Adama Traore can be perceived in two ways; exciting and impossible to defender against or, an incredibly frustrating player to watch with a severe lack of end product. No matter which way he is perceived, Wolves legend Steve Bull believes that he would fit in at Chelsea.

There have been reports that Thomas Tuchel could turn to the Wolves star if the club’s attempt to land Inter Milan wing-back Achraf Hakimi are unsuccessful, after the Blues made an audacious £56.1 million bid for the defender.

Traore, described as “unplayable” by by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp last year, had been utilised in several different positions under former boss Nuno Espirito Santo. They included wing-back, winger and a striker to accompany Raul Jimenez, but it would be the former position that Tuchel would look to deploy the Spaniard in if he brought him to Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel brought a huge amount of success to Chelsea with a top-four finish and the Champions League trophy, and with his first transfer window as manager he would be bringing in a great player if he signed Traore, and Bull could see the Spaniard fitting in as he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“He’s fast and has nimble feet so he’d suit Chelsea and the way they play because he could use all his energy up the pitch and let the midfielders tuck in and cover him.”

Chelsea are spoilt for choice in the final third but the only option they have that can get past a defender with raw pace is Christian Pulisic but his injury record is not great so having a stronger version of Pulisic in Traore would be ideal for Tuchel.

The £43,000-per-week winger would be a massive loss for Bruno Lage before he’s even got his feet under the table as he really can flip a game on its head by himself – you just have to look at the 1-0 victory against Fulham when both sides were very poor but the Spaniard took it upon himself to smash an effort into the top corner.

All Frizzell Women’s County Championship matches are one-day 50 over perside. There are three divisions of six teams in the tournament, which isrun on a round robin basis within each division, with relegation and promotion for the teams finishing top and bottom. All matches take place at University Grounds, Cambridge from Saturday 27th – Wednesday 31st July.Division OneReigning Champions, Yorkshire, secured their second win on day two, beatingSurrey convincingly by eight wickets. England’s young fast bowler LauraSpragg took 3 wickets for a miserly 4 runs from her eight over spell beforeEngland team-mate Melissa Reynard reached 64 not out, including nine fours,in response to the Surrey total.

Surrey: 129 all out (49.3 overs)Yorkshire: 130-2 (35.5 overs)

Promoted Sussex recorded their first win of the Championship beatingStaffordshire by three wickets at King’s College. England and SussexCaptain, Clare Connor, took two wickets to add to her five wicket haulagainst Yorkshire on Day One. England’s young development squad bowlerCharlotte Burton took 3 for 25 and New Zealander Haidee Tiffen also took 3for 21 playing for Sussex. England’s Laura Newton took 3 for 27 from 5overs for Staffordshire.

Staffordshire: 150-9Sussex: 151-7 (47 overs)

Berkshire have retained their strong challenge to Yorkshire by beatingNottinghamshire by 49 runs at Fitzwilliam College. England’s prolificbatsman Claire Taylor scored 78, including nine fours and a six to add toher 59* yesterday.

Berkshire: 169-6Nottinghamshire: 120 all out

Division TwoSomerset beat newly promoted Middlesex by five wickets at Queen’s College.Middlesex’s Beth Morgan reached 70* as Middlesex finished on 165 for 8. Inreply, Somerset’s Jan Godman made 58 from 63 balls and was assisted by 46from Sarah Collyer and 35 from England’s Hannah Lloyd.

Middlesex: 165-8Somerset: 166-5 (47.5 overs)

Kent beat Hertfordshire by 202 runs at St John’s Ground thanks to 104 fromPaula Flannery. In Kent’s match yesterday England batsman Charlotte Edwardsreached 151* giving Kent two wins from two games. Hazel Lovegrove took 4Herts wickets for just 1 run as Kent secured a second convincing victory.

Kent: 226 all outHertfordshire: 24 all out

Division ThreeHampshire made it two wins in two days as they defeated Warwickshire atChurchill Ground by six wickets.

Warwickshire: 101-8Hampshire: 105 – 4 (30.1 overs)

Newcomers Durham recorded their first County Championship win as they beatEssex by 77 runs at Trinity Old Field. Durham’s women’s cricket developmentofficer, Pauline Peel, top-scored with 51 opening the innings for Durham.

Durham: 228-7Essex: 151 all out (49.1 overs)

Cheshire beat Wiltshire by six wickets at Press Ground with Dawn Prestidgetop-scoring for Cheshire with 54, including seven fours.

Wiltshire: 155-6Cheshire: 157-4

كشف تقرير مغربي عن تكليف الجنوب إفريقي باتريس موتسيبي رئيس الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم للمغربي فوزي لقجع والسنغالي أوجستين سنجور باختيار ملعب نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2022.

وكان الأهلي قد تأهل لنصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا ويستعد لمواجهة وفاق سطيف الجزائري غدًا في جولة الذهاب على ملعب السلام بالقاهرة.

طالع أيضًا.. اتحاد الكرة يحفظ حقوق الأهلي في خطاب لـ كاف بشأن ملعب نهائي أبطال إفريقيا

وذكرت النسخة الإليكترونية لجريدة “المنتخب” المغربية أن رئيس الاتحاد المغربي لكرة القدم ونظيره السنغالي هما المكلفان بملف اختيار الملعب الذي سيحتضن نهائي النسخة الحالية لدوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وكان الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم قد خاطب كاف لمطالبته بإقامة مباراة النهائي على ملعب محايد من أجل إرساء مبدأ تكافؤ الفرص بين طرفي المواجهة، خاصةً وأن الوداد المغربي قد تأهل للمربع الذهبي حيث سيواجه بترو أتليتيكو الأنجولي.

وأفاد التقرير ذاته أن لقجع أصر على إقامة نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا على مركب محمد الخامس بالدار البيضاء في المغرب حتى لو اقتضى الأمر اللجوء للتصويت.

ويشارك مركب محمد الخامس في سباق الملاعب المرشحة لاستضافة النهائي مع ملعب عبد الله واد بداكار في السنغال وملعب لاجوس بنيجيريا.

ومن المنتظر أن يتم حسم الملعب في الأسبوع المقبل، لمعرفة الدولة التي ستستضيف نهائي البطولة القارية.

It is the cricketing equivalent of the soccer World Cup’s Group of Death

Anand Vasu13-Sep-2002It is the cricketing equivalent of the soccer World Cup’s Group of Death. Pool Two sees India, Zimbabwe and England slog it out for a semi-final berth, and the action heats up for this group on Saturday as India and Zimbabwe attempt to set the turf on fire at the Premadasa stadium.On the opening day of the ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan succumbed to Sri Lanka’s all-round show, and a confident India would not want to suffer a similar fate. Zimbabwe, with all the turmoil back home, could probably also do with the therapy a win affords. Heath Streak, a beleaguered skipper if there ever was one, has said more than once that he just wanted to focus on the game. Whether Zimbabwe can be clear-headed, let alone reach that elusive “zone” sportsmen constantly refer to in the heat of battle, remains to be seen.The Zimbabwe-India encounter, however, is clearly one where the form book means little. The men from Africa have the talent – the Flower brothers, Streak, Travis Friend and Ray Price with the ball – to shock the best in the world on their day. It goes without saying that India is the sort of team that can completely lose the plot from time to time, and Zimbabwe would do well to remember that their opponents have even lost to Kenya in their one-day past.On his part, Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly refused to underestimate Zimbabwe. “They are no pushovers. They are a very good one-day side, and we’ll have to play well to beat them,” said the skipper.Interestingly enough, these two teams have seen plenty of each other in recent times; in fact, for one particular stretch, they played each other in three Test series over the course of little more than a year. Zimbabwe did fare handily enough in a recent one-day series in India, leading 2-1 before losing 3-2. Ganguly explained that away saying, “We were a much-depleted side when we last played Zimbabwe at home. We had four or five of our players injured. We’re a full-strength side now.”For India, the past year has been an extremely successful one in the shorter version of the game. As Ganguly reminded gathered press personnel at Colombo, “We’re a much improved side. Over the last one and a half years, we’ve played really good cricket. We’re still so close and yet so far from winning a Test series overseas, but our one-day performances have been very good. We’ve won 80 percent of our one-day tournaments in the last year or so.”India’s recent successes have been made possible largely by virtue of some clever team composition. Whether it was coach John Wright or Ganguly who decided that Rahul Dravid must keep wicket in order to let the think-tank pick an extra batsman, we don’t know. But it has worked, and Dravid has fitted the role of a one-day cricketer more since he donned the gloves.Some say the fact that Dravid contributes behinds the stumps reduces the pressure when he bats. Others argue that the sheer mental and physical strain of doing both jobs is too much for Dravid. But if you ask the man himself, he sits somewhere between the two extremes.”As long as doing both can produce results, it’s fine,” said Dravid. “Initially I felt a bit worried about whether I’d be able to do the job or not, but as the results came in it got easier. We’ve won a lot of games where I’ve kept, and the confidence has come from that. It makes you feel good when you win the game. The debate will go on for a long time about whether it is the right move or not, but that’s not important. If the results are good, you don’t have to worry about what sort of combination you have.”That is of course true. In Indian cricket, everyone loves a winner, and you can get away with murder as long as you are winning. But one must view this ploy with a touch of skepticism if India have even stopped looking for a specialist keeper for the long run. Dravid is a keen student of the game and will do his best, one can be sure of that. “I admit it’s going to be a challenge keeping to the spinners in these conditions. I don’t claim to be a regular wicket-keeper who can do amazing things. All I can say is that I’m going out and giving it my best and working pretty hard at it too. Keeping the World Cup in mind, it will be a learning curve for me.”India may be looking to the World Cup already, but their opponents train their eyes on matters close at hand. “We are underdogs against both sides as per usual. England are playing well at the moment and still have the basis of a good side, despite their injuries, and India are a formidable side and a really difficult proposition,” said Andy Flower. The man who has made runs by the bucketful against India also warned that Zimbabwe’s bowling attack – medium-pace, as well as the spin of Grant Flower, Douglas Marillier and Ray Price – could be a handful in these conditions.The wicket at the Premadasa stadium is slow and has enough in it for the spinners, so few will be surprised if there is little of the slam-bang sort of cricket the subcontinent is so famous for. It might be a case where, to borrow one of Nasser Hussain’s favourite phrases, “turgid cricket” rules.

Peterborough director of football Barry Fry has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that West Ham are more likely to move for Adam Armstrong than Ivan Toney this summer.

West Ham have been credited with an interest in both strikers. According to Football Insider, the Hammers are one of multiple Premier League sides who are keen on the Blackburn Rovers man.

Elsewhere, The Sun have claimed that Toney is one forward the east London club have identified in their search for reinforcements ahead of the new campaign.

It is the former, though, who Fry sees as the most realistic option for West Ham. He told TT:

“I don’t think West Ham would go to that much [Brentford’s valuation] for Ivan, they wouldn’t.

“Whereas Adam Armstrong, I can see them having a punt on that, because he’d be a lot cheaper.”

Armstrong was in terrific form in the Championship last season, scoring 28 goals in 40 appearances. It makes it little surprise that the Englishman is one striker the Hammers are looking at as manager David Moyes looks to bolster his attacking options.

However, that does not look like it will be an easy deal either, with Football Insider stating that Southampton are winning the race for the 24-year-old.

Celtic are interested in signing Rennes defender Brandon Soppy, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Soppy profiled

Soppy is 19 years of age and is under contract with the Ligue 1 side until 2022.

The France youth international has made 11 senior appearances for Rennes so far. He is primarily a right-back but has also turned out as a centre-back.

He is on £2,500 per week with his current employers and holds a Transfermarkt valuation of £6.3m –  the 31st highest for players born in 2002.

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The Latest: Romano’s Twitter post

Romano posted on Twitter on Saturday night, describing Soppy as a ‘huge talent’, with talks opened between Celtic and Rennes.

However, he appeared to make a slight mistake by claiming that Soppy was a left-back target, tweeting: “Celtic are interested in signing Brandon Soppy from Rennes [19, huge talent] as new left back. Talks opened – but there are also French clubs in the race.”

L’Equipe backed up Celtic’s interest on Sunday morning, claiming that Rennes will set the bar at €5m (£4.27m).

The Verdict: Right-back additions are needed

Following the permanent exits of Jeremie Frimpong and Hatem Elhamed earlier this year, Celtic are in need of right-back reinforcements rather quickly – Anthony Ralston is currently their only natural option in that role.

It’s an area of the pitch where Ange Postecoglou wants to recruit before the Hoops’ Champions League qualifier, and Soppy could be a better target than Sheffield United’s George Baldock, for whom Celtic were willing to pay £8m.

Soppy is nine years Baldock’s junior, is valued at £1.8m more than the Blades man and would more than likely be a better long-term addition.

Celtic aren’t the only side interested in the teenager, though, so they may have to act fast and possibly pay over the odds for his services.

In other news: ‘We’re a mess’ – Many Celtic fans fume as ‘mental’ news is confirmed. 

MatériaMais Notícias

Ricardo Oliveira será dúvida para o Santos até a véspera do clássico contra o Corinthians, que será no sábado, às 18h30, na Arena, pela 7ª rodada do Paulistão. O camisa 9, que levou 15 pontos na cabeça, na orelha direita, após um choque no jogo contra o Botafogo-SP, foi reavaliado por um médico especialista nesta quarta-feira e foi vetado de ter contato físico até sexta-feira.

Na véspera da partida, ele será reavaliado. Até então, a recuperação acontece dentro do prazo previsto. Neste período, o capitão santista ficará na academia aprimorando a forma física.

Na atividade de terça-feira, o técnico Dorival Júnior armou um time indicando que, caso o centroavante não tenha condições de jogar, Kayke será o substituto.

Dos três gols marcados pelo Santos na Arena Corinthians, dois são de Ricardo Oliveira, ambos em 2015. O Peixe treina no período da tarde desta quarta-feira.

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Test venues and practice grounds are scarce in Bangladesh

Shahryar Khan30-May-2002Test venues and practice grounds are scarce in Bangladesh. Due to venue scarcity this baby Test nation might have to face lots of unwelcoming situations in near future. BKSP (Bangladesh Sports Training Institute) seems to be the sole option left for the Bangladeshi cricketers to carry on practice sessions in needful hours. This is the only place where they can make a real cricket campaign.A Test playing squad can’t go along with a static situation – they have to be dynamic all through the year, as cricket is no longer a season-based game. The players here (From all ranks) hardly get any opportunity to evaluate their performance after they are done with a series. Why is the situation like that? Because they aren’t getting the facilities they need to go through post-match champing (Which is vital) owing to field scarcity.Surprisingly true that Bangladesh hasn’t fixed up any ground for cricket only. The renowned BNS, which saw seven Tests staged there (All before 1971) before Bangladesh had entered the longer version, is still allotted for both cricket and football. The government is yet to make a decision on it – whether it would be a completely cricket stadium or a football one. The ground condition, after the football league is over, turn out to be horrendous. The ground is made doable for cricket again (For an upcoming series or league), but it costs a lot of money each year. An unaffordable wastage for a poor country like Bangladesh no doubt!The so-called stadiums, Dhanmondi and BUET, are no better than schoolyards. They are deprived of gallery, pavilion and other very essential services needed to run regular cricket.The only exception could be Fotullah Cricket Stadium, which is ten miles away from Dhaka. It is still under construction (Only 20% work has been done), but has valid possibilities to turn up as a furnished cricket venue. BCB should be more concerned over it. Fotullah offers ample space and another cricket academy can be built there. If they can do that some pressures would be off from BKSP.

A major update has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial search and it is sure to leave many supporters fuming…

What’s the word?

According to Daily Mail journalist Ian Ladyman, former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo is moving fast through a depleted pool of candidates and has now emerged as the leading contender to finally replace Jose Mourinho.

The 47-year-old is said to have the backing of recently-appointed director of football Fabio Paratici and now chairman Daniel Levy too.

Spurs have missed out on as many as eight different candidates throughout the nine weeks since the Portuguese was sacked, so with pre-season now only ten days away, they must make an appointment sooner rather than later.

No to Nuno

Indeed, the pressure was already on Levy and co to find the right man, having been faced with fan protests in recent months, but the fact that so many names have come and gone is worrying. Despite the lack of remaining options, though, it seems that Nuno is not a popular option whatsoever.

The Lilywhites had initially pursued the likes of Bayern-bound Julian Nagelsmann, Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers and Ajax coach Erik ten Hag, but all were quickly ruled out of the running. They then attempted to make a sensational return for Mauricio Pochettino and held firm talks with Chelsea’s former Premier League-winning manager Antonio Conte.

Those names are certainly a cut above the recent ones mooted with taking over, including Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso – and just like the latter, a social media campaign has been trending actively against the appointment of Nuno.

Unlike the Italian, it’s not because of a controversial and brash past, but instead it’s over his brand of football and the lack of ambition the club are showing when there are names like Ernesto Valverde available on the market.

The responses to the Daily Mail’s report highlights exactly the mood in north London right now. For example, one supporter claimed that it would be a “devastating to end” their job search with a manager known for his “dour style of football” when there are plenty of other successful names out there.

Futhermore, another replied that it would be a “terrible appointment” which will have been “made out of desperation”, whilst a further fan suggested it was all just “embarrassing.”

Those may only be three responses but they all echo the thoughts of many who have pushed the #NoToNuno campaign on social media right now.

This latest news will likely leave many in N17 absolutely furious as their managerial hunt looks to be teetering towards a disappointing end.

AND in other news, Spurs can wave goodbye to Kane if Levy hires 47 y/o coach who shows a “lack of intent”…

Wolves may be restricted to what they can spend in the ongoing transfer window but that hasn’t deterred new manager Bruno Lage from getting active.

They’ve already submitted a bid for Brazilian wonderkid Kaio Jorge but they’re now chasing someone a little more known to an English audience.

What’s the word?

One area Wolves are looking to strengthen this summer is defensively. They will need to improve on their left-back options with Marcal and Jonny out injured but centre-back is also an issue for Lage to fix.

With that in mind, the Old Gold are targeting a move for James Tarkowski.

That’s according to The Telegraph who suggest that Wolves have joined a queue alongside West Ham to sign the defender.

Burnley could entertain offers over the next few months with Tarkowski entering the final year of his contract at Turf Moor.

The Clarets rejected a bid of £30m from the Hammers 12 months ago but he will almost definitely be cheaper on this occasion.

Fixing a big problem

With finances running rather dry at Molineux, this signing would be absolutely ideal for Lage and Wolves.

Not only would they be landing a proven Premier League player at cut-price, but they’d be acquiring someone who would be an instant upgrade on their current options.

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The Old Gold endured a wretched campaign from a defensive point of view last term, shipping 52 goals in the league. That was one fewer than relegated Fulham and six more than Brighton who finished in 16th.

Their clean sheet record was also incredibly poor. During a period from October to January, Nuno Santo watched his side concede goals at will, maintaining a shutout in just two matches during a 14-game run.

Thus, Tarkowski’s arrival at the heart of the defence would be vital. The £22.5m-rated colossus has been described as “exceptional” by his peers and it’s easy to see why.

The 28-year-old, who is now in the prime of his career, is a giant when it comes to aerial battles.

During 2020/21, the centre-back won 4.6 aerial duels per game. For context, that usurps every player in the Wolves squad by quite some distance.

Willy Boly was their best player in that department last term, prevailing in 2.7 aerial situations per match.

Tarkowski is also a prolific tackler of the ball, registering 1.8 successful challenges per outing during the course of last season. That number tops every centre-half at Wolves, suggesting he would be an immediate improvement.

On top of that, he applies more successful pressures on the ball (41.3%) than Boly, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss who are all south of 35%.

The Burnley star has often fallen short of earning more England caps but his inclusion in a plethora of Three Lions camps dictates he is on the periphery of a bigger move. Wolves must make sure it’s them who are claiming his services.

AND in other news, Wolves submit bid to sign “lethal” 15-goal gem, he’s an upgrade on Fabio Silva…