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Celtic look to be using the January window as an opportunity to offload several fringe players, but the exit of one highly-rated player could now lead to a new striker signing.

Celtic outgoings take precedence

Brendan Rodgers has made no secret of his desire to trim his squad where possible as he looks to streamline his options ahead of the return following the Scottish Premiership winter break.

Cited by The Scotsman, the Irishman explained in a recent interview why he is willing to offload some of his fringe players, stating: "You have to for multiple reasons (offload fringe players), for the players themselves and for their football careers, they need to play. For financial reasons, you can’t be carrying numbers of players each month who aren’t contributing. It then allows us the opportunity to bring players in. That’s just a natural process."

Rodgers could ignite Kyogo with Celtic move for £3m SPFL star

The Hoops have been touted with an interest in the impressive centre-forward.

ByDan Emery Jan 10, 2024

On Tuesday, Celtic announced through their official channels that forgotten man Yosuke Ideguchi has joined Japanese giants Vissel Kobe on a permanent basis, and he is unlikely to be the last to leave the building over the coming weeks.

Summer signing Gustaf Lagerbielke is attracting interest from the likes of Genoa and Lecce. At the same time, Benjamin Siegrist, Alexandro Bernabei, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Marco Tilio could all become part of a cost-cutting operation at Parkhead before the window expires.

Now, a fresh report has emerged detailing that another Celtic man has been given permission to speak to another club as Rodgers continues to enact a clearout in Glasgow's east end.

Rocco Vata could form Bologna swap deal

Taking to social media platform X, Sky Sports News reporter Anthony Joseph has let it be known that Celtic have allowed youngster Rocco Vata permission to speak to Bologna over a move, and both avenues of a permanent transfer this month or a pre-contract agreement are being explored by the Serie A high-flyers.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has been involved with the Hoops' B team this campaign and has notched 13 goals in 20 appearances across all competitions (Vata statistics – Transfermarkt).

Scottish reporter Scott Burns has indicated that the Glasgow giants haven't offered Vata a new deal despite his current terms expiring later in the year and it now seems as if the 18-year-old could move on to new pastures after featuring just four times for Celtic's senior side.

There could be a positive twist in the tale for the Hoops, with reports from Italy, via Sport Witness, claiming that Bologna may try to use striker Sydney van Hooijdonk as a "pawn" in negotiations to "unblock the operation" amid Rodgers' rumoured interest in the Dutchman, who is the son of club icon Pierre van Hooijdonk.

With Celtic on the hunt for a goalscorer, the 23-year-old's record of 92 strikes from 196 games would likely appeal, given Oh Hyeon-gyu and Daizen Maeda's absence courtesy of being called up for the Asian Cup.

Liverpool are admirers of a marquee new defender, but they aren’t the only club who like him in the Premier League, according to a new report that has emerged.

Liverpool facing depth crisis at centre-back

The Reds have Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah and Joel Matip as their natural centre-back’s in the building as it stands, but the club have recently suffered a huge blow regarding the fitness of the latter. Last week, Matip was confirmed to have sustained a serious ACL injury, which means that he has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, so with Jurgen Klopp losing his stalwart and Quansah still so young, FSG should be eyeing replacements during the upcoming transfer window.

Barcelona‘s Ronald Araujo has been highlighted as a potential candidate, with the 24-year-old having worked his way up through his club’s youth ranks to become a regular feature of their first-team, making 127 senior appearances in total to date (Transfermarkt – Araujo statistics).

Liverpool are watching Barca star Araujo

According to 90min, Liverpool are interested in Araujo, but they are likely to find it difficult to prise him away from Barcelona and the Camp Nou in the coming weeks.

“Bayern Munich are interested in signing Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo, who would like to stay at Barcelona but has doubts over his place in the side in the long-term, sources have confirmed to 90min. Several clubs are keeping an eye on Araujo amid this uncertainty. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United are all fans of his, but it is not expected that Barcelona will sanction an exit anytime soon.”

In La Liga this season, Araujo has provided a real physical presence at the heart of Barcelona’s backline. He’s currently averaging 2.5 aerial wins and 1.6 clearances per game, highlighting the impact he can make both on and off the ground (WhoScored – Araujo statistics).

Standing at 6 foot 2, Rivera’s native also has the versatility to operate at left-back, right-back and higher up as a defensive midfielder alongside his usual role at centre-back, so he would be a great player to bring into the building considering the cover that he could provide in various other positions outside of his own. He would even offer Klopp the chance to switch to three at the back if required, although that is not a system we have seen the German coach utilise often.

Centre-Back

177

Right-Back

20

Defensive Midfield

4

Left-Back

1

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Araujo even gives off “prime Van Dijk vibes”, referring to the season in which the Dutchman landed second on the Ballon d'Or podium, and with the winning mentality and leadership that he will possess having won three pieces of silverware since the start of his career, this is a no-brainer of a deal to complete if the opportunity were to present itself in the coming weeks.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are going through a transitional process at the moment. Having reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in the 2019/20 season, the Old Gold are now battling it out in the bottom half of the Premier League.

There are very few remnants remaining from Wolves' first campaign back in the top flight under Nuno Espirito Santo, having lost the likes of Willy Boly, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker in recent transfer windows.

However, alongside head coach Gary O'Neil, the board are looking to rebuild the team to one that can compete once more for the European places and have already identified a player that could potentially protect the posts for years to come.

Wolves transfer news – Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro

According to a report from The Express and Star earlier this week, the Midlands club are exploring a deal to bring AZ Alkmaar teenager Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro to the club in January for a fee said to be worth £2m.

The outlet are claiming that Wolves have made an enquiry for the goalkeeper but face competition from several other clubs, including Belgian giants Anderlecht who are sitting second in the Jupiler Pro League.

The 19-year-old has yet to make his debut for the club despite being in the squad 28 times since the beginning of last season. Former Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion shot-stopper Mathew Ryan is currently keeping Owusu-Oduro back from making his first-team debut, although The Express and Star also reported that the Dutch outfit were hoping to extend his deal which reportedly will come true, with the teenager set to sign a new contract until 2028.

Wolves are keen to lure the youngster over to Molineux and Owusu-Oduru could be the perfect long-term replacement for first-choice goalkeeper Jose Sa.

Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduru's stats this season

Sa was brought to the club in 2021 for £6.8m to replace the outgoing Rui Patricio who joined Roma in the same transfer window. The Portuguese had never played in a top-five league before moving to England but quickly became one of the best in his position in the Premier League.

The former Porto man had an excellent debut campaign in the Midlands and had the best save percentage of any other goalkeeper in the top flight with a whopping 80.6%. Data showed that by April 2022, Sa had conceded one fewer goal than expected every two games, according to Opta.

Wolves: Bruno Lage got a "bargain" with Jose Sa

Jose Sa has been a standout performer for Wolves since his arrival in 2021…

ByRosie Tudball May 5, 2023

However, the £40k-per-week asset hasn't quite reached the heights of his first season with the club and has had a drop in his performances this term compared to the 2021/22 campaign.

Save %

80.6

72.7

Goals Against

1.1

1.77

Shots On Target Against

4.38

5.08

Clean Sheets

0.3

0.08

Crosses Stopped

1.18

2

Long Passes Completion %

40.7

38.7

Errors

0.14

0.23

Stats via FBref

As a result of his declining performances with the Old Gold, Wolves are keen to take Owusu-Oduru off AZ's hands. The UEFA Youth League-winning goalkeeper has played 63 times for Jong AZ since the beginning of the 2019/20 campaign and has managed to keep 24 clean sheets which is one clean sheet every 3.8 games on average.

The 6 foot 2 academy product also saved the final penalty against Sporting CP to send AZ to the Youth League final, a game which they won 5-0 against Hajduk Split to lift the prestigious crown. After the semi-final shootout, journalist Antonio Mango described Owusu-Oduru as an "outstanding" talent.

The Dutchman may not be ready for first-team football immediately but looks like an excellent player for the future and Wolves will do well to secure his signature before anyone else, with Sa – who has been touted for a move to Saudi Arabia – now on the wrong side of 30.

Arsenal return to Premier League duty this evening as they take on Brentford at the Emirates, and they will be hoping to secure all three points which would take them top of the table.

This would depend on the final result between Manchester City and Liverpool in the early kickoff on Saturday, but a win would prove that Mikel Arteta’s men are going to be title challengers once again.

The Spaniard may make a change or two from the last tie against Burnley prior to the international break, but much will depend on whether a couple of players are ready to be unleashed in the starting XI.

Arsenal team news vs Brentford

Arteta discussed a few of his players while speaking to the press on Friday morning, most notably Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard.

He said: "He [Jesus] is available. He played 96 mins in a really competitive match.

"He had a long flight. I have to see the condition."

With regard to Odegaard, the manager sounded hopeful that he would play a part in the match, saying: "Hopefully yes. We have another training session today."

If the Norwegian maestro is ready to play, then he must be included in the starting XI this evening as he could make the difference.

Martin Odegaard’s season in numbers

The 24-year-old enjoyed his best campaign to date last season as he registered 23 goal contributions – 15 goals and eight assists – in the top flight, and it so nearly helped the club win a first title since 2004.

He hasn’t quite been at this scintillating best during the current campaign, but he has still scored five times and grabbed an assist while missing four matches through injury.

The 5 foot 10 gem was hailed as “exceptional” by City manager Pep Guardiola – underlining how good he has been recently – and if the Gunners hope to have any sort of success this season, Odegaard will be vital.

The former Real Madrid starlet currently ranks first among the squad for shots on target per game (1.1) in the Premier League, along with ranking second for big chances created (two), third for key passes per game (1.7) and fifth for successful dribbles per game (0.8), indicating just how effective he has been going forward.

Arteta started Kai Havertz in his place in midfield against Burnley, yet the German international failed to have the required impact, making just one key pass during his 59 minutes on the pitch, while completing only 17 accurate passes during the match.

Havertz has scored only once in an Arsenal shirt since joining from Chelsea, and he hasn’t quite hit the ground running in north London.

Arteta must now start Arsenal's "clinical" dynamo over "lively" returning ace

Mikel Arteta will have some choices to make ahead of the fixture…

ByRosie Tudball Nov 25, 2023

This could lead to Arteta boldly ditching the former Blues man in place of Odegaard, who would clearly have a much bigger impact.

A return to the starting XI for the skipper would give the supporters a massive boost and could spur them to victory against the Bees.

If Arteta can keep the Norwegian sensation fit and healthy for the remainder of the campaign, the north London side will have a wonderful chance of claiming their first Premier League title in 20 years.

Arteta won't rush his recovery, however, but if he is ready, the 24-year-old must be unleashed from the first whistle today.

USMNT forward Brandon Vazquez scored for the second consecutive Champions Cup game to book CF Monterrey a spot in the next round.

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• Rayados defeat FC Cincy 3-1 (aggregate)
• Vazquez scores winner in each leg
• Monterrey to clash with Miami in quarterfinals

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Vazquez found the back of the net in the 67th minute to ice the game, making it 2-1 to the Mexican side, and 3-1 on aggregate. He scored the winner in each leg for Rayados, putting his ex-club FCC to bed each time. Now, with the victory, he's rewarded with a match against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the quarterfinals of the region's marquee competition.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 25-year-old, who narrowly missed out on the 23-man USMNT roster for their CONCACAF Nations League roster this March, added his eighth goal in 13 appearances for Rayados since his January arrival. He's been on fire in Mexico, and now, will have his eyes on a leaky Inter Miami defense in the next round.

  The Herons "biggest weakness," Vazquez will look to exploit their backline, but what they lack defensively, they can attribute for up top. Monterrey will have to handle the attack of Messi and MLS-leading scorer Luis Suarez, with a midfield pivot of Federico Redondo and Sergio Busquets behind them. The biggest question looming moving forward, though, will be the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's injury status.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR VAZQUEZ AND MESSI?

  The Inter Miami superstar will have time to recover, however, with the next round of the Champions Cup not arriving until April 2 and 9. Although time and location for the home and away legs has yet to be determined, there is a period of recovery available. As for Vazquez and Rayados, they will look to continue their incredible form into the weekend when they clash with Atlas in Liga MX action.

Glasgow Rangers went through a summer of transition under Michael Beale as there were plenty of incomings and outgoings throughout the off-season.

In truth, this overhaul was needed a season or two ago, yet the board failed to back Steven Gerrard adequately enough, and it led to Celtic reasserting their dominance of the Scottish game, ensuring Beale now faces a massive challenge this term in order to claim some domestic silverware.

The 43-year-old signed nine players during the transfer window, with the likes of Jack Butland, Jose Cifuentes and Danilo among the high-profile arrivals.

Butland – who has been described as an upgrade on Allan McGregor by pundit Kris Boyd – is really the only one who has settled well into life at Ibrox, and it may take some of the others some time to gel and forge connections with their new teammates.

As well as reinvigorating the team with some fresh faces, Beale also shipped quite a few first-team stars out of Ibrox. Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos left for nothing as they chose to run their contracts down, while Glen Kamara and Fashion Sakala were moved on for £5m and £4m, respectively.

One of the best pieces of business the former QPR boss did was to sell Antonio Colak, however, despite the striker playing only one season at the Gers.

How much did Rangers sign Antonio Colak for?

After leading the club to their first Scottish Cup since 2009 and coming so close to Europa League glory, Giovanni van Bronckhorst spent the summer of 2022 strengthening his squad ahead of the next season.

Colak was signed from Greek side PAOK and Rangers knew all about his qualities as he had scored a double for Malmo when they knocked the Light Blues out of the Champions League at the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign.

A fee of £1.8m was enough to secure his signature and Van Bronckhorst heaped praise on him, saying: "He is a very experienced player who has played at high levels and scored a lot of goals for the teams he has played for.

"We wanted to add some more players to our attacking options, and Colak is a player we welcome a lot and will give us a lot of strength up front."

Sporting director Ross Wilson was another who lauded Colak. He said: "Welcome to Antonio, we are delighted to have him join our squad. I know how much Gio and the staff are looking forward to working with him on the pitch.”

Everything looked positive that the Croatian would be a success at the club, and it didn’t take him long to hit the ground running.

What happened to Antonio Colak?

Colak came to life for the club during the qualifiers for the Champions League, scoring three goals in four matches, including the winner against PSV Eindhoven that secured group-stage football.

The striker continued his excellent form up until the hiatus for the 2022 World Cup as he ended up scoring 14 goals under Van Bronckhorst, and it was beginning to look like £1.8m was going to be a bargain.

His form tailed off when Beale was appointed manager in November last year, however, with injury issues resulting in him starting just five times under the current boss, and it looked as though he didn’t quite fit his tactical system.

Colak was praised by Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie however, who said: “Colak's had a really good game to this point.

“It's his shot that creates the first and his pass the second but more his link-up that's caught the eye. Has dropped in consistently to create overloads and looked sharp.”

He finished the 2022/23 season as the club's joint top scorer with 18 goals, alongside James Tavernier, but it looked as though he was set to leave the club during the summer.

Where is Antonio Colak now?

Italian side Parma came in with a £2.5m bid during the transfer window and having already signed a few new forwards, the Light Blues accepted the bid, and it was a decent profit on the fee they spent on him just a year previously.

Beale only had good words to say about the 6 foot 2 hitman, saying: "Antonio can be really proud of his time here at Rangers. He scored goals and made a good contribution on the pitch but also as a man and professional, he was someone that I enjoyed working with and who built strong relationships with his team mates and staff off the pitch.

“We initially had a conversation at the end of last season, where we discussed football, his family and also what the future would look like in terms of the team. Antonio was very honest on his side and we have been working with him and his agent in the following weeks to find a solution that suits all parties. I am pleased for him to have this excellent opportunity in Italy.”

Although Colak has scored twice in his opening four matches for the Serie B side, it is evident that the Gers have struck gold by selling him on for £2.5m.

According to Football Transfers, Colak is now valued at €2.4m (£2m) and this represents a decline from the fee they spent on him just a couple of months ago.

Although he will continue to score goals in the second tier for Parma, the striker is on the wrong side of 30 and unless something dramatic happens, his value will only continue to drop in the coming months.

He only spent one season at Rangers, but with 18 goals in that timeframe, it represented a solid return for a player who was perhaps slightly one-dimensional and struggled to really get into games.

Beale has spent money on Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, and Sam Lammers this summer in a bid to improve his attacking options, but they have a long way to go in order to catch reach the 18 goals that Colak netted last term.

It is still early days, but none of the three have really caught the eye, and it will be up to Beale to try and get a tune out of them.

Celtic were dealt a blow during the summer transfer window as Parkheaad's star winger Jota was sold ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Who are Celtic's biggest ever sales?

The Hoops forward moved to Saudi for a reported transfer fee of £25m earlier this year after one season in Glasgow on a permanent basis, having also spent 12 months on loan prior to a £6.5m switch in 2022.

Jota

£25m

Kieran Tierney

£23m

Moussa Dembele

£19m

Odsonne Edouard

£14m

Virgil van Dijk

£13m

Former Bhoys head coach Ange Postecoglou, who left the club to join Tottenham in the Premier League shortly after the 2022/23 campaign ended, certainly hit the jackpot with that particular move.

The Scottish giants made a significant profit on the Portuguese dynamo within the space of a year, showing that the Australian head coach was able to unearth a gem by developing the young talent's potential during their time together at Paradise.

Jota is not the only signing made by Postecoglou who has been a roaring success, though, and another player who could end up leaving the club for a huge fee is Japan international Daizen Maeda.

How much did Celtic pay for Daizen Maeda?

The Hoops reportedly spent £1.6m to sign the attacker on a permanent basis from Yokohama in the summer of 2022 after he spent six months on loan with the club during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.

Celtic landed the energetic forward initially on loan after he enjoyed a phenomenal 2021 campaign with his former club in Japan.

Maeda showcased his ability as a goalscorer throughout his final year with Yokohama as he plundered an eye-catching 23 goals in 36 J1 League outings. He also assisted three goals and created four 'big chances' for his teammates to go along with his frequent scoring at the top end of the pitch.

The Japanese sensation averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.09 throughout those matches, which was the seventh-highest score within the squad.

That exceptional form came after a difficult year in 2020 where only found the back of the net three times and failed to create a single goal for his teammates in 23 J1 League matches.

Maeda also happened to work with Postecoglou at Yokohama for the majority of that time as he scored 12 goals and assisted four in 50 appearances for the Australian head coach for the Japanese side.

How many goals has Maeda scored for Celtic?

The now-Spurs boss knew exactly what he was getting when he signed the 25-year-old and it has turned out to be a fantastic piece of business for the club.

Maeda has scored 19 goals in 77 matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants to date and has become an incredibly reliable option out wide or through the middle throughout his spell.

He hit the ground running during his initial loan spell with Celtic in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign as he immediately made an impact on the pitch.

The speedy ace racked up six goals and five assists in 16 Scottish Premiership outings, 14 of which were starts, for Postecoglou as he showcased his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis.

Impressively, the at-the-time loanee recorded one goal and four assists in five matches during the top-six split, which shows that he produced consistent quality against the best of the best within the division.

There was no need for a period of adaption to life in Scottish football as Maeda was able to instantly translate his impressive form for Yokohama over to Celtic.

Maeda then completed his permanent £1.6m move to the club in the summer of 2022 and enjoyed a terrific first full season with the Bhoys as they won the domestic treble.

He racked up 11 goals and seven assists in 49 matches across all competitions, which included eight goals and five assists in 31 Premiership outings.

The 25-year-old, who created six 'big chances' for his teammates in the top flight last term, has also enjoyed a strong start to the current campaign, demonstrating himself to be a pivotal component of Brendan Rodgers' side too.

Maeda has created three 'big chances' in five Premiership matches this term and assisted one goal to go along with an average Sofascore rating of 7.10, which shows that he has the ability to split open the opposition's defence as well as being a goal threat.

How much is Maeda worth now?

It was recently reported by TEAMtalk that Postecoglou now happens to be interested in signing the Japanese marksman once again ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claimed that Spurs are monitoring the Celtic star's situation as they consider a possible swoop to sign the versatile forward ahead of the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

It stated that the Scottish giants would a fee of around £25m for the 5 foot 8 forward's services, as they would like a similar amount to the one that they received from Al Ittihad for Jota in the summer – £25m.

Maeda, who former Celtic striker Chris Sutton once hailed as a pressing "machine" for his relentless closing down of the opposition, has, therefore, seen his value skyrocket from £1.6m to £25m within the space of a year.

The former Yokohama star has been a fantastic signing for the Hoops and Postecoglou certainly played a blinder by bringing him to Scotland after their first spell together in Japan.

He evidently saw enough from the wide attacker to suggest that a move to Scotland would allow him to thrive and the Australian head coach has been proven right over the last 18 months.

Celtic have already benefitted from the move on the pitch, as shown by the aforementioned statistics over the last two seasons, but they could now benefit off the pitch with a significant profit on Maeda if Spurs decided to meet their £25m valuation in the January window.

It must have been a heady feeling being the Indian captain on Friday at the Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein

Krishnamachari Srikkanth22-Jul-2009It must have been a heady feeling being the Indian captain on Friday at the Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein. Sourav Ganguly’s men hardly broke a sweat while pounding a hapless and pathetic Kenyan side. The contest might have been farcical but, believe me, all cricket teams desire such comprehensive wins every time they take the field.It went like a dream for India from the moment Maurice Odumbe won the toss and elected to bat. Ajit Agarkar, in particular, bowled a beautiful line and length. It is always thrilling for a bowler when he rattles a batsman’s stumps as Agarkar did Ravindu Shah’s and David Obuyo’s in the space of three overs. And then he broke Kenya’s residual resolve by dismissing their best batsman, Steve Tikolo, a classy stroke-player on his day.Agarkar’s initial breakthroughs have laid the ground for India’s win in the last two matches. The Mumbai lad bowls a fuller length than all his other fast bowling partners and also has the ability to move the ball away from the batsman. He has built up a nice rhythm in this tour backing it up with some useful pace.The 22-year-old never lacked attitude. Now there is the added fire provided by his raging hunger to do well. If he continues in this vein , he will surely prove his captain right once again.Let me use this column to commend Sourav Ganguly for backing the men whom he believes in and for taking up cudgels on their behalf even when it meant he had to be a lone ranger on occasions. What has been impressive is the way in which he has proved right on most occasions. The famous instance that comes to mind is his backing Harbhajan Singh ahead of the series against Australia. And how the young man repaid his captain’s faith…No wonder then that Ganguly has won the respect of his players. It is a good sign for Indian cricket that we have a positive captain who is not afraid to speak his mind. I firmly believe that only confident leaders can breed a confident team.The match would also have done our two senior bowlers – Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble – a world of good. Srinath had been rather erratic in the first two matches. Though he was patchy on Friday, two no-balls and three wides in seven overs do no justice to a bowler of his stature, he returned very economical figures. Sri has been India’s premier fast bowler for long and it is in India’s best interests to see him back at his best. Hope the figures and the bowling award help him on his way.Kumble was impressive again. It sure helped him to have umpire Dave Orchard at his end. Orchard is one of those umpires who frown upon batsmen who use their pads as the first line of defence. This fact and his wicket-to-wicket line helped Kumble claim three wickets through leg-before decisions. Harbhajan Singh, his young spinning partner, meanwhile, had a rather mundane Friday after a super Wednesday at the Centurion.It was good to see Virender Sehwag and Deep Dasgupta walk out to open the innings after the bowlers had cleaned out the Kenyans. I felt it was a powerful statement that the team management was sending out – telling the Kenyans in no uncertain terms that any of our batsmen are good enough to do the job.Dasgupta, who has played as an opener for Bengal in the Ranji matches, had a good essay in the middle and this would have helped him feel more at home on the international stage.Sehwag, returning to the top of the order for the first time in South Africa, blazed away at the other end. He is, as Ganguly later said, one of India’s most promising batsmen, and a match-winner on his day.The young man looked good while playing both off the front foot and the back foot. The only time he seemed to be in some discomfort was while handling the short stuff. But that shouldn’t cause him much unease in the one-dayers where bowlers can only bowl one bouncer an over.The Kenyans bowlers were, like their batsmen, very, very ordinary. The performance of the side did no justice to an international-level team. Their coach Sandeep Patil and Bob Woolmer, set to join them as an expert, would have to work a minor miracle to turn them into a competitive outfit on Sunday. You can trust the South Africans to come at their neighbours with all the firepower they have got. Kenyans would do well to avoid it from turning into yet another massacre of the innocents.

وجهت إدارة نادي الفتح السعودي صدمة قوية للمدرب البرتغالي جوزيه جوميز، المدير الفني للفريق، برفض طلباته المتعلقة بتدعيم صفوف الفريق خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الحالية.

يأتي هذا الرفض بسبب الوضع المالي للنادي وصعوبة الحصول على شهادة الكفاءة المالية.

وبحسب ما نشرته صحيفة “الشرق الأوسط”، أبلغت إدارة نادي الفتح المدرب جوميز بعدم قدرتها على إجراء تغييرات في قائمة اللاعبين الأجانب خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الحالية، وذلك بسبب الحاجة إلى توفير سيولة مالية كبيرة، بالإضافة إلى ضرورة الحصول على شهادة الكفاءة المالية التي تُشترط لتسجيل اللاعبين الجدد.

وأكدت أن جوميز طلب من الإدارة تغيير أربعة لاعبين على الأقل في كل مركز من مراكز الفريق، بهدف تعزيز قوة الفريق وانتشاله من وضعه الحالي في جدول الترتيب، إلا أن الإدارة أكدت للمدرب حرصها على تلبية طلباته، لكنها أوضحت أن الأمر يتوقف على توفر السيولة المالية وموافقة عدة لجان، من بينها لجنة الاستدامة المالية، بالإضافة إلى الحصول على شهادة الكفاءة، وموافقة برنامج الاستقطاب في رابطة دوري المحترفين على فسخ عقود بعض اللاعبين الحاليين.

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في وقت لاحق، قلّص المدرب جوميز مطالبه واكتفى بطلب تدعيم خط الهجوم فقط، من خلال البحث عن بديل للمهاجم جانييني الذي يعاني من إصابات متكررة.

ومع ذلك، لا يزال تنفيذ هذا الطلب مرتبطًا بنفس الأسباب المالية التي تمنع الإدارة من تلبية متطلبات المدرب الفنية.

واستبعدت المصادر إمكانية التعاقد مع أي لاعب أجنبي جديد خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الحالية، إلا في حالة توفر سيولة مالية، وذلك من خلال تحصيل مستحقات متأخرة للنادي من أندية أخرى عليها مستحقات لصالح الفتح نتيجة بيع عقود لاعبين سابقين.

وردت المصادر ذاتها على ما تردد بشأن اهتمام نادي الفتح بالتعاقد مع اللاعب أحمد سيد زيزو لاعب الزمالك، ونفت ذلك، وأكدت أن “زيزو” ليس من بين الأسماء التي أوصى بها جوميز.

كما أكدت أن جوميز تعهد منذ رحيله عن الزمالك بعدم التعاقد مع أي لاعب من النادي المصري احترامًا للعلاقة التي تربطه بناديه السابق.

يُذكر أن جوميز كان قد رحل عن تدريب الزمالك من أجل خوض تجربة جديدة توفر له جميع الإمكانيات لتحقيق النجاح، ولكنه يبدو أنه قد تعرض لصدمة نتيجة عدم تنفيذ مطالبه من قبل إدارة الفتح.

Tottenham Hotspur look set to lose one of their first-team stars sooner rather than later as Ange Postecoglou looks to trim his squad, according to a fresh report.

Tottenham Hotspur's fine start in the Premier League

Despite Manchester City's victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, Spurs will have the chance to regain top spot in the Premier League table on Monday when they host London rivals Chelsea in N17.

Tottenham vs Chelsea match preview

So far, Tottenham have been in fine fettle domestically, winning eight and drawing two of their opening ten league matches; however, tough encounters are on the horizon for Postecoglou's men as they aim to prove their mettle as title contenders.

Nevertheless, the initial signs emanating from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are very positive indeed, especially when factoring in how the goal burden has been shared around the Lilywhites' squad.

Son Heung-min leads the scoring charts with eight strikes for Spurs, while James Maddison has three goals, and Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski and Cristian Romero are all tied on two apiece this term across all competitions (Tottenham squad statistics – Transfermarkt).

Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies are doubts for the visit of Chelsea and will undergo fitness tests before a decision on their availability is determined.

Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon are all unavailable for selection as Postecoglou looks to become only the third manager in Premier League history to go unbeaten in their first 11 games in charge, which would see him join Nottingham Forest's Frank Clark and former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri in achieving this feat.

Of course, Chelsea's visit will also mark the return of Mauricio Pochettino to his old stomping ground for the first time since he was sacked by Tottenham in 2019. Speaking before the London derby, as per BBC Sport, Pochettino stated: "It's really special to go back to a place where we created amazing memories together. It's special, I'm not going to lie. That is true."

Even though Spurs are seemingly entering a new era on the field, another one of the old guard could now be set to depart, according to latest reports.

Tottenham Hotspur's next five fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Premier League

Chelsea (H)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Premier League

Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)

Molineux

Premier League

Aston Villa (H)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Premier League

Manchester City (A)

Etihad Stadium

Premier League

West Ham United (H)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Eric Dier now set to leave Tottenham Hotspur

According to a transfer update from Football Insider, Tottenham star Eric Dier is set to leave the club in 2024. Dier is keen to run down his contract and leave as a free agent rather than be sold in January. Spurs will listen to offers in January for the former Sporting CP man, who has not featured at all under Postecoglou's stewardship.

The England international reportedly believes more options to continue his career trajectory would become apparent if he is available as a free agent, after talks collapsed between Dier and Tottenham over a contract extension in north London.

Dier, who has previously been hailed as a "reliable player" by Antonio Conte, has made 360 appearances for Tottenham across all competitions during his time at the club, notching 13 goals and 12 assists (Dier statistics – Transfermarkt).

Now, it looks as if the experienced defender could be set to embark on a new venture as his time at Tottenham slowly draws to a close.