رد المدير الفني لمنتخب إنجلترا الأول، جاريث ساوثجيت، على أنباء اهتمام نادي مانشستر يونايتد بالتعاقد معه لتدريب الفريق في الموسم المقبل.
وهناك شائعات كثيرة حول رحيل مدرب مانشستر يونايتد، إريك تين هاج، بعد نهاية الموسم الحالي نظرًا لأداء الفريق والنتائج السيئة في الفترة الأخيرة واحتلالهم المركز الثامن في الدوري الإنجليزي.
ومن ضمن المدربين المرشحين لتدريب مانشستر يونايتد توماس توخيل بجانب مدرب منتخب إنجلترا، جاريث ساوثجيت.
اقرأ أيضًا.. أرتيتا: أردنا فتح صندوق الأحلام وننتظر معروفًا من توتنهام
ورد ساوثجيت على الشائعات في تصريحات عبر شبكة “BBC” البريطانية، وقال: “ستكون هناك شائعات دائمًا حول وجهات المدربين، لأنه إذا خسرت مباراتين، فستكون هناك مشكلة”.
وأضاف: “إذا فزت في مباراتين سيكون الحديث مختلفاً بعض الشيء في الصحافة والإعلام، لكن هذا لن يشغلني في الوقت الحالي”.
واستمر: “بالنسبة لي، يورو 2024 بطولة رائعة، نتطلع للفوز باللقب، تركيزي ينصب على كيفية المضي قدمًا في تلك المسابقة أكثر مما حققناه في النسخة الماضية”.
وكانت إنجلترا قد خسرت اللقب بعد وصوله إلى النهائي أمام إيطاليا بركلات الجزاء الترجيحية في نسخة 2020 والتي أقيمت بعد عام من موعدها بسبب مكافحة فيروس كورونا.
While the county game lost one of its great glovemen this summer, James Foster will not be following Chris Read into retirement just yet. Foster has been mulling a new contract offer from Essex since the club claimed the Championship title in September and has now committed himself to another year behind the stumps.Foster will turn 38 in April but, having fought to regain his place from Adam Wheater during the 2017 season as Essex surprised onlookers by winning Division One the year after being promoted, he still retains the appetite for competition.”I am delighted to be signing a new contract with Essex,” Foster said. “The 2017 Championship campaign was such an exciting and emotional season, and to see the happiness on so many people’s faces was incredible.”A real highlight for me was when the team walked out to field during the last game of the season to a standing ovation from the Chelmsford crowd. The Championship win was also a huge credit to the work put in by all the backroom team, coaches and staff at the Club and it has been a pleasure working with Chris Silverwood and I wish him every success for the future in his new role with England.”The departure of Silverwood to oversee England’s bowlers role has left Essex without a head coach but the dressing room will still have its most senior figure in place next season, after Foster’s decision to carry on.Read and Foster were held up as the premier wicketkeepers of English cricket during the 2000s and 2010s, though both only won a handful of caps for England as the selectors gave weight to batting prowess. Like Read, who has gone into teaching after retirement, Foster has begun to plan for his post-playing career; he is the cricket professional at Forest School in Walthamstow and has coached with MCC Young Cricketers and Scotland.He will add to that experience over the coming weeks, having flown on Friday to join up with Khulna Titans at the Bangladesh Premier League.”Since the end of the season I have been busy coaching and now have an exciting month coming up as an assistant coach with the Khulna Titans, working alongside head coach Mahela Jayawardene,” he said. “I am looking forward to tapping into his knowledge, as well as the other coaches, and passing on what I learn to both Essex and Forest School when I return.”
Tottenham Hotspur have already enjoyed a fine summer of recruitment under Ange Postecoglou, but they could be set to make one more acquisition that helps tempt their main man to stick around…
Is Conor Gallagher leaving Chelsea?
For all their success in the market, this has once again been a window dominated by the uncertain future of Harry Kane.
The England captain has been constantly linked with a north London exit, as Bayern Munich continue to test their resolve with a flurry of bids. Yet, thus far, he remains a Lilywhites player.
Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…
Should their new Australian manager sneak a few more high-profile names in through the door, perhaps it will provide enough incentive for the 30-year-old marksman to give the new regime a chance.
Whilst likely not the most attractive name on their shortlist, their reported interest in Conor Gallagher would surely help aid in that pursuit, especially if they are to boldly match the £50m price tag that Chelsea have slapped on him.
What type of midfielder is Conor Gallagher?
Whilst he endured a tough campaign most recently amidst the cloud that hung over Stamford Bridge, he was one of few who retained their dignity given his consistently tireless displays that never faltered no matter the scoreline.
However, his exploits at Crystal Palace helped showcase just how impressive he could be when handed a show of faith in a position that suits him, around the number eight role.
Allowed to roam as part of Patrick Vieira's midfield three, he offered plenty at both ends of the pitch and would finish that campaign with a 7.08 average rating in the league, the highest of any Crystal Palace player that year.
This was a figure buoyed by his eight goals, three assists, 1.1 key passes and two tackles per game, via Sofascore.
Whilst it might seem farfetched to suggest that his signing alone would help Kane to stay, there are numerous factors that Postecoglou could put to his wantaway star to tempt him, all attached to Gallagher.
Firstly, the acquisition of another England teammate could help encourage him to remain in an environment where he gets on well with plenty of his squad. This was emphasised by the addition of James Maddison too earlier in the window.
Also, unloading the proposed £50m fee would mark another huge show of intent from the hierarchy, proving that they will do everything in their power to push Postecoglou's side closer to a trophy. By snagging directly from a rival too, their intent to surpass them would also be outlined.
As a hard-working central midfielder, the England international would also help to underpin the new-look philosophy, which is geared around a fierce high press, forging plenty of chances for the front line with the energy those two number eights provide.
With him and Maddison combining behind their national team captain, a fine offensive spine is already shaping up.
The Athletic's Mike Stavrou sought to support that notion too, claiming back in 2022:
"Conor Gallagher was absolutely relentless with his pressing and energy tonight. Some player Chelsea have got."
Finally, and most importantly, the offensive impetus Gallagher would add from the engine room would prove instrumental in helping Kane edge ever closer to that all-important Premier League all-time scoring record, of which he is just 48 goals away from surpassing.
harry-kane
For his lack of trophies, this remains the target that could still allow him to forge an immortal legacy, helped by the attacking quality the Cobham graduate boasts.
After all, when compared to other midfielders across Europe, he sits in the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, the top 9% for non-penalty expected goals per 90 and the top 4% for progressive passes received per 90, via FBref.
There are plenty of reasons why such an acquisition would prove imperative to Spurs, but if it even slightly pushes Kane in the direction of staying, it would be a huge outlay more than worth making.
Sean Dyche needs defensive reinforcements at Everton.
Last season, the Toffees acquired Conor Coady on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the club decided to not activate the buy option, and he has completed a move to Leicester City.
It was also confirmed at the end of the campaign that Yerry Mina would not renew his contract with the club, and he departed as a free agent.
And finally, according to talkSPORT (via Everton News), it looks like Mason Holgate is nearing an exit as newly-promoted Sheffield United eyes a deal for the 26-year-old. The Toffees are keen to trim the wage bill this summer and Holgate is someone tipped to be replaced.
Therefore, as Dyche assesses his options, Mohammed Salisu could be on his way to Goodison Park.
What’s the latest on Mohammed Salisu to Everton?
According to Football Insider, Everton have shortlisted Salisu as one of their top defensive candidates this summer.
However, this outlet revealed that Monaco has submitted an offer for the 24-year-old to throw Everton’s plan into doubt.
Salisu is out of contract in 2024 and Southampton will most likely want to sell him this window to avoid losing him on a free next year.
Should Everton sign Mohammed Salisu?
The centre-back joined Southampton in 2020 and upon his arrival, then-manager Ralph Hasenhuttl praised his potential, saying:
“Mohammed is a player who fits our profile well. He is young and has a great amount of potential, but he is also someone who has the qualities to come in and help the team as soon as he is up to speed with our way of playing.
"I like what I have seen of him so far in his games with Valladolid. He is strong defensively, he is calm with the ball – something that is important in our team – and he has good speed too.”
The Ghanian has gone on to make 80 appearances in all competitions for the Saints and has established himself as a reliable player who deserves to continue playing top-flight football.
Last season, Salisu made 22 Premier League appearances, and he recorded the second-highest average rating (6.78) and the most tackles per game (2.3) in the Southampton squad. He also didn’t make any errors leading to a goal or commit any penalties.
In a highly challenging season for Southampton, he was a pillar of defensive solidity and if he had avoided injury, his team may have had a better chance of survival.
From an Everton perspective, a player of this quality would be a huge upgrade on Holgate, who Salisu outranks in all the decisive metrics – this includes tackles per 90 (2.33 vs 1.95), interceptions per 90, blocks per 90 (2.55 vs 1.24), clearances per 90 (5.57 vs 4.97), and aerials won per 90 (2.51 vs 1.6).
Furthermore, the £25k-per-week titan also appears more comfortable on the ball, averaging better pass completion per 90 (73.51% vs 65.9%), and progressive passes per 90 (3.74 vs 2.49).
Described as “immense” during Ghana’s 2022 World Cup campaign by journalist Ben Jacobs, Everton should accelerate their attempts to sign Salisu and sell Holgate.
نجح فريق يد الأهلي “رجال”، في الفوز على نظيره أمل سكيكدة الجزائري، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم السبت، ببطولة إفريقيا (كأس الكؤوس الإفريقية).
وتقام بطولة كأس الكؤوس الإفريقية خلال الفترة من 18 إلى 27 أبريل، بمدينة وهران الجزائرية.
وبهذا الفوز، تصدر فريق يد الأهلي ترتيب مجموعته الأولى في بطولة إفريقيا للأندية، بعد فوزه الثاني على التوالي في المسابقة الإفريقية.
طالع | الأهلي يهزم أمل سكيكدة ويتصدر مجموعته في بطولة إفريقيا لكرة اليد
وكان الأهلي فاز في مباراته الأولى ببطولة كأس الكؤوس الإفريقية أمام وفاق عين التوتة بنتيجة 36-31.
وتأهل الأهلي بذلك الفوز إلى دور ربع النهائي من بطولة كأس الكؤوس الإفريقية ويواجه وصيف المجموعة الثانية فريق بلدية ميلا الجزائري.
المجموعة الثانية في بطولة إفريقيا لكرة اليد تضم كل من من ريد ستار الإيفواري، بلدية ميلا الجزائري، عنابة الجزائري. موعد مباراة الأهلي القادمة في بطولة إفريقيا لكرة اليد بعد التأهل لربع النهائي
يواجه الأهلي فريق بلدية ميلا الجزائري وصيف المجموعة الثانية، يوم الإثنين المقبل 22 أبريل في تمام الساعة الثالثة عصراً بتوقيت القاهرة، 4 بتوقيت السعودية.
Arsenal are now closing in on their second signing of the summer…
What's the latest on Jurrien Timber to Arsenal?
That's according to Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg, who took to Twitter to issue an important update on Mikel Arteta's pursuit of Jurrien Timber.
The Ajax man has been a target of the Gunners for some time now, having been embroiled in a transfer saga for the bulk of this summer window. Now, it seems that a breakthrough has been made and the deal is set to come to a conclusion.
The journalist took to Twitter to note: "BREAKING News Timber & Arsenal : Understand it’s almost a DONE DEAL! Last details between the clubs on verge to be clarified now. New details: Total agreement expected in the next 48 hours. Total package: €41m transfer fee And €5m possible bonus payments. Big deal for all parties."
Would Jurrien Timber improve Gabriel Jesus?
Whilst it may seem questionable to suggest that the addition of a centre-back will help improve their striker, Gabriel Jesus is almost certain to receive an influx of additional chances as a result of the integration of the Dutchman.
The Brazilian was famously profligate last campaign, having only notched 11 league goals from an expected goals tally of 14.16.
Whilst one solution might be to work on his finishing in training, simply creating easier chances would be another option that could be instigated as a result of Timber's arrival.
gabriel-jesus-arsenal
After all, he is far from solely a defensive stalwart who will bolster Arteta's back line. When it comes to progressing play out from the back, there are arguably few in world football as impressive as the 22-year-old.
When compared to other centre-backs across Europe, he ranks in the top 1% for passes attempted, pass completion, progressive passes and progressive carries per 90, via FBref. He truly has grown into the "special, special talent" that scout Antonio Mango once branded him.
These figures give credence to the suggestion he will likely operate as an inverted full-back, creeping into the engine room to truly exert his will on the game.
Moving into a position of greater influence will likely only boost Arsenal's domination of the ball, and in turn their chance creation.
Should the Dutchman find space in the midfield, his statistics dictate he is more than capable of driving forward and finding an open teammate.
This would likely forge additional gaps for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to attack, to provide a higher quality of goal-scoring opportunities for Jesus.
The former Manchester City star has already proven his ability to be a solid goalscorer, but with Timber's introduction and the domino effect it could cause throughout the starting XI, it might just make their Brazilian marksman unplayable.
Alastair Cook has stepped down from his role after 59 Tests as England captain. His appetite to continue had been questioned during England’s 4-0 defeat to India before Christmas and Cook has now confirmed he will pass on the captaincy, with Joe Root his likely successor.Appointed in August 2012, Cook led the team in more Test matches than any other England captain. His record includes Ashes victories at home in 2013 and 2015, as well as series wins in India and South Africa. With 24 Test wins, he is joint-second as England’s most successful captain but five losses in seven Tests over the winter meant he also eclipsed Michael Atherton’s record for defeats.Cook discussed his decision with Colin Graves, the chairman of the ECB, on Sunday evening and has confirmed his continuing commitment to playing Test cricket to Andrew Strauss, England’s team director, and the selectors. Strauss suggested Cook’s replacement would be named before the ODI tour to the West Indies later this month, with Root favourite to be be named as England’s new captain – the 80th in their Test history – in the coming days.Cook, 32, is England’s most-capped Test player, their most prolific batsman with 11,057 runs in 140 Tests to date, and has scored more Test centuries than any of his countrymen. He also led the one-day side on 69 occasions between 2010 and 2014, another England record.During his five seasons at the helm he was named Cricketer of the Year (2012) and ICC World Test Captain (2013) and his services to the game were recognised with a CBE – collected at Buckingham Palace on Friday – to follow the MBE he was awarded in 2011.”It’s been a huge honour to be England captain and to lead the Test team over the past five years,” Cook said. “Stepping down has been an incredibly hard decision but I know this is the correct decision for me and at the right time for the team. I’ve had time to reflect after the India series and this weekend I spoke to Colin Graves to explain and offer my resignation.”It’s a sad day personally in many ways but I want to thank everyone I’ve captained, all the coaches and support staff and, of course, the England supporters and the Barmy Army who follow us home and away and have given us unwavering support.”Playing for England really is a privilege and I hope to carry on as a Test player, making a full contribution and helping the next England captain and the team however I can.”Alastair Cook was awarded a CBE last week•Getty Images
Strauss, the man from whom Cook inherited the Test captaincy in 2012, paid tribute to his former opening partner and explained the next steps in appointing a successor.”I want to thank Alastair, on behalf of the ECB and from a personal perspective, for the fantastic contribution that he’s made to the England Test team since taking over as captain in 2012,” Strauss said.”His country owes him a great debt of gratitude; he’s led the team with determination, conviction and a huge amount of pride over the last five years and his record stands for itself. With more matches leading the team than anyone, including two Ashes wins, he deserves to be seen as one of our country’s great captains.”Off the field as well as on, he has shown his strengths, developing the team and its culture, managing a fundamental transition and helping us to build for the future. As with all leaders, there have been times where circumstances have tested him but his resilience and temperament have helped him to prevail and to prosper.”He has always served with the best interests of the team in the front of his mind and stays true to that as he steps down from the role. Alastair will be missed in his capacity as captain but I hope that he has a number of years left to add to his record-breaking feats as an opening batsman and look forward to his continued success.”We now move on with the process of appointing the right successor. There are a number of established players who are playing formal or informal leadership roles and whilst we’ve rightly not spoken to anyone in relation to the Test captaincy so far, we can now talk fully and openly within the team. We expect to be able to make an announcement before the team head to the West Indies on February 22.”Cook first captained England in Bangladesh in 2010, deputising for the rested Strauss. After taking over permanently in 2012, Cook led from the front with three centuries as England came from behind to win their first Test series in India in 28 years. England retained the Ashes with a 3-0 win the following summer but cracks were beginning to show and Australia took swift revenge a few months later.The 5-0 whitewash left England needing to rebuild, and the decision to do so without the involvement of Kevin Pietersen was one of the most controversial of Cook’s reign. Beaten at home by Sri Lanka at the start of the 2014 summer, England then lost the second Test to India at Lord’s, prompting Cook to consider resigning. He chose to continue but his hopes of leading England at the 2015 World Cup were dashed when the ECB sacked him less than two months before the tournament.He subsequently oversaw the regeneration of the Test side, as players such as Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow helped England to regain the Ashes in 2015 and then secure a memorable win in South Africa the following winter.Although England’s progress was recently checked by two difficult tours of the subcontinent – drawing 1-1 with Bangladesh before being outclassed by India – Cook had retained the support of his players and the coaching staff. His decision to step down comes during a seven-month gap between Test commitments and gives his successor time to prepare for home series against South Africa and West Indies, before the challenge of another Ashes tour to Australia.
Rajesh Sawant, the 45-year-old India Under-19 trainer, has been found dead in his hotel room in Mumbai on Sunday. He is survived by his wife and daughter.A BCCI press release said Sawant “passed away in his sleep.” He was in Mumbai helping the team prepare for the series against England Under-19, which begins tomorrow.”What I have gathered so far,” acting BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary was quoted as saying by , “is he did not report for team activities in the morning, so people started looking for him and eventually he was found to have passed away in his room.”Sawant had been part of the Afghanistan coaching staff in the past and worked with the India A teams that played the England XI in the two List A matches earlier this month. Sawant had also trained the Rest of India side ahead of the 2016-17 Irani Cup match against Gujarat.
New Zealand has been dealt another injury blow on the eve of the second Test with fast bowler Trent Boult ruled out after aggravating a right knee injury
Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Nov-2016New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult has been ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan by a knee injury. Doug Bracewell has been added to the squad in place of Boult.Boult had “irritation in the joint of his right knee” since the tour of India, coach Mike Hesson said, and had since aggravated the complaint while fielding in the first Test in Christchurch. He did continue to bowl through each of Pakistan’s innings in that match, however, claiming match figures of 5 for 76.”We were optimistic he would be ready for Hamilton, but during training on Wednesday felt further pain and has subsequently been ruled out of the Test,” said Hesson. New Zealand hope Boult will recover in time for the three-match ODI series in Australia, which begins December 4, but will “continue to monitor him over the coming days”.Matt Henry is foremost among those vying to replace Boult in the starting XI, having been in the squad since the beginning of the series. He had bowled creditably in the Kolkata Test during New Zealand’s recent tour of India, but like other seamers, had struggled in Indore.Boult has not missed a New Zealand Test since early 2012, having played in 44 consecutive Tests.
The New South Wales-centric schedule had been a source of considerable angst among other teams, but a smattering of matches in Perth and Brisbane this year mean the Blues will not be the only team playing at home
Daniel Brettig30-Sep-2016
This year’s Matador Cup will see a bit of a move away from the home of the Blues•Cricket Australia
Slowly but surely, the Matador Cup’s national footprint is expanding again. Its New South Wales-centric schedule has been a source of considerable angst among other teams since the tournament was moved to an early season carnival format three years ago, but a smattering of matches in Perth and Brisbane this year mean the Blues will not be the only team playing at home.Last season’s competition was affected by the cancellation of Australia’s Bangladesh tour for security reasons, meaning it was contested by full strength teams across all six states. This time around the scenario is rather different: not only is the Australian ODI team on tour in South Africa, but numerous bowlers, notably Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, are absent injured or resting.This means a knock-on effect for numerous states, most notably South Australia. The reward for emergent displays in both the Matador Cup and the Sheffield Shield last year mean than no fewer than four first-choice Redbacks – Travis Head, Adam Zampa, Daniel Worrall and Joe Mennie – are in South Africa. The coach Jamie Siddons has acknowledged the challenge ahead.”We feel ready despite missing bowlers from last year’s attack and it’s going to be difficult without them,” Siddons said. “But we have a couple of young guys that have some tricks in their repertoire. It’s not going to be easy or the same, we have to find another way of doing it with different types of players and we’re ready and aiming for similar success.”I think it’s really exciting watching the young guys play and the next step is to promote a few more of them like Jake Lehmann, Jake Weatherald, Alex Ross and Alex Carey – who are all really good chances of pushing their names forward now. Our aim is to be successful again and win games and if those guys step up like I think they will we should match last year – maybe we’re looking at batsmen to step up instead of the bowlers this time.”Victoria are another state needing to reach deeper into their squad for bowlers in particular, with John Hastings, Scott Boland and Chris Tremain in South Africa and Peter Siddle and James Pattinson still working their way back from injury. The new coach Andrew McDonald, only recently returned from Leicestershire to replace David Saker, must also work with Glenn Maxwell in the aftermath of the enigmatic allrounder’s ill-timed bid to move to NSW for the summer.McDonald’s old Bushrangers team-mate Brad Hodge has s still more vexing task as the mentor of the Cricket Australia XI, a youthful hodgepodge (no pun intended) of players from across the states who did not make it into the first-choice squads. This is the second of a two-year experiment with the XI, designed to provide additional opportunities for young players against the best of domestic players.The concept has not been universally loved, even if the CA XI recovered last season from a horrid start to win a game over Tasmania and produce a handful of players – Hilton Cartwright, Mitch Swepson, Jimmy Peirson – able to progress further over the course of the season that followed. Many among the states feel the team is emblematic of CA’s desire for central developmental control, rather than simply building the most competitive tournament possible. A lack of any senior players to leaven out the youth, even with the likes of Ben Rohrer, Chris Hartley and Chadd Sayers available, has only heightened that impression.Justin Langer, coach of Western Australia, spoke for many of the tension between development and competition. The Sheffield Shield too has been subject to numerous stratagems designed to help the Australian team overall, but experiments like pink ball matches and the use of Dukes balls for a portion of the shield this season has left Langer and others questioning their wisdom.”We make Cricket Australia very aware that we have to keep the integrity of the game,” he said. “We have the best domestic competition in the world, but it is frustrating at times. This season we will play two pink-ball games, three with red Kookaburras and five with Dukes balls and hopefully six with the Dukes. I like consistency.”Consistent or not, the Matador will afford many players the chance to either secure their state spots at the outset of the season, or put their names in lights for Australian selection into the future. Whether in Perth, Brisbane or Sydney, many a selection question will get closer to being answered.