Liverpool could be poised to fortify the defensive fold with the steely addition of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, who has been flourishing at Selhurst Park.

What's the latest on Marc Guehi to Liverpool?

Such claims enter the whirring rumour mill courtesy of the Daily Mail, which states that Jurgen Klopp's Reds and Manchester United have added Guehi to their list of summer transfer targets.

London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both have deeper-rooted interest in the impressive 22-year-old, who has been touted at £50m ahead of a potential departure from south London.

Anfield's priority will be the centre of the park, considering the forthcoming midfield clear-out, but Joel Matip and Joe Gomez have been underwhelming this term and recruitment is required across multiple departments if Liverpool are truly to craft a renaissance next year.

Why should Liverpool sign Marc Guehi?

Guehi is contracted with the Eagles for another three years and will be a difficult gem to procure this summer, however, Palace has something of an exodus forthcoming themselves this summer, with a score of first-team players set to depart at the end of their contracts.

Funds claimed from Guehi's exit could be used to reinvest in the squad, and Klopp and co will be eager to take advantage of such a situation and in turn, unleash a robust new presence at the plinth of the Anfield set-up.

Signing from Chelsea for £18m in 2021, the "magnificent" – as hailed by journalist Andy Sixsmith – 6 foot monster has completed 81 matches and scored five goals, playing 39 times this season and captaining his outfit on eight occasions.

The three-cap England international has been in fine fettle this year, missing just one top-flight encounter and recording a dependable average rating of 6.94, as per Sofascore, keeping eight clean sheets, boasting an 85% pass success rate, making 3.6 clearances, 1.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per outing, also succeeding with 82% of his dribbles and winning 69% of his ground duels.

As per FBref, the £50k-per-week titan ranks among the top 18% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per 90, and combining this metric with his aforementioned tenacity and physicality in dribbles and duels suggests he could be a driving force to be reckoned with from the back.

He is listed by FBref as a comparable player to Manchester United phenom Raphael Varane, who has only started 21 times in the Premier League this term due to injury issues, still boasting an 86% pass completion rate and an average of 3.8 clearances and a duel win rate of 63%.

Hailed as a "top talent" by John Terry after completing his £41m transfer from Real Madrid in 2021, the illustrious Frenchman boasts an average career pass completion rate of 88.3%, also exhibiting his sweeping prowess by making 4.3 clearances per game, as per WhoScored.

With remarkable semblance between his skill set and Guehi's, who has been lauded as an "absolute tank" by England U21 teammate Joe Bursik, Liverpool could utilise his rebuffing aptitude against enemy onslaughts and provide Merseyside with the perfect new addition to complement the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Insider ExWHUEmployee has claimed that West Ham United could potentially hire Michael Edwards as a new football director to help with transfers.

Are West Ham looking for a new Sporting Director?

After spending well over £150m on transfers in the summer, it seems as though co-owner David Sullivan is not happy at all with how things have turned out after that notable involvement.

After all, the club have struggled down at the bottom of the Premier League for most of the campaign and it has recently been reported that he will look to take some responsibility away from David Moyes and Head of Recruitment Rob Newman.

With that being the case, Ex how now stated that the club are on the hunt for a new executive to come in for the Irons and it could be former Liverpool sporting director Edwards.

Indeed, in an update shared on The West Ham Way Patreon, the insider explained: "As we discussed on last week's podcast the club is looking at potential football directors to replace Rob Newman.

"David Sullivan has not been happy with the money spent this season. Who takes the ultimate responsibility for this is open to debate but it seems that the club feel that something has to change.

"There are many potential candidates in the mix. None of which have been confirmed because they don’t know whether they are working for a club in Europe next season. Of course, this could be as clear as Thursday but hopefully not.

He went on to say: "Paul Mitchell is an interesting name to emerge as he is close mates with Mark Noble with the pair watching games together last year in Monaco where Mitchell is employed.

"Michael Edwards is another who made a good impression at Liverpool and is available to work now who could be of interest but there are many potential targets. Who the manager may be will also have a bearing on who is appointed so there are a number of key events that need to happen before we know which target we go for."

What did Michael Edwards do at Liverpool?

As Ex mentions, there are other names on the list too right now, with former Monaco sporting director (and current board member for the French club) Mitchell directly named.

Though it's likely that West Ham fans will be most excited by Edwards after what he has achieved in the Premier League with the Reds.

Indeed, under the 43-year-old transfer guru's guidance, the Liverpool recruitment team pulled off great value-for-money signings such as signings of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino – while also selling Philippe Coutinho join Barcelona for £142 million – allowing the club to go on and win the league and the Champions League and other numerous trophies (via ESPN).

With that in mind, it certainly would be a major coup if the Irons were able to bring the Edwards to east London.

The Caribbean Premier League’s initial foray into the USA kicked off on Friday with the arrival of Jamaica Tallawahs at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, six days ahead of the first CPL games to be played in the USA. Tallawahs wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, who captained Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 International played in the USA at the same facility in 2010, has said the CPL could help the growth of cricket in USA.”It’s very exciting to be back,” Sangakkara said at the Tallawahs first press conference in Lauderhill on Friday. “I remember when we played New Zealand here in 2010, [it was] two very competitive games and I think it finished one-all and we enjoyed our time here.”To bring cricket back to Fort Lauderdale, to be here at Broward Park to play again is just about making sure the game is exposed to new viewership, to encourage new spectators to come and watch what happens on a cricket field, to watch the differences between cricket and baseball and to hopefully better understand it and hopefully grow to like it enough to actually experiment playing it.”The first experience for Sangakkara did not provide the fireworks that were billed to new fans, with scores under 100 in three of four innings, and a total of four sixes hit during the two games. Two years later, West Indies posted 209 for 2 against new Zealand, a record total at the time.However, it has been four years since high-level cricket has been played at the facility. In its absence, soccer has been a primary tenant, resulting in the square being dug up and relaid. New Zealand curator Mark Perham has been brought in to work on the pitches.”The pitch looks pretty good and by the reports that we hear over the years there’s been a lot of improvement done,” Sangakkara said. “A new curator has been doing a lot of hard work trying to get it up to standard and by the scores of the subsequent matches played after we were here it seems all pretty good.”We hope that the crowds do come in and the ordinary American comes in and has a look to see what it’s all about. It could be just a case of curiosity, or it could be that they’ve heard of it before or watched it on TV once or twice maybe but crowd participation is absolutely important to any sport. It’s absolutely vital. That’s what the players play for, to play in front of a packed stadium, having kids and families come and watch. That’s what I think drives us or any sport higher.”Sangakkara toured the USA in November last year as part of the Cricket All-Stars series. The largest crowd of the three games featured 27,000 people at Citi Field in New York City. Although the Central Broward Regional Park has a capacity of 10,000, Sangakkara said it will be as good for the fans due to the facility being designed for cricket.”Either way it’s got to be entertaining,” Sangakkara said. “Whether it’s 10,000 in a small stadium where it feels as if it’s a much larger crowd because it gets noisier and the atmosphere is a little more intense. In baseball stadiums we played in, there were a huge amount of people there but they were far removed from the action because of how the stadium is configured. Either way I think it’s all about getting smiles on their faces, making sure that when they walk away after three and a half hours they walk away with good memories.”

After a long season of ups and downs, Wolverhampton Wanderers are on their way back to cementing themselves as a threatening Premier League side once again.

Sitting in the relegation zone in October, Bruno Lage was dismissed from his role as manager after just 15 months in charge.

The sacking came as a blessing in disguise for Wolves, who have since seen a lot of progression under the stewardship of Julen Lopetegui, who confirmed the club's safety and continues to edge them closer to the top ten.

This summer will be the Spaniard’s first chance to make significant changes to his squad, with players expected to depart and arrive at Molineux this transfer window.

The club have been linked with a number of stars, providing both attacking and defensive options for Lopetegui to consider, with news emerging this week that the former Real Madrid manager is eyeing a striker from La Liga.

What’s the latest on El Bilal Toure to Wolves?

UD Almeria striker El Bilal Toure is reported to be one player on Wolves’ radar this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

The former Stade de Reims forward is reportedly attracting interest from three Premier League clubs, including newly-promoted Burnley and Brentford.

At just 21 years of age, the Mali striker has netted six goals in the Spanish top-flight this season, gaining 19 appearances for Almeria, who sit 14th in the standings.

It's thought that the LaLiga side will demand a fee in the region of £25m for his signature heading into the transfer window.

What could El Bilal Toure bring to Wolves?

Likened in terms of statistical profile to Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, as per FBref, the forward ranks among his club's top five performers this season, averaging a Sofascore match rating of 6.80.

To claim that Wolves have been struggling for goals this season would be an understatement, charting themselves as the league's lowest scorers with just 30 goals in 35 games played.

The Midlands outfit's current strike options have scored a single goal between them in the Premier League this season, so Toure would be a likely – and perfect – successor to Raul Jimenez and Diego Costa, as shown by his numbers this season.

The Adjame-born gem averages 0.4 expected goals per 90 minutes in LaLiga, in comparison to the Mexican's 0.24, he also excels the Wolves forward in the air, winning an average of 3.5 aerials per game with Jimenez scoring 2.63 in this area – as per FBref.

Once described by his former manager David Guion as a "very complete" player, the 21-year-old marksman could be a worthy investment for Wolves to end their goalscoring woes in the summer transfer window.

Everton are in desperate need of reinforcements this summer following a troubling Premier League campaign and now reports are emerging that the club could be set to reunite with a former star.

What's the latest on Everton's interest in James Rodriguez?

According to journalist Christian Martin, Everton are one of the clubs interested in securing the services of former Olympiacos attacker James Rodriguez, who is currently a free agent.

Whilst speaking on the El Futbolero Youtube channel, Martin claimed:

"The English clubs have the money, the greats of Scotland too. No one would be deprived of at least evaluating the possibility of repatriating James to the UK. From our sources, the inquiries have been, through intermediaries, by Crystal Palace, by Bournemouth, by Everton itself."

Will Everton reunite with James Rodriguez?

There is no doubt that big changes need to be made at Goodison Park ahead of next season, especially if they do manage to retain their Premier League status over their remaining fixtures.

Sean Dyche will surely be keen to strengthen many areas of the squad but could be restricted to a tight budget due to financial concerns surrounding the club at present, which could put limitations on how the manager executes his business during the summer transfer window.

It is fair to say that Everton have had no qualms about reuniting with players of the past and Idrissa Gana Gueye has been the latest to return to the blue side of Merseyside in a move from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

Now Dyche could spark another reunion at Goodison with a swoop for Rodriguez, a player who never really hit the ground running in his first stint but could now be given a second chance.

The 31-year-old – once hailed a "joy to watch" by talkSPORT's Adrian Durham – was shown the door during Rafa Benitez's tenure when a move to the Middle East was sanctioned in 2021 and, despite his struggles, Everton haven't been better off for it with consecutive relegation battles following his exit.

Rodriguez joined Olympiacos in the summer of 2022 and, over 20 league appearances this season, tallied up five goals, registered six assists, created five big chances and successfully completed 80% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 2.1 shots on goal, two key passes and 64.9 touches per game, proving that he is still a huge attacking threat.

One of Everton's biggest issues has been their inability to score goals, lacking both creativity and big chances in front of goal, which has heavily contributed to their struggle to comfortably compete in the Premier League.

However, the "magic" Rodriguez – as dubbed by sports writer Paul Brown – could potentially improve their fortunes should he return this summer.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if the Everton hierarchy takes a chance on the 90-cap Colombia international, as the opportunity to snap up his services for free will be hard to ignore amidst their financial worries.

BBC pundit Alan Hutton has called into question some of the current backup defensive options at Celtic, telling Football Insider that it's a "worry" for boss Ange Postecoglou heading into the transfer window.

What happened in the Old Firm?

The Scottish Premiership side have once more conquered all-comers in the domestic league this campaign, with the club bagging first-place and the title for the second season in a row. Their current haul of 95 points has seen off second-placed Rangers and ensured that more silverware heads to Parkhead.

In addition to that, boss Ange Postecoglou has also claimed the Scottish League Cup again this campaign. It means the manager has now taken his trophy haul to a total of four in two seasons in charge – and he will no doubt be hoping to challenge again on all fronts when the next campaign rolls around.

However, their most recent fixture to Rangers ended in a humbling 3-0 defeat, with Celtic opting to make a number of changes to their starting eleven. The rotation didn't pay off though and the club were unable to pick up the three points.

Now, pundit Alan Hutton has spoken to Football Insider and feels that it perhaps showcases a need for better depth at Parkhead for next season – especially with the club set to compete in both domestic cups, the league and in Europe.

Speaking about the game and the changes, Hutton said: "There was not much on this game but it was an opportunity for the manager to assess the rest of his squad.

“I do not think Bernabei is at it, I do not think he is ever going to dislodge Taylor. Kobayashi I thought struggled, he got out-muscled by [John] Souttar for one of the goals. Johnston has come in and really hit the ground running so it has been difficult for Ralston.

“I do not like using the term second string but it was a little bit and they could not quite match to the levels of who they are trying to replace. So it probably is a bit of a worry for the manager."

Will Celtic sign anyone over the summer?

The club will likely not lose too much sleep after the loss, with the title already wrapped up this season. However, Postecoglou may have been able to identify areas that he feels may need improvement in the upcoming transfer window and it may have given him a good action plan.

It means that, with the season coming to an end, the manager will be able to address any weaknesses and strengthen his squad where he feels it is necessary. The Scottish Premiership side have already been linked with Eduvie Ikoba, who currently plays in the Hungarian league and they've also been keeping an eye on Ryotaro Ito according to reports.

Ange Postecoglou and Mark Lawwell will know who they want this summer then and having seen where they need to improve, will be keen to get transfers done during the close season.

England Under-19s dominated with the bat on the second day of their match against Sri Lanka, declaring at 500-9 and then making inroads with the ball as the tourists moved to 96 for 2 at stumps

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2016
ScorecardOllie Pope made 78 as England Under-19s racked up 500•Getty ImagesEngland Under-19s dominated with the bat on the second day of their match against Sri Lanka, declaring at 500-9 and then making inroads with the ball as the tourists moved to 96 for 2 at stumps.After rain delayed start to the day, play finally got underway at 1.40pm with Worcestershire’s Olly Westbury looking to build on his overnight score of 157. But he fell short of his double-century by just four runs after being caught at first slip by Avishka Fernando from a slow Damitha Silva delivery. His four-session stay at the crease saw him face 379 balls, hitting 16 fours and one six.Wicketkeeper Ollie Pope who started the day on 9 was caught by Lahiru Kumara for 78 after a wild swing at Daniel, quickly followed by two balls later by Durham’s Josh Coughlin, caught by Avishka Fernando for 14.Sri Lanka spent a second day frustrated in the field, with their best efforts coming after Aaron Beard and George Panayi were run out from direct hits off Fernando and Rashmika Dilshan.After England declared at tea at 500 for 9, Warwickshire’s George Panayi struck first with the ball for England, luring Pathum Nissanka into a nick to the wicketkeeper Pope for just 5. Dilan Jayalath then gave Surrey spinner Amar Virdi England’s second wicket when he hit the ball into the hands of a diving Panayi on 23.”I was a bit disappointed not to get 100, but I knew we were going to declare about 15 minutes later so gave it a good go,” Pope said. “We got two big wickets, with both their openers out, and we knew this wicket was going to be tough because it is pretty flat. Luckily we got an early wicket but then they started to build a partnership.”We knew before we came out that we would have to work hard for every wicket as we knew they wouldn’t just roll over. It was a pretty tough day for me. Normally I get a bit of time to put my feet up between batting and keeping, so today has been really tiring.”We can’t play for the weather tomorrow, but we will be aiming to get 4 or 5 wickets by lunch so if the rain doesn’t come we can bowl them out by the end of the day.”The tourists regrouped with a flurry of boundaries to finish the day, as captain Charith Asalanka moved past a half-century. But with more rain forecast, England will need to take early wickets on Thursday to force home their advantage and give themselves a chance of victory.

Mustafizur Rahman is set to leave Dhaka on July 13 to finally join Sussex for his first county stint

Mohammad Isam01-Jul-2016

Mustafizur Rahman is set to leave Dhaka on July 13 to finally join Sussex for his first county stint. He will be available for four matches each in the NatWest T20 Blast and the Royal London One-Day Cup.BCB’s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said Mustafizur’s medical report was positive and he was expecting the UK visa imminently. Mustafizur was recovering from multiple injuries to his right leg, which he sustained during the IPL.”Our medical team gave positive report about his physical condition,” Yunus told . “He is doing fine in training at the moment and we expect him to improve. He will leave for England on July 13 subject to the availability of visa.”Mustafizur’s first match is likely to be Sussex’s home T20 game against Hampshire on July 15. He will be with his new team till at least August 2, when the league stage of the one-day competition ends, and will also be around if they make it to the knockout stages of both tournaments.”I feel better than I was after I came to Dhaka from the IPL. I can bowl now, which I wasn’t able to previously,” Mustafizur said. “It would be good to go to Sussex. I will try to give my best there. I have played one Under-19 game in England in 2013 but had to return home soon after due to an injury.”His arrival will end Sussex’s frustration about his delay, for which they have had to hire David Weise and lately Nuwan Kulasekara as their overseas players.

Miguel Cummins, the West Indies fast bowler, has signed as Worcestershire’s overseas player for the final three rounds of the Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2016Miguel Cummins, the West Indies fast bowler, has signed as Worcestershire’s overseas player for the final three rounds of the Championship. Cummins, who made his Test debut against India last month, replaces South Africa’s Kyle Abbott as Worcestershire aim to maintain their pursuit of the one promotion spot available in Division Two this season.Abbott was called up for South Africa’s Test series with New Zealand and, after two defeats in their last three matches followed by conceding 551 against Northamptonshire, Worcestershire have decided to strengthen their attack by bringing in Cummins.With one day of their ongoing match at New Road to go, Worcestershire sit fourth in the Division Two table, 56 points behind leaders Essex after they secured a three-day win against Leicestershire.Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, said: “We have signed Miguel for the last three games of the season. I am delighted not only to be getting someone who has been playing recently but also someone who has recently been playing international cricket and that says a lot for his quality.”He played in the West Indies-India series and was successful in the penultimate Test of that series. He is a young guy with no experience of county cricket or English conditions but he is hungry to do well, try and impress and make an impact and he has got this opportunity in the last three games and we are looking forward to having him on board.”He is a little bit quicker than any of our bowlers, with a bit of bounce, and he is well thought of by Ottis Gibson. I spoke to him and he gave a very good recommendation for him and when you look to give someone an opportunity, you want someone with a point to prove.”There is a lot of unavailability [of overseas players] towards the end of the season and we are very lucky to get Miguel.”Cummins, who took 6 for 48 in the St Lucia Test against India, has a career record of 125 first-class wickets at 22.44. He was the most successful pace bowler in this year’s WICB Professional Cricket League, with 33 at 20.69. He is expected to arrive at the club on Monday and be available to play Essex at Chelmsford, starting on Wednesday, followed by games against Sussex and Derbyshire.”I am relishing the chance to play county cricket for the first time,” Cummins said. “I am always keen to learn and broaden my cricketing knowledge and experiences and this is an ideal opportunity for me. Several West Indian players have played for the county and I hope I can make a significant impact and help the club towards its goal of trying to achieve promotion.”

An update has emerged on Burnley and their plans to bolster their midfield options in the upcoming summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Fabio Carvalho to Burnley?

According to Football Insider, the Clarets are interested in a deal to sign Portuguese attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho from Premier League giants Liverpool.

The report claims that the club are keen on adding the ex-Fulham starlet to their squad for the 2023/24 campaign and are willing to bring him in on loan or on a permanent basis.

It is stated that manager Vincent Kompany wants to add a cutting edge to his midfield and would like to recruit a player who can play in a multitude of roles.

Who is Fabio Carvalho?

He is a 20-year-old midfielder who is capable of playing in multiple positions across the middle of the park and attack. The ace has been deployed as a number ten, on both flanks, up front, and as a central midfielder, in his short career to date.

Carvalho has only played 727 minutes, across 22 appearances, in the Premier League this season but caught the eye with his sensational performances for Fulham in the Championship in 2021/22 and could form an exciting partnership with current Burnley star Josh Brownhill.

The Englishman scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 41 outings in the second tier for the Clarets to help them on their way to the title. He has proven himself to be a player who can burst forward from midfield positions to make telling contributions in the final third with goals and assists, which is a skill that Carvalho could also provide.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the youngster, who Liverpool pundit Paul Machin dubbed "tremendous", scored ten goals and assisted eight in 36 appearances for Fulham in the Championship. He created a whopping 13 'big chances' for his teammates – four more than Brownhill this term – and these statistics show that the prodigy has the potential to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch.

The £40k-per-week wizard has also shown signs of promise at the top level at Anfield this season. Carvalho has scored 0.39 non-penalty goals per 90 – two in 17 appearances in the Premier League and Champions League combined – and this places him in the top 1% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days.

This suggests that the potential is there for him to score goals in the top-flight and that is why the magician could be an excellent addition to Burnley's squad and form an exciting partnership with Brownhill.

The attacking midfield pairing could provide a huge goal threat from the middle of the park to go along with their excellent creativity in possession, which could be vital in helping the Clarets to avoid relegation back to the Championship by scoring and assisting match-winning goals next season.