Dan Ashworth's move to Manchester United has reportedly hit a road block as Newcastle United want more compensation for their sporting director.
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Man Utd want to bring Ashworth to clubNewcastle Utd seek £20m overallRed Devils offer way short of thatWHAT HAPPENED?
The Telegraph reports Newcastle want approximately £15 million ($18.6m), plus £5m ($6.2m) in add-ons, for Ashworth – who is currently on gardening leave after stepping down from his role at the Magpies in February. United, however, are reportedly proposing £2m ($2.5m) in compensation. For the time being, it is gridlock between the two teams.
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United reportedly feel their approach for Ashworth is no different to the way Newcastle pursued the former Football Association technical director when he left Brighton in early 2022 – where the Magpies reportedly paid around the £2m ($2.5m) mark at the time. The report adds Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United's new minority owner, held talks with Newcastle director Amanda Staveley earlier this month but no progress has been made. Moreover, there is little expectation the 53-year-old will be signed before the summer and the Red Devils will not be "strong armed" over this deal.
DID YOU KNOW?
United reportedly feel the fee that Newcastle want would be better spent on player transfers. Ashworth's gardening leave is due to expire at the end of 2025 but the Red Devils want to bring him in sooner than then.
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While negotiations over Ashworth continue, United are next in Premier League action on Wednesday night against bottom of the table Sheffield United, while Newcastle travel to Crystal Palace on the same day.
It's been reported this week that one West Ham player is having a tough time within the club amid a testing relationship with manager David Moyes.
West Ham's results under Moyes recently
Earlier this season, pressure was mounting on Moyes amid a previously poor run of form. The Scotsman's contract expires in 2024, with reports around a month ago suggesting Moyes is very likely to leave West Ham at the end of this Premier League season.
However, since then, things have taken a slight turn with the Hammers head coach looking in a slightly more favourable position.
West Ham favourites to sign forward with £25m transfer "there to be done"
Co-chairman David Sullivan and transfer chief Tim Steidten are reportedly planning targets ahead of January.
ByEmilio Galantini Dec 9, 2023
Winning six out of their last eight matches in all competitions, including impressive victories over Arsenal in the EFL Cup and Spurs in midweek, West Ham have also climbed back up the table and look in good stead.
Fulham await the east Londoners on Sunday, a match they look favourites to win going by form on paper, with the likes of Jarrod Bowen, James Ward-Prowse and Mohammed Kudus seriously impressing recently.
Kudus in particular has now become a fixture of Moyes' front three at West Ham, with Moyes hailing the Ghanaian's versatility in his most recent press conference.
"Mo has been exceptional in so many different ways," said Moyes on Kudus' recent form, via West Ham's official website.
"He’s been an assist-maker, he’s been a goalscorer for us, and I think he’s getting used to the demands of Premier League, and I think even from the opening games he’s improved greatly.
"I can only see him improving as time goes on, you have to remember this is a boy who has only come into the Premier League three months ago. It was quite late in the transfer window bringing him in and he’s played ever so well."
The summer signing brings a new dimension to West Ham going forward, and he's partly the reason why winger Said Benrahma has struggled for consistent starts lately.
Benrahma facing "difficulties" inside West Ham
The Algerian has been given the nod in just four league games this season, making most of his 10 overall top-flight appearances off the bench.
According to Fennec Football, a news outlet from his homeland, Benrahma is facing "difficulties" within West Ham amid "tensions" with Moyes behind the scenes.
The former Brentford star has offers from Saudi Arabia to leave in 2024, but despite enduring a tough time at the London Stadium right now, it's believed Benrahma is determined to fight for his place.
He's willing to be patient and wait for his opportunity at West Ham. Fennec believes that while his decision carries "risks", a possible departure for Moyes next year could completely change the landscape for Benrahma.
Long shots
Direct free-kicks
Through balls
It will be intriguing to see what the future holds for him, as on his day, the 28-year-old can be a tricky player to contain going forward.
Umaima Sohail, the only new player to be handed a contract earlier this week, has been picked in both the ODI and T20I squads to face West Indies
ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2019Bismah Maroof has been named Pakistan women’s captain for both the ODI and T20I series against West Indies women. The three-match T20I series will take place in Karachi from January 31 to February 3, and will mark the resumption of women’s international cricket in Pakistan since they hosted Bangladesh for two T20Is and two ODIs in September 2015. This will be followed by three ODIs in Dubai.Maroof had missed Pakistan’s previous ODI series, against Australia in Kuala Lumpur last year, due to a sinus problem, for which she underwent surgery. She later returned to action in the World T20 in the Caribbean, but not as captain. A PCB press release said she had stepped down from the role and Javeria Khan, who filled in for Maroof, will continue to lead.Maroof has now taken back the captaincy, which she termed a “huge honour”. “It’s always a privilege to be appointed captain of your country,” she said. “But to be named captain in a home series against a tough side like the West Indies, that too when international cricket is making a steady return to Pakistan, is a huge honour.”Umaima Sohail, the only new player to be handed a contract earlier this week, has been picked in both the ODI and T20I squads.T20I squad: Bismah Maroof (capt), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Irum Javed, Javeria Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Nida Dar, Sana Mir, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Umaima SohailODI squad: Bismah Maroof (capt), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Javeria Khan, Kainat Imtiaz, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Saba Nazir, Sana Mir, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Umaima Sohail
Ganesh Satish and Atharwa Taide play game-changing innings as Rest of India go down
The Report by Sreshth Shah in Nagpur16-Feb-2019Hanuma Vihari may have struck two magnificent centuries in the Irani Cup tie, but it was overshadowed by Vidarbha’s collective effort, which helped them trump Rest of India and lift the trophy for the second season in a row.When the two teams shook hands with Vidarbha needing only 11 runs to win the match – they had five wickets in hand – they not only won the trophy on offer, but also completed the double of winning the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Cup for the second season in a row, much to the delight of a sizeable Saturday crowd at Nagpur’s VCA Stadium.Vidarbha started the day on 37 for one, still 243 runs adrift on a final-day pitch that wasn’t getting any easier to bat on. But in 18-year-old Atharva Taide – a late injury replacement for Wasim Jaffer – they found the right man to anchor the innings through the first session. His 72, together with R Sanjay’s 42, ensured Vidarbha stayed rock solid early on, and then under the baking sun that took a lot out of the RoI bowlers, they cashed in. Their 116-run stand for the second wicket wiped out a large chunk of the target.Taide carried on to score 72, and Ganesh Satish, the only professional in the side in Jaffer’s absence, then steered the chase to the end, falling for 87 with Vidarbha inches short of the target – the teams agreed to call off the game at that point – and walked off to raucous applause. Wicketkeeper-batsman Akshay Wadkar remained unbeaten when the contest ended.ESPNcricinfo LtdEarlier, Sanjay and Taide displayed patience as well as skill to help Vidarbha dominate proceedings. Taide struck two boundaries off fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot – one a measured tickle down to fine-leg, the other a tentative push through the slip cordon – to begin the day’s boundary count. Sanjay, at the other end, bunted whatever was aimed at the stumps, while happily leaving the ones that were not.The first six of the innings came just before the first drinks break, when Taide came down the track to play legspinner Rahul Chahar with the turn. After the break, Sanjay joined in, smacking left-arm pacer Tanveer-ul-Haq through the covers for four and then, when left-arm spinner Dharmendrasingh Jadeja was introduced, smashed one straight into the sightscreen.Ajinkya Rahane, the RoI captain, brought in an attacking field for the spinners thereafter, hoping, perhaps, for the batsmen to err in judgment and play a false shot, but that spell of play was carefully negated too. And in the 41st over of the innings, a single to long-off brought up Taide’s second first-class half-century.It was important for the young Taide not to lose his focus after reaching the landmark, and he didn’t, continuing to offer the straight bat to the full deliveries from the spinners, and padding away the ones that pitched outside leg stump. But Sanjay, the senior partner, couldn’t carry on as he was trapped lbw eight runs short of his half-century when a quicker one from Chahar slid into his pads.Taide and Satish then added 30 more runs before the youngster fell lbw to Chahar, and Satish proceeded to put up 83 more for the fourth wicket in the company of Mohit Kale in the afternoon. The two looked set to finish the session unseparated, but Kale was dismissed off the final ball before tea.After the break, Wadkar held up one end while Satish opened up, perhaps with an eye on a possible century. Two boundaries off Chahar brought the target down to only 11 but Satish fell trying to pull part-timer Vihari over the midwicket boundary, only to hole out to substitute fielder Sandeep Warrier in the deep. Though there was enough time left for Vidarbha to record an outright win, the two teams agreed to call it off.The chase wasn’t supposed to be easy. On the fourth evening, Vidarbha had lost their captain Faiz Fazal for a duck after Vihari – together with Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer – had helped get to a declaration on 374 for three – a lead of 279.That Vidarbha had nearly a 100-run advantage after the first-innings exchanges was thanks to allrounder Akshay Karnewar, later named the Man of the Match. He struck the team’s only century of the match to rescue Vidarbha after they were 168 for five in response to RoI’s first-innings score of 330. Wadkar, too, struck a crucial 73 while Sanjay chipped in with 65 to take them to 425, and Vidarbha were assured of victory if the game ended in a draw.RoI had to push for a result in their favour after that, but it wasn’t to be. In the absence of offspinner K Gowtham, who didn’t bowl after the second day because of a shoulder injury, their largely inexperienced attack could not find the purchase from the pitch they would have hoped for. Add to that some smart batting from Vidarbha’s top order on the final day, and only one result was possible.
Jude Bellingham underwent late treatment on a knee issue to ensure he is fit to play in Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.
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Bellingham felt discomfort in kneeMidfielder has gone for injectionNamed in starting XI against BayernWHAT HAPPENED?
Bellingham left the Madrid camp in order to have a painkilling injection to treat a pain in his knee on the day of the semi-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, reports. The midfielder has been cleared to play and has been named in the starting XI for the clash on Wednesday.
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The England international has been a pivotal part of the Spanish giants' journey to the final four, scoring four goals and registering four assists in his nine appearances in the competition to go along with his 18 strikes to help the capital club win La Liga this season.
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Madrid head into the home game against Bayern needing a win to ensure they progress to the final of Europe's premier club competition. The two teams played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Munich last week.
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Bellingham will hope the discomfort in his knee does not come back during Wednesday's headline showdown as Carlo Ancelotti's side meet Thomas Tuchel's men to fight for a place in the final alongside Borussia Dortmund.
It's funny how just one result can completely change the mood at a football club such as Liverpool, but then the weight of the compelling Premier League title race lies heavy on the club's shoulders.
An insipid performance against Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday afternoon allowed Arsenal to reclaim pole position in the table ahead of the Gunners' trip to Merseyside to take on Jurgen Klopp's men at the weekend.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Of course, it's all relative and while Liverpool have suffered from a decline in creativity and innovation in the midfield across recent weeks, Klopp is contending with a mounting injury list at the epicentre of the gruelling winter period.
It's important to remember that victory over the Gunners on Saturday would place Klopp's side top at Christmas, but with the January transfer window just around the corner, it might be wise to fortify the ranks.
Liverpool transfer news – Kalvin Phillips
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Liverpool remain in contention to sign Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips despite the ostensible advance from Juventus, who are seeking to close in on a winter deal.
It appears that the Treble winners would entertain an initial loan offer that would have a clause inserted to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season, with a fee in the region of €40-50m (£34-43m) touted.
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
Newcastle United, decimated by injuries and beset with the 10-month ban of Sandro Tonali, are also in the market for a midfielder and would be delighted to offer Phillips a Premier League lifeline, though Juventus are still the favourites.
Calciomercato believe that while the Reds are behind in the race, they have formally entered in recent days and could now seek to leapfrog the competition in trademark Klopp style.
Kalvin Phillips' style of play
While Phillips would not be the coruscating gem of a creative midfielder to pump some of that innovation and spark into Liverpool's midfield, he could be a fantastic option to thread the centre together and allow the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch to thrive.
Alexis Mac Allister has missed the past three Premier League matches due to injury and his effectiveness as the Anfield anchor perhaps went under the radar, but Phillips could bring the mettle and technical skill to serve the No. 6 role well.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Tackling
Aerial duels
Interceptions
Discipline
Blocking
Direct free-kicks
*Sourced via WhoScored
Once proclaimed to be a “Rolls-Royce” of a player by journalist Josh Bunting, Phillips signed for City from Leeds United for £45m in 2022 after serving as the centrepiece for the Whites as they rose to the top-flight and enjoyed a resounding return to the big time, finishing ninth in 2020/21 with 59 points.
While Phillips has mouldered on the fringe under Pep Guardiola's management, he chalked up 234 appearances for Leeds and received comparisons to Chelsea's erstwhile phenomenon N'Golo Kante for his performances across the 2020/21 campaign.
As the Times' Henry Winter remarked when the 28-year-old was playing regularly, Phillips is the kind of all-encompassing midfielder to enhance those around him, a sort of unbreakable bedrock, from which little pockets of fertile soil sprout life for creativity peers to plant their roots.
He is a machine in the middle, making 2.6 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game when Leeds returned to the top-flight, as per Sofascore, also completing 85% of his passes.
This level of industriousness and tenacity remains; it has not dissipated and blown away in the wind. A sage manager such as Klopp would be able to harness his talents and restore his best ability, and Liverpool would likely benefit from his arrival.
Why Liverpool are interested in Kalvin Phillips
The £150k-per-week ace would probably be a little rusty but there is a reason that Liverpool, Newcastle and Juventus are all eager to snap him up.
Despite his limited match action, Phillips has demonstrated many of his excellent core qualities over the past year, ranking among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, the top 2% for passes attempted, the top 8% for shots taken and the top 7% for clearances made per 90, as per FBref.
Such metrics denote crispness in his ball-playing ability and robustness and energy in his craft; it's important to remember that while Phillips has failed to make a mark at the Etihad Stadium, he was one of English football's most coveted players before making the ambitious move.
These statistics also draw comparisons to Real Madrid gem Aurelien Tchouameni – as noted by FBref's similar players model – and given Liverpool's lasting interest in the France international, it might be wise to sign a player who could emulate such a skill set.
To explain: Liverpool were among the contenders to sign Tchouameni in 2022, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain also vying for the former AS Monaco star, though the allure of Los Blancos and all of its prestige convinced Tchouameni to join the LaLiga giants in a €100m (£85m) transfer.
Liverpool's interest doesn't appear to have gone away and there have been claims from only last month that the Reds remain sanguine in their perpetual efforts to bring the player to Anfield, though Madrid's emphatic response has signalled that he is considered a key player for many years to come.
Tchouameni ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for pass completion, the top 7% for passes attempted, the top 17% for shots taken, the top 4% for interceptions and the top 14% for clearances per 90.
Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
The 23-year-old has been called "world-class" by Transfermarkt's Stefan Bienkowski and this is probably justified, but given that Phillips boasts metrics that would allow him to replicate the incisiveness and dynamism of the Frenchman, Klopp's desire to sign him is perhaps clearer.
Tchouameni would be the dream but there is simply no way that Carlo Ancelotti and Florentino Perez will let him go anywhere near Merseyside any time soon; he is simply not up for sale.
Maybe signing Phillips would be an astute piece of business to provide Klopp with a player who could fit his vision and enrich the fluency of his team.
They’ve lost their last two games and one more could see them slip from second to sixth place by the end of the weekend
Sreshth Shah in Kolkata13-Apr-20193:43
Hussey rules Bravo out of KKR clash
Big pictureTheoretically, even one more win could be enough for Chennai Super Kings to make it to the IPL 2019 playoffs. On the road for the second of four straight away games, they come into this contest four points clear of the second-placed team, riding the MS Dhoni wave. The Super Kings captain averages 107 this season, and surprisingly, has the best strike-rate (127.38) among their batsmen who have faced fifty or more balls.Form guide
Knight Riders: lost to Capitals by 7 wickets, lost to Super Kings by 7 wickets, beat Royals by 8 wickets (most recent matches first)
Super Kings: beat Royals by 4 wickets, beat Knight Riders by 7 wickets, beat Kings XI by 28 runs
Apart from him, Ambati Rayudu has found some form, while lower-order batsmen like Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner have begun to establish themselves as big-hitting finishers. They find a way to post a par score on whatever surface they’re playing on nearly every time and take chases down right to the final delivery as often as possible. No opposition can afford to drop their intensity. You do that, and Super Kings will hurt you.Second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders, though, find themselves in a precarious position. They’ve lost their last two games and one more could see them slip from second to sixth place by the end of the weekend. They’ve found success batting second every time this season, but teams are slowly beginning to pick up their weakness: batting first. As Dinesh Karthik said after their loss to Delhi Capitals on Friday, Knight Riders are susceptible to leaving a few runs on the field, and their spin bowlers haven’t found too much help on the Eden Gardens surface.With a few injury concerns for Knight Riders, and five days until their next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, defeat ahead of the break could dent their morale. But as long as Andre Russell’s by their side, they’ll know that they have a fighting chance right up to the final delivery.In the news Michael Hussey, the Super Kings batting coach, said Dwayne Bravo is still a few games away from attaining full fitness, and on a pace-friendly pitch, might consider recalibrating their spin-heavy bowling attack. Simon Katich, the Knight Riders batting coach, believes Sunil Narine would be available for the match, while they’ll take a call on Chris Lynn (flu) and Russell (bruised thigh) on Sunday morning.Harbhajan Singh accounted for Sunil Narine in the second over•BCCIPrevious meetingThe two sides met only four days ago, where Deepak Chahar and Harbhajan Singh left Knight Riders 47 for 6 into the 11th over. After that, Russell’s uncharacteristic – but much-needed – 44-ball 50 helped the team reach 108, but Super Kings chased it down with three overs and seven wickets to spare.Likely XIsKnight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Dinesh Karthik, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Shubman Gill, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Lockie FergusonSuper Kings: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Scott Kuggeleijn, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Imran Tahir, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Deepak ChaharStrategy punt Make Dhoni face Lockie Ferguson’s express pace. He’s been iffy against fast bowlers – as witnessed against Jofra Archer earlier this week, when he took a blow flush on the helmet off a short-pitched delivery. Using Ferguson with a combination of Kuldeep Yadav or Sunil Narine against the CSK captain seems like the smartest way to keep him quiet. Against spin this season, Dhoni has a strike-rate of only 106, while against pacers who exceed 140+ kph, Dhoni has a strike-rate of less than 90, with a dot-ball percentage of 42.1. Knight Riders could use Shubman Gill high up the order again. In the four IPL innings where he’s batting in the top 4, he averages 67.50 at a strike-rate of 150 in the IPL, including two half-centuries. When he bats below 4 – usually entering towards the back-end of the innings – his average plummets to 24.71 with a high dot-ball percentage of 52%.Stats that matter Super Kings’ run-rate of 6.10 in the Powerplay and 6.60 in between overs 7 to 15 is the lowest among all teams this season. Knight Riders run-rate of 12.80 in the last four overs is the highest in IPL 2019. Knight Riders are chasing their 100th T20 win. Only Mumbai Indians, Super Kings, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire have won more matches. Super Kings have only won here once while batting first, and among all grounds this season, they fare the worst in Kolkata, with a win-percentage of only 40 since the IPL’s inception.
The 21-year-old scored twice in a slightly uneasy victory for Xavi's side against La Liga's bottom side.
A Fermin Lopez saved an otherwise languid Barcelona, as the Catalonians sealed a win to all-but secure a second-placed finish in La Liga. The Blaugrana were poor for long stretches, but timely goals from the academy graduate set up a 2-0 victory.
Barca's opener was made in La Masia. Hector Fort, in for the inconsistent Joao Cancelo, whipped a cross to the back post, which Lopez dutifully nodded home.
Xavi's side were hardly secure in their led, though. Pau Cubarsi was called on to make a number of last-ditch tackles, while a better effort from Leo Baptistao in a one-on-one would have given the home side an equaliser. Adrian Embarba followed his effort by cracking a shot off the post on the stroke of half time. The Blaugrana fortune continued after the break. Anthony Lozano opened the second half by missing a sitter.
And they were made to pay, with Lopez making an impact again. The Barca youth product darted into the box to meet a Sergi Roberto cross in stride to double the Blaugrana advantage.
It was an otherwise comfortable night for Xavi's side, who have admittedly little to play for at this point.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Estadio Mediterraneo…
GettyGoalkeeper & Defence
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (6/10):
Made a couple of impressive stops in the first half. Was lucky that Almeria missed a lot. A very strange clean sheet to keep.
Jules Kounde (8/10):
Impressive at the back; made his challenges and won his duels. Much better going forward, too, creating a handful of chances. Looked tired after an hour.
Pau Cubarsi (8/10):
Threw in some impressive – if rather reckless – tackles. Played some outrageous – if rather risky – passes.
Inigo Martinez (6/10):
Given another look, and turned in a mixed showing. His far younger partner looked more comfortable.
Hector Fort (7/10):
Played a wonderful cross to set up the opener, and was steady throughout. Probably deserves more minutes going forward.
AdvertisementGettyMidfield
Sergi Roberto (6/10):
Can't be faulted for his effort, but didn't hold down the middle very effectively. Looked much better when going forward, and produced a nice assist for Lopez.
Pedri (5/10):
Floated around, played some lovely passes, but was rather lackadaisical on the ball at times. Not the kind of shift you'd expect from a player who will want to start at Euro 2024 for Spain.
Fermin Lopez (8/10):
Took the opening goal well. Made the second look even better. Wasn't on the ball a lot, but he patrolled space with aplomb.
GettyAttack
Lamine Yamal (7/10):
Did some outrageous things with the ball, and was a threat – as usual. His impact waned as the game wore on, though.
Robert Lewandowski (5/10):
Had three shots, but none of them were particularly clear. Puzzling that he started; Barca have nothing to play for here.
Ferran Torres (5/10):
Didn't do much to take advantage of the opportunity afforded to him on the left. Better off the bench.
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Joao Felix (4/10):
Given 30 minutes to impress. Missed an easy chance and was overall disappointing.
Andreas Christensen (5/10):
Held down the centre and kept it simple.
Vitor Roque (5/10):
Surprising that he's alive. Ran a lot, got booked, looked generally frustrated.
Joao Cancelo (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Oriol Romeu (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Xavi (7/10):
Rotated a bit, giving Fort a look, and also offering chances to Torres and Lopez. Barca were really leaky for some stretches, but scored some good goals and will take the win.
Newcastle United are believed to be in pole position to complete the signing of a "brilliant" Premier League player, according to a new transfer rumour.
Newcastle eyeing new defender
The Magpies have had injury problems throughout this season, and defensively, they have been hurt by absences to a number of players. The influential Sven Botman has arguably been the biggest loss for a chunk of the campaign, but Dan Burn has also been a key injury victim, as has Nick Pope in goal.
For that reason, it could be that Newcastle decide to target a new defender in the January transfer window, in order to find a long-term partner for Botman at the heart of the back-line, considering Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles are both now in their 30s.
Two potential targets to have emerged are Goncalo Inacio and Piero Hincapie, who are exciting young talents at Sporting CP and Bayer Leverkusen respectively, while Crystal Palace ace Joachim Andersen is another player who has been linked with a move to St James' Park.
Newcastle in pole position to sign Joachim Andersen
According to an update from The Sunday Mirror [via The Boot Room], Newcastle are now the front-runners to sign Andersen, in what represents a positive update.
The Eagles are demanding as much as £60m for the Dane's signature, however, so the Magpies will have to be willing to spend a huge amount on him. It isn't specified whether a January or summer move could come to fruition, although Eddie Howe could potentially hope that it is the former, in terms of bringing in a solid option ahead of the second half of the season.
Andersen could be a wonderful signing by Newcastle if they do strike a deal in one of the next two transfer windows, with the 27-year-old a dominant aerial colossus who has been so consistent for Palace over an extended period.
Appearances
20
Goals
2
Assists
1
Clearances per game
4.9
Aerial duel wins per game
2.4
Tackles per game
1.5
BBC and Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards has lauded the Denmark international in the past, too, lauding the impact he made last season:
"[Joachim] Andersen, he has been brilliant again this season. He always organises from the back. You have got [Ivan] Toney and [Yoane] Wissa, two physical guys, and he dealt with them really well."
As mentioned, finding a long-term centre-back partner for Botman may need to take precedence soon, given the age of both Schar and Lascelles, and Andersen could come straight in and make an impression for a number of years, having already racked up 117 appearances in the Premier League.
Journalist says “brilliant” Newcastle player is expected to join English club in January
Is this the right decision by the Magpies?
ByHenry Jackson Dec 31, 2023
A January move would be perfect, but Palace could be desperate to keep hold of one of their most important players until the end of the season, so it may be that a summer switch becomes more likely.
Whirlwind knocks from Buttler, Woakes keep England alive till the end before they fall short
Ankur Dhawan25-May-2019Something about England seems to inspire Steven Smith into producing his absolute best. The warm-up at Southampton, where he was greeted with hostility from a sizable crowd, was no different.He brought up his fourth fifty-plus score since returning from his year-long ban, converting this one into a hundred, which formed the backbone of Australia’s 297 for nine. England may have fancied chasing it down, but on a two-paced surface, it proved just out of reach despite stand-in captain Jos Buttler’s brilliance.England were down to only 11 fit players at the start, instead of the permitted 15. In a space of three balls in the seventh over, injury scares took a pandemic turn with Mark Wood jogging off having halted in his run-up, and his substitute Jofra Archer went off two balls later as he lost his footing while sliding at the deep midwicket boundary.Later, left-arm spinner Liam Dawson split the skin on the finger of his right hand and was out of batting contention. Substitutes, including assistant coach Paul Collingwood who turns 43 in a day, came in and went off through the revolving door. Wood also went for a precautionary scan, which James Vince confirmed “wasn’t too serious.”Australia were unperturbed by the chaos as David Warner and Shaun Marsh batted steadily, adding 63 after the early loss of captain Aaron Finch. Then Warner holed out off a short one from Liam Plunkett to mark Smith’s arrival.Steven Smith acknowledges his century•Getty ImagesSmith batted fluently without ever looking in a hurry, placing good balls into empty pockets and dealing with the bad ones more severely. He had support through the innings, without a major contribution from anyone. Marsh departed for 30 and Usman Khawaja made 31 before being stumped off a wide one from Dawson as he revealed his intention too early.Had this been an ODI, Australia may have been irked by the starts squandered but in a warm-up it worked just fine that everyone had a hit. Marcus Stoinis was another one who got in and couldn’t go on, run-out as Smith called him for what should have been an easy second had the allrounder not been ball-watching. That brought in Alex Carey and through him Australia found late impetus.He struck a 14-ball 30 before being brilliantly caught by a diving Tom Curran. At the other end Smith opened up with a six over extra cover and one over the keeper’s head, bringing up his hundred with a nudge to square leg in between.The Australia innings ended amid controversy and confusion as Smith was given out caught and bowled off what seemed like a bump ball. Curiously, he was willing to walk off till he saw the replay and felt differently. The third umpire, however, thought the evidence was conclusive to rule Smith out.England began their chase nervously but luck was on their side. Jason Roy was struck on the helmet, dropped at slip by Smith and nearly dragged one on. Those moments of uncertainty seemed to stir him into action as he suddenly discovered the middle of his bat, but the surface was already showing signs of variable bounce as some reared up from a length and some scooted through to the keeper from similar areas.Wickets came soon after as Jonny Bairstow spliced Jason Behrendorff to mid-on and Roy jabbed at one that held in the surface and bounced higher than he expected to be caught at short cover. Ben Stokes struggled for timing during the course of his stay, which was curtailed by Nathan Lyon, as he threw one wide seeing Stokes advance and had him stumped.That brought Buttler to the crease and with him out there, nothing seemed impossible. He looked in imperious form from the get-go, dismissing any theories about the need to get one’s eye in. But even at that stage he seemed to be batting within himself. That became apparent when he tore into Nathan Coulter-Nile, smoking three fours and two sixes off an over.A walloping like that would have forced Finch’s hand in an ODI but here he could afford to persist with the pacer and was rewarded next over as he induced an error from Buttler off a well disguised knuckle ball.The onslaught brought parity to the contest despite the fall of James Vince for 64 which left England needing 101 off 97 with five wickets in hand. Chris Woakes, playing purely as a batsman enhanced his reputation with a composed 44-ball 40 that kept England in the hunt, but his run-out in search of a quick single that would have brought him back on strike in the 48th over left England with too much to do.