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An update has emerged on Liverpool and how their midfield is shaping up ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign…

Is Thiago Alcantara leaving Liverpool?

Journalist James Pearce has revealed that teams from Saudi Arabia are eyeing up a swoop for Reds midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

However, the Spain international is not desperate to depart Anfield, despite having one year left on his deal, and has already rejected a chance to complete a transfer.

The reporter Tweeted: "Thiago is the subject of serious interest from Saudi Arabia and has already turned down one lucrative offer. His current plan is to stay at LFC for final year of his contract. Remains to be seen whether that stance changes in the coming weeks."

This comes after GOAL's Neil Jones reported that Turkish giants Fenerbahce are one of the sides interested in a deal for the ex-Barcelona star this summer.

Who could replace Thiago Alcantara at Liverpool?

Jurgen Klopp must ruthlessly ditch the 32-year-old flop as he has become a liability throughout his time at Anfield due to his lack of availability.

The £20m dud has missed a staggering 66 competitive matches through injury or illness over his three seasons in England, which means that he has not been a reliable option for the German boss.

Klopp must now reignite his interest in Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram, who was dubbed a "monster" by writer Sam McGuire, in order to free up the space to part ways with Thiago.

Journalist Ben Jacobs claimed that Liverpool explored a deal for the Frenchman, who could cost around €60m (£51m), before they decided to move on after the signing of Dominik Szoboszlai.

However, if the manager truly wants to upgrade his midfield this term, then he must reverse that decision.

Thuram, who has no significant injuries listed in his career to date, has made 89 competitive appearances for Nice over the last two seasons, which shows that the French gem is a durable player who Klopp can rely on to be available the majority of the time.

He is also an impressive performer in the middle of the park. The 22-year-old dynamo averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.04 across 35 league outings last season, which would place him eighth amongst the Liverpool squad throughout 2022/23 and ahead of the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones.

Thuram, who was hailed as "powerful" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, created 1.1 chances per game for Nice – 0.1 more than any Reds midfielder managed last term – and could use his ability on the ball to open up opposition defences on a regular basis for the likes of Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Darwin Nunez to thrive in the final third.

These statistics suggest that the Ligue 1 sensation has the potential to be an excellent addition to Liverpool's squad and one that would allow Klopp to part ways with Thiago.

Fhe France international is a consistent performer as well as a durable campaigner who does not miss many matches, making him the perfect successor.

ESPNcricinfo’s wrap of the fourth day’s play between Victoria and Western Australia in Alice Springs

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2017
Scorecard File photo – James Pattinson finished with match figures of 6 for 93•Getty ImagesVictoria will have the chance to win a third consecutive Sheffield Shield title after winning through to the final thanks to their victory over Western Australia in Alice Springs.The Warriors began the final day on 7 for 238, hoping to build a defendable lead, but managed to add only 20 to their total for the loss of their last three wickets. James Pattinson finished with 5 for 58, his first five-wicket haul in a first-class match since December 2015.That left Victoria chasing 83 and they did it comfortably, losing only two wickets along the way. Opener Marcus Harris top scored with 43 and Marcus Stoinis, who is about to join Australia’s Test squad in India, finished unbeaten on 25.The result means Victoria are guaranteed a place in the Shield final, although their opponent is yet to be decided. Depending on results in the final round of matches, any of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia or even Western Australia could yet make the decider.

Pundit Frank McAvennie has been reacting to a Celtic transfer claim regarding Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey.

Are Celtic signing Daniel Amartey?

The Hoops and Brendan Rodgers look set for a busy few months in the transfer market and have already made a start on their summer business, with a move for midfielder Odin Thiago Holm confirmed by the club.

Melbourne City attacker Marco Tilio looks like he could be the next through the door, and another player of interest appears to be Amartey, previously described as "outstanding" and “aggressive” by Rodgers.

Reports earlier this month suggested that the Hoops are prepared to contact Amartey’s agent ahead of a potential move to the Scottish Premiership.

The Foxes defender will officially become a free agent at the beginning of July, and McAvennie has been giving his thoughts on a possible free transfer.

Talking to Football Insider, McAvennie believes Amartey is the type of player Rodgers will want to bring to Parkhead and feels the Ghana international could be a “revelation” in Scotland, who go on to be sold for £20m if he impresses.

“That is the kind of player that Brendan is going to want. The Premier League is a fierce league, it is the best league in the world and it is a lot harder to make it down there than people think it is.

“They can get him for nothing and if he does well they will sell him for £20m, that has been the blueprint of Celtic for years. He needs game time and he will get it at Celtic.”

Who else could Celtic sign this summer?

Rodgers reportedly has a £30m transfer budget ahead of the 2023/24 season, and there has been no shortage of transfer rumours in recent days.

Former Celtic star Kieran Tierney, now with Arsenal, would consider a return to Parkhead this summer on a season-long loan, and the club could still bring in more players from Asia.

It is believed that a significant bid has been placed for winger Yang Hyun-jun from Gangwon FC, whereas Gwangju FC duo Eom Ji-sung and Jeong Ho-yeon have also been scouted ahead of possible Parkhead moves.

Amartey, who has made more appearances under Rodgers than any other manager during his career, would bring plenty of experience and versatility to Parkhead, should a deal go through, as he is capable of playing in defence or midfield, winning the Premier League and FA Cup while with the Foxes, and a move looks like it could be one to monitor.

The visibility of the pink ball when catching was a concern in the Plunket Shield, but Eden Park, the proposed venue for the day-night Test against England next year, was given a positive review

Andrew McGlashan09-Mar-2017The visibility of the pink ball when catching was one concern cited during the round of Plunket Shield matches played under lights in New Zealand this week but Eden Park, the proposed venue for the day-night Test against England next year, was given a positive review.The round of matches was designed to test the pink ball in New Zealand conditions ahead of rubber-stamping a floodlit Test against England next March. The weather had a significant impact with two days getting washed out in Auckland. Hamilton was also severely disrupted and only the match in Wellington had more than two innings.Legspinner Ish Sodhi, who claimed 7 for 107 against Central Districts at Seddon Park, said it was tricky judging distance in the field. “Catching under lights was very tough, the perception of the ball is different. I personally found it hard to figure out how far it was from my face whenever the ball was coming towards me. You think it’s a little bit further away than what it is and it gets to you a little bit quicker.”In that match Central Districts declared nine down during the night session on the opening day and then seamer Seth Rance ripped through Northern Districts under the lights. He had 4 for 6 by the close and finished with 6 for 31 in the rain-ruined contest. Henry Cooper, who faced Rance during that night-time spell, said that the visibility of the ball was fine but swing caused the problems.”It did swing around quite a bit,” Cooper said. “The pink ball wasn’t too tough to pick up; it was just the sort of swing that went on late last night. It was tricky to deal with and obviously we didn’t deal with it as good as we could have.”It did move around for our seamers at the start of the day as well. I think it was the night factor made it feel like it was maybe doing a little more than it possibly was.”Donovan Grobbelaar, the Auckland pace bowler who played in the Eden Park match, had no concerns about the conditions. “I had no problems [with visibility],” he said. “We found it pretty easy viewing. At Eden Park it’s got pretty exceptional lighting so it helps.”Michael Papps, the Wellington opener, scored New Zealand’s first pink ball century – beating Andrew Ellis to the mark by a few minutes – and said that while adjusting to conditions between the middle and last session was demanding, the ball itself behaved well.”The first two sessions were quite similar but the third session certainly did feel quite different, before went off for dinner there was still a lot of natural light but coming back out the lights had definitely kicked in and it took quite a bit of adjusting to the artificial lights. There might have been a bit of uncertainty with the pink ball but to be fair it’s played pretty well and hasn’t done out of ordinary.”Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, who played in the inaugural day-night Test in Australia recently said he was a supporter of innovation in the game but cautioned about there being to vast a difference between the conditions for day-night and traditional Tests.Eden Park and Seddon Park are the two likeliest venues for day-night Test cricket in New Zealand in the future although the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, which hosted its first first-class match in this round, and McLean Park in Napier could be options.”We believe this time of the year is the best time of the year,” David White, the NZC CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. “We are just going through that trial now to make sure. We’ll know more after this round but the most obvious thing is to see how the ball performs in New Zealand conditions and from a visibility point of view how it reacts. We played the first day-night Test in Australia so are very comfortable with the prospect but are just going through our due diligence.”The ground in Napier is currently undergoing extensive remedial work on the outfield after the abandoned ODI against Australia, which led to them losing the South Africa fixture, but White said there would not be a black mark against them in the future.”We’ve worked very close with the local authorities and they will invest a lot in the facilities. It is very important for us to have cricket throughout the country.”

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain, who had missed the India Test earlier this month, has also been recalled for the series which starts from March 7

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2017Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has returned to Bangladesh’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, along with pace bowler Rubel Hossain. Opener Imrul Kayes will miss the two-match series, which starts from March 7, due to a thigh injury.Bangladesh had omitted Mustafizur from the squad for the one-off Test against India earlier this month, as the team management felt the bowler was not yet 100% fit for a return to five-day cricket. Mustafizur had undergone shoulder surgery in August last year, after picking up an injury while playing for Sussex. He was selected for the New Zealand tour in December-January, and played four limited-overs matches before being ruled out of the two Tests due to a hamstring injury. The bowler has played only two Tests in his career so far – in the home series against South Africa in July-August 2015.Mustafizur went back to Bangladesh’s first-class competition, playing two rounds of the Bangladesh Cricket League, and his bowling spells in the matches convinced Bangladesh’s chief selector, Minhajul Abedin, that the bowler was ready for the full tour.”I am really impressed with the way he bowled in the second innings. I think he got back his rhythm,” Minhajul had noted last week.Mustafizur has replaced Shafiul Islam from the squad that traveled to India. Imrul had also been named in the team for the Hyderabad Test but withdrew after hurting his thigh in the tour match against India A, a recurrence of the injury that had kept him out of the Christchurch Test last month. Mosaddek Hossain, who flew to India as cover for Imrul, has been picked for the Sri Lanka Tests. Minhajul said on Tuesday that Imrul could be added to the squad for the second Test if he proves his fitness in the next round of the Bangladesh Cricket League, which starts from February 26. Imrul is playing the current round for South Zone and scored 31 on the opening day of their match against North Zone.Rubel had also missed the Hyderabad Test, losing his place to Shafiul after returns of 0 for 65 in Christchurch where Bangladesh lost by nine wickets. However, the bowler did well in the Bangladesh Cricket League, taking ten wickets in two matches for South Zone.The first Test will be played from March 7 in Galle, while the second match in Colombo, which starts from March 15, will be Bangladesh’s 100th in the format.Bangladesh Test squad Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mosaddek Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Subashis Roy, Rubel Hossain.

Manchester City have built an unbeatable squad over the last few years and it finally paid off for Pep Guardiola when his impressive side completed the treble, winning the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup last season.

It's hard to believe that the Sky Blues would be in the market this summer but the ruthless operation at the Eithad has been a testament to their success as they continue to acquire the services of some of the best talent in the world.

Mateo Kovacic became the first signing of the summer transfer window for City and will hope he can make the desired impact on his move to the North West, but it seems like the former Chelsea star hasn't been the only midfielder that Guardiola has been chasing.

The Premier League champions made an attempt to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, as reported by David Ornstein they made a massive bid to rival Arsenal earlier this week:

However, the Gunners upped their bid which quickly led to Man City pulling out of the race and now the England star is set to complete his move to the Emirates imminently.

Whilst Guardiola is unfamiliar with missing out on transfer targets, he could now be set to seek out a cheaper alternative this summer and recently linked Marcelo Brozovic could be the perfect short-term solution at the Etihad next season.

Should Man City sign Marcelo Brozovic?

The Inter Milan midfielder's future has been up in the air for the last few weeks with not only a move to the blue side of Manchester speculated, but has also earned interest from Barcelona and Saudi Arabian clubs.

Brozovic is now 30 years old and whilst he can't provide the longevity that Rice could have given to City, he could provide a great output in the centre of the pitch that would be valuable at the Etihad next season.

Over 28 Serie A appearances last season, the Croatian star – hailed "unbelievable" by journalist Dean Jones – scored three goals, registered five assists and successfully completed 63% of his dribbles, displaying solid attacking attributes in his versatile role.

When comparing Brozovic's output with Rice in league football over the latest campaign, the pair shared many similarities including their pass completion rate (87.7% v 86.5%), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.95 v 2.75) and take-on success rate (59.3% v 55.6%), proving that the Inter Milan midfielder could be a worthy cheaper alternative for Guardiola.

With that being said, if reports are to be believed it would only cost €25m (£22m) to secure the services of Brozovic for next season which would be a steal in comparison to Rice and could make him one to watch for City this summer.

Aston Villa are reportedly edging towards a Liga Portugal gem, as Unai Emery bids to bolster his attack this summer.

The Spaniard will be joined by Monchi as president of football operations, adding a presence of experience in striking strong deals in the transfer window.

Emery has taken Villa to new heights, which Monchi could add to in signing the latest player linked to the club who has emerged as one of the continent's best performers this season.

What’s the latest on Pedro Goncalves to Aston Villa?

As reported by Portuguese outlet A Bola – relayed by Sport Witness – earlier this week, Aston Villa are continuing their pursuit of Sporting CP attacker Pedro Goncalves.

The report claims that Villa are ‘insisting’ on signing the forward, however, aren’t keen on paying the €80m (£69m) release clause set by the Portuguese giants for their star player.

A Bola suspect that the Midlands club are wanting to pay a fee in the region of €40m (£34m) for the winger, adding that Sporting have ‘no reason’ to negotiate a lower price for their player due to the near sale of Manuel Ugarte to Paris Saint Germain.

What could Pedro Goncalves offer to Aston Villa?

Monchi will have to pull off his first masterclass in order to get Sporting to budge on their price tag for Goncalves, with the winger shaping to be a marquee signing for the Villans if a deal can be reached.

Registering 26 G/A in 33 Liga Portugal appearances for his club this season, the 24-year-old isn’t a player that the Lions are going to see depart without a fight.

Securing an average match rating of 7.51 this campaign, the winger ranked as the club’s second-highest performer in the league as per Sofascore.

The Chaves-born ace could offer an abundance of talent to Emery’s side, who are preparing to challenge in Europe next term after securing a spot in the UEFA Europe Conference League.

The heights reached by the versatile attacker have seen him linked statistically to Premier League ace Kevin De Bruyne, setting the tone for the calibre of player Monchi could deliver to Villa Park.

Hailed as a “superstar” by pundit Jack Collins, Goncalves compares closely to De Bruyne based on their numbers recorded over the past year, with FBref showing the Portuguese star’s influence in the final third.

When comparing the two via FBref, the 24-year-old averages fractionally better than the treble-winning maestro in terms of non-penalty goals, registering 0.30 per 90 to the Belgian’s 0.26.

The 31-year-old crept just ahead in providing successful take-ons, averaging 1.21 to Goncalves’ 1.19 per 90, insinuating the threat that he could pose in the Premier League with consideration of the Manchester City ace’s dominance.

As well as being a threat in front of goal, the Sporting gem is a keen creator too, averaging a huge 2.3 key passes per game, providing the potential to be a diamond asset to the rest of the squad at Villa Park. Indeed, like the City ace, this is a player who is equally good in front of goal as he is creating for others.

As such, Monchi could cement himself as a hero around the Midlands if he can reach an agreement to secure the signature of the 24-year-old, who could thrive under the genius stroke of Emery.

Sunderland have been quick off the mark with their transfer business this summer, already bringing in centre-back Nectarios Triantis and young midfielder Jobe Bellingham, the brother of now-Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.

But that excitement may well be offset by possible departures, with Jack Clarke a target for a number of Premier League sides, while Amad Diallo has also returned to parent club Manchester United.

Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray has admitted it is "very unlikely" Diallo will return to the Stadium of Light next season – a loan switch to a Premier League club seems the most likely option – but that is not to say there are not adequate replacements out there.

Replacing the 14 goals and three assists Diallo provided in 39 Championship matches last season will be no easy feat, but Sunderland have shown with their impressive transfer business in recent windows that anything is possible.

According to a recent report by Sunderland Nation, Swansea City's young attacking midfielder Morgan Whittaker is one of those being eyed up to fill the void left by Diallo.

Who is Swansea City attacker Morgan Whittaker?

Whittaker impressed on loan with Plymouth Argyle in the first half of last season in League One, scoring nine goals and assisting another seven in 25 appearances for the Pilgrims.

That type of form was never going to go unnoticed, and so it proved in January when Swansea recalled the 22-year-old with the aim of bolstering their own attack.

However, Whittaker took to social media at the time to say he was "devastated" his time at Plymouth was cut short. The England U20 international clearly knew what awaited him, as he started just twice for Swansea in the Championship in the second half of last season.

Whittaker's future in South Wales now appears uncertain, with Sunderland perhaps looking to take advantage by tabling a bid for a player on wages of around £5k-a-week, according to Capology.

While Whittaker has not truly had a chance to showcase his talents in three seasons with Swansea, he caught the eye at Derby County when breaking into the first team in the 2019-20 season.

As pointed out by football talent scout Jacek Kulig at the time, the Englishman possessed good pace, dribbling skills and ball control, earning him the tag "flamboyant winger".

Whittaker did play out wide a couple of times last season, but his favoured position was playing through the middle of attacking midfield, featuring there 19 times from the start of games, as per WhoScored.

Comparing Diallo and Whittaker last season is made a little tougher by the fact the latter played across two divisions, including a league below. However, the pair were similar in terms of goals scored per 90 minutes (0.45 and 0.41 respectively), while Whittaker edged things in terms of assists – 0.29 v 0.10.

Both players were also very similar in terms of their shooting, with Whittaker finding the target from 39.3% of his efforts, compared to 39.1% for Diallo. Whittaker found the net from 0.11 of those shots; not too dissimilar to Diallo's 0.16.

They also each showed an equal willingness to win the ball back high up the pitch, with Diallo averaging 0.17 tackles per 90 minutes in the attacking third, while Whittaker averaged 0.21.

The truth is that Sunderland fans would easily take Diallo over Whittaker if they had the choice of signing both men this summer. But with the United man surely out of their reach, Whittaker seems as good a choice as any to land on the cheap.

After all, Sunderland have shown with the likes of Clarke, Ross Stewart and others that there are plenty of unpolished gems out there waiting to step up.

A round-up of the action from day 3 of the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Queensland at Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Jonathan Wells led Western Australia’s chase as he finished not out on 85•Getty ImagesQueensland lost their advantage of a first innings lead after Simon Mackin’s six wickets – his best first-class bowling figures – saw them fold for 138 and set Western Australia a target of 227 to chase. In reply, Western Australia put on 2 for 170 before stumps, putting them 57 runs away from a come-from-behind victory.Mackin combined with David Moody (2-16) and Hilton Cartwright (2-38) to dismiss Queensland within 41 overs of the day that they had begun on 0 for 3. Openers Matt Renshaw and Joe Burns were both out within the day’s first five overs as Queensland fell to 3 for 34 before a 60-run partnership between Usman Khawaja – who scored 157 in the first innings – and Sam Heazlett (29) took them to 94. Queensland then lost their last seven wickets for 44 runs as Mackin tore through the middle and lower order to dismiss them for 138.Chasing 227, Western Australia started strong with opener Cameron Bancroft (23) putting on 58 runs for the first wicket with Jonathan Wells. Bancroft fell in the 21st over and followed by Michael Klinger in the 22nd. But Wells scored an unbeaten 85, and combined with the returning Adam Voges (51*) to add 111 runs in an unbroken stand that took Western Australia close to an improbable victory.

When 49ers Enterprises took over from former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, it brought a dramatic period in West Yorkshire to an end – a period during which the Whites finally returned to the Premier League after well over a decade away.

That return to the Premier League – and the battle to stay in it – saw plenty of transfer business at Elland Road as they battled to stay afloat. Some of it was exceptional, but some of it really, really wasn’t.

Football FanCast has taken a look at the worst of Radrizzani’s tenure to see where things eventually went wrong.

6 Dishonourable mention: Weston McKennie

We just have to give a quick shoutout to McKennie. Leeds signed him on loan from Juventus in January 2023 in an attempt to save their season, but the American flopped wildly. It was so bad that fans were letting him know just how out of shape he was as they said goodbye at the end of the season.

There was a clause in the loan contract, however, that would have made it permanent for £34m, and the only reason that’s not happening? The relegation. A bizarre situation where fans would prefer McKennie was topping this list as an all-time bad transfer. Instead, he’ll depart. Bullet dodged. Sort of.

5 Hélder Costa – £15m

Leeds signed Hélder Costa from Wolves back in 2019, initially on loan. And his inclusion in this list is perhaps a bit harsh – Costa did play a role in their eventual promotion that season.

However, the deal became permanent in July 2020 for around £15m, per the Mirror. Once permanent, Costa struggled and never truly got to grips with the Premier League – only three goals in 25 appearances. He’s now spent the last two seasons off on loan, first with Valencia and then Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

4 Daniel James – £25m

James was a sizeable signing for Leeds, joining from Manchester United at the end of the 2021 summer transfer window for £25m. He’s a player they’d wanted for a while and things initially looked good.

But then Radrizzani made the wildly unpopular decision to sack Marcelo Bielsa the following February. James then never fit in under new boss Jesse Marsch and was sent out on loan just a year after arriving. He subsequently spent the season finishing 10th with Fulham while Leeds went down.

3 Brenden Aaronson – £25m

Aaronson is only 22 and could still go on to become a fantastic player. He may well go on to be a brilliant signing for Leeds. The problem, though, is that the American arrived at the start of last season as their big summer signing.

Paying £25m for a player who then struggled is bad. It’s even worse when your entire team struggles to the point of relegation. It’s just not a good look for the club when that player is 22 and moving from the Austrian Bundesliga.

If Leeds had made a less risky signing, it really could have been enough to keep them up.

2 Georginio Rutter – £36m

Leeds needed help in the January transfer window. You can argue all day where they needed that help but a new striker undoubtedly could have made a major difference. They went out and paid a club-record £36m for Rutter from Hoffenheim – an enormous risk, given he had two goals in 15 games by that point in the season.

It was a disaster. Rutter played 273 minutes in total – so barely the equivalent of three full games – and failed to score once. He did register an assist, but splashing out £36m for one assist isn’t exactly value for money.

The really worrying part about this one, though, is that Radrizzani didn’t want to make the signing. Per The Athletic, he favoured a loan move with an option to buy. It was the 49ers Group – which is about to take over 100% of Leeds – that pushed for the big permanent deal.

1 Jean-Kévin Augustin – £25m, sort of.

If the Rutter deal scares fans at all, they can rest easy that it’s almost impossible for any subsequent transfer to be worse than Radrizzani’s worst. The Augustin debacle is an all-timer.

Leeds signed the Frenchman on loan from RB Leipzig in January 2020. There was an option to buy him permanently for £17.7m, per Bild, but that option became an obligation if the West Yorkshire club were promoted at the end of the season.

Now, Leeds were promoted, of course, but then tried to argue that they hadn’t been. See, ‘end of the season’ is the key phrase here because they argued that June 30th was the end of the season as per the contract. In the year of the pandemic, however, the season was delayed and the club technically weren’t promoted by that ‘end of the season’. The promotion came in early July, so they sent him back to Leipzig without triggering the clause.

Leipzig took that to court, though, saying that Leeds quite clearly earned promotion that year and needed to pay for Augustin. They won that case – forcing Leeds to actually pay more in a breach of contract suit – a sum of £25m, per the Athletic.

Leeds, then, paid £25m for a player they didn’t actually buy. The kicker is that Augustin played a total of 48 minutes for the club, making every facet of this a disaster.