All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld is edging closer to completing a move to Qatari side Al-Duhail, according to a recent report from The Telegraph.

The Belgium international has been with the club since 2015, and has made 236 appearances in total for the London-based side, having previously been on the books with Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.

That includes making 35 appearances for Spurs last season, as they finished seventh in the Premier League table. But it’s set to be a summer of change at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with experienced players potentially heading for the exit door, to make way for new signings.

With Spurs edging closer to a deal to sign Atalanta defender Cristian Romero, Alderweireld would likely have been pushed down the pecking order in Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, so he’s seemingly set to depart instead.

The Telegraph claim that a deal is worth £13million, but is dependent on whether personal terms are agreed between Alderweireld and the Qatari club in the near future.

The defender stands at 6ft 1in tall, and reportedly earns £150,000 per-week according to Salary Sport, and Spurs’ supporters will be hoping that those wages can be reinvested wisely in the near future.

Spurs are set to take on Manchester City in their opening league match of the 2021/22 league campaign, and plenty of Spurs supporters took to social media to react to the news that Alderweireld will not be involved, with many being impressed that the club are set to receive £13million for him this summer.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from Twitter below….

Spurs fans react

“Wow we kept it quiet too, hopefully some others sales are close.”

Credit: @domsougly

“Woah, sweet deal if true.”

Credit: @spursman_foreve

“He was our best defender last year!”

Credit: @PoliticalGraham

“If we manage to make profit on a 33 year old fair play.”

Credit: @jacob_baum_

“13 mill. Damm we acc got a good deal.”

Credit: @k7rd_tohn

“13 mill is useful you know but why did it have to be the only competent defender we currently own?”

Credit: @frank_morrish

“Paratici is the greatest thing to happen for spurs oh my days.”

Credit: @reallynotsrs

“Paratici beautiful man.”

Credit: @abhicoys

Surrey have expressed interest in signing Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistan fast bowler, in their bid to avoid relegation

Cricinfo staff31-Aug-2008
Surrey have Shoaib Akhtar in their radar © PA Photos
Surrey have expressed interest in signing Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistan fast bowler, in their bid to avoid relegation. Surrey are currently at the bottom of Division One in the County Championship, and have only three games remaining.”We have made contact, we have spoken with him [Shoaib],” Alan Butcher, Surrey’s cricket manager, told the . “We are just waiting to seewhether it’s possible. We’ve got three matches left and we need something to happen.”ECB regulations require overseas players to spend a minimum of three weeks in England, but the county was hopeful that Shoaib’s potential signing will be mutually beneficial. “They [overseas players] have to be here for a period of 21 days,” Butcher said. “But he is keen. He’s desperate to get back into the Pakistan side and is hoping this could be a springboard to do that.”If it [the deal] does go through, we hope it can be of great benefit to us all,” he said.If an agreement is reached, Shoaib could play as early as next week, when Surrey face Kent at Canterbury. He has previously represented Worcestershire and Durham with only limited success.

India A’s seamers, led by Dhawal Kulkarni, made steady inroads to leave Australia A at an unsatisfactory 65 for 3 in a truncated day in Hyderabad

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran in Hyderabad09-Sep-2008
Scorecard
Simon Katich scored 32 on an unsatisfactory day for Australia© AFP
India A’s seamers, led by Dhawal Kulkarni, made steady inroads to leave Australia A at an unsatisfactory 82 for 3 in a truncated day in Hyderabad. Poor weather continued to take the sheen off the series as play started five hours late due to a wet outfield. The umpires played it by the hour, and after periodic inspections, tried to get in three hours of play. Though the rain stayed away, bad light forced the players off the field with an hour of play still left.A grassy pitch – unaffected by the weather – didn’t deter Simon Katich from opting to bat but his choice wasn’t entirely surprising. Australia’s batsmen recovered well after being asked to follow-on in Bangalore and his decision was probably intended to carry on the momentum.Australia’s opening pair added 88 in the second innings in Bangalore but failed to replicate that effort. Phillip Hughes and Katich saw off the first few overs comfortably, but a lapse in concentration cost Hughes his wicket. Kulkarni, who opened the bowling ahead of Sudeep Tyagi, preferred bowling over the wicket to the left-handers and an away swinger induced an outside edge into the safe hands of Mohammad Kaif at second slip.Kulkarni, however, failed to trouble Katich and was guilty of feeding too many deliveries close to his pads. Katich, a strong on side player, regularly shuffled across his stumps and flicked and glanced Kulkarni for four boundaries down to the region between fine leg and deep square-leg. The Indians continued to attack, packing the inner ring with fielders.Katich’s partner Adam Voges looked to get on top of the seamers, dispatching two half-volleys over square leg. He failed to push on as Kulkarni got one to kick up off a good length, feathering a thick edge to Parthiv Patel. The wicket went against the run of play, just as the Australians were progressing smoothly with a stand of 44. Tyagi, the UP seamer then opened his tally when Katich slashed at a delivery close to his body, with Mohnish Parmar at gully taking a sharp catch. Marcus North and George Bailey were at the crease for a short while before the light deteriorated.The forecast is for more rains in the evenings, thereby diminishing any chance of a result after the draw in Bangalore.

Celtic are in talks with Manchester City over a loan deal for an international defender… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Express, Celtic are in talks with Manchester City over a potential deal for central defender Ko Itakura.

The report claims Ange Postecoglou is keen to bring the Japan international to Scotland, but the sticking point currently is that the Premier League side are demanding a sizeable loan fee for the defender. Talks are ongoing, however, and Itakura will only be willing to make a decision about his future following the end of his involvement at the Olympics.

Ange needs him

Celtic should be looking to get a deal over the line for Itakura in the coming weeks as Postecoglou desperately needs reinforcements at centre-back. The Hoops were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday night and Stephen Welsh produced a disappointing display at the heart of the defence.

Welsh only won two duels in the entire match, playing 120 minutes, and lost possession of the ball 12 times. He was given a SofaScore rating of 6.4 for his efforts, highlighting his struggles against Midtjylland.

This suggests that the Australian head coach is still in need of additions to his backline, which is where Itakura could come in.

The Manchester City man spent last season on loan to Groningen in the Eredivisie and caught the eye with some impressive displays. In 35 starts, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.12, making 4.2 clearances and 2.0 interceptions per game.

Former Dutch footballer Haans Kray heaped praise on the Japan international, pointing out his ability on the ball and his speed as some of his biggest strengths. He said: “One of the very best central defenders in the Eredivisie. He can play football well, he can head well and he is incredibly fast. He’s such a good player but Manchester City don’t see anything in him.”

The £10k-per-week enforcer would, therefore, be a strong player to add to the defensive mix at Celtic Park to help aid their woes at the back.

He has shown that he can play well at a respectable level in the Netherlands and is a full international for Japan, which suggests that he is ready to perform in the Scottish Premiership.

Therefore, Celtic should be working hard to get this over the line and to add Itakura to Postecoglou’s ranks as the boss needs him next season.

If Celtic are going to compete for the title, they need as many good players as they can get their hands on and the Japanese defender falls into that category.

AND in other news, Celtic must avoid blunder over £21k-p/w flop, whose manager criticised his fitness…

Discussions between the BCCI and the ICL have failed, officials from both sides confirmed, putting a question mark over the league’s bid for official recognition

Cricinfo staff16-Oct-2008
The ICL players have been hopeful of getting recognition from the ICC © Cricinfo Ltd
Discussions between the BCCI and the ICL have failed, officials from both sides confirmed, putting a question mark over the league’s bid for official recognition. A terse statement from the Indian board did not offer any reason – N Srinivasan, BCCI secretary, said the two sides “failed to arrive at a common ground” – but said there were no plans for any further meetings.ICL officials, meanwhile, described the meeting as a “farce”, and said the BCCI came up with “an offer during the meeting that was simply not acceptable”. “It didn’t look like the BCCI was ever serious to resolve the issue,” an ICL official told Cricinfo. “We will now have to look at other options, including the legal route, as the way forward.”Kapil Dev, the ICL chairman, expressed his unhappiness at the Indian board’s attitude. “I understand the BCCI wants the ICL to be a closed chapter,” he told . “That, let me reiterate, is not possible.”ICL sources said the meeting between Subhash Chandra, chairman of the Essel Group which owns the league, Himanshu Mody, its business head, Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, and Srinivasan took place at the coffee shop of the Taj Hotel in New Delhi and lasted barely 15-20 minutes. “It was ridiculous, the way the BCCI went about this meeting.”ICL officials had told Cricinfo before the meeting that they hoped the BCCI, as part of a possible solution, would lift the ban on their players from all forms of cricket, grant them access to all cricket venues, and stop “arm-twisting” the ICL’s sponsors.Manohar met officials of the ICL for the first time since the league was set up in April 2007 after its request for recognition came up for discussion at the ICC board meeting in Dubai earlier this week. It was decided at that meeting that Manohar would provide a written report to the ICC board “in due course” after discussions with the ICL. Dave Richardson, the ICC’s manager for cricket operations, told reporters on Thursday that the BCCI wanted to meet ICL officials and hadn’t been asked to do so by the ICC.Since its inception, the ICL has seen strong opposition from the BCCI, which has banned players associated with the league from all forms of official cricket and barred them from using any of its facilities. The ICL has, meanwhile, been pressing the ICC unsuccessfully for official recognition of their venture for several months. Subsequently they requested the ICC for a meeting, and Subhash Chandra, who owns the league, met David Morgan, the ICC president, in London last week to present its case.The ICL believes that it has a strong case for recognition under Rule 32 of the ICC operating manual that deals with authorised unofficial cricket such as the Hong Kong Sixes event and the Stanford 20/20 in the West Indies. However, two senior BCCI officials – Manohar and Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman – are on a five-man ICC sub-committee that has worked on modifying the rules for official and unofficial cricket.

Carlton Palmer has allayed fears that an injury to Marcus Rashford could affect Leeds’ transfer pursuit of Daniel James…

What’s the talk?

The former Whites midfielder Carlton Palmer has claimed that the 23-year-old’s shoulder surgery will not impact Leeds’ reported pursuit of his Old Trafford team-mate.

He believes that Manchester United would still be willing to part ways with the Welsh international, despite Rashford being set to spend some time on the sidelines.

Palmer told Football FanCast:

“I don’t think it’s a problem for him to let him go. He’s made a lot of signings this summer, so he’s been pushed down the pecking order.

“I did my shoulder on the last day of the season, dislocated. I had it pinned and I was back for the first game of the season, so I don’t think Rashford is going to be out for months and months on end.”

Leeds and Brighton are both reportedly interested in signing James on loan or on a permanent basis from Old Trafford this summer.

Bielsa will love him

If there is a chance for Leeds to sign the £15m winger, then they must pounce on the opportunity to do so before the end of the transfer window. Rashford’s injury may have caused concern inside the walls at Elland Road, but Palmer has allayed those worries by claiming that it will not affect James’ future as he is still too far down the pecking order in Manchester.

Marcelo Bielsa will be over the moon if James arrives at the club this window. Speaking on The Phil Hay Show, the titular journalist said this about the coach’s thoughts on him: “That’s a question for Bielsa because Bielsa’s forever interested in Dan James, and you probably remember last summer that before they did the deal for Raphinha, they were looking into the possibility of bringing Dan James in on loan from Manchester United.”

This shows that the Argentine is a big fan of James and would love to add him to his squad. He has been pursuing the Welshman for a considerable amount of time, which could make landing him this month all the sweater as it would bring satisfaction to an ongoing saga.

The forward was labelled “explosive and so fast” by his teammate Andreas Pereira in an interview with Manchester United’s official website last season.

James averaged four dribbles and key passes completed per game in four starts at the European Championship for Wales. This shows that he has the ability to beat players and create chances at the top level if given the chance to start matches, which is another reason why Bielsa could love him. He is direct and creative and that could be exciting to watch, from the dugout and from the stands.

AND in other news, Orta must secure Leeds swoop for 14 G/A “powerhouse” who’s a perfect Costa replacement…

Afghanistan and Hong Kong maintained their unbeaten records in the World Cricket League Division 4 ahead of their clash against each other

Cricinfo staff07-Oct-2008
Hasti Gul celebrates one of his three wickets © Cricket Europe/ICC
Afghanistan and Hong Kong maintained their unbeaten records in the World Cricket League Division 4 ahead of their clash against each other on Wednesday. Both sides have three wins out of three; whoever wins tomorrow will be well-placed for promotion to Division 3.Afghanistan were made to work for their eight-run win over Tanzania, with the batsmen again letting the side down. They scraped to an under-par 143, leaving the bowlers under pressure – and how they responded. Tanzania, chasing a revised 139 from 46 overs owing to rain, appeared set to cause an upset when they were 112 for 5, but a flurry of wickets took Afghanistan home. Mohammad Nabi, whose 3 for 12 earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, got fine support from Hasti Gul and Hamid Hassan – both of them also took three wickets .”It was a very good match,” Norooz Mangal, the Afghanistan captain, said. “It was a very exciting match but my team put in an excellent bowling performance.”Hong Kong’s win over Fiji was rather more straightforward and comprehensive. Hong Kong made 233 for 7, with Roy Lamsam top scoring with a quickfire 55 – remaining unbeaten – before Najeeb Amar (3-21) and Nadeem Ahmed (3-28) ensured an easy win.Tabarak Dar was pleased with the win, but acutely aware that tougher battles lie ahead – namely facing Afghanistan. “We have the upper hand against them having beaten them the last time we played them,” Dar said. “It will be a tough game; they are a good all-round side like ourselves and it should be a good match.”Italy won the European battle, beating Jersey by 29 runs, to set up an intriguing finish to the tournament. Nick Northcote scored 38, but Italy could only manage 171, with Ryan Driver picking up 4 for 16. However, Jersey struggled to assert themselves – only Matt Hague offered resistance with a fine 53 – and they were bowled out for 121, ending their dream of qualifying for the 2011 World Cup.

Hong Kong 3 3 0 0 06 +2.177 696/141.0 389/141.0 Afghanistan 3 3 0 0 0 6+1.598 474/132.0 263/132.0 Italy 32 1 0 0 4 +1.882632/127.0 393/127.0 Tanzania 3 12 0 0 2 -0.740 393/146.0501/146.0 Jersey 3 0 30 0 0 -1.360 310/136.0 495/136.0 Fiji 3 0 3 00 0 -3.412 220/136.0 684/136.0

A reliable West Ham source has dropped a frustrating transfer update this week…

What’s the word?

The Irons are thought to be closing in on the signing of Fiorentina centre-back Nikola Milenkovic, who would become only their second senior addition of the summer despite the Premier League returning this weekend.

However, the deal is far from complete as negotiations with agents continue.

That’s according to ExWHUemployee, who delivered some fresh information to supporters on his ‘The West Ham Way’ Patreon page. He said:

“Talks are still ongoing with the centre backs. Milenkovic deal is still not complete because of the difficulty in dealing with agents (that’s the excuse I have been given). There doesn’t appear to have been any progression today which in itself is a worry.

“Milenkovic trained with his club today, as he did yesterday.”

Further frustration

The Serbia international is expected to cost the Hammers around £14m, whilst a move for Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma could be back on after discussions collapsed last week, as per the Evening Standard.

But with a trip to Newcastle United merely days away, it’s hard to believe that David Moyes will have the new centre-back he’s craving in time for the start of the new campaign.

Their transfer plans have been rather frustrating thus far, as seen by the fact that their only signing has been the loan arrival of Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-more-3” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

The longer they do not sign Milenkovic, the more doubt and worry will start to creep in around the London Stadium and as the trustworthy ExWHUemployee says, it’s “a worry.”

Moyes has made a central defensive addition one of his recent priorities due to Angelo Ogbonna’s injury concerns, so there’s a chance that his only two available options, Craig Dawson and Issa Diop, are the two to start at St James’ Park on Sunday.

One injury to either will put the 58-year-old in a nightmarish spot once again. You only have to remember the back end of last season, where injury troubles plagued the squad and it very nearly dented their European hopes.

The Scot needs more than Milenkovic, too. A new striker to provide the perfect foil to the injury-prone Michail Antonio has to be another priority, especially as they are facing a 50-plus game campaign. The 31-year-old has never started more than 24 league games since joining the Hammers.

Plenty of supporters have been left angered by their lack of activity this window and this update does no favours to Moyes or GSB.

The wait goes on.

AND in other news, West Ham insider drops exciting transfer claim about David Moyes…

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to Fabinho’s claim that a Gini Wijnaldum replacement doesn’t need to arrive this summer.

The 30-year-old has departed the Reds for Paris Saint-Germain, bringing an end to five wonderful years at Anfield. The Dutchman won the Champions League and Premier League in that time, arguably proving to be one of the most consistent players throughout given that he rarely missed a game.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The exit of Wijnaldum has the potential to leave a gaping void in Liverpool’s midfield, with no replacement arriving yet this summer.

Despite many wanting a new signing to come in, Fabinho has suggested that Jurgen Klopp’s side can still fight on all fronts without him.

While the Brazilian will miss his former teammate, he believes there is still enough quality to compete with big-spending rivals such as Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United, saying:

“I think the midfield is the part of the team where we have more players – we have Hendo, me, Thiago, Curtis, Millie, Naby Keita, a lot of players who can play in this position.

“I’m not worried about it (Wijnaldum leaving). Of course, we will miss Gini for the person he is as well, but we have the quality in this group to replace him.

“This Liverpool squad has already won the Premier League, the Champions League, some important trophies. We have already shown what we are capable of.

“We don’t pay attention to the other teams. City are the Premier League champions and Chelsea the Champions League champions, and the English teams are always strong and will always fight for trophies. This year won’t be different.

“We will be strong and they will be strong as well. Hopefully we will be a bit stronger.

“We don’t pay too much attention to the other teams, we just focus on us and working hard to be in the best way as possible.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-9/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans unhappy with Fabinho

Given the club’s lack of transfer activity this summer, Fabinho’s comments haven’t gone down too well with these Liverpool fans on Twitter.

“Sounds like we’re happy with our success and we will mention it every summer as an excuse, pathetic”

Credit: @UpTheRedmen1

“Deluded then Fabinho! Lol”

Credit: @92xLfc

“Love you but you focus on the pitch and leave transfers to Edwards”

Credit: @Kethamz

“Absolutely watch us surrender the FA Cup and others because of our lack of strength and signings again.”

Credit: @kopitanpagula11

“Optimism at its worst!!!”

Credit: @LeeJeffers6

“Who even went to ask of his opinion?”

Credit: @3ric20

In other news, some Liverpool fans have erupted over an image of one Reds player. Find out who it is here.

South Africa have far sterner tests on the horizon – tests with and without a capital ‘t’ – but they avoided a potential season-opening howler by walloping their neighbours Kenya by 159 runs in the first of two ODIs in Bloemfontein

Will Luke31-Oct-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
JP Duminy’s 88-ball 90 helped South Africa pile up 336 against Kenya in the first ODI at Bloemfontein © Getty Images
South Africa have far sterner tests on the horizon – tests with and without a capital ‘t’ – but they avoided a potential season-opening howler by walloping their neighbours Kenya by 159 runs in the first of two ODIs in Bloemfontein. There were contrasting fifties from JP Duminy and Jacques Kallis while Johan Botha chipped in with four economical wickets.The scoreline does an adequate job of summarising the vast gap between the two African nations; South Africa cruised past 300 without much trouble, before Kenya’s top order promised a little but delivered rather less. It is a sticky issue in Kenya cricket that South Africa, their nearest and dearest, aren’t quite as helpful as, say, the ECB are with Scotland and Ireland. Nevertheless, there was no mercy shown by a full-strength South Africa who outplayed Kenya from the outset. 2008 has not been a successful or happy year for Kenya, and it seems unlikely South Africa will lessen their determination for the second ODI on Sunday.Kenya have passed 300 three times in their history, against Bangladesh, Scotland and Bermuda, but their highest total against a top-flight nation remains the 265 for 5 they made against India a decade ago. There was little chance of rectifying that particular record today, and Kenya soon lost their young prodigy Seren Waters for 15. Alex Obanda misjudged a run to Justin Ontong – not quite in Jonty Rhodes’ class, but still damn quick – to send Maurice Ouma packing, and when Steve Tikolo was trapped in front, Kenya were already sinking at 95 for 4. Obanda briefly shone with 38, lifting Morne Morkel over midwicket for a vast six, before he was beaten by Duminy’s quicker ball.David Obuya did his best to shove Kenya past 150, poking singles into the gaps and even smacking Monde Zondeki for six over square-leg, but these were the dying embers of an innings that never truly caught fire. Botha’s immaculate line earned him the fine figures of 4 for 19 from 10 overs while Duminy showed his flexibility with 3 for 31.And it was Duminy who shone with the bat, too. Hashim Amla fell cheaply to the probing Peter Ongondo – always a reliable bowler even on decent surfaces – while Herschelle Gibbs scythed a muscular 45-ball 44. South Africa needed a big innings, however, it came from Kallis and Duminy. As ever, Duminy was brilliantly quick between the wickets though never afraid to dispatch the poor ball. Elijah Otieno offered him a short gift on his legs which was worked through midwicket; Hiren Varaiya was reverse-swept with power for four more and was later nudged around to fine leg to bring up Duminy’s fifty.Varaiya fought back impressively, however, to have Kallis caught low by Obanda for 71, ending his match-seizing partnership of 108 with Duminy. Still, at 211 for 4 and with the last 10-over blast remaining, South Africa were in an excellent position and as Duminy worked the ball into the gaps with ease, Kenya’s fielders began to tire. He finally fell, ten short of a hundred, attempting to lift Nehemiah Odhiambo over long-off.Mark Boucher capitalised on Duminy’s work with an exhilarating late-innings assault of 57 from 30, lifting three sixes. He got going with a flick over square-leg off Ongondo before an even bigger smite off Varaiya sailed over long-off. His third, an impetuous heave over midwicket, brought up his fifty from just 25 balls as South Africa scored 86 from their last ten. Their 336 for 7 was ample.The two sides meet again for the second ODI on Sunday in Kimberley.