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The transfer window may only have been open for a week, but already Burnley have found themselves linked with a couple of different goalkeepers ahead of their Premier League return.

What are the latest Burnley transfer rumours?

Following reports Anderlecht 'keeper Bart Verbruggen is on Vincent Kompany's radar, L'Equipe now claims Royal Antwerp's Jean Butez has been approached by the Clarets.

Is Jean Butez an upgrade on Arijanet Muric for Burnley?

Given Burnley boasted the best defensive record in the Championship en route to storming to promotion last season, bringing in a replacement for Arijanet Muric may seem strange on the face of it.

But Muric – on a reported £20,000 a week, according to Capology – came in for criticism at times last season for perceived errors and was also criticised for his passing out from the back.

As Burnley Express Sports writer Chris Boden put it following February's 1-1 draw with Watford, Muric's "passing was poor" and he "makes a number of mistakes".

Kompany brutally opted to bring off Muric at half-time for Bailey Peacock-Farrell after his number one gifted Joao Pedro the game's opening goal.

That is not to say former Manchester City stopper Muric is a bad keeper – a Championship-best 0.77 goals conceded per 90 minutes last season and a division-high 76.7% of shots saved says as much.

But Butez boasted similar numbers in Belgium's Jupiler Pro League – which is near enough on a par with the English Championship in terms of quality, according to Global Football Rankings – as the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets.

Indeed, on the face of it there are plenty of similarities between Muric and Butez, such as goals against per 90 minutes (0.77 v 0.76 respectively) and save percentage (76.6% and 76%), as per FBref.

Butez has many admirers across Europe, with La Liga side Villarreal also reportedly showing an interest, having built up a showreel of impressive saves.

As football writer Josh Bunting pointed out, Butez looked "very impressive" in the Antwerp goal when making a couple of big stops in a 1-0 win against Gent.

As a commanding presence (he measures in at 6 foot 2) and someone comfortable with the ball at his feet, as his 74.15% pass-completion rate showed last season, Kompany may well decide that he is prepared to twist by signing Butez, rather than sticking with what he has in Muric.

Newcastle United could look to the summer transfer market to bolster their squad with quality ahead of their return to Champions League football and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target.

What's the latest on Newcastle's interest in Sandro Tonali?

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are considering a move for AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali.

As per the report, the Magpies are looking at potential alternatives to James Maddison as they seek to make the next step in their midfield rebuild and Tonali has been named as one of the players the club is considering making a move for this summer.

Would Sandro Tonali be a good fit for Newcastle?

There is no doubt that Eddie Howe will be thrilled with the progress his squad has made in his first full season in charge at St James' Park, but he will now need to focus on the next steps and build upon the huge strides forward the North East club have taken.

The Magpies reached their first major cup final since 1999 this season with a trip to Wembley earned in the League Cup but fell just short of lifting a trophy in the final against Manchester Unit.

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, they achieved a top-four finish for the first time in two decades, as they secured Champions League football for next season.

These huge achievements will help the club attract some top talent this summer to add to their already impressive squad on Tyneside and Tonali could be a great asset to inject depth into midfield.

Perhaps what is so striking about Tonali are his similarities to the effervescent Bruno Guimaraes.

The Brazilian midfielder has been a revelation since joining Newcastle in January 2022 and has been the linchpin for the unbelievable transformation seen at St James', however in more recent times has had to sacrifice his attacking influence to play in a much more disciplined deeper role.

Now Howe could unlock Guimaraes and provide him with a partner in Tonali who can offer many similarities to the Newcastle hero whilst also providing strong cover in the more defensive role in the centre of the pitch when the Brazilian bombs forward.

When comparing the pair's output over this season, the pair boast many parallels including goal contributions (9 v 9), blocks (30 v 29), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.35 v 3.63), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.43 v 0.40), dribblers tackled rate (61.4% v 58.5%) and tackles won (41 v 40).

Not only that, over 34 Serie A appearances, Tonali – who is "incredibly gifted" as per Roberto Mancini – created 12 big chances and won 58% of his duels combined, as well as averaging 1.8 key passes, 56.4 touches and 1.9 tackles per game, proving he is a massive all-round presence who could be a great asset to Howe alongside Guimaraes.

The Champions League semi-finalist – who has a reported price tag of €55m (£47m) – has drawn high praise from some of the most influential footballers to grace the pitch, with Andrea Pirlo outlining Tonali's qualities:

"He has everything to be a champion but he is more a midfielder for a two-man midfield. He could already play for a great team; he is the best in this league."

With that being said, the signing of Tonali would be a major coup for Newcastle this summer and if he could link up well with Guimaraes it could put the side in a great position to comfortably compete across all competitions next season.

A lot of drama unfolded in Coffs Harbour where Australia and South Africa played out only the fifth tie in the history of women’s ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by ball- detailsMasabata Klaas’ run-out on the last ball led to the tie•Getty ImagesA fourth straight ODI fifty for Ellyse Perry, second consecutive for Nicole Bolton, a four-for from Suné Luus, and a match-changing all-round performance from Dane van Niekerk combined to a dramatic tie in the fourth ODI in Coffs Harbour. South Africa women needed eight off the last over and later five off two, when Masabata Klaas slapped a four but was run-out on the last ball as both teams were all out for 242 in only the fifth tie in women’s ODIs. South Africa have still not beaten Australia in any format.South Africa were reeling in their chase at the score of 40 for 4, rattled by the Australian quicks and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen. After Jonassen broke the opening stand, Perry bowled Lara Goodall, Rene Farrell bowled Luus and debutant Amanda-Jade Wellington had Mignon du Preez stumped with her very first ball. Kapp and van Niekerk joined forces that only steadied them but also brought the chase on track with a massive partnership that lasted 30.3 overs. Wellington would have had her second wicket, of van Niekerk, in the 16th over but Meg Lanning could not hold on to a low chance at slip after the ball flicked the keeper’s glove on the way.Kapp and van Niekerk scored 144 runs together, the third-highest stand for the fifth wicket overall, and took South Africa towards 200. While Kapp was more circumspect in her sixth ODI half-century, van Niekerk scored at more than run a ball against Jonassen, Perry and Farrell.It took a run-out to break the stand when Kapp backed up too much at the non-striker’s end and walked back for a 104-ball 66, starting Australia’s fight back. South Africa needed 57 off eight overs and Van Niekerk’s fours during her third ODI fifty brought the asking rate under six before Jonassen bowled her for 81. Another run-out and nine runs later, the visitors needed eight from six but Elyse Villani, bowling for the first time in her international career, conceded seven. When they needed one to win, Klaas struck a full delivery to midwicket but could not reach the non-striker’s end on time.Australia had opted to bat and Bolton and Perry, who missed the last match with a groin injury, steered them for over 16 overs after Beth Mooney, who was promoted to open, and Lanning fell cheaply. Bolton and Perry’s partnership yielded 80 runs before Luus dismissed Bolton, for 63, and Jonassen in her consecutive overs.Alex Blackwell then allied with Perry with a quick 35 off 30 but van Niekerk disturbed their lower order. Perry helped them cross 200 and took them to the last five overs before Luus sent her back too and van Niekerk struck on consecutive balls with the wickets of Alyssa and Villani. The stutter meant Australia struck only 26 runs in their last five overs as debutants Wellington and Tahlia McGrath were dismissed off consecutive balls in the last over.Luus finished with 4 for 37 from her 7.5 overs and Van Niekerk returned figures of 3 for 52 from nine overs.

Talk of a potential Harvey Barnes move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer "will grow legs over the coming weeks", believes journalist Ben Jacobs.

Barnes could end up being a key signing in Ange Postecoglou's new-look Spurs side going forward.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news – Harvey Barnes

With Leicester City's relegation from the Premier League this season, stars such as Harvey Barnes are expected to leave the club to remain in the top flight.

The 25-year-old made 187 senior appearances for the Foxes, scoring an impressive 45 goals and earning 32 assists, so it isn't surprising that he is a wanted man.

According to the Telegraph, West Ham United are currently leading the race for the once-capped Englishman's signature.

The publication have reported that the Hammers could start the bidding war at around the £30m mark.

Unai Emery's Aston Villa have also been linked to the player by the same report, a move that would see him link up with former teammate Youri Tielemans.

However, the Daily Mail have reported Newcastle United won't be pursuing the Leicester man due to their belief in recent signing Anthony Gordon to come good eventually.

What has Ben Jacobs said about Harvey Barnes to Tottenham Hotspur?

Jacobs was straight to the point, explaining that a move to Tottenham will become more likely for Barnes as the window goes on.

Speaking on the podcast The Last Word on Spurs, he said: "I think Harvey Barnes to Spurs is going to grow legs though over the coming weeks."

Would Harvey Barnes be a good transfer for Tottenham?

Despite getting relegated with the Foxes this season, the Burnley-born forward has had a solid year himself, being one of the few bright sparks in the club's dreadful season.

According to WhoScored, Barnes averaged a fairly respectable rating of 6.66 across his 32 Premier League games, hardly the form of a player deserving of relegation.

His goal return has also been Impressive, netting 13 times and creating one assist for his teammates.

With numbers like that, in a team as dysfunctional as the Midlands club have been this year, it is no surprise then that Jurgen Klopp hailed the England international as 'unbelievable' back in 2021.

If Spurs can get this deal done, they would have a great player on their hands, and at a good age as well.

After six years and 124 goals, Glasgow Rangers will be saying goodbye to Alfredo Morelos at the end of the season, with the Ibrox side deciding against offering him a new contract.

Michael Beale will now be tasked with finding a heir for the departing Colombian this summer, with goals required next term in order to compete both domestically and in the Champions League.

The Light Blues have recently been linked with a move for striker Matija Frigan according to Football Insider, with its report also stating that he is on a shortlist of potential targets that the club want in order to alleviate the blow of losing Morelos ahead of next term.

The Gers could face competition from MLS side New York City FC and Dinamo Zagreb, although Beale will be looking to beat both teams to the youngster.

Could Rangers sign Matija Frigan?

The HNK Rijeka striker has a contract until 2025 and this means the Glasgow side will likely have to splash the cash to sign him – something which Beale may not have much of this summer.

With Morelos gone, Antonio Colak is the only senior recognised out-and-out striker and reinforcements are in desperate need, especially as the likes of Kemar Roofe simply can't be trusted to make an impression next term.

The 30-year-old is sensational on his day, scoring 36 goals in 78 matches for the Gers, yet he has missed more games than he has played during his three-year spell with the club, and it is perhaps time for both parties to move on and secure a fee for him this summer.

Frigan does offer all the goalscoring qualities that Roofe has, yet he is ten years younger and is much more reliable, which is exactly what Beale needs next season.

He has scored 15 goals in 28 league matches this season while taking 2.7 shots per game and scoring every 158 minutes. Meanwhile, football talent scout Jacek Kulig listed pace and finishing as two of his key strengths, suggesting he’d be an ideal heir.

The Croatian is still raw and could take a while to get used to the physical nature of Scottish football, however, Morelos arrived at Rangers having just turned 21, and he adapted fairly quickly to the rigours of the Premiership.

Beale could well have to take a few gambles during the summer transfer window, but following a season of stagnation, maybe risks are what’s required in order to achieve glory.

Tottenham Hotspur letting go of talisman Harry Kane this summer and installing Richarlison as their main number nine would be an error of judgement, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Harry Kane and Richarlison?

Kane continues to be linked with a move away from Spurs this summer, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich all having shown reported interest in the England international.

On the subject of Manchester United's attraction towards the 29-year-old, former Spurs and Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has suggested in an interview that Kane could ruin his legacy in north London by leaving his boyhood club, as per BBC Sport, stating: "I can understand and can relate to his situation. I feel for him, but at the same time, I think he is going to stay at Spurs. His legacy now is so great that he cannot force himself to tarnish it – when you say Spurs, it is Harry Kane and when you say Harry Kane, it is Spurs."

In 2022/23, Kane has registered 29 goals and five assists in 47 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt; however, his future remains uncertain in N17, as his contract is set to expire in June 2024 and he hasn't committed to signing an extension as of yet.

If the London-born forward does chose to leave in the off-season, journalist Jones thinks that replacing Kane's ability to lead the line with Tottenham attacker Richarlison wouldn't be a good idea, after seeing Richarlison has been mooted as a replacement for him.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones said: "I think it'd be a massive risk to go with Richarlison as your nine if you're not replacing Harry Kane when he leaves. But at the same time, Richarlison's not a bad player, he just hasn't had a good first year. It's not the first player that's ever gone into a club and not settled straight away. I would still say that there's a chance Richarlison can come good. If you're going to bank on him as you're number nine, you've kind of got to change the setup of the team, you've got to play a little bit differently. He might play differently if he was told he was going to be the main man if he wasn't constantly trying to live up to Harry Kane, then that might change things too."

Would Richarlison be able to fill the shoes of Harry Kane at Tottenham?

Probably not to the same extent, though Richarlison is still a good player that should be given another chance next campaign to really get his Tottenham career up and running.

All in, the Brazil international has featured 33 times for Tottenham in all competitions and managed to bag himself three goals and four assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Richarlison's ability to work hard as part of his team is never in doubt. According to FBRef, the 26-year-old has performed well in relation to his positional peers in the art of successful aerial duels won across the last 365 days, obtaining around 1.07 per 90 minutes, meaning he ranks in the top 9% in this metric across Europe's top five divisions.

Mundo Deportivo via The Liverpool Echo cited last year that Richarlison won praise from Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who said: “He is a modern and complete forward, not very sharp on his feet but coordinated and with great synchronization in the area. He is also strong with his head, although he is not a giant. For me, he is among the best forwards.”

Despite this, it would be wise for Spurs to enter the market for a forward this summer if Kane does depart the club, as they would need multiple attacking options to ease the prospective blow of losing their star man.

Afghanistan are set to play their first full series against West Indies, travelling to the Caribbean in June 2017 for five ODIs and three T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2016

Afghanistan are set to play their first full series against West Indies, travelling to the Caribbean in June 2017 for five ODIs and three T20Is. It will Afghanistan’s first full series against a Full Member other than Zimbabwe.The specific dates of the tour are yet to be announced, although a press release from the Afghanistan Cricket Board mentioned the tour would begin in mid-June.Afghanistan have played only two full series against Full Members previously. The first was when they visited Zimbabwe for five ODIs and two T20Is in October 2015; then, they recorded their first series win over a Full Member. In the return series, two months later, hosted by Afghanistan in the UAE, they beat Zimbabwe in both formats again and broke into the top 10 of the ODI rankings for the first time.Chairman Nasimullah Danish welcomed the series, saying: “Playing with Twenty20 champions will boost technical prospects for us.” WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead was happy to have more games on the calendar. “This series will add to the variety of cricket our teams will be playing for the next year and we are happy to be able to have teams visit the region to add exposure for all our players,” Muirhead said.Most recently, Afghanistan met West Indies in the Super 10 stage of the World T20 in March and beat them by six runs.

Leading the Sunrisers Hyderabad attack in Ashish Nehra’s absence, Bhuvneshwar Kumar says he has picked up several things from the left-arm quick

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2016Two injuries to Ashish Nehra this IPL meant that the responsibility of leading Sunrisers Hyderabad’s attack rested on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s shoulders. Not only has he led that attack, he has also topped the wicket-takers’ list in this IPL with only one match to go. With 23 wickets and an economy rate of 7.50, Bhuvneshwar said that bowling with Nehra had helped him pick up several things about bowling.”When you are bowling together there are little things, like how you set the field, what is the strength of which batsman and so how do you bluff him – little things like that which he talked about which has helped,” Bhuvneshwar told . “And that is probably what I tried to help [Barinder] Sran with. I know that I can’t do what he [Nehra] did with his experience. But I was trying to do and play the role that he did.”When I came to know that Ashish Nehra is injured, there was a bit of extra load that fell on my shoulders. However, if you see the way Sran responded to the situation was very good. He didn’t let the pressure show on him after Nehra’s injury.”Bhuvneshwar has taken wickets in the Powerplay, has stifled batsmen in the slog overs and has varied his pace very well, while being accurate, to deceive the batsmen. He said “bluffing” the batsmen played a crucial role in that.”What happens these days in cricket is that, watching the way you set the field, the batsman knows what you are going to bowl. But as we play more and understand opponents better, we try to bowl against the field that we have set, but not to the extent that it backfires. What we try to do is to be able to bluff the batsman, stop the runs, and get the batsman out.”After conceding only 10 runs in his first two overs against Gujarat Lions in the second Qualifier in Delhi, Bhuvneshwar returned for the 17th and 20th overs. Looking for a late push after Aaron Finch’s quickfire fifty, Dwayne Bravo tried to take on Bhuvneshwar in the last over, but failed. Bhuvneshwar followed a first-ball yorker with a slower delivery and then tried another yorker, which accounted for Bravo.”Bravo was a crucial wicket; he had hit a couple of big boundaries in the earlier over,” Bhuvneshwar said. “So I knew that my over was also a crucial one and I was aiming to keep it to eight to 10 runs. If you see we had conceded about 60 runs in the last six overs. When about four overs were left I thought that we shouldn’t give away more than 30 or 35 runs but that didn’t happen. When it came to Bravo my aim was to try and get him out and not give away more than eight to 10 runs.”The main thing is to see who the batsman is and bowl accordingly. With Bravo, my effort was in trying to bowl a yorker but on the leg stump as he doesn’t hit it so well there. There are little things that you do when you plan for a batsman – like where to bowl a yorker for which batsman, etc. Small things like that matter.”Bhuvneshwar succeeded in sticking to his plan as he conceded eight runs in the final over and finished with figures of 4-0-27-2.”When you are bowling the death overs, you are bound to concede more runs,” he said. “My economy has been around eight runs per over, but I didn’t really have much of a problem with that as you bowl a couple of overs upfront and then a couple of overs later. So that is bound to happen. But the good part is that if you take wickets it gets managed. I have been working on that. I know that if I want to be consistent I have to continuously practice what I have been doing.”With swing his weapon in the early overs and yorkers towards the end, Bhuvneshwar has also picked up some pace to add to his arsenal. He credited it to a training programme he has been following since the Sri Lanka tour last year.”If we talk about pace, we had gone to Sri Lanka a few months back and I started training from there on,” he said. “I was put on to this thing called Power Training. Our trainer, Mr. Basu, helped me a lot as well. I followed the programme given by him. Initially I wasn’t too convinced with it as it was a bit different but gradually as I got into a route of doing the things he had prescribed, it helped. Now, between games too I do what is needed to maintain things.”Sunrisers will now run into Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have been riding on their batting might, led by in-form batsmen Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Bhuvneshwar kept it straightforward and said they would have plans for Kohli.”Everyone knows he is a world-class batsman and the kind of form he is in, it is difficult to bowl to him. But when you are playing against such an opponent, you too want to perform and to get him out. We will definitely have our plans for him. I hope that we will be able to successfully implement our plans.”

فاز الفريق الأول للكرة الطائرة بنادي الزمالك على نظيره الاتحاد السكندري بنتيجة 0/3، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم على صالة الأخير بالإسكندرية ضمن الجولة الثالثة للمجموعة الأولى بالدور الثاني لبطولة الدوري الممتاز.

وجاءت نتائج الأشواط كالتالي:

25/19
25/21
25/17

ويتواجد فريق طائرة الزمالك في المجموعة الأولى بجانب أندية، طلائع الجيش والاتحاد السكندرى والطيران والداخلية وإيسترن كومباني.

اقرأ أيضًا.. خاص | موقف الزمالك من رحيل ناصر منسي إلى البنك الأهلي

ومن المقرر أن يواجه الزمالك، نظيره طلائع الجيش يوم الثلاثاء الموافق السادس من فبراير المقبل على صالة محمد حسن حلمي بالقلعة البيضاء بمقر النادي، في الجولة الرابعة للمجموعة من الدوري المصري.

ويقود طائرة الزمالك كل من، أشرف أبو الحسن مديراً فنياً، ومحمد عبد المنعم مدرباً عاماً، ومحمد علي مدرباً، وأحمد سعودي طبيباً وأحمد شعلان مديراً إدارياً، وحسن عبد الرازق إدارياً، أحمد سالم مخططاً للأحمال، وهاني سمير محللاً تقنياً وعبد الرحمن خالد أخصائياً للعلاج الطبيعي.

While Everton boss Sean Dyche will be primarily focused on steering his new side away from danger over the coming weeks, the Englishman will also need to have one eye on potential additions that could be made this summer.

With the Toffees currently on a run of three league games without defeat, there is likely to be renewed optimism that relegation can be avoided, with the former Burnley boss hoping to spark a resurgence on Merseyside ahead of next season.

Any hopes of a major squad overhaul at the end of the current campaign do appear rather slim, however, with the club's financial woes likely to mean that there will be limited funds to spend in the transfer window.

As such, that could make the free agent market particularly appealing to those at Goodison Park, with recent reports suggesting that the struggling outfit are among a raft of Premier League clubs who are interested in signing Borussia Monchengladbach star, Marcus Thuram.

The France international is attracting admiring glances with just a matter of months left to run on his existing deal, with Dyche and co likely hoping that the 25-year-old can be a solution to their centre-forward woes.

Should Everton sign Marcus Thuram?

As the joint-lowest scorers in the division this season, Everton are certainly in need of a reliable goalscoring presence to help spearhead the attack, with current number nine Dominic Calvert-Lewin having become something of a frustrating figure at the club due to his persistent injury woes.

After previously scoring 29 league goals across the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, the England international has since scored just six top-flight goals since the start of last season, including netting just once in only 11 outings this term.

As Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer recently noted, the Toffees are simply "so poor in forward positions", with the record of Calvert-Lewin – and teammate Neal Maupay – having become rather "embarrassing" in truth.

The former Sheffield United man is no longer an asset to be relied upon, with Dyche likely to have to look to academy graduate Ellis Simms to deliver the goods until the end of the season, with the 22-year-old recently netting his first Premier League goal in fine fashion against Chelsea.

To put faith in the latter man as the club's leading centre-forward option beyond the end of this season would appear too much of a gamble, in truth, with the Oldham native having only made a handful of appearances in England's top tier to date.

As such, the signing of 6 foot 4 hotshot, Thuram could be just the man that is needed to replace Calvert-Lewin as Everton's go-to marksman, with the Parma-born menace having been in sparkling form so far this term, scoring 15 goals and laying on four assists in just 26 games across all fronts.

That includes a haul of 12 goals in 24 Bundesliga games to date, with the ten-cap sensation having made an effective transition to life as a central striker, after largely featuring in a wide berth in recent years.

The "phenomenal" talent – as hailed by ex-Gladbach teammate Denis Zakaria – is not only a towering presence in attack, but also showcases impressive mobility for a man of his size, as the £54k-per-week man ranks in the top 8% among his European peers for successful take-ons, as well as in the top 9% for progressive carries.

Calvert-Lewin, by contrast, ranks in just the bottom 46% and the bottom 22% in those same two metrics respectively, hence illustrating that Thuram could provide a greater, all-round package to Dyche next season.

It would, of course, take a great deal of persuading to be able to tempt the former Guingamp and Sochaux man to make the move to Merseyside, although it is clear to see just why there is such interest in his services.