Category Uncategorized

West Ham United are in touch with agents as they consider further transfer business before the deadline.

That’s according to transfer insider Dean Jones, who was speaking to GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

It’s been a slightly frustrating Deadline Day for the Hammers, who have failed with a number of attempted moves.

Centre-back Jan Bednarek was seemingly on his way to the London Stadium but ultimately snubbed David Moyes’ side to join Aston Villa instead.

As for right-backs, Manchester United rejected an approach for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while Torino turned down a bid for Ola Aina.

The latest

Jones now says that West Ham aren’t content to withdraw from the market just yet, and are in discussions with representatives who want to facilitate moves.

He says there’s still a chance the Hammers get a deal done if a suitable opportunity arises.

“West Ham are not finished yet and sources are indicating that they are still fielding ideas from agents, who are trying to find a home for their clients.

“Anything is still possible if the right player comes along.”

The verdict

West Ham have already had an excellent summer.

Only two clubs in the whole of the Premier League – Chelsea and Manchester United – have spent more than the Irons’ £163.8million so far.

Likewise, only Nottingham Forest and Fulham have done more deals than the Hammers’ eight.

On that basis, they should already have the tools to at least match last season’s seventh-place finish, if not push a little higher.

Equally, though, supporters may be pleased to see them remain active into the final hours of the window. It shows the extent of their ambition and their refusal to be satisfied, even after such a busy few months.

Leeds United central midfielder Mateusz Klich is hoping to secure a move away from Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent report from Polish publication Meczyki (via TEAMtalk), who claim that, with the 32-year-old believed to be desperate to play regular football next season in order to keep him in with a chance of representing Poland at this winter’s World Cup, the midfielder is pushing for a move away from Jesse Marsch’s side this summer.

The report then goes on to suggest that the 40-cap international could already have a route out of the Premier League side in the shape of one of his former clubs, Eredivisie side FC Utrecht, although it is not stated as to whether Leeds would be willing to cash in on Klich ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

Good news for Leeds

While it is true that the vast majority of the Whites first team squad endured something of a season to forget last time out, Klich was undoubtedly one of the club’s most disappointing performers in the league.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-much-more” title= “Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances – 26 of which came as starts – last term, the £2.7m-rated midfielder offered his side very little going forwards, scoring one goal, registering two assists and missing one big chance in front of goal.

The £34k-per-week Pole also failed to impress in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of just 0.3 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, being dribbled past by an opponent 1.2 times, losing possession 9.2 times and winning a mere 2.7 duels – at a success rate of just 40% – per game.

These returns saw the player – who Joe Wainman dubbed “lacklustre” and David Anderson suggested could be “on his way out” of the club earlier this year – average an extremely underwhelming SofaScore match rating of 6.67, ranking him as the Whites’ 11th-worst performer in the top flight of English football last time out.

Furthermore, with Victor Orta having brought in four summer signings capable of operating from the middle of the park – in the shape of Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Marc Roca and Darko Gyabi – it is evident that Klich will find himself well down Marsch’s pecking order next season.

As such, it would seem as if a move away from Elland Road would appear to best suit all parties this summer, leading us to believe that the 32-year-old looks to be open to an exit is great news for both Leeds and Marsch.

Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici has now made a unique player swap only offer to sign Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo, and the Serie A giants have already replied.

The Lowdown: Spurs heavily linked…

The Italy international has been very heavily linked with a move to Spurs over the last few weeks and there are also reports of talks being held between the Premier League side and Jose Mourinho’s men.

Zaniolo finished 21/22 as one of Roma’s brightest players, completing more successful take-ons per 90 than any of his teammates, potentially motivating Paratici and manager Antonio Conte to sit up and pay attention.

The Lilywhites allegedly remain in the market for a creative midfield player and Zaniolo may well fit the bill.

The Latest: Paratici makes Zaniolo offer…

Now, according to a report from Italy, Spurs and Paratici have made a genuine offer to try and sign the 23-year-old.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-3/” title=”Tottenham latest!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Newspaper La Repubblica, via GialloRossi.net, claim the north Londoners have tabled both Japhet Tanganga and Tanguy Ndombele in a straight swap deal with ‘no cash on the scales’.

However, Roma have refused the proposal, with Mourinho instead asking for Oliver Skipp in exchange – an idea which has been rebuffed by Spurs.

The Verdict: Keep pushing?

With a few weeks remaining of the window, there is still plenty of time for Spurs and Roma to find middle ground in negotiations and come to an agreement which satisfies all parties.

Conte’s side should keep pushing for Zaniolo given his fine finish to last season with the tricky ace also drawing more fouls per 90 last season than any Roma player (WhoScored).

The attacker has enjoyed a new lease of life under Mourinho in recent months, highlighting Zaniolo’s real quality and backing the opinion of former Juventus full-back Federico Balzaretti – who called him ‘special’.

Aston Villa look set to complete the signing of Sevilla left-back Ludwig Augustinsson in the coming days, which would be their fifth of the summer transfer window, and the Sweden international could prove to be a world-class addition to Steven Gerrard’s squad.

Fabrizio Romano tweeted: “Done deal, here we go confirmed. Ludwig Augustinsson completed his medical as new Aston Villa player, deal agreed with Sevilla on loan with buy option.”

Gerrard was always likely to recruit another left-back to compete with Lucas Digne following Matt Targett’s permanent move to Newcastle United, and Augustinsson could be the ideal man.

The 28-year-old can offer a threat at both ends of the pitch, with WhoScored suggesting that his main strengths include aerial duels, crossing, holding onto the ball, key passes and his defensive contribution.

Although he struggled for game-time with Sevilla last season, partly due to the impressive form of Marcus Acuna, he still impressed when he featured for Julen Lopetegui’s side.

As per FBRef, the Swedish defender scored in the 95th percentile for aerial duels won and the 93rd percentile for clearances, which suggests that he could offer Gerrard a more defensively sound option than Digne at left-back.

FBRef also suggests that Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu is the most similar player to Augustinsson in terms of playing style, and given the Japan international’s impressive debut season in the Premier League, this is a prospective signing which bodes well for Villa.

After joining the Gunners from Bologna, Tomiyasu helped to revolutionise Arsenal’s defence and was a big part in Mikel Arteta’s side keeping the fifth-most clean sheets in the top flight last term.

[freshpress-quiz id=“659225”]

Team-mate Ben White was full of praise for the versatile defender last season, saying: ‘Tomi is amazing. He’s the best right-back I’ve ever played with. He’s always focused. It’s an honour to play next to him.

‘Tomi does the simple things at a world-class level. He is very alert and he isn’t careless in games.”

Therefore, if Augustinsson can do a similar job to Tomiyasu in Villa’s side next season, he could prove to be a very shrewd addition by Johan Lange.

AND, in other news… Gerrard can finally axe £16m shocker with Villa bid for “unbelievable” £50m target

Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be aiming to improve his Rangers squad over the next few weeks in order to build on the momentum which saw the Ibrox club reach the Europa League final and win their Scottish Cup in 13 years.

The next challenge is to bring back the Premiership title to Ibrox, and in order to do so, the manager will need to add quality to the squad who can immediately improve the starting XI.

This could soon occur, with Norwegian striker Erik Botheim being linked with the Light Blues recently.

BBC Scotland reporter Fraser Fletcher tweeted on Thursday: “Rangers have approached Erik Botheim representatives to try and bring him to Ibrox. Many offers on table for him but Rangers in a tough fight for his signature and are very keen I understand. He will announce his decision soon.”

The striker is a free agent having left Russian side FC Krasnodar, and he could be the perfect player for Van Bronckhorst at Ibrox.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has described the 22-year-old as a “complete forward”, and Botheim could certainly add an extra dimension to Rangers’ attack next season.

The Norwegian could thrive at Ibrox, and a duo of him and Ryan Kent would be frightening for opponents.

With the English winger registering a massive 20 assists last season, having someone of Botheim’s calibre at the club might just boost that number even further next year, while the striker would surely delight in having such a creative presence like Kent loading the bullets for him to fire.

Like Alfredo Morelos, the Light Blues’ all-time leading scorer on the continent, the 22-year-old has been performing wonderfully in European competition. He netted four times and grabbed a further four assists in the inaugural European Conference League for Bodo/Glimt last season, so making the step up to the Champions League shouldn’t be an issue if he goes to the Gers.

Securing a move for the striker would be a big statement of intent by Rangers, and having that extra depth in the attacking department could be vital going forward.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Morelos: Wilson must now seal Rangers swoop for “outstanding” 26-goal monster…

Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

The Lowdown: Midfielders needed

Erik ten Hag is on the hunt for midfield additions at Old Trafford after the departures of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata were all confirmed.

Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong appears to be the primary target, with recent reports from Spain believing that an agreement is close for the Netherlands international.

Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips is another player the Red Devils have checked out, and it seems as if Rabiot is the latest midfielder who may move to Manchester.

The Latest: Rabiot transfer update

Sport Witness relayed an update from TuttoMercatoWeb regarding United and Rabiot on Saturday.

They claimed that Juventus have offered the 27-year-old’s services to the Manchester club and have received a ‘positive’ response. The Red Devils are believed to be tempted over a swoop for the Frenchman, with a figure of €15m-€20m (£12.9m-£17.2m) mooted in the report.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-updates-3/” title=”Latest Man Utd updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Should they?

Rabiot, who Gianluigi Buffon hailed as ‘strong’ and built ‘like a wardrobe’, can play as a holding, central or left midfielder and is valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt.

He has a wealth of experience for two of Europe’s biggest clubs in Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, so he may be able to cope better than most with the pressure of playing at Old Trafford on a regular basis.

Rabiot also has 26 caps to his name for France and 24 trophies for club and country, so he should be able to bring that winning mentality to Ten Hag’s side in what could be a shrewd prospective move by United.

In other news: Agent close to Man Utd officials now pushing to bring ‘magical’ Real Madrid star to Old Trafford

Cricket’s biggest rivalry is back. Also, can RCB doing anything right?

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-May-2019Premature celebrations
Congratulations were withdrawn this month from James Faulkner, who initially seemed to have come out as gay, only to later come out as not gay (or should that be “go back in” – not really sure how specifics of this metaphor work). Several major news outlets swooped on the news that Faulkner had come out after the allrounder described the man he was having dinner with as “boyfriend” on an Instagram post. Hours later, though, Faulkner clarified that he was not gay, and described the whole thing as a misunderstanding, which, in turn, prompted criticism of Faulkner in some circles, for supposedly making a joke of what is understandably a sensitive process for many gay men and women. It seems clear that Faulkner did not set out to intentionally do gay people a disservice, but just to be safe, he should definitely steer clear of Ben Stokes at the World Cup.The IPL unites the world
March in the IPL ended in disharmony, with the pro-mankad and anti-mankad armies engaged in a furious online war. April, though, was different. This month, cricket fans the world over looked each other in the eye, linked arms, and with their differences forgotten, came together as one to laugh at Royal Challengers Bangalore’s state-by-state tour of incompetence.The copycat move
Having skidded through the first half of the IPL, Royal Challengers even tried to take a page out of Chennai Super Kings’ book by signing up an older player, Dale Steyn. But where Super Kings’ senior army sees the team win tough matches thanks to their collective experience, Royal Challengers have of course managed to find the biggest possible downfall in hiring older players. Having played just two matches, Steyn injured his shoulder, and is now not only ruled out of the IPL, he is also in some doubt for the World Cup.The showdown
While there is plenty of live cricket to look forward to in May, such as the conclusion of the IPL and the start of the World Cup, cricket has reminded us all that the biggest showdowns in our sport happen at the administrative level. The BCCI, who have one of the most storied running rivalries of all time with the PCB, have recently engaged in a mouth-watering tiff with Cricket Australia over scheduling – a clash that is likely to unfold in scintillating fashion in conference rooms in India and Australia. The contest looks like it will feature the best administrative talent from both nations, with all the delicious horse-trading and brinkmanship fans have come to expect from these encounters.Meanwhile, in actual live cricket news, the women’s IPL exhibition series, due to take place in May, will be without three of the finest cricket talents in the world, in Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy, as a result of the BCCI v CA fixture.A victory for professional honesty
Having been removed from England’s World Cup squad for failing a drug test for the second time, Alex Hales left it to his management company to issue a statement, instead of personally fronting up, which many have interpreted as insincere. Hales has undermined England’s World Cup campaign, his critics say, and owes his fans and team-mates a direct explanation.But were they ever going to get one? Isn’t every public statement from high-profile cricketers endlessly pored over and fine-tuned by a management team? In cutting out the middleman (i.e. himself) from the whole public-regret process, Hales is helping usher in a new era in which public-relations professionals get to deliver their calculated messages undiluted to the masses. With the rate at which Hales gets into trouble, perhaps he himself can continue to spearhead this campaign for professional honesty.Next month on The Briefing:– A talent agency issues an even more honest statement following a player gaffe: “Although in an ideal world, [the player] would loved to have both done [the thing he is in trouble for] and not got caught, his being caught has for sure made him wish he hadn’t [done the thing he is in trouble for].”- New MCC president Kumar Sangakkara spearheads laws to ban sledges containing four-letter words. Seven-letter words and above only.- “We’ll be sending in our biggest administrative superstars and using some of our most famous passive-aggressive tactics against,” says the BCCI, as hype for the clash with CA reaches fever pitch.

After two full days when this series seemed to have stopped following its well-established plot lines, today was back to normal service in some ways

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2017DRS watchAfter no reviews during the first 164 overs of this Test, Monday was a return to normal service. Ravindra Jadeja was given out first ball, but the decision was overturned as he was instantly convinced that the ball didn’t graze the outside edge of his bat off Pat Cummins. A while later, there was power outage at the stadium, and play went on for more than 10 overs without the ball tracking technology available. As if to say that this series could take no more DRS-based headlines, there were no wrong calls during this period that the system could have helped sort out.Every other review was struck down, and Australia did not have a single successful one out of their four, spread across both Indian innings. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they did not ever look convinced with their “T” signals, and Glenn Maxwell’s call to go upstairs for one he did not offer a shot to, looked close to adding to another Australian “brain fade” for the series.Australia found themselves in a tangle both against pace and spin•Associated PressPitch watchA day after KL Rahul called it the best pitch of the series, the Dharamsala wicket continued to keep everyone interested. Both sets of fast bowlers extracted steep bounce. Some deliveries, as described by our ball-by-ball commentary team, “went off like they would on a trampoline”.There was purchase for the spinners, except it was a lot more due to turn and bounce, unlike frequent, surprise shooters that stayed low in the first two Tests. While batting was by no means easy, those with the temperament and patience to apply themselves got good value for their shots. That this was the first instance this series where India didn’t open with spin in Australia’s second innings was an apt testament to how the wicket played on Monday.Aggression watchAs India went about erasing their deficit during the first session, tempers frayed occasionally as Josh Hazlewood walked up to Wriddhiman Saha and Jadeja to exchange words. All was quiet until, late in the evening session, M Vijay snapped up a catch in the slip cordon to get rid of No. 11 Josh Hazlewood. After most of the players left the field, the third umpire ruled that the ball had bounced before the catch was taken, and Steve Smith could be seen giving a mouthful in the dressing room.The relief did not last long, as Australia were dismissed two balls later, after yet another failed review. There was also some bonhomie in between, as Glenn Maxwell high-fived former Kings XI Punjab teammate Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg, after lashing a full-blooded sweep on to his body.

There has been a longish tradition of India hockey players or athletes guarding cricketers at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. The thing is, nobody knows they are being looked after by legends in their own rights

Sidharth Monga in Mohali21-Mar-2016When you go to Mohali for the next World T20 match and the police is trying to stop you from reaching your favourite cricketers for autographs, look closely and possibly ask them where DSP (Traffic) Rajpal Singh or SP (City) Gagan Ajit Singh are. Ask for their autographs too. Rajpal is a former India hockey captain, Gagan Ajit a former striker. Both are Arjuna Award winners, but they now work full time with Punjab Police.There has been a longish tradition of India hockey players or athletes looking after the security of cricketers at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. The thing is, nobody knows they are being looked after by legends in their own rights. Nobody in the crowd knows, cricketers don’t know – although it is hard to expect them to scan every cop’s face – and sometimes even the other cops don’t know that one or two of them has represented India at hockey. Even if you have interest in hockey, it is hard to tell with Sikh players when they are not in gear: they go from (bandana) to turban, and the beard is not always tied when they are not playing. Punjab Police is a big employer of sportspeople.It’s only GS Sandhu, the CEO of PCA, who was a decathlete himself and also a vice-president of Indian Hockey Federation, who recognises them at the stadium, among a sea of Punjab Police employees posted there for international and IPL matches. In 1999, during an India-Pakistan ODI he saw the legendary Pargat Singh here. He asked Pargat what he was doing here, and Pargat said he was on duty. Sandhu was surprised.Sandhu was the manager of the Indian hockey team when Pargat took them to Australia in 1991 for Tests and Olympics qualifiers. Pargat, considered one of the best defenders in the world at his time, went on to captain India at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and in Atlanta in 1996.Sometime back, Sandhu spotted Sunita Rani here. She has won an Asian gold in 1500m, and also holds the national record in 1500m. She has won an Arjuna Award and a Padma Shri. She too ensured the players’ and crowds’ safety without anybody recognising her.Rajpal, 32, has to wake up at 6.30am every day to play his hockey. He is not a part of the national team, which means he has to be on duty just like any other policeman. That, from 6.30am before his duty hours, is the only hockey Rajpal gets to play. The IPL-style Hockey India League doesn’t hire players over 30. Rajpal has done a few IPL games here, and is now posted for the World T20 too. He doesn’t feel bad that nobody recognises him. He knows hockey is not that popular a sport in India anymore nor is he on TV in the IPL-style league. “Anyway people don’t expect a player to be doing duty in uniform,” he says. “It is not easy to recognise.”Nor does Rajpal grudge that he has to look after the safety of the cricketers. “I am not doing this as a former India captain,” he says. “I am doing this is a policeman. I am a hockey player from 6.30am to 8.30am.” He wants to continue being that hockey player in the morning for as long as his fitness can hold. The pride in his job shows in Rajpal. He didn’t get an honorary post like, say, Harbhajan Singh, the cricketer, did. He applied for it, went through proper training and exams, and then made it as a policeman.So google these names, check their images, go up to them. Do selfies. Tweet them. So that the next time there is a cricket match in Mohali, Sandhu shouldn’t be the only one recognising them.

Stats highlights from the fourth day of the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Dubai

Bishen Jeswant20-Nov-20143 Number of Test centuries for Sarfraz Ahmed in 2014. The only wicketkeeper to have scored more hundreds in a calendar year is AB de Villiers – four in 2013.667 Runs scored by Sarfraz in 2014, from eights Tests, at an average of 74.11. This is the most runs scored by a Pakistan keeper in a calendar year. The next four spots are occupied by Kamran Akmal.4 Number of wicketkeepers who have made 500-plus Test runs in a calendar year at an average of 70 or more; Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower has done this twice.1 Number of Pakistan players who have been involved in two tenth-wicket partnerships of 75 runs or more – Rahat Ali is the only one. He added 81 with Sarfraz for the tenth wicket during Pakistan’s first innings, to take them just ten runs shy of New Zealand’s score of 403.89 Brendon McCullum’s first Test wicket came in his 89th Test, second only to Alastair Cook’s 105-Test wait, when he dismissed Ishant Sharma at Trent Bridge in July 2014. McCullum took a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Sarfraz for 112.18 Hundreds scored by Pakistan’s batsmen in 2014. Batsmen from no other team have scored more than 12 hundreds this year. The only year where Pakistan scored more hundreds was 2006, when their batsmen made 20 hundreds.77 Runs scored by Ross Taylor in New Zealand’s second innings, his highest score this year. Prior to this Test, Taylor had scored 239 runs from ten innings in 2014, at an average of 26.6, with just one fifty.