All posts by h716a5.icu

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently made a claim on Manchester City’s interest in Tottenham striker Harry Kane ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Citizens have been heavily linked with the England captain in recent weeks, after the striker made it clear that he wanted to leave the north London club following a disappointing season.

Although the 27-year-old finished top of the charts when it came to both goals and assists in the Premier League this season, Spurs ended a lowly seventh in the top flight, whilst they also lost the Carabao Cup final and were embarrassed by Dinamo Zagreb in the last 16 of the Europa League.

Therefore, it is no surprise that he is keen for a new challenge after failing to win a trophy during his time at Spurs, and Manchester City appears to be a likely destination this summer.

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Romano claimed on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast (via GiveMeSport) earlier this week: “Manchester City are convinced that Harry Kane is the first target. So they want to try for Harry Kane. They are intending to open talks in the next weeks for Harry Kane, but at the moment and the position with Tottenham, we have to respect Tottenham’s position, it’s still the same.”

It has been claimed in the past that Daniel Levy would demand an extraordinary offer in order to sell Kane but, considering the hugely impressive season the Englishman has enjoyed, as well as another season without Champions League football to come, this summer may well be the best time to cash in.

Certainly, if the striker were to sign for Manchester City this summer, it would be a huge boost for Guardiola and his hopes of retaining the Premier League title next season. One thing for which the Citizens have been culpable at times this season is being wasteful in front of goal, and the addition of a “world-class” clinical striker such as Kane would surely see them improve their goalscoring output.

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If City can convince him to make the switch to the Etihad Stadium this summer, Guardiola would surely be delighted. The Citizens will need a hugely talented player to step up following Sergio Aguero’s departure from the club, and Kane’s performances during his time with Spurs emphasise that he could score a ridiculous amount of goals in this City team.

In other news… Man City dealt blow with £31.5m-rated star once rated “better” than Alexander-Arnold

Mark Douglas has dropped some insight on potential Newcastle United takeover investors which he claims is problematic for Mike Ashley.

The Lowdown: Newcastle valuation drops

As per Sportico (via The Chronicle), the valuation of the St. James’ Park faithful has dropped steeply since the global pandemic, with a new value of £190m being reported.

That is the 11th highest in the Premier League, citing that the ongoing threat of relegation hugely depresses the valuation.

There was a point in the season where Steve Bruce’s team were seriously under threat of dropping down to the EFL Championship, and so this has seen the valuation of the North East club plummet.

The Latest: Insight on potential takeover investors

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Douglas has shared that it is understood that rival investors to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group would value the Tyneside club under the original £350m agreement.

Douglas adds that this is problematic for Ashley, as he wants the value that he has put on the Magpies to be consistent.

If the KSA consortium were to pull out of the deal altogether, then other potential investors may not want to buy at the price that he has set.

The Verdict: KSA consortium deal key

It is key that if there is a takeover of the Toon, then it is by the KSA consortium, to satisfy all parties involved.

For Ashley, he would then be able to sell at the valuation that he has put on NUFC, and the consortium would then be able to take over as per their aim.

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There would certainly be question marks over whether the chief executive of Sports Direct would consider selling to anyone else if the consortium pulled out altogether, especially if nobody is willing to meet his original valuation.

Nonetheless, with Newcastle’s value depreciating, Ashley will want to get the deal done as soon as possible in order to get his money’s worth.

In other news, find out which ‘magnificent’ ace Newcastle are keen on signing here!

The Sri Lanka `A’ team will leave depart for Windhoek, Namibia on the 3rd of April 2002, to participate in the ICC Six Nations’ Challenge Limited Overs Tournament from the 7th to the 14th of April

BCCSL29-Mar-2002The Sri Lanka `A’ team will leave depart for Windhoek, Namibia on the 3rd of April 2002, to participate in the ICC Six Nations’ Challenge Limited Overs Tournament from the 7th to the 14th of April.The team will assemble at the BCCSL Headquarters at 35, Maitland Place, Colombo 7, at 6 a.m. on the 3rd of April, prior to leaving for the Bandaranaike International Airport to board Flight EK551 to Dubai which is scheduled to depart at 10:20 a.m.(BCCSL media release)

Hampshire Hawks select from 14 for clash with Essex Eagles.

Vic Isaacs02-Jun-2001Hampshire Hawks have a couple of injury worries before their Norwich Union Division Two league match at West End on Sunday against Essex Eagles.Alan Mullally has a groin strain, which with his call up to the England one day squad next week, may mean him not risk aggrevating the problem. Zac Morris has a shoulder strain and will have a fitness test in the morning.With the injury problems, Hampshire keep their options open, and chose from 14.Derek Kenway again takes over the wicket-keeping duties, as Hampshire keep their policy of playing a younger side.The fourteen: Niel Johnson, Jason Laney, Derek Kenway (wicket-keeper), Giles White, Robin Smith (captain), Will Kendall, Lawrence Prittipaul, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shaun Udal, Zac Morris, Alex Morris, Alan Mullally, James Hamblin, Chris Tremlett.

Southampton’s woeful Premier League form in 2021 continued as they were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at Anfield, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side missing a number of big chances against the Merseyside club.

Sadio Mane’s header gave Jurgen Klopp’s side the lead moments after Che Adams missed a golden opportunity before Thiago made the points safe late on for the Reds.

The Saints are fortunate that the likes of Fulham and West Brom haven’t picked up more points in recent weeks, as Southampton’s terrible run of results has seen them slip to 16th in the Premier League table, just 10 points clear of the relegation places.

Although there were a number of disappointing performances at Anfield, the man who arguably disappointed the most was Theo Walcott, with the 32-year-old continuing his poor recent form in Hasenhuttl’s side.

As per SofaScore, the winger would earn a generous 6.6/10 match rating for his display, with only Che Adams (6.3), Jan Bednarek (6.3), Jack Stephens (6.3) and Kyle Walker-Peters (6.4) rated lower of those who started the game.

Considering Walcott’s vast experience, you would hope that he would still be able to have an influence in games such as these, where Southampton would need to keep possession and frustrate the hosts, especially in a season where their fearsome home record has completely evaporated.

However, the former Arsenal man would complete just 9/15 of his passes during the game, resulting in a less than impressive 60% success rate.

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This was the joint-fewest passes with Adams played by any player who started the game, whilst it is also significantly fewer than the 19.8 passes he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

Despite being involved so little, the £5.4m-rated Walcott still managed to lose possession on 11 occasions, whilst he also failed to contribute a single shot or dribble during his time on the pitch.

Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach certainly wasn’t impressed with his performance, as he rated him a 3/10, writing:

“He was quiet and struggled to get into the game. He was easily forced wide and crowded out in possession, creating next to nothing. His form seems to have vanished during the second half of the season.”

Hasenhuttl will surely be fuming that one of the most experienced players in his side was completely anonymous at Anfield and considering Walcott’s poor recent form, the Austrian should surely think twice about signing him permanently this summer.

And, in other news… Southampton suffer huge setback with “exciting” £9m-rated gem, Ralph surely fuming

Leicester City have pulled out of the race to sign Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer this summer, according to Give Me Sport.

The Lowdown: Ajer a man in demand

The 23-year-old has just over 12 months remaining on his Parkhead contract, with reports claiming he is preparing to quit the Hoops over the coming months.

Ajer has been a regular in green and white this season, turning out at both right-back and centre-back in his 44 appearances.

The likes of Newcastle United and Norwich City have been credited with an interest in the player who former loan manager at Kilmarnock Lee Clark described as ‘outstanding’, however, a move to the King Power no longer appears to be on the cards.

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The Latest: Rodgers ends Ajer interest

According to Give Me Sport, who were discussing Ajer’s future, ‘Brendan Rodgers has ended Leicester City’s interest’ – seven words that could impact Celtic and their hopes of a bidding war for the Norwegian.

The report claims that Rodgers’ decision has left Celtic in a difficult position, with the Hoops initially hoping to receive £15m for his signature as a result of interest from multiple Premier League sides.

The Verdict: Could give McKay an issue

This latest update could give new Celtic CEO Dominic McKay a headache.

It seems as if the club were banking on a bidding war for Ajer materialising, but with the Foxes now out of the race, the chances of that happening appear to have taken a hit.

You never know, both Newcastle and Norwich could be desperate for his services and may look to outdo each other to get the Hoops man, but neither of them have the financial capabilities or of course European football to look forward to like Leicester do.

However, with the Foxes no longer in the running, McKay may have to make do with selling Ajer at a cut-price fee. They’re bound to make a profit, though, with the defender joining for just £540,000 back in 2016.

In other news: Ryan Christie transfer update emerges, find out more here. 

Once a football club falls into a trap of poor results it’s easy to blame those at board level; that’s certainly been the case at Celtic this season.

The Bhoys have dominated for so long at the top of Scottish football with Parkhead constantly being filled with new trophies.

However, as we know, all good things must come to an end. A historic ten in a row has escaped the Hoops and they’ve now been usurped by their biggest and fiercest rivals.

Celtic may have won the treble last term under Neil Lennon but you can trace back their disastrous 2020/21 campaign to when he was appointed. Peter Lawwell and the boardroom weren’t ambitious enough and used a £10m compensation fee for Brendan Rodgers to lure Lennon back to the club instead.

His management was poor this term but Lawwell has hardly covered himself in glory either. The same goes for the recently departed Nick Hammond.

He left his role with Celtic a few weeks ago and is set to be followed by Lawwell who will retire from his duties as CEO in the summer.

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Dominic McKay is due to replace him but the former Chief of Scottish rugby has already begun his work behind the scenes.

Celtic’s hunt for a new manager has accelerated since he walked through the door but unfortunately, McKay is already on the verge of his first major mistake in the transfer market.

This has been an area of the club that they’ve fallen short in during recent years. Hammond and Lawwell brought both Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti to the club last season for instance.

The former has been a disaster between the sticks after a £4.5m move while Ajeti has found the net on just six occasions following the completion of a £5m deal.

Though, it would appear that Celtic never learn their lesson. The latest on the transfer front is that they are trying to finalise a swoop for Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy.

The Irishman has been on their radar dating back to last summer and now the Hoops hierarchy are in advanced discussions to sign him.

McCarthy is out of contract in a few months so won’t set them back in a similar way that Barkas and Ajeti did but it still doesn’t make it a worthwhile move.

Scott Brown will be leaving a heap of experience behind when he goes to Aberdeen but Celtic already have younger options to fill his spot. Ismaila Soro has been chomping at the bit for more minutes while Luca Connell hasn’t earned a single first-team appearance since signing from Bolton in 2019.

Add Liam Shaw into the equation and you have a trio of young midfielders ready to make an impact in the Bhoys midfield.

McCarthy is now 30 years of age and hasn’t played much football at all this season. The Palace general has featured on 13 occasions in the English Premier League, providing evidence that he hasn’t really set the world alight.

Brown has been one of Celtic’s biggest problems this season, being surpassed by quick and dynamic forwards on a regular basis. Take Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos last weekend for example who ran riot up against the midfield stalwart.

The last thing Celtic need right now is another ageing player taking up a high proportion of wages.

The Hoops are at a point where they need to look at younger alternatives for their squad, not players like McCarthy.

AND in other news, Imagine him under Howe: Celtic must unleash 6 ft 3 brute who “competes for everything”…

A number of Liverpool supporters have been left deeply frustrated, following claims that Jadon Sancho could sign if Mohamed Salah leaves.

The Reds have endured a season to forget, failing to defend their Premier League title and now looking highly unlikely to finish in the top four.

One of Liverpool’s biggest issues has been their wastefulness in front of goal, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino under-performing to a huge extent – the Reds have scored just four goals from 13.78 expected goals (xG) at Anfield in 2021.

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Jurgen Klopp may feel he needs to bring in another attacker this summer, bringing freshness in the final third and putting pressure on their big-name stars.

According to Bild, Liverpool are potentially interested in signing Borussia Dortmund forward Sancho, with his performances catching Klopp’s eye.

It is claimed that he would likely only join of Salah moved on to pastures new, however – something that would of course be a major blow for the Reds.

Liverpool fans unhappy at transfer rumour

These Liverpool fans are not impressed by the update, taking to Twitter to show their frustration at the club seemingly at risk of cashing in on Salah.

“FSG started their plot to sell one of the best players in PL era”

Credit: @LuminousHelios

“They are really trying to force Salah out”

Credit: @Rsvpchuki

“SALAH SHOULD BE THE LAST ONE WE LET LEAVE US”

Credit: @radzjeewa7

“There is no “replacement” for Mo Salah. He is a one of a kind player”

Credit: @starwart1

“Please no”

Credit: @_MrChase

“Salah doesn’t want to leave but it seems we want to cash in. Disgusting club”

Credit: @Nirishred

In other news, some Liverpool fans have written off one Reds player, following a poor season. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts has told The Transfer Tavern that the club should sell Erik Lamela this summer.

The Argentina international, who Ryan Mason brought on and gave him the final 11 minutes in the win against Southampton on Wednesday, has been linked with an exit from the north London club in recent weeks.

According to a report from Corriere dello Sport, £80,000-a-week man Lamela is working towards a return to Italy, having moved to Spurs from Roma back in 2013.

He is the only player purchased that summer, following Gareth Bale’s exit to Real Madrid, to still be at the club.

In total, he has made 254 appearances for the club, scoring 37 goals and laying on 47 assists.

This season, under the management of Jose Mourinho, he has made just five Premier League starts and, even with the sacking of Portuguese, Roberts has claimed that he would sell the 29-year-old in the summer transfer window.

Lamela is valued at £14.4m by TransferMarkt and asked if he would be one of the players he would look to move on, Roberts told TT: “Yeah, definitely.

“I think he’s had what, eight, nine years, here now. He’s never been a regular, when Pochettino was here, I think he does give his all, I’ve got to say he sticks his foot in, he works hard. Sometimes he loses a bit of concentration.”

Aston Villa are reportedly worried they have made a mistake regarding midfielder Morgan Sanson.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who have been informed from a club source that the Villa hierarchy feel they “haven’t done their homework” over the Frenchman.

Sanson difficult to manage

Sanson joined in the January window on a four-and-a-half-year deal from Marseille but has made just two starts under Dean Smith.

The 26-year-old has made eight appearances in total, picking up three yellow cards in just 224 minutes of Premier League action so far.

The report claims that the midfielder is very difficult to manage, with two of his former agents deciding to let him go.

Transfer Tavern take

Smith was hoping Sanson would improve his midfield ranks, however, he’s struggled to really make his mark in the Midlands so far.

Valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, it’ll be interesting to see what Villa decide to do with Sanson, should these inside sources prove accurate.

Who knows, the club may even decide to cash in on him less than 12 months into his Villa Park career if they feel they have made a big mistake.

In other news: Villa open to offers for 25-year-old this summer, find out more here.