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da premier bet： Preparing for Ruben Amorim’s arrival, INEOS have reportedly set their sights on a new Manchester United target who has earned comparisons to Real Madrid wonderkid Arda Guler.

Man Utd transfer news

da gbg bet： It would be an understatement to suggest that Amorim has a hefty task on his hands at Old Trafford. Several managers have tried and all have failed to awaken a sleeping giant, from Jose Mourinho all the way to Erik ten Hag. This time, as the first coach to arrive with a new sporting director in place in the form of Dan Ashworth, the Red Devils will be desperate to see their latest choice finally succeed.

Related Saved by Amad: Ruud must instantly axe 4/10 Man Utd star after PAOK

Manchester United secured their first win of the Europa League last night.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Nov 8, 2024

The former Sporting boss is due to arrive on November 11 to take charge of a side that he will hope is fresh from a four-game unbeaten run since Ten Hag’s dismissal, with Leicester City up next for interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. If the Dutchman defeats the Foxes for the second time in his short spell then he should consider his four-game tenure quite the success.

United’s recent turnaround doesn’t end the need for reinforcements, however, and those at Old Trafford seem to be well aware of that. According to reports in Spain, INEOS have now set their sights on Yunus Akgun, who has been compared to Turkey teammate and Real Madrid star Arda Guler.

The 24-year-old winger has reportedly emerged to become Manchester United’s latest target for Amorim after scoring six goals and assisting one other in 15 games for Galatasaray this season. On the scoresheet against United’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a recent 3-2 victory, Akgun is one to watch.

"Wonderful" Akgun would replace Antony

One of the first problem positions that Amorim must deal with is right-wing. Jadon Sancho tried and failed to star in that role to leave Manchester United spending big once again. Like Sancho, however, splashing the cash on Antony only added to the issue that the Red Devils must now solve once and for all, which could see Akgun arrive.

The 24-year-old is finally bursting into life at Galatasaray and living up to the praise that Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig sent his way in 2022, describing Akgun’s season as “wonderful” at the time.

Following Antony’s failure, Manchester United must spend wisely and Akgun represents an interesting option who has shown plenty of signs that he could be the man to finally solve their problem on the right-hand side.

da esport bet： La Liga giants Real Madrid are “seriously” considering the sale of an illustrious player in the next transfer window, with Arsenal prepared to bid and at the forefront of the race for his signature.

Arsenal given selection headaches ahead of crucial Liverpool game

da dobrowin： While sporting director Edu Gaspar weighs up the club’s next transfer swoops, in a bid to reinforce Mikel Arteta’s squad, the Spaniard is currently attempting to find a way around some real selection headaches before hosting Liverpool on Sunday.

Related Arteta thinks "exceptional" Real Madrid player would be perfect for Arsenal

The north Londoners could look to raid the Bernabeu.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Oct 23, 2024

There are fears that defender Riccardo Calafiori has suffered ligament damage, after he was forced off with 20 minutes left to play during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League earlier this week.

Meanwhile, it is believed Takehiro Tomiyasu is facing around a month on the sidelines after his knee injury flared up again recently. The Japan international had only just returned from a problem which kept him sidelined since pre-season, making a brief cameo against Southampton, but Tomiyasu is now set to be unavailable again for the foreseeable.

Arsenal expect Bukayo Saka to miss their clash against Liverpool, while it remains to be seen when club captain Martin Odegaard will return from his ankle injury. Another doubt ahead of this Sunday is defender Jurrien Timber, with the Dutchman missing Arsenal’s last few games after picking up a muscle problem recently.

Meanwhile, left-back Kieran Tierney remains out with a hamstring injury. Arteta has been dealt many fitness blows to key player since the beginning of the season, and Arsenal have done pretty well to cope with what can only be described as an injury crisis.

Reports have suggested that the north Londoners could look to the transfer market in an effort to sign much-needed strength in depth. Arsenal are reportedly looking to sign a back-up for Saka, with Bryan Mbeumo among their potential targets.

It is even believed by some sections of the press that Arsenal may lodge a bid for Atalanta defender Isak Hien, so there are a few options that Edu and co are considering as we approach the turn of the year.

Real Madrid forward Arda Guler is deemed by Arteta as a potential perfect Arsenal signing, according to some reports, as the Turkey international starlet weighs up his future at the Bernabeu.

Guler is by no means the only Real player on their radar, though, as an update from Spain claims this week.

Arsenal prepared to bid for Rodrygo as Real Madrid consider sale

According to a Spanish report, Galacticos star and Brazil forward Rodrygo is in Edu’s thinking.

Rodrygo’s stats in all competitions this season

Total

Appearances

13

Goals

3

Assists

2

Minutes played

883

The £200,000-per-week star could be close to saying goodbye to Madrid, and his next destination may well be the Premier League. It is believed Carlo Ancelotti’s side are “seriously” considering his sale in January, with Arsenal prepared to bid for Rodrygo and take advantage of this situation.

Both the Gunners and Liverpool are described as at the “forefront” of the race for Rodrygo, but it may not be an easy deal to pull off. There have been suggestions that the 23-year-old could cost around £136 million, which would shatter Arsenal’s transfer record, so it remains to be seen just how far Edu and co would be willing to go for a deal.

da bet sport： Derby County will be relatively pleased with how their season is going in the Championship so far, with Paul Warne’s Rams currently sitting in a satisfactory 12th place in the league.

da bet vitoria： They are faring much better with the step-up to the second tier than the likes of Portsmouth, who actually won League One last campaign, but find themselves rooted to the bottom of the division.

Unlike Derby teams of the past that have depended on some up-and-coming homegrown talents to come good through their esteemed academy, this current eleven put together by Warne has a number of experienced EFL heads in it.

Still, there will be immense pride in the Rams camp at the moment with how far Eiran Cashin has pushed on in the senior ranks, as the 22-year-old stars in the Championship now with his boyhood club.

Notable recent Derby youth products

Of course, Cashin will steal the limelight in this regard, considering the Rams number six has stuck by the club away from being tempted to leave for pastures new.

The 22-year-old has now amassed 134 appearances in the senior mix at Pride Park, with his importance not waning in the second tier whatsoever, with the young centre-back only missing one game so far in the league owing to injury.

Away from the Nottinghamshire-born defender remaining loyal to the second-tier outfit, other recent academy talents that went on to make a name for themselves at Derby have also departed for new challenges.

Faces such as Will Hughes, Max Bird and Jason Knight have all gone on to be success stories elsewhere, with the first of that midfield trio still performing in the Premier League for Crystal Palace even at the age of 29, whilst Bird and Knight are teammates together at Bristol City.

Not every player that rises up the ranks develops into an unbelievable ace, however, with this striker now forgotten about when it comes to conversations regarding some of the notable names that have graduated from the Rams academy.

The Derby youngster who nearly emulated Salah & Giroud

Before his Derby career fell to the wayside, Mason Bennett was tipped for big things at Pride Park, having been the youngest ever player to line up for his hometown club in 2011 at just 15 years of age.

Once scouted by Premier League giants in the form of Manchester City and Liverpool, Bennett is also fondly remembered by those in Derbyshire for a ridiculous scorpion kick style effort he managed versus Wigan Athletic in 2019, with some even stating at the time that it could be a Puskas Award contender.

Away from this unbelievable effort, which nearly saw him emulate the heroics of Mohamed Salah and Oliver Giroud in being up for that prestigious award, Bennett would never prove himself to be a reliable goalscorer for the men’s team, which would result in his exit from the club under Philip Cocu just a year on from this audacious strike versus the Latics.

The 5 foot 11 forward – who made the permanent move to Millwall in August 2020 – would only manage to score five more goals for the Rams away from this memorable effort looping over the Wigan goalkeeper, finishing his time at the club with a lacklustre goal return of six from 89 clashes.

Bennett’s career goal record

Club played for

Games played

Goals scored

Derby

89

6

Chesterfield

6

0

Bradford City

13

1

Notts County

2

1

Millwall

103

10

Burton Albion

66

6

Sourced by Transfermarkt

To further add insult to injury, that much-talked-about goal wouldn’t even be nominated, with Bennett also struggling away from Derby to find his goalscoring mojo as can be seen looking at the table above.

Now on the books of Burton, who are fighting against relegation in League One, it’s fair to say the 28-year-old never lived up to his immense hype as a wonderkid.

Derby will hope they can unearth more homegrown gems soon, away from failed examples such as Bennett, but will know experience is going to be key in fending off the Championship relegation zone across this gruelling campaign.

Related "Excellent" Derby ace to miss six months after "heartbreaking" update

He came off injured against Millwall…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Oct 23, 2024

The two Midlands counties have punched above their weight in the Vitality Blast this season and will be keen to carry the form into warm-ups

Matt Roller30-Jun-2022While one Indian men’s team is playing England at Edgbaston in the rescheduled fifth Test, another will be involved in two warm-up matches ahead of July’s T20I series against the same opponents, on the back of their 2-0 series win against Ireland in Malahide.For the England series, Rohit Sharma is back as India captain, with the first match starting at the Ageas Bowl on July 7.Related

• Rohit returns to lead white-ball squads for England series; Hardik back for ODIs

• Balbirnie 'bitterly disappointed' as Ireland fall agonisingly short in 226 chase

• Deepak Hooda shows his range in India top-order audition

• Derbyshire bring in Hilton Cartwright as Shan Masood cover

Fourteen of the 17-man squad that travelled to Ireland made an appearance in one of the two T20Is, with Rahul Tripathi, Venkatesh Iyer and Arshdeep Singh the three men to miss out. Hardik Pandya captained the side, with Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson putting in stand-out performances in the second T20I.Their opponents this week will be Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, two Midlands counties who have punched above their weight in the Vitality Blast this season. Heading into the final rounds of games, they sit third and fifth respectively in the nine-team North Group, with the top four qualifying for the quarter-finals.Derbyshire’s historic T20 record is poor: they have reached the knockout stages three times in 19 previous seasons and have only once reached Finals Day, back in 2019 when they lost to eventual champions Essex in the semi-finals. But they have been transformed this season since Mickey Arthur’s arrival as a coach, and a win against Durham on Sunday would guarantee a quarter-final place.They have used a core of 13 players in the Blast this season, with Shan Masood, one of their overseas players, leading from the front with 516 runs as captain, averaging 46.90 with a strike rate of 142.14. Wayne Madsen and Leus du Plooy, both local players despite their South African heritage, have contributed heavily in the middle order.With the ball, Scotland’s Mark Watt and the legspinner Mattie McKiernan have been the keys in the middle overs, while Hayden Kerr – the Australian allrounder who was a net bowler for Lucknow Super Giants at IPL 2022 – and the tall seamer George Scrimshaw have been prolific, if occasionally expensive.Derbyshire have named three overseas players in their 16-man squad for Friday night’s fixture, with Hilton Cartwright, the Australian batter, arriving as cover for Masood, but they are only expected to field three in their playing XI. Ticket sales have been strong, with fewer than 1000 remaining on Thursday evening.”They’re the benchmark of international cricket in pretty much all formats,” Cartwright told Derbyshire’s YouTube channel. “If you can perform well against them, your game is in a good place. It’s a real challenge to see how far you can test them.”For Northants, the atmosphere around Sunday’s game will depend heavily on their result against Leicestershire on Friday night. A defeat will see them eliminated but if they win, they will be relying on results elsewhere on Sunday to help them into the quarter-finals. They have a proud T20 history, lifting the trophy in 2013 and 2016, but have struggled in the last five seasons.Chris Lynn and James Neesham, their overseas players, have been their main stars this year but are not expected to take part in Sunday’s fixture, which has been sold out for the last week. Josh Cobb, their captain, has had an excellent Blast season with bat and ball while young players Saif Zaib, Ben Curran – the middle brother, between Tom and Sam – and left-arm wristspinner Freddie Heldreich have all shown glimpses of their talent.Fixtures: July 1 – Derbyshire vs India, The Incora County Ground (7pm), July 3 – Northamptonshire vs India, Wantage Road (2.30pm)

Aston Villa reportedly have their eyes on a free transfer in 2025, however, Newcastle United are in talks to seal a deal of their own.

Aston Villa transfer rumours

NSWE and Monchi were extremely productive over the summer, signing eight players in the transfer window. Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene, and Ross Barkley all sealed permanent moves to Villa Park and have featured under Unai Emery during the current Premier League campaign.

Meanwhile, Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea joined in a deal that saw Douglas Luiz head to Juventus, however, the pair have been sent out on loan to Bologna and Valencia respectively. Meanwhile, Lewis Dobbin also joined and left on loan, whereas Cameron Archer was brought back to the club from Sheffield United, only to then be sold to Southampton.

Aston Villa eyeing move to sign 6 ft 1 colossus who Leon Bailey knows well

Three more clubs are keen, though.

1 ByCharlie Smith Sep 26, 2024

It was a busy few months in the Midlands, and earlier this month, Monchi admitted that Villa shouldn’t be scared to sell as well as buy if they want to compete at the very top. “If we want to be in the top we need to sell, 100 per cent. Because of our revenue – we cannot raise more revenue because of our stadium. We need to consider the profit as revenue.

“We need to consider in future that to sell a player is revenue. Because we cannot have more revenue. When Damian worked in Valencia and I worked in Sevilla it was OK to increase the level by selling players. The most important thing in my opinion is not selling players – the most important thing is to buy good [players].

“We were not afraid to sell players but we had to do it within a plan. In my opinion we need to sell players because City sell players, Arsenal sell players, Real Madrid and Barcelona sell players. We are not afraid to sell players – the most important thing is to have, one – a buyer, and two – buy a player to replace this one.”

Despite potentially needing to sell in 2025, there have been rumours of further incomings. Recently, defender Richard King has been linked with a Villa Park move, whereas Besiktas winger Semih Kilicsoy and Brazil U20 international striker Rayan Rocha are also on the radar.

Another mooted target has been Lille striker Jonathan David. Reports earlier this month said that Villa were one of the sides in the running to sign the Canada international, and a further update has now emerged.

Aston Villa in contact over Jonathan David move

According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, Newcastle United are in talks with David over a potential pre-contract agreement in January.

However, the Magpies aren’t the only Premier League side David’s representatives are talking to, with the report adding that Aston Villa, alongside Arsenal, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United have also been in contact, asking to be kept informed of the situation.

The possibility of signing the “mind-blowing” striker appears to have alerted a lot of English suitors, so Villa may have to act fast if they are to win the race for the 24-year-old.

Indian Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha has opted out of Bengal’s Ranji Trophy squad for “personal reasons”. A Cricket Association of Bengal official confirmed this development to ESPNcricinfo but did not elaborate on what the exact reason might be.It could not be verified whether the Indian selectors or team management have had a word with Saha recently about his future and whether that prompted the 37-year old to skip the league phase of Ranji.With Rishabh Pant firmly in place as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, Saha has been the back-up in India’s Test squads. However, given his age, and KS Bharat exhibiting excellent glove-work when he came on as a substitute during India’s home Test series against New Zealand in November-December 2021, the selectors have two keepers in their 20s to call on. Bharat, who is 28, has been a regular with India A for the past few years.Related

• Saha parts ways with Bengal after obtaining NOC from CAB

• Saha, Shami picked in Bengal Ranji squad for quarter-final

• Wriddhiman Saha: 'Being indirectly told to retire'

• Super sub KS Bharat underscores Indian cricket's incredible depth

• BCCI unveils two-phased plan for Ranji Trophy

In Saha’s absence, Bengal have picked Sakir Habib Gandhi and Abishek Porel as their wicketkeeping options.Meanwhile, there was another senior player missing from his team for the Ranji Trophy, with Robin Uthappa not part of the Kerala squad. It is understood that Uthappa is recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s in December. He is expected be back to full fitness soon, but is likely to miss the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, which ends before IPL 2022 starts in late March.Uthappa, who hit match-turning knocks in the semi-final and final of IPL 2021 for defending champions Chennai Super Kings, has listed his base price at the maximum – INR 2 crore – for the IPL 2022 auction that will take place on February 12 and 13.Sanju Samson was also not named in the Kerala squad, but that is because he is undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The Kerala Cricket Association said in a statement that Samson was expected to join the team once his fitness was cleared.Bengal are in Elite Group B of the Ranji Trophy, with Baroda, Hyderabad and Chandigarh. They will play their matches in Cuttack.Kerala are in Elite Group A, alongside Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya. Their matches will take place in Rajkot.The Ranji Trophy was not played last season because of the Covid-19 pandemic and will be held in two phases this time, before and after the IPL. It was originally scheduled to begin on January 13 but was postponed because of the third wave of infections across the country due to the covid-19 pandemic.Bengal squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Manoj Tiwary, Sudip Chatterjee, Anustup Majumdar, Abhishek Kumar Raman, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Abishek Das, Writtick Chatterjee, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Abishek Porel (wk), Shahbaz Ahamed, Sayan Sekhar Mondal, Akash Deep, Ishan Porel, Mukesh Kumar, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Sakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Pradipta Pramanik, Geet Puri, Nilkantha Das, Karan Lal, Ravi KumarKerela squad: Sachin Baby (capt), Vishnu Vinod (vice-capt, wk), Anand Krishnan, Rohan Kunnumel, Vatsal Govind, Rahul P, Salman Nizar, Jalaj Saxena, Sijomon Jopseph, Akshay K C, Mithun S, Basil N P, Nideesh M D, Manu Krishnan, Basil Thampi, Fanoos F, S Sreeshanth, Varun Nayanar (wk), Vinoop Manoharan, Eden Apple Tom.

كشف أحمد مرتضى منصور، عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك السابق، عن كواليس انسحاب الفريق الأبيض من مباراة القمة الشهيرة أمام الأهلي، مؤكدًا أن القرار لم يكن وليد اللحظة، بل جاء بعد نقاشات ومقترحات داخل مجلس الإدارة في تلك الفترة.

وقال أحمد مرتضى في تصريحات عبر “بودكاست جول كاست”: “انسحبنا من مباراة القمة أمام الأهلي مرة واحدة فقط، وهي المرة التي لم يتحرك فيها الأتوبيس، وكانت الفكرة نابعة من الدكتور مدحت العدل وأحمد عفيفي، حيث اقترحا أن نلعب المباراة بالناشئين، لكن رئيس النادي حينها، مرتضى منصور، نظر إلى الأمر من زاوية مختلفة، فقد رأى أنه من الممكن أن تُسجل في التاريخ نتيجة قاسية ضد الزمالك، ربما تصل إلى 9 أهداف، ولهذا قررنا عدم التوجه إلى الملعب”.

وأضاف: “القرار كان صحيحًا من وجهة نظري، فقد كنت قد حققت بطولتين، والجماهير كانت سعيدة، وكان لدينا مباراة مهمة جدًا بعد يومين فقط أمام الترجي التونسي، طلبت من حسام الزناتي وعمرو الجنايني أن يتم تأجيل المباراة ليوم واحد فقط، خاصة وأن هناك حالة من الاحتقان، بعد مشكلة إمام عاشور مع وليد سليمان، التي وصلت إلى اشتباك، فهل كان من المنطقي أن تُقام المباراة في ظل هذا التوتر؟”. 

وتابع: “الأهلي وقتها كان يريد أن يخوض المباراة حتى يفوز ويزيد من الضغط علينا، بينما كنا نحن نستعد لمواجهة الترجي، ولم يكن هناك ضرر في تأجيل اللقاء يومًا أو يومين، التأجيلات وقتها كانت تحدث بالهوى، وكل شيء كان يسير بالهوى، بالطبع الأهلي يستفيد من هذا الوضع، لكنه لا يحتاج إلى مثل هذه الاستفادة لأنه نادٍ قوي على كل حال”.

وحول إمكانية عودته هو والمستشار مرتضى منصور إلى إدارة نادي الزمالك مجددًا، قال: “يمكن أن نعود، لكن الأمر أصبح صعبًا جدًا بعد الفوضى التي حدثت، الوضع حاليًا يحتاج إلى معجزة، وبالمناسبة، كل ما يُقال عن ديون الزمالك غير دقيق، على سبيل المثال، يقال إن ضرائب النادي بلغت مليار ونصف، وهذا غير صحيح، الضرائب تحصل على 25% من دخل النادي، ولو كانت ميزانية النادي مليار جنيه سنويًا، فالضريبة تكون 250 مليون، وليس مليار ونصف”.

أحمد مرتضى منصور يوضح أصعب صفقة أبرمها لـ الزمالك.. ورأيه في لقب “أكبر قلعة رياضية في مصر”

وأردف: “هم يريدون تضخيم المبلغ بإضافة كل الإيرادات التي لم تُحصَّل بعد من الأعضاء، بل حتى العضويات التي لا تُفرض عليها ضرائب أُدرجت ضمن الحسابات، الهدف من كل هذا هو تحميل مرتضى منصور المسؤولية، رغم أنه مجرد رئيس نادٍ تنفيذي، وسوف يرحل في النهاية، لكن ما يحدث يضر النادي نفسه، وزير المالية قال في فيديو عام 2019 إن الزمالك هو النادي الوحيد الذي سدد كل الضرائب المستحقة، وكان هذا في عهد مرتضى منصور”.

واختتم أحمد مرتضى تصريحاته بالتأكيد على قوة والده الانتخابية داخل النادي قائلًا: “مرتضى منصور هو القوة الانتخابية الوحيدة داخل نادي الزمالك، هو الوحيد الذي يمتلك كتلة حقيقية، وإذا قرر خوض الانتخابات في أي وقت، فسيفوز بها دون شك”.

Tottenham chiefs are "determined" to sell striker Richarlison this summer, despite him finishing last season as their second top goalscorer in all competitions, and it is believed one forward in particular is keen on replacing him.

Richarlison linked with Spurs exit amid interest from Saudi Arabia

The former Everton star endured an underwhelming debut campaign at Spurs under former boss Antonio Conte, scoring just once in 27 league appearances, after making the move from Goodison Park in a deal worth £60 million.

Tottenham consider swap move for £162k-a-week forward with Ange "obsessed"

The Australian is desperate for a new attacker.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 1, 2024

Richarlison, in comments to the Brazilian press late last year, opened up about his struggles with mental health issues off the field, which could've been a key reason behind some of his performances, but then backed himself to come back stronger under Ange Postecoglou.

“On the field I’m a happy team player, I try to help as much as possible," said Richarlison on his psychological challenges.

"Sometimes, things don’t go the way we want. I think this part is a bit of the off-field side that ended up getting in my way. Even though you want to do things right, it ends up going wrong. I will continue to focus on the club, the storm has passed.

“I went through a turbulent time in the last five months off the field. Now things are right at home. People who only had an eye on my money walked away from me. Now things will start to flow, I’m sure I’ll get a good run at Tottenham and make things happen again.”

The 27-year-old proved himself correct, as things did start to flow for him in a Lilywhites jersey.

A phenomenal mid-season purple patch saw Richarlison bag nine goals in eight Premier League appearances from mid-December through to early February, finishing 23/24 as Tottenham's second top scorer behind Son Heung-min with 12 goals and four assists in all competitions.

However, it has been reported this summer window that Spurs are willing to sell the South American regardless. Technical director Johan Lange, chairman Daniel Levy and the wider recruitment team are fully aware of interest from the Middle East, with clubs in Saudi Arabia keen on signing Richarlison.

Lange is prepared to green-light Richarlison's exit for £60 million, according to some reports, and GiveMeSport have now gone one step further.

Tottenham "determined" to sell Richarlison with Ivan Toney keen to join

According to the news outlet, Tottenham are determined to sell Richarlison in the coming weeks, and it is believed that Brentford striker Ivan Toney likes the idea of joining Spurs as his potential replacement.

Saudi sides are still keeping a watchful eye on Richarlison, while Spurs have "emerged" as Toney's "most likely landing spot". The Bees forward, who is reportedly valued at around £50 million, wants to join a club with regular European football prospects and Tottenham fit the bill.

GMS sources close to the situation claim a move for Toney could go right down to the wire, meaning it may not be completed till nearer the end of the window, so it will be interesting to see how this develops.

The Ireland coach says he has had ‘a few good chats’ with IPL coaches to understand the conditions better

Matt Roller21-Oct-2021Graham Ford has been speaking to coaches involved in the IPL to get a better idea about conditions in Sharjah, ahead of his Ireland side’s winner-takes-all fixture against Namibia in the T20 World Cup.Sharjah played host to a series of high-scoring games during the 2020 IPL, but the pitches were re-laid earlier this year and were generally slow and low after the resumption of the 2021 season, with average scoring rates down to 7.00 runs per over from 8.87 the year before.Related

Graham Ford resigns as Ireland head coach ahead of USA, West Indies tours

Virtual knockout awaits Ireland and Namibia with Super 12s spot on the line

IPL lessons – how will the UAE pitches play out at the T20 WC?

Balbirnie backs Ireland's batters to adjust with WC dream on knife edge

Conditions were particularly difficult during the three matches played during the day in IPL 2021, with several players struggling to cope with the combination of heat and humidity: when Friday afternoon’s game starts at 2 pm local time, forecasts suggest the temperature of 35 degrees celsius will ‘feel like’ 41 degrees. Ireland have been in the UAE for several weeks now, but the heat remains a significant challenge in contrast to the weather their players are used to at home.”I’ve had a few good chats with some of the IPL coaches, but we’ll keep that to ourselves for now,” Ford said after Ireland’s heavy defeat to Sri Lanka, which leaves them needing a result in Friday’s fixture if they are to progress to the Super 12s. “Win or lose, we are gaining and we are learning, but quite obviously we’re desperate to go through to the next phase of the tournament.”You’re always greedy as a coach: you want to win everything and you want to have a nice easy last fixture and say ‘we’re already through’. But realistically, we’d have taken it. We’re still alive, we’re still in the competition, and that’s the most important thing.”Ireland played the evening game in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night and will be unable to train as a whole squad ahead of Friday’s fixture due to the time it will take to travel to Sharjah and the need for their bowlers in particular to recover. They have been frustrated by their schedule in the tournament, not least with the other first-round group staged in its entirety in the same venue, and Ford admitted it was “very difficult” to make improvements between games when playing three fixtures in the space of five days.

“It’s more about what have we learnt from the matches that we’ve played and how can we improve tactically.”Ireland head coach Graham Ford

“There’s no doubt it’s very difficult because of the distances that you have to travel to get to training venues,” he said. “Making improvements in terms of actually just getting in the nets and training is quite difficult [but] we can get to the ground a little bit earlier on matchdays and a couple of guys can sharpen their skills that way.”A lot of the work needed to be done in the preparation phase, which we had a pretty good block through that period, and now it’s not so much getting in the nets and trying to work on anything – it’s more about what have we learnt from the matches that we’ve played and how can we improve tactically and just really try to look sharper and see where we can improve in the game situation.”Ireland arrived at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in time to see the final stages of Namibia’s win against the Netherlands on Wednesday but are well aware of their ability as a side. They squeezed past them in the third-place play-off of the qualifying tournament in 2019, defending 135 in a low-scoring game, and the sides have played each other in a number of qualifiers over the last 15 years.”We had a long bus journey then caught the end of the game and they did hit the ball extremely well at the end,” Ford said. “We know that they’ve got some very dangerous players and David Wiese, who put on a show – we caught the end of that show. He’s played for South Africa in the T20 World Cup before and I’ve seen him in South Africa and on the county circuit. He can be absolutely devastating, which he was today.”They’ve got some dangerous players. They’ve got some very hard-working cricketers. Quite a few of them have learnt quite a lot of their cricket in South Africa and they pushed us close in the last game of the qualifiers. We know that they’re going to be tough – if we’re slightly off our best, we will struggle.”

Sporting CP sensation Viktor Gyokeres dreams of playing for one of the biggest teams in Europe after becoming one of the best strikers this season.

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Gyokeres in red-hot form for club and countryWants to play for one of Europe's elite teamsHas been linked to Manchester UnitedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres has addressed his future and acknowledged that playing for one of the biggest teams in Europe is one of his ambitions. His statement could be looked at as an eye wink to Premier League giants Manchester United, who have been heavily rumoured to be interested in the Sweden international's services after acquiring his former manager Ruben Amorim.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Gyokeres has become arguably the most sought-after forward in world football following his exploits with both Sporting CP and Sweden this season. The 26-year-old has scored an outrageous 34 goals in 27 games for club and country in the ongoing campaign, attracting attention from Manchester United, Barcelona, and Arsenal over a potential summer switch in 2025. The frontrunners are, however, the Red Devils. Amorim helped Gyokeres unlock his potential at Sporting CP, and the Man Utd boss will be licking his lips over a reunion with his former player as he aims to oversee a major overhaul at Old Trafford next summer.

WHAT VIKTOR GYOKERES SAID

"We will see. There are many rumours circulating, but we are in the middle of the season, there are still many months left," Gyokeres admitted when talking about his future to Sportbladet (h/t MARCA). "We will see when the time comes what will happen. Playing in one of the best teams in Europe, that is the objective."

GOAL/GettyWHAT NEXT FOR VIKTOR GYOKERES?

The Sporting CP striker will be aiming to help his club get out of their mixed run of form following Amorim's departure to England, as the Portuguese heavyweights have suffered four losses in six games under new manager Joao Pereira. They are at the top of the league with 36 points in 14 games, but have in-form Porto and Benfica breathing down their neck.