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At what point does a transfer saga stop being a saga? When does it become novel-worthy nonsense?

Saido Berahino’s laboured attempts to leave West Bromwich Albion are certainly reaching that ballpark.

The striker has been pushing his way out of the Hawthorns for what seems like an eternity and the continued battled between himself and the club’s brutal hierarchy shows no sign of ending. The longer it goes on, the worse it reflects on both parties at this point.

No one is coming out of this smelling like roses. They’re all carrying a strong whiff of deceit, greed and stubbornness. It’s bringing out the heels digging-in nature of some football clubs, to the point that they are overlooking what would be best for their club.

It’s a right mess, frankly. Berahino can’t be happy, the manager must be a bit miffed and everyone is at a loss with what to do at this point.

All about the price tag

At the end of the day. When all’s said and done. When you have a long hard look at yourselves.

Whatever irrelevant cliche you want to use, money runs the world (football). The influence of currency in the ‘beautiful’ game is growing, as you would expect, and clubs are becoming more and more powerful by the week, as their revenues rise at astonishing rates.

For that reason, West Brom have been able to resist even hefty offers for their gifted forward.

However, they may well have done better out of this if they hadn’t. The market has inflated since Tottenham’s first offer for Berahino and, at the time, that was a ground-breaker. Although that money might not have the same weight as it did then, the money could have been reinvested in the squad and even seen some of those investments make profit this summer.

Harmonising

Having a player who has been so vocal about his desire to leave can hardly be a good thing for the squad. Manager-player relations probably haven’t been on the best footing for some time now, which will have made it a rather unpleasant dressing room to find yourself in.

Players don’t want to join/play for clubs that are not willing to do what is best for their players, do they? Surely players do not like to see their team-mates kept at a club against their will, nor will they enjoy seeing a team-mate so openly opposed to playing for a side.

It needed to be ended a while back, but this ‘saga’ has cost every Baggie.

Poor lad

Berahino has dreamed of reaching the top level of English football since he was a kid and he wants to take the next step.

Evidently, he will struggle to become an England regular at West Brom, making it harder for him to want to remain at the club.

Their style wasn’t suiting his style of play often and it was doing no good for him or the team as a whole, it’s a lose-lose.

Other than a bit of pride at showing they can retain a player, keeping an unhappy, unsuited player has done little good for either party in this one.

Former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards was reportedly involved in a horror car crash on Wednesday morning as his Ranger Rover flipped on its side.

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Edwards and driver unscathed in crash on outskirts of LisbonCar flipped onto its side in horror crashSporting CP take on Atalanta in Europa League on ThursdayWHAT HAPPENED?

The emergency services rushed to the scene of the accident in Atalaia, on the outskirts of Lisbon, where both Edwards and the driver of the other vehicle were found to be miraculously unharmed – as the reports. The Sporting CP winger is thought to have been on his way to join his team-mates, who are set to travel to Italy ahead of their Europa League clash against Atalanta. The former England U20 international is said to be shaky, but unhurt, and will be assessed by the club's medical staff.

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Despite losing a number of star players in the summer, Sporting have made a strong start to the season and know that if they secure victory in Italy, they will qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League. Edwards can be considered a key part of Sporting's success this season, having contributed seven goals and the same number of assists to the collective cause. The Lions will be hopeful that their number 10 will be able to make another contribution in their key game tomorrow evening.

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Edwards came through the Spurs academy before moving to Portugal on a free transfer in 2019. Edwards impressed at Vitoria Guimaraes, scoring 20 goals, before earning a €7.7 million move to the capital – becoming the first English player to play for Sporting since Spurs defender Eric Dier.

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WHAT NEXT FOR EDWARDS AND SPORTING?

Edwards will return his focus back on helping Sporting qualify for the Europa League knockouts and fight for the league title against Benfica. The English winger has long been touted with a return to the Premier League and may well be joined by his Sporting team-mate Ousmane Diomande, who has been the centre of wild transfer speculation.

MatériaMais Notícias

O primeiro finalista do Campeonato Mineiro de 2020 será conhecido nesta quarta-feira, 5 de agosto. Ele sairá do duelo entre Tombense e Caldense, que se enfrentam pela partida de volta das semifinais do Estadual às 16h, no Independência, em BH.

Os times do interior tiveram de jogar os dois jogos na capital mineira porque seus estádios, em Tombos e Poços de Caldas, não conseguiram homologação para receber o sistema do VAR.

Por isso, as duas equipes abrirão a rodada dupla no Horto, que terá às 21h30 o clássico América-MG e Atlético-MG, que decidirão a segunda vaga para a final do Mineiro 2020.

No confronto de ida, o Tombense, melhor time da primeira fase, tem a vantagem de um empate ou ainda perder o jogo por uma diferença de um gol, já que venceu a partida do último domingo, 2, por 1 a 0, gol do lateral-esquerdo João Paulo.

RelacionadasAtlético MineiroAmérica-MG x Atlético-MG. Onde ver, palpites e prováveis timesAtlético Mineiro04/08/2020Atlético MineiroMariano é apresentado, fala em fazer nova história no Atlético-MG e já está à disposição de Jorge SampaoliAtlético Mineiro04/08/2020América MineiroAmérica-MG lança ingresso virtual para o seu torcedor no jogo de volta das semifinais contra o Atlético-MGAmérica Mineiro03/08/2020

A Veterana não terá opção, a não ser buscar um triunfo por dois ou mais gols de diferença para voltar à final do Mineiro, depois de cinco anos, quando, em 2015, ficou com o vice-campeonato ao ser derrotada pelo Galo na grande final.

Tombense e Caldense terá a arbitragem de Ricardo Marques Ribeiro, que será auxiliado por Frederico Soares Vilarinho e Marconi Helbert Vieira.

Com os finalistas do Estadual definidos nesta quarta-feira, faltará conhecer as datas dos jogos finais, já que neste fim de semana se inicia o Campeonato Brasileiro. E, com exceção da Caldense, os outros três semifinalistas terão compromissos nacionais pelas Séries A, B e C.

A number of Major League Soccer teams have brought in exciting talent from abroad prior to the 2018 campaign. Goal runs down 15 of the best newcomers

• Kim Klement
  

  Josue Colman, midfielder – Orlando City

  The 19-year-old was signed from Paraguayan power Cerro Porteno in the offseason for a reported $3 million, and is expected to immediately slot in for the Lions and help fill the void left by Kaka's offseason retirement. The young designated player is highly regarded and Orlando City hopes he can make a similar impact in MLS as another former Cerro Porteno star: Atlanta United's Miguel Almiron. 

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• Buda Mendes
  

  Ezequiel Barco, midfielder – Atlanta United

  No MLS team has paid as much for a player as Atlanta United did for Barco this offseason, so it's safe to say all that eyes will be on the Argentine teenager in 2018. Barco's $15 million signing was a major coup for the league, as the attacking midfielder had plenty of suitors all over Europe. The former Independiente man can play on the wing or in a No. 10 role, and his addition to an offense already containing the likes of Miguel Almiron and Josef Martinez could make Atlanta nearly impossible to stop. 

• Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images
  

  Saphir Taider, midfielder – Montreal Impact

  The Impact needed a replacement for Blerim Dzemaili this offseason, and they didn't have to look very far. With Dzemaili returning to Serie A side Bologna after his loan expired, Montreal again raided sister club Bologna's roster to sign Algerian international midfielder Taider as a designated player. Taider is highly experienced for a 26-year-old, with 162 career Serie A appearances and 42 caps for his country. If Taider can replicate Dzemaili's production, Montreal will be one step closer to a playoff return. 

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• Javier Gonzalez Toledo
  

  Jesus Medina, midfielder – New York City FC

  NYCFC hopes to strike gold with Medina, a lightning-quick attacker capable of playing several different roles across the midfield or even as a false nine. The 20-year-old has already made his senior debut for Paraguay and, if he continues on his current trajectory, should help NYCFC fans forget about the recently sold Jack Harrison. 

Essex wasted little time in picking up the six Northamptonshire wickets they needed on the final day to secure their second County Championship win of the season

ECB Reporters Network27-Apr-2016
ScorecardEssex captain Ryan ten Doeschate claimed four of the last five wickets to fall•Getty Images

Essex wasted little time in picking up the six Northamptonshire wickets they needed on the final day to secure their second County Championship win of the season. Ryan ten Doeschate claimed figures of 4 for 31 before Graham Napier returned to wrap up the victory 17 balls after lunch.Facing a race against the forecast for rain, Essex got off to a flying start, as Jamie Porter picked up his eighth wicket of the match – and 22nd of the season – with a delivery that reared at Richard Levi, who fended to point where Dan Lawrence took a fine catch in the third over of the day.This brought Adam Rossington, who was the main source of resistance in Northamptonshire’s first innings, to the crease. In the company of nightwatchman Azharullah, Rossington dug in once more, sharing 21 in 17 overs until ten Doeschate, the fifth bowler used by Essex, pinned him leg-before playing back.At the other end, Azharullah lived a charmed life, edging just short of Alastair Cook at first slip in the first over of the day, and later on short of fourth slip. Between times, when he was on 6, James Foster shelled a tough chance diving one-handed to his right off Porter.David Murphy came and went, playing a beautiful straight drive, then almost being caught and bowled, before finally slapping straight to mid-on, all in a single ten Doeschate over. With the last ball of his next, the Essex captain ended Azharullah’s 88-ball resistance as he was adjudged lbw.With Rory Kleinveldt and Richard Gleeson defending stoically – and peppering the third man boundary – Essex extended the session by 15 minutes in pursuit of the final two wickets. After 12 of those minutes, and a couple more loud lbw appeals, the players left the field as a passing shower struck.The win, which was set up by half-centuries for each of Essex’s top five across the rain-ravaged first two days, was secured almost immediately after the break. Gleeson miscued ten Doeschate straight to fine leg 14 balls after lunch, and while Kleinveldt hammered him down the ground for four next ball, Napier returned to finish the job, castling Ben Sanderson with a perfect yorker second ball.The win gave Essex 23 points, securing their place atop Division Two going into the fourth round of matches, when they head to New Road to face Worcestershire. Northamptonshire headed home with just one.

Jesse Ryder will move from Otago to Central Districts, where he began his career in 2002 as an 18-year old, for the 2015-16 New Zealand domestic season

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2015Jesse Ryder will move from Otago to Central Districts, where he began his career in 2002 as an 18-year old, for the 2015-16 New Zealand domestic season. However, his involvement with the side is expected to be restricted to limited-overs cricket, which means he will not play in the first-class Plunket Shield. Ryder is currently playing first-class and T20 cricket for Essex in England, with the domestic one-day competition there set to begin later this month.Lance Hamilton, the Central Districts general manager, said there were a couple of factors limiting Ryder’s involvement. “There is the question of balancing his workload with Essex, he has got another year to run on that contract,” Hamilton told ESPNcricinfo. “And it is also an attempt to continue the development of our local homegrown players through the longer version of the game.”A release from Central Districts stated that Ryder’s name would appear among the 14 players to be offered a domestic contract by the side next week. Ryder’s inclusion follows the retirement last season of New Zealand and Central Districts batsman Jamie How.”Jesse has tons of ability and vast experience as both a batsman and genuine bowling option,” Heinrich Malan, the Central Districts coach, said. “He offers real value to a group of players who are hungry to improve their game, both individually and as a team.”Ryder was with Central Districts for a couple of seasons until he moved to Wellington, where he spent the bulk of his domestic career, before shifting to Otago in 2013.”CD gave me my first opportunity in cricket so I’m looking forward to returning and playing for the Stags again this summer,” Ryder said.

Neil McKenzie, 39, has retired from first-class cricket after scoring a double-hundred against Warriors to help Lions win the Sunfoil Series in Johannesburg on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2015

Neil McKenzie, 39, has retired from first-class cricket after scoring an unbeaten double-hundred to help Lions defeat Warriors and take the Sunfoil title in Johannesburg on Sunday.McKenzie scored 19,041 runs from 280 matches at an average of 45.77, including 53 hundreds and 86 fifties since his debut in 1994-95. He also represented South Africa in 58 Tests, 64 ODIs and two T20Is.Having begun his international career in the middle-order, he remodelled himself as an opener in later years. Along with Graeme Smith, he broke a Test record that had stood for 52 years when they added 415 runs for the first wicket against Bangladesh in February 2008.The Durban Test against Australia in 2009 was the last time McKenzie played for South Africa. He continued to be a mainstay for Lions though, a side he has represented nearly throughout his domestic career. This season, too, he played for them across formats and ended up their second-highest run-getter in the Sunfoil series with 690 from 11 innings including three centuries.”He’s had a great career – he’s a legend of the game and a good man,” said Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana after McKenzie helped end a 15-year four-day trophy drought. “I’m lost for words because I’ve got a lump in my throat to be honest.””Honoured to have played in this man’s last first-class game! Absolute legend of a human!” team-mate Chris Morris posted on Instagram.Throughout his career, McKenzie was known as much for his superstitious quirks as his batting. He was known to strap his bats to the ceiling and ensuring that all the toilet seats were down when he went out to bat. Steve Waugh wrote in his autobiography how McKenzie would avoid stepping on the tramlines of the crease while walking between overs.”Us cricketers, we can be funny people,” McKenzie tried to make sense of his idiosyncrasies in an interview in 2012. We try and control the uncontrollable. In the game, things can be unpredictable so I tried to make them predictable. I think that’s why I did it.”McKenzie, whose father Kevin played first-class cricket as well, had hinted in the interview that coaching was a possible career option once he was finished with playing.

Wasim Khan, Leicestershire’s new chief executive, realises that his success – or lack of it – could determine whether the county retains its first-class status

George Dobell28-Jan-2015Wasim Khan has admitted that he could be the last chief executive of Leicestershire unless he is able to reverse the county’s decline.Wasim, who began his new role at the start of the month, has inherited a club fighting for survival. Leicestershire have not won a first-class game since September 2012, did not manage to take 20 wickets in a match throughout the 2014 season and only managed full batting bonus points on three occasions.But the issues off the pitch are arguably even more serious. The number of members has dropped to around a thousand and Leicestershire remains heavily reliant upon the ECB for its meagre turnover: almost two-thirds of the club’s total revenue – barely £3m – comes from the ECB.The struggle to retain players from the lure of relatively affluent Nottinghamshire (who have acquired former Leicestershire players Harry Gurney, James Taylor and Stuart Broad over recent seasons) has long been understood, but at the end of the 2014 season Leicestershire lost a couple of their more talented players – Josh Cobb and Shiv Thakor – to far from wealthy rivals Northants and Derbyshire respectively. Nathan Buck and Greg Smith also chose to leave.With some whispering that a change in the constitution of the ECB could be considered in 2019 – a change that could include a rethink over the viability of an 18-county first-class system – it seems time could be running out for the club.But Wasim has never been one to shy away from a challenge. He is believed to have been the first British-born player of Pakistan origin in county cricket when he made his first-class debut in 1995 and, after a successful spell as chief executive of the Cricket Foundation, has become the first Asian chief executive in county cricket.Less than a month into the job, he has persuaded one senior player – Niall O’Brien – to sign a new contract, brought in a major new sponsor – De Montfort University – and provided some ambitious targets for his period in office. The aim is to see membership rise to 4,000, revenue reach £4m – both within the next five years – and the club to fight for promotion in the coming season.Wasim Khan faces an urgent task to turn Leicestershire around•PA PhotosAnd if he achieves that how does he think the ECB will react?”We’ll make it very hard for them to make a decision against us.””Look, it’s a challenge,” Wasim said. “But we’re not the only first-class club fighting for our survival. We’ve become disconnected from our local communities. Not just the Asian communities, but the other communities, too.”And we’re not in a position where we are financially independent, so it is possible that a decision could be taken out of our hands.”But at least we are not burdened by debt – like so many other clubs – and at least if we’re heading in the right direction, we can make it difficult for anyone to make that decision.”I know people have raised their eyebrows about me taking this job, but I’m excited by it. I’ve been struck by the passion for success from the people who work here. There’s a big job to do, but I see that as an opportunity to make a real difference.”Among his priorities is a need to reengage the local community. With so little success to enjoy on the pitch, spectators have stayed away from Grace Road in their droves.”I want to offer some exclusivity to our membership. At present, we don’t have a membership enclosure, so I want to change that and then provide them with their own bar and the chance to buy a bacon sarnie in the morning. It sounds simple, but it’s stuff we haven’t been doing.”And there are 15,000 homes in the streets adjacent to the ground. I want to attract people from those homes with family days: we’ll give them free tickets and provide entertainment for the kids and things for the mums and dads, too. We want them to get into the habit of seeing the cricket club as a place for them. We want them to think of it as quite a cool way to spend some time.”Meanwhile, he will put together a business plan designed to persuade the ECB to provide further funding – there is a grant of £1m available for each club to spend on “transformation plans” if the ECB feel the business plan is sound – and has mined some of the contacts he made during his period with the Cricket Foundation to encourage further sponsorship.A new ground sponsor is one likely development and, if the local residents can be convinced, floodlights may follow. An earlier scheme to build flats in one parcel of land on the ground is currently being reviewed to see if the area, and the money, might be better used.Most of all, though, Wasim wants to appeal to lapsed members or those supporters who have become so disillusioned by recent failures that they have stopped attending.”I want to issue a rallying cry to them,” he said. “I want to ask them to come back and support us. Yes, we’ve made mistakes. Yes, we’ve had some poor years. But we’re moving in the right direction and we need your help to get this club back where it should be.”In the long-term, it is hoped that the relationship with Crown Hills Community College – a college which includes a million-pound cricket facility funded in part by the ECB – will engage more local people, especially those from the Asian community, and wean the club off its striking reliance on local private schools.In turn, it is hoped that, as the side comes to represent its local community more – and around 36% of the city is of Asian origin – there may be an increase in the support shown by local businesses.In the short-term, Leicestershire will scour the market for a “box office” player – again, probably of Asian descent – to improve their T20 side. The club have already recruited Clint McKay as overseas player and Andrew McDonald as coach, with Mark Cosgrove, who qualifies as a non-overseas player, likely to be confirmed, perhaps as captain, in March.But Wasim remains committed to the club’s youth system. It has been the one defence of the poorly performing club in recent times, with the likes of Broad, Gurney, Taylor and Luke Wright providing a reminder of the value of their role in the wider professional game.”We’ve had a huge problem with retaining players,” Wasim said. “But we also have a good record of producing them. That is something we have to invest in. It’s a massively important part of our role as a county club to produce players for England.”But we can’t put off our improvement. We need to change our mindset now. We need the team to fight for promotion this season and understand that, with all te talent we have at this club and a bit of Aussie grit in our dressing room, we can show people we’re far better than recent results would suggest.”

تعرف على تشكيل منتخب مصر الأولمبي في مباراة اليوم أمام أوزبكستان.

أعلن البرازيلي روجيرو ميكالي المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأولمبي، عن تشكيل مباراة اليوم الودية أمام أوزبكستان، والتي تجمع بينهما في إطار الاستعداد لدورة الألعاب الأولمبية “باريس 2024”.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر الأولمبي مع نظيره أوزبكستان على أرضية استاد “بونيودكور” الدولي بالعاصمة الأوزبكستانية طشقند.

وحسم منتخب مصر تأهله إلى أولمبياد باريس 2024، بعد حصوله على الميدالية الفضية في بطولة أمم إفريقيا تحت 23 عاماً بالمغرب. ما هو تشكيل منتخب مصر اليوم أمام أوزبكستان؟

في حراسة المرمى: حمزة علاء.

خط الدفاع: أحمد عيد – عمر فايد – حسام عبد المجيد – محمد حمدي.

خط الوسط: محمد شحاتة – أحمد فوزي – محمود صابر.

وفي الهجوم: أسامة فيصل – علي زعزع – أحمد عاطف “قطة”. بدلاء منتخب مصر أمام أوزبكستان

علي الجابر ومحمد السيد سيحا ومحمود مجاهد وعربي بدر ومحمد طارق وبلال مظهر ومحمد سعد ومحمد أشرف وزياد فرج وأحمد سيد عبد النبي وأحمد نادر حواش.

James Anderson accepted he may have benefited from the increased scrutiny of his on-field behaviour as England wrapped up the Investec Test series with a crushing victory at The Oval.Anderson was charged with a Level Three offence under the ICC’s Code of Conduct following an alleged incident with Ravi Jadeja during the first Test. Although Anderson was subsequently cleared, he conceded that the increased focus may have prompted him to re-assess the way he conducted himself on the pitch.After bowling as well as at any time of his career in the final three Tests, he ended the series with 25 wickets at an average of 20.60 and was named Man of the Series.But, while he was insistent he had been no less aggressive with the ball since the Jadeja incident, Anderson did admit he may have been a little less vocal with the batsmen.”Possibly, in the last few games, I have concentrated more on being aggressive with the ball rather than my mouth,” Anderson said. “I think I tried to be as aggressive. Whether I tried to say any less, I don’t know. But I think the Jadeja incident made me more determined to perform on the field.”At Southampton, when the stuff was going on around before and after the game, we were so focused on winning that game, and since then we’ve not let India back into the series.”But Anderson remained adamant that the aggressive on-field persona that has become familiar over recent years was a key part of his success. Anderson finished the match, his 99th Test, with 380 Test wickets. Only Sir Ian Botham, who claimed 383, has taken more for England.”The reason I struggled, I think, in the early part of my career is because I was the timid, shy character that I am off the field when I was on it,” he said. “That didn’t help me. And working with people to try to get the best out of me, we found that it was best if I tried to be aggressive.”What’s helped me in the last five or six years is the fact I’ve been aggressive on the field and had the odd word. I’ve tried not to cross the line. And that’s why the umpires are there to monitor that.”