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Newcastle United have been forced to balance European football and Premier League action this season after qualifying for the Champions League during the last campaign. And, whilst the Magpies have enjoyed impressive victories over Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, they have also suffered defeats against the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion and Borussia Dortmund as the fixtures and injuries mount.

Newcastle's up and down run will have given Eddie Howe plenty to think about ahead of the next two transfer windows, as those at St James' Park reportedly set their sights on some defensive depth for the former Bournemouth boss.

Newcastle United transfer news

At the time, it looked as though Newcastle spent well in the summer, welcoming Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes and some young defensive talent to reinforce Howe's side. Months later, and that's anything but the case. Tonali is at the start of a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, Barnes is injured and the Magpies have just three recognised centre-backs after failing to add depth to their backline. And that's a problem that they could look to solve next summer in a deal that could eventually look like a stroke of genius.

According to 90min, Newcastle are keeping tabs on Tiago Djalo and are ready to battle for the Lille defender's signature against Serie A giants Inter Milan. Djalo's current Lille contract expires at the end of the season, making him a free agent, and he is open to a move. The Premier League side have reportedly been tracking the defender for a year now and will continue to monitor him upon his return from injury.

Djalo's versatility would certainly provide Howe with a major boost. The 23-year-old can play in every position across the backline, which would solve Newcastle's growing concern over their depth.

"Strong" Djalo can solve Newcastle's depth problem

We've already seen Sven Botman shoehorned in at centre-back this season and Howe will be well aware of the need to avoid a similar situation next season. And that's where the arrival of Djalo could help. The Lille man has earned the interest of both the Magpies and Inter Milan through excellent performances in Ligue 1. When compared to Newcastle's current options too, Djalo's stats last season show that he is more than capable of keeping up.

It's no surprise then that Djalo has been at the centre of praise during his career, including from Zach Lowy, who posted on X: "Tiago Djaló. After moving from Sporting to Milan in January due to a contract dispute, he’ll need to impress for the Primavera and then get a loan before he can contest the likes of Caldara and Romagnoli. Agile, strong, quick but needs to improve his decisions and IQ."

Having matured with age but kept the same athletic traits that made him such a highly rated prospect back then, it will certainly be interesting to see whether Newcastle make their move.

Sheffield Wednesday will hope that they can put together a positive sequence of results and fast to get out of the mess they're currently swamped in, the Owls rooted to the bottom of the Championship on six points with Huddersfield Town on 15 points a place above the relegation spots in 21st.

Danny Rohl was meant to be the breath of fresh air that kickstarted a meaningful run of wins to get Wednesday up and running in the league, but the new German manager at Hillsborough has only managed to steer his side to one win from his opening five games to further pile on the misery in south Yorkshire.

You'd hope that certain players within the downbeat Owls group would want to turn around their fortunes to instil some pride back into proceedings, on top of the fact the majority of them are currently fighting it out for their long-term futures at the club.

Here are five players fighting for their respective careers currently at Hillsborough under their new 34-year-old boss…

1 Mallik Wilks

The penny has to have dropped for Wilks by now looking at how his time with Wednesday has gone over the past few seasons, consistent injury issues leaving him out of many first-team squads over his disappointing two years at Hillsborough but his lack of quality when fit has also seen managers before Rohl decide not to pick him anyway.

Wilks has mustered up a pitiful two goals from 28 appearances for the Owls in a move that now feels ill-fated from Hull City, the Leeds-born attacker playing at the peak of his powers with the Tigers with 30 goals from 91 appearances.

Rohl has given Wilks opportunities since coming into the building, but the 24-year-old continues to underperform for Wednesday.

He has averaged a dire 6.23 Sofascore rating from his fleeting appearances in an Owls shirt this season, his display as a substitute away at Watford recently in league action saw him attempt zero shots on goal from a 25-minute spell on the pitch alongside losing six of his seven ground duels at Vicarage Road as per Sofascore.

Wilks could be moved on soon from Yorkshire, with Rohl's patience presumably already growing thin when it comes to his misfiring number seven.

2 Marvin Johnson

Frozen out of the team much like Wilks under ex-boss Xisco Munoz, Marvin Johnson has been reintroduced into the first-team set-up under Rohl's management and will want to fight for his spot and make it his own again after being ostracised.

Wednesday's number 18 was key last season to the Owls winning promotion to the Championship, always a creative outlet for his team to rely on from down the left wing – finishing the normal campaign with ten assists to his name, and then adding a further assist to his impressive tally in the famed playoff semi-final clash against Peterborough United at Hillsborough.

Lacking confidence at this point in time – and sharpness by being out of the first-team picture for so long – Rohl will hope Johnson's effectiveness in swarming forward down the channels in League One can reappear in the now for Wednesday.

He has to plenty to work on however if his Millwall performance recently is anything to go off of, inaccurate with all eight of his crosses versus the Lions as per Sofascore.

3 Ashley Fletcher

Joining on loan from Watford this summer, Ashley Fletcher is yet to really get going in an Owls strip this season since relocating to Sheffield.

Not helped by his side's clear lack of creativity and incisiveness in other positions, Fletcher is still without a Wednesday goal from 13 appearances.

The 28-year-old has only averaged 29 minutes of action per 90 minutes this season according to Sofascore, but if he was showing glimpses of brilliance in these cameos, he would play himself into the first eleven as a result.

Instead, he finds himself on the periphery with the Owls away from Watford in a loan deal that isn't really benefitting anyone.

Substituted off at half-time in the 4-0 Millwall loss last time out, the 6 foot 1 attacker couldn't even muster up a single shot to test the opposing goalkeeper before being hauled off by Rohl.

Fletcher will continue to fight for a spot in his current manager's first-team plans, but it could be a case of Wednesday cancelling this loan deal come January if he remains as toothless as he has been over the weeks to come.

4 Lee Gregory

Now 35 years of age, Gregory was seeing out his career at Sheffield Wednesday in fine form when you cast an eye over last season's statistics for the veteran forward.

Gregory managed 11 goals up top for the Owls under Darren Moore, the ageing attacker combining with strike partner Michael Smith to devastating effect in the third tier.

Now, however, the former Stoke City man is enduring a barren goalscoring spell in the division above.

Scoring on the opening day versus Southampton to open Wednesday's account in the league, the Sheffield-born striker hasn't found the back of the net since to the dismay of the Owls masses who once viewed Gregory as a reliable source of important strikes.

The weeks leading up to January could be make or break for Gregory, with the very real possibility of the 35-year-old being phased out of the first team completely creeping up on the experienced figure if he isn't careful.

5 Liam Palmer

A part of the furniture at Hillsborough in a similar way to Gregory – the 32-year-old a dedicated servant to Wednesday with 407 appearances notched up since joining in 2010 – Palmer has also struggled with the ferocity of the Championship when playing this season for the beleaguered Owls.

Only starting five times for Wednesday this campaign, the right-back hasn't come onto the pitch at all for the Owls in their last five Championship encounters under Rohl.

His displays prior to being dropped didn't exactly inspire confidence that Palmer was the right man to continue starting at right-back, an 11-minute spell against Sunderland in mid-October saw the Scotsman lose possession a remarkable six times as per Sofascore.

Palmer will hope that he can come good again, loved by the Wednesday masses when on song for his passion and ability on the ball.

Manchester United are in the process of completing a partial takeover, and a report in the last 48 hours has revealed the exact timeline of when the first stage of the deal is expected to be completed.

Man United takeover news

The Red Devils were initially put up for sale by the Glazers in November 2022, who were reportedly looking to receive £6B in order to sell up, and there has only ever really been two main contenders who were seriously interested in splashing the cash.

The Old Trafford outfit had attracted interest from Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with the former even having plans to offer David Beckham a role as a club ambassador (TalkSPORT), but a huge recent development put an end to his pursuit.

The Qatari businessman has recently withdrawn from the process following a breakdown in talks despite having had a new bid prepared, meaning that the INEOS chairman and chief executive officer Ratcliffe has automatically jumped into pole position to reach an agreement with the Premier League giants.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's takeover timeframe

According to Football Insider, Ratcliffe will complete part of the takeover before January at Man United.

“Sir Jim Ratcliffe is on course to complete the first stage of his Man United takeover within weeks and before the start of the New Year, sources have told Football Insider.

"There are no concerns from the Premier League about Ratcliffe’s source of funding via INEOS. Once the final details are agreed upon by both parties, the takeover process is set to accelerate quickly and Ratcliffe is expected [to join] United’s board by the end of the year.”

Should Ratcliffe’s proposal be accepted, there’s no doubt that the £1.4B would help the club financially, especially when it comes to Erik ten Hag receiving more backing with regards to being competitive in the transfer market and pursuing his top targets, having missed out on several stars in the past to some of his rivals in the top-flight.

Man United’s prospective new investor also appears to have other plans in the form of wanting to expand the stadium to a capacity of 90,000, a plan which he's already looking to accelerate as quickly as possible (The Mirror), alongside appointing a new sporting director with Paul Mitchell being the primary name mentioned so far.

However, supporters are likely to have been hoping that Jassim was the one to be joining the hierarchy considering that he wanted to complete a full takeover, meaning that fans would have finally seen the back of the Glazers, but it’s now a case of what could have been.

Three Arsenal fans who plead guilty to tragedy chanting against Liverpool have been handed three-year football bans.

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Three Arsenal fans banned for three yearsWere part of the Ashburton Army groupTragedy chanting against Liverpool in the FA CupWHAT HAPPENED?

Following the team's FA Cup third-round loss to Liverpool in January, three teenagers, who the Daily Mail reports are members of the Ashburton Army fan group, were each given a three-year football ban for their chants associated with the Hillsborough tragedy.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ellis Chandler, George Oxley, and Joshua Ricca entered guilty pleas to a section five public order offence (tragedy chanting). Chandler and Oxley are prohibited from being within 1.5 miles of the Emirates due to their bans.

WHAT THE ARSENAL STATEMENT SAID

Arsenal released a statement after the punishment was announced: "We strongly condemn this abhorrent behaviour. We have worked closely with the police to ensure swift action was taken and we welcome the football banning orders handed out.

"We have a zero-tolerance approach to tragedy chanting and will always ensure strong action is taken against those found guilty of such behaviour."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

The Gunners will next be in action after the international break when they take on title rivals Manchester City on March 30 at the Etihad. Their next game at the Emirates Stadium will be against Luton Town on April 3.

ScorecardTalk to any professional cricketer, past and present, and they will tell you that it is a horrible game to master. It plays devilish tricks on the mind, and even worse ones on the body. In a few fleeting moments you may enter the fabled “zone” but beware, for Mother Cricket is waiting to bite you on the arse at any, or indeed every moment.It is the cruelty of cricket that so attracts its supporters. The fine balance between bat and ball. That sense of jeopardy that accompanies every delivery in the very best of matches; a jeopardy that has led some, famously, to chew through their umbrellas or even drop down dead.While Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate, in his first game back since a two-game suspension, were compiling a fifth-wicket record partnership for Essex against Somerset of 294, cricket, however, looked the easiest game in the world, at least for the batsmen. It was a stupendous feat of concentration on another blistering day by two men with decades of experience between them.There were some elegant strokes, plenty of immaculate defence and, towards the end, when the imperative was to speed towards a declaration target, some genuinely spectacular hitting, but it was impossible to escape the impression that it was all too easy.Runs, certainly for the first two hours today, weren’t so much scored as extracted from Somerset’s bowlers; a tithe to be paid if they wanted to share the same pitch. Dominic Bess, who finished yesterday’s play covered in more grit, dust and grime than a Victorian child chimney sweep, struggled manfully on a pitch that offered him nothing.Again he kept the Essex duo in check until ten Doeschate shifted gears late in the first session, driving the increasingly battered ball with perfect precision along the ground through the covers like a European Central Bank mandarin scything through the more hopeful parts of a Greek finance minister’s budget with a pink marker pen. Bess’ reward for 49 overs of earnest, and committed toil was figures of 2 for 132.Jamie Overton, playing his first championship match of the season after injury, tried a different approach. Banging the ball in halfway down the wicket he generated decent pace, but the ball was soft, the pitch was docile and the batsmen, in particular ten Doeschate, adapted with ease. Overton’s 22 overs yielded 110 runs, but at least it broke the monotony. Instead of a modest tithe, the batsmen were now extracting Super Tax.Nearly four hours into the day, Bopara slogged at Trego and paid with his middle stump. His 118 was, astoundingly for a man who is the seventh highest run scorer in all cricket worldwide over the last decade, only his second championship century since July 2, 2014. There was time for ten Doeschate (173*) to go past his highest championship score before he declared10 overs before tea on a mere 515 for 5.Somerset were able to negotiate the short session to tea easily. All too easily. And then the game burst into life. Neil Wagner, who gave the full pitched swinging ball two or three attempts, promptly and with commendable devotion, explored the middle of the pitch, much as Overton had earlier, but at greater pace and at a nastier angle.The last eight overs of his marathon ten over spell consisted almost entirely of short balls. A couple, suddenly, shot along the ground. Most of them reared to chest and throat height. Davies glanced one to Wheater behind the stumps to depart for 41. Byrom and Bartlett channelling their inner Andrew Hilditch, pulled and hooked at pretty much every ball. They even middle the occasional one. It was baffling. Westley was stationed at back-stop for the top edged hook. You could hear Geoffrey Boycott mithering at their failure to sway and duck, and he may have had a point. It was ludicrous stuff, but, after hours of somnolent dominance by the bat, it was marvellous fun.And then it stopped again. Wagner couldn’t bowl all day. Sam Cook and Jamie Porter adopted a more orthodox approach. Byrom and Bartlett settled back into the rhythms of this match and the day dawdled to its close with the lights finally taking effect, Somerset comfortably enough placed on 140 for 2.

Burnley have been handed a boost as one of their first-team players is set to return for tonight’s game vs Luton Town in the Premier League.

What's the latest team news at Burnley?

This evening, Vincent Kompany’s side are set to travel to Kenilworth Road to take on Rob Edwards’ outfit, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30pm UK time, but the boss could be without two of his senior stars due to injury.

At Turf Moor, Johann Berg Gudmundsson missed the previous 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United alongside Manuel Benson who has a swollen ankle, and it’s been reported that Nathan Redmond isn’t expected to return to action until after the international break later this month, as per BBC Sport.

The Clarets have also been without the services of Lyle Foster but due to suspension rather than fitness problems having received a straight red card during the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest last month, meaning that he had to serve a three-match ban.

In Lancashire, the striker has been the boss’ top-performing offensive player so far this season which shows just how much of an integral role he has in the starting line-up, hence why it’s hugely positive news that the 23-year-old can once again return to the pitch.

What has Vincent Kompany said about Lyle Foster?

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Monday, Kompany was asked to comment on Foster being able to stage his comeback vs Luton. As quoted by The Morning Star, he said:

“It’s massive. Zeki [Amdouni] and Jay Rodriguez have done well with the time they’ve had up top and in every game we’ve had at least two or three big chances. We’re not lacking goals for the lack of creating chances, we just don’t put them away. We have to believe performances are good and we keep creating chances but playing top sides is difficult. But we have to believe we’re on the right track to get results.”

How much does Lyle Foster earn at Burnley?

At Burnley, Foster currently pockets £25k-per-week which he has more than earned since joining back in January from KVC Westerlo, and especially considering the positive impact he’s had so far this season, it will be a massive boost for Kompany to have him back at his disposal to face Luton.

The South Africa international has three contributions (two goals and one assist) to his name in four appearances this term, form which has seen him hailed a “quality” centre-forward by his teammate Josh Brownhill, and he also provides a different type of threat up top.

The Soweto native was averaging two aerial wins per game in the top flight prior to his absence, displaying the excellent physical presence he brings to the final third and the handful he is for the opposition’s defence to deal with.

Furthermore, Foster has the ability to operate out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside his usual role leading the line through the middle, so his versatility makes it easy for him to adapt to the boss’ demands when it comes to formation and team selection.

The uncapped wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton is also in the squad for the Tests against Sri Lanka, while Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood and Raymon Reifer have been left out

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2018West Indies Test squad

Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith
IN: Jahmar Hamilton, Devon Smith
OUT: Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer

Devon Smith is back in West Indies’ Test squad after a gap of nearly three years. The selectors have also called up the uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Jahmar Hamilton for the home Test series against Sri Lanka, which starts on June 6.With only 13 players in the squad, four players who made the trip to New Zealand for West Indies’ last Test assignment, in December 2017, have been left out – batsmen Sunil Ambris and Jermaine Blackwood, the allrounder Raymon Reifer, and the fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who is recovering from a stress fracture in his back.The Cricket West Indies (CWI) release announcing the Test squad, interestingly, lists three Test matches as originally scheduled – in Trinidad (June 6-10), St Lucia (June 14-18) and Barbados (day-night match, June 23 to 27) – rather than two. ESPNcricinfo understands that CWI was considering scrapping one Test in favour of limited-overs internationals, to ease some of the board’s financial burdens.Smith, 36, last played a Test match during England’s 2015 visit to the Caribbean. He has returned on the back of his chart-topping exploits for Windward Islands in the 2017-18 Regional Four-Day Tournament, in which he scored 1095 runs at an average of 84.23, with six hundreds in ten matches.The 27-year-old Hamilton, meanwhile, impressed for West Indies A during a home series against England Lions in February-March, scoring 100, 29 and 79 in the two first-class matches. He is one of two wicketkeepers in the West Indies squad alongside Shane Dowrich.Ambris has been left out after a bizarre maiden Test series in New Zealand, where he was hit-wicket first ball on debut and dismissed in the same fashion in the next match as well. In the second innings of his second Test, a short ball from Neil Wagner fractured his left forearm and ruled him out of the rest of the tour. He has recovered from the injury, but not in time to play any first-class cricket, though he was part of a five-day batting camp in Barbados from May 8 to 12.Blackwood was part of the camp as well, but hasn’t found a place in the squad. He didn’t get to play either of the two Tests in New Zealand, while Reifer made his debut in the second Test in Hamilton, scoring 23 not out and 29 and taking a wicket in each innings. Reifer, like Ambris and Blackwood, was among the contenders for a place in the squad, having been part of a 10-man fast bowlers’ camp in Antigua, from April 30 to May 9.GMT 0900 The story had earlier erroneously stated that Devon Smith last played Test cricket on a tour of England. The error has been rectified.

Big Picture

We all know how Durban ended up but for the second Test in Port Elizabeth, much will depend upon the local conditions. For example, what are the acoustics like on the stairwell at St George’s Park? Does the layout allow for quick u-turns? And what are the precise locations of the security cameras? Every venue is different, and in order to be ready and adaptable, Australia would do well to familiarise themselves with the conditions before the Test.Okay, enough of that. Steven Smith has ruled a line under the stairwell saga, but then again, lines ruled by Australia can tend to have unpredictable shape-shifting qualities. The fact is, there is only one thing to be thankful for in regards to the David Warner-Quinton de Kock issue: that the break between the Durban and Port Elizabeth Tests is only three days. Imagine if this had happened at the end of the Port Elizabeth Test, with an eight-day break before Cape Town. Imagine a full week of this. At least now we can all quickly focus again on the on-field action. Hopefully.Australia lead the series 1-0, and have the chance to take an unbeatable advantage in Port Elizabeth. No member of their side scored a century at Kinsgmead but four of the top six managed fifties, and with the ball Mitchell Starc especially was in serious form. South Africa’s batting had higher highs – Aiden Markram’s 143 was a magnificent effort in a fourth-innings chase, and de Kock bounced brilliantly back to form after lean run – but they were also far less consistent. Still, a 118-run win for Australia might have reflected the difference in the sides in Durban, but there were enough signs from South Africa that the balance of power could change at any time.

Form guide

South Africa LLWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia WWDWW

In the spotlight

How can it be anyone but this pair?Whatever Quinton de Kock said in that stairwell, he can be assured of hearing plenty of words coming his way when he bats at St George’s Park. But the uncomfortable fact for Australia is that de Kock found some much-needed touch in Durban, after 15 consecutive sub-50 scores in Tests. His 83 might not have been enough to pull off a miracle win for South Africa, but had Markram stayed with him at the crease, who could say what would have happened?Perhaps the most fascinating outcome of the stairwell saga is that David Warner now finds himself one demerit point away from a suspension. That means that he will need to be on his best behaviour for the remainder of the series, which could be a challenge if any further provocation comes his way. Warner was nicknamed “The Reverend” when he became Australia’s vice-captain and tried to tone down his behaviour, but perhaps a monastic vow of silence would be wise while those demerit points hang over his head.

Team news

South Africa are still debating between keeping Theunis de Bruyn or bringing back Temba Bavuma, who is batting pain free but is still working on getting full power back into his grip. South Africa are also weighing up their bowling combinations, but could only consider bringing Lungi Ngidi into the XI if they drop one of the existing quicks.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Theunis de Bruyn, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Morne Morkel.Australia have confirmed that they will make no changes from the side that won in Durban.Australia: 1 Cameron Bancroft, 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is expected to be somewhat slow and low, and a drying wind on match eve might dry it out a touch more. Spin and reverse swing are likely to play their roles. No rain is forecast for the match.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have played only one Test in Port Elizabeth in the past 20 years – and lost it, in 2014
• Morne Morkel is three wickets away from the milestone of 300 in Tests
• Should Steven Smith fail to score a century in Port Elizabeth, it will make a stretch of three consecutive Tests in which he has not made a hundred – last time that happened, it was against South Africa in Australia in 2016

Quotes

“We just want to get back to playing good cricket and make sure we play them on skill and get the emotion out of it.”
“It’s a big game for us, and we need to make sure that cricket does the talking. We’ve spoken behind closed doors about the lessons learned and try to improve them. We need to make sure we get back into the series and make it one-all.”

New Zealand were too slow to adjust to the nature of the Sydney pitch according to Ross Taylor who thought a total of 140 would have given them a fighting chance.Three wickets in the first four overs – including two from Billy Stanlake’s opening two deliveries – set back New Zealand’s innings to such an extent that they could only limp to 9 for 117 with Australia cantering to a rain-adjusted target to take the opening points of the Trans-Tasman tri-series.The start of Stanlake’s spell was the most eye-catching period of the match as he pushed the speedgun over 150kph, dismissing Colin Munro first ball then producing an unplayable delivery to take Martin Guptill’s off stump.Munro is given licence to attack at the top of New Zealand’s limited-overs line-ups, but didn’t give himself a sighter against Stanlake when he top-edged a short ball and, while Guptill could do little about his delivery, Tom Bruce then top-edged another short ball to long leg in Stanlake’s second over.”We probably didn’t assess conditions well enough, Australia bowled very well and there was a little in the wicket but we weren’t able to soak that up,” Taylor said. “Don’t know it was 160-170 wicket but if we’d scrapped our way to 140 we might have been a chance.”With New Zealand’s two top-order strikers gone in two deliveries, boundaries were hard to come by to the extent that there was just one in the Powerplay after the opening over – and that was an edge fine of slip by Taylor – as captain David Warner gave Stanlake three of his four overs on the bounce.”I thought he bowled very well and those were two big wickets with his first two balls set the tone for their innings and our batting,” Taylor said. “He’s bowled very well in the Big Bash, it wasn’t a quick wicket here but he bowled well with good pace and will be one to watch in the future for sure.”Kane Williamson soaked up 21 deliveries for his 8 before getting a leading edge into the covers and Taylor was left to hold the innings together. Tom Blundell was promoted up the order to try and ensure the innings went deep to allow Colin de Grandhomme, who finished as the top-scorer with 38 off 24 balls, the freedom to attack later on.Taylor edged Ashton Agar’s final delivery to depart for 24 off 35 balls – New Zealand’s second-slowest 20-plus score in T20Is – while de Grandhomme clubbed three of the four sixes New Zealand managed, but Taylor rejected any suggestion that the difficulty in clearing the rope was because of the transition from the small grounds in New Zealand.”You just have to back yourself that you are doing the right thing at the time, try to eliminate the dot balls. Each time we lost a wicket we had to hold back and take it as deep as possible. I think it was more the wicket than the size of the boundary… the slower balls stuck in the wicket.”

يخطط المدرب الإسباني تشافي هيرنانديز، للاجتماع بمسؤولي برشلونة، يوم الثلاثاء، حسبما أفادت تقارير صحفية إسبانية اليوم.

وانتهى مشوار تشافي هيرنانديز مع برشلونة، أمس، بخوض آخر مباراة في الدوري الإسباني ضد إشبيلية.

كان برشلونة قد أعلن يوم الجمعة الماضي الإطاحة بـ تشافي من منصبه، حيث من المتوقع قدوم هانزي فليك لخلافته.

ووفقًا لما ذكرته صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، فإن تشافي يخطط لتسوية عقده مع برشلونة يوم الثلاثاء، حيث كان ممتدًا حتى 30 يونيو 2025.

وأوضحت أن تشافي مستعد للتخلي عن الحصول على المكأفاة المتعلقة ببقية عقده، ولكن مقابل هذا سيطالب بالحصول على تعويض مالي للطاقم المعاون له.

ويضم طاقم تشافي 8 أشخاص، حيث هناك مساعديه أوسكار هيرنانديز وسيرجيو أليجري، والمدرب البدني إيفان توريس، وإخصائي العلاج الطبيعي كارلوس نوجيرا، والكشافين ديفيد براتس، سيرجيو جارسيا وتوني لوبو، إلى جانب مدير العلاقات إيدو بولو، ويمتلك جميعهم عقودًا مع برشلونة مستمرة عام 2025، بمبالغ تعويضات مختلفة جدًا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أستون فيلا يتخذ قرارًا بشأن لينجليه ويضع برشلونة في مأزق

وأفادت بأن تشافي لن يطالب بالحصول على المبلغ المالي الذي يحق له الحصول عليه، البالغ 12 مليون يورو، ولكنه يصر على منح موظفيه كافة حقوقهم خاصة أنها لا تصل جميعها إلى 3 ملايين يورو فقط.

وأشارت إلى أن حاشية تشافي تؤكد أنه سيكون متعنتًا عندما يتعلق الأمر بالتفاوض بشأن تعويضات موظفيه، لأنه يدرك أن المبالغ مقبولة للنادي، ومن ثم لن يتخل عن يورو واحد للجميع.

وإذا لم يضع خوان لابورتا أي عائق في النهاية، فسيوقع تشافي وباقي مساعديه على إنهاء ارتباطهم بـ برشلونة.

وبمجرد إغلاق ملف تشافي، سيتمكن النادي من الإعلان رسميًا عن التعاقد مع فليك فليك مدربًا جديدًا لبرشلونة للموسمين المقبلين.