Former Everton forward Graeme Sharp believes that his old side will be unable to keep Romelu Lukaku at the club if they miss out on Champions League qualification.
The powerful Belgian striker has enjoyed an excellent season on loan at Goodison Park from Chelsea, banging in 13 goals to keep the Merseysiders in contention for a top four finish.
But following their shock midweek loss against Crystal Palace, Everton are now a point off of Arsenal in the pursuit of the last spot in Europe’s top competition, and face a more difficult run-in than their London rivals.
Lukaku has hinted in the past that he is ready to play Champions League football, and Sharp believes that Roberto Martinez will need to guarantee him just that to make his stay a permanent one when the transfer window opens:
“The Lukaku situation will take care of itself. He’s said he wants to play in the Champions League. Now if Everton don’t get in that fourth spot, that answers its own question there.” He is quoted by talkSPORT.
“Where does he get Champions League football from though? I don’t think Chelsea will take him back to be honest.”
Sharp also doesn’t know if Everton can afford to fund a move for Lukaku, who is valued at over £20m:
“I honestly don’t believe Jose Mourinho fancies Lukaku, I think if he can sell him and bring somebody else in, he will do.
“But he wants the best price for Lukaku and in the last couple years he’s got a great goalscoring record with West Brom and Everton as well, so the price goes up.
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“I don’t know what the transfer budget at Everton is and what Roberto Martinez has got to spend in the summer but if he loses [Gareth] Barry and [Gerard] Deulofeu, I don’t know whether he can afford to spend it all on a centre-forward.”
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Manchester United winger Nani is reportedly the subject of much interest at the moment with as many as six clubs thought to be chasing his signature after it became clear that the club would be willing to listen to offers for him for the first time after a series of disappointing displays this term, but should they really be looking to move him on?
The 25-year-old has been at Old Trafford for six years now and has always provided a steady and consistent stream of end product. Having scored 38 goals in 201 games so far for the club and he finished last season with 11 assists in the league, with only Antonio Valencia providing more as they were pipped to the league title by local rivals Manchester City by the narrowest of margins on the final day of last season. This is a player who had the joint-highest combined goals and assists record in the Premier League two seasons ago, with nine and a remarkable 18 respectively, as well as scoring eight and assisting 10 in 2011-12.
Nevertheless, there’s been a growing frustration at his performances over the past year or so and as he approaches his 26th birthday, it becomes harder and harder to explain away his poor decision-making. Cristiano Ronaldo suffered from a similar weakness in his initial years at Old Trafford and simply due to the nature that the two are from the same country, his apologists have often pleaded patience with Nani arguing that he will come good just in the same way that the Real Madrid man did, but it looks unlikely at the moment.
When you compare Nani to Valencia, his rival for a right wing berth, then it’s clear why Sir Alex Ferguson has largely favoured the Ecuadorian given that his delivery from wide areas is dependable and even if he may be something of a one trick pony, it’s a trick that works most of the time. Whereas with Nani, you simply don’t know what you’re going to get, which in itself can have an impact on the rest of the side with other players less willing to make a run off the ball for the fear that he’ll simply have a crack from distance or pelt one into the nearest man from out wide.
There’s also the fact that Ferguson has brought in two simply superb attacking options this summer in Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie. The Dutch striker is likely to be the focal point of the club’s attack while Wayne Rooney drops off behind him, with both Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez displaying good form at home and abroad of late.
This saw Ferguson go with three up front in their last home game against Stoke and start with a midfield diamond against Braga, with neither system lending itself to what United have become traditionally known for, which is playing two recognised wingers every game, which also decreases Nani’s chances of regular football.
His ego has also been a problem and had an impact on performances, and for every wonder goal he strikes from range, he balloons ten into the stands and why he insists on taking free-kicks from ‘Ronaldo range’ is beyond me. He’s a strange player to characterise fully, though, given that during some games he can be unplayable, with the 4-4 draw against Everton last term an example, and others absolutely appalling, which points to a player with a confidence level that’s more fragile than we are often led to believe.
The financial aspect is also worth considering and the club have spent a sizeable amount this summer and with over £50m spent on potentially crippling interest repayments in the year ending June 2011, with the promise of more to come, if the club could seal a deal for a fee in the region of £25m, particularly with his contract entering its final 18 months, would be far too tempting to turn down.
Much in the same way that Anderson frustrates but always offers a ray of hope every now and again with a superb showing, Nani does the same and they are probably the two most divisive players at the club right now. He is inconsistent yet creative, egotistical yet fragile and he flits between terrible and unplayable with the sort of consummate ease not normally associated with a Manchester United player.
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There’s no denying his talent, but with the numerous attacking options available at the moment, he’s far from a guaranteed starter, yet at the same time, while the money on offer may be extremely appealing, would the squad be in better shape if they did let him go? When discussing the rumoured departure of any player, that above all else is the question that needs to be asked and in his case, I’m not so sure it would be. He may have his flaws, plenty of them even, but he’s a player capable of unlocking doors and every side needs someone of that caliber from time to time.
According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur have been told that they will have to come up with £60m in order to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacker Leon Bailey this summer.
Bailey, 20, joined Leverkusen from Genk in January 2017, and the attacker has gone from strength to strength during his time in the Bundesliga.
Indeed, the Jamaican ended the 2017-18 campaign with 12 goals and six assists in 34 appearances in all competitions.
Manchester United have been credited with an interest in Bailey, whilst the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid are also believed to be admirers.
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Tottenham were said to be keen to secure a deal this summer, but it appears that they will have to bid £60m in order to convince Leverkusen to part with the wonderfully-gifted forward.
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The Tottenham fans have been reacting to the transfer speculation, and it would be fair to say that a number are desperate for their club to complete the deal this summer.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Manchester United starlet Tahith Chong scored once and generally impressed on his debut for the U23 side as they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Wednesday night in front of a watching Jose Mourinho, and Red Devils fans have been quick to have their say on his display.
The central midfielder, who only celebrated his 18th birthday last month, scored his team’s goal as his energy and pressing forced the Spurs defence into a mistake, while his skill and all-round play will have certainly caught the attention of Mourinho in the stands.
With Michael Carrick retiring at the end of the season and Marouane Fellaini potentially leaving in the summer if he doesn’t agree a new deal, the Portuguese boss will be looking for more options in the middle of the park, and Chong could be one of those to get a call-up to the first team.
Man United supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the teenager’s performance, and while one descirbed him as “Fellaini but with feet”, another said “Chong is so similar to Sane”.
David Moyes is ready to bring back forgotten man Rio Ferdinand, with Manchester United facing a defensive crisis following injuries to Jonny Evans and Phil Jones last week, reports the Daily Star.
England defender Jones suffered concussion during the defeat at Stoke, and is set to be sidelined for two weeks.
Meanwhile Evans has damaged his calf and is also expected to be out for a fortnight.
The injuries means Moyes finds his defensive options stretched ahead of this weekend’s clash with bottom club Fulham.
Nemanja Vidic is set to return to the first team following suspension, but Ferdinand will have to be called in from the cold.
The former England captain has been frozen out by Moyes in recent weeks, despite having returned to full training last month following a knee injury.
Ferdinand is out of contract at the end of the season, and is yet to be offered a new deal.
He is widely expected to leave Old Trafford in the summer, especially considering he has played just once since December.
“Rio is back and we will continue to use him at the right times and the right moments,” Moyes said.
“Rio has made a great contribution especially in the first half of the season. I played him in nearly all the opening eight to ten games.”
Reports had suggested the pair had fallen out after Ferdinand criticized Moyes’s decision to name his team as late as possible before games.
But Moyes has rubbished those reports, claiming Ferdinand remains a valuable member of his squad.
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“He was a big part in helping me to settle in. He helped me get my feet under the table a little bit,” he added.
“He has competition for centre half, but he is very much valued and looked at as one of the senior players here.”
Nani’s future at Old Trafford is in doubt following increasing speculation over a potential transfer to Italian Champions Juventus.
The Portuguese winger has moved down in the pecking order at Manchester United following the arrival of new signing Shinji Kagawa and youngsters Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley breaking into the first team.
Nani has made just five starts this season, suggesting he is no longer integral to Sir Alex Ferguson’s first team plans. Juventus are rumoured to be leading the race to sign the winger, and will attempt to lure the United ace away from the Premier League in January.
When quizzed by reporters on his future at United, the Portugal international replied: “Only God knows what awaits me,” suggesting he is unsure whether he will stay with the Red Devils.
Nani went on to dismiss claims he hasn’t been playing due to fitness concerns.
“I am in perfect condition – I am physically good and feeling confident. I am the same Nani as always.”
Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson has invited 16-year-old Brazilian striker Bruno Gomes to train with United for further trials. The teenager, who has trained at Carrington before, is on the radar of many top European clubs; however it seems he has his heart set on signing for United.
“My goal is to become top scorer in the league, being the first Brazilian to do so, while also to be English champion and to win the Champions League,” said the ambitious youngster.
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“[Ferguson] is a legend in Manchester, where everybody respects him and to be close to him was great. In fact, he only asked about my position and if I spoke English. Then he talked with the club representative who took me to Manchester,” he added.
Chasing 146, Sri Lanka romped home with 20 balls remaining
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2024Harshitha Samarawickrama’s 86 off 45 balls sent Sri Lanka galloping to a 17th-over win in the first T20I of their series against Ireland in Dublin.Ireland had put together what had seemed a competitive 145 for 6 after being sent in, with contributions from opener Gaby Lewis (39 off 33), Oria Prendergast (29 off 27), captain Laura Delany (25 off 21), and Rebecca Stokell (21 not out off 16). Prendergast and Lewis had supplied the innings a foundation with a 59-run second-wicket stand.Related
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But the total was no match for a Sri Lanka side flying high on confidence following their Asia Cup win. Samarawickrama, who top-scored in their chase in that final too, combined with Vishmi Gunaratne (30 off 34) in an opening stand worth 83.Samarawickrama then largely took control of the remainder of the chase, hitting 15 fours and one six in all, as the remainder of the top order produced small innings in support. Sri Lanka will be especially buoyed by pulling off this chase without their best player, Chamari Athapaththu, who is with her Hundred team. Samarawickrama’s 86 not out is the fourth-highest T20I score by a Sri Lanka batter, and the highest by anyone other than Athapaththu.On the bowling front, the left-arm seam of Udeshika Prabhodani and the left-arm spin of Sugandika Kumari were effective at keeping a lid on Ireland’s scoring. Offspinner Inoshi Priyadharshani collected the game’s best figures, however, taking 2 for 35.Freya Sargent, Arlene Kelly and Delany struck for Ireland, but they were unable as a unit to contain Samarawickrama.
The former West Indies captain’s tenure, which began in January 2017, will end when his contract expires at the end of June
ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2023Cricket West Indies (CWI) is on the lookout for a new director of cricket, with Jimmy Adams’ tenure set to end when his contract expires at the end of June. Adams, a former West Indies captain who played 54 Tests and 127 ODIs, has held the role for nearly six-and-a-half years, having taken over from Richard Pybus in January 2017.CWI has set June 14 as the deadline for new applicants.Related
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“We are extremely grateful for the leadership and contribution that Jimmy has made over the past six and half years,” CWI CEO Jonny Grave said. “He has overhauled our High-Performance structure, especially with respect to Coach Education & Development, Sport Science & Medicine and most recently with the launch of our Academy based at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua. I have no doubt that Jimmy will continue to contribute to the game, particularly West Indies Cricket.”Apart from these achievements, Adams’ tenure also coincided with CWI starting the women’s Caribbean Premier League, appointing separate selection panels for women’s and youth teams, and more recently approving a Women’s Cricket Transformation Committee to work towards achieving equality for women’s players.During Adams’ time as director of cricket, the West Indies men’s team endured a difficult time on the field. They haven’t reached the knockout stages of an ICC tournament since winning the T20 World Cup in 2016, and have finished second from bottom in both the 2019-21 and 2021-23 World Test Championships. Based on the recommendations of an independent review panel instituted after the team’s first-round exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup, CWI appointed format-specific coaches for the senior men’s team: Andre Coley for Test cricket and Daren Sammy for white-ball cricket.”It’s been an honor to have been involved in the ongoing evolution of CWI,” Adams said. “I have had the privilege of working with some amazing people across the organisation and am grateful for all the support they gave me over the past six plus years. I wish everyone all the best going forward, especially in light of the various challenges that exist both regionally and globally.”
Bahrain’s consolation win not enough; Philippines rolled over for 36 by Oman while Canada crumble to 80
Peter Della Penna in Muscat21-Feb-2022A wild day in Oman saw three blowouts and one match go down to the wire to decide the four semi-finalists still in with a shot at reaching the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Here’s how the final day unfolded.Group A
Bahrain and UAE experienced the full gamut of emotions in a see-saw affair that saw Bahrain prevail by two runs in the biggest upset of the tournament. However, they still failed to advance to the semi-final as UAE stayed fractionally ahead of them on net run rate.Choosing to bat first, Bahrain lost a wicket on the second ball of play as Muhammad Younis cut Basil Hameed’s offspin to backward point for a duck. But they counterattacked through captain Sarfaraz Ali and wicketkeeper Umer Imtiaz, who put on a 50-run stand for the second wicket. Sarfaraz muscled four fours and two sixes, seizing on UAE’s bowling unit going too full, to drive over the in-field on the way to 32 off 22 balls. He finally fell trying to drive over the top one time too many, as legspinner Karthik Meiyappan induced a skied catch to long-off in the seventh over to break the stand.Imtiaz eventually fell for a career-best 42 before Sathaiya Veerapathiran followed five balls later for 2. But former Karnataka player David Mathias, who hit 46* off 35 balls, teamed with Haider Butt, who got 35 from 17, in an extraordinary 76-run stand off the final 34 deliveries. UAE almost paid dearly for choosing to rest their best pace bowler Zahoor Khan, as their replacement options at the death failed to contain Mathias and Butt, who like Sarfaraz continued to seize on full lengths as Bahrain ended up with nine sixes in their innings.On paper, UAE were set a target of 173 to win the match but needed to score at least 158 to stay ahead of Bahrain on net run rate tie-breaker. UAE lost heavy-hitting opener Muhammad Waseem for 2 in the second over to a flat-footed swish, giving an edge behind off Shahid Mahmood’s medium pace. Chirag Suri then fell on the first ball after the powerplay for 26, miscuing a pull to midwicket off Veerapathiran’s medium pace.But Rohan Mustafa joined 19-year-old Vriitya Aravind for a 91-run partnership to get UAE back on course. With the score 65 for 2 after ten, it became clear that UAE’s primary focus was on getting to 158, with the match target of 173 a cherry on top. Bahrain had a chance to heap more pressure on the opposition, but failed to capitalise on a pair of chances offered by Mustafa. The first came on 18 in the 12th over bowled by left-arm spinner Muhammad Waseeq, who induced a skied chance to long-off that Junaid Aziz failed to hold on to running in from the rope.That became the only over of spin bowled in the chase as Sarfaraz took Waseeq straight out of the attack. It meant that Sarfaraz also did not give a single over to Aziz despite the fact that the legspinner had been Bahrain’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, having turned in a Player-of-the-Match performance of 5 for 5 against Germany before following it up with 2 for 16 in four overs against Ireland.Mustafa could have been run-out on 25 in the 14th over as well following a near collision with Aravind while trying to pinch a leg-bye after the ball plopped dead adjacent to the pitch. But Veerapathiran’s throw upon collecting in his follow-through sailed wide at the non-striker’s end with Mustafa several yards short, and wound up turning into two thanks to an overthrow. Mustafa was not as fortunate in the 18th over though, as a relay from Butt at long-on caught him sleeping while coming back very casually for a second run to end his innings for 41.Kashif Daud was caught next ball heaving to deep midwicket for a golden duck, leaving UAE needing 32 off 16 deliveries to clinch a spot in the semi-final. Aravind had managed to cross with the ball in the air on Daud’s wicket, and swung momentum back UAE’s way with back-to-back sixes, bringing up a 44-ball half-century in the process.Sarfaraz then bowled a magnificent 19th over to build tension further, conceding six runs while taking the wickets of Hameed and Zawar Farid off consecutive deliveries before Muhammad Usman saw off the hat-trick ball by striking a two to end the over. It meant Aravind would have the strike for the final over, needing 12 to see UAE into the semi-final, and 27 to win the match outright and clinch the top spot in the group ahead of Ireland on points.Mahmood was given the ball but misfired on his lengths throughout the over. Aravind drove the first ball back down the ground for four before heaving over midwicket for another boundary. A two on the third delivery was followed by a six driven straight down the ground to clinch UAE’s spot in the semi-final and knock Bahrain out.With 11 needed off the final two balls to win and 10 to force a Super Over, Aravind cleared the boundary with another sizzling straight drive for six off the penultimate delivery before scuffing the final ball for two to long-off. But despite his heroics seeing UAE into the semi-final with an unbeaten 84, the match officials awarded Player-of-the-Match honours to Sarfaraz for leading Bahrain to their first T20I win over an Associate nation with ODI status.File photo: Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie added 67 for the first wicket•Sportsfile via Getty Images
Ireland finished on top of the group after thumping Germany by seven wickets with 41 balls to spare. They started the day behind Bahrain and UAE on net run rate, but leapfrogged them both after sending Germany in and restricting them to 107 before speeding to the target. Faisal Mubashir top-scored with 45* off 40 balls for Germany but found little support elsewhere. Josh Little was named Player of the Match for Ireland after taking 2 for 13 in a brisk spell of left-arm pace.Paul Stirling hit 34 off 27 balls and Andy Balbirnie 32 from 21, having added 67 for the first wicket before both fell in quick succession, followed a short time later by Gareth Delany for 11. But Harry Tector cracked three fours in his unbeaten 24 off 15 deliveries to take Ireland into the semi-final.Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee completed Nepal’s paltry chase•Peter Della Penna
Group B
On the adjacent oval in Al Amerat, Oman completed their rally from behind the eight-ball after a day-one loss to Nepal by completing a nine-wicket win over Philippines. Following up on another nine-wicket victory – over Canada in which Oman chased a target of 156 with two overs to spare – Oman achieved the same result chasing a far smaller target as they bowled Philippines out for 36.After fielding first in their first two group matches and conceding back-to-back totals in excess of 200, Philippines opted to bat and responded by being bowled out for the fifth-lowest total in men’s T20I history.While the medium pace duo of Kaleemullah, with 2 for 5, and Fayyaz Butt’s 2 for 7 ripped apart the top order, legspinner Khawar Ali whittled through the lower order taking 4 for 11 in a Player-of-the-Match performance. After Kashyap Prajapati fell on the second ball of the chase, Khurram Nawaz dashed any hopes Philippines had of a historic upset by cracking an unbeaten 33 off 12 balls as Oman needed just 17 deliveries to haul down the target.The results mean that Nepal will face UAE in one semi-final, while Ireland will face Oman in the other. Each match is a winner-takes-all shootout, with the victor in each semi-final clinching a spot in the first round of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and a spot in the final of the qualifier in Oman, while the pair of losing sides fall back into a consolation third-place playoff.
How Old Trafford encounter inspired English club’s foray into Indian market
George Dobell25-Nov-2020It was, Daniel Gidney says now, a day that changed everything.Gidney, the chief executive of Lancashire, had heard plenty about the passion of India v Pakistan matches in the past. But he had witnessed Old Firm derbies in Glasgow, the Derby della Lanterna in Genoa, the most raucous of Twickenham internationals and more than his fair share of T20 Roses encounters. He thought he had seen it all.But then came the World Cup match on June 16, 2019.”It opened my eyes,” he tells ESPNcricinfo. “Our previous chairman, the much-missed David Hodgkiss [who died of Covid-19 in March], had urged me to look east in terms of our future strategy, but I only half got it. After that game, I was all-in.”So, what was it he witnessed that left such an impression?”Well, Manchester airport ran out of space for private jets,” he says. “Some planes had to land in Liverpool instead. That’s not even happened for big games at Manchester United.”Meanwhile, rooms in our hotel [Lancashire run a Hilton which overlooks their ground] were selling for £3,500. And there were a billion people watching on TV. The passion and noise was unbelievable: there was a man on a white horse draped in a Pakistan flag outside the ground. You don’t get that at Lancashire games. I’d not seen anything like it. It became very clear that we had a huge untapped market out there and that India had to be at the core of our future strategy.”ALSO READ: Two additional T20Is, fewer Tests in England’s tour of India – GangulyTo that end, Lancashire invested in their streaming operation during the 2020 season. Their set-up included seven cameras including the recruitment of specialist ‘ball following’ operatives, and arranged for their games to be live-streamed in India on JioTV; a service with more than 350 million subscribers. As a result, “our numbers went bananas” as Gidney puts it. Somewhere around 2.5m unique users (that’s even more than Surrey’s 2020 figures) watched the matches.Alongside that, Lancashire’s top-order batsman, Keaton Jennings, led a networking delegation from the club to India in January. Alongside representatives from Visit Manchester and VisitBritain, he highlighted opportunities ahead of the 2021 Test between England and India at Emirates Old Trafford. Jennings, as a man who had made a Test century in Mumbai, was seen as a suitable person to break the ice in such discussions, with the opportunity also helping him expand his own experiences with a view to life after his playing career. Emirates Old Trafford hosts England’s final Test of the 2021 summer.More will follow in 2021. The Lancashire team will – virus allowing – return to Mumbai for pre-season training (they also went there in February of this year) with the aim of closer links and, perhaps, friendly matches against Mumbai Indians (they did actually play – and narrowly defeat – a Reliance XI containing around half a team of Mumbai Indians players in a pre-season match in February). A commentary team will also be assembled to ensure the streaming coverage is appropriately complemented. In time, it could lead to a return to the days when Lancashire looked to India for its overseas players.”At this stage, we’re just interested in growing our audience,” Gidney continues. “In the longer term, yes, we hope to monetise this interest and we will be looking to secure a sponsor for Lancashire TV. My aim is that, one day, everyone in India will see Lancashire as their second favourite team.”While Lancashire’s off-field performance in recent years has been exceptional – only Surrey can claim to be a bigger club in financial terms these days – the on-field performance has not always matched. But Gidney is keen to assure supporters that the move to embrace the Indian audience, just like the move to invest in a hotel and conferencing business, was driven by a desire to see Lancashire cricket – and cricket in Lancashire – thrive. Previously, the club has pledged to invest profits into reintroducing cricket into state primary schools in the region.”We’re a cricket club,” Gidney says. “We’re doing all this so we can invest more money into cricket. We don’t have to pay dividends to share holders; we’re looking to develop more cricketers and invest in even better facilities.”The Indian market is huge and passionately interested in cricket. We can’t ignore the game’s biggest market. We will continue to build strategic relationships that help the club, and our brand, grow on the subcontinent.”