All posts by h716a5.icu

Xherdan Shaqiri has been linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer as Jurgen Klopp looks to rebuild his squad.

What’s the story?

According to Turkish reporter Ekrem Konur, several teams across the continent are interested in acquiring the 29-year-old’s services, including AS Roma, Lazio and Sevilla.

It’s also claimed that the Anfield outfit are only interested in entertaining permanent offers for Shaqiri, with transfer funds expected to be limited due to the ongoing pandemic.

Klopp must sell

The Switzerland international arrived at Liverpool for just £13 million back in 2018 from Stoke City thanks to a relegation release clause in his contract.

His arrival was deemed to be an astute piece of business by the Reds as Shaqiri had won major trophies during his stint with Bayern Munich and had proved himself to be a talented Premier League force throughout his time with the Potters.

However, things have not quite worked out for the diminutive forward on Merseyside. A string of niggling injures have kept Shaqiri on the sidelines for large spells of his Liverpool career, limiting him to just 18 league starts in three seasons.

Alongside his fitness concerns, there have also been question marks lingering over the creative talent’s attitude and application for many years.

“I’m not a fan of Shaqiri, to be honest with you,” Gary Neville revealed ahead of Switzerland’s World Cup opener against Brazil in 2018.

“I think that was to be fair made worse by the fact that he distanced himself from his teammates at Stoke. They were unprofessional last season, there’s no doubt. And he epitomises it.”

Nevertheless, the £80,000-per-week gem is still capable of producing a magical moment on his day and has done sporadically throughout his stay with Klopp’s charges.

Important goals in victories over bitter rivals Manchester United and Everton rank just behind an assist in Liverpool’s famous Champions League semi-final second-leg comeback against Barcelona in Shaqiri’s highlight real, but they were individual stand-alone moments rather than a product of consistent quality performances.

If Klopp wants to wrestle his Premier League crown back from Pep Guardiola and Manchester City next season, then he must axe Shaqiri in order to make room for fresh legs to add new attacking impetus into his forward line.

Liverpool need a magician they can rely on, not one who’s likely to disappear for months at a time.

And, in other news…Liverpool tipped as club who could move for £650k-p/w liability, Edwards must avoid 

Former international fast bowler Kerry Walmsley has been named Otago’s cricketer of the year

Lynn McConnell09-Apr-2002Former international fast bowler Kerry Walmsley has been named Otago’s cricketer of the year.The awards were announced at a special function in Dunedin this evening. Walmsley took 32 wickets at an average of 22.43 this season, despite playing in only seven matches during the year. Walmsley won the Peter Dick Trophy and added the Wycherley Trophy as the best bowler in Otago.Jordan Sheed, an entrant into the New Zealand Academy this year, was named the rising star and won the Parry Thompson Trophy.Craig Pryor won the Trustbank Cup as the best batsman of the year having scored 423 runs during the season.The E H Downes Memorial Trophy went to Nathan Morland as best fieldsman.Brendon McCullum, who made his One-Day International debut this year was awarded the John M Kennedy Cup for the fastest State 50.In the women’s awards Rachel Pullar was named the player of the year and the batsman of the year. Elizabeth Scurr was the best bowler, Rowan Milburn the best fielder and Katey Martin the rising star.Coach of the year went to Iain Nellias while George Morris was recognised for his outstanding contribution to cricket.The Murray North Memorial Trophy for the outstanding individual performance by an Otago representative player during the season went to Claire Thompson.Other awards were:Under 17 girls’: Lara McKenzie (batting), Claire Thompson (bowling), Suzannah Bates (outstanding performer).Under 21 women: Sarah Tsukigawa (batting), Elizabeth Scurr (bowling), Katey Martin (outstanding performer).Under 14 boys’: Glenn Paterson (batting), Cameron Rutherford (bowling), Daniel Forde (outstanding performer).Under 15 boys’: Blair Cooper (batting), Tom Cooney (bowling), Kieran Noema-Barnett (outstanding performer).Under 17 boys’: Tim McClean (batting), Byron Wagstaff (bowling), Craig Smith (outstanding performer).Under 19 boys’: Jordan Sheed (batting), Mathew Harvie (bowling), Jarrad Waldron (outstanding performer).

Sri Lanka team manager Chandra Schaffter has denied that Muttiah Muralitharan was forced to play at Edgbaston after media speculation that he would have preferred to sit out the second Test.

Sa'adi Thawfeeq05-Jun-2002Sri Lanka team manager Chandra Schaffter has denied that Muttiah Muralitharan was forced to play at Edgbaston after media speculation that he would have preferred to sit out the second Test.”That is the last thing I would do. We left the decision entirely to him and he did not confirm that he was playing until the morning of the match,” saidSchaffter.He also claims that team morale had not been affected by the remarks made by thekey bowler to the media after the Edgbaston game.Muralitharan criticised his team mates and said: “Sometimes I have to take all the wickets. But you can’t expect a miracle bowling spell from me every time. The rest of the bowlers weren’t up to the mark in this match.”Schaffter, however, made light of the remarks. “There is no reaction from any player. They know Murali well now, not to take what he says seriously,” he said.Muralitharan also said that he was not certain whether he would play in thenext Test at Old Trafford because he ‘felt ugly to play without being 100 per cent fit’.Schaffter said Muralitharan was asked to play only for his bowling at Edgbaston and the rest of the team members were to protect him on the field. Batting was not a requirement of him, said the manager.Muralitharan bowled a marathon 64 overs and took five wickets for 143 runs, but complained of pain and soreness in his injured left shoulder. He faced only one ball in the entire Test, swishing his bat one handed in the first innings. He did not bat in the second.Team coach Dav Whatmore said Muralitharan bowling more than 60 overs vindicated their decision to play him, and added that he would be in contention for the third Test starting on June 13 at Old Trafford, Manchester.The British press have been unhappy over the restrictions imposed on them bymanager Schaffter in talking to the Sri Lankan players. Only the captain, coach and manager are available to them.”I have to take such precautions because some of our players are not so fluent in English and what they say can always be misinterpreted in the media. Murali’s case is just one of them,” said Schaffter.Today’s British newspapers said that Muralitharan “had been pressurised intoplaying” and that “the rest of the bowlers seemed deflated by his return as a one-dimensional bowling machine who had to be coddled in the field.”

Writing on Twitter, Italian reporter Gianluigi Longari has claimed Tottenham Hotspur have now been ‘proposed’ former AS Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk boss Paulo Fonseca.

The Lowdown: Spurs still on the manager hunt…

It has been over six weeks since chairman Daniel Levy opted to sack previous Spurs manager Jose Mourinho and the Lilywhites are still no closer to appointing a successor.

Indeed, many candidates have come and gone since then, with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers previously touted as among the favourites.

Now, it appears Mauricio Pochettino, Erik Ten Hag and Antonio Conte come as the best options for Spurs overall but new names could apparently still come into the fray late on (football.london).

The Latest: Fonseca now ‘proposed’ to Spurs

Writing on Twitter, Italian reporter and Sport Italia TV journalist Longari has made a big claim involving Tottenham and a new candidate in Fonseca.

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Indeed, he believes that the ex-Roma manager has been ‘proposed by intermediaries’ with Spurs now assessing his credibility for the manager’s job.

“Among the alternatives for the Tottenham bench, in addition to the much more expensive Antonio Conte, Paulo [Fonseca] is also there,” Longari explained.

“Which would result in more sustainable spending.

“The coach was proposed by intermediaries last week and his candidacy is being evaluated.”

The Verdict: Underrated candidate…

As Levy and chief technical performance director Steve Hitchen continue to head the hunt for a new manager, Fonseca is a name they should be considering at the very least, even despite his tough end at the Stadio Olimpico.

In the past, he has been described as blending both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp’s tactics in a ‘a symphony of Beethoven and Metallica’ (via Liverpool Echo).

Roma chief executive officer Tiago Pinto also lauded Fonseca as an ‘international class tactician’ before he opted to replace the 48-year-old with Mourinho.

Indeed, taking this into account, he could still have something to offer Spurs despite his dismissal from the Serie A giants.

Guardiola is also a big fan of the boss himself, having once been blown away by Fonseca’s Shakhtar side with a ‘wow’ and describing them as ‘one of the best teams in terms of playing football’.

Therefore, we believe Spurs supporters shouldn’t dismiss him entirely.

In other news: Spurs now want to sign this ‘nearly unplayable’ star, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a new manager has hit a frustrating stumbling block once again…

What’s the word?

According to Alasdair Gold, the North London outfit have “pulled the plug” on talks with former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte despite previous reports suggesting that the two parties had held positive talks.

Indeed, the Guardian claimed on Thursday that there was confidence in the Spurs camp that the 51-year-old would be appointed as Jose Mourinho’s successor after a tough seven-week search.

However, it seems as if the Lilywhites are now back at square one following a breakdown in discussions. Gold wrote on Twitter:

“As already stated by @Dan_KP and @Matt_Law_DT, [the] word just now coming out of Spurs that they’ve completely pulled [the] plug on talks with Conte, despite promising early discussions.

“Utter mess from Spurs really. Went in [a] completely different direction to what they were looking for initially with a very different type of manager and character and then weirdly shocked when they realised he didn’t fit their means or that profile they were looking for.

“Bizarre waste of a week or so. As I said earlier, Fabio Paratici still expected to join the club.”

Another big blow

This news will come as another devastating blow to everyone in N17 right now, and as you can see in the replies to Gold’s tweet, there are not many supporters happy with this news.

One put the brunt of the blame on the club’s ownership, the ENIC Group, claiming that “they’ve managed to destroy this club.” Another fan suggested it was “embarrassing” for Levy and the owners, with a further member of the Lilywhites faithful echoing Gold’s thoughts that it was just all one big “mess.”

It’s not the first time that Spurs have targeted a manager in this process, only for it to fall through for some reason.

Initially, RB Leipzig supremo Julian Nagelsmann was widely touted as Levy’s top target. He opted to join Bayern Munich instead, which is quite understandable.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-manager-gossip-transfer-rumours-team-and-injury-updates-and-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, manager gossip, transfer rumours, team and injury updates and more!”]

If you’re picking between the Bundesliga champions, who have a place in the Champions League, and a struggling Europa Conference League side, then there’s only one winner.

Then there was a fiasco over Brendan Rodgers. The Leicester City boss quickly ruled himself out of the running and has since gone onto clinch the FA Cup.

And of course, in recent weeks, Mauricio Pochettino had been linked with a sensational return to the club. Both parties wanted it to happen as well, according to The Athletic, but Paris Saint-Germain were never letting him go.

Therefore, this latest development is only going to anger a fanbase that is already left reeling by Levy’s decisions off the pitch.

Many have protested against the chairman and the owners following failed plans to launch a European Super League but that was merely the culmination of their serious lack of ambition.

Failing to land Conte, a nine-time major trophy winner – of which a Premier League and FA Cup feature – is further evidence that the club isn’t progressing forward but rather, going backwards.

Just as Gold says in his damning claim, it’s an “utter mess” at Spurs right now.

AND in other news, Levy heading for unforgivable Spurs mistake on 48 y/o who’s “proven himself incapable”…

BAT Sports stole a march on their ECB Southern Electric Premier League rivals by sides-stepping the bad weather and thumping South Wilts by eight wickets at Lower Bemerton

Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo)09-Jun-2002BAT Sports stole a march on their ECB Southern Electric Premier League rivals by sides-stepping the bad weather and thumping South Wilts by eight wickets at Lower Bemerton.Teenage left-hander Damian Shirazi hit an unbeaten 66 as BAT cruised home after South Wilts had collapsed from a comfortable 81-1 to 144-8 off a weather-cut 36 overs.It was the only Premier Division 1 match to survive the recent heavy rain, which created waterlogged pitches at Andover, Bashley (Rydal), Calmore Sports and Liphook & Ripsley.The 21 points BAT collected from a run cruise in the early evening sunshine made no difference to their fourth place in the table. But it closed the gap on Andover, Havant and Bournemouth, who lie in the top three places.Yet such an emphatic BAT victory hardly appeared likely after Paul Draper and flu-stricken Russell Rowe had given South Wilts such a promising start. The pair brushed aside the damp batting conditions, picking gaps in the field nicely as South Wilts nipped along at four runs an over.Draper was in an uncharacteristically aggressive mood, taking the initiative in a 69-run opening partnership which evergreen left-arm spinner Terry Rawlins ended by luring Rowe out of his ground to give stand-in Australian wicketkeeper Michael Watson an easy stumping.Rowe’s departure at the mid-innings point clearly unsettled the Salisbury club, whose middle-order vulnerability was cruelly exposed by Rawlins and a more confident Kirk Stewart.”Kirk suffered from a certain lack of confidence in the early games, but he took fourwickets at Portsmouth last week and anotherthree at South Wilts and is now enjoying his cricket again,” said BAT skipper Dave Banks.Batsmen came and went with monotonous regularity as South Wilts staggered from 81-1 to 116-7 in the course of 11 nightmare overs.Stewart, bowling much straighter than of late and exploiting a damp patch just short of a length, clipped Simon Woodhouse’s off-stump.It triggered a mass collapse, South Wilts’ middle-order folding like the proverbial deck of cards.Draper picked out Richard Kenway at backward gully then, 11 runs on, Jon Nash ran himself out. Jamie Glasson, eager to press on with the scoring, toe-ended an intended hook back to Stewart and, in the same 30th over, former skipper Rob Wade miscued an off-drive to extra-cover.Jo Cranch hooked Stewart for six, but perished soon after – Watson bagging a second stumping off Rawlins, who picked up 3-38 from a typically tidy 12-over spell.South Wilts had sunk to 127-8 – mainly through some poor cricket – but reached an eventual 144-8, with young left-hander John Chandler striking a crisp 15 not out and Shaun Adam hitting 12, including one glorious straight six.With batting conditions easing under the emerging sunshine, South Wilts’ were going to struggle to defend 144-8 – a good 30 runs short of a desirable score.And so it proved, with BAT easing home in near ideal conditions with four overs in hand.With any luck, South African Shaun Adam might have achieved an early breakthrough or two – had his team-mates not fluffed the chances that came their way.The left-arm Adam, who played eight times for Natal before injuring his back two seasons ago, bowled some stunning deliveries which, somehow, failed to find the edge of a BAT willow.Coming up the Bemerton slope, he frequently turned Damian Shirazi and Richard Kenway square with balls that cut off the seam.But Adam bowled without any luck at all and, as the opening partnership grew, so the South Wilts fielding became ragged. Kenway (27), who had ridden his luck, was eventually caught by Wade off Rob Down – but, by then, BAT were well into their stride at 87-1.Shirazi played with increasing confidence, hitting eight boundaries in what proved a match-winning knock.He added 54 in a second-wicket stand with Chris Thomason (27), which ended just three runs from home when the former Lymington all-rounder holed out in the deep to Jamie Glasson.”In the end we didn’t put up much of a fight,” confessed South Wilts vice-captain Paul Draper. “But had we picked up one or two of those early missed chances, we’d have given BAT a far tougher fight.”Shaun (Adam) bowled really well, forcing the batsmen to constantly play and miss, but it really wasn’t his day.”

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly entered talks to sign Marcus Thuram…

What’s the word?

According to RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, the 23-year-old is set to leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer and discussions with the Premier League outfit have advanced in recent days.

He tweeted:

“Marcus Thuram will leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer. The player is in talks with Tottenham. It is a priority of the club. Sources close to the English club explain that the discussions have advanced in recent days.”

It remains to be seen how much the Bundesliga side will command for their first-choice winger but Transfermarkt currently values him at around £31.5m.

Bye-bye Moura

With the future of Lucas Moura up in the air, the North Londoners could already be preparing for life after the Brazilian, who would leave renowned for his come-from-behind hat-trick against Ajax in the Champions League final.

As per Goal.com, the 28-year-old has been subject to interest from Saudi Arabia, with rivals Al Hilal and Al Nassr thought to be considering a move for him in the transfer window.

If the new director of football, Fabio Paratici, wants to find an instant replacement, then perhaps he’ll find it in the Gladbach sensation.

The three-cap France international has enjoyed a phenomenal campaign at Borussia-Park, where he has delivered 11 goals and 12 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

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That included a brace against Real Madrid, whilst he has also found the net against big league rivals RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund.

Thuram is described as a sharpshooter by the official Bundesliga website and they also liken him to Manchester United’s fellow Frenchman, Anthony Martial.

At 6 foot 4, he’s certainly bigger in stature and is a tad bit more stockier than the Premier League marksman but his quick, direct and strong capabilities have made him a left-winger to be feared.

“I believe that Marcus is far from the end of his development. There’s a lot more to come from him,” claimed his former boss Marco Rose. “Marcus is a footballer who benefits greatly from his physique and stature. He’s also a fine technician, who can always deal with situations in tight spaces.”

Thuram has also been described as “fast, robust and dangerous” by sporting director Max Eberl and lauded as someone who is going to have a “great future” by former coach Jean-Louis Gasset.

Paratici must look to make the towering speed demon one of his first signings at the club. He’d be a perfect replacement for Moura, even based on his goal record alone but it’s evident that he’d offer the Premier League side so much more.

AND in other news, No Dier or Alli, Roma sensation & £25m beast signed: Predicted Spurs XI under Fonseca…

Somerset find themselves staring relegation in the face in the NUL following their controversial defeat last week, and face a vitally important match this weekend

Richard Walsh06-Jul-2002Somerset find themselves staring relegation in the face in the NUL following their controversial defeat last week, and face a vitally important match this weekend.On Sunday they entertain Worcestershire at the County Ground in what will be a rehearsal for the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy quarter-final match later in the month.The black pear county are enjoying a run of good form in one-day cricket and are currently in second place in the table. The Sabres will be looking to make amends for the NUL defeat they suffered when the two sides met at New Road in May and for the Benson and Hedges defeat at Taunton a fortnight earlier.Sunday will also be a big day for Somerset’s popular wicket-keeper Rob Turner, who was born at Malvern, who has nominated this to be his benefit match.Somerset will go into the match without the services of their main strike bowler Richard Johnson, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Their bowling resources were even further depleted yesterday when Simon Francis, who gave his best display of the season against Surrey broke a finger, and will be sidelined for the next few weeks.Initially it had been hoped that Jamie Cox might have recovered from his broken thumb to face the Worcester Royals, but this now seems unlikely, and his return all being well will now be in the match against Yorkshire at Scarborough on Wednesday.The Somerset team will be: Matthew Wood, Piran Holloway, Mike Burns, Peter Bowler, Keith Parsons, Ian Blackwell, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Graham Rose, Matthew Bulbeck and Steffan Jones.Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: "This is an important match for us, and after last week’s disappointments we will be looking for a result on Sunday."

A major update has emerged on Ipswich Town target Max Power, regarding where he will be playing his football next season.

What’s the talk?

Ipswich Town target Max Power has officially signed for League One rivals Wigan Athletic. Power has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Wigan and will link up with his new teammates at the start of next month upon the expiry of his deal at Sunderland.

The East Anglian Daily Times reported earlier this month that Ipswich manager Paul Cook was keen on a reunion with Power after working with the midfielder earlier in his career. Ipswich have now missed out on a deal for Power, with Wigan swooping in to secure a deal with the Sunderland man.

Wigan manager Leam Richardson hailed the “fantastic” midfielder upon his arrival at the club. He told Wigan’s official website:

“Max is a great lad who I really enjoyed working with the first time around. He is fantastic in the dressing room, and a great character to have around the place.

“He still has a lot to offer, he can play a number of different positions as he did during his last spell, and we are delighted to have him back at Wigan Athletic.”

Cook will be devastated

Ipswich manager Cook will be devastated by this update as he has missed out on landing a familiar face ahead of next season. Cook managed Power during their previous spells at Wigan together, which means that the 27-year-old would likely not have needed the adaptation period other signings may need to adjust to Cook and his management style.

Power could have been an excellent addition to Cook’s squad too. He enjoyed a solid season with Sunderland in League One as he averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.74, producing five goals and three assists, across 44 appearances.

He could have added additional, proven, quality to Cook’s options, whilst also being able to play in a variety of positions. The £3.9k-per-week dynamo was deployed as a defensive midfielder, right-back, centre-back and central midfielder in League One for Sunderland last season.

Cook will not be best pleased with Wigan securing Power’s services ahead of Ipswich. CEO Mark Ashton will now need to work hard to source alternative targets in the coming weeks to make sure that Cook has enough quality to mount a promotion push next season.

AND in other news, Ipswich get potential transfer boost over “incredible” £7.9k-p/w beast, Cook needs him…

Manchester City fans are far from happy after it was suggested that Pep Guardiola could replace Aymeric Laporte with Pau Torres if the former departs the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Laporte made the move to City in January 2018, and initially made a big impact at the club. During the 2018/19 campaign, he played a key role in the Citizens’ Premier League success, making 35 appearances in the league as City won the title (Transfermarkt).

However, he picked up a serious injury towards the start of the following campaign and found himself playing second fiddle to Ruben Dias and John Stones last season.

He has been linked with a return to Spain recently, especially to Barcelona (Sport). Now, according to Sam Lee of The Athletic, City will try to sign Torres if Laporte departs. The 24-year-old Villarreal man has a €65m (£55.9m) release clause in his contract.

The news was relayed on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Pau Torres link below

“He’s not nearly as good I assure you. Don’t make that mistake.”

Credit: @Inhindsighyt

“Yep bring in another Spanish bruddah to not be 1st choice and pay a Ridiculous release clause. The CITEH WAY!”

Credit: @Relly_95

“50 mil on a needed left back NO, 50 mil on a 3rd/4th choice CB, YES???”

Credit: @SilvaSpecial27

“This is getting pathetic now, we’re already full of unhappy players because we have a ridiculous stacked squad full of world-class players. Guardiola might be a fraud”

Credit: @AzMCFC

“No”

Credit: @Obi_BALR

“The Pep Out people might have been right”

Credit: @Isaac47_

In other news, Man City fans rage at news on this international striker.