Juventus have confirmed the permanent signing of on-loan defender Lloyd Kelly from Newcastle, ending his stay with the Premier League club.
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Juventus confirm Kelly signingDefender had already been on loan at clubShort-lived stay at Newcastle officially endsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Fabrizio Romano reports that Juventus have confirmed their obligation to buy clause included within the loan deal has been activated, meaning the defender has officially left Newcastle for Serie A.
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The Serie A giants will pay €17.5m plus add-ons for Kelly, who has made 13 appearances for The Old Lady since signing on a temporary deal in January.
DID YOU KNOW?
Kelly only signed for Newcastle last summer when his Bournemouth contract expired but he struggled for playing time at St James' Park. He made just 14 appearances on Tyneside and will now not be returning.
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR KELLY AND JUVENTUS?
Juventus sit fourth in Serie A with three matches remaining. Kelly will hope to feature as his side aim to secure a Champions League spot.
The Australia captain’s performance was in the spotlight even though the team won
AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-20222:13
Kumble: Stoinis had to come in and stamp his authority
Aaron Finch has conceded there was “no excuse” for his painfully slow innings against Sri Lanka in Perth which heaped the pressure on Australia’s run chase until they were rescued by Marcus Stoinis.Finch could barely contain his frustration as he crawled to 31 not out off 42 balls in Australia’s seven-wicket win on Tuesday night. The match will be remembered for the Stoinis fireworks display at the death, with the allrounder cracking an unbeaten 59 off 18 balls.But Finch’s scratchy performance did not go unnoticed, with former Test star Mark Waugh labelling it “torturous”.At one stage, Finch had scored four of 15 balls. During a stretch of play in which he was totally bamboozled by paceman Lahiru Kumara, the 35-year-old quipped to the umpire: “Happy to take any ideas if you know how to hit that”.Related
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Things only got slightly better for Finch as his innings wore on. He was dropped on 23, was lucky to survive a series of bottom and inside edges that only narrowly missed his stumps, and he shouted a frustrated “oh my god” at the death following yet another mistimed shot.Finch’s innings – at a strike rate of just 73.81 – was the slowest of any consisting of 40 or more balls in men’s T20 World Cup history.”Obviously my innings was unusual, it was poor,” he said. “I just couldn’t hit the ball…they bowled a hard length, it was tough. It’s such a big ground you feel as though it’s hard to just stand and deliver, especially with a bit of extra bounce and when the ball’s seaming slightly you feel it’s just not quite as easy to hit the middle of the bat, but that’s no excuse for the way I played, but it was nice to get the two points.”Aaron Finch could never get going•AFP/Getty ImagesThe under-fire Finch, who retired from ODIs last month, has passed 50 in just one of his past 18 innings in official international matches, averaging only 11.88 in that time across all formats.Finch’s most recent score of note came in a warm-up match against India last week, when he made 76 off 54 balls. Stoinis praised Finch for seeing out the win until the very end.”That new ball was doing a lot. From what I could see from the boundary, it was definitely the hardest time to bat,” he said. “It was just important that he saw that through and was there to hit the winning runs.”However, Waugh argued that Finch’s innings made it very difficult for him to be retained as an opener for the England match on Friday and called for Cameron Green, who is now in the squad as a replacement for Josh Inglis, to be recalled in place of Pat Cummins and partner David Warner at the top.”I’d bring Cameron Green in and I’d bring him in for Pat Cummins, and I’d let Cameron Green open the batting,” he told radio station . “That’s the one change I would definitely make. I know it’s a bit of a gamble, it leaves your bowling a bit short.”But I think Cameron Green can bowl four overs as good as any of the other bowlers at the moment. Aaron Finch’s innings was torturous. I don’t think he can open the innings in the next game. If he plays, I don’t think he can open.”
Newcastle United could hardly be in better form right now.
On Sunday, the Magpies fought back from a goal down to beat Bromley 3-1 in the FA Cup, with Lewis Miley on target, Anthony Gordon converting a penalty and then William Osula rubber-stamping their place in round four.
Newcastle players celebrate
That was an eighth successive victory for the Magpies, who’ve moved up to fifth in the Premier League, which would be enough to secure their Champions League return, while Eddie Howe’s team are also on the cusp of reaching the EFL Cup Final.
This is the club’s longest winning sequence as a top-flight club since March 2005, going in search of a ninth consecutive victory when Wolves visit St James’ Park on Wednesday, most recently achieving that in 1994.
However, could January also prove to be a busy month off the field, with reinforcements potentially on their way to the North East?
Newcastle in the market for a new goalkeeper
According to reports from France via social media, Newcastle, as well as Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, are all interested in LOSC Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier.
It has been previously reported that Paris Saint-Germain want to make Chevalier their first-choice goalkeeper, with manager Luis Enrique unconvinced by Gianluigi Donnarumma, although les Rouge-et-Bleu will face ‘tough competition’ from Premier League clubs.
Sources in Spain suggest Lille value their goalkeeper at €40m (around £34m), which could prove great value for money, with European football expert Zach Lowy on Twitter claiming Chevalier is “the best goalkeeper available on the market”.
How Lucas Chevalier would improve Newcastle
Newcastle have faced well-documented goalkeeper issues in recent weeks.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Usual first-choice Nick Pope hasn’t featured since 7 December due to a knee injury suffered against Brentford, while Martin Dúbravka, who’s deputised for the last eight matches, all of which they’ve won, is potentially on his way to Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab, with the Magpies looking to cash-in, considering the Slovakian has just six months left on his contract.
Then there is the strange case of Odysseas Vlachodimos, described by Chris Waugh and George Caulkin of the Athletic as the “£20m goalkeeper Newcastle didn’t want”, joining from Nottingham Forest last summer as both clubs avoided PSR points penalties, with Greece’s number one seeing just 45 minutes of action at club level this season, introduced at half time of an EFL Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon.
Nick Pope
Nevertheless, Pope is the clear number one, when available, so let’s see how the England international and Chevalier compare.
Appearances
50
30
Minutes
4,499
2,695
Clean sheets
22
8
Clean sheet %
44%
26.7%
Goals conceded per 90
0.96
1.24
Saves
137
95
Save %
76.8%
71.8%
Post-shot xG – goals conceded
+7.8
+2.4
Pass completion %
76.7%
73.9%
As outlined in the table, since the start of last season, Chevalier has outperformed Pope in every metric.
The Frenchman has the joint-seventh best save % of any goalkeeper across Europe’s “top five” leagues while, last season, he was ranked 12th for post-shot xG – goals conceded, recording a very impressive figure of +5.7, meaning, at just 21-years-old, he was the youngest player to finish in the top 45 for this metric.
In this season’s Champions League meantime, only Paulo Gazzaniga, Caoimhín Kelleher, Emi Martínez and Łukasz Skorupski rank higher than Chevalier for post-shot xG – goals conceded, with Lille’s goalkeeper is also joint-eight for saves and seventh for save % (of goalkeepers who’ve featured on all six matchdays).
In short, Chevalier is a top-class goalkeeper and, if Newcastle are able to secure his services, it would be a serious coup.
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The keeper-batter on an official India debut: “There are no shortcuts to get there”
Daya Sagar12-Sep-2022Wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat earned his maiden India A call-up in July 2018. In November 2019, he was part of an Indian Test squad for the first time. Since then, he has been a regular member of A teams and the India Test squads, but is still waiting for his official India debut.That doesn’t deter Bharat, though. He believes in the age-old philosophy of [Whatever Will Be, Will Be]. He sounds philosophical as he says, “It is easy to get emotional or disappointed, but what matters to me is to put in the hard yards. As long as I am doing that, I am happy. To be successful in any field, you need patience. There are no shortcuts to get there. I am just doing what I can and leaving the decisions to those who are supposed to do that.”Related
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Bharat has been India A’s preferred keeper during the ongoing unofficial Tests against New Zealand A. He got his first lengthy opportunity with the bat in the rain-affected game in Hubballi, and scored an unbeaten 74 and later took the catch of Joe Carter, the first-match hero, as the first of only two wickets to have fallen. After the game, Bharat espoused the importance of the A program for budding cricketers.”Over the past four years, I have been a part of several A tours,” says Bharat. “It provides great exposure and I believe it has really helped a lot of cricketers be ready for that step up to international cricket. These matches teach you all about how to cope with situations that you are likely to face when you play for India. VVS sir [current India A coach VVS Laxman] called this the platform to test our readiness for the highest level. Before this even [Rahul] Dravid sir used to often reiterate that this was the best way to prepare to give our best in any situation.Srikar Bharat took three catches while substituting for Wriddhiman Saha in Kanpur•BCCI”For instance, when I got the chance to keep in the Test against New Zealand last year, I wasn’t overawed by the situation because I had played with or against several of the players before then. This is the aim of the A tour: to make sure you aren’t caught out when you play for the national team. And we’ve also had several internationals come and play with us on the A team, for instance we have Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur here. Some senior players have also been a part of our dressing rooms on A tours, and that also makes you comfortable when you walk into the India dressing room.”Bharat got that exposure to the India dressing room during the Kanpur Test in November 2021 against New Zealand. He replaced the injured Wriddhiman Saha, and helped himself to three catches even though it won’t go down as a Test cap for him. 2021 was especially memorable for Bharat, as he got a good run in the Indian Premier League with Royal Challengers Bangalore, and also celebrated his 191 runs at an average of 38 in the UAE leg with a couple of match-winning knocks.KS Bharat hit a match-winning six off the last ball against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021•BCCI”During the lockdown, I got a chance to work on my T20 skills,” says Bharat. “I worked on some different routines as I understood my game a bit better. Playing for RCB was a privilege too. Getting to practice and spend time with Virat [Kohli], AB [de Villiers] and [Glenn] Maxwell was a great education in itself. I took a lot of confidence from that and it got reflected in the way I batted there.”A shift to Delhi Capitals in 2022 saw opportunities dry up for Bharat, hardly a surprise considering the franchise is led by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in Rishabh Pant. “I think you have to take non-selection as a constructive thing at times,” says Bharat. “You will stagnate as a player if you take it in a negative light.”My concern is always in ensuring my team wins on any given day, whether I am a part of the XI or not. The team on any given day is dependent on conditions and the specific team-composition requirements. When a franchise selects 22 to 25 players, it means they have faith in their abilities.”You just have to wait for your turn. And there are never any shortcuts to that.”
In Thorpe’s absence, Afghanistan have operated with local coach Raees Khan Ahmadzai at the helm on an interim basis
Umar Farooq08-Jul-2022
Graham Thorpe was named head coach of Afghanistan earlier this year•Getty Images
The Afghanistan Cricket Board is seeking a replacement for their head coach Graham Thorpe, who remains seriously ill and is not expected to return to work in the short term. ACB has opened a recruitment process, and it is understood the team will have a new head coach for the upcoming season.In his absence, Afghanistan have operated with local coach Raees Khan Ahmadzai at the helm on an interim basis. Thorpe – who signed up in March this year – was supposed to join the team in the last week of April but was unable to. He had a decade-long involvement within England’s coaching set-up, which came to an end after this winter’s 4-0 Ashes loss in Australia. He had replaced full-time Afghanistan head coach Lance Klusener, who stood down in November last year after a two-year tenure.Meanwhile, ACB has roped in former West Indies fielding coach Ryan Maron as their national fielding coach for six months, a contract that can be extended subject to performance. He has returned to take up the job after brief stints with the Afghan team in 2015 and 2017. He is 47 and was the former opening batsman for Western Province in South Africa, playing 18 first-class matches. He has previously worked as a fielding coach with the Dolphins in South African domestic cricket.This was Afghanistan’s second hiring in the last two months. Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul was signed as their bowling coach until December 2022. In the absence of Thorpe, Afghanistan played three ODIs and T20Is each against Zimbabwe winning all with Ahmadzai as acting head coach and former captain Nawroz Khan Mangal working as batting coach.The team is set to tour Ireland in the first week of August for five T20Is. The tour was initially set to comprise a one-off Test and three ODIs, but the calendar has since been reworked keeping in mind the T20 World Cup which is to be held in Australia this October. The side is also featuring in this year’s Asia Cup in Colombo and the T20 World Cup. There is also a three-match ODI series pending against Pakistan likely to be played at a neutral venue, with Afghanistan currently an unviable destination for international cricket tours.
Celtic suffered their first defeat of the Scottish Premiership season and their first defeat of 2025 with a 3-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox on Thursday.
The team’s only other loss in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign came at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, a 7-1 defeat, in the Champions League in Germany.
It was a game that the Hoops never really got going in and they never seemed to recover from the early setback they faced when Ianis Hagi planted a shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards in the seventh minute.
There was never a sustained spell of pressure from the away side to get an equaliser, with Celtic having one shot on target in the 90 minutes, before they allowed Robin Propper to score, unmarked, in the 66th minute after a scramble from a corner.
The match was all but over at that point and Danilo wrapped up the win for the hosts by sliding the ball past Kasper Schmeichel for the third in the 81st minute.
It was a disastrous performance from the Hoops and one that included a number of players not living up to their usual high standards for the Hoops.
Celtic's worst performers against Rangers
Firstly, there is no getting away from the error that Liam Scales made in the build-up to the opening goal from Hagi, with a stray pass into midfield that was jumped on by the Gers – directly leading to the opening goal.
The Ireland international was selected on the left side of the defence, next to Cameron Carter-Vickers, ahead of Auston Trusty and let his manager down with that mistake.
Scales was far from the only Celtic player to make an error on the pitch at Ibrox, though, as central midfielder Reo Hatate also endured a frustrating afternoon on the other side of Glasgow.
Liam Scales
The Japan international ended the match with zero chances created, zero ground duels won, zero tackles, zero interceptions, and two errors that directly led to shots for the opposition.
Right-back Alistair Johnston had similar issues to Hatate in the game, winning two of his nine duels and failing to make a single tackle or interception, whilst also giving the ball away a whopping 20 times.
Another player who struggled at Ibrox was centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi, as the Japan international failed to get involved in the match for most of his performance.
Minutes
64
Shots
0
Big chances created
0
Passes made
5/8
Duels won
0/1
As you can see in the table above, the Celtic forward carried little threat, with his only shot in the match ultimately ruled out for offside, and did not compete with Dujon Sterling or Robin Propper in physical battles to hold the ball up.
Another player the Scottish giants must ditch from the starting XI for the clash with St Mirren at Parkhead on Sunday is left winger Daizen Maeda.
Daizen Maeda's performance against Rangers
The Japan international started on the left flank for the Hoops and failed to make the desired impact in or out of possession, despite playing against a player out of position.
With James Tavernier injured and Sterling required at centre-back for Rangers, left-back Ridvan Yilmaz, who started for just the fourth time this season in the Premiership, started on the right side of the backline for Philippe Clement.
This meant that Maeda was directly up against a left-footed right-back who was not fully match sharp, yet failed to get the better of him physically or technically.
The Japanese lightweight lost 83% (5/6) of his duels and 100% (5/5) of his ground duels in the match, which shows that Yilmaz dominated him from a physical perspective.
He also lost possession of the ball 12 times in total, without scoring or assisting a goal, as the forward was wasteful with his use of the ball on the flank.
Minutes
90
Shots on target
0
Key passes
0
Duels won
1/6
Possession lost
12x
As you can see in the table above, Maeda offered virtually nothing at the top end of the pitch for Celtic, with zero shots on target and zero chances created.
His performance was summed up by him missing a good chance to get a headed shot on goal at the back post, heading the ball down onto his own foot and out of play. During Sky Sports’ live coverage of the match, pundit Chris Sutton described his display as “very clumsy” after that incident.
Why Daizen Maeda should be dropped
Brendan Rodgers must, now, ruthlessly ditch the Japanese winger from the starting XI after his disappointing performance against Rangers, that lacked physicality and technical quality.
A lack of quality in the final third has been a consistent issue for Maeda throughout the Premiership season, although he had scored in successive matches in the two games before the trip to Ibrox.
Daizen Maeda
The 27-year-old has only produced four goals and three assists in 18 appearances in the Scottish top-flight, less than one goal contribution every other game on average.
Maeda has failed to provide regular contributions as a scorer or a creator of goals down the left flank, despite starting 15 of those games, and has struggled in other areas of the game.
Appearances
18
Goals
4
Big chances missed
9
Assists
3
Dribble success rate
28%
Duel success rate
33%
As you can see in the table above, the Celtic attacker has been incredibly poor at taking on opposition full-backs this season, completing just 28% of his attempted dribbles.
His lack of quality in that respect was on show at Ibrox on Thursday as the rarely-seen Yilmaz, playing out of position, had an easy afternoon against the Hoops wide man, who offered very little at the top end of the pitch.
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Therefore, Rodgers, particularly with the game coming just a few days later, should drop Maeda from the starting XI and hand an opportunity to another player to shine, whether that is James Forrest, Luis Palma, or Hyun-jun Yang.
Michael Jones sets tone for hosts in comfortable 48-run victory at Riverside
ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2022Durham 186 for 7 (Jones 44) beat Worcestershire 138 for 9 (Raine 3-23, Tye 3-27) by 48 runsDurham bounced back from successive defeats to get back to winning ways in the Vitality Blast with a comfortable 48-run victory over Worcestershire Rapids at Seat Unique Riverside.Michael Jones set the tone for the home side with a brisk 44 from 25 balls, notching five boundaries and three sixes. Ollie Robinson and Graham Clark provided useful knocks to allow Durham to post a competitive total of 186 for seven from their 20 overs.The Rapids were behind the rate from the off after losing Ed Pollock and Jack Haynes in the first nine balls of the innings. The visitors struggled to find the fence amid tight bowling from the Durham attack led by three wickets apiece from Ben Raine and debutant Andrew Tye, resulting in a dominant victory for the hosts.Worcestershire captain Ben Cox won the toss and elected to field in the bright sunshine at the Riverside. Clark and Jones continued their bright start to the Blast campaign by racing to fifty inside five overs. Jones was particularly destructive for the home side, smashing 15 off Pat Brown’s first over before taking a further 18 off spinner Josh Baker, including two sixes straight down the ground.Jones was pegged back going for one heave too many as Charlie Morris bowled the opener, while the visitors worked their way back into the game as Clark fell victim to a good delivery from Brett D’Oliveira.Robinson used the dimensions of the Riverside to great effect in his innings of 35 from 23 balls, but D’Oliveira turned one through the gate to send the wicket-keeper on his way. D’Oliveira’s fine evening with the ball continued when Paul Coughlin was stumped off a wide, earning revenge after being struck for a maximum from the previous ball. The Rapids skipper finished as pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of three for 24 from his four overs.David Bedingham, Brydon Carse and Ned Eckersley played vital cameos for the hosts in the latter stages of the innings, propelling them towards a competitive total of 186.Pollock scored six runs from the first two balls of Worcestershire’s reply, but Coughlin removed him with the third as Bedingham produced a brilliant diving catch at cover. Carse continued Durham’s strong start with the ball by bowling Jack Haynes for one, reducing the visitors to nine for two in the second over.D’Oliveira and Munro played within themselves after the early wickets, which resulted in the run rate ascending over 10 per over. As a result, the pressure was on the duo to accelerate, but D’Oliveira was pinned lbw by Raine before Munro was caught on the fence from a Scott Borthwick loosener.Tye marked his Durham debut with three late wickets amid a Worcestershire lower-order collapse, removing Ed Barnard, Cox and Matthew Waite, allowing the hosts to ease over the line.
Aston Villa now want to sign a new midfielder in January and have identified a potential bargain option available for as little as £8m to bolster Unai Emery’s ranks for the second half of the campaign, according to a fresh report.
Aston Villa working on tight budget
Though Aston Villa avoided financial fair play penalties over the summer thanks to the sale of Douglas Luiz, there are still constraints around their spending for the seasons to come.
Douglas Luiz for Aston Villa
The club posted losses of £120m last year and spent close to £130m over the summer, with Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen headlining their arrivals list. In fact, only five Premier League clubs spent more than Unai Emery’s side.
Club
Expenditure
Chelsea
£219.6m
Manchester United
£205.9m
Brighton and Hove Albion
£192m
Tottenham Hotspur
£133.5m
West Ham United
£132.5m
Aston Villa
£129.5m
Though NSWE are no strangers to splashing the cash in recent seasons, Villa are also keen to hunt for bargains, as they showed through the signing of Ross Barkley from Luton Town over the summer, and with the Villans keen to catch the clubs at the top of the Premier League, they will have to continue that savvy spending in the transfer windows ahead amid links to a loan move for Arda Guler.
To that end, they have reportedly identified a bargain midfield target in January.
Aston Villa chase £8m midfielder
That is according to German outlet Bild [Via Sport Witness], who report that the Villans are chasing a move to sign Mainz’s Nadiem Amiri in what could prove a cheap move.
Amiri hit the headlines in 2021 for scoring a Puskas contender while at Bayer Leverkusen, but has blossomed into a reliable player for Mainz in the time since.
Now 28 years of age, Amiri has grabbed three goals and two assists in 10 Bundesliga outings, and his form has caught the eye of the Midlands side.
As per the report, Villa “sent a scout to follow the 28-year-old live in action in his side’s 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund earlier this month”, and are ready to make a move for him in 2025.
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Though he is under contract in Germany until 2028. it is added that “the Bundesliga side would consider selling him for €10m” [£8.3m] in January, a small fee that seems somewhat low given his importance to Mainz and their position fighting for a spot in Europe next season.
At 28, Amiri’s arrival would very much be one for the present, with the German already in his prime years. However, he could provide strong competition and cover for Morgan Rodgers, who has proved something of a revelation in the early stages of the season, culminating in a first England senior team call up.
Once more, it could be a case of Aston Villa grabbing a bargain to strengthen their squad should they opt to pursue the Mainz star, and it could be just what they need ahead of trying to compete on multiple fronts for the remainder of the campaign.
An “amazing” Leicester City January transfer target is keen on joining the club so he can play under Ruud van Nistelrooy, according to a new report. The Dutchman gets his Leicester reign underway on Tuesday evening, as the Foxes welcome West Ham United to the King Power Stadium.
Leicester City now want to sign £25m+ Olympic winner for Van Nistelrooy
He could be the perfect man to kickstart their great escape.
ByBen Browning Nov 30, 2024 Leicester transfer news
This is Van Nistelrooy’s first permanent role in England as a manager, and he will be hoping it goes as well as his interim spell in charge at Manchester United did. The first task for Nistelrooy is to turn this current form around, as the club have failed to win in their last six games in all competitions.
The good news for the new Leicester manager is that January is not far away, and he may already have his eye on a few players he would like to bring to the club. It has been reported that the Foxes are interested in signing Valencia forward Diego Lopez, as the young forward is seen as a “fundamental pillar of their sporting project”.
Leicester have also been linked with a move for Hertha Berlin’s Ibrahim Maza in the past, and he could be one they look to bring to the King Power Stadium in the New Year. There are several Premier League clubs keeping an eye on his situation, and he could be available for around £17 million. Van Nistelrooy’s arrival could help Leicester a lot when it comes to transfers, and that appears to be the case already, as one target is keen to join the club and play under the Dutchman.
Ferguson keen to sign for Leicester so he can play for Van Nistelrooy
According to Football Insider, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson is keen to make the move to Leicester City as he wants to work under van Nistelrooy. The 20-year-old has been with the Seagulls since January 2021, but it wasn’t until the last two campaigns that he really started to impress in the first team.
In the 2022/23 season, Ferguson, who has been described as “amazing” by former teammate Alexis Mac Allister, scored six goals in 19 league games. He followed that up by scoring six goals again last season in 27 Premier League matches, but he has struggled for regular minutes in this campaign, starting just one of eight league games he has featured in.
Therefore, a loan move in January looks to be on the cards, and Leicester are interested in securing his services. This report now states that working under van Nistelrooy would be a “great opportunity” to develop his game, and while there is still work to be done on completing a deal, Ferguson is keen to make the move with the promise of increased playing time.
Apps
55
Goals
13
Assists
2
Leicester see the Republic of Ireland international as “pivotal” in their fight to stay in the league, but Brighton have yet to decide whether they will accept loan offers in January. Ferguson is keen to remain in the Premier League should he move and would welcome the chance of becoming a key player for the Foxes. Furthermore, he would love the chance to learn from van Nistelrooy, who knows what it takes to be a top striker in England.
Captain warns that CPL doesn’t offer pathways for young players to develop
Andrew Miller21-Jan-2022
Kieron Pollard is focused on West Indies’ rebuild after the T20 World Cup•Getty Images
Kieron Pollard, West Indies’ captain, has pleaded for patience as the region begins to rebuild its T20 fortunes in the wake of a disappointing World Cup campaign, and warned that the franchise nature of the Caribbean Premier League means that there is no longer a ready route for the next generation to arrive at international level with all the tools required for success.Speaking on the eve of the first T20I against England in Barbados, Pollard acknowledged that the team was at “Ground Zero” after their rock-bottom displays in the UAE, where a golden generation – epitomised by its two most long-serving stars, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo – played together for the last time.West Indies come into this campaign off the back of a 2-1 defeat in last week’s ODI series against Ireland, while a new-look team – led by stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran – was beaten 3-0 by Pakistan in Karachi before Christmas. But Pollard called for the Caribbean public to accept that the rebuild could take some time, especially against an England team that routed them for 55 in their most recent encounter at the World Cup.”We need to improve the way we play, because our batting has definitely been a problem for us,” Pollard said. “The good thing is that we have some new faces in the group, guys looking to make a name for themselves in our international scene. It’s like we are starting from scratch, so we need to do the basics right. Play the situation of the game and analyse, assess, and make the right decisions, depending on what the team requires at that point in time.”Pollard’s own breakthrough in professional cricket came as a 19-year-old in the original Stanford 20/20 – the inter-island competition set up by the now-disgraced financier Allen Stanford, which Pollard’s Trinidad and Tobago team won in each of its two editions in 2006 and 2008.Now, however, that competition has been subsumed into the Caribbean Premier League, with a draft system for recruiting players and an expectation of success from the owners of the region’s various franchises. And while the money is welcome for the tournament’s established stars, Pollard warns that this causes problems for the Caribbean’s younger talents trying to make their way in the game.”We don’t have a T20 feeder system, where guys can get different match practice at different times,” Pollard said. “The CPL is results-oriented, with private owners who come in and want to win. Some guys might get to play, some guys might not, but we have to keep a bunch of guys together and give them experience. Chopping and changing, and dropping and bringing in, is not going to change our results, because these guys are actually learning on the job.Related
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“When you look at Indian cricket, when you look at the English system [the T20 Blast in addition to the Hundred], you look at the Big Bash, these have alternative T20 systems that some of the guys can come through. How many guys do we have that were made through the CPL only? When it was the Caribbean T20, there were a lot of guys coming through the system. I don’t know how we’re going to do it [in the future], but we need to find a way.”At the age of 34, Pollard is himself under pressure as a member of West Indies’ old guard, especially after making just 90 runs in five matches at the World Cup. But he is adamant his overall form still stands up to scrutiny, as he primes himself to begin the team’s post-World Cup rebuild.”Before the World Cup, there was no noise about the captaincy, but because of the campaign that transpired, it is necessary,” he said. “In each and every tournament that you have, whether it’s the World Cup or the Ashes, you expect casualties.”If I’m not the right person to lead, then so it, but cricket in the West Indies is not about Kieron Pollard. It’s about the holistic approach of getting better, and grooming the youngsters, to put them in positions where they can feel comfortable in international cricket.”I’ve never played cricket based on myself. I’ve always been based on the team and what is required at that point in time. I’m not just going to promote myself because I want to get a fifty, and I want to please the public, but if it is required, you can bet your bottom dollar, I’m going to put on that boxing glove and I am going to go there and fight for the team.”We have a rich bunch of talented young individuals. Nicholas [Pooran] has been promoted to No. 3 so that he can take more responsibility as well. We have a couple of new guys into the set-up. Each and every one of us has to play our role, and that’s the only way that the vehicle can move forward.”The stadium, the pitch, that’s our stage, we have to perform there,” Pollard added. “And the crowd is like the jury, and they want to judge. The public can go ahead. As it stands right now, going into the series, I’m going to give it my best. And let’s see what happens after that.”