Manchester City have informed Barcelona about Joao Cancelo's price tag as the Arsenal and Chelsea target makes a final decision on his future.
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Man City set Cancelo price tagArsenal & Chelsea want the playerCancelo firm on continuing at BarcelonaWHAT HAPPENED?
According to City will demand €40 million (£34m/$43m) for Cancelo this summer. However, given Barcelona's financial woes, they will not be able to match this asking price. Despite this, negotiations are gradually progressing, thanks to the efforts of agent Jorge Mendes.
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As things stand, there are two options: a straightforward transfer this summer or a deal with an option to buy in 2025. As Cancelo remains determined to continue his career at Barcelona, Mendes is trying to figure out a deal that would suit both clubs.
DID YOU KNOW?
Cancelo’s performances at the Catalan club have not gone unnoticed. He has proven to be one of the world’s premier full-backs, catching the attention of clubs like Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and even Saudi Arabian teams. City, initially keen on selling him to the highest bidder, now face a roadblock due to Cancelo’s steadfast refusal to play for any other club than Barcelona.
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Cancelo’s unwavering commitment to Barcelona could see him become a permanent fixture at Camp Nou. The Blaugrana are actively working to solve their monetary issues and are hopeful to wrap up the deal before the commencement of the European Championship on June 14 in Germany.
England, who are under the pump since the shock defeat against Sri Lanka will most likely be without opener Jason Roy for this key Australia clash
Daniel Brettig24-Jun-20192:46
Hussey, Swann have a go at each other ahead of big clash
Big pictureAs the World Cup staggers into its closing 20 days, it can be possible to lose perspective on the past four years. England, thanks to their defeat by Sri Lanka and injury to Jason Roy – that almost certainly rules him out of the Australia clash – are in crisis, lambasted by the press and now weighed down by the expectation that come global tournaments, they invariably stuff it up. That’s the conventional view of this week, anyway. At the same time, Australia are growing in strength, getting the wins they need without quite looking like they have put it all together – something, presumably, that will only happen when it matters most.But away from the easy assumptions of the week is a bigger, more complicated story. England, having been more or less laughed out of the 2015 World Cup due to their retrograde approach and early elimination, retooled and rebranded with such success that they have been viewed as tournament favourites for at least the past two years. Australia, meanwhile, were the team in crisis for most of the past 12 months, due to the Newlands scandal and bans to Steven Smith and David Warner. Certainly Australia’s coach Justin Langer had no reason to think his men might be in danger of getting complacent given their experiences leading into this competition.Nevertheless, the major question is whether or not Australia now have a team that will match-up effectively against an England team who, for all their former success, need to keep it together in the here and now. A warm-up game in Southampton, won by Australia, provided some information of use. “We’ll take a few match-ups [from the warm-up game],” Langer said. “The beauty of the World Cup is we get to watch every game and we’ve got lots of eyes on them, lots of cricket expertise and experience in our group. We get good ideas as they’ll be doing against us, so yeah whether it’s in the practice games or the games we’ve been watching or the last four years’ footage and data we’ve got on England, it all adds up.”A notable strength of Australia under Langer has been their ability to play a brand of cricket suited to most opponents, with adjustments made for each. This all comes back to Langer’s very pugilistic understanding of cricket “combat”. At Lord’s, both England and Australia will get a strong indicator of how well their fighting feet are moving around the ring with the world title bout entering its final, definitive rounds. “This tournament is going to be about who can hold their nerve in the big moments,” Langer said . “We have got to concentrate on how we hold our nerve in the big moments. There are going to be plenty of them in the next three games and hopefully the semi-final. I have said for 6-8 months, when it comes to a World Cup there is a lot of talk about statistics, but it comes down to match play and we have to play England on Tuesday better than they play us.”Aaron Finch celebrates after running out Soumya Sarkar•Getty ImagesForm guideEngland: LWWWL (Last five completed matches, most recent first) Australia: WWWLW In the spotlightNo opposition country got a better look at Jofra Archer prior to his international debut than Australia. It was via the Big Bash League and a wildly successful run for Hobart Hurricanes that Archer made himself a high-profile likelihood for England in the first place. As coach of the Perth Scorchers, Justin Langer has already had to plan for Archer, and his Hurricanes twice confounded the Scorchers on a run to the BBL final in 2017-18. “Great athlete isn’t he?” Langer said. “We’ve seen him a lot in the Big Bash, Adam Griffith was his coach at the Hurricanes, so we know a fair bit about Jofra, he’s a brilliant athlete, he bowls fast, moves well, so we’ll be on our toes for him as well. It’s nice to know the opposition and study them well, but at the start we’ve just got to be really clear what we want to do.”In an Australian side not always the most balanced, Marcus Stoinis is a key link man. As a batsman his top order tendencies can at times obscure his powerful hitting, with early strike rotation key to allowing him and his partners to score effectively at the back end of an innings. But it is with the ball that Stoinis has arguably become most important, using seam up and a combination of many slower ball variations to prove harder to hit out of the attack than it would always appear. Against Bangladesh it was Stoinis, not Starc or Cummins, who took the key wicket of Shakib Al Hasan, miscuing one of those very change-ups.Team newsJason Roy’s record against Australia is formidable – 759 runs at 47.43 and a strike rate of 114.30, including a memorable 180 at the MCG in January 2018 – but he will sit this one out. The good news is a second scan, carried out on Monday morning, showed improvement in the injury, raising hopes he will be fit to play in the match against India on June 30. For now, Vince has the talent to be an effective opener against Australia, but he is yet to face them in an ODI, and flattered to deceive in the 2017-18 Ashes. Among the quicks, Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood continue to duel for the last pace bowling berth.England (possible) 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 James Vince, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Liam Plunkett/Mark WoodBased on the way they performed against England in the warm-up fixture at Southampton, both Nathan Lyon and Jason Berendorff can expect to be strongly considered in place of Adam Zampa and Nathan Coulter-Nile.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile/Jason Behrendorff, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam Zampa/Nathan LyonPitch and conditionsLord’s entered World Cup equations for the first time this week with Pakistan’s victory over South Africa on a surface that, as is typical, offered a little bit of something for all – plus the vagaries of the Lord’s slope. The pitch for Tuesday’s contest has a distinctly green tinge at this late stage of its preparation, and while it may be dry underneath, it does also need to hold together for Saturday’s clash between Australia and New Zealand, which may influence the amount of grass that gets left on it. London’s forecast is for warm temperatures and scattered showers across the day. It looks like a bowl-first situation.Joe Root and Eoin Morgan run between the wickets•Getty ImagesStrategy punt Nathan Lyon is yet to play a match at this World Cup, and Jason Behrendorff has played only once. But on a match-ups basis they may well be the best options for Australia against England, demonstrated not only in the warm-up match at Southampton a month ago but also by the wider numbers. Lyon has been successful in tying down Joss Buttler in their previous meetings, while left-arm pace has been a consistent thorn in English sides recently. Their defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka were characterised by difficulties against the sorts of angles created by left armers plus those of Lasith Malinga – who’s inimitable style asks very similar questions. England have, in Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett, three pacemen with the speed and/or awkward bounce to threaten an Australian top order that has, against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, functioned like the best oiled part of Aaron Finch’s machine. An echo of the West Indies short-pitched assault could have a significant risk/reward element, not least because the boundaries at Lord’s are not exactly distant. But Eoin Morgan will remember how Wood surprised Warner at the MCG in January 2018 – well directed bouncers have the capacity to startle, as Justin Langer well remembers from day one of the immortal 2005 Ashes campaign.Stats and trivia Australia have won eight and England five of their ODI meetings at Lord’s since 1972, with a tied game in 2005. Australia won the most recent encounter in 2015, a game remembered mostly for the Ben Stokes/Mitchell Starc obstructing the field dismissal. Adil Rashid (35 wickets) needs three victims to surpass Mitchell Johnson (37) and enter the top five wicket-takers in all ODIs between England and Australia.Quotes”Jos Buttler is an unbelievable player. I love watching him bat. I hope he gets a duck in this game obviously, but I saw him at Somerset and he is an unbelievable athlete and an incredible finisher. He is the new Dhoni of world cricket. We know we will have to be on our game. But they have a number of players. Stokes, Morgan, even Woakes at the end smacks them over point all the time and pulls well. They have a very strong batting unit and we will have to be right on it.” Justin Langer on England“.”Eoin Morgan on the Lord’s pitch and team combination
David Moyes has pulled off a real statement of intent by luring Kalvin Philipps to West Ham United on a loan deal until the end of the season, and his quality could shine through should he remain fit and healthy.
The Englishman will add some much-needed steel to the centre of their midfield, and it could prove to be an inspired signing as Moyes looks to secure another continental trophy with the club.
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
While this is a big coup, with just under a week left until deadline day, the Scot will be hoping to bring in at least another player or two, especially as he needs to bolster his attacking options.
West Ham’s search for new signings
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the Irons are currently showing interest in former Celtic sensation Jota as they look to improve their squad ahead of the second half of the season.
He said: “Former Celtic winger Jota is still hoping for a move to the Premier League this month.
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“West Ham have spoken about a possible deal, whilst Brighton, Everton and Newcastle have been linked. Spurs remain admirers too.”
He moved to Saudi Pro League outfit Al Ittihad last summer for a fee of around £25m following an impressive spell in Scotland, yet his move to the Middle East has not played out as well as anticipated.
Could the Portuguese gem perhaps return to British shores in the coming days? There is no doubt he has the potential to shine in the Premier League, and with West Ham needing some freshness injected into the final third, he could be an ideal signing.
Moyes may need to move a player or two out the door, however, with winger Said Benrahma attracting interest from French side Marseille.
Indeed, the Hammers even rejected a loan bid from the Ligue 1 outfit last week for the Algerian, but a move for Jota could indicate that his time in London is approaching an end.
Said Benrahma could leave West Ham United
The winger is certainly a polarising figure. At times, he can be devastating and cause utter chaos to opposition defences, yet more often than not, he fails to leave his mark in matches and Moyes could do with an upgrade on the player going forward.
Since joining West Ham from Brentford at the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign, the 28-year-old has scored 24 goals and registered 19 assists across 155 matches, a ratio of a goal contribution every 3.6 games, which is a solid, if unspectacular, return.
6
0
3
1
2.1
1.5
1.4
0.8
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This season, however, the winger has grabbed only one assist in 22 matches and his performances have been underwhelming, to say the least.
Among the squad, Benrahma currently ranks 14th for goals and assists (one) in the Premier League, while also ranking sixth for shots on target per game (0.5) and 17th for overall Sofascore rating (6.73), indicating that this term has hardly been a productive one.
The former Brentford winger still has two and a half years left on his current contract and this could tempt Moyes into moving him on this month, especially as he could command a decent fee.
It is clear he is not having the same impact this term compared to previous seasons. Moyes has started him just 13 times in all competitions, which proves he does not place his trust in the 28-year-old that often.
Jota could be a big upgrade to the current West Ham player, and it would be interesting to see if he could pick up where he left off after starring at Celtic.
The stats that show why Jota could be an upgrade to Said Benrahma
Admittedly, the 5 foot 9 winger has not had a good season for Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League since making his big-money move there last summer.
This was surprising, especially due to how impressive he had been for Celtic during their treble-winning 2022/23 campaign and his performances were always going to catch the eye of potential suitors.
Last term, Jota not only ranked first among the squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.45) in the Premiership, but he also ranked second for goals and assists (22), shots per game (2.4), big chances created (13), and key passes per game (1.9), demonstrating how much of an influence he had in the team.
In comparison, Benrahma ranked eighth for Sofascore rating (6.86) among the West Ham squad, along with ranking third for goals and assists (nine), first for shots per game (2.1), second for big chances created (five) and for key passes per game (1.4), suggesting that he also had a decent season for the Hammers, yet Jota’s numbers across these key metrics are better.
Jota was even lauded by former Glasgow Rangers manager Alex McLeish, who dubbed him as a “revelation” under Ange Postecoglou as they swept to five of the six domestic honours in his two seasons under the current Tottenham Hotspur manager.
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As mentioned, the 24-year-old has struggled in Asia this season, making just 11 appearances and scoring only two goals, as clubs are limited to naming just eight foreign players in their domestic squads.
This has clearly limited his appearances, and it looks as though it is time for a fresh start and a return to Britain could bring out the best in him.
Benrahma has shown this term that he simply cannot be trusted to add goals or assists to this West Ham team on a regular basis and if he isn’t moved on this month, he will surely depart London in the summer.
This could give Moyes the licence to ditch the Algerian by making a concrete move for Jota as he looks to add some more depth to his attacking options.
There is no doubt the former Celtic star will be fresh having played so few matches, and this could be a huge bonus for West Ham, especially as they chase another continental title.
Jota has won five major titles during his previous two full seasons, and he certainly knows how to win trophies, which the Hammers will be hoping he showcases in the Europa League later this year if they win the race for his signature.
Arsenal are back on track after their wobble in the festive period, with two Premier League wins on the bounce, albeit the victory against Nottingham Forest was much closer than it probably should have been.
The only way Mikel Arteta can make the week even better for the fans is by announcing a new signing, yet the North Londoners have been all but silent this month.
However, recent news has suggested Edu and Co could be about to burst into life and hijack a deal being worked on by one of their city rivals for a youngster who could replicate the trajectory of one Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal on the lookout for the next big thing
According to Football Insider, West Ham United's initial negotiations to sign FC Nordsjaelland's incredibly exciting youngster Ibrahim Osman failed earlier this month, and while they are set to try again, Arsenal are now ready to pounce and hijack the deal themselves.
However, the report has also revealed that the Gunners are not the only Premier League side looking to take advantage of the Hammers' problems, as Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion could also make late bids.
The fee required to complete the deal has not been reliably reported as of yet, but Football Insider has noted that it must be in excess of the £16m that the Irons initially offered.
While the final fee is sure to be expensive for an unproven teenager, Edu and the rest of the Arsenal board might feel confident that they can get the best out of the young Ghanaian due to Martinelli's successful transition from a relative unknown to one of the team's most important players.
Osman could follow in the footsteps of Martinelli
Now, claiming that a 19-year-old playing in the Norwegian first division could go on to become the next Martinelli, a player who scored 15 goals and provided five assists in 34 Premier League starts last season, is undeniably a big claim, and while Osman might not necessarily reach the same heady heights as the Brazilian, there are some similarities.
First, if the "skilful and direct" winger, as data analyst Ben Mattinson described him, were to join Arsenal this month, then, in effect, he'd be mirroring the move of Martinelli, as while he may be well-known in Norway, Osman is still an unknown quantity to the vast majority of Premier League fans in the same way the Arsenal man was when signing from Ituano.
Second, the 19-year-old is, as Mattinson says, a "1v1 specialist" and blessed with "electric speed", and while Martinelli's tendency to take players on has been quelled somewhat recently, these are attributes he clearly possesses. Hence, seeing what Osman could become after a few years at the Emirates is easy.
Lastly, Mattinson highlights the possibility of moulding the young Ghanaian into a central striker in the future due to his "good ball-striking" ability, which has always been discussed regarding Arsenal's dazzling left-winger.
Ibrahim Osman's Senior Career Record
Games
39
Goals
4
Assists
5
All Stats via Transfermarkt
There is clearly a lot that could tie the Nordsjaelland star to the former Ituano gem, but away from those things, he is a talented and promising young footballer, and while his goal and assist tally might not blow people away, it's still encouraging for such a young player.
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Ultimately, if Arsenal have a genuine opportunity to hijack this deal, then they should take it. If Osman can become even half the player Martinelli is, the Gunners will have another brilliant winger among their ranks.
Neil Dexter’s half-century the mainstay for visitors after they won the toss at Cheltenham
ECB Reporters Network15-Jul-2019 Matt Taylor and Ethan Bamber led the way with three wickets apiece as Gloucestershire bowled out Leicestershire for 252 on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match at Cheltenham.Left-arm seamer Taylor returned 3 for 39 from 18 overs and debutant Bamber 3 for 53 from 22.3 overs after the visitors had won the toss and elected to take first use of what looked likely to be a good batting wicket. Neil Dexter and Paul Horton top scored for Leicestershire, who were reined in by more miserly bowling from Ryan Higgins in sunny conditions at the College Ground.The opening day of the annual festival began with new loan recruit Bamber taking a wicket with only his second ball for Gloucestershire as Hassan Azad was caught behind down the leg side by wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick in the second over.Signed to replace Josh Shaw following his recall by Yorkshire, the 20-year-old Middlesex seamer went on to beat the bat on several occasions in sending down 23 overs.It was soon looking a decent pitch as Horton and Dexter added 73 for the second wicket under sunny skies before Horton fell lbw to Taylor, having faced 60 balls and hit 8 fours.Dexter was unbeaten on 29 at lunch, which was taken at 92 for 2. That became 124 for 3 in the afternoon session when Colin Ackermann, on 21, miscued an attempted pull shot off Taylor and skied to Graeme van Buuuren at mid-wicket.Taylor’s six-over post-lunch spell from the Chapel End included three maidens and saw him concede only three runs. Harry Dearden and Ben Mike, the latter playing in place of Mark Cosgrove, who suffered a blow on the head batting in the nets before the game, could make only 7 apiece before being bowled by Higgins and Benny Howell respectively.When Dexter’s patient 178-ball knock ended with an edge to second slip off Sayers, Leicestershire were 151 for 6 and in danger of not collecting a batting point. But either side of tea, Callum Parkinson and young wicketkeeper Harry Swindells added 46 in solid fashion before Parkinson, on 19, became a third victim for Taylor, lbw looking to play a full delivery through the leg side.The second new ball was taken at 199 for 7 by which time Chris Wright had joined Swindells and quickly began to assert with some meaty boundaries.Swindells produced one of the shots of the day to square drive Higgins through the covers for four, but departed leg-before to the next delivery for a well-made 32 on only his third first-class appearance, with the score on 226.Wright also played well for his 30 before being bowled by Bamber with less than three overs remaining in the day’s play. Last man Mohammad Abbas then secured a second batting point for Leicestershire by clipping Higgins off his toes for two before being caught in the slips off Bamber to end play.Gloucestershire were without young batsman Ben Charlesworth because of a hand injury and selected left-arm spinner Tom Smith for his first Championship appearance of the season, believing the pitch will turn as the match progresses.
Real Madrid could have identified their next Galactico amid reports that €150m-rated Florian Wirtz is on their wanted list
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Wirtz key in Leverkusen's historic seasonMadrid eyeing a 2025 move for the German starBarcelona are also interested in the 21-year-oldWHAT HAPPENED?
Spanish outlet Marca report that Real Madrid and Wirtz have a "pact" over a deal which would see the talented youngster remain at Bayer Leverkusen for one more season before the Blancos make a move in the summer of 2025. Personal terms are also said to have been agreed with the player.
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Real Madrid celebrated a record-extending 15th European Cup win earlier this month, but are still looking to add some of the world's best players to their squad. Kylian Mbappe's arrival was confirmed last week, with the club continuing to plan for the future by looking to tie up a deal for one of Germany's best young players. Wirtz has also been linked with Bayern Munich in recent weeks.
GettyHOW WOULD WIRTZ FIT IN AT REAL MADRID?
One of the questions that immediately comes to mind in regards to Madrid's potential move for Wirtz would be where he would fit into their star-studded attacking line-up, given that Mbappe and Endrick are set to join the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo this summer. The most likely scenario would see Bellingham moved back into a number eight position, allowing Wirtz to play behind the main striker.
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Wirtz is now looking forward to a major international tournament on home soil, as he looks to play a key role in Germany's Euro 2024 campaign. If Madrid are waiting 12 months to move for him, that will then give Wirtz an opportunity to run it back with Bayer Leverkusen, who enjoyed a historically unbeaten domestic season on their way to a league and cup double.
Cristiano Ronaldo took to social media to issue an emotional rallying cry ahead of Portugal's Euro 2024 opener against the Czech Republic.
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Ronaldo shared a motivational post on InstagramSet to appear in Euros for the sixth timeAiming to win a second European ChampionshipWHAT HAPPENED?
The Al-Nassr star, who will make his record-extending sixth European Championship appearance on Tuesday against the Czech Republic, took to Instagram and shared a video of his past Portugal matches in a bid to motivate his team-mates ahead of kick-off.
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In the caption of his Instagram post, Ronaldo wrote: "Portugueses, Today starts another chapter of our history. I fondly remember my first day with the national team, a journey filled with challenges and triumphs. Now, I have the honour to once again stand alongside a team of champions, full of talent and determination. With the strength and support of everyone, we turn dreams into reality. Let's fight together for another triumph. United we are unstoppable."
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The five-time Ballon d'Or winner heads into the continental competition on the back of a 50-goal season in Saudi Arabia. The 39-year-old star smashed multiple records in the Middle East while also taking his tally of international caps and goals to a record-extending 207 and 130, respectively. In Portugal's final Euro 2024 warm-up game against Ireland, the superstar netted a brace.
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star, who led Portugal to their first-ever international trophy win at Euro 2016, will aim to bag the title once again in what could possibly be his last appearance in the competition.
Perhaps fearful of breaking the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, Chelsea's trend of splashing the cash finally came to a halt during the January transfer window. But that break only looks likely to be temporary with the Blues once again looking to the Brazilian market in an attempt to land a future gem for Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea transfer news
Todd Boehly's transfer tactic since taking ownership of Chelsea has been interesting to say the least. The American has seemingly thrown endless money at the Blues' problems, only for the influx of arrivals to widen the cracks in a sinking ship rather than at the very least paper over them. Focused on signing young players on long-term deals in an attempt to benefit for years to come, Boehly is yet to see the likes of Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile and Mykhailo Mudryk flourish.
With Chelsea stagnating in mid-table in his debut season, Pochettino is under growing pressure. However, the Argentine revealed that he has the full backing of the board, despite the club's lack of progress during his tenure so far.
Even as the poor results continue to come though, the Blues are sticking to their transfer tactic. According to Calcio Mercato, Chelsea are eyeing a move to sign Thalys from Palmeiras. A deal would require the London club to hijack serious interest from Barcelona and Manchester United, and also beat the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City to the 18-year-old's signature.
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Supposedly dubbed the "new Endrick" in Brazil, Palmeiras will set a price tag of between €35m and €40m (£30m and £34m) for the striker, who can also play off the front or on the right wing. For a player who those in Brazil believe is reminiscent of the legendary Rivaldo, that could quickly prove to be a bargain price, should Chelsea push on and secure a deal for the centre-forward.
"Superb" Thalys would continue Chelsea trend
If Chelsea did sign Thalys, it would continue their trend of welcoming Brazilian gems. Just last summer, the Blues signed Deivid Washington and Angelo – both 18-years-old – from Santos. And this came one summer after they secured the signature of Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama, who is also only 18.
So, whilst Chelsea continue to struggle in the Premier League's mid-table, Boehly will hope to see Brazil's next generation carry the London giants back to the top of English football for years to come once they reach their potential. Adding Thalys to that makes perfect sense too. The teenager is someone who's earned high praise from Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig…
It's not crazy to think that those at Stamford Bridge could one day witness a strike partnership of Washington and Thalys, a thought that is sure to excite the Blues faithful amid a fairly miserable campaign.
His new contract will extend up to the 2021 T20 World Cup in India
ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-20192:09
‘Ravi Shastri was the unanimous choice’ – Kapil Dev
Ravi Shastri will remain head coach of the senior India men’s team, with his new contract extending up to the 2021 T20 World Cup in India.The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) spent much of Friday interviewing five candidates for head coach, with a sixth – Phil Simmons – pulling out of the race earlier in the day. The CAC rated the candidates on five separate categories – coaching philosophy, experience, achievements, communication, and “knowledge of modern coaching tools” – and Shastri emerged the winner.The three members of the CAC – former India captain Kapil Dev, former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad and former India women captain Shanta Rangaswamy – agreed “unanimously” to retain Shastri’s services, Kapil announced, with Mike Hesson, the former New Zealand and Kings XI Punjab coach, and Tom Moody, the former Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad coach, coming a close second and third respectively.Ravi Shastri’s coaching CV•ESPNcricinfo LtdApart from Shastri, Hesson and Moody, the CAC also interviewed Robin Singh, who has coached at four-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians and was formerly India’s fielding coach, and Lalchand Rajput, India’s manager during their victorious World T20 campaign in 2007 and more recently coach of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Hesson, Robin and Rajput made their presentations to the CAC in person, while Moody and Shastri – who is with the India team in the West Indies – appeared via teleconference.The interviews for the remainder of India’s backroom staff will commence next week, tentatively from August 19-22. India’s senior selection panel, led by MSK Prasad, was supposed to pick the head coach’s support staff, as per the BCCI’s new constitution, but ESPNcricinfo understands that the CAC wanted to have a say, and expressed its interest and wrote to the BCCI requesting to be involved in the process.The contracts of Shastri and his earlier support staff were meant to expire at the end of the 2019 World Cup, but they were given a 45-day extension keeping in mind the ongoing West Indies tour. Ahead of the team’s departure for the Caribbean, India captain Virat Kohli made a public announcement that he would prefer if Shastri were to continue as head coach.When Shastri was appointed in July 2017, the CAC at the time – comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – had consulted Kohli during the selection process. This time, the CAC did not seek Kohli’s opinion on the matter.”Absolutely not,” Kapil said, when asked if the CAC had been in touch with Kohli before it made its pick. “If we had asked him, we would have had to ask the whole team their opinion too.”The previous CAC had also tried to sort out the differences between Kohli and Anil Kumble, who had stepped down as head coach in fractious circumstances before Shastri’s 2017 appointment. It subsequently emerged that Kohli had refused to budge in that instance, which eventually resulted in Kumble opting to walk away.Shastri first joined India’s backroom staff as team director during the 2014 tour of England, and remained director in the absence of a head coach, when Duncan Fletcher’s tenure ended after the 2015 World Cup. Shastri was out of the set-up when Kumble became head coach in June 2016, but returned as head coach after Kumble’s resignation.Since then, Shastri has overseen Test match wins in South Africa and England, and a maiden Test series win in Australia, in 2017-18. Under Shastri, India most recently reached the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup in the UK, topping the round-robin phase of the tournament before exiting with a loss to New Zealand.
Harry Kane’s kids and wife Kate continue to show their support for the England captain amid questions of his starting berth at Euro 2024.
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Prolific frontman skippers Three LionsWas on target again versus DenmarkCriticism of contribution without the ballWHAT HAPPENED?
The prolific Bayern Munich striker continues to fill the armband for his country, and has taken a record-setting haul of goals for the Three Lions to 64 efforts through 93 appearances. His latest strike came in a 1-1 draw with Denmark – which broke the deadlock in that game before Gareth Southgate’s side were pegged back.
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Kane saw slightly more of the ball against Denmark than he did in England’s Euros opener against Serbia, but still struggled to get involved and has seen his reluctance, or inability, to press high and lead from the front attract criticism.
THE GOSSIP
Some have suggested that England should consider leaving their talismanic skipper out, despite his remarkable record at the very highest level, but Southgate has offered no indication that he is losing faith and Kane’s family are in Germany to offer words of encouragement while also providing a welcome distraction away from the field.
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WHAT NEXT?
England, who are still searching for a spark in their latest European Championship campaign, will be back in action next Tuesday when taking on Slovenia. A place in the knockout rounds is not guaranteed just yet, and that should ensure that Kane retains his place ahead of back-up options Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney.