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Leeds United have received a timely injury boost ahead of their return to Premier League action next week…

What’s the latest?

As revealed by The Athletic’s Phil Hay in his latest column, Adam Forshaw has seemingly returned to first-team training, where he took part in Marcelo Bielsa’s intense preparations, including the infamous ‘murderball’.

‘The last Sunday of the transfer window was a typical day at Leeds United: a late-morning session of murderball featuring the usual suspects. Adam Forshaw took part, testing his injured hamstring, but a search for new faces out on the grass drew a blank,’ he wrote.

The 30-year-0ld midfielder picked up a problem just 22 minutes into their 3-2 win over West Ham United in the top-flight before the break. Soon after providing the assist for Jack Harrison’s opener – his first of three goals that day – the long-serving star had to be withdrawn, adding to Bielsa’s injury woes.

Huge boost

When the word injury is bounded about alongside Forshaw’s name, there is certainly worry as the former Boro man has endured his fair share of nightmarish issues over the years at Elland Road.

But since his return to the side, he has been a real bright spark, even more so in the absence of fellow midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who is currently recovering from hamstring surgery and isn’t likely to be back for another month yet.

His amazing comeback has been nothing short of remarkable and that sort of progress has been highlighted by Bielsa this year.

“It is very difficult for me to refer myself to Forshaw, in this moment where he’s given such a valuable response, because I didn’t think Forshaw was going to be the player he was once before,” he told the official website. He later added:

“The club will make a very convenient decision if they extended Forshaw because every week he’s showing he’s a player of a very good level.”

Indeed, the veteran has since been rewarded with a new contract extension. He ranks joint-second amongst the squad for tackles (2.3 per game) and is one of their more accomplished passers, averaging a pass accuracy of 83%, which is actually slightly better than Phillips, via WhoScored.

According to The Athletic, Bielsa has claimed that Forshaw has the ‘right attributes’ for a Champions League side behind the scenes – a rather glowing endorsement of just how influential the midfielder is.

Therefore, the Argentine will be absolutely buzzing to have him available heading into their clash with Aston Villa in a week’s time.

AND in other news, Bielsa could now solve Leeds’ midfield woes with rarely-seen “gifted” 19 y/o prodigy…

MatériaMais Notícias

Apesar de ter contrato com o Atlético-GO até o fim de 2019, o meia Luiz Fernando, 21 anos, pode deixar o Dragão. Artilheiro do time goiano no Campeonato Brasileiro com nove gols, o jogador está na mira de alguns clubes.

A multa rescisória é de 20 milhões de reais, mas ainda assim, de acordo com o diretor de futebol Adson Batista, quatro equipes da Série A e algumas do exterior manifestaram interesse em Luiz Fernando. A diretoria rubro-negra aguarda propostas oficiais.

O meia chegou ao rubro-negro em 2014 e começou sua trajetória nas competições de base. Recentemente, ele foi apontado como uma das revelações da Série A.

Luiz Fernando ainda não sabe se continuará no Atlético-GO. Apesar de não ter o seu futuro definido ainda, o jogador disse ao site do Globoesporte que pretende voltar ao Dragão.

– Chegaram algumas especulações. Meu empresário e a diretoria do Atlético-GO estão vendo. Vamos ver o que é melhor para minha carreira. Vai ser uma decisão difícil. Aqui no Atlético-GO foi onde tudo começou. Se eu sair, espero voltar um dia e jogar pelo Atlético-GO de novo.

Gilchrist said that while players were interested in not having international fixtures clash with the Twenty20 tournament because of the money they stand to earn, the window would also help build the IPL brand

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2010Adam Gilchrist, the Deccan Chargers captain, has become the latest to talk of the need for an IPL window. While players were interested in avoiding a clash between the Twenty20 tournament and international fixture list because of the money they stand to earn, he said, the window would also help build the IPL brand.”The ICC and IPL need to really sit down at the table and look closer (at the window),” he said, a day ahead of his team’s opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders. “I am beginning to believe that the players across the globe would like a window to be available because of the glaringly obvious part of a good financial return for players.”But along with that it is premier club competition in the world. If the players feel part of that and are desperate to be part of it is only going to help the brand and there is great benefit for the game of cricket.”Deccan are one of the teams least affected by the lack of a window, with only Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris expected to miss a chunk of the IPL due to international commitments. West Indian fast bowler Kemar Roach could also miss the first couple of IPL matches since he will be busy wrapping up the one-day series against Zimbabwe.A surfeit of Twenty20 matches are scheduled over the next couple of months, with the World Twenty20 starting less than a week after the end of the IPL. Gilchrist said he was happy the IPL was not looking to expand beyond the current six-to seven-week timeframe though new teams were joining the competition next season.”The IPL needs to be aware of not getting too big to the detriment of the game,” he said. “I read with interest Lalit Modi’s very pleasing comments that the commissioner and the committee are aware of that as they look to expand the competition but they are not looking to take too much more time.”

يعد الإيطالي مانويل لوكاتيلي لاعب وسط يوفنتوس، محل اهتمام لأحد أندية الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز. 

وتألق اللاعب البالغ من العمر 24 عامًا مع إيطاليا في حملتها الناجحة في بطولة أوروبا 2020 الصيف الماضي وكان مرتبطًا على نطاق واسع بالانتقال إلى آرسنال أو يوفنتوس، وقرر في النهاية الذهاب مع الأخير.

ويضع نادي آرسنال الإنجليزي عينه على لوكاتيلي، ويسعى لتكرار محاولة التعاقد معه، بحسب التقارير الواردة.

وكان آرسنال يرغب في ضم لاعب الوسط لوكاتيلي حين كان في صفوف ساسولو، لكن الإيطالي الشاب فضل ارتداء قميص يوفنتوس وانضم إليه معارًا.

انضم لوكاتيلي إلى السيدة العجوز في صفقة إعارة لمدة عامين بقيمة 25 مليون يورو بالإضافة إلى 12.5 مليون يورو متغيرات، مما سمح لساسولو بالاستفادة من لاعب خط الوسط.

ويشير موقع “فوتبول إيطاليا” نقلاً عن “كالتشيو ميركاتو” إلى أن آرسنال لم ينس لوكاتيلي بعد فشله في التعاقد معه العام الماضي، وهم يخططون للعودة للاعب خط وسط يوفنتوس في فترتي الانتقال القادمتين، راغبين في إضافته إلى تشكيلة ميكيل أرتيتا.

لم يحظ لوكاتيلي بوقت إيجابي بشكل خاص في تورينو وقد أصيب هذا الموسم بتعب عضلي، مما زاد من مشاكله.

من المؤكد أن ماسيميليانو أليجري لم يساعد خلال “محادثته” سيئة السمعة الآن مع ماريو سكونسيرتي من كورييري ديلا سيرا.

وفي حديثه عن خط وسطه في يوفنتوس، قال أليجري: “تم التفكير في يوفنتوس بطريقة أخرى، حيث كان رابيو باريديس بوجبا في خط الوسط بالإضافة إلى لوكاتيلي كخيار أول للبدلاء”.

جدير بالذكر أن آرسنال يرغب أيضًا في ضم الصربي دوشان فلاهوفيتش مهاجم يوفنتوس، والذي كان هدفًا للجانرز منذ فترته مع فيورنتينا قبل أن يفضل اللاعب الانتقال للسيدة العجوز. 

Mauricio Pochettino wants to join Manchester United ‘now’, according to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News. 

The lowdown

There’s a vacancy in the Old Trafford dugout after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was relieved of his duties over the weekend, and United initially indicated that they would look to appoint an interim manager for the rest of the campaign rather than naming a long-term successor straight away.

Named by Sky Sports as the Red Devils’ top target for the job, Pochettino is currently in charge at Paris Saint-Germain, and although they are 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and poised to progress to the Champions League round of 16, he’s reportedly unhappy in the French capital.

As per the Daily Mail, he is missing his family, who are still based in London, and is apparently growing tired of having to manage the egos of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

The latest

On Monday afternoon, Luckhurst shared a succinct yet potentially crucial update on Twitter as he said: “Brief but vital update to earlier story: Pochettino wants to join #mufc now”.

His accompanying Manchester Evening News article stated that the 49-year-old is prepared to swap Paris for Old Trafford mid-season rather than waiting until the summer, having held long-harboured ambitions of managing United.

The verdict

Before United fans get excited about the possibility of hiring a coach who’s been ranked inside the world’s top 10 by FourFourTwo magazine and guided Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, they should consider where PSG stand in all this.

Club sources from the French capital have insisted that the man they only brought in last season is ‘going nowhere’, and perhaps this is why United planned to wait until the end of the current campaign to appoint a permanent successor to Solskjaer.

It could be much harder to land one of their top targets at this stage of the year when it would cause a great deal of disruption, so despite Luckhurst claiming that Pochettino would be willing to take over at Old Trafford straight away, there could be a lot of negotiation to be done with the PSG hierarchy first.

In other news, some United fans ripped into this man for his performance at the weekend

Taking to Twitter, journalist Ekrem Konur has now made a surprising transfer claim involving Tottenham Hotspur and in-form Premier League forward Michail Antonio.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye new striker…

Since the last transfer window, Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici has been on the hunt for a new forward and alternative to star man Harry Kane.

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Indeed, a report by The Telegraph listed the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Simy on the Italian transfer chief’s radar while The Times actually revealed they had agreed a fee for Lautaro Martinez.

The latter man’s move to north London crumbled when Inter Milan pulled out of the move, mainly due to Romelu Lukaku completing his switch to Chelsea (Fabrizio Romano).

Having no luck in their search over the summer, links to Vlahovic continue to be prominent after the arrival of new manager Antonio Conte, but now a surprising claim has emerged on a new name.

The Latest: Spurs could make Antonio bid…

As per Konur, writing on social media, it is believed Tottenham ‘could make an offer’ to sign West Ham United star Antonio ‘in January’.

The Jamaica forward has been in sublime form over 2021/2022, even winning August’s Premier League Player of the Month award, and not so long ago found the net against Spurs in a London derby.

The Verdict: Pinch of salt…

Given the unlikelihood of West Ham parting ways with their striker, especially considering he is their only natural number nine, we advise to take this with a pinch of salt.

Both the Lilywhites’ and West Ham’s fierce rivalry make this a difficult deal to negotiate – not to mention the month-long January window meaning Antonio’s current club would have very little time to find a successor.

Called ‘unplayable’ by former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp (talkSPORT via Read West Ham), there is little arguing his quality and threat in the final third.

According to WhoScored, the 31-year-old has averaged a far higher amount of shots and key passes per 90 than any Tottenham player this season whilst scoring six goals and assisting three others.

He would undoubtedly add quality but the amount of variables make this move almost impossible.

In other news: Conte set for Spurs injury boost as Sky Sports reporter breaks update on Twitter, find out more here.

Shoaib Malik, the Man of the Match for his 126-ball 128, expressed his surprise at MS Dhoni’s decision to bring on Harbhajan Singh to bowl only by the 26th over, by which time he and Mohammad Yousuf had nearly built a half-century partnership.”I think he [Dhoni] should have brought on Harbhajan early,” Malik said. “We were three down and another wicket would have hurt us.” Pakistan lost their third wicket in the 15th over with the score at 65 and after Malik batted out a maiden over by RP Singh, Dhoni brought in part-timers Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan, instead of Harbhajan.Dhoni justified his move, saying if a part-timer bowled along with Harbhajan then the batsmen would score off him while playing the senior bowler’s overs out. “We wanted to force the batsmen to play shots against him,” Dhoni said.The Pakistan captain Younis Khan, by contrast, has fewer headaches to resolve and he aims to reach the ICC Champions Trophy final without dropping a game. The team leads Group A with two wins out of two. “It was a good toss to win and even a score of 260-270 was defendable. Even though they [India] started their chase brilliantly, I thought we only needed a wicket or two to get back in the match. After all, this score has never been chased at this venue,” Younis said.Most of the attack chipped in, especially the spinners Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal. He was happy with the efforts of offspinner Ajmal who took 2 for 31 in 8.5 overs but typically cautioned against building him up too much. “There is this tendency in our part of the world where youngsters are immediately compared to Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul Haq,” Younis said. “This can make a youngster lose his bearing. But yes, Saeed is coming up very nicely. We now have good youngsters in Umar Akmal, Mohammad Aamer and Saeed. If they keep performing and learning, we can be the best in near future.”The only one to have a real off-day was Umar Gul, generally the leader of Younis’s attacks. But Younis played down concerns over Gul, who was the leading wicket-taker in the World Twenty20 in England: Gul went for 55 runs in six overs against India but Younis attributed it to a rare bad day. “He bowled too short and when he needed to bowl up.”

Paulo Fonseca, who has held ‘informal contact’ with Aston Villa, is also open to talking with Newcastle United regarding their vacant managerial position, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Villa contact Fonseca

Dean Smith’s position at Villa Park is thought to be in ‘serious jeopardy’ following four defeats in as many games in October.

The Daily Mail revealed earlier in the week that Villa have made initial contact with Fonseca, who has been out of work since the end of June.

A defeat to Southampton on Friday will reportedly lead to a review by the Villa board, but they now may have to act even faster if they want Fonseca.

The Latest: Sky Sports claim

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie made an live-on-air claim regarding Fonseca on Wednesday afternoon.

Cited by Football Daily, Downie told Sky Sports that a ‘source close to him has told us’ that he’d be keen to speak with Newcastle.

This will be a blow to Villa fans, who were delighted on social media when the Portuguese tactician was linked with a move to the Midlands.

He went on to add that it has been a ‘bonkers 24 hours’ after Unai Emery decided to stay at Villarreal, with Roberto Martinez and Eddie Howe also linked with a move to St James’ Park.

The Verdict: Smith hoping a move goes through?

Smith may well be hoping the Portuguese coach makes the move to the north east, as it may keep him in a job a little longer – if the Villans can’t obtain their ideal replacement, perhaps the former Brentford boss will get time to turn things around.

However, results need to improve regardless of what happens with Fonseca and Newcastle, starting this Friday, otherwise, you’d expect Villa will look at a number of other candidates to replace Smith.

He can start to build bridges with a win at St Mary’s, but it’ll be interesting to know what Villa’s stance is on Fonseca and a potential move to the Magpies – perhaps the Toon’s interest may even force NSWE into quicker action.

In other news: ‘Welp’ – Many AVFC fans erupt as Preece shares ‘terrible news’ on Leon Bailey. 

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is an injury doubt for his side’s Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield.

The Lowdown: Crucial Premier League clash

The Reds return to action on Saturday evening, taking on an Arsenal side who are now fifth in the table and just two points behind Jurgen Klopp’s men.

A big response is needed from Liverpool after the defeat to West Ham and the home draw with Brighton, with more dropped points feeling costly in the title race.

They could face a tough examination from Arsenal, though, who have won their last three league outings and seem to finally be gaining some momentum with their young squad.

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The Latest: Partey could miss out

One player who could be absent for the Gunners is Partey, with Arteta confirming as much in his pre-Liverpool press conference on Friday [via Football Daily on Twitter].

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The Verdict: Good news for Reds

Partey has been a key figure at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield of late, averaging two tackles per game in the league this season, so him being out would be a boost for Liverpool.

Not only that, but the 28-year-old was a dominant force for Atletico Madrid in the Champions League at Anfield in March 2020, receiving a match-high 7.55 rating from WhoScored as Diego Simeone’s side progressed to the quarter-finals.

Arsenal’s midfield would suddenly look more open without Partey in it, especially with Granit Xhaka still injured, so him being fit or not could be key to the eventual outcome.

Paul Scholes has hailed the Ghanaian as ‘brilliant’, which is high praise, and Liverpool could find it easier to create chances without him around to break up their attacks on Saturday.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted to a Reds injury update. Read more here.

The West Indies fast bowlers embarrassed India’s batsmen for the second time in three weeks, setting the foundation for a series-levelling win

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga28-Jun-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outThe joke was on the Indian batsmen as the fast bowlers had them in all sorts of troubles•AFP

The West Indies fast bowlers – even without Fidel Edwards – embarrassed the Indian batting line-up for the second time in three weeks, setting the foundation for a series-levelling win. They bowled aggressively and smartly, reducing India to 82 for 8 before a 101-run ninth-wicket stand between MS Dhoni and RP Singh kept the match alive. Chris Gayle and Runako Morton replied with a 101-run partnership of their own, ensuring there was no late drama in a game that was mostly dominated by West Indies.Two days ago 658 runs were scored on the same Sabina Park pitch by the same set of batsmen, but the early swing exposed some technical flaws with the Indian line-up. There were personal milestones for Ravi Rampaul and Denesh Ramdin along the way, Rampaul taking career-best figures of 4 for 37 and Ramdin five catches.Gayle’s captaincy stood out early on. He employed two slips as soon as he saw some swing. Jerome Taylor didn’t need any of the slips in the first over, when he bowled the perfect outswinger to Dinesh Karthik, shaping in, pitching off, moving away, making the batsman play, and getting the edge through to the keeper.If Karthik had no option but to play at Taylor, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma played unnecessary shots to Rampaul in the next over. Bowling to Rohit, Rampaul wanted the second slip out, but Gayle persisted. And how it worked. Rohit chased a wide outswinger, Ramdin went too hard at the catch, but the second slip took the rebound. Seven for 3 in 1.4 overs, and there was still a long queue outside the Sabina Park.By the time the crowd finally settled, Yuvraj Singh was promising another treat. By the end of 12 overs India seemed to have weathered the storm, only momentarily. Yuvraj had reached 35 off 32, quite a contrast to Dhoni’s 11 off 31. It was all fine until then, because the partnership read 47 off 62.But neither Gayle nor Taylor was done yet. Taylor was asked to bowl his seventh over on the trot, and he got Yuvraj with the first ball. Gayle was not going to wait for mistakes now. Back came Rampaul, in came a leg gully and a slip, and out came the open secret: the bouncers. After an edgy nine-ball stay, Yusuf Pathan edged an accurate bouncer from Dwayne Bravo. Ravindra Jadeja repeated his dismissal from the first match, pushing at a delivery away from his body. After the second slump of the innings, India stood at 70 for 6, and Dhoni looking for some support from the other end.Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar didn’t show any appreciation of the fact that there were close to 30 overs still to go, getting out to flashy shots, and soon India were 82 for 8. But Rampaul’s fourth wicket came in his tenth over, a maiden, and Taylor and Bravo were nearing the completion of their quotas as well.Dhoni took the batting Powerplay in the 23rd over, and farmed strike, even refusing singles to RP. Gayle got through the Powerplay overs without much damage, but had to opt against an all-out attack because Bravo and Taylor had only two overs each to go. He also seemed to have sensed that the pitch had eased out, and was happy to contain. Dhoni and RP, meanwhile, batted sensibly.Dhoni wasn’t in the cleanest of touches, but took charge of the rescue work. RP hung around him, and between them they brought up only the fifth 100-run stand for the ninth wicket in ODI history. RP’s 23 was his personal best, and Dhoni looked set for what would have been a fifth century. But Bravo and Taylor came back well, making sure India didn’t play their full quota. Dhoni was the last to go, for a responsible 95, to a perfect slower ball from Taylor in the 49th over.If India thought they were carrying some momentum into the defence, they had another think coming. The maiden bowled at the top of the innings, by Praveen Kumar to Gayle, was a false start too. When Morton stood tall and slapped the first ball he faced for four, it confirmed that the pitch held no horrors, at least not after the first few overs in the morning.That being the case, Gayle took a liking to the medium-pace of Ashish Nehra, RP and Praveen. In the over after that maiden, Praveen’s quick reflexes saved his life: the straight pull from Gayle reached the boundary even before one could say “thank god”. Gayle immediately put his hand up to apologise.There was no sense of apology in the way he took the left-arm medium-pacers for 37 runs in their first five overs, killing the contest right there. When Gayle finally fell for a 46-ball 62, Morton had scored just 30. Morton stayed solid after his captain’s fall, getting to his tenth fifty and taking West Indies home with 15.5 overs to spare.