All posts by h716a5.icu

Many Aston Villa fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Axel Witsel.

As per Tuttosport, AVFC as well as Roma are eyeing up a potential move for the Borussia Dortmund central midfield player before the summer window ends, and he would cost them a fee in the region of €5m (£4.3m).

Witsel is a player with a lot of experience of playing at the highest level, having played in the UEFA Champions League with four different clubs as well as racking up no fewer than 114 senior caps for Belgium, scoring ten goals (Transfermarkt).

Primarily a defensive midfielder, he would add some much-needed depth in that area for Dean Smith’s team, given that they only have Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba as natural CDM’s in their current squad at the moment (Transfermarkt).

Aston Villa fans on Witsel transfer update

These AVFC supporters buzzed as the transfer update on Witsel was shared on Twitter:

“Wouldn’t say no to him! He’s vastly experienced and still in Belgium squad.”

Credit: @SkellyVTID

“Get him that’s the deal we’ve been waiting for”

Credit: @mikeeb03

“He’s a bit old but a quality player who can play in defence as well. Would be a good signing if true. We can’t have double standards with Smith. If he lies with injuries he can surely do it for transfers”

Credit: @JackAV_6

“I would say exactly what we need tbh”

Credit: @ethanwoody123

“Get both McKennie and Witsel and we are done”

Credit: @AVFCfan83

“Yes sir”

Credit: @ColeCunn7

In other news, find out what club announcement had Villa fans fuming here!

Jason Krejza, the uncapped offspinner, is confident he can make a success of his likely Test call-up after Bryce McGain was ruled out of the opening match in Bangalore with a shoulder injury

Cricinfo staff02-Oct-2008
Jason Krejza, who has a reputation as an aggressive spinner and a big turner of the ball, said he would not be intimidated by India’s batsmen © AFP
Jason Krejza, the uncapped offspinner, is confident he can make a success of his likely Test call-up after Bryce McGain was ruled out of the opening match in Bangalore with a shoulder injury. It leaves Krejza as the only fit specialist spinner in Australia’s squad and he is now set to become the country’s 402nd Test cricketer.He arrives on the international scene with a modest domestic record; he has 43 first-class wickets at 45.46 from 23 matches mostly with New South Wales and Tasmania. However, Krejza has a reputation as an aggressive spinner and a big turner of the ball, and he said he would not be intimidated by India’s batsmen.”I am confident that I can come over here and be successful, that is why I targeted this tour,” Krejza told the . “If I can spin it hard and get it in the right areas, get a few big wickets, that would be great.”I’m not intimidated, because bowling to our guys, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting and the others, it isn’t much different. They treat spinners as Indians do, very, very aggressively. I have confidence that I’ve got the skills to do it.”Krejza, 25, is also keen to try out his version of the doosra. “I’ve been working on it for four or five years,” he said. “It will definitely come out this series, because I want to keep these Indian batsmen on their toes.”Krejza collected 3 for 35 in the weekend’s tour game against the RCA Centre of Excellence, which was his first chance to bowl in match conditions in India. He was on the recent Australia A tour but rain prevented him bowling a ball.It was also during the Australia A games that McGain picked up his shoulder strain, a niggle that has lasted much longer than he initially expected. Although McGain will remain with the squad until he can be properly assessed, the team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris believes it will be two to three weeks before he will be able to bowl, meaning a flight home is a strong possibility.That would be good news for Beau Casson, the left-arm chinaman bowler who made his Test debut in the Caribbean but was overlooked for the squad for India as the selectors wanted one wrist-spinner and one finger-spinner. Casson suffered a minor injury when he slipped in the outfield on the Australia A trip but he said if the call came for him to replace McGain he would jump at the chance.”I’ll be ready if needed, absolutely,” Casson told the . “That was the reason for missing a few games with Australia A in India, because I wanted to get back on the park as soon as possible.”I’ve had [physio] Pat Farhart weave some of his magic and the groin has responded really well. I’ve played three games of cricket since and, being one-dayers, I’ve had to move from side to side a fair bit, so I couldn’t be happier with the way I’m feeling.”

You can hire a new manager at Celtic, but until things change above Ange Postecoglou in the hierarchy, circumstances will never change.

This has been a nightmare start to the Hoops’ campaign, being dumped out of Champions League qualifying in midweek and then tasting defeat in their opening Premiership clash.

It was evident that Celtic came into their match with Hearts with a lack of bodies but that isn’t the new manager’s fault. He has been intent on persuading those in the boardroom to sign more players.

The defence has always been their problem and, even if Carl Starfelt earned his debut this weekend, it didn’t really help the Bhoys. He had a nervy moment in the second half with a backpass but his colleague Nir Bitton was even worse at the heart of the defence.

Celtic went 1-0 down early on but fought back in the second half courtesy of an extremely rare goal from Anthony Ralston. However, Postecoglou’s men slipped up late on to lose a point after John Souttar’s excellent header.

Scott Bain has taken his fair share of criticism over the last 12 months and he was caught in no man’s land for Souttar’s last-gasp goal.

He was seen heading towards the back post, but if Bitton’s marking and ability to pick up the Hearts defender had been spot on, the goalkeeper wouldn’t have been caught out. Instead, his error was costly as they lost on the opening day of the new season.

The Israeli was poor in European qualification too, being sent off against Midtjylland in the first leg and described as a “walking joke” in the process.

The centre-back did himself no favours with this performance either, appearing lightweight in physical situations. Bitton was only involved in two defensive duels, winning just one of them, while he missed the crucial delivery which led to a Hearts winner.

Celtic’s defensive calamity made only one block and was dribbled past on one occasion. Those aren’t the worst numbers by any stretch of the imagination but, on a night where Postecoglou dropped Welsh, the youngster’s replacement did not deliver.

It was a strange decision from the Aussie to field Bitton, and after his mishap on Saturday evening, it would be a surprise if the manager made the same mistake twice. After all, he will have been left seething with the 29-year-old.

That said, this is Celtic Football Club; disaster appears to follow them regularly at the moment.

AND in other news, Forget Hjelde: Ange already has Celtic’s next Ajer in “fantastic” rarely-seen 18 y/o…

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Lee Buchanan to the City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Nottingham Forest’s move for the Derby County left-back is thought to have stalled.

It was reported that Chris Hughton’s side had made two offers for the defender, with the first bid rejected due to it being below the Rams’ asking price, while a second improved offer was knocked back due to Derby’s unwillingness to sell to their local rivals.

This appears to have been a knockout blow for Forest, as, in response to a fan asking for an update on the situation of Buchanan, Nixon said: “Don’t think Forest anymore. So that one has stalled.”

Murphy will be fuming

Considering the fact that Derby are in the midst of quite a severe financial crisis, the fact that the Rams have held firm on their stance regarding the sale of the highly-rated defender is sure to have left CEO Dane Murphy fuming.

Indeed, with Forest currently lacking depth at left-back, as Hughton has informed Gaetan Bong that he is free to leave the club this summer after already allowing Yuri Ribeiro to leave on a free transfer, a signing in the position would appear to be a priority for the Reds ahead of their upcoming Championship campaign.

Considering how much potential the £2.25m-rated Buchanan seems to possess, having provided three assists and created four big chances over his 35 Championship appearances last season – as well as Wayne Rooney claiming that the 20-year-old is “one of the best young left-backs in the country” – missing out on his signing is undoubtedly a major blow for the club.

However, with it appearing as if the Garibaldi’s pursuit of the England under-21 international has reached a dead end, Murphy will now have to turn his attention in the summer transfer market elsewhere.

In other news: Nixon reveals fresh twist on “unbelievable” £2.5k-p/w dynamo, NFFC fans will be gutted

West Brom have recently confirmed that Matheus Pereira has left the club to join Saudi-Arabian side Al-Hilal on a permanent basis. 

Pereira caught the eye with a number of impressive performances in his time with the Baggies, having signed for the club from Sporting CP back in 2019, originally on a loan which became permanent at a later date.

The midfielder made 43 appearances for West Brom in the 2019/20 season, and chipped in with eight goals and 20 assists, as they won promotion into the Premier League in his first season in English football.

The 25-year-old then followed that up with a memorable campaign in the top-flight, scoring 12 goals and being on hand to provide six assists for his team-mates, although his efforts weren’t quite enough as they were relegated back into the Championship after just one season.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Everton midfielder Leon Osman issued high-praise for Pereira, and labelled his corner for his goal against West Ham as ‘wonderful’ (19th May, 20:45).

Pereira was linked with a move to the likes of Leicester City and West Ham United earlier in the year, but has made the decision to pursue a move to Al-Hilal instead this summer, which has come as a surprise to some sections of West Brom’s fanbase.

Plenty of West Brom supporters took to social media to react to the confirmation of Pereira’s Hawthorns departure ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from West Brom’s official account, as well as The Express and Star’s Joseph Masi’s Twitter feed, with one fan calling the news ‘sad’…

“Fair play to him, basically retiring at 25, wasn’t happy to play in the Championship so has gone to a worse league, makes perfect sense. Reinvest the money and get us a striker.”

Credit: @ESkelding

“What a waste I actually can’t believe this I really can’t. Why I mean why.”

Credit: @kingofchezo_WBA

“Sums him up as a player. Would rather play in a farmers league and earn big money than challenge himself. Sad to see him go but will soon be forgotten about.”

Credit: @ashdut94

“Really disappointed, not that he’s gone that was inevitable after relegation. He’s gone for money, no one will remember him now. He could have played in the top league of any elite European country but chose Saudi Arabia. I presume we got top dollar for him.”

Credit: @albionjonnywok

“He really went for the money then. Can’t blame him, but shows he lacks career ambitions.”

Credit: @ftbl_mouraa

“Sad way to end, enjoy the money”

Credit: @DarrenGuest7

“No ambition pure greed. Real shame it ended as a lose lose.”

Credit: @grorty_dickos

“Good riddance. Let’s move on. He won’t figure highly in Baggies history books. The absence of bidders from Prem tells me that it was not just me who thought he was overrated.”

Credit: @Alan4NewportSal

Jamaican allrounder Andre Creary will lead a 15-man West Indies squad for the Under-19 World Cup beginning in New Zealand in January

Cricinfo staff25-Dec-2009Jamaican allrounder Andre Creary will lead a 15-man West Indies squad for the Under-19 World Cup beginning in New Zealand in January. Yannick Ottley, an allrounder from Trinidad and Tobago, will be his deputy.The West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) chairman of selectors Clyde Butts, who was coach of the Under-19 team during the World Cup in Bangladesh in 2004 and was manager during the 2008 edition in Malaysia, said the “balanced” outfit had the potential to win the competition.”I think we have a very good team and I am confident they have the ability to go all the way,” Butts said on Thursday. “The team is a balanced one with quality batting, very good bowling and excellent in the field. I especially expect a lot from the two leg-spinners Akeem Dwyer and Yannic Cariah, who are capable match-winners. They (team) know what is required and the two leg-spinners add to the balance because they are very capable batsmen as well.”Creary represented West Indies in the 2008 World Cup, where his team emerged victorious in the Plate final. Butts, though, believed the team this time around was a much-improved one. “I can see them going all the way. This team is better balanced than two years ago when we went to Malaysia and won the Plate Final,” he said. “Since I saw them in the Under-19 tournament in Jamaica and the WICB One-Day tournament in Guyana, you can see the vast improvement and development. They play well together and were excellent during the recent camp in St Kitts. You could clearly see the improvement and the boys are very enthusiastic.”West Indies are expected to arrive in New Zealand on January 2, and will play two warm-up games, against Ireland and Australia in Christchurch and Lincoln respectively. They begin their World Cup campaign against Pakistan on January 15 before taking on Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea.Butts said West Indies will aim to make the most of the two-week preparation ahead of the tournament. “It will be very important that the players make the mental and physical adjustment in New Zealand,” he said. “The conditions will be a challenge, New Zealand is literally on other side of the world, but the big advantage, is that the team will be arriving early and will have the chance to play warm-up matches. They will be travelling straight to New Zealand so they should have enough time to get set for the big competition.”Squad: Andre Creary (capt), Yannick Ottley (vice-capt), Jermaine Blackwood, Nelson Bolan, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Yannic Cariah, Akeem Dewar, Shane Dowrich (wk), Nicholson Gordon, Trevon Griffiths, Jason Holder, Keon Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jomel Warrican.

Middlesex, England’s Twenty20 champions, will be part of this year’s Champions League, Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, has confirmed

Cricinfo staff31-Jul-2008
Middlesex, England’s Twenty20 Cup champions, will be part of the Champions Twenty20 League © Getty Images
Middlesex, England’s Twenty20 champions, will be part of this year’s Champions Twenty20 League, Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, has confirmed.David Collier, the ECB chief executive, informed Cricket Australia, one of the three founding partners of the Champions Twenty20 League, that Middlesex will be participating in the tournament starting September 28, and added that they would be interested in sending two teams for the tournament from next year.”It’s very good news for world cricket,” Modi told Cricinfo. “We are extremely happy to have Middlesex on board. This makes the tournament complete in every manner.”Middlesex will join two teams each from India, Australia and South Africaand Pakistan’s Sialkot in the eight-team competition.The participation of a team from England was in doubt till a couple of days ago after the ECB conveyed that it had reservations about some of the rules and regulations, especially the one that banned players associated with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL). The no-ICL rule had prevented Kent, the other Twenty20 Cup finalists, from qualifying for the tournament which was originally conceived for the Twenty20 domestic finalists from India, Australia, South Africa and England.However, Modi had told Cricinfo in an interview minutes after the Champions League was announced in Mumbai on Wednesday that an invitation was “still open” for Middlesex whose entry would ensure a “wholesome tournament”.India, Australia and South Africa are the three founding partners of the Champions League which will be held from September 29-October 8. Modi had previously said that the tournament would be held in Jaipur, Delhi and Mohali this year but has since put that decision on hold.”Ideally we would like to conduct the games at the venues announced originally but there are offers from other people and the members decided to examine all the options and not to decide right now,” Modi said.

Dropping an update on live TV (via Football Daily), Sky Sports have come out with their own claims on West Ham’s pursuit of Paris-Saint Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

The Lowdown: Areola to Rush Green?

As reports keep growing, it appears more and more likely that Areola could well become West Ham’s first major summer signing this window.

The 28-year-old, who spent 2020/2021 on loan at Fulham, could be set for a move away from PSG this window as the Hammers also eye a new man between the sticks.

West Ham have extended current number one Lukasz Fabianski’s deal by one year but that hasn’t stopped them looking at possible competition for next season and, possibly, his eventual successor (football.london).

The Latest: Sky Sports drop live TV claim…

Speaking live on air, Sky Sports have now dropped their own update, backing claims that West Ham are currently in talks to sign Areola on a season-long loan with the option to buy.

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

“More breaking transfer news, we knew this would happen after the Euros, that things would ramp up in that respect, and it involves West Ham,” as explained on Sky Sports News (via FD).

“West Ham are in talks with Paris-Saint Germain over signing the goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

“This deal though would be a season-long loan with the option to make it permanent, Areola’s still got another two years on his deal at PSG, and West Ham’s number one for quite some time has been Lukasz Fabianski.

“This would certainly be competition, and maybe even, Areola would be coming as the number one.”

The Verdict: Great option, but not a priority…

News of West Ham’s talks to sign Areola could mean the goalkeeping department is about to be significantly bolstered, but it should it be David Moyes’ priority right now?

The Irons are lacking sufficient depth up front and it may cause issues, especially considering they’ll also be competing in the Europa League group stages.

Michail Antonio’s injury record last season highlights just how much Moyes needs more options up front, and we believe striking a deal for one of West Ham’s forward targets like Tammy Abraham or Roman Yaremchuk should be made first priority.

In other news: ‘No way’, ‘Absolutely amazing’, ‘Exactly what we need’…Many West Ham fans react as news surfaces, find out more here.

Cricket Australia remains non-committal about the defending champions attending next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan

Cricinfo staff19-Aug-2008
Australia is yet to confirm its participation in next month’s Champions Trophy © Getty Images
Cricket Australia remains non-committal about the defending champions attending next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan. The ICC was due to discuss the tournament, scheduled for September 12-28, at a meeting in Dubai on Wednesday, with a move to Sri Lanka being considered as one possible outcome.Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young said they were keenly awaiting the outcome of the meeting which would ensure greater clarity. “We have considerable reservations, as do our players and the Australian Cricketers’ Association,” he told on Wednesday. “The ICC understands the considerable reservations that Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa and perhaps some others hold. We’re hoping the ICC will give us some advice. We expect some sort of certainty within the next 24 hours about what the next step in this process is.”We will not put Pakistan in a situation if we get specialist advice that tells us that it’s not safe to travel,” he said. “The security advice however, does not give us any great encouragement at the moment.”Even as the ICC said the tournament would proceed as planned, Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the ACA, didn’t believe it was safe to travel to Pakistan. “The ACA has discussed the situation with its executive and our position is we can’t recommend to our players they should tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy,” he had told the . “We feel for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the people of Pakistan but it is the job of the ACA to make recommendations to our members based on whether it is safe to tour. Unfortunately in this case we don’t believe it is safe.”The news from Australia came shortly after Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, addressed a press conference in London and said safety and security in Pakistan was “satisfactory” and the tournament would proceed as planned next month.Lorgat was speaking after talks with the ECB as part of the ICC task force that has been travelling around the world. On Sunday the group met with the England players and their representatives in Edinburgh and now the ECB has received a detailed briefing, following similar discussions in Australia and New Zealand led by David Richardson, the ICC’s general manager of cricket. ICC officials, including the president David Morgan, are due to talk about the results at Wednesday’s meeting.The ECB had also held a board meeting on Tuesday afternoon, where they were expected to come to a decision on their participation in the tournament after consultation with other boards around the world.
Lorgat refuses to rule out ICC sanctions for countries who don’t take part or send weakened teams © Getty Images
“What we have done is to very clearly outline to each of these stakeholders the plan that we have in place for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan,” Lorgat said. “Understandably there are safety concerns and that’s what we are engaged in and we are dealing with.”The ECB has received a briefing from us and have gone into a board meeting. They will consider our briefing among other reports that they may have on whether they will participate or not. But that is a decision for the ECB, as far as the ICC are concerned the safety and security is satisfactory for hosting the tournament in Pakistan.”However, while admitting that the final decision on participation lay in the hands of the ECB, CA, New Zealand Cricket and Cricket South Africa – whom Lorgat will meet later in the week – he refused to rule out ICC sanctions for countries that didn’t take part or send weakened teams.”It’s a complicated legal process,” he said. “It’s something I would not be able to tell you at this point. I would like to think that the member boards would not send weakened sides because no life is lesser than another. Either you send your best side or you decide the advice tells you differently. But having said that I think it’s a position the ICC will have to deal with when they see the extent of weakened teams, again it’s speculative at this time.”Recent political developments in Pakistan, with Pervez Musharraf resigning as president, continue to present an uncertain landscape, but Lorgat said that as far as the Champions Trophy is concerned nothing has changed in the last 24 hours.The Champions Trophy is due to start on September 12 after it was pushed back a day following concerns of starting on the anniversary of 9/11. The tournament has already been reduced to a two-venue event after construction work at Rawalpindi failed to be finished on time. All the matches will now be staged in Lahore and Karachi, but the future of the entire tournament is still far from certain.

All but buried alive, South Africa came back from deaths door with an inspired spell of bowling from Captain Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, bowling Pakistan out for 120 in 36.2 overs and winning the third Standard Bank One-Day International by 62

Keith Lane13-Dec-2002All but buried alive, South Africa came back from deaths door with an inspired spell of bowling from Captain Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, bowling Pakistan out for 120 in 36.2 overs and winning the third Standard Bank One-Day International by 62 runs to take a two one series lead.Pakistan with a simple task of chasing a target of 183, once again showed their inability to playing on a pitch that has a bit of pace and bounce by committing suicide in playing some very poor shots.After their dismal batting performance, South Africa came out early after supper with all the bowlers warming up. A team huddle seemed to work as Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini put together a world class new-ball bowling performance to put the skids under the Pakistan top order. Fifteen overs of disciplined bowling left Pakistan at 40/5.Saleem Elahi was never the same player he was in Port Elizabeth and after playing and missing to both the bowlers he eventually got the edge off Pollock for Jacques Kallis to take the catch that started the Pakistan rot at 20/1. Shahid Afridi, after another quick 16 edged Pollock to Mark Boucher.Not to be outdone Ntini, bowling with fire, pace and bounce, grabbed the wickets of Abdur Razzaq caught at slip and Inzamam-ul-Haq caught behind. Four wickets had fallen with each batsman playing away from the body to balls that got big on them.Pollock then suckered Yousuf Youhana into leaving outside off and then bringing one back perfectly, to the delight of the bowler, seeing the batsman shoulder arms and being bowled. At five wickets down for 39 Pakistan was in danger of rewriting the records books.A change in bowling brought the veteran Allan Donald into the attack. His second over had Younis Khan back in the pavilion, also caught behind the wicket. Donald followed that up with his next ball to have Rashid Latif sparring and join the procession of batsmen caught at slip. Seven wickets down for 49 and Pakistan had lost a game that they could have won at a canter had it not been for the precision of the South African bowlers.Jacques Kallis got rid of Saqlain Mushtaq before Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis put together a partnership of 46 runs. The two, more renowned for their wicket taking abilities, was an example to their more fancied batsmen of mixing patience with aggression.Waqar, after giving a simple chance to Neil Dippenaar on the cover boundary, lost his wicket to Hall, once again caught at slip after following a ball outside off.Wasim, 43 not out, at times had a little flourish, twice sending the ball into the stands, once off Pollock and the second off Klusener before Shoaib Akhtar was run out with Pakistan on 120 and handing South Africa a win as if Christmas came early.The 120 beating the previous all time lowest of 98 by Sri Lanka, and the 109 by Pakistan, against South Africa.Earlier, after discussions with local player Mark Boucher who had advised Pollock that “The grass will stand up in the evening”, the captain decided to bat first on a pitch that was described as being “very good” by Waqar.The decision was always under question with Waqar and Wasim putting the South Africans under a tremendous amount of pressure.Herschelle Gibbs fell to Waqar for 13 when South Africa had 28 but it was not until the Rawalpindi Express, Akhtar, blasted out Smith and Boucher that the South African innings started to crumble. Bowling in excess of 155 kilometers per hour he was visually faster than anything seen in South Africa this season.Saqlain joined the party taking the two quick wickets of Kallis and Rhodes leaving South Africa in dire straights at 81/4 and seemingly on the same path that they took in Port Elizabeth.Pollock, lucky to survive a run out chance when television replays showed incomplete evidence and given the benefit of the doubt, batted well enough to end the innings on an undefeated 32.With the last five wickets falling for 53 in 15.2 overs, South Africa was bowled out for 182, a mediocre total for a supposedly world number two one-day team.A promising innings from Smith (44), who must now learn to start batting through an innings, and Dippenaar (47) allowed South Africa to set a total of 182, one that did not look to be enough on the pitch.Pakistan can at times be its own worst enemy. One of the most unpredictable teams in modern cricket once again lacked the patience to put together a few small partnerships to cruise to victory. With the series heading for the quicker pitches of the Cape, this Pakistan outfit may just regret the chances they have squandered to win this series.