All posts by h716a5.icu

Patrick Cutrone is one Wolves player Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield expects to leave the club before the transfer window slams shut.

The Italian striker joined from AC Milan back in the summer of 2019 when Nuno Santo was manager, but has failed to make much of an impact at Molineux.

Less than a year later, Cutrone was swiftly shipped out on loan to Fiorentina before following that up with another temporary spell away, this time at Valencia.

In total, the 23-year-old has made just 14 league appearances for Wolves, scoring two goals.

Speaking to FFC about Cutrone’s future at Molineux, Hatfield said:

“It would surprise me [if he had a future in black and gold]. He’s just not had a good time at Molineux at all, Patrick Cutrone.

“I think fans really tried to give him that welcome, you know, as a striker you want him to perform. But coming from abroad is always hard.

“Ultimately, it’s one that hasn’t worked out for Wolves or the player. I think they’d be keen to let him go for the right price.”

An exit for Cutrone does look inevitable. Raul Jimenez is back from injury, while you would also expect Fabio Silva to be given plenty of opportunities up front this season given how much Wolves have invested into the young Portuguese striker.

Furthermore, considering how things have worked out at Molineux so far and where he is likely to be in the pecking order, perhaps a permanent move elsewhere is best for Cutrone.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are limited with their spending this summer but if they sell some of their best players, we could see a hefty spree in the remaining weeks of the window.

Bruno Lage hasn’t had it easy since becoming the new manager but the arrival of Trincao has provided reason to be excited.

On the chalkboard

One player who could leave Wolves this summer is Adama Traore.

The Spaniard has long been linked with an exit from Molineux with Leeds United one of the sides interested in securing his services.

He only scored twice in the league last term but is one of the most electrifying players in the Premier League on his day.

His speed is unrelenting and his dribbling is absolutely dazzling. In 2020/21, Traore completed 4.1 dribbles per match, the highest tally by any player in the English top-flight.

Therefore, if he does leave the Midlands, it would be a huge loss to Wolves’ chances heading into the new campaign.

The solution

Trincao’s dribbling ability should act as a solid remedy to Traore’s potential departure but they could really make moves to replace him by signing Romain Faivre.

Wolves were linked with the Brest winger this week courtesy of reports in France and if they acquire his services, they’d have a real gem on their hands.

Capable of playing on either flank or even through the middle, he is electric in possession of the ball and beats players for ease.

In Ligue 1 last season, Faivre managed 2.5 dribbles per match. It’s someway down on Wolves’ dazzling Spaniard but he is an incredibly rare breed when it comes to that facet of the game.

Described as an “elegant player” by Steve Mounie, the attacker would also bring plenty of goals and assists to the table.

The 23-year-old has found the net 13 times in his senior career, six of which came last season. On top of that, he accumulated five assists.

His manager, Olivier Dall’Oglio is another effusive in his praise for Faivre. “He’s comfortable on the ball, and fast in possession, he’s got great vision too,” he began.

“He’s got something special. He rarely loses the ball, he can break through the lines by dribbling, and his passing creates so many chances for us,” Dall’Oglio continued:

On that evidence, he’d be an excellent signing for Lage, one that could really help them to replace Traore.

AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for 35-goal “monster”, he could be Willian Jose 2.0…

Southampton have been linked with Liverpool ace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain recently, and the midfielder could be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT, the Saints are keen on signing the 27-year-old on loan from Anfield a decade on from his St Mary’s exit.

The England international left Southampton as a 17-year-old to sign for Arsenal and has accumulated 209 Premier League appearances with the Gunners and Liverpool, during which he has managed 17 goals and 27 assists.

He has also earned 35 caps for his country and would have perhaps had plenty more if it were not for the terrible injury problems he has endured in his career.

Whilst he has recovered from the knee injury which kept him out for the majority of last season, it seems as if he will be a bit-part player in Jurgen Klopp’s side in the upcoming campaign, so a strong loan spell at Southampton could be a good move for both clubs.

Would Oxlade-Chamberlain be a good signing for Southampton?

During his time at St Mary’s, Oxlade-Chamberlain made 43 appearances, contributing an impressive 10 goals and nine assists from midfield, so he would surely be welcomed back with open arms by Saints fans.

Although you could argue that Southampton are already well-stocked in midfield and out wide, with the 27-year-old unlikely to break up a partnership of James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu, he has shown during his time at Liverpool that he is capable of being a top-quality Premier League player when fit and on form.

Unfortunately for Oxlade-Chamberlain, those occasions have been few and far between because of his injury problems, but then it is unlikely that Klopp would allow him to leave on loan if he were producing top performances on a consistent basis.

Back in 2019, Rio Ferdinand was full of praise for the Liverpool midfielder and the quality he possesses after he scored a brace in the Champions League, saying: “You can tell he’s a good team-mate, and Klopp likes him too. He offers something totally different to the likes of Milner, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Oxlade-Chamberlain could be a significant enhancement to the Saints’ squad for his dribbling ability, having completed 1.7 per game over the course of his career. In Southampton’s squad last season, only Stuart Armstrong bettered that average with 2.1.

Therefore, if the 27-year-old can maintain his fitness and enjoy regular first team football with a loan move to Southampton, it could be a huge boost to Hasenhuttl, as the Liverpool midfielder would likely add some real quality to the Austrian’s squad.

In other news… Hasenhuttl can sign Southampton’s next Pelle with swoop for £15.3m-rated beast loved by Thierry Henry

Crystal Palace and Newcastle United are monitoring Angers midfielder Angelo Fulgini, according to The Daily Mail.

And, as to be expected, the latest transfer link has had a number of Eagles fans talking on social media.

The Daily Mail claim that Palace have now entered the race for the 24-year-old, with Angers braced for Fulgini to leave in the current window.

Fulgini, who is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt – the highest it has been in his career, is also wanted by clubs in France and Spain.

The central midfielder has made 124 appearances for his current employers, scoring 19 times and registering 13 assists since 2017.

His most productive season came during the previous campaign, scoring ten times and providing four assists in 36 appearances.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the links to Fulgini on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

These Palace fans were all excited, with one labelling him better than Conor Gallagher, who has also been linked with a Selhurst Park switch.

“Better than Gallagher”Credit: @SamWaters1994″OH MY GOD I have no clue who he is”Credit: @localpIastic”Omg he’d be so much better than Gallagher”Credit: @unIocaIpIa9tic”OMG YESSSSSSS”Credit: @CPFC_GH”Omg yes”Credit: @Connormzz”Vieira pull will secure it”Credit: @kade_bladeSE25

In other news: ‘Gutted’, ‘Oh no’ – Many CPFC fans react as ‘funny’ news is confirmed. 

The squad chosen for the Canada Cup Four Nation 20/20 has not got the approval of sports minister Gamini Lokuge

Cricinfo staff21-Sep-2008The squad chosen for the Canada Cup Four Nation 20/20 has not got the approval of sports minister Gamini Lokuge because he is considering a complaint from 35-year-old batsman Indika de Saram, who hasn’t been selected.”I have had a letter from de Saram,” Lokuge told AFP. “Also there was no name of a team manager in the team sheet sent to me. So I have returned it to Sri Lanka Cricket.”de Saram met Lokuge on Friday and complained about his exclusion despite good performances in local competitions, reported. de Saram had captained Sri Lanka in their victorious campaign at this year’s Hong Kong Sixes and is also a wicketkeeper. The squad selected for the Twenty20 tournament does not include a specialist wicketkeeper. Tillakaratne Dilshan will stand in for Kumar Sangakkara, who had undergone a finger surgery in Australia.Sri Lanka squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Udawatte, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, Tillakaratne Dilshan (wk), Jeevantha Kulatunga, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilina Thushara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilina Kandamby, Dilhara Fernando, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Kaushalya Weeraratne.

Steve Howey was surprised that Andy Carroll hasn’t been offered fresh terms by Newcastle and felt he was unused by Steve Bruce last season.

The Magpies boss confirmed the 32-year-old is now looking for a new club following the expiration of his contract last month, which comes after there appeared a possibility that he would extend his second stay at St James’ Park.

However, Bruce ended those claims by calling Carroll’s Newcastle exit “amicable”.

He re-joined from West Ham two years ago, but scored just once in 43 appearances in all competitions and was hardly used by Bruce during his second campaign back in the north East.

Carroll started just four Premier League matches and made a handful of brief late substitute outings during the final four months of the season.

Those cameos were added up to just 20 minutes from February onwards, and Howey expressed his frustration over Carroll’s treatment.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I’m surprised because I felt as though he was available a lot more than I thought he would be and wasn’t used. I’m not sure what the lad can do if he’s given very few minutes on the park. I’d have used him a bit more.”

WV Raman, the former Indian batsman, has been retained as coach of Tamil Nadu for the next two seasons

Cricinfo staff12-Jul-2008
WV Raman will continue his role for the next two seasons © Cricinfo Ltd
WV Raman, the former Indian batsman, has been retained as coach of Tamil Nadu for the next two seasons. Top officials in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) have expressed satisfaction with Raman’s work over the 2007-08 season, after he took over an inexperienced team hit hard by an exodus to Indian Cricket League.Raman had been offered the coach’s position at Bengal as well, but he had informed the TNCA that Tamil Nadu would be his first priority.Tamil Nadu finished sixth in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A with one win, four draws and two defeats. The TNCA has also, for the first time, expanded the coaching staff by appointing the former allrounder D Gokulakrishnan as the assistant coach and TS Mohan as the fielding coach. The move was primarily to ease the burden on Raman.”Raman is dedicated to cricket,” N Srinivasan, the TNCA president, told the . “And he is dedicated to Tamil Nadu. We have decided to continue with him.”The association added that Raman will no longer be a part of the selection panel he chaired for the last two years. Former Tamil Nadu batsman R Madhavan will take over as chairman while M Senthilnathan, also a former Tamil Nadu player, has been drafted into the panel.”There was too much load on Raman and there was a need to reduce some of it,” KS Viswanathan, the TNCA secretary, told the paper. “We believe we have done that. We have a good system in place and the results should start coming. We have lost several players over the last two years due to retirement and the ICL. We are happy with the effort Raman has put in.”

Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has indicated that one team from Pakistan will be part of the inaugural Champions League, slated to be held later this year

Cricinfo staff13-Jun-2008
Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 competition – the ABN-AMRO Twenty20 – will be held in August © AFP
Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has indicated that one team from Pakistan will be part of the inaugural Champions League, slated to be held later this year. Ashraf’s statement comes less than a week after the official announcement of the Twenty20 tournament, which clearly stated the top two teams from domestic competitions held in Australia, India, England and South Africa would be vying for the US$5 million on offer.”It is not correct that Pakistan is not in the Champions League,” Ashraf told reporters in Karachi. “When the idea of this event was discussed in Mumbai sometime back I was there and the Indian Board, specifically the IPL governing body, invited Pakistan to send one team for the championship.”Senior board officials confirmed to Cricinfo that the PCB had been told they were part of the plans for the first Champions League. When asked whether a Pakistan team had been invited for the event, Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman and commissioner, said, “Nothing has been finalised yet. I can comment on this only after the BCCI meets on June 22 to discuss these issues.”Ashraf is currently in Bangladesh to attend the final of the Kitply Cup between India and Pakistan, and he is expected to take the matter up with BCCI officials.Pakistan, though, haven’t held their domestic Twenty20 competition – the ABN-AMRO Twenty20 – since December 2006, and scheduling problems have resulted in this year’s tournament being postponed to August.Western Australia and Victoria from Australia, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings from the IPL along with the Dolphins and Titans from the Pro20 in South Africa have already qualified for the Champions League. They will be joined by the two finalists from the English Twenty20 Cup, which concludes on July 26.

Football.London’s Sam Inkersole reckons that Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha has missed his chance to get a big move away from Selhurst Park.

Zaha was strongly linked to both Arsenal and Everton two years ago following a transfer request.

However, the 28-year-old, whose previous big move ended in disaster when he joined Manchester United in 2013, has remained in south London despite increased pressure over his Palace future.

He’s continued to perform excellently for the Eagles, even with the increased speculation, and scored a career-best 11 Premier League goals last season to help Palace finish 14th.

However, soon after Goal reported that both Everton and Tottenham are interested in signing the Ivorian for around £40m, Zaha expressed his desire to leave once again.

But Zaha turns 29 in November, which will have seen his value has decreased significantly, meaning Palace will be even more reluctant to cash-in on their star man given they won’t come close to receiving a fee that has been mentioned in the past.

And when speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Inkersole all but ruled it out:

“He’s been trying for so long to get out, Palace have overvalued him, and clubs have been put off. He was very close to Arsenal, and they signed Pepe.

“If it were going to happen it would have happened in the last couple of years. I don’t think he’s going to get that move to Arsenal or Spurs – his time for a big move is passed.”

PERTH, Nov 8 AAP – A fluent 90 on debut from young wicketkeeper batsman Luke Ronchi has helped Western Australia fight back in their Pura Cup cricket match against Tasmania at the WACA Ground today.

Tim Clarke08-Dec-2002PERTH, Nov 8 AAP – A fluent 90 on debut from young wicketkeeper batsman Luke Ronchi has helped Western Australia fight back in their Pura Cup cricket match against Tasmania at the WACA Ground today.Ronchi, 21, and veteran paceman Jo Angel put on a 58-run, eighth wicket stand to ensure WA made 255 in its first innings after the Warriors had been reduced to 5-68.At stumps on day one, Tasmania was 0-3 from four overs.New skipper Angel took his responsibilities seriously, making 31 attractive runs in a dire situation.But it was Ronchi who produced the brightest spot for WA, ensuring the state’s tradition of producing wicketkeeper/batsmen remained intact.With both Adam Gilchrist and Ryan Campbell called up by Australian selectors, Ronchi was picked for his state debut despite averaging 12 in club cricket this season.Scott Kremerskothen denied the youngster a debut century, having him caught behind as he attempted an extravagant cut.In the first two sessions Damien Wright and Adam Griffith dominated a WA side missing eight first choice players – seven on international duty.Wright (3-49) and Griffith (3-67) looked likely to skittle out WA for a measly total, helped by sharp slip catching and poor shot selection.Scott Meuleman began the procession, caught at first slip by Daniel Marsh for three.Marsh was the recipient again, when Griffith tempted Murray Goodwin (duck) into an injudicious swipe outside off stump.Marcus North was then adjudged lbw to Wright for a third ball duck, and Michael Di Venuto also showed a safe pair of hands, taking a juggling second slip catch to dismiss debutante Adam Voges (six) off Griffith.When Wright the forced Kade Harvey to play on for 18, WA was in deep trouble.Resistance came from a stubborn Chris Rogers (51) after an early let-off.Shane Jurgensen thought he had made the breakthrough when he saw Rogers, then on eight, steer a catch to Di Venuto at second slip, only to be denied by a no-ball call.After Rogers was caught behind, young allrounder Beau Casson increased WA woes by scooping a simple catch to Di Venuto at point off Xavier Doherty.Following Ronchi’s exit, late hitting by Paul Wilson (23) then took WA past 250.