Tag Futebol

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita’s future at the club has been thrown into fresh doubt, with talks over a new contract at Anfield reportedly stalling.

The Lowdown: Clock ticking for Keita

The Guinean has endured a frustrating Reds career overall, showing glimpses of his quality but being limited to only 117 appearances in four-and-a-half years.

Keita’s current Liverpool deal expires at the end of this season, and while rumours have suggested that an extension could be coming his way, nothing concrete has emerged.

A fresh update now suggests that the opposite could be on the cards, however.

The Latest: Contract talks stall

According to Football Insider, Liverpool have ‘pulled the plug’ on talks with Keita over a new contract and are ‘willing to let him go’ next summer.

It is noted that the 27-year-old is able to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in January, prior to joining them at the end of the campaign.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has added that Keita “has only played 26% of the league minutes available since he came to the club”.

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The Verdict: Time to sell?

Keita’s ability as a footballer is hard to question – Virgil van Dijk has described him as ‘world-class’ in the past – but his constant unavailability due to injury is now a major problem.

He hasn’t played a single minute of Premier League action for the Reds this season, and such a lack of playing time suggests that it would make little sense to offer him a new deal.

Instead, Liverpool should cut their losses with Keita in the summer, accepting that this was a high-profile transfer that simply hasn’t worked out, with Jurgen Klopp rebuilding his midfield without him.

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch says that he is now demanding more from youngster Crysencio Summerville after his starring role against Liverpool.

The Lowdown: Summerville’s special moment

The Whites secure a memorable 2-1 win at Anfield last Saturday, becoming the first team to beat the Reds at their home in the Premier League in front of a full stadium since April 2017.

It was Summerville who proved to be the hero against Liverpool, firing home a late winner in front of the away fans, leading to scenes of ecstasy from the travelling Whites faithful.

The young Dutchman will clearly be buoyed by his huge impact at Anfield, but it is important that he doesn’t allow the moment to go to his head.

The Latest: Marsch demanding more

Taking to Twitter, Phil Hay shared that Marsch now wants more from Summerville, rather than letting the 21-year-old rest on his laurels after one big contribution.

From the pre-Bournemouth press conference, the reporter outlined:

“Marsch talking about Gnonto and Summerville. Says they’ve struck up a good friendship and that Gnonto has been a good influence on Summerville. Marsch says he’s been ‘on top of’ Summerville this week to make sure his levels are right in training after the Liverpool goal.”

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The Verdict: Good management

This is impressive management from Marsch, not allowing Summerville to get carried away and ensuring that the youngster finds consistency to his game week in, week out.

While his goal was a moment he will be able to cherish forever, he won’t want it to define his career in years to come, and the hope is that this is just the start for him at Elland Road.

Whether or not Marsch hands Summerville a start at home to Bournemouth on Saturday remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to see how the Dutch gem responds to last weekend whenever he next takes to the field.

James Sutherland said the growing viewership numbers made women’s cricket in the country the “single most significant growth opportunity” for Cricket Australia

Daniel Brettig06-Nov-2017

More than half a million viewers tuned in to watch the third women’s Ashes ODI on television, in the strongest sign yet of what Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland has called the game’s “single most significant growth opportunity”.The audience for the third ODI, won by England at Coffs Harbour on Sunday October 29, peaked at a national audience of 512,568 on the Nine network’s main channel during the afternoon session, with an average of 312,787, after programmers chose to move the match from the digital channel 9Gem, where the first match of the series attracted a peak afternoon audience of 281,394.In a telling reminder of the importance of free-to-air deals to expand cricket’s audience, the peak figure was greater than the 467,000 viewers recorded nationally across Britain for Sky’s coverage of the final day of the first men’s Ashes Test in Cardiff in 2015.At the same time, it provided further evidence for CA to press ahead with plans to make October a month for standalone women’s fixtures, such as the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in 2020 and also the Women’s Big Bash League, which is under consideration for movement to a separate time slot from the men’s tournament that takes place in December and January.”Cricket is an incredibly popular sport – but the sports and entertainment market is extremely competitive and changing all the time. To ensure cricket’s sustainable future as a mainstream sport, we can’t afford to take anything for granted,” Sutherland told ESPNcricinfo. “We strongly believe that growing cricket as a sport of choice for women and girls is our game’s single most significant growth opportunity. It is an extremely important initiative within our recently adopted five-year strategic plan.”In recent seasons we have seen the WBBL played in front of large crowds and drawing strong TV audiences on Network Ten. The competition is the best women’s league in the world. For us domestically, it not only provides clarity on the pathway to our national team, but exposes the tremendous depth of female talent in this country. We will continue to explore our scheduling to enable our women’s matches to attract the highest possible levels of fan support.”Earlier this year, the ICC approved our request to separate the Women’s World T20 event from the men’s – and so the women’s event to be played in February-March 2020 will precede the men’s event which will be in October-November. Just as we have with the World T20, we are looking to find discreet windows in the calendar where we can promote the women’s game so as to attract ever higher audiences at match and on TV.”Entering into CA’s next round of domestic broadcast rights negotiations, the television pulling-power of the women’s game is a significant change in the value of any prospective deals, much as the creation of the BBL in 2011 impacted on the 2013 contracts signed with Nine and Ten.The purchase of the BBL rights by Ten in 2013 for about A$20 million a season over five years was considered a gamble at the time, but the tournament’s consistently strong broadcast audiences have now raised estimates of the tournaments rights value to as much as three times that amount. Just as CA was able to convince broadcasters that domestic cricket could be a viable option for free-to-air television, the governing body is now hopeful of doing likewise with the women’s game.”Following on from the hugely successful World Cup in England, we are seeing women’s cricket continue grow in popularity and we are delighted to see cricket fans’ appreciation of the women’s game reflected in ever increasing crowds and TV audiences,” Sutherland said. “The Nine Network’s broadcast of the ODI series has been outstanding, and to see the final ODI match televised on the main channel attracting a very significant audience was further indication of the growing appetite for the women’s game.”It is especially pleasing to see our Australian team attracting the support they have during this women’s Ashes series. This public support has been reflected in the exceptional media coverage including the outstanding access through the free-to-air broadcast on Nine.”At the same time, strong television audiences are likely to aid CA in another goal – that of growing female participation numbers of in the game. “In the short term for the rest of this summer, we’re all about providing the platform to ensure we keep pushing the fantastic story of this squad and their performances in the Ashes,” Sutherland said.”There is no doubt that their feats and growing profile is inspiring the next generation of girls to play and love cricket. Female participation numbers will be up strongly again this year, with huge growth expected in the number of girls teams at school and club level.”

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has shared an injury update on midfield sensation Romeo Lavia ahead of their Premier League clash against Everton.

The Lowdown: Lavia injury woe…

The 18-year-old, who started to dazzle at St Mary’s soon after his summer move from Manchester City, has been sidelined recently with a hamstring problem. Lavia was hauled off after an hour against Chelsea in late August, with Hasenhuttl later confirming the extend of his serious injury.

The Belgian has since missed the entirety of September, with Southampton losing 1-0 to both Wolves and Aston Villa last month.

The Latest: Hasenhuttl shares Lavia update…

Speaking to the media ahead of his side’s clash against Everton on the south coast this afternoon, Hasenhuttl has shared an update on Lavia’s condition.

The Saints boss confirmed, via Daily Echo journalist Alfie House, that today is still too soon for the midfielder’s return to action.

However, the Austrian added that Lavia could be ready to play again in a ‘few more weeks’.

The Verdict: Setback for Saints…

Since joining Southampton in the summer, the teenage talent has seriously impressed with his performances when available, having earned rave reviews from the press for his composure and real potential.

Dubbed a ‘top signing’ by journalist Pete O’Rourke, Lavia’s acquisition has been a sound investment by Saints owners Sport Republic and a perfect example of their ideal sporting model.

It appears that Southampton are keen to buy young and potentially sell on for higher fees, as evident by the fact that they didn’t sign a single player over the age of 25 in the summer.

Chelsea were also admirers of Lavia’s ability, with reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano recently sharing news that the west Londoners made a last-minute attempt to sign him in the summer transfer window despite him only coming to St Mary’s a few weeks previously.

Not having him ready for today’s visit of Evertn is a setback for Hasenhuttl, and Southampton will be hoping that he can rejoin the squad as soon as possible.

Journalist Dean Jones has been reacting to more injury woes for Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard.

The Lowdown: Kamara and Digne join Carlos

Marquee summer signing Diego Carlos is sidelined for the foreseeable after he ruptured his Achilles in the first home game of the season against Everton.

Villa’s luck with injuries hasn’t improved, with midfielder Boubacar Kamara suffering knee ligament damage prior to the international break against Southampton.

Left-back Lucas Digne also suffered a possible stress fracture to his right ankle with France, however, reports since have suggested that the injury isn’t as bad as first feared and that he could return in mid-October.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Jones labelled Kamara and Digne joining Carlos in the treatment room as ‘hugely significant’, adding that it won’t help Gerrard and his Villa side ahead of the trip to Elland Road.

“Losing all three of them is hugely significant. I mean, Gerrard knows that this side are already on the uncomfortable side of tight margin games, and this isn’t going to help them because they’re such key players in what he’s been working towards and hoping for this season.”

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The Verdict: Not good

Villa haven’t had the best of starts to the season and have struggled for goals, scoring just four times in seven games.

Injuries haven’t helped, but with Kamara ruled out of Sunday’s trip to Leeds and Digne unlikely to feature, we could see two new signings make their respective debuts.

Leander Dendoncker could come into midfield in place of Kamara, while Ludwig Augustinsson may well be in line to replace Digne, so at least Gerrard has experienced cover in the two injury-affected areas, but it’s not ideal knowing the trio have all suffered injuries after just seven league games.

Tottenham Hotspur are ‘in talks’ with two clubs regarding a move for Sergio Reguilon, according to a report from the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: Out of favour

Signed from Real Madrid along with a deal that saw Gareth Bale return to north London in 2020, Reguilon made a promising start to life at Spurs, making 36 appearances during his first season.

He was called ‘brilliant’ by BBC pundit Micah Richards this time last season, who gushed over his mixture of speed, crossing and defensive ability.

Fast forward 12 months however, and the 25-year-old Spain international has found himself behind Ryan Sessegnon and Ivan Perisic in the pecking order under Antonio Conte recently and could therefore be looking elsewhere for regular action, especially with a World Cup later this year.

Having previously been linked with a switch to Barcelona and Nottingham Forest, now it appears that Reguilon could indeed be on the move prior to the September 1 deadline…

The latest: Two clubs battle

As per the Daily Mail online, Fulham and Lazio are both ‘in talks’ to sign the six-cap ace.

It’s claimed that both want Reguilon on an initial loan move, however, Lazio would be keen on making the deal permanent at the end of the season.

The report also states that the Spaniard – who was described as ‘phenomenal’ by journalist Alasdair Gold – is ‘deemed surplus to requirements’ at Hotspur Way.

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The verdict: Come back soon

Yet to be named in a match-day squad this season by Conte, it seems highly unlikely that Reguilon will get an opportunity this term barring a major injury crisis.

As such, allowing the marauding full-back to leave and obtain regular senior action would be the best move for all parties, although Spurs would be best to avoid an option to buy at this juncture in order to reassess their options next summer.

Albeit both are clearly favoured in terms of quality, Sessegnon faces a pivotal campaign having been plagued by injuries and at 33, it’s unclear whether Perisic will be able to cope with the rigours of an entire Premier League campaign as well as cup duty.

Valued at £22.5million and under contract at Tottenham until 2025 (Transfermarkt), there is certainly no rush for the Lilywhites to cash in and a loan exit with a view to returning would definitely suit all parties.

Newcastle United have reportedly ‘also asked’ about Harvey Barnes as well as James Maddison.

The Lowdown: Maddison offer

The Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope claimed on Saturday morning that the St James’ Park outfit had made a ‘structured’ £35m offer for Maddison.

However, a deal is likely to prove ‘difficult’, so ‘other options’ are currently being explored by the Magpies.

The Latest: Barnes too?

Taking to Twitter, Daily Mail reporter Tom Collomosse has now revealed that Newcastle have ‘also asked’ about Barnes, but Leicester City value the 24-year-old in the region of £50m to £60m.

He tweeted: “Maddison not the only player attracting Newcastle interest. Believe they have also asked about Harvey Barnes but again, Leicester value their homegrown star highly – £50-60m mark.”

The Verdict: Big coup

If the Tynesiders could sign Barnes as well as Maddison, it would certainly be a big coup.

Hope claims that the Foxes winger would ‘be a tremendous signing’ for Newcastle, and it is hard to argue with that, given that his numbers in the Premier League are impressive.

His six goals and 10 assists last season was his best return in the division so far, and he has managed 22 goals and 24 assists in total over the last four campaigns (Transfermarkt).

It may be difficult to sign both players, given that Maddison is also thought to be valued closer to £60m, but if the Magpies could sign the duo, it would send out a real statement of intent to the rest of the top flight.

In the process, they would also be seriously weakening one of their rivals in Leicester.

Nottingham Forest are closing in on the signing of Stuttgart midfielder Orel Mangala, reliable journalist Florian Plettenberg has claimed.

The Lowdown: Mangala linked with Forest move

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to the Reds in recent times as Steve Cooper looks to bolster his midfield options ahead of his team’s return to the Premier League.

Mangala has grown into a key player for Stuttgart, making 28 Bundesliga appearances last season and chipping in with one goal and three assists in the German top flight.

He is known as primarily a defensive-minded midfielder, an area in which Forest could arguably do with strengthening, such is the importance of that role at Premier League level.

The Latest: Transfer looks close

Taking to Twitter, Plettenberg claimed that Mangala’s proposed move to Forest is edging close, with a move possibly even being completed by the end of Monday.

The journalist tweeted:

“News #Mangala: Next one from the Bundesliga! Mangala is on verge to join Notts Forest. Last details have to be clarified. Negotiations since days. Transfer fee around €15m – bonus payments included. All parties hope for a total agreement in the next hours.”

The Verdict: Dominant midfield addition

Mangala is another exciting prospective addition for Forest, should the move be completed, in what has become an increasingly positive transfer window at the City Ground.

The Stuttgart midfielder has won one cap for Belgium and been described as a ‘real talent’ by their manager Roberto Martinez, enjoying an 83.6% pass completion rate and completing 1.5 dribbles per game in the Bundesliga last season.

Forest could do with players of Mangala’s ilk to come in and make the team more solid and dominant in the middle of the park, as they prepare to come up against some genuinely world-class midfielders in the Premier League this term.

Rangers have been linked with an English midfielder recently, and he could give Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s his own version of a Ballon d’Or nominee at Ibrox.

According to 90min, the Light Blues – along with a plethora of Premier League clubs – are interested in signing former England international Harry Winks this summer.

The Tottenham academy graduate has struggled for regular game-time since Antonio Conte’s arrival at the north London club, starting just eight league matches under the 52-year-old. It seems likely that he will be moved on this summer, with reports suggesting that he could cost around £20m, although Rangers may well explore a loan deal.

The 26-year-old has made more than 200 appearances for Spurs in his career so far, and while his form hasn’t been the best in recent years, regular football at Ibrox could see him get back to his best.

While he doesn’t offer much goal-scoring threat, Winks is extremely adept at keeping the ball, with WhoScored suggesting that his main strengths are passing, through balls and interceptions.

This is very similar to Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, who is also very strong at passing and playing through balls. The Italian’s performances in 2021, where he enjoyed Champions League and European Championship success, were enough to see him rank third in last year’s Ballon d’Or.

FBRef also suggests that Jorginho is the most similar player to Winks in terms of style of play, so the Englishman could definitely add some real quality to Van Bronckhorst’s midfield this summer.

Winks will be keen to have regular game-time if he has any aspirations of earning a spot in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad and could establish himself as a key player at Ibrox if given the opportunity to make the move north of the border.

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Mauricio Pochettino was full of praise for the midfielder in 2019, saying: “He deserves the praise because the whole action is amazing. He recovered the ball like a full-back, we started to build from the back and then he arrived for the cross from GK, which was fantastic – we have to praise him too.

“It’s amazing, amazing, because we were talking in the last few weeks that he had to score and to have more presence in the opposition’s box because he has the quality to do it.”

If Winks can get back to his best with Rangers, there seems little doubt that he would be a quality addition, so Van Bronckhorst should definitely look to bring him in this summer.

In other news… “Working very hard” – Rangers closing in on next signing, supporters will be buzzing

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Christian Eriksen in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Times, the Magpies are one of the teams in the running to land the Denmark international on a free transfer.

The report claims that they have made a contract offer to him, alongside other Premier League sides, as they enter talks to convince him to join Eddie Howe’s squad.

Eriksen is said to be weighing up his options after spending the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Brentford.

Eddie Howe needs him

The Toon head coach needs the midfielder at St. James’ Park next season as he would provide some much-needed creativity in the side.

Outside of Matt Ritchie (1.6), no Newcastle player created 1.5 chances or more per game in the Premier League last season. Bruno Guimaraes came in and hit the ground running with five goals in the top-flight but he was not a consistent creator as he managed 0.7 key passes per match.

Allan Saint-Maximin (1.4) was the only non-full-back to create more than 0.9 chances per game and Joelinton’s 0.8 per match was the creme of the crop in central midfield.

These statistics suggest that the club lack a player capable of consistently delivering killer passes in the final third to create chances and goals.

In Eriksen, Newcastle can find the creative wizard that they need. Thomas Frank claimed earlier this year that the gem is “world-class” and his former teammate Dele Alli described him as a “magician on the ball”.

The 30-year-old, who has scored 153 senior goals for club and country, showcased his magical quality for Brentford in the Premier League last season.

He averaged a sensational SofaScore rating of 7.54 in 11 outings for the Bees as he scored one goal and provided four assists. The gem created a whopping 2.8 chances per game and five big chances in total as he showed that he still has what it takes to be a star in the English top-flight.

This means that he created twice as many chances per match as Newcastle’s top creator from midfield – Saint-Maximin – and would, therefore, be a terrific signing to bolster the team.

Hopefully, the Magpies are able to do enough to convince him that a move to Tyneside is the best one for him to make ahead of next season.

AND in other news: “Newcastle are willing..”: Keith Downie drops huge claim that’ll frustrate supporters…