Category Uncategorized

Former manager and Football Insider pundit Alex McLeish has been reacting to Celtic’s links to midfielder Aaron Mooy.

The Lowdown: Mooy links

Australian Ange Postecoglou officially took over as Celtic manager earlier this month, and it hasn’t taken long for players from his native country to be linked with a move to Parkhead.

The Hoops are reportedly keen on goalkeeper Mat Ryan, whereas Australian news outlet The World’s Game believes Celtic could make an approach for Mooy.

The midfielder, capable of playing in a defensive, central or attacking role, is currently with Shanghai SIPG in China after leaving Brighton last summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-6/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: McLeish reacts

McLeish was talking to Football Insider and brought up the links to Mooy, describing the former Manchester City man as a ‘terrific’ player.

“I saw them linked with Aaron Mooy. Did he start at Man City?

“Then he went to Huddersfield and then Brighton. He’s a terrific player and the type of player Celtic should be going for.

“He’s got energy to burn. Any time I’ve seen the guy, he’s very difficult to dispossess on the ball.

“I’m not saying he’s a dribbler but when he gets the ball and just when you think you’re going to tackle him, he’s already given it to somebody else. One of his teammates gets it and normally it’s a good pass.

“He is a guy with great football nous.” 

The Verdict: A huge pay cut would be required

If Celtic are indeed keen on Mooy and do make an approach, then the midfielder may need to take a big pay cut to return to Scotland.

The former St Mirren man agreed to a $180,000-a-week deal in China which is the equivalent of £130,000-a-week.

You’d expect that would need to be cut considerably if he wants to reunite with Postecoglou in Glasgow, with Celtic’s highest earner on the books now Callum McGregor on £20,000-a-week.

It looks set to be a busy summer for Postecoglou and the Hoops, but a deal for Mooy may not be realistic unless he takes a huge salary hit.

In other news: Hoops working on two deals amid McKay and Postecoglou’s Wembley meet up, find out more here. 

Jorge Mendes’ association with Wolves has always been something that’s monitored closely.

Although the activity may spark controversy in some parts – an investigation was launched by the EFL in 2018 – you have to commend Fosun for establishing the relationship in the first place.

Their manager of four years, Nuno Santo, was a client of Mendes’ Gestifute agency and he has since helped bring a host of players to Molineux.

Focus on the departed Diogo Jota or think of Ruben Neves, Pedro Neto and Joao Moutinho; all of those players are on the books of Mendes.

He also has a stronghold over Vitinha, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rui Patricio, Nelson Semedo and young central defender Christian Marques.

Wolves has often been Mendes playground but they still miss some of his finest talent.

The jewel in the crown for the Portuguese super-agent has always been Cristiano Ronaldo. Of course, it would be far-fetched to suggest he moves to the Midlands but another Mendes client he rates incredibly highly represents a more realistic target.

That happens to be Andre Silva, a striker who’s been on the Wolves radar for a number of years now.

When he was at AC Milan, he was linked with the Old Gold in 2019 and the club reportedly tried to sign him back in January.

Instead, they landed Willian Jose on a six-month loan spell. He only provided one goal in Wolves colours and has now headed back to Real Sociedad.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-news-alena-dike-neves-barisic” title=”Real the latest Wolves transfer news!”]

Silva’s career has been a difficult one, finding the net on only ten occasions in 41 outings for Milan following several years of hype at Porto.

However, he’s now found his feet in devastating fashion while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga.

The 25-year-old was a brutal force in the penalty area last term, scoring 29 goals in just 34 appearances across all competitions.

Silva has gone from a shy and neglected figure in Italy to a man now carrying the weight of expectation for Frankfurt. Only Robert Lewandowski scored more goals in the German top-flight last season, as the pair finished above Erling Haaland.

Known for his poaching instinct and impeccable composure, he was described as doing a “phenomenal job” by his idol, Ronaldo.

The duo now plays together for the Portuguese national team and if he starts firing at Euro 2020, there is every chance they reach the final again.

Silva has lacked confidence in recent years but after a stunning season, now could be the time to earn his move to the Premier League.

After all, Wolves were hardly full of goals last term. Neto ended up as the club’s top scorer on just five strikes while club-record signing, Fabio Silva, found the net on only four occasions.

There are also concerns over Raul Jimenez following his fractured skull. The Mexican has made a full recovery but will have to play with protective headgear for the rest of his career.

At the age of 30, there is no guarantee that he replicates his best form. The idea of signing Silva, therefore, should be an attractive one for Bruno Lage and Fosun and they should look to reignite thier January interest in the player.

AND in other news, Wolves must act quickly to sign 61-goal tank, he’s been “phenomenal” at Euro 2020…

You have to give the England cricketers full credit, they do have faith in themselves

Lynn McConnell18-Feb-2002You have to give the England cricketers full credit, they do have faith in themselves.But Andrew Caddick is testing the limits in his Independent On Sunday column this weekend. He said: “On paper, player for player, we are a better side. We have better individual players. We have allowed them to beat us.”Now, New Zealanders by their very nature are reasonable people. Caddick should know this, he lived here for long enough.And perhaps he is using his column as a vehicle to gee up his lads. So you have to take that into account.But really, it is time to acknowledge that when it comes to performing, New Zealand is doing it more than a little better at the moment.England talk a good game but when it comes to walking it, it’s a little different in reality.And when claiming that England are a better side, he needs to recall just who won the last Test series between the two sides.New Zealand.By a margin of 2-1 which had they not let the first Test out of their grasp could just as easily have been 3-0.And when the teams last met in a one-day series back in 1996/97, a much stronger England team than this one in New Zealand at the moment, were held to a drawn series by a young New Zealand side.On paper it is possible to claim a lot of things. And if you do try hard enough you could believe that England “player for player” is the better side. It could also be easy to claim that England possesses “better individual players”.But how do you measure that?By performance on the field in One-Day Internationals?By performance in international cricket overall?By performances in first-class cricket – county play for England, State Championship play in New Zealand?As we’re playing ODIs at the moment, let’s get down to some brass tacks.Based on the last teams to play in Wellington, here are some comparisons.NATHAN ASTLE v NICK KNIGHTKnight has 2731 runs from 73 ODIs at a strike rate of 70.45. Four centuries and 19 half centuries.Astle has 4857 from 147 ODIs at a strike rate of 72.52, with 11 centuries and 29 half centuries. Astle also has 89 wickets with an economy rate of 4.61.Astle wins. Not only does he score with the higher strike rate, he also takes wickets.CHRIS NEVIN v MARCUS TRESCOTHICKTrescothick has 1202 runs in 34 games at a strike rate of 83.64. Is a part-time wicket-keeper.Nevin has 367 runs in 15 games. His strike rate is 87.17. Full-time wicket-keeper.A tie.STEPHEN FLEMING v NASSER HUSSAINHussain in 62 games has 1619 runs at a strike rate of 66.46, no centuries and 11 50s.Fleming in 167 games has 4524 runs at a strike rate of 69.67, three centuries and 29 50s.Fleming wins.CRAIG McMILLAN v GRAHAM THORPEMcMillan in 106 games has 2450 runs at a strike rate of 72.18, one century and 13 50s. He’s taken 36 wickets with an economy rate of 5.24.Thorpe in 76 games has 2215 runs at a strike rate of 70.36, four centuries and 23 50s.On strike rate McMillan leads but Thorpe has greater consistency in scoring, even allowing for the fact that he doesn’t do anything other than bat.Thorpe wins.BRENDON McCULLUM v OWAIS SHAHTwo relative newcomers. McCullum in five games has 80 runs at a strike rate of 55.55 while Shah in seven games has 111 runs at 57.51.A tie.LOU VINCENT v PAUL COLLINGWOODVincent in 29 matches has 589 runs at a strike rate of 60.47. He’s also a lethal fieldsman.Collingwood in 15 games has 319 runs at a strike rate of 79.15. He’s take three wickets at an economy rate of 5.59.Collingwood has the better strike rate but will he still be there when the English grand plan emerges? Vincent is a crucial part of New Zealand’s future mix.But on the facts of the moment, Collingwood wins.CHRIS CAIRNS v ANDREW FLINTOFFCairns’ 148 matches have produced 3549 runs at a strike rate of 81.45 and 146 wickets at an economy rate of 4.7. Flintoff has played 36 games and hit 634 runs at 82.33 with 22 wickets at an economy rate of 4.79.The figures make for interesting comparisons, but Cairns’ proven match-winning ability cannot be denied.Cairns wins.CHRIS HARRIS v CRAIG WHITEHarris in 200 games has 3603 runs at a strike rate of 68.05 and 183 wickets at 4.28. In 39 games White has 348 runs at at a strike rate of 52.01 and 50 wickets at an economy rate of 4.42.Harris wins.ANDRE ADAMS v DARREN GOUGHAdams in nine games has 108 runs at a strike rate of 120.0 and 11 wickets at an economy rate of 4.47. In 103 games Gough has 162 wickets at an economy rate of 4.27.Again the experience factor comes into effect. But Adams’ batting makes this a very close call.Gough wins.DANIEL VETTORI v ASHLEY GILESIn 74 matches Vettori has 75 wickets at an economy rate of 4.44 and Giles in 14 games has 15 wickets at an economy rate of 4.81.Vettori can bat, and, more importantly, he can field. No race.Vettori wins.DARYL TUFFEY v MATTHEW HOGGARDTuffey in 21 games has 27 wickets at an economy rate of 4.65 while in nine games Hoggard has 17 wickets at an economy rate of 4.57.Hoggard wins.On individuals New Zealand wins 5-4 with two ties.Missing from the England team was Caddick himself and he is throughout the 38 games of his career, the most economical of England’s bowlers with 48 wickets and an economy rate of 3.91. New Zealand is without Shane Bond but if his figures were put alongside Caddick’s they would show he had 21 wickets in nine games and an economy rate of 4.17.”Man for man the best team” – the evidence would suggest New Zealand have much the greater right to make that claim.And “man for man” the New Zealanders have more dimensions to their play, especially with the fastly higher quality of their fielding.But there is one other factor – the combination of elements that make up a team. And there is no doubt that in the one-day game it is the ability to consistently perform as a team that will bring a team success.That team in this series has so far been New Zealand, as witnessed by its recovery to halt England’s potentially runaway batting in the first game in Christchurch, and its performance to overcome a collapse to still head off England.Then it was the combination of partnership building that created such a huge difference between the two sides in Wellington.Evidence so far at least would suggest Caddick is well short of substantive fact to back his claims.

New Zealand Cricket’s clean-up operation in the player behaviour stakes has claimed another victim – Wellington captain Matthew Bell who has received a one match suspension

Lynn McConnell15-Feb-2002New Zealand Cricket’s clean-up operation in the player behaviour stakes has claimed another victim – Wellington captain Matthew Bell who has received a one match suspension.The decision was made by Northern Districts code of conduct commissioner Gerald Bailey.Umpires Mike George and Brent Bowden submitted a report claiming unacceptable behaviour of Bell after he was given out leg before wicket by umpire George.Bell was struck on the pad by Graeme Aldridge and as Bell ran down the pitch he received the decision from George.The umpires claimed that Bell then uttered the words “f… off” while facing George.The only doubt raised in the hearing was whether Bell had used the words “f… off” or, as he claimed “for f… sake”.Bailey commented that Bell agreed umpire George was entitled to assume the comments were directed to him.”If Bell’s intention had been simply and solely to chastise himself for playing a foolish shot, then he could have done so then or subsequently, without giving the umpire the impression that his comments were directed to him.”Bailey said a breach of the code of conduct had been established.”Even if Bell’s language was directed at himself, the fact that he used the crude language while looking directly at the umpire amounts in my view to ‘showing dissent’ as well as reacting in a ‘disapproving manner’.New Zealand Cricket will not appeal the sentence.

وجه جمال علام رئيس الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، رسالة للجماهير بعد أحداث مباراة مصر والسنغال في تصفيات كأس العالم، مشيرًا إلى أنه نصح كيروش بعدم التصريح لوسائل الإعلام.

وكان منتخب مصر فشل في التأهل لكأس العالم تحت قيادة كيروش، بعد الهزيمة من السنغال بركلات الترجيح 3-1، علمًا بأن مباراتي الذهاب والإياب تعادل فيهما الفريقان بنتيجة 1-1.

وقال جمال علام في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “أون تايم سبورتس”: “قلت لـ كيروش بعد وصولنا لمطار القاهرة، حاول ألا تصرح في الإعلام بأي شيء حتى أعود من قطر ونجتمع”.

وأضاف: “وائل جمعة اتصل بي قبل أن يُعلن استقالته وقال لي كنت أتمنى أن نصل إلى كأس العالم ولن أستطيع أن أستمر”.

وعن مصير كيروش؟ قال: “سنفكر كمجلس إدارة والصالح لمنتخب مصر سنفعله”.

وتابع: “هناك جماهير تشجع المنتخب وأخرين على السوشيال ميديا، أقول لأصحاب السوشيال ميديا أن أي حديث سلبي عن المنتخب قد يكون ضدنا في عرض ملفنا، لأننا نتحدث الآن عن أننا خسرنا بفعل فاعل”.

طالع أيضًا.. اتحاد الكرة: حسم مصير كيروش بعد العودة من قطر.. وشرحنا وجهة نظرنا لـ فيفا

وأضاف: “فلا يجب أن تنقل الصحف الأجنبية ردود أفعال المصريين عكس ذلك، الإعلام دوره أيضًا أن يُصعد الأمر ويكون الجميع وراء الملف المصري، أقول للناس إننا في اتجاهنا ونحترم جميع المشجعين، الأمل ضعيف ولكن لا يجب أن نقول إن الأمل ضعيف ويجب أن نقاتل من أجل هذا الأمل”.

كيف سنخطط للكرة المصرية؟: “كلفت بعض أعضاء مجلس الإدارة بملفات معينة، ونهتم حتى بالكرة النسائية والشاطئية، هناك دوريات للناشئين والشباب تم إلغائها، وأندية لم تعد تشارك في المسابقات بسبب قلة الموارد المادية، ونحن سندعم الأندية وسنهتم بأندية الأقسام الأدنى من الممتاز لأن بها مواهب”.

واختتم: “هناك خطط كثيرة موجودة، ولكن نحن كنا نصب كامل تركيزنا الفترة الماضية على المنتخب الأول ومرحلة التصفيات، ولكن الموسم القادم ستكون هناك أمور كثيرة مختلفة مخطط لها”.

After making heavy weather of a target of 172 off50 overs, Tamil Nadu managed to edge past Andhraby two wickets in their South Zone Ranji One-Dayencounter at the CPT-India Pistons Ground atChennai

Anand Vasu08-Dec-2000After making heavy weather of a target of 172 off50 overs, Tamil Nadu managed to edge past Andhraby two wickets in their South Zone Ranji One-Dayencounter at the CPT-India Pistons Ground atChennai. On winning the toss, Andhra skipper ASPathak elected to bat first on a slow wicket. Thisturned out to be a good decision for the skipper,but not necessarily so for the team. Opening theinnings for the visiting side, Pathak made asteady 80 (100 balls, 9 fours) before he was runout by substitute fielder R Satish.Unfortunately there was no serious support forPathak other than a innings of 32 from FaiyazAhmed. With seven batsmen failing to make it todouble figures, Andhra slumped to 171 all out in49.2 overs. Chasing a target of 172 should nothave been a tall order for the Tamil Nadu side.However, they have not been in the best of battingform in the tournament and this hampered them.Free stroking southpaw Sridharan Sharath openedthe innings and looked to get his eye in. After hewas well set he began to open up, driving the ballwell square of the wicket. After making anenterprising 47, he departed, falling tooffspinner Vatekar. The middle order failed yetagain and a mini collapse was at hand. At 114 for6, it looked like Andhra would pull off an upsetvictory.Aashish Kapoor and Thirunavukarasu Kumaran ensuredthat this did not happen. Batting sensibly, Kapoormanaged 19 from 26 balls before being trapped legbefore wicket by Vatekar. At this stage Tamil Naduwere 144 for 8 and there was still a bit of workto be done. Kumaran mixed a cautious straight batwith several well placed heaves and Tamil Naduwere nearly home. A frantically scampered leg byeoff the third ball of the last over took the homeside to victory by just two wickets.Tamil Nadu take on an inform Hyderabad tomorrow,and will have to do much better if they want tocome out of the game with a positive result.

Writing on Twitter, sharing his piece for football.london, reliable correspondent Alasdair Gold has listed the Tottenham Hotspur players who ‘could be sold’ this summer as part of a rebuild – with winger Erik Lamela making the list.

The Lowdown: Servant to Spurs…

Lamela signed for Spurs as a member of ‘The Magnificent Seven’ brought in to replace Gareth Bale after he completed his sensational £85 million move to Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2013.

Since then, the Argentine has stood out as the longest serving member of that player influx and has gone to make 257 appearances for Spurs in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

He has scored 37 goals and has assisted his teammates 47 times over this period (Transfermarkt), but a combination of disciplinary issues and a poor injury record have somewhat marred his stay in north London.

The Latest: Lamela ‘could be sold’…

Spurs need to adopt a sell-to-buy policy in a difficult market, especially considering their documented financial troubles, and Gold has revealed that Lamela ‘could be sold’ this summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/all-things-spurry/” title=”Spurs news and gossip!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Dele Alli, Lucas Moura, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Moussa Sissoko, Juan Foyth, Harry Winks, Serge Aurier and a centre-back could also be offloaded, according to the football.london journalist.

Lamela is apparently a ‘popular figure’ within Tottenham and ‘loves’ the club himself, but his fairly lofty salary combined with a lack of Premier League starts this season could mean his eight-year stay in the English capital may be coming to an end.

The Verdict: Time to go…

There have been points over 2020/2021 where Lamela showcased his true quality, most notably the sensational rabona against Arsenal during Spurs’ 2-1 north London derby loss.

However, during that same game, the 29-year-old was sent off for a second yellow card after aggressively fending off Kieran Tierney – perhaps summing up his Tottenham career overall.

It’s no doubt that the Argentine can turn it on, as evident by former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson calling him a ‘fantastic player’ earlier this season (Football Insider), but it may be time for Lamela to be shown the door.

In other news: Spurs could now be offered this ‘phenomenal player’ for Kane, find out more here.

According to an Ibrox source, speaking to Football Insider, Rangers midfielder Jamie Barjonas is now looking for a new club after learning he will not be offered a new deal with the Teddy Bears under manager Steven Gerrard.

The Lowdown: Barjonas on the move?

The 22-year-old has apparently been deemed surplus-to-requirements and is out of contract at the end of this month, leading to reports that he could be set for an exit from the Glasgow giants.

Barjonas had been in talks with USL side Orange County but a move failed to materialise, with several Scottish Championship clubs also displaying interest during that time (Daily Record).

The midfielder has played for the Gers senior team but first team opportunities have been more and more limited – and that has resulted in links to a departure.

The Latest: Ibrox source shares Barjonas update

Now, speaking to Football Insider, an Ibrox source has allegedly explained that the youngster is actively looking for a new club after being told his current deal won’t be extended.

Barjonas’ latest loan stint came at Championships side Ayr United after he agreed to a short term temporary move which has now concluded, and that apparently hasn’t done enough to impress club chiefs.

Indeed, the writing has been on the wall for some time, as backed by this report, and it now seems as if Barjonas is heading nowhere but the exit door.

The Verdict: Time to say goodbye…

Described as a player with ‘fantastic abilities’ with a ‘second to none’ passing range by former Gers ace Peter Lovenkrands (Daily Record via ninetyminutesonline), it may be time to wave goodbye to Barjonas.

The only regret Rangers may have is not recuperating a fee following numerous failed moves over this last year, with Football Insider also relaying he was close to joining Barrow last summer.

Ayr boss David Hopkin waxed lyrical over the prospect after his loan debut recently, calling him a ‘big, strong, powerful lad’ whilst tipping him to be a ‘great’ arrival (Rangers News).

However, following the end of his spell, Barjonas is back to square one and looks all but set to leave this summer.

In other news: Gers are eyeing a move for this Brazilian gem, find out more here.

Liverpool might have been handed a great chance to sign the perfect Georginio Wijnaldum replacement this summer in the form of Yves Bissouma.

The Reds have been linked with a move for the Brighton man in the past, with ESPN indicating that he was being tracked as far back as the winter.

His current employers will, of course, be loath to lose him, especially to a Premier League rival. However, Seagulls boss Graham Potter has admitted that he is being “sensible” in relation to any potential interest in Bissouma, whilst the Daily Express indicate that the South Coast club have priced him at £40m – which should certainly be enough for Liverpool to make a move.

For context, that price is less than the £48m that Liverpool agreed to pay RB Leipzig for the underwhelming Naby Keita. They would certainly be receiving a far more accomplished midfielder this time around.

Since arriving at Brighton from Ligue 1 outfit Lille in 2018, the 14-time Malian international has gone on to make 91 appearances for the club, scoring four goals.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-moreozek-suarez-ward-correa-klopp-super-league-watkins” title=”Read the latest Liverpool news, transfer rumours and more…”]

His performances have also garnered plenty of praise too, with Gary Lineker labelling Bissouma as “exceptional”.

He is just the type of player that Liverpool, and Jurgen Klopp, need.

When comparing his attacking stats to the potentially outgoing Wijnaldum, it is surprisingly the Brighton man that comes out on top.

According to WhoScored, Bissouma has averaged more shots per game – 1.2 to 0.8 – more dribbles  – 1.5 to 0.9 – and the same amount of key passes compared to the current Liverpool midfielder in the Premier League this season.

Meanwhile, he is also far more impressive from a defensive standpoint, racking up more tackles, interceptions and clearances.

So, with Wijnaldum potentially set to depart in the summer and Brighton apparently open to parting for a certain price, Liverpool now have the perfect opportunity to bring Bissouma to Anfield.

AND in more news, find out why Liverpool could be missing Mo Salah ahead of next season…

قال أحمد مرتضى منصور عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك والمتحدث الرسمي باسمه إن الحديث مع الجهاز الفني كان واضحًا حيث إنه لا يتم التعامل بالقطعة.

وأضاف منصور في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “تن” عبر برنامج “البريمو”: “تنتظرنا مباراة هامة بعد أسبوع، هناك كم كبير من الشائعات تتردد بشأن تغيير الجهاز الفني وهذا أمر ليس في محله”.

طالع | بعد ترشيحه لخلافة كارتيرون.. ماريوس سوموديكا: رسائل جماهير الزمالك فاجأتني

وأردف: “محمد أبو جبل أكد أنه لم يوقع لأي ناد آخر، وأنه باق في الزمالك وهي رغبة النادي أيضًا، وتألق معنا وان شاء الله مستمر مع الفريق”.

واستكمل: “أما ما تردد بشأن عودة فرجاني ساسي للزمالك، فإذا طلبت الإدارة الفنية التعاقد معه فالنادي قادر على استعادته”.

وأتم: “ما تردد بشأن عقد جلسة مع مدرب إسباني لتدريب فريق الزمالك، شائعة مثل شائعات المفاوضات مع حسام البدري، لدينا من الجرأة ما يجعلنا نعلن إذا أردنا تغيير كارتيرون والتعاقد مع مدرب آخر”.