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Aston Villa loanee Conor Hourihane has revealed the latest on his career plans after leaving Villa Park for Sheffield United on loan ahead of becoming a free agent next summer.

What’s the latest?

When opting to leave Villa on loan earlier this year, the midfielder was departing for good ahead of the expiration of his contract next summer.

However, the move to Bramall Lane hasn’t gone exactly to plan, with the 30-year-old yet to score for the Blades and registering just two assists in 11 Championship appearances. However, Sheffield United’s decision to swap manager Slavisa Jokanovic for Paul Heckingbottom could prove vital, with the midfielder having played under the new boss at Barnsley.

When asked about his future, the Irishman said: “I’m going to be a free agent, we’ll see how it pans out over the next few months and then go from there. I’m old enough and wise enough to know what direction it’s going in, I know that the people there (at Villa) plan to invest heavily.”

Hourihane also added that “there has been no contact” from Gerrard, further emphasising that his Villa career has effectively concluded.

Villa fans will be buzzing

During Aston Villa’s promotion push in the 2018/19 season, Hourihane was excellent and played a massive part in getting Villa back into the Premier League, with eight goals and 12 assists in that Championship campaign. However, there have been utterances from some fans that “he isn’t good enough” for where Gerrard’s side are now.

The step-up to the Premier League has proven too tall a task for the 30-year-old, making just 31 appearances in the top flight since the club’s promotion, scoring four goals and setting up another six.

A loan move to Championship outfit Swansea City midway through last season was also uninspiring, with five goals scored in 19 league appearances as the Swans made it to the Championship play-off final.

Many Villa fans may also be delighted to hear firsthand from a current player that the club “plan to invest heavily”, suggesting that the upcoming transfer window could be an exciting month for the Villans.

In other news: Lange eyeing Aston Villa swoop for £18m-rated “soldier”, Gerrard will be buzzing

Crystal Palace’s current placement of 10th in the Premier League table perfectly reflects the results they have earned under new manager Patrick Vieira, with three wins, six draws and just two defeats to their name with 11 league matches played.

One player who has featured heavily for Palace this season is Cheikhou Kouyate, who has started in seven out of his nine Premier League appearances at this point in the campaign.

In those matches, Kouyate has proven how much of a physical defensive unit he is for the team from midfield after averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game, as well as winning 59% of his duels according to SofaScore.

Despite being a useful defensive midfielder for Palace this season, Kouyate will turn 32 next month, and his contract is set to expire next summer.

With this in mind, Vieira could already have his perfect long-term replacement for the Senegal giant at the club in 21-year-old midfielder Nya Kirby.

After joining Palace’s under-18 side from Tottenham Hotspur’s youth academy back in 2016, the midfielder has gone on to make 13 appearances for Palace’s under-23 side, scoring two goals.

Kirby also has some experience of playing senior football after spending two loan spells away from Selhurst Park, firstly with Blackpool back in 2019 and currently with Tranmere Rovers for this season.

During his time at Bloomfield Road, he scored one goal and provided three assists in 11 appearances, as well as being praised for a “terrific” performance against Charlton Athletic by former Blackpool boss Terry McPhillips. He said that Kirby “passes the ball nicely, does his defending and he’ll have a fight with a big lad,” proving that the youngster will not shy away from the physical aspects of the game, which could make him a great replacement for Kouyate given his physical and defensive capabilities.

If Kirby manages to make the most of his time at Tranmere throughout the rest of the season and if Kouyate ends up leaving Selhurst Park in the summer, the youngster could well be ready to break into Vieira’s starting XI and play regularly, having so far made just one senior appearance for Palace in a Carabao Cup clash against Bournemouth last year.

In other news: Palace dealt potential injury setback ahead of Burnley clash, Vieira would be gutted

Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently in the top six in the Premier League and will be hoping to continue their fantastic run of form that could see the club challenging for Europa League football next season.

Bruno Lage’s side have taken six wins and one draw from their first twelve games in the Premier League, which has put them clear of the likes of Manchester United.

One player who has had an impact on Wolves’ impressive progress this season is winger, Daniel Podence, who has been challenging Adama Traore and Barcelona loan player, Francisco Trincao for a place in the team.

The 26-year-old has impressed many with his recent performances, including Alan Shearer who was full of praise for the Wolves player hailing him a “bright spark” after a win against West Ham last weekend;

“He was a real bright spark. He forced a couple of good saves from the goalkeeper but at least Podence is getting his shots away.

“He has a really good understanding with Jimenez and this (goal) sums it up perfectly. Give, go… but it’s clever from Podence because he has a little look where Jimenez is.

“That’s a really good finish and it won them the game in the end. It’s really good play from both of them.”

Shearer’s insight on the connection and link up in play between Jimenez and Podence is something Lage should consider when picking his team for the upcoming fixtures ahead, where Wolves will need to pick up points to stay in the conversation for European football.

That’s because his attacking qualities could truly transform the Molineux outfit with both Traore and Trincao struggling to find the net in 2021/22.

The Portuguese winger has two goals and two assists in eleven appearances so far this season for his team and will be hoping to establish himself as a first-team regular as he continues to prove how well he can link play and seek out goal scoring opportunities.

Podence and Jimenez can form a valuable partnership that could be a real attacking asset to the side, making sure that connection and bond are built, especially with Trincao only on loan and Traore continuously linked with a move away from the club.

It makes sense to build a team that is committed to the club and the vision going forward, to ensure that the team can rely on each other to provide performances that enable Wolves to compete at the highest level.

Lage will be hoping the side can put in another perfect performance to take maximum points from a vulnerable Norwich side away from home at Carrow Road this weekend.

In other news: Hwang edging closer to a permanent deal with the club

West Ham United could stumble upon their next Michail Antonio in teenage striker Divin Mubama.

The 17-year-old forward has been in prolific form for the Irons’ academy set-up and was singled out for praise following the U18s’ resounding win over Aston Villa U18s over the weekend.

Mubama bagged a brace in the match and assistant coach Gerard Prenderville talked up the youngster to the Hammers’ official website.

“It’s not only great to have Divin back on the pitch, but also in and around training sessions as well,” he said.

“I’ve coached him from a young age and he obviously loves to score goals, but he works really hard on it as well. To get him in and around the box, back firing and fully fit, is a real plus for any side.”

It took his total for the side to three goals in as many games, whilst he has delivered a total of 12 goals from 27 appearances for the U18s. Such form has even earned him a place in the U23s squad at the age of just 16, which is a telling sign that he could go onto be something quite special.

Prior to the suspension of Academy football due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Mubama had 45 goals for the campaign, and that saw him receive international recognition with England U15s in August, also getting U17 recognition since then.

Indeed, the Irons starlet is thought to be ‘highly-rated’ by those at the London Stadium as they are trying to tie him down to a professional deal in the hope that he could follow the likes of Declan Rice and Ben Johnson into the first team squad.

Also described as “hard-working” both on and off the pitch by Prenderville, Mubama has taken some inspiration from Carlton Cole, who is amongst the academy coaching setup at Chadwell Heath.

The teenage prodigy began life as a defender before being converted into a striker, which bears some similarities to that of the versatile Antonio, having played almost every outfield position for the Hammers.

Alongside his evident goalscoring ability, that makes him an intriguing candidate to take the reins from the 31-year-old in the future, and supporters around the London Stadium should be rather excited by his potential either way.

AND in other news, Forget Cresswell: West Ham gem who won 100% duels was Moyes’ unsung hero against Spurs…

سجل نجم فريق ليفربول محمد صلاح، الهدف الأول في مباراتهم الجارية حاليًا أمام فريق مانشستر يونايتد، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويستضيف ملعب “الأولد ترافورد” مباراة الفريقين في قمة منافسات الجولة الثالثة من الدوري الإنجليزي.

ونجح محمد صلاح في تسجيل الهدف الأول لصالح ليفربول في الدقيقة 81 من عمر المباراة.

وجاء الهدف بعد تسديدة من الوافد الجديد فابيو كارفاليو، ارتدت من ديفيد دي خيا، ثم صلاح سدد الكرة بالرأس في شباك دي خيا، ليقلص الفارق للضيوف.

طالع | ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي بعد هدف محمد صلاح أمام مانشستر يونايتد

ودخل صلاح في اشتباك مع برونو فرنانديز، الذي رفض أن يعطي مو الكرة، من أجل استئناف اللعب سريعًا، واشتبكا الثنائي سويًا أمام أنظار الحكم، الذي وجه تحذيرًا للنجم البرتغالي. هدف محمد صلاح أمام مانشستر يونايتد

Manchester United have suffered a potential injury blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Leicester City on Saturday after Raphael Varane was forced out of the UEFA Nations League final before half-time.

What’s the word?

The France defender limped off the pitch after appearing to pull up while running and was seen with ice on his right thigh following his substitution on the 43-minute mark.

Varane initially received treatment on the pitch from the national team’s medical staff, but it soon became clear that he couldn’t carry on, leaving Didier Deschamps with no choice but to replace him with Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano.

Although the true extent of the centre-back’s injury is still currently unknown, it’s possible that he won’t be able to feature for the Red Devils over the weekend, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a real selection headache.

Solskjaer will be absolutely gutted

Club captain Harry Maguire was absent from United’s 1-1 draw with Everton last time out and has also played no part in England’s fixtures over the current international break.

It is currently unclear whether or not he will be available for United’s trip to the King Power Stadium, but if he is, Solskjaer may well be without both of his first-choice centre-back’s, leaving him absolutely gutted.

Varane has made seven appearances in all competitions for the 20-time English champions since arriving from Real Madrid over the summer, starting in each of their last five Premier League encounters.

Therefore, his possible enforced absence will come as a bitter blow to United, who will be aiming to get back to winning ways against the Foxes.

Solskjaer may be forced to turn to a duo of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly if Varane is unable to recover in time, something which may be of cause for concern for the Norwegian tactician.

Maguire and Varane are both genuine international stars so to lose them would be a colossal blow to their chances.

Leicester haven’t been in great form but they still have the Premier League’s top scorer, Jamie Vardy, to contend with.

And, in other news…100% dribble success rate, 13 duels won: Man Utd gem shone on the international stage 

Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain and one of 13 ‘rebel’ players slapped with a ten-year ban for joining the ICL, has said the board’s amnesty offer may force those concerned to think twice

Cricinfo staff10-May-2009

Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain and one of 13 ‘rebel’ players slapped with a ten-year ban for joining the ICL, has said the board’s amnesty offer may force those concerned to think twice. But Bashar, Bangladesh’s most successful captain and highest run-scorer in Test cricket, was cautious about a swift move back to domestic cricket.”They [the BCB] opened a window of opportunity for us. We can now see some light at the end of the tunnel,” said Bashar. “We want to take the opportunity and play for the national team. If we leave the ICL, we have to sacrifice a lot of things. If we come back, what will we get in return?”The ICL is highly lucrative compared to domestic cricket in Bangladesh.”The BCB, following the lead of the BCCI and the PCB, decided to allow those cricketers who signed up with the ICL to participate in domestic cricket, subject to the termination of their contracts with the unauthorised league by June 15. Bashar felt the decision created an opportunity for the rebel but was uncertain about the chances of it proving beneficial for all concerned.”The most important thing is that after this decision we have got an option to make our comeback in the domestic and international cricket,” he said. “I think the problem will remain because we have to terminate our contract first. Let us see everything before making any final comments.”We had recently met to discuss what would be our approach if the BCB announced amnesty like the Indian board and what we decided is that one can take his own decision. But first of all we have to look at the ICL contract. I know that the contract we have with the ICL is pretty much one-way.”

Both captains agreed that the Kensington Oval pitch didn’t do Test cricket many favours as the fourth Test ended in a predictable draw. Over five days, 1628 runs were scored for the loss of 17 wickets. At a time when the game is trying to retain relevancy, matches like this do little to help. The only people they keep entertained are excitable statisticians and the only people happy are the TV executives.This non-contest followed on from an equally bat-dominated Test in Karachi last week, while the ongoing match in Lahore is shaping up as another run-fest. The tussle between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg showed how compelling Test cricket can be on a surface that offers something for everyone, but this pitch never threatened to be an even battle.”I don’t know how groundsmen prepare pitches but maybe there’s a will on the part of the administrators for Test matches to go five days,” Andrew Strauss said. “And that might mean the incentive is there for groundsmen to make sure it goes five days and be a little bit conservative on how they prepare the wicket.”As a group of players we all want to see result wickets which are fair and I appreciate that’s a difficult balance for a groundsman to come to, but those are the wickets that produce the best cricket.””No one knew it would be so good,” Chris Gayle said. “But we have to play on what we get – it was really flat and a hard wicket for bowlers to toil on. But we are 1-0 up so we are not going to come out and make too much complaint about the wicket. England made runs on it, it was just one of those Test matches.”Gayle’s more phlegmatic approach to the pitch is unsurprising. West Indies are a draw away from regaining the Wisden Trophy for the first time since losing it at The Oval in 2000. It would also be their first series victory since they beat Bangladesh in 2004 and their first against major opposition since Sri Lanka in 2003.However, Gayle said he wouldn’t mind a bit more life at the Queen’s Park Oval. “Hopefully we will have a bit more excitement there, even though we are 1-0 up, it would be good to have some good cricket and more excitement. We will see what happens, we’re not sure what kind of track we will get.”For all the run-scoring feats in this game, topped by Ramnaresh Sarwan’s magnificent 291 and Denesh Ramdin’s career-best 166, they need to be weighed against conditions. For example, Graham Gooch’s 154 not out in 1991 is rated as one of greatest innings played because it was made against a fearsome West Indies attack on a Headingley greentop. Perversely, Younis Khan went to No. 1 in the current batting rankings after his triple century in Karachi, despite it being his first Test for more than a year. Players are aware that their skills are shown in a better light with a tougher challenge.”That wicket remained incredible flat throughout the game, if anything it was probably flatter today than any other days,” Strauss said. “As cricketers you want to see a wicket that deteriorates as the match goes on and we didn’t get that in this game. As a result it became a fairly boring draw which I don’t think anyone wants to see.”Generally I think even if you can’t force a result you want to have a pretty tight tussle like in Antigua where you can nearly force a result. Clearly on this wicket that would have been extremely difficult to do.”West Indies’ tactics in Trinidad will be fascinating. This is such a rare advantage for them to hold that there must be a temptation to play it on the safe side. They have named the same squad and Jerome Taylor is expected to be fully fit despite only bowling four overs on the final day in Barbados because of a minor ankle problem.However, Gayle talked a good game and promised to aim for a victory regardless of conditions. “Definitely we are looking for the win, we are not going out to play for the draw and be negative,” he said. “We still have to play positive cricket. Once you go out with a negative mentality it can do more damage to you.”Pitches that produce run-fests like we have just witnessed over the last five days are certainly not to the benefit of the game at large, but from a purely pragmatic point of view there will be one team quite happy if there is a repeat performance in the final game. With a major success within their grasp West Indies will try and take it any way they can.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Polícia Federal notificou o Vasco nesta quarta-feira por conta de utilização de seguranças privados irregulares em jogos da equipe em São Januário. A informação foi publicada inicialmente pelo “Globoesporte” e confirmada pelo LANCE!. Funcionários da PF estiveram pela manhã no estádio e entregaram ao presidente Eurico Miranda um Auto de Encerramento de Atividade de Segurança Privada Não Autorizada. Um descumprimento pode configurar crime de exercício de atividade com infração de decisão administrativa (artigo 205 do Código Penal). A pena é de detenção, de três meses a dois anos, ou multa.

o Auto de Encerramento de Atividade de Segurança Privada Não Autorizada entregue ao Vasco significa que o clube não pode utilizar o atual grupo de seguranças privados nos jogos. Funcionários da Polícia Federal já estiveram em São Januário no jogo contra o Atlético-GO no mês passado e constatado esta irregularidade. Notificaram pela primeira vez o Vasco e, segundo a PF, o clube não cumpriu a decisão – o que ocasionou o caso desta quarta-feira. A lei diz que para poder fazer uso de segurança privada, há necessidade de o clube contratar uma empresa devidamente autorizada e apta a prestar o serviço pela Polícia Federal ou então constituir corpo próprio de segurança mediante autorização da PF.

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Journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast that Wolves are the likeliest of the Midlands clubs to be involved in some Transfer Deadline Day drama.

Aston Villa have already splashed out on Emiliano Buendia, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey following Jack Grealish’s £100m move to Manchester City, whilst West Brom have made some shrewd signings under Valerien Ismael, although three loan deals and free transfers apiece mean the Baggies are yet to spend a penny.

Meanwhile, Wolves have made seven additions under Bruno Lage, but have started the season with three straight Premier league defeats following 1-0 losses to Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester United respectively, and are in desperate need of some firepower in attack.

Adama Traore now looks set to stay despite recent links with Tottenham with Wolves keen to keep him according to Spurs journalist Alasdair Gold, but Hatfield still reckons that the Midlands club could be busy before the window closes at 11pm on Tuesday, with a loan move for Renato Sanches of Lille mooted.

When asked what he expects from the Molineux outfit on deadline day, Hatfield told FFC:

“I think Wolves are the most likely to make a big signing or a player leave for big money, that’s the most likely because Wolves need to get some business done. But Wolves are most likely to make a splash.”