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Have Barcelona found a Nico Williams alternative? Hansi Flick eyes shock move for Bayern Munich winger – with German giants ready to let him leave

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Barcelona may turn to Kingsley Coman if they miss out on signing Nico Williams – with Bayern Munich offering the winger to the Catalan side.

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Barcelona ready to sell Coman Flick wants the Frenchman at Barcelona Catalans can't afford to buy the forward WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona were closely linked with a move for Nico Williams earlier in the summer, however, the Spain international decided to stay back at Athletic Club. After seemingly missing out on the young attacker, the Catalan club went ahead for Dani Olmo and is now on the verge of sealing a move for the attacking midfielder.

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Now according to a report from Sky Sports, Bayern Munich are ready to release Kingsley Coman in the ongoing transfer window as Blaugrana boss Hansi Flick is eyeing a move for him. The German manager, who earlier managed the winger at the Bavarian club, is known to be an admirer of the player.

DID YOU KNOW?

However, despite the coach's wishes, Barcelona will not be able to sign and register any more players unless they sell an important first-team member due to their current financial constraints.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KINGSLEY COMAN?

The Bundesliga giants have reportedly made it clear that Coman does not fit into Vincent Kompany's plans. If Barcelona are unable to sign him this summer, the Germans could consider selling the forward to his former club Paris Saint-Germain.

Ishant Sharma set to fly to New Zealand after clearing fitness test

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

He will fly out on Sunday for Wellington where the first Test begins on February 21

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2020

PTI

Fast bowler Ishant Sharma has cleared his fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is set to join the India squad in New Zealand for the two-Test series. ESPNcricinfo understands Sharma will fly out on Sunday and join the squad in Wellington, the venue of the first Test starting February 21. The BCCI is yet to issue a release on Sharma’s update though.Sharma had injured his right ankle during a Ranji Trophy game against defending champions Vidarbha nearly a month ago and had been looking doubtful for the Test series in New Zealand, having been advised six weeks’ rest with a grade three tear. He later went to the NCA for rehab and was named in the Test squad subject to clearing his fitness. Sharma will join Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini in the pace attack. Sharma was also the leading wicket-taker the last time India toured New Zealand, in 2013-14, with 15 scalps from two Tests, and the only bowler to claim two five-fors in the series. Sharma has been the leader of India’s pace attack in Tests in recent years, helping the team strengthen their grip at the top of the ICC rankings, and taking all 360 points in the ongoing World Test Championship. He has been India’s second-highest wicket-taker since the beginning of the 2017-18 season, only behind Shami, with 74 wickets from 19 matches at an average of 20.17 and strike rate of 43.7. He has played 96 Tests so far and could reach three digits in Australia later this year, subject to form and fitness.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe leading chase to sign 17 y/o English gem for Man Utd

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Manchester United are thought to be in pole position to sign a new English gem as Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to unearth the next big thing at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe’s Man Utd to-do list

After taking control over sporting decisions, new co-owner Ratcliffe, alongside Sir Dave Brailsford, have got straight to work, bringing in Omar Berrada as CEO from rivals Manchester City.

A sporting director is also wanted at Old Trafford, with Newcastle United’s Dan Ashworth the top target. A decision may also need to be made on manager Erik ten Hag ahead of the 2024/25 season, and there haven’t been a shortage of possible replacements.

At this moment in time, Ten Hag’s future at United appears to be 50/50, with Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, England boss Gareth Southgate, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil all linked with a move to the red side of Manchester.

Ratcliffe will also be preparing for his first transfer window at the club, and he has recently hinted that he may not be splashing the cash. Asked about moves for superstars Jude Bellingham or Kylian Mbappe, Ratcliffe said:

“He’s a great footballer (Bellingham) but it’s not where our focus is. The solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They’ve done that, if you look at the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes, managing and organising the club. We must make sure we get recruitment right, such a vital part of running a football club is getting recruitment right, finding new players.”

On the idea of signing Mbappe, who is on course to join Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, Ratcliffe added:

“I’d rather find the next Mbappe, rather than spend a fortune to buy success. It’s not that clever to buy Mbappe, anybody could figure that one out.”

Possibly looking to invest at youth level, it appears as if the Red Devils are keen on an up and coming English attacker.

Man Utd leading chase to sign Baylee Dipepa

According to The Sun, Man Utd and Ratcliffe are ‘leading the chase’ to sign Port Vale teenager Baylee Dipepa. Those at Old Trafford are keen to do business soon, with Ratcliffe and co looking to unveil the next Mbappe instead of throwing money around.

Dipepa, just 17 years of age, has enjoyed a breakthrough season in League One with Port Vale, scoring two goals and providing two assists in 16 third-tier games.

He netted a brilliant solo goal on Good Friday against Bristol Rovers and prior to that, scored in both Euro qualifier appearances for England Under-17s.

A move over the coming months could therefore be one to keep an eye on, and it looks as if the Red Devils are currently in a good position to seal a deal.

Barcelona reach 'agreement in principle' to sign Nico Williams & finalise personal terms with Spain Euro 2024 sensation as he closes in on transfer from Athletic Club

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Barcelona have reportedly reached an "agreement in principle" to sign Nico Williams and finalised personal terms with the Athletic Club player.

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  • Barcelona met Williams' agent last week
  • Have thrashed out a deal with the player
  • Must activate his release clause to sign him

  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    According to negotiations between Barcelona and Williams’ agent, Felix Tainta, concluded successfully last week, finalising the terms of the player’s personal contract. While specific details regarding the wages and contract length have not been disclosed, the agreement signifies significant progress.

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    The Catalan giants are now focused on finding a way to meet the winger’s release clause – which stands at €58 million (£49m/$63m) and complete the transfer. Athletic Club have been adamant that they will not negotiate with Barcelona and warned that any other potential suitor must pay his exit clause in full to lure him away from San Mames.

  • WHAT LAPORTA SAID

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta has openly expressed his admiration for Williams and confidence in securing his signing. Speaking on the radio program 'El Matí de Catalunya Ràdio,' Laporta stated: "Obviously I like him, and very much. Today we can afford to sign Nico Williams. We can face a signing like Nico."

    Laporta also touched on the club’s strategy to navigate the financial constraints and adhere to La Liga's 1:1 rule, which governs player registration and wage spending. He mentioned that Barcelona is working diligently on various operations and is optimistic about returning to financial normalcy soon. "We will soon be able to announce the operations we have worked on. We'll be back to the normal of the Fair Play soon," he assured.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

    Despite the positive developments, there is a sense of urgency surrounding the transfer. Wiliams prioritises a transfer to Barcelona and also understands the club’s financial difficulties. However, he is not willing to wait the entire summer and expects the deal to be completed by the first week of August at the latest so that Athletic can have enough time to sign a quality replacement.

Leeds flop has become a star since leaving in 2017, he’s better than Kamara

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Leeds United made it a remarkable eight wins on the trot in the Championship last time out, comfortably overcoming Plymouth Argyle down in Devon 2-0 this weekend just gone.

The efforts of Georginio Rutter and Wilfried Gnonto to find the back of the net would obviously steal the headlines at Home Park, but it was the more understated performance of Glen Kamara that also deserves recognition alongside the goalscoring heroes.

Losing only one duel in the 2-0 victory, the Finnish holding midfielder let the Leeds defence breathe a little easier and feel assured that they wouldn't be breached.

As much as Kamara put in another stellar display in what has been a fantastic season so far for the 28-year-old, Leeds could have an upgrade on the ex-Rangers man in their ranks at the moment if they'd just kept hold of this former loanee beyond his unmemorable stint at Elland Road.

Finland international Glen Kamara.

Matt Grimes' time at Leeds

You would be forgiven for forgetting that Swansea City midfielder Matt Grimes had ever donned a Leeds strip, but the 28-year-old did have a brief loan spell in West Yorkshire during the 2016-17 season.

Reuniting with his former Swans manager Garry Monk in the process, Grimes would go on to make just 12 flat appearances for the Whites before trudging back to Wales deflated.

His final game for Leeds would also see the Whites crash out of the FA Cup to then non-league Sutton United, a period in the club's history nobody looks back on with particular fondness.

Opening up about the toll this switch to Leeds had on his mental health recently, Grimes will have been relieved that he managed to bounce back from this dark time with the Whites to become an established first-teamer back at Swansea.

Comparing both Kamara and Grimes now – with the former Exeter City youth product now captaining Luke Williams' Swans – Leeds fans wouldn't object to the midfielder coming back to the club even after being such a terrible flop the first time around.

Matt Grimes' statistics with Swansea

This season, Grimes comes in with better numbers than Kamara purely from a goals and assists standpoint – Grimes registering three goals and five assists from all competitions in 2023/24, compared to Kamara's lesser zero goals and three assists.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

Moreover, Grimes comes out on top in a battle between the two midfielders in terms of passes attempted per 90 minutes over the last year and shot-creating actions accumulated over the season to date.

The Swans captain has averaged an impressive 84.48 pass attempts to Kamara's inferior 66.82, whilst Grimes comes up trumps again with 88 shot-creating actions managed contrasted with the Finnish midfielder's weaker 64.

With Ilia Gruev already giving Leeds a combative presence from deep at Elland Road this season, Leeds' attacking game could have been enhanced even more with a figure like Grimes being present in their starting eleven over Kamara.

Once described as being a "brilliant" captain by former Swansea boss Russell Martin when the pair were together in Wales, Grimes won't regularly revisit his horror time with Leeds in his mind after managing to go on to have such a successful career after the ill-fated loan.

Yet, if Leeds were more patient and managed to strike up a permanent deal with the 28-year-old, they could well have had a fantastic midfielder for the level on their hands who could snatch Kamara's fixed first-team spot off of him.

Roy passes concussion test after blow to the head in the nets, Pope on standby

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Opening batsman to be assessed once more before being passed fit to play at Headingley

George Dobell at Headingley21-Aug-2019Jason Roy has come through a concussion test following a blow to the head while batting in the nets on Tuesday, but will be assessed once more before he is cleared to play in the third Ashes Test at Headingley.Roy sustained a blow directly on the stem guard when facing throwdowns from Marcus Trescothick. He was assessed both at the time – he was cleared to carry on batting – and again on Wednesday morning before training but will undergo one more test on Thursday morning before he is deemed eligible for selection.Jason Roy receives treatment after copping a blow in the nets•Getty ImagesWhile he is thought highly likely to be declared fit to play, England will have Ollie Pope on standby should Roy display any symptoms of delayed concussion. If that happens, and Roy misses out, Joe Denly would be promoted to open the batting alongside Rory Burns and Pope would slot into the middle-order. Pope and Dominic Sibley were on unofficial standby during the second Test at Lord’s in the understanding that Sibley would come in for a top-order batsman and Pope for a middle-order batsman.In years gone by, it is probable the blow sustained by Roy would have gone largely unnoticed. But with concussions very much in the news and a growing awareness of the seriousness of the condition, the cautious approach taken by England here is likely to become the norm. Roy batted in training without any apparent discomfort on Wednesday.”I’m pretty confident Jason’s going to be fit,” Joe Root said. “He’s been monitored quite closely as you’d expect; there is a hugeamount of attention around concussion at the minute. He’s undergone a couple of concussion tests so far and scored really well. So as it stands I fully expect him to be fit and ready to go.”You can only make a change if it happens within a Test match not if it happens prior to it so, with that in mind, we will have to be absolutely sure Jason is fit and ready to go, but we are fully confident he will be.”

Darren Stevens wobbles out four to leave Surrey looking far from invincible

by csb10.top Uncategorized

On the day the London reported that the ECB had accepted the name of Oval Invincibles for the Hundred side based at the ground next season, the county associated with the place through its cricketing history looked rather more vincible than they would have wished.Kent will enter the final day in the stronger position having established a lead of 98 on first innings and, after Surrey battled through the second session for the loss of only a single wicket, made sufficient inroads after tea to feel that a third win of the season is within their grasp. Just as long as the weather holds and their heads remain level.When bad light halted play with floodlights beaming for the third day in a row, Sam Curran and Rikki Clarke had at least averted the slender possibility of immediate defeat. Surrey will draw some hope from the fact that batting has rarely been simple, and if they can extend the lead to around 150, while taking time out of the game, they may be able to force mistakes. It would help if Gareth Batty recovers from illness to feature.Next summer, these counties will be together for the new concept. The name is said to have pleased both: Surrey have ground recognition, Kent a strong nod to the county motto of Invicta. This goes back to Norman times and means unconquered, although they seem to have remained so not by defeating William the Conqueror but thanks to a mutual agreement not to fight. Perhaps the Oval Pragmatists would be more appropriate.A cheeky soul might ask Darren Stevens what he remembers about motte and bailey castles. True, he was born in 1976 rather than 1066, but he looks a year or two older than 43 and the little hair now left is grey, and light grey at that. When Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, announced the signing of Matt Milnes last September he talked of “building and developing a seam attack that grows to be the best in the country”. But that attack would not be the same without the man who is old enough to be the father of the rest.As in the first innings, the Kent bowlers kept Surrey under near-constant pressure. They maintained a challenging line to the succession of left-handers. Revealingly, the first four wickets all fell to catches by wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson, albeit that of Rory Burns to a gloved attempt to hook. Before that stroke, Surrey were 9 for 1 overall in what had effectively become a four-session game. At that point, Kent took back the initiative.Without being spectacular the hour or so before tea was especially engrossing. A blanket of thin cloud blocked the sky, but it felt warm and close, as though a raindrop might herald a storm just as a wicket might easily spark a collapse. Grant Stewart struck Dean Elgar on the forearm, from the other end Ollie Rayner turned the ball past the bat. Yet Elgar and Burns were batting actively, rotating strike and finding gaps.Elgar nudged and poked and guided, his runs ugly but valuable. Burns, meanwhile, had enjoyed success on the pull from the second ball of the innings when he swatted away Harry Podmore. And so his demise to Milnes came as all the more of a shock. Then, confirming how difficult it has been to begin an innings, Scott Borthwick followed immediately to give Milnes his 39th wicket of the season. His signing from Nottinghamshire has been well and truly vindicated, as they have noticed at Trent Bridge as well as Canterbury.From then on, it became the Stevens Show. Curran, whose instinct is to counterattack, survived appeals for catches behind in successive overs, the second with particular conviction. It barely mattered when Elgar’s stubborn effort ended leg-before on 65 and Jamie Smith quickly fell in similar fashion – not the first and not the last youngster to succumb playing around his front pad with Stevens wobbling the ball late.His figures currently read 4 for 46, and with a breezy 29 before lunch he could reflect on a day’s wage well earned. As it happened, Surrey would have been relatively happy to have claimed the remaining six Kent wickets for 84, keeping the deficit in double figures. The highlight was an athletic diving catch by Mark Stoneman at midwicket to remove Stevens and a high take at first slip by Clarke accounting for Stewart.Clarke had demonstrated remarkable reflexes for a man close to his 38th birthday, and with three wickets in the session he demonstrated what Stevens later confirmed, that youth does not hold a monopoly on quality cricket. Which is not to say that either man will necessarily be sprinting around the boundary for the Invincibles next year. They are too pragmatic for that.

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham reveals 'little message' he received from Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho ahead of Champions League final

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Jude Bellingham revealed what Jadon Sancho told him after Real Madrid reached the Champions League final.

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Bellingham received a short message from SanchoEnglish stars played together at DortmundWill play in his first Champions League final on June 1WHAT HAPPENED?

The England midfielder claimed that he has not spoken to any of his former colleagues at Dortmund after Los Blancos beat Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League final. However, Bellingham revealed that he received a short message from compatriot Jadon Sancho.

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Sancho and Bellingham played together for one season in Germany before the winger made his high-profile transfer to Manchester United in 2021. Together they won the DFB Pokal in the 2020/21 season. The English stars are now set to face each other in their homeland as the Bundesliga giants face the reigning Spanish champions at Wembley.

WHAT JADON SANCHO SAID

Speaking on Real Madrid's media channel, Bellingham said, "Not been speaking with any of them this week. When we first went through I got a little message from Jadon. So I spoke with Sancho. Just saying: ‘I’ll see you there’ and all those kinds of things. Jadon’s always been someone who’s taken me under his wing when I first arrived at Dortmund. He’s a really good guy. He’s helped me a lot."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JUDE BELLINGHAM?

After winning the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga title in his maiden season in Spain, the 20-year-old will now aim to win his first-ever Champions League medal on June 1.

Fran Kirby reveals what went through her head as she scored in final Chelsea game to help Blues seal another WSL title

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Fran Kirby's final game in a Chelsea shirt saw her score the final goal in a 6-0 rout of Manchester United that sealed the WSL title

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  • Chelsea claimed fifth-straight Women's Super League title
  • Kirby netted final goal in 6-0 win over Manchester United
  • England star will leave club this summer

  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Kirby enjoyed a perfect end to a success-filled nine-year spell at Chelsea. The former Reading star came off the bench to net the final goal in a 6-0 win over United that sealed the WSL title at Old Trafford. Kirby will leave the club this summer, alongside Blues boss Emma Hayes.

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  • WHAT KIRBY SAID

    Kirby said: "‘It was amazing. I got a little bit emotional when all the girls came over and they were hitting me and jumping on me – they were saying that they were getting goosebumps [after the goal].When I went through on goal, I just thought, "Please don’t save it!" I’ve actually been practicing that finish for two weeks every single day after training, cutting in and finishing."

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    Chelsea's victory saw the club pip Manchester City to the title on goal difference to seal a fifth consecutive WSL trophy. Next season will mark a changing of the guard in west London, though, with Hayes set to become the new USWNT boss.

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  • DID YOU KNOW?

    As well as clinching the European Championship with England in 2022, Kirby has won every major domestic honour with Chelsea and was named the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year for the 2017/18 and 2020/21 seasons.

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