Category Uncategorized

Leicester City’s recruitment over the last few years has been outstanding, allowing them to continually punch above their weight, but they haven’t always got things right.

In the past, the likes of Harry Maguire, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez have joined the Midlands outfit for minimal fees before going on to enjoy great success at the King Power Stadium and moving elsewhere for astronomical sums.

It’s led to Leicester winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield since 2016, magnificent achievements that would not have been possible without exceptional work in the transfer market.

However, not all purchases have been quite so successful. One such example is Ayoze Perez after the versatile forward arrived from Newcastle United via a £30 million deal back in 2019.

The Spaniard had impressed in a sub-standard Magpies side under the tutelage of Rafael Benitez, leading to Leicester’s director of football Jon Rudkin sanctioning a big-money move.

Since joining the Foxes, though, Perez has struggled to produce his best form on a consistent basis, bagging just 12 goals and providing only six assists in 80 appearances for Brendan Rodgers’ charges.

To make matters worse, the 28-year-old picked up his first career red card for a horrific challenge during the club’s 4-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham United in the opening weeks of the new campaign, leading to a three-game suspension.

Perez’s underwhelming displays in a Leicester shirt have seen his market value drop to just £16.2m, almost half the fee that the club’s hierarchy paid for him just two years ago.

Therefore, the purchase of Perez is perhaps one of Rudkin’s few transfer nightmares since taking the reigns as one of Leicester’s chiefs, although the positives certainly outweigh the negatives during his time at the helm.

And, in other news…Forget Iheanacho: “Incredible” Leicester beast who won 8 duels ran the show v Millwall 

Many Liverpool fans have been reacting to emerging news that their Brazilian players will not be granted permission to return to England early from international duty.

Brazil have nine Premier League players in their squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela, Columbia and Uruguay, and top flight clubs were hoping that their stars could return earlier than normal so they could feature in the first weekend back.

The Daily Mail have reported today that Brazil have followed Argentina in confirming their players won’t return to England early, news that won’t go down well with Liverpool fans.

Alisson and Fabinho have been called up to Tite’s squad for the upcoming break, with the final game against Uruguay taking place just 35 hours before the return of Premier League football.

This means they will now almost certainly miss the away trip to Watford next Saturday, leaving Jurgen Klopp with a tough choice to make in between the sticks and in midfield.

Liverpool fans rage over Brazil news

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to react to the news regarding their Brazilian players, with one fan claiming the Reds will lose to Watford now.

“Why do they always make it as hard as possible? And they wonder why we don’t release our players”

Credit: @ae77770

“Wrap kelleher in cotton wool!!!”

Credit: @_lfc_2306

“Do they cover the week wages lost from when they do this kind of stuff “

Credit: @liverpoolLfc07

“What’s this nonsense??”

Credit: @Wandelakanu_

“Dont let them go”

Credit: @DDannQQ

“What is this nonsense  I bet they won’t even let Alisson or Fabinho play”

Credit: @AidaHamsad

In other news, Liverpool fans have flocked to Twitter after Jurgen Klopp’s latest admission. Find out more here.

According to a report by football.london, Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo could hand a ‘surprise’ debut to starlet Emerson Royal against Crystal Palace following a succession of international injury worries.

The Lowdown: Spurs in fitness turmoil?

Spurs fans can safely say this has been one of the worst international breaks in recent memory.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

As well as the South American fiasco involving Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Davinson Sanchez, with the trio currently going through a 10-day training camp in Croatia (Dan Kilpatrick), there have been a succession of fitness blows.

Son Heung-min, Ryan Sessegnon, Oliver Skipp and Steven Bergwijn are all at the centre of injury worries, meaning that Nuno could be without as many as seven players for the trip to Selhurst Park.

The Latest: Nuno could hand ‘surprise’ Spurs nod…

As per football.london, Tottenham manager Nuno could now hand a ‘surprise’ first nod to new signing Royal, who arrived on deadline day in the summer transfer window from Barcelona.

The 22-year-old arrived at Hotspur Way for the first time only very recently, taking his first steps to the Tottenham training pitches on Tuesday, yet the Lilywhites may have to call upon him very soon.

The Verdict: Interesting…

Seeing Royal make his debut on Saturday could come as exciting for supporters and it will certainly be interesting to see how he takes to the robust nature of the Premier League.

Lauded as a ‘relentless’, ‘perfect’ and ‘very quick’ by La Liga expert Kevin Campbell (Football Insider), Spurs fans will be hoping that he can live up to those endorsements and his comparisons with Brazil legends Maicon and Daniel Alves (The Athletic).

Spurs’ injury worries could yet come as a blessing in disguise if Royal does indeed impress.

In other news: ‘Meetings with Tottenham’…Source close to ‘unstoppable’ player drops transfer reveal, find out more here.

Australia’s current problems have been reflected by the latest ICC rankings which show three key players have slipped down the lists

Cricinfo staff01-Jan-2009
Michael Hussey has struggled against South Africa, making 10 runs in four innings © Getty Images
Australia’s current problems have been reflected by the latest ICC rankings which show three key players have slipped down the lists. Michael Hussey, Matthew Hayden and Brett Lee have all lost ground after their poor form continued against South Africa.Hussey is the most significant mover, dropping five places to No. 11 in the batting rankings, the first time he has been outside the top 10 since March 2006. He has collected just 10 runs in his four innings during the series, although his average remains a healthy 59.04.Hayden’s slide continues and he is now down to No. 18 but has retained his place for the third Test in Sydney, however it isn’t all bad news for Australia’s batsman. The captain Ricky Ponting has been boosted three places by his impressive return in Melbourne where he made 101 and 99, while Michael Clarke has also lifted three spots to No. 9 and now has a career-best rating of 772 points.On the bowling front, Brett Lee’s poor series means he drops to No. 9 in the bowling rankings and has also been ruled out of the return series against South Africa with a foot injury.Despite taking a 2-0 series lead there isn’t much movement from the South Africa players although Graeme Smith has moved to No. 7 with a career-best rating, one place behind Ponting. Although AB de Villiers scored a superb match-winning century in Perth, his failure in the second Test means he drops down again.Dale Steyn, who took 10 wickets in Melbourne, remains No. 2 behind Muttiah Muralitharan with the ball and Makhaya Ntini at No. 3.For the full rankings click here

MatériaMais Notícias

MatériaMais Notícias

Na noite da última quarta-feira, o duelo entre rubro-negros pegou fogo na Ilha do Retiro. Contra o Flamengo, o Sport garantiu o placar de 2 a 0 e subiu seis posições na tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro, pulando para o nono lugar. Thomás, meia formado na base do Leão, e Osvaldo marcaram os gols da vitória da equipe pernambucana.

Durante coletiva de imprensa após o triunfo, o técnico Vanderlei Luxemburgo elogiou a atuação da equipe durante os noventa minutos de jogo.

– O perfil nós já encontramos. A identidade que nós queremos. Agora, a intensidade vai ser um pouco complicada de fazer troca de jogadores, incluir jogadores que estão vindo do departamento médico. Jogador de futebol joga com dor. Para ganhar um jogo tem que ter sofrimento. Vai sofrer, mas agora estão todos felizes porque ganharam o jogo – finalizou o técnico.

O Sport volta aos gramados no próximo sábado para enfrentar o Vasco em São Januário, no Rio de Janeiro. A partida que vale a sexta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro tem início previsto para às 19h.

Sri Lanka crushed West Indies by seven wickets in the fifth and final ODI at the Premadasa in Colombo to win the series 3-2. After Suwini de Alwis had ripped through the West Indies batting, it was upto captain Shashikala Siriwardene to once again lead he

Cricinfo staff12-Nov-2008
ScorecardSri Lanka crushed West Indies by seven wickets in the fifth and final ODI at the Premadasa in Colombo to win the series 3-2. After Suwini de Alwis had ripped through the West Indies batting, it was upto captain Shashikala Siriwardene to once again lead her team to an emphatic victory with 12 overs to spare.Siriwardene would have been slightly worried with her decision to field first again, similar to the previous game which they had lost, as Deandra Dottin and Stefanie Taylor provided a solid start. Both were cautious in their approach, putting on 60 for the opening wicket by the 19th over.But de Alwis struck first to have Dottin (31) caught by Sripali Weerakkody. Taylor (26) fell next holding out to Eshani Kaushalya off Chamari Polgampola. Another quick wicket of Charlene Taitt followed before Merissa Aguilleira and Anisa Mohammed strung together a 34-run partnership to take Sri Lanka to 107.In a bizarre collapse that followed, the last six West Indian wickets fell for 13 runs. De Alwis accounted for three of them, including the dangerous Lisa Ann-King for two. She finished with 4 for 25, but it could have been a five-for had not last man Kirbyina Alexander been run out.The target of 120 was never going to be difficult, as Sri Lanka’s opening pair of Dedunu Silva and Polgampola looked at ease from the start. They coasted to 63 in the 17th over before both fell off successive overs from Mohammed. Siriwardene stroked a fluent 32 but she fell just as Sri Lanka were close to victory, with the score on 107. She had, however, done enough to completely negate the threat of a West Indies comeback, and went on to pick up the Player-of-the-Series award.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos venceu os últimos três jogos e não perde há cinco. Essa é a melhor sequência da equipe na temporada e há motivos para comemorar, já que no início do ano o time chegou a acumular duas derrotas consecutivas (derrotas para São Paulo e Ferroviária, na Vila Belmiro, pelo Paulistão).

Para o técnico Dorival Júnior, um dos principais aspectos que fortaleceram o Peixe em sua recuperação é a integridade física do elenco e a concorrência interna em quase todos os setores.

-Acredito que não só o retorno dos principais jogadores, mas, acima de tudo, esses jogadores que ficaram fora no início do ano readquiriram um ritmo de competição. Esse foi o principal ganho, ter o elenco à disposição. E isso gera uma disputa saudável por posição. Em razão disso, há crescimento e os resultados voltaram a acontecer – explicou Dorival.

Com o time considerado titular em 13 das 20 partidas jogadas no ano, o Peixe tem um aproveitamento de 70%, com nove vitórias, dois empates e duas derrotas.

A retomada do caminho das vitórias fez o Alvinegro também readquirir a confiança, o que até então era um dos maiores receios de Dorival.

-Estamos sentindo uma evolução grande a cada rodada. Isso era o que mais nos preocupava, mas readquirimos a confiança. Sentimos mudança na postura da equipe, que vem acreditando cada dia mais. Aprendemos a sofrer também e temos a paciência necessária para inverter a partida. Esse foi o maior ganho em todo esse momento. Vejo que hoje continuamos tendo transição rápida e posse de bola, mas estamos aprendendo a trabalhar mais no nosso campo de defesa, temos marcação forte, mais agressiva. Espero que tenhamos um crescimento maior daqui para frente com a consolidação dessa equipe – destacou.

A melhor sequência inclui uma vitória sobre a Ponte Preta pelas quartas do Paulistão, um empate com o Santa Fe na Colômbia, duas vitórias sobre o Paysandu e um triunfo sobre o Santa Fe no Pacaembu. A equipe voltará a campo no próximo domingo, contra o Fluminense, pela estreia no Brasileirão, às 11h.

RelacionadasSantosVitor Bueno fica perto de igualar número de assistências de 2016Santos11/05/2017SantosSantos entra na brincadeira e adere meme do ‘som de peixes’; EntendaSantos11/05/2017SantosDorival não descarta Santos reserva no RJ, mas diz: ‘Estreia fundamental’Santos11/05/2017

“Show me the money,” hails from the film , but it could just as easily fit with the ECB in recent months. When Allen Stanford landed his helicopter at Lord’s in June he offered England’s elite players a chance at the biggest payday of the lives. And it hasn’t stopped there. Now county cricket gets its slice of the action after it was confirmed the winners of Saturday’s Twenty20 Cup will form part of the Stanford Super Series event in Antigua in October.The highlight of that tournament is the All-Stars match on November 1, but one successful county will play three matches – against the England XI, Stanford All-Stars and Trinidad and Tobago – with the prospect of a bumper payday if they are successful. If the winning county beats Trinidad and Tobago, the reigning Stanford 20/20 champions, they stand to pocket US$400,000 (£200,000).It adds even more spice to Finals Day, when defending champions Kent along with Durham, Middlesex and Essex will battle for the big prize. To put into perspective the riches on offer, winning the Twenty20 Cup itself brings a cheque for £42,000.Even before Stanford’s latest proposal, there was a huge financial carrot being dangled in front of the counties with the multi-million dollar Champions League. However, that event continues to be shrouded in doubt with Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, maintaining the stance that any team with ICL links wouldn’t be invited to join. That would rule out Durham and Kent if either progressed to the Twenty20 final.It has gone against the odds that two of the three counties without ICL players – Essex and Middlesex – have made it to Finals Day, but even if they both qualify there is still plenty of uncertainly whether the Champions League will get off the ground. The other aspect is that before Stanford’s offer, the semi-finals where shaping as the most important matches of the day, but now the result of the final brings more than just the domestic Twenty20 crown.It’s notoriously difficult to pick where the trophy will finish in Twenty20, but Durham have a side packed with international stars and also have the advantage of playing a recent Twenty20 match – the delayed quarter-final where they thrashed Glamorgan. They have managed to retain Shaun Pollock while Shivnarine Chanderpaul gives the top-order an international feel. This will also be Steve Harmison’s biggest stage since he was dropped by England.

Essex, though, are the form team going into Finals Day and have played outstanding one-day cricket this season. Graham Napier has become one of the most talked-about players on the circuit, and could yet be tapped up by the IPL following his record-breaking 152 against Sussex. They have a well-balanced team, with Danish Kaneria’s legspin being their trump card with the ball.But you can’t discount any defending champions; Kent have the been-there-done-that knowledge of how to succeed on Finals Day. As with all four sides, Kent bat deep into their order but their key weapon, especially when the pressure is on, is the death bowling of Azhar Mahmood and Yasir Arafat. Joe Denly was one of the surprise omissions from England’s 30-man Champions Trophy and has another chance to show the talent that has brought him 384 runs this year.Middlesex are the dark horses of this year’s tournament, having had a miserable Twenty20 record since it began in 2003. They have formed a powerful unit and swept all before them during the qualifying stages, yet saved their most impressive performance for the quarter-final against Lancashire. They were 21 for 4 when 20-year-old Dawid Malan played one of the innings of the season with 103 off 54 balls before the bowlers took over. Their five main bowlers have all taken at least 10 wickets, a key to them being able to restrict opposition.The live music and mascot race which have been part of Twenty20 cricket remain – and like everything in this form of the game the mascot race is bigger this year – but the format has developed out of sight from its early days. No longer is it a bonus trophy, but the path to previously unheard-of riches. This is serious cricket with a serious prize at the end.

There have been many one-day games won and lost in the final over and won andlost by four runs or less. But few had the importance, the occasion, thedrama of today’s final of the 2000 CricInfo Women’s World Cup.Today’s game – won by New Zealand by four runs with five balls remaining -was filled to the brim with drama and tension. For me, it surpasses theencounter at Lord’s in 1975 between the West Indies and Australia as thegreatest World Cup Final, men’s or women’s, of all time. It may even surpassthe 1999 semi-final at Edgbaston, the tied match between Australia and SouthAfrica, as the greatest World Cup match of all.It was a game with almost everything. A match which, on form, Australiashould have won comfortably – and looked like they would when New Zealandcrumbled to be all out for 184.But New Zealand quickly took the ascendancy with the early removal of the twooutstanding batsmen of the tournament, Lisa Keightley and Karen Rolton.Belinda Clark, whose World Cup with the bat started shakily but gatheredmomentum as the tournament progressed, played an elegant and controlledinnings. She dominated the Australian fightback, scoring roughly threequarters of her team’s runs while she was at the crease.Clark was playing the innings of her life and steering Australia toits fifth Women’s World Cup… until she was on 91. She attempted a sweep toa ball that many less talented players would have chosen to drive on the onside – and was bowled around her legs. It was a masterpiece of an innings,yet in the end so tantalisingly futile.And with the wickets tumbling and Australia’s required run-rate hoveringaround the run-a-ball mark, there was the most sensational of events at thestart of the 49th over when Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s leg bail fell to groundsome time after the ball has passed through to the keeper. Had the ballbrushed the stump or did the wind blow? The third umpire, after a long, longlook, gave Fitzpatrick out bowled.With the first ball of the fiftieth over, the seventh World Cup reached itsclimax, as Charmaine Mason got a faint nick to a ball from Clare Nicholsonwhich was taken by Rebecca Rolls. New Zealand, the host team, the underdogsof this final, had come from behind to win the most important title in thenation’s cricketing history.The game was also a fitting farewell to two of the legends of New Zealand’swomen’s cricket, Debbie Hockley and Catherine Campbell.A four-run victory to New Zealand, and it is just as well that the strayplastic cup inside the boundary rope this morning, shaving two runs off acertain Kiwi boundary, didn’t make a difference.In a World Cup tournament which has been very predictable in its overallresults (though never, I hasten to add, dull), the joyous unpredictability ofthe sport came home to roost on the final day. The form side of thetournament, and indeed one of the great national teams in the history ofAustralian women’s sport, had been held to second-best on the day when itreally mattered.