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Midlands journalist Luke Hatfield insists that West Bromwich Albion are most likely to spend the money received from selling Matheus Pereira on a striker this summer.

The Baggies have seen the Brazilian move to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, although the fee has remained undisclosed.

Hatfield claims that the Championship club did want to receive £25m, although he doubts such a figure was met by Al Hilal.

Nevertheless, he expects the club to chase a new centre-forward before the end of the transfer window as the club plot an immediate return to the Premier League after their relegation last term.

West Brom currently have three options up front, in Callum Robinson, Kenneth Zohore, and Karlan Grant, and Hatfield has revealed that the Baggies have identified a new striker as a key potential acquisition.

He said: “I’m still unsure of the actual fee but I don’t think it’ll be at the level of the £25 million that they would have wanted for Pereira.

“Ultimately, if he’s making the noises that he is, rocking the boat a little bit, maybe Albion considered, ‘maybe we should get rid of him and get the money we can and then we can reinvest that in a striker’, which is a position they really want to fill.”

West Brom have already kicked off their Championship season, drawing 2-2 with AFC Bournemouth on Friday evening.

An update has emerged on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Manchester United centre-back Axel Tuanzebe… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph, Aston Villa are ready to pursue a permanent deal for Manchester United centre-back Axel Tuanzebe. The defender has one year left on his contract at Old Trafford and Villa would like to snap him up this month.

This comes after reports earlier this week that the Red Devils were demanding a £5m loan fee for the England under-21 international, with Villa and Newcastle keen to take him.

Fans will be delighted

Aston Villa fans will be delighted by the club’s decision to pursue Tuanzebe on a permanent basis. The reports of United wanting a £5m loan fee were concerning as that would have been a huge chunk of change for the Villans to throw at a loan signing.

They would essentially be paying £5m to develop another team’s player for a year, when they could have put that money towards a signing of their own, one who they could keep for the long term.

Hopefully, that is what they are now doing with Tuanzebe by looking to get him from United on a multi-year contract, although there is no specific figure mentioned in terms of a transfer fee.

He could be a solid addition to Villa’s squad. He has already shown glimpses of his quality in Manchester, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lavishing praise on the defender and hailing him as a great leader, following his display against PSG in the Champions League last year.

The Norwegian said: “Axel’s a tremendous defender, a great leader. He’s come through the academy and we’ve known for years that he’s going to be a top player for us and he’s got the character and the attitude that a Man United player should have.

Solskjaer added: “Sometimes you’ll get in a foot race with Mbappe and you have to run with him and we know Axel’s qualities, he’s a top defender.”

If Villa can land the £38k-per-week enforcer on a permanent deal, they could aid his long-term development and increase his value. This means that they would be adding a solid player to the squad now, whilst also having the potential for him to improve and potentially be worth selling on for a healthy profit in the future.

Therefore, Villa supporters will be happy that the club are opting against a loan move for Tuanzebe at the quoted figure and that they are now trying for a permanent deal. Hopefully, Johan Lange can get it over the line and Dean Smith will be able to work with the young defender once again.

AND in other news, Villa must seal deal for “outstanding” £75k-p/w beast, he’s better than Luiz…

A round-up of the County Championship action on July 18, 2008

Cricinfo staff18-Jul-2008
Will Smith sweeps on his way to a maiden double hundred at Guildford © PA Photos
Will Smith’s maiden double hundred helped Durham to take a first-innings lead of 190 at Guildford as they piled up 410, but Surrey fared much better second time round, reaching 185 for 3 by the close. This was another day when the players came and went between showers, but Smith ploughed on, reprieved by Jimmy Ormond who put him down in the slips when he was on 166. On a pitch which remained good, Scott Newman, who had been off the field with a knee injury, struck a brisk 67 to add to his first-day hundred, and then Jonathan Batty and Usman Afzaal gave Surrey a chance of salvaging a draw with an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 59 before a premature close. With Darren Pattinson called up at Leeds, Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett hardly put pressure on him. Harmison was smacked for 73 in 13 overs while Plunkett shipped 29 in two.Kent were left on the brink of a thumping defeat as they closed on 163 for 6 chasing a distant target of 463 at Taunton. Somerset had extended their second innings to 243 for 8, with Justin Langer finishing on 88, when they declared at lunch. Kent, without Robert Key who was absent attending the birth of his son, lost three wickets in an afternoon shorted by rain, and in the final session top scorer Martin van Jaarsveld gloved an attempted hook as the players trotted on and off. With the forecast tomorrow much improved, Somerset could go top, albeit briefly, if the wrap up the game quickly.Hampshire were also staring defeat in the face after they closed on 127 for 7 in their second innings at Arundel, still 42 runs short of making Sussex bat again. Greg Lamb (54) led some spirited resistance at the end of Hampshire’s first innings as their last four wickets added 126, but following-on 163 in arrears, none of their batsmen looked like playing the necessary anchor innings. Ollie Rayner made the most of Mushtaq Ahmed’s absence to pick up 4 for 49. The temperature was raised early on when Lamb refused to walk for a catch Chris Adams claimed at slip and the umpires were unable to confirm the catch. Adams simmered for an over before engaging in a row with non striker Nic Pothas, prompting the officials to intervene.Middlesex struggled to gain a foothold at a dank Uxbridge where the players spent more time in the pavilion that out in the middle. In what action there was, Warwickshire dominated, taking the last seven Middlesex first-innings wickets for 75. Owais Shah top scored with 42 but failed to capitalise on a missed slip catch when 25, while Chris Martin and Darren Maddy shared six wickets. The in-form Ben Scott marshalled a long lower order with determination and was last man out for 37. Following-on 223 behind, Middlesex closed on 20 for 0 after a farcical finish when the players, sat inside for two hours, returned for two overs of spin before all trooping off again for bad light.Jonathan Clare followed his hundred yesterday with 5 for 52 as Derbyshire remained in charge against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road. With poor light bringing an early tea and finish, and with the batting fairly attritional, it was a day for the purists only. Niall O’Brien provided the early impetus with 80, but when he holed out to Nayan Doshi Northamptonshire were 171 for 5, still 314 behind. Lance Klusener and Andrew Hall rebuilt the innings, although Hall was inexplicably dropped off a sitter by Dan Birch at mid-off early on. Both passed fifty, but as the gloom descended, the new ball did for Hall and an over later Clare completed his five-for by pegging back Klusener’s leg stump.Click here for John Ward’s report on the second day’s play between Worcestershire and Glamorgan at New Road.

The Uganda Cricket Association is launching a Twenty20 league on June 7

Cricinfo staff30-May-2008The Uganda Cricket Association is launching a Twenty20 league on June 7.The competition, to be known as the NCR20/20 Corporate League, is run in conjunction with the Friends of Uganda Cricket. It will feature six teams backed by local companies, including The New Vision, Warid, MTN, Highland Mineral Water and Sleeping Baby.Announcing the details, the UCA’s Latimar Mukasa said the board was looking to capitalise on the growing popularity of the format. “There are plans to make this an annual event if we can sort out the demands of sponsorship and scheduling”.

Leeds United aren’t actively on the lookout for another left-back in the summer transfer window, according to The Athletic‘s Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Alioski moves on

With Ezgjan Alioski moving on after his contract expired, the Whites are arguably looking a little light in the left-back department.

Junior Firpo has arrived from Barcelona, but Leif Davis’ potential loan move to Bournemouth could leave the Brazilian as the only option there.

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The Latest: Hays gives key update

Hay dropped his latest update on Friday, revealing (via Twitter) ‘where Leeds United are in the transfer market after tying up Junior Firpo’.

He states that Leeds are ‘not actively pursuing a replacement’ for Alioski as things stand, even if it hasn’t been completely ruled out.

The report states that Stuart Dallas is seen as a possible option at left-back, having ‘filled in successfully’ there, while Davis is described as ‘on the fringes’.

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The Verdict: Potential risk by Bielsa?

Although Leeds still appear to be relatively well-stocked at left-back, Davis leaving would change that, with Dallas preferably used in midfield.

That makes not bringing in someone a risk by Marcelo Bielsa, particularly if Firpo picked up an early injury or took time to settle at his new club – let’s not forget he only started three times in La Liga last season.

A big name isn’t required, considering Firpo looks first-choice, but sufficient cover will keep squad depth strong and enhance Leeds’ hopes of enjoying another successful season.

In other news, a pundit has made a big claim over the future of one Leeds star. Find out who it is here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Ángel Romero tem apenas um gol marcado e uma assistência realizada em 17 jogos com a camisa do Corinthians na temporada, condição que faz do paraguaio um dos nomes favoritos de parte da torcida alvinegra na hora das críticas. Apesar da desconfiança de alguns, para o técnico Fabio Carille não há dúvidas: o camisa 11 faz parte da escalação considerada ideal do Timão em 2017 e possui virtudes que não ameaçam seu atual status.

Além da raça e da boa presença de área, o técnico do Corinthians tem um argumento forte em defesa de Romero, que é a artilharia da história da Arena de Itaquera, com 17 gols marcados – Jadson, o perseguidor mais direto soma 15. Neste domingo, às 16h, o Timão volta ao seu estádio para receber o Botafogo no jogo de volta das quartas de final do Campeonato Paulista. Nova oportunidade para o paraguaio aumentar suas estatísticas e provar seu valor.

– Ele é um jogador que pisa a área, maior artilheiro da Arena no momento, cumpre função e a torcida gosta porque se dedica, não desiste de nenhuma bola, como era o Jorge Henrique. Estamos muito satisfeitos com o que ele vem fazendo. Ele foi fundamental no jogo contra o Palmeiras, tivemos de tirar no fim porque ele não aguentava mais. Ele é muito importante, essa entrega a gente tem que valorizar – elogia Carille, que tem utilizado o paraguaio na ponta esquerda.

Em 2016, Romero foi o principal artilheiro do Corinthians com 15 gols marcados e ainda contribuiu à equipe com sete assistências. Nesta temporada os números são um pouco mais discretos: apenas um gol, contra o Linense, e uma assistência, ainda na Florida Cup. O camisa 11 participou de 17 partidas na temporada, sendo 12 como titular. Na história, soma 118 participações e 21 gols com a camisa alvinegra. Ele foi contratado em 2014 e tem vínculo até julho de 2019.

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Tudo sobre

CorinthiansFabio CarilleRomero

Many Everton fans have been reacting to a tweet from Dominic King, who shared an image of a banner which was erected outside Rafael Benitez’s house in England.

As we approach pre-season, the Toffees remain without a permanent manager after Carlo Ancelotti left the club to return to Real Madrid (Sky Sports). At the moment, it appears that Benitez is set to be his replacement (The Telegraph), but this is a potential appointment which does not appear to have gone well with many Everton supporters – after all, he used to be the manager of their fierce city rivals Liverpool.

Still, that is no excuse for the banner which was put outside his family home, with the message reading: “We know where you live, don’t sign”. That is an appalling threat to make to someone just because they might become the manager of a football club.

A photo of the banner was shared on Twitter by journalist King, who fumed: “This banner is online. It has been posted not far from where Rafa Benitez lives with his wife and his daughters. It’s sinister, it’s reprehensible and the people responsible for it should be ashamed. They are a disgrace.”

The image duly attracted the disgust of many Everton supporters who took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on what one Toffees fan understandably called a “despicable” act.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the tweet from King below

“It’s hard enough being an #Everton fan without suffering the despicable element of a minority of so called fans. Totally ashamed!”

Credit: @Holdtight_TV

“It’s utterly shameful & embarrassing. It’s criminal behaviour & should be treated as such.”

Credit: @EFCMatt1

“100% not what our football club is about utterly embarrassing. Forget about football, in this instance I feel for his family and Benitez himself.”

Credit: @notsimon1878

“Disgusting, too far. The person(s) who have put this up don’t represent me as a fan! That goes for the banners outside Goodison too. I don’t want Benitez at all but this is too much!”

Credit: @Pistolpov

“Ashamed and embarrassed”

Credit: @EvertonNewsFeed

“Utterly embarrassing for us Blues. I didn’t want Rafa as manager but now more than ever I will support him. If he wants to manage us with all this going on deserves our support.”

Credit: @bluedoc999

In other news, Everton are believed to be interested in this Juventus ace.

Celtic and the word ‘surprise’ are rather synonymous with each other at the moment.

You only need to crawl back through the Hoops’ pursuit of a new manager to understand just how many twists and turns occur at Parkhead.

What’s the word?

The Bhoys have been incredibly active in the transfer window over the last week, attempting to finalise a number of deals. They’ve already welcomed Liel Abada to the club, while they are working on finalising a deal for Swedish defender Carl Starfelt and Rennes full-back Brandon Soppy.

However, when we awoke from our slumber on Friday morning, Celtic were suddenly on the verge of completing another move.

Ange Postecoglou has headed back to Japan and agreed to land Kyogo Furuhashi, who plays his football for Vissel Kobe.

A statement on the J-League club’s website, along with one from Celtic, revealed that an agreement has been reached for his transfer between the two clubs and he will now undergo a medical.

The move will now go through providing it passes international clearance and the medical assessment is successful.

Best signing yet

Although Furuhashi is not a household name, this is a move that has the potential to really lift Celtic supporters out of their seats.

Postecoglou has been incredibly busy behind the scenes but this could be his best move yet since arriving in Glasgow.

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That’s because Furuhashi isn’t only a proven international player, he’s also a ruthless goal scorer who’s even caught the eye of Spanish great Andres Iniesta.

The pair are teammates at club level and, speaking recently, the former World Cup winner said: “To be honest, he absolutely has the talent to play in Europe. He’s leading the J1’s scoring chart, but it’s not just that. He’s got strong technique, and I believe he can succeed in Europe.

“I’m sure he’s got scouts watching him already, but it’s going to be tough for us because he scores a lot of goals. It’ll be tough but if he goes to Europe I’ll be incredibly happy for him, because for Japanese players it’s a dream to play in Europe.”

With the threat of Odsonne Edouard potentially leaving still lingering over the club, signing another forward is of utmost importance to Celtic.

Fortunately, Furuhashi fits the bill. He has scored 15 times this season, which has taken his tally in Vissel Kobe colours to 48 strikes.

He’s not the most physical of forwards, winning just 0.4 aerial duels per match, but like Edouard, he’s capable of beating a man. This season, the 26-year-old has completed 0.9 dribbles per match.

Speaking about the move and Furuhashi’s game, reporter Dan Orlowitz commented: “That is a BIG move for Furuhashi, an astute signing by Ange, a signing that should absolutely excite the Celtic fanbase. One of the J.League’s best domestic talents, exciting on the ball, great finisher, has surely learned a lot from Andres Iniesta these last few years.”

Albian Ajeti has scored in pre-season but his first campaign at Parkhead was disappointing, scoring just six times in 2020/21.

Therefore, Postecoglou will hope to have better luck than his predecessor Neil Lennon in terms of centre-forward recruits. On the evidence provided by Furuhashi in his homeland, this could be the new manager’s most enthralling deal yet.

AND in other news, “Celtic want him”: Reliable journo issues exciting transfer update, fans surely elated…

Perhaps it was the number of times he was called ‘ageing warhorse’that prompted Angus Fraser to retire from playing cricket and move onto writing on cricket. Perhaps it was the fact that the bowler sofamous for ‘knackering’ batsmen with his line and length ended moredays knackered himself instead. Whatever the reasons, it’s a pleasureto have the measured and soft-spoken Middlesex and England seamer inthe pressbox, tapping away at his laptop with the same determinationthat saw him scalp 177 wickets in 46 Tests for England. Englandcaptains called on him time and time again to bowl a good line and tieone end down. There’s a twinkle in his eye when he speaks about hisart – and an art it is, though less glamourous than the flashing bladeof a Lara, the tweak of a Warne, or the sheer pace of an Akhtar. Overto Angus.Angus, you would have liked to have a bowl, the way the Indiansbatted today. What’s it about the wicket that’s meant that Englandhave been able to dominate so much?I think it’s still a pretty good pitch. The odd ball is keeping a bitlow, especially when the ball hits one of the cracks on this wicket.It’s a dry pitch and is crumbling a bit. Mind you, when England playedthe West Indies here in 1995 it was a similar sort of wicket. Havingsaid that, there hasn’t been a great deal in the wicket for thebowlers – the England bowlers have done very well. This, combined withsome indifferent Indian batting has meant that England are in totalcontrol.It’s not easy to sustain a good line and length over the course ofa whole session? Can you even remember the last occasion when abowling attack did so well?The fact that India were bowled out for just 221 is a huge credit tothe bowlers. They were bowling to a 7-2 offside field without havingto land the ball a yard and a half outside the stumps. That would havemade it easy for the batsmen to leave the ball. The bowlers kept up amagnificent line and the batsmen had to play at almost everything.They did the same against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford and many timesagainst India in the winter. So it’s not really a one-off thing oranything. I agree that it is hard to bowl a sustained good line over asession but you’ll find that England have bowled well together as aunit before.And this is a very weakened bowling attack in the absence of Goughand Caddick…This is a good second string of bowlers for England. Hoggard andFlintoff have a bit of experience but, by and large, they are aninexperienced lot. Despite this, they’ve shown in the winter whatthey’re capable of. In a way it’s nice to see Caddick and Gough werenot missed at all – either against Sri Lanka or here. England are nottotally reliant on that pair and that’s a good thing. There is lightto look forward to after the pair has retired.Does the performance of the second string make it difficult for theselectors?I don’t see Gough playing for England all summer, to be honest.Caddick will be fit, if at all, for the third Test against India. Ifthis lot of bowlers stay fit, they’ll get a decent run and theydeserve it after the way they’ve bowled here at Lord’s. If anything, Ithink Tudor is the likeliest to come in to this side and that would befor either Jones or maybe White.Craig White coming back into the team and doing so well is a bit ofa surprise, isn’t it?I think it’s the right decision to pick White, although I must say Ithought that the selectors would go for experience and take theDominic Cork option. White bowled with discipline and the ball camethrough with good pace. If you had a look at the speed gun you wouldhave noticed he was consistently at the 83-85 miles per hour mark. Ilike the look of White as a cricketer. He’s not express pace but hasenough in him to let the batsmen know he’s around.

Why is it that some teams implement bowling to a plan so muchbetter than others? You yourself were a master of line and length.What does it take to do that?It’s the quality of the bowler to be honest. It does require a certainamount of skill to land a ball on a line and length consistently.Also, you must not get frustrated. You have to have patience and goodconcentration to stick by a plan. Bowlers need to try and bowl theball in a way that it pitches on leg stump and hits the top of offstump. I’m not a big fan of the tactic of the left-arm spinner bowlingover the wicket into the legs. I don’t like that at all. I’d rather heattacked the stumps, but if the seamers bowl it as well as they did onthe third day, I’m perfectly happy with it.And how do you motivate yourself to bowling one line even whenyou’re getting a bit of stick?The basic idea is not to get stick (laughs). You can’t hide the ball.Some days you just have to accept that the batsman is better than you.No matter what you do you’re going to have your work cut out for youas a bowler. You just have to keep running in and hope to bowl the oneball that gets the batsman out. Like any game, you need to make sureyou don’t bowl bad balls. If you bowl well and the bloke hits you forfour, you just say, ‘well played, that’s a fantastic innings.’Finally, what’s it been like moving so quickly from playing tobecoming the cricket writer for ?I haven’t yet missed playing. I still turn up at a cricket groundevery day which is half the joy of being involved with the game. Youget to a stage in your career when the pain outdoes the pleasure andyou can’t do what you once could. You can’t force the issue likebefore and make things happen. When you get an opportunity to stay inthe game after your playing days, you just sort of take it. AlecStewart is three years older than me and he seems to keep going. Ihave a lot of time and admiration for the way he does that. Mind you,you won’t see too many fast bowlers going on past 35!

Captain Jamie Cox said Tasmania would be the underdog as it tried to win its first four-day cricket championship in the Pura Cup final against Queensland, which starts at the Gabba on Friday.

Don Woolford19-Mar-2002Captain Jamie Cox said Tasmania would be the underdog as it tried to win its first four-day cricket championship in the Pura Cup final against Queensland, which starts at the Gabba on Friday.But Cox also felt it was Tasmania’s best chance of breaking its drought since joining the then-named Sheffield Shield competition in 1977-78.The Tasmanian squad of 14 flew to Brisbane today with one major injury worry, fast bowler Damien Wright.Coach Greg Shipperd said Wright, who has a leg strain, was “quite doubtful” and would only play if he could come through a match-type preparation.His loss would be a major blow as he’s a key strike bowler and a productive lower order batsman.Cox said Queensland was entitled to be favourite, especially at the Gabba where it humiliated Tasmania in less than five sessions before the Tigers’ post-Christmas renaissance started – coincidentally with an equally lopsided win over the Bulls at Bellerive.”Queensland have been the benchmark,” he said.”They know how to win, they know what it’s all about.”Cox said if Martin Love could be dismissed cheaply twice, Tasmania would be well on the way to winning.”With Darren Lehmann, he’s one of the two most respected batters going around the country,” he said.”He’s a very high class batter who’s hurt us regularly.”Then there was the Queensland pace attack, which Cox said was as good as any in the country.”It’s been a major part of their success over the period when they’ve been so great,” he said.”The challenge is to go to the Gabba and get enough runs to win the game. We’ve struggled there in the last couple of years.”For all that, Cox believed it could be the year of the Tiger.While his team is relatively inexperienced – only he and batsmen Michael Di Venuto and Dan Marsh played in its last final in 1997-98 – he said there was a great feeling.”There’s genuine excitement and expectation, the feeling that this is our best chance so far, a fantastic opportunity for us,” he said.Moreover Tasmania’s current form – with 26 points taken from the last five matches – was as good as anybody’s.”Queensland just had an excellent win to secure the home final, but prior to that their form was a bit patchy,” he said.Cox said the weight of expectation and the hunger could lead to more tension than usual.”There may be a couple of guys who don’t cope as well as we’d like,” he said.”That’s the life of playing big games and it’ll be everyone else’s responsibility to carry these guys through.”It’s going to be a whole different situation for everyone, but one of excitement more than nervous tensions because we’ve come from being rock bottom and we’re revisiting the ground where we were at our worst and our very lowest point.”Neither Cox nor Shipperd singled out any key Tasmanian players, preferring to emphasise the team unity.Shipperd said Tasmania had come good because because they played smarter and tougher in the second half of the season.”We played all three disciplines – batting, bowling and fielding – as well as we could play, with contributions right across the group, and that’s built confidence, particularly in the new players,” Shipperd said.