Category Uncategorized

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has said that his team are devastated and shell-shocked after their loss to West Indies in Mirpur. Bangladesh were bowled out for 58, their lowest total in ODIs and the lowest by a Full Member in all World Cups, on a decent batting track. “Devastated. Everyone is still a little shell-shocked. Very embarrassed by the performance,” Siddons said of how the team took the defeat. “Disappointed for the public, but more importantly it’s a World Cup, and we need to play good cricket.”That defeat was followed by some unfortunate incidents in Mirpur: the team buses were pelted with stones by angry fans, and Siddons appealed to the public to realise the people most hurt by the performance were the players themselves. “The public have been very good the whole time, but they were disappointed after the last game. The public needs to realise, and I think they do realise, that the players were the most devastated, most embarrassed, and most upset by the result. They don’t go out there to play cricket like that. We are very keen to bounce back from that performance.”According to reports in local newspapers, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan’s parents’ house was stoned too. Siddons, however, said the people of Bangladesh were still behind his team. “Some people react. Things happen in every country in the world, after crazy performances like that. These people are very big supporters of the Bangladesh cricket team. I saw nothing different when we drove in today [Sunday], or yesterday [Saturday] from the airport; there was still unbelievable support for us. Everyone was disappointed by our performance, but everyone needs to realise these are the best 15 players in Bangladesh, and they are doing their best. If they have bad performances, that’s the way it is. We are trying, we are doing our best. We’ll play good cricket against England, .”It’s in everybody’s best interest – apart from the authorities – to forget what happened on Friday night. And that includes the Bangladesh cricket team. Siddons spoke of the need to not over-analyse that game. “Three or four dismissals were repetitions of mistakes I see in the nets every day, and those weaknesses were exposed in that game. The boys are working on them, they have been working on their faults for the last two or three years. They certainly came out under pressure, and played some shots that we know are our downfalls. The boys have promised me that there will be an improved performance in the next game. Not much more you can say about 58. You can’t over-analyse that.”Siddons agreed that similar mistakes were made in the game against Ireland, which they won thanks to a spirited show in the field to defend a meagre total. “We know what we are working on and what we have to do to play well. It just fell apart that one day. I don’t want to over-analyse because that will not get us anywhere. But we need to learn from it, and the players are aware of that. They need to change a few things and stick to our team plans, which they didn’t do so much in that match, and not even against Ireland. They went away from what has been successful for us for some reason.”Siddons said Bangladesh had batsmen in the XI who can stick around and build an innings, as opposed to the reckless show they put up in the two previous games. “Imrul [Kayes] and Imrose [Junaid Siddique] are the two players that are expected to play long innings. Mushfiqur [Rahim], batting at No. 4, is expected to do that as well. He has done it in domestic cricket; he has done it before at No. 6; and we have pushed him up to No. 4 to do that job. Imrose was playing a lot of shots, and I have spoken to him about that. That’s not his role in the team. As I said, these are the best 15 players for the job. There is no-one outside that can do a better job. So we stick with these players, and we make sure that they do better next time.”Siddons admitted that their performance has left them short on confidence. “The boys are still shell-shocked. They are sad by what happened and by the performance we put up. I am flat. My confidence is a bit dented as well. But we’ll move on. I don’t expect anybody else to forget it, but we need to forget it and move forward to the next game.”

Harbhajan Singh, the India offspinner, said he enjoyed the bounce that he got out of the Kingsmead pitch but it also took precise bowling in fast-scoring conditions to succeed as a bowler. He returned 4 for 10 in 7.2 overs, his seventh-best figures outside India.”There is extra bounce, but you still need to be very sure of your length,” Harbhajan said. “Anything slightly short or slightly full can go for runs, at least for a spinner. Fast bowlers need to make the batsmen come forward. That really brings them into the game. But spinners can go for runs because the boundaries are small, and with the good bounce batsmen can connect well.”The major contribution from Harbhajan was Hashim Amla’s wicket. Along with VVS Laxman, Amla has looked the most comfortable batsman in this low-scoring game, and Harbhajan said, even though eventually 18 wickets fell on the second day, things were looking hard for the bowlers when Amla was at the wicket. “There’s nothing wrong with the wicket, it’s still a good one. If you bowl in the right areas, there is a little bit of extra bounce but no lateral movement. The bowlers have a chance to get wickets, but the way Hashim was going, batting was looking simple. It’s the kind of wicket where if a batsman gets in, he needs to make full use of it. I don’t know how 18 wickets fell in a day on this wicket.”Harbhajan’s second wicket was special for a couple of reasons: it got Rahul Dravid his 200th Test catch, and his 50th off Harbhajan’s bowling. “He took a brilliant catch but it would have been nice to see him still batting at stumps, but unfortunately he’s not there.”India did have a disappointing spell where they lost four quick wickets after bowling South Africa out for 131, one of whom was Dravid, but to their relief VVS Laxman and Cheteshwar Pujara batted out close to the last one-and-a-half hours, and Harbhajan said those two would be crucial in setting South Africa a competitive target. “There’s still a lot of cricket left. We don’t want to be complacent. We want to bat well tomorrow. Hopefully Laxman and Pujara can bat a long time and get a lot of runs on the board, and then we’ll take it from there. We need to make sure we score more than 300 to give ourselves a good chance.”Harbhajan was pleased with how Pujara batted, playing only his second Test. “He showed great character to stick it out and let us know he wants to be a player who can be counted on. He practises very hard, and is a gutsy player; he’s not worried about the bounce or the pace or anything. I hope he can convert all the domestic runs he’s scored into international success.”

Goal.com correspondent Neil Jones expects a Liverpool centre-back change ahead of the UEFA Champions League semi-final clash with Villarreal. 

The lowdown: Big game player

Having arrived at Anfield from RB Leipzig for £36million in 2021 (Sky Sports), Ibrahima Konate has already gone from strength to strength in a short spell on Merseyside.

Signed following a wretched 2020/21 campaign with central defensive issues in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, the Frenchman was expected to act as an understudy to a returning Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.

However, Konate has already been thrown in at the deep end on numerous occasions, starting against Manchester United at Old Trafford, in the FA Cup semi-final success over Manchester City and in both legs of the quarter-final victory over Benfica.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-30/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Now, Klopp could be about to show the 22-year-old even more faith…

The latest: Jones drops starting XI claim

Taking to Twitter when citing an in-depth report on the centre-back, Jones suggested that Konate is in line to start when the Reds face Villarreal at Anfield.

“I may be wrong, but I expect Ibrahima Konaté to start for Liverpool tonight. As debuts seasons go, his has been more than decent, and with the promise of even better things to come.”

Meanwhile, a report from the Liverpool Echo has noted that neither Kostas Tsimikas nor Roberto Firmino were spotted in Tuesday’s training session and both could be out of contention for the European showdown.

The verdict: No dramas

Previously, the prospect of breaking up such a well-oiled partnership of Matip and Van Dijk might’ve sent shivers down the spine of even the most hard-faced Liverpool fan. However, such is the impact and quality of Konate, that the thought of the 13-cap France Under 21 colossus being involved from the outset has become the norm.

So far this season, the man once hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Kevin Campbell has made 22 appearances across all competitions, completing 55.6 passes, winning 4.4 aerials duels and making 3.5 clearances per game on average whilst earning a 7.08 rating from eight Premier League outings in the process (Sofascore).

Such is the wealth of options currently at Klopp’s disposal and the quality of recent recruitment, almost whoever is asked to lineup will almost undoubtedly do so with a high level of performance and Konate’s early showings at Anfield mean the powerful defender is certainly no exception.

In other news, an expert has made a Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Napoli’s Mexican winger Hirving Lozano in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to reports from Italian outlet Napoli Today (via Sport Witness) who claim that Bruno Lage’s side have been “following” the Napoli winger “for some time.”

26-year-old Lozano is about to enter the final two years of his contract at Napoli as reported by Sport Witness, the Serie A outfit would like to extend his stay in Naples.

Though if they are not able to find an agreement, they could “decide to separate from the player.”

An upgrade in attack

It is no secret that Wolves have struggled to find the back of the net in Bruno Lage’s first season at the Molineux. The Old Gold are the fourth-lowest scorers in the league this season ahead of just Brighton, Watford, Burnley and Norwich.

Though, their most worrying attacking stat is through the Premier League xG (expected goals) table, in which Wolves rank second bottom with just 36.5xG, having scored a total of 33 goals in total.

This shows that Wolves are failing to create chances, which can again be referenced by their 17th place position in the big chances created table.

They need some reinforcements in attack, particularly with Daniel Podence’s lack of goal returns in a season that has been almost a direct copy of the last, with just three assists in the league this season.

£25m-rated Lozano – who has been described as “entertaining” by football analyst Statman Dave – could offer Bruno Lage a more significant amount of goal returns with his 0.54 goal-creating actions per game dwarfing Podence’s total of 0.23 GCA.

This season Lozano has an impressive 50% of Napoli’s games this campaign due to a shoulder injury that ruled him out for a month.

Though, he proved his prowess in front of goal last season with a tally of 11 goals from the wing.

Podence has never been close to those numbers throughout the entirety of his career, leaving Lage no option but to look for a goalscoring winger.

In other news: Wolves now plot bid for “exceptional” 96-goal machine, he’s far better than Trincao…

Newcastle United are reportedly now eyeing up a summer move for Taiwo Awoniyi.

The Lowdown: Awoniyi having a ‘remarkable’ season

As per Bundesliga journalist Stefan Bienkowski, the Nigerian striker is having a ‘remarkable’ season at Union Berlin.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-5/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

He has scored no fewer than 17 goals and supplied a further four assists in 37 games across all competitions so far this term (Transfermarkt), so a number of clubs will no doubt be looking at him over the summer.

The Latest: Newcastle lurking for Awoniyi

As per Soccernet, sources close to Awoniyi have revealed that he is now ‘set’ for a move to the Premier League at the end of this campaign, but he has not yet decided who he would like to sign for.

Newcastle are joined by West Ham United and Southampton in having already ‘signified interest’ in the Nigeria international, and his departure is expected to be a record sale for Union.

They signed him for just €5m (£4.2m) last summer, so they could end up cashing in for a tidy profit.

Sources believe that Awoniyi has ‘unfinished business’ in English football after leaving Liverpool, where he was sent out on loan seven times before being sold without ever playing for the Reds.

The Verdict: Get it done

Currently rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, Newcastle could snap up Awoniyi for a tidy fee.

Given Callum Wilson’s injury problems, and with Chris Wood only finding the net twice since signing from Burnley in January, Eddie Howe could do with another option up top, and the Nigerian powerhouse would be perfectly suited to the pace and demands of the top flight.

Described as having ‘explosive power, a poacher’s instinct and cool head’ on the Bundesliga website, the 24-year-old could thrive on Tyneside, and of course he will have the extra motivation to show everyone what he can really do on these shores.

In other news, find out what amazing PIF claim this transfer insider has now dropped

According to a report from Italian outlet MilanLive.it (via Sport Witness), Liverpool remain interested in signing Watford winger Ismaila Sarr. 

The lowdown: Reds slayer

Initial interest in Sarr materialised shortly after the Senegalese ace had put Jurgen Klopp’s side to the sword at Vicarage Road in February 2020.

The 24-year-old forward was in unstoppable form on the night, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory as Watford ended Liverpool’s hopes of going through the Premier League season unbeaten.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-27/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Anfield club instead opted to sign Portuguese ace Diogo Jota, whose productivity has been off the charts since arriving on Merseyside.

However, as the summer transfer window looms, a reignited move for the ex-Rennes speedster remains a possibility…

The latest: On the radar

As per MilanLive.it, translated by SW, it’s stated that Liverpool ‘seem to have plans to get serious’ in pursuit of Sarr this summer.

The report claims that AC Milan view the Reds and new sporting director Julian Ward as a ‘dangerous competitor’ in the race to sign the 39-cap star.

This comes after reports last month revealed Klopp is personally a huge fan of the player, marking him out as his number one target to reinforce the attack.

The verdict: An inevitable departure?

So far this season Sarr has scored five times and provided one assist in 17 top-flight outings for relegation-threatened Watford, taking the Africa Cup of Nations winner to 41 direct goal contritions for the Hertfordshire club.

Named player of the season in 2020/21, having dropped down to the Championship only to fire Watford straight back up, should the Hornets indeed be relegated for a second time during his stay then a move away seems inevitable.

Predominantly operating from a right-wing role, Sarr would provide adequate cover for Mohamed Salah, a position of relative understrength in comparison to the abundance of natural left-wing options in Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz and Jota himself.

Lauded as a ‘freak’ by teammate Ben Foster, adding the £24.3million valued man to the already frightening Liverpool attacking ranks would be a worthwhile venture at the right price.

In other news, manager admits desire to sign Liverpool cult hero. Find out more here.

Taking to Twitter, Sportitalia TV reporter Rudy Galetti has shared his own update on Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to sign Adama Traore as manager Antonio Conte also requests another signing.

The Lowdown: Spurs in Traore talks…

Over these last two weeks, the Lilywhites and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have been in negotiations with Wolves over the transfer of the Spain winger and even attempted a loan deal at one stage (Matt Law).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

They have also had an opening bid of £15m rejected by the Molineux club, but there are strong rumours that an agreement for Traore is edging nearer and nearer.

Reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano claimed that Spurs are ‘increasingly confident’ of signing the 25-year-old, with a fresh bid being prepared after Friday talks (The Guardian).

Meanwhile, coming out with his own promising claim, football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold has said there is a feeling within both clubs that an agreement can be reached before deadline day.

In yet another update, Italian reporter Galetti has shared information from his own sources on social media.

The Latest: Conte ‘requests’ another signing…

According to the journalist on Twitter, Traore is indeed ‘close to Tottenham’ as super agent Jorge Mendes attempts to wrap up a deal ‘in the next hours’.

Amid this development, Galetti believes that Conte has also ‘requested’ another signing in the form of a midfielder before January 31.

The journalist tweeted: “Adama Traore is close to Tottenham for about £20m. Jorge Mendes is trying to close the deal in the next hours. Conte has requested also a midfielder: hot days in London.”

The Verdict: Exciting times…

As the winter window cut-off looms in just over a week’s time, Tottenham fans can be encouraged by this update alongside a plethora of other reliable reports.

It appears that Traore’s arrival at N17 is looking like a strong possibility, and Conte’s refusal to give up comes as another bit of good news.

In terms of the midfielder that he and Paratici could target, they remain heavily linked with a move for AC Milan star Franck Kessie, and it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Spurs may go for him after wrapping up a deal for Traore.

The Ivory Coast international’s San Siro contract expires at the end of the season, putting pressure on the Rossoneri to sell for a cut-price fee this month or risk losing him for nothing later in 2022.

This could play right into Tottenham’s hands, so Paratici could be set for a busy end to the month.

In other news: Spurs reportedly ‘edging closer’ to signing ‘massive’ £15m defender, find out more here.

A big Newcastle United transfer update has emerged, regarding their efforts to sign Jesse Lingard in the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, the Magpies are set to ‘throw everything’ at Manchester United to land the midfielder this month.

The reporter claims that sources have told him that the confidence over a deal being done has been growing over the weekend, with the window slamming shut in less than ten days.

Elation

This will surely leave Newcastle fans elated for several reasons. Firstly, they will be delighted to read that PIF are willing to make a huge effort to sign Lingard and that they will do whatever it takes to bring him to St. James’ Park.

It shows that they are willing to go the extra mile to land a key target and supporters will be happy with the club’s attempts to strengthen the attacking midfield position, albeit there may be frustration at the lack of progress in the centre-back department.

The fans will also be buzzing with this news simply because of the prospect of Lingard playing in black and white in the second half of the campaign.

He is a proven top-flight player and he could add some much-needed goals and assists to the side.

No Newcastle central midfielder has managed more than two combined goals and assists, after all, with Jonjo Shelvey, Sean Longstaff and Joelinton all on two.

Meanwhile, Lingard has two goals in 89 minutes of football in the Premier League this season and produced nine goals and four assists in the division on loan to West Ham last term.

Former Manchester United coach Michael Carrick once lauded the midfielder, saying: “I think his movement is excellent. It’s something that sounds quite simple, but it’s difficult to defend against.

“He senses where the space is and how to use it. I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a dribbler with skills and tricks but he’s dynamic. How he plays, he is unique in some ways. You don’t see so much of that now as everyone wants to get on the ball. Off the ball, he’s very effective.”

This suggests that the England international could come in and score the goals that Howe has been lacking in the midfield areas.

Therefore, he could be a fantastic addition to the side and one that will leave fans feeling elated, due to his proven quality at this level.

AND in other news, Player keen: NUFC can find their new Demba Ba in £34m powerhouse who’s “like a train”…

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Duje Caleta-Car to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to David Ornstein’s recent report for The Athletic, in which the journalist claimed that David Moyes and his West Ham transfer team are weighing up a move for the Olympique de Marseille centre-back in the closing stages of the winter market.

Ornstein goes on to state that, while the Hammers are more inclined to sign the 25-year-old on a loan deal, the Ligue 1 side would prefer to part with the Croatia international on a permanent basis, in order to raise funds for their own transfer business this month.

Finally, the journalist reports that both Liverpool and Newcastle United are also interested in a move for the centre-back, whose current deal at The Stade Velodrome is set to expire in the summer of 2023.

Fans will be buzzing

While the early return of Kurt Zouma from a hamstring injury has somewhat lessened West Ham’s need to sign a new central defender this winter, considering just how impressive Caleta-Car has been for Marseille this season, in addition to the fact that Moyes could still do with greater depth in the heart of his defence, Ornstein’s claim will undoubtedly have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 11 Ligue 1 appearances in the current campaign, the £14.4m-rated man has been in astonishing form for Jorge Sampaoli’s outfit, helping his side keep five clean sheets and scoring one goal, as well as making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 1.9 clearances, 68.2 passes and winning 74% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £47k-per-week defender average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as Marseille’s fourth-best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, with Angelo Ogbonna out until the summer with a knee injury, it would indeed appear a wise move for Moyes to bring in an upgrade on both Issa Diop and Craig Dawson this month – with Caleta-Car looking to be an extremely strong candidate to fulfil this role.

In other news: GSB must sanction West Ham swoop for “unplayable” £5m gem, he’s Lanzini’s perfect heir

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped a promising injury update regarding Giorgos Giakoumakis.

What’s the latest?

In a recent interview with The Scottish Mail on Sunday (via 67hailhail), the Bhoys boss revealed that the centre-forward is now back in training after recovering from a knee injury, as well as suggesting that the 27-year-old should be in line for a return to first-team football after the winter break.

Speaking about the condition of the Greece international, Postecoglou said: “Giako is close. One session was not enough for him to be right for Sunday. He is back now to almost being available. If we had one more game he would probably be available but we are now looking to get him back after the break.”

Fans will be delighted

Considering the excitement that surrounded Giakoumakis’ £2.5m move to Parkhead this summer, the news that the striker – who has so far started just two games in his Celtic career – is finally back in contention for first-team football is sure to have delighted the Hoops fanbase and the 56-year-old manager alike.

And, if the £2.25m-rated man can hit anywhere near the heights he did at VVV-Venlo last season in the second half of the current campaign, his return from injury will very much feel like a new signing for Postecoglou and his side.

Indeed, over his 30 Eredivisie appearances last time out, the £8.2k-per-week hitman scored a remarkable 26 goals, registered one assist and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.2 shots – 1.5 of which were on target – and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the centre-forward earn an extremely impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.35, ranking him as the joint sixth-best performer in the entirety of the division – a rather extraordinary feat when considering the fact that he was playing for a side that suffered relegation from the top flight.

As such, should Giakoumakis indeed be able to refind this form in the second half of the current campaign, it would undoubtedly come as a game-changing boost to Celtic’s chances of reclaiming the Premiership crown come next May – an outcome that would delight everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Ange can finally axe £41k-p/w Celtic deadwood with January swoop that “should happen”