All posts by h716a5.icu

Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge is attracting significant interest in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Serie A side Napoli are continuing to monitor the situation of the Blades defensive midfielder ahead of a potential summer move.

However, it is also reported that the Italian side are not willing to pay Sheffield United’s asking price for the Norway international, which is believed to be around £35m, news which should greatly please Blades’ supporters.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Napoli would need to be extremely creative with an offer for the 23-year-old, although Sport Witness claim that the chances of Luciano Spalletti’s side completing a deal for Berge appear to be unlikely.

Fans will be buzzing

With Sheffield United hoping for an immediate return to the Premier League under the guidance of Slavisa Jokanovic next season, should the Blades manage to keep hold of Berge this summer, it will undoubtedly be a huge boost to the club’s chances of going on to achieve this feat.

Indeed, after joining United in what was a £20.7m deal from KRC Genk in January of 2020, the midfielder went on to make 14 Premier League appearances for the Blades in their 2019/20 campaign, scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates.

The £16.2m-rated man also highly impressed in a defensive capacity that year, making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and winning 5.5 duels per game, with these metrics seeing the 23-year-old average a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the club’s seventh-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, while an injury limited the midfielder dubbed “outstanding” by Chris Wilder to just 15 Premier League appearances last season – something that undoubtedly contributed to the Blades’ relegation – should Napoli indeed be unable to afford a move for the £38k-per-week man, as well as no other interested party managing to get a deal over the line for Berge this summer, it would provide Jokanovic with a massive boost ahead of United’s upcoming Championship campaign, something which should have Blades fans buzzing.

In other news: Jokanovic must seal £2m Sheff Utd deal for 21 y/o “Rolls Royce” this summer

Stephen Fleming’s defending champions touched down in Sri Lanka on the weekend, confident that they could retain their crown in this year’s ICC Champions Trophy

Charlie Austin08-Sep-2002Stephen Fleming’s defending champions touched down in Sri Lanka on the weekend, confident that they could retain their crown in this year’s ICC Champions Trophy.The Clear Black Caps clinched a surprise win in ICC Knockout 2000 – the forerunner to the current tournament – overcoming Zimbabwe and Pakistan before defeating India in the final.And despite a relatively poor run in the two years since – only 18 wins in 56 matches – Fleming believes good planning and hard work gives his side a good chance of success.”We are excited by the prospect of defending a championship that we won pretty well last time and arrive here in very good heart,” he said, speaking from the team’s Colombo hotel.New Zealand prepared for the tournament with four state games in Sydney, winning them all, and now have plenty of time to prepare for their first game on Sept 15.”Australia was all about getting into the swing of playing again,” he said. “The conditions will be very different here but just getting outside was the first step for us.””We were lucky to have good weather and we come here early with a good programme in place for our preparation. We have two tough practice matches to get used to the heat and, in a weeks time, we should be ready to go.”Unfortunately, however, they need to defeat world champions Australia, who have been in ominous form during a tri-series in Kenya, to stay in the competition.”We have confidence in our preparation and are going to be well prepared by the time that we play Australia,” he claimed.”We respect them as a cricket side and you have to be at the top of your game to compete well with them, but we back ourselves to do that through hard work and good planning.”He admitted, though, that the unavailability of injured Chris Cairns, who scored a match-winning hundred in the 2000 tournament, was a major blow.”The absence of Chris Cairns has affected the balance of the side because he is a world-class all-rounder, but it has given an opportunity to younger players and they have come to the fore.”He singled out fast bowler Shane Bond and all-rounders Scott Styris and Jacob Oram as the players to look out for.”Shane Bond – in excellent form after a stint with Warwickshire – is an exceptional talent, a fast bowler with genuine that we are very lucky to have. Jacob Oram is an exciting all-rounder and Scot Styris had a successful tour of the West Indies.”New Zealand have an unfortunate history in Sri Lanka, their tours frequently coinciding with terrorist attacks and security concerns.Tours in 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2001 were all marred by security fears and three players refused to tour this time.But Fleming appeared relaxed: “Everything has been very smooth so far. We have been here quite a few times so know what to expect and have looked forward to the visit.”He looked forward to the ICC’s experiment with enhanced technological support for umpires during the tournament, including the use of replays for lbw decisions.”The players are just waiting to see how it goes. This is the opportune time to try it out before the World Cup and we hope it goes well, adding another dimension to the game.”

Lucien Favre is reportedly close to accepting the manager’s job at Crystal Palace.

What’s the story?

According to Simon Jones in the Daily Mail, the Eagles have held positive talks with the 63-year-old over the vacancy at Selhurst Park, with the Swiss native understood to be close to accepting the club’s offer to succeed Roy Hodgson after deliberating over the weekend.

Jones added that Favre has also been proposed to Everton but is leaning towards the vacancy in south London instead.

Fans will be buzzing

Favre has cultivated a strong reputation for producing teams which play an attractive brand of football throughout his career, as well as being adept at nurturing young talent.

After spells in charge of Servette and FC Zurich in his homeland, he took charge of Hertha Berlin and established himself as one of the most well-respected head coaches in the Bundesliga. Impressive spells at Borussia Monchengladbach and French outfit Nice followed, but it was at Dortmund where he really catapulted himself onto the biggest stage.

At Signal Iduna Park, Favre oversaw consecutive second-place finishes and was instrumental in the development of top-class talents such as Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho.

His arrival at Palace would be seen as a significant coup by the capital club, and news that he is close to accepting the Eagles’ offer over a move to Everton will surely have Palace supporters buzzing.

Although Hodgson brought stability to the south London outfit during his four-year stay, the former England boss has left them in a precarious position. The first team squad needs a major overhaul, talisman Wilfried Zaha is lining himself up for a move away, and key creative force Eberechi Eze is out injured until the new year.

While several youthful managers have been linked with the Palace vacancy, such as Frank Lampard and Eddie Howe, the size of the task at hand means an experienced head is needed.

In Favre, the Eagles have found the best of both worlds. He plays an entertaining style while also having nearly 800 games in management under his belt.

It remains to be seen whether he puts pen to paper and makes the move to the Premier League, but his potential arrival will surely delight the Selhurst Park fanbase.

And, in other news…Parish must swoop for “unstoppable” £13.5m-rated goal machine, Palace badly need him 

MUHAMMAD Ali (as Cassius Clay) taunted Sonny Liston mercilessly, “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” was the least offensive of his taunts

Omar Kureishi23-Oct-2002MUHAMMAD Ali (as Cassius Clay) taunted Sonny Liston mercilessly, “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” was the least offensive of his taunts. But he won, he knocked out Liston.In the context of the quite extraordinary taunting of the Waugh brothers by Richard Pybus, Pybus was not Muhammad Ali. He was Liston.Steve Waugh had the last laugh and one hopes that the Pakistan team coach will take Allan Border’s advice and “shut up.”In fact, rather than be chastened by the humiliating defeat in the second Test match, there has been a spate of statements by the team management, which have only served to irritate the cricket public in Pakistan. The need of the hour was to re-group and to do so with humility and in silence.The PCB should have issued a ‘gag’ order. For a team whose sole objective should have been to avoid a whitewash, silence should have been the highest virtue, to say nothing of being the best strategy.Waqar Younis should be given a medal for gallantry. Pakistan went into the third Test match with only four bowlers and in the circumstances, did a creditable job by confining Australia to only 444!Shahid Afridi was flown out as a replacement for Abdur Razzaq but was not played. Afridi is an all-rounder and would have given the team a bowling option, more so since Shoaib Akhtar pulled out, reportedly, because of a niggle or a back-strain. The team management is on the spot and knows best.From the distance of Karachi, it seemed to me that Pakistan had opted for an unbalanced team. In Australia’s innings, Saqlain Mushtaq and Danish Kaneria bowled 45 and 36 overs respectively in that searing heat. If there was something ‘personal’ against Afridi, there was the option of Mohammad Zahid who has been with the team and by now must have had his fill of sight-seeing.I believe that sports should be kept out of politics. Horrendous as the bombing of a nightclub in Bali may have been, and it has been condemned by the Pakistan government, I think a Test match seemed an inappropriate occasion to express one’s grief.Many Australians died in the Bali bombing and if the Australian players wanted to honour those that had died, they were entitled to wear black arm-bands and fly their flag at half-mast. But why should the Pakistan players have worn black arm-bands and the Pakistan flag at the ground lowered to half-mast?I am against terrorism but all kinds of terrorism including that of Ariel Sharon against the people of Palestine. I consider the killing of innocent men, women and children to be repugnant. But that includes the men, women and children in Palestine and Afghanistan. Why no black arm-bands for them? All things considered, it might have been better to have kept our grief private and not turned it into public sorrow.I write this at close of play on the third day of the Test match with an innings defeat staring Pakistan in the face. The last two matches have been nightmares for Pakistan and with the end of the series in sight, Pakistan should look to erase the memory of this series except for some positives. Pakistan is richer by two quality batsmen, Faisal Iqbal and Hasan Raza.Hasan first played for Pakistan in 1996, and then like so many other young players, he was cast adrift and but for his own tenacity, he would have been out of the mainstream. His selection for this tour came about because senior players were either not available or were injured. That he played in the third Test match was because Razzaq was unfit. Hasan was not deemed good enough for the first two Test matches. He got his chance and he grabbed it with both hands. In both the innings, he batted with grit and determination, put a very high price on his wicket and was certainly not willing to give it away. He is one batsman who can hold his head high. Before he left for Colombo, he came to see me.I had written about how we had squandered a talent like his and had we kept faith with him when he first played Test cricket, we would have had an established middle-order batsman by now. I wished him the best of luck and told him to focus on his cricket and when his chance came, to seize the day. I hope that he will play for Pakistan for a long time and will not become a victim, yet again, of whimsical selection.I don’t think that young players should be too discouraged. The secret of success is to learn from one’s mistakes. Cricket is an unforgiving game. It wasn’t going to be easy for them against Australia.The Australians are the best team in the world because they work really hard at being the best. There is no other way. That’s what is lacking in our team – hard work, application, more perspiration and less reliance on inspiration. Ask Hasan Raza!

Many West Ham United fans have been talking on Twitter after The Athletic shared news on Sparta Prague striker Adam Hlozek.

The exciting 18-year-old has left his mark on football in the Czech Republic this year and is regarding as a very promising forward, scoring 15 goals in all competitions for Sparta over 2020/2021 (Transfermarkt).

Still only a teenager, the 6 foot 2 frontman has already amassed six caps for his country and has even played at Euro 2020 against England.

He has been mentioned as a possible target for the Hammers this summer with The Athletic now sharing some interesting news when it comes to Hlozek.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest/” title=”West Ham latest!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

They claim that West Ham stars Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek both personally recommended the signing of their compatriot to Irons boss David Moyes, but the Scotsman’s stance remains unclear.

He is currently valued at around £20 million, but West Ham supporters are certainly eager for their club to swoop in response to this news.

Find all of their best verdicts, replying to Twitter page West Ham News & Views, down below.

West Ham fans plead for Hlozek signing

“Would still love this move. He’s been impressive in the small cameos for the Czech Republic as well, and his league form is incredible for his age.”

Credit: @MichealZdenek

“Get. Him. In.”

Credit: @westhamhour

“This boy’s going places. In a couple of years he’s gonna be worth a whole lot more than £20m.

Get. Him. In.”

Credit: @BlaugranaIron

“He would be perfect for us, plays in Moyes preferred formation too. You can’t pass up prospects like this.”

Credit: @vizual_

“Do it pleaseeeeeeee”

Credit: @_ghzst

“Yes worth it he’s built for us and will run all day long”

Credit: @Jinglis01492553

“It was always Hlozek and Daka for me. We’ve missed out on one, please don’t miss out on this guy too!”

Credit: @danlough90

“Given his age and potential to improve I think this would be great and intelligent signing!”

Credit @craftbeerninja

In other news: David Moyes personally tells West Ham chiefs to sign this colossal 29-goal beast, find out more here.

The Telegraph have dropped a very encouraging Aston Villa update on Jack Grealish’s future and it could be very, very good news for fans of the club.

What’s the story?

Amid speculation off the pitch linking him with a move to Manchester City, Grealish has made his presence felt on the field of play at EURO 2020, with his latest substitute appearance seeing him have a huge hand in England’s 2-0 win over Germany on Tuesday night, with the Villa star assisting Harry Kane’s goal that put the tie to bed and secured England a place in the quarter-finals.

However, as Grealish now prepares to play Ukraine in Rome at the weekend, updates are emerging about Villa’s stance on his club future.

Now, The Telegraph have claimed that Dean Smith’s Villa side are “very hopeful” of the Three Lions star putting pen to paper on a new contract to stay at the club, and thereby draw a “line in the sand” over a possible summer move away.

Villa fans will be buzzing

In a recent article for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece declared: “BirminghamLive has been told that despite such reports, Aston Villa remain unaware of transfer interest surrounding captain Grealish. There’s been no contact from City, no bids while Villa have never put a valuation on their star asset.

“Villa have no intention of selling England star Grealish. The plan now is to kick on once again in 2021/22 and to catch those who finished above them last season. Villa, as CEO Christian Purslow put it, “remain deeply ambitious” and they’ll do all they can to match Grealish’s aims of becoming a European performer.”

The England international scored seven goals and provided another 12 assists across all competitions last season, and will no doubt have been hoping that his club side would be doing everything they can to try and match his ambitions.

And, with the signings of Emi Buendia and Ashley Young, Villa have already got their transfer window off to a superb start.

If Villa’s talisman needed any signs that his club were intent on surrounding him with more quality around him, then they have certainly given him just that.

Villa fans will surely be absolutely buzzing at The Telegraph’s latest update.

Meanwhile, Villa could sign their new John Carew in this man…

Former TesltraClear Black Cap opening bowler Shayne O’Connor will make his long-awaited return to the State Otago Volts tomorrow when he plays against the State Canterbury Wizards at Carisbrook

Steve Davie28-Nov-2002Former TesltraClear Black Cap opening bowler Shayne O’Connor will make his long-awaited return to the State Otago Volts tomorrow when he plays against the State Canterbury Wizards at Carisbrook.Injured during last summer’s tour to Australia, O’Connor has battled hard through the winter to regain full fitness and he has been named in a team which features three changes from that which drew with Central Districts in Wanganui earlier in the week.O’Connor will take the place of Kerry Walmsley, who picked up a groin strain along with seven wickets in Wanganui.Also named for this first round State Championship match – Irish really with Otago and Central having already met in a second round encounter! – are left-arm seamer David Sewell and all-rounder Warren McSkimming, who replace Daryll Reddington and Anthony Wilkinson respectively.Otago will host a Canterbury side chockful of international players, the red and black charge to be led by Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan, Shane Bond and the eagerly-anticipated reappearance of Chris Cairns.The State Otago Volts for the State Championship match against Canterbury at Carisbrook are: Craig Cumming (captain), Mohammad Wasim, Chris Gaffaney, Marcel McKenzie, Robbie Lawson, Brendon McCullum, Jordan Sheed, Warren McSkimming, Nathan Morland, Shayne O’Connor, James McMillan, David Sewell.

Australia exerted their dominance and showed their class during the course of the second day of second Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval

Claire Killeen22-Nov-2002Australia exerted their dominance and showed their class during the course of the second day of second Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval.Earlier in the day the bowlers wrapped up the six remaining batmen for 47 runs leaving England decimated at 342. The batsmen then took charge of the game, carving out milestones for themselves and a path to a controlling position of two for 247 at stumps.Starting the day at four for 295, England soon found themselves in a compromising position. Jason Gillespie (four for 78) soon had danger man Mark Butcher (22) out caught behind waving his bat outside off stump with no real attempt to play a shot.All-rounder Craig White (1) joined wicketkeeper-batsman, Alec Stewart (29) at the crease and attempted to resurrect England’s innings. Gillespie, bowling superbly, had other plans and set White up beautifully. He pitched five deliveries in the danger zone, making White think seriously about them and then offered him a reliever, a short one. White did not quite get onto the hook and put it down Andrew Bichel’s throat.Richard Dawson (6) briefly stayed at the crease pushing defensively at balls, until Shane Warne (four for 93) trapped him leg before wicket with a delivery that was quicker and skidded into his back pad. Going back for a cut shot, the 22-year-old left was stranded right in front of middle and leg.Warne, back to his potential best, then bowled Andrew Caddick around his legs. Hitting the rough outside leg stump, the ball jagged back hitting middle and off. Caddick lasted only four balls and did not add to the total.Warne bowled some beautiful deliveries and even attempted the flipper of old. In his spell today, he took two for five suggesting there was something in the pitch for him.Stewart, rapidly running out of partners, decided to up the tempo and hit the first boundary of the morning 20 minutes before lunch. But he was caught moving late and Gillespie trapped him back on the stumps, leg before wicket.The hometown hero wrapped up the innings taking the final wicket of Matthew Hoggard (6). The paceman snicked the ball and Adam Gilchrist did the rest.After lunch, Matthew Hayden (46) and Justin Langer (48) came out and hit quick runs. The pair made 101, establishing their seventh partnership of more than 100 runs in 23 matches. The two left-handers created a platform for the Australian chase as if they were wearing colours rather than whites.England paid the price for dropping Hayden twiceonce on 22, the other on 24. But Caddick (none for 61) did not grass the third chance after Hayden attempted to hit White (one for 38) down the ground only to sky the ball and get caught.Langer went 13 runs later when he nicked a ball back to Stewart off Dawson (one for 63). Replays suggested Langer did not hit the ball but umpire Steve Bucknor put his finger up and sent the 32-year-old on his way.Ricky Ponting (83 not out) and Damien Martyn (48 not out) steadied the Australian innings playing sensible cricket. The two rotated the strike and managed to find gaps for the occasional four.Ponting marked the innings by attaining his 4000th Test run from 61 matches.Steve Harmison (none for 45), White and Dawson all bowled particularly well yet received nothing much for their toil.Tomorrow, the pitch should prove to be the decider. After two days it is already showing evidence of uneven bounce making it uncomfortable to bat on. England though must take wickets as the batting potential of Australia is enormous and their bowling attack may well devastate the batting order at their second attempt.

Nottingham Forest have had their fair share of players that have come and gone from the City Ground over the years.

The Reds finished 17th in the Championship in the 2020/21 season, in what was certainly a forgetful season for Chris Hughton and the club’s supporters.

It’s going to be an interesting summer ahead, as the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss looks to make changes ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign.

Forest are set to take on Coventry City on the opening weekend of fixtures, in what could potentially be a tricky test for the Reds, as they look to get off to a winning start next term.

One player that is unlikely to be involved in the matchday squad for that clash against the Sky Blues is defender Nicholas Ioannou, who has found regular game time hard to come by at the City Ground in recent months.

The full-back signed for Nottingham Forest back in 2020 and has gone on to make just five appearances in total for the former Premier League side.

Ioannou spent part of the 2020/21 campaign out on loan with Cypriot side Aris Thessaloniki, and made ten appearances in total for them, before returning to the City Ground this summer.

The ‘deadwood’ needs clearing out

It remains to be seen if he has a future with Nottingham Forest, with Sky Sports (via Calciomercato) revealing that Ioannou as emerged as a potential transfer target for Serie B side Como 1907.

It is thought that a loan move is the most likely option, although the report doesn’t claim whether it’s a permanent or loan deal at this stage.

A clear-out of the ‘deadwood’ is certainly needed at Nottingham Forest, and if they can replace that ‘deadwood’ with smart signings over the summer, then it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see Forest mounting a serious push for a top-half finish this term under Hughton’s management.

They’ve got the makings of a solid squad there at this moment in time, with the likes of Joe Lolley, Lewis Grabban and Joe Worrall showing glimpses of their quality in recent seasons, although they’ve found consistency hard to find at times in their time with Forest.

They’re simply putting off the inevitable this summer

Ioannou hasn’t made an anywhere near good enough impact in his time with Forest though, and the club should be looking to cash in on him at the earliest of opportunities.

A loan move to Como 1907 this summer would only be putting off the inevitable permanent exit, and his reported £4,000 per week wages (according to Salary Sport) could be used on a better alternative, who will be keen to make a positive impact in the near future.

Ioannou has to be sold as he’s simply not good enough.

Otago will field an experienced team at this month’s national Under-19 tournament at Lincoln University

Steve Davie03-Dec-2002Otago will field an experienced team at this month’s national Under-19 tournament at Lincoln University.Five players have returned from last year’s side, which finished third, while several of the promoted players have strong pedigrees.Returning from last season are captain wicket-keeper/batsman Henry Bates, stylish batsmen Michael Ross and Nick Morrison, who has again returned from Western Australia, opening bowler Mathew Harvie and left-arm leg-spinner Simon Murley.New Zealand Under-17 representative last summer Craig Smith has been named along with prolific run scorer for King’s High School this year Glendon Baird. Central Otago Hawke Cup players Brendan Domigan and Eric Standfield are included as is North Otago Hawke Cup representative Scott Simpson.The team is rounded out by Otago Boys’ High batsman Sam Wells and last season’s Otago Under-17 skipper Hayden King.Warm-up matches have been scheduled against the Otago Development XI for the next week and the tournament starts at Lincoln on December 11. A mixture of one and two-day matches will be played over in the fortnight leading into Christmas.The Otago Under-19 side for the national tournament is: Henry Bates (captain), Glendon Baird, Brendan Domigan, Mathew Harvie, Hayden King, Simon Murley, Michael Ross, Scott Simpson, Eric Standfield, Sam Wells, Nick Morrison and Craig Smith. The team will be coached by Mike Hesson.