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An update has emerged on Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha regarding a potential move to Newcastle United in 2022.

What’s the talk?

According to Il Messaggero, via Sport Witness, the Magpies will ‘probably’ sign the shot-stopper on a free transfer next summer.

The report claims that he is set to leave the Italian club upon the expiry of his contract, with St James’ Park named as his most likely destination.

Fans would be fuming

New Magpies manager Eddie Howe could be heading for his first Newcastle disaster if he is seriously lining up a deal to sign Strakosha from Lazio, as this report suggests. The fans would surely be fuming as, on paper at least, he appears unlikely to be a good signing for the Tyneside club.

He has played just nine Serie A games since the start of last season and has not featured in a single league match in the current campaign. The shot-stopper has not been able to nail down a place in the starting XI in the league, with Pepe Reina preferred ahead of him, so why would he be an exciting addition for Newcastle?

Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, via Daily Cannon, previously stated that he is ‘often criticised’ by the media for his displays. This suggests that he was axed from their starting XI due to the nature of his performances, indicating that he was struggling on the pitch and deservedly dropped.

Therefore, why would the Magpies want to sign a player who is desperately lacking in match fitness and form when they already have three senior goalkeeping options. Karl Darlow, Martin Dubravka and Freddie Woodman all remain at St James’ and throwing in Strakosha given his form – or lack thereof in the last 18 months – could do little to clear up the situation.

With a plethora of goalkeepers already at the club, Howe should be looking for a clear upgrade to come in and be the number one option if he wants to make a signing in that position, as otherwise they will be overloaded with options and squandering wages on a number of players. Strakosha’s situation at Lazio suggests that he does not have the quality to come in and do that, which is why Magpies fans could be fuming if he signs for the club.

Therefore, Howe could be on the verge of his first Newcastle nightmare if he opts to continue pursuing a deal for the £6.75m-rated Albanian dud.

AND in other news, Howe could solve major Newcastle issue by signing £116k-p/w “monster” who’s “like Bonucci”…

Losses of up to US$125 million have been claimed by the PCB as a series of tours have been relocated, postponed and cancelled

Osman Samiuddin07-Dec-2009The financial crunch currently engulfing the PCB, a fallout of the Lahore terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team in March and the subsequent banishment of Pakistan as an international cricket venue, dominated proceedings at the first meeting between an ICC task force and the board in Dubai. As a result, there has emerged the possibility of a series between Pakistan and an ICC World XI to help raise funds to sustain cricket in the terror-struck country.The PCB gave a detailed presentation to the five-man task force about how it has been hit by the terror attacks, and particularly how revenue from a broadcasting deal with Ten Sports will take a big hit not only because teams will not play in Pakistan in the near future, but also because ties with India are currently on hold. Losses of up to US$125 million have been claimed by the PCB as a series of tours have been relocated, postponed and cancelled. In just over a year, Pakistan has also lost hosting rights of the 2008 Champions Trophy and the 2011 World Cup because of security concerns.Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, said that during the meeting with the ICC ways to soften the impact on development work in Pakistan were discussed. “We made a detailed presentation to the ICC task force of our own views on the situation,” Butt told reporters at Gaddafi Stadium. “So far we have suffered a lot of losses because of postponements, relocations and cancellations and that is having an impact on domestic and junior cricket. We have losses of nearly 71% of our total revenues, amounting to US$125 million. Task force members were informed of the measures taken by PCB to combat these challenges.”The board was in any case in a bad way financially when Butt took over but a five-year TV deal with Ten Sports, worth approximately US$140 million was meant to have eased the situation somewhat. The terror attacks have put paid to that for now. As an example of how bad the situation is, it is believed that the board is not using Kookaburra balls in domestic cricket because they are too expensive

Two possible windows for Pakistan-World XI matches have been also been discussed, either in the UK immediately after the World Twenty20 next year in April, or in November-December, in the UAE

The meeting was more for brainstorming ideas rather than producing concrete proposals. One such idea, Cricinfo understands, is a series of limited over matches – ODI or T20s – between an ICC World XI and Pakistan in the UK or the Middle East next year. Two possible windows have been also been discussed, either in the UK immediately after the World Twenty20 next year in April, or in November-December, in the UAE. As well as raising revenue for the PCB, the series is intended to highlight the cricket fraternity’s support for Pakistan.Much of the meeting revolved around the issue of the board’s depleted funds and little substantial discussion was held on ways to get international cricket back to Pakistan; that, it seems to have been acknowledged, was something outside the control of cricket boards for now.Unsurprisingly, ways to revive ties between India and Pakistan were also examined; India and Pakistan have entered another phase of not playing each other, after the Mumbai terror attacks last year resulted in a cooling of political ties between the countries. It is an important rivalry for Pakistan. Butt said that the PCB lost US$40 million as a result of India cancelling a tour to Pakistan in January 2009. A large chunk of the Ten Sports deal, it is believed, was based on India playing Pakistan. There was, however, a general consensus at the meetings that India needs Pakistan as well, for it remains a financially lucrative contest. Butt said there were “no developments” on the possibility of playing India at neutral venues, only that all aspects of Pakistan’s current and future FTP were discussed.The task force, which comprises Ranjan Madugalle, Ramiz Raja, Mike Brearley, Dave Richardson and Giles Clarke, will now take the ideas further and make a list of recommendations to the ICC. “Our presentation and discussion has happened,” Butt said. “They asked us for information on our FTP and domestic cricket. Now future meetings can happen or they can discuss among themselves and make recommendations. The option of playing at a neutral venue is there, so I think we will be given due space in the FTP.”

علق نادر السيد حارس مرمى منتخب مصر الأسبق على انضمام نجله أحمد إلى معسكر المنتخب الأولمبي خلال الفترة الجارية.

وكان أحمد نادر السيد قد تألق مع منتخب مصر للشباب في بطولة كأس العرب تحت 20 عامًا، والتي أقيمت خلال الشهر الماضي في السعودية.

وقال نادر السيد في تصريحات عبر إذاعة القاهرة الكبرى: “سعيد بانضمام أحمد نجلي للمنتخب الأولمبي، خاصة وأنه حارس جيد، ويستحق الانضمام للمنتخب كما أن فريق بلاده أولوية في مشواره”.

وأضاف: “أحمد نادر السيد محظوظ بوجود عصام الحضري مدربًا لحراس المنتخب الأولمبي والذي سيضيف له بالتأكيد”.

وبشأن انتقاله للزمالك حال طلب ضمه في الفترة الحالية، أجاب: “أحمد لا يحتاج تفاوض من الزمالك، القلعة البيضاء بيته ولكن أعتقد من الناحية التعاقدية لا يمكن أن يحدث، لأن التفاوض سيكون مع النادي البرتغالي المُعار إليه الحارس، كما انه لم يتم التفاوض بين الناديين لذا لا يوجد جديد في الأمر”.

طالع | ميكالي يستقر على استدعاء حارسين محترفين للمعسكر الثاني لـ منتخب مصر الأولمبي

وأكمل: “ليس من مصلحة الزمالك وجود 3 أو 4 حراس، من الطبيعي أن يتواجد حارس أول وحارس ثاني ومن ثم حارس ثالث يكتسب خبرات، وجود 3 حراس صف أول في الزمالك تسبب في أزمات”.

واستكمل: “ما يحدث في الأهلي هو الأنسب بوجود محمد الشناوي وعلي لطفي ومصطفى شوبير الذي يكتسب خبرات، إذا كنت تضم حارس رقم واحد فلا تتعاقد مع حارس آخر رقم واحد أيضًا”.

واستطرد: “الحراس المنضمين للمنتخب هم الأنسب، وسعيد بعودة أحمد الشناوي للمنتخب، وسيتنافس بشكل قوي مع محمد الشناوي”.

وواصل: بدأت مشواري كمدير فني ونجحت جدًا الموسم الماضي ولدينا طموح جديد في الموسم المقبل، فصعب جدًا تلبية طلب التدريب لحراس المرمى إذا طُلب مني الأمر، أتمنى الإضافة للتدريب في مصر، وأرفض تصنيف المدربين بين مهاجمين ومدافعين والحراس، كما أن التدريب موهبة منفصلة عن موهبة اللاعب ثم صفات شخصية”.

واختتم: “كارلوس كيروش الأنسب لتدريب الأهلي، لأنه إداري ناجح من نوعية أليكس فيرجسون وهو النوع الذي يحتاجه الأهلي ليمسك بكل الخيوط ويتحكم بها”.

An update has emerged on Bayern Munich centre-back Niklas Sule, regarding a potential move to Newcastle United.

What’s the talk?

Sport Bild reporter Christian Falk has made two major claims on the defender, stating that the Magpies have already held talks with his representatives and that he is interested in a transfer to the Premier League side.

He wrote: “There were talks between NUFC and the Management of Niklas Süle (FC Bayern) three weeks ago. The defender is interested in the project of Newcastle.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be left buzzing by this major update for two reasons. Firstly, PIF holding talks with Sule’s agent three weeks ago means that they are serious about a deal for the defender and are prepared to be proactive in pursuing a move.

He is out of contract at the end of the season, which means that Newcastle could agree a pre-contract with him in the January window. Although, they could attempt to snap him up on a cut-price deal in the winter market, allowing them to bolster their squad for the second half of the season whilst also compensating Bayern for their loss.

Bayern boss Julian Naglesmann refused to rule out the possibility of Sule leaving on a free transfer when questioned on the topic last month. He told Sport1:

“[A new deal] depends on his development, and also on the market situation whether he wants to extend the contract or not. Niki still has to develop something with his potential, and then he is a very good central defender.”

The supporters could also be buzzing by the German international being interested in the project. It suggests that he would be open to a move to St. James’ Park, which makes the transfer somewhat realistic as he could accept an offer from the club should one materialise in January.

Sule has averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 7.03 in ten Bundesliga appearances for Bayern this season and is a proven figure in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Last term, he averaged a score of 6.97 in 20 league matches, showing that he is capable of consistently performing to a high standard in the German top-flight. This is backed up by his career average rating of 6.95 across 249 appearances for club and country.

At the age of 26, he still has room to develop further and Newcastle fans should be buzzing to see an experienced, quality, central defender come in to bolster the squad. The update from Falk suggests that the Magpies have a chance of landing him, but PIF must ensure that they can get a deal over the line.

AND in other news, Advanced talks: PIF move swiftly on Emery alternative, Newcastle fans will be livid…

The first game of Eddie Howe’s reign as Newcastle United’s manager was a six-goal thriller at St James’ Park which saw the Magpies rescue a point against Brentford with a 3-3 draw.

Newcastle opened the scoring with a goal from Jamaal Lascelles at the 10-minute mark before Brentford equalised just a minute later. The Toon then went behind twice and equalised twice with goals from Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin, leaving them still without a win in the Premier League with 12 games played.

One player who featured against Thomas Frank’s side but didn’t exactly prove himself to Howe on this occasion was Fabian Schar.

Before being replaced in the 71st minute by Sean Longstaff, the defender failed to even make one tackle, lost 87.5% of his duels, lost the ball on 10 occasions (four more times than Ciaran Clark), gave away four fouls and completed just 16 of his 26 passes. He earning an uninspiring overall match rating of 6.6/10, making him the joint-second lowest rated outfield player on the day for Newcastle according to SofaScore. Only Callum Wilson and Clark ranked lower among the outfield starters.

One saving grace for the Switzerland international was the fact that he managed to make an off-the-line clearance to deny the visitors another goal.

With those figures in mind, it’s safe to say that the 29-year-old would have hoped to put in a better performance to prove to Howe that he should be in the team going forward.

With Newcastle’s next game in the Premier League taking them to visit Arsenal next weekend, Schar will undoubtedly be hoping that his manager will keep faith in him and give him the opportunity to put in a better performance than he managed to today. If not, he could find it difficult to get into the side as the season progresses.

In other news – “Huge” Newcastle monster with 11 duels won showed his quality to Howe against Brentford

يرغب أحد الأندية المنافسة في بطولة الدوري الفرنسي في التعاقد مع قائد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد السابق، مارسيلو، قبل نهاية سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

وانتهى عقد مارسيلو مع ريال مدريد في 30 يونيو، ولم يجدد البرازيلي تعاقده ليرحل بالمجان من قلعة “سانتياجو برنابيو” بعد مرور 16 عامًا داخل الملكي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. الأهلي يوافق على رحيل لاعبه إلى سيراميكا كليوباترا لإنهاء صفقتي شادي وميسي

وبحسب شبكة “فوت ميركاتو” الفرنسية فإن هناك رغبة من نادي نيس في ضم مارسيلو، ولديه القدرة على دفع الراتب المطلوب من البرازيلي الدولي.

كانت هناك أنباء عن تفكير مارسيلو في الاعتزال النهائي ولكن ربما يكون عرض نيس حلًا لتراجع ظهير أيسر ريال مدريد السابق وبداية مغامرة جديدة في كرة القدم الأوروبية.

هناك مفاوضات إيجابية بين مارسيلو ونيس، وبالتالي، من المتوقع أن يكون هناك عرض رسمي خلال الساعات المقبلة يحسمه البرازيلي صاحب القرار النهائي.

North Division

Lancashire eased four points clear at the top with a six-wicket defeat of Durham at Old Trafford. The visitors looked set for a good score when they reached 61 for 2, but Lancashire’s trio of spinners then put a stranglehold on the innings, reducing them to 106 for 6; they finished on a below-par 123. Lancashire’s chase was perfectly-paced, Tom Smith’s 56-ball 57 not out providing the anchor as they eased home with five balls in handAndrew Gale’s 91 helped Yorkshire to an eight-wicket win over Nottinghamshire at Headingley, their third in a row and a result which lfited them into second place in the division. Adam Voges, with 82 from 55 balls, including 26 off one Tim Bresnan over, was the mainstay as Nottinghamshire made 155 for 6, but Gale and Michael Vaughan (41*) added 129 for Yorkshire’s second wicket as they eased home with 12 deliveries in hand.Leicestershire revived their prospects of qualification for the quarter-finals with a timely 14-run victory over Derbyshire at Derby. Matt Boyce (33) and Jim Allenby (31) added 55 for the first wicket as Leicestershire reached 144 for 6 in their 20 overs, although Garry Park picked up 3 for 29 in four overs to prevent that total from getting out of hand. Nevertheless, it was still too stiff a total for the home side. Greg Smith did his best with 43 off 36 balls, but their challenge was always off the pace as Claude Henderson kept things tight with 2 for 21 in four overs.

Mid/West/Wales Division

Somerset closed the gap on leaders Northamptonshire with a 30-run victory over them at Wantage Road, their first loss of the campaign. Charl Willoughby did the damage when Northants batted, taking four of the first five wickets to fall to finish with 4 for 29, while another South African, Zander de Bruyn, thumped a 64-ball 83 as Somerset made 163 for 3.Worcestershire kept up the pressure with a 29-run victory over Glamorgan at Cardiff, a result which all but ends the hosts’ own chances. A good all-round batting display helped Worcestershire to 164 for 6, and while Glamorgan began well, in six balls they lost three wickets to slip to 42 for 3, and despite a fourth-wicket stand of 60 between Ben Wright and Michael Powell, they fell away at the end.Warwickshire’s quarter-final hopes were still alive after a four-wicket win over Gloucestershire at Edgbaston. Tight bowling restricted the visitors to 135 for 7, Keith Barker’s 2 for 16 in four overs the most parsimonious. Warwickshire were wobbling on 59 for 4 when Ian Westwood took charge, and his 37-ball 44 steered them to victory with six balls to spare.

South Division

Michael Yardy manipulated Sussex to a tight Duckworth-Lewis victory over Kent at Hove thanks to a cunningly timed over of off-spin that hauled his side ahead of the asking-rate, before the return of the pace of Robin Martin-Jenkins forced the umpires to take the players from the field in gloomy light. The conditions did not improve with nine overs still to play, leaving Sussex victors by two runs. Yardy’s 11th over of the innings went for only two runs, to deny Kent a probable win, and reinforce his team’s position at the top of the South Division.Hampshire routed Essex at 75 runs at Southampton thanks to Michael Lumb’s fantastic 124 not out from 69 balls. His innings included four sixes and 14 fours, as Hampshire racked up a formidable 219 for 2, with Michael Carberry playing second fiddle with 62 from 42 balls. In reply, Matt Walker made 50 from 33 balls, but Essex were stymied by Dominic Cork with the new ball and Sean Ervine at the death. His figures of 3 for 19 in three overs delivered the victory with an over to spare.

Midlands/Wales/West Division

North Division

South Division

MatériaMais Notícias

O Cruzeiro fez um jogo praticamente perfeito contra o Vasco. Venceu por 3 a 0 e segue firme na briga por uma vaga no G6. Foi uma noite especial principalmente para Robinho, que voltou aos gramados após passar longo período de tempo lesionado. O jogador entrou na etapa final e deixou o dele, o último da Raposa no jogo. Na saída do campo, o meia desabafou sobre o tempo que ficou fora por conta da lesão.

– Complicado vim de uma sequência de lesões, dificuldade, sinto que o torcedor sentiu isso também. Quando acontece de fazer um gol assim, podia ter sido mais feio, mas é uma alegria imensa, por dentro eu tô explodindo por dentro. Mano confiou em mim, tenho que agradecer o torcedor – completou.

Com o resultado, a Raposa subiu para a sétima posição, com 26 pontos, dois a menos que o Sport, primeiro clube dentro do G6 que se classifica para a Libertadores de 2018. Na próxima rodada, o Cruzeiro pega o Botafogo, neste domingo, às 16h, no Mineirão.

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A round-up of the State Championship matches between March 28 and 31, 2009

Cricinfo staff31-Mar-2009

Auckland finished first in the league phase of the State Championship after a commanding performance in the drawn match against Central Districts at the Eden Park Outer Oval. The match was a rehearsal for the final, which will be played from April 5 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. Auckland claimed first-innings points after a tremendous performance from their batsmen.Auckland’s batsmen thrived after they were asked to bat by Mathew Sinclair. Led by 20-year old Jeet Raval, who was playing only his third first-class game, Auckland batted Central Districts out of the contest by amassing 662 for 5. Raval, who lost his opening partner Richard Jones in the second over, dominated the Central Districts bowlers and scored 256, his highest first class score. He added 152 runs for the fourth wicket with Reece Young, who made 74, and 228 with Gareth Hopkins for the fifth. Raval was dismissed with the score on 511 but Hopkins and Colin de Grandhomme weighed in with centuries to lead Auckland to 662.Even though they had been fielding for the best part of two days Central Districts’ openers, Peter Ingram and George Worker, added 76 for the first wicket. However, they lost their way on the third morning and Central Districts lost wickets regularly thereafter, leaving Sinclair, who was left stranded on 131, with little support at the other end. The innings ended on 318, giving Auckland a 344-run lead.Auckland decided against enforcing the follow-on and gave their batsmen more practice. Raval did not open this time and his replacement, Rob Nicol scored a brisk 104 to lead his team to 198 for 3 before the game ended.Kane Williamson scored his second first-class century and took three wickets as Northern Districts ended the season on a winning note by beating Wellington by eight wickets in Whangarei.Williamson and Michael Parlane (103) added 165 while Brad Wilson (94), Peter McGlashan (56) and Bradley Scott (55) contributed half-centuries in Northern Districts’ 546, which gave them a 225-run first-innings lead over Wellington.Wellington ended day three on a comfortable 53 for 0 with openers Matthew Bell, who had scored a century in a the first innings, and Josh Brodie looking well-set for big scores. Brodie made a half-century but on the final-day pitch spinners Williamson and Bruce Martin took four of the first five wickets with Wellington still trailing by 38 runs. Grant Elliott (84) hung on to give Wellington a lead but with the last five wickets falling for 83, Wellington could only set Northern Districts a target of 65. Northern Districts lost their openers but wrapped up the chase in 10 overs.Last year’s champions Canterbury ended their season at the bottom of the table after a washed-out final day forced a draw in their match against Otago in Christchurch. Otago, who were just two points ahead of Canterbury at the start of the final round of matches, managed a five-run first-innings lead, which eventually gave them eight points for the season. Both teams failed to win a single game this season.Canterbury were rescued by a 167-run eighth-wicket stand between Kruger van Wyk and Ryan McCone after a top-order collapse, but it proved pointless after Craig Cumming scored his 15th first-class hundred to help Otago get first-innings points. Cumming and Aaron Redmond added 180 together but Johann Myburgh and Andrew Ellis took seven wickets between them to bowl out Otago for 320. Canterbury’s top order made up for their poor show in the first innings and took their side to 233 for 4 at the end of day three. Michael Papps (103), Peter Fulton (61) and Myburgh (50 not out) ensured Otago a lead of 238 but rain ruled out their chance of extending it further and giving themselves a shot at bowling out Otago to improve their standing.

Auckland 8 4 1 03 0 37 1.366 4324/100 4148/131 Central Dist 8 4 0 04 0 31 1.013 4472/106 4791/115 Wellington 8 2 1 05 0 22 1.286 3923/87 3926/112 Northern Dis 8 2 4 02 0 18 0.863 4325/138 4175/115 Otago 8 0 2 06 0 8 0.790 3898/123 3813/95 Canterbury 8 0 4 04 0 4 0.873 4231/129 4320/115

Sunderland centre-forward Will Grigg may have played his last game at the Stadium of Light.

What’s been said?

That’s according to a claim made by Kevin Phillips, with the former Black Cats striker revealing in an interview with Football Insider that he cannot imagine the 30-year-old pulling on a Sunderland shirt once again, following his move to Rotherham United on loan.

In the interview, Phillips said: “I think that’s the last we will see of him at Sunderland, to be honest. It just hasn’t worked out for whatever reason. The quicker he moves on the better, for both parties. I cannot see him wearing a Sunderland shirt again.”

Bye-bye Grigg

With the Northern Ireland international’s current contract at Sunderland set to expire at the end of the season, unless, for some bizarre reason, Lee Johnson decides to offer the centre-forward a new deal at the club, it would indeed appear as if Grigg has played his last game for the Black Cats.

And, considering just how poor the striker has been since his record-breaking move from Wigan Athletic back in 2019, it would seem highly unlikely that too many tears will be shed at the Stadium of Light at the thought of waving goodbye to the 30-year-old.

Indeed, over his 62 appearances for Sunderland, the £1.08m-rated forward scored just eight goals and provided his teammates with three assists, a rather remarkable decline in form from his time at Wigan, where he bagged 65 goals and registered 14 assists over 150 appearances.

As such, when factoring in his £4m transfer fee and £6k-per-week wages during his time on Wearside, it would seem a fair assessment that Grigg has been a rather large waste of money for Sunderland, leading us to believe that Phillips is indeed correct to suggest that a parting of ways between the Mackems and the man Matthew Keeling once dubbed “pathetic” is something that would suit all parties.

In other news: Sunderland flop has seen his value soar 196% since leaving Wearside, he’s a powerhouse