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Former Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton has been reacting to Steven Gerrard’s decision to offload two senior attackers in the January transfer window, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Gerrard’s plan

According to a Villa source, the club will look to move on two of Bertrand Traore, Anwar El Ghazi and Trezeguet, with Gerrard feeling that he has an unbalanced squad at Bodymoor Heath.

The new manager believes he has too many attacking players, with Villa set to listen to loan or permanent offers regarding the trio in the New Year.

A centre-back and a central midfielder are thought to be on Gerrard’s wish list, so it seems as if it could be a busy start to 2022 for NSWE.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Hutton, who regularly contributes on BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider about Gerrard’s plans. The former Villa defender labelled them ‘interesting’ but agreed with the manager’s reported stance, saying:

“I don’t think that a massive rush (to sell) but I think Steven Gerrard’s right.

“They are heavily loaded in those forward areas. We can sit here and say these guys have had enough opportunities to be in the team and absolutely shine.

“We have seen it in flashes but I’ve always said I need more. I need to see more of it. We know how talented they are.

“He probably wants to balance that squad up a little bit. They’re very light at left-back but you’ve got all these wingers. I understand what he’s doing there.

“It will be interesting to see who he actually lets go because I think the owners will back the manager in January with a new signing or two. There is a big squad there so he will have to offset that.”

The Verdict: Who stays?

Should the rumours prove accurate, then perhaps it would be best to keep hold of Traore out of the three names mentioned. He only made the move to Villa Park last year and enjoyed a solid first season, contributing to 14 Premier League goals in 29 starts.

While he has struggled with injuries during the current campaign and is yet to start a league game in 2021/22, he has proven thathe can cope in the Premier League, something Trezeguet is yet to do with just 11 goal involvements in 55 games and El Ghazi’s 20 in 70 games – six of which have been penalties.

In other news: ‘Gerrard out’ – Many Villa fans erupt over club’s plans for ‘brilliant’ beast

Leeds United came away from their match against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium with a point and a clean sheet after drawing 0-0 with Graham Potter’s side.

While a positive can be taken in the fact that they managed to keep a clean sheet, everyone at the Yorkshire club will undoubtedly be disappointed that they couldn’t score a goal on the day and barely even threatened.

One man who failed to have a significant attacking impact against the Seagulls was Leeds winger Raphinha.

With the full 90 minutes under his belt, the 24-year-old failed to have even one clear shot at goal and only completed one of the five dribbles that he attempted, losing possession of the ball 21 times. With 52 touches of the ball, he only managed to complete 20 of his 28 passes, while he also struggled out of possession by losing eight duels and being dribbled past twice.

This performance ultimately earned the 24-year-old an uninspiring overall match rating of 6.4/10, making him the lowest-rated Leeds player on the day according to SofaScore.

In addition, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross was rather damning of Raphinha’s display on this occasion, saying that it was “possibly his worst performance in a Leeds shirt.”

Labelled an “unbelievable” player by Leeds teammate Illan Meslier, it was clear a day to forget for the Brazil international.

While his place in the team may not necessarily be at risk at the moment given how he’s only missed two of the Whites’ league games so far this season, Bielsa and everyone else at the club will be hoping that the winger doesn’t deliver another performance like the one he produced against Brighton.

With Leeds set to take on Crystal Palace on Tuesday night in their next league outing, this will not only be a great chance for them to pick up a win in front of their fans at Elland Road but also for Raphinha to put his performance at Brighton behind him and potentially add to his goals and assists tally for the season.

In other news: Beren Cross drops this Leeds United managerial update…

Sharad Pawar has met with Bal Thackeray asking him to stand down on his earlier remarks about the safety of Australian players

Cricinfo staff07-Feb-2010The ICC president-in-waiting Sharad Pawar has met with Bal Thackeray, leader of the right-wing political party Shiv Sena, asking him to stand down on his earlier remarks about the safety of Australian players during the third season of the IPL. This follows a warning issued by the Mumbai-based regional party that Australians will be barred from playing matches in Mumbai in response to the recent attacks on Indians living in Australia.Pawar, also president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, was accompanied by current Indian board president Shashank Manohar to Mumbai to meet with Thackeray and his son Uddhav, and the four sat behind closed doors for an estimated two hours. “We presented our viewpoint before Thackeray on this critical issue,” Manohar told reporters. “We tried to convince him that only one or two Australian players will participate in the IPL matches and by not allowing all IPL matches it is the state players [Marathi players] who will lose ultimately.”We also explained to them the format of the IPL teams and matches and how there were one or two Australian players in each team. Thackeray has asked for a detailed presentation on the issue which we will be providing in couple of days and thereafter he would consider our request.”Thackeray recently declared that “kangaroo cricketers” would not be welcome in the state of Maharashtra in retaliation for a series of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne. Leaders of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have also come out strongly in their criticism of attacks on Indian students in Australia, and said they would protest against the participation of Australian players in the IPL.Indian home minister P Chidambaram has since guaranteed visiting players security, while the Australian Cricketers Association has said it is close to receiving a security report being prepared by the IPL authorities.The two Australian players who are part of the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians are Dominic Thornely and Luke Ronchi.

England won the first Twenty20 in Mumbai by two wickets off the last over

Cricinfo staff04-Mar-2010
Scorecard
Jenny Gunn top scored with a 24-ball 34•Getty ImagesWith England needing six runs off the last over, with four wickets in hand, it looked like an easy win for the visitors in the first Twenty20 in Mumbai. But four balls later they needed two with two wickets in hand. A dot ball off the fifth meant two from the final ball. Nicky Shaw hit the last ball back to the bowler Gouher Sultana and scrambled a run. Sultana turned to run her out at the non-striker’s end, missed, and with no one backing up the ball went for an overthrow and England won by two wickets. They had held their nerve better than India, but marginally so.The England bowlers had done well to keep India to 125 and though their batsmen eased into the chase, the target was too low to cause any worries. In the last four overs they needed 30 with four wickets in hand. Jenny Gunn and Danielle Hazell scored 19 off the next two overs – Gunn hit the only six of the match when she lofted Jhulan Goswami over long-off and Hazell then pulled her for four to fine leg. They had required just 11 off the last two overs before the drama of the final over.Gunn top scored with 34 and her 40-run seven-wicket partnership with Hazell came at more than seven an over. But before their stand, the captain Charlotte Edwards led the chase with a 32-ball 28 and added 37 with Beth Morgan (16) and 32 with Lydia Greenway (16). The rookie spinner Soniya Dabir, playing only her third international game, dismissed both Edwards – caught at midwicket – and Greenway – stumped. Dabir also had Laura Marsh stumped for 6 and ran out Danielle Wyatt for 0.For India, Mithali Raj top scored with 30. After her dismissal, Priyanka Roy and Harmanpreet Kaur tried to increase the scoring rate, pulling and edging their way to 19 off 15 balls. England fielded well, keeping India under pressure with singles and twos. In the 18th over Ebony Rainford-Brent made a superb diving effort to stop a boundary. Then in the final a direct hit from Katherine Brunt ran out Harmanpreet, going for the second run. India were good in patches on the field.Both teams have a lot of introspect after this match: England will have to question their near mess-up and the number of extras they conceded, while India, who did admirably to bounce back after posting an under-par score, will need to work harder on their fielding. Though they managed three run-outs and two stumpings in the match, the overthrows and misfields cost them.

Liverpool have taken 18 points out of 18 points from their Champions League group, and as of Tuesday evening Jurgen Klopp’s side have set a new record in Champions League history.

The Reds are the only English side to win every single group stage game in the Champions League since it began back in 1992, after beating AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro, in their final group stage fixture of the tournament.

One player that has been integral to the record breaking success they’ve had in Europe so far is Divock Origi.

Despite being transfer listed by the club this summer, Origi has come back into his own this season and seems to be on a mission to prove everybody wrong.

Liverpool made a number of changes to their side on Tuesday evening, rotating in the likes of Nathaniel Phillips who made his 2021/22 season debut tonight and teenager, Tyler Morton into the side, for a game that meant very little for the travelling team, as they had already qualified in their fourth game of the group over a month ago.

AC Milan did start the game well, with the home side taking the lead early into the first half with Fikayo Tomori netting in the 29th minute of the game at the San Siro, but they could not hold back from the inevitable Mo Salah, who scored his 20th goal of the campaign in 21 games.

Origi went on to kill the game with a 55th-minute winner, proving in 43 touches exactly why he’s still in the squad, securing Liverpool their sixth win in a row and heading back to the North West taking every single point possible.

The goal-scoring gem has been making an impact in all of his performances so far for the club this season, with five goals and two assists in just ten appearances, and cements even further the reason Klopp referred to him as a “legend” in his post-match press conference last weekend.

The German tactician told the media; ‘He’s an incredible striker, for different reasons he did not play that often but I hope one day he finds a manager that plays him more than I do.”

‘He’s one of the best finishers I’ve ever seen in my life.”

With the January transfer window imminent, it will be curious to see if Klopp and FSG are still interested in taking offers for the striker after speculation Newcastle are interested in signing him in the new year, or if they plan to keep the frontman in the squad and continue to utilise his goal-scoring habits in the second half of the season.

Salah has been the club’s go-to man this season but it’s time to forget about him for a moment because there’s another man in town making plenty of headlines himself; a certain Mr Origi.

In other news: Liverpool must secure new deal for Joe Gomez

Tottenham Hotspur have a new pull for players to come to the London club after appointing successful Antonio Conte, and the Italian manager could be making moves for big players to join his side in his first transfer window at Spurs.

What’s the story?

According to reports from football.london, Spurs are ready to reignite their interest in Paulo Dybala, after pulling out of a deal in 2019 that was reported to be worth £69m.

A signing to please Harry Kane

Dybala is currently at Juventus and is having an extremely promising start to his season with eight goals and four assists in all competitions, which combined is currently a better individual output than any of the Spurs attacking line including, Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura.

The 28-year-old forward has been hailed “breathtaking” by Juventus teammate, Aaron Ramsey, who told The Athletic and if you heed his quotes, the signing could certainly live up to that billing in north London.

“He’s very gifted — a team player — and some of the things he’s done in training and some of the games this season has been quite breathtaking,” the Welshman said.

With rumours circulating on a Spurs move for the Argentine, speculation on his attacking relationship with Harry Kane has been addressed by Serie A expert and Forza Italian Football Editor-in-Chief Conor Clancy, who exclusively told Football FanCast that Paulo Dybala and Harry Kane would be “unstoppable” together.

Clancy said: “I feel like he’d be unstoppable with Kane because he’s not a number nine, so he’s got to be playing alongside a striker like that.”

Conte could not only sign the £45m-rated gem to improve the attacking prowess of the team significantly but the monumental signing could prove to Kane that the manager is committed to putting Spurs in a position to gain Champions League qualification and put trophies in sight for the side.

It is no secret that the attacking threat has been lacking this season for Spurs, and Conte will be looking for solutions as Spurs have conceded 1.14 goals per game, and scored fewer goals than they have conceded so far this season compared to the top six in the Premier League who all have a positive goal difference.

The Italian manager has high expectations for his team and will be looking to make influential signings like Dybala, to continue his project and get Tottenham back into the Champions League.

It will be interesting to see if Daniel Levy and the Spurs board actually back the manager in the winter transfer market, as it could really be a make or break window for the club to either continue to fall short of elite European football or with the right signings, they could get back into the mix for a Champions League spot in the second half of the season.

Dybala, combined with keeping Kane at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, would surely put them right in the hunt for top four; they have to sign him if a deal is on the table.

In other news: Spurs target Adama Traore can be an even better Victor Moses for Antonio Conte

Mark Ramprakash exchanged ballroom glad rags for Surrey’s glitzy, new black and lime one-day strip to stroke an unbeaten century in Abu Dhabi

Mark Pennell in Abu Dhabi22-Mar-2010
ScorecardMark Ramprakash exchanged ballroom glad rags for Surrey’s glitzy, new black and lime one-day strip to stroke an unbeaten century that led his side to a comfortable 75-run win in the opening Emirates Airline Forty40 match in Abu Dhabi.Fresh from a UK tour with the Strictly Come Dancing crew that has restricted him to only three net sessions since Christmas, Ramprakash looked as though he had barely been away from the crease as he showed his young county-team mates just how to build an innings.After a shot-gun start from Rory Hamilton-Brown and Michael Brown of 63 inside seven overs, the Surrey innings was in danger of petering out when Usman Afzaal and then Matt Spriegel also tossed away their own wickets.Though he had only landed in the UAE 24 hours earlier, Ramprakash was not in the mood for frivolous gestures. He was here to enjoy serious time at the crease, and how he reveled in it.Content to waltz singles and manoeuvre the ball around until he felt comfortable in his more accustomed summer role of master bladesman, Ramprakash scored only his second boundary in reaching a pedestrian, yet chanceless half-century.In tandem with chirpy Irishman Gary Wilson, the former England batsman added 98 for the sixth wicket and, once settled, felt able, as he put it to ‘move through the gears’. Eight more fours and a brace of sixes followed to complete his century from 90 balls.”I’m a fairly long way from where I want to be yet,” said Ramprakash, who scored a century here at the Zayed Stadium in last year’s pre-season event, “and there were times when it felt a bit ugly, but it was a very good work out.”The rookie Cape Cobras, with an average age of 22, found the asking rate of 6.65 a bit too much and their pursuit soon came off the rails in the face of some tight seam bowling from Jade Dernbach with 4 for 39 and the wily offspin of Gareth Batty with 3 for 36.They were saved from complete capitulation by Uwe Birkenstock, a stylish right-hander who timed the ball beautifully on a slow pitch to score 87 out of the Cobras total of 190 as Surrey wrapped up their win with 12 balls left.

Jacob Oram’s catalogue of serious injuries is wearing him down but the lure of the World Twenty20 has motivated another comeback

Peter English21-Apr-2010Jacob Oram’s catalogue of serious injuries is wearing him down but the lure of the World Twenty20 has motivated another comeback. A torn patella tendon in the first ODI against Australia last month ruled him out of the IPL, where his price tag was US$675,000, and continued a desperate battle with his body.Oram, speaking at New Zealand’s training camp in Australia, said he is “good to go” for the Twenty20 tournament, which is a relief to himself and the side. In form Oram is one of the game’s most brutal hitters and a useful medium pacer, but he has been hampered by injuries – back, calf and Achilles problems occurred before the latest setback – throughout his career.”The knee is alright, at the moment there are no problems,” Oram told Cricinfo. “It’s nearly six weeks now since I was hurt, but it could have been a lot worse. It could have been four to six months instead of four to six weeks. It’s still been hellishly frustrating, especially missing the Australian series, which is the big one.”There was also the financial pain of losing his huge IPL fee, but throughout his rehabilitation he remained focussed on the event in the Caribbean. New Zealand open the tournament when they face Sri Lanka in Guyana on April 30 and back up against Zimbabwe on May 4.”The carrot for me was the World Twenty20, which is still a massive event, so I pinned my hopes to that,” he said. “I’ve had to start looking at the big picture. Three or four years ago I used to rush back and it doubled or tripled the time out. This time it hasn’t been like a winter break and I’m looking forward to more.”During the lay-off he was at home with his wife and six-month old son and the 31-year-old knows his life is changing. He has already retired from Tests after 33 games to prolong his limited-overs career, which includes 139 ODIs and 23 Twenty20s.With each new fitness problem Oram finds it harder to keep going. “Now it is. Maybe the first four or five lengthy injuries – going home from a tour or missing a series – didn’t worry me,” he said. “I was young and I just got back. Now it’s eroded the energy of my psyche. It weighs on my shoulders.”Oram, whose knee becomes “a bit stiff” after bowling, is not the only one in the New Zealand squad who is suffering. Kyle Mills (knee and shoulder), Jesse Ryder (stomach), Ian Butler (groin) and Aaron Redmond (groin) are also trying to eliminate doubts over their bodies in Brisbane this week. The training was restricted on Wednesday when they were forced into an indoor cricket centre after being hit by the sort of wet weather they knew they would get at home.Oram said having so many players coming back was not a problem. “New Zealand teams are used to it, a wealth of injuries,” he said. “Kyle and Jesse are very important to the team so it’s more about being excited to have them here than worried about them.”Having their core of star players firing is the key for New Zealand, who made the semi-finals in South Africa in 2007 and the second round in England last year. “If we can get everyone fit then we’re a real chance to go all the way,” Oram said. “The 40-over game helps us. For the five to 10 years that I’ve been playing, we’re always better and more comfortable with the shorter forms. If things go well it could play into our hands, but then Twenty20 is so fickle.”

Leeds United will make an offer for Napoli midfielder Eljif Elmas in January, according to journalist Talha Arslan.

The Lowdown: Elmas profiled

Elmas is primarily a central midfielder who can also play in an attacking midfield role or as a left-winger. The 22-year-old has 37 caps to his name for North Macedonia and has been with Napoli since 2019.

He’s turned out on 105 occasions for the Italian side and has scored 22 goals during his club career.

And it now seems as if the Whites and director of football Victor Orta are plotting a January swoop for the £15.3m-rated midfielder.

The Latest: Leeds to make ‘offer’

Journalist Arslan took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to provide an update on Elmas ahead of the January transfer window.

He claimed that both the Whites and Borussia Dortmund made an attempt to sign the Napoli man over the summer and will now send an ‘offer’ during the winter window.

The Verdict: Two needed…

Leeds haven’t actually signed a midfielder on a permanent deal during Marcelo Bielsa’s time at Elland Road, but it seems as if they now need two over the coming weeks with Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton injured.

Orta is already laying the groundwork to sign a number six and number eight, and you’d expect Elmas would fit into the number eight category.

He’s capable of playing in a more advanced role and even out wide if needed and also has experience in both the Champions League and Europa League.

On paper, it seems as if Elmas could be a shrewd signing both in the short and long term. He has plenty of games under his belt in ‘astronomical’ asking price.

In other news: ‘Unbelievable’ Leeds man may now need an operation after injury and could miss 12 games – expert. 

Durham gave themselves an outside hope of forcing a result with three evening-session wickets against Hampshire

23-Apr-2010
ScorecardLiam Plunkett’s 41 earned Durham a narrow but useful lead•Getty ImagesDurham gave themselves an outside hope of forcing a result with three evening-session wickets against Hampshire in their County Championship Division One match at Chester-le-Street. The Durham bowlers toiled admirably on an unresponsive Riverside wicket to leave the visitors 174 for 5 and with a lead of 135 runs with a day to play.The hosts did so without the services of Mitch Claydon for the majority of the second innings after he suffered an abdominal muscle injury in his fourth over and is unlikely to bowl again in the match. The injury adds to Durham’s fast bowling problems, with the county’s medical team today revealing Steve Harmison, who is yet to appear this season, will miss at least another four-day match because of a trapped nerve in his back.Despite that the hosts’ short-staffed attack battled manfully with the gentle left-arm spin of Ian Blackwell claiming two wickets and seam trio Claydon, Callum Thorp and Ben Stokes sharing the others. The late rally served to galvanise Durham, who had laboured through the majority of the day after Hampshire’s Kabir Ali had run through their tail to claim his second five-wicket haul of the new season.Durham began the day 61 runs in arrears and with five wicket in hand looking to build a decisive first-innings lead. Kabir quickly dismantled those plans as he made full use of early swing on offer.The 29-year-old skittled the stumps of Ben Stokes (41) and Phil Mustard in consecutive overs before returning to have Liam Plunkett (41) caught by wicketkeeper Nic Pothas just before lunch. The former Worcestershire quick then finished Durham’s innings on 384 in the first over after lunch by knocking back Thorp’s off stump for 11.Durham’s lead was therefore just 39 runs and while Hampshire began briskly with first-innings centurion Michael Carberry at the crease, his dismissal prompted a batting malaise. Carberry had been in sensational touch in making 113 in the first innings and raced to 18 by the fifth over before he played back to a good-length Claydon delivery and was given out lbw.Claydon left the field soon after and with a slow Riverside pitch looking like is was flattening out as the day grew brighter, Jimmy Adams and Chris Benham frustrated the home attack before the former was out on the stroke of tea. After grafting for his 25 from 75 balls Adams swept Blackwell to square leg where Stokes took a good diving catch to his right.After tea Durham quickly removed former South Africa batsman Neil McKenzie, who blocked a simple return catch to Thorp, before Blackwell’s guile prised out Benham lbw after a stubborn 43 from 115 balls. That left Hampshire on a slightly uncomfortable 117 for 4 although teenage right-hander James Vince and Pothas looked like seeing them through the last hour as Durham’s bowlers showed signs of weariness.But five minutes before the end Vince, who displays a striking resemblance to former England captain Michael Vaughan at the crease, chopped on for 46 off the bowling of Stokes to leave the game more open than had looked possible.