on board, Pochettino can make him a Premier League star.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been offered the chance to sign Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, if reports are to be believed.

What's the latest on Harry Maguire's future?

The 30-year-old has been the subject of talk surrounding his future this transfer window, with a number of clubs named to be circling the centre-back.

Journalist Ben Jacobs revealed whilst talking to the United Stand’s YouTube channel (41:03) that Wolves could be a “dark horse” in the race to lure the Englishman away from Old Trafford.

Speaking to Football FanCast, transfer expert Dean Jones revealed that to his belief the idea of signing Maguire has been “put to” the Midlands club, who could add defensive reinforcements this summer.

It’s expected to be a busy window for Julen Lopetegui, who will be operating proceedings on a budget, with one major talking point regarding the potential interest in the United captain being his £35m price tag, as reported by FootballTransfers.

Despite the hefty fee, Wolves may be open to negotiating a deal for the Englishman, especially considering their outgoings including once trusted centre-back Conor Coady, who is rumoured to imminently join Leicester City.

After nearly eight years at Molineux, involving a recent loan spell at Everton, the 30-year-old will depart after making fond memories in the Midlands, however, his presence at Wolves could be filled by a player of the experience of Maguire.

What could Harry Maguire offer to Wolves?

While the past few years have been cruel to the Red Devils captain, displaying poor form hindered by lack of confidence, the 30-year-old could seek new beginnings at Molineux, and rediscover his quality of the past in Lopetegui’s side.

Hailed as “world-class” by former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, Maguire was regarded as one of the league’s best central defenders after being snatched by United for £80m in 2019.

In his first season at Old Trafford, the former Sheffield United gem averaged impressive numbers in the Premier League, asserting his dominance as both his club and country’s number one centre-back.

As per WhoScored, in the 2019/20 campaign, the Sheffield-born defender averaged 1.9 interceptions, one tackle and a monstrous 4.1 clearances per game representing United, all while committing 0.9 fouls on average per game.

The Englishman’s professionalism and reading of the game has seen him lauded as “dominating and dictating” by manager Erik ten Hag, making him a potentially attractive addition to Wolves considering Coady’s departure.

As former captain at Molineux, the Liverpool-born defender was also a commanding figure on the pitch, however, could see his permanent absence mourned less should Lopetegui consider Maguire.

In his final season in the Midlands, Coady operated as a commander of the back line, but as told by the statistics, failed to hit the heights that Maguire did in his first campaign at Untied.

As per WhoScored, the 30-year-old averaged 0.8 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 3.7 clearances in the 2021/22 season.

The transfer saga regarding the £200k-per-week defender will twist and turn, however, Lopetegui may consider the experienced Englishman to reinstate the dominance left by Coady at Molineux should the price be right.

علّق لويس إنريكي مدرب باريس سان جيرمان، على مستقبل مهاجم الفريق، كيليان مبابي، المرتبط بالانتقال إلى ريال مدريد الإسباني.

وينتهي عقد مبابي مع باريس سان جيرمان بنهاية الموسم الجاري، ومن المتوقع مغادرته الفريق بعد 7 مواسم، وانتقاله في صفقة انتقال حر إلى ريال مدريد.

وقال إنريكي عبر “تويتش”: “مبابي إلى ريال مدريد؟ حسنًا، لا أحد يعرف ذلك، فقط كيليان مبابي يعرف ذلك، وعندما تتحدث الأطراف المعنية بشكل مباشر، فإن الجميع سوف يستمعون وينتظرون”.

هذه ليست المرة الأولى التي يجيب فيها مدرب برشلونة السابق على الأسئلة المتعلقة بمستقبل مبابي.

طالع إجراء استثنائي من رابطة الدوري الفرنسي لـ باريس سان جيرمان قبل مواجهة برشلونة

وقبل أسبوعين، صرّح إنريكي: “عاجلاً أم آجلاً لن يلعب معنا، علينا أن نعتاد على ذلك وأنا أبحث عن الحل الأفضل، أفعل ما أعتبره الأفضل لفريقي، هذا قراري”.

وسُئل خوان لابورتا رئيس برشلونة عن صفقة انتقال مبابي إلى ريال مدريد، وما إذا كان يحسد النادي الملكي على ذلك.

وأجاب: “لا أعرف إذا كانوا سيفعلون ذلك أم لا، لديهم مشكلة هناك، عليك بيع لاعب (إذا وصل مبابي)، أليس كذلك؟ لأنهما لن يلعبا في نفس المركز، كما أنهما لاعبان مميزان للغاية”.

وأتم: “وبالحديث عن الأرقام التي ستكون هناك (إشارة إلى رواتب اللاعبين)، فهذا يشوه غرفة خلع الملابس بالتأكيد، هذه ليست هدية”.

Celtic officially confirmed the arrival of Brendan Rodgers as their replacement for Ange Postecoglou in the dugout at Parkhead on a three-year deal earlier this week.

The Northern Irish tactician, who left Leicester City earlier this year, is now tasked with replicating the immense success he enjoyed during his first spell in Scotland.

Rodgers won seven trophies in less than three years at Paradise and The Scottish Sun have reported that the 50-year-old boss will be handed a whopping £30m to work with in the summer transfer window in order to rake in more major honours.

One such investment could be on a player named Zan Vipotnik.

Who is Zan Vipotnik?

Football Scotland claimed last month that the Hoops are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Zan Vipotnik, a 21-year-old striker currently playing for Maribor in Slovenia.

Rodgers must now push to make the young centre-forward his first signing of the summer and use the significant budget that Dermot Desmond and the rest of the board are set to back him with, as the attacker could be an excellent alternative or partner to Kyogo Furuhashi.

Maribor reportedly value the Slovenia international at £3.5m. It is not hard to see why they want a multi-million-pound fee for their player when you consider his impressive form in the 22/23 campaign.

Vipotnik, who talent scout Jacek Kulig described as a "poacher", plundered an eye-catching 20 goals and one assist in 30 Prva Liga outings and produced three goals in four domestic cup matches.

This means that the prolific hotshot registered one goal every 1.48 games in Slovenian football, which shows that he knows how to be consistent in the penalty area.

The four-cap marksman, who also struck ten times in 14 clashes for Triglav Kranj earlier in his career, could come in at Celtic and be another incredible forward option for Rodgers alongside Kyogo, who was the only Hoops attacker with more than 11 Scottish Premiership goals last term.

His 27-strike campaign in the division was enough to secure him the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award and there is, therefore, little doubt that the Japanese finisher will be a huge player for the new manager next season.

However, bringing in a player of Vipotnik's potential quality – if he is able to translate his form over to Scottish football – could provide Kyogo with serious competition for his place and give Rodgers the option to go with both of them as a pairing up front, which could frighten opposition defenders with their incredible respective records in front of goal.