All posts by h716a5.icu

An update has emerged on Lyon attacker Moussa Dembele, regarding interest from Newcastle United…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are ‘weighing’ up a swoop for the centre-forward as they plot their targets for the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 side are open to cashing in on the beast next month, although it remains unclear how much they want in return for him.

Get it done

Nick Hammond must ensure that he is able to work with Eddie Howe to secure a deal for the ex-Celtic hitman as he could be an excellent addition to the squad heading into the second half of the campaign.

Howe’s favoured 4-4-2 formation could be more effective with two out-and-out strikers at the top end of the pitch, with Callum Wilson currently the only recognised striker in the rotation as it stands. He is the only player in the squad with more than three Premier League goals and the signing of Dembele could hand him a capable partner to share the load with.

The beast, who was once dubbed “powerful” by Brendan Rodgers, has scored 49 goals in 120 matches for Lyon, having scored 51 times in 94 games for the Hoops in Scotland. He also has experience in England, scoring 15 Championship goals in his final season at Fulham.

His former Celtic teammate Leigh Griffiths previously hailed the £15.3m-rated beast as “unplayable” and also said:

“With that display, Moussa showed he is one of the top young talents in Europe.

“It doesn’t matter how big the occasion is, he is always calm. I thought he was exceptional. He never gave the Rangers defence a minute’s peace. He has that in the locker and when he is in the mood like that he is a joy to watch.”

His goalscoring statistics throughout his career and Griffiths’ quotes on him suggest that he could be, as the Scot put it himself, unplayable for the Magpies. He has shown that he can score goals in a variety of leagues, scoring in the top division of Scottish and French football, whilst also finding the back of the net in the second division of English football.

Therefore, Hammond must complete a swoop for the Frenchman in January to bolster Howe’s squad and give him the best possible chance of avoiding relegation.

AND in other news, Hammond could seal instant NUFC masterclass by signing “outstanding” £15m “animal”…

Influential Wolves forward Pedro Neto is expected to return from a serious knee injury in February, according to journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Neto missing for Wolves

The 21-year-old is one of Wanderers’ most important players but they have had to make do without him since last April, having picked up a knee issue.

Neto has been a big miss, with his quality in attack proving crucial for Wolves last season, when five goals and six Premier League assists came his way before his injury.

Patience has been required with regards to the youngster’s comeback, but it appears as though the end is in sight.

The Latest: Spiers provides positive Neto update

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Spiers reiterated Bruno Lage’s confirmation that Neto is expected to be back in February, providing a six-word verdict.

He tweeted: “Neto likely back playing in Feb.”

The Verdict: Major boost for Wolves

This is a huge boost for Wolves, with Neto providing such an attacking spark with his direct running, trickery and end product.

Without him around, Lage’s side have managed to score just 13 times in 18 league matches this season, highlighting how much he has been missed since his injury.

While Neto needs to be managed carefully in the coming months, he can play a key role in Wolves’ push for a European finish, producing match-winning moments while his team remain tough to break down.

In other news, some Wolves fans love a photo that has emerged. Read more here.

Middlesex eased to a comfortable victory over Netherlands in their Clydesdale Bank 40 encounter in Amstelveen

Cricinfo staff23-May-2010
Scorecard
Middlesex eased to a comfortable victory over Netherlands in their Clydesdale Bank 40 encounter in Amstelveen. Their win was set up by Scott Newman, who raced to 122 from only 107 balls, hitting three sixes along the way, as Middlesex reached 241 for 5 after opting to bat first. Pedro Collins then ripped through the Dutch batting line-up with 4 for 25, including a wicket with the first ball of the chase, as Netherlands were bowled out for 195.Newman added 112 in just under 20 overs with Neil Dexter before Dexter edged Peter Borren through to wicketkeeper Atse Buurman to depart for 40. Owais Shah fell a short time later, but Dawid Malan and Gareth Berg chipped in with cameos as Newman kept the runs flowing. Fast bowler Mark Jonkman was the most successful Dutch bowler, picking up 2 for 49.Netherlands’ chase got off to a disastrous start as Eric Szwarczynski played from the crease to his first ball and chipped a simple return catch to Collins. Netherlands slipped to 7 for 2 when Collins trapped Nick Statham lbw, but Australian import Michael Dighton kept the innings afloat with 85 from 102 balls. He was joined in a 72-run partnership by Tom Cooper, who reached 30, and Bas Zuiderent also kept Netherlands in the running with a run-a-ball 28.But after he was dismissed, wickets fell at regular intervals, and Collins returned to wrap up the innings by bowling Mohammad Kashif.

Lancashire might consider they slightly underachieved on the second day of the 250th Roses match

Jon Culley at Headingley30-May-2010
ScorecardHaving put together solid partnerships for each of the first three wickets, Lancashire might consider they slightly underachieved on the second day of the 250th Roses match. When every batsman sets down the foundations for a good innings, at least one would be expected to build something substantial. In the event, none did, and while Ashwell Prince set himself impressively for a meaningful send-off in the last match of his Lancashire stint, the South African will feel he let an opportunity slip in being out for 78.Nonetheless, Lancashire have the upper hand, although after a day lost to the weather, the way to a positive outcome may need some canny declarations. Yorkshire’s bowlers worked hard but have not found the pitch particularly helpful. There is not too much pace and the ball has rarely deviated much.It was hard going for spectators, too. Some gathered in the lower tier seats of the unfinished pavilion but nowhere offered shelter from a fierce and chilly wind. Shirts rippled and flags stretched for much of the day.Lancashire won the toss and revealed a changed batting line-up, in which Luke Sutton dropped back to No. 7 after his three-match run as opener, an experiment that was skewed slightly by the hundred he made against Somerset at the start of the run.The new team of Paul Horton and Stephen Moore looked better equipped and were going along solidly, taming the new ball, until Horton pushed at a delivery from Oliver Hannon-Dalby and was caught at third slip. Still, their partnership was the equal, at 53, of Lancashire’s highest for the first wicket this season.The arrival of Prince alongside Moore denied Yorkshire any quick follow-up to their breakthrough, the pair seeing Lancashire through to lunch satisfactorily at 99 for 1. Tino Best, wicketless, was looking visibly frustrated at times, while Ajmal Shahzad, back home after England duty in the Caribbean, probably needed some overs.However, his pace is always liable to pose problems and did so for Moore, into his 40s and looking to kick on, when a ball that hit the pitch hard contrived to skid rather than bounce and slipped under his defences. Moore stared ruefully at the pitch as he turned for the pavilion but there were not many balls that behaved similarly.Coming early in the second session, the wicket encouraged Yorkshire but again there was a long wait for more success. Mark Chilton had a hairy moment when he edged Shahzad but the ball somehow went between the first and second slips with neither able to react.Once he had settled, Chilton began to find gaps in the field regularly but like Moore he found his progress ended just as he must have felt well set.This time Rashid was rewarded for persistence, three overs before tea. The legspinner bowled with discipline but was into his fifth over before he was able to make something happen, getting some bounce and enough turn to induce an edge from Mark Chilton, taken one-handed by Jacques Rudolph at slip to end a 27-over partnership of 81.At the other end, however, nothing much had troubled Prince, with a second century for Lancashire seemingly there for the taking. But he, too, failed to deliver the pay-off, going back to a ball from Steve Patterson that looked at first to be one he could despatch towards the off-side boundary but which maybe bounced more than he expected, the upshot being that he somehow jabbed the ball straight to short extra cover.Croft was then caught at mid off in what was undoubtedly the poorest piece of cricket of the day as Rashid began a new spell with a chest-high full toss and the allrounder miscued an attempted heave to midwicket.Lancashire are well placed and if Tom Smith, unbeaten on 46, can buck the trend and make his good start count they will be in better shape still.

West Ham United progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon as they beat fellow Premier League outfit Leeds United 2-0 at the London Stadium.

Manuel Lanzini gave the Hammers, who host the Yorkshire club again next Sunday, the lead just after the half-an-hour mark before Jarrod Bowen secured the East London club’s place in the next round in added time.

However, despite Lanzini and Bowen being the players on the score sheet, another attacking midfielder impressed for David Moyes’ side: Nikola Vlasic.

According to SofaScore, the Croatian enjoyed a 91% passing accuracy against Marcelo Bielsa’s side as well as making three key passes.

Furthermore, the 24-year-old completed 80% of his dribbles and only lost possession on seven occasions whilst making 56 touches.

The attacking midfielder has endured mixed fortunes since returning to the Premier League from CSKA Moscow, having been at Everton previously.

Vlasic has only managed nine Premier League appearances this term, starting two games in the top-flight.

However, the Croatian has been of great use in other competitions, with the Hammers new to balancing four competitions, making a combined nine appearances in the Europa League, EFL Cup and FA Cup.

Moreover, the attacking midfielder is starting to find form in East London, scoring his first goal for the Hammers against Watford at the end of December as well as impressing in West Ham’s cup success over the Whites.

With fellow attacking midfielder Said Benrahma set to be absent over the coming weeks whilst with his native Algeria side at the Africa Cup of Nations, Vlasic has the opportunity to impress Moyes and put together a run of games in the top-flight.

Prior to the Leeds game, the Scotsman said to West Ham’s official website: “Niksi [Vlasic] will have opportunities and we’re trying to break him in.

“He’s beginning to show some good signs so let’s hope he can step up when he gets the opportunity. I do see opportunities for him with Saïd away.”

Furthermore, the £25m signing was labelled as “versatile” upon him signing for West Ham in September by former Hammers assistant Nikola Jurcevic and could start to justify that transfer fee in the coming weeks.

In other news: West Ham interested in promising forward

A number of West Ham supporters are ecstatic after centre-back Kurt Zouma was pictured training outside on Friday.

The Hammers have enjoyed another excellent season to date, proving that last term was no fluke as they look to finish in the top four in the Premier League.

David Moyes has been tested in the injury department of late, however, with Zouma and Angelo Obgonna both out injured, having been the go-to centre-back pairing.

While Obgonna is expected to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee problem, Zouma’s situation looks far more positive, acting as a big boost for West Ham.

On Friday, the club’s official Twitter account shared images of the Frenchman back on the training pitches, suggesting his return to the fold is not too far away.

West Ham fans love Zouma latest

These Hammers fans reacted in delighted fashion to the news on Twitter.

“ZOUUUUUUUUUUUMA”

Credit: @connorahumpage

“Things you love to see big Zouuuuuu is back let’s go lad”

Credit: @DannyMeates8

“TITLE CHARGE IS BACK ON!”

Credit: @billy_grimmel

“What a sight”

Credit: @samthomas97_

“Never needed a player as much as we need Big Zou rn”

Credit: @yshealthyv2

“Zouuuuu I’m so happy we got our main man back”

Credit: @JackSeaward69

In other news, some West Ham fans are excited over a transfer claim that has emerged. Read more here.

Jason Roy played his second match-winning Friends Provident t20 innings as Surrey beat Somerset by 38 runs at The Oval

02-Jul-2010
ScorecardJason Roy, a 19-year-old batsman who has yet to appear in a first-class match, played his second match-winning Friends Provident t20 innings as Surrey beat Somerset by 38 runs at The Oval. Roy, who made 101 against Kent at Beckenham last week, hit 74 off 51 balls with three sixes and seven fours to lead injury-hit Surrey to a total of 171 for 6.That total proved far too many for Somerset once the visitors had slumped to 18 for 4 in this South group match. Surrey were without Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds because of a stomach upset, the injured trio of Andre Nel (strained hamstring), Tim Linley (foot) and Gareth Batty (broken finger) plus Steve Davies, who is away with the England Lions.And Mark Ramprakash must have felt all of his 40 years opening the batting with Tom Lancefield, another 19-year-old with only one first-class match behind him. Lancefield was not overawed on his Twenty20 debut, hitting three fours in his 16 off 10 balls before he swung Mark Turner to square leg.Ramprakash was sprightly enough with 34 off 31 balls until he was caught at fine leg off Muralia Kartik. However, it was Roy who again caught the eye in stands of 67 with Ramprakash and 59 with Rory Hamilton-Brown. He twice hit Kartik over long-on for six and lifted Alonso Thomas over the midwicket boundary.Younus Khan did not get very far but Hamilton-Brown made 25 off 21 balls before both he and Roy skyed catches to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler in the final over from Kieron Pollard.The Somerset reply never got off the ground. Chris Tremlett, described by captain Hamilton-Brown as the best Twenty20 bowler in the country, broke through in his first over when he had Nick Compton caught behind.The ploy of opening the bowling with the off-spin of Matthew Spriegel paid off handsomely when he took two wickets in his second over. Spriegel claimed the prized scalp of Marcus Trescothick, who swept tamely to midwicket, then had Zander de Bruyn caught on the midwicket boundary.Tremlett struck again in his next over when he had James Hildreth brilliantly caught by a diving Hamilton-Brown at backward point and Somerset never looked like recovering. Tremlett finished with three wickets for 17 runs.

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has criticised his batsmen for failing to capitalise on a good batting pitch on the opening day of the third Test at the Kensington Oval by folding up for a modest 231

Cricinfo staff27-Jun-2010West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has criticised his batsmen for failing to capitalise on a good batting pitch by folding for a 231 on the opening day of the third Test at the Kensington Oval. West Indies won the toss in a must-win game to square the three-Test series, but the batsmen failed to recreate their resolute performance in the second Test at St Kitts, where they scored 546 and gained a three-run lead.”It’s been a disappointing batting performance again after recovering some confidence, the way we batted in St Kitts, to come and perform this way,” Gibson said. “We spoke about winning the toss and batting, and putting a big score on the board, but we weren’t able to do this.”Senior batsmen like Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul failed to carry on after making starts and Narsingh Deonarine couldn’t proceed to a bigger score after making 46. Gayle was out inside-edging to his stumps for the third time in the series while the rest stumbled to the offspin of Johan Botha, who took 4 for 56.”You look at a lot of our dismissals not only (here), but over the course of the series, and shot selection has been an issue,” Gibson said. “You sort of talk to players about it, and try to work in the nets around shot selection, but at the end of the day, the players go out in the middle, and they are the ones you expect to execute, and execute well. This has been a massive cause for concern for us, and it is something we have to look at very carefully going forward.”Gibson said the early conclusion to the first innings could jeopardise their chances of going for a win. West Indies persisted with a two-man spin attack, and Gibson felt they would play a vital role as the pitch got older.”We’ve got to win the game, we’ve got to put runs on the board,” Gibson said. “The pitch looks dry. It looks like it will break up, and provide some turn for our spinners.”They have been our key, and if we can get runs on the board, and the spinners bowling in a last innings, with South Africa having to chase anything above 200, then we feel we have a chance in the game still.”

Tottenham Hotspur are the latest team to be linked with a move for Jonathan David…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Canadian outlet The Sports Network, who claim that Spurs are one of many teams to have enquired about the availability of the Lille talisman, though any move seems more likely to happen in the summer.

Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are mooted with interest, alongside LaLiga giants Real Madrid.

It’s thought that the 21-year-old is “open” to every possible destination after his agent, Nick Mavromaras, told TSN that David would “benefit from a summer move.”

Imagine him and Kane

Finding a new frontman is amongst Antonio Conte’s top two priorities in the transfer market, as revealed by the Evening Standard earlier this month.

That’s hardly a surprise considering the Italian head coach only has Harry Kane at his disposal and he’s been out of sorts this campaign, having found the net only five times in 18 league appearances.

But Conte may well want another striker for more than just cover, after all he won the Serie A with Inter Milan last season by utilising a two-man attack.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-conte-paratici-levy-premier-league” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Both Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku scored for fun at the San Siro, contributing towards a whopping 46% of their 89 goals scored on their way to the club’s first Scudetto in over a decade.

He could well look to recreate that perfect frontline with the addition of David to Spurs.

The Canada international has been in electric form this campaign, scoring 16 goals across 29 appearances in all competitions, which is one goal every 139 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

David also contributed towards glory as his goals last season helped steer Les Dogues to the Ligue 1 title over Mauricio Pochettino’s big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.

Once dubbed a “phenomenon” who is “the best player in the country” by his former Club Brugge boss Hein Vanhaezebrouck, the 5 foot 11 marksman is an absolute speedster who can attack the space with his rapid acceleration and close control on the ball.

We saw on Wednesday night that Kane still has his remarkable passing ability in his locker as he fed Steven Bergwijn through for a last-second winner at Leicester City, so just imagine seeing that every week but with an actual striker next to him in David.

Conte would surely be buzzing to sign the £45m-rated Lille star in 2022, so sporting director Fabio Paratici and co must look to get the deal done.

AND in other news, “Tottenham are..”: Reliable journo drops exciting transfer claim, fans will be buzzing…

Sri Lanka batted determinedly to gain control of the deciding Test in conditions that promised more parity between bat and ball after the run-fest in the previous game at the SSC

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya03-Aug-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Thilan Samaraweera was at ease during his unbeaten half-century•Associated PressSri Lanka batted determinedly to gain control of the deciding Test in conditions that promised more parity between bat and ball after the run-fest in the previous game at the SSC. In a much improved bowling performance, the Indian seamers got decent movement off the deck and Pragyan Ojha extracted both turn and bounce to often unsettle the Sri Lankan batsmen. But Thilan Samaraweera, backed up by Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, kept the hosts on track in their attempt to post an intimidating score on a surface that looks good to produce an outright result.India lost the toss for the third straight time in the series, but the signs that events would transpire more favourably for them were evident early in the innings. Both Ishant Sharma and Abhimanyu Mithun derived movement off the deck, beating the bat by consistently bowling at a length and drawing the batsmen forward. The visitors were deprived of their most experienced bowler, Harbhajan Singh, but Ojha troubled the batsmen by varying his lengths, getting the ball to grip and surprising the batsmen with disruptive turn. Mishra was less effective, his variations in flight and pace and relatively lesser spin failing to measure up to what his partner managed. He doled out full tosses, bowled six no-balls and was warned twice by the umpires for stepping on the danger area.Barring opener Tharanga Paranavitana, who edged Ishant early in the innings, the Sri Lankan batsmen fought hard to combat a revived bowling attack. Tillakaratne Dilshan overcame his initial rustiness against Ishant to adopt a more restrained approach, content in leaving the tricky deliveries outside off and only latching on when the ball was pitched up or hurled too wide. Kumar Sangakkara was aggressive against the spinners, stepping out to launch them over long-on and open up spaces to pinch the singles. Samaraweera was equally adept with his footwork, seizing the lengths to adapt accordingly while Jayawardene, during his otherwise calm vigil, looked the most vulnerable against the turning ball.The batsmen kept Sri Lanka ahead with a succession of steady partnerships. Dilshan drove Ishant for a couple of boundaries through extra cover amid the spate of singles and twos run through reasonably spread-out fields that included a deep point and a deep square leg. Sangakkara, after his initial assault against Mishra, was troubled by Mithun. He played across the line to edge one short of Rahul Dravid, and was dropped by Raina at third slip when Mithun attacked from round the wicket. He overcame those lapses early enough, driving Mithun imperiously for two fours, including one on a bent knee, his trademark shot.Both, however, fell when they were well-set. Dilshan had squandered two previous attempts to reach three-figures in easier conditions, and his effort today was cut short when he was superbly run out by M Vijay at the stroke of lunch. Standing at silly point, Vijay reacted quickly to return an accurate throw to Dhoni to catch Dilshan short of his crease. Sangakkara, after surviving a close lbw shout, holed out against Ojha, missing a third straight ton.The batsman most comfortable in such conditions was Samaraweera. He defended solidly, played the ball late and progressed smoothly in a chanceless knock, waltzing down the track against Mishra to pick four boundaries and showing he had ample time to play his shots, even late-cutting Ishant past gully. Jayawardene, who had negotiated the seamers with ease during his stand with Sangakkara, survived a couple of close shaves against Ojha as the ball spat sharply while turning away to beat the outside edge on three occasions. He was a touch unfortunate to be given out lbw while playing forward to Ojha – replays suggested height was a problem – but not before he had helped build two fifty-plus stands that took Sri Lanka to a position of strength.Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews saw off the new ball with little difficulty before bad light prompted an early finish, the pressure being on India to strike early and contain the damage on the second day.