All posts by h716a5.icu

West Ham United have been able to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League and seventh place in the Premier League table with just one figure in their squad that predominantly plays in the centre-forward position – Michail Antonio.

Despite scoring eight goals in 32 league appearances for the Hammers, the Jamaican hasn’t been able to find the net in the top flight since New Year’s Day against Crystal Palace.

With the next summer transfer window approaching, it seems as though the east London club are in the mix to add another striker to their squad and provide a bit of competition for Antonio.

What’s the news?

According to a recent article from Calciomercato, West Ham are one of the clubs interested in signing Torino striker Andrea Belotti in the upcoming summer transfer window.

With a total of 386 senior and youth club appearances under his belt, the Italian has scored 155 goals and provided 35 assists along the way, showing that he has a knack for finding the back of the net.

Better than Antonio?

Since joining his current club back in 2015, the 28-year-old has scored 110 goals in 247 outings for the Serie A side, showing just how important he has been for them over the past few years.

On the international stage, Belotti has scored 12 goals in 42 senior appearances for Italy.

This backs up what his former teammate and former West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart had to say about him when the Englishman described the attacker as having an “instinct for goals.”

With just 18 league games to his name in this current Serie A season, the striker has still managed to rack up the second-highest number of shots at goal (45) out of anyone at Torino.

To compare him to the West Ham striker, the Italian has racked up a higher percentage of aerial duels won this season (39.7%) than Antonio (36.2%).

This shows how much of a threat in the air he can be in terms of winning balls and scoring goals with his head. Battling physically for the ball is one of the West Ham striker’s main strengths so if Belotti can top him in that department, it bodes well for the Hammers.

Despite having a current market value of £25.2m according to Transfermarkt, the Irons could secure the Italy international on a free transfer this summer as his current contract with Torino is set to expire at the end of the season.

Even though he’s struggled with some injury issues this season, Belotti certainly has what it takes to be a solid signing for West Ham. The major plus side is that West Ham could discover someone that’s better than Antonio when it comes to scoring goals on a regular basis.

In other news: Sources: West Ham eye swoop for “brilliant” 21 y/o, he’s “similar to Eden Hazard”

Leeds United will not target a new striker this month…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the ever-reliable Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post, who delivered a fresh update on the Whites’ plans heading into the final week of the transfer window.

‘Bielsa did welcome both Joe Gelhardt and Tyler Roberts back from the treatment room at the weekend to bolster his attacking options, although neither started as Daniel James occupied the lone striker role.

‘Their return, along with that of Rodrigo who on Saturday played his first 90 minutes since September, mean Bielsa will not be asking for a new striker in the remainder of the January transfer window,’ he revealed in a recent column for the website.

Risky plan

This is a very risky decision from Bielsa and the club.

Of course, it would be hugely surprising to see the bring in many additions – if any at all – during the mid-season window because it’s not something that they have ever really done.

For instance, a midfielder is high on the agenda but they have not signed one since January 2018, some four years ago.

However, as we’ve seen regularly this season, injuries have persisted to rip through the playing squad, particularly upfront, where Bielsa has been without his star man Patrick Bamford for much of the year.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-lufc-transfer-rumours-gossip-bielsa-orta-radrizzani-elland-road-updates” title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Indeed, the England international has missed 17 of their last 18 matches with a string of problems, ranging from ankle and hamstring injuries to his latest, a foot issue.

He has now missed as many games as goals scored in the Premier League last season and his absence in the final third has been evident – not at least because he’s the only senior centre-forward.

Raphinha (eight) is the only player to have found the net more than four times, whilst it’s been on academy gem Gelhardt and wingers Jack Harrison and James to fill the void, to not much of an effect.

If Bamford does return in due course and goes and picks up another injury, it’ll leave Bielsa back at square one in dealing with this problem, whereas any signed backup could fill in again.

The Yorkshiremen are by no means out of the relegation dogfight just yet, so this news should leave much of the Elland Road faithful worried, if not furious, heading into the final five days of the window.

United badly need additions and it doesn’t seem like that is going to happen.

AND in other news, Leeds could secure Bielsa a bargain Aaronson alternative in £22.5m-rated “phenomenon”…

Michael Clarke is prepared for even more criticism in his latest role, but he knows captaining Australia is about achieving good results rather than winning the popular vote

Peter English30-Dec-2010Michael Clarke is prepared for even more criticism in his latest role, but he knows captaining Australia is about achieving good results rather than winning the popular vote. Clarke, who takes over from the injured Ricky Ponting for the SCG Test, is an easy target for critics who snipe about his A-list lifestyle and accuse him of being soft.The off-field matters are not a cricket concern, but everything has been magnified since he has moved to No.4 and entered a worrying form slump. “Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion,” Clarke said after becoming Australia’s 43rd Test captain. “It’s great to see the board and Cricket Australia continue to support me and give me this opportunity. For me it’s about doing whatever I can to help this team win this Test match and level this Ashes series.”While he polls poorly in tabloid newspaper surveys, Clarke is a hugely marketable figure among higher demographics for his style and sporting ability. “It’s part and parcel of what we do now as a professional cricketer,” he said. “You spend a lot of time in the media, so for me I’ve copped criticism throughout my whole career, and it’s no different now.”Clarke, 29, was anointed for Test captaincy before he had played a first-class game, but the last six months have been particularly rocky for someone who was preordained as a leader. He has managed only 322 runs at 21.46 in eight Tests after shifting from No.5.With the associated waves of criticism, his failures made it seem like he subconsciously didn’t want the job he had been groomed for. This week there is no choice. It is Clarke or nobody. Everyone has to get used to the idea that a boy from Sydney’s western suburbs, who now lives across from Bondi Beach, is holding the second-most treasured job in Australia. Clarke has captained the country in 36 limited-overs matches and Ponting said he had already been “a great leader”.There have been regular gripes, in public discussions and private whispers, about Clarke’s high-flying activities and speculation about his influence on young team-mates. He and Simon Katich had a dressing-room fight early in 2009 and older players such as Matthew Hayden, who is on the Cricket Australia board which approved the nomination, have highlighted his Generation Y behaviour. All but two of the men he will lead at the SCG will be in their 20s. He is the captain of the future.Ponting said there was no issue about Clarke being popular among the squad and believed he was capable of handling the extra pressure. “All this dressing-room stuff that’s been in the media and in the papers hasn’t ever been around our rooms at all,” Ponting said. “Everyone he’s played with, and who will play under him this week, he’ll have their total support.”Like Ponting, Clarke has been struggling for runs in this series, and he has been told he must first concentrate on his own game before worrying about the direction of the team. “When it’s your turn to get out there and do the job with the bat or to do whatever you need to as captain, you pay full attention to that,” Ponting said. “It’s nothing new for Michael. He’s been there and done that and he’ll enjoy the week.”Clarke has been Ponting’s deputy since the West Indies tour of 2008 and while the 36-year-old will be on hand to offer advice in Sydney, he won’t be telling his replacement what to do. “Michael and I have worked together very closely for a number of years now, so he’s going to do things his way and that’s the way I want him to do it,” Ponting said. Both players hope Clarke’s elevation is temporary.

Brendon Diamanti, the New Zealand and Central Districts allrounder, has retired from domestic cricket in order to spend more time with his family

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2010Brendon Diamanti, the New Zealand and Central Districts allrounder, has retired from domestic cricket in order to spend more time with his family. Diamanti, 29, played only one ODI and one Twenty20 international for New Zealand but was a regular for Central Districts in all three formats.”After some months of deliberation I have decided that my priorities in life have changed and I want to spend more time with my family,” Diamanti told NZPA. “I also felt that I had achieved what I wanted as a player at first-class level and that the time was right to step aside and allow someone else the opportunity.”Diamanti, a lower-order batsman and medium-pace bowler, made his debut for Central Districts in 2003 and scored two hundreds in 27 Plunket Shield matches. He averaged 25.72 as a batsman and took 57 wickets at 34.77 apiece. He played 59 List A matches and averaged 28 with both bat and ball.”We are sad to be losing Brendon to retirement as he has been a major contributor both on and off the field,” Central Districts chief executive Hugh Henderson, who was surprised by Diamanti’s decision, said. “Brendon is a complete professional and has always demonstrated the commitment and work ethic required to succeed.”

Frustrated as much by a slippery ball as a doughty Afghanistan during their 66-run victory, Australia’s bowlers must find ways of keeping dry in the damp night-time air before they face Pakistan

Daniel Brettig26-Aug-2012Frustrated as much by a slippery ball as a doughty Afghanistan during their 66-run victory, Australia’s bowlers must find ways of keeping dry in the damp night-time air before they face a far more accomplished Pakistan team.While the Australians began brightly in defence of 272 for 8, reducing Afghanistan to 49 for 4 inside 12 overs, the longer the innings went the more they battled to keep their hands and the ball dry. Their difficulties were reminiscent of those experienced by Mark Taylor’s men in the 1996 World Cup final, won by Sri Lanka on a dewy night in Lahore.Mitchell Starc, who won the match award for figures of 4-47 that included four of the first six Afghanistan wickets, said that while happy with the overall effort, the tourists would be looking into how to maintain better control with the ball later in the innings, with two more matches to be played in Sharjah against Pakistan.”I don’t think we thought too much about the humidity, we thought it was going to be more a dry heat,” Starc said. “As we’ve seen the last few days and again tonight, it’s more the sweat factor that’s going to play a part and the dew as well. Both balls towards the end were quite hard to hold onto – you’d wipe yourself with a towel and you were already sweating again.”So it’s something we’re going to have to look at in training before the Pakistan series, but in the end I think the bowlers did quite well to control that ball. There’s a few little things we’re going to have to work on, but the batsmen put on a good score for us to defend, and we defended it.”Apart from the humidity, the Australians were also somewhat surprised to find a Sharjah pitch that did not turn with quite the same venom of those prepared for their preparations in Darwin. Though the surface lacked grass and did not offer any great pace, nine of the Afghanistan wickets fell to the fast men.”I think the wicket played a lot better than we thought it would,” Starc said. “We prepared for wickets that were going to spin a lot. The quicks took nine of our wickets so I think the fast bowlers are going to play a massive part as well as the spinners in these conditions.”Afghanistan put up quite a good fight for us ahead of the Pakistan games, and the conditions a lot of us haven’t played in before, so it was a bit of a learning curve for some of us. I thought it was a good game in preparation for the next series.”Starc said the Australians had been impressed by the intensity of Afghanistan’s fielding in the heatof the early evening. “A lot of us made comments during our batting innings that they fielded quite well,” he said. “They were out there with a lot of energy, and that surprised us a little bit that they fielded as well as they did, and then with the bat they came out quite aggressively as well … it was quite a competitive match.”Afghanistan’s captain Nowroz Mangal said the game had provided decent evidence of his team’s ability to compete with the major nations. “The players played very well. Australia is one of the best teams in the world,” he said. “The way the bowlers performed and the way we fielded, it was quite satisfactory and we proved we can compete with such big sides. We have learned a lot.”This was a better performance than we put up against Pakistan. I’d like to thank Cricket Australia for allowing us to play their team. We played the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and we’ll rectify the errors we made then.”

The Bombay High Court has rejected his plea for the recusal of his successor Chirayu Amin and Arun Jaitley from the disciplinary committee investigating charges against him

Cricinfo staff15-Sep-2010Suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi’s troubles have deepened after the Bombay High Court rejected his plea for the recusal of his successor Chirayu Amin and BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley from the disciplinary committee investigating charges against him. Modi had sought the removal of Amin and Jaitley from the committee on grounds that they were biased against him.Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said the court order would allow the disciplinary committee – scheduled to meet later on Wednesday – to proceed as planned. “There are witnesses on the list prepared by the committee and we will go ahead with that list.”Modi’s lawyer Mehmood Abdi said he would consider filing a special leave petition against the order. He was also unhappy that the board did not accept his request to defer the hearing to a later date. “What’s the hurry? It’s humanly impossible to reach there (committee member Jyotiraditya Scindia’s house by 2pm, about an hour and a half after the court’s ruling),” he said. “The list of witnesses was given and it was clear who will depose first. It was to start with Sundar Raman but now they say the foreigners would be examined first.”How can you examine all witnesses in three-four hours? What was the need to bring all of them [foreigners] together? This is unprecedented haste, speaks volumes for itself.”The committee has until October 26 to submit its recommendations to the board. The BCCI suspended Modi immediately following the conclusion of IPL 3 in April and charged him with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the mid-over ad sales and the sale of theatrical rights. He was also charged with colluding to set up a rebel league in England.

Crystal Palace have not made any official bids or opened talks with any potential signings this month so far, and that includes the view of securing permanent deals for their current loan players too, with one, in particular, becoming a doubt for securing a longer stay at the club.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports journalist, Michael Bridge, has revealed that the Eagles are “nowhere near” the clause that forces them into signing striker, Jean-Philippe Mateta, on a permanent deal at the club.

Bridge told GIVEMESPORT:

“The deal at the moment with buying Mateta in terms of how many games he’s played for Palace, they’re nowhere near it. So, they’re under no pressure with that at the moment.”

Mateta has been linked already with a move away from the club during the current transfer windows, as it was reported that his parent club, Mainz, were ready to recall the player for him to go back out on loan to Saint Etienne, but it was then further reported that Palace blocked the move.

Fans may be fuming

With Christian Benteke reportedly on the move to Burnley after an offer was made for him over the weekend, Palace fans will surely be rather puzzled and angered to see further unsettlement in their forward line, especially when the side is picking up more draws than wins at the moment with nine draws on the board in the Premier League this season.

Thus, they clearly need to take more goal-scoring opportunities and shipping on two offensive options in one window would be a strange way of doing that.

The 24-year-old Frenchman has only made 15 appearances for the club so far during his 18 month loan spell that started in January 2020 scoring three goals in just 589 minutes played over the last year. That is hardly mind-boggling but if they let him leave alongside Benteke, it would severely hamper Vieira’s options.

Eagles fans are keen for the striker to stay at the South London club, with many taking to Twitter to offer their opinion on his future at the club, one fan even tweeted: “Mateta needs to stay #cpfc.”

Vieira will need to make an important decision on the future of his forward line, with the club also linked to signing Eddie Nketiah and interest from other clubs for the signing of Benteke, the French manager will need to assess his options and work out if Mateta fits into his future plans for the club.

Despite not playing, there is an argument to make that the Eagles would be better off keeping him for the second part of the campaign.

In other news: Vieira could finally axe Benteke to sign Nketiah

Roberto Firmino is likely to be offered a new deal at Liverpool according to Liverpool Echo correspondent Theo Squires. 

The lowdown: Declining influence

For so long the man signed from Hoffenheim in 2015 has been the lynchpin of Jurgen Klopp’s side and an integral element of the famous front three that has fired the Reds to UEFA Champions League and Premier League glory.

However, the recent acquisitions and subsequent impacts of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz have meant that the Brazilian forward has fallen down the pecking order somewhat.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-29/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Out of contract in the summer of 2023 (Transfermarkt), a decision needs to be made on the future of the 30-year-old.

The latest: Squires delivers update

Taking part in a Q&A session for the Liverpool Echo, journalist Squires was asked whether Firmino is likely to be offered a contract extension alongside both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

“It’s an interesting one with Firmino. For so long he was Liverpool’s go-to man and rarely injured but they have evolved beyond him this season. I agree, I struggle to see Liverpool keeping all three forwards beyond next summer but never say never. Mane has obviously done his own hopes of a new deal no harm, with his agent recently saying talks were on hold until the summer. Plenty has been written about Salah with no breakthrough yet.

“I’d imagine the club will see what happens with Salah and Mane and then decide what to do with Firmino. They’ll make an offer they consider fair at some point and will just expect him to want to stay. Then it’s up to the Brazilian if it’s right for him or time to move on.”

The verdict: Deal earned

Despite a drop off in appearances this term and perhaps, more importantly, persistent injury issues, Firmino’s trophy-laden time at Anfield warrants a new deal for the 55-cap Brazilian.

The man once described as ‘unbelievably valuable’ to the team by Klopp amidst a two-month Premier League goal drought has already lifted five major honours on Merseyside and could be set for more before the end of the ongoing campaign.

Very few players in world football can offer what the Samba star can offer and when using Fbref to find comparable operators, only RB Leipzig ace Christopher Nkunku tops Liverpool’s own Jota when it comes to sharing traits with the expert false nine.

Whether or not Firmino, who has ten goals and four assists this season, is willing to accept a bit-part role moving forwards remains to be seen, but either way, this upcoming summer has all the hallmarks of a busy one for the Reds.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United have been handed encouragement over a potentially major deal for Sven Botman in the summer…

What’s the talk?

The Magpies target has admitted that he would be interested in joining the club, whilst also hinting that he will be on his way out of Lille at the end of the campaign.

He told Voetbal International, via TBR: “Newcastle is working on a great project and I thought it would be fun to be a part of it.

“Especially if you look at where Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain once started.”

Fabrizio Romano also quoted him as saying: “I can confirm both Newcastle and AC Milan were concrete options this winter. Both were good options for me. I assume that I will take a good step in my career next summer.”

Excitement

These comments will surely leave Eddie Howe excited ahead of the next transfer window as they suggest that a transfer could well be on the cards for the 2022/23 campaign.

It could be a major deal for the Magpies as Botman has the potential to be a sensational signing for the club in the short and long term. He is a player who has proven his quality at Ligue 1 level and could be an asset in the Premier League next season, whilst he also has scope for development and could be someone Howe looks to improve over time.

In the French top-flight this term, he has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.15. Botman has won an outstanding 71% of his individual duels throughout the campaign so far, making 4.9 clearances and 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game.

This shows that he already has the ability and consistency required to perform at the top level. Meanwhile, no Newcastle defender has averaged a score higher than 6.77 this term, although Dan Burn managed a rating of 6.96 for Brighton prior to his deadline day switch.

At the age of 22, the Lille beast has plenty of time left ahead of him to add to his game and improve as a defender. This means that he could be an excellent investment by the club, as he could either be sold for a huge profit in the future or end up playing and excelling, in the side for many years to come.

Therefore, Howe will be excited by Botman’s comments as they open the door to a summer transfer and it could be a major deal for the Magpies based on the aforementioned benefits that he could bring. It is now down to PIF to be proactive by attempting to snap him up as quickly as possible at the end of the season.

AND in other news, “I heard a slight whisper”: Downie drops big NUFC claim on live TV, Howe surely gutted…

Crystal Palace lost 3-1 to title-chasing Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon as the Reds closed the gap on first-place Manchester City to nine points after the Citizens drew 1-1 at Southampton on Saturday.

The hosts went behind after just eight minutes as defender Virgil van Dijk converted with a header directly from a corner before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled Jurgen Klopp’s side’s lead before the interval.

Palace did halve the deficit through Odsonne Edouard but the defeat was confirmed when Fabinho converted from the penalty spot late on.

The defeat leaves Patrick Vieira’s side in 13th place after a tricky contest for the south London club.

Some of the Eagles’ players shone despite difficult circumstances, whereas others were below par with top scorer Conor Gallagher proving to be particularly underwhelming.

The 21-year-old has been a revelation for Palace since joining on loan from Chelsea in the summer, scoring seven goals and registering three assists in 19 Premier League matches.

However, the midfielder endured a tricky afternoon at Selhurst Park against Liverpool.

According to SofaScore, the Englishman lost possession 16 times whilst making 52 touches over the course of 90 minutes, an average of losing the ball every 3.2 touches.

Gallagher was also underwhelming in the attacking department, squandering a big chance whilst also managing just one shot, which was off target.

Although the 21-year-old enjoyed an 81% passing success rate, his crosses and long balls were well below standard, failing to complete any.

On an afternoon where Palace had 43.2% of the ball, there was a lack of grit in the middle of the park with Will Hughes also struggling, earning a match rating of just 6.1, as Liverpool dominated proceedings whilst Gallagher made five fouls, eventually receiving his fifth yellow card of the season, as well as only managing one interception and one tackle and no clearances or blocks.

Of course, the Selhurst Park faithful shouldn’t be particularly concerned by the Englishman’s display given the fact that they were playing the league’s second-best team who were impressive in south London.

Moreover, the midfielder has already been the star man on numerous occasions and seeing him run the midfield against one of Europe’s best sides and orchestrate a shock victory for the Eagles would’ve been a particularly tall ask.

What the performance will highlight, however, is that Gallagher will have to improve when playing the league’s top sides if he has aspirations of being a regular for Chelsea.

Whilst Crystal Palace don’t expect to get results against the likes of Liverpool, Thomas Tuchel’s side will if they are to be successful.

In other news: Palace remain interested in 22-y/o striker, he can save their season