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Hosts put Division One leaders under pressure after amassing 664 before late Hameed wicket

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-May-2025

Centuries from Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson and Graham Clark put Durham in a strong position on a record-breaking day in their Rothesay County Championship clash with Nottinghamshire.Gay and Robinson dominated the morning session as they pushed Durham beyond Nottinghamshire’s total, with Gay notching up a second consecutive home century. Robinson was then joined by Clark in the afternoon and the pair took the game to the Nottinghamshire bowling attack, with Clark picking up a second consecutive century and Robinson looked back to his best as he got his first hundred of the season.The hosts kept on going into the evening and broke the county’s record for the highest first-class total, but there was a bright spot for Nottinghamshire as Liam Patterson-White picked up his fifth first-class five-wicket haul and they eventually bowled Durham out for 664. Nottinghamshire reached close on 67 for 1, 190 runs behind the hosts.Clark has been a consistent performer for Durham this season, impressing with the bat on several occasions already. On the other hand, Gay and Robinson both had tricky starts, but their class showed to give their side a chance of a vital win on day four.Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire will be thinking about what could have been as Joe Clarke dropped both Gay and Robinson in the slip cordon in the early stages of their knocks.Resuming on 320 for 4, Gay and Robinson were the unbeaten pair in place and they were looking to get Durham into a lead as soon as possible. Robinson picked up where he left off as he played a lovely punch for four early on, but he was dropped by Clarke on 35 as the Durham man edged a Mohammad Abbas delivery but the slip fielder dropped one for the second time in the innings.Gay played a beautiful shot through midwicket for four, while Robinson reached his half-century from 75 balls.Gay brought up his second century of the season in style as he cut a Rob Lord delivery to the boundary, while Robinson smashed a Patterson-White delivery down the ground for six.Gay’s excellent innings came to an end as Patterson-White bowled him for 104 while attempting a reverse sweep, but that brought the in-form Clark to the crease and he smashed Lyndon James for two boundaries in an over to take his side into the lead. Clark passed fifty in quick time, with it coming from 56 deliveries, and another milestone came soon after as Robinson got his century from 141 balls with a lovely boundary through third.Robinson then made the most of a short ball from Patterson-White as he heaved one over the leg-side boundary for six, but the Durham keeper’s fabulous innings came to an end at 141 when a leading edge from a James delivery was caught by Freddie McCann at backward point.Wickets came like buses for the visitors as England’s Brydon Carse was bowled by the resilient Patterson-White without troubling the scorers.Clark was agonisingly left on 99 not out at tea, but he reached his second century of the season in the first over after tea and he took his side over the 600 mark. The runs continued to flow for Clark and George Drissell, but Clark handed Patterson-White a fourth wicket of the day as he chopped on for 121.But they kept on going, with Ben Raine getting the single that gave Durham their record first-class total, but he became Patterson-White’s fifth victim when he departed for 10. Drissell smashed one down the ground for six as the lead stretched past 250, but the Durham innings came to an end when Codi Yusuf was run out, with the lead at 257.First innings double centurion Haseeb Hameed picked up an early boundary as the league leaders kicked off their second innings, while Ben Slater got off the mark with a nice shot through the covers. Just before close, Carse got the vital wicket of Hameed for 13 with a beauty which dismantled the Nottinghamshire captain’s off stump, but Slater, who has looked in good touch, and nightwatcher Rob Lord saw Nottinghamshire to close without further loss.

Arsenal are reportedly ready to sell £45 million ($60m) star Gabriel Jesus this coming January, though Gunners fans have been told to "expect a quiet January window" after a spending big money over the summer. When Gabriel Jesus joined the Gunners in July 2022, he was billed as the man to restore Arsenal's firepower and spearhead a new era at the Emirates.

• Jesus' uncertain future at Arsenal

  It was supposed to be a fairytale move, a proven winner swapping Manchester City’s silverware-laden dressing room for Mikel Arteta’s ambitious Arsenal project. Two years later, that dream appears to be crumbling. Injuries, inconsistency, and a ruthless reshaping of Arteta’s attack have left the Brazilian’s Arsenal future hanging by a thread. Reports from now claim that Jesus’ latest appearance, an FA Cup defeat to Manchester United in January, where he tore his ACL, could be his final one in red and white. 

  In his debut season, he made a bright start, scoring 11 goals across all competitions. But that first-season spark soon faded. Persistent knee problems and a damaging ACL injury in January have since derailed his momentum entirely. The Brazilian has not kicked a competitive ball this season and is now facing the grim prospect of being moved on before he ever truly fulfilled his potential in north London.

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  Gyokeres and Havertz push Jesus out of the picture

  In football, time waits for no one, and Arsenal’s summer overhaul has made that crystal clear. Viktor Gyokeres’ blockbuster arrival from Sporting has transformed the frontline, while Kai Havertz’s growing confidence as a No.9 has given Arteta tactical flexibility that doesn’t rely on Jesus. Once the guaranteed starter, the 28-year-old now finds himself surplus to requirements. Arsenal’s attack looks sharper, faster, and more unpredictable, all without him. And with the club reportedly open to offers, the writing appears to be on the wall for Jesus’ Emirates career. Interest is already mounting from Brazil, with Flamengo and Palmeiras both said to be keen on bringing him home. Meanwhile, Everton are said to be weighing up a bold January swoop for the out-of-favour forward. Jesus remains tied to Arsenal until June 2027, but with no sign of a contract renewal and the club looking to balance their books after a lavish summer, a parting of ways seems increasingly inevitable.

• 'Quiet' winter transfer window looming

  According to the report, Arsenal will be taking a conservative approach to the winter window following their £250m ($332m) summer outlay. That record-breaking spending saw eight new faces arrive at London Colney, giving Arteta unprecedented squad depth. But it’s also left the club with a bloated wage bill and little room for manoeuvre under financial fair play regulations and PSR. The Gunners are believed to be focused on consolidating, trimming where possible, and making full use of the talent they already have. Reiss Nelson, Jakub Kiwior, and Albert Sambi Lokonga were all moved out over the summer to ease congestion, but Jesus’ potential departure would be by far the biggest name to go. Selling him could also generate crucial funds to reinvest in next summer’s plans.

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• Arsenal look to the future

  Even as the club prepares for potential departures, Arsenal’s long-term planning machine keeps whirring. The Gunners have wrapped up the signing of Victor Ozhianvuna, a 16-year-old prodigy from Shamrock Rovers. The Irish teenager, already capped at U15 and U18 level for the Republic of Ireland, will officially join Arsenal in January 2027 when he turns 18. Originally a wing-back, Ozhianvuna’s versatility has drawn rave reviews. 

Big picture: After losing Gaikwad, CSK could lose control of Chepauk

Murphy’s law has taken a special liking to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025. After losing four games in a row, they have now lost their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for the rest of the tournament to injury. CSK have sent out an SOS to MS Dhoni, who will take over as captain.The last time Dhoni batted at Chepauk, something strange happened: the crowd began to leave. Chepauk is usually a pulsing bowl of noise, but there was pin-drop silence when CSK’s chase petered out against Delhi Capitals (DC) with Dhoni at the crease last weekend. CSK are now on the verge of entering unfamiliar territory: if they go down to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday, it will be the first time that they will have lost three IPL games in a row at Chepauk.Related

• Ashwin and Jadeja, an unhappy reunion

• Rahane will discuss Eden pitch with IPL authorities

While the reunion of Rachin Ravindra with Devon Conway at the top has remedied some of CSK’s powerplay troubles, the dearth of firepower in the middle order continues to hurt them. Their middle-order batters (Nos. 4-7) have the lowest strike rate (126.04) this season. While KKR’s middle order has a higher strike rate of 147.18, it’s not on par with the top teams in the competition either.Like CSK, KKR are also currently in the bottom half of the points table. The two teams have also made public their discontent with the pitches being rolled out at home. What will Chepauk throw up on Friday?KKR’s Caribbean stalwarts Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are yet to fire, but they will be pleased with Varun Chakravarthy, who continues to be unhittable. The mystery spinner has fond memories of Chepauk, having won both the IPL and TNPL here last year.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings LLL
Kolkata Knight Riders LWL

New loyalties

Ajinkya Rahane, who enjoyed a T20 career revival at CSK, will lead KKR against his former franchise. Dwayne Bravo, who was a more familiar face at CSK as a player and bowling coach, will plot against CSK, along with Rahane, in his new role as KKR’s mentor.

Team news and likely XIIs

Apart from Dhoni taking over as CSK captain, Rahul Tripathi could return to the team in place of Gaikwad.Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Shivam Dube, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Mukesh Choudhary, 11 Khaleel Ahmed, 12 Matheesha PathiranaMoeen Ali could be back for KKR if the conditions are conducive to spin•BCCI

If the conditions are conducive to spin, KKR might bring Moeen Ali back in place of left-arm quick Spencer Johnson, who has gone at almost 12 runs an over.Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 4 Venkatesh Iyer, 5 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Moeen Ali/Spencer Johnson, 10 Harshit Rana, 11 Vaibhav Arora, 12 Varun Chakravarthy

The big question

Russell hasn’t batted above No. 7 in four innings so far in IPL 2025. Against Mumbai Indians (MI), he came in at No. 8. Perhaps KKR could push him up the order unless they don’t want to expose him to R Ashwin. The offspinner has dismissed Russell twice in 17 balls while giving away just 16 runs in T20s. Against Ravindra Jadeja, Russell has fared much better, taking him for 69 runs off 38 balls while being dismissed twice. Russell has faced just seven balls from Noor Ahmad for 12 runs while being dismissed once.

In the spotlight: Shivam Dube and Venkatesh Iyer

On Wednesday, Punjab Kings (PBKS) denied Shivam Dube the spin of Yuzvendra Chahal or Glenn Maxwell. Instead, they served him the extra pace and bounce of Lockie Ferguson with a packed leg-side field. Dube scored 17 off 12 balls from Ferguson before being bowled. He could face a similar test against Russell on Saturday.After starting the season with a pair of low scores, Venkatesh Iyer has found his groove with scores of 60 and 45 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). If he gets cracking at Chepauk, he might keep Jadeja away from the attack. The last time Venkatesh played at this venue, he sealed KKR’s third IPL title with an unbeaten 52 off 26 balls.Venkatesh Iyer has found his groove with scores of 60 and 45•BCCI

Pitch and conditions

The Chepauk surface continues to be a mystery, with CSK coach Stephen Fleming saying that they haven’t been able to come to grips with it in recent years. The weather is expected to be clear.

Stats and trivia

• Watch out for Dhoni vs KKR’s spinners. Dhoni has faced 16 balls from Varun in the IPL for only 11 runs while being dismissed three times. His struggles against Narine are even starker: 39 runs off 74 balls at a strike rate of just 52.70, and one dismissal.
• CSK have hit 31 sixes in five innings, the least among nine teams who have played at least four games this season. In comparison, KKR have hit 42 sixes in five innings.
• Narine has dominated Ashwin with the bat, hitting him for 94 runs off 39 balls at a strike rate of over 240 while being dismissed once in the IPL.
• Vaibhav Arora will relish bowling to Conway and Ravindra in the powerplay. Since IPL 2024, against left-hand batters in the powerplay, Arora has picked up eight wickets in 11 innings at a strike rate of 7.00 and an economy rate of just over six.

Quotes

“It’s just that we struck a young man who had the night of his life, and we weren’t able to shut him down.”

“We rate them as a highly-skilled team, and we will look to go out there and play the game and win.”

The Premier League is finally back, and Chelsea kick off their campaign tomorrow afternoon.

It’ll be a challenging game away to FA Cup and Community Shield winners Crystal Palace, but Enzo Maresca’s men look like they could do something really special this year.

They’ve been practically faultless in their short pre-season and the board have only made them stronger with the business they’ve conducted.

Moreover, it appears the club will only make more signings over the next two weeks, with Alejandro Garnacho set to be the next in line.

However, if reports are to be believed, the club is also targeting another international who’d be an even better pick-up.

Chelsea target better signing than Garnacho

Chelsea have been interested in Garancho for some time now, with stories first emerging on the topic back in the winter window.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

However, the Blues have stepped up their pursuit of the Manchester United star in recent weeks, and while some fans are against the move, it now looks like he’ll be making his way to Stamford Bridge before September 1st.

However, the West Londoners don’t look like they’ll be calling it a day after that, as they’re now eyeing a move for another international, someone who’d be an even better signing than Garnacho.

At least that is according to a recent report from BolaVIP, which claims that Chelsea are very interested in Piero Hincapié.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Blues are now ready to pay around €60m for the centre-back, which is about £52m.

However, the same story also points out that while Bayer Leverkusen would be willing to let him leave, they want around €70m to do so, which is about £60m.

Even if Chelsea need to pay a little more than they’d like, they should, as Hincapié is a brilliant player and would be a better signing than Garnacho.

Why Hincapié would be a better signing than Garnacho

Now, the first thing to say is that, while some are opposed to the deal, we do not think that Garnacho to Chelsea is a bad transfer.

After all, even though he played for a truly terrible Manchester United side last season, the youngster was still able to score 11 goals and provide ten assists in 58 appearances, which is not a bad return at all.

However, there are still several reasons why Hincapié would be a better signing this summer, and the first relates to what the squad need.

As things stand, the Blues’ attack feels particularly stacked with quality across most positions, and with Xavi Simons still being linked with a move, it feels like adding even more attack-minded players isn’t a necessity.

On the other hand, the team’s defence has been made markedly weaker by Levi Colwill’s ACL injury, and while Jorrel Hato has joined the team, he’s still just 19 years old and has never played in a top-five league, so throwing him in right away feels like a recipe for disaster.

Therefore, bringing in the Leverkusen ace is a far more pressing concern, and Maresca told the press as much yesterday afternoon, when he openly admitted “we need a central defender.”

The second reason the Ecuadorian international would be the better signing relates to why he would have to start ahead of Hato: his experience.

For example, across his career to date, the “absolute beast,” as journalist Antonio Mango dubbed him, has made 115 appearances in the Bundesliga, 26 in the Europa League, 14 in the Champions League and eight in the DFB Pokal since moving to Europe.

He’s also no stranger to winning things, either, as he played a pivotal role in the German side’s undefeated league and cup double a couple of years ago.

Ultimately, Garnacho will likely be a good signing for Chelsea, but due to the need for a new centre-back and his immense experience, Hincapié would be a better one.

Chelsea plot Nkunku and Jackson sale before formalising deal for £50m star

The west Londoners are busy with both incomings and outgoings.

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Emilio Galantini

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UK prime minister weighs in on England’s clash in Lahore after cross-party group of politicians raise concerns

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2025Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, has called on the ICC to “deliver on their own rules” when it comes to women’s rights in Afghanistan*, as he weighed into the row over England’s scheduled Champions Trophy clash with the country’s cricketers next month.England are due to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 in their second match of the tournament, and the ECB is under pressure to take action after receiving a letter from the Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, signed by a cross-party group of more than 160 politicians, including Jeremy Corbyn, Lord Kinnock and Nigel Farage.The letter raised concerns over the “insidious dystopia” and “sex apartheid” in Afghanistan, where women’s sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The men’s cricket team has played England twice in this period, solely at ICC global events, including a famous victory in their most recent meeting at the 2023 ODI World Cup.”We strongly urge the England men’s team players and officials to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban,” the letter, addressed to Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, continued.”We also urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan … to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated. We must stand against sex apartheid and we implore the ECB to deliver a firm message of solidarity and hope to Afghan women and girls that their suffering has not been overlooked.”Responding to the letter, Gould rejected calls for a boycott, saying that the Taliban regime’s clampdown on women’s rights is a matter that requires a “co-ordinated, ICC-led, response” rather than unilateral action from individual countries.That stance has now received support from Downing Street.”The ICC should clearly deliver on their own rules and make sure that they’re supporting women’s cricket as the ECB do,” the prime minister’s spokesman said. “That’s why we support the fact that the ECB are making representations to the ICC on this issue.”The erosion of women’s and girls’ rights by the Taliban is clearly appalling. We’ll work with the ECB on this issue, we’re in contact with them. Ultimately this is a matter for the ICC in relation to the Champions Trophy.”The situation echoes the dilemma that England’s cricketers faced at the 2003 World Cup, when Nasser Hussain’s team were urged to boycott their group-stage match with Zimbabwe, then led by Robert Mugabe – a decision that was ultimately left to the players, and resulted in a points forfeiture that scuppered their qualification for the tournament’s latter stages.Gould’s response to Antoniazzi confirmed that the ECB has no intention of engaging in a bilateral series with Afghanistan while the Taliban regime is in power, but insisted that their participation at ICC events was a matter for the governing body as a whole, and not for individual members.”The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime,” Gould wrote. “The ICC constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women’s cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan,” he continued.”While there has not been a consensus on further international action within the ICC, the ECB will continue to actively advocate for such measures. A coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members.”We acknowledge and respect the diverse perspectives on this global issue,” Gould added. “We understand the concerns raised by those who believe a boycott of men’s cricket could inadvertently support the Taliban’s efforts to suppress freedoms and isolate Afghan society.”It’s crucial to recognise the importance of cricket as a source of hope and positivity for many Afghans, including those displaced from the country. The ECB is committed to finding a solution that upholds the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan while also considering the broader impact on the Afghan people.”We will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with the UK government, other stakeholders, the ICC, and other international cricket boards to explore all possible avenues for meaningful change.”*1900 GMT – This story was updated with Starmer’s response

Manchester United have now opened talks to swap Alejandro Garnacho for “one of the best strikers in Europe”, according to journalist Miguel Delaney.

Garnacho almost certain to leave Man Utd

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has recently revealed that Garnacho is almost certain to seal a move away from Old Trafford this summer, and there is a chance he could move to one of Man United’s Premier League rivals.

Romano said: “Don’t forget about the situation of Alejandro Garnacho, who remains a player appreciated by Chelsea. He remains a case to watch in this summer transfer window because Garnacho will leave Man Utd for sure. Chelsea are following the situation closely.”

It is no surprise that Ruben Amorim seemingly has no qualms about sanctioning a departure, given that the Argentinian hasn’t exactly endeared himself to fans as of late, with Mark Goldbridge left fuming after the United ace was pictured in an Aston Villa shirt.

Villa have also been named as potential suitors for the forward, who is enticed by the prospect of working under Unai Emery, but there has now been a suggestion that Amorim’s side could get him off the books in a different way.

In a report for The Independent, Delaney has now revealed that Man United have spoken to Villa about swapping Garnacho for Ollie Watkins, with INEOS trying to orchestrate slightly more unorthodox deals, in an effort to get around PSR issues.

Watkins is now attracting strong interest from the Red Devils, given that the striker is a proven Premier League goalscorer, and there is a belief they could get a deal done for around £40m – £45m.

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RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is also on the shortlist, but a deal for the Slovenian may be more expensive, with a £78m fee being touted.

Watkins among the "best strikers in Europe"

Emery is likely to have little desire to lose the England international this summer, having lauded him as “one of the best strikers in Europe” in the past – a description which is certainly backed up by his performances for Villa over the past few years.

The 29-year-old has scored a minimum of 15 Premier League goals in his last three seasons, and having a reliable goalscorer in the squad would be a real boost for Amorim, given that the manager has been unable to depend on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

The only concern over the signing of Watkins is likely to be his age, given that the Englishman is seven years Sesko’s senior, so United have a big decision to make before the season starts.

Regardless of whether Garnacho is included in a swap deal, it is important United get the 21-year-old off the books this summer, with his Villa shirt stunt showing he has little interest in remaining at Old Trafford.

Chasing 345, Tahir scored a fighting 109 for Stallions but it was too steep a mountain to climb

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2024

The trend of teams batting first winning continued into the ninth game of the Champions Cup as Panthers beat Stallions by 20 runs.Batting first after winning the toss, Panthers rode on Saim Ayub’s 156 off 130 balls, studded with 13 fours and seven sixes, to post a daunting 344 for 7. Ayub found good support from Azan Awais, with whom he added 138 for the first wicket.After Awais’ dismissal, Usman Khan joined Ayub and the two smashed 116 in just 79 balls. Usman fell for 75 off 47 balls but Ayub carried on and took the side past 300 in the 44th over. After that, however, Panthers lost quick wickets and could score only 30 in the last five.Stallions did not have a great start to their chase. Within the first seven overs, they had lost Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood and Babar Azam.Hussain Talat and Tayyab Tahir kept Stallions in the contest with a 157-run stand for the fourth wicket but the asking rate was continuously rising. When Mubasir Khan broke the stand in the 35th over, dismissing Talat for 63, the required rate was touching ten.Tahir brought up his hundred in the 39th over but fell soon after. Stallions needed 73 in the last four overs with just two wickets in hand when Zaman Khan threatened to pull off a miracle. He smashed 42 off 16 balls but Stallions eventually fell short by 20 runs.

أجرى هانز فليك مدرب برشلونة مؤتمراً صحفياً للحديث عن آخر استعدادات فريقه لمواجهة فالنسيا مساء الغد ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

وقال فليك خلال مؤتمر صحفي نشرته صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “لقد قدم كوربيران أداء رائعا العام الماضي وساهم في استقرار الفريق، إنه مدرب يتكيف مع خصومه، لديهم لاعبين مميزين وفريق رائع”.

وأضاف عن لامين يامال الذي غاب عن المشاركة في تدريبات برشلونة اليوم وتعامل لويس دي لا فوينتي معه: “لا، لن يكون متاحاً للمباراة، إنه لأمر مؤسف، ذهب للمنتخب وهو يتألم ولعب وحصل على مسكنات للألم ليواصل اللعب، لعب 79 دقيقة و73 دقيقة، وهذا لا يمثل رعاية للاعبين، إسبانيا لديها أفضل اللاعبين في كل مركز، من الأفضل رعاية اللاعبين الشباب، أنا حزين لهذا الوضع”.

وواصل عن العودة للعب في الكامب نو: “نعلم الوضع في الملعب والنادي، تحدثت مع الرئيس وشرح لي كل شئ، أثق به ولن يتأثر الفريق، نحن نركز على أنفسنا وليس لدينا أعذار، علينا الفوز، لم نتوقع أن تكون الأمور هكذا، الأهم العقلية والسلوك في الملعب، قد يستغرق الأمر وقتًا أطول للعودة لكني أهتم بالفريق، أحب العمل لهذا النادي والعيش في هذه المدينة، لا شئ يتغير، سيكون هذا الموسم أصعب من الماضي وسنبذل قصارى جهدنا وسنقاتل حتى النهاية للفوز بالنقاط الثلاث”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. لامين يامال يوضح منافس برشلونة على لقب الليجا.. ويرشح 5 فرق للفوز بـ دوري أبطال أوروبا

وسئل فليك عن لامين يامال مع المنتخب الإسباني: “لم أتحدث معه، تلقيت رسالة نصية وبصعوبة أتحدث الإسبانية وهو لا يتحدث الإنجليزية، كان من الممكن أن يكون التواصل أفضل، مررت بنفس الموقف مع المنتخب وقبل ذلك كانت العلاقات جيدة دائماً، لا أعرف كيف أشرح ما يعاني له، يعاني من مجرد انزعاج بسيط في عظم العانة، لذا مشاركته ضد نيوكاسل أيضاً محل شك أما مشكلة الظهر فهي غير صحيحة”.

وحسم فليك موقف دي يونج و بيرنال والذي حصل على التصريح الطبي من المشاركة غداً: “لن يكون فرينكي حاضراً غداً ولن يلعب، لكن مارك سيجلس على دكة البدلاء، إنها الخطوة القادمة في رحلة عودته، نحن سعداء جداً بجودته في الفريق، غداً كل هذا الحماس للعودة لمقاعد البدلاء وعلينا أن نديره ونعتني به”.

وقال فليك عن حالة جافي: “بإمكانه أن يكون قلب هذا الفريق بفضل عقليته، هو يبذل قصارى جهده من أجل الفريق والنادي، كنت خائفاً من هذا الوضع بعد إصابته الخطيرة، بالنسبة لي، ما عليه فعله هو العمل والاجتهاد لنرى كيف سيتطور، لا نريد أن نضغط عليه في هذا الوضع، عليه ان يعود بصحة جيدة وواثقاً بجسده وركبته”.

وحول عودة تياجو ألكانتارا للجهاز الفني لبرشلونة ذكر فليك: “أنا سعيد جداً بعودته وكذلك جميع أعضاء الجهاز الفني، لم يكن من السهل إقناعه لكنه سيساعدنا كثيراً، بالنسبة لي هو يمتلك خبرة كبيرة وقادر على نقل خبرته للاعبين، أرى كيف يستمعون له ويمكنه أن يكون جزء أساسي من نجاحنا”.

وأكد فليك جاهزية رافينها لمباراة فالنسيا، قائلًا: “إنه بخير ومتاح، لقد تدرب جيداً مع أنه عاد مؤخراً”.

وأتم فليك عن اللعب في ملعب يوهان كرويف: “تحدثت مع اللاعبين ومع القائد وأخبروني أن الأمر لن يؤثر عليهم، اللعب هنا يختلف، لكن لا ينبغي أن يؤثر علينا، لقد فعلنا ذلك بالفعل ضد كومو”.

وختم توضيحاً لتصريحه بأن الغرور يقتل النجاح: “هناك أمور تحدث في الملعب أو غرفة الملابس ووظيفتي حلها، أريد من الجميع التركيز على الفريق ومعرفة ما يجب فعله، الفرق بين اللاعبين الجيدين والمتميزين هو أنهم يعرفون كيفية حل الأخطاء وأن يكونوا في المكان المناسب، إذا فكرت في اليوم، ربما لعبنا بنسبة 50% إلى 60%، هذا ما أريد غرسه في اللاعبين، الجميع يستحق 100%، لهذا السبب حققنا انتصارات وألقاب الموسم الماضي وعلينا العودة لذلك”.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to back new manager Thomas Frank in the summer transfer market, as the Lilywhites scour for more new forward options after sealing a £30 million permanent deal for Mathys Tel.

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Tel showcased flashes of his ability during his initial loan, which has now been made permanent for £15 million less than the originally agreed £45 million buy-option with Bayern Munich, and Frank has expressed his serious excitement over this move by chairman Daniel Levy.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

“Very, very excited about Mathys signing with a permanent deal,” said Frank.

“I think he’s a very talented player that can play across the front four positions. He’s a goalscorer that we can develop even further to be more consistent in his all-round game but also to more consistently land in the right positions in the box. So I’m looking forward to it.”

The Frenchman will help to replace Timo Werner, who’s returned to parent club RB Leipzig after a lacklustre one-and-a-half-year temporary stint in N17, but Spurs may soon find themselves needing another wide player.

Son Heung-min’s exit from Tottenham is seen as a real possibility this summer, with the 32-year-old about to enter the final 12 months of his contract. Levy just has this window to make any significant cash back off his sale, and he’s apparently placed a £50 million price tag on his head, according to reports in Asia.

Frank’s need for a potential Son replacement has prompted links to a few intriguing targets this week, including Man City’s Jack Grealish, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo.

The latter bagged 20 goals in all competitions under Frank last season, and Tottenham are believed to have held initial talks over signing Mbeumo, even if Man United have been tipped as his preferred destination (Sky Sports).

Fabrizio Romano also claims that Tottenham began internal conversations over a move for the Cameroonian as soon as Frank signed his Spurs contract, so he appears to be a serious option if United cannot meet Brentford’s valuation.

Good chance that Bryan Mbeumo chooses to join Tottenham

According to journalist Duncan Castles on The Transfers Podcast this week, there is a “good chance” that Mbeumo chooses to join Tottenham, contrary to reports of his United preference, but Levy needs to meet his £70 million asking price.

“The indication from Manchester United was Mbeumo had chosen to move there and verbally told them that his preference was to move there,” Castles said.

“But I’m not hearing exactly the same on that. I think there is a good chance that Mbeumo, should Tottenham get to the price that Brentford are asking, that he might choose Spurs ahead of Manchester United.

“There are a couple of obvious reasons for that. One is that it allows him to stay in London, and secondly, it allows him to carry on playing for Thomas Frank, who has joined Tottenham as the replacement for Ange Postecoglou.”

The versatile African would be a quality heir to Son on the right-hand side, and he’s adept at playing as a centre-forward too, meaning both Mbeumo and new signing Tel could help to ease the goalscoring burden on club-record signing Dominic Solanke.

Leeds United are looking to sign a “fantastic” defender as a replacement for Junior Firpo this summer, with the left-back potentially leaving the Whites, according to a report.

Firpo's time at Elland Road may be coming to an end

Firpo played an important role in Leeds’ promotion from the Championship last season, with the Dominician Republic international picking up four goals and ten assists in 32 league appearances.

However, it now looks as though the left-back’s time at Elland Road could be coming to an end, with the 28-year-old’s contract set to expire this summer, and he has been attracting interest from the likes of Lazio and soon-to-be Premier League rivals Everton.

Last week, there were reports that Daniel Farke’s side have submitted a contract offer to extend the defender’s stay in Yorkshire, but a more recent update indicates that Firpo is set to depart, with the Whites now identifying a Premier League defender as a potential replacement.

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According to a report from Football Insider, Leeds are now looking to sign Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas, who would go straight into Farke’s starting XI, with the Reds likely to accept a bid of around £12m – £15m for the left-back in the summer.

With Arne Slot’s side making moves to sign AFC Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, they won’t stand in Tsimikas’ way if a suitable offer is received, potentially opening the door for a move to Elland Road.

Transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke also offered a further update on Firpo’s future, saying: “Leeds are going to be in the market for a new left-back in this summer’s window with Junior Firpo likely to leave… [Tsimikas] could come straight into that team and improve them.”

Tsimikas could be "fantastic" Firpo replacement

The Greek defender didn’t exactly play a major role in Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph, making 18 appearances throughout the campaign, but he has impressed for the Reds in the past, having once been dubbed “fantastic” by journalist Ian Doyle.

With Leeds looking to avoid relegation from the top flight next season, it could be important to bring in players with top-level experience, and the 29-year-old fits the bill, receiving the Man of the Match award against RB Leipzig in the Champions League last October.

The Liverpool ace is also strong at winning back possession, ranking in the 95th percentile for interceptions per 90, and the 79th percentile for tackles, when compared to other full-backs over the past year.

Of course, it would be a shame to see Firpo leave, given the role the defender played in Leeds’ promotion last season, but there are plenty of signs that Tsimikas could be a solid replacement, and a fee of £15m wouldn’t break the bank.