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Donald Peters, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief executive, has said the board will agree to Pakistan’s request for a two-Test series in November only after receiving the approval of the players’ association

Cricinfo staff14-Sep-2008
West Indies might land in Pakistan only after assessing the security situation in the country © AFP
Donald Peters, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief executive, has said the board will agree to Pakistan’s request for a two-Test series in November only after receiving the approval of the players’ association.”The Pakistan Cricket Board made a formal request for West Indies to play two Test matches in November,” Peters told in London. “We now have to wait for approval from the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) and it has to be confirmed by the WICB before we can confirm the matches will take place.”Peters indicated he was in favour of going ahead with the tour, but said the WIPA might make a decision only after appraising the security situation in the country. “I am currently trying to fast-track that process so that we can get that done as quickly as possible and hopefully agree on the tour,” he said. “Whether we can get that approval from the Players’ Association, however, will depend on their analysis of the security situation in Pakistan.”West Indies were invited last week for a Test series in Pakistan as the PCB desperately looked for alternatives following the postponement of the Champions Trophy due to security concerns. Pakistan had earlier, albeit unsuccessfully, tried to arrange a tri-series in South Africa and an ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Sunderland are interested in a deal to bring Stephen O’Donnell to the Stadium of Light this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that Lee Johnson’s side are ready to make a move for the Motherwell right-back in the summer transfer window, with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus holding the belief that a deal would cost the Black Cats less than £500k.

The League One side have been linked with a number of players in the 29-year-old’s position in recent weeks, most notably Nottingham Forest’s Jordan Gabriel.

However, with Blackpool also thought to be keen on the 22-year-old, Sunderland now look to have turned their attention in the market towards the Scotland international, who has two years left to run on his contract at Fir Park.

Major coup

Considering just how short Johnson’s squad currently is in options at right-back, in addition to how impressive the Motherwell captain has been for both his club and country in recent seasons, it is unsurprising to learn of Sunderland’s interest in a move for O’Donnell.

Indeed, over his 34 Scottish Premiership appearances for Graham Alexander’s side last term, the £810k-rated man helped his side keep 11 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, two clearances and winning 4.5 duels per game.

The defender also helped his side out in an attacking capacity, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.9 key passes per match.

These returns saw the £1.2k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.73, with his performances playing a key role in his club securing survival in the top flight of Scottish football.

This league form saw O’Donnell earn a call up to Steve Clarke’s Scotland side for Euro 2020 this summer, with the 29-year-old highly impressing for his country, most notably in the 0-0 draw with England.

In the stalemate, the right-back made two tackles, one clearance, two key passes and won three duels, seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.2 – the second-best of any Scotland player on the day.

As such, it would certainly appear as if the defender would be quite a major coup for the Black Cats ahead of the new League One season, leading us to believe Louis-Dreyfus should do all he can to get a deal over the line for O’Donnell in the coming days.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops two-word Sunderland transfer update that will have fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move to bring Antoine Griezmann to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish outlet ABC (via Sport Witness), who claim that, with Harry Kane being very close to joining Manchester City this summer, Spurs are on the lookout for a replacement for the 27-year-old ahead of next season.

The report then goes on to state that Griezmann would meet all the criteria Fabio Paratici is looking for in the England captain’s successor at Tottenham, while Barcelona are also thought to believe that the north London side are a club who meet all of their expectations regarding a buyer for the France international.

An earlier report by French publication L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) went as far as to claim that the LaLiga side have contacted Spurs over a deal for the 30-year-old, with Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus also thought to have received a proposal from the Catalans.

Griezmann could be Kane’s heir

While it is undeniable that things have not worked out exactly as planned for Griezmann at Barcelona, it would be difficult to argue that, should the Frenchman be able to refind his Atletico form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there would not be too many better replacements for Kane.

Indeed, over his 37 LaLiga appearances for Atleti in his final campaign with the club, the £54m-rated man scored 15 goals, registered nine assists and created 13 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.1 shots and making two key passes per games.

These returns saw the man Didier Deschamps dubbed a “remarkable” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.38, ranking him as Diego Simeone’s best performer in the top flight of Spanish football.

And, while it is true that the forward has not quite lived up to his £107m transfer fee at the Camp Nou, he has nevertheless scored 35 goals and provided 17 assists over 99 appearances in all competitions for the club – averaging a goal involvement a little under every two fixtures.

As such, should Kane indeed move onto pastures new this summer – an outcome, it should be stated, we do not believe likely – Paratici could certainly do worse than a player who has scored a total of 220 goals over 558 appearances in club football.

In other news: Paratici can land Nuno a serious Winks upgrade with THFC swoop for “really clever” ace

حرص نادي ليفربول على توديع لاعب الفريق ديفوك أوريجي بعد نهاية موسم الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، 2021/22.

واستضاف ملعب الأنفيلد مباراة ليفربول وولفرهامبتون مساء اليوم، في الجولة الثامنة والثلاثين من الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث فاز ليفربول بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.

ولم يشارك أوريجي في تلك المباراة بسبب الإصابة، رغم أنها كانت الأخيرة بالنسبة له بقميص ليفربول، حيث سينتهي عقده في يونيو المقبل، وبات قريبًا من الانتقال إلى صفوف ميلان.

وبعد المباراة، أقام لاعبو ليفربول ممرًا شرفيًا لـ أوريجي وسط تصفيق حار وهتافات من قِبل جماهير، إلى جانب تقديم حائط تذكاري يتضمن أبرز ما قدمه مع الريدز.

من جانبه، قال أوريجي في تصريحات عبر شبكة “سكاي سبورتس” العالمية: “أنا أحب ذلك، أن أرى كل المشجعين بعد كورونا، إنه شعور رائع، أمر خاص حقًا”.

وأضاف: “ليفربول نادٍ لا يُصدق، عندما توقع معه، تدرك فقط مدى ضخامة هذا النادي وتميز جماهيره، والليالي والأجواء، كان أمرًا مميزًا”.

وواصل: “كنت أعلم أن ليفربول نادًا خاصًا، لكن كان عليّ أن أختبر ذلك، الأمر يفوق الكلمات إنه شيء سيظل معي طوال حياتي، كان شرفًا وفخرًا بالنسبة لي، هذه مجموعة لا تصدق من اللاعبين”.

وأردف: “أحاول دائمًا أن أضع الفريق في المقام الأول، أحاول أن أقدم أفضل نسخة مني، أحاول مساعدة الفريق، أريد أن أكون على أرض الملعب كل دقيقة ولكن أكثر من ذلك أريد أن يفوز الفريق”.

واستكمل: “كنت هناك اليوم أحاول فقط دعم الفريق، يمكننا أن نكون فخورين للغاية، يمكننا أن نأخذ هذه التجربة ونأمل أن نحظى بليلة أخرى كبيرة الأسبوع المقبل”.

Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser thinks multiple factors could stop Borussia Monchengladbach striker Breel Embolo from joining West Ham this summer.

According to 90min, West Ham have made an enquiry about the 24-year-old, who starred for Switzerland at the Euros, as they look to bolster their forward options.

Following Sebastien Haller’s move to Ajax back in January, the Hammers are light up front, with Michail Antonio the only recognised striker in their squad.

Bringing in a new No.9 in this transfer window, though, does not look like it is going to be easy. Moyes has already made it clear that West Ham cannot afford to pay the £40m Chelsea want for Tammy Abraham, and Rosser is expecting a similar theme with Embolo.

“He’s an impressive player,” Rosser said to TT. “I don’t know whether he’s someone that would want to come in and be a number two.

“I know Moyes would like, if he can get a striker, to give real competition for Antonio. I know he’d like another one to come in, but again, that’s where you sort of get budget issues cropping up.”

It is not just up front where West Ham are struggling to strengthen. The position just behind the striker is also proving to be a problem, with The Athletic recently claiming that the east London club cannot afford to bring Manchester United star Jesse Lingard back to the London Stadium.

Lots of Wolves fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on Dion Sanderson.

As per The Daily Mirror, Newcastle United have had a £1.5m bid rejected by the Midlands club to sign the central defender in the summer window.

Sunderland have also had their own bid rejected, as they look to sign the player that spent the 2020/21 season on loan at the Stadium of Light on a permanent deal.

The Molineux faithful currently value him at £2m, but should really be demanding more, given that he is English, played well on loan last season and is only 21.

Sanderson played a big part in the Black Cats reaching the EFL League One play-offs, making no fewer than 26 appearances in total in the division (Transfermarkt), and is clearly a prospect for the future.

Wolves fans on Sanderson transfer update

These WWFC supporters fumed as the exit news was shared on Twitter, as some simply do not wish to sell him, while others feel as if they should be demanding more money:

“I read this as £11.5m which would still have been an insult.”

Credit: @dsandford125

“Don’t sell, keep as back up pls. Can defo see him becoming class in a couple years.”Credit: @adenwwfc_”If he’s good enough to play for Newcastle he’s good enough for us. Pre-season under Lage and let’s see”Credit: @Ry_Oakley”Keep him”Credit: @jshwwfc”If so many teams want him we should and need to keep him.. young English talent…one for the near future.”Credit: @Banksy66Paul”Only £1.5m, so undervalued”Credit: @JonWill47124708In other news, find out what transfer update on one Euro 2020 ace has Wanderers taking here!

Writing on Twitter, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent and football.london journalist Alasdair Gold has shared major manager news involving Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Lowdown: Spurs now eyeing Nuno…

Nuno appears to be the main contender for Tottenham now after a series of bosses came in and out of the fray.

The likes of Brendan Rodgers and Julian Nagelsmann were first linked to the post after Spurs sacked Jose Mourinho, and it’s been anything but smooth sailing since then.

Spurs fans have watched numerous talks collapse over the last month alone, with negotiations for Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso all failing to amount to an appointment (BBC).

The Latest: Gold shares major Nuno news…

Writing on social media, Gold has shared major news in regards to Nuno and him possibly taking the job at Tottenham.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-2/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, as explained by the reporter, it now looks very likely that the Portuguese will become Spurs’ next boss after over two months waiting.

He even says that Tottenham could have the 47-year-old in place by next week just before pre-season, barring a complete U-turn.

“Understand that, barring a complete about turn (and we’ve had enough of those in these 67 days), the former Wolves boss could be in place at Tottenham next week just days before pre-season starts at Hotspur Way.” Gold stated on Twitter.

The Verdict: Big claim…

This comes as a big claim by a reliable source with the Spurs manager hunt appearing to be near it’s conclusion barring yet another complete collapse.

While his style doesn’t exactly fit the Tottenham ‘DNA’ of open, attacking football, Nuno does have a proven track record of nurturing young players and getting the very best out of his current crop (football.london).

Coming as a bit of a mixed bag in that regard, Spurs could arguably do far worse and they need to make a decision with pre-season training for non-internationals starting just next week.

In other news: Journalist says Tottenham now want ‘magical’ man as ‘official contacts’ begin…find out more here.

The first finals of the Somerset Year 6 Girls Kwik Cricket competition were held at Millfield Prep School on Friday involving Martock, Ash, Ilchester and Kingsmoor (Bawdrip) Primary Schools.At the end of the day Martock won the final, beating Kingsmoor School, and both now go forward to represent Somerset in the south west regional finals that are taking place on July 15th at Kings College in Taunton.

The Board of Control for cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) announced a 15-mansquad for Sri Lanka’s forthcoming three-Test tour of England on Tuesdaynight

CricInfo02-Apr-2002The Board of Control for cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) announced a 15-mansquad for Sri Lanka’s forthcoming three-Test tour of England on Tuesdaynight.As revealed by CricInfo at the weekend, Aravinda de Silva, 36, has beenrecalled for the tour starting 26 April at Canterbury, Kent – his home fortwo seasons in the mid-1990s.Otherwise, the only surprise is the omission of Romesh Kaluwitharana,veteran of 40 Tests and 170 ODIs, casting serious doubt over his Testfuture.Kauwitharana has been replaced by Prasanna Jayawardene, 22, who is widelyregarded as the best wicket-keeper in the country, although a less naturallytalented batsman.However, Jayawardene will only be traveling as replacement wicket-keeper, asKumar Sangakkara remains the first choice gloveman.The selectors will pick a further pace bowler shortly to increase the squadto 16, probably in Sharjah when they a have seen how Pulasthi Gunaratnereacts to the pressures of international cricket.Dilhara Fernando, potentially Sri Lanka’s most destructive fast bowler, hasbeen selected for the tour but he first needs to recover from a bank injury.No replacements have been named.The selectors will make changes to the squad for the Natwest one-day seriesthat follows the Test matches and are expected to announce those changesafter Sharjah.

Former Leeds United star Jon Newsome insists that Pablo Hernandez has earned the right to be called a legend at the club.

Hernandez has played his last game for the club, and will leave Elland Road on the expiry of his contract at the end of this month.

That comes after a four-year stint with the Whites, in which he has played a key role in guiding the club from the Championship into the Premier League.

Hernandez has made a total of 175 appearances for Leeds, scoring 36 goals and registering 41 assists, although he only played a bit-part role in the Premier League in 2020/21.

In total, the 36-year-old made 16 league appearances, though just three of those were starts, including the final game of the season, as he gave the fans an emotional farewell.

And Newsome believes he should be regarded as one of the best players to play for the club in their long and storied history.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “There’s a word that gets bandied about, ‘legends’, quite a lot, when we’re up at the game and they say ‘the Leeds legends’, there’s not, there’s a bunch of ex-players, but there’s only a few I would class as legends at that club.

“And I would put Pablo in that category. I think he’s come into the football club and his commitment, his work, his desire has been there for everybody to see.”