All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to make a move for Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi, who could follow Ange Postecoglou to north London, according to a recent report.

Which strikers could Tottenham sign?

Harry Kane's future at Tottenham remains very much up in the air, with talkSPORT reporting Real Madrid have identified the 29-year-old as a target to replace the outgoing Karim Benzema, while Manchester United are also interested.

As such, Spurs may be tasked with finding a suitable replacement for the England captain, and they have been linked with a move for AS Roma's Tammy Abraham, although the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool are also in the mix.

Competition for Abraham's signature will be fierce, so the Lilywhites could look at signing Lille's Jonathan David, having previously been linked with a move for the Canadian, or even Brighton & Hove Albion's Evan Ferguson.

Furuhashi is now emerging as a potential option from north of the border, with The Sun reporting that manager-elect Postecoglou is ready to raid Celtic for the striker, who Tottenham view as a possible long-term replacement for Kane.

Spurs are eager for the Australian to bring the forward with him, and they are prepared to pay as much as £25m-£30m to secure his signature, although other Premier League clubs also have him in their sights. If Postecoglou, who is waiting to talk to Spurs, agrees to take over in north London, it would vastly increase their chances of winning the race for the Japanese marksman.

Who is Kyogo Furuhashi?

The 28-year-old started his professional career with Japanese side FC Gifu, registering 35 goal contributions in 71 appearances for the club, but he has really started to make a name for himself with Scottish Premiership champions Celtic.

With 27 goals to his name, the Japan international was the top scorer in the Scottish top flight this season, averaging 1.04 goals per 90, and playing a major role for The Hoops en-route to their second league title on the spin.

While he has performed very well north of the border, success in Scotland does not always guarantee a player will hit the ground running in the Premier League, and there are question marks over whether he would be an adequate replacement for Kane.

Of course, whoever Tottenham sign is unlikely to hit the heights the Englishman did last season, scoring 30 league goals, however, they could be better off signing a player who is proven in a major European league.

As a back-up option, Furuhashi may well be an astute signing for Spurs, having been hailed as "incredible" by members of the media, but he should not be brought in as an out-and-out replacement for Kane.

Australia’s plans for the Test series against South Africa have been upset by a hamstring injury to Shaun Marsh, making him an unlikely starter for the opening match at the WACA Ground in Perth

Daniel Brettig16-Oct-2016Australia’s plans for the Test series against South Africa have been upset by a hamstring injury to Shaun Marsh, making him an unlikely starter for the opening match at the WACA Ground in Perth.Marsh, who has a long history of hamstring trouble, suffered the injury while batting for Western Australia against Tasmania in a Matador Cup match at North Sydney Oval on Saturday.”Shaun Marsh has sustained a low grade tear to his right hamstring while batting against Tasmania at North Sydney Oval on Saturday,” a WACA spokesman said. “Marsh will return to Perth where he will undergo rehabilitation with a view to being available for selection for the first Test against South Africa at the WACA Ground next month.”Before the injury, Marsh had seemed likely to retain his place in the top six after making a century on his recall to the Test team in the third Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August.Marsh had played in place of Joe Burns, with Usman Khawaja making way for Moises Henriques. Khawaja is expected to be recalled for the home Tests, and Burns may now also find himself back in the team pending Marsh’s recovery.While Marsh opened alongside David Warner in Sri Lanka, he would have been more likely to assume a middle-order role in Australia.

Spinner Steve O’Keefe has vowed to quit drinking for the summer in an effort to give himself the best possible chance of representing Australia again

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2016Spinner Steve O’Keefe has vowed to quit drinking for the summer in an effort to give himself the best possible chance of representing Australia again. O’Keefe was last month fined $10,000 by Cricket Australia after a late-night incident at a Sydney hotel, in which police alleged O’Keefe “behaved offensively toward a security guard” who had refused him entry.That incident came after O’Keefe returned home early from the tour of Sri Lanka having suffered a hamstring injury during the first Test in Pallekele. It was the third Test of O’Keefe’s career and with a tour of India scheduled for early next year, if he can remain fit and controversy-free he will likely come under consideration for that trip.O’Keefe said he had decided to focus his attention on more specific training and an increased focus on recovery, and would stay away from alcohol for the 2016-17 season in an effort to make the most of his career.”I’m getting older and I’m getting injuries like the hamstring, which I’d never done before, and if I want to at my age give myself a realistic chance of having the long career that I want then I need to be doing these other things outside the game,” O’Keefe told the .”It’s not something I go around touting to every individual. I’m planning to go the cricket season [without alcohol]. It’s not for everyone. I love a beer and having a beer at the end of the game with your mates you certainly got a lot out of. You sit back and relax and some of those conversations you have really extend your cricket.”But I think for me right now it’s the best thing I can do to give myself every chance of playing the best cricket and being as healthy as I possibly can. I’m into day 31, I’ve been ticking them off.”The incident at the Steyne Hotel was the result of a build-up of frustration for O’Keefe, whose three Tests have been spread across three different series, including a near wash-out at the SCG last summer. He had also been named in Australia’s squad for last year’s tour of Bangladesh, which was cancelled due to security reasons, and then was injured in Sri Lanka.”I think I mainly just felt sorry for myself,” O’Keefe said. “I’d been home for a week and I felt like I had things under wraps and then you have a couple of drinks and those other thoughts that are sitting around in the back of your head start to come to fruition. You think, ‘is that it? Is that your last opportunity to play cricket for Australia?'”When you go home and you’re on your own, you sit down and reflect on it and the Test is on the TV, it’s a hard thing to take. Obviously it’s fair to say I didn’t handle it appropriately at all.”O’Keefe spoke to police the day after the incident and apologised to the hotel manager.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison has hit back at Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson after they recently roasted the striker during their podcast.

What did Antonio and Wilson say about Richarlison?

The Brazilian didn't end up having the best debut season for Spurs after his £60m move to the North London club from Everton in the summer.

In the end, he finished the Premier League campaign having netted just one goal despite having made 27 appearances for Tottenham.

To make things worse for the £90k-per-week footballer, he also scored a few goals that were later disallowed – but still got booked for taking his shirt off during the celebrations.

Speaking about all this back in May, West Ham's Michail Antonio and Newcastle's Callum Wilson couldn't help but mock the player for his struggles in front of goal.

In a clip from the BBC's The Footballer's Football Podcast, Antonio said: "He's scored four times [in the Premier League] this season. Three of the times, he's been offside. He has taken his top off four times this season…"

Wilson then added: "He's got four yellows, he's almost on a suspension," with the pair left in hysterics.

Well, Richarlison has evidently seen the clip and from his own TikTok account, he took a dig at the players, saying: "How many goals do both have in the World Cup?"

How many goals did Richarlison score at the World Cup?

In fairness to the Spurs man, he did end up netting three goals in four games over in Qatar and his wonderful scissor kick against Serbia was voted the best goal of the tournament too.

Antonio didn't go to the World Cup as Jamaica didn't qualify but he has three goals in seven games for his nation – not quite as impressive as Richarlison's 20 in 42 for Brazil. Although the West Ham man does have more league goals this term with five to his name.

Wilson did at least go to Qatar, playing just twice for England and failing to get on the scoresheet – but he did claim one assist. On top of that, he has scored 18 times in the Premier League this term, firing the Magpies into a Champions League position.

All in all, it's not hard to see why Richarlison might have been annoyed by these comments and you can't blame him for biting back – especially as he can say he's performed on the biggest stage of all.

Perhaps next time, Wilson and Antonio will both bite their tongues before criticising their fellow pros.

Vincent Kompany led Burnley to glory in the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign as the Belgian head coach secured the league title in style.

The Clarets amassed a whopping 101 points in the second tier to ensure their promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking and the manager's work in the transfer market last summer played a significant role in their success.

Anass Zaroury, Manuel Benson, Arijanet Muric, Josh Cullen, and Ian Maatsen are just a few of the impressive gems the head coach unearthed to become Burnley stars this season.

Kompany arrived at Turf Moor after spending two years in his home country managing Anderlecht and swooped for Cullen from his former club as one of his first signings.

No player played more matches (78) for Kompany at the Belgian club than the Irish midfielder and the ex-Manchester City defender brought him in to be a consistent presence in the middle of the park for the Clarets.

Cullen averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 – ranking sixth in the squad – across 43 Championship matches and made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game to go along with his pass completion rate of 88%.

The Burnley boss could now repeat the masterclass he played with the 27-year-old by completing a swoop for another one of his former Anderlecht stars – Albert Sambi Lokonga.

Who is Albert Sambi Lokonga?

He is a 23-year-old central midfielder who is currently on loan at Crystal Palace in the Premier League from fellow top-flight side Arsenal.

Football Insider recently reported that the Clarets are interested in snapping the Belgium international up on a temporary basis next term and have made him one of their top targets following their promotion from the second tier.

Lokonga made 39 appearances under Kompany's management before his switch to The Emirates and enjoyed a terrific season with him in 2020/21.

The maestro averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.26 across 33 appearances in the Pro League and made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per match. He also completed 86% of his attempted passes and won 62% of his duels in the middle of the park, which shows that the Gunners talent is a reliable passer who can also provide a physical presence in midfield – like Cullen.

That average performance level would place him only behind Josh Brownhill (7.27) in the current Burnley squad, proving that the £50k-per-week ace, who talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed as "tireless", has the potential to be a standout performer for Kompany.

Lokonga, who averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.93 in the Premier League for Arsenal in 2021/22, has proven that he can thrive in the Belgian head coach's tactical set-up already and that could allow him to hit the ground running in the same way that Cullen did.

Therefore, the Clarets boss could repeat the masterclass he played with the Irishman by swooping for the £17.2m battler this summer.

Leicestershire lost their coach and their promotion hopes within a few hours with Andrew McDonald expected to confirm a return to Australia with a year of his contract remaining and Essex inflicting their heaviest defeat of the season

George Dobell25-Aug-2016
ScorecardAndrew McDonald is leaving his role at Leicestershire and taking on the job at Victoria•Getty ImagesLeicestershire lost their coach and their promotion hopes within a few hours with Andrew McDonald confirming a return to Australia with a year of his contract remaining and Essex inflicting their heaviest defeat of the season.McDonald, two years into a three-year deal, has accepted the Victoria coaching position, having already been named as the new Melbourne Renegades coach.McDonald held a meeting with Wasim Khan, the Leicestershire chief executive, on Thursday evening at which he explained the lure of the Victoria job and his family’s desire to return to Australia. Leicestershire had seemed resigned to the news for a few days and did not attempt to contest McDonald’s departure. Pierre de Bruyn, currently in charge of the seconds, steps into the head coach role, with Graeme Welch, the former Derbyshire coach, lined up as assistant.”This decision has not been easy for Andrew and we are naturally disappointed to lose a person and coach of his calibre. We fully understand and respect the reasons for his decision,” said Khan.”Andrew has done a fantastic job here in his two years as Elite Performance Director, with the team making great strides forward. Performances and results have drastically improved and Andrew has left a strong platform to build on. We will now look to build on his excellent work.It is an understandable decision from McDonald. He represented Victoria and Melbourne Renegades as a player and might well be considered a viable candidate the next time the Australia coaching role becomes vacant.”It has been an extremely difficult decision to leave Leicestershire County Cricket Club but I have to put my family first and we are now going to settle back home in Australia.”I’d like to thank the club for this fantastic opportunity, I’ll always be grateful for having the chance to both play and coach at the Fischer County Ground, and will continue to follow the club’s fortunes from afar.”I also appreciate the fact that Leicestershire have allowed me the opportunity to return home and wish the club every success for the future.”It will sting McDonald to depart in such circumstances. After a season of improvement in Championship cricket, Leicestershire succumbed to defeat by an innings and 10 runs on the third day against Essex. Having had Essex reeling at 68 for 5 in their first innings, it was a remarkable turnaround.They may reflect, though, that they lost the match as much in their own first innings, with a total of 238 probably around 100 below par; the absence of a spinner may also have cost them in Essex’s innings. Leicestershire’s spinners have contributed fewer than 100 overs in the Championship all season.They also fell, in part at least, victim to their own tactics here. Having opted to play this game on a used surface in the knowledge that there would be some uneven bounce as the game progressed, they struggled to deal with the probing length of Jamie Porter and David Masters once the pitch started to deteriorate.Both men made a few deliveries spit off a length, rapping batsmen on the gloves and body. After Paul Horton and Angus Robson were drawn into feeling for balls outside off, Mark Cosgrove missed a straight one as he shuffled across and tried to work it into the leg side and Mark Pettini edged a brute of a ball that climbed and took his outside edge.Ned Eckersley clipped one off his hip to Kishen Velani, the substitute on to allow Alastair Cook to attend the England meeting about the Bangladesh tour, at square leg. A terrible mix-up between Ben Raine and Richard Jones, with both men stranded in mid-pitch looking unimpressed with one another, summed up a disappointing day for Leicestershire. They are now 44 points behind Essex with three matches to play.The fact that they made it towards the end of August with promotion hopes intact represents improvement, although how much progress has been made remains open to debate.Leicestershire were fifth in Group A of the Royal London Cup (with three wins) and eighth in the North Group of the NatWest Blast (with four wins) in 2014, the year before McDonald arrived. This year they were eighth in the Royal London Cup (with two wins) and ninth in the North Group of The Blast (with four wins). Their improvement in the Championship is welcome, but the lack of progress of home-grown players – a substantial part of the role of any club and a key justification for the level of funding they receive – is a major caveat.De Bruyn, the new coach, will inherit some good, experienced players and an improved culture of greater expectations. But there remains a lot of work ahead if Leicestershire are to deny the growing band of those who think of them, and several other counties, as a pesky irrelevance and hangover of a bygone age.Their supporters will, quite rightly, point to their role in the development of several fine players now with other counties. But if the 18-county system is to survive – and it would hard to exaggerate what peril it is in right now – it has to win over the doubters, too.Essex go into the final three games as promotion favourites but, with a final match against second-placed Kent, can take nothing for granted. They look to have a batting line-up that could serve them well in Division One, though the absence of a top-class spinner is one obvious weakness. The progress since Chris Silverwood took over as coach a year ago – initially on an interim basis – and Ryan ten Doeschate was given the Championship captaincy at the start of this season, is outstanding.August 26, 10.27am: This article was updated following confirmation of McDonald’s departure

Rain abandoned the 12th match of the CPL, between Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents, and spoilt Chris Gayle’s plans of registering another destructive half-century in the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2016Match abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRain abandoned the 12th match of the CPL, between Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents, and spoilt Chris Gayle’s plans of registering another destructive half-century in the tournament. Rain first delayed the start of the match to reduce it to 12 overs a side, and then returned after 10 overs of Tallawahs’ innings to not allow any more play.Tallawahs were put in to bat after a delay of more than two hours and openers Chadwick Walton and Gayle attacked from the outset. Walton collected boundaries against Wayne Parnell before Gayle’s six off Ravi Rampaul in the fourth over increased the run rate further.The stand was broken when Shoaib Malik, brought on in the sixth over, had Walton caught at long-off for 25. Sangakkara then laid into Malik in the eighth over to collect 16 runs with the help of two fours and a six. Gayle raised the bar further by smothering three sixes in the next over, off David Wiese, to cross the team’s 100 in the ninth over.But Rampaul soon uprooted Sangakkara’s off stump when the batsman made room. Heavy rain interrupted with Tallawahs on 116 for 2, with Gayle on 47 off 20.

Unsurprisingly, Burnley are already beginning to be linked with a number of new signings ahead of their return to the Premier League next season, with Arsenal's Albert Sambi Lokonga reportedly on Vincent Kompany's shortlist.

Could Burnley sign Sambi Lokonga?

According to The Sun, the 23-year-old is considered surplus to requirements at Arsenal after failing to make the grade in Mikel Arteta's squad, with the Belgian loaned out to Crystal Palace in January.

The report suggests that the young midfielder, who joined in a £17m deal, isn't wanted by Palace permanently and could be allowed to leave the Emirates for just £15m, which could represent a bargain for Kompany as he looks to improve upon his midfield options following the Championship title win.

Would Lokonga be a good signing for Burnley?

Lokonga is well-known to Kompany having come through the ranks at Anderlecht during the 37-year-old's time managing in Belgium, and he would sing his praises on Rio Ferdinand's Vibe with Five YouTube channel.

"You've got to watch this guy, he's the new Yaya Toure," he said.

"The point is you need players who are not afraid to have the ball when the going gets tough. As a centre-back, your job stops at a certain point on the ball. And you need to be able to give it to people who see the next pass, see the next move, take responsibility, take people on and put that tempo in when there's no tempo in the game anymore.

"For me, that's what Sambi has that makes him special."

While Lokonga hasn't set the world alight since signing for Arsenal, or indeed on loan at Selhurst Park, with no goals or assists across 48 appearances for both sides, Kompany clearly appreciates his ability on the ball, and in a possession-heavy Burnley side, he could be a big success.

Josh Brownhill and another familiar name from Anderlecht in Josh Cullen were two of the top performers at Turf Moor this season, according to WhoScored, ranking first and seventh respectively, but reinforcements will be necessary if Kompany's side are going to continue their upwards trajectory in the top flight.

WhoScored suggests that the Arsenal man excels at passing and FBref also backs this up, ranking him in the top 3% of players for pass completion per 90 when compared with other midfielders across Europe's top five divisions.

In many ways, Lokonga could be the perfect signing for Burnley this summer as he is available for relatively cheap, has good Premier League experience despite his age and evidently suits Kompany's style of play, so the Clarets should definitely be looking at bringing him to Turf Moor.

William Perkins has been suspended for the remainder of the CPL for handing his Players/Match Official Access pass to a third party for the side’s league game against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Lauderhill

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2016Trinbago Knight Riders batsman William Perkins has been suspended for the remainder of the CPL for handing his Players/Match Official Access pass to a third party for the side’s league game against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Lauderhill on Sunday.Perkins accepted the charges for breaching the ICC’s Minimum Standards for Players and clauses 10.1.1 and 10.1.2 of the player contract. Members of the CPL security team along with ICC Anti-Corruption manager Richard Reynolds had obtained Perkins’ pass, resulting in his immediate suspension. Perkins played four CPL games this season and scored 75 runs at an average of 18.75.Knight Riders face St Lucia Zouks in the second playoff match in Basseterre on Thursday.

Charles Watts has noted that Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus was furious after not winning a penalty after he appeared to be found in the club's recent draw.

What's the latest on Arsenal and VAR?

It was a disappointing outing for the Gunners on Saturday evening as the Premier League title hopes officially ended with defeat against Nottingham Forest.

Indeed, the loss means Manchester City cannot be caught and so will win the division yet again as they continue to dominate under Pep Guardiola – albeit with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules still held against their name.

On the day, it was a single goal from Taiwo Awoniyi, scored in the first half, which was enough to decide the game and so it will come as no surprise to learn that the Arsenal players were desperately scrapping for every decision.

For instance, as noted by Watts on Twitter, when Jesus appeared to be fouled, he remonstrated with the referee in vain as he hoped for a penalty.

The journalist noted: "Not surprised Jesus was angry there. Only seen one replay but looked like a pretty blatant pull back by the defender."

How bad was Jesus against Forest?

Despite the big shout for a spot kick, referee Anthony Taylor seemed completely unmoved and actually booked the Brazilian striker for dissent as he tried to argue his case.

That incident just about summed up the afternoon for the Gunners as they really were far from their best, finishing the game with 82 per cent possession, but only three shots on target – with Forest scoring from one of their only two efforts to work Aaron Ramsdale (via BBC).

Jesus certainly had a day to forget as he grew more and more frustrated and failed to have much of a positive impact on proceedings.

This was noted by journalist Kaya Kaynak in the football.london player ratings as he handed the £265k-p/w striker a 5/10 score for his tame efforts.

He also wrote: "The Brazilian has exhibited a bit of a petulant streak when things have gone against him recently. It was on full display at the City Ground where his impact was once again limited."

While Mikel Arteta and co may be annoyed that this refereeing decision did not go against them, a point against Forest would have surely only delayed the inevitable anyway with Man City so close to wrapping up the title regardless of any outcome at the City Ground.

There will always be next season at least…