All posts by h716a5.icu

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tottenham Hotspur now want Lazio powerhouse Joaquin Correa with chairman Daniel Levy told to pay €40 million (£34.4m) for his signature.

The Lowdown: Striker search?

As per Sky Sports, the Lilywhites are not expected to take up the £36m loan-to-buy option to sign Carlos Vinicius permanently this summer.

The Brazilian barely featured in the Premier League for Spurs over 2020/2021, starting just three games and scoring one goal, and he now looks set to return to parent club Benfica when his temporary spell expires on June 30.

As such, Tottenham have been touted to look for new forward additions alongside prioritising the problem position of centre-half.

The Latest: Tottenham now want Correa…

Now, as explained by La Gazzetta, Spurs have joined the race to sign 6 foot 2 Lazio powerhouse Correa in a bid bolster their attacking options.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-2/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Argentine notched 11 goals and assisted six others in 38 appearances throughout all competitions over 20/21 (Transfermarkt), often providing former Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi with a useful outlet up front.

London rivals West Ham United and Arsenal are also said to be interested in a move for the South American, but like Levy, they’ve been told to fork out £34.4m for his services.

As it stands, the trio of interested sides including Spurs aren’t willing to match that price tag – specifically not willing to go over €20m (£17.1m).

The Verdict: Move on…

Given Vinicus’ loan-to-buy option costs in and around the same amount Lazio are demanding for Correa, we believe Levy and new managing director Fabio Paratici should look elsewhere.

Indeed, despite being dubbed a ‘formidable player’ recently by Inzaghi for his contribution (Lazio official website), Tottenham should definitely eye some alternatives.

Any forward signed by Spurs as things stand will be playing second fiddle to star striker Harry Kane throughout the 2021/2022 season and the Lilywhites need an option who represents good value for money.

However, it will be a challenge finding someone with proven quality who is also willing to play a bit-part role.

In other news: ‘Tottenham are now planning’…Fabrizio Romano relays big transfer news at Spurs, find out more here.

Eleven points

Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo)15-Aug-2002Eleven points. That’s what separate BAT Sports from second placed Havant in the chase for the ECB Southern Electric Premier League championship and Burridge from the nearest safety rung in the relegation zone.With three matches remaining, tomorrow is a vital day in not only the championship race, but also the three-club battle for survival at the bottom.BAT Sports, chasing back-to-back titles, defend their 11-point advantage at Bashley (Rydal), with Havant going in search of victory at South Wilts, a ground on which they have come unstuck in the past.At the bottom, Burridge must win the relegation dogfight at Liphook & Ripsley to stand any chance of staying in the top flight.And Calmore Sports, now second from bottom on run rate, can ill afford to lose to Bournemouth at Loperwood Park.BAT expect to be at full strength at Bashley, where top Premier run-getters Luke Ronchi and Damian Shirazi go head-to-head. Ronchi has 617 runs to his name – 63 more than teenage left-hander Shirazi, who has some catching up to do if he is to finish with the SEPL batting award.Havant, preoccupied with a fourth attempt at settling their long drawn out ECB Club Championship quarter-final tie with Stanmore this afternoon (FRI), should be at full strength at Lower Bemerton.At the opposite end of the table, Burridge threw themselves a lifeline by beating Calmore Sports last weekend."But we’ve got to repeat that performance and more at Liphook tomorrow," warns skipper Paul Ancell. "We played extremely well to beat Calmore last week and gave ourselves a fighting chance of staying up."But we’ve simply got to beat Liphook if we are going to claw back that 11-point deficit."Liphook tossed away a great opportunity of ensuring survival when they lost by 21 runs at Havant last week."We bowled and fielded superbly, but they chucked away a great chance of victory through an irresponsible batting performance," lamented skipper Duncan Berry.But Liphook gleaned enough points from the Havant defeat to nudge ahead of Calmore Sports, albeit by virtue of a superior run rate.Calmore, 11 points ahead of Burridge, have all-rounder James Hibberd back against Bournemouth, but skipper Tom Pegler could be on Jewson Wessex League soccer duty with AFC Newbury.Andover, currently top of the 50-over pennant, have a score to settle with Portsmouth at London Road."Portsmouth beat us in the first of the all-day `time’ games and, to be honest, we’ve not managed to recapture our early season spark since," confessed skipper Roger Miller."We started really well, winning four of our first five 50-over games and now need to finish the season with some good results."It would be really nice to have a pennant to stick up on the clubhouse wall and we’ll be going for it against Portsmouth," he warned.Andover name the side which would have faced Bournemouth last week – but for the rain which swamped Chapel Gate.

The International Cricket Council today thanked Sri Lanka for hosting the ICC Champions Trophy Sri Lanka 2002, which is the largest and most successful Champions Trophy Tournament ever, and expressed confidence that this excellent tournament has

BCCSL28-Sep-2002The International Cricket Council today thanked Sri Lanka for hosting the ICC Champions Trophy Sri Lanka 2002, which is the largest and most successful Champions Trophy Tournament ever, and expressed confidence that this excellent tournament has showcased Sri Lanka to the world.ICC President Malcolm Gray, addressing a media conference at the Hotel Taj Samudra in Colombo, said: "I would like to mention the thanks of the ICC to the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka who are hosting the tournament. I believe that this Champions Trophy has been the most successful Champions Trophy we have held, in that it is larger, both in terms of games and commercial content. We think that it’s been an extraordinarily successful tournament.""The people in Sri Lanka that really must get a mention the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka who have been soundly behind the tournament, the Sri Lankan government which has also given us great encouragement, and the BCCSL headed by its Chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya, deserve our thanks. The tournament, as I said, has been successful. We’re very pleased we came to Sri Lanka and we believe that it has helped Sri Lanka, both economically and in terms of showcasing Sri Lanka to the world."ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed added: "What we are seeing here is exceptional public support. The Sri Lankan community really is very committed to this event. We’re very aware that they are obviously passionate about cricket."The ICC and BCCSL worked together over a very short period of four months since the decision was taken to award the tournament to Sri Lanka. The tournament, the largest in world cricket apart from the World Cup, brought together 12 teams, including the world’s best known cricketers, for 15 matches over a period of 18 days at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium and Singhalese Sports Club grounds.

West Bromwich Albion are in talks with Valerien Ismael about becoming Sam Allardyce’s successor at The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that the Barnsley manager is now Guochuan Lai’s first choice to become the Baggies new boss, after both Chris Wilder and David Wagner had been set to take on the job, before being eventually being ruled out.

It is reported that Ismael will cost West Brom £2m in compensation if they do go on to appoint the 45-year-old this summer, with talks between the two Championship clubs regarding his potential move to The Hawthorns thought to already be underway.

Fans should be buzzing

While the Tykes boss may not have the promotion-winning experience that was believed to be a requirement of the now-departed West Brom sporting and technical director Luke Dowling, it is easy to see why the Frenchman is thought to be an attractive prospect for the Baggies this summer, as Ismael has performed something of a miracle in his short time at Barnsley this far.

Indeed, despite the fact the club was predicted to finish in 18th place in the Championship standings at the start of the season, after taking over last October, the 45-year-old led his side to 23 wins, five draws and 11 losses in the league, picking up 74 points and securing a fifth-place finish in the second tier of English football.

And, although the man dubbed an “ambitious” manager by the Barnsley CEO Dane Murphy was not successful in guiding the Tykes to the Premier League, losing 2-1 against Swansea City on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals, the fact that the French coach managed to secure a top-six finish with an extremely unfancied is nonetheless an incredible accomplishment, while it would also indicate that Ismael is a man with fantastic potential in the game.

As such, with Lai having struggled to find a suitable candidate for the role for what has been quite an extended period of time now, considering the 45-year-old’s record last season, it would seem highly advisable for the Chinese businessman should do all he can to get a deal over the line for the former VfL Wolfsburg head coach this summer, with his potential appointment sure to have fans buzzing.

In other news: Get it done: Lai must sanction West Brom summer swoop for “outstanding” 32 G/A machine

Shane Warne’s hot streak against Pakistan has presented him with the opportunity to claim another Australian record – for most wickets taken in a three-Test series.

Lynn McConnell18-Oct-2002Shane Warne’s hot streak against Pakistan has presented him with the opportunity to claim another Australian record – for most wickets taken in a three-Test series.In the first two Tests of the series, Warne has taken 19 wickets.Richie Benaud set a mark of 23 wickets in a three-Test series, also against India in the 1956/57 season. That mark was equalled by Dennis Lillee in the post-Packer Circus series against England in the summer of 1979/80.While Hugh Trumble took 26 wickets in three Tests in England in 1902 it was during a five-Test series and cannot be considered as the record.Warne has now taken 469 Test wickets and his haulage rate at the moment gives him every chance of taking his 500th Test wicket during the five-Test series against England.However, the prospect of breaking the world record of Test wickets for a three-Test series is less likely.That is held by George Lohmann, who achieved the feat for England against South Africa in 1895/96 while Richard Hadlee took 33 wickets in the 1985/86 series for New Zealand in Australia.

Many Wolves fans have been flocking to a transfer update involving Rafael Leao.

As per Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), AC Milan would be willing to sell the striker if a sufficiently tempting offer came in from the Midlands club.

Leao’s agent Jorge Mendes is working on trying to convince clubs, including Wolves, to offer €25m (£21.5m) or more for his client, and think that the Molineux outfit, as well as Borussia Dortmund and Marseille, would be willing to pay that asking price.

Leao is  an exciting up-and-coming talent at just 22 years of age and has even been previously likened to both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe in the past.

However, he only managed to score seven goals in 40 games in all competitions across the 2020/21 season (criticised for his attitude on the pitch.

Wolves fans on Leao transfer update

These Wolves supporters seemed split as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one asking whether he could be swapped for former Milan striker Patrick Cutrone, who has flopped at Molineux:

“I’d take him, he might not start every game but would be a class bench and rotation player”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Versatile, suits Lage’s style, Portuguese, very good footballer. Get him in imo #wwfc”

Credit: @Matt123525

“Can we swap him for Cutrone?”

Credit: @leewater12

“Watching him in the Portugal youth games a few weeks back I wasn’t that impressed tbh, looks wasteful and sloppy in possession.”

Credit: @BKristianmarcus

“He’s irritating because of his attitude on the pitch…. Let’s hope he doesn’t arrive”

Credit: @marcobertoli87

“Why? When we already have Mir who scores goals. Spend elsewhere.”

Credit: @DChappleton

In other news, Wolves are ‘willing to offer’ £34.4m for this ‘world-beater’

Saeed Anwar, Pakistan’ dashing left-handed opening batsman, indicated Monday he may feature in the last couple of games of the Super League One-day Ramazan Cup in Lahore

Khalid H. Khan12-Nov-2002Saeed Anwar, Pakistan’ dashing left-handed opening batsman, indicated Monday he may feature in the last couple of games of the Super League One-day Ramazan Cup in Lahore.Saeed has been forced to miss the first part of the tournament because he had to rush down to Karachi for family reasons.His father-in-law is in critical condition with renal failure and other complications and is currently admitted in an ICU of a local hospital where he is undergoing dialysis.Saeed, who was inexplicably ignored by national selectors for the current tour of Zimbabwe, hopes to play in the Super League matches later on.”I am forced by circumstances beyond my control to miss the start of the Super League tournament,” a visibly disturbed Saeed told Dawn. “My father-in-law is seriously ill and I can’t expect myself to keep away from family matters in this hour of need.”The Karachi-born, who now lives in Lahore, said that he has taken permission from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to skip playing in the early stage of the tournament, which got under way Monday at Gaddafi Stadium.”With six matches available, I can afford to take it easy and God willing, if matters improve here, I shall play at least three games,” Saeed remarked.When asked how he felt as far as his motivation is concerned, Saeed replied, “I am raring to go and prove them (the selectors) that there is still a lot of cricket left in me.”After all, I have averaged 35 over the last 25 One-day Internationals. My performances in Morocco Cup and ICC Champions Trophy were quite good.”Saeed dearly wants to figure in another World Cup campaign before he ends his distinguished career. He was easily Pakistan’s best batsman in the last edition in England three years ago. Then he made 368 runs in 10 matches with match-winning centuries against Zimbabwe (103) in the Super Six tie at The Oval and the semifinal against New Zealand (113 not out) at Old Trafford.Saeed, who also led Pakistan both in Tests and one-dayers, is the proud holder of a batting world record when he smashed that memorable 194 off 146 deliveries with 22 fours and five sixes against old foes India, at Chennai in May 1997.At the age of 34, Saeed still has a lot to offer at the international level.Dogged by huge problems at the top of the order, Saeed is the ideal man to lend his experience – 4052 runs in 55 Tests and 8605 runs in 242 One-day Internationals – to a Pakistan side lacking in confidence after their recent drubbing by Australia.Pakistan’s only Test win over South Africa – their next opponents after Zimbabwe tour – was based on a fine innings of 103 by none other than Saeed Anwar at Durban in 1998.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t expect John McGinn to leave Aston Villa this summer.

Villa are already in danger of losing star man and skipper Jack Grealish to Manchester City, and Windass reckons that manager Dean Smith will be doing all he can to prevent losing another of his key players.

Grealish’s outstanding form over the last certainly caught the eye, but the Scottish midfielder has quietly gone about his business and remains a crucial part of Smith’s ever-improving side.

McGinn has missed just 11 league games since Villa’s promotion, scoring six times and chipping in with nine assists to help Villa remain in the top-flight.

But whilst McGinn’s own form has been great for Villa, it’s quickly attracted the interest of Liverpool, who are closely watching the Scot, according to The Athletic, with a fee £50m fee being touted.

With Grealish’s future hanging in the balance, the last thing Villa need is to lose McGinn, but Windass told Football FanCast that’s unlikely:

“Certainly, Dean Smith won’t want to lose him if Jack goes, no chance. If Grealish does go then Dean will have to hold on to a lot of players and then bring some more in, but I can’t see McGinn leaving.”

LAHORE, Nov 14: Former captain Moin Khan, battling to make a comeback to the national team has said that he was fit to play international cricket for the next four years

By Our Sports Correspondent15-Nov-2002LAHORE, Nov 14: Former captain Moin Khan, battling to make a comeback to the national team has said that he was fit to play international cricket for the next four years.Talking to Dawn, Moin pointed out that earlier he had decided, he would call it a day after 2003 World Cup, but now had changed his mind and would continue international cricket.Moin who reached here to take part in the ongoing Super League Ramazan Cup One-day tournament vowed that he would regain his place in the national team after proving his form and fitness to the selectors.Having missed the first round of the tournament, Moin will now lead Whites against Blues Saturday.The former skipper said that he missed the first two matches because he was attending pressing family matters of which he informed the PCB.He expressed his opinion that on the basis of the performance of the national team recently, it’s World Cup chances does not look good. However, he believed that Pakistan being an unpredictable team anything could happen.Moin said that he would be happy to play as a member of Pakistan team. Meanwhile Azhar Mahmood will not lead PCB Blues against Greens in the Super League One-day Ramazan Cup on Friday.Azhar who has to leave for Zimbabwe Saturday to join Pakistan team there for the five One-day international match series.Wicketkeeper Atiquz Zaman will lead Blues and Abdur Rahman from Sialkot will replace Azhar.

The Express and Star’s Matt Maher has dropped an update on Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish before England’s quarter-final clash against Ukraine at Euro 2020 tonight.

What’s the story?

In what promises to be one of the big transfer stories of the summer window, the 25-year-old has been linked with a big-money move to Premier League champions Manchester City, with reports even suggesting that he was nearing a transfer to the Etihad Stadium.

However, Maher has poured cold water over such speculation, instead insisting that Villa are actually in the best position they have ever been in terms of potentially keeping Grealish at Villa Park.

He reported: “Where Grealish is concerned, Villa are probably in the strongest position they have ever been. In previous years, there was a genuine risk of losing him for well below his market value had they gone into administration (2018), failed to win promotion (2019) or been relegated (2020). Instead, Villa are now considered among the Premier League’s most upwardly-mobile clubs, while Grealish is contracted for the next four years.

“Whatever the next few weeks might bring, there is a sense Villa really cannot lose. Either Grealish stays, or he departs for a colossal fee which would then be reinvested in the playing squad to mitigate his departure.”Of course, the former option is very much the preference for Villa’s billionaire owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, which is why they are ready to offer their captain another significant pay rise less than a year after the last one. It is their wealth which puts Villa in the enviable position to reject, should they wish, any offers which come their way, no matter how high the figures might climb.”Fans will be buzzingWith England’s quarter-final against Ukraine looming on the horizon tonight, Maher’s update on Grealish and where things stand right now, and the position of strength he believes Villa hold over the playmaker, is sure to have the club’s fans buzzing.Make no mistake about it, losing a player of the 25-year-old’s quality would be a hammer blow, especially for a team looking to take that next step and get into Europe over the coming years – his tally of seven goals and 12 assists in an injury-hit 2020/21 season is testament to just how good he is.Therefore, the news that NSWE are preparing to offer Grealish a new contract and a bumper pay rise, instead of looking to cash in on him, must be exciting news for Villa fans and should have them on cloud nine.Meanwhile, Villa are closing in on this big-money signing…