All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United fans can begin to look at the next season with a degree of optimism. The confirmation of a new ownership and manager could be the double catalyst to facilitate an instant return to Premier League football.

The 49ers and Daniel Farke are now tasked with rebuilding an imbalanced squad with some more reliable assets.

Ryan Fraser has been linked to becoming part of this process.

What’s the latest on Ryan Fraser to Leeds United?

According to the Sunday Mirror (9/7; page 74), Leeds are to be rivalled by Southampton for the Newcastle United man.

The 29-year-old is set to leave St James Park having not featured in the Premier League since mid-October and hasn’t even made the squad since February.

It was reported by the Daily Mail that Fraser had been sent to train with the U21s having been frozen out by Eddie Howe.

The Scotsman is a victim of what is also a new era at Newcastle as their quick progression which has overseen a sensational rise into the top four and coveted Champions League football means that Fraser is deemed surplus to requirements.

Although Leeds is currently well-stocked in wide areas – boasting the likes of Jack Harrison, Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto, Luis Sinisterra, Ian Poveda, and Daniel James – it is uncertain as to who will fancy a season of gruelling Championship football.

Therefore, this transfer is definitely one to watch and despite the stuttering of Fraser’s career, he still possesses a degree of quality that Farke could unlock for just £7m – as was his reported valuation in January.

Should Leeds United sign Ryan Fraser?

Fraser spent seven wonderful years at Bournemouth, between 2013 and 2020, which culminated in their meteoric rise to the top flight.

So far, the highlight of his career was his incredible 2018/19 campaign in which he recorded 14 assists (the second-most in the division), 2.4 key passes per game, and an average rating of 7.08 (the highest tally’s in the Bournemouth squad).

During this special spell of form, Sky Sports’ Charlie Nicholas recognised his quality and said: “What he does understand is when he gets the ball and is allowed to run at people and be expressive. That is when he is at his finest. It is nice to see a Scot with this kind of creative, natural talent.”

However, his transfer to Newcastle has failed to effectively materialise as he has only scored twice in his last 45 Premier League appearances and is in desperate need of a restart in a different environment.

Fraser’s diminutive 5 foot 4 stature, electric pace, and wild inconsistency mean he could draw comparisons to James – who is also just 5 foot 7. The Welshman joined the Yorkshire outfit from Manchester United in 2021 but failed to feature to truly impress, having been swiftly farmed out on loan to Fulham last season – where he only managed five domestic starts.

Having struggled at top-flight level for the Cottagers and the Red Devils, a year in the Championship could be the perfect antidote for the 25-year-old to rediscover the scintillating form and potential he displayed whilst with Swansea City – where he bagged 16 goal involvements in just 39 games at the Liberty Stadium.

Currently, Fraser doesn’t seem like the most attractive signing, but he has ruthlessly showcased his quality in the past and could be an important option who has already tasted promotion.

Therefore, Elland Road could host the comebacks of the “dangerous” wide man – as previously described by ex-Scotland boss Alex McLeish – and James to revitalise their faltering careers.

Gujarat Lions batsman Aaron Finch said that the team’s poor net run rate at this stage of the season provided the motivation for him to complete a swift chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Bengaluru27-Apr-20172:03

‘It was a conscious effort to attack’ – Finch

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batting in the 2017 IPL has hardly reinforced why they boast three of the five highest totals in IPL history. Out of the eight times they have batted this season, only thrice have they put up a total in excess of 150.On the heels of the lowest-ever IPL total, RCB tumbled to 134 on Thursday night after another underwhelming performance against Gujarat Lions. With no IPL team having ever successfully defended a total of 150 or less in a completed innings at the Chinnaswamy, the best RCB could have done was pick up early wickets and hope Lions went into a shell.They ticked the first box, reducing Lions to 23 for 2 in the fifth over. But any plans of applying the choke thereafter were thwarted by a rampaging Aaron Finch. Finch ran up the fastest half-century by a Lions batsman, off 22 balls, batting with a sense of urgency not necessarily associated with a chase of 135. As a result, Lions stormed home in 13.5 overs and RCB were consigned to another heavy defeat.”Sometimes, in a small run chase, you can make the mistake of trying to bat slowly, and before you know, the run rate is 7, 8, 9 an over,” Finch said. “It was a conscious effort to attack. We were just trying to get ahead of the run rate. So even if something did happen, there were a couple of guys behind myself and Suresh – Jadeja, Faulkner, Dinesh Karthik… if something went wrong, we could still pick up the pieces.”Then, there is the matter of net run rate that can leave teams twitchy when the various permutations come into play towards the end of the league stage. Languishing at the bottom with a NRR of -0.844, Lions have now sprung up two places, and the net run rate is considerably better at -0.360.”At this stage, you still got to keep winning games,” Finch said. “If you’re in a position where you can really accelerate and make sure you finish as quickly as possible, it’s great. We’re lucky we got into a position like that tonight.”Lions’ bowlers used the new ball well on a slightly spicy Chinnaswamy deck that had more pace than in previous games. Nathu Singh and Basil Thampi got the ball to jag around a bit. Andrew Tye’s accuracy then hastened RCB’s slide after the early loss of Virat Kohli. Tye got one to nip away from Chris Gayle to find the left-hander’s outside edge. Next ball, he harried Travis Head by finding extra bounce from the back-of-a-length region, and had him edge to slip.”Anytime you take wickets in the Powerplay, it’s a huge bonus,” Finch said. “That’s just a part of the game that we’ve been missing. When we were down with pressure, we saw some misfields and a couple of catches going down in the past, but today was a pretty polished performance, and we saw some young quicks, Nathu and Basil, really stand up with the new ball against some of the best players to have ever played this format.”Lions threw in an element of surprise when they opted to open with the scratchy Ishan Kishan, who had been left out of their previous game. “We knew that they’d open with Badree, Chahal has been bowling in the Powerplay and Pawan Negi as well. It was a case of having a left-hander at the top,” Finch explained.Finch felt that the pitch exceeded their expectations. RCB’s bowlers didn’t help themselves by repeatedly erring in their lengths to him. While it was the in-between length that probed batsmen, Finch was offered a steady diet of fuller balls that he mowed over the short leg-side boundary, and short ones that were crunched off the backfoot.”In the second innings, it came onto the bat nicely,” Finch said. “Once the brand new ball was gone, there wasn’t much extra bounce. We thought it would be a little bit low and slow, but it played a lot better and turned out to be a pretty good wicket.”Finch was also pleased with the team combination and reassured that Lions hadn’t lost hope yet. “Coming to a place like Bangalore where the ball can travel around, to bring in the experience of James Faulkner was a good move. Obviously, he bowled beautifully.”It was a very good performance from the team tonight. We’ve put ourselves in this position by being poor in a couple of games. We’re still very confident, though. We have a good side, but time will tell.”

A significant update has emerged on Celtic's attempts to land their fourth fresh addition of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, South Korea U22 international Hyeok-kyu Kwon has agreed personal terms on a long-term contract with the Scottish giants ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The reporter has claimed that the Hoops are poised to pay a fee within the region of £850k to sign the defensive midfielder from Busan IPark.

He further stated that Kwon and Hyun-jun Yang, who has joined from K League 1 side Gangwon, will both link up with the squad during the pre-season tour of Japan.

Alongside Yang, Brendan Rodgers has also snapped up Australia international Marco Tilio from Melbourne City and Norwegian central midfielder Odin Thiago Holm from Valerenga on permanent deals to bolster his squad.

What is Hyeok-kyu Kwon's style of play?

The South Korean ace is a ball-winning enforcer who is capable of breaking up the play to win possession back on a regular basis, a style that has led to him being described as the 'K League Rodri' by media in his home country.

His ability as a defensive-minded midfielder could make him the perfect fit for Rodgers' 4-2-3-1 system as Kwon could slot in as one of the two in front of the defence in order to facilitate the deployment of a number ten – David Turnbull.

Having an excellent battler who can screen ahead of the back four to stop opposition attacks could allow an attacking midfielder to thrive as it would negate the need for three midfielders to come back when Celtic are defending.

Kwon, who South Korean journalist Jason Lee claimed has "tons of potential", has made an impressive 3.4 tackles and interceptions combined across 18 K League 2 appearances throughout 2023.

This is an impressive 1.2 more per game than any Hoops central midfielder produced during the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership season, as Matt O'Riley and Callum McGregor both made 2.2 per clash.

He has also averaged 1.2 aerial battles won per match for Busan – 0.5 more per game than any Celtic player in his position has managed, with Reo Hatate's 0.7 having led the way last term.

This suggests that Kwon would provide Rodgers with a significant upgrade on his current defensive options in that area of the pitch, due to the talented South Korean's ability to dominate in the air whilst also being able to constantly cut out opposition attacks with tackles and interceptions.

His presence in midfield could, therefore, allow Turnbull to thrive as a number ten without having to worry about too much defensive responsibility.

The Scotland international has not played the majority of his matches in that position since the 2020/21 campaign, which is when he thrived for the Hoops.

Turnbull averaged a phenomenal Sofascore rating of 7.47 across 36 league outings for Celtic as he contributed with nine goals and 2.9 key passes per match.

For context, Jota was the club's highest-rated performer last term with a score of 7.45 and no midfielder at the club produced more than six goals or 2.1 key passes per outing during the 2022/23 season.

This suggests that the potential is there for the former Motherwell star to be an outstanding performer for Rodgers as a number ten, which could be unlocked by the signing of Kwon.

Experts involved with the Bob Woolmer case feel the then Jamaican Director of Public Prosecutions attempted to cover up the truth to protect the state pathologist at the centre of the botched investigation

James Fitzgerald01-Jun-2017Ten years after the death of Bob Woolmer at the 2007 World Cup, the then-Jamaican Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has been strongly criticised for his role in and behaviour during the subsequent inquest.In November 2007, a jury at the coroner’s inquest returned an open verdict on Woolmer’s death despite evidence pointing towards natural causes. Experts and officials involved with the case feel the influence of the DPP, Kent Pantry, was crucial in attempting to discredit evidence that pointed away from the murder theory proffered by the state pathologist Dr Ere Seshaiah.Three independent overseas experts disagreed with Seshaiah’s findings and pointed to basic errors he had made during the post-mortem examination. When they attempted to give evidence at the inquest, they said they found the way blocked by Pantry.Dr Nathaniel Cary, forensic pathologist for the British Home Office and now chairman of the Royal College of Pathologists; Professor Lorna Martin, chief specialist at the Division of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at the University of Cape Town; and Dr Michael Pollanen, chief forensic pathologist of Canada’s Ontario province and now the president of the International Association of Forensic Sciences, were called by the Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF) to give their expert evidence.In a fresh interview to the a decade after Woolmer’s death, Martin recalled of the inquest: “It was very adversarial – like a murder trial as opposed to an inquest. I kept a note at the time, which said: ‘So I was called to present my opinion, the last of the three international pathologists to do so… it was the most hostile, uncomfortable court that I have ever had to testify in. I had two Jamaican police officers (VIP unit) with me at all times, was told not to venture out of my hotel and did not go anywhere except from the hotel to the court… It was not fun, and testifying was very frustrating.'”Cary echoed the sentiment, telling the recently: “It was a fairly hostile inquest, which was disappointing, because my involvement and the involvement of other pathologists was to simply assist the Jamaican state with getting to the bottom of a difficult case. And in such circumstances, there is no room for loss of face. It was managed in some ways more like a criminal trial. To use the director of public prosecutions was unusual and he had an incredibly adversarial style which… was totally inappropriate.”In response, Pantry said the opinions meant nothing and were speculation.”A coroner’s inquest is not a ‘prosecution’ so I do not understand how it could have appeared that I was ‘prosecuting’,” Pantry said. “I strongly suggest that you carefully examine the Coroner’s Act before arriving at an uninformed opinion. The fact that others share that opinion does not make it correct.”Pantry retired from his role in 2008 and now works in academia. He defended Dr Seshaiah, pointing out that “there was no finding by the coroner that Dr Seshaiah or the police made any mistakes, and I am not aware of any fall-out or any official review of the coroner’s inquest into the death of Bob Woolmer.”Several attempts to reach Seshaiah proved unsuccessful.Mark Shields, lead investigator: “The degree of hostility in the coroner’s court was unprecedented”•AFPBut Pantry’s behaviour has also been criticised by the lead JCF investigator in that case, Mark Shields. Based on Seshaiah’s report, the JCF pursued the murder theory for a few months, before climbing down in the face of mounting expert evidence.”The degree of hostility in the coroner’s court [for that case] was unprecedented,” Shields said. “It was more of an inquisition… and it appeared to be an agenda to try to discredit professional witnesses that were brought in from abroad.”Me and some of the other police officers were almost like suspects as opposed to people presenting evidence from the investigation. It was certainly an unprecedented approach to marshalling evidence at a coroner’s inquest.”Had Seshaiah’s findings been disproved, Shields said, it would have opened the possibility of a plethora of appeals from other cases that the state pathologist had been involved in.”The consequences of finding that the verdict was natural causes – and clearly we had established that – would have caused embarrassment to elements of the Jamaican justice system, particularly around pathology and the ability of the pathologist to do his job. It would have called into question every other investigation he had been involved in and may have opened a Pandora’s box for the re-investigation of older cases and the potential for appeals for many cases as well. I think that would be the motivation behind it. That is my opinion and can be the only opinion because inquests don’t happen like that. I never experienced that before in my career.”It is an opinion shared by Martin. She said: “Given the bigger picture of things, I’m not surprised [at how adversarial it was]. If this particular inquest found that the state pathologist had made such a fundamental error in the case, then that would have opened up all previous convictions or decisions regarding his cases, and would have meant everyone in custody on the basis of his pathology would have had grounds for appeal.”At the very least it makes one question the quality of the forensic investigation of deaths or autopsies that were being done, and if the pathologist could miss something so fundamental, what else was missed in this, and in all the previous cases [he] dealt with?”Woolmer died on March 18, 2007, the day after Pakistan, the team he was coaching, were knocked out of the World Cup by Ireland. He was found lying in his hotel bathroom in Kingston, Jamaica, and never regained consciousness.Cricket Monthly

Chelsea are on the lookout for a new centre-back ahead of the start of the new Premier League campaign, and they may have found a left-field option in Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo.

Who have Chelsea been linked with?

The Blues have done well to cut down their bloated squad this summer, but the sale of Kalidou Koulibaly – plus the lesser spotted Ethan Ampadu – could leave them a little light at the back.

Throw in question marks over the futures of Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah, with the latter emerging as a rumoured target for West Ham United, plus the fact Wesley Fofana is a long-term absentee, and it is little wonder Mauricio Pochettino's side are being linked with other defenders.

According to Chelsea writer Simon Phillips, via his Substack page, the Fulham titan is one of those the west London outfit are considering making a move for, while Axel Disasi of Monaco and Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi also remain on the Argentine's radar.

Adarabioyo would likely be available for a far lower price than Disasi and Guehi, as RMC Sport reporter Fabrice Hawkins has reported that he is available for up to €15m (£13m) due to his contract expiring in under a year's time.

Where would Adarabioyo fit in at Chelsea?

Adarabioyo, who has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur, has spent the past three seasons with Fulham – two of those in the Premier League, either side of a spell in the Championship – after opting against trying to make the grade at Manchester City.

The 25-year-old colossus made eight appearances for City under Pep Guardiola, who praised the youngster two years ago for joining another club and making a name for himself at the highest level.

"He's a guy from the academy and, finally, he has taken his position in the Premier League. We are more than delighted the level he's showing," Guardiola said. "He deserves it. He's an exceptional person and a good footballer."

Adarabioyo has made 58 Premier League appearances for Fulham, 23 of those coming last season as a starter in the heart of defence. The former England U19 ace led the way among Fulham defenders for aerial duels won (2.4 per game), as per WhoScored, and clearances (5.5 per game).

Indeed, only three players in the division – Chris Mepham (5.6), Joachim Andersen (5.8) and Ethan Pinnock (7.1) averaged more clearances than Adarabioyo last season.

That is not the only area the Englishman thrives as, according to The Analyst, he in the top 20% of all defenders across Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won.

Adarabioyo may not be as well known as Chelsea's other defensive targets, but he more than holds his own against the Premier League's elite names in terms of his performances.

In fact, FBref's comparison model ranks Manchester United star Raphael Varane as the player fifth-most like Adarabioyo across Europe's top five leagues, meaning Pochettino could grab his very own version of the Champions League and World Cup-winning titan.

They win a similar number of aerial duels (72.4% for Varane compared to 69.4% for Adarabioyo) and complete a similar number of passes (86.3% v 82% respectively).

While Varane averages more blocks (1.13 per 90 v 0.86), the 6 foot 5 powerhouse comes out on top for tackles won (0.56 per 90 v 0.42) and interceptions (1.12 v 0.52).

This is not to say Adarabioyo is a better defender than Varane, as such, but he clearly has something about him that could make him a star in his own right under the Argentine at Stamford Bridge.

Zimbabwe bowled with venom, fielded with pep and batted with intelligence to win the deciding fifth ODI in Hambantota and stun Sri Lanka 3-2 for their first away series win since 2009

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:46

Fernando: SL have lot of soul-searching to do

They came to Sri Lanka ranked 11th, having been defeated by Scotland in the previous month, and having lost a series to Afghanistan earlier in the year. But bowling with venom, fielding with pep, and batting with intelligence, helped Zimbabwe win the deciding fifth ODI by three wickets in Hambantota, and stun the hosts 3-2. It is their first away series victory since 2009, and one of Zimbabwe cricket’s finest moments ever.Though their quartet of miserly spinners had trussed Sri Lanka up for 203 in their 50 overs, and though their openers slammed 92 for the first wicket, victory still had to be prised from their opposition on a slowing, turning deck. Zimbabwe were 137 for 1, when a Sri Lanka surge, led by Akila Dananjaya, claimed six wickets for 38.But as long as Sikandar Raza was at the crease, Zimbabwe’s chances of victory remained good. He survived the last of Dananjaya’s overs, and alongside Graeme Cremer, saw out a burst of swinging Lasith Malinga yorkers. Having been such a high-impact player over the past nine days, perhaps it was also fitting that Raza made the series’ final play. With six to get, he ran down the pitch and deposited Wanindu Hasaranga over the straight boundary to spark elation in the dressing room. His 27 nerveless runs followed an excellent turn with the ball, with which he captured 3 for 27 – two of those wickets having come in the tone-setting first 10 overs.Hamilton Masakadza capped an outstanding series with an 86-ball 73, Solomon Mire and Tarisai Musakanda made useful batting contributions, and the other spinners – Cremer, Malcolm Waller and Sean Williams – all made important breakthroughs as well. So many in this Zimbawe outfit can take credit for the series triumph – almost every batsman has produced an impactful innings, Tendai Chatara has been reliable, and they have outfielded Sri Lanka too – though that is not the compliment it once was.Sri Lanka will be left to rue their timidity with the bat – which was brought into sharp relief by Zimbabwe’s openers – and their lack of ambition with the ball in the early overs. Where Raza had been immediately menacing, slowing the ball down, and tossing it tantalisingly up, Sri Lanka’s spinners bowled too quickly through the early overs, when Mire and Masakadza were mowing them down. Even Dananjaya, who later found rhythm and wound up with 4 for 47, went wicketless in his first four overs and conceded 25 runs. In their defence, three of the six main bowlers in this match had played less than 15 ODIs.For the third time in the series, Chatara took the first Sri Lanka wicket, but it was through Raza’s calculative first spell that Zimbabwe truly applied their tentacles to this innings. He got Kusal Mendis to chip a ball to short midwicket after drawing him down the pitch, then ripped a perfectly-pitched ball past Upul Tharanga’s forward defence to rattle off stump. Where in each of the previous two matches, Sri Lanka put up opening stands in excess of 200, they were 34 for three after 11 overs in this game. Raza had bowled six of those overs, and his two wickets had cost only 11 runs.No Sri Lanka batsman appeared fluent, but Danushka Gunathilaka was the best of them in the early overs, using his long stride to smother some of the spin that foxed his teammates. Even so, his 47-run fourth-wicket partnership with Angelo Mathews was stilted. Mathews had picked up what seemed to be a groin strain early in his innings, and was unable to take the tight singles and twos that are perhaps at a premium on a pitch such as this. When he was caught at slip for 24, playing a tired drive to Graeme Cremer, Sri Lanka were 78 for 4, and already in serious trouble.Gunathilaka passed fifty for the fourth time in the series, but then lost concentration, and his wicket. Before long, Sri Lanka were 126 for 7 in the 35th over, and it took an intelligent 59 not out from Asela Gunaratne to help them bat through to the 50th over and put up a serviceable score. He had gelled well with No. 10 batsman Dushmantha Chameera. Together, they mustered 34 off the last four overs – Gunaratne shuffling around the crease to hit square boundaries. Their unbeaten 50-run stand was the best of the innings.Each of Zimbabwe’s openers survived close calls early: a Lasith Malinga slower ball missing Hamilton Masakadza’s off stump by centimetres, before Solomon Mire successfully overturned an lbw decision against him off Nuwan Kulasekara. But if there were early nerves, they would soon be clobbered into submission.Sikandar Raza took three wickets before making a vital contribution with the bat to see Zimbabwe through in a tense chase•AFPMire biffed three fours and a six off the fourth over – bowled by Kulasekara – and once Zimbabwe were off, it was more or less a Powerplay boundary binge. The batsmen would hit one six apiece, and nine fours in total by the end of the 10th over, many of those hits coming down the ground. At that stage, Zimbabwe had knocked 62 off the total. Though Mire would soon lose his stumps, trying to paddle sweep Gunaratne, a further 40 would come off the next six overs, and Zimbabwe would be halfway to the winning score.Malinga’s dismissal of Masakadza in the 24th over seemed a mere bump at the time, with so much batting to come, but bowling to left-handers now, flight, dip and rip returned to Dananjaya’s game, and he threatened to derail the chase. He first had Craig Ervine lbw, had Williams caught at short midwicket soon after, had Musakanda holing out to long on, and in his final over, had Peter Moor caught at leg gully. Malinga supported him with a tight spell and the wicket of Waller at the other end, but Zimbabwe could almost taste victory by now.Raza and Cremer tiptoed onwards through the last of these bowlers’ spells, and saw the team through to a famous victory. Much will be made of Sri Lanka’s failures in the series, but Zimbabwe played some clever and courageous cricket to overturn their hosts.

Liverpool are preparing for their comeback in the Premier League next season with two new additions confirmed already, and now a fresh update has emerged on the club's pursuit of a strongly linked target.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Romeo Lavia?

According to The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe, Liverpool still have Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia on their radar, but are thought to be softening their approach due to his £50m price tag.

As per Bascombe's report, it is claimed that the Reds had earmarked the young talent as a long-term Fabinho heir rather than an immediate one due to his inexperience.

However, it is noted that Liverpool are likely to be playing down their interest in Lavia to test Southampton to see if they will lower their asking price for the player before the transfer window closes.

Does Lavia count as homegrown?

It is extremely unlikely that Jurgen Klopp would have been prepared to lose so many of his experienced midfielders this summer, with Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner already departing due to the expiration of their contracts.

However, club captain Jordan Henderson and Brazilian mainstay Fabinho are set to make swift exits, with both midfielders attracting deals from the Saudi Pro League over the last week.

Indeed, it will be difficult for the Liverpool boss to replace the presence and experience he has lost over the summer, however, the imminent departures of Fabinho and Henderson present an opportunity for the club to boost funds and continue their overhaul of the squad.

Klopp has already kicked off his midfield rebuild with the additions of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, who both bring attacking-focused talent to the centre of the pitch, so the more pressing concern would be to fill the more defensive roles – something that Lavia could help with.

The Manchester City youth academy graduate ranked in the top 20% of his positional peers in the Premier League last season per 90 minutes played for shots blocked, ball recoveries and pass completion, as per FBref, which is an impressive feat for a 19-year-old.

Not only that, but Lavia would solve a longer-term issue for the Reds as he will count as a homegrown player – an attribute that will be underrated by many, though one that would be a solution to something Liverpool have been sailing too close to the wind on.

In addition, the highly speculated interest of Liverpool in Lavia has prompted plenty of conversation about whether the youth prospect is ready to take such a huge step following Premier League relegation at St Mary's last season, with TalkSport pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor waxing lyrical about a potential deal:

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: "Lavia is the missing part of the jigsaw.

"Liverpool need a defensive midfielder who can get the ball back, have legs and can also play and set off attacks.

"The Reds really need that because Fabinho’s legs are gone. So if they’ve got Lavia over the line, then a whole rebuild has been done."

With that being said, it remains to be seen as to whether Liverpool will meet the Saints' price tag or convince the club to part ways with Lavia at a whole price, though there is little doubt that securing his signature would set up the midfield at Anfield for years to come.

Hampshire continued their winning start to this season’s Natwest T20 Blast campaign thanks to a Man-of-the-Match performance by Michael Carberry

ECB Reporters Network14-Jul-2017
ScorecardMichael Carberry summoned some of the old magic [file picture]•Getty ImagesMiddlesex were still closed away in the dressing room, refusing requests for interviews, more than a hour after a spectacular collapse against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl consigned them to a 29-run defeat in the NatWest Blast.Even that was something of a release for Middlesex, who found themselves 74 for 7 in the 13th over before Tim Southee hammered five sixes in his 64 off 32 balls to narrow the margin.Hampshire were still comfortable winners, with young leg-spinner Mason Crane taking 3 for 15 off four overs and Reece Topley, Gareth Berg and Kyle Abbott all grabbing a wicket a piece.Crane said: “”Three good performances so far and everyone has contributed in all of them. It hasn’t been the same players in every game and that shows we have a strong team. The crowd were amazing. I’ve never seen it that full for a Hampshire game.”Hampshire continued their winning start thanks to a Man-of-the-Match performance by Michael Carberry, who smashed 77 off 45 balls and followed it up with two catches.The former England opener showed he is still capable of some devastating power hitting at the age of 36, while captain James Vince played some classy shots in his brief 34 to get his side on the front foot from the off.Vince won the toss and opted to bat first in his side’s first home game of the season, backing up his decision with six classy fours and a six in his quickfire 34 off 15, before skying one from Toby Roland-Jones high into the air only to be caught by Southee at square leg.Rilee Roussow and Carberry put on a measured 48-run partnership, ensuring the scoreboard ticked over, but the South African soon followed his captain back to the dressing room after clubbing a flat catch to James Franklin at long-on off the bowling of Nathan Sowter.Carberry followed up his 41 not out against Sussex on Wednesday night with a magnificent batting display in front of the Ageas Bowl crowd, placing a delicate shot through gully to reach his 50 off 32 balls. And the 36-year-old wasted no time in following that up with two sixes straight back down the ground and into jubilant crowd.A tough evening for the Middlesex bowlers showed no sign of easing up, as Aussie George Bailey smacked 28 off 19 balls, with a six and three fours, but Roland-Jones cut his innings short as it began to reach full flow having him caught at long-on by Dawid Malan.Shahid Afridi’s batting struggles continued, the 37-year-old failing to add anything to a tally of five runs in this year’s Blast competition when he was caught in the deep by Malan trying to power Roland-Jones for six.After looking as if they would set Middlesex a score of over 200 to win, the steady fall of wickets, including that of Carberry in the final over, bowled by Franklin, Hampshire managed 189 for 8.Roland-Jones, released by England from the Test squad, ended the pick of Middlesex’s bowlers after taking 4 for 39 off his four overs, while Franklin took three wickets in the last over of the innings to end with 3 for 19 off two overs.Hampshire continued as they started, Abbott sending Paul Stirling packing for just six runs and Topley following up with the wicket of dangerman Brendon McCullum, thanks to a stunning acrobatic catch from Rossouw at midwicket. England captain Eoin Morgan put up some resistance, making 23 off 22, before wicketkeeper John Simpson and New Zealander Southee came together in an eighth-wicket stand of 86 to try and salvage the game.Southee reached a half-century off 28 balls, while Simpson made 37 off 34 as Middlesex fell 29 runs short.

And with left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara with a shot to make his Test debut, the Sri Lanka captain said he was looking forward to the partnership with the other veteran left-armer Rangana Herath

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo02-Aug-2017Having been appointed to the captaincy in a time of cricketing crisis, Dinesh Chandimal finds himself scrambling to prevent another one. He only walked out of hospital a few days ago, after having had pneumonia, but thanks in part to an ICC-approved inhaler, he has come back to take control of his side.Just don’t tell him that Sri Lanka are outgunned and that a 0-3 result is possible. When this suggestion was made to him on the eve of the game, Chandimal’s response was emphatic – or at least it was as emphatic as Chandimal gets.”Who is saying it will be 0-3?” he asked. “You can’t say that. India are a very talented team, but we aren’t going to lose 0-3.” What had been a good-natured exchange with the media gained a hint of an edge with that question. “We are looking to level the series and then go to the third match. We have the determination to do that.”But it might take a little more than determination. For one, Sri Lanka’s batsmen will need to resist India’s spinners on a surface that is likely to offer more turn than the Galle track provided. Even on an excellent batting surface in the first Test, Sri Lanka could not make 300 once, and failed to make it to the second new ball in either innings.”We just want to improve as a batting unit,” Chandimal said. “Everyone has scored 50-60 runs, but they couldn’t make the big ones. That’s what we’ve been discussing in the meetings and practices. Hopefully in this match we can do a better job.”If the track is sufficiently bowler-friendly, Sri Lanka may also employ the “hit out before you get out” strategy that has often been employed on lively surfaces in Sri Lanka. The thinking on such tracks – which have recently proliferated on the island – is that an unplayable ball will inevitably come to get you, so make your runs before then. It was a strategy most notably used to good effect in the Galle Test against India in 2015, when Chandimal’s rapid 162 helped overturn a 192-run deficit . Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis had also prospered by batting aggressively on turning tracks against Australia last year.”We’ve been preparing for turning pitches, and playing reverse sweeps and sweeps in training,” Chandimal said. “We always do the tough things in practice. When we go to the middle it might be helpful as a batsman.”When we play against a team as good as India, we will have to take a risk in some places. We need to think as batsmen about where we take those risks. If we can identify that, we’ll be able to score a lot of runs against a team like that.”Because a pitch that takes turn is expected, Sri Lanka also appear keen to field two left-arm spinners, including would-be debutant Malinda Pushpakumara. A prolific wicket-taker in domestic cricket, with 558 first-class dismissals to his name, Sri Lanka hope Pushpakumara will eventually become a replacement for Rangana Herath. For now, Sri Lanka are hoping to give him an apprenticeship under the most successful left-arm spinner in the game.”It’s a really good opportunity if Malinda plays, to benefit from Rangana’s experience in the middle and the dressing room,” Chandimal said. “That’s what we want to do. I hope both are going to do really good things.”

Arsenal's young striker Folarin Balogun is Inter's "top target this summer", but the Italians expect negotiations to be challenging as the Gunners want "big money" for their star, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Is Folarin Balogun leaving Arsenal this summer?

Has there been a better transfer window for the Gunners in the last couple of decades? The north Londoners look to have taken their second-place finish last season to heart and have aggressively attacked the market, making three first-team signings already.

First came Kai Havertz for a cool £65m and Jurrien Timber arrived from Ajax for £34m, before the club smashed their transfer record – and the record for a British player – to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United for an eye-watering £105m.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

With talk of yet more potential incomings this summer, it's not too surprising to hear that Mikel Arteta and Edu are looking to sell a few players as well, with the Spaniard saying earlier this week:

"We have 30 players here, which is unsustainable, and obviously the market is still open. Things can happen – but we are prepared."

United States international Balogun is one of those players who looks like they could be on their way out of the club.

According to Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (via the Daily Mail), Inter have now made the 22-year-old their primary target after ceasing their interest in Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata earlier this month.

The main issue for the deal, however, is that the Gunners are expected to want at least £50m for their asset – a price the Nerazzurri are not willing to match.

However, there is a belief within the blue half of Milan that the price can be negotiated down, so he remains their No 1 target, per Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation on his Here We Go podcast:

"Balogun is a very concrete target for Inter; it's not an easy negotiation with Arsenal, because Arsenal want big money for Balogun. It's not like you can get there and sign the player whenever you want.

"But, Inter are having conversations, Inter are having conversations and I think Balogun is the top target."

How good is Folarin Balogun?

During a season in which the Gunners came agonisingly close to dethroning the indomitable Manchester City, the player with the most league goals wasn't even in the country; they were plying their trade in Ligue 1 with Stade Reims.

That was Balogun, who, in just 34 starts, scored a seriously impressive 21 goals, provided two assists and achieved an average match rating of 6.90, per WhoScored.

For comparison, the highest-scoring Arsenal players in the Premier League were Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, with 15 apiece.

It would be easy to call the American's season a fluke or good luck, but his underlying numbers suggest he was performing at the right level for his talent.

According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the New York City-born gem sits in the top 7% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 9% for total shots and progressive passes received, as well as the top 19% for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90.

His decision to take a risk and play in France was something that Arteta was keen to praise earlier this year when he said: "He's a boy that, again, has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career.

"He's really ambitious, really committed and really brave. We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and other choices he had [and] he was so convinced.

"I'm really happy for him and he deserves what he's getting."

Selling a player with the potential of Balogun could be something the Gunners come to regret, but with starting spots limited at the Emirates and the potential to make £35-50m, it might be best for all involved, at least for now.