Some Liverpool supporters have been left frustrated by James Pearce’s update on Harvey Elliott, with many thinking it means a new signing won’t come in.

Elliott enjoyed a superb season in the Championship last season, shining on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

The 18-year-old chipped in with seven goals and 11 assists for Tony Mowbray’s side, thriving in the second tier thanks to his technical quality and unpredictability on the ball.

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Jurgen Klopp has the option of loaning out Elliott once more this summer, in order for him to gain more experience, but it looks as though that won’t happen.

According to The Athletic‘s Pearce [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], the young forward looks certain to take Xherdan Shaqiri’s place in the squad, with the Swiss playmaker expected to move on.

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Liverpool fans react to Pearce’s update on Elliott

Despite Elliott’s obvious talent, these Liverpool fans took to Twitter to react negatively to the news, with some claiming it means a more experienced replacement won’t come in.

“This boy needs minutes and experience in PL. Just filling the bench with teenagers will obstruct their development”

Credit: @SchwarzHertz

“Don’t tell me that Elliott is an alternative to Shaqiri and we won’t sign anyone”

Credit: @SamNikeng

“City signing Grealish, Utd signing Sancho but big bad Liverpool with 18 year old Elliott nice innit”

Credit: @amal_lukose

“Need a striker and midfielder badly”

Credit: @John92121476

“So basically he’ll also get no game time just like Shaqiri”

Credit: @Suven2695

“We’ve got no money”

Credit: @RebelYelliex

“In others words Klopp has no money to spend”

Credit: @Corballyred

“We’re absolutely washed next season”

Credit: @RIPJakeFutbol

“We’re done out here”

Credit: @beamerrrrrr

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been left in hysterics at one player’s social media post. Find out who it is here.

A rare tournament win and a rarer tournament at home means Pakistan go into their opening game of the ninth Asia Cup in what can, for once, be called a buoyant mood. Opening against Hong Kong in this most irregular of tournaments only adds to the confidence, enough to alleviate some of the early pressure that comes from being hosts.”We are professionals and the pressure in all games is high,” Shoaib Malik, Pakistan’s captain, told reporters. “Our morale is high after our win in Bangladesh and we will again be aiming to do our best here.”High spirits or not, the suspicion still lurks that no one really knows what Pakistan’s best team is at the moment. Permutations and combinations still remain unresolved. No preview of Pakistan would be complete without a glance at the openers for instance. Malik has long insisted that Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal are his preferred pair in ODIs, but the latter’s overdue dropping confuses an already confused issue.The murmurs are that Malik himself may open, which given his successes higher up the ODI order, is not a bad call. Shahid Afridi will also be in the running no doubt, despite his traditional reluctance. Either of these options allows Pakistan the luxury of a sixth bowler, but it also means Nasir Jamshed, who should really be tested here and now, may miss out.Everyone knows what Pakistan’s first-choice pace attack should be, but equally they know there is as much chance of them playing together as there is of uninterrupted 24-hour electricity supply through the country. Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir and Rao Iftikhar are a willing trio, though perhaps missing just a little menace.Sohail Khan, the designated ‘next big thing’, will not be around to provide it, missing out with malaria. “Our bowlers did pretty well in the Bangladesh tri-series,” Malik reasoned. “Sohail Khan has a great future ahead of him but it is unfortunate that he is out with malaria.” Saeed Ajmal’s inclusion provides Pakistan with some variety at least, and a first specialist offspinning option since the under-rated Arshad Khan.Most eyes, however, will be on the boy behind the stumps, the ebullient Sarfraz Ahmed. Long touted as Akmal’s understudy and given opportunities only intermittently, the former Under-19 captain is unlikely to get a better chance to take over the gloves: a big stage, crunch games and an uninterrupted run of at least six matches.Typically of this modern wicketkeeping age, the only question asked about Sarfraz was of his batting skills, the implication being of course, whether he can provide the kind of high-elbowed oomph Akmal occasionally did. Malik, a keen backer of Akmal, didn’t sound altogether convincing in stating his case.”He has batting ability. He can bat, but he plays lower down the order,” he said. “There is a little gap between him and Akmal but Sarfraz will improve the more he plays.” More than runs, Pakistan will just want Sarfraz to take what chances come his way.And in June and July, it might not be that straightforward. This is the first time international cricket will be played in Pakistan at this time of the year and if New Zealand or any other country visits in August prior to the Champions Trophy, it effectively means cricket has been played all year-round here. Even in the late 4pm starts, conditions will be stifling and humidity high, though God’s gift to Karachi – the sea breeze – might help. Under lights, more extraneous factors can be added.Malik has the unconcern of a captain who has won more than he has lost recently. “That shouldn’t affect us at all. We are professionals and we have to perform in hot or cold conditions. In Bangladesh recently it was hotter than this anyway so it doesn’t matter.”

Former Tottenham captain Graham Roberts reckons Hugo Lloris’ number one spot could come under threat from Pierluigi Gollini.

The Frenchman has been Spurs’ first-choice goalkeeper for the best part of his nine years in north London.

However, the club have never quite had an adequate back-up, with neither Michel Vorm nor Joe Hart putting Lloris under a considerable amount of pressure, even when mistakes were made.

But that could change following the season-long loan addition of Gollini, who’s been Atalanta’s number one for the previous three years and has played in the Champions League in the last two.

And whilst the Italian has arrived with a view to replacing Lloris once his contract expires next summer, when asked what sort of role he expects Gollini to play, Roberts told The Transfer Tavern:

“I think he will put Lloris under a little bit of pressure.”

Gollini looked confident and assured during his debut against Chelsea in pre-season, making some impressive saves.

However, he’s been signed to play in the UEFA Conference League and domestic cups, which should leave him in good stead for when Lloris moves on and he becomes first-choice in 2022-2023.

Nikita Miller, the Jamaica left-arm spinner, had written off his chances of an international call-up for the series against Australia after he was not required for the Tests or the first three ODIs

Cricinfo staff03-Jul-2008
Nikita Miller does some stretches at pratcice in St Kitts head of his possible ODI debut © AFP
Nikita Miller, the Jamaica left-arm spinner, had written off his chances of an international call-up for the series against Australia after he was not required for the Tests or the first three ODIs. Miller was one of three new players called into the squad for the final two games in St Kitts and is likely to make his international debut either on Friday or on Sunday.The leading wicket-taker in West Indies’ domestic first-class competition this season, Miller was discussed as a possible Test spinner during the three-match series. However, Amit Jaggernauth was preferred in the opening encounter and Sulieman Benn took the role for the third Test and the first three ODIs, before he was axed for the final matches.”I wasn’t really expecting it for the rest of the series, it came as a surprise but all in all I’m happy,” Miller said of his call-up. “I was looking out for it [earlier] because I had a good season so I always kept my mind in tune for that call so that I won’t be surprised. I was disappointed [not to be called up sooner] but now that I got the chance I have to take it with both hands.”Miller, 26, starred in the Carib Beer Challenge final when he picked up five wickets in each innings to help Jamaica to a nine-wicket win over Trinidad and Tobago. He has played little cricket since early May, when he faced Australia in a tour match, but he remains confident he can quickly find his line and length.”I was preparing for the local one day series [in Jamaica], I’ve been doing a bit of practice at the club I play for, Melbourne,” Miller said. “I have to believe in my skills, I’ve been able to do well at the regional level and all I have to do is believe in myself, I know I can do a good job. I’m pretty happy. I don’t think my bowling can fall off in a month or so.”West Indies have already lost the five-match series but they will be aiming to avoid a whitewash in the remaining two matches. Along with Miller, the uncapped Shawn Findlay and Kemar Roach will be hoping to make their first one-day international appearances.

هنأت جماهير ليفربول الإنجليزي، نجمنا المصري، محمد صلاح، جناح الفريق، وذلك بعد فوزه بجائزة لاعب العام من رابطة المُحترفين الإنجليزية.

ونال محمد صلاح الجائزة للمرة الثانية في مسيرته، وذلك بعد أن تفوق على زميله في ليفربول، ساديو ماني وفيرجيل فان دايك، إلى نجم مانشستر يونايتد كريستيانو رونالدو، وصانع ألعاب مانشستر سيتي، كيفين دي بروين.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كلوب: محمد صلاح حصان عمل ولم يكن وحش المرمى كما هو الآن

صلاح فاز بالجائزة بتصويت قادة الأندية ومدربي أندية البريميرليج، وحصدها بجدارة بعد أن سجل 23 هدفًا في الموسم الماضي بالبريميرليج، حيث توج هدافًا للبريميرليج ونال جائزة أفضل صانع ألعاب بـ13 تمريرة حاسمة.

جماهير ليفربول عبر موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”، هنأت مو، مشيرة إلى أنه يستحق كذلك الفوز بالجائزة الذهبية، كما أعربت عن آمالها أن يقوم صلاح بتجديد عقده مع الريدز، والذي ينتهي في 2023. ردود افعال جماهير ليفربول على فوز محمد صلاح بجائزة لاعب العام 2022

البداية مع مُشجع كتب: “مستحقة تمامًا”.

well deserved pic.twitter.com/STffymoQsw — R.S. (@RaSo29664543) June 9, 2022

بينما كتب مُشجع ثانٍ: “إنه يستحق الكرة الذهبية 2022”.

He deserves the ballon d’or 2022 — ثامر (@tss700) June 9, 2022

وغرد مُشجع ثالث: “أفضل لاعب في العالم.. الملك المصري”.

The best player in the world

THE EGYPTIAN KING ❤❤❤ pic.twitter.com/IZTT1QN4fV — M.Salah11 (@fcsalah11) June 9, 2022

وكتبت إحدى المُشجعات: “اجعلوه يوقع على عقد جديد من فضلكم، مو يستحق كل ما يطلبه، لا يُمكننا السماح له بالرحيل”.

Please sign a new contract. Mo deserves everything he asks for. We can’t let him leave. — Jane Boland (@JE_Boland) June 9, 2022

بينما كتب مُشجع خامس: “متألق وبارع، يستحق الجائزة تمامًا، إنه أسطورة، عليك أن تبقى في ليفربول، وسيتم بناء تمثال لك”.

Brilliant and fully deserved 👏👏 another legend. Stay and get your statue ❤❤ — Andy (@AndyTheRed83) June 9, 2022

فيما غرد أحدهم: “الملك وأفضل لاعب في العالم.. تهانينا محمد”.

The king and the best player in the world, congratulations Mo😍😍😍😍😍 — Alfred Khoury (@AlfredKhoury7) June 9, 2022

ورفض أحد المُشجعين مُقارنة هازارد بـ محمد صلاح، وغرد: “صلاح فاز 3 مرات بالحذاء الذهبي، ومرتين جائزة لاعب العام، وجائزة أفضل صانع ألعاب في 5 مواسم فقط مع ليفربول، وما زال يتم مُقارنته بـ هازارد”.

Mo Salah has won 3 Golden boots, 2 PFA POTY’s and the Playmaker award in his last 5 seasons at Liverpool.

And people still want to compare hazard with him — precious (@preciory12) June 9, 2022

وكتب مُشجع آخر: “أسطورة سوف تستمر حكايتها لسنوات في مصر وليفربول، الآن هو يكتب تاريخه”.

A legend that will continue to be told for years in Egypt and Liverpool.. He is writing his history now 👏🇪🇬👑❤️ pic.twitter.com/WYWo1cnfa2 — Salome (@Salome34685057) June 9, 2022

فيما كتب أحدهم: “يستحق الجائزة بنسبة 100%، آمل أن يقدم نفس الموسم بالموسم المُقبل!”.

Absolutely deserved 100%..more of the same next season! 🙏 — 🏆 🏆 🏆 *Phat_Tok🏆🏆🏆 (@phat_tok) June 9, 2022

ووجه آخر رسالة لصلاح، وكتب: “مو صلاح، يجب أن تبقى في ليفربول، ذلك أفضل لك لتستمر في الفوز”.

@MoSalah should better stay at @LFC and keep winning. — Sammy Boy. (@SamsonFamous) June 9, 2022

وغرد آخر: “أفضل جناح أيمن في العالم”.

Best RW in the world!!! — GravityLFC (@GravityLFC) June 9, 2022

ونختتم بأحد المُشجعين، والذي غرد: “أحد أعظم لاعبي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، إنه يستحق لقب الدوري في الموسم القادم ليُعيده إلى يورجن مجددًا”.

One of the premier leagues greatest. He deserves another premier league title next year, bring it home Jurgen — Thomas (@Thomashodges8) June 9, 2022

The third and fourth Tests of Australia’s tour to India have been pushed back by a day because of the festival of Diwali

Cricinfo staff08-Aug-2008The third and fourth Tests of Australia’s tour to India have been pushed back by a day because of the festival of Diwali and will now begin on October 29 and November 6 respectively.The third Test was scheduled to start in Delhi on October 28 which is when Diwali will be celebrated in the country. The fourth Test will be played in Nagpur.Australia’s tour to India consists of four Test matches, the first of which begins on October 9 in Bangalore, immediately after the proposed Champions Twenty20 League is scheduled to end on October 8. The Australians will also play a warm-up match between October 2 and 5.

Sunderland have kicked off their season in style with back-to-back wins in the 2021/22 campaign, beating both Wigan and Port Vale.

The Black Cats beat the Latics 2-1 on the opening day of the League One season, before progressing through to the second round of the Carabao Cup by defeating Port Vale by the same score.

They now travel away to face an MK Dons side who recently lost their manager Russell Martin to Swansea and have conceded eight goals in their first two matches – five to Bournemouth in a 5-0 Carabao Cup loss and three to Bolton in a draw in their first league outing.

On the Chalkboard

Despite Sunderland’s strong start to the season, Lee Johnson has a major issue within his side. Young central midfielder Dan Neil has been deployed as a left-back and struggled against Wigan last weekend whilst playing out of position.

Neil received a tame WhoScored rating of 6.40 as he failed to win a single tackle and only made one clearance in the 90 minutes. He also completed 62% of his passes – the third-lowest in the team – and did not create any chances going forward from the back.

This suggests that the experiment of playing him at full-back has not been successful for Johnson, which means that a natural defender should take his place in the team against MK Dons. Prior to this week, Sunderland did not have a natural full-back option to slot in, but they have since announced the signing of Dennis Cirkin on a permanent deal from Premier League side Tottenham.

Johnson hailed the 19-year-old as a top talent upon his arrival at the club. He told Sunderland’s official website: “To get a player of Dennis’ quality at 19 speaks wonders in terms of what we’re trying to do because he is a top talent and he’s very highly regarded within the game.

“We have been really happy with the signings we have made so far and we will bank this one, but we will continue our work quietly and efficiently to try and get a couple more over the line.”

This shows that Johnson rates the defender highly and that is why he should be thrown straight in at the deep end against MK Dons. Whilst there is not much evidence to prove that he will be a quality option immediately, as he has not made his debut in senior football as of yet, it is worth the gamble as Neil has shown that he is not up to the task of playing out of position.

Therefore, Johnson may not have any other choice but to risk it and hand Cirkin his debut on Saturday. Hopefully, the exciting young full-back will be able to repay the faith shown in him by the club and demonstrate why he is so highly-rated, as it would give the former Bristol City coach a specialist left-back option instead of having to put square pegs in round holes.

AND in other news, Alan Nixon drops claim on £13k-p/w Sunderland “leader”, Lee Johnson will be relieved…

West Bromwich Albion are expecting a bid which could see Matheus Pereira leave The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Pedro Almeida, with the transfer journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that West Ham United are set to make an offer totalling €24m (£20.5m) for the Albion winger in the coming days.

In his tweet, Almeida said: “West Ham prepares an offer of around €20m + €2m bonus to present to West Brom [for] Matheus Pereira.”

It has also been reported that the 25-year-old is mulling over an approach from Al-Hilal, with the Saudi Arabian club having submitted an offer of €15m (£13m) to West Brom and proposing a tantalising salary to Pereira.

However, should West Ham indeed firm up their interest with a concrete bid of more than £20m for the Brazilian, it would appear highly likely that the Baggies accept the Irons’ offer ahead of Al-Hilal’s.

Ismael will be gutted

Although a scenario in which Pereira remains at The Hawthorns for the club’s upcoming Championship campaign always appeared unlikely, with the start of the new season now being just under a week away, perhaps Valerien Ismael had started to consider the possibility that he may be able to call upon the winger for the club’s opening game against Bournemouth next Friday.

However, with both West Ham and Al-Hilal now reported to be in talks over a deal for the 25-year-old, it very much seems as if the writing is on the wall regarding his exit, something which will undoubtedly leave the Frenchman gutted.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances last season, the £13.5m-rated winger scored 11 goals, registered six assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates, taking two shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £39k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as Albion’s best performer in the top flight.

As such, achieving promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking next year would appear to be a much more attainable feat with the services of the forward rather than without.

Having said that, the money that Pereira’s sale will bring into the club could lead to Ismael making a move for a number of his own targets in the summer transfer window. However, it would be optimistic to think that any player the Baggies could attract while in the Championship will be at the same level as the Brazilian.

In other news: Ismael handed major boost over £32.5k-p/w “diamond”, West Brom fans will be buzzing

Many Southampton fans were far from happy with a photo from manager Ralph Hasenhuttl as the club continue their preparations ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

The Saints are ramping up their plans ahead of the new season. Last term, they fell to a disappointing 15th-placed finish despite a positive start, and they will duly be looking to improve significantly this time around.

However, so far they have made just one signing in the form of Romain Perraud (southamptonfc.com), and they will likely be hoping to add more fresh faces to their squad.

They were in action against Fulham over the weekend in a behind-closed-doors friendly, with the match ending 1-1. However, it was Hasenhuttl’s attire on the touchline which was the topic of debate, with many questioning why he chose such an outlandish ensemble.

A photo of his garish clothing was shared on Twitter by Southampton’s official channel, and it attracted plenty of attention from Saints supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Hasenhuttl photo

“Terrible!”

Credit: @RussTimms1

“That’s a more sackable offence than losing 9-0”

Credit: @rcdH94

“He’s lost the plot”

Credit: @sfcjamo

“we’re getting relegated, aren’t we”

Credit: @bruhsound1111

“I mean some kind of bet has been lost, right?”

Credit: @SaintsinBrum

“OMG it gets worse”

Credit: @richargr001

In other news, many Southampton fans loved this contract update.

Birmingham City are reportedly interested in a deal to sign Nottingham Forest forward Lyle Taylor, according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon.

What’s the story?

Taylor has been with Nottingham Forest since 2020, having previously been on the books with Charlton Athletic, where he caught the eye with a number of impressive performances.

The forward scored 35 goals in 67 appearances for the Addicks, which saw him earn a move to the City Ground, but that move hasn’t quite worked out as expected.

Taylor has found regular minutes hard to come by with the Reds, whilst under the management of former Brighton and Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton.

The 31-year-old made 15 league starts for the Reds, as he was often behind Lewis Grabban in the pecking order last term, as Forest finished 17th in the Championship table.

Birmingham City are reportedly keen on reaching an agreement to sign Taylor this summer, but only if Sam Cosgrove is to move on as well, with the former Aberdeen forward being linked with a move of his own, to League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers.

‘Outstanding’

Taylor has shown glimpses of his quality in the Championship, having been a rare bright spark in a disappointing league campaign with Charlton in the 2019/20 season, as the Addicks were relegated back into the third-tier of English football.

With 11 goals in 22 appearances in that season, he’s shown that he can perform to a good enough standard in the Championship, but for one reason or another, his move to Nottingham Forest hasn’t quite worked out.

In the 2019/20 season, Taylor had an average Whoscored rating of 6.76, which put him fifth on the list of Charlton’s best performers from that campaign.

Birmingham could certainly benefit from adding depth to their attacking options, with Lee Bowyer already having the likes of Lukas Jutkiewicz, Scott Hogan and Sam Cosgrove already on the books with the Blues.

But Cosgrove could be set to depart, with Wycombe rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign the 24-year-old.

That could open the door for a new forward to arrive, and Taylor could be the ideal striker to join Jutkiewicz in attack for Lee Bowyer’s side moving forwards.

Bowyer knows what Taylor can bring to a team, with the pair having worked together whilst at Charlton not so long ago.

Stoke City had previously been keen on a deal to sign the 31-year-old, but a move to the bet365 Stadium is unlikely at this stage, with Sam Surridge recently signing permanently from fellow Championship side Bournemouth.

Lee Bowyer has previously labelled Taylor’s work ethic as ‘outstanding’ whilst the pair were at Charlton Athletic together.

“His scoring record isn’t bad against anyone. His work rate was outstanding, again, all-round play, for me he was a full performance from a striker, he had everything.”

Birmingham should push hard to get this deal over the line as a partnership of Taylor and Jutkiewicz would frighten plenty of Championship defences.

AND In other news… Birmingham City show interest in 20-year-old prodigy…