All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United could be set to make a late move in this summer's transfer window for an attacking reinforcement in the form of Brandon Thomas-Asante.

Is Thomas-Asante replacing Sinisterra?

It has been a turbulent summer for the Whites following their disappointing 2022/23 campaign which saw them slip out of the Premier League.

Following Daniel Farke's arrival, the Yorkshire side have seen a number of players head for the exit doors at Elland Road. Some of these exits have consisted of players who featured heavily in last season's campaign in the top flight.

However, there has not been a huge influx of money from those exits with only Tyler Adams' £25m move to Bournemouth generating any significant funds, and they now look set to lose Luis Sinisterra to the Cherries as well on an initial loan deal.

And even with hours remaining in the window, there remain questions marks as to whether another exciting winger, Wilfried Gnonto, could still leave the club. He has been heavily linked with a potential return to the Premier League with Everton believed to be a club seriously interested in the Italian youngster.

Perhaps as a result of the possible exits of both Sinisterra and Gnonto, there have been some suggestions that Leeds could make a move for West Bromwich Albion's Thomas-Asante.

Indeed, according to the Daily Mail, the Whites have enquired about the possibility of signing the 24-year-old, who has also received interest from Stoke City. It is believed the Albion have already rejected a £2m approach from the Potters.

How good is Brandon Thomas-Asante?

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years which has seen him move from Ebbsfleet, to Salford and then to the Baggies.

Having made 33 appearances for the Albion in the Championship last season – 20 of those coming in the starting XI – the £20k-per-week Englishman was able to provide a return of seven league goals (via Transfermarkt).

The Whites have already lost last season's top scorer in Rodrigo after he left for Qatar earlier in the summer, but have provided Farke with some reinforcement with the arrival of Joel Piroe in recent weeks.

However, their start to life back in the Championship has certainly not been a straightforward one with just five points on the board from their opening four games. And even in their only win of the campaign, it did not come without some serious threat from the opposition after narrowly taking the points in a 4-3 win over Ipswich Town.

But in Thomas-Asante, the Yorkshire side could be bringing in a player who has been hailed as a "poacher" in front of goal by journalist Lewis Cox and is capable of playing right across the front three, so could slot in perfectly alongside Piroe instead of Sinisterra.

And the same journalist has heavily praised the Englishman's journey to the Championship after he scored a winning goal in the early stages of last season:

“Unbelievable finale and unbelievable story. Some noise in this place when that went in. Could hardly have dreamed it better last night – from the fourth tier to instant Hawthorns goal hero.”

The Hyderabad captain was involved in an argument with the umpires following his side’s match against Karnataka in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this month, after their target had been revised mid-innings

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2018Hyderabad captain Ambati Rayudu has been suspended for the two games in the Vijay Hazare 50-overs tournament after he was found to be guilty of breaching the BCCI code of conduct during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Rayudu was involved in an argument with the umpires during the Hyderabad-Karnataka match earlier this month after two runs were added to Karnataka’s total at the end of their innings due to a revised boundary call. With Hyderabad eventually falling two runs short in their chase, the team, under Rayudu, stayed back in the middle and urged the umpires to commence the Super Over. Their contention was that they were batting with the target of 204 in mind, before two more runs were added to revise it to 206. The ensuing agreement about the Super Over delayed the start of the next game between Kerala and Andhra. That match was eventually shortened to 13-overs-a side due to the delay.Since Rayudu admitted to the charge levelled by the on-field umpires Abhijit Deshmukh, Ulhas Vithalrao Gandhe and third umpire Anil Dandekar, and accepted the sanction, there was no need for a formal hearing. He had said at the time that his intention wasn’t to delay the start of the next game. “There was some confusion in the middle at the start of our innings,” Rayudu had told reporters after the match. “What I went and told the umpire was ‘sir you cannot change the score, we are batting for 204 as our target’. That is exactly what I told him and he told me ‘we’ll see it at the end, let the match start’. [Karnataka captain] Vinay Kumar had stopped for nine minutes before the second innings. They had no business to stop the match once the target was declared. Then what we said was we were playing for 204, and that was my exact words.”At the end, we went and asked to start the Super Over. That is exactly our point of contention. We never even thought of stopping the second match. That has got nothing to do with us. We were saying that our match was not complete, we still have to play the Super Over. That is exactly why we went to the middle, we were actually going to warm-up then.”The BCCI is also looking into the role of the Hyderabad team manager in the incident.Rayudu has faced code-of-conduct issues previously. In the 2012 edition of the IPL, he was fined 100% of his match fee for using abusive, obscene language towards Harshal Patel of Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was also involved in a tiff with Mumbai Indians team-mate Harbhajan Singh in 2016.

Aston Villa are one of the most historic clubs in English football. And with that history comes plenty of famous faces donning the claret and blue we see at Villa Park on a weekly basis. From acting greats to sports stars and musical royalty to actual royalty, if Aston Villa hosted a celebrity lunch, they wouldn’t be short on impressive guests.

With that said, we at Football FanCast decided to take a deeper dive into the aforementioned famous faces, as we discovered 10 Aston Villa-supporting celebrities courtesy of Birmingham World and the Birmingham Mail.

10 Ian Bell

One of England's greatest-ever cricketers, Ian Bell MBE, kicks off the list. Bell is also sometimes known by his nickname, The Sledgehammer of Eternal Justice – which has to be one of the coolest, if not outright crazy, nicknames in all sports.

Bell had an outstanding career both domestically and with England that spanned over three decades, with his first professional game coming in 1999 and his final one 21 years later in 2020. In total, he earned 188 Test caps for England, scored 7727 runs, made 46 50s and 22 100s. He also excelled in ODI's, playing in 161 for England, scoring 5416 runs at a strike rate of 77.

His was a career full of unbelievable moments, and his retirement three years ago meant that James Anderson was – and just about still is – the final member of the practically mythologised 2005 Ashes series to be still playing.

Bell's love of Villa stems from his childhood in the 1980s when he fell in love with the team thanks to players like David Platt and Tony Daley, and he's been following ever since.

9 Chris Woakes

Another name, another English cricketing great. Granted, Chris Woakes isn't quite on the same level as Bell regarding all-time greats, but not many are. That said, Woakes is currently one of the best bowlers in England, and when he does eventually retire, he will be remembered as such.

The 34-year-old has had a fantastic career so far for both the club sides he's represented and whenever he's been asked to represent his country on the global stage. Since making his Test debut in the final Ashes Test of the 2013 tour, he has earned a further 48 caps.

While he's officially an all-rounder and can be handy with a bat – his 137 not out against India in 2018 proves that – his bowling gets him selected for international matches.

In his 48 Test matches, he has taken 148 wickets for an average of 29.13 and an economy rate of 3.03. He has also racked up five five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul. However, his most remarkable series in an England shirt probably came in this summer's Ashes when he was drafted to play the final three Tests and ultimately named the Player of the Series for his unbelievable performances against the Aussies.

His love for the Villans stems from his childhood and the stories his father used to tell him about the club.

8 Benjamin Zephaniah

In a list full of athletes, actors and musicians, a Birmingham-born poet comes next. Benjamin Zephaniah is almost certainly one the country's most famous and successful poets in recent memory, with the Times including him in their list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008.

While his poetry and writing have earned him a lot of attention over the years – and for good reason – he has also boosted his presence among the public with his role in the hit BBC drama Peaky Blinders.

Zephaniah's love of the Claret and Blue has been with him all his life, and he used to be a regular at games until fan violence in the 1970s and 80s stopped him from attending for many years.

7 Brendan Gleeson

Actor and film director Brendan Gleason is one of Ireland's most famous faces and has made his love for Aston Villa no secret over the years.

He played Alastor Moody in – you guessed it, Harry Potter – and also featured in Braveheart, Gangs of New York, Suffragette and 28 Days Later. He has been nominated for 45 awards in his career, winning ten.

His love for the club has rubbed off on his son – and fellow actor – Domhnall Gleeson, who told Aston Villa TV that the number of Irish players in the team when he was growing up was a big part of why he's now such a fan alongside his dad:

"We won the European Cup in 1982, I was born in 1983 – and then when I was growing we had the great team – Paul McGrath, Steve Staunton, Andy Townsend, Ray Houghton – I love Ray Houghton!

"These were brilliant Irish players and inspired me."

6 Oliver Phelps

Primarily known for his role in Harry Potter as George Weasly – twin to Fred Weasley – Oliver Phelps is also a diehard Villa fan and has been all his life.

Interestingly, Oliver and his brother had zero acting experience before landing their roles as the Weasley twins and skipped a day of school to audition for the parts. Oliver has also appeared in the television show Kingdom and the film A Minds Eye.

Just to show how much of a fan he is, Phelps went on ESPN's version of Mastermind and chose Villa's 2003/04 season as his specialist subject and managed to get a seriously impressive 16 questions correct in just 60 seconds.

5 Simon Le Bon and Roger Taylor (Duran Duran)

We weren't lying when we said music royalty. Simon Le Bon and Roger Taylor of the 1980s supergroup Duran Duran have been lifelong supporters of Aston Villa. The band have been nominated for 17 awards since their inception, winning 11 – including two Grammys.

Like Black Sabbath, the band was involved in Birmingham's Commonwealth Games, performing a medley of their greatest hits at the opening ceremony.

4 Dan Bailey

The first American on this list is former NFL star Dan Bailey. The 35-year-old had a brilliant career in the NFL, playing for the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings as a Placekicker.

Speaking to Aston Villa TV in 2014, the former NFL star explained that he has always been a fan of the club, with Gareth Barry being one of the reasons he started following them:

"I grew up following soccer and following specific players. A lot of those players played for Aston Villa, so I just grew fond of the team, and it all took hold from there. I have continued supporting them ever since.

"I was a big Gareth Barry fan. He was a lot of fun to watch. I loved the way he played and his style on the pitch.

3 Black Sabbath

Aston Villa could make a pretty good gig from their famous fan cohort.

Formed in Birmingham, Black Sabbath qualify as both notorious Villans in the football world, and notorious Villains in the bat community. Sabbath are arguably the most influential band to come out of the midlands, with many often crediting the group for spearheading the development of metal music due to their heavy sound.

Most of the band have been lifelong fans of the Villa, with bassist Geezer Butler admitting to invading the pitch "after every game" he attended as a younger man.

2 Tom Hanks

Arguably the most unexpected name on this list – and possibly the coolest – Tom Hanks picked Aston Villa because he liked the club's name, according to Birmingham World.

The 67-year-old is one of the most iconic actors in the world and has starred in some of Hollywood's biggest movies, including; Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, Catch Me If You Can and Sleepless in Seattle to name but a few of his blockbusters.

He is also among the most decorated actors working today, with an impressive 53 awards to his name and a frankly ridiculous 136 nominations for everything from writing, directing and acting. And if that wasn't enough, he's also an ordained minister and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2016 for services to American film and advocacy work.

Hanks made his first visit to Villa Park earlier this year when he was invited into the director's box to watch the club host Arsenal – a game they would lose 4-2 in the end.

1 Prince William

It's no secret that The Duke of Cambridge is a massive Aston Villa fan, but that doesn't make it any less interesting or strange.

He's been seen at plenty of games in the past, including Villa's 2018/19 play-off final at Wembley – a game they won, beating Frank Lampard's Derby County to earn a spot back in the Premier League.

William explained the reason behind his support for the club in an interview with the BBC in 2015, saying:

"A long time ago at school, I got into football big time. All my friends were Chelsea or Manchester United fans, and I didn't really want to follow the run-of-the-mill team.

"I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments. Aston Villa has always had a great history."

As reasons go, it's a pretty respectable one, and with him set to be King one day, we're sure Villa are delighted with his decision.

So, there you have it, the ten most famous Aston Villa fans.

They'd certainly make some dinner party, with a range of celebrities in different fields. It's always good to see those new to the sport pick teams outside the traditional Big Six, and we aren't sure many clubs can boast a more interesting and famous set of fans than Villa.

We're not sure about you, but we'd love to see how a conversation between Tom Hanks, Ozzy Osbourne, Benjamin Zephaniah and Prince William would play out.

Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav will also feature in the 50-overs tournament while Ravindra Jadeja has been chosen to play for Rest of India in the Irani Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2018A day after being named Kings XI Punjab’s captain, R Ashwin has been given the leadership of another team. The BCCI selection committee has named the India spinner captain of the India A side that will compete against Karnataka – who, on Tuesday, won the Vijay Hazare Trophy – and India B in the 50-overs Deodhar Trophy from March 4 to 8 in Dharamsala. India middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer will lead the India B side.Test fast bowlers Mohammed Shami (India A) and Umesh Yadav (India B) have also found places in the Deodhar Trophy squads. Shami has not played any cricket since the third Test against South Africa in Johannesburg while Umesh, who featured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Vidarbha, sat out all three Tests in South Africa, having slipped behind newcomer Jasprit Bumrah in the fast-bowling pecking order.Other notable selections in the Deodhar Trophy squads include the top-order pair of Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill (both India A), who were part of India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign in New Zealand, spin-bowling allrounder Jayant Yadav, who played for India in the 2016-17 home season (India B), fast bowlers Siddarth Kaul (India B) and Navdeep Saini (India A), who have been on the India selectors’ radar recently, and wicketkeepers Ishan Kishan (India A) and KS Bharat (India B).Shaw, Jayant, Kaul, Saini and Bharat have also found places in the Rest of India side that will face Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha in the first-class Irani Cup match from March 14 to 18 in Nagpur. Karun Nair will lead the side, which also includes his Karnataka team-mate Mayank Agarwal, who has scored over 2000 runs in this domestic season, and the India allrounder Ravindra Jadeja.Jadeja did not play any of the three Tests in South Africa, and has been out of India’s limited-overs sides since July 2017. He played for Saurashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but a side strain prevented him from bowling in their last three matches. Given the two-week break before the Irani Cup, he should be able to recover fully and resume bowling duties.India A (Deodhar Trophy): R Ashwin (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Unmukt Chand, Akshdeep Nath, Shubman Gill, Ricky Bhui, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Krunal Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Basil Thampi, Kulwant Khejroliya, Amandeep Khare, Rohit RayuduIndia B (Deodhar Trophy): Shreyas Iyer (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ankit Bawne, Manoj Tiwary, Siddhesh Lad, KS Bharat (wk), Jayant Yadav, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Umesh Yadav, Rajat PatidarRest of India (Irani Cup): Karun Nair (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Abhimanyu Easwaran, R Samarth, Mayank Agwarwal, Hanuma Vihari, KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem, Anmolpreet Singh, Siddarth Kaul, Ankit Rajpoot, Navdeep Saini, Atit Sheth

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Erik Lamela is "fascinated" to see whether one Spurs talent can make his way into Ange Postecoglou's plans.

Latest Tottenham news

It is quite an exciting time to be a Spurs supporter as Postecoglou's exciting, attack-minded brand of free-flowing football continues to dazzle on-lookers.

Coming in to replace Antonio Conte, there had been some doubts over the Australian's credentials given his lack of experience in Europe's top five leagues. However, Tottenham's manager has gone to prove all naysayers very wrong so far.

After their dramatic, last-gasp 2-1 win over Sheffield United on Saturday, Spurs maintain their unbeaten start to the new Premier League season with four victories out of five.

In that time, Postecoglou's side have score 13 goals and stand out as the division's third-highest goalscorers; just behind high-flying Brighton and last season's treble-winners Man City.

The likes of Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski – among others – have thoroughly impressed with Postecoglou's arrival seemingly gifting the club a new lease of life.

Spurs' imperious form could mean that certain players may find it difficult to force their way into the first team; as Postecoglou looks to have nailed a winning formula so far.

Some squad members, though, possess some potential to become a part of the manager's plans – like young attacking midfielder Bryan Gil who is currently sidelined after having groin surgery.

The Spaniard, partly due to his injury, is yet to play a single minute under Postecoglou this season.

Ex-Spurs winger Lamela, speaking to Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo, says he is very interesting to see if the 22-year-old can battle his way into Postecoglou's first team.

“Gil can play on any flank. I am fascinated to see if he can make his way into Postecoglou's thinking," said Lamela.

Further praising the midfielder, Lamela adds that he would love to see him make a return to Sevilla and link up with Gil.

When asked if he would take the Tottenham talent, Lamela explained: “I would love to, because of the person he is. He is a great companion, I get along great.”

How good is Bryan Gil?

The former Sevilla star arrived at Spurs in the summer of 2021 with a stellar reputation, with Conte even once comparing him to Man City star Bernardo Silva.

“It was really important, you know about Bryan Gil we are talking about a player who was born to play football," said Conte in January.

"He understands football quickly. He’s so clever, so intelligent to understand the situation. Then you know this league is difficult, because you have to be good in quality and be fast and to have good endurance and he has this type of quality.

“But at the same time you have to be strong physically. I think compared to last season Gil is improving a lot also under this aspect. He has to become stronger physically. I compared him to Bernardo Silva, at Manchester City, because in my opinion they are really, really similar."

Gil has also been branded a "magician" and it will be interesting to see what his role will be upon a return from injury.

The new Australia captain wanted to foster an environment where players did not feel they had to conform to a narrow idea of what an Australian Test cricketer should be

Daniel Brettig in Johannesburg30-Mar-2018Tim Paine began his first day as fully-fledged Australian captain with one small but significant departure from custom by initiating a pre-game handshake between all players and ended it by flagging a revolutionary departure from custom, at least for his team, by announcing a firm redefinition of the captain’s role.As the teams began their warm-ups on an overcast Johannesburg morning, he approached his opposite number Faf du Plessis to ask whether the two teams might shake hands at the end of the national anthems, a gesture common to football but only seen in international cricket after a match. Given the events of Cape Town and the fate befalling Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, Paine unsurprisingly has been thinking a lot about the image of the game. The handshakes were a telling way to show it.”I’ve been watching this week and they’ve had the soccer on and I notice they do that every game,” Paine said. “I thought cricket is the gentlemans’s game and I spoke to our players about how it was something I wanted to bring in. I waited for Faf to come out today and spoke to him and he was happy to do that. I think he thought it was a good idea and who knows, maybe other sides and South Africa may start to use it as well.

At times we’ve tended to push the boundaries as far as we possibly could. I think that we’ve seen that people probably don’t like that, so it’s time for us to changeTim Paine

“It’s not something we are going to do every Test match, but it is not a bad way to start a Test series. I think it’s something that we will use going forward; I just think it’s a good show of sportsmanship and respect. In this series, there’s been a lot of water under the bridge and a bit of tension between the two sides, we want to be super competitive but we also want to be respectful of our opposition, so it was important we showed that. It’s something we want to take forward and, if other teams want to do, we’ll do it to start every series.”It was still competitive, there wasn’t too much verbal going on back and forth between the two sides, we’ve spoken a bit about that as a group, about that going forward that is not the way we are going to play our cricket. It still felt like a Test match, it was still really competitive, we were playing a different style but as well a lot of the guys were thinking about some other things or were a little bit flat.”‘Time for Lehmann to heal’ – Paine

One more contrast came from the pair of South Australians in the tour squad – the coach Darren Lehmann now overseeing his last Test match and the seam and swing bowler Chadd Sayers playing in his first. Paine said the decision to quit had appeared to lift plenty of weight from Lehmann’s shoulders, while the opportunity to play for Australia after five years on the fringes had been very welcome for Sayers, who does not conform to the Australian idea of a fast bowler but now has two wickets and the respect of South Africa.
“[Lehmann’s] been a little bit more laid-back today to be honest,” Paine said. “I think what we sensed yesterday and he even touched upon it himself was just a little bit of relief. It’s obviously been really difficult, and he’s been copping a fair amount of flak and so have his family, so I think for him to take that away from them and for him to be able to move on and try to heal a bit from what’s happened, I can sense a bit of relief and a load off his shoulders.
“I thought [Chadd] did really well. Obviously he was really nervous, but Chaddy’s the sort of bowler where he’s always at you. He did it again today, he bowled 25, 26 overs, which is a really big effort here in the altitude. A lot of the boys were really blowing, but Chaddy keeps on trucking on so we’re really rapt for him to get a game and take a few wickets late get some some rewards for his earlier hard work.”

A little over six hours after the handshakes, Paine sat before the media and contemplated leadership beyond this day. Should he remain captain, he said he wanted to redefine the post as a collaborative part of a wider whole, rather than the traditional branding of it as the major leadership rose above all others. Paine is clearly not a subscriber to the oft-quoted line that the position of Australian captain is second only to that of the Prime Minister.”I think at the moment that it’s something that I probably will be doing,” Paine said when asked whether he would want the captaincy long-term. “I have not put a hell of a lot of thought into anything past this week. Now we’ve also got a new coach that’s got to be appointed, who’s going to want a say on the way we go about it, the way I go about it.”My captaincy style will be – I’ve never been a big believer in the cricket team being the captain’s team, I think that’s a bit old school. When you didn’t have all the resources that we do now, I see the captain’s role as being that link between the players and the staff and just a really small, privileged role within Cricket Australia. But it’s just one part of the wheel and I’ll be trying to be very involving of all my staff, all my players and that’s the way I operate best.Australia captain Tim Paine leads the team out•Getty Images”A lot of our focus as a team has been around this week, we are not looking too far ahead at this moment. I know it’s a cliche in sport that you get that ‘one week at a time’, but at the moment we’re taking it one day at a time and slowly trying to build back the respect of the cricket world, our fans and the public. We know we’ve got a long journey ahead of us to get where we want to get to, but the last couple of days have been the start of that long journey.”Paine has gained most of his leadership experience as a lieutenant of George Bailey in Tasmania. He said that he wanted to foster an environment where players did not feel they had to conform to a narrow idea of what an Australian Test cricketer should be. Instead, they needed to be themselves, with the team broadening its horizons to make allowances for that sort of diversity.”We still want to keep a really competitive brand of cricket but I think there’s times we’ve got to be more respectful of our opposition, we’ve got to be more respectful of the game of cricket,” Paine said. “At times we’ve tended to push the boundaries as far as we possibly could. I think that we’ve seen that people probably don’t like that, so it’s time for us to change.

We haven’t got too many guys that like to verbalise and have that sort of really hard-nosed Australian approach. We’re about creating an environment where guys can come in and play cricket and just be themselves

“We’re happy to do that, I think it actually suits this group of players, we’re a different group of players than Australia have had for a long time, we haven’t got too many guys that like to verbalise and have that sort of really hard-nosed Australian approach. We’re about creating an environment where guys can come in and play cricket and just be themselves. I think if we can achieve that then we’ll have guys having better results as well.”Paine’s desire to establish a culture that was inclusive even led him to picture the returns of the players who had been banned for ball-tampering. The anguish shown by Smith and Bancroft upon their arrival home had clearly left a mark. “I think a few guys watched it and I think it really cut them up, as it did anyone that watched that,” Paine said.”We saw how difficult it was and how much not playing for Australia is hurting those guys. I think it’s really important for us to realise how lucky and privileged we are. We want to make this environment in the Australian cricket team one that people can come in, be themselves and play their cricket to their best of their ability. And we want to have that sorted by the time that those guys are ready to come back into this team.”Reflecting on the events of the past week, Paine quipped that his visiting wife had not seen much of him due to all of the many meetings and coffees needed to try to rebuild a team that had lost so much in the space of only a few days. “It’s been strange and very difficult,” he said. “I don’t think my wife’s too happy, I’ve hardly seen her for the last couple of days and she’s come over for it.”It’s just been really challenging for everyone involved. It’s a really stressful time and our thoughts are certainly with our team-mates who aren’t here at the moment. We’ve had conversations and a lot of coffees with each other talking about what we’re going to do to change and how we’re going to do that going forward. From all this dark cloud at some stage there’s going to be a silver lining and I think all the guys are really keen to be involved in how that looks.”We’ll look to get through this week and we go home. We’ve got a fair bit of time off and potentially a new coach will come in and share some ideas with us. Got a fair bit of time before our next Test where we can all get together and I’m going to be very involving of our whole staff and playing group. We’ll all sit down and map out how that looks, how we’re going to play.”

Former Pakistan legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed is among those being considered for the position of spin bowling coach. The board is also on the hunt for a new fielding coach

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Apr-2018Former Pakistan legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed is among those being considered by Sri Lanka Cricket for the position of spin bowling coach. Mushtaq, who has expressed interest in the position, has previously worked with England and Pakistan. The board is also on the hunt for a new fielding coach.The search for new staff coincides with the exit of Nic Pothas – who was Sri Lanka’s interim head coach for roughly half of 2017 – two months before his contract expires. A Sri Lanka cricket official confirmed that the board had let Pothas go on good terms, and that it would seek to appoint the two new coaches within the next two months.Confirming his departure, Pothas said it had “been an honor and a privilege to be involved with Sri Lanka” for two years, but that it was time for him to pursue other opportunities, in order to “spend quality time with [his] young family”.Pothas’ decision to quit early is understood to have been partially prompted by his disappointment with the scope of his role. Although he had been a contender for Sri Lanka’s permanent head coach position in August last year, when he had been publicly endorsed for that role by Sri Lanka’s cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha, Pothas was not required by the national side after Chandika Hathurusingha – a coach of much greater renown – was hired. Pothas had been working as a general fielding coach since being relieved of the interim position. SLC officials expect him to take up a position in England.Appointed interim coach following the exit of Graham Ford in June last year, Pothas’ six months at the helm was largely characterised by poor results, substantial upheaval and pressure from SLC administrators, though there was also the historic Test series victory against Pakistan in the UAE last year.Sri Lanka’s present high performance manager Simon Willis had also previously confirmed his departure in June, meaning SLC will seek a replacement for him as well.

Reliable reporter Ben Jacobs believes a deal is “there to be had” in Aston Villa’s pursuit of a “world-class” striker, who is also of interest to Arsenal.

Villa keen on a striker

With Jhon Duran joining Al-Nassr at the back end of the January transfer window, Unai Emery is lacking out-and-out strikers to provide competition for Ollie Watkins’ starting spot, and the manager is now looking at potential signings for the summer.

Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson has now emerged as a target for the Villans, with the Senegalese striker in line to replace Duran, and he is a player Emery knows very well, having spent time working together at Villarreal.

Mateo Retegui is one of the latest players to be linked with a move to Villa Park, with the Atalanta striker set to command a £50m fee in the summer after an impressive campaign in the Serie A, which has also attracted the attention of Arsenal.

Outscoring Watkins: Aston Villa could regret ditching "throwback" for £0

Aston Villa could rue ditching this “throwback” star who’s outscoring Watkins

2 ByConnor Holden Feb 17, 2025

Retegui is not the only striker Arsenal and Villa may have to do battle for, however, with Jacobs recently dropping an update on the Premier League duo’s interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, the reliable reporter said: “I think suitors that are looking at Cunha – whether it’s Arsenal or Aston Villa or others – they will feel that regardless of Wolves going down or staying up, there’s a deal there to be had in the summer.

“And that may not necessarily be specifically by triggering the release clause. They may be able to work around its ballpark to get a slightly more preferable deal.”

Aston Villa’s upcoming Premier League fixtures

Date

Liverpool (h)

February 19th

Chelsea (h)

February 22nd

Crystal Palace (a)

February 25th

Brentford (a)

March 8th

Brighton & Hove Albion (a)

April 1st

Cunha keeping Wolves' survival hopes alive

Cunha has without doubt been Wolves’ stand-out player this season, with his goals giving the Molineux outfit a fighting chance of avoiding the drop, having netted 12 times in 24 Premier League outings, while also providing four assists.

Most recently, the 25-year-old netted a brilliant goal in the Old Gold’s 2-1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, beating Alisson from outside the box.

The striker, who is widely reported to have a £62.5m release clause, has been in inspired form this term, and he has been lauded as “world-class” by football writer George Larkin,

The suggestion that the Brazilian could be available this summer regardless of whether Wolves stay up is exciting news, given that he has proven himself as a top Premier League striker, and he could be capable of claiming Watkins’ starting spot.

However, it may be very difficult to win the race for Cunha’s signature if Arsenal formalise their interest, particularly if Villa miss out on European football altogether, which they are now at serious risk of after drawing against 10-man Ipswich Town last weekend.

Men’s limited-overs home internationals will go behind a paywall for the first time, while all Test cricket and women’s internationals are guaranteed a free-to-air broadcast for the next six years

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2018The Seven Network and Fox Sports have bagged the broadcast rights for Australian home cricket for the next six years, signing a deal worth AUD 1.182 billion with Cricket Australia.The deal represents a significant jump in revenue for CA, with the previous five-year deal with Channel Nine (international cricket) and Ten (Big Bash League) having been worth around AUD 600 million in total. The size of the new deal allays any fears that Australian cricket may have become a less attractive commodity in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal that broke during the recent tour of South Africa.Where can I watch what?

Seven Network: Men’s Tests, women’s internationals, 43 BBL games, 23 WBBL games, Allan Border and Belinda Clark Medal Night
Fox Sports: Men’s Tests, men’s ODIs, men’s T20Is, women’s internationals, all BBL games, 23 WBBL games, Allan Border and Belinda Clark Medal Night, Prime Minister’s XI and Governor-General’s XI matches, Sheffield Shield final, 13 One-Day Cup matches
Live streaming on cricket.com.au and the CA Live App: 36 WBBL matches, Sheffield Shield, One-Day Cup, international tour matches, on-demand highlights

Free-to-air Seven will partner with Fox to simulcast all men’s Test matches and women’s internationals, 43 BBL games and 23 WBBL games each season. This is the first time all of Australia women’s matches are guaranteed a free-to-air broadcast.”What we are particularly proud of in this partnership is the focus on extending our broadcast coverage of women’s matches,” CA chief executive James Sutherland said. “Our partners are key to inspiring more women and girls to pick up a bat and ball. If more elite content is accessible to fans be it on TV or through their mobile devices, we’re helping tap into new audiences to attract them to the sport.”Men’s home limited-overs internationals, however, will move behind a paywall for the first time, with Fox Sports set to exclusively showcase men’s ODIs and T20Is, as well as the remaining 16 BBL matches.The deal also involves a digital partnership between Fox Sports and Cricket Network, which will offer streaming of matches not shown on Fox Sports or Seven, as well as on-demand highlights of all Australian cricket.The new deal ends Channel Nine’s four-decade-long association with Australia’s home summer.”Our thanks go to Channel Nine, who for more than 40 years has broadcast international cricket at a world-renowned standard – and in so doing has done more to promote our sport than any organisation in Australian cricket history,” Sutherland said.”Our sincere thanks also to Network Ten for their role in taking the Big Bash League to a new level, and for so willingly providing a platform to launch and grow the Women’s Big Bash League. As a startup League, the BBL is a phenomenal success story. Over the last five years Ten has made an extraordinary contribution to the league and its growth in bringing new fans to cricket.”We have nothing but gratitude and respect for Nine and Ten – and sincerely thank them for their contribution to our sport. We’re very excited about what the future holds with both Fox Sports and Seven West Media.”

Liverpool have been linked with a move for a Premier League star to replace Mohamed Salah, with journalist Neil Jones giving his verdict on the recent reports around the homegrown player.

What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?

The Reds have now set their sights on Juventus forward Federico Chiesa, having recently been handed a boost with the news the Serie A club would now be open to selling him, should they receive a fee of €70m (£61m).

US Lecce youngster Patrick Dorgu has been a known target of Jurgen Klopp's for quite some time, and there have now been indications that he could be ready to leave the Italian club, but his dream is to play for Chelsea, given that he is a fan of the Blues.

Not only is Klopp considering potential recruits from the Serie A, but he also has some targets in mind from closer to home, with reports indicating that Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes remains an option, despite being close to signing a new deal at St. James' Park.

With Salah's future in doubt, as a result of the interest from the Saudi Pro League, Klopp may also be tasked with bringing in a new winger, and West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen is believed to be a potential target.

As relayed by CaughtOffside, Jones has now provided an update on whether he expects Liverpool to make a move for Bowen, saying: “Jarrod Bowen impressed with a goal for West Ham against Liverpool at the weekend, and he is a player Liverpool admire, and have done for some time.

“He was looked at a couple of years ago, in particular, as a potential signing, and of course as a left-footer who plays on the right, and scores and creates at a decent rate, he’s certainly an option worth considering given the doubts over Mo Salah’s long-term future.

Is Jarrod Bowen joining Liverpool?

As pointed out by Jones, the England international will be 27 soon, and the Reds have implemented a policy of signing younger players, but they have broken that rule on occasion, signing Thiago from Bayern Munich when he was 29.

Given that Bowen has proven himself in the Premier League, recording 24 goal contributions in 36 games during the 2021-22 campaign, it is certainly worth considering a move, especially since he could be entering his prime.

Hailed as "outstanding" by journalist Josh Bunting, the Englishman has made a fabulous start to the season, scoring four goals in his opening six games, including one at Anfield at the weekend.

However, there are doubts over whether Bowen would have the quality to replace Salah, and Liverpool should look to tie their talisman down to a new deal, to put an end to the speculation over his future.