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An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to add more recruits to their attacking options in the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Hyun-jun Yang to Celtic?

According to South Korean outlet Sports Donga, the Hoops are pursuing a deal for Gangwon creative midfielder Yang Hyun-jun ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that the club have already made one offer for the South Korean magician's services but his current side are reluctant to let him go as they battle against relegation from the top flight. It also states that the player is keen on the move and would like to test himself in Europe.

Whilst Gangwon are not willing to part ways with the forward at this moment in time, Sports Donga claims that an upturn in form in July could see them change their stance – and that would allow the Scottish giants to complete a deal for him.

Where would Yang Hyun-jun fit in at Celtic?

The 21-year-old dynamo is a versatile forward who predominantly plays on the right flank, and his arrival could spell bad news for current Hoops attacker Sead Haksabanovic, as it could result in him losing game time.

Celtic's Montenegro international was often deployed on the wing by Ange Postecoglou last season as either a right or left-winger after his permanent transfer from Rubin Kazan last year.

The 24-year-old gem averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 across 26 Scottish Premiership appearances in the 2022/23 campaign and contributed with five goals scored to go with six 'big chances' created.

Yang, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.02 across 36 K-League outings in 2022 and chipped in with eight goals, along with six 'big chances' created.

These statistics suggest that the exciting youngster, who was lauded as "special" by journalist Nathan Sartain, could provide a similar level of production in the final third, in terms of both scoring and creating goals.

He also completed 1.2 dribbles per match with a success rate of 61%, which is an impressive achievement in comparison to the Celtic man's 0.5 with a success rate of just 36%.

Of every player with at least ten starts, only Jota (1.5) managed more dribbles per league game last term for the Hoops than Yang produce for Gangwon, which suggests that the South Korean starlet could be an excellent ball carrier to get Brendan Rodgers' team up the pitch.

Therefore, Yang's arrival could be bad news for Haksabanovic as Celtic would be bringing in a player in his position who could offer the same contributions in the final third while also being more direct on the ball.

The Gangwon prodigy is also three years younger than the ex-West Ham attacker, which could be more appealing to Rodgers when the Northern Irishman decides on who he wants around as part of his long-term plan.

Arsene Wenger is set to be the next Arsenal legend to get his own statue outside the Emirates Stadium, according to reports.

When was the Emirates Stadium built?

The club's iconic manager played a huge part in the move from Highbury to the club's current home, with plans beginning as early as the late 1990s.

Construction of the venue started in 2004 with a total project budget that amounted to £390 million. A few years on, the Emirates Stadium officially opened on the 23rd of July 2006.

Speaking on beIN Sports (via GIVEMESPORT), Wenger said explained his role in pushing for such a big change, noting he felt it was an important step to take even though it made things complicated in terms of on-pitch success.

He said: “I encouraged the club to do it. It cost £200 million more than we expected it to be.

“We were blocked, we could only spend 50% of the turnover on wages. For example, if the turnover was £500 million we could only dedicate £250 million to wages.

“So we always had to sell our best players because the best players want money.”

No doubt, the lack of resources to keep hold of the club's best players, and bring in new top talent, cost Wenger in the later stages of his time with Arsenal.

Even so, he still departed a legend in 2018 having won 17 trophies during his time with the Gunners, which included three Premier Leagues, seven FA Cups and seven Community Shields.

When will Arsene Wenger's Emirates statue be unveiled?

In an exciting new update about the stadium, Connor Humm – who works for Sky Sports – revealed on Twitter that Wenger will be the next Arsenal legend to get a statue, after Tony Adams, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman.

In full, he explained: "I understand that Arsenal are set to give Arsène Wenger a statue outside the Emirates which will be unveiled on Thursday 3rd August.

"He joins Tony Adams, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman with a statue outside the stadium."

After noting that this will happen as soon as August 3, in a follow-up Tweet, Humm also reported that the Frenchman is expected to be there at the Emirates for the unveiling in person.

It will be great to see the club legend honoured for all the success he had with the North London outfit between 1996 and 2018, especially as he has only returned to the stadium once since leaving.

Indeed, last season, in December, despite previously saying he had no plans to watch his old side in action, he was in the crowd to watch Arsenal’s Premier League win over West Ham United on Boxing Day.

At the time, current manager Mikel Arteta warmly welcomed Wenger back, saying (via The Athletic): “Hopefully we can bring him close because I think he would have a great time just seeing the environment that he can create around him when he’s around this place.

“That is because of the respect, admiration and love that everybody at the club has for what he’s done and for what he represents as a person in this club.”

Jason Ratcliffe, formerly second in command at the Professional Cricketers Association, has warned of “the huge gamble” English cricket is taking with the introduction of a new-team T20 competition

George Dobell22-Mar-2017Jason Ratcliffe, formerly second in command at the Professional Cricketers Association, has warned of “the huge gamble” English cricket is taking with the introduction of a new-team T20 competition.Ratcliffe was on the steering group in the developmental stages of the proposed competition in 2015 before stepping down as assistant chief executive of the PCA at the end of last year after 14 years with the organisation.He feels there has been a lack of discussion “outside inner cricketing circles” ahead of an important vote that “will forever change the landscape of English cricket.””I care very much about our game,” Ratcliffe told ESPNcricinfo. “And, having sat on numerous ECB committees and structure reviews, as well as having played county cricket for 15 years, I feel I’ve a deep understanding of the issues.”The situation is that attendances at our existing T20 competition, the NatWest Blast, have grown 63 per cent in the last four years, where the ‘appointment to view’ principle has been proven to have worked and where our domestic competitions produced a good enough side for us to reach the final of the most recent World T20.”But we seem to be turning our back on that success and embracing a high-risk strategy that involves new teams and new identities. If the same money went into marketing the existing competition and brands as we are expecting to be invested in the new one, we could make something special and inclusive.”Ratcliffe fears for the future of county cricket if the gamble goes awry.”There is no halfway house with the strategy. We risk throwing away 130 years of history and alienating our core supporters while cannibalising our existing competitions. If we get this wrong, it could mean the death of county cricket.”Intriguingly, Ratcliffe also suggested it was the ECB’s intention to introduce an eight-team competition at the start of the T20 review process.”One of the things that has become clear to me is that there was an agenda right from the start of this process, back in 2015, to introduce an eight-team competition,” he said.”In the first CIRG [County and International Review Group] meeting, several of us asked if this was the plan. We were assured it was not but, after several days of strategy and modelling it became clear that it was.”The projected value of broadcast figures came out as early as July 2015 and non-disclosure agreements were put in place last year to prevent information leaking out. Looking back, I believe there was an agenda from the start.”

‘I’m concerned that, if the ECB’s strategy fails, the game in this country could shrink, not grow’

While Ratcliffe hopes his comments will be viewed “in the constructive manner they are intended,” his concern is the counties are close to committing to the new-team competition before many key questions have been answered.”I read the ECB chief executive Tom Harrison’s recent interview,” Ratcliffe said. “And while he clearly makes an exciting, compelling case, there was one phrase that stuck in my mind. He talked about “a moment where there’s a leap of faith” and suggested we are ‘very close to that.’ It feels like a high stakes gamble.”There are so many unanswered questions: how much influence does free to air broadcasting have? Who will host the matches? Will fans embrace new identities and travel to the matches? What will happen to Test cricket if the new-team T20 competition is being run at the same time and marketed so aggressively? How will county memberships, sponsorships and existing competitions be affected? Where is the compelling research to show that the new competition is desirable? How can our 50-over cricket develop if our best white-ball players are all involved in the new T20 tournament?”My concern is that Welsh Rugby Union went down a similar route in 2003 and it’s taken a generation to find out that attendances haven’t improved.”I’m not against change. I think we probably should have modelled a T20 competition with promotion and relegation and our existing 18 sides. But I’m concerned that, if the ECB’s strategy fails, the game in this country could shrink, not grow, as a result of the new competition.”There’s a potential game-changing vote about to take place over the future of domestic cricket and there’s been almost no open discussion. It’s happening before existing supporters have come to understand the full ramifications.”The only guaranteed winners in the short term, will be players with more money coming in at every level. County futures, however, are potentially far less uncertain.”There’s no doubt that cricket is resilient – 130 years of history has proved this. But while change is inevitable, we can’t take anything for granted. If the plans progress next week, county cricket as we know it, will change forever and we’ll be left with our fingers crossed that ECB have got this right.”

Chelsea have an "outstanding opportunity" to secure the signature of Dusan Vlahovic in the coming weeks, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.

Chelsea transfer news – What's the latest on Dusan Vlahovic?

It's been all action at Stamford Bridge over the last few weeks, with the Blues seeing a swath of players leaving the club, such as Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, who joined Arsenal and Manchester United, respectively.

However, the burgeoning Saudi Pro League has made the biggest difference for Chelsea this window, with N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, and Kalidou Koulibaly making their way to the Middle East's new super league.

That business has allowed Mauricio Pochettino's new side to bring in some new faces, with Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, and Diego Moreira all coming through the doors at Stamford Bridge.

However, the Pensioners aren't done there as they look to finally address a problem that's been hurting the club for years: the lack of a starting number nine.

The player earmarked for that role in West London is Juventus' struggling target man Vlahovic, who the Italian club are said to be willing to cut their losses on this summer.

According to the Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian giants would be willing to sanction the sale of the player should a club be able to pay a fee somewhere close to the initial €80m (£68m) they paid to get him out of Fiorentina in January 2022.

What has Dean Jones said about Dusan Vlahovic and Chelsea?

Jones explains that Juventus expect interest in Vlahovic to increase significantly in the coming weeks, and that Chelsea have already been in contact with the Turin side regarding their 6 foot 3 striker.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "Juve are preparing for new contact around Vlahovic to land in the coming days. I'm hearing that there are several conversations planned between different Premier League clubs and Juve over a few players, and it is thought that in one of these Chelsea will look to discover more information about the availability of Vlahovic. They touched base about five weeks ago or so over this so already have a general understanding.

Jones gave his opinion on the prospect of the signing, adding: "If Vlahovic is going to leave, then those conversations need to open up now. The value attached to him is still around £70m but, as I have said before, that could be very good value for a striker as good as this. This is an outstanding opportunity to sign one of the most clinical finishers in the game. He's up for grabs if they are willing to pay."

How good is Dusan Vlahovic?

It has been a difficult 18 months at the Bianconeri for Vlahovic. Despite costing a whopping £66.6m from Serie A rivals Fiorentina, the Serbian international has flattered to deceive during his time in Turin.

Over his 42 league games, the Belgrade-born colossus has scored just 17 goals, meaning he finds the back of the net once every two-and-a-half games, which for the star striker at Juventus has been deemed simply not enough by Italian football legend Antonio Cassano, who told boboTV (via the Mirror):

"It's not enough to score 15 goals, 20 goals. At Juve, every match must be decisive. It's a dangerous weight on him. He had to take the next step, but not two steps, at Juve, you have to score at least 30 goals per season, and you have to take home the performances and titles.

"I don't see him as a player for Juve."

Unfortunately for the player once described as a "monster" by Italian journalist Carlo Garganese, his underlying numbers only suggest further that he might just be unsuited to being a striker for Europe's elite.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the Serbian star finds himself in the top 24% of strikers for total shots, the top 28% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 33% for non-penalty expected goals and assists, and the top 38% for pass completion, all per 90.

Those are his stand-out statistics as well, which makes the idea of Chelsea spending nearly £70m to secure his signature seem incredibly risky.

However, should he rediscover the form he had during his time with La Viola, the form that saw him score 44 goals in 98 Serie A games, then Jones would be correct in his assessment of this as an "outstanding opportunity."

Soon after being picked up at the IPL auction, the Afghanistan duo of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan were snapped up at the CPL draft too

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2017Mohammad Nabi made more history on Friday when he became the first Afghanistan player to be picked in the 2017 CPL draft. The former captain was picked up by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for USD 90,000 in the fourth round of the draft and was closely followed by team-mate Rashid Khan, who was taken in the sixth round for USD 60,000 by Guyana Amazon Warriors.This follows an excellent couple of months for Afghanistan cricket in general. The same pair of Nabi and Rashid had been snapped up at the IPL auction in February by Sunrisers Hyderabad and beginning in December the team has been on a 10-match winning streak in T20Is – a world record. Mere hours before he was picked up, Rashid produced a spellbinding display against Ireland, picking up five wickets in nine balls to turn the game around in an eventual 17-run win.CPL squads

BARBADOS TRIDENTS: Kieron Pollard, Kane Williamson*, Shoaib Malik, Dwayne Smith, Nicholas Pooran, Wayne Parnell, Ravi Rampaul, Wahab Riaz, Raymon Reifer, Christopher Barnwell, Imran Khan, Damion Jacobs, Akeal Hosein, Ryan Wiggins, Tino Best, Shamar Springer, Akeem Dodson
GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS: Sohail Tanvir, Martin Guptill*, Chadwick Walton, Chris Lynn, Rayad Emrit, Rashid Khan, Jason Mohammed, Steven Taylor, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshan Primus, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Shimron Hetmyer, Ali Khan
JAMAICA TALLAWAHS: Lendl Simmons, Kumar Sangakkara*, Shakib Al Hasan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Sami, Rovman Powell, Gidron Pope, Kesrick Williams, Garey Mathurin, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Krishmar Santokie, Jonathan Foo, Kennar Lewis, Andre McCarthy, Odean Smith, O’Shane Thomas, Timroy Allen
ST. KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS: Chris Gayle, Chris Morris*, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nabi, Evin Lewis, Samuel Badree, Jonathan Carter, Tabraiz Shamsi, Brandon King, Devon Thomas, Sheldon Cotterell, Kieran Powell, Fabian Allen, Shamarh Brooks, Jeremiah Louis, Alzarri Joseph, Nikhil Dutta, Carlos Brathwaite
ST. LUCIA STARS: David Miller, Lasith Malinga*, Shane Watson, Darren Sammy, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Kamran Akmal, Rakheem Cornwall, Kyle Mayers, Shane Shillingford, Eddie Leie, Keddy Lesporis, Sunil Ambris, Obed McCoy, Timil Patel
TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS: Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullum*, Sunil Narine, Hashim Amla, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Khary Pierre, Ronsford Beaton, Javon Searles, Nikita Miller, William Perkins, Kevon Cooper, Brad Hogg, Anderson Phillip, Hamza Tariq
* denotes marquee players

The top pick at the draft was Lendl Simmons, the second-highest run-getter in the tournament’s three-year history with a tally of 1238 from 39 matches. Also a two-time World T20 winner, he went to Jamaica Tallawahs for USD 160,000 having represented Patriots in 2016. Tallawahs, the defending champions, needed the muscle at the top of the order after they traded their captain Chris Gayle and top-scorer in all of CPL to the team that finished bottom last season, the Patriots. West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite might also turn out for the Patriots provided he does not have any WICB commitments at the time.Among the biggest gainers from the draft were West Indies wicketkeeper batsman Chadwick Walton. His USD 30,000 contract last year became a thing of the distant past after he was bought for over three times the price – USD 110,000 – by Amazon Warriors. Australia allrounder Ben Cutting also went for the same amount and is all set to play in his first CPL, for Patriots, who had also enlisted the services of South Africa’s Chris Morris for USD 130,000 the day before the draft.There were several notable players who went unsold as well. To name a few, Pakistan legspinner Yasir Shah, their Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who struck six successive sixes in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz on Thursday, England T20 specialist Tymal Mills, Corey Anderson, who at one time held the record for the fastest century in ODIs and Shaun Marsh, who plays for Perth Scorchers, three-time BBL champions.Tallawahs invested in, among others, Mohammad Sami, who defended four runs off the last over in the recently concluded PSL to put Islamabad United into the play-offs, and Krishmar Santokie, the former West Indies left-arm quick known for his slingy action and accurate yorkers. They were the most active team in the draft, alongside the newly renamed St Lucia Stars, picking up seven players each.Marlon Samuels may have dismantled Lasith Malinga in the 2012 World T20 final, but they will be playing together under the leadership of Darren Sammy for the Stars this CPL. They also purchased Pakistan wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal, who was the only centurion in the 2017 PSL, and the big-hitting offspinning allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who had previously represented the defunct Antigua Hawksbills.The six franchises had chosen their marquee picks a day before the draft. Kane Williamson joined team-mates Martin Guptill (Amazon Warriors) and Brendon McCullum (Trinbago Knight Riders) as the only New Zealand players in the tournament. Williamson was recruited by Barbados Tridents, who also bulked up their fast bowling reserves by picking up Wahab Riaz, Wayne Parnell and Tino Best. Knight Riders, like their namesake in the IPL, showed a fondness for unusual spinners and bought the 46-year old Brad Hogg and the 18-year old Shadab Khan, whose googlies were rarely picked by the batsmen in the PSL.A total of nine Associate players have been placed with teams in the CPL along with Rashid and Nabi. From the USA team, allrounder Timroy Allen was retained by Tallawahs after appearing in six matches during their 2016 title campaign. Fast bowler Ali Khan was retained by Amazon Warriors while batsman Steven Taylor was snapped up for USD 30,000 by Amazon Warriors after spending the last two seasons with Barbados Tridents. Legspinner Timil Patel was picked for the first time, by Stars, and wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson was taken by Tridents. Canada’s Nikhil Dutta and Hamza Tariq were retained by Patriots and Knight Riders respectively.

A board release said Aravinda de Silva stepped down due to “personal commitments that would hinder his availability and time investment in the Committee further”

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-May-2017Aravinda de Silva has decided to resign from the SLC cricket committee, of which he was chairman, 13 months after he took on the role. A board release said de Silva will step down on June 30 due to “personal commitments that would hinder his availability and time investment in the Committee further”.”It is understandable that [de Silva] needs to prioritise his personal commitments,” board president Thilanga Sumathipala said. “He has supported the strategic vision of this administration and been vastly instrumental in many of the developments we have made.”We intend to continue to engage Aravinda’s expertise in our key cricketing activities on a consultancy basis,” Sumathipala added.During his time in the committee, de Silva had been among the more influential SLC figures, overseeing, in particular, a re-order of SLC’s coaching structure. However, his clout is also understood to have waned in recent months, with SLC having appointed other officials to advise the national team. De Silva had also twice served as chief selector – most recently in an interim stint last year, when his selection panel picked the squad for the World T20.

Chelsea's pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion's exciting Moises Caicedo could soon end as the deal is "moving, the deal is on, and the deal is slowly advancing", claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Is Moises Caicedo joining Chelsea?

After breaking records with their immense spending only six months ago, Chelsea are once again in the mood to splash the cash on exciting new players to try and help new boss Mauricio Pochettino guide the club back into the top four after a disastrous season last year that saw four separate managers take the helm.

This new wave of spending has partly been funded by the firesale the club has held over recent weeks, with a whole raft of players leaving Stamford Bridge, including nine first-team quality players.

Some of them, like Kalidou Koulibaly, have left for the new riches of the Saudi Pro League; others, like Kai Havertz, have joined Premier League rivals and some, like Cesar Azpilicueta, have joined some of the continent's biggest clubs.

Up to this point, the most notable signing to come through the door this summer has been young striker Nicolas Jackson who joined from La Liga side Villarreal.

That said, the biggest name linked to the Pensioners, and the one that has seemingly got fans the most excited, is Brighton's Ecuadorian superstar Caicedo.

The 21-year-old has been the subject of one of the window's biggest transfer sagas thus far, with the South Coast club placing a £100m price tag on his head.

However, one thing the Blues have in their favour is the player's desire to join the club; in an interview on the La Cancha Con Majo YouTube channel, he said:

"It's a big team, that's true. A very historic team, and I can't say no, because it's a very big, historic, beautiful team."

Despite initial disagreements over the price and structure of the deal, negotiations between the sides are progressing well, and the "deal is on", per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"The conversations remain ongoing, and what I am understanding, to give you some more detail on this story is that Chelsea and Brighton are now discussing how much they want to agree for the fixed part of this transfer.

"Sources believe that Chelsea wanted to close this deal around £70m plus add-ons, Brighton are not going to accept 70. So something more is needed in terms of fixed amount and then to add some add-ons so they are discussing this kind of details, but the deal is moving, the deal is on, and the deal is slowly advancing."

How good is Moises Caicedo?

The short answer is good, very good. At just 21 years old, the Ecuadorian international is easily one of the most exciting and sought-after players in the Premier League, and it's easy to see why, especially when looking at his underlying numbers.

According to FBref, who compare players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the "physical monster" sits in the top 6% of midfielders for pass completion, the top 11% for interceptions, the top 13% for tackles, the top 15% for attempted passes, and the top 26% for progressive passes, all per 90.

He had a brilliant season for the Seagulls last year, helping them qualify for the Europa League for the first time in the club's history and achieving an average rating of 6.92 across his 37 league matches, per WhoScored.

Football scout Jacek Kulig predicted the astronomical rise, and price, of Caicedo last summer when he said:

"Moisés Caicedo's market value/asking price will be astronomical next summer. And he'll be worth every penny of it.

"Machine Man."

If the Blues are serious about challenging for the Premier League crown once again under Pochettino, then signing a player of Caicedo's talent would certainly be a great place to start.

Leeds United reportedly want to sign Bayern Munich goalkeeper Alexander Nubel this summer on a permanent transfer.

What’s the latest Leeds transfer news?

The Whites and new manager Daniel Farke are currently preparing for the Championship season but are yet to make any senior signings in the transfer market. A number of payers have left Elland Road, either on loan or on a permanent basis, with a takeover involving the 49ers Enterprises still awaiting the EFL green light.

There has been plenty of speculation over new signings, though, with Phil Hay stating that a new goalkeeper, left-back, centre-back, midfielder and forward could be on the agenda in Yorkshire over the coming weeks. One player who could now be targeted in goal appears to be Nubel, with Leeds being named in a recent update.

According to reliable German outlet Bild in the last 48 hours, Nubel doesn’t see his future at the Allianz Arena and seemingly has two options on the table.

The report claims that fellow Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart are looking to loan the goalkeeper, whereas Leeds are interested in a permanent transfer, with Bayern Munich leaning towards a permanent sale. It is believed that a decision could be made regarding Nubel’s future by Monday.

Leeds’ current first-choice goalkeeper has been Illan Meslier, however, Hay believes the club will sell the Frenchman this summer.

Who is Alexander Nubel?

Nubel is 26 years of age and is under contract with Bayern Munich until 2025. The German began his career on the books of SC Paderborn before joining FC Schalke in 2015. Nubel made 53 appearances for the club and signed for Bayern in 2020 on a free transfer.

However, he has featured on just four occasions for his current employers and spent the last two seasons on loan with AS Monaco, where he turned out on 97 occasions in all competitions.

Klaus Thomforde, Germany's U21 goalkeeper coach, once labelled Nubel as an “incredibly talented goalkeeper” who has “extraordinary footballing ability”.

"You can only speak highly of Alex – he's an incredibly talented goalkeeper, with the world at his feet. He's got an extraordinary footballing ability, but he's also very down to earth and is a great lad."

Meanwhile, Eric Kroll, Nubel’s former teammate at Paderborn, has previously hailed the goalkeeper's ability with the ball at his feet.

"Alex was always better with his feet than many of our outfield players – when you had Alex on your team, that was half the job done – you knew you could always pass the ball to him. I can imagine seeing him as Germany number one in future."

As per FBref, Nubel ranks in the top 10% of goalkeepers for saves over the past 12 months (90th percentile), compared to Meslier who sits in the top 62% (38th percentile).

Nubel also holds a better pass completion percentage than the Leeds man and has conceded fewer goals, so it looks as if he could be a sensible option for the Whites to replace Meslier, and by the looks of things, a move could be one to keep an eye on over the coming days.

Sarah Taylor has been named in England’s World Cup squad following her break from the game to tackle anxiety

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2017Sarah Taylor has been named in England’s World Cup squad following her break from the game to tackle anxiety.Taylor announced her indefinite leave last May to undergo Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to address a debilitating condition that had, at times, led to her leaving the field of play to be sick.She returned to the England fold in April when she joined the pre-season training camp in Abu Dhabi and scored an unbeaten 26 against Ireland, her first England outing since the World T20 last March. Last week Taylor scored 61 in the Royal London Cup.Both Taylor and captain Heather Knight, who is recovering from a stress fracture in her left foot, are included in the 15-strong squad subject to final fitness assessments.Knight remains confident of being fit to lead the team in their opening match against India, at Derby, on June 24.”It’s been frustrating to have my preparations disrupted by injury but I’ve been confronted with more serious injuries in the past so I know the importance of disciplined rehab,” she said. “I will be committing every moment to that rehab between now and the World Cup getting underway.””It’s such a dream to captain England in a World Cup on home soil; it’s not something that many cricketers can say they’ve done and it’s a real honour. There’s so much potential in this group of players and the opportunity ahead of us is really exciting”I’m very proud of all the girls in this squad, as cricketers and people. We’re a young group but we’ve made massive strides over the past 12 months and everyone has worked so hard. We know it’s going to be a tough tournament – and we won’t go in as favourites – but backed by home support we’ll do our best to challenge for the trophy.”Mark Robinson, the England coach, said: “We are hugely excited about the potential of this squad. There will be no better and greater stage than a home World Cup for our players to showcase what they are about and we are really excited about what this group of girls could potentially achieve.”The return to the squad of Sarah Taylor shows how far she’s come and we are hopeful both her and Heather Knight will be able to play a full part in the tournament.”Five of the squad – Alex Hartley, Beth Langston, Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson and Lauren Winfield – will be playing in their first 50-over World Cup, while the bowling attack will be led by the experienced pair of Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole.Since Knight took over the captaincy last year from Charlotte Edwards, England have won their three one-day series against Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka losing just two of the 12 matches.Squad Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Anya Shrubsole, Natalie Sciver, Sarah Taylor, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt

Liverpool have recently been credited with an interest in Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, likely a result of Fabinho's prospective transfer away from Anfield.

Who are Liverpool going to sign?

When Liverpool concluded the 22/23 Premier League campaign, confined to a fifth-placed finish after seven successive years within the top four, it was clear that changes were needed.

James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all concluded their contracts, and Alexis Mac Allister and Dominick Szoboszlai have been brought in to replace the departees.

With captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho now both headed for the door, manager Jurgen Klopp appears set to pocket a ballpark £52m from the outgoings, and rumours that Verratti could be joining the Liverpool fold might just bear fruit.

According to Spanish outlet Marca, PSG are willing to part with the Italy international for a fee of €70m (£61m) amid interest from Liverpool, and while this might seem steep, the money recuperated through the forthcoming sales of Fabinho and Henderson seemingly pave the way for another lucrative signing.

How good is Marco Verratti?

For Liverpool fans who are familiar with Verratti's game, 'Thiago-esque, 'ball-playing', and 'maestro' might be words that spring to mind, but the actuality is that here is a distinguished and multi-faceted midfielder capable of melding his passing proficiency with a gritty approach to his defensive trade.

This is evidenced through his defensive metrics over the past year, with FBref ranking the Euro 2020 champion among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles and the top 9% for blocks per 90, underscoring his aptitude as an anchoring force.

The £240k-per-week star played 19 of his 38 matches from the defensive midfield role last season, with Parisian teammate Danilo Pereira waxing lyrical over the 30-year-old.

He said, “Marco is incredible! Incredible! The things he can do both with and without the ball. I've never seen a midfielder like him. He can do attacking and defensive things with such ease that anyone watching would think it was easy, but it's really not.”

Fabinho has been phenomenal for Liverpool since signing from Monaco for £44m in 2018, but has been criticised for his recent performances, with Jamie Carragher saying “Liverpool were awful, what is going on with Fabinho?" after one of the many subpar showings last season.

As per Sofascore, the Brazilian star made 1.8 tackles per game in the English top-flight, succeeding with just 48% of his ground duels and completing 89% of his passes. Verratti, comparatively, made 2.6 tackles per match and succeeded with 54% of his ground duels, also completing 93% of his passes. It's clear, therefore, just who would be the better option at this moment in time.

Once praised as a “genius” by Neymar, Verratti could indeed be a fine addition to the Anfield ranks, bolstering the defensive midfield and providing a passing prowess to combine.

And with the prodigious Romeo Lavia subject to intense speculation surrounding his future with relegated Southampton – with Liverpool at the forefront of the rumours there as well – he could serve as the perfect understudy to Verratti and assimilate the knowledge passed down, all the while growing into his skin and starring when called upon.