The appointment of Patrick Vieira as manager could be a game-changer for Crystal Palace when it comes to signings, says former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer.

After missing out on the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo and Lucien Favre, Steve Parish and the rest of the Palace board turned to Vieira and decided to make the Frenchman Roy Hodgson’s successor.

Since then, the south London club have gone on to sign the likes of Conor Gallagher, who snubbed Palmer’s old side Leeds United in the process, and Joachim Andersen. And Palmer believes more players will be lured to Selhurst Park by Vieira’s presence.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the Arsenal legend’s recent appointment, he said:

“It’s a game changer in terms of attraction. Who wouldn’t want to play for a legend of the game, Patrick Vieira?

“He was a phenomenal football player, phenomenal football player, so he will have huge pulling power for his name.

“I think it’s a good signing for Crystal Palace and it could be a good fit for Patrick Vieira.”

On top of Gallagher and Andersen, Palace have also brought in Marc Guehi from Chelsea, who is arguably one of the most promising centre-backs in the country right now, so this is turning out to be a really good transfer window for the Eagles.

An update has emerged regarding Leeds’ interest in CSKA Moscow attacker Adolfo Gaich.

What’s the talk?

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the Whites have made an offer to take the Argentine on loan from the Russian Premier League outfit.

The report claims that he is expected to leave CSKA on a temporary deal, having recently returned from a loan with Benevento, and it remains to be seen whether or not he wants to return to Italy.

Bielsa must work his magic

If this move goes through, then Marcelo Bielsa must work his magic on the forward. The Argentine international could be an exciting addition to the squad given Bielsa’s reputation for being one of the most influential coaches in the world.

Gaich has not hit his stride at senior level as of yet, but has shown signs that he could explode onto the scene at any moment. This suggests that he needs the right coach to get the best out of him, and who better than Bielsa?

He is only 22 and has already been capped by Argentina at senior level and played in the top divisions in Russia and Italy. The attacker scored two goals in nine starts for Benevento in Serie A last season.

Last year, Argentine youth coach Fernando Batista compared him to Robert Lewandowski, highlighting the impressive physical attributes in his game.

He said of Gaich: “He has power, aerial play, he is strong. His speed can also prevail. Despite his height, he knows how to get an opponent off his back. I imagine him on those perfect European pitches, with the wet grass, ideal for him.

“The characteristics would perhaps fit better in the Premier League, in the Bundesliga, in Italian football. Though now he could also play perfectly in Spain and Barcelona.

“I see in the physical, how he puts the body, how he holds the ball, there are some Robert Lewandowski things.”

This suggests that he has the raw qualities needed to succeed at the top level, without harnessing them in the right way to become a consistent threat in front of goal. Therefore, he could be an exciting project for Bielsa to work on and fans could enjoy seeing him develop over the course of the season. With his coaching pedigree, he could help Gaich to use his physical ability to become the next Lewandowski.

Then, if all goes to plan, Victor Orta could look into a longer-term arrangement to keep him at the club. This loan could be a ‘try before you buy’ situation, giving Leeds the opportunity to see if the 22-year-old has what it takes to play regularly in the Premier League, and without the risk of splashing out on a lavish transfer fee for his services.

AND in other news, Leeds must pounce on chance to land “explosive” £15m gem, Bielsa will love him…

Midlands Division

Leicestershire eased through by 13 runs on Duckworth-Lewis against Nottinghamshire in a match that finished just before 8pm at Oakham. Graeme Swann and Samit Patel both took three wickets to restrict the home side to 147 for 7 from 35 overs, but after several rain interruptions Nottinghamshire could not piece together what was in the end a target of 61 from 12 overs.Northamptonshire killed off any hopes Ireland had of a second FP Trophy win at Dublin with a 99-run victory that wasn’t enough to edge Nottinghamshire out of the last eight on Net Run Rate. Andrew Hall’s 72 helped the visitors battle back from 55 for 4 to 205 which was too much for Ireland who folded in the chase. Nicky Boje was the architect of their demise with 4 for 12 and fittingly he took the last wicket, caught and bowled.

North Division

Derbyshire were denied the chance to secure the point they needed to qualify when their match against Scotland was abandoned before play could get underway at Glasgow. Peter Steindl, Scotland’s coach, told PA: “It’s disappointing for all concerned. The ground was looking great but in the end there is nothing anybody can do to control the weather.”Click here for John Ward’s take on how Lancashire folded so dramatically to Yorkshire … but got away with it.

South East Division

Sogginess abounded in the south east. Middlesex beat Essex by 18 runs on Duckworth-Lewis at Lord’s, leaving Essex to head into the quarters on a winning note. Tim Murtagh and Dirk Nannes forced an early wobble under swinging conditions with some lift off the track but Ryan ten Doeschate’s 97 lifted Essex to a comfortable platform at 244 for 8. His innings included six fours and three sixes, the best of which was a delicate sweep that somehow carried over the rope, borne along as if by magic. The elements were hardly magic, however, and persistent rain meant Middlesex’s innings was a stop-start affair which was finally ended on 120 for 2 after 25 overs, with Billy Godleman on 43. It was enough for the win which denied Essex home advantage in the quarter-finals.Meanwhile, Surrey‘s dead rubber with Sussex was washed out at Whitgift School, with Surrey on 189 for 5 after being sent in.

South West Division

Somerset had to wait anxiously to see what happened in the other group match after their game against Glamorgan at Cardiff was rained off early but they made it through. Gloucestershire will have a home draw after rain also washed out their clash with Worcestershire at New Road.

Durham v Nottinghamshire
Gloucestershire v Yorkshire
Kent v Somerset
Leicestershire v Essex

Matches to be played on June 4.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na manhã desta segunda-feira, a Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) definiu a data da segunda partida disputada entre Santa Cruz e Sport, válida pelas semifinais da Copa do Nordeste. Os times se enfrentam no dia 3 de maio, às 21h45, no estádio do Arruda. A Cobra Coral pode definir a vaga para a final em casa, já que teve campanha melhor do que a do Leão no campeonato.

Os confrontos entre tricolores e rubro-negros estavam marcados para os dias 26 e 30 de abril, mas o sorteio das oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil determinaram que o Sport encara o Botafogo nesta quarta-feira, sendo assim as datas das partidas da semifinal da Copa do Nordeste precisaram ser modificadas.

Com as modificações, a primeira partida pela atual fase do Regional será realizada neste sábado, às 18h30, na Ilha do Retiro. O intervalo de apenas dois dias entre dois confrontos importantes deve fazer com que o técnico Ney Franco opte por utilizar um time misto, evitando o grande desgaste dos jogadores do time principal.

Histórico do ano

Nesta temporada, Sport e Santa Cruz se enfrentaram duas vezes, ambas pelo Campeonato Pernambucano. O resultado das duas partidas terminou com empate em 1 a 1. A Cobra Coral, que conquistou o troféu da Copa do Nordeste em 2016, briga pelo bicampeonato.

Many Aston Villa fans have been reacting excitedly on Twitter following Ralph Hasenhuttl’s comments on potential interest in Southampton forward Danny Ings.

Known to be attracting attention from Aston Villa and Tottenham this summer, the England international has been attracting increasing speculation surrounding his future following his decision to turn down a new four-year contract at St Mary’s earlier this month [Sky Sports].

Breaking his silence on the matter, Southampton coach Hasenhuttl added fuel to the fire, claiming that “it’s not a perfect situation” for Ings or the club that he snubbed the Saints’ contract offer [BBC].

The 28-year-old enjoyed an excellent 2020/21 campaign, with 13 goals and four assists in 33 appearances [Transfermarkt] following on from a 25-goal season before that, illustrating that he can be a consistently reliable scorer.

In light of these comments from Hasenhuttl, many Aston Villa diehards took to Twitter to voice their opinions on the state of play surrounding Ings.

Aston Villa fans react:

Reacting to popular news outlet Aston Villa News on Twitter, here is what some Villa supporters said when asked whether the club should sign the Southampton striker:

“An amazing player but we’d have to find a way of playing both him and Watkins”

Credit: @fobl11″He is quality, however Watkins is our striker and Smith isn’t changing the system, no chance.”Credit: @PJ_Harley”Of course, he’s a great forward”Credit: @Kizzalinka”100%”Credit: @silkievillain”Yes!”Credit: @frenchie1985″Knows where back of the net is…..”Credit: @HammondgrowlIn other news, many Aston Villa fans are keen on this hot prodigy.

West Ham United are the latest club to enter the race to sign West Brom midfielder Matheus Pereira, according to journalist Ekrem Konur. 

What’s the story?

Pereira has caught the eye with a number of strong showings for West Brom in recent seasons, and it appears as though that hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The 25-year-old signed for the Baggies in 2020, and was on hand to provide 20 assists for West Brom in his first season with the club, as they clinched promotion into the Premier League.

He has followed that up with an impressive season in the top-flight, as Pereira netted 12 goals, and was on hand to provide six assists for his team-mates, although his efforts weren’t quite enough, as they were relegated into the Championship after just one season back in the top-flight.

The likes of Leicester City, Leeds United, Norwich City and Brentford had all been credited with interest in signing Pereira this summer, although a formal bid was yet to be made.

West Brom will be fighting a losing battle to keep Pereira

West Ham United are the latest club to enter that race to strike a deal with West Brom for Pereira’s services, as the Hammers look to find an alternative option to Jesse Lingard.

Lingard spent the second-half of the 2020/21 season on loan with David Moyes’ side, and netted nine goals in 16 appearances for the London-based side, as they finished sixth in the Premier League table, qualifying for European football next term in the process.

But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sees Lingard as part of his plans at Manchester United next season, which will mean that West Ham will target an alternative option this summer, as they look to add depth to their current options in attacking areas.

Pereira is seemingly the player that they’re keen on signing, with the midfielder evidently making a good impression with West Brom last term.

West Brom will surely know that they’re likely to be fighting a losing battle to keep Pereira at the Hawthorns this summer, with the prospect of playing Premier League football potentially being too good of an opportunity to turn down for any player, as you want to be competing at the highest possible level.

West Ham can certainly provide that, and with the added extra of European football being on offer, you would imagine that the Hammers will be in pole position to strike a deal to sign Pereira this summer.

The midfielder had previously received praise from former West Brom boss Sam Allardyce, who tipped him to be one of the best players in the Premier League.

“I have worked with some world class players in my time.

“I can’t say Matheus is world class but he certainly has the potential to be a top class Premier League player if he continues developing.”

Pereira had an average Whoscored rating of 6.96 for West Brom in the 2020/21 season, which put him joint-top alongside Baggies loanee Okay Yokuslu.

This latest update should be worrying news to many around the Hawthorns.

أكد سيد معوض لاعب الأهلي ومدرب منتخب مصر السابق، أن إيهاب جلال المدير الفني الحالي للفراعنة، غير مسؤول عن الأداء والنتيجة التي قدمها اللاعبون أمام غينيا.

وفاز منتخب مصر على غينيا، أمس الأحد، بهدف دون رد، في افتتاحية مشوار الفريق بمرحلة التصفيات المؤهلة إلى كأس الأمم الإفريقية 2023.

وقال معوض خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج “بوكس تو بوكس”، على قناة “etc”: “إيهاب جلال غير مسؤول عن الأداء والنتيجة التي قدمها المنتخب أمام غينيا، هذه مرحلة يجب أن نصبر فيها ومن ثم يتم الحكم سواء بالنجاح أو الفشل على أداء المنتخب”.

طالع أيضا.. علاء نبيل: لاعبو منتخب مصر سبب ضعف الأداء أمام غينيا.. ونتمنى عودة الروح

وتابع: “التغييرات الكبيرة في مدربي المنتخب خلال السنوات الأخيرة تؤكد أن هناك أزمة في التخطيط، نحن نفتقد الرؤية على المدى البعيد”.

وأضاف: “هناك اختلاف في أداء اللاعبين المصريين في الأوقات السابقة مقارنة بالوقت الحالي، من الصعب تغيير أداء الجيل الحالي في لحظة، يجب أن يتم العمل لفترات طويلة حتى يتمكن المدرب من تطوير أدائهم”.

وأوضح: “منتخب مصر لا يستمر فترة على نفس المستوى، عندما كنت مدربًا مساعدًا في الجهاز الفني، سجلنا هدفًا في مباراة كينيا بالجولة الثانية من تصفيات إفريقيا خارج الديار وقدمنا أسوأ مباراة لنا بعد ذلك”.

وواصل: “بعدها فزنا برباعية على جزر القمر في القاهرة، ما أقصده أن الجيل الحالي لا يجب تقييمه من مباراة واحدة، ولا بد من منح الجهاز الفني الحالي الفرصة كاملة للعمل وتقديم الدعم لهم”.

وأردف: “محمد صلاح وعمر جابر ثنائية جيدة في الجبهة اليمنى، لديهما تفاهم، وهما من نفس الجيل، والانتقادات التي يتعرض لها نجمنا المصري غير مبررة”.

واختتم: “لن نعلم قيمة صلاح إلا بعد اعتزاله.. سنحكي يومًا ما بأننا كنا نمتلك لاعبًا هو هداف الدوري الإنجليزي وتوّج بدوري أبطال أوروبا، كيف نحاسبه على عدم تسجيله في مباراة مع منتخب مصر أو عدم ظهوره بشكل لافت”.

Cricket Kenya has had to reschedule its planned three-day league because of the lack of availability of players

Cricinfo staff09-Jun-2008Cricket Kenya has had to reschedule its planned three-day league because of the lack of availability of players.Due to start last Friday, the event will now run on the next three weekends with game restricted to two days. Tom Tikolo, the board’s chief executive, explained that this move had been forced on them by the “unavailability of many players who are students and/or working”. He added that it was expected that at least 100 overs would be bowled on each day and that the matches would still be two-innings affairs.The move will be a bitter blow to Cricket Kenya who had been looking to the competition to highlight any emerging talent outside the tried-and-known national squad.The tournament had initially be scheduled for January and had been intended to coincide with holidays, making the availability for schoolboys much easier. But the violence which followed the disputed presidential elections put paid to that.

There aren’t any guarantees that Liverpool and Mohamed Salah will reach an agreement over a new contract, according to The Athletic’s James Pearce. 

Salah has been with the club since 2017, and has gone on to score 125 goals in 203 appearances for the Reds, scarcely believable numbers in a hugely impressive spell to date with the Premier League side.

The 29-year-old is contracted with Liverpool until the summer of 2023, although it remains to be seen as to whether he’ll commit his future to the club anytime soon.

Pearce reports that agreeing a new contract with Salah remains Liverpool’s biggest priority out of their current front-three options, but it is not set in stone.

Liverpool are set to get their 2021/22 league campaign underway on Saturday 14th August, when they take on newly-promoted Norwich City at Carrow Road.

Many Liverpool fans took to social media to voice their frustrations after this update on Salah’s future at Anfield heading towards the 2021/22 campaign.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from Twitter below….

Reds fans fume at Salah uncertainty

“We’re finished club.”

Credit: @lfcxtn

“Trying to force him out lol this club is beyond pathetic.”

Credit: @cavaalli_lfc

“FSG are an embarrassment to football.”

Credit: @GazWiIIiams

“We are owned by billionaires. Stop spending money on your 4000th yacht and pay Salah and Henderson what they ask for to keep them at the club.”

Credit: @goncalvesfc2

“If they are at this sort of nonsense now imagine we had missed out on top 4.”

Credit: @Corballyred

“We can not fumble this.”

Credit: @lewinh0_

“We’re going to lose everyone.”

Credit: @CraigYB1989

The PCB is keen that the proposed Pakistan Premier League has an identity of its own, considering that it will held in the aftermath of the Indian Premier League, and will soon reveal details of the Twenty20 tournament

Cricinfo staff07-Jun-2008The Pakistan Cricket Board is keen that the proposed Pakistan Premier League (PPL) has an identity of its own, considering that it will held in the aftermath of the Indian Premier League, and will soon reveal details of the Twenty20 tournament.”We want the PPL to be a bit different from the Indian Premier League. We want the PPL to be distinguished by itself,” Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told , an Urdu news channel. “We plan to announce our concept and plans during or after the Asia Cup.”Naghmi said that one of the PCB’s proposals was keeping a cap of five foreigners in the playing XI. “We don’t want to exactly copy the IPL. So we are thinking about allowing teams to play five overseas players instead of four in the IPL.” Another proposal being considered is each side being allowed to sign overseas players from only one country.The PCB, had last September, announced its intention of setting up a Twenty20 league, consisting of six franchises owned by various corporates.