All posts by h716a5.icu

This was a difficult summer for Wolverhampton Wanderers. They lost Nuno Santo early on due to a rift over recruitment and it’s probably just as well he left.

The Portuguese had been informed by Jeff Shi and co that he’d have to operate in a market that revolved around loan deals.

Bruno Lage, however, was keen to come to the Premier League and has worked duly with what he’s been given at Molineux.

Trincao arrived from Barcelona and South Korean speedster Hwang-hee Chan was also signed on a temporary basis from RB Leipzig.

Both players are eye-catching additions but beyond that, there was little to shout about in the market.

Wolves looked to complete deals on deadline day but ultimately fell short in their pursuits of Kieffer Moore, Sven Botman and Renato Sanches.

The Old Gold came into the final day of the window looking as though they’d sign the latter. They were in talks with Lille over landing the midfielder on a loan deal before paying to sign him next summer.

However, with the 23-year-old injured and a disagreement over the future fee, a deal fell through.

It was a gut-wrenching blow for the club who were keen to bring in one of the most promising central players in Europe.

Sanches’ previous spell in the Premier League with Swansea had been unsuccessful but he’s come on leaps and bounds since moving to French football.

He was involved in four goals throughout the league campaign and was tantalising with the ball at his feet.

The Portuguese dynamo recorded a pass success rate north of 85% and registered 1.7 dribbles per game.

Yet, they shouldn’t be too disheartened about missing out on Sanches. After all, Lage may already have Wolves’ very own Renato lying within their ranks.

That happens to be Chem Campbell, the new darling of the Wolves academy.

Of course, he’s not at the level that Sanches currently is but his future at Molineux and in the game, in general, is huge.

The 18-year-old was courted by Borussia Dortmund last year and was named in The Guardian’s 20-best players at Premier League clubs for 2019.

Writing in that piece, Paul Doyle said: “He is a skilful, direct dribbler with a knack for bursting forward from central midfield.”

That reminds us of Sanches, a skilful ball carrier who is capable of dragging his team up the pitch.

Campbell became the second-youngest player to feature for Wolves at senior level when he played in the Carabao Cup back in 2019/20.

He’s not played a first-team game since but has taken part in the EFL Trophy, gaining regular football against senior professionals.

The teenager is one of the most vibrant players in the academy and a glowing review from former U18 boss Steve Davis says a lot: “[He can] go as far as he wants in the game,” Davis began.

“He can produce things out of nothing.

“Defensively he’s got work to do in terms of his responsibilities but with the ball he can create things just with his skill. He catches the eye.”

Campbell has a long way to go before he becomes a regular part of the furniture at Molineux but the midfielder has plenty of potential.

After missing out on Sanches, Lage should look to unearth it.

Leicester City have been tipped to make a move for Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard this summer.

What’s the story?

The Foxes have been in the market for a new central defender all window following Wes Morgan’s retirement, and Wesley Fofana’s horrific injury has now significantly increased the need for reinforcements in that area of the pitch.

According to TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook (as reported by the Leicester Mercury), Leicester are plotting a move for Vestergaard over the coming weeks, with the Saints reportedly set to demand £20 million for the Denmark international.

Fans will be buzzing

Vestergaard caught the eye with a string of impressive performances last season, achieving a highly respectable 6.89 WhoScored rating from his 30 Premier League appearances.

On average, the 6 ft 5 centre-back made a whopping four clearances per game in 2020/21, the highest amongst his Southampton teammates, as well as recording 0.5 blocks, the third-highest tally amongst his St. Mary’s colleagues.

However, with just one year remaining on his current contract on the south coast, speculation over the Scandinavian’s future has continued to rumble on throughout the summer.

And now Crook has revealed Leicester are the latest potential suitor for Vestergaard’s services, news that will surely have the club’s supporters buzzing due to his previous exploits.

“I would probably say 40%-60% in favour of him leaving at this stage, and one of the interested parties, as I understand it, is Leicester City, they’re in dire need of reinforcements at the back,” he told TalkSPORT.

“They were already light there with Jonny Evans unavailable, Vestergaard is someone they certainly tried to sign before, and he is in the last year of his contract like Danny Ings.”

Crook went on to explain that the Saints are expecting a bid for their prized asset and that Ralph Hassenhuttl’s charges may be in no position to turn it down.

“The impression I get is that Southampton are very much bracing themselves for a bid from Leicester, and if that bid did come in, they would have to seriously consider it given that contract situation,” he added.

“They want to get £20m, I imagine Leicester might go in at £15m and test Southampton’s resolve.”

Vestergaard would be a solid addition to the FA Cup holders’ backline, providing Brendan Rodgers with a natural left-footed option at the heart of his defence and delivering a boost to their chances of finishing inside the top four next season.

And, in other news…Heir to Wes Morgan: Rudkin must complete Leicester swoop for 6 ft 3 “monster” 

Dale Steyn has called himself an ‘idiot’ for the comments he made about the Indian Premier League a few days ago

Cricinfo staff20-Jun-2008
‘I was an idiot’ – Dale Steyn reacting to his IPL comments © Getty Images
Dale Steyn has called himself an ‘idiot’ for the comments he made about the Indian Premier League a few days ago.Steyn said that “the IPL was only four overs a game and it was like a paid holiday; you only had to work hard if you felt like it, which is probably why we finished second-last.” However, in response, he was unreservedly apologetic.”I was speaking just moments after being named as South Africa’s cricketer of the year at a gala banquet and I was pretty emotional,” he said. “I was trying to be funny and just ended up being stupid – I was an idiot.”I was asked whether the IPL had been hard physically and I said ‘no’ because I only had to bowl four overs per game. The rest of my comments were meant to reinforce the fact that Twenty20 cricket is very, very different from Test cricket as far as wear and tear on the body is concerned.”The truth is, I tried my absolute hardest for Bangalore in every game and I was as disappointed as anyone that we fared so poorly. I desperately regret my naivety and look forward to the opportunity of helping the franchise reach the semi-finals next year.”I have written to the franchise to express my unreserved regret and apologies and tried to explain the circumstances of my comments. Sometimes, when you lose, you try to make a joke of it to lessen the disappointment. It was a stupid thing to say and a painful lesson for me to learn.”

But the Ministry’s guidance to be sought before launching any new projects

Cricinfo staff05-Oct-2008Pakistan’s ministry of sports has allowed the PCB to retain its authority to perform its daily activities, but has said the board will need to seek the ministry’s guidance before launching any new projects.”We have reached an understanding with the PCB according to which they have been given a free hand to carry out their daily business including all the ventures underway to uplift the game in the country,” Anwar Khan, joint secretary of the ministry of sports, told the . “However they have been asked to seek our guidance before taking up any new project.”The PCB was brought under government authority after Nasim Ashraf resigned as its chairman in August.The Sports Ministry has also formed a 15-member committee to look into the “flaws and anomalies” of the PCB constitution. “We want to make it more democratic where the powers would be with the governing board”, an official of the ministry said.Khan said the first meeting of the committee will take place after October 13. “The law minister (Farooq H Naek) would not be available before October 13 and it would be after that the first meeting of the PCB Constitution committee would be held.”

The two ODIs, on Friday and Sunday, will surely not linger in memory unless the visitors stretch their more-fancied African opponents

Cricinfo staff30-Oct-2008Match factsOctober 31, 2008
Start time 2.30pm (1230 GMT)
With Dale Steyn out, Monde Zondeki could get a look-in © Getty Images
Big Picture A tough season for South Africa – they face Australia in away and home series – begins with relatively light-weight opposition, Kenya and Bangladesh. Kenya come calling first, with two ODIs scheduled on Friday and Sunday. The two haven’t played an ODI since the 2003 World Cup, when South Africa won by ten wickets. Such an emphatic scoreline could again be on the cards.Two of South Africa’s key players in their success over the past year – captain Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn – are unlikely to face Kenya. Following the 4-0 loss to England Mickey Arthur, the coach, had said South Africa would look to build a side for the 2011 World Cup. New faces, such as Ryan McLaren, were given call-ups, and Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel were axed. However, unfortunately, Kent have refused to release McLaren from his Kolpak contract. With the team desperate to fill the void left by Shaun Pollock’s exit, Arthur had picked out McLaren as a suitable back-up.Whether the new faces play or not, there will certainly be one change for South Africa – offspinner Johan Botha will lead the team in Smith’s absence. With Ntini given the boot, South Africa’s selectors have sent out a message to the other seniors in the squad – Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher all had a poor run in the ODIs in England. Failures against weaker teams could put them in doubt for Australia.Kenya beat Zimbabwe during the rain-hit Tri-Nation Tournament at home, but against South Africa, it will be be a matter of competing against a top-level team. They had lost all matches against a visiting Pakistan Academy team, and their batting still largely depends on one man, captain Steve Tikolo. They have played just four ODIs this year, with six games producing no result thanks to the weather. Officials and players have lamented the decline in standards since they made it the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup. They will be assisted by South African Peter Kirsten, who has been appointed their batting coach – his brother Andy is the coach.Form guide (last 5 completed ODIs, most recent first)South Africa LLLLW
Kenya WLWWWWatch out forAlbie Morkel: With South Africa’s key allrounders either having retired, gone the Kolpak route or joined the ICL, Morkel has been earmarked as one for the future. While his coach is keen on testing other limited-over specialists, a good performance this summer will settle the doubt as to who will be at the top of that list.Seren Waters: Eighteen-year-old Waters, an opening bat, made his debut during the recent tri-nation tournament. He scored a patient 41 in his first game, against Ireland, and followed it up with quick 20 against Zimbabwe. The son of David Waters, one of Kenyan cricket’s stalwarts, Seren faces a tough ask against a far more potent bowling attack.Morne Morkel: With Steyn ruled out of Friday’s game, and Ntini and Nel out, South Africa’s bowling attack will be spearheaded by Albie’s younger brother. Morne struggle to pick wickets and keep the runs down in England, but he would be waiting to roll over the Kenyan batsmen.Team newsInjuries and McLaren’s withdrawal meant the squad was down to 11, but South Africa called up Johann Louw to their 13-man squad two days ago. Fast bowler Monde Zondeki could play his first game in over 18 months.South Africa (probable): 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 AB de Villiers, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Justin Ontong, 8 Johan Botha (capt), 9 Albie Morkel, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Monde Zondeki.Kenya squad: Steve Tikolo (capt), Thomas Odoyo, Kennedy Obuya, David Obuya, Seren Waters, Alex Obanda, Rakep Patel, Rajesh Bhudiya, Lameck Onyango, Tony Suji, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Jimmy Kamande, Hiren Varaiya, Peter Ongondo, Maurice Ouma.Stats & Trivia In head-to-head ODIs, the scoreline reads 8-0 in favour of South Africa. It won’t be a surprise if that becomes 10-0 after Sunday. Tikolo has scored three fifties in eight matches against South Africa; his best of 69 is Kenya’s highest ODI score against them. Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis both average over 60 against Kenya. If they continue in the same vein, it will go some way in getting the poor runs in England behind them.Quotes”This is the first time that I have been involved at this level and I am really hoping to be noticed ahead of the tour of Australia. But I do not want to get ahead of myself and am focused on the upcoming series.”
“I am very satisfied, particularly with the fitness levels of the senior players. These levels are extremely high, and it’s a good sign.”

Connor Goldson is reportedly close to signing a new three-year contract at Rangers, which will undoubtedly be a huge boost for Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Record, the 28-year-old defender is set to sign a new deal with Rangers, with an announcement expected in the coming days following a breakthrough in talks.

It is suggested that the former Brighton man is targeting title domination with Gerrard’s side after playing a key role in their unbeaten title win last season and is therefore keen to extend his stay, despite the likes of West Ham being credited with an interest in signing him this summer.

A huge boost for Gerrard?

Since signing for Rangers in 2018, Goldson has gone on to establish himself as a key player at Ibrox, making 162 appearances and contributing an impressive 16 goals and five assists.

Last season saw him appear in all 38 of Rangers’ league matches, as they conceded just 13 goals in total, which emphasises just how important he is to Gerrard, who will surely be delighted to keep him at the club ahead of the upcoming title defence and Champions League return.

The 41-year-old manager is clearly a huge fan of the centre-back, as he sang his praises last season, saying:

“I think Connor Goldson has been outstanding this season, showing incredible leadership alongside James on and off the pitch.

“His passing has been next level and he has been working hard on it. He has put the work in and we are proud of the level he is playing at.”

A previous report from The Athletic’s Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell had suggested that Rangers were willing to lose Goldson for nothing next summer when his current contract expires if it meant keeping him for the 2021/22 campaign, but it seems as if they will not be forced into that situation following this latest update, which will surely delight Rangers fans.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

A three-year extension will see Goldson extend his stay at Ibrox until 2025, by which time he will be 32, so it would not be a surprise to see him finish his career with the Gers, by which time, he will hopefully have added to his trophy collection.

And, in other news… Gerrard can finally axe “faultless” Rangers outcast, he’s blown his Ibrox career

Martin Love left a memorable display in his farewell to the Gabba as his 118 not out was responsible for handing Queensland a 97-run lead

Cricinfo staff27-Feb-2009Queensland 5 for 366 (Love 118*, Hartley 82*, Hopes 55, Symonds 52) lead New South Wales 269 (Khawaja 112, Hopes 4-80) by 97 runs
Scorecard
Points table

Martin Love’s 30th century for Queensland came at a cruical time © Getty Images
Martin Love left a memorable display in his farewell to the Gabba as his 118 not out was responsible for handing Queensland a 97-run advantage over New South Wales. Love, the state’s leading run-scorer, will retire at the end of the season and his 30th century drove the Bulls to the confident position of 5 for 366.The innings was crucial in gaining two points that moved the Bulls to 24, equal with the second-placed Tasmania, who are struggling in Hobart. Both teams are jostling to face Victoria in the final on March 13. Love, the No. 3, held the order together after the hosts were 3 for 81 and shared vital stands with Andrew Symonds, James Hopes and Chris Hartley, who raised half-centuries.Love stayed for 219 balls and struck 15 fours while his partners operated at a quicker rate. Symonds slammed 52 from 45 deliveries, with 10 boundaries, to provide a timely surge to the innings and show he was still capable of producing an important performance. When Symonds, who is playing his 100th first-class game for Queensland, left after hooking at Grant Lambert (2 for 92) he had scored all but eight runs of his partnership with Love.Hopes followed his 4 for 80 with 55 to settle any fears of a collapse and Hartley continued his strong finish to the summer. After taking six catches, Hartley moved to 82 not out and on the third morning will aim for consecutive centuries.Queensland suffered their first loss with Ryan Broad edging behind on 0 while Shane Watson, who is returning from back stress fractures as a specialist batsman, also failed to score. The opener Nick Kruger (44) played on to Greg Mail before Love settled the situation.Usman Khawaja added three to his overnight 109 and was last man out as the Blues reached 269. Ben Cutting picked up the final wicket to have 3 for 51.

Crystal Palace are said to be in the hunt for Midtjylland midfielder Jens Cajuste, as their summer recruitment drive intensifies [SportExpressen via Sport Witness].

Primarily a holding midfielder, the 21-year-old enjoyed a commendable season for the Danish runners-up, making 39 appearances and registering one goal and two assists in that time [Transfermarkt].

Now attracting attention from Premier League clubs, he could have choice to make on his future sooner rather than later.

The Eagles are said to have ‘concrete interest’ in the Swedish youngster, alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Newcastle United [Sport Witness].

Furthermore, Cajuste was pulled from his current employers’ UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Celtic yesterday, with murmurings suggesting Midtjylland may not want to ‘risk anything because a big sale may be imminent’ [Sport Witness].

In light of this, no wonder loads of Crystal Palace diehards took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the latest news.

Crystal Palace fans react:

Replying to popular Crystal Palace fan outlet PALACE XTRA, here is what some fans had to say about recent reports:

“Very talented box to box midfielder, great vision, good on the ball. PL ready just yet? Maybe not but great potential. He was the second youngest player in our Euro squad, only featured once as a sub though. But he is likely to play a bigger part in the Qatar WC in 2022.”

Credit: @FIFA_hakke”Would take him over any of the other rumoured transfer targets”Credit: @getcomeuppance”Yes please”Credit: @longlivewilliam”Jens Cajuste’s stats last season: Minutes Played: 649 Assists: 1 Key passes: 4 Chances Created: 5 Accurate passes: 166 (78%) Dribbles succeeded: 7 (78%) Blocked shots: 3 Interceptions: 9 Clearances: 8″Credit: @cpfcgoaat”We have more pulling power then them, if we go strong we get him, Vieira will want who he wants and he will get them.”Credit: @Kevbartleyy”No young midfielder will turn down working for one of the best midfielders of all time”Credit: @cpfcharlie0In other news, Crystal Palace fans react to an Andros Townsend update.

Multan will host two day-night practice matches between members of Pakistan’s preliminary Champions Trophy squad on August 8 and 9 after heavy rains forced the venue to be shifted out of Lahore

Cricinfo staff07-Aug-2008Multan will host two day-night practice matches between members of Pakistan’s preliminary Champions Trophy squad on August 8 and 9 after heavy rains forced the venue to be shifted out of Lahore. The matches will provide an opportunity for the players to impress the national selectors ahead of the August 11 deadline for naming the final squad.Shahid Afridi and Salman Butt have decided to give the camp a miss, while Yasir Arafat is busy with his county commitments, which means that the teams will be formed from among the remaining 27 players.The Champions Trophy starts September 11.The two teams will be picked from the following :
Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul Haq, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Ahmed Shehzad, Khurram Manzoor, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Bazid Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mansoor Amjad, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Mohammad Ali, Iftikhar Anjum, Sohail Khan, Abdur Rauf, Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Aamer, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal

Brendan Taylor nearly walked out on Zimbabwe cricket last month after being refused permission to play club cricket in Europe

Cricinfo staff01-Jun-2008Brendan Taylor nearly walked out on Zimbabwe cricket last month after being refused permission to play club cricket in Europe, according to a report in the Zimbabwe Independent.Taylor’s father, Graham, said that the board’s refusal to allow his son to play overseas was unfair. “It’s a bad business decision not to allow these kids to go overseas,” he said. “It’s beneficial to the player and to Zimbabwe cricket at large. Everyone knows India are not coming and we don’t know when the next series is, so it makes sense for the guys to go overseas.”Brendan understands that his country comes first, he is a patriotic young man. But he is keen to go and play overseas and should have been at his club by now. The people there have been patient about his delay. We are not making threats, but if he can’t get leave he will be forced to resign.”Taylor found himself in hot water last year when he defied the board and played in Europe, and he has also had previous run-ins with officialdom.Some players, including former captain Terry Duffin, have already turned their backs on Zimbabwe cricket in recent months and opted to play club cricket in Europe.