Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has responded to speculation his team could sign David de Gea after losing Nick Pope to a shoulder injury.
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Arsenal have enjoyed quite the summer so far, welcoming Chelsea’s Kai Havertz, with a deal for Declan Rice also pending. And, now, it seems as though Jurrien Timber is closing in on a move from Ajax, bolstering Mikel Arteta’s defensive options.
After finishing second last season, suffering the heartbreak of missing out on the Premier League title to a treble-winning Manchester City side, Arsenal have picked up where they left off, and then some.
Refusing to stagnate after just one attempt at the league title, the Gunners have headed straight to the transfer window. Their first arrival was a slightly surprising one, given Havertz’s poor form for Chelsea last season – scoring seven times in the league – but such is Arsenal’s attacking style of play (scoring a total of 88 league goals), the German could thrive.
As for Rice, the England international signals an incredible coup for Arteta, after reportedly beating Manchester City to his signature. The midfielder is arguably one of the best in the world in his position, and could help turn Arsenal into winners of major silverware again.
Capping off a superb couple of months off the pitch looks increasingly likely to be Timber, with the defender’s brother dropping the most obvious clue yet.
What’s the latest on Jurrien Timber and Arsenal?
Timber has completed his medical at Arsenal, according to Fabrizio Romano, with the defender set to be announced by the club in the coming days. The deal is reportedly worth £40m, in what could be seen as a bargain in today’s market.
Timber can play both centre-back and right-back, providing cover for both Ben White and William Saliba. When the Frenchman’s season ended early last time out, it derailed Arsenal’s season entirely, knocking them off course in the Premier League title race.
With a player like Timber, however, injuries such as Saliba’s may not have such an impact. Or, at least, that’s what Arteta will be hoping.
What did Timber’s brother post?
Following the reports that the Ajax man has completed his medical ahead of a move to the North London club, Timber’s brother took to social media to celebrate the move, posting a picture of his sibling’s goodbye party, showing him in an Arsenal shirt with a poster saying: “Jurrien’s goodbye party. See you in the streets on London.”
Making 32 appearances for Ajax last season, Timber didn’t end on the high that he had been hoping for after the Eredivisie side struggled for the first time in a number of years, finishing third, and 13 points adrift of eventual champions Feyenoord.
He’ll be hoping to bounce back for the Gunners next season, where he becomes part of Arteta’s ever-improving project.
The Dutchman may be forced to fight for his place, however. The defensive partnership of Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba has proved to be quite the duo at The Emirates, and will be a difficult one to break up. With former player Martin Keown telling BT Sport (via football.london): “He [Saliba] and Gabriel make for a really good partnership.”
Meanwhile, White unexpectedly slotted in at right-back last season, before going on to do an exceptional job, cementing his place in the side with an average SofaScore rating of 6.91 in the league – so Timber won’t necessarily be able to immediately slot in there either.
Competition for places is only a good thing, however, especially given Arsenal’s place in the Champions League next season, where they’ll look to go deep into the competition.
With ODI cricket returning to Hambantota for the first time since 2015, the nature of the pitch for the third ODI between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe remains a mystery
Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Jul-2017Match FactsJuly 6, 2017
Start time: 0945 local (0415GMT)Tendai Chatara’s discipline has earned him four of Zimbabwe’s eight wickets in the series so far•AFPBig PictureOne comfortable pursuit of 317 for Zimbabwe, one crushing home victory set up by Sri Lanka’s spinners – not much about this series has been predictable, and the teams are now about to venture into more uncertainty. In the past two years, the ground at Hambantota has probably hosted more elephants than cricket matches, and no one is quite sure how the pitch will play after such a long hiatus. Will it tend to be on the faster, bouncier side, as it had been between 2011 and 2015? Or will it – as the hosts might prefer – take a little extra turn now?Mumba replaces injured W Masakadza
Zimbabwe left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza has been ruled out of the series due to an ankle injury, and has been replaced by seamer Carl Mumba. Masakadza’s last ODI appearance for Zimbabwe was in 2015, and having made a return to the squad, he did not get a game against Sri Lanka. Mumba’s sole ODI match so far came against Sri Lanka in November last year.
There is also often a powerful crosswind to contend with, at the venue, which tends to favour the more adaptable side. In the past, batsmen who have chosen to base their innings around hitting with the wind have prospered in Hambantota: not only do their strokes carry further, the balls they hit into the air have also been notoriously difficult to catch. Sri Lanka, who have dropped no fewer than six chances across the first two games, may be especially vulnerable if the breeze picks up. Bowlers have also had highly contrasting experiences with the wind: it has helped boost the natural swing of some, and put others off their game completely.Whatever the conditions, appropriate use of the sweep shot is likely to have come up in Zimbabwe’s team discussions over the past 48 hours. They had lived by the stroke in the first game, then died by it in the second. They may aim to be more selective in their deployment of the stroke in Hambantota.Form guideSri Lanka WLLWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LWWLLIn the spotlightAll through the Champions Trophy campaign there was wonderment in Sri Lanka as to why Lakshan Sandakan was not in the XI. Now that he has taken 4 for 52 upon his return, the head scratching has only intensified. For now, Sandakan is not a bowler who offers a lot of control, and perhaps on the less spin-friendly tracks in England, the selectors and team management felt he may become a liability. However, if any bowler has appeared as if he may correct Sri Lanka’s inability to take wickets through the middle overs, it has been Sandakan. The selectors might do well to now provide him with a secure place in the side, in order to determine if he can in fact fulfill that wicket-taking role, in the longer term.A longer run in the ODI side can help determine if Lakshan Sandakan’s potential, seen in his 4 for 52, can be fulfilled•AFPThough batsmen’s handling of spin has dominated the series narrative so far, it is the skillful seam bowling of Tendai Chatara that has brought Zimbabwe half of their eight wickets in the series so far. There is no booming swing or searing pace for Chatara, but so far in the series, there has been a discipline to his bowling, and even on an unresponsive Galle pitch, he was one of the only quicks to glean some movement off the seam. If he can quickly modify his bowling to suit Hambantota’s unique conditions, Zimbabwe could again make an early breakthrough, as they have in each of the first two games.Team newsSpinner Amila Aponso and seam-bowling allrounder Lahiru Madushanka have been dropped from the squad for the last three ODIs, and in their place are seamer Lahiru Kumara and batsman Chamara Kapugedera (Suranga Lakmal was originally slated to be in the squad until he took ill). Unless the flu that has been making its way around the Sri Lanka side incapacitates another player on Thursday, the hosts may not wish to make a change to their winning XI, however.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Wanidu Hasaranga, 8 Dushmantha Chameera, 9 Lakshan Sandakan,10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan PradeepDespite the loss, Zimbabwe have a fairly settled outfit, and they may stick with the same XI. If any place is under scrutiny, it may be that of seamer Donald Tiripano. Chris Mpofu could potentially replace him.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Solomon Mire, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Sikander Raza, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Peter Moor (wk), 8 Malcolm Waller, 9 Graeme Cremer (capt.), 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Chris Mpofu/Donald TiripanoPitch and conditionsForecasts for this part of the country are notoriously unreliable, but the weather is expected to be dry and hot, with temperatures in the low thirties. How the pitch will play is anyone’s guess.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have won seven and lost six of their 17 matches at Hambantota. 2017 is Chatara’s most successful ODI year so far, having taken 15 wickets in nine matches at 24.46.In addition to having become the third bowler to take a hat-trick on ODI debut, on Sunday, Wanidu Hasaranga became the first Sri Lanka spinner to claim a hat-trick in the format.Quotes”Assessing the conditions a little bit better is crucial. When the wicket is flatter like in the first game, you can play all your shots freely and chase down a huge score like that. In the second game it was probably not a wicket where you can go for your shots regularly. We need to do bit of work on that – assess conditions and stick to our plans.””Nuwan Pradeep has been our best bowler in the last three years in Test and ODI cricket, but for some reason he doesn’t pick up many wickets. He has improved his fielding too. He is one of the hardest working cricketers in the side.”
When the transfer window opens, and football fanatics take up their summer internship as detectives, nothing gets past them. Flights are tracked, quotes followed, and social media activity is monitored like it's 24-hour CCTV. Where there is a transfer clue, there will be a supporter on the case.
The latest discovery has been about the future of Liverpool midfielder Fabinho. According to David Ornstein, the Brazilian is set to be the subject of a £40m bid from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad this summer.
Supporters were quick to get on the case to find any clues about his potential transfer decision, too, leading them to what could be a major indication as to where Fabinho will be plying his trade next season.
Liverpool fans spot potential Fabinho transfer clue
Amid the rumours linking him with a move away, Liverpool fans took to Fabinho's social media, and Rebeca Tavares' – the midfielder's wife – in an attempt to spot any clues.
On her personal Instagram account – as shared on Reddit – it was discovered that Tavares is following an Instagram account called 'welcomesaudi', amid reports linking her husband with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
It's safe to say this looks fairly suspicious to say the least…
Considering the recent Instagram activity of his partner, fans hoping for the 29-year-old to stay put in the current transfer window may just have to prepare themselves for the worst.
What's the latest on Liverpool and Fabinho?
Liverpool looked set to enter pre-season without any major recent departures just yet – although Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain left at the start of the summer – and with some much-needed midfield reinforcements too following the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
An unexpected twist means that they could be set to lose both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia this summer, however.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Henderson has accepted a contract proposal from Al-Ettifaq, who recently hired Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. It will now be down to the negotiations between the Reds and the Saudi Arabia club as to whether the move takes place for the 33-year-old.
Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad are reportedly set to bid for Fabinho, with a deal likely to progress quickly whether it is a swift rejection or completion of the transfer.
Suddenly, Klopp would find himself short on options in the middle of the park, perhaps forced to turn to the transfer market again. And that's where Romeo Lavia could come in.
As per Ornstein, the Southampton midfielder is among their list of targets if Fabinho departs this summer. Romano previously reported that the Saints value the teenager at £50m, but it remains to be seen what Liverpool would actually be willing to pay.
So, with that said, if the Brazilian did decide to leave in the coming weeks, it would start quite the domino effect of transfers.
A new-look midfield of Lavia, Mac Allister, and Szoboszlai may lack experience when compared with what Klopp had in midfield before, but what it lacks in that department, it makes up for in excitement.
With the new Premier League season approaching, how Liverpool line-up on the opening day of the season against Chelsea will certainly be an interesting one, to say the least.
Captain Virat Kohli has clarified that the Indian team offers its suggestions to the BCCI only when asked for them, as the board continues to look for a new coach after Anil Kumble resigned 10 days ago
ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-20172:14
‘We respect the BCCI’s process and are focusing on the cricket’ – Kohli
Captain Virat Kohli has clarified that the Indian team offers its suggestions to the BCCI only when asked, as the board continues to look for a new coach after Anil Kumble’s resignation 10 days ago. Kumble had stated his partnership with Kohli had become “untenable”, even though Kohli had said at the beginning of the Champions Trophy that there were “no issues whatsoever” between the two.Kumble later said in his resignation that he was informed by the BCCI that Kohli “had reservations with my style and about my continuing as head coach”.”From a personal point of view I can’t pinpoint anything or give details,” Kohli said a day before the third ODI against West Indies in Antigua. “We as a team, contrary to a lot of perceptions, only voice our opinions when asked by the BCCI for suggestions. So that is something we have always gone through as a process and that’s something we respect as a team. It’s been asked together, it’s not like segregation of anything so we respect that process and that same procedure, if and when it takes place, we’ll give our suggestions to the BCCI.”The suggestions are given to the board who handle the procedure and there’s no point saying anything out in the open because that is for us as a team to convey to the board as and when we are asked, and it’s something I’ve mentioned before.”It became clear in Kumble’s resignation that there were “misunderstandings” between him and Kohli and ESPNcricinfo had reported a month ago that the captain, and possibly a few other senior players, had expressed a lack of confidence in their coach. Kohli has hardly opened up on the issue since then, mainly saying he has “total respect” for Kumble as a cricketer, and did not want to divulge details to “maintain the sanctity of the change room”.Kohli stated on Thursday that the team was a “very closely-knit unit” and the players got along with each “really well”. He also said their focus right now was on the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, which the visitors lead 1-0 after the first match was washed out.”Right now we have a series at hand and this is what we are focused on,” Kohli said. “The process [of selecting the coach] is taking place and that is something that is in control of the BCCI and the process has always been in place. We, as a team, are focusing on this series right now and we are not focused on anything else at the moment. Our priority is coming here and winning this series, and preparing for the games that lie ahead of us.”Once Kumble resigned, the BCCI decided to invite more applications for the position of the coach, extending the deadline to July 9. Among the newer applicants is Ravi Shastri, who had applied for the position last year too but lost out after the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, picked Kumble for one year.
Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven is keen on joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer and manager Ange Postecoglou personally believes Spurs have a great chance of signing him.
Who will Spurs sign?
The Lilywhites are aiming to take this transfer window by storm and back Postecoglou in his attempts to restore exciting, expansive football at Hotspur Way.
Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte before him encouraged a more pragmatic style but Postecoglou appears determined to deploy a much more different approach.
“In terms of how quickly the players embrace it, the new players coming in will help," said the former Celtic boss on his playing style.
"That’s the part I have control over – whether that’s James or Guglielmo in goal.
"They’re players who fit in the direction I want to go in. Then it’s about seeing with the existing group how many of them are able to adjust and embrace the way we’re going to play.”
Spurs have already sealed the signings of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli, a deal for James Maddison from Leicester City, the free transfer of Manor Solomon and Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent deal from Juventus.
The aforementioned boost Tottenham's options defensively and going forward, with reports suggesting they're now targeting major additions for their central defensive line.
There are a fair few names attracting Spurs' interest, including van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, Barcelona's Clement Lenglet and Galatasary star Victor Nelsson.
Van de Ven, though, is at the centre of reports claiming he is closing in on a move to north London – with reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano claiming a deal is close.
As per The Daily Mirror and journalist Darren Lewis, Postecoglou personally thinks the Dutchman will be Tottenham's "fifth summer signing" after Vicario, Maddison, Solomon and Kulusevski.
The Australian is apparently confident he will join Spurs, and much like Romano, the Mirror claim an agreement is nearing. As well as this, van de Ven is thought to be keen on making the move to N17, a factor which could support Daniel Levy's attempts to sign him.
The 22-year-old is thought to command a price tag of around £25 million, a figure which may well be affordable from Tottenham's perspective.
How good is Micky van de Ven?
According to WhoScored, the defender stood out as a real shining light under Wolfsburg boss Niko Kovac last campaign.
Making more blocks per 90 than any of his teammates, van de Ven also ranked among Wolfsburg's top three best players for clearances made on average (WhoScored).
Indeed, it speaks volumes that Kovac selected van de Ven more than any other of his outfield players in the German top flight last year (WhoScored).
Called a "monster" of a player on Voetbal International, the Bundesliga website have described him as a lightning quick player and even compared him to Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.
They wrote:
"Much like Liverpool’s Dutch centre-back, Van de Ven can be a nightmare for attacking players with his immense strength, determination and precision tackling scuppering the most promising of forward moves.
"With incredible pace and passing ability among his many assets, the Netherlands U21 international – who captained his country at the 2023 UEFA Europan Under-21 Championship – is on course to become a regular for the senior Oranje in the near future."
Asela Gunaratne was the go-to man on Tuesday – for Niroshan Dickwella, with whom he put on 121, and for captain Dinesh Chandimal
Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo18-Jul-2017Niroshan Dickwella has played more Tests, but during the 121-run stand that turned the match, it was Asela Gunaratne who found himself constantly pestered for advice. Sri Lanka had been five-down and 185 runs short of their target when the two came together. Dickwella played aggressively through the partnership, and helped ensure some of the pressure Zimbabwe had exerted, was reversed.”Since he came to the crease, what Dickwella told me was: ‘Talk to me all the time, and make me score runs.'” Gunaratne said. “I think what he meant was that he hasn’t scored a big Test innings, where I have. He just wanted me to tell him how to handle situations. Sometimes when the game was going a certain way, he wanted me to keep advising him. Occasionally I’d tell him not to go for certain shots. In the end, he stuck around and scored.”Gunaratne’s own hand in the victory had been a little more measured than Dickwella’s. At the crease when the winning runs were hit, Gunaratne compiled a sensible 80, despite having suffered a mild hamstring injury earlier in the match. Captain Dinesh Chandimal revealed he had expected Gunaratne to play a major role, at the start of the day.”I told Asela this morning: ‘You’re going to get a hundred today’.” Chandimal said. “But very confidently, Asela said to me: ‘No Chandi, there won’t be need for me to get a 100. I’ll get 70 and win the game.’ That’s the kind of faith I expect from my players. There’s a chance he might not have been able to do that today, but the way he spoke, even I became confident as a captain that we could win this match. I’m really happy I have players like that.”Though Chandimal himself had been out for 15 on the fourth evening, he said it was important to him that his middle order batted with freedom. Of the three Sri Lanka players to make fifties, two – Dickwella and Kusal Mendis – batted at a strike rate of around 70 for much of their innings (though they would both slow slightly in the approach to their dismissals).”When it came time for us to bat yesterday, most of what we talked about was playing your own game as batsmen,” Chandimal said. “We knew that it was tough for us to bat out the time and draw the match. If we tried that, it was likely we’d lose. So we said: ‘play your own game’.””As a captain I told them that I’d take the responsibility for any mistakes, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Kusal, Dimuth Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga played well. Then at the end, Asela and Dickwella were excellent.”Dickwella and Mendis had also perished playing aggressive strokes: Mendis a sweep and Dickwella a reverse-sweep. Chandimal, however, refused to characterise those dismissals as wasteful.”We’ve played on these kinds of pitches before in Sri Lanka, and in India and Bangladesh. On these pitches, it’s with sweeps and reverse-sweeps that we can score runs. There’s a risk in that, but if we are chasing scores, we have to play those shots. At training we had practiced those things, and they bore results today.”
Matt Walker, the Kent coach, is to join the England management team for the T20 tri-series involving Australia and New Zealand in February
George Dobell18-Aug-2017
Matt Walker had a long career in county cricket•Getty Images
Matt Walker, the Kent coach, is to join the England management team for the T20 tri-series involving Australia and New Zealand in February.An England team spokesman confirmed a report in the stating that Walker made a good impression on the England management team when he was invited to join a couple of training sessions earlier in the summer.His Kent team are currently placed fifth in Division Two of the County Championship and go into the final round of NatWest Blast games with a chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.Walker, now aged 43 and a veteran of almost two decades as a batsman in the county game, will replace England assistant coach Paul Farbrace for that section of England’s winter schedule. But while Farbrace will be allowed a month to rest, the head coach, Trevor Bayliss, is currently planning on taking charge of the entire five-month tour.
Four Atletico Madrid ultras have been charged for allegedly hanging an effigy of Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr from a bridge before the derby in January.
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ScorecardFile photo: Tom Curran delivered a matchwinning final over•Getty Images
Tom Curran kept his head in the final over to carry Surrey to a sensational two-run victory in the opening NatWest T20 Blast game of the season at Chelmsford.With Essex requiring 10 off the last six balls, and six wickets in hand, Curran claimed the key wickets of Ravi Bopara and Ashar Zaidi to claim a memorable victory.Bopara’s dismissal off the second ball of the over ended a 46-ball 75, with five sixes, that looked to have put Essex in the driving seat.Earlier Dominic Sibley thumped four sixes in a swashbuckling 61 that enabled Surrey to post a challenging total of 188 after being put in to bat.However, it had looked as though sixes from successive deliveries bowled by Jade Dernbach in the penultimate over by Bopara – one straight, the other over long leg – meant Essex needed less than two runs a ball from the final over.The first ball went for two, but Tom Curran found the extra pace to beat Bopara from the next. With five required off two balls, Curran added the scalp of Ashar Zaidi, bowled to a full-length ball. The boundary required from the final ball as beyond James Foster.Essex had reached 25 in the third over when Varun Chopra left alone a delivery from Tom Curran that pitched outside off-stump and hit middle and leg.
Tom Curran, Surrey: “That knock from Dom was unbelievable. He’s come in not having played a lot of T20 cricket and he’s made a great stake for a permanent place in the T20 side. I thought he batted beautifully.”
Dan Lawrence, who had hit Sam Curran straight for six, followed soon after when he swished inelegantly at the younger Curran and was caught behind for 13.Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara put on 45 for the third wicket in six overs. But Westley was undone by Scott Borthwick’s first ball, which spun in and bowled him for 23. He had earlier edged Ravi Rampaul for six backward of square and then carted Dominic Sibley over cow corner for a second.Bopara hit Jade Dernbach for a straight six, pulled Rampaul for a second and hooked Borthwick for No3 as Essex accelerated. Rampaul went for 16 from one over, Borthwick for 14 the next as Bopara and ten Doeschate made hay.Bopara scrambled a single into the offside to reach a 43-ball fifty, but the partnership was broken by Sam Curran who trapped ten Doeschate lbw on the front foot. Essex still needed 52 from 26 balls, and 25 from the last two overs.Surrey lost Jason Roy to the fourth ball of the game, lbw to one from Mohammad Amir that swung late, and wickets followed in quick succession throughout, bar a sixth-wicket stand of 55 between Dominic Sibley and Sam Curran.Replacing Amir, two of Paul Walter’s first four deliveries were wayward and signalled as wides, but his third legitimate ball arrowed past Mark Stoneman’s bat and took out middle and leg stumps.Finch had already laid into Jamie Porter with a four through midwicket and a six over long leg off successive balls, and was similarly severe on Ashar Zaidi with a four chipped to deep extra cover followed by another six into the second tier of the stand at long leg.But Zaidi had the last word in his first over, tempting Rory Burns into a reverse sweep and bowling him.Finch reached his fifty from 23 balls with his third six, slogged-pulling Zaidi high over midwicket. But four balls later, in trying to work Bopara down to third man, the Australian top-edged behind for 56.Bopara had a second wicket in his third over when Ollie Pope pulled him to the midwicket boundary where Amir leapt to catch. Surrey had lost half their batting for 86 inside 11 overs.The fifty partnership for the sixth wicket came off 28 balls, before Curran on 25 gave himself room against Walter and lost his leg stump. Sibley lost the other Curran, Tom, to an inswinger from ten Doeschate’s first ball.Sibley reached a valiant half-century from 35 balls with his fourth six, but departed for 61 when he was run out off the last ball. Borthwick had his stumps shattered from a free-hit off Walter, but James Foster had a stump out of the ground before Sibley made his ground.