All posts by h716a5.icu

An update has emerged on Everton target Andreas Pereira, regarding his thoughts on a move to Goodison Park.

What’s the talk?

According to TNT Sports, via Sport Witness, Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira has decided to snub Everton in favour of a return to his home country to sign for Flamengo.

The report claims the Toffees made an offer to sign the Brazilian this month, but he has decided that playing for Flamengo is his best chance of making the Brazil squad for the World Cup next year.

Benitez will be gutted

This update comes as a killer blow for Everton as it seemingly rules them out of the running for the central midfielder as it stands. Of course, never say never in football as Flamengo are yet to agree a deal with United and he has not officially signed for the Brazilian outfit, but it is not looking promising at the time of writing.

Rafa Benitez will be gutted that he is now unlikely to get the chance to work with Pereira at Goodison Park next season. The issue for Everton is that he has made this decision based on his chances to make the national team, given he would be back in his home country, and this is not something the Toffees can change. It is not as ‘simple’ as Marcel Brands offering him more money to come to the club, so it is out of their control.

The Spaniard, Benitez, will be disappointed as he could have been a fine addition to his Premier League squad for this season. Upon sanctioning his loan move to Lazio, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claimed that the midfielder is developing and only the signing of Bruno Fernandes stopped him from being a regular for the Red Devils. He said:

“They’re a big club, Lazio. Andreas needs to play regularly.

“He started last season really well and played loads of games. You could see the confidence growing and see him developing but, after we signed Bruno, that position that Andy played in was taken because Bruno came in and had such an impact. We decided this is what was best for Andreas.”

The £49k-per-week gem played 25 times for United in the league last season, scoring once and providing three assists. He also averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.78 in six Europa League appearances for the English giants, highlighting the quality he is able to produce when given regular minutes.

At the age of 25, the £7.2m-rated ace is heading into the peak years of his career and Benitez could have enjoyed getting the best out of him in the next few years. Instead, he appears set to return to Brazil and not to Goodison Park, and that will leave the Toffees boss gutted.

AND in other news, Everton make contact for “tremendous” 6 ft 3 machine, Benitez would love him…

Cricinfo has learned that Zimbabwe Cricket is considering readvertising the post of national coach after it received only four fairly low-profile applications

Steven Price in Harare23-Dec-2008Cricinfo has learned that Zimbabwe Cricket is considering readvertising the post of national coach after it received only four fairly low-profile applications. One source close to the board even said that it is considering approaching the ICC for its help, although that was not confirmed.The four applicants are understood to have been reduced to two, incumbent Walter Chawaguta and Stephen Mangongo, with former coach Kevin Curran and Colin Siller removed from the equation. Website zimbabwecricket.com referred to the four applicants as being “not much of a choice, really …. two men of the “wrong” colour with at least some of the right experience, and two men of the “right” colour with very little experience between them”.A Zimbabwe Cricket spokesman said that Chawaguta “was appointed in an interim capacity and so will continue in that role until a substantive appointment, the process leading to which is currently under way with applications having closed and the relevant committee going through those received, is made.”So in the short-term, Chawaguta retains his post for the tour to Bangladesh and then Kenya in January, and a permanent appointment will be made when the squad returns. It is believed that he will have to cut a far more impressive figure on the trip than he did during the home series against Sri Lanka last month to convince the board to stick with him.If he does not, then Mangongo is expected to take on the job, despite having no first-class experience and few credentials as a coach. What he does have is strong links to the influential Takashinga club and, despite some public fallings-out in recent years, the support of key individuals at the top of ZC. Whether that extends to making him qualified to coach an international side is another matter.What this shows is how far Zimbabwe have sunk, as only a few years ago the post would have been seen as an ideal one for any up-and-coming coach. In fairness to ZC, the state of the country is probably more responsible for putting off prospective candidates than anything else.An inexperienced side desperately needs top-class coaching to help them find their feet on the international stage. What is doesn’t want is a coach every bit as raw as the youngsters on the field.If the ICC is sincere about wanting to help Zimbabwe, this is one area where its influence really could make a difference.

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge would like to see Joe Rodon feature more for Tottenham this season.

The 23-year-old signed for Tottenham from Swansea City last year and signed a five-year deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Since arriving in London, though, the Wales international has only featured 14 times, but Michael Bridge would like to see Rodon feature more often under Nuno Espirito Santo, telling Football FanCast: “I want to see Joe Rodon a little bit more, he’s got a real battling quality about him and you know, I like what I see of him to be honest with you.”

Rodon was due to start Tottenham’s UEFA Europa Conference League play-off defeat to Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday night, but manager Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed to football.london that he would miss the match due to injury: “Unfortunately Joe will miss the game, he had a small problem after the game in the training session we usually do in the stadium.”

Spurs have added to their squad defensively this summer, with Cristian Romero arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from Serie A side Atalanta, but did also see a centre-back depart, as Toby Alderweireld left to join Qatari side Al-Duhail.

A short summary of the second Test between Australia and England in 1876-77

Martin Williamson26-Jan-2009Two weeks and three up-country matches after the first Test, the sides returned to the MCG for a game played for the benefit of the tourists.Australia were the pre-match favourites after their win in the earlier game and the return of Fred Spofforth which greatly boosted their bowling attack. Billy Murdoch, whose absence as wicketkeeper in the first match led to Spofforth’s withdrawal, played as a batsman, although he took over the gloves on the last day of the game when Jack Blackham had sunstroke.Australia batted but found Allen Hill, who took the first four wickets, too much for them, and from 96 for 4 they slid to 122 all out. England’s start was hardly better, but from 4 for 2 they were indebted to their Yorkshire contingent for boosting them to 261. George Ulyett made 52, Greenwood and Hill 49, and Tom Emmett 48, with Yorkshire’s batsmen making 86% of England’s runs in the game.Nat Thompson and Dave Gregory put on 88 for the first wicket when Australia batted again, but again the innings rather lost its way and they were dismissed for 259, leaving England a modest target of 120. James Southerton and James Lillywhite shared eight wickets.It seemed as if history was about to repeat itself as England lost early wickets to find themselves at 9 for 3, but again Ulyett dug deep, and despite another mini collapse to leave them 76 for 5, by the time he was eventually dismissed for 63, the game was almost won.As was often the case at the time, there were accusations that the outcome had been fixed, the suggestions coming from the large number of gamblers who had lost money on the first Test.

Last season was a tale of doom and gloom for Wolves as they ended up finishing 13th in the table.

It ended their run of consecutive top half results and this term has hardly started in better fashion.

No points and zero goals tell a sorry tale of their campaign to date but the Old Gold have actually played well, especially when it comes to creating goal-scoring chances.

What’s the word?

One of Bruno Lage’s biggest tasks since entering the Midlands was to keep hold of the club’s star players.

Ruben Neves had attracted the interest of some top teams in the Premier League while Adama Traore has regularly been linked with the exit door.

News emerged this week that Tottenham were lining up a move for the Spaniard that would be an initial loan move with a view to making it permanent next summer.

However, in a boost to Wolves, it looks as though Traore will be staying put.

That’s according to the manager who was upbeat about their chances of keeping him on Tuesday.

Via Tim Spiers, Lage commented the following after being asked whether he’d stay: “Yes I think so.”

Must keep him

If you focus on Traore’s goalscoring record then you’d take the money and run.

He scored just twice last season and is yet to find the net this term either. In fact, his end product has been severely lacking in 2021/22 so far.

The flying winger spurned a wonderful opportunity to score against Leicester and then missed a simple chance versus Spurs as well. After being set free by Ruben Neves, Traore had the goal at his mercy but stuck his attempt straight at Hugo Lloris.

If Traore could score goals on a regular basis then he’d be an elite player.

After all, this is an individual with remarkable pace and scintillating dribbling. In his opening two matches of the campaign, he’s recorded a whopping ten dribbles per game.

Furthermore, he was the top-performing player for the statistic in the entire league last season. Traore was successful with 153 dribbles at a rate of 4.1 per match.

Although his end product leaves a lot to be desired, he’s a player who can change the course of a game in an instant.

Consequently, holding onto him beyond this summer is of utmost importance. Supporters will surely be delighted if they continue to watch him in action at Molineux.

AND in other news, Wolves eye move for £9.9m-rated gem with “unbelievable quality”, he may replace Traore…

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has suggested that Shoaib Malik will stay on as captain of Pakistan in 2009 despite calls for him to be replaced

Cricinfo staff02-Jan-2009
Shoaib Malik could continue to lead Pakistan through 2009 if he delivers © AFP
Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has suggested that Shoaib Malik will stay on as captain of Pakistan in 2009 despite calls for him to be replaced. Malik’s performance was due to be reviewed on December 31, 2008 – when his tenure was originally supposed to end – but it’s highly likely he will be retained, especially after gaining Butt’s vote of confidence.”Shoaib Malik will remain as the Pakistan captain till the time he continues to deliver,” Butt was quoted as saying in the . “I believe that he has done a good job in recent times.”Malik was appointed after Pakistan were eliminated from the group stages of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. His achievements include reaching the finals of the ICC World Twenty20 the same year, beating India in the Kitply Cup final in Bangladesh the following year and a 3-0 sweep in the ODI series against West Indies in Abu Dhabi in November. He led Pakistan to a country record 12 successive ODI wins though the bulk of them came against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh earlier this year.However, he’s had limited opportunities to lead Pakistan in Tests as they’ve been deprived of Test action in 2008 due to security concerns. His skills as a leader were questioned when his former team-mate Mohammad Yousuf and, other senior players, criticised him for being a poor communicator.But Malik found support from his coach Intikhab Alam who believed he should be retained for another year. A final decision on his tenure is expected soon.

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit of Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, after Fabrizio Romano revealed on Twitter that the striker has signed a contract extension in Milan.

The Lowdown: Lautaro Martinez profiled

Regarded as one of the deadliest hitmen in the top five leagues in Europe, Martinez has had his fair share of admirers this summer, playing a key role in his sides’ Scudetto winning 2020/21 campaign.

Since joining the Italian outfit in 2018, he has notched 50 goals and 20 assists over 133 games for the Italian champions [Transfermarkt].

He has also been previously hailed as ‘spectacular’ by international team-mate Lionel Messi, lending credence to his ability to bury goal-scoring opportunities at will [Irish Examiner].

His next career steps now look to be settled, owing to an update from reliable transfer guru Romano.

The Latest: Romano drops latest on Martinez

Speaking to his 4.8 million followers on Twitter, Romano signified that the Argentina forward has reached an agreement to sign a new contract in Milan, ending the statement with “Lautaro stays – confirmed”.

Detailing interest in his services this window, the well-respected journalist also added that Tottenham and Atletico Madrid both previously bid €70m (£59.9 million) plus add-ons, in an attempt to prize Martinez away from Internazionale.

The Verdict: Losing out on Martinez may not be detrimental as Kane returns to the fold at Spurs

Despite seemingly losing out on their preferred target, there is plenty to be positive about currently as a Spurs supporter.

Although Martinez is a handful for any defence in the world, the news that talisman Harry Kane will be staying at N17 for the foreseeable future certainly softens the blow.

There are also many advantages from a financial standpoint. In a deal which would have likely shattered Tottenham’s transfer record, exceeding pressure would have been thrust on Martinez to hit the ground running in English football, with little notion of an adaptation period.

The Lilywhites may be better off focusing all of their energies into re-integrating Kane to the forefront of their starting line-up as opposed to pursuing Martinez, something that doesn’t seem to be going too badly after the England star’s brace against Pacos de Ferreira during the week.

In other news, Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a blow in a transfer chase. Find out more here.

Journalist Luke Hatfield has told The Transfer Tavern that he doubts West Brom ever had any real interest in Newcastle United midfielder Matty Longstaff.

Longstaff recently joined Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen on loan, with the 21-year-old looking for more playing time after featuring in just five league games last season.

However, prior, he had been linked with a loan move to West Brom. Back in June, the Chronicle Live reported that the Baggies were just one side in England who looked at Longstaff before he joined Stephen Glass’ team.

According to Hatfield, though, the English youngster probably was not too high on Valerien Ismael’s shortlist.

“Longstaff was a player who was obviously linked loosely,” the Express & Star reporter said. “I don’t think there was any serious interest. I think the real interest earlier in the window came in [Trevoh] Chalobah.

“That’s not to say there wasn’t an enquiry or he wasn’t on the shortlist, but he certainly wasn’t top of their priority list – let’s put it that way.”

The Express & Star had reported that Chalobah, at one point, was close to joining West Brom on loan from Chelsea, so it does appear that the 22-year-old was priority over someone like Longstaff.

He now, however, clearly has a place in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, scoring that brilliant goal against Crystal Palace at the start of the campaign. But if he does not get too much game time at the Bridge, perhaps a loan move is something the Baggies could revisit in January.

A round-up of the third day of the eighth round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches

Cricinfo staff09-Feb-2009Group APakistan International Airlines declared their innings first thing in the morning, and by stumps at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground were five wickets away from victory. Lahore Shalimar began their second innings trailing PIA by 292 runs and promptly slumped to 38 for 3. Mohammad Saad (41) and Abid Ali (71 not out) offered resistance but Lahore are up against it going into the final day.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited failed to really go for the jugular, but still held the upper hand over Habib Bank Limited on day three at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Trailing by 300 when they resumed in the first session, HBL lost Rehan Rafiq (56) and Ahmed Shehzad (40) early and proceeded to slip from 100 for 1 to 130 for 5. Kamran Hussain (50) and Abdur Rehman (79 not out) combined to limit the damage and HBL took stumps on 307 for 8, still behind by 103. Imran Ali was the most successful bowler for SNGPL with 4 for 80.Karachi Whites finished day three at the National Bank Sports Complex in Karachi on top. They did well by restricting Khan Research Laboratories’ lead to 85, and then batted solidly to go past that by 125 runs. The debutant Khalid Mahmood’s six wickets helped Karachi White takes KRL’s last five wickets for 71; he struck twice with the score 271 and once down the order to jar the tail. Yasir Arafat picked up an early wicket but couldn’t prevent Ali Asad (65), Asad Shafiq (84 not out) or Khalid Latif (43 not out) from taking Karachi Whites into the lead. At 210 for 1, Karachi Whites are in charge.A low-scoring encounters appears set to go Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited’s way on the final day in Muridke. From 154 for 6, ZTBL inched to an eventual 229, with Sui Southern Gas Corporation’s Sohail Khan taking six wickets. Then Iftikhar Anjum, whose unbeaten 24 had helped ZTBL advance their lead, struck three blows with the ball. He dismissed Asif Zakir and Adnan Malik as SSGC slipped 17 for 2, and then returned to get the captain Saeed Bin Nasir. SSCG slumped to 89 for 5 in pursuit of a target of 221.Group BIslamabad duly crushed Quetta by an innings and 415 runs at the Diamond Club Ground. The home side needed just four wickets to wrap up that monstrous victory, and took them in just 41 deliveries. Saad Altaf helped himself to a couple to finish with 6 for 29 and ten for the match. With 39 wickets, Altaf stands at No. 3 in the season’s tally.Abbottabad have a tough last day’s work ahead of them in Sheikhupura. They first allowed Sialkot to take a 142-run lead – even though they took the last five wickets for 71 – and then lost four wickets to finish the day just 15 runs ahead. In their second innings, Abottabad were given a 68-run stand between Hammad Ali and Ghulam Mohammad, but once the latter was dismissed for 40 the middle order struggled. Hammad remained unbeaten on 69 at the close, with the score 157 for 4. Table-toppers Sialkot will back themselves to win this one.Junaid Zia completed a five-wicket haul to give Lahore Ravi a slim lead and his side’s openers responded with an unbeaten partnership of 116 to extend the lead over Peshawar to 130 at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. Zia, who hasn’t had the best of seasons, picked up his first five-for of the tournament and took his tally to 20 in his seventh match. Lahore Ravi would have had a better lead if not for a sloppy 36 extras. Kashif Siddiq (54 not out) and Mohammad Sohail (58) scored their runs at a good clip to ensure Lahore Ravi didn’t stumble before stumps.Zahoor Khan’s seven wickets in the match have give Faisalabad a good shot a win over Karachi Blues in Sargodha. Zahoor struck first thing in the morning to cut short Shahzaid Hassan on 63 from 61 balls before striking telling blows. From 111 for 3 Karachi Blues were bowled out for 158, Zahoor taking 5 for 31, and forced to follow-on. Zahoor then prised out two wickets in the second innings as Karachi Blues finished the day 150 for 4. They still trail by 80.The match between Rawalpindi and Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium is headed only one way – for a draw. Hyderabad came out on day three 70 for 1, and finished 293 for 5. Their middle order was kept under wraps but the 18-year-old opener Azeem Ghumon batted all day to record his fourth first-class century in his 11th game. Ghumon occupied the crease all day at strike-rate of just over 50.00, and has so far hung on for 482 minutes. Hyderabad still trail Rawalpindi by 188 but there is not enough time to force a result.

Many Sheffield United fans took to Twitter following John Egan’s goal in the Republic of Ireland’s narrow 2-1 defeat to Portugal in World Cup qualifying [BBC].

In a game that was supposed to be Cristiano Ronaldo centric, the 28-year-old rose highest for The Boys in Green to head in from a corner delivered by Jamie McGrath in the powder-keg encounter [BBC].

Settled by the narrowest of margins, a late double from the inspired Ronaldo condemned Egan and his teammates to a defeat on international duty.

His attention will now turn to Saturday when Ireland get set to take on Azerbaijan at the Aviva Stadium at 5pm [Aviva Stadium Official].

In light of Egan’s effort, it was no wonder that plenty of Sheffield United diehards took to Twitter to rejoice at the news.

Sheffield United fans react:

Replying to the official Sheffield United Twitter account, here is what some fans had to say about the footage:

“Yessssss Egs”

Credit: @IngoodNick17

“The Cork Baresi”

Credit: @Josh_SUFC_”Always been my favourite Blade and worth £50 million in my book”Credit: @locksmithlincs”And a great goal as well”Credit: @johndolan_bt”What a player to watch and he’s a Blade through and through. Solid.”Credit: @CotherRichard”Congratulations mate”Credit: @StevenW76910237In other news, an EFL insider has named a star that could improve the Blades’ promotion aspirations in 2021/22. Find out more here.