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PCP Capital Partners remain confident that Newcastle United’s proposed £300million takeover will go through, Chronicle Live journalist Mark Douglas reports.

They remain ‘absolutely committed’ to the deal, rebuffing any suggestions of interest in other clubs.

Meanwhile, the members of Saudi’s Arabia Public Investment Fund officially maintain they have withdrawn their interest.

But sources close to them are ‘adamant’ that they are still keen and that the process will resume if ‘a path to the takeover being completed emerges’.

Douglas’ lowdown on Newcastle takeover arbitration

That so-called ‘path’ could hinge on the decision of the independent arbitration panel, who will make a ruling on whether the PIF is separate from the Saudi government.

The Premier League determined that that was not the case.

Newcastle, Douglas adds, could still launch further legal moves if arbitration does not have the desired outcome.

The team took giant strides towards Premier League survival with a run of eight points from a possible 12 and, sharing Douglas’ words on their Twitter page, Chronicle Live claimed the takeover ‘will be the next big issue’ at the club with next season in the top flight now all but secure.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Let’s place this highly complex situation in a sporting context – we’re entering the final weeks of the season, and the opening of the transfer window is just over a month away.

Barring a swift resolution, it seems likely that Newcastle will be preparing for the 2021/22 campaign with Steve Bruce as manager and Mike Ashley as owner.

But will Ashley want to commit any significant funds to transfers if he feels a takeover may be imminent?

It feels as if the club is in limbo right now, and that could certainly be damaging to any potential transfer plans in the summer.

In other news, read Allan-Saint Maximin’s intriguing programme comments.

I think it took some guts and BMT for Ridley Jacobs to have hit the winning runs the way he did and hopefully in one of the games to come it will be me or one of the our guys in a similar situation winning it for our team

Justin Ontong03-May-2001This is my first tour with the senior SA Cricket team and its great to be with the guys practicing playing and mingling at the highest level.However, this is not my first trip to the Caribbean as I was here last year in September with the "A" side.I joined the guys in Jamaica during the last test match and played my first warm-up game against the Jamaican XI at Sabina Park. The game went quite well and fortunately I was picked for the first one-day match against the West Indies.So, my debut one-day international turned out to be a humdinger of a match going all the way to the wire where the Windies won it off the last ball.I think it took some guts and BMT for Ridley Jacobs to have hit the winning runs the way he did and hopefully in one of the games to come it will be me or one of the our guys in a similar situation winning it for our team.I was quite nervous at the start of the match but after facing my first ball it felt like a whole load of pressure was been taken off my shoulders.I felt that my bowling didn’t really go that well and I could have done better. Perhaps I bowled a few too many short balls and also lacked a bit of experience when bowling to Lara and Hooper, who between them have played around 350 one-day matches.They put on about 70 runs in their partnership and they were going along quite easily at that stage until AD got Lara out caught magnificently by the one-and-only Jonty Rhodes.In the field, I felt that I wasn’t too bad and I’m glad that I contributed with the run-out of Ricardo Powell.One thing however that I did notice was the behaviour of the crowds whom I found extremely abusive. But I guess this is cricket and it happens all over the world.This is now my first visit to Antigua and its one of the better islands that I have come across in the Caribbean. It’s quite similar to Barbados with lots of sights to see fun activities here in the hotel and long white beaches with warm water.Andre Nel and I went for a spin on a canoe and also swam a bit in the sea. Thereafter, we had a few fruit punches at the bar and are just enjoying the sun and warm weather and relaxed atmosphere.However, later this afternoon and tomorrow its back to business and I’ll be back in the practice swing of things preparing for the second match on Wednesday.I’m rooming with Makhaya at the moment and this is quite a change from my previous roomie in Jamaica who was Boeta Dippenaar.Its very different having Makhaya now as he is very active and can’t keep still whereas Boeta is a lot more quiet and likes to relax and read in the room.Until another next time this is Justin Ontong signing off for CricInfo.

Tony Richman smashed 71 not out off 28 deliveries, grabbed 4-56 and, just for good measure, took a stunning one-hand catch as Paultons pulled off a 32-run victory over Southern Electric Premier League Division 3 rivals Purbrook

Mike Vimpany29-May-2001Tony Richman smashed 71 not out off 28 deliveries, grabbed 4-56 and, just for good measure, took a stunning one-hand catch as Paultons pulled off a 32-run victory over Southern Electric Premier League Division 3 rivals Purbrook.The Paultons all-rounder launched into a blistering pre-tea assault on the Purbrook attack, smashing six 6s and six fours – and taking 28 runs off Colin Pay’s last over.Skipper Duncan Park (87) and Ollie Jenner (46) provided a 98-run start, but it appeared as though.Paultons might have to settle for a total slightly in excess of 200 … until Richman struck.But, at 140-2 (Mike Hennessy 43) off 27 overs, Purbrook were optimistic about overhauling Paultons’ 265-7 – but then Richman struck again, brilliantly catching Pay (30) before creating inroads with his medium-pace.Purbrook tumbled from a threatening 201-3 to 233 all out, with wickets tumbling all around South African Johnny Repsold (66), who was eventually run out.Predictably, Richman (4-56) and former Wellow & Plaitford captain John Robinson (4-45) initiated the Purbrook collapse.High riding Alton swept to a fourth successive win, beating Portsmouth II by 29 runs at St Helen’s, Southsea.Although Barry Stares (34) and Jamie Scott (25) opened with a half-century partnership, Alton’s 189-8 was never under serious threat.Alton, though, were in some difficulty at 95-6, but were revived by seventh-wicket pair Paddy Heffernan (43) and Howard Gadsby (32).Andy Tapp (3-28) spoiled Portsmouth’s early promise and gave way to Julian Ballinger (4-31) who ensured the hosts late revival – Andy Pitts (26), Doug Bellchamber (25) and Andy Griffiths (23) took the score on to 160 – was kept in check.Graham Barrett cracked an unbeaten 82 as St Cross Symondians thrashed newly promoted Flamingos by ten wickets at The Holt.Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams (3-26) enhanced his growing all-round status by ripping out Flamingos middle-order with his left-arm in-swing.Stuart Charman, Matt Perry-Lewis and Ben Adams all picked up a brace of wickets as Flamingos sank to 108 all out (Richie Manthorpe 26) and a thumping defeat.John Harris hit a battling 67 but was unable to save Hursley Park from a 57-run defeat by Waterlooville, whose 215-8 was built around Australian all-rounder Chris Baumann (65), Martin Shephard (42) and Paul Russell (35).Leckford slipped to a worrying 17-3 before Mike Howard’s unbeaten 77 set up an eventual six-wicket win over United Services II (180-8) at Portsmouth Grammar School.Miles Bulpitt (35) and Andy Cattle (42 not out) gave key support.Left-hander Steve Shaw carried his bat for a splendid 135 as Hook & Newnham Basics piled up 230-6 to outscore New Milton, who were going well at 99-1 (Lee Beck 42, Ben Edgell 42), only to slip to 199 all out.Havant II, facing defeat at 71-5, ralled to overhaul Rowledge’s 217 (Chris Yates 51), with Matt Ward hammering 76.

Aston Villa have suffered a major blow ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, with Dean Smith confirming that the game has come too soon for Jack Grealish.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Red Devils, the Villa manager said: “It will be 12 games that he misses. He’s out on the grass loading the injury, so he’s on his way back, but this game will be too soon for him.

“He starts training with the actual group tomorrow. As I’ve said many times, we want him back as soon as possible, but we’ve got to do it right as well. We obviously had a spike in his loading last time and we had a reaction, so we have to make sure that we’re very conservative with our approach this time with it.”

The news comes as a major blow for Villa as the Premier League enters the closing stages of the season, with the Midlanders having understandably struggled in the absence of their talisman. In the 11 league games that Grealish has missed, Villa have won just three and scored only 12 goals in the process, putting a major dent in their hopes of securing a surprise European spot for next season.

With Manchester United flying high both domestically and in Europe – they clinched their place in the Europa League final on Thursday – Smith will have been hoping for some good news on Grealish to try and give his side a much-needed boost before the match.

It is a sign of his importance to their attack that his tally of 19 goal contributions (seven goals, 12 assists) is the joint-highest in the Villa squad alongside top scorer Ollie Watkins, per Transfermarkt.

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Instead, Villa will have to try and stop Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side without the 25-year-old, and that’s a tall order given how poorly they’ve performed without him.

Last week’s win over Everton at Goodison Park will give them hope, but Smith will no doubt be disappointed at missing his key player once again.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this £60m-rated star this summer…

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has suffered a gutting injury blow just before his side’s Premier League clash against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

Joe Gelhardt has been a revelation for the club’s U23s since making the move from Wigan last summer, bagging 11 goals in 16 Premier League 2 games and providing another three assists – the 19-year-old played a key role in helping Leeds clinch the title and earn promotion.

With the Premier League in its final stages, the teenager would surely have been hoping to finally get a chance to impress in the first-team, but it appears that may not be the case.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Clarets this afternoon, Bielsa confirmed that Gelhardt has been ruled out due to injury, thus knocking his chances of making his senior debut on the head.

And, in response to the news Gelhardt will be missing from the clash at Turf Moor, former Leeds man Noel Whelan said: “Another young player that has been doing well for the under-23s. You kind of want to see a little bit more, that little integration into the first team before the end of the season. I’m hoping we will do at some point but it’s disappointing that he’s not going to be there and fit for the Burnley game.

“It’s not just me, I think there’s lots of fans out there that are really excited by this young man. He’s exciting, he scores goals, he plays that little number 10 role very well. You think about players that could make an impact. Everyone’s really excited about Joe Gelhardt.”

Bielsa himself has previously gone on record to wax lyrical about the teenager just last month, saying: “His natural position is as a centre-forward. He’s a player who has a great capacity to finish off moves. He’s a player who has dribbling skills in the final third and just before the finalisation of the move.”

And after that praise, plenty of Leeds fans took to Twitter to admit they hoped they would see him in action for the first-team before the season was over, and urged the manager to give him some game time during the final few weeks of the campaign.

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It’s exactly why both Bielsa and the club’s fans will no doubt be absolutely gutted that Gelhardt will not be making his first-team bow at Turf Moor on Saturday lunchtime, and why it’s a setback for Leeds ahead of the game.

Meanwhile, Leeds source drops exciting update on club’s transfer plans…

Batsman Matthew Wood looks set to make his first team debut for Somerset against Yorkshire at Bath in the CricInfo Championship match that starts on Wednesday

Richard Walsh12-Jun-2001Batsman Matthew Wood looks set to make his first team debut for Somerset against Yorkshire at Bath in the CricInfo Championship match that starts on Wednesday.The 20-year-old right-handed opening bat who plays club cricket for Exmouth has been on the Somerset scene for several years, and last year played for Devon in the Nat West Trophy.Matthew has enjoyed a run of good form this year including an impressive century for Somerset Seconds, in the one day win over a strong Gloucestershire side at Bristol.Second XI coach Julian Wyatt rates him very highly, and has brought him in to replace Peter Bowler, who will miss the match because of his law exams.Matthew Bulbeck is missing as a precaution to enable him to make a full recovery from the injury he sustained against Surrey in the Championship, and Jason Kerr and Jamie Grove are added to give bowling options.Richard Johnson and Rob Turner who both missed Sunday’s match with food poisoning are expected to be fit to play.

Tons from Ehsanul Haque and Habibul Bashar brought Mohammedan full points as they won the match by a huge margin of 239 runs again Young Cricketers in GrameenPhone Premier League today held in Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium

Shahryar Khan27-Mar-2002Tons from Ehsanul Haque and Habibul Bashar brought Mohammedan full points as they won the match by a huge margin of 239 runs again Young Cricketers in GrameenPhone Premier League today held in Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium.It was a woeful day for the Young Cricketers bowlers as their captain won the toss and sent their mighty opponents to bat first in a slightly rain affected pitch. However, the pacers from the fielding side were unsuccessful against the Mohammedan top-order. The opening pair Shabbir Khan and Ehsanul Haque managed 55 runs from the first 8 overs, which suggests how aggressive they were in their lines of attack.Shabbir Khan, opened in the absence of Rashedul-Haq, departed with 32 that included 6 slashing boundaries in it. Then Ehsanul and Habibul Bashar built up a 192-run rapport between them that took the score to 237. Bashar, the more aggressive of the two, scored 93 runs off just 76 deliveries. His slammed 6 fours and 3 massive sixes in this process. Sohel Rana broke the partnership by eliminating Bashar, who was nearing his hundred without being watchful at all at those moments.Sohel got Ehsanul’s precious wicket too when the right-hander offered a simple catch to Imran Ahmed; but before that he notched up 110 that came off just facing 122 balls featured with 11 scintillating boundaries. Some brief but useful cameo innings from Steve Tikolo (26) and Taposh Kumar (15) took Mohammedan off to 300-figure landmark.None among the Young Cricketers bowlers could claim success except Sohel Rana, who finished with 3 for 50 in his 9 overs. The match had a delayed start due to overnight rain, therefore, was reduced to 45 overs instead of 50.Chasing a virtually unreachable target of 311, the Mirpur based club stumbled almost immediately as they started off. Taposh Kumar Baiso, the strike bowler for Mohammedan who won the man-of-the-match in the previous game, struck another blow upon the weak batting order of his rivals. Young cricketers lost 8 wickets with the score on just 39.Later Nadeem Sazzad, their wicket keeper and the only man to reach the double figure, put some resistance against Taposh, Rafique and Shafiuddin Ahmed. He top scored 23 with a couple of boundaries in it. The club was forced to pack up with 71 on their board from 26.5 overs.Taposh mopped up with a 5-wicket haul from his stipulated 9 overs. Mohammed Rafique claimed 2 for 19. Ehsanul Haq and Taposh Kumar were jointly adjudged for the man-of-the-match for their vital roles in both innings.

Cristiano Giaretta has been dealt a blow in his bid to bring Rodrigo De Paul to Watford this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with The Athletic, the Udinese Calcio midfielder revealed that he would not find it easy to leave the Serie A side this summer, amid links with both Leeds United and the Hornets.

When asked about his future at the club, De Paul said: “It’s not easy to leave here. At Udinese, it’s a family, the club provides you with everything, even the simplest things, so you can concentrate on your football.”

Giaretta will be gutted

If the 26-year-old’s comments do indicate that he is uncertain about leaving Udinese this summer, it will undoubtedly come as gutting news to the Watford sporting director, who has been tasked with putting together a team at Vicarage Road who are capable of surviving in the Premier League next term.

And, after looking at his returns for the Le Zebrette this season, it would be very difficult to make an argument against the signing of De Paul having a tremendous impact on the chances of the Hornets retaining their status as a Premier League side come next summer.

Over his 35 Serie A appearances for Luca Gotti’s side so far this season, he has scored nine goals, registered nine assists and has created a whopping 20 big chances, in addition to making an average of 2.3 key passes and completing 3.4 dribbles per game, culminating in an extremely impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.55 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the Italian top flight.

As such, missing out on a player of the obvious talent of the £31k-per-week star this summer – whom Udinese’s technical director Pierpaolo Marino dubbed “world-class” – would be a devastating blow for the Hornets, as the £34.2m-rated Argentina international would undoubtedly be one of Xisco Munoz’s stars at Vicarage Road in their Premier League campaign next season.

In other news: Giaretta must sanction Watford swoop for 21 y/o likened to Son with “ancient flavour” – opinion

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union have pleasure in announcing a two-and-a-half-week tour of Zimbabwe by England in October 2001 to play a five-match series of One-Day Internationals

Media Release15-Jun-2001The Zimbabwe Cricket Union have pleasure in announcing a two-and-a-half-week tour of Zimbabwe by England in October 2001 to play a five-match series of One-Day Internationals.The England team will arrive in Zimbabwe on Thursday 27 September and return home on Sunday 14 October.Tim Lamb, ECB Chief Executive, said: “Duncan Fletcher has felt for some time that the England one-day team need to gain more match experience before the next World Cup in South Africa in 2003.”Our international schedule until then is very busy and this September/October represents the only time when we could arrange such a tour. The squad will be announced in due course.”Duncan Fletcher, England team head coach, said: “The England team which played yesterday at Old Trafford had a collective total of 445 caps. Yesterday’s Australian team had 1,214 caps between them, and the Pakistan team which played at Lord’s on Tuesday had 1,169 caps.””Experience at One-Day International level is crucial and, as you can see, we are much less experienced than other teams in this form of the game.”We are trying to build a team to compete in the 2003 World Cup, and this is going to take time and patience.”This tour will certainly help and it will also give us further experience of southern African conditions which will be important for 2003.”ITINERARYWednesday 26 September England Team Depart EnglandThursday 27 September Arrive ZimbabweMonday 1 October Warm-up vs. Zimbabwe `A’ Alexandra S.CWednesday 3 October 1st ODI Harare Sports ClubSaturday 6 October 2nd ODI Harare Sports ClubSunday 7 October 3rd ODI Harare Sports ClubWednesday 10 October 4th ODI Queens Sports Club, ByoSaturday 13 October 5th ODI Queens Sports Club, ByoSunday 14 October Depart ZimbabweMonday 15 October Arrive England

Like Wolves did in their second season in the Premier League two years back, David Norris believes that his former side Leeds could qualify for Europe next term.

Having finished their campaign with four straight victories, part of a run of just one defeat in 11 Premier League games, the Yorkshire outfit came ninth, which ended up being just three points behind seventh-place Tottenham and the UEFA Conference League.

During that run of results, Marcelo Bielsa’s team managed to remain unbeaten against five of the traditional top-six, whilst they also took a point off Arsenal in November and ran Liverpool close on the opening-day.

But their best result of the campaign was a smash-and-grab victory at Manchester City earlier this month with 10 men, showing that they’re more than capable of competing with the best at this level.

Leeds must be wary they don’t suffer from second season syndrome, especially having watched their Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United fall into that trap and get relegated this season.

But ex-midfielder Norris exclusively told Football FanCast that Bielsa’s team are too good for that to happen:

“Teams will have a lot more of an idea what Leeds are about. So that might be a big test and challenge in the second season, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to make them struggle.

“I’d expect to see them right up in the top-half and pushing for Europe next season.”