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So far this season, Southampton have managed to concede ten goals in their opening seven Premier League games of the season.

It now appears that the Saints are looking to try and fix their defensive frailties by adding a new goalkeeper to their squad.

What’s the latest?

It has recently been reported by The Sun that Southampton have joined fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United in the race to sign West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

It has also been claimed that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side would be willing to pay a fee for Johnstone in the upcoming January transfer window rather than wait until the summer when the shot-stopper would be available on a free transfer if he doesn’t sign a new contract at The Hawthorns.

A smart investment?

Since joining the Baggies back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Manchester United, Johnstone, who is currently valued at £7.2 million according to Transfermarkt, has made 141 appearances for West Brom across all competitions where he has managed to keep 34 clean sheets in the process.

So far this season, the 28-year-old, who was described as an “important” player for the Baggies by their former manager Sam Allardyce has played in all but one of West Brom’s 11 Championship games so far this season, conceding just seven goals and keeping four clean sheets.

Given the number of goals Southampton have already conceded in the league, it’s understandable why they would be open to recruiting Johnstone in January rather than waiting to potentially get him on a free transfer in the summer. By that time, they may well have been relegated to the Championship if their poor form continues.

With that in mind, Johnstone could be the difference between staying in the division and ending up in the second tier of English football.

As well as this, the fact that Southampton’s current goalkeepers Alex McCarthy (31) and Fraser Forster (33) are both over the age of 30, we feel that the Baggies stopper could definitely be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper for the next few years.

Furthermore, Johnstone managed to keep a clean sheet in England’s latest match in their 5-0 win over Andorra, even providing the assist for Jack Grealish’s goal that came straight from the goalkeeper’s throw out of his penalty box.

Although he wasn’t able to prevent Albion from going down last term, he still ended the season as the goalkeeper with the most saves (161). That proves just how reliable he is at the bottom end of the pitch.

Taking all of this into account, we feel that Southampton should definitely make a move for the goalkeeper as he definitely has the ability to help Southampton strengthen their defence and help them stop conceding so many goals. That would be a major boost for their season, potentially making him a new club hero at St. Mary’s if he helps them avoid relegation.

In other news: Ralph could fix big Southampton issue by unleashing £2.7m-rated gem, could be huge – opinion

Leicester City’s early-season struggles continued on the south coast as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Foxes fell behind thanks to a controversial penalty dispatched by Neal Maupay before Danny Welbeck doubled the hosts’ lead with a glancing header.

Jamie Vardy’s third goal in five Premier League appearances brought Leicester back into the contest on the hour mark, but they couldn’t find an equaliser.

Both Ademola Lookman and Wilfried Ndidi had late efforts ruled out after Harvey Barnes strayed offside, condemning the Midlands outfit to their third defeat in just five top-flight fixtures.

And one player who struggled more than most at the Amex Stadium was James Maddison. As per SofaScore, the 24-year-old received a match rating of just 6.3 out of 10, the joint-lowest total amongst his teammates.

He was unable to provide the creative spark on the south coast as Leicester found chances hard to come by, and his underlying numbers are evidence of this.

Maddison failed to make any key passes, couldn’t create any big chances and recorded an awful passing accuracy of just 63%, highlighting his inability to carve open the opposition defence or simply find a teammate with any regularity when in possession.

His underwhelming performance against Brighton extended his run to 17 games without a goal or assist in all competitions, but it’s his overall displays that may be of more concern to Brendan Rodgers.

The one-cap England international was hauled off at half-time by his manager after only having 19 touches in the opening 45 minutes, failing to pick out a teammate with either of his two crosses, and winning just one of his four duels.

Rodgers and Maddison alike will be hoping the attacking midfielder can turn his form around in midweek when Leicester take on Championship outfit Millwall in midweek as the Carabao Cup returns.

And, in other news…Lost every single duel: Leicester lightweight badly let Rodgers down against Brighton 

There could be an exciting finish on the final day at Trent Bridge with Nottinghamshire and Somerset neck and neck, and a result assured unless the weather unexpectedly intervenes

John Ward at Trent Bridge08-May-2009
ScorecardThere could be an exciting finish on the final day at Trent Bridge with Nottinghamshire and Somerset neck and neck, and a result assured unless the weather unexpectedly intervenes. The home county, set 261 to win, finished the day on 112 for 3 and two fine batsmen, Samit Patel and Adam Voges, occupation.Nottinghamshire were required to equal their first-innings total to win the match. Shafayat and Alex Hales put them on their way very well with an opening partnership of 51. Hales was the more aggressive, playing a couple of superb cover drives with all the time in the world. At 27 he was dropped low at first slip by Justin Langer off David Stiff, but he only added one more run when he unwisely tried to pull a ball outside his off stump and sent up a huge catch, which Langer himself claimed.Stiff in fact looked much better bowling from the pavilion end than he had in the first innings from the Radcliffe Road end, and produced some testing deliveries, although he never eliminated wild balls. He also removed Bilal Shafayat for 32, fencing at a ball moving away outside off stump to be caught by the keeper, while Charl Willoughby returned to trap Mark Wagh lbw for 14. It was a mistake to give him the final over back at Radcliffe Road, as he again found his Sat-Nav in error and produced four leg-side wides. But he may have a big part to play in tomorrow’s much anticipated climax.Somerset began the day at 137 for 3 in their second innings, 14 runs ahead and, it seemed, very reliant on their overnight pair of Marcus Trescothick and Langer if they were to set Nottinghamshire a challenging target. Langer did not last long; after a fluent start he tried too late to withdraw his bat from a delivery from Ealham just outside his off stump and was caught at the wicket for 35. This appeared to be a major blow to the visitors.Runs came slowly, as Zander de Bruyn showed little of the form of his first innings, but nevertheless hung in and fought hard for his team. There followed about an hour of virtually strokeless play, punctuated by an occasional thumping four from Trescothick. It was not a dominant innings and he made little effort to keep the board ticking over with ones and twos, but he looked like recording a century until, on 98, he reached for a ball from Luke Fletcher uncharacteristically wide of the off stump and swatted it into the hands of point. This was the only piece of luck Fletcher enjoyed before the lunch interval, although he had several frustrating near misses. De Bruyn at the break was still there, with a scratchy but valuable 25 off 70 balls.The batsmen were more positive after the break, especially Craig Kieswetter, who went after the bowling. He overtook de Bruyn in the thirties, and went on to reach his half-century off 53 balls – celebrating with an extravagant swipe against Ealham and giving the keeper a catch off the bottom edge. His innings was perhaps the one that gave Somerset hope that they still had a chance in this match, but de Bruyn’s anchor role did a lot to make it possible. The South African reached his second 50 of the match off 111 balls, still out of touch, before he finally yielded, driving at a ball from Fletcher that removed his off stump for 54.Somerset at this stage were 304 for 7, 181 ahead. More runs were needed if they were to have more than an outside chance of victory. Peter Trego will still wonder how he came to shoulder arms to a ball from Fletcher that came back only slightly to bowl him comprehensively for 23, but Ben Phillips was the man for the task. He began his assault with a step down the pitch and a big six over midwicket off Ryan Sidebottom, and found good support from Stiff, who made 21 before being stumped.Somerset may yet consider their jolly stand of 48 for the ninth wicket the turning point of the match; certainly it gave the home team a challenging target. It would have been greater still had Shafayat on the fine-leg boundary not taken a brilliant running and diving catch to remove Phillips, last man out, for 39, with the total 383. The most successful bowlers were Fletcher and Ealham, with three wickets each, but those lower-order runs may yet be the difference.

Liverpool will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the new Premier League season when they take on Leeds United this afternoon.

The Reds have picked up seven points from a possible nine in the opening weeks on 2021/22, giving them hope of a successful season following an underwhelming showing last term.

And their chances of carrying on their good run of form received a significant boost after Brazilian duo Alisson Becker and Fabinho were cleared to play following a U-turn from their national FA.

It means that Jurgen Klopp will only have Roberto Firmino unavailable from his usual big hitters for the tricky trip to Elland Road after the striker picked up an injury against Chelsea last time out.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the 54-year-old to line up against Marcelo Bielsa’s charges, with three changes from the side that started against the Blues…

In goal, Alisson will take up his usual spot between the sticks following the Brazilian FA’s decision to drop their complaints about certain players failing to report for international duty due to coronavirus restrictions.

Ahead of the South American shot-stopper could be a rather familiar-looking back four, but with one new addition.

Former RB Leipzig centre-back could be set to make his Liverpool debut after having time to settle into his new surroundings and he will be joined by Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the backline. Joel Matip has been in excellent form this season but we think Klopp will keep him on ice and play him in the Champions League clash with AC Milan on Wednesday.

The Reds’ engine room may also see a change, with former Barcelona and Bayern Munich maestro Thiago coming into the side to make his first start of 2021/22, lining up alongside Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, with £13.5m-rated gem Harvey Elliott making way.

There will be no surprises up front, though. Firmino’s fitness issues mean a front three of Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah will be charged with providing the firepower to see off a stubborn Leeds side.

And, in other news…Liverpool receive fresh selection boost ahead of Leeds clash, Klopp will be delighted 

Sri Lanka Under-19 kicked off their tour of Bangladesh with a strong performance on the opening day of their two-day match in Savar

Cricinfo staff20-Apr-2009
Scorecard
Sri Lanka Under-19 kicked off their tour of Bangladesh with a strong performance on the opening day of their two-day match in Savar. Sri Lanka’s bowlers dismissed Bangladesh for only 197 after the hosts chose to bat and Dinesh Chandimal ensured that the visitors made a steady reply in their first innings.Sri Lanka’s new-ball attack cut through Bangladesh’s top-order, reducing them to 37 for 4. The captain Mahmudul Hasan rallied and held the middle order together with a solid innings of 82 before he had to retire hurt. Fast bowlers Lahiru Jayarathne and Madushan Ekanayake along with legspinner Matheesha Perera struck regularly and ensured Bangladesh fell short of 200. Perera and Ekanayake took 3 for 30 and 3 for 32 respectively.Sri Lanka’s openers, Chandimal and Udara Jayasundera, added 54 runs in quick time before Jayasundera was bowled for 29. Buwaneka Ekanayake fell cheaply but Chandimal remained unbeaten on 670 off 67 balls at the end of the day.

Australia and South Africa will be given their first taste of the referral system at the Wanderers on Thursday and both captains said they hoped it would at least eliminate the most obvious umpiring errors

Brydon Coverdale in Johannesburg25-Feb-2009
The referral system will be used in South Africa for the first time © Getty Images
Australia and South Africa will be given their first taste of the referral system at the Wanderers on Thursday and both captains said they hoped it would at least eliminate the most obvious umpiring errors. Each team has only two incorrect referrals per innings and Graeme Smith said he was resigned to the fact that the reviews could potentially be used up early.”I’m sure guys are going to make mistakes,” Smith said. “It’s a new system, you’ve just got to trust the guys that are out there. Batters have generally got a good feel of what’s going on.”More than anything else it’s more there to get the really bad decision out of the game. That’s never a bad thing. It will be interesting to see. I think both teams will probably make one or two mistakes but it’s more a nice option to have than anything else.”The captains who have already been part of the trials have given the system mixed reviews. Ricky Ponting is still undecided on whether referrals are good for the game but like Smith he was hopeful that it could remove the poorest calls.”The thing we’ve got to remember with it is there are still going to be incorrect decisions made,” Ponting said. “It’s not something that’s going to solve every incorrect decision that an umpire might make through the course of the game. But hopefully it will take out the really obvious bad decisions that are being made which are probably the most frustrating ones for players as well.”One man who was on the wrong end of a series of bad calls during the Australian summer was Michael Hussey, who was given caught off his helmet at the MCG and caught off his pad at the Gabba. Ponting said Hussey had already expressed his interest in the system.”Mike Hussey joked that he would question the decision every time he was given out,” Ponting said. “I had to remind him that he bats at No. 4 and the opportunities to refer anything would be used up by then. You have to trust that your players will do the right thing.”The referral system was first trialled internationally on India’s tour of Sri Lanka in July-August last year and was also tried out in the two-Test series between New Zealand and West Indies in December. A modification was introduced for the current series between West Indies and England, with the number of referrals per team in each innings reduced from three to two.The three officials in charge of the South Africa-Australia series are Steve Bucknor, Billy Bowden and Asad Rauf. Like the players, none of the umpires have been part of the previous trials.

Some Everton fans have been left fuming over the news that Salomon Rondon has signed for their club.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, the Blues were able to sign the striker on Deadline Day on a free transfer, as he signed a two-year deal at the Merseyside club, with the option of another season.

Although experienced in the Premier League with both Newcastle United and West Brom, Rondon was never really prolific in the top flight, achieving double figures in just one of his four campaigns (Transfermarkt).

At 31 years of age, one would question whether the Venezuela international can cope with the demands of the division anymore, especially given that he has not played in Europe for over two years.

Everton fans on Rondon signing

These Toffees supporters fumed as the signing of Rondon was confirmed on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was ‘shocking’:

“Gonna be a long season this”

Credit: @adamf_24

“Time for bed”

Credit: @_MikeConnolly

“Christ, a 31-year-old on a potential 3-year deal.”Credit: @SteveBiggert”Shocking signing that”Credit: @LewisGundy__”Eating until 11pm for an underwhelming announcement like this. What a joke. With bottom-half teams signing more players than us it’s not hard to think where we may end up. Abysmal window, all 82x days of it. If we were really putting offers in, we could’ve signed more.”Credit: @KingMantisBand”Brands out”Credit: @Alexash999v2In other news, find out whose exit has Evertonians fuming here!

Leicester City are reportedly eyeing up a move for Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence as manager Brendan Rodgers seeks to address his injury-hit backline.

What’s the story?

According to Football League World, the Foxes are one of two Premier League clubs hoping to secure the highly-rated 21-year-old’s services this summer, with Southampton also credited with an interest.

New arrival Jannik Vestergaard joined the extensive injury list at the King Power Stadium following an innocuous training ground incident, so Leicester are believed to be in the market for extra reinforcements before the current transfer window closes.

Jon Rudkin must swoop

Comfortable at either right-back or on the right wing, Spence has established himself as one of the Championship’s most exciting young talents over the last couple of campaigns.

Previous ‘Boro boss Jonathan Woodgate lauded him as “exceptional” following a standout performance when he was still a teenager, but current manager Neil Warnock has gone even further in his praise for the youngster.

“If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now – the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Palace (Aaron Wan-Bissaka) – they are all the same type as Djed,” declared the 72-year-old.

“He does have enormous ability, and when you’ve got ability like that it’s criminal if you don’t get to the very top. But as I said to him in that first couple of weeks, he’ll only have himself to blame if he doesn’t get to the very top.

“He has quite a few things to brush up on at the minute, and I’m sure he will try. He’s a very good trainer and works hard,” he concluded.

With James Justin set for an extended spell on the sidelines and Marc Albrighton currently the only natural right-sided forward in the first team squad at Leicester, Spence’s prospective arrival could plug multiple gaps in Rodgers’ setup.

Therefore, director of football Jon Rudkin must swoop for the versatile gem before the Saints snap him up.

Spence may be far from the finished article at this moment in time, but Rodgers is one of the best in the business when it comes to developing young talent, and the 21-year-old could be the latest diamond in the rough to benefit from the Northern Irishman’s tutelage.

In other news… Forget Perez: £40.5m-rated Leicester liability who lost possession 15 times let Rodgers down v West Ham 

The BCCI will decide on a one-day series with Sri Lanka only after it receives a response from New Zealand Cricket (NZC), possibly within this week, on its request for adding an extra Test to the original two-Test series schedule

Cricinfo staff05-Jan-2009An Indian one-day series against Sri Lanka is still in the realm of speculation, the BCCI has said, and will be considered only after the board receives a response from New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on its request for adding an extra Test to the original two-Test tour schedule.Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, told Cricinfo the Indian board is yet to exchange any official written communication with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in this regard. “What is official so far is that we have requested New Zealand to accommodate an extra Test to the series in March,” Shetty said. “We are waiting for a response from their side.”Asked about the one-day series against Sri Lanka, he said, “We will move on any such series only after the New Zealand schedule is confirmed. We expect a positive response from New Zealand but they are the home board and will have to consider the logistics at their end.”New Zealand Cricket (NZC) are hoping to take a decision by this weekend over India’s request. A spokesperson for NZC confirmed to , via e-mail, that the proposal had been received and was under consideration.”NZC has received a request from BCCI for an additional Test. NZC is currently considering the request and investigating the feasibility of extending the tour. No decision has been made yet. It is hoped that a decision will be reached before the end of this week”, the e-mail reply read.Andy Moles, the new New Zealand coach, has already welcomed the opportunity to play another Test against India, “time willing”. New Zealand are currently hosting West Indies and their international schedule is packed till February 13, when they complete a one-day series in Australia.The BCCI had asked NZC to accommodate an extra Test for the series starting on March 6 – two Tests, five ODIs, one Twenty20 – after the Indian government refused to clear the Indian team’s tour to Pakistan this month. Sri Lanka subsequently agreed to tour Pakistan during the same period but last week, Gamini Lokuge, Sri Lanka’s sports minister, said that SLC officials were also in talks with their Indian counterparts to arrange a one-day series. Shetty admitted there “may have been some verbal communication” between certain Indian and Sri Lankan officials on a one-day series but insisted that nothing concrete has emerged.Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had proposed splitting the team’s Pakistan tour into two legs, with plans of host India in the gap between the two. However, the PCB said no such arrangement had been decided yet. “There is no doubt they are coming,” Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan board chairman, told . “Breaking the tour into two halves is not final as yet and the Sri Lankans have to send us an approved itinerary.”

Many Everton fans have been left reacting to a transfer update on James Rodriguez.

As per Italian football journalist Rudy Galetti, there is ‘nothing’ between the Colombia international and Atletico Madrid, and the La Liga club are ‘not interested’ in buying him from the Goodison Park faithful.

Rodriguez caused speculation that he would be joining Atletico by tweeting a picture of himself with the caption ‘never stop believing’, which is the club’s motto, with an emoji reading ‘soon’, suggesting that a deal could be done imminently.

He has admitted that he does not know where his future lies given that Carlo Ancelotti, who was the manager when he was brought to the Merseyside club, has since gone to Real Madrid and been replaced by Rafa Benitez.

After missing the 3-1 home win over Southampton in their opening game of the new 2021/22 Premier League season, Rodriguez has also confirmed that he is set to miss their next one against Leeds United as well, and all of this speculation with regards to his future seems to have gotten too much for some Toffees supporters.

Everton fans on Rodriguez transfer update

These Blues gave some fairly mixed reactions as the news was shared on Twitter:

“We can’t give away our surplus players let alone get a decent fee for them… even giving them free transfers would cost us & who’ll pay the wages we’ve shelled out so often? How many will just sit out their contracts raking in the money before moving on for nothing? Oh, calamity!”

Credit: @BobbyC1878

“Absolute madness regarding James v Rafa, what is the truth? If James is saying that he’s not playing, and it’s just for Covid protocol, wish he’d say that. If Rafa has no plan for James, wish he’d say that. All the passive/aggressive is infuriating and childish from both sides”

Credit: @SilentBlueGiant

“Here we go again!… this transfer window can’t close quick enough.”

Credit: @JohnDiazTheOne

“It’s probably just a façade from James, no interest whether he moves or not as long as he’s picking up the big salary and playing his computer games he’s happy, will be hard to get rid.”

Credit: @gfarr92

“As if the hardest working team would be interested in the slowest footballer on earth who won’t defend.”

Credit: @powella76

“As talented as he is on the ball, I think it speaks volumes that you just can’t shift him.”

Credit: @Matt_S_1982

In other news, find out what transfer update has Evertonians buzzing here!