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Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur has been left "very impressed" by new manager Ange Postecoglou as he undertakes his first pre-season at the club, according to Alasdair Gold.

What impression has Postecoglou made at Spurs?

Arriving at a club rife with disharmony and frustration can be a difficult task for any manager.

However, this is the challenge that has faced Postecoglou at Tottenham following his arrival from Celtic as he aims to put right the wrongs of the coaches that preceded him.

Last season was arguably a new low in terms of cohesion and optimism for the Lilywhites with Antonio Conte's turgid football draining the life out of players and supporters alike.

An eighth-placed Premier League finish does not quite capture the level of discontent surrounding the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with match-going fans wondering what on earth they had done to deserve such punishment.

Postecoglou's arrival has brought new hope, however, and not just by virtue of him not being Conte or Jose Mourinho.

The Australian won a domestic treble at Celtic last season and has transformed every club he has been at. Now, he has to do the same at Spurs, which promises to be the 57-year-old's sternest challenge yet.

He has got off to a great start though despite a ball not having been kicked, with journalist Gold suggesting that everyone at Tottenham is already enamored with the coach.

Speaking on the Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham podcast, he stated: "I spoke to a very, very wide spectrum of people, or people involved with people involved. And, do you know what, this is probably the first time that I can genuinely say, certainly for a long time, that everyone was very, very impressed.

"It's been a blanket, 100%, yeah this guy is good kind of thing. Real excitement around a lot of the players as well. He's just made a really kind of quick, positive impression on people, especially the players. A lot of the players are very enamored with what he's been doing, with the way he does things."

He continued: "Postecoglou is a very strong communicator. The players, whether they're young or old, very quickly understand what he wants from them is the best way to put it. He's a very clear speaker."

Such a strong first impression can only be positive news for Tottenham's hopes of challenging for Champions League football next season following a disappointing campaign.

Postecoglou will need to get his new players in tip-top shape during pre-season, while also bedding in some of his new signings such as James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario.

Tottenham currently have four friendlies scheduled with the Lilywhites facing West Ham, Leicester City, Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk before the league opener away at Brentford on August 13th.

What kind of manager is Postecoglou?

Becoming the first Australian to manage in the Premier League, all eyes will be on Postecoglou.

Having began his career in his homeland, Postecoglou certainly doesn't share Tottenham's trophy woes. He won four top-tier Australian titles, two with South Melbourne and two with Brisbane Roar.

He had great success coaching Australia's youth team before later taking the senior team's hot seat and winning the Asian Cup in 2015. Moving to Yokohama Marinos in 2018, Postecoglou won the J-League title before moving onto Celtic and claiming seven trophies in a little over two years.

Usually favouring a 4-3-3 formation, the Australian is an offensive-minded coach, relying on hard work and counter-pressing to help smother opponents. Playing this way in the Premier League will prove a unique challenge for Postecoglou, but he certainly has an abundance of talent to choose from at Spurs.

One of his key attributes at Celtic was his knowledge of the Asian market, brining in a number of players from the continent and quickly developing them into stars. Postecoglou's ability to improve players quickly makes him a desirable asset for chairman Daniel Levy.

West Ham United target Fabio Carvalho is someone who has 'huge potential' amid links with a move to the London Stadium this summer, according to journalist Paul Brown.

What's the latest transfer news involving Fabio Carvalho?

According to Football Insider, West Ham United have made an enquiry over the possibility of being able to take Carvalho on loan this window.

The report states that Brentford and Burnley are also keen on the 20-year-old on a similar basis.

Speaking to the outlet, pundit Alan Hutton has indicated that the style of play his next club deploys will be important for his development, stating:

"There’s no point in someone like Carvalho going to a team that plays long ball because he’s not going to suit him. But if he goes to somewhere and wants to get the ball and wants to pass and move and he’s playing regularly, that’s how you become a better player. You want to know, hopefully within the future, if everything goes, well, there’s a pathway from Liverpool because if not, then there’s no point.”

RB Leipzig are also said to be keen on Carvalho and had a bid rejected for his services from Liverpool as they would rather loan him out; however, they may be open to a permanent deal with a buyback clause inserted into any prospective agreement, as per The Guardian.

As per The Athletic, Carvalho's former club Fulham would also be keen on taking the Portuguese attacking midfielder back to Craven Cottage.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown thinks that Carvalho would add something different to West Ham United if he was to move to the London Stadium.

Brown told FFC: "I think he'd be someone who could give them something they don't really have in those areas of the pitch. I think he has huge potential and was very, very highly rated at Fulham, very highly rated. Marco Silva has mentioned to me a couple of times how disappointed he was really that they let that player slip away."

Would Fabio Carvalho be a good signing for West Ham United?

Despite his lack of senior opportunities at Liverpool, Carvalho is a player with a high ceiling and a loan deal may be the best option for him at this stage of his career to ensure he gains regular minutes to develop.

So far at the Reds, the £40k-a-week ace has made 21 appearances in all competitions and managed to net three goals in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

As per FBRef, Carvalho has also excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of progressive passes received, taking in around 5.84 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the fourth percentile.

Former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino gave Carvalho high praise in an interview last year cited by The Evening Standard, stating: "I confess that I had watched some of his games before he came to Liverpool, so I was already impressed by the way he played. He’s a star, he’s a great player and now he’s also a very close friend. We are happy to have him here at Liverpool and I know he will help us a lot, with assists, goals and also his character on the pitch.”

It's evident that Carvalho has a lot of raw potential and moving to West Ham United would give him a platform to shine in 2023/24.

R Sridhar, India’s fielding coach, is of the view that the recent spate of injuries has put them off the good fielding work they had done in the last two years

Sidharth Monga in Chennai16-Dec-20162:57

Trott: Root put the pressure back on Mishra

Finally a fielding error has hurt India big. They have been lucky that their bowlers have been creating opportunities again and again to make sure a reprieve doesn’t cost them big runs, but finally Moeen Ali – dropped on 0 by KL Rahul – ended the day unbeaten on 120, rescuing England from 21 for 2 with help from Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. The costliest miss of the series for India is at least not part of a pattern. It is the slips standing back that have been a headache ever since Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar retired.R Sridhar, India’s fielding coach, is of the view that the recent spate of injuries has put them off the good work they had done in the last two years. “I would agree that our catching, especially our close-in catching of pacers behind the stumps, has not been up to scratch as far as this series is concerned,” he said. “We have set right standards for the last couple of years, and this particular series things haven’t gone our way.”It is a work in progress. There have been a few injuries for players in the series. We have changed personnel in the close cordon all the time. That is something we are working on. It is not an excuse, but it is something we have to get around. We are trying to manage the workloads, and the injury part as far as fingers are concerned. We are working hard to improve. We are sure to get better from here.”Sridhar said his ideal slips cordon from the players available in this series would be M Vijay at first slip, Karun Nair at second and Virat Kohli at third, with Ajinkya Rahane at gully. That means missing out on Shikhar Dhawan, who had worked on his slip catching over the last two years. Also, Nair has played only the last three Tests, and has not been entrusted with slip catching. At any rate, to play both Nair and Rahane, India will have to drop one bowler.The injuries mean India have had to push Kohli to second, and Ravindra Jadeja has had to fulfill third-slip duties. All three – Vijay, Kohli and Jadeja – have dropped catches this series, which raises questions not just over the personnel but also over the technique. They might get away with it at home with bowlers creating chances again, but when they go away and there will be fewer chances India won’t be able to afford such ordinary slip fielding. To add to their woes, Rahane has been injured for the last two Tests, which means Kohli has had to move to slip for spinners too.”I think Kohli has been magnificent, filling in for Rahane,” Sridhar said. “But we miss Kohli’s energy in the outfield. He is an absolute livewire when he is fielding at short cover or short midwicket where he stops a lot of singles and creates opportunities. We have Jaddu who stepped up today. He was magnificent in the field today. He stopped a few boundaries and a few singles at covers. So with Kohli at slip, there is no difference in the slip. He is as good as Ajinkya. Only thing is we miss Kohli’s energy in the outfield.”Back to the costliest drop then. “It burst through his fingers over the head,” Sridhar said of Rahul’s mistake when Moeen offered a chance. “Maybe the timing of his jump could have been a little better. But these things happen in cricket. It was a tough situation for England at that time, getting Moeen out early could have helped us because the first session, especially in the first hour, there was a little moisture on the wicket. Later the wicket eased out, and became good to bat on. As Moeen showed, he batted beautifully for his 120 not out.”

It was the left-arm spinner’s first match in any format since a hamstring injury on the Sri Lanka tour, and a fine from Cricket Australia for a disciplinary matter upon coming back home

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2016
ScorecardSteve O’Keefe picked up his eighth first-class five-wicket haul•AFP

Steve O’Keefe has bounced back from a tough few months by claiming five wickets as New South Wales dismissed Western Australia for 216 on the first day of their Sheffield Shield clash at the SCG. It was O’Keefe’s first match in any format since the Pallekele Test against Sri Lanka in July, during which he suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the rest of the tour.After returning home from that trip, O’Keefe was fined $10,000 by Cricket Australia for a drunken incident at a Sydney hotel, after which he said he would stay off alcohol for the whole Australian summer. However, a finger injury ruled him out of the Matador Cup and the opening Sheffield Shield round last week.His 5 for 65 was the perfect comeback, and he was ably supported by fellow spinner William Somerville, who collected 4 for 61 after Western Australia won the toss and chose to bat. The Warriors had wobbled to 6 for 99 before a 90-run stand between Hilton Cartwright (59) and Ashton Turner (81) rescued the innings.In reply, New South Wales had reached 1 for 24 at stumps, with Daniel Hughes on 16 and Kurtis Patterson on 1. Opener Ed Cowan had fallen to the spin of Ashton Agar for 7.

International cricket is headed for a major financial shift as Australia, England and South Africa lead a push to sell overseas television rights in a collective bundle overseen by a new, independent administrative body

Daniel Brettig09-Sep-20161:17

Could all cricket be sold as one TV package?

International cricket is headed for a major financial shift as Australia, England and South Africa lead a push to sell overseas television rights in a collective bundle overseen by a new, independent administrative body.While the BCCI has expressed reservations about the concept, ESPNcricinfo understands that Cricket Australia, the ECB and CSA are adamant that a more collaborative approach to selling bilateral rights is the only way to minimise potential damage to revenue levels due to a shrinking of the Indian television market.Their push for a new way to sell bilateral rights was a key part of discussions at a workshop convened by the ICC in Dubai this week. These meetings effectively signalled the death knell for the concept of two-tier Test cricket, but prospects are brighter for a Test Championship playoff, and formalised league structures for ODIs and international Twenty20 matches.The recent acquisition of Ten Sports by Sony has cut the number of major Indian television rights bidders by a third, and both CA and the ECB are aware their current rich deals with Star Sports – worth up to US$8 million per international match – are unlikely to be matched next time around.Overseas rights contracts for both nations are soon to expire, adding urgency to the boards’ desire for another approach that will mean lesscompetition between nations and a better overall return.”All countries are worried about the downturn in the Indian market and they feel a linked-together approach will be better,” a source toldESPNcricinfo. “Otherwise they’re out there on their own, two Indian broadcasters and 10 countries all with rights deals to sell – broadcasters can pick and choose.”If you’ve got one rights package to sell with content they want included somewhere in it then you’re in a much better position.”So eager are Australian, English and South African administrators to try the collective approach that they are unlikely to wait forconsensus before pulling the trigger. The pooled bid could feature as few as three nations or as many as 10, depending on who responds positively between now and the next round of official ICC meetings in October.Given that the deal would be for bilateral series only, there is no requirement for the pooled option to pass a vote of the ICC executive board. Instead CA, the ECB and CSA will need to convince other nations that the new deal is in their best financial interests, and also to formulate an independent body to oversee proceedings in a manner that would remove any doubts about the rich seeking a bilateral cash-grab at the expense of the rest.”The decision to pool rights could be made by three, five, 10 countries, however many agree,” the source said. “It isn’t all in or none in – it will take place regardless of how many sign up.”While the ICC has a department tasked with selling commercial rights to global tournaments, it has no authority to sell bilateral series. “Independence in decision-making in that group and also independence in terms of how the money is divided up is going to be really important,” the source said. “If big countries are seen to be muscling little countries then the concept weakens.”But it’s got [to have] independent management and potentially governance that will position it as a genuine media player, rather than countries pursuing their own individual interests.”The BCCI’s hesitance to get involved in the pooled deal thus far is driven in part by the differing television rights priorities for each nation. Indian cricket has generated massive revenue from the IPL, dwarfing the still-strong returns derived from international series and ICC events.By contrast, all other boards including Australia, England and South Africa rely far more heavily on the television rights from bilateral series sold into the Indian market and ICC tournaments. While T20 began in England and has found a successful outlet in Australia’s BBL, neither competition is anywhere near as lucrative as the IPL – likewise the tournaments run by other nations.”In the end the boards are competing against themselves and pulling in three directions,” the source said. “They’re the beneficiaries of ICC events, they’re the rights holders for bilateral cricket and they own domestic T20 competitions. It does come back to where they want to prioritise their energies and what balance of those three things they see their business running on in the future.”

When Graham Onions chipped Ollie Rayner to midwicket, Middlesex were able to toast their first Championship victory at Lord’s this season

Tim Wigmore at Lord's15-Aug-2016
ScorecardOllie Rayner finished with nine wickets in the match•Getty Images

August 15 is late in summer for a first home victory. Yet not until Graham Onions chipped Ollie Rayner to midwicket had Middlesex been able to toast a triumph at Lord’s, their primary home, in the 2016 County Championship. Even allowing for a victory in their single home game away from HQ, it has been an exasperating wait.Five times Middlesex had played Championship matches at Lord’s; five times they had ended in draws. So they will be entitled to feel as if they have not merely defeated Durham, but also the pitch here. After a succession of slow pitches in previous home games, here Middlesex got a one with more pace, bounce and carry: a fine surface for Championship cricket.No one exploited it better than Rayner. If his limits – the absence of prodigious turn or anything resembling a doosra – are well-know, Rayner has made himself into an indispensable cricketer for Middlesex, and one of the finest spin bowlers in the county game.It has been a triumph for willpower, resolve and bloodymindedness. Rayner moved from Sussex, his home town club, in pursuit of more opportunities. He had to remodel his action after being called for throwing. He has honed his batting to make himself harder to drop, last year declaring: “When I see young kids around the grounds in county matches and their mums tell me that they bowl spin and do I have any tips for them, I say, yeah, learn to bat.” Never has Rayner shied from bowling when conditions are toughest.Last year, Jeetan Patel criticised English spinners for not spending enough time honing their art. “Without wishing to sound full of self-pity, it is not easy being an English spin bowler at this moment in time”, Rayner wrote for ESPNcricinfo in response. “I, like many other spinners around the country, bowl the majority of my overs on green pitches such as Lord’s where we are often being used in short bursts to pick up the over rate.”Those days are over. Rayner has moved from being a stock bowler to one entrusted to take wickets at crucial times. Indeed, when Durham’s openers had begun serenely on the first day, Rayner was tossed the ball at 12.12pm. He promptly took 4 for 17.Here, when Rayner punched the air in jubilation at the match-clinching wicket – he is never one to knowingly undercelebrate any wicket, prizing each as if it is his last – it was the latest proof of his growing importance to Middlesex. A few minutes later, Rayner doffed his caps to the MCC members, and had the honour of leading Middlesex off. How he had earned the right. Rayner had done what spinners are meant to, bowling Middlesex to victory in the second innings. Match figures of 9 for 102, and a haul of 35 Championship wickets at 22.51 this season, are a triumph for his thirst for self-improvement – and, perhaps, the ECB’s attempts to encourage spin bowling.”Ollie was still a good spinner last year but because his understanding of what he’s trying to do has improved, I think he’s really improved as a spin bowler,” James Franklin, Middlesex’s captain in this game, said. “The wickets have obviously helped: it helps when you see the ball grip as a spinner, so I think he’s taken huge confidence and encouragement from what he’s done this year.”Ollie is starting to understand his art, and the different paces that he needs to bowl on different wickets and to different batsmen and also the field’s he’s setting. He’s prepared to give the ball a bit of air this year, and long may that continue.”For Middlesex these three days could scarcely have gone better. Frolics from Toby Roland-Jones lifted their lead to 332 in the morning while, in between Rayner’s wickets in the afternoon, Harry Podmore showcased a strong repeatable action in a fine spell that included the scalp of Paul Collingwood, playing on to a ball that nipped back down the slope. It was the latest evidence of the depth of Middlesex’s squad; even the absence of Steve Finn, Eoin Morgan, Sam Robson and an overseas player for this game never looked like stymying them. “We don’t just back 12 or 13 players – we back the whole squad” Franklin said. “Guys like Stevie Eskinazi have come in and had an outstanding start to their careers. Harry Podmore’s another one.”But Durham could reflect with no pride on their performance in this game. Unbeaten until August, this was their second consecutive defeat inside three days. While at Taunton they had reason to grumble about the pitch, here they had no excuse: if the Lord’s track had bounce and turn on the third day, it only magnified Durham’s implosion on the first day, when 74 for 0 became 74 for 4 in 17 crushing deliveries.”It was a good toss to win but we didn’t take advantage of that,” Collingwood said. “We didn’t have the desire to get through hard periods and the desire to score good runs when we had the best of the conditions.” The weaknesses of his side’s batting are obvious, and will be exacerbated by the departure of Mark Stoneman to Surrey. A good thing, then, that Keaton Jennings has just signed on for another four years: when he thrashed Roland-Jones through the covers, Jennings became the first man this summer to 1000 Championship runs.Even his 45 could only briefly delay Middlesex’s waltz to victory. As Lord’s basked in blissful sunshine, and Middlesex’s players headed to the Lord’s Tavern for a well-earned post-match pint – they have the rare luxury of a 16-day wait until their next fixture in any competition – they could revel in having opened up a hearty gap at the summit of Division One. While onerous fixtures at Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and Old Trafford await, it would be remiss of Middlesex not to dream of lifting the County Championship crown when they next return to Lord’s, to play Yorkshire on September 20. “It would be immodest of me to say ‘no we’re not’,” Franklin smiled, a thoroughly contented stand-in skipper who will now hand the reins back to Adam Voges. “There’s an opportunity there.”

Tottenham will have to a £6 million compensation fee if they decide to appoint Feyenoord manager Arne Slot, according to journalist Sami Mokbel.

What's the latest Spurs manager news?

Overnight reports flooded in on Friday, detailing that former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is no longer a candidate to succeed Antonio Conte at Spurs.

Arguably a surprising development, especially since he is readily-available and one of Europe's most exciting young managers, it is now back to the drawing board for chairman Daniel Levy in his hunt for a new manager.

Nagelsmann and former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, despite their credentials, will not be getting the Tottenham job going by recent reports as the latter coach also joins Chelsea.

Luckily for Levy, in terms of other managerial candidates, there is no shortage – with free agent and former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique linked alongside the likes of Graham Potter and Brendan Rodgers (90min).

Slot, who is leading the Eredivisie with Feyenoord, has attracted praise and even comparisons to Man City boss Pep Guardiola.

Tottenham have taken a keen interest, but according to The Mail and Mokbel, Spurs will have to pay a £6m compensation package to get him out of Feyenoord.

This is if they decide to go in the Dutchman's direction, with Slot also apparently seeking significant control and involvement in football directions, which he possesses at his current club.

What could Slot bring to Spurs?

Called a "maniac" manager by members of the press, the 44-year-old has also been called "Guardiola-like" by Football Oranje editor Michael Bell, who told i:

"His style is high-energy attacking football in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with two deep lying midfielders and a reliance on wingers to create chances.“However, he also has the strongest defence in the Eredivisie this season. This is down to a relentless press to win the ball back. Slot is a Pep Guardiola-type more than a Jose Mourinho. He wants to entertain, he wants to attack."

Slot, according to Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan, would also apparently "love" to coach Tottenham, with the reporter explaining to talkSPORT last month (via Leeds United News):

“Leeds offered £5m to attract Slot. He was very keen; Feyenoord said no. There’s a clause in his contract next year. Palace are a serious option, he’d love to coach Tottenham – but clubs will have to pay a massive fee to get him.”

Chelsea return to Premier League action on Wednesday night as they take on Brentford at Stamford Bridge, and Frank Lampard should unleash Raheem Sterling in the hope that he can inspire the Blues to a rare win.

The west London outfit have lost all four games since Lampard returned as interim manager and with Mauricio Pochettino's appointment likely to be confirmed in the coming days, the Blues legend could soon find himself looking for another job after failing to turn Chelsea's fortunes around since taking over from Graham Potter.

Brentford pose a real threat of making it five defeats from five for Chelsea on Wednesday given their credentials under the impressive Thomas Frank, with a European finish still on the cards for the Bees if they can finish the season strongly.

However, the form book does not look good for Brentford either right now and Lampard could exploit their defensive vulnerabilities by unleashing Sterling on the left wing against 20-year-old right-back Aaron Hickey.

Should Sterling start for Chelsea against Brentford?

Sterling's move from Manchester City last summer has so far not paid off, as he boasts just four goals and two assists in 22 Premier League appearances for his new side, averaging a disappointing 6.65 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

However, only Kai Havertz has more goal contributions in the top flight than the England international and he is certainly not alone in struggling in the final third, as the Blues have mustered just 30 goals in the top flight so far this campaign; the fifth-worst in the division.

The experienced winger ranks fifth for shots, fifth for key passes and sixth for dribbles per game in Chelsea's squad so can certainly be relied upon to be a threat down the left-hand side, and perhaps the £325k-per-week ace just needs a run of consistent games in order to rediscover the sort of form he showed on a regular basis at City and Liverpool.

Last season saw him manage 13 goals and six assists under Pep Guardiola in City's title-winning campaign, and Chelsea just need to find a way of getting the best out of him at Stamford Bridge, as there is no doubt that he can be a world-class winger on his day, with Tony Cascarino singing his praises on talkSPORT last season.

He said: “Raheem Sterling has just been frightening. The year he has had since the Euros – he was brilliant then.

“This season, I thought, when they signed Jack Grealish I thought Raheem might be a bit part player in this City team but he’s become an absolute permanent fixture. Left or right, he is ripping people apart."

If Sterling is given space to run at Hickey, who has struggled in his first season at Brentford with a 6.44 average rating from WhoScored, then he could prove the difference in Chelsea picking up a positive result on Wednesday.

As such, Lampard must ensure that he gets the nod after starting on the bench against Real Madrid.

أكد البرازيلي باولو كامبوس، المدير الفني السابق لريال مدريد، أنه ينتظر مشاهدة كأس أمم إفريقيا، لكي يستمتع بالمباريات القوية في البطولة، مُشددًا على أن محمد صلاح يُعد من أفضل اللاعبين في العالم.

ويستعد منتخب مصر لخوض غمار منافسات بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا كوت ديفوار 2023، التي ستنطلق يوم 13 يناير الجاري، وتستمر حتى 11 فبراير المُقبل.

وقال كامبوس خلال فيديو اختص به برنامج “رقم 10″، على القناة الأولى المصرية: “أنا باولو كامبوس مدرب كرة قدم لدي خبرة كبيرة في أوروبا وأمريكا الجنوبية، بالإضافة إلى آسيا وإفريقيا؛ وذلك بعد 45 عامًا من العمل في مجال التدريب”.

وتابع: “دائمًا أشعر بالسعادة حينما أرى أداء الأهلي المصري في كأس العالم للأندية، إنه ممتع للغاية، أنا أعرف جيدًا كرة القدم المصرية منذ أن كنت مدربًا في قارة إفريقيا، الأهلي يستحق أن يكون صاحب المركز الثالث في كأس العالم للأندية خاصة مع فارق المستوى الذي يتمتع به مانشستر سيتي وفلومينينسي من ناحية الإمكانيات، تهانينا لكرة القدم المصرية، وعام بعد الآخر ستتطور الكرة هناك، تهانينا للمارد الأحمر على النجاح الدائم”.

طالع أيضًا | محمد صلاح يكشف سبب إهداره ركلة الجزاء أمام نيوكاسل.. ويصرح: سأذهب للتتويج بـ أمم إفريقيا

وأضاف: “الآن لا بد أن أذكركم بأننا سنبدأ كأس الأمم الإفريقية العظيمة، يا إلهي أمر رائع، لدي لحظات رائعة في مشاهدة البطولة والمشاركة بها أيضًا، شيء خيالي أن تُشاهد منتخبات عظيمة في إفريقيا على أعلى مستوى، يُمكن مقارنتها بمنتخبات أوروبا وأمريكا الجنوبية، وبأسلوب لاعبين عالميين”.

وأردف: “منتخبات مصر والسنغال والمغرب والجزائر وغانا وساحل العاج ونيجيريا، والعديد من المنتخبات الأخرى، جودة البطولة ستكون مُذهلة، سأتابعها من البرازيل، وسأستمتع بالمباريات المباشرة لأن كرة القدم في إفريقيا من الأفضل في العالم، وأتوقعها منافسة قوية”.

واستكمل: “أود أن أغتنم الفرصة وأوجه التهاني لـ محمد صلاح، فهو أحد أفضل اللاعبين في العالم، لاعب من مصر يلعب في ليفربول، ولا ننسى أنه كان هناك العديد من اللاعبين الرائعين من مصر لعبوا في أوروبا خلال السنوات الماضية، وأتوقع أن يلحق المزيد من اللاعبين الشباب بمحمد صلاح في المستقبل”.

واختتم: “أتذكر تريزيجيه والنني والعديد من اللاعبين العظماء، أتوقع أن يكون هناك المزيد من محمد صلاح في المستقبل، مبروك لكرة القدم المصرية أنتم من الأفضل على مستوى العالم”.

Leeds United may have changed their stance on the future of the 20-year-old centre-back Charlie Cresswell ahead of the summer transfer window.

Will Leeds keep Cresswell at Elland Road?

The young defender left the club over the summer in search of more regular first-team action and is expected to return from Millwall at the end of the season.

And despite his injury issues, Cresswell has been able to rack up 28 appearances in the Championship alone with 25 of those coming from the starting XI (via Transfermarkt).

In those games, the England U21 international has been able to provide an impressive return of five goals from his centre-back role.

However, injury may have curtailed his campaign with the youngster suffering a broken eye socket earlier this month against West Bromwich Albion.

This is a player who Leeds were believed to have been open to selling in the January transfer window had the right offer landed on Victor Orta's desk.

However, speaking on The Phil Hay Show, Creswell's agent, Hayden Evans, has suggested there may have been a transfer U-turn within Elland Road:

(17:10) "Yeah, I mean, at that time [January] there were no real objections from Leeds if the right price was found. I think that may have changed, though.

"It's obviously a new manager, you know, they tend to want everybody in pre-season so they can make their own assessments. And, you know, Charlie's form, he's doing what we know he's capable of. I mean, he is a top player and there's always room for a defender like him."

Does Cresswell have a future at Leeds?

The 20-year-old has made a handful of appearances for the Whites in the early stages of his career with five of his seven appearances coming in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

Journalist Lee Sobot has hailed Cresswell as "excellent" this season and it is no surprise when the centre-back has dominated in the air as he ranks inside the top percentile for ariel duels won (via Fbref).

It is not just defensively where the youngster has impressed with a return of five goals in the league seeing him also rank inside the top percentile for touches in the opposition's box.

But Leeds did provide reinforcement to their defence over the January window with the addition of Maximilian Wober who has played regularly since arriving.

The Austrian centre-back has already made 10 appearances for Leeds in the Premier League, but injury has also restricted his game time (via Transfermarkt).

Perhaps the future of Cresswell could depend on what lies ahead for the Whites as they battle relegation in the Premier League.

A potential return to the second tier for the Yorkshire side could see a number of exits which may force Leeds into relying further on some of their young prospects.

However, having spent a season playing regular first-team football, it will be interesting to see whether Cresswell could make a splash at Elland Road or whether he may have to leave to find consistent opportunities.