All posts by h716a5.icu

A promising update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Lille centre-back Sven Botman in the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Whilst linking to an article from his colleague Simon Jones, Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has provided an update on the situation, tweeting: “Newcastle remain in contact with Lille over defender Sven Botman.”

This comes after The Athletic reported earlier this week that the deal is all but dead and the defender is poised to remain in France until the end of the season.

Excitement for Eddie Howe

This news will surely leave Eddie Howe feeling excited, as it leaves the door open for Newcastle to sign Botman before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month. It shows that the Magpies have not given up on a move for the 22-year-old just yet and are continuing to attempt to change Lille’s stance in order to bring in the centre-back.

Howe will be delighted with this, as the Dutchman could be an excellent addition to his squad in an area where the Magpies are in desperate need of strengthening. Only Norwich (44), who have played an extra game, have conceded more goals than Newcastle (42) in the Premier League this season, so they could need to resolve their defensive issues before they start to think about avoiding relegation.

Federico Fernandez’s SofaScore rating of 6.77 leads the Newcastle squad in terms of centre-backs this season, whereas Botman has averaged a score of 7.02 for Lille in Ligue 1. The former Ajax man also helped his side to win the league title whilst keeping 20 clean sheets in the French top division last term, showing that he can be a part of a successful defence.

This shows that the youngster could come in and improve the team in the short-term by putting in consistently high-quality performances, if he is able to translate his form from France over to England. He could also have a significant impact in the long-term, as he has plenty of potential left in him at the age of just 22.

Howe could get excited about this possible deal as he could have the opportunity to work with Botman on the training pitch in order to help him develop his game. The former Bournemouth boss could enjoy watching the Dutchman improve as a player over time, whilst also enjoying his displays on the pitch in the shorter-term.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Newcastle United transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

Gloucestershire have signed Louis Gegg on an emerging player contract

Cricinfo staff07-Jun-2010Gloucestershire have signed Louis Gegg on an emerging player contract. Gegg, 21, is from Bisley, near Stroud and has played cricket locally in Frocester for 5 seasons. A wicketkeeper, he has been part of Gloucestershire age-group teams since he was 11 years old and was also on the Academy between the ages of 15 and 17.”I am relishing the opportunity to further my cricket and it is a great chance to play for Gloucestershire,” said Gegg. “I have worked incredibly hard for a number of years to reach my first goal of signing for the county. I would like to thank my father, who has been a big support and Frocester CC have been great in my development over the last 4 years, especially the help from the captain, Nick Trainor.””We have set Louis some very tough tasks over the last year,” added Gloucestershire’s team mentor Jack Russell. “He has come through extremely well. This is an opportunity for him to move his game to another level, which he thoroughly deserves.”

Everton should sack Rafael Benitez and replace him with Wayne Rooney, according to ex-talkSPORT broadcaster and independent Toffees shareholder Mike Parry. 

The lowdown

The  Merseysiders were beaten 3-1 by Crystal Palace on Sunday, their eighth loss in 12 matches. Since beating Burnley 3-1 in mid-September, they have the worst record of any team in the Premier League.

Reports have suggested that the Toffees are lining up potential successors, with Spanish outlet Fichajes claiming in late November that Denmark boss Kasper Hjumland is on their radar.

Current Derby County manager Rooney made his Premier League breakthrough as a player at Everton and bagged 28 goals in 117 appearances across two spells for the club either side of a 13-year stint at Manchester United.

The Rams appear destined for relegation to League One after being hit with a combined 21-point deduction due to financial problems. With nearly half of the season gone, they find themselves a full 17 points from safety.

The latest

Parry took to Twitter to address supporters after the defeat at Selhurst Park, writing: “I hate it where we are.”

“If I make a representation to the board that we should exit Rafa Benitez and APPOINT WAYNE ROONEY as our new manager with Dunc [assistant Duncan Ferguson] already in place, would you support me?”

The verdict

Does Rooney have the credentials to take the reins at Goodison Park? He has been Derby’s permanent manager for 48 matches now, winning only 13 (27%), drawing 14 and losing 21.

However, it’s important to acknowledge that he has been steering the club through stormy waters. They entered administration in September and there’s even a risk they might go out of business as they continue to search for a buyer (via BBC Sport).

Former QPR and Crystal Palace midfielder Shaun Derry says it’s testament to Rooney’s ‘incredible character’ that he has stuck around at Pride Park despite the hugely challenging circumstances.

Elsewhere, former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson has described the 36-year-old as a ‘big gun’ who ‘has everything to become a big manager’, and Ben Olsen, his one-time coach at DC United, has noted that the ex-Toffees striker enjoys the ‘chess’ aspect of the game.

Those are some pretty glowing endorsements, so perhaps there is credence to Parry’s recommendation of him to replace the under-fire Benitez.

In other news, many Everton fans slammed this man’s display against Palace

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur ‘insider’ John Wenham, who regularly breaks news on his Lilywhites Rose social media channels, has dropped his verdict on goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

The Lowdown: Tottenham talks emerge…

Over this last week, the Lilywhites and manager Antonio Conte have apparently been in discussions over tying down the France international to fresh terms at N17.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that talks were ongoing over a new deal for Lloris as his current contract expires at the end of this season.

It is believed that Spurs are ‘confident’ of agreeing a one-year extension with the player which will keep him in north London until 2023, coming after Conte’s personal approval.

Reacting to this big development out of Tottenham, club insider Wenham has made a hopeful claim.

The Latest: Wenham makes Lloris claim…

Speaking to FI, the Lilywhites source believes an announcement could come ‘shortly’ and is hopeful an agreement can be reached in ‘the next few days’.

“Romano has delivered the news that we are confident of agreeing this deal,” he explained.

“It looks like it is going to only be one more year which is a shame as I hoped he would stay around for a bit longer.

“Two years would mean we avoid all of this again in January but I’m really pleased he’s staying.

“He is constantly performing well and there are no realistic options out there who are better than him.

“Hopefully this is done over the next few days. I expect an announcement shortly.”

The Verdict: No brainer…

The 35-year-old has arguably been one of Tottenham’s standout players all season and particularly under Conte as he shines under the Italian.

Lauded as the ‘most consistent’ shot stopper in the Premier League and ‘outstanding’ over these last 18 months by club legend Graham Roberts (Twitter), Spurs’ manager has also raved about Lloris to the press.

Calling the keeper an ‘important’ member of the side and ‘world class’, tying down Lloris for another year is surely an absolute no-brainer for Conte and managing director Fabio Paratici this month.

As things stand, the World Cup-winner is free to negotiate pre-contract moves to overseas clubs for the summer and Spurs supporters will be hoping their club avoid losing such a key man.

In other news: Tottenham race to sign ‘sensational’ player with Levy willing make ‘huge’ offer, find out more here.

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have been left buzzing as some news emerges involving their club’s transfer plans and Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are currently flying high both domestically and in Europe, but with January around the corner, it could be a chance to strengthen their options and better the odds of a Premier League title triumph.

The Reds are currently battling it out with both Manchester City and Chelsea for supremacy but their rivals also possess real squad depth, leading to some concerns they could struggle without sufficient back up for key players.

Now, Cadena SER (via LFC Transfer Room) have some news involving Liverpool as they make an approach to sign La Liga striker Felix.

It is believed that the club have asked about signing him for Klopp and Atletico are open to the idea of selling, even as soon as the winter window.

However, Liverpool and Fenway Sports Group will have to make a sizeable offer to tempt the Spanish giants as their manager Diego Simeone needs reinvestment for his own transfer plans.

Liverpool fans buzz…

Despite his lack of game time under Simeone this season, Felix’s plaudits in the past highlight a player with sky high potential, with former Lokomotiv Moscow coach Yuri Semen even claiming he could be as big as Cristiano Ronaldo.

His stellar 2018/2019 campaign with former club Benfica, where he racked up a brilliant 15 goals and seven assists in 21 Primeira Liga starts (WhoScored), earned him a stunning £113 million move to Spain.

While he has arguably failed to standout on a consistent enough basis, at just 22-years-old, he could feasibly rediscover that form with Liverpool – leaving little wonder some supporters believe he could be the ‘perfect signing’ if they can get it done.

Find all of their best reactions down below:

“Perfect firmino replacement. Bring him to Anfield”

Credit: @LFC_Kun

“If he somehow comes, OH MY DAYS”

Credit: @anwarmsul

“So needed”

Credit: @cloppoflopp

“Pls I’m on my knees bring him to La AXA”

Credit: @aryanawayfromIG

“AHHHH”

Credit: @T2MTW

“don’t gas me”

Credit: @trusshuss0

“Would be a perfect signing hope it happens”

Credit: @FrankYeboahk

“OMDSSSSSSS”

Credit: @Bk8iP3

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO, today said the ICC was on the verge of finding a solution to the contentious whereabouts clause of the WADA Anti-Doping code

Cricinfo staff14-Apr-2010Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO, has said the ICC is on the verge of finding a solution to the contentious whereabouts clause of the WADA Anti-Doping code and could find a consensus on it by next week.”We are very close to resolving the issue of the whereabouts clause. It is the only contentious point of the WADA resolve,” Lorgat said. “We have got a board meeting coming up next week with the ICC executive board members. We are working closely with all our cricket members. We will present that final proposal to the board and hopefully, by next week we should have found a consensus on that particular proposal.”The clause requires cricketers to furnish details of their whereabouts three months in advance to the World Anti-Doping Agency. Players rejected the WADA code because of this clause, saying it represented a violation of privacy and a security threat.The subcontinent is set to host the ODI World Cup next year and Lorgat said the ICC was working in collaboration with the DDCA to improve the standards of the Feroze Shah Kotla wicket. The ground has come under the scanner since the abandoned ODI between India and Sri Lanka last year. It has also drawn flak from IPL captains Anil Kumble and Gautam Gambhir during the course of the tournament.”The only thing we can do is to work with the DDCA. We have got Andy Atkinson, the ICC pitch consultant, he will work with them over the next few months. It is an important World Cup venue. So now to the end of the year, we will work with the DDCA to get the pitch upto the required standard,” Lorgat said.

Steffan Jones earned career-best bowling figures as Derbyshire launched their Twenty2 cup bid with an 11-run win over Leicestershire

Cricinfo staff02-Jun-2010
Scorecard
Steffan Jones earned career-best bowling figures as Derbyshire launched their Twenty2 cup bid with an 11-run win over Leicestershire. The 36-year-old Welsh seamer took 3 for 20 in his four overs to restrict Leicestershire to 154 for 8 as they failed to chase down a victory target of 166 at Grace Road.Jones’s victims included Australian allrounder Andrew McDonald, who hit a blistering 67off 50 balls to keep Leicestershire in the chase after they had lost early wickets. Fellow Australian Brad Hodge, signed by the county as their second overseas player for the competition, went in the second over and then the home side collapsed from 41 for 1 to 64 for 4 in the space of four overs.McDonald was in tremendous form reaching his half century off 37 balls with seven sweetly-struck boundaries and by the time he skied a catch to long on off the bowling of Jones, had reached a career-best score in Twenty20 cricket.But his effort was not enough to give Leicestershire a winning start with a tough run of three successive away matches now to follow. Only Paul Nixon provided any real assistance to McDonald, scoring 24 before being caught off his trademark reverse sweep.Derbyshire also struggled in the early part of their innings with only 23 runs coming off 10 scoring shots in the first six overs. Left-arm seamer Harry Gurney conceded only one run in his first two overs and in all there were a total of 25 dot balls.But Derbyshire’s innings gained momentum as Loots Bosman smashed 16 in an over off McDonald and Greg Smith hit a six off Claude Henderson. When Bosman cleared the ropes for a second time at the expense of Hodge the visitors had more than made up for their slow start.Although Hodge gained his revenge by bowling Bosman for 39 the rest of the Derbyshire batsmen maintained the run rate and 101 runs were scored off the last 10 overs to post a challenging total which proved out of the home side’s reach.

USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter has suffered a serious blow as Burnley wonderkid Luca Koleosho has been ruled out for months with a serious knee injury.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Koleosho got injured against Wolves Could be out until the end of the season Berhalter making efforts to commit him to the USMNT WHAT HAPPENED?

The 19-year-old winger went down to the ground in the first half during Burnley's 1-0 defeat to Wolves at the Molineux. Although Koleosho tried to run off his injury, he could not and Vincent Kompany revealed that his scan results were far from encouraging.

AdvertisementWHAT VINCENT KOMPANY SAID

Speaking to reporters after the match, Kompany said: "It’s bad news for us. He’s going to be out for a while apparently. I’d like to think he’ll still play this season, but it might be towards the end of the season. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that he’ll get back healthy and ready to go again.”

Kompany assured that the medical staff will not rush with Koleosho to prevent any long-term damage.

"I think now the key concern for us is to make sure he doesn’t sustain any long-term damage because he’s still young, we’ll do everything right by him,” he said. "Plus the fact that it’s a blow for a young player. I still think it’s for someone else now to step up and wear the shirt in a way that Luca has done. In these moments if you keep your head calm you can really get better, get stronger from these moments. I’ve no doubt he’ll come back stronger, but for us short-term wise, it’s an undeniable blow.”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Koleosho remains a top target for USMNT and Berhalter has been making efforts to lure him to the United States. However, it remains a tough job as he is also eligible to play for Nigeria and Canada. He was born in the USA but was raised by a Nigerian father and an Italian-Canadian mother which makes him eligible to represent multiple nations.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KOLEOSHO?

Koleosho's international football journey has been diverse. In August 2019, he made four appearances with the United States U15 side. However, when he received a call-up to join a training camp with the Canadian senior side in June 2022, he took the opportunity with both hands.

In early 2023, Koleosho became a part of the Italian U19 squad. He made a late appearance during a friendly match against Slovenia. Subsequently, he was included in the squad for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. However, Koleosho is yet to make a senior debut for any of the countries he has been associated with, which makes Berhalter optimistic that he can convince the youngster to choose the Stars and Stripes.

South Africa’s bowlers will have to make strident improvements ahead of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide, according to vice-captain AB de Villiers

Firdose Moonda in Adelaide18-Nov-2012South Africa’s bowlers will have to make strident improvements ahead of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide, according to vice-captain AB de Villiers. The visiting attack, talked about as the best in the world, managed just four wickets to Australia’s 14 on an unresponsive pitch in Brisbane and will be under close scrutiny in the second fixture.”The bowlers can get better and they know they can,” de Villiers said. “We had chances [at the Gabba] and we just didn’t take them. There were a lot of edges and 50-50 chances didn’t go our way.”He also admitted what the bowling coach Allan Donald had suggested during the match – that the usually clinical South African attack became complacent after they made early inroads. “When we had them 40 for 3 I thought there was an opportunity to run through them,” de Villiers said. “It is a bit of a worry, but you’re not always going to bowl out a team for 150 and 200. Sometimes you have to work hard for that.”While such a statement is hardly revolutionary, South Africa have become used to slicing through their opposition. Since playing Australia in November 2011, they have beaten Sri Lanka at home and New Zealand and England away. The current Australian batting line-up is arguably the best South Africa have faced over the last year.Against more stubborn batsmen though, a different approach is needed. In his column for ESPNcricinfo, Ian Chappell accused South Africa’s bowlers of lacking imagination and waiting for Australia to make mistakes. He argued it was a tactic that was unlikely to work against good sides, like the one led by Michael Clarke.Ed Cowan and Clarke put on a fourth-wicket stand of 259 runs before Michael Hussey and Clarke combined for 228 runs to give the attack their worst day at the office since Colombo 2006. Then, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were in the midst of compiling their 624-run record partnership.It did not get that bad in Brisbane but South Africa conceded more than four runs to the over and spent the entire fourth day without any of the bowlers taking a wicket. The only one to fall, Cowan, came through a run-out and de Villiers suggested a hard lesson had been learnt.”They sent a message that we have to work really hard to take wickets,” de Villiers said. “This attack of ours has performed on flat decks before. These are just two really world-class batting line-ups, and the bowlers are going to have to work really hard on what seem to be flat decks to take wickets.”The most recent example of that was at The Oval in July. South Africa took 20 wickets while England managed only two on a similarly batsmen-friendly surface. De Villiers believes that ability to repeat that remains and even peeped out at times in Brisbane.”We beat the bat a hell of a lot on the evening of the third day and the morning of the fourth,” he said. “It looks pretty but it’s not effective. For a really good attack to beat the bat that much and not take wickets is disappointing. But what can you do – we’re talking about millimetres.”Glaringly absent from the wickets column was Vernon Philander, whose run of 61 wickets in 11 Tests had to reach its end at some point. Philander is wicket-less in Australia so far. He did not claim any in the tour match at the SCG or in the first Test but de Villiers hoped he may just be waiting to pounce when it matters.”He’s not a concern,” de Villiers said. “His record speaks for itself. The games he was won for us in the past have been the big games, and we’re looking forward to the big game in Adelaide.”Philander is not solely to blame, though. The make-up of the attack also contributed to South Africa’s downfall. They went into the match with an all-pace battery of four seamers and were hopeful that JP Duminy’s part-time offspin would provide rest for the quicks.When Duminy was injured after the first day’s play, South Africa found themselves without a holding bowler. De Villiers, coach Gary Kirsten and assistant coach Russell Domingo all said they favoured the inclusion of a frontline spinner in a Test XI and de Villiers indicated the team will return to that strategy.”I wouldn’t say we made a mistake [in Brisbane] because I honestly don’t think the spinners played a big part,” he said. “I thought we made the right decision to play Rory [Kleinveldt]. It will be different here. We know it takes a bit of turn. It’s more like the traditional Test wicket where it’s a good wicket for a few days, then it starts turning a bit and then probably gets a bit up and down. I’m not going to pick the team now, but I’d say we will definitely go with a spinner.”That will mean changing the XI immediately, something South African sides of old were reluctant to do. They reached No.1 through consistent selection but may need to make adjustments to their XI as they look to stay there. De Villiers said they are willing to be critical of themselves, especially when they have underperformed.”We weren’t that happy with our performance which is always a good sign,” he said. “We are the No.1 team in the world, and for the No.1 team to say they can improve is a really good thing.”

Newcastle United had to settle for a point at home to Norwich City in the Premier League on Tuesday night after Ciaran Clark was sent off early on.

Callum Wilson actually put the hosts in front from the penalty spot before Teemu Pukki equalised as the score finished 1-1.

While there were some spirited performances from Eddie Howe’s team, a few seemed to struggle, as The Transfer Tavern uses statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the St. James’ Park faithful:

Joe Willock

Although Ciaran Clark (3.0) and Ryan Fraser (6.4) both ranked poorly by SofaScore, they did not play at least 45 minutes, and so Willock comes in third with a 6.4 rating.

The former Arsenal man was hauled off for Isaac Hayden in the 73rd minute, as he lost out on five of his duels, and also failed to record a single shot on goal from midfield, while he lost possession of the ball six times.

Javier Manquillo

Manquillo was also given a 6.4 rating by SofaScore, but comes in second place here because he played the full 90 minutes.

The Spaniard lost three duels, and recorded no successful dribbles, blocked shots, tackles, key passes, crosses or accurate long balls from right-back.

He was also guilty of losing the ball on no fewer than on 20 separate occasions in the match, the most out of any player on the pitch.

Jamal Lewis

Lewis was ranked as the worst player on the night for the North East club to have played at least 45 minutes, as SofaScore gave him a 6.3 rating.

The left-back lost seven of his duels in total, and also failed to record a successful dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball, losing possession 10 times.

In other news, find out who could be back for NUFC earlier than expected here!