All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic were dealt a blow during the summer transfer window as Parkheaad's star winger Jota was sold ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Who are Celtic's biggest ever sales?

The Hoops forward moved to Saudi for a reported transfer fee of £25m earlier this year after one season in Glasgow on a permanent basis, having also spent 12 months on loan prior to a £6.5m switch in 2022.

Jota

£25m

Kieran Tierney

£23m

Moussa Dembele

£19m

Odsonne Edouard

£14m

Virgil van Dijk

£13m

Former Bhoys head coach Ange Postecoglou, who left the club to join Tottenham in the Premier League shortly after the 2022/23 campaign ended, certainly hit the jackpot with that particular move.

The Scottish giants made a significant profit on the Portuguese dynamo within the space of a year, showing that the Australian head coach was able to unearth a gem by developing the young talent's potential during their time together at Paradise.

Jota is not the only signing made by Postecoglou who has been a roaring success, though, and another player who could end up leaving the club for a huge fee is Japan international Daizen Maeda.

How much did Celtic pay for Daizen Maeda?

The Hoops reportedly spent £1.6m to sign the attacker on a permanent basis from Yokohama in the summer of 2022 after he spent six months on loan with the club during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.

Celtic landed the energetic forward initially on loan after he enjoyed a phenomenal 2021 campaign with his former club in Japan.

Maeda showcased his ability as a goalscorer throughout his final year with Yokohama as he plundered an eye-catching 23 goals in 36 J1 League outings. He also assisted three goals and created four 'big chances' for his teammates to go along with his frequent scoring at the top end of the pitch.

The Japanese sensation averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.09 throughout those matches, which was the seventh-highest score within the squad.

That exceptional form came after a difficult year in 2020 where only found the back of the net three times and failed to create a single goal for his teammates in 23 J1 League matches.

Maeda also happened to work with Postecoglou at Yokohama for the majority of that time as he scored 12 goals and assisted four in 50 appearances for the Australian head coach for the Japanese side.

How many goals has Maeda scored for Celtic?

The now-Spurs boss knew exactly what he was getting when he signed the 25-year-old and it has turned out to be a fantastic piece of business for the club.

Maeda has scored 19 goals in 77 matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants to date and has become an incredibly reliable option out wide or through the middle throughout his spell.

He hit the ground running during his initial loan spell with Celtic in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign as he immediately made an impact on the pitch.

The speedy ace racked up six goals and five assists in 16 Scottish Premiership outings, 14 of which were starts, for Postecoglou as he showcased his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis.

Impressively, the at-the-time loanee recorded one goal and four assists in five matches during the top-six split, which shows that he produced consistent quality against the best of the best within the division.

There was no need for a period of adaption to life in Scottish football as Maeda was able to instantly translate his impressive form for Yokohama over to Celtic.

Maeda then completed his permanent £1.6m move to the club in the summer of 2022 and enjoyed a terrific first full season with the Bhoys as they won the domestic treble.

He racked up 11 goals and seven assists in 49 matches across all competitions, which included eight goals and five assists in 31 Premiership outings.

The 25-year-old, who created six 'big chances' for his teammates in the top flight last term, has also enjoyed a strong start to the current campaign, demonstrating himself to be a pivotal component of Brendan Rodgers' side too.

Maeda has created three 'big chances' in five Premiership matches this term and assisted one goal to go along with an average Sofascore rating of 7.10, which shows that he has the ability to split open the opposition's defence as well as being a goal threat.

How much is Maeda worth now?

It was recently reported by TEAMtalk that Postecoglou now happens to be interested in signing the Japanese marksman once again ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claimed that Spurs are monitoring the Celtic star's situation as they consider a possible swoop to sign the versatile forward ahead of the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

It stated that the Scottish giants would a fee of around £25m for the 5 foot 8 forward's services, as they would like a similar amount to the one that they received from Al Ittihad for Jota in the summer – £25m.

Maeda, who former Celtic striker Chris Sutton once hailed as a pressing "machine" for his relentless closing down of the opposition, has, therefore, seen his value skyrocket from £1.6m to £25m within the space of a year.

The former Yokohama star has been a fantastic signing for the Hoops and Postecoglou certainly played a blinder by bringing him to Scotland after their first spell together in Japan.

He evidently saw enough from the wide attacker to suggest that a move to Scotland would allow him to thrive and the Australian head coach has been proven right over the last 18 months.

Celtic have already benefitted from the move on the pitch, as shown by the aforementioned statistics over the last two seasons, but they could now benefit off the pitch with a significant profit on Maeda if Spurs decided to meet their £25m valuation in the January window.

England’s head coach has hinted that the batting line-up is unlikely to change much for the series against Pakistan in May, despite few of the issues being resolved over the winter

Andrew McGlashan04-Apr-2018Head coach Trevor Bayliss has hinted that the England batting line-up is unlikely to change much for the series against Pakistan in May, despite few of the issues being resolved over the last five months, but he called on domestic players to show they are better than those currently in the team.Bayliss conceded that England ended their 2017-18 Test campaign with largely the same questions as they began with following five defeats and two draws having been foiled by New Zealand’s lower-order on the final day in Christchurch.Over the seven Tests against Australia and New Zealand, Dawid Malan was the one batsman to enhance his reputation. Mark Stoneman and James Vince showed moments of encouragement but the pair finished averaging 30.23 and 30.54 respectively across all the Tests. Vince missed the Auckland Test when the line-up was reshuffled due to Ben Stokes being unable to bowl and returned with 76 in the second innings in Christchurch while Stoneman scored half-centuries in each Test.Bayliss on…

Jack Leach “He’s the one who holds the position at this stage and I thought he had a good game for someone playing his first Test. He had good composure. Like anyone playing his first game or two, he’s still got a few things to learn at this level but I think he bowled a good line and didn’t give too much away which was a good thing.”
The batting order “We have tried Jonny up the list previously and I think he’s quite comfortable at No. 7 but he’s obviously a very good player. I think that will be revisited especially if some of the other guys don’t cement a spot and start averaging 45-plus for the batters.”
Catching “We’ve got to work harder. If what we’re doing is not working we’ve got to do it even more. We’ve tried to up the catching and fielding and at times we field and catch extremely well, as good as anyone, but it doesn’t mean you’re a good fielder if you’re inconsistent.”

“I think what they’ve all shown over this winter is that they are good players and they’ve scored some runs against quality opposition bowlers,” Bayliss said. “But what we need from them is to be doing it more often. They’re averaging high 20s, we need them to get that up and hopefully put another 20 on that.”Probably the same questions are still there but Malan for example played pretty well against the pace in Australia and the other two guys at different times stood up. Vince made a couple of good scores. Stoneman under a fair bit of pressure and a barrage of short-pitched bowling handled himself reasonably well but again to be an international batter we need to be doing better than that.”And the other side of that is who do we replace them with? We need guys and I guess this is a call-out to the guys in county cricket, the first five or six matches of the county season are very important. We’ve got Liam Livingstone here and the other one I’ll add in who’s impressed in the nets is Ben Foakes. He’s batting very well also. So there’s a couple of guys in this squad who can hopefully score runs and put a bit of pressure on and make the selectors job difficult which is what we all want.”The batting was not helped by Alastair Cook’s lean time, other than his double-century in Melbourne, which was compounded by a miserable series in New Zealand where he made 23 runs in four innings. Cook has reiterated to Bayliss that he has the desire to continue to add to his 154-cap career and after a couple of weeks off he will look to recuperate in the County Championship for Essex.”It’s dangerous to write off someone with 12,000 Test runs. He’s desperately disappointed he hasn’t contributed more but speaking to him in the sheds, he’s still got a hunger for the game and he’s still wants to do well and thinks he’s got a role to play,” Bayliss said. “Going forward I think having someone with that experience we will need, so hopefully it’s not too long before he gets back into the groove.”Then there is the captain. Root is England’s best batsman but can’t break his run of unconverted half-centuries, which now stands at nine, with two more in New Zealand added to the five in Australia (although retiring ill in Sydney can’t be held against him). Having come off a distinct second best to Steven Smith in the Ashes it was a slightly closer tussle with Kane Williamson as the New Zealand captain followed his Auckland century with a lean Test in Christchurch. Coming up for Root later this year is the head-to-head with Virat Kohli.Bayliss remains largely phlegmatic about Root’s conversion rate and would like to see the rest of the batting order take some pressure off the captain. There were just four centuries scored across the seven Tests in Australia and New Zealand, two by Jonny Bairstow and one apiece for Cook and Malan.”I’m sure he would have liked a few more runs himself but there’s a fair bit of pressure on him to be the one who scores the runs and we need a few more runs from some of the other guys,” Bayliss said. “I think that would take a little bit of the pressure off Joe. But he’s a guy who sets himself very high standards so I’m sure he’d be a little bit disappointed he hasn’t turned some of the starts into big hundreds.”

Manchester United are now interested in signing an exciting youngster whose playing style has been compared to Chelsea's Moises Caicedo, according to a report.

Who could Man United sign in January?

Man United used the recent international break to scout defensive prospects, having watched Benfica's Antonio Silva and Atalanta's Giorgio Scalvini, amid former captain Harry Maguire's uncertain future at Old Trafford.

In the summer transfer window, the Red Devils managed to strengthen their midfield considerably, bringing in Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat, but Erik ten Hag is seemingly still keen on additional options, with Royal Antwerp's Arthur Vermeeren now of interest.

There have now been reports that Inter Milan's Nicolo Barella was strongly considered by United in the summer, but no official offer was submitted, with the financial constraints at Old Trafford hindering their chances of signing the Italian.

As such, Man United may have to turn their attention towards a more unproven option to bolster their midfield, with Tutto Juve reporting they are now seriously interested in signing Oscar Zambrano, who currently plays for Ecuadorian side LDU Quito.

However, United may have to fight it out with some of Europe's top clubs, as the Italian outlet reports that Barcelona and Juventus are also interested in the "great prospect for the future" ahead of the January transfer window.

Tutto Juve state that Juventus would initially give the 19-year-old experience in the U23 team, should they win the race for his signature, indicating he would not be at the level to immediately challenge for a starting place at Old Trafford.

However, the starlet could still be an exciting signing for the future, given that he is clearly thought of in very high regard by a number of sides across Europe, with Ajax and Luton Town making approaches for him back in the summer transfer window.

Who is Oscar Zambrano?

The Santo Domingo-born midfielder made his breakthrough with LDU Quito in 2022, and he has since gone on to establish himself in the first team, making a total of 36 appearances for the Ecuadorian club.

There are indications the youngster could also be about to announce himself on the international scene with Ecuador, having made 14 appearances for the U20 side since his debut in June 2022.

The Ecuador U21 international has scored just one professional goal, as he has mainly been utilised as a defensive midfielder, making 27 appearances in that area of the pitch, due to his defensive qualities.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has provided an overview of the Quito star's abilities on X, describing him as a "modern holding midfielder", while also praising him for his tackling, pace and passing, among a number of other key strengths.

Perhaps in light of the central midfielder's tackling ability, he has been likened to compatriot Moises Caicedo, who signed for Chelsea for a British record £115m fee in the summer.

It would be very difficult for Zambrano to replicate Caicedo's rise to the top, but he is clearly a very talented youngster, and Man United should continue to monitor him ahead of January.

West Bromwich Albion failed to find a regular source of goals throughout the 2022/23 Championship season as their top scorer ended up with seven strikes.

Brandon Thomas-Asante and Daryl Dike both found the back of the net seven times and Carlos Corberan will be hoping that one of them, or new signing Josh Maja, is able to score with greater regularity this term.

Who are West Brom's most expensive signings?

The Baggies have spent a lot of money over the years in an attempt to find a consistent goalscorer and that is evidenced by four of their five most expensive signings in their history being centre-forwards.

Player

Fee paid

Salomon Rondon

£14.6m

Karlan Grant

£14.1m

Nacer Chadli

£13m

Oliver Burke

£13m

Jay Rodriguez

£11.7m

Fees via Transfermarkt.

West Brom have been willing to shell out significant transfer fees in search of a prolific number nine and one of their failures in that respect was Brown Ideye, who arrived at the club in the summer of 2010.

How much did West Brom pay for Ideye?

Alan Irvine, who was the team's manager at the time, swooped to sign the centre-forward from Dynamo Kyiv for a reported fee of £10m in 2014, which made him the most expensive player in the club's history at that point.

The likes of Rodriguez, Grant, and Rondon have since been bought for more than Ideye but there is little doubt that the Baggies had a shocker with that signing as he ended a rough time in England.

Irvine had described the former Dynamo star as a "powerful" and quality marksman and seemingly believed that the £10m addition would be the go-to man for goals at the top end of the pitch.

He arrived at The Hawthorns off the back of an excellent spell in Kyiv as the Nigeria international plundered 42 goals and 11 assists in 103 matches in all competitions. This included 34 goals in 78 Premier League outings as he showcased his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

Ideye had also enjoyed a strong stint with Sochaux in France prior to his move to Ukraine. The £10m-rated forward had scored 15 goals in 35 Ligue 1 appearances during the 2010/11 campaign, which promoted his transfer to Dynamo.

He started his career, however, with Neuchatel Xamax FCS in Switzerland. The attacker scored 30 goals and provided 16 assists in 61 clashes for the club in all competitions after making the breakthrough from academy football.

These statistics show that West Brom were signing a player who had scored goals for several different clubs in multiple countries, including 15 goals in a major European league in France.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why they were confident enough to splash out a club-record fee to secure his signature as they believed that he would do the same in England.

How many goals did Ideye score for West Brom?

However, that was not the case as the Nigerian finisher struggled throughout his time in English football and left the Baggies after scoring seven goals in 31 appearances in all competitions.

Ideye endured a rough debut season in the Premier League as he only scored four goals in 24 matches after his big-money move from Dynamo, which was considerably worse than the 15 he managed in France for Sochaux.

He averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.36 in that time and that was the 22nd-highest score within the squad, out of 26 players – with three of the four players below him failing to start more than one game – and this highlights how disappointing his performances were.

Ideye also ranked fifth and second within the team for how many times he was dispossessed and gave the ball away through poor control respectively per game.

These statistics show that the former Sochaux star struggled to deal with the quality on display at the top level of English football as opposition players found it far too easy to take the ball off him and he did not make up for it with enough goals at the top end of the pitch.

The Nigerian forward later revealed that he felt "overwhelmed" by the expectation that came with being the club's record signing and lambasted the lack of patience people had with him as he attempted to adapt to life in England and the Premier League.

His struggles may also have played a part in Irvine's eventual sacking in December of 2019 as the Scottish tactician's huge summer signing failed to make the desired impact on the pitch.

Tony Pulis came in to replace him in January but was also unable to get Ideye firing to the best of his abilities and that led to the striker's exit in the summer of 2015 as the Welsh boss opted to allow him to leave instead of attempting to give him another season to find his feet.

How much did West Brom sell Ideye for?

The Baggies reportedly cashed in on him for a fee of €6m (£5m) at the end of the 2014/15 campaign as Greek giants Olympiacos came in with an offer to take him away from The Hawthorns after just one year.

This means that the West Brom flop's market value plummeted by a whopping £5m in just 12 months as his poor Premier League form resulted in his price halving from the £10m that the club initially paid Dynamo in 2014.

Therefore, Irvine had a howler with the signing of the Nigeria international, who scored six goals in 27 caps for his country, as the move did not have the desired effect on the pitch, as evidenced by his aforementioned statistics, and it came at a significant financial loss for the club.

Ideye went on to score 28 goals and assisted ten in 65 appearances for Olympiacos, which included 23 goals in 43 Super League outings, as he rediscovered his form in front of goal.

The 34-year-old marksman was most recently with Al-Yarmouk SC in Kuwait and endured a difficult spell in Turkey with Goztepe prior to that move. He scored three times in 36 matches for the Turkish side and two of those came in his 35 league games between the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.

The offspinner savoured a career-best 4 for 33 against a fancied Afghanistan team at the Bulawayo Athletic Club

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo08-Mar-2018″This was my dream,” Ehsan Khan, the offspinner, said as he led a victorious Hong Kong team from the field at the Bulawayo Athletic Club. Ehsan’s 4 for 33 is his career best, and to make it even sweeter it came against a Full Member.”Thanks to almighty Allah, I got the Man-of the-Match award. I’m so happy that it came against Afghanistan, a Test nation. As a team, we always stick together, and we believed that we could beat them.”Ehsan’s spell started with two wickets in his very first over – Rahmat Shah and Ihsanullah – and there was no let up in pressure. He was helped by the conditions in Bulawayo. Every team that has played here has remarked about the amount of turn on offer.”There was a lot of turn,” Ehsan said. “In Hong Kong, we have the same wickets, with the turn. So we knew how to bowl on this wicket. I just stuck to one line. I didn’t do anything special, just bowled one line. I just bowled in the right area, and the result came.”While their win over a fancied Afghanistan team might have surprised many, captain Babar Hayat wasn’t one of them, and he insisted that Hong Kong’s success was the result of hard work and the progress made over the last few years.”These guys have been performing well for the last three or four years,” Hayat said. “The combination of Nadeem and Ehsan has performed well in the past. We’ve been working really hard for the last two years, and we’re capable of getting into the Super Six. Today, we showed that we are capable. We are still in [with a good chance].”Hong Kong’s victory was all the more remarkable given their performance in their first match against Scotland. Two days ago, they had been bowled out for just 91 at this ground. While their bowlers still made inroads in that match, Hong Kong just didn’t have the runs to defend. This time, they did.”In the game we played against Scotland, we didn’t bat well,” Hayat said. “But we did bowl well, and we took six wickets. We knew if we scored at least 200 [against Afghanistan], that would be difficult for them.””Today we showed we can beat any team,” Ehsan said, echoing Hayat’s sentiments. “I’m so happy. The guys have really worked hard, and after the first match, which we lost, we still stuck together.””As captain, this win means a lot to me,” Hayat said. “Back home, our fans and families and friends have been texting, and getting support from them meant a lot.”

Liverpool have enquired about a deal to sign Barcelona forward Abde Ezzalzouli, but the move coming to fruition will likely depend on one condition, according to reports.

What position is Abde Ezzalzouli?

Ezzalzouli is naturally a left-winger who has plied his trade at the Camp Nou since 2021 having initially joined the club’s youth set-up, but having only ever made 14 senior appearances under Xavi, he spent last season out on loan at CA Osasuna where he excelled.

The Morocco international firmly established himself as Jagoba Arrasate’s top-performing offensive player, so despite the fact that he still has another three years remaining on his contract with his parent club, he’s been earmarked by several teams in England.

In the Premier League, Aston Villa have already submitted an offer whilst Crystal Palace have also approached, alongside recently relegated Leeds United, who held talks earlier in the window, though a move ever came to fruition.

The Catalans are believed to have told the 21-year-old that they won’t allow him to leave on loan and are only willing to sanction a permanent transfer, something which Jurgen Klopp appears to be interested in if the following update is to be believed.

Are Liverpool signing Abde Ezzalzouli?

According to Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness), Liverpool have "asked" for information on Ezzalzouli, with Barcelona having "received communication of the interest" from Merseyside.

The Camp Nou outfit are "waiting" to see whether FSG will submit an official offer for the attacker, who "wants out" despite recently holding encouraging talks that could see him stay for the remainder of the season.

Passing

Holding onto the ball

Aerial duels (Via WhoScored)

How many goals has Abde Ezzalzouli scored?

During his time at CA Osasuna, Ezzalzouli racked up eight goal contributions (six goals and two assists) in 34 appearances which is an impressive record for a loan player, and he even posed a threat regardless of if the ball hit the back of the net or not.

Barcelona’s £4k-per-week earner ranked in the 97th percentile for successful take-ons by players in his position, which shows how much he loves to dribble past his marker and create chances for himself and his fellow teammates in the final third, form which saw him receive two man-of-the-match awards from WhoScored.

Read The Latest Liverpool Transfer News HERE…

The Beni-Mellal native is also a versatile operator with his ability to be deployed everywhere across the frontline, including out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside at centre-forward, which is yet another attribute that the boss will no doubt be attracted to.

Furthermore, Ezzalzouli, who has been dubbed the “Moroccan Flash” by talent scout Jacek Kulig due to his pace, is even making a name for himself on the international stage having emerged as the top goalscorer at the U23s Africa Cup of Nations, so he truly is a star in the making and someone that has the potential to be the long-term future of the club.

India’s captain felt vindicated in his assessment that India came close to winning in the first two Tests of this series after a “sweet” win in Johannesburg that he compared with Lord’s 2014

Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg27-Jan-2018Virat Kohli felt vindicated in his assessment that India came close to winning in the first two Tests of this series after a “sweet” win in Johannesburg that “will be remembered for a long time”. India’s captain compared the win with Lord’s 2014, but insisted this was more special because he felt nobody had backed his side to go the distance.”Lord’s was very special because we were playing on a similar sort of pitch; not as fast as this, but it was very challenging and we had won there because of our batting efforts and the bowlers coming together well,” Kohli said. “So, we had to show character in this game, and step up not for anyone else but for the belief of the team. When no one is believing in you, no one’s backing you, it’s very important to back yourselves as individuals.”So we never really cared about what people are saying about us. We knew that if we play well together as a team, we can win here, and we felt we were close in the first two games also but didn’t close off games well, and sessions well. Yeah, the batting really showed courage, and took that challenge head on as I mentioned before, and the results were there to see. And the bowlers were outstanding throughout the series, and even now, taking 20 wickets and doing the job for us, it feels really well.”Kohli said this win could have a massive impact on the progress of this team. “It could be a massive milestone for us,” Kohli said. “We already had the belief but now we have the result to back it up. We certainly believe that any conditions we are given we certainly have it in our abilities to think about winning Test matches. Yes we will lose some but we will end up winning a lot as well. This day will be remembered for a long time as a team. I believe that, and the whole team believes that. The mood in the change room is amazing right now. And you know the guys are looking forward to repeating this much more in conditions that are not ours.”

It could be a massive milestone for us. We already had the belief but now we have the result to back it upVirat Kohli

One of the biggest credits to this team in this Test is they wanted to be there, and they were not wary of batsmen having to face the difficult conditions first up despite being under pressure. “I can say or write anything about anyone but when you’re in there, facing their bowling attack on that sort of a wicket, and then when you decide to bat first, you need to be sure and you need to have belief in yourself,” Kohli said of the decision to bat first. “So, we certainly back ourselves as a team, and that’s something we have done throughout this tour. Yes, we were disappointed things did not come together in the first two games but we are really proud of this effort.”There was concern if India would get the chance to finish the job off after play was suspended 19 minutes before stumps on day three. “We played out two innings, we got hit at numerous occasions and we did not make anything of it,” Kohli said. “You know, we carried on. We knew we were going to be hit but you need to show character, you cannot say that it’s tough or doing too much. We are playing in Johannesburg not in India, so we had to come out here and deal with what was given to us and we have dealt with it pretty well. I wasn’t concerned at all because the ball was in South Africa’s court. They had to make a decision. Our decision was to play at all times, and that didn’t change through the course of four days.”That the win came on such a pitch gave Kohli the extra satisfaction. “When we saw the pitch, we knew it was going to be an equal chance for both sides,” he said. “We decided to take the challenge head on. So it feels really, really satisfying to have won on a pitch that was supposed to have pace and bounce, and it did and it played to our advantage.”

Burnley have now received a major update on their pursuit of Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, who they have already submitted a £12m bid for.

What's the latest Burnley transfer news?

Although they have already spent a total of €91.6m (£78.3m) this summer, the Clarets still have the money to fund a pursuit of a new striker, with Football Insider reporting they are ready to spend £25m to sign a prolific forward before the deadline.

Vincent Kompany believes that adding a new prolific forward to his ranks will be key to his side's survival in the Premier League, and he is ready to spend big on the right player, having identified some potential options.

FC Nordsjaelland star Ernest Nuamah has recently been named as a target, with it being reported that Burnley are ready to make their move for the youngster, who is valued at £22m by his current club.

However, the Clarets could now be set to face fierce competition for Nuamah, with West Ham United recently submitting a bid, while Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion are said to be very keen admirers.

Not only is Kompany keen on adding a new striker, he is also running the rule over a new winger, with Football Insider reporting they have already submitted a bid of £10m, rising to £12m in add-ons for Clarke.

However, Sunderland have knocked back that offer, and it has now been reported that the Black Cats have slapped a £15m asking price on their in-demand attacker, who could be tempted by a move to the Premier League.

Despite having their opening bid knocked back, the Clarets retain an active interest in the left-winger, which suggests they could return to the negotiating table with an improved bid, closer to Sunderland's asking price, before the transfer window slams shut.

How many goals has Jack Clarke scored for Sunderland?

Although he is primarily a winger, the Englishman has managed to find the back of the net fairly regularly for Sunderland, scoring 13 goals in 74 games, during which time he has also weighed in with 18 assists, showcasing his play making abilities.

The York-born winger emerged as a key player for the Black Cats last season, weighing in with nine goals and 12 assists in 45 Championship games, indicating he may now be ready to make the step-up to the Premier League.

Early last season, the Sunderland star also showcased his versatility by starring at left-wing back, receiving praise from journalist James Copley for his performance, who said:

"Two assists of the highest quality and a superb individual goal for Jack Clarke tonight already. All coming from LWB. Not his preferred position coming to Sunderland but my god, what a performance this evening. Just fantastic."

Although a striker should be a key priority for Kompany, Clarke has proven that he could also be a fantastic addition to his squad, given that he is able to play in several positions, and poses a threat on the front foot, so Burnley should return with an improved offer in the near future.

He had been the head coach of Bangladesh in 2012, but quit the job after only five months, citing “interference from the board”

Mohammad Isam06-Dec-2017In 2012, when Richard Pybus was head coach of Bangladesh, he quit the job after only five months citing “interference by the board”. Now, in 2017, he is one of three prospective candidates to take charge of the team. The BCB has, nevertheless, asked him for an explanation for the comments he made five years ago.Board president Nazmul Hassan did not disclose Pybus’ reply, but said that his presentation focused on what he wanted to do for the future of Bangladesh cricket.Pybus was the senior team’s coach from June to October in 2012, and left after disagreements with the BCB. He had questioned the board directors’ knowledge of the game and alleged that details of his contract were released to the public as well.”Of course we had [his resignation from Bangladesh] in mind,” Hassan said. “We asked him plenty of questions about it. But it is better we don’t talk about the previous board. He is saying the same things [about the board]. I asked him, then why do you want to come now? He had his answer, but I don’t think we need to talk about it.”Hassan said that the BCB is looking to interview two more candidates after Pybus, one of whom is former West Indies international Phil Simmons, who is supposed to arrive on December 9. A decision on the head coach could be taken during a board meeting scheduled for the following day.”It is hard to say whether we are going to appoint a coach before the Sri Lanka series [in January 2018] but we are trying to get someone soon,” Hassan said. “Simmons will arrive on December 9 while another coach is also supposed to arrive within this time. We won’t reveal his name. We want to take a decision on our December 10 meeting.”

Both openers capitalised on vastly improved batting conditions, both overhead and underfoot, to lead India’s recovery on the fourth day in Kolkata

The Report by Nikhil Kalro19-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:08

Chopra: SL bowlers looked ordinary on day four

Openers KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan capitalised on vastly improved batting conditions, both overhead and underfoot, to lead India’s recovery on the fourth day in Kolkata. After Rangana Herath’s third Test fifty had bulked up Sri Lanka’s lead to 122, there was only one likely winner in the game. But then after Dhawan struck a 116-ball 94 and Rahul hit an unbeaten 73, there would be none it seemed.Mohammed Shami, on his home ground, rattled through Sri Lanka’s middle order to finish with four wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar added two wickets on the fourth day to return 4 for 88 in bowling Sri Lanka out for 294. With Umesh Yadav also taking two wickets, this was the third time India’s seamers took all ten wickets in a Test innings at home, and the first such instance since 1983-84.Rahul and Dhawan then replied with aggression that has typified their recent Test run. Sunny overhead conditions and a surface that seemed to have settled down helped drastically.On most pitches, a slightly fuller-than-good length is ideal. But Lahiru Gamage bowled on either side of that, dishing out three half-volleys to Rahul in his first over, which were punched for three boundaries through mid-off. He compensated with a shorter length thereafter, erring in Dhawan’s wheelhouse, who cut and pulled gleefully.In Kolkata’s humidity, Dinesh Chandimal was quickly forced to turn his spinners. With no turn, it played nicely into the openers’ hands. Rahul nudged and nurdled, opening and closing the bat face to accumulate runs, while Dhawan was more expansive, often using his feet to loft the ball straight.Herath, more often than not Sri Lanka’s second-innings star, was taken apart. In 29 overs, India had wiped out their deficit, and undone more than three days of diligence from Sri Lanka.BCCIWith Dhawan on 94 and the light fading, he committed the only two mistakes of his innings off the same delivery. He drove loosely at Dasun Shanaka, but an inswinger found his inside edge. He reviewed immediately, and replays showed a sharp spike as ball passed bat. India finished the fourth day at 171 for 1, with a lead of 49. Cheteshwar Pujara, who finished unbeaten on 2, could become the ninth batsman to bat on all five days of a Test.Niroshan Dickwella and Chandimal began the fourth morning under sunny skies by counterattacking India’s seamers. But like Sadeera Samarawickrama found out on the third day, hitting through the line can be fraught with risk against the moving ball because it threatens both edges. Their approach worked for the first half hour, taking Sri Lanka to 200, a handy lead of 28, but just when it seemed like Sri Lanka wrested control, India hit back. Sri Lanka’s middle order tried to make contact with the ball, as opposed to allowing themselves to be beaten by playing the line. It was a ploy to move the Test along, and on a seaming surface like this, it wasn’t a bad one.Dickwella had punched, cut and pulled merrily, but was also beaten repeatedly. Shami got one to seam in from his around-the-wicket angle, then bounce and jag away – enough to find the outside edge, but not exaggerated movement to beat the edge.Bhuvneshwar, in the next over, set up Dasun Shanaka with an outswinger well outside off. He started the next ball on a similar line, but it hooped back prodigiously to hit Shanaka, offering no shot with an intent to leave as many as he could, on the back pad. Only James Anderson is more adept at using this tactic with the swinging ball in Tests currently.Five balls later, Chandimal was caught fishing outside his off stump against Shami. Again, the ball did just enough to find the outside edge. Suddenly, Sri Lanka had slipped to 201 for 7.It got worse for Sri Lanka when Dilruwan Perera was given out lbw off a sharp inducker from Shami that beat his inside edge. Dilruwan, it appeared, accepted the decision and turned around to walk towards the dressing room, but asked for a review moments later. Replays showed the ball hit Dilruwan outside the line of off stump.Herath was particularly effective with cross-batted strokes on either side of the wicket. He would frequently perch on the back foot, and depending on the line, either cut through point or pull past midwicket. Considering deliveries on a good or short length were routinely beating him with a straight bat, it was a rewarding strategy. He had moved to 67 before slicing a catch to deep backward point off Bhuvneshwar.