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Celtic hero James Forrest has signed a new deal to keep him at the club until the summer of 2025, reliable journalist Anthony Joseph has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Forrest a Celtic ‘legend’

The 30-year-old has enjoyed an incredible Hoops career, making a total of 444 appearances for the club and registering 97 and 98 goals and assists in that time, respectively.

Forrest has also achieved amazing team success during his time at Celtic, winning a remarkable ten Scottish Premiership titles, also being described as a club ‘legend’ by Paddy McCourt.

While the winger’s future has been a little unclear of late, there has been a major development regarding the situation.

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The Latest: Forrest signs new deal

Taking to Twitter, Joseph of Sky Sports confirmed that Forrest would remain at Parkhead for another three years, having signed a new deal:

“James Forrest has signed a contract extension with Celtic until 2025.”

The Verdict: First of many?

This is a wonderful piece of news to add to a hugely positive week, following Celtic’s glorious title win, as Ange Postecoglou’s first season in charge ends now with his first piece of summer business.

At 30, Forrest still has a number of years left in him at this level and he can continue to use his quality and experience to good use, barring any more injury troubles, having been hailed as ‘amazing’ by teammate Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The Scot has 20 appearances in the Champions League too, chipping in with two assists and one goal, so he will believe he can use his know-how to help Celtic leave an imprint in the tournament.

With such a huge step-up to the group stages of Europe’s elite competition, look for Ange to add even more high-level players following the completion of this early business.

In other news, Celtic are reportedly interested in signing an Eredivisie player. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United are reportedly looking to pip Tottenham to a move for Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries.

The Lowdown: Spurs contact

Dumfries, labelled as a ‘difference maker’ by Eurosport journalist Siavoush Fallahi, only made the move to Inter last summer. Since then, the 26-year-old has made 41 appearances for the Serie A giants, contributing to 12 goals.

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The Netherlands international is under contract until 2025, however, he is already a wanted man ahead of the summer, with Spurs making contact to discuss a deal.

It now looks as if Manchester United have joined the race, with a busy summer expected at Old Trafford.

The Latest: United links

Sports Witness relayed an update from Tuttosport on Wednesday regarding Dumfries and United.

They claimed that the full-back is high on Erik ten Hag’s wishlist, with a €35m figure (£29.5m) mooted ahead of a potential swoop.

The Verdict: Wan-Bissaka replacement?

Aaron Wan-Bissaka hasn’t been a regular since the turn of the year, with Paul Scholes labelling him as ‘useless on the ball’ back in November.

The 24-year-old will be entering the final two years of his Old Trafford deal this summer and has been linked with a return to Crystal Palace.

Therefore, Dumfries could prove to be the Englishman’s replacement under Ten Hag, providing United can pip Tottenham to a deal. It could be a move to keep a close eye on, but it won’t be the only transfer to watch closely ahead of Ten Hag’s first season in charge.

In other news: ‘In the coming weeks’ – Fabrizio Romano drops Man Utd transfer news as Ten Hag gets his way. 

Glen Chapple, the Lancashire allrounder, has been reappointed the club captain at Old Trafford for a third season

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2010

Glen Chapple, the Lancashire allrounder, has been reappointed the club captain at Old Trafford for a third season. Chapple made his Lancashire debut in 1992 and replaced Stuart Law at the helm in 2009.During the 2010 campaign he took 52 Championship wickets at 19.10 and hit 403 runs to earn him the club’s Player of the Year title. Lancashire, though, are still trying to break a trophy drought which dates back to 2005 when they won the Division Two Championship crown, but their last major piece of silverware came in 1999 with the old CGU one-day league.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my two years as club captain and I am delighted to continue the responsibility into 2011,” Chapple said. “We have a great set of lads at the club and we will continue to work hard to achieve our goals.”The head coach, Peter Moores, added: “Over the past two seasons, Glen has grown into the role of captain and has shown that the demands of the job have enhanced his performances with both bat and ball.”He is highly respected by both players and coaches alike and his contributions, on and off the field, have been outstanding. His commitment and passion for the club and the game remain total and his performances on the pitch continue to inspire those around him.”

في حدث تاريخي للمرة الأولى على مستوى الأندية السعودية، يوقع نادي الشباب السعودي من خلال شركة الشباب الاستثمارية غداً الخميس، على عقود اتفاقية تأسيس صندوق “بلوم الشباب سيتي”، بحضور رئيس مجلس إدارة نادي الشباب ورئيس مجلس إدارة الشركة الأستاذ خالد البلطان، والرئيس التنفيذي لشركة بلوم إنفست المهندس عبد الله الرشود، والرئيس التنفيذي لشركة بندر العقارية الأستاذ بندر الغامدي، وذلك لتنفيذ مشروع المدينة الرياضية لنادي الشباب.

وتشمل المدينة الرياضية عدة مرافق رياضية متكاملة، تتمثل في ملاعب للتدريبات لجميع الألعاب، وملاعب لإقامة المباريات للفئات السنية، وملعب خاص لفريق الشباب النسائي لكرة القدم، كذلك يتضمن المشروع صالات رياضية، وحوض سباحة أولمبي، ومعسكرات لكافة فرق النادي، بالإضافة إلى أكاديميات متخصصة للرياضات المختلفة، ونادي اجتماعي، كذلك أسواق تجارية.

اقرأ أيضا..مدرب السعودية السابق ينتقد رينارد بسبب استبعاد لاعب الشباب من قائمة كأس العالم

 وينتظر أن يصبح مشروع نادي الشباب رافدًا استثمارياً كبيرًا للنادي، ومشروعاً رائداً يُسجل كأسبقية تاريخية على مستوى الأندية في المملكة، إذ من المأمول أن يسهم ذلك في استمرار الرقي والتطور للرياضة السعودية بشكل عام، وتحقيق المستهدفات الرياضية لرؤية المملكة 2030.

MatériaMais Notícias

Harbhajan Singh has said he would be willing to take up the role of captain or vice-captain if offered

Cricinfo staff02-Jul-2010Harbhajan Singh, one of the senior members of the Indian team with more than 11 years experience at international level, has said he would be willing to take up the role of captain or vice-captain if offered. Harbhajan led Mumbai Indians in the inaugural IPL, but has not been a candidate for national captaincy despite having won several games for India.”When my time comes, I will get captaincy or vice-captaincy,” Harbhajan, who turns 30 on Saturday, told Indian news channel . “I have said many times that I am available and obviously if something like this comes then I would definitely be really honoured to receive such kind of responsibility.”As you said, I have not got my dues, so probably I will when that time comes. I have seen Anil Kumble retiring. He was the captain of India for two years. For me it will be the same thing. Let’s see, who knows.”Harbhajan acknowledged the responsibility on his shoulders and said his role was to guide India’s upcoming spinners in the way Kumble had guided him. “I am the kind of person who actually believes that I have to win this game and I have got young bowlers like Pragyan Ojha, Piyush Chawla, Ashwin and I need to show them the way,” he said.”Even now, when he [Kumble] is retired, I ask him whenever there is something wrong with my bowling. After the Nagpur Test, I called him and asked him whether anything is wrong. He just told me that there is nothing wrong with my bowling, just keep things very simple, you’ve won games on previous occasions, just go and give your best shot and be relaxed as much as you can.” Harbhajan bagged eight wickets in the next Test in Kolkata to level the series and propel India to the No.1 ranking in Tests.Harbhajan also dismissed talk of him being an allrounder, following his match-winning cameo against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. “I am not an allrounder. There was only one allrounder that India produced and that is Kapil Dev,” Harbhajan said. “I don’t think after Kapil Dev any allrounder came. But I am definitely someone who can work with the bat. I have worked really hard on it thanks to Gary Kirsten and other team-mates.”Harbhajan, who continues to represent India in all three formats, admitted India’s early exit from the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean was a setback but the kind of criticism that followed, he claimed, was unwarranted. “Of course, it hurt when people were taking our case,” he said. “Everyone was saying we are running after money. We are playing cricket and nothing else and for God’s sake please leave us alone for some time. You know we have got our own life as well. We are mature people and know what to do.”Playing for the country is my first thing and what I am today is because I am playing for my country. If I was playing just IPL, or for any other club, then nobody would have given me the respect I have got. Whatever I have achieved today [is because I play for India].”Such criticism, Harbhajan added, was difficult for the youngsters in the squad. “If someone does not do well you criticise him, but do not take his case for any other reason. It definitely affects the youngsters.”

According to a report by Italian source SportMediaset, via TUTTOmercatoWEB, Tottenham Hotspur have now made an early proposal to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie in January.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Kessie…

As per recent reports, Tottenham are firm contenders to sign Milan’s star player as his contract continues to wind down at the San Siro.

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As things stand, he is able to negotiate pre-contract summer moves for later in 2022 and the Lilywhites have been linked to signing him as a free agent.

However, sources have also suggested that Tottenham could try and seal Kessie before that with a permanent January move this month not entirely ruled out.

Italian reporter Sandro Sabatini, speaking on Radio Radio earlier this week (via Calciomercato.it), claimed that Milan could green light his mid-season sale for just €10 million (£8.3m) as name drops Spurs as suitors specifically.

The Latest: Spurs make proposal…

In an update, SportMediaSet (via TMW) say that Paratici and Tottenham would ‘like to take him already’ this month rather than as a free agent in the summer.

According to their information, the Lilywhites have already made a proposal – offering club record signing Tanguy Ndombele in a player-swap deal.

However, the Rossoneri have apparently rejected this offer from Spurs due to the Frenchman’s wages – said to be around €10 million (£8.3m) a season.

The Verdict: Blow for Spurs…

As Ndombele looks out-of-favour under Conte, with reports suggesting he may even be allowed to move on this month for the right offer, Tottenham could have killed two birds with one stone by exchanging the 25-year-old.

As such, Milan’s rejection comes as a slight blow given Paratici’s serious interest in their £43.2 million-valued man and it’s safe to say Spurs could seriously do with Kessie’s signing before January 31.

He has racked up a noteworthy 19 goals and seven assists since the start of last campaign, thriving further forward under Stefano Piolo in that time.

Tottenham arguably need an injection of midfield threat going through the middle and it’s been a point of contention they haven’t managed to replace former star Christian Eriksen.

In other news: ‘I’ve been told this morning’…Sky reporter shares ‘breaking’ Spurs transfer news on live TV, find out more here.

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has said his national team-mates, particularly the bowlers, may have made a mistake by skipping the IPL to preserve themselves for future assignments. Pietersen, who is in India to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore, felt the IPL was a good platform to pick up the basics of the Twenty20 game and perfect one’s skills ahead of the ICC World Twenty20, which immediately follows the IPL.Besides Pietersen, the other England participants include Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Michael Lumb, Owais Shah and Graham Napier. Allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas played at the start of the tournament but suffered an injury and flew back home. Two of England’s leading fast bowlers, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, announced their unavailability in December.”As far as English cricket is concerned the good thing is that myself, Colly [Paul Collingwood] and Morgan are out here and can take the knowledge of playing in the IPL back to the England dressing room,” Pietersen said. “It is very disappointing for us that bowlers are not here.”I spoke to Colly last week when we played Delhi and we agreed it would help for our bowlers to be out here learning about the game. The difficulty in England is that when the IPL came around it was all about money, money, money, but it has actually gone on to be a world-class tournament and we have missed the boat. The guys should put their names in the hat and find a way into this set-up because they can only get better by playing out here.”England have performed poorly in the two editions of the World Twenty20, failing to reach the semi-finals in both. He felt the players will only get better with experience. “The more you play the better you become, so for us all to be available for the full six weeks of the IPL, like most of the other countries, would be really good,” Pietersen added.The most impressive of the English players happens to be his Hampshire team-mate and attacking opening batsman, Lumb. The left-hander with the Rajasthan Royals is also part of the World Twenty20 squad. He cemented his place in the XI from the beginning but the rest, including Pietersen, aren’t certainties partly because they joined their franchises late owing to their commitments in Bangladesh.”I am not surprised he [Lumb] has done well,” Pietersen said. “He has been really good at this form of the game in the way he has excelled at getting good starts. The difference is, he now he finishes the job.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Faltam dois passos para que Lucas Lima seja anunciado como reforço do Palmeiras para os próximos cinco anos. O primeiro será dado nesta quarta-feira, em reunião marcada para as 11h, provavelmente no CT Rei Pelé: o jogador informará ao Santos que aceitou a proposta do rival. O segundo é a assinatura de um pré-contrato com o Verdão, o que deve acontecer ainda nesta semana.

Como mostrou o Globo Esporte, Lucas Lima vai conversar pessoalmente com Modesto Roma Júnior, presidente do Santos. Além de comunicar o acordo com o Palmeiras, o jogador dará uma negativa definitiva para a proposta de renovação feita há meses pelo clube praiano.

Trata-se de uma formalidade, já que a diretoria do Peixe já sabe há tempos que não renovará o vínculo do meia, tanto que o afastou dos dois jogos finais desta temporada.

Lucas Lima tem contrato até 31 de dezembro com o clube da Vila Belmiro. Ele só poderá assinar um vínculo definitivo com uma nova equipe se antecipar o fim deste compromisso, algo que não deve acontecer. A saída, então, será assinar um pré-contrato agora e o definitivo em janeiro.

As bases já estão acertadas verbalmente há tempos. Nesta segunda-feira, em reunião na Academia de Futebol, o estafe do jogador resolveu os últimos detalhes do acordo com o Palmeiras. Neymar da Silva Santos, um dos empresários dele, esteve no local acompanhado do agente André Cury, do advogado Gustavo Xisto e de Roberto Lima, pai do atleta. Todos foram na sequência para o Allianz Parque, onde assistiram à vitória do Verdão sobre o Botafogo.

O Palmeiras notificou o Santos sobre o acordo com Lucas Lima ainda na tarde de segunda. Depois, o presidente Maurício Galiotte telefonou para Modesto Roma para avisá-lo de forma direta.

RelacionadasPalmeirasPai de Neymar quer finalizar acerto entre Verdão e Lucas Lima até sextaPalmeiras28/11/2017

Aston Villa travel away to face Brentford today in the Premier League as they look to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Chelsea last time out.

Villa had their clash with Leeds United postponed which means that they have had a week to prepare for this match against Thomas Frank’s side and Steven Gerrard will surely be hoping for a return to winning ways.

The Villans had won four of their previous six league matches prior to the loss against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea team and could move up the table with a win over Brentford.

How many changes will Gerrard make? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side, with Anwar El Ghazi, John McGinn and Bertrand Traore coming in.

It was reported earlier this week that McGinn is expected to return from injury for this match. We are predicting that he will come straight back into the starting XI, with Douglas Luiz being dropped from the team.

The Brazilian midfielder was dribbled past twice as he made one tackle and zero interceptions against Chelsea, which could lead to Gerrard replacing him with McGinn to add more bite to the side. Luiz’s Scottish teammate has averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, highlighting his defensive strength.

On the wing, El Ghazi could come in for Emi Buendia. The £75k-per-week Argentine midfielder failed to create a single chance against the Blues, whilst also losing 100% of his individual duels – showing that he struggled on and off the ball throughout the match and should now be axed.

El Ghazi scored 10 Premier League goals last season and he could come into the side for the ex-Norwich man to provide a goal threat out on the left.

Finally, we are predicting that Danny Ings will be dropped for Bertrand Traore to accommodate a 4-3-3 set-up. As per SofaScore, the former Southampton forward won one of his five duels and failed to manage an effort on target or create a chance before being subbed after 73 minutes last week.

Traore is yet to start a league match this term but managed seven goals and six assists last season. This shows what he is capable of when at his best and Gerrard must unleash him against Brentford to give him a chance to prove that he can get back to those levels.

AND in other news, Gerrard drops fresh Villa injury update ahead of Brentford clash, fans may be worried…