All posts by h716a5.icu

According to a report by Goal, Tottenham Hotspur are now keen on signing Crystal Palace dynamo Wilfried Zaha alongside Everton – with the report revealing chairman Daniel Levy ‘will look to pursue a deal’ this summer. 

The Lowdown: Zaha wants out…

The 28-year-old is said to be eager to exit Selhurst Park once again over six years after the Eagles re-signed him from Manchester United.

Zaha has been one of Palace’s key players for a number of seasons and has continued that form sporadically over 2020/2021, scoring 11 goals in 29 Premier League starts (WhoScored).

This has reportedly prompted interest from opposing clubs as Goal lift the lid on this development in the Zaha saga.

The Latest: Spurs now keen…

As reported by Goal, Spurs are now keen on signing Zaha alongside Everton with Levy aiming to rebuild the squad and compete over 2021/2022.

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Their new interest in the Ivorian star may have been prompted by his hesitation over signing a new deal.

His current deal expires in 2023 and the clock is ticking for Palace to sell Zaha for profit.

There is also a belief that he could be available for less than £40 million – arguably an attractive incentive for Levy to consider a deal with Spurs now keen.

Indeed, Tottenham will apparently ‘look to pursue a deal’ this summer and are currently monitoring his situation amid after this possible price drop.

The Lilywhites will especially have the means to make a move if superstar striker Harry Kane departs this summer.

The Verdict: Time to strike…

Signing Zaha for a fee below £40m comes as a real opportunity for Spurs to inject some much-needed creativity going forward.

As well as this, his arrival would provide Tottenham’s new manager with an alternative to Son Heung-min and more strength in depth overall.

Scoring 47 goals and assisting 41 others in 245 Premier League appearances overall (Transfermarkt), the attacker is currently in his prime and could really shine for Spurs.

Lauded as an ‘outstanding talent’ by Martin Keown (talkSPORT), fellow pundit Tony Cascarino told the same outlet that Zaha can be ‘nearly unplayable’ when at his very best.

The only caveat could be Zaha’s £130,000-per-week wages and whether he could demand more if Spurs come calling, with the Lilywhites’ financial problems well documented (Evening Standard).

If Spurs manage to pull off a deal, however, he certainly has the ability to justify every penny.

In other news: ‘I hear from a reliable source’…Journalist drops major Harry Kane claim, find out more here.

West Brom attacker Matheus Pereira would be a perfect addition for Leeds United this summer, according to former England international Kevin Phillips.

The Lowdown: Pereira shines for West Brom

The Baggies may have suffered relegation back to the Championship, but the Brazilian playmaker stood out for them throughout the season. The 25-year-old scored 11 goals and registered six assists in the league – an impressive tally, considering his team’s struggles – and he caught the eye with his overall quality.

Leeds have been linked with a move for Pereira this summer, although nothing too concrete has materialised as of yet.

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The Latest: Pundit keen on Leeds signing Baggies star

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips talked up the idea of the Whites signing the West Brom playmaker, claiming he would be a perfect fit for Marcelo Bielsa’s team as he said:

“I think it would suit their style. Leeds are an exciting, free-flowing team, you can express yourself in that side.

“We’ve seen that with players like Raphinha and Jack Harrison this year, that they can just go and play with freedom, but you have to be prepared to work your socks off and that’s something Pereira would have to take to another level.

“But it’s no surprise that a player like that, of that mould and ilk, is being linked with Leeds.”

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The Verdict: Exciting addition

Pereira has the potential to be a great signing for Leeds, should their interest be genuine. His aforementioned end product speaks for itself and he would bring another level of guile to a Whites team who scored abundantly in 2020/21, smashing in 62 Premier League goals.

Not only that, he also averaged 0.8 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game in the league this season, showing that he is also effective off the ball, which would no doubt appeal to the demanding Bielsa.

Pereira’s ideal blend of creativity and industry should indeed make him a good fit for Leeds, as Phillips has suggested.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a move for a relegated Premier League player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Sri Lanka’s cricket administration was plunged into a fresh crisis on theweekend as four members of the recently appointed interim committee runningthe Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) revealed that theywould handing over letters

CricInfo12-May-2002Sri Lanka’s cricket administration was plunged into a fresh crisis on theweekend as four members of the recently appointed interim committee runningthe Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) revealed that theywould handing over letters of resignation to the Sports Minister on Mondaymorning.Chairman of selectors Michael Tissera, secretary Kushil Gunasekera,treasurer Tryphon Mirando and Sidath Wettimuny have been incensed by theSports Minister’s surprise decision last week to send former board presidentThilanga Sumathipala to the International Cricket Council (ICC) ExecutiveMeeting at London in June.Johnston Fernando, who appointed the present ten member interim committeelast month for a 12-month period, had first recommended that Sumathipalalead the delegation to London, but later compromised, declaring that HemakaAmarasuriya, the present interim chairman, would head the team withSumathipala as back-up.But Sumathipala’s inclusion in the team was still fiercely resisted by thefour members. They maintain that Sri Lanka should be represented by membersof the board, as per traditional protocol, and not by persons without anyofficial role within the administration.Fernando is believed to have recommended Sumathipala’s nomination in thefirst place on the basis that his considerable experience as a cricketadministrator (he has been BCCSL President twice in the last three years)gives him extra clout at an important ICC meeting.The Sports Minister now faces an embarrassing situation. If he accepts themembers’ resignation then the interim committee loses key administrators ata crucial time for Sri Lanka with four months remaining to the ICC ChampionsTrophy, a showcase tournament for the country. Should he back down again, hecould lose face.The Prime Minister, Ranil Wickramasinghe, who has been keeping close eye onthe cricket board, had an emergency meeting with Amarasuriya, the boardchairman, on Friday, presumably to help defuse the current crisis.Sumathipala, currently in Malaysia on business, has told the Sunday Timesthat he would be delighted to represent Sri Lanka at the meeting should theminister request that he does so.Tissera, who was due to depart for London on Saturday to assist with SriLanka’s selection for the first Test at Lords starting Thursday, has delayedhis trip.

A place in the quarter-finals of the 38 County Cup competition awaits Lincolnshire if they beat Leicestershire County Board XI at Cleethorpes on Sunday

Lincolnshire CCC Media Release04-Jul-2002A place in the quarter-finals of the 38 County Cup competition awaits Lincolnshire if they beat Leicestershire County Board XI at Cleethorpes on Sunday.But the county team will be without captain Mark Fell, who has been at the bedside of his two week old son after it was found that the baby needed an urgent operation.Instead, vice-captain James Clarke will be leading the Lincs team which includes Cleethorpes’ Simon Webb, who replaces Fell, and sees the return of Simon Oakes who missed the recent three day game against Bucks. Webb’s team mate Jonathan Davies, now back in action after injury, is rested for this game in preparation for the next three day match, against Northumberland in mid-July.The match, which is 50 overs per side, begins at 11am and spectators are welcome at the Chichester Road ground.

Lincolnshire squad:J HarrisonR HowittM DobsonJ TrowerJ Clarke (capt)S WebbO Burford (w/k)R ChapmanD ChristmasD PipesS Oakes12th man:  J Davies

Manchester City fans have been reacting to the news that Barcelona have met with the agents of both Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez.

The past season was a mixed one for the Citizens. Of course, there was plenty of success for them to enjoy as they won both the Premier League and the League Cup, but the trophy they wanted the most, the Champions League, slipped from their grasp as they lost 1-0 in the final to Chelsea in Porto.

This summer, therefore, could well be a busy one at the Etihad Stadium, with both incomings and outgoings expected. Both Eric Garcia (fcbarcelona.com) and Sergio Aguero have made the switch to the Camp Nou, and now it seems the La Liga side are interested in both Gundogan (valued at £36m by Transfermarkt) and Mahrez (£37.8m) (via Jose Alvarez).

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Man City fans had to say about news below

“WHEN WILL IT STOP”

Credit: @FodenEnthusiast

“Are we now an academy of Barca?”

Credit: @KukuMhlanga

“At this point we have to play with eds next season  we are getting relegated”

Credit: @jniinj

“Barca pls stop”

Credit: @AgueroProp

“City has become a shopping center, are we going to have any plays for next season??”

Credit: @MancityMaldives

“What is going on with Barca? Do they want to buy our whole club?”

Credit: @thecityzen06

In other news, Man City fans are livid at this Lukas Nmecha news.

Ventnor are edging nearer first season safety in Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 after having to virtually rebuild the side that monopolized Hampshire League cricket in recent seasons

Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo)26-Jul-2002Ventnor are edging nearer first season safety in Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 after having to virtually rebuild the side that monopolized Hampshire League cricket in recent seasons.They would certainly have fancied their chances of continuing to sweep aside all comers had the likes of Mark Garaway, Steve Snell, Ian Hilsum and the late Walter Masimula remained at Steephill.But when the Islanders stepped up for their Division 3 debut against New Milton back in mid-May, only skipper Mark Whyte, Mark Fletcher, Andy White and Neil Dodds of last season’s undefeated County Division 1 title winning side remained.Predictably, it’s been hard work for Ventnor’s patched-up side ever since. They beat Havant II, Redlynch & Hale and Waterlooville convincingly enough.In between, they suffered seven defeats which kept them in the danger zone. But a fourth win, by a six-wicket margin over last year’s HL runners-up Hartley Wintney, has put Ventnor to within touching distance of safety.Hartley Wintney, in serious danger of immediate relegation themselves after losing all but two of their nine games, totalled 235-9 (Andy White 4-40) on the Steephill shirtfront, with Australian Jimmy Castrisos (78) supported by Mark Digweed (32) and Dave Almond (31).Ventnor got home with five overs to spare – Mark Fletcher hitting 104 and sharing a century opening partnership with Neil Westhorpe (36) before Island legend Jeff Hose belted 63 off 46 balls as only he knows how !The win lifted Ventnor into fourth from bottom position but didn’t stop skipper Mark Whyte from dropping his teammates a few reminders about the hard work still to be done."We’ve got five games left after today’s visit by Alton and those matches include St Cross Symondians and Purbrook, two teams battling to go up – so there’s a fair way to go yet," he pointed out.Poor old Redlynch & Hale all but gave up hope of survival when they hit 272-5 – only to lose by six wickets to Ventnor a month ago.And when Ian Bryan decided to get wed last Saturday, it left club stalwart Iain Souter with virtually a reverse strength side to take to Gosport Borough.The outcome was inevitable – Gosport piling up 322-5 through Nathan Collins (85), Stuart Magee (54), John Adams (51) and young Craig Stares (43).But Redlynch made a creditable 205 reply, with Lee Wordley celebrating his senior debut to the hilt, carrying his bat for 107 after taking 3-56.Hook & Newnham Basics remain in deep trouble too after a rain-adjusted 26-run defeat by Paultons, who 258 all out owed much to tail end pair Peter Lamb and Lee Rayner.Tony Richman (74) had dominated Paultons’ 196-9, but Lamb (40) and Rayner (17 not out) frustrated Hook with a last-wicket stand of 62.Hook were 106-1 – chasing an abridged Paultons total of 131 – when the game was abandoned, some 25.3 overs into the evening session.Hambledon fancied their chances of improving their lowly status when Hampshire’s Derek Kenway struck a glorious 135 not out against promotion outsiders New Milton at Ridge Meadow.Kenway’s innings, which formed an 80-5 rescue act with John Burdekin (48), was "a joy to watch" according to New Milton skipper Steve Watts.But, once Ryan Beck got into his stride, Hambldon’s 243-8 was always in danger."He went out to the middle and took complete control," said Watts (33), who saw both Richard Wilson (26) and latterly Dean Miller (48) fire Milton to a five-wicket win and into fifth spot.Waterlooville’s anxieties were eased by a Chris Baumann inspired 168-run victory over Portsmouth II at Rowlands Avenue.The Queenslander, who captains the Ville, hammered a blistering 147 in his side’s massive 280 all out.Once ever-youthful Stan Rudder (3-27) had ripped out Portsmouth’s top order, only the margin of victory remained. Ali Love’s 4-21 saw Portsmouth bowled out for 112.St Cross Symondians began a crunch three-match spell today, which could decide on of the two promotion positions.The outcome of today’s visit to Purbrook and the forthcoming games with New Milton and Hursley Park will have a significant bearing on the destination of the title.Mark Parker’s domineering century against Leckford, who tumbled to 115 all out in the face of a mountainous 281-7, gave St Cross a useful five-point lead over Purbrook, who were without key players Mike Hennessy, Ian Hinter and Craig Williams this afternoon.Purbrook posted a tidy 257-8 after Will Prozesky (47) had fired a ten-runs-an-over start against Flamingo at The Holt.Hennessy, with an overdue 76, and Hunter (32) helped Purbrook on their way before Flamingo’s, going nicely under Tom Cledwyn (28), sagged to 113-8.Last pair Dave Breach (28) and Dave Wright (21) added an unbroken 51 for the last wicket to take the reply to 181-9 (Mark Stanley 3-28).Alton, who appeared on course for a top two slot after beating Purbrook three weeks ago, desperately needed to win at Ventnor today if they were to avert a repetition of last year’s promotion slip up.The four-wicket defeat by Hursley Park was Alton’s second in a fortnight and sent Julian Ballinger’s troops down to third spot.Alton were going along well when Michael Heffernan (46) departed at 100-2, but never recovered sufficiently to defend an eventual 195-8.When Hursley lost three wickets for eight runs to slump to 71-4 (Jason Marr 39), it was anyone’s game.Matt Harvey’s unbeaten half-century, aided by Rob Lowe (24) and Ben Smyth (24 not out), saw the Park home.Bashley’s Jo Hall won’t want to remember his visit to Havant in a hurry, having damaged an eye socket and had eight stitches inserted in a facial wound after a rising ball from David Wade had gone through the grill of his visor.Hall, who spent five hours undergoing treatment in Queen Alexandra Hospital, was still suffering from blurred vision four days after being hit and had no chance of playing against Gosport Borough today."The staff at the hospital were absolutely superb," said Hall, who was not the only casualty.Veteran spinner Bob Paul, a recent recipient of the June bowling prize, pulled a hamstring, leaving Bashley with only nine fit men.It was no surprise that Havant won, Jon Owen’s 71 top scoring in a total of 177 before depleted Bashley were dismissed for 110, Matt Gover taking 4-10, his best figures for years.

Jon Newsome doubts that Leeds United will be able to pull off a move to sign goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from West Bromwich Albion this summer.

The Whites have been linked with a move to snap up the Baggies goalkeeper, who enjoyed an excellent season despite their relegation.

Johnstone made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League and appears almost certain to remain in the top-flight, with West Ham United also linked with an interest.

Leeds may need to sign a new goalkeeper this summer amid uncertainty over the future of Kiko Casilla, who has fallen out of favour under Marcelo Bielsa after being found guilty of using racist language while playing for the club in the Championship.

Newsome insists that Johnstone would not come into Elland Road and instantly become a starter, because of the excellent form of Illan Meslier, and believes that could place any potential transfer in doubt.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “Sam Johnstone, I don’t think he’d want to come in and fight for his place. I think he’d want to come in, you want to come in and not be guaranteed the No.1 shirt but you’re being bought and brought into a club where you’re going to be playing every week unless something else happens.

“I can’t see that happening because Meslier’s had such a great season.”

When Rui Patricio turned up at Molineux in 2018, many fans and outsiders may have been surprised to see Portugal’s number one rock up to sign for the newly-promoted Premier League outfit.

However, after Wolves showed their ambition nobody can question his decision to join and become the club’s main man between the sticks, and Wolves legend Steve Bull can’t see why he would want to leave.

Since Nuno Espirito Santo left Wolves, rumours have been strong that Patricio could be linking up with fellow countrymen Jose Mourinho at Roma as he looks for a new number one in the Italian capital.

Patricio has only missed two Premier League matches since he joined in 2018 having also made an impressive 127 appearances across all competitions, keeping 37 clean sheets during his time at Molineux.

At 33-years-old, Patricio provides a wealth of experience as well as still being an outstanding goalkeeper and having made a good bond with the fans, Bull struggles to see why he would want to leave and move to Roma, something he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about:

“I think he’s made a good bond with fans so I see no reason why he would want to go unless he goes back to Portugal for the last few years of his career. I can’t see it.”

With talk of Patricio leaving this summer, Wolves are reportedly already working on his replacement and they appear to have identified Jose Sa as their number one target, he’s a Portuguese shot-stopper who is currently plying his trade at Olympiakos.

With the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho also being tipped for exits this summer, there could be a reduction in the number of Portuguese players brought to Molineux, something that was rife under Nuno.

As I write this, India is on the verge of losing the first Test at Lord’s and losing it comprehensively unless some miracle happens or rain washes out play on the last day

Omar Kureishi31-Jul-2002As I write this, India is on the verge of losing the first Test at Lord’s and losing it comprehensively unless some miracle happens or rain washes out play on the last day.It has, so far been, a miserable Test for India, the highlight of this misery being the failure of Sachin Tendulkar in both the innings.The “little champion,” as Sunil Gavaskar calls him, was psyched out by Nasser Hussain. He saved Simon Jones the much hyped Welshman as England’s answer to Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee as Sachin came out to bat. Jones is quick but he represents raw pace and hasn’t got his compass fine-tuned. But he seemed to unsettle Tendulkar who took a knock on his elbow.The Indian innings was never allowed to get started on the morning of the third day. Hussain got his bowler to go ground the wicket and to aim for the rib-cage. It was good, aggressive captaincy. Even though the track was flat and described as “a belter,” the Indians chose not to counter-attack. Only Rahul Dravid and Vangipurappu Laxman seemed equal to the task and Dravid was out to a ball that jumped at him and Laxman ran out of partners.India had started badly when it chose to leave out Harbhajan Singh, going by the conventional wisdom that in England, one should play three seamers. With the exception of Zaheer Khan, the other two seamers neither had the pace nor were they able to move the ball, in the air or off the seam and England was able to amass 487 without too much sweat.Virender Sehwag, opening the innings for India played a breezy innings and a most attractive one but India needed serious runs and this meant Tendulkar coming off. He certainly looked off-colour and he scratched around and should have been caught by Graham Thorpe at slip off Jones. But he was out to a shot that he would not have played in the nets and in the second innings he was bowled by an inswinging yorker with plenty of daylight between bat and pad.It was a peach of a delivery and would have bowled most batsmen but not a batsman of Tendulkar’s class. Is Tendulkar showing that he is human, after all, and like all batsmen, great and small, he’s going through a lean patch?Jones is an exciting prospect for England. Hussain has used him as a shock bowler, in short bursts. I think he will be a handful on bouncier wickets provided he can get his line and length right, and, provided too, he has the stamina. He showed that he was no mug with the bat and played a cameo innings with some clean hitting.The irony is that he would not have played had Darren Gough or Andy Caddick or Alex Tudor been fit and the England selectors are not known for having an eye on the future. On England’s tour of Australia, later this year, he would be my first choice and yet he may not make the team!It was bad enough that that triangular that Pakistan was to host was shifted to Nairobi but we seem to have run into some in-fighting between the Kenyan Cricket Association and its Sports Ministry. The President of Kenya has had to intervene. Sri Lanka too appears to having some problems on the administrative front and the decision to ‘rest’ nine of their senior players for the second Test against Bangladesh was a strange one. Apart from being a little insulting to the visitors, Sri Lanka had been mauled on its tour of England and would have been a team short of confidence. The best way to regain confidence is to start winning.A Test match is cricket at the highest level and is not an occasion to blood new players wholesale. Muttiah Muralitharan who has recovered from a shoulder injury showed that he was match-fit when he destroyed Bangladesh in the first match. He should have played in the second Test and is clearly unhappy that he did not. So too is the captain, Sanath Jayasuriya.Sri Lanka will need to get its act together for the triangular in Tangiers for it will be pitted against Pakistan and South Africa. At present, it gives the impression of a house divided against itself. And if I was a Sri Lankan sports official, I would see to it that Muralitharan is kept happy. He is half the team and without him, the bowling is less than mediocre.Pakistan will not have Shoaib Akhtar for Tangiers. He has chosen to ‘rest’ in England. I have no quarrel with that. But we were getting confused signals, as if to suggest, that he had just trotted off without permission. That is not, of course, the case. But Shoaib has got the reputation of being a loose cannon, somewhat. But I don’t think he would let Pakistan down when the team needs him.Pakistan has developed into a fine, fighting unit. It has got to stay that way. Pakistan will be playing Australia in Nairobi and then playing in the ICC Trophy in Sri Lanka. These games will be a rehearsal for the World Cup next year. The players and the team management should be on the same wave length. Happily, they are and everyone concerned should ensure that it stays that way.

Hampshire director of cricket and caretaker coach Tim Tremlett set his players a target of two wins from their last three championship games after they salvaged just two bonus points from their mauling at the Oval.

Daily Echo26-Aug-2002Hampshire director of cricket and caretaker coach Tim Tremlett set his players a target of two wins from their last three championship games after they salvaged just two bonus points from their mauling at the Oval.Lancashire’s seven-wicket win against Sussex at Hove and Somerset’s draw against third placed Warwickshire means that Hampshire have dropped a place to third from bottom.Now only Somerset and Yorkshire, last year’s champions and Hampshire’s opponents tomorrow, are below Hampshire in the table.But it could be worse – if Somerset had held one of four dropped catches on Saturday they would have got the win that would have left Hampshire’s survival hopes looking even slimmer.As it is, Tremlett reckons that Hampshire need to win as many games as they have in their last 12 to stay up.He said: “Our target has always been somewhere around the 150 points mark and we now need two wins to get that.”Hampshire’s defeat by an innings and 60 runs was only their second reverse of the season.Only Surrey and Warwickshire are as hard to beat but Hampshire have drawn more games than any other side in either division.Tremlett added: “When you only get 190 in the first innings you are always going to struggle.”Saqlain Mushtaq looked to be quite refreshed after coming back from one-day action with Pakistan but we managed to play more positively against the spin second time round.”Nic Pothas and Will Kendall both batted well and Dimitri Mascarenhas played positively.”James Tomlinson and Shaun Udal stuck to their tasks well. It obviously wasn’t an easy wicket for James but he only went for three an over.”John Crawley will be available for his first championship game in six weeks but there are still doubts as to the fitness of Adie Aymes (knee) and Alan Mullally (rib).Mullally was due to discover if he is fit enough to lead the Hampshire attack during a net session earlier today, with Aymes also set to undergo a late fitness test.With Chris Tremlett out for the rest of the season Tomlinson is almost certain to play his first home game in the championship, following his impressive debut at the Oval. Run-in:Yorkshire (Rose Bowl, tomorrow), Sussex (Hove, September 5), Surrey (Rose Bowl, September 11