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Marcus Bent has named the player who he thinks Aston Villa should sign as a potential replacement for Jack Grealish… 

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League player Marcus Bent has suggested that Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli could be the ideal replacement for Jack Grealish at Aston Villa. Bent thinks that Manchester City will sign the Villa captain and has named Alli as his potential successor.

He told This is Futbol:

“I think Grealish is going to go to Manchester City.

“Dele Alli is his own worst enemy. When I was at Leicester City, Paul Dickov would fight himself in the locker room. Alli has to uncover those demons and do what he has to do because his footballing skills and ability are needed.

“Two years ago, he was a starter for the England national side. I think there has been stuff off the pitch which has contributed to him not playing at the top level.

“Everyone needs a second or third chance and he is a good player. He might have matured now and it’s time for him to flourish. I think he needs that confidence boost and to show himself that he still has the ability to play at this level.”

Smith would love him

Grealish has been heavily linked with a switch to The Etihad this summer and TalkSport claimed at the end of last month that he will complete a British record £100m transfer to Pep Guardiola’s side upon the conclusion of the European Championships. If true, that would leave a gigantic hole for Dean Smith to fill ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The 25-year-old provided six goals and 10 assists in 24 league starts last term for the Villans, averaging a phenomenal WhoScored rating of 7.56. This highlights how important he is to the club and why NSWE must bring in a top-class replacement to fill the void if they do sell him.

Alli could be the man they need and Smith would love working with the former MK Dons star at Villa Park next season. Although he endured a rough 2020/21 campaign, failing to score in the Premier League, he has shown his quality in the past and Smith could enjoy getting the best out of him and recapturing the 25-year-old’s form as he could turn into a crucial player.

Former England international Darren Anderton once compared Alli to England greats Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, labelling him as a “freak of a talent” and a joy to watch. 

He told GOAL:

“I’ve got to say that I loved Stevie G as a player and Scholesy but Dele Alli, for his age, is just a freak of a talent. I love his arrogance on the pitch, how clever he is in finding the positions that he does and his willingness to try everything. He is a real joy to watch.”

The £100k-per-week maestro has had three seasons of 19 direct goal contributions or more in the Premier League for Tottenham. In the 2019/20 campaign, Alli managed eight goals and four assists in 21 starts, with his best season being his haul of 18 goals and seven assists between 2016 and 2017 for Spurs.

This suggests that, when at his best, he could be as influential as Grealish with his goals and assists from the attacking midfield positions.

Therefore, Smith would love to have him at the club and that is why – if Grealish leaves – NSWE must pounce on a deal for Alli.

AND in other news, Villa suffer major blow in pursuit of “extraordinary” £30m gem, Smith will be gutted…

West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has been linked with a move to Arsenal, who could be willing to pay £20m for his services, according to the Daily Star.

The Lowdown: West Brom look towards 2021/22 with intrigue

Moving into 2021/22, the Baggies will be looking to assemble a squad capable of regaining promotion to the Premier League following their relegation last term.

Finally making inroads in the transfer market under Valerien Ismael, the West Midlands club completed their first summer signing in the form of Alex Mowatt this week [BBC].

However, another key component of future success will be their ability to hold onto prize assets at The Hawthorns. Could they now be set to lose one of their star men in the near future following recent reports?

The Latest: Arsenal interested in Sam Johnstone

Arsenal are said to be readying a move for West Brom goalkeeper Johnstone ahead of the forthcoming campaign, with the Gunners also interested in Sheffield United number one Aaron Ramsdale [Daily Star].

Despite that latter interest, a move for the 28-year-old now looks more feasible due to the Baggies’ openness to do a deal for around £20m.

The England international has also attracted attention from another London club in West Ham United in recent times [football.london].

The Verdict: Losing Johnstone would be a blow

Losing Johnstone may be perceived as a major blow to West Brom on first viewing. He made 37 league appearances for the Baggies last season; achieving six clean sheets within this timeframe and missing only one top-flight match [Transfermarkt].

Receiving apt reward for his contributions, he was named in England’s 26-man Euro 2020 squad at the start of June [Birmingham Mail]. Owing to his shot-stopping capabilities, Johnstone was also once labelled as ‘magnificent’ by former Baggies manager Sam Allardyce [talkSPORT].

Always likely to invite attention, any sanctioned sale would not come as an enormous surprise due to his contractual situation. Unlikely to sign a new deal in the Midlands, his current agreement will expire in 12 months’ time [Transfermarkt].

Should they receive the quoted £20m in exchange for his signature, West Brom would have plenty of financial resources to secure an adequate replacement for Johnstone if he makes the move to the Gunners.

In other news, a pundit has dropped a glowing verdict on a West Brom signing target.

أعلن النادي الأهلي اليوم عن تجديد عقد ثريا محمد لاعبة الفريق الأول لكرة السلة لتواصل مسيرتها داخل القلعة الحمراء في الفترة المقبلة.

وقال خالد العوضي المدير الرياضي للنادي الأهلي إن ثريا وقعت على عقود التجديد لمدة 4 مواسم، دون أن يكون لها أي طلبات لتمسكها بالاستمرار داخل القلعة الحمراء، مشيدًا على عطائها مع فريق سيدات السلة خلال الفترة الماضية.

طالع أيضًا.. إنجاز تاريخي في انتظار موسيماني وتاو مع الأهلي

وأضاف: “ثريا من اللاعبات أصحاب الخبرات الكبيرة، وأن دورها في الفريق مهم للغاية، في ظل المنافسة الشديدة في بطولات كرة السلة، والحاجة إلى عناصر مميزة قادرة على تحمل الضغوط، ونقل الخبرات إلى اللاعبات الصاعدات”.

وأكد العوضي أن تجديد عقد ثريا محمد يأتي في إطار الحفاظ على استقرار فريق سلة السيدات بالنادي الأهلي بالشكل المناسب؛ للمنافسة على كل البطولات.

وكانت اللاعبة تعاني خلال الفترة الماضية من إصابة في الرباط الصليبي، ولكنها عادت منذ فترة للتدريبات، بعد أن أجرت عملية الرباط الصليبي بنجاح.

Andover’s bid to remain in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League leadership race has been hit by the absence of four key players against all-day specialists BAT Sports at London Road tomorrow, 11 o’clock

Mike Vimpany (as produced in the Southern Daily Echo)20-Jun-2002Andover’s bid to remain in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League leadership race has been hit by the absence of four key players against all-day specialists BAT Sports at London Road tomorrow, 11 o’clock.Jerry Hayward, all-rounder Ian Langdown and opening bowler Dean Woodhouse, along with fractured wrist victim Toby Radford, are absent against BAT, who have moved menacingly into second place behind Havant.Andover led the field for the first six weeks of the season, but crashed to a heavy defeat in their opening `time’ game at Portsmouth last week.Second XI captain Tim Keighley and teenager Rob James, who hit an unbeaten Hampshire League half-century last week, get the Andover call.BAT, all-conquering in all-day cricket since June last year, are unchanged, with left-arm paceman Dan Goldstraw eager to build upon his six-wicket return against Bashley (Rydal) last week.Leaders Havant are without Steve Snell, on Lord’s groundstaff duty at the Benson & Hedges Cup final, against lowly Burridge at Havant Park.Burridge, in need of a victory after playing only four games so far, surprisingly knocked Havant out of the SEC Cup in midweek.Also in need of a bonus are second-from-bottom Calmore Sports, who entertain Portsmouth at Loperwood Park. Teenager Doug Bellchamber, plagued with back problems, returns for Portsmouth, who otherwise field the side which trounced Andover last week.Bashley (Rydal) have slipped down the table after a series of inept batting performances. Fit-again Chris Sketchley returns from an ankle injury and John Whiting is back for the trip to South Wilts."Lower Bemerton is normally a road," said beleaguered skipper Neil Taylor. "So we have every reason to apply ourselves and get some runs on it."We’ve had one batting failure after another and the fact that Hampshire’s James Tomlinson is playing for Cardiff University tomorrow should boost our chances of getting some runs on the board."South Wilts are also without Tim Lamb, but have Russell Rowe anxious to improve on his 330-run tally for the season.Teenager Tom Webley faces an exhausting 400-mile tea-time trek from Blackpool to play for Bournemouth at Liphook & Ripsley.Webley has been in Blackpool this week playing for Somerset in a Second XI Championship match against Lancashire II."If the game goes the distance, I can’t see myself getting back to Bournemouth until the early hours of tomorrow (SAT) morning," Webley explained from his seaside hotel last night."And I’ve go to be at Chapel Gate for an 8.30am departure, so it looks as though I’ll be eating my cornflakes going along in the car !"Alex Allum, who hit a match-winning 67 not out for Bournemouth’s Hampshire League side at Basingstoke & North Hants last week, could be poised for a first team recall.David Kidner pulled up with a recurrence of a long standing back injury in last week’s drawn match with Calmore Sports and could miss the Liphook trip.

Chris Harris might have missed out on a place in the all-time Canterbury XI, but he proved his worth to the modern generation of players and supporters when setting up a possible match-winning advantage over Otago at Alexandra today.When Canterbury began the second day today at 31/3, it seemed unlikely that they could secure a first innings lead over Otago.The Canterbury batsmen never looked completely assured against the bowling of David Sewell.But after some resolute batting from Harris, Paul Wiseman and Peter Fulton, they eventually went on to gain a lead of 18 runs. Harris scored 51 and helped add 78 runs for the sixth wicket with Fulton (33).When Fulton was out at 174/8 there was still a lot of work for the remaining two Canterbury wickets to do to overhaul the Otago first innings total of 206. Wiseman was not fazed at all by this and hit hard to be finally dismissed last for 44 and with the Canterbury total at 224.When rain sent the players and umpires from the field at 4.37 pm Otago were badly situated at 19/2.Sewell recorded his second best career figures of seven for 64 from 24 overs and deserved this success. He bowled a good line and length throughout.Kerry Walmsley took one for 67 from 22 overs and Craig Pryor one for 51 from 17 but were a little wayward at times. Nathan Morland with one for 32 from 11 overs captured the remaining wicket.Otago began their second innings only 18 runs in arrears but were soon in trouble when they lost Robbie Lawson and Craig Cumming, who bagged a pair, when the total was 19 – soon to be followed by Brendon McCullum and Chris Gaffaney with no further addition to the score.At that stage it seemed the game could possibly end on day two.Rain interrupted play for almost an hour and after the resumption it was calculated that to complete the required number of overs for the day, light permitting, play would go to 7.45pm.Light didn’t permit and at 7.03pm play was abandoned for the day with the Otago total at 75/5 – a lead of 57 with two days play remaining.Wade Cornelius with three wickets to go with his four from the first innings was the successful Canterbury bowler while Ryan Burson and Harris captured one victim each.At this stage it would seem Canterbury would be favoured to achieve the outright win but Otago obviously will be fighting hard to somehow achieve their first and only outright win of the season.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo terá mais um teste antes do início do Campeonato Paulista. No próximo domingo, a equipe comandada por Rogério Ceni enfrentará jogo-treino contra o Columbus Crew, time dos Estados Unidos que realiza pré-temporada no CFA Laudo Natel, em Cotia. A informação foi divulgada inicialmente pela Rádio Globo.

A atividade também será disputada no local onde os americanos treinam. O início do treinamento foi agendado para as 10h e não será permitida a entrada de torcedores ou jornalistas. É o terceiro jogo-treino do Tricolor no ano, o terceiro contra equipes americanas.

Ainda durante o período de treinos na IMG Academy, em Bradenton, o elenco de Ceni goleou o FC Sarasota, de divisão regional, por 9 a 1 e o Boca Ratón, de liga equivalente à terceira divisão nacional, por 9 a 2. Depois, na Florida Cup, empatou por 0 a 0 com River Plate (ARG) e Corinthians, mas levou a melhor nos pênaltis nas duas partidas para ficar com o título.

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Let's gooooo! 💪 #CrewSC https://t.co/tTUqW8mMjt

— Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) January 22, 2017

Já o Columbus Crew disputa a Major League Soccer (MLS), principal liga dos Estados Unidos. Serão duas semanas de treinos em Cotia, com chegada prevista para esta terça-feira. O camisa 10 da equipe é o argentino Federico Higuaín, irmão do centroavante Gonzalo Higuaín, da Juventus (ITA).

O São Paulo estreia no Campeonato Paulista no dia 5 de fevereiro, na Arena Barueri, contra o Osasco Audax.

An unbeaten century by Mukund Parmar helped Gujarat draw withMaharashtra in the West Zone Ranji Trophy match at the Shri ShivajiStadium, Karad on Tuesday

Waleed Hussain28-Nov-2000An unbeaten century by Mukund Parmar helped Gujarat draw withMaharashtra in the West Zone Ranji Trophy match at the Shri ShivajiStadium, Karad on Tuesday.Gujarat ended up on 324 for five in 110.1 overs. Resuming on 73 fortwo, Niraj Patel (58) and Tejas Varsani (64) made patient halfcenturies in the second innings. But the star of the day was MukundParmar, who scored 102 off 229 deliveries, including 14 hits to thefence. Parmar and Pathik Patel (52 not out) put on an unbeaten 83-runpartnership for the sixth wicket. Iqbal Siddiqui bagged two wicketsfor 53 runs.Maharashtra earned five points on their first innings lead, andGujarat picked up three.

Leeds United transfer target Boubakary Soumare would represent a major upgrade for Marcelo Bielsa amid reports linking him with a move to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports earlier this year suggested that the Whites were interested in signing the Lille midfielder and it now appears that the club face significant competition in the race to land him.

According to The Daily Mail, it’s fellow Premier League side Leicester who currently find themselves in pole position to sign the French starlet, and the Foxes have opened talks over a potential £21m deal for the 22-year-old.

The report adds that Everton and Leeds both had scouts watching Lille’s game against Lens on Friday, while Newcastle have also held a long interest in him.

Big upgrade for Bielsa

When you’ve got a number of Premier League sides after you, and have even been compared to Manchester United star Paul Pogba, you know you’re a very highly-rated talent.

It’s no surprise then that Lille president Gerard Lopez has previously waxed lyrical about the 22-year-old, saying: “He’s one of the very best at his job. He’s technical, with incredible physical power and wins a great deal of possession. He’s a modern No.6 or 8. We’ll see him in the France team very soon. He’s a clear vision of where he wants to go and he’s working very hard to get there.”

And, his teammate at Lille, former Swansea ace Renato Sanches, said: “He’s a great player. He’s so young and a great talent – a happy and humble guy. I don’t know when he’s going. It’s not my business. But he will be a good player in the future. Even better than now. He’s athletic. He’s fast. He’s strong. He has technique. He’s prepared for the Premier League.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

When you look at his stats, you can see exactly why Bielsa is keen on signing him this summer.

As per Whoscored, his averages of 1.4 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 this season is significantly better than what Mateusz Klich has produced, with the Polish ace’s interception numbers actually a quarter of what Soumare manages (0.3).

The young Frenchman also appears to be more accomplished with the ball at his feet too, boasting more passes per game and at a much higher accuracy, while he also averages more than double the amount of dribbles Klich makes per game too.

With Klich also soon to turn 31 next month, landing the 22-year-old Soumare just seems like a no-brainer for Bielsa and Leeds, both for the present and for the future.

Meanwhile, Radrizzani must avoid making an unforgivable mistake at Leeds United this summer…

MatériaMais Notícias

O trágico acidente com o avião que levava a Chapecoense e jornalistas brasileiros nesta terça-feira para a Colômbia, onde a equipe disputaria nesta quarta-feira a primeira partida da final da Copa Sul-Americana e que vitimou 71 pessoas, abalou o jovem William Barbio. O atacante, de 24 anos, que tem contrato com o Vasco até o fim de 2017, defendeu as cores da equipe de Chapecó no ano passado onde fez amigos com os quais mantinha contato até os dias de hoje. Emocionado, ele falou com o LANCE! sobre o ocorrido desde o recebimento da notícia que chocou o mundo.

– Recebi a notícia 5h da manhã por minha esposa. Ela e eu fizemos amigos para sempre enquanto estive por lá. Desde cedo estamos falando com as esposas e amigos da cidade que me acolheu tanto bem. O maior desejo que podemos ter nesse momento é o de Deus confortar a todos. Até agora não acredito que perdi tantos amigos. O que falam da Chapecoense ser uma família, uma união gigante entre todos, é pura verdade. Foi uma honra ter tido a oportunidade de pisar em Chapecó com o povo acolhedor e ter defendido as cores da Chapecoense – disse o jogador com a voz engasgada.

A Chapecoense queria no fim do ano passado renovar o contrato de William Barbio, mas Jorginho, então técnico do Vasco, pediu o retorno do atacante. Em São Januário não teve oportunidades neste 2016 e acabou mudando para equipes como o América-MG e o Joinville. Porém, a amizade com os amigos que fez em Chapecó foi além. Um grupo de vídeo-game foi criado com a presença de Barbio e várias vítimas do acidente, como Gil, Ananias, Danilo e Neto. A brincadeira entre os companheiros ia para fora das quatro linhas. E a festa com a classificação para a Copa Sul-Americana foi relatada lá. Há mensagens a serem visualizadas ainda no grupo, mas não há coragem:

– Temos um grupo de vídeo-game com vários jogadores que defendiam a Chapecoense na mesma época do que eu, Neto, Maranhão, Cleber Santana, Gil, Ananias… Depois da classificação da equipe para a final da Copa Sul-Americana foi uma festa lá. Todos animados. Mateus Caramelo também… A amizade era verdadeira. Era nosso momento de lazer, um brincava com o outro. Estava na torcida por todos para a conquista internacional, mereciam muito. Há algumas mensagens ainda no grupo que não tive a coragem de abrir e ler ainda. Está muito complicado para conseguir segurar a emoção.

William Barbio está no Rio de Janeiro desde a tarde desta terça-feira e recebendo mensagens de apoio além de retribuí-las como forma de homenagem aos familiares das vítimas, moradores de Chapecó, no interior de Santa Catarina, e em todos ao redor do mundo que estão com um dia mais triste após o trágico acidente. O atacante não descartou um possível retorno a Chapecoense – o Vasco, que detém seus direitos, assinou nota afirmando a possibilidade de oferecer empréstimo gratuito de atletas para a equipe catarinense começar a se reerguer em 2017.

– Eu poderia estar nesse voo, você também, qualquer um… Tristeza muito grande. Queria abraçar todo mundo agora. Seria uma honra voltar a vestir um dia a camisa da Chapecoense, mas deixo isso com meus empresários. A dor é enorme e agora é orar e pedir a Deus para que forças sejam dadas. Eles estavam felizes prestes a esta decisão histórica da Sul-Americana e agora são campeões lá no céu… Que as responsabilidades sejam apuradas e que os meios de segurança se intensifiquem para que episódios como esse nunca se repitam. Meu carinho a todos. O mundo está de luto – finalizou.

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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Wigan Athletic manager Paul Jewell has backed Celtic to get Roy Keane back into football management after his spell as a pundit.

Keane hasn’t been a manager since his spell with Ipswich Town, however he has been an assistant in recent years with Martin O’Neill at both the Republic of Ireland and Nottingham Forest.

Celtic have reportedly held more talks with Keane after their number one target, Eddie Howe, continued to stall over whether or not he really wanted to take the job and succeed Neil Lennon.

Speaking on the link to Celtic and why someone like Roy Keane should be in football and not in a studio, Jewell told FFC:

“His knowledge of the game is huge and his enthusiasm for the game is obviously still very high, so someone like Roy Keane should be in football.

“From what I’ve seen of him, yeah, why not give him a chance? I think he would probably rather be on the training pitch than sitting in a studio, even though he will know which one is easier.”

In the last 12 months, the 49-year old has been an ever-present on Sky Sports’ coverage of games and he hasn’t been afraid of giving his opinion on players, clubs and managers, no matter how controversial they may be.

Celtic parted ways with Neil Lennon in February but are still yet to find someone who can help them take the SPFL title off Rangers next season.