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Everton have been linked with a move for Real Betis midfielder Nabil Fekir as new manager Rafael Benitez looks to replace the departed James Rodriguez.

What’s the story?

According to reports in Spain, the Toffees are one of three Premier League clubs interested in securing the 28-year-old’s signature, with West Ham United and Arsenal also listed as potential suitors.

Claims state that: “His excellent form has sparked the interest of several Premier League clubs. Nabil Fekir is in advanced negotiations to close his renewal with Real Betis.

“The Franco-Algerian player is very happy in Andalusia and has a lot of confidence in the Verdiblanco sports project. However, a powerful financial offer, both for him and for the club, could change the plans.”

New James Rodriguez

Fekir has established himself as one of Europe’s most exciting attacking talents in recent years after rising through the ranks at former club Lyon.

During his time with the Ligue 1 giants, he scored 69 goals and provided a further 46 assists in 193 appearances, earning the praise of several pundits, teammates and rivals alike.

One of his admirers was former Barcelona winger Malcom. The Brazilian lauded Fekir’s ability in the final third ahead of a Champions League clash between the Blaugrana and Lyon back in 2019.

“Fekir is a big player, and when I was in France, he scored incredible goals,” Malcom told Telefoot (as relayed by Goal). “It will be more difficult with him (in the Lyon team).”

Since then, the stocky attacker has made the switch to Spanish football, becoming a pivotal part of Real Betis’s recent success, bagging 14 goals and laying on a further 15 assists in 81 outings.

However, Fekir’s current contract expires in the summer of 2023, and although he’s believed to be happy at Betis, a move could be on the horizon for creative talent if a substantial offer is incoming.

The £22.5m-rated gem would be the ideal replacement for Rodriguez, who departed Goodison Park after just 12 months over the summer.

The Colombian was the Toffees’ chief creator last term with 1.7 key passes per game, a number Everton’s French target has bettered this season with 2.5 per game. As a result, he could provide Benitez with the midfield playmaker his first-team squad is currently lacking.

And, in other news…Forget Townsend: Everton powerhouse who won 8 duels was Rafa’s unsung hero vs MUFC 

The most eagerly-contested domestic tournament in recent memory will hope for a fitting finale as the Punjab Stallions take on the Federal Areas Leopards at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.

Cricinfo staff23-Dec-2008
Punjab Stallions captain Shoaib Malik is atop both the run-scoring and wicket-takers’ charts in the tournament © Sohail Abbas
The most eagerly-contested domestic tournament in recent memory will hope for a fitting finale as the Punjab Stallions take on the Federal Areas Leopards at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.The first-ever Pentangular ODI Cup has been a rousing one, and some basic ingredients have come in handy in providing a much-needed boost to domestic cricket in Pakistan.The lack of international action has meant that all the big names have not only taken part, but have performed with considerable gusto. Shoaib Malik may not have convinced all with his Pakistan captaincy, but as leader of the undefeated Punjab Stallions, he has been immense: he is both the tournament’s leading scorer and wicket-taker.Enthusiastic televison coverage has also helped, and even though the audience at the venues have been small, TV has has considerably upped the interest around the country. The accompanying marketing campaign has been a triumph of persistence over creativity, but a triumph nonetheless.Above all, the tournament has come at a time of isolation, of introspection; domestic cricket has been given the attention because there is no other cricket and it has been found to be not that bad and often pretty exciting.There have been thrilling, closely-fought matches among the five well-matched teams. Even though the Baluchistan Bears and Federal Areas Leopards have had to draft in guest players, there have been thrilling encounters like the Federal Areas virtual semi-final clash against NWFP, and the Sind-Baluchistan match.One of the few one-sided matches was the tournament opener between the two finalists, when Punjab prevailed by 98 runs and many will hope that a repeat is not on the cards. The portents however are promising in what should be a delicious match-up.Punjab’s batsmen, led by Malik, have been the galacticos of the tournament. Salman Butt’s elegance has come through often enough, Azhar Ali has provided handy support and Kamran Akmal has chipped in with the odd cameo. Nasir Jamshed, in fact, has been the only real blip.They come up against the tournament’s most incisive bowling attack. Federal Areas captain Shoaib Akhtar has gone for runs but the nous, pace and above all, fitness, has been there. He has been supported well by Sohail Tanvir and Rao Iftikhar Anjum and in the unlikely event they all fail, Yasir Arafat and Saeed Ajmal are around to stabilise matters.But the most intriguing battles, as ever in cricket, will be the specific ones. Punjab’s Mohammad Talha has been the tournament’s most exciting pace bowler. A skinny, young tearaway bowler with a bounding, energetic run-up, his performances have drawn the attention of selectors.
Shoaib Akhtar’s friction with Shoaib Malik may make the final all the more spicier © Sohail Abbas
He will be up against the upright, compact and equally young figure of Umar Amin, the left-handed opener who has batted mostly at number four for Federal Areas. Amin’s hundred against Baluchistan remains the innings of the tournament and as with Talha, his potential has not gone unnoticed by the selectors.The spiciest battle is that between the captains. The friction between Malik and Shoaib is Pakistan’s worst-kept secret. Part of the reason both captains have been so committed to this tournament, goes the cynics’ tale, is that they have wanted to score points over each other.In fact, Pakistan’s captaincy never lies easy on any head and the battle between at least four captains or potential national captains – Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Malik and Shoaib (Umar Gul was the fifth) – has been a tasty subplot all along.Ultimately, though, the only thing Pakistanis will hope for from the final, after a year of total darkness, is some light from that most unexpected source – domestic cricket.Team newsPunjab Stallions: (probable) 1 Shoaib Malik (capt) 2 Nasir Jamshed 3 Azhar Ali 4 Salman Butt 5 Adnan Raza 6 Sarfraz Ahmed 7 Mohammad Talha 8 Junaid Zia 9 Mansoor Amjad 10 Abdur Rehman 11 Umar Akmal (wk)Federal Areas Leopards: (probable) 1 Shoaib Akhtar (capt) 2 Raheel Majeed 3 Babar Naeem 4 Umar Amin 5 Afaq Raheem 6 Usman Saeed 7 Mohammad Salman (wk) 8 Sohail Tanvir 9 Yasir Arafat 10 Iftikhar Anjum 11 Saeed Ajmal

Dayaneshwar Agashe, the former Indian board vice-president and Maharashtra wicketkeeper, died in Pune after failing to respond to treatment for gangrene

Cricinfo staff03-Jan-2009Dayaneshwar Agashe, the former Indian board vice-president and Maharashtra wicketkeeper, died in Pune after failing to respond to treatment for gangrene. He was 66 and suffering from diabetes.He played first-class cricket for Maharashtra from 1962 to 1968 and scored two half-centuries in 13 matches. His best season came in 1964-65 where he made his career-best total of 75, took ten catches and effected two stumpings. His highest score took Maharashtra to 226 in reply to Gujarat’s 74 in a match his side won by an innings and 34 runs. He was a contemporary of Test players Bapu Nadkarni, Dilip Sardesai, Farokh Engineer and Polly Umrigar.Agashe was in judicial custody on charges of embezzlement of depositors’ money of a co-operative bank he had co-founded when he was hospitalised on Friday.

Harmison’s attitude to the Stanford Super Series has been one of unrelenting awkwardness, ever since he was persuaded by his new captain, Pietersen, to go back on the decision to retire from limited-overs internationals

Andrew Miller in Antigua29-Oct-2008
Steve Harmison: ready to do whatever’s needed to bring home the Stanford million © Getty Images
Kevin Pietersen has admitted that he just wants this week in Antigua to end, and Andrew Flintoff is sick – literally – of the whole tournament. As the realisation slowly dawns on England’s cricketers that their US$20million cash-grab is just a little tawdry, then at least Steve Harmison can say with honesty that he never wanted to be a part of this charade anyway.Harmison’s attitude to the Stanford Super Series has been one of unrelenting awkwardness, ever since he was persuaded by his new captain, Pietersen, to go back on the decision to retire from limited-overs internationals that he made at the end of the 2006-07 Ashes. His initial preference had been to come back into the fold on November 2, with the million-dollar match out of the way and a tour of India lying ahead, but now, here he is with the money-shot in sight, and he’s not about to pass up an opportunity to secure his family’s future.”I’m not someone who wears big, chunky watches or drives flash Ferraris,” said Harmison. “That’s just not me. If you win the game, you can spend the money on whatever you want. But I’ve four young children and I’d like to be able to make their life better through childhood all the way through to adulthood.”Financial security is a tantalising prospect (though not, it would seem, for the Superstars captain, Chris Gayle, who declared he would “spend it, man” if the bounty came his way). First though, the players on both sides will have to negotiate the nerves that will surely be associated with this most unconventional of contests.For Harmison, that may mean replicating the final-over heroics that saved England from slipping to an untimely defeat against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday night. With ten runs to play with, Harmison kept the ball as full and straight as he could, to inch his side to a one-run win.”Would I be able to bowl the same over as the other night? I would like to think I could because you are trying to win,” said Harmison. “It is a game of cricket, so when you cross that white line you play for each other, you’re in it together and you want to win the game. I am human so it would enter a small part of the mind but once you are about to bowl you are focused on one thing – where you want to put it.”Death bowling isn’t Harmison’s usual role in limited-overs cricket, although with the England camp stricken by a stomach bug, circumstances dictated that he had to step up. “I have played cricket for 10-12 years and I’ve bowled the last over maybe 10 times. So that was good to do. It’s not normally my job but if it comes down to it, in Twenty20 you have to be flexible to carry out whatever is put in front of you.”If England have spent the week planning for all eventualities, then at least it has distracted them from dwelling too long and hard on the implications of Saturday’s life-changing opportunity. “Of course, it is an incentive, it’s a life-changing sum, but nobody has really discussed the money because we haven’t got it. The money ain’t in our hands,” said Harmison. “But we’re not here for the Ashes, we’re not here for the World Cup. We are here for the money because the simple fact of the matter is we are playing for US$20million.”Win or lose, however, Harmison was adamant that the tournament would be beneficial to cricket in the long run, because regardless of the fattening of the players’ wallets, US$3.5million will go directly to the English and West Indian boards. “It is good for the game,” said Harmison. “Both boards are benefiting and the players who win are benefiting – in the long term. Hopefully the money in two or three years’ time will have filtered through to the right sources. Stadiums will be better, youth cricket will be better, everything will be better.” That sort of optimism ought to stand him in good stead on the big night.

MatériaMais Notícias

O “Caso Victor Ramos” pode render uma dor de cabeça ainda maior para o Internacional. O inquérito feito pelo STJD para apurar o uso de documentos falsificados – e-mails de conversas envolvendo dirigentes da CBF – por parte do clube no processo desportivo que tramitou na corte foi encerrado. E com um pedido de enquadramento em um artigo que pode até gerar a expulsão do Corolado da Série B do Brasileirão.

Segundo a investigação conduzida pelo auditor Mauro Marcelo de Lima e Silva, o Inter não foi o responsável pela adulteração do conteúdo dos e-mails trocados entre funcionários da diretoria de registro e transferências da CBF e o Vitória. No entanto, o clube gaúcho não verificou, pela argumentação, a veracidade das conversas e acabou usando o conteúdo para tentar tirar os pontos do Leão por uma suposta escalação irregular do defensor.

O inquérito STJD se baseia no Artigo 61 do Código Disciplinar da Fifa para enquadrar os gaúchos,conformeantecipara a coluna De Prima. Além de cogitar sancionar o Inter exclusão da competição, o auditor Mauro Marcelo de Lima e Silva sugere as suspensões do ex-presidente colorado, Vitorio Piffero, e outros dirigentes.

Entre outras possibilidades de sanções estão a chance de não contratar jogadores ou receber multa. A Procuradoria analisará o pedido e fará a denúncia nos próximos dias.

“Observa-se que os documentos falsos foram utilizados, se não a título preordenado e intencional, no mínimo, sob suposta ignorância deliberada e clara assunção do risco mais do que previsível. (…) Houve a transgressão do ordenamento jurídico com a juntada da prova obtida ilegalmente”, escreveu o auditor na peça do inquérito publicada pelo STJD.

Vale lembrar que foram realizadas perícias para verificar a falsificação e em quais pontos elas ocorreram. Em resumo, a conversa entre as partes existiu, mas houve mudança de frases e inclusão de assinaturas de e-mails. Há diferenças, por exemplo, em erro de concordância verbal.

CONFIRA A NOTA DO STJD

O Auditor Mauro Marcelo de Lima e Silva concluiu na manhã desta quarta, dia 31 de maio, o inquérito sobre a falsificação de e-mails juntados pelo Internacional em dois processos no Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva do Futebol. De acordo com o relator, o Internacional não foi o responsável pela falsificação, mas fez uso dos documentos adulterados. Em sua conclusão, Mauro Marcelo opina pela denúncia do Internacional, do ex-presidente Vitório Piffero, ex-diretor jurídico Giovani Gazen, dos advogados do clube Felipe Baumann, Daniel Cravo, Rogério Pastl e Diego do Canto e do ex-gerente de Futebol do Vitória, Anderson Barros. Com a conclusão, o relatório será encaminhado para a Procuradoria da Justiça Desportiva para possível denúncia aos jurisdicionados e encaminhado para a CBF e Ministério Público para análise das condutas dos intermediários.

No dia 7 de dezembro de 2016 o Internacional entrou no STJD do Futebol como terceiro interessado no caso Victor Ramos e reiterou a denúncia contra o Vitória por suposta escalação irregular do jogador. O clube gaúcho juntou como provas novas cópias de seis e-mails trocados entre a Diretoria de Registro e Transferência da CBF e o Vitória em conversa privada onde se discutia acerca da transferência do jogador (nacional ou internacional). Ciente da documentação, a CBF oficiou o STJD informando sobre a adulteração dos correios eletrônicos e com pedido de apuração da falsificação. Diante dos fatos foi aberta uma Notícia de Infração que resultou na instauração do presente inquérito 012/2017.

RelacionadasInternacionalInquérito: Agente de Victor Ramos alterou e-mails usados pelo InterInternacional31/05/2017

Celtic’s superb run of form continued on Wednesday night as Ange Postecoglou’s side beat AZ Alkmaar 2-0 in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier.

The Hoops have now won their last five matches in all competitions and have scored a whopping 18 goals, conceding four times and keeping three clean sheets.

Kyogo Furuhashi and James Forrest scored the goals for Celtic either side of half time, with David Turnbull setting up the first and Furuhashi turning provider for the second goal.

The Japan international caught the eye with a goal and an assist to bring his name to the fore, but another player was an unsung hero for Postecogliu’s side. Stephen Welsh put in a sensational performance at centre-back and may not get the same applause as Furuhashi due to defending not being as glamorous and scoring and creating goals.

As per FotMob, Furuhashi was the man of the match for Celtic with his performance up front – landing a score of 8.0 against the Dutch side. Welsh, meanwhile, scored an impressive 7.7 for his display, which was the next-highest score in the XI.

Whilst the attacker takes the acclaim and the MOTM award, Welsh should be commended for his commanding showing at the back. Without his important defensive work it could have been a different game for Celtic and we could be sat here speaking about a 2-2 draw or a 3-2 loss instead of a win.

He won four of his five defensive duels and made nine ball recoveries (game-high) during the game, whilst also making six clearances (game-high) from his own box. This shows that he was active defensively throughout the night and was able to stop Joe Hart’s goal from being put under siege by the Eredivisie side. His defending then allowed the likes of Furuhashi, Forrest and Rogic to go about their work in the final third, which means that Welsh provided the solid foundation that the win was built on.

Welsh also had an eye-catching 63 touches of the ball and completed 87% of his passes. Both of these stats were game-leaders for Celtic, showing that he was also able to add ball-playing skills to his defensive expertise – helping the Hoops to progress up and the pitch and retain possession.

Therefore, the £1.2m-rated colossus was Celtic’s unsung hero against Alkmaar. Hopefully, he will be able to turn in a similar performance in the second leg to help the Scottish giants see of their Dutch counterparts.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Edouard: Celtic can form terrifying attack by signing 31 G/A phenomenon…

Wolves took to the transfer market last summer with a ruthless eye. They spent an eye-catching sum of money, paying over £50m for the acquisitions of Nelson Semedo and Fabio Silva.

However, this year has been completely different for the Old Gold.Huge fees haven’t been paid with spending limited at Molineux. Trincao has been added to their ranks on a loan deal but beyond that, not much will catch the eye in terms of incomings.One player they were linked with heading into the summer was Valencia’s Kang-in Lee. Yet, with a release clause of £71m, a deal looked completely off the table.Fresh reports dictate that he may be available for just €10m (£8.5m) and if he is, Wolves must seek out a deal.An attacking midfielder by trade, Lee is one of the most exciting prospects in South Korean football.Dubbed “spectacular” by Valencia great Dario Felman, he made 27 appearances for Valencia last term, scoring just one goal but providing four assists for his troubles during an impressive season.Also capable of playing on the wing, there are plenty of strings to a bow that cuts through opposition defences in devastating fashion.Compared to David Silva, he was in particularly good form during the Tokyo Olympics. Lee found the net on three occasions for his country, demonstrating that he has the qualities to thrive on the biggest of stages.Speaking about his game previously, Valencia academy director Luis Vicente Mateo said: “He is willing to learn every day, regardless of whether he is in first or second-team training. He is a player with outstanding talent.”His numbers aren’t the greatest just yet but Wolves have proven themselves to be the perfect club for young players coming through.You only need to look at Pedro Neto who captured the imagination with some dazzling performances last term, ending the campaign as the club’s Player of the Season and their joint-top scorer.What’s particularly exciting about Lee’s style of play is his close touch control. The 20-year-old completed 1.6 dribbles per game last term – a tally that would have placed him fourth in the Wolves squad.Considering just how young he is, those numbers will only improve. He must be at the top of Wolves’ priorities for now.AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for “tenacious” 37-cap warrior, he could be their new Ruben Neves…

Fraser Forster has reportedly rejected a new deal at Southampton, which will surely concern Ralph Hasenhuttl considering the lack of goalkeeping options at St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, the 33-year-old shot-stopper has rejected a reduced deal at St Mary’s, which opens the door to a potential return to Celtic this summer.

The Hoops have been linked with the English ‘keeper in recent weeks after his impressive performances on loan there in the 2019/20 season, although Hasenhuttl had suggested earlier in the summer that he and Alex McCarthy would be competing for a starting spot in his side during the 2021/22 campaign.

Could Forster leave Southampton?

Forster is one of the top earners at Southampton but spent the majority of last season on the bench, before an impressive run of form in the FA Cup led Hasenhuttl to give him more opportunities in the Premier League.

The former England international would make 13 appearances in total for the Saints, eight of which came in the Premier League, where he averaged a solid 6.70 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Southampton have already sold Angus Gunn to newly-promoted Norwich City, so if Forster were to depart on loan or a permanent deal this summer, it would leave Hasenhuttl with very few options in the goalkeeping department, with young Harry Lewis perhaps not ready to deputise for McCarthy.

It is no surprise that Celtic want Forster to return, given his performances there during the 2019/20 seasons, which led French defender Christopher Jullien to sing his praises in 2019, saying:

“There are no words! There are no words to describe that. He’s been unbelievable since he’s come here.”

“At the end of every game, I tell him he’s the best goalkeeper I’ve played with. I’m so happy to have him behind me. He just makes so many saves.”

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Therefore, unless Southampton can bring in a new goalkeeper, it is bad news for Hasenhuttl that Forster has reportedly rejected this new deal, as it would leave the Austrian’s squad looking even thinner if the 33-year-old were to depart this summer.

And, in other news… Southampton dealt huge transfer blow with “exceptional” transfer target

Leicester City are set to take on Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley Stadium this evening in English football’s traditional curtain-raiser.

The Foxes will be aiming to secure just the second Community Shield crown in the club’s history, adding to their FA Cup success last season.

However, Brendan Rodgers will be without several key players for the trip to the capital, with the Northern Irishman ruling the likes of Nampalys Mendy, Jonny Evans, James Justin and Timothy Castagne out of action.

“Just the guys who haven’t been involved, the likes of Papy, Jonny, James Justin,” revealed the Leicester boss in yesterday’s press conference when asked about injury concerns.

“He’s come along well but is still a few months away. Timothy Castagne trained today. He was in his mask. He won’t be available, but he shouldn’t be too far away.”

They will join Wesley Fofana on the treatment table after the youngster suffered a suspected fractured fibula in a pre-season game against Villarreal.

With that in mind, this is how Football Fan Cast expects Rodgers to line his team up at Wembley, with two summer signings making their club debuts…

Leicester have made many changes to their first team squad in recent years, but one virtual ever-present has been Kasper Schmeichel between the sticks, and the dependable Dane is set to start for the Foxes once again against the Cityzens.

Ahead of Schmeichel, though, Rodgers will be forced to field a less familiar back four. Ryan Bertrand should make his debut at left-back, while Wilfried Ndidi could partner Caglar Soyuncu in the heart of defence due to an injury crisis.

Injuries to Justin and Castagne leave Ricardo Pereira as the club’s only natural right-back currently available, so the Portugal international is a guaranteed starter.

Ndidi’s possible move into the backline should open the door for Boubakary Soumare to make his first competitive start for the Midlands outfit following a £17m move from Lille.

The usually dependable duo of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans will make up the rest of the Leicester engine room, despite the pair being linked with moves away from the King Power Stadium in recent weeks.

In attack, the £18m-rated Kelechi Iheanacho may drop to the bench after starting Leicester’s last Premier League game of 2020/21, making room for the returning Harvey Barnes, Ayoze Perez and talisman Jamie Vardy to form a dynamic front three.

In other news… Rodgers must unleash “powerful” £17m gem vs Man City, he could be LCFC’s game-changer 

Rangers have been linked with a move for Alhassan Yusuf recently and he could be the ideal man to replace Glen Kamara in Steven Gerrard’s squad at Ibrox this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Score Nigeria, Rangers have contacted IFK Goteborg about potentially signing the 20-year-old midfielder, who has impressed during his time playing in the Allsvenskan, winning the young player of the year for his performances in the 2018/19 season.

During his time with the Swedish side, Yusuf has made 76 appearances, contributing two goals and nine assists and he usually features as a defensive-midfielder, suggesting that he would be deployed in a similar position to Kamara should he arrive at Ibrox this summer.

Would Yusuf be a good signing for Rangers?

The Nigerian midfielder is currently valued at £1.35m by Transfermarkt and his contract with Goteborg is set to expire in November next year, which suggests that they would be willing to cash in on him this summer for a relatively low fee, rather than risk losing him for nothing in 2022.

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Chief scout at Goteborg, Olle Sultan, was full of praise for Yusuf in his first season at the club, saying:

“I have believed in him very much all the time. He has learned on the way to becoming less naive. The touch is very nice and he is always so oriented and has such control on the ball. The press game is good and he is aggressive. When he eventually gets a little more power, he will be a good ball winner as well. In addition, he is a great guy who flows into the group nicely.

“A ball winner and game genius in one. There’s a bit to learn, that’s it, but he can really be great.”

Yusuf certainly seems to have a lot of potential and from how Sultan describes him, he could be the ideal man to replace Kamara at Ibrox this summer, should the Finland international complete a move to the Premier League.

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After some impressive performances for Rangers and Finland in recent seasons, it seems as if the 25-year-old could depart this summer, and the Gers will need someone with aggression and energy in defensive midfield to step up as his replacement, and given time, Yusuf could prove to be that man.

And, in other news… Reliable journalist drops Rangers transfer update that’ll delight Gers fans