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Crystal Palace have been in fine form in the opening weeks of the season, but Patrick Vieira’s charges have encountered their first potential hurdle of his reign.

Key midfielder James McArthur has been ruled out of action for up to six weeks after picking up a hamstring injury, and how they cope with his enforced absence will be a significant test.

The 34-year-old played no part in the Eagles’ 3-3 draw with Burnley last time out due to the problem, yet he had started all 11 of their previous top-flight fixtures.

And despite his age, McArthur had been putting in consistently exceptional performances alongside Conor Gallagher in the engine room, with his underlying numbers highlighting his quality.

As per WhoScored, the former Scotland international has averaged 2.3 tackles per Premier League fixture this season, 1.2 interceptions and 1.8 defensive dribbles, placing him in the top-four amongst his teammates for each metric.

The experienced Cheikhou Kouyaté did a solid job of standing in for the diminutive dynamo over the weekend for the trip to Turf Moor, but the long-term solution may lie elsewhere.

Summer signing Will Hughes is yet to kick a ball in vain for Vieira’s charges following his switch from Watford for an initial £6m fee, and McArthur’s lengthy spell on the sidelines could be the ideal opportunity for him to showcase his credentials.

In a recent report, The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam revealed the 26-year-old was brought to Selhurst Park as McArthur’s ‘long-term replacement’, meaning the next few weeks will be crucial for him to back that belief up.

“Hughes was brought in to provide cover and competition in the squad, not as a guaranteed starter,” wrote Woosnam.

“At 26, his role is considered to be as a long-term replacement for McArthur, who is unlikely to continue playing at the top level for too much longer even if he is showing little sign of slowing down yet.”

The £6.3m-rated maestro, who was labelled as “clever” by former Watford boss Javi Gracia, is arguably the most similar player to McArthur at Palace’s disposal.

Therefore, Vieira must unleash him in the enticing run of fixtures ahead, allowing Hughes to settle into his new role and surroundings after a frustrating stint on the substitute’s bench.

And, in other news…Forget Gallagher: CPFC beast with 74 duels won has been Vieira’s surprise star

Pakistan signed off the tour in style with a comprehensive 52-run win in the one-off Twenty20

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran12-Aug-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outShahid Afridi recorded his third consecutive fifty in Twenty20 internationals•AFP

Pakistan will want to take the Premadasa Stadium with them wherever they go. After groping in the dark for the better part of the tour, they finally struck gold when they landed here for the last two one-dayers and tonight they signed off in style with a comprehensive 52-run win in the one-off Twenty20 game. It was touted as a rematch of the World Twenty20 final in June but Sri Lanka failed to even the score. Their nemesis at Lord’s – Shahid Afridi – stood in their way again with an exact 50, a tight spell and a run-out on his debut as Pakistan captain.Though Afridi deserved a large portion of credit, the win was sealed by a collective effort from his team. After losing a wicket off the first ball, Imran Nazir gave the early impetus with an aggressive 40, Umar Akmal and Afridi put on a steady 66 in the middle overs and Naved-ul-Hasan and Saeed Ajmal derailed Sri Lanka’s chase.Pakistan’s strategy was clear from the outset – step out and whack. The difficulties the home batsmen faced under lights in the two ODIs didn’t deter Pakistan’s top order as they regularly went down the track to smother the slightest hint of seam movement. Kamran Akmal’s first-ball dismissal turned out to be no more than a scare as Pakistan stuck to their gameplan.Afridi wasn’t very convincing at the start of his innings, slashing and swishing at deliveries far too early. He also survived a very confident shout for lbw off Muttiah Muralitharan, with the ball appearing to turn enough to clip the leg stump. As he got his eye in, though, the shots flew off his bat. He chipped down the track to Murali and carved them inside out over extra cover but the shot of the evening was a stylish one-legged whip off Malinga that cleared the deep midwicket boundary.There was a bit of drama in between when he claimed an overthrow after the throw from Mahela Jayawardene deflected off his body. Tempers flared for a few seconds but, unlike what happened between Younis Khan and Kumar Sangakkara in the fifth ODI, the issue was quickly settled.Umar too carried on from where he left off in the one-dayers, using his feet to clear the infield. His stand with Afridi yielded 66 in a little more than seven overs but he fell off a tame top edge while attempting a cheeky paddle off Angelo Mathews.Afridi fell shortly after getting to his third consecutive fifty in Twenty20s, failing to clear Kulasekara at long-off. Abdul Razzaq then finished the innings with a cameo and Pakistan appeared at that stage that they had enough to push the Sri Lankans once more.Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Udawatte began the chase at a rate of nearly ten an over. Jayasuriya entertained in typical fashion with his trademark flicks but failed to put away a short delivery off Mohammad Aamer, miscuing him to fine leg. Udawatte failed to make the most of his recall, trapped lbw off Naved-ul-Hasan though he was a trifle unlucky as the ball pitched fractionally outside leg.The middle order’s failure to contribute hurt them once more. Sangakkara and Jayawardene entertained, albeit briefly, with almost nonchalant shots over the ropes but they failed to put together that one big partnership to nail the chase. The pressure was on because the boundaries were few and far between. Sri Lanka managed just six fours, while Pakistan hit 19.Afridi rushed through his overs, denying the batsmen too much room. When Jayawardene backed away to push the ball into the gaps, Afridi slipped in the googly and cramped him up. He conceded 21 runs and bagged the wicket of Chamara Kapugedera, well caught at midwicket by Naved.The most incisive bowler was Ajmal, who bagged three wickets. In contrast to Afridi, he was much slower through the air, making the batsmen reach out for their strokes. Their attempts to take out their frustrations on him led to tame dismissals, like Sangakkara’s, sweeping against the turn.With the specialists gone, Sri Lanka’s last hopes rested on Angelo Mathews but he too was sent scampering back by a direct hit from Afridi.In the end, Sri Lanka’s defeat will be analysed through one critical statistic. While Pakistan’s fourth wicket added 66, Sri Lanka’s last eight managed only 49.

Rangers came from behind to beat St. Mirren 2-1 on Sunday as they reclaimed their place at the top of the table from Hearts.

Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe scored within two minutes of each other towards the end of the first half after Connor Ronan’s wonder strike had given the hosts the lead.

Despite the positive result and performance, one player who did let Steven Gerrard down badly was left-back Borna Barisic as he struggled throughout the match.

He was unable to show off the best of his abilities at either end of the pitch as he was lacking defensively and offensively for the Gers.

Defending his own goal, Barisic was a lightweight. Per SofaScore, he lost six of his eight duels (75%) and was dribbled past twice by a St Mirren player. He did make three clearances and two tackles, but they do not make up for his lack of strength in individual battles or the ease at which players were able to take the ball past him when dribbling.

Offensively, he was not his usual self either. Via SofaScore, he lost possession of the ball a whopping 20 times throughout the game. He also failed with seven of his nine attempted crosses, five of his eight attempted long balls and only completed 73% of his passes from left-back.

This suggests that he was a yard off the pace in possession as he was unable to impose his quality on the game, with St Mirren seemingly able to deal with the majority of his attempts to open them up.

Last season, Barisic averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.40 in the Premiership. He won 59% of his duels over the course of the campaign and created 2.2 chances per game, providing six assists overall. His failure in his individual battles on Sunday particularly stand out in comparison to how he fared last term, winning 25% on this occasion.

Therefore, he let Gerrard down badly as he did not show his best self against the Saints. Rangers may have won the game by a more comfortable scoreline had the Croatian been able to put in a strong performance, although it is impossible to say with certainty. Hopefully, he will now get his head down in training and ensure that he is able to bounce back as quickly as possible.

AND in other news, Forget Roofe & Morelos: Rangers beast with 82% duels won was immense vs St Mirren…

John Buchanan held discussions with Andy Flower as part of a week-long fact-finding mission

Alex Brown in Birmingham29-Jun-2009Buchanan with the urn that Australia regained in the last Ashes. Will he commit to England this summer?•Getty ImagesJohn Buchanan has arrived in England and held discussions with national coach Andy Flower as part of a week-long fact-finding mission he hopes will result in a broader role within the ECB. Buchanan, who led Australia to a 5-0 series victory in the last Ashes series, met with Flower in Birmingham on Monday to share his thoughts on Ricky Ponting’s current squad and England’s recent visit to the battlefields of Flanders, a trip similar to Australia’s tour of the Somme prior to the 2005 Ashes series.The former Australia coach will travel across England over the next week, meeting with coaches from England’s elite programmes, as well as county mentors Chris Adams (Surrey), Peter Moores (Lancashire) and Mick Newell (Nottinghamshire). He will also spend time with England Lions before their tour match against Australia at Worcester, before presenting a proposal to David Parsons, director of England’s National Performance centre in Loughborough, regarding a future role within the England set-up.As wide-ranging as Buchanan’s brief in England is this week, most attention will focus on his dealings with the national team barely a week out from the first Test in Cardiff. The very notion of Buchanan passing on insights into Ricky Ponting’s team has raised the ire of many in Australia, and prompted curt responses from the touring players.”I provided [Flower] with some of my thoughts,” Buchanan told Cricinfo. “I’ve been keeping a bit of a gaze on the Ashes build-up from afar, and passed on a few things I’ve picked up as an observer now removed from the team.”We also talked about England’s trip to Belgium, which was something I took a fair bit of interest in. It was good to catch up with him briefly, and was just one of quite a few things I am looking to accomplish on this trip.”Buchanan has taken a keen interest in Australia’s preparations for this summer’s Ashes series, and believes selectors will lean towards fielding an all-pace attack in Cardiff. Nathan Hauritz’s figures of 1 for 158 in last week’s tour match against Sussex did not inspire confidence, leaving Buchanan to predict that part-timers Marcus North, Simon Katich and Michael Clarke will share Australia’s spin-bowling duties for the majority of the Ashes series.”I guess the salient point here is what strategy do the Australians want to take?” Buchanan said. “Do they want to utilise their fast men as the main thrust to their attack, and use (Marcus) North, (Simon) Katich and (Michael) Clarke for their spin, or do they want to take a less hostile approach and take a spinner that would allow them to adapt to more than one kind of strategy or surface?”I suspect they will be leaning towards the former. They will have to be confident in North, not only as a spinning option but also his batting. From what I have been reading, North struggled a bit with the bat in Hove, but he has a lot of experience in English conditions. If Watson returns from injury that could give the selectors a little more to think about, but unless [North] has a woeful game against the Lions, I think he would be pretty close.”Buchanan is hopeful his week in England will pave the way for a more regular role with the ECB. “I will speak to David Parsons before I leave but I am not sure yet as to what specifically a role would entail,” he said. “It could mean checking in every now and then with Andy Flower and the national team to exchange ideas, working with the high performance centre in Loughborough or spending time with touring teams.”I think we all will have a better idea after this week, but I don’t think (a full-time position) would be the best way to utilise my time or knowledge.”

ScorecardHard toil: Graham Onions was the outstanding performer on the final day, but his five wickets weren’t quite enough to hand Durham a win•PA Photos

It is an excitement unknown in one-day cricket but still loved by the traditionalist: the sight of a team fighting the odds trying to salvage a hard-earned draw. Yorkshire, regaining their pride after a dismal third day against Durham, fought their way through the tense final day to achieve this, despite the superb bowling of Graham Onions.At the start of the day Yorkshire, needing another 391, but that was never an option and Yorkshire’s mindset was clear from the start they battened down for the draw. The Durham bowlers were able to find little swing or seam movement and only the noble Onions really impressed, as the others, Steve Harmison included, were a little below par for a team eagerly pressing for victory in their opening Championship match. Onions was undaunted by the hard work – of which he had plenty throughout the day in taking 5 for 56 off 28 overs – and produced several fine deliveries, one of which moved in and bowled the experienced Jacques Rudolph for 16, after he and Joe Sayers had made a very solid start to the day.This brought in Michael Vaughan, whose chief preoccupation seemed to be to play for the needs of his team ahead of his own England ambitions. He subdued his natural attacking flair and concentrated on occupying the crease for as long as possible. When he finally reached double figures, with a typically handsome back-foot cover drive for four, he had faced 45 balls. Only 57 runs were scored in the pre-lunch session but, most importantly for Yorkshire, only one wicket had fallen.Briefly the scoring rate quickened after lunch, but this was mainly due to some loose bowling, and when Harmison went round the wicket and Durham tightened up, the rate again dropped below two an over. Sayers faced 112 balls for his gallant 30, before Onions slanted a ball across him, producing an involuntary nudge to the keeper. In his next over Vaughan fell for 20 to a similar dismissal, fishing fatally at a ball just outside his off stump to further dent his hopes of a Test recall when the squad is named next week.With two crucial wickets falling in quick succession, this was the critical moment of the day. Could Yorkshire rebuild – or was this the vital match-winning breakthrough for Durham? Yorkshire it was who grasped the moment. Anthony McGrath and Andrew Gale stood in the breach, presenting the broadest of Yorkshire bats and taking runs only as they offered themselves. They added a solid 44 before Gale tried to cut a ball from Liam Plunkett, brought on late, that was too close to him and was caught at first slip.After tea the light worsened rapidly. It was a sickening moment for McGrath, on 26 and fighting for his side’s survival, when a superb delivery from Onions out of the gloom found the edge of his bat and was brilliantly caught low to his left by Michael Di Venuto at second slip. Immediately the umpires took the players off the field and, with a bit of rain, nine crucial overs were lost.Gerard Brophy has a reputation for inconsistency in a crisis, and lived up to it on this occasion. Having played quite responsibly for 27, he then threw his wicket away with a needless hook that presented long leg with a straight-forward catch. Durham, with 17 overs to go, were still in with a good chance now with four more wickets to take.Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid, two who have done well in tight situations before, stood firm until Bresnan had a rush of blood to the head, swung at a ball from Onions just outside his off stump and was given out caught at the wicket. He was the sixth Yorkshire batsman in the innings to reach 20 while failing to pass 30. The mantle of saviour passed to Rashid. Harmison cut his pace somewhat but was not accurate enough to force the batsman to play often enough and with Steve Patterson, another youngster hanging in with determination, Yorkshire managed to salvage a respectable draw in a tense finish.Perhaps, though, it is a fault of modern county cricket that such a finish should be possible. Fifty years ago, when players often bowled more overs in three days than they now do in four, top-class spin bowlers would expect to bowl a team out almost every time on crumbling pitches. Today, pitches rarely crumble and spinners are rarely top-class unless from overseas. The game has lost something, but we can be grateful that the exciting draw is still a possibility.

Harbhajan Singh has said the main reason why India have been able to build on the winning momentum in the recent past is that the players are no more insecure about their place in the side

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Apr-2009

Harbhajan Singh has said the main reason why India have been able to build on the winning momentum in the recent past is that the players are no more insecure about their place in the side. According to Harbhajan this separates the previous teams he was part of from the one led by MS Dhoni. Harbhajan, who finished the recent New Zealand series as the leading wicket-taker with 16 at 21.37, felt the team management’s belief in the players has helped them counter all sorts of conditions.”Why we are winning is because we are playing good cricket,” Harbhajan told Cricinfo in Mumbai. “Everyone is performing, everyone is willing to be a champion. A lot of credit must go to the support staff and team management for giving the surety to all the players that they would be getting at least 10-15 games. That gives a player a lot of confidence.”Still to visit hometown Jalandhar after his return from New Zealand Harbhajan, who is busy doing promotional ads for his IPL team Mumbai Indians, said he was looking forward to making a comeback to the tournament after being shunted out last year for slapping Sreesanth. “I missed the whole IPL last year because of reasons well-known. But I’m looking forward to come back and it should be nice against Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden and all these big guys.”Harbhajan said while Twenty20 was a “batsman’s game”, he had learnt how to evade the batsman’s assault and his performance in New Zealand would help him lead the Mumbai bowling attack. The New Zealand trip was his first overseas series after Anil Kumble’s exit and Harbhajan said he just “wanted” to do well being the lead spinner. This was also his third tour to New Zealand and he wanted to make amends for the below-par performance on the previous occasions.”It is always challenging bowling abroad – you don’t get much spin, bounce. You do get bounce but you don’t get sideways spin. It is always drifting kind of spin you get. Also with Anil not being there it was challenging and there was a lot of responsibility on me as the senior spinner to do well. This was my third tour there and I’m glad that my wickets came at the right time – we won the game in Hamilton and we almost won it in Wellington, too.”Harbhajan’s six-wicket haul in the second innings in Hamilton inspired India to a ten-wicket win, their first in 33 years in New Zealand. Then in the final Test in Wellington, bowling marathon spells against the wind he almost sealed victory with a seven-wicket match haul, but bad weather robbed India of a 2-0 victory. Harbhajan believes he wouldn’t have managed to excel without the team’s support . “As a team we did really well, forget my wickets. We deserved to win. This team can beat any side.”After Dhoni took over the Test captaincy during the home series against Australia last year India have been in top form, beating England at home, winning the ODI series in Sri Lanka and now in New Zealand. Never have India looked as insurmountable and Harbhajan felt it was because each player was contributing for the team and not himself. “Look at Gautam [Gambhir] – his performance now and earlier is so different. This team has a lot of talent of course like Viru [Sehwag], Gautam, Yuvraj [Singh], [MS] Dhoni, [Suresh] Raina and others, too, who have been doing big things which helps us believe we can win anywhere in any sort of conditions. Probably that was lacking earlier, but now everyone is confident. They are not worried about their places, people go out to play for the team rather than playing for themselves.”Apart from his bowling Harbhajan is now setting his sights on a Test century. He is eager to have a chat with Sachin Tendulkar, his captain in the IPL. Since January 2008 Harbhajan has scored four half-centuries, with each coming in a situation where the odds were against India. His 60 in the first innings in Wellington helped India avoid a mid-innings stutter. “One day I will get my hundred. I would like to spend time with Sachin, who has got so many centuries, and probably he can advise me to slow down or what I need to do to get from 60 to 100.”He even wants to bat higher up the order in the IPL so that he can “smack” the ball round the park. Harbhajan insists the Twenty20 format is “murder” for the bowler, a thought he expressed before the World Twenty20 in 2007 that India went on to win. “It is tough on bowlers. You need to be little more brave and smart and go with the flow. In this format you need to be smart rather than bowling magic balls.”

A round-up of the fourth day of the sixth-round matches of the regional four-day competition

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2009Guyana snapped a four-game losing streak with a draw against Jamaica at the Providence Stadium. Jamaica picked up six points by virtue of their lead but it was not enough to take their top spot from Barbados, who are sitting on 51 after beating CCC.A mid-afternoon declaration by Jamaica set Guyana a tough 272 from less than two sessions. The home side were aided by four half-centuries and finished on 159 for 4.Jamaica took a 139-run lead by bowling out Guyana for 302. Travis Dowlin could only add a run to his overnight 71 before he was bowled by an incoming delivery from Andrew Richardson in the second over. Jamaica’s second innings started poorly, with Esaun Crandon snapping up Brenton Parchment and first-innings centurion Donovan Pagon in the first over without a run on the board. Parchment drove a catch to Narsingh Deonarine at mid-on and Pagon was bowled by a delivery that cut back in and took out middle and off.Xavier Marshall, dropped from the West Indies team, put on 49 for the third wicket with his captain Tamar Lambert before he chipped a catch back to Deonarine for 23. Wavell Hinds was the fourth to go at 90, pulling a short ball from Esuan to the other Crandon, Royston, at wide long-on. Lambert made 59 from 75 balls and Jamaica declared at 132 for 8. Their push for a win was thwarted by the left-handers Leon Johnson (58) and Narsingh Deonarine (51not out).Rain ruined Trinidad & Tobago’s hopes of victory against the Leeward Islands on Monday in St Augustine. The match ended in a draw and T&T could not move to third place on the points table.The umpires Rawle Richards and Richard Kettleborough made six pitch inspections between the scheduled 9.30am start and the actual resumption at 3pm. When play finally began Leewards, set 230 to win after Daren Ganga declared on the overnight 101 for 1, crawled to 36 for 0 in 38 overs – numbingly, a run-rate of 0.94 an over.In the seventh round starting Friday, Jamaica travel to face the Windward Islands in Dominica and Guyana will be at home to T&T.

Barbados 64 1 0 1 0 51 Jamaica 5 3 0 02 0 48 Windward Islands 53 2 0 0 0 36 Trinidad & T 5 1 0 04 0 33 Leeward Islands 51 3 0 1 0 19 Comb CC 5 1 3 01 0 15 Guyana 50 4 0 1 0 7

Speaking to Football Insider, BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton has reacted to a big claim coming out of West Ham United involving Declan Rice.

The Lowdown: GSB plot Rice sale…

As per Football Insider, it appears that a significant update has emerged in the last few days regarding Rice’s future in east London.

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Indeed, according to their information, GSB and West Ham are now planning to sell the 22-year-old for around £90m while his stock his high after the player refused to pen fresh terms at the London Stadium.

While they were hoping to get around £100m originally, Rice rejecting offers of a new deal from West Ham will force the club to sell for less.

The Latest: Hutton reacts…

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Premier League defender has dropped his take and believes that the England international could leave if it suits all parties.

When asked if Rice could leave West Ham, Hutton replied: “Probably. I think so.

“I love what West Ham have done. They’ve done really well in the transfer market, the manager has done a fantastic job.

“But Rice is at a level now, like Kalvin Philips, he’s an England international now, his profile is massive.

“The big teams are hovering so it could be time to cash in. I mean, if we’re talking the best part of £100million, that’s a lot of money.

“Just like Leeds, the big thing is can David Moyes get that money to reinvest in the squad?

“He’s done a great job so far so if he can get that in, I think it’s one of those ones where they’ll part ways and everybody could be happy.”

The Verdict: Irreplaceable…

Even for a figure around £90m, if West Ham do indeed to sell for that amount, you can make the argument that Rice is simply irreplaceable to manager David Moyes.

The mainstay, who has started every Premier League game for the Irons so far in 2021/22, has eclipsed all of his West Ham teammates in terms of interceptions per match (2.3), even managing an incredible 94.4% pass accuracy in that time (WhoScored).

It’s little wonder that defender and team-mate Craig Dawson believes Rice is ‘unbelievable’ and a ‘quality’ player (West Ham Q&A), and we certainly think that letting him go could be a big risk, no matter the cost.

In other news: West Ham source: GSB have now set sights on signing ‘outstanding’ star for Moyes, talks already held…find out more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos entrou em campo neste sábado com apenas três jogadores que enfrentaram o Flamengo, pela Copa do Brasil, no meio da última semana. A ideia era poupar o máximo de titulares possíveis para o duelo contra o Atlético-PR, na próxima quarta-feira, pela Copa Libertadores, mas as circunstâncias do empate em 1 a 1, com o Atlético-GO levaram Levir Culpi a lançar mão de peças importantes, como Thiago Maia.

E deu certo, já que o volante que não esteve presente na última partida por estar gripado, entrou e arrancou o empate em Goiânia, ao marcar um belo gol de fora da área.

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– Acho que a gente foi bem. Fico feliz pelo gol. O campo estava pesado. Eu estava precisando desse gol. Estava doente, não joguei contra o Flamengo – disse Thiago na saída de campo.

Além do meio-campista, que entrou em campo no intervalo no lugar de Alison, o meia Lucas Lima teve que ser lançado logo no primeiro tempo, após lesão de Vitor Bueno. Os dois acabaram sendo essenciais para o empate e para melhorar a atuação de um time desentrosado.

– O time que entrou não estava entrosado, não vinha jogando, mas acho que eles foram bem. Claro que alguns jogadores sentiram, gramado pesado, como o David Braz que vinha jogando. Mas fico feliz pelo gol, pude ajudar – finalizou Thiago Maia.

O Santos volta a campo nesta quarta-feira, pela Copa Libertadores, para enfrentar o Atlético-PR, às 19h15, na Vila Capanema. A partida é válida pela ida das oitavas de final do torneio continental.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após derrota para o Vitória, o Sport perdeu três posições na tabela e abre a zona de rebaixamento do Campeonato Brasileiro. Com a necessidade de mudanças, o técnico Vanderlei Luxemburgo solicitou à diretoria leonina a contratação de novos atletas. Em entrevista à Rádio Jornal, o presidente Arnaldo Barros afirmou que os dirigentes correm para buscar reforços.

– Vanderlei foi cirúrgico. Nós temos algumas carências, e ele já pontuou as características de jogador que precisamos e estamos empenhados em atendê-lo. Mas não teremos facilidade no mercado – explicou o presidente.

A possível chegada do meia Wesley animou a torcida rubro negra, mas, apesar de demonstrar interesse pelo jogador, o presidente afirmou que seu destino deve ser mesmo seguir no São Paulo.

– Wesley é interessante porque tem as características que ele (Luxemburgo) falou, mas não é o único que tem. Até porque a relação dele com o São Paulo é muito sólida, ele ainda tem contrato com o clube e o treinador já sinalizou que quer contar com ele, tanto que jogou aqui contra nós – lembrou.

O Sport volta aos gramados na próxima quarta-feira para enfrentar o Atlético-MG, no Independência. Com apenas um ponto de diferença entre as equipes, a luta é para se livrar do rebaixamento. A bola rola às 21h45.