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Chelsea could potentially look to sell Raheem Sterling this summer after a tough first season at the club, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

How has Sterling performed this season?

The 28-year-old departed Manchester City during last summer's transfer window in a £47.5m move, moving on to enjoy a fresh challenge and joining the Blues. He looked like an exciting addition, given the impact he has had for England and City down the years, penning a whopping £325,000-a-week contract.

It's fair to say that Sterling's first season as a Chelsea player has been an extremely disappointing one, however, with the forward struggling to have a positive impact in the final third. The Englishman has scored just four times in 22 Premier League appearances in 2022/23 to date, as well as registering only two assists in the competition.

It has been nowhere near good enough from Sterling, although he certainly hasn't been alone in struggling, with the likes of fellow Englishman Mason Mount also falling out of favour and form. Sterling has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge recently, and now a new claim suggests he could really be on the way out just 12 months after joining.

Is Sterling going to leave Chelsea?

While Mount is the subject of heavy speculation involving rival Premier League clubs, with Liverpool making the Englishman a "priority target" according to Fabrizio Romano, there's a bit less clarity over Sterling's next move. Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones confirms that the winger could move on to pastures new this summer, admitting the player is simply in a bad place with the Blues:

"Fans cheered when he was taken off last weekend. And that says it all really. Sterling is just not in a good place. There's obviously been some speculation around his future… I think that speculation might drag on a bit."

For such reports to be emerging so soon after Sterling joined Chelsea is not something many people would have predicted last summer, considering what a big-name arrival he was. This is someone who scored 131 goals in 339 appearances for City, not to mention netting 20 times in 82 caps for England.

It does look as though the former Liverpool youngster may have potentially peaked as a player, though, with his 29th birthday due this year and many years of football in his legs, having burst into the scene as a teenager at Anfield. Players such as Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen also hit their prime before 30 for the same reason.

The hope is that this is just a blip and that Sterling will go up a gear when the whole Chelsea team improves, but this has now been a prolonged spell of ineffective form. Should he wish to leave, the Blues may not try overly hard to stop him, but the preferable outcome is surely for him to stay put and eventually prove his worth.

Journalist Charles Watts has earmarked Kieran Tierney as an opportunity for Arsenal to make "big money" this summer.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

With the Gunners flying high this season but potentially set to fall just short of winning the Premier League, plenty of focus has been on who they can bring in during the upcoming transfer market to improve the squad.

However, if new faces come in, certain members of Mikel Arteta's team will also be put up on the transfer list too.

One name who has been linked with a move away from north London of late is left-back Tierney. Indeed, as per Football Insider, Manchester City are looking into potentially signing the Scotland international.

While discussing the £110k-p/w defender on his YouTube channel, Watts suggested this move could happen if Arsenal wanted to add some funds to their transfer kitty.

He said: “Kieran Tierney obviously is another player who I think you can make big money out of this summer if you decide to sell.”

How much is Tierney worth?

According to that report in Football Insider, the player is actually open to the move and Arsenal value him at around £30m.

If that is the case, it's certainly a decent chunk that could be reinvested in players elsewhere. What's more, they might be able to replace him internally.

After all, Oleksandr Zinchenko has been the first-choice left-back this term (starting 24 league games), while Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been played at left-back ahead of Tierney at times.

With that being the case, it's easy to see why Arsenal might look to offload the defender in the summer but it remains to be seen if they would want to sell to a direct rival.

The Gunners signed Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from Man City and this has helped them challenge for the title – a mistake City won't want to make again.

And so, perhaps Arteta would be happier to sell elsewhere. There has actually been talk that La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona could be keen on Tierney (via The Sun), suggesting a transfer bid could be in the region of £50m, which certainly would see Arsenal make some "big money" just as Watts suggests.

All in all, it will be interesting to see if he's really up for sale this summer and who is interested.

Aston Villa have been one of the more impressive Premier League sides this season since the arrival of Unai Emery earlier in the season, but three huge games now lie ahead of them in their European push.

Emery has shown his strengths as one of the top managers in Europe, however, the previous two games for the Midlands club have put a dent in their hopes of landing a spot inside the top seven as they target European qualification.

Defeat against Manchester United will have been hard to take but following up that by losing to their local rivals, Wolverhampton Wanderers, will have been a real sucker punch.

Brighton & Hove Albion sit above Emery's men in the table and hold a number of games in hand over Villa. With Roberto De Zerbi's men potentially set to pull away from Villa in the European push, the upcoming game against Tottenham Hotspur will feel even more important.

European football will not have been on the radar at the beginning of the season, but Villa now have a real chance at giving their fans something to look forward to over the summer.

Here's how we think the Villains will fare in their remaining fixtures…

Aston Villa fixtures 13 May: Tottenham (h) 20 May: Liverpool (a) 28 May: Brighton (h) Aston Villa v Tottenham

Much like the Manchester United meeting, this game is another that will be a good gauge of where Villa are at heading into next season. Tottenham are still battling for a spot in Europe themselves, however, they have shown a lot of flaws over recent months and will likely offer Villa chances in front of goal.

Villa Park could be in great voice for what will be a key game in terms of their European destiny. And with the Midlands club picking up a brilliant 2-0 win in north London on New Year's Day thanks to Emiliano Buendia and Douglas Luiz strikes, the points will be there for the taking.

Spurs will go into the game on the back of a victory, however, they have shown over the last few months that they are not a side Villa should be afraid of.

There could be plenty hinging on the result, however, and this may make for a great game, if not a great result.

Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham

Liverpool v Aston Villa

Villa's final away match of 2022/23 is a trip to Liverpool in mid-May. The Reds have been below-par all season long, but they have been able to get their season back on track with Jurgen Klopp's men still pushing for what would be a surprise top four finish.

The Anfield faithful will want to end their home campaign in style, so a repeat of Villa's 3-1 defeat to Merseysiders at Villa Park on Boxing Day, or a similar scoreline, could be on the cards as the Reds chase their own late-season glory.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa

Aston Villa v Brighton

It all ends with a home clash with an impressive Brighton side on 28th May, as another gruelling season reaches its conclusion. While more recent campaigns have seen Villa playing for nothing on the final day, this one could be very different.

The hope is that they have continued this current good run and taken it through May, at which point they and the Seagulls could be directly vying for a European spot at Villa Park. De Zerbi's side have been highly impressive in 2022/23, so the campaign will likely end with a big test.

Prediction: Aston Villa 2-2 Brighton

Predicted run-in points: 4/9 Predicted total points: 58

Andre Russell will not play in Kolkata Knight Riders’ crucial match against Gujarat Lions in Kanpur on Thursday

Nagraj Gollapudi17-May-2016Andre Russell will not play in Kolkata Knight Riders’ crucial match against Gujarat Lions on May 19. The 28-year old allrounder limped off the field midway through the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday with a suspected injury to his left leg; he did not travel with the squad that reached Kanpur on Tuesday evening.Russell is the tournament’s third highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps, and Knight Riders’ fourth highest run-scorer with 188 runs. He bowled 2.3 overs against Royal Challengers and left the field twice, first midway through the Royal Challengers innings and after bowling three deliveries of the 19th over. In the penultimate over, Russell was helped off the field after he tumbled for the third time in his follow-through.With Knight Riders needing to win both their remaining matches to confirm a place in the playoffs, they will hope Russell can regain his fitness as soon possible. The medical staff is monitoring his injury and a definitive prognosis is likely in the coming days.Knight Riders have 14 points from 12 games and have to face Lions away and Sunrisers Hyderabad at home. They are among four teams with a positive net run-rate (0.28) and can make the knockouts even if they do not win any more matches. In that case, however, Knight Riders will have to depend on other teams’ results going their way as well.

Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy by extension hold the most serious interest in signing Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

What’s the latest Spurs transfer news?

Spurs have a plethora of issues to resolve before the summer transfer window opens for business, namely who they will be their permanent manager and Antonio Conte’s full time replacement.

Ryan Mason has been placed in temporary charge until the end of this Premier League campaign with Europa League qualification still very realistic.

In the meantime, Levy has been scouring the market for appointments, as well as looking out for a new sporting director to replace the departed Fabio Paratici.

On top of all this, Spurs must think about a long-term successor to goalkeeping mainstay Hugo Lloris, who is entering the final 12 months of his contract alongside star striker Harry Kane.

Tottenham have been repeatedly linked to signing Lloris’ replacement this summer, with Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret thought to be attracting serious interest.

As well as Meret, it is believed the likes of Mike Maignan (AC Milan) are in Spurs’ thinking, with a report by journalist Gaston Edul saying another shot-stopper is on the agenda.

According to the TYC Sports correspondent, writing on Twitter, Villa’s Martinez is a very serious target for Spurs and Levy with the north Londoners having a move “in the pipeline”.

Martinez, who helped Argentina to World Cup victory at the end of last year, could be on the move and Tottenham are very likely to go a ‘step further’ for his signature over rival clubs.

Edul explained:

What could Martinez bring to Spurs?

The 30-year-old has been praised for his form at Villa Park over the last 12 months, with defender Matty Cash summing up his quality perfectly.

Cash, speaking to the media (via The Shropshire Star), said:

“He (Martinez) normally buzzes off clean sheets. The first thing he said to me in the dressing room was: ‘I’m gutted we conceded’. He’s unbelievable. One of the best goalkeepers in the world. To have him there is really good for us. He has made so many big saves for us.”

To replace a figure as important as Lloris, this could be exactly the type of character needed at Tottenham, both in terms of goalkeeping contribution and elite mentality.

Members of the media have also called him “world class” for his exploits at international level.

Hampshire’s badly out-of-form batting line-up collided with a superb Somerset bowling performance on the way to a crushing six-wicket defeat

Freddie Wilde at Taunton19-Jun-2016
ScorecardMax Waller finished with 4 for 33 as Hampshire slumped to 133 all out•Getty ImagesIs this where an era ended? Under a blanket of heavy cloud, on a damp and miserable day in Taunton, Hampshire’s age of dominance in T20 cricket in England has been left on the brink of collapse after their badly out-of-form batting line-up collided with a superb Somerset bowling performance on the way to a crushing six-wicket defeat.The loss leaves Hampshire’s 2016 NatWest T20 Blast season in tatters. With just one win from seven matches they are rooted to the bottom of the South Group and will require a dramatic turnaround to extend their record and reach a seventh consecutive Finals Day. “The weather has been pretty grey and miserable, it’s rained pretty much most of the game and our performance wasn’t much better really,” summarised Hampshire’s dejected coach Giles White at the end of the match.Beneath thick clouds and with rain forecast there was a serious possibility that this match would not be played. As it was the weather delayed the start, interrupted the first innings and threatened to end Somerset’s early, but in amongst persistent rainfall a match was completed to satisfy a near sell-out crowd in Taunton.With the possibility of a reduced-overs second innings and a favourable Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target, Somerset captain Jim Allenby had no hesitation in opting to bowl first after winning the toss. Having sweated under the covers all morning and only given 25 minutes to breathe before the match, the pitch displayed some zippy bounce early on.Despite the return of Michael Carberry from a wrist injury and James Vince from international duty, Hampshire appeared unsettled by the helpful bowling conditions and some tight lines from Somerset’s seamers to record their worst Powerplay of the season: 35 for 3. All three wickets, a run out on T20 debut for Tom Alsop, who replaced the dropped Jimmy Adams, a lazy uppercut straight to the fielder at third man from Carberry and a loose flat-footed drive from Vince were emblematic of a top-order lacking in form and confidence.With the Powerplay over Somerset shifted strategy and began taking pace off the ball, working together in pairs. First it was Allenby and Peter Trego; bowling tight, stump-to-stump lines they cramped Adam Wheater and Liam Dawson for room and conceded just nine in the two overs immediately after the Powerplay. It was the introduction of spinner Max Waller, however, that tightened the noose around Hampshire’s neck.With Wheater clearly keen to remain proactive he advanced down the pitch to Waller’s fourth delivery, but the legspinner saw him coming and fired it fast down the leg side where Ryan Davies snaffled a sharp take and whisked the bails off before Wheater could make it back. When Will Smith, promoted up the order to help rebuild, was trapped lbw first ball by a quicker delivery, Hampshire were reeling at 56 for 5.It was at stages such as these that Hampshire teams of years gone by would find a way out of trouble. No such rescue act was possible today. The dismissal of Sean Ervine, who has captained this season in the absence of Vince, charging furiously down the pitch for a huge heave to Waller before being stumped by some distance, was sadly fitting. Excluding his 56 against Kent, Ervine has scored 15 runs in his five other innings this season.Shahid Afridi and Dawson briefly threatened to elevate Hampshire towards a respectable total, striking a handful of boundaries between them, but faced with a powerful Somerset batting order at a high-scoring venue they couldn’t afford to hold back. Waller preyed on such reckless attack and completed an impressive four-wicket haul when he bowled Afridi with a quicker delivery that skidded on. Waller now boasts an average of 15.70 against Hampshire in T20 cricket.Moments after Dawson was run out for 46 the players were forced from the field for half an hour by the persistent rain. When they returned Darren Sammy and Gareth Berg missed more than they hit as they tried desperately to squeeze some extra runs from a tired and bedraggled innings. Overton matched Waller’s four-wicket haul when he removed the pair in the penultimate over, wrapping up Hampshire’s innings for 133 and with nine balls to spare.The target was never going to be enough for Somerset, especially with Hampshire having to cope with a wet ball, and after the erratic Tino Best conceded more than 10% of Somerset’s target from his first five legitimate deliveries there was an inevitability about the remainder of the contest that even the two Powerplay wickets of Allenby and Trego couldn’t dissipate.A hardy Taunton crowd who endured the poor weather were rewarded for their fortitude as Chris Gayle, in his last match for Somerset this season, and Mahela Jayawardene forged a partnership of steel and silk, clubbing and gliding their respective ways towards 52 and 45 not out and guiding Somerset to a valuable victory that keeps them within touching distance of the leading pack in the South Group.

Arne Slot, Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim are the three names on Tottenham Hotspur's list in their search for a new manager, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

What's the latest in Spurs' search for a manager?

Spurs are currently operating without a director of football following the departure of Fabio Paratici, and appear no closer to appointing a successor to sacked head coach Antonio Conte.

Three leading names have now emerged as Spurs seek to appoint a new manager ahead of the summer transfer window, and with Julian Nagelsmann ruled out last week, there is no clear front-runner for the job.

Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Romano revealed that these three names are all admired by Spurs as they search for a manager to help them compete at the top level.

"Arne Slot is a candidate for sure, he is really appreciated internally, Tottenham are discussing his name internally," he stated.

"Ruben Amorim remains a manager appreciated at Tottenham after his excellent job at Sporting, and I will add Ange Postecoglou as one of the candidates for the job. For sure, the three names are in the list, Tottenham have not decided yet who is the best candidate, but they are three candidates for the job."

What do Spurs need to do now?

Spurs cannot choose a manager whilst they operate without a director of football, and this appointment will be crucial in determining their next coach.

The club need to form a strategy between the director and his preferred candidate, and there is plenty of uncertainty within the Spurs squad.

Harry Kane has one year left on his contract, and could potentially leave the club this summer, whilst goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris looks set to move on.

Replacing two players in crucial positions could prove difficult for the club, and this will become an even harder task if their director and managerial roles are not filled by the start of the transfer window.

All three candidates are currently in other jobs, and convincing one of them to leave their current post to join Spurs could prove tricky given the current situation with the squad.

Postecoglou has led Celtic to another glorious Scottish Premiership title in style, whilst Slot has led Feyenoord to Eredivisie glory.

Amorim has impressed at Sporting in recent years, with his side beating both Spurs and Arsenal in European competition this season, whilst young players such as former Tottenham academy product Marcus Edwards have flourished under his guidance.

Each of these three candidates have their merits, but there is a lot of work to be done before one of them can be appointed.

An unlikely eighth-wicket partnership of 69 between Thea Brookes and Paige Scholfield saw Loughborough Lightning come close to pulling off an amazing comeback before Lancashire Thunder completed their first win in the new Kia Super League

ECB Reporters Network03-Aug-2016Lancashire Thunder 164 for 8 (Satterthwaite 52, Dottin 42) beat Loughborough Lightning 158 (Ecclestone 3-23, Matthews 3-25) by six runs
ScorecardDeandra Dottin struck a quickfire 42 to set up Thunder’s victory•Getty ImagesAn unlikely eighth-wicket partnership of 69 between Thea Brookes and Paige Scholfield saw Loughborough Lightning come close to pulling off an amazing comeback before Lancashire Thunder completed their first win in the new Kia Super League.Lightning had looked dead and buried when they collapsed to 88 for 7 in the 13th over, chasing a formidable Thunder total built on a hard-hitting half-century from captain Amy Satterthwaite, made off just 30 balls.But Scholfield, with 38 off 22 balls, and Brookes (30 not out, off 22) gave the home team a real chance of victory before Thunder all-rounder Hayley Matthews (3 for 25) picked up two wickets in two balls to end the innings.”Lightning fought back superbly, and credit to them for that, and in the end it was a relief to get over the line,” said Satterthwaite. “For ourselves, we talked about being positive in our batting, and not panicking if there were a few dot balls. It’s the nature of the competition that there will be wins and losses in the group stage, every side has a lot of strengths.”Having chosen to bowl first, Loughborough saw seamer Beth Langston pick up the wicket of Matthews in her second over, finding an edge which was well held by Amy Jones diving to her right behind the stumps, but the tall left-hander Satterthwaite hit straight and hard, making the most of the short boundaries and some ragged bowling.Lamb, on 26, went down the wicket to the slow left-arm spin of Rebecca Grundy, missed, and was stumped, but Satterthwaite hit nine fours and a six before top-edging a cut at the medium pace of Sonia Odedra into the hands of Thea Brookes at short third man.The introduction of the leg-spin of South Africa’s Dane van Niekerk briefly slowed the Thunder charge, but West Indies batter Deandra Dottin accelerated the scoring rate again. A series of sweetly timed pulls and sweeps from outside off-stump saw her hit seven fours and a six before skying Perry into the hands of Lightning captain Georgia Elwiss at extra cover.Lightning picked up just a single off the first over of their reply, bowled by Matthews, and in the second saw van Niekerk, unaccountably neglecting to run her bat into the crease, given run out before scoring.Elwiss lofted Matthews for a straight six, but Devine chipped a simple catch to mid-wicket off Kate Cross. Perry went quickly, caught behind thin-edging an attempted cut at the spin of Sophie Ecclestone, and Loughborough’s last real chance of getting close to their formidable target seemed to have vanished when Elwiss was unluckily run out, stranded at the non-striker’s hand when Jones’ firm drive was deflected on to the stumps by bowler Dottin.Scholfield and Brookes thought otherwise, but Scholfield’s dismissal off the last ball of the penultimate over, bowled swinging and missing at Dottin, exposed the tail.”I’m devastated right now, but stepping back, to get within seven from the position we were in says a lot about the spirit and attitude of our team,” said Brookes.

Patience may be a key virtue for Australia’s Test batsmen in Sri Lanka, according to Joe Burns, who hit 72 in the ongoing practice match at the P Sara Oval

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Jul-2016Patience may be a key virtue for Australia’s Test batsmen in Sri Lanka, according to Joe Burns, who hit 72 in the ongoing practice match at the P Sara Oval. Burns’ half-century was one of three in Australia’s solid 431 for 9. The visitors scored at 3.53 runs an over against a modest Sri Lankan XI attack, but Burns suggested Australia should become accustomed to a slow run rate, given the nature of the surfaces they are likely to encounter on tour.”We’ve talked as a batting group about needing to be patient for long periods on the subcontinent,” Burns said. “If they bowl good areas, it’s tough work and slow going. You have to be committed to trying to bat all day. I guess that’s one disappointing thing to come out of the day – all our batsmen spent some time at the crease but no one went on to get a big score.”When bowlers are bowling straight, with straight fields, you hit the fielders a lot. You go long periods where you’re not scoring quickly, and then you might get a few boundaries away in a cluster. That’s generally how scoring goes on low, slow wickets with reverse swing and spin bowling. You just have to ride the waves and wait for the sets to come in.”Burns was tested by both seam and spin during his stay. He and Shaun Marsh made a quick start against the new ball in the third session of the first day, but were more measured as the innings wore on – particularly to left-arm seamer Vimukthi Perera and the spin bowlers. Burns was eventually dismissed by Perera, who angled a ball in through his defences early on day two.”You just have to be prepared to buckle in and try and go with the conditions,” Burns said. “There’s nothing too much you can do about it as a batter. As a batting group we’re prepared for those long battles. Hopefully we can bat for extended periods of time going into the Test series.”The Australian batsmen largely scored their runs square of the pitch with a few venturing slog sweeps to push the spinners off their lengths. Burns suggested this could be a trend through the Test series.”I guess here – with the lower, slower wickets – you hit more balls than perhaps you would in Australia, especially because bowlers bowl straighter as well. I guess you want to be hitting straight, but that seems to be where the fielders are. Generally you probably pick up your runs quite square, even though you’re trying to hit straight. There are also periods when it’s reversing quite a lot, and then it will die down.”The Australians are 202 runs ahead with one wicket in hand, at stumps on day two of the three-day encounter.

Leeds United have found themselves in an incredibly unstable situation in the Premier League after suffering a defeat to West Ham United this afternoon and Sam Allardyce will be feeling the pressure ahead of the final day of the season.

The Whites will see out their must-win final fixture against Tottenham Hotspur in front of the home support next weekend and an improved performance must be put on if the west Yorkshire club have any hope of staying in the top flight next season.

On their visit to east London today, Leeds failed to dominate possession (41%), had fewer shots on goal (12 v 19) and created fewer big chances (0 v 4), which ultimately cost them all three points.

A glimmer of hope was delivered when Rodrigo found the back of the net in the 17th minute, but what looked like a team fighting for survival quickly deteriorated when Declan Rice equalised less than 15 minutes later.

Things didn't get better for Allardyce's side when the final 45 minutes commenced, with Leeds allowing the Hammers to dominate which led to further goals from Jarrad Bowen and Manuel Lanzini making it a 3-1 defeat at the final whistle.

Weston McKennie once again looked rather abject in the middle of the park and even he did assist Rodrigo's goal, the £75k-per-week loanee failed to do the job he was tasked with in midfield alongside Robin Koch and Adam Forshaw when it mattered most.

How did Weston McKennie get on vs West Ham?

It is no secret that the Juventus midfielder has not been a hit with the supporters since his arrival in January, but McKennie has done himself no favours with uninspiring performances following one after the other at a time when Leeds need to be at their best.

Over his 84-minute performance, the 24-year-old flop was dubbed "poor" by journalist Beren Cross in a dismal performance that ultimately saw the midfield lightweight lose 75% of his defensive battles as he was dribbled past once and failed to complete a single tackle.

The American also struggled in possession having failed to complete a dribble while his 24 passes were unsurprising when you consider he also lost possession of the ball ten times.

It has been reported that Leeds have no intention of triggering their £30m option to buy on McKennie this summer and it would be one of the best decisions the club could make given his clear lack of effort and fight to help the club secure a positive future in the Premier League.

In fact, with Mark Roca now available for selection again after making a 16-minute cameo this afternoon, Allardyce could make a bold midfield decision by binning McKennie for the last game of the season and instead relying on Forshaw and Roca to hold together the centre of the pitch.

Indeed, dropping McKennie to the bench would be a move that could well keep them in the division next weekend.