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Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Leicester City are all weighing up offers for Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez.

That’s according to Football Insider, which has led to a number of Eagles fans giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

Alvarez is a holding midfielder who can also line out as a centre-back, and he currently holds a career-high Transfermarkt valuation of £18m. Only Christian Benteke among Palace’s squad can exceed Alvarez’s 3.7 headers per game this season, while his passing success rate of 88% trumps every player at Selhurst Park.

The 24-year-old has been with Ajax since 2019 and has made 84 appearances for the Dutch giants. A Mexico international, Alvarez is seemingly on Palace’s radar, with the club making regular checks on him this season.

Football Insider claim that Ajax are braced for offers from the Premier League trio and face a battle to keep him at the club beyond the end of the January transfer window.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared the news regarding Alvarez’s Eagles links on social media. Here is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling a possible move as ‘class’.

“We’re big time under PV”

Credit: @tomjones2610

“Get it done, honestly he’s class”

Credit: @SteYouLater24

“This would be CLASS. I rate him big.”

Credit: @common_wishbone

“Omg Edson is so so good, I’d love him”

Credit: @WardTheGenie

“52 Mexico caps at 24, get the man in”

Credit: @LlLFishy

“Now this would be a great signing but can’t see it happening”

Credit: @mandyswagsta

In other news: ‘I’m honestly surprised’ – Matt Woosnam reacts as ‘great’ off-field news emerges from Palace

Cricket Australia has listened to the public but ignored its players after pushing through a split-innings one-day domestic trial before the national team attempts a fourth consecutive victory at next year’s World Cup

Peter English13-Aug-2010Cricket Australia has listened to the public but ignored its players after pushing through a split-innings one-day domestic trial before the national team attempts a fourth consecutive victory at next year’s World Cup. The introduction of the 45-over format means the country’s only 50-over matches in 2010-11 will occur at international level.In an unusual effort to counter the imbalance, Cricket Australia is already considering private fixtures for fringe members of the World Cup squad if they are short of game-time in the global format. The change towards the four-innings regulations for the entire domestic one-day tournament over-ruled the initial plan to break up the event, which would have scheduled traditional fixtures when the international representatives were available.Ricky Ponting, who is unbeaten as a World Cup captain, was not in favour of the alterations during the planning phase and after the announcement the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) said 78% of its surveyed members rejected the idea. Despite the criticism, Cricket Australia’s board passed the changes on Friday and the new format will begin when Queensland host Tasmania at the Gabba on October 6.James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, said the players’ views were extremely important, but they were not the only ones involved in a redesign being employed to revitalise the one-day concept. “In talking to stakeholders, the ultimate thing was the tournament should be played over the course of a whole year,” Sutherland said. “To do a proper trial and to ensure the public fully understands the way it is played. There is no doubt there are issues for individual players and preparation for the World Cup coming up.”One of the major ones is the lack of 50-over games for the squad members who will not appear regularly during the seven-match Australia-England ODI series in January and February. A 15-man World Cup unit will be named in December and Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s deputy, said the board had approved the option for “possibles versus probables” contests to ensure the right sort of preparation.”I’ll work with the selectors to determine whether they want some particular players, for example Brett Lee or Callum Ferguson, or people coming back from injury, and if that’s the case we’ll put on private matches to give them a chance to perform at optimum level for the World Cup,” Brown said. England and South Africa also don’t play any 50-over competitions at domestic level despite the ICC saying it has no plans to over-haul its preferred one-day genre.Sutherland said split innings would lead to a sense of “cat and mouse” and provide more strategy. Under the changes, the 20-over first innings will be followed by 25-over conclusions. There will be teams of 12, with only 11 batting or fielding, but no Powerplays or super strikers. Bowlers will be allowed to deliver two bouncers an over and have a maximum of 12 overs.Key features

45 overs per team with split innings of 20 and 25 overs

A maximum of 12 overs by any one bowler

10 wickets per team and 12 players per team – teams can bat any 11 of the 12 and field any 11 of the 12

A maximum of two bouncers per over

A new ball from each end at the start of the innings and no replacement new balls

No Powerplays

Fielding restrictions: Overs 1-5 = 2 fielders outside the circle; 6-20 = 4 outside; 21-25 = 2 outside, 26-45 = 4 outside

Paul Marsh, the ACA chief executive, said the players weren’t consulted properly until a decision had been made to push ahead with the trial. “For the people that play and know the game better than anyone, this process has been difficult to comprehend and players are very disappointed,” Marsh said. “Players are open to changes to any format of the game that can make the game better.”They acknowledge that the one-day format has had its recent challenges and as a collective they want to help those running the game find the best solution. However, the players don’t believe the split-innings format is the best solution.”Marsh was on the Cricket Australia committee – it also included Mark Taylor, Greg Chappell and Matthew Hayden – that recommended the final product, but he detailed the dissent of the ACA members. “We surveyed the players and an overwhelming majority (78%) rejected the split-innings format,” he said.”They are adamant that radical format changes are not the highest priority for the one-day game. Players continue to believe that administrators need to address the far bigger issues of the lack of context in one-day international cricket and the excessive number of one-dayers that continue to be programmed.”Sutherland said the ACA had been consulted heavily throughout the process. “The public told us to act and we have,” he said. “The fans told us, through formal research, that they like ODI cricket best, but they want to see it refreshed and they want to see it with a short-form identity that is distinctively different from fast-emerging T20 cricket.

Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of completing their first pieces of business this January transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski will fly to London today to complete a loan move, whilst the Lilywhites are also confident of signing his teammate Rodrigo Bentancur on a permanent deal.

“Tottenham and Juventus are preparing paperworks in the night to be signed on Sunday for Dejan Kulusevski deal. He’s prepared to fly to London in the coming hours. Loan fee around €5m,” he revealed in a very exciting update on Twitter,

“Spurs are confident to complete also Rodrigo Bentancur deal for €19m plus add ons.”

Exciting news!

It’s been a rather frustrating window for Spurs thus far.

After waiting most of the month to make their move, the north Londoners have seen multiple blows over key targets.

Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic has joined the aforementioned Serie A giants. Wolves winger Adama Traore rejected a move to Spurs in favour of his former club Barcelona and their interest in Luis Diaz triggered Premier League rivals Liverpool to make their move, a switch that the Porto dynamo favours.

However, with less than 48 hours to go, it appears as if Tottenham are close to completing a very exciting and much-needed double swoop.

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In Kulusevski, Conte will be getting a versatile attacker capable of playing on the wing, in the half-spaces and through the middle. He’s a player that sporting director Fabio Paratici once signed for the Old Lady, so he knows him very well.

The Sweden international has struggled for game time under the new regime this season but during the 2020/21 campaign, he provided 14 direct goal contributions in 47 appearances, both domestically and on the international stage.

Once likened to Mo Salah, the 21-year-old dynamo has also been dubbed “explosive” on the ball by ex-Villa striker Marcus Allback.

Meanwhile, Bentancur would hand Conte with a new option in the engine room, something he has been said to want as one of three priority signings this month.

He’s capable of breaking up play in the heart of the pitch, having averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in Serie A this season. That’s on top of an 87.5% pass accuracy, too.

On the above evidence, you’d imagine that both Conte and the Lilywhites faithful will be absolutely buzzing with Romano’s latest update.

AND in other news, Bid accepted: Spurs now closing in on first January signing, Conte will be buzzing…

Glasgow Rangers endured an embarrassing 3-0 away defeat at the hands of their city rivals in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night.

Two well-taken goals from Reo Hatate, as well as a sucker blow from Liel Abada, were more than enough to give the hosts all three points at Parkhead, with all three strikes coming in the first half.

There were some truly awful performances from Rangers on the night, and The Transfer Tavern have now used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers were for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side:

Joe Aribo (6.4)

Coming back from Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty with Nigeria, Aribo was given a mere 6.4 overall rating.

The midfielder lost out on five of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on goal, clearance, interception, key pass, cross or long ball in the match.

The 25-year-old was also guilty of giving possession away 12 times, the joint-sixth most out of his teammates.

Connor Goldson (6.4)

Goldson was also given a 6.4 rating, but ranks second here as he was part of a shambolic defence which conceded three goals in 45 minutes against their biggest rivals.

The defender lost three duels and did not record an interception, while he lost the ball on no fewer than on 17 separate occasions in total, the joint-second most out of any Gers player.

Amad Diallo (6.1)

Diallo was ranked as the Gers’ worst player on the night, with a 6.1 rating given.

The Manchester United loanee struggled to make any sort of real impact on the game as he never attempted a shot on goal, successful dribble, key pass or cross, while he also lost five of his duels and gave away the ball 12 times.

Van Bronckhorst decided to haul him off at half-time, in what was an unimpressive first Old Firm derby for the Ivorian youngster.

In other news, Jordan Campbell slammed this Rangers player for his performance against the Hoops

The appeals of the three Pakistani players against the provisional suspensions imposed on them by the ICC will take place in Doha, Qatar

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2010
The appeals of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif will be heard in Doha, Qatar © Getty Images
The appeals of the three Pakistani players against the provisional suspensions imposed on them by the ICC in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal will take place in Doha, Qatar on October 30 and 31.Michael Beloff QC, the head of the ICC code of conduct commission, will hear the appeals of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, the trio who were charged for various offences on September 2 after the allegedly exposed a plan to bowl deliberate pre-planned no-balls during the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s.Butt, Pakistan’s captain during the Test, filed his appeal last week while the appeals of Asif and Amir were received by the ICC this week. The dates of the appeal means the trio will miss, at the very least, the two T20Is and two ODIs of Pakistan’s series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.Beloff is the president of the British Association of Sport and Law. He attended Eton and Oxford, and was president of Trinity College from 1996 to 2006. included him in its 2008 list of the 100 most influential lawyers in Great Britain, while called him one of the top ten barristers of the decade in 1999.There had been speculation in Pakistan over the choice of venue for the hearings; some reports suggested the players were not keen on the hearings taking place in London, wary of a potentially hostile environment with extensive media coverage. One of the lawyers, however, denied this, telling ESPNcricinfo no such requests were made. Dubai, the home of the ICC, was also out of the question as Asif is barred from entering the UAE following a detention in 2008 for a drug-related offence. Doha was thus chosen after consultation between the ICC and the players.”It is important to understand that the appeals are against the provisional suspension only and will not consider the substantive charges that were laid against the players on 2 September 2010,” Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said in a statement. “In the meantime, the players remain provisionally suspended from all cricket and related activities.”The case marks the first time the ICC has provisionally suspended players under its anti-corruption code. The clause for provisional suspension was included in the Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel less than a year ago, and came into force on October 6, 2009 after unanimous approval from all ICC member nations.

A round-up of the third round of matches in the SuperSport Series

Firdose Moonda18-Oct-2010Trends catch on quickly in South Africa and their latest victim has been first-class cricket. This weekend, like last, yielded only one winner from three matches. This time, it was the turn of the Dolphins, who have been threatening to come out victorious for the past two weeks and finally the cork popped.They beat the Titans by nine wickets, largely thanks to a 12-wicket match haul by Imran Tahir. The Titans elected to bat in cloudy conditions and although they started steadily the Tahir torpedo couldn’t be stopped. He took seven for 112 in the first innings, including the wickets of the three highest run scorers, Jacques Rudolph (53), Gulam Bodi (49) and Farhaan Behardien (31). The Titans were bowled out for a modest 242.The Dolphins found themselves sinking fast in their reply. Ethy Mbhalati (5 for 38) and CJ de Villiers (2 for 61) snuffed out four early wickets to leave the Dolphins 25 for four. One of the fallen four was Kevin Pietersen, who was out for a second ball duck. Half-centuries from Ahmed Amla (77), Loots Bosman (62) and Jon Kent (50), took the Dolphins to 284, earning them a lead of 42.The poor showing with the bat in the first innings became an abysmal one in the second, as the Titans were bowled out for 114. Berhardien and Cobus Pienaar top-scored with 25 runs apiece. Tahir was again the chief destroyer, taking five for 47. That left the Dolphins needing 73 runs to win.They stumbled just once in their chase, when Khan was out for 10. Van Wyk (38*) and Brad Moses (22*) guided the Durban side to their first victory of the season.In Port Elizabeth, the first two days of play between the Warriors and the Lions were washed out, resulting in an innings forfeiture and two sporting declarations to try and produce a winner. On day three, the Warriors were sent in to bat by the visitors, who enjoyed early successes.Paul Harris (4 for 112) took three early wickets to leave the Warriors in danger of collapse. At 86 for four, they looked unlikely to get past 200, but Ashwell Prince was on hand again. His patient, unbeaten 134 helped the Warriors to 278 for eight, at which point they declared their first innings closed.The Lions forfeited their first innings and the Warriors were made to bat for the second time. The Lions bowlers removed Prince (4) and Michael Smith (6) cheaply and with time running out, the hosts declared on 61 for two. That allowed the match to be beautifully poised for an exciting finish with the Lions set a target of 339 to win.Alviro Petersen (2) departed early but solid contributions from Steven Cook (79), Jonathan Vandiar (47) and Zander de Bruyn (55*) took them close to victory. The curtain fell with the Lions on 296 for seven, 43 runs short of victory.The Cobras and Knights drew in Cape Town, a result which puts the Cobras at the top of the table. The home side batted first and a century from Justin Ontong (102) helped them to 330. Dillon du Preez’s 5 for 53 was the best bowling effort for the Knights.The Free State side’s batting has been strong thus far, but crumbled against Vernon Philander (6 for 61) as they were bowled out for 234, a deficit of 96 runs. The Knights had crashed to 59 for five, before 76 from Boeta Dippenaar and 63 from Ryan McLaren rescued them.The Cobras second innings was characterised by healthy contributions from the top five. Stiaan van Zyl, however, was the only one to reach a half-century. Thandi Tshabalala (5 for 92) kept puncturing the Cobras line up, until they declared on 255 for seven, a lead of 351.Although time was always going to present a challenge, the Knights chased fairly well to start with. Dean Elgar (84) led the line-up and had he pushed on, the visitors may have got closer to winning. At 187 for four, that looked a possibility. Claude Henderson (3 for 84) and Vernon Philander (1 for 39) took three wickets for 23 runs to leave the Knights on 210 for seven and give the Cobras a strong sniff at victory. That was where the drama ended as the match was drawn with the Knights on 243 for seven.Batsman of the week: He scored his third hundred in as many games for the Warriors and, again, hauled them out of a tricky situation. Ashwell Prince leads the run charts with 415 runs at an average of 83.00 and earns this week’s batting award.Bowler of the week: Imran Tahir took 12 for 159 for the Dolphins, to take his season tally to 23 wickets from three matches. The Pakistan-born legspinner tops the bowling rankings, with eight more scalps than his nearest rival’s Mbhalati and Philander. He becomes eligible to play for South Africa in December which may mean the selectors will consider him for the squad to face India.

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford’s latest injury is ‘really concerning’ for the Whites, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Bamford’s injury woes

After playing a starring role for Leeds last season, the 28-year-old has experienced a hugely frustrating campaign this time around, with injuries constantly keeping him sidelined.

Bamford has been limited to just five Premier League starts all season and his last appearance came in early December before a swift layoff occurred again.

The striker’s current hamstring issue won’t keep him out until the summer but his return to the fold is still some way off, not ideal at a time when Marcelo Bielsa badly needs him.

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The Latest: Journalist bemoans Bamford’s injury

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke gave this take on the situation, admitting that Bamford’s ongoing absence has been a huge blow for Leeds.

He stated: “It’s really concerning for Leeds and Patrick Bamford and a real disappointment, because he had such a great season last year.”

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The Verdict: Leeds badly missing Bamford

Bamford was such a vital player for Leeds in 2020/21, scoring 17 league goals, and he has been an immense loss for his team in the current campaign, with Bielsa’s men losing their most productive focal point in attack.

With him around, a regular source of goals is all but guaranteed. He also links up effectively with team-mates, dropping deep and creating space for wide men in behind, with seven assists last term, and he works extremely hard in pressing from the front.

Bamford’s long-term absence can’t be used as the sole reason for Leeds’ struggles this season, but it has clearly played a huge role in that respect, as have extensive injuries to other key players such as Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips.

In other news, Leeds have also suffered a double injury blow. Read more here.

Andrew Dickson has been left reacting to some Glasgow Rangers injury news that has now emerged involving Aaron Ramsey.

The Lowdown: ‘Out for season’

The Times shared some big news on Tuesday that Ramsey could be out for the season, after picking up an injury during their 2-1 win against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final over the weekend.

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It is reportedly ‘unlikely’ that he will return to Ibrox next season after his loan spell ends this term, suggesting that the Wales international may have already played his last game for the Teddy bears.

The Latest: Dickson reacts

Taking to Twitter, Scottish football journalist Dickson has now given his reaction to the news, claiming that it is ‘disappointing’ if Ramsey has played his last match for the Light Blues:

“If correct, a disappointing end to an intriguing experiment which, even if it failed, was worth a gamble on at £30k a week.

“Played his part at points, just not as much as he or supporters would have liked due to his circumstances.”

The Verdict: Big blow

Of course, not just losing Ramsey for their upcoming clash away at Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership, but potentially for the rest of the season, is no doubt a big blow for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his team.

In his five appearances in the SPFL, the 31-year-old managed to score two goals, while he also ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average shots per match in general (WhoScored).

His experience of playing European football for both Arsenal and Juventus could have been so useful for their UEFA Europa League semi-final tie against RB Leipzig, but now it looks like they will have to go through the remainder of the campaign without him.

In other news, find out which ‘exceptional’ diamond Gers could now sign this summer here!

Jacob Ball, the medium-pacer, who was part of the England Under-19 team at the World Cup earlier this year, has signed a two-year deal with Nottinghamshire

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2010Jacob Ball, the medium-pacer, who was part of the England Under-19 team at the World Cup earlier this year, has signed a two-year deal with Nottinghamshire. In his second game for the Notts, he grabbed 3-32 against Leicestershire in the domestic 40-over competition. His achievements also include a five-for against Sri Lanka in an Under-19 Test in Scarborough in July this year.”This contract means everything to me because it shows that the work that I have put in over the past couple of years has helped to push my case,” Ball said. “Spending last winter in Australia really helped me to improve my strength and conditioning and my bowling technique and I want to keep progressing at Notts.”Ball, 19, is the nephew of former England and Notts wicketkeeper Bruce French. “Jake has made good progress and his selection for England Under 19s earlier this year demonstrates that he is one to watch,” said Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell.

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has backed his spinners to succeed in the upcoming three-Test series against West Indies that begins in Galle on November 15

Sa'adi Thawfeeq09-Nov-2010Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has backed his spinners to succeed in the upcoming three-Test series against West Indies that begins in Galle on November 15. Sri Lanka will be playing their first full Test series after the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan but Sangakkara, while admitting that winning Tests without Murali would be tough, said the current attack comprising Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis and Suraj Randiv was capable of delivering the desired results.”It is always going to be tough playing Test cricket without Murali,” Sangakkara told reporters in Colombo. “We found that out in the second and third Tests against India. The challenge for anyone coming in and trying to fill those shoes is huge. The best way they can go about is to be themselves not try to be another Murali because that is impossible.”Murali retired from Test cricket on a high, finishing with 800 wickets and helping his team win and take a 1-0 lead against India earlier in the year. However, India fought back in the next two Tests at the SSC and the P Sara Oval, eventually levelling the series.”I think for us as well the expectations of performance [from the spinners] has to be realistic,” Sangakkara said. “For them to come in share the load with the other bowlers and make sure they chip in with what they do best as spinners is to try and take wickets and win matches for us. We have very able spinners in Randiv, Mendis and Herath to match any opposition in the world. They will learn and learn very quickly. We as a side will have to change our thinking and expectations a bit as well to manage that. They are very capable of doing the job required of them.”Sri Lanka enjoy a 6-3 advantage over West Indies in Tests and beat them 2-0 when they last played them at home in 2005. However, Sangakkara warned against any complacency. “We expect nothing less but the best from the West Indies and hopefully we can match them and go beyond,” he said. “West Indies have always been a very competitive side. I enjoyed playing them in Sri Lanka and the West Indies. It took us a long time to register our first Test win in the West Indies even though we have beaten them at home. The challenge is still the same to go out there and win Test matches.”Sangakkara also called on Sri Lanka Cricket to introduce measures to draw more spectators to venues hosting Test cricket. “In Sri Lanka the trend we have seen that in the outstations you’ll always get more spectators coming to see the cricket,” he said. “In Colombo a lot more homes have televisions than in the outstations so a lot more people will actually stay at home to watch.”Also facilities at grounds should encourage families to come and spend the day with their children and make sure they will be looked after free to enjoy a day’s cricket. All of these things have to be in all the stadia in Sri Lanka to ensure that more and more people will come to watch.”If we can have big screens at the grounds with facilities of replays I think we can attract even more.”West Indies begin their tour with a three-day warm-up game on November 10. The teams then play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 international.