Newcastle United discussed the possibility of signing Tom Davies in the summer transfer window, says Chris Waugh.

The Lowdown: Davies interest

The North East club were linked with a move for Davies in the 2020 summer window, before he ended up staying at Everton.

As per The Chronicle, Sean Longstaff could have been used in a potential swap deal to bring him to St. James’ Park this time around.

The Latest: Discussions

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Chris Waugh has now said that there were indeed discussions held between both the Toffees and the Tyneside outfit over the signing of Davies.

It would have seen Longstaff move to Goodison Park as a result in the swap deal that was mentioned earlier on in the window.

The Verdict: One for January?

It is a shame that Steve Bruce’s team have now missed out on the signing of Davies, although that could well be revisited in January.

Described as an ‘excellent’ player by pundit Paddy Kenny back in June, he averaged more interceptions, clearances, blocks, dribbles and passes per game than Longstaff in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season (Whoscored).

Longstaff is a local lad, but he only has a year left on his current deal with the Magpies, and so can leave on a free next summer.

Thus, it would be an idea to revisit the potential swap again in January, so that the Toon can get the best possible deal.

In other news, find out what worrying Mike Ashley claim has been made here!

An update has emerged on Rangers transfer target Jed Wallace, regarding his contract situation at Championship side Millwall.

What’s the talk?

According to Football League World, Rangers target Jed Wallace is increasingly unlikely to sign a new deal with Millwall as the Championship outfit continue to struggle to agree terms with him.

The report claims that Rangers, Celtic and West Ham are among the teams keen on the winger, who is out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Excitement

Rangers fans will surely be excited after reading this update on Wallace’s future. It appears as though the chances of him signing an extension with Millwall are slim, which means that the Gers would be able to snap him up on a pre-contract deal in January should he be interested in moving to Scotland.

Steven Gerrard could land him on a free transfer next summer and add a quality midfielder to his squad without paying a penny in transfer fees. This is why supporters will be excited, as the club could be inching closer to securing a bargain deal for a talented forward.

Millwall manager Gary Rowett once heaped praise on the ex-Portsmouth winger, saying: “It seems Jed Wallace is instrumental in everything we achieve at the moment. His recent stats are unbelievable.”

His statistics for Millwall in the Championship back up these claims from Rowett. He has three goals and three assists in eight games this term, having managed 11 goals and five assists last season.

Wallace also racked up 10 goals and 13 assists in the 2019/20 second-tier campaign, showing that he has the quality to score and assist goals on a regular basis.

Rangers fans will be buzzing to read that he looks set to leave Millwall on a free transfer, as it opens the door for the Gers to swoop in. If he does make a move up north and goes on to translate his form for the Lions up to Scotland then he could be a valuable asset in the final third for Gerrard.

AND in other news, McAllister drops fresh update on “outstanding” Rangers gem that’ll leave fans buzzing…

Former chief operating officer of the PCB, Shafqat Naghmi, has said the renovation work at the Gaddafi Stadium may still be completed for Rs 184 million (around $2.3 million) and that the figure had not spiralled to Rs 471 million as the board claimed.

Cricinfo staff12-Jan-2009Former chief operating officer of the PCB, Shafqat Naghmi has hit back at claims of financial irregularities by the PCB, claiming that the renovation work at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium may still be completed for Rs 184 million (around $2.3 million). Naghmi said that the figure had not spiralled to Rs 471 million as the present board had earlier claimed.The PCB stopped work on the project at the stadium – which is also the cricket board’s headquarters – on Friday after they discovered “massive irregularities” in the construction of the far end pavilion. Further, the architect behind the project was also believed to be a “buddy” of Naghmi’s.”It’s true that the initial cost was Rs 142 million, but it was revised to Rs 184 million and not at what the PCB is now claiming,” Naghmi told . “It’s an exaggerated revised figure and I have no idea from where this has come.”The present PCB regime had termed the project as a “monumental disaster” and “fraudulent tender”, with chairman Ijaz Butt placing the blame fully on the men they replaced last August in a strongly-worded, no-holds barred statement.According to the PCB statement, the project had to be stopped after the cost more than tripled to Rs 471 million from an initial Rs 142 million.However, Naghmi said the PCB had paid the contractor Rs 142 million and now only Rs 42 million remained to be paid to complete the project. “I talked to the contractor today and even he is willing to complete the project, but I don’t know why the PCB has stopped the renovation work,” he said.

The results from the third day of the Ranji Trophy one-day tournament 2008-09

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2009
Ashish Nehra took a hat-trick against Punjab © Cricinfo Ltd
North ZoneAshish Nehra took a hat-trick which sent Punjab crashing from 21 for 1 to 21 for 4, a position from which they never recovered against Delhi in Dharamsala. Nehra had begun his spell by bowling Sunny Sohal off the first ball of the match and returned to strike thrice in the seventh over. He had Ravi Inder Singh caught by Shikhar Dhawan, trapped Pankaj Dharmani lbw, and had Ankur Kakkar caught behind. Despite Uday Kaul’s 107, Punjab could only reach 202, a target which Delhi overhauled in the 39th over. Virat Kohli starred in Delhi’s chase, smashing 119 off 110 balls while Rajat Bhatia contributed 53.Yashpal Singh scored an unbeaten century to ensure that Services clinched a thriller off the last ball against Jammu and Kashmir at Una. Chasing 232 for victory, Services had slumped to 14 for 4 before they were rescued by a fourth-wicket partnership of 157 between Yashpal and Sarabjit Singh. Sarabjit contributed 61 to the stand before he was bowled by Ahmed Nizam but Yashpal remained firm and added 59 with Abhimanyu Singh to secure victory. Earlier Ian Dev Singh and Parvez Rassol had scored 81 and 59 respectively to get J&K off to a steady start, reaching 147 in the 36th over. However, they lost their way thereafter and lost eight wickets for 84 runs to finish with 231 for 9 when they looked like getting much more at one stage. Narender Singh took 4 for 32 for Services while Digamber Attri picked up 3 for 44.A strong all-round performance from Himachal Pradesh helped secure a seven-wicket win against Haryana in Una. Rahul Dewan and Dhruv Singh scored half-centuries for Haryana but they were restricted to 201 by Vishal Bhatia and Mukesh Sharma, who took three wickets apiece. Sangram Singh led Himachal’s strong reply, scoring 80 off 93 balls with three sixes. He steered his team to 126 before he became Amit Mishra’s second wicket. Paras Dogra and Vinit Indulkar added an unbeaten 76 for the fourth wicket to complete Himachal’s victory.East ZoneAn unbeaten century from wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha steered Bengal to an eight-wicket win against Assam at Eden Gardens. Chasing 270 to win, Bengal openers, Saha and Abhishek Banerjee, added 98 for the first wicket, a partnership which was dominated by Abhishek who scored 68 off 71 balls before he was trapped lbw by offspinner Arnald Konwar. Sourav Ganguly ensured that Kolkata didn’t lose momentum after the wicket, scoring a quick 64 in a 136-run stand with Saha for the second wicket. Ganguly too fell to Konwar but Saha remained not out on 102 as the winning runs were scored in the 46th over.Earlier, Assam opener Sibsankar Roy had also scored a century – 111 off 120 balls – to lead his team to 269 for 8. He didn’t get much support from the top order and Assam stumbled to 92 for 4 before Roy and Deepak Sharma, who scored 79 off 74 balls, added 147 for the fifth wicket.A weak batting performance from Tripura allowed Orissa to complete an easy run-chase with seven wickets and 97 balls to spare at the Jadhavpur University Complex in Kolkata. Having won the toss, Orissa struck early, reducing Tripura to 35 for 2 before a second wicket partnership of 67 between Sourav Dubey and Nishit Shetty offered some resistance. Their partnership was broken when Dubey was run out and thereafter Orissa struck regularly to dismiss Tripura for 179 in 44 overs. Orissa’s openers Natraj Behera and SS Das, who top scored with 73, provided their team with a solid start and laid the foundation for an easy run-chase.Central ZoneSanjay Bangar was agonisingly stranded one run short of his century as his team, Railways, crushed Vidarbha by eight wickets in Indore. Chasing 191, Bangar scored 99 not out off only 110 balls and received solid support from opener V Cheluvaraj and No.3 Dhiraj Salvi, who contributed 48 to the run-chase. Earlier medium-pacer Anureet Singh and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik had taken three wickets a apiece to cripple Vidarbha’s innings. Anureet took three top-order wickets to help reduce Vidarbha to 37 for 5, and Kartik broke the resistance offered by half-centurion Ranjit Paradkar and claimed two more lower-order wickets to restrict them to 190 for 9.A strong performance from Uttar Pradesh’s spinners, Praveen Gupta and Piyush Chawla, set up a comfortable seven-wicket win against Madhya Pradesh in Indore. Chawla took 4 for 36 and combined with Gupta, who picked up 3 for 23, to run through MP’s middle and lower order. Faced with a target of 152, UP captain Mohammad Kaif scored an unbeaten 51 to lead his team to victory in the 39th over.

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a late move to bolster Nuno Santo’s engine room, according to reports..

What’s the word?

The Sunday Mirror (29th August, page 66) claims Spurs are looking into whether they can complete a deal for Brighton and Hove Albion star Yves Bissouma before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.

It’s thought that Moussa Sissoko’s exit to fellow north Londoners Watford has freed up space in the squad for another midfielder and that the 24-year-old Malian is seen as the ideal replacement.

The Seagulls are said to value the Graham Potter regular in the region of £40m, so it’s now on the Lilywhites to make their move.

Shades of Dembele

Replacing the veteran Frenchman with Bissouma would certainly be a shrewd move from sporting director Fabio Paratici and co, particularly as he’s an obvious upgrade in both the age and ability department.

The 6-foot powerhouse is an ideal box-to-box option to play alongside the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp and Dele Alli, who have all started every league game under Nuno this campaign.

Bissouma’s playing style has been modelled by the influence of Premier League legend Yaya Toure and he can mix his physicality – averaging 2.8 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game in 2020/21, with a deft touch on the ball – averaging 1.5 dribbles and a 87.4% passing accuracy rate, via WhoScored.

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These are the sorts of numbers that may bring some Spurs fans to think about Mousa Dembele, who in his prime would surely love to play alongside the Lilywhites’ great Dane.

For example, one of the Belgian’s best campaigns (2015/16) saw him put up 3.6 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 2.9 dribbles per league outing. Bissouma isn’t far off these returns, when playing in a poorer side, too.

Through the first three league games of the season, the Seagulls sensation is matching such an output, averaging 3.3 tackles, 2.3 interceptions and two dribbles, as per WhoScored.

Dembele joined Spurs from Fulham, so there would be further similarities if Paratici can strike a deal for Bissouma before time runs out.

As described by his former Brighton boss Chris Hughton, the Mali international is a “wonderful talent” and is one that would surely thrive under the Portuguese head coach.

After going unbeaten through their first three Premier League matches, the north London outfit could cap off a perfect summer by signing Bissouma. They could well unearth their next Dembele in doing so.

AND in other news, Fabio Paratici dealt Spurs transfer blow over £22.5m-rated midfield target…

ودع الحارس الكولومبي المخضرم ديفيد أوسبينا جماهير نادي نابولي، عقب انتقاله لصفوف النصر السعودي في فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

النصر نجح في ضم أوسبينا في صفقة انتقال مجانية عقب انتهاء تعاقده مع نابولي ليوقع مع العالمي عقدا لمدة موسمين حتى يونيو 2024.

النصر أنهى الموسم الماضي في المركز الثالث برصيد 61 نقطة، حاسمًا تأهله إلى دوري أبطال آسيا وكأس السوبر السعودي.

اقرأ أيضا.. النصر السعودي يتعاقد مع أوسبينا  أوسبينا يودع نابولي

ودع أوسبينا البالغ من العمر 33 عامًا ناديه السابق نابولي برسالة مؤثرة كتب من خلالها: “للأسف.. حان الوقت لأقول وداعاً وشكراً على الكثير من الحب والمودة لمدة 4 سنوات”.

وتابع الحارس الكولومبي من خلال حسابه الرسمي عبر إنستجرام: “سعيد للظهور بشكل مميز دائمًا، بذلت قصادي جهدي من أجل أن يحقق الفريق نتائج جيدة، أشكر زملائي والجهاز الفني وجميع الجماهير على الدعم الكبير”.

أوسبينا انضم لنابولي في صيف 2018 قادمًا من آرسنال الإنجليزي لمدة موسم واحد على سبيل الإعارة وفي صيف 2019 قرر نادي ملعب سان باولو تحويل إعارة الكولومبي لشراء بصفة نهائية حتى يونيو 2022.

ولعب أوسبينا 33 مباراة مع نابولي في موسم 2021-2022 في مختلف المسابقات واهتزت شباكه 28 مرة وحافظ على شباك فريقه نظيفة في 13 مباراة.

ومنذ انضمامه لنابولي في صيف 2018 لعب أوسبينا 103 مباريات مع نابولي واستقبل 96 هدفًا وحافظ على شباكه نظيفة في 39 لقاء.

Manchester United will reportedly still prioritise signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland next summer despite bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to the club in a shock move.

What’s the story?

The Red Devils were one of several clubs widely tipped to make a move for the highly-rated 21-year-old in 12 months’ time when a €75 million (£64m) release clause becomes active in his contract.

However, United’s sizeable financial outlay on Ronaldo raised concerns over their ability to bring Haaland to Old Trafford, but ESPN claim the English giants will have no such issues.

“Although the deal to sign Ronaldo was financed outside of United’s original summer transfer budget, sources have told ESPN it will not impact next year’s recruitment plans and the ongoing effort to win the race for Haaland,” the report read.

Manchester United fans will be delighted

News that United are still planning on securing the Norway international’s signature will leave the club’s supporters feeling delighted.

Although the arrival of Ronaldo on a short-term deal significantly strengthens the 20-time English champions, the 36-year-old is deep into the twilight of his career and isn’t a long-term solution to their striker woes.

Haaland, on the other hand, is at the opposite end of his career. Despite his tender years, the youngster has bagged an incredible 63 goals in just 64 games for Dortmund, providing a further 18 assists for his teammates.

Winning the DFB-Pokal last season was reward for his incredible efforts at the Signal Iduna Park, and his potential arrival in the red half of Manchester would see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges forward line rival any in world football.

ESPN also state that Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in snapping up Haaland, although United may be confident of pipping their rivals to the Scandinavian beast.

Solskjaer was Haaland’s manager during his stint at Molde, and the pair are believed to have a good relationship. Only a few months ago, Solskjaer admitted he still talks to his compatriot, and the Red Devils boss would surely love to be reunited with the Dortmund ace one again.

And, in other news…Ronaldo & Sancho start, £120k-p/w beast axed: Man Utd’s predicted XI post Deadline Day

MCC cricketers will swap the English winter for the African summer when they depart for a six-game tour of Mozambique

Cricinfo staff04-Feb-2009
The MCC squad pose in the snow at Lord’s on the eve of the tour of Mozambique © Clare Skinner
MCC cricketers will swap the English winter for the African summer when they depart for a six-game tour of Mozambique. It is the first MCC tour of 2009 and includes a coaching session in neighbouring Swaziland as well as matches against the national side in the capital Maputo.Mozambique has been an Affiliate Member of the ICC for six years and cricket there is going from strength to strength. There are currently 17 senior clubs and 22 schools that play cricket in the country and the Association of Mozambique Cricket (AMC) has a national side and also Under-19, 17 and 15 representative teams.Between February 8 and 15, MCC will play five different AMC teams, including the Under-19s, a Chairman’s XI and a President’s Invitation XI. MCC will warm up with a match against Equipa Anfitria CC on February 7.The MCC squad includes former Northamptonshire wicketkeeper Toby Bailey, MCC Young Cricketers Andrew Clarke, Jonathan Miles and Ned Eckersley, and Leeds/Bradford UCCE’s Dan Woods. It is managed by Chad Murrin, who has played 63 games for MCC since becoming a member in 1979.”I was fortunate to visit Mozambique last October, having never been to Africa before,” Murrin said. “The week I spent in Maputo was one of the best things I have done … a fascinating experience. I am delighted to be returning as manager of the MCC cricket team, the first time that the club has sent a team to Mozambique.”As a development tour, promoting the game of cricket will be at the heart of all we do. We will be playing matches, and giving local cricketers the opportunity to test themselves and gain experience against us. We will be providing special cricket coaching, and sharing our cricket knowledge with local cricketers and officials. We are there to encourage and enthuse.”MCC will contribute to the development of the game in the region by running a coaching session for young local cricketers on February 6 in Mbabane, Swaziland. The club will leave a grant of $2500 and the ICC will donate $1250 to develop facilities and coaching programmes in the country.MCC’s head of cricket, John Stephenson, said: “MCC is committed to developing cricket all over the world and we hope that providing good opposition and coaching to Mozambique’s cricketers and youngsters will spread the game further throughout the country. MCC is delighted to be visiting a country which has made such big strides in a short time and we hope the tour can generate interest amongst a new audience in Mozambique.”February 7: Equipa Anfitria CC, Campo de Cricket da Cometal
February 8: AMC XI, Campo de Cricket da Cometal
February 10: AMC Under-19s, Parque dos Continuadores
February 13: AMC Development XI, Parque dos Continuadores
February 14: AMC Chairman’s XI, Campo de Cricket da Cometal
February 15: AMC President’s Invitation XI, Parque dos Continuadores

Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Santo has shown that he isn’t afraid to turn to the club’s promising youth system since being handed the job in the summer.

For example, Japhet Tangana and Oliver Skipp have started all four of their Premier League matches thus far, whilst names like Dilan Markanday and Dane Scarlett have featured on the bench, too.

Spurs’ unbeaten start to the season came to an end this weekend and it merely highlighted one of Nuno’s biggest problems in north London right now – their lack of creativity and drive from the engine room.

Perhaps he ought to turn to another academy gem in a bid to fix the problem.

Players like Bukayo Saka, Harvey Elliott and Mason Greenwood have shown that if a young player does have genuine talent, then it doesn’t matter what age they are gifted an opportunity in the big time.

So taking a punt on 17-year-old gem Alfie Devine could be a wild but smart call to make, especially as he continues to light it up for the U23 squad despite still being in his teenage years.

On the same day ten-man Spurs were well-beaten by Crystal Palace, the midfield gem was scoring a brace against his former club, Liverpool, leading to many supporters expressing their desire to see him promoted into the senior set-up.

That took his tally to three goals and one assist across four Premier League 2 appearances this campaign, whilst overall for the club, he has provided eight goals and two assists, including a strike on his senior debut in the FA Cup last term, as per Transfermarkt.

Devine has captained England at youth level and can play anywhere in midfield – no.6. no.8 and no.10.

According to The Athletic, he is a ‘well-rounded central midfielder with an eye for goal’ and ‘is said to have an exceptional attitude, drawing comparisons with Harry Kane.’

These are attributes that has been echoed by his former Wigan academy boss Gregor Rioch.

“His possession stats are very high and he passes the ball forwards, rather than sideways and backwards. He can play holding midfielder and link play up, he can also break forward from midfield with and without the ball and grab a goal,” he told The Athletic.

Similarly, another former coach in Harry Brooks lauded the teenager as “the whole package,” adding: “The talent, the attitude, the ability to always turn it on. The tenacity, the aggression. When it comes to looking at that whole picture, he’s the best player in the academy. He could play for England one day.”

Also praised as “so special” by The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare, it could be time for the Portuguese boss to take a punt on Devine. Of course, he’s still young and raw but he is a player that could be unleashed as a secret weapon throughout the season

But at the very least, he deserves a permanent place in the first-team set-up. Spurs could really do with a midfielder that can contribute in that final third.

AND in other news, Forget Tanganga: £27m-rated Spurs flop who won 47% duels badly let Nuno down vs Palace…

أوضح إيرلينج هالاند أنه أعجب بمستوى التدريبات في مانشستر سيتي وهو واثق من قدرته على التكيف بسلاسة مع أسلوب لعب الفريق.

وبسؤاله حول ما إذا كان أسلوب جوارديولا مناسبا له قال المهاجم النرويجي: “بالطبع، إنه جيد حقا”.

وأضاف في تصريحات للموقع الرسمي لـ مانشستر سيتي: “أنا أتطلع إلى أن أكون جزءًا منه، سيكون الأمر رائعًا حقًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. محرز: هالاند إضافة لـ مانشستر سيتي ويختلف عن جيسوس وستيرلينج

وواصل المهاجم صاحب الـ”22″ عامًا: “خضنا بعض الجلسات التدريبية، والجودة هُنا شيء آخر”.

وأتم: “لقد أعجبت بمستوى التدريب هُنا وكل شيء، وأنا واثق أنني لن أكون بحاجة لكثير من الوقت من أجل التكيف بسلاسة مع أسلوب لعب الفريق”.

هالاند الذي انضم إلى مانشستر سيتي هذا الصيف قادمًا من بوروسيا دورتموند مقابل 150 مليون يورو، لم يشارك بعد مع الفريق السماوي، ولكن من المتوقع أن يظهر في ودية بايرن ميونخ.

مانشستر سيتي يواجه بايرن ميونخ وديًا، فجر الأحد، حيث تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة الواحدة صباحًا بتوقيت القاهرة، وتُقام على ملعب “لامبو فيلد”، ضمن استعدادات الفريقين للموسم الجديد 2022/23.