West Bromwich Albion are considering the immediate future of Valerien Ismael.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Joseph Masi, with the journalist revealing in a recent video for the Express & Star (via West Brom News) that the Albion board are currently in the process of deciding whether or not the 46-year-old is the man they believe can steer the club to promotion this season.

Speaking about the future of the Frenchman, Masi said: “Look, we have to talk about Ismael’s future and it’s very much up in the air. We don’t quite know what is going on. We believe his future is very much under consideration at the very least.

“What we believe is Ismael’s future is under serious, serious consideration and I think that is only natural. I think at the vast majority of clubs, he probably would have lost his job, if we’re being honest.

“That said – and these are important points – there’s a person there, he’s a genuine person. He’s had a fallout with Sam Johnstone, from what we understand, and probably Robert Snodgrass as well – but, by and large, Valerien Ismael is a good man.

“He’s a likeable man and he’s respected. He’s respected amongst The Hawthorns’ hierarchy and he’s respected by the people that employ him. It’s going to be uncomfortable for them if they have to sit him down and have to relieve him of his duties.”

Fans will be buzzing

While it would appear as if Masi has no concrete update on which way Lai Guochuan and the West Brom board are currently leaning on Ismael’s future, the news that the Baggies hierarchy are in discussions about the 46-year-old’s position is nevertheless sure to have the club’s fanbase buzzing.

Indeed, it is clear for all to see that Albion’s results in recent months have simply not been good enough, with the Frenchman having guided his side to just three wins in their last 13 Championship fixtures – picking up 13 points from a possible 39 in this run of games.

Furthermore, West Brom’s form over their last six games leaves them sitting in 19th place in the second tier form table, and, considering the club have faced teams such as Derby County, Preston North End, Cardiff City and Millwall in this period – all of whom are in the bottom half of the Championship table – it is obvious that something must change if Albion are to maintain a promotion push this season.

And, with West Brom fans making their feelings abundantly clear regarding Ismael’s future in a recent poll ran by Football FanCast – with the vast majority stating that they would like to see the 46-year-old sacked if the Baggies fell to defeat against Millwall, which they did – it would very much appear as if The Hawthorn’s faithful believe that the factor which needs changing is indeed the Frenchman.

In other news: Major West Brom development finally emerges, it’s what fans have been waiting for

Transfer insider Dean Jones has made a claim on Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips following links of a move to Manchester United, as per GiveMeSport.The Lowdown: Man Utd ‘working on a deal’ for PhillipsPhillips, who is in the process of changing agents, has been linked with the likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle United and West Ham in recent weeks.[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-04-02T155252Z_391313781_UP1EI421841M9_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-SOU-REPORT.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]Manchester United have now become the latest club to show a serious interest and are thought to be ‘working on a deal’ for the Whites star.Despite links to multiple Premier League rivals, the 26-year-old is reportedly open to penning new terms at Elland Road, although his future won’t be resolved until the summer.The Latest: Jones’ claim on PhillipsTalking to GiveMeSport, Jones admitted that he can’t see a move to Old Trafford materialising for Phillips due to the ‘uproar’ and ‘backlash’ he could receive from fans of his boyhood club.The journalist outlined:

“I think Kalvin Phillips could fit in at Man United, I just don’t see it happening because I think there’ll be uproar, and I don’t think that Kalvin Phillips is likely to rock the boat.“I guess the closest comparison we could make to a player leaving would be Harry Kane when he threatened to leave Tottenham or looked like he was leaving Tottenham. The backlash that there was to him then, you would be risking something like that.”

The Verdict: Unlikely…Phillips chose to stay and extend his deal in Yorkshire back in 2019 after the Whites failed in their push for promotion to the Premier League.He had an offer from Aston Villa at that time and will now go down as a Leeds legend after playing a key role in taking the club back to the top flight.Therefore, it seems extremely unlikely that he’d risk ruining his Leeds reputation with a move across the Pennines, especially with Manchester United not as attractive proposition as they once were.In other news: Fabrizio Romano reveals big transfer blow for Leeds as key 21 y/o target now set to move elsewhere

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.

Scorecard
Centuries from Andrew White and John Mooney and Trent Johnston’s triple-strike put Ireland in control of their Intercontinental Cup game against Netherlands in Dublin. After skittling out Netherlands for 188 on the opening day, Ireland were themselves in a spot of bother on the second at 153 for 5. But a 221-run stand between White and Mooney swung the game decisively in their favour.White struck 20 fours and a six in his knock and was supported by Mooney who was the more attacking of the pair. Though offspinner Mohammad Kashif dismissed the pair, ran through the tail and finished with a five-for, Ireland had inflicted enough damage by extending the lead to 220.Matters grew worse for the visitors, as they lost four wickets before the close with the deficit still 149. Trent Johnston rattled the top order with three wickets while Allan Eastwood chipped in with one to leave Netherlands tottering at 71 for 4 and a tall mountain to climb on the third day.

اختار ظهير أيسر الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول، أندرو روبرتسون، أفضل صفقة أبرمها الريدز خلال آخر 5 سنوات من وجهة نظره.

وتعاقد ليفربول مع العديد من اللاعبين المميزين في السنوات الماضية على رأسهم محمد صلاح، فيرجيل فان دايك، أليسون والعديد من النجوم الآخرين مثل داروين نونيز وتياجو ألكانتارا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لابورتا يؤكد دخول برشلونة في مفاوضات مع مهاجم ليفربول

وأجرى روبرتسون حوارًا مع برنامج “PitchSide” على “يوتيوب”، وقال: “من الواضح أن فان دايك كان صفقة كبيرة وكذلك أليسون”.

وتابع: “لكن أعتقد أن محمد صلاح هو الأفضل بسبب كل الأرقام التي حققها مع ليفربول خلال السنوات الماضية”.

وأضاف: “لقد وقعت في نفس الصيف الذي وقع، محمد صلاح، فيه مع ليفربول، لم يكن هناك الكثير من الضجيج حول تلك الصفقة، على الرغم من ذلك، قدم مشوارًا رائعًا مع الفريق ولم يتوقف أبدًا”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “لذلك أقول بالنسبة لي، محمد صلاح، هو الصفقة الأفضل التي أبرمها ليفربول في السنوات الأخيرة”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians anunciou nesta segunda-feira a contratação do volante Ralf, de 33 anos. Ele assinou contrato por duas temporadas. O jogador teve a primeira passagem pelo Timão do fim de 2009 até conquistar o Brasileirão de 2015, com 352 partidas e oito gols.

No Twitter, o Corinthians postou uma montagem de Ralf com a placa “cuidado, cão bravo”. Na legenda, escreveu que o “pitbull está voltando”.

Ralf estava livre no mercado, depois de ter o contrato encerrado com o Beijing Guoan (CHN), no fim do ano passado. Ele não foi um pedido do técnico Fábio Carille, mas recebeu elogios do treinador.

– Eu não indiquei o Ralf. Diretoria que fala de reforços e a gente analisa. Jogador experiente, 33 anos, competições difíceis que vamos encontrar. Sei que preciso encorpar para competições difíceis – disse Carille, após a derrota para o Santo André, na última sexta-feira.

Pelo Corinthians, Ralf conquistou os seguintes títulos: Brasileiro (2011 e 2015), Paulista (2013), Libertadores (2012), Mundial (2012) e Recopa Sul-Americana (2013). Ele deixou foi para o time chinês depois da conquista do último Nacional.

O elenco do Corinthians atualmente conta com sete voltantes: Gabriel (titular), Renê Júnior, Paulo Roberto, Maycon (perto de ser vendido ao Shakhtar), Camacho (joga mais avançado, como meia), além de Jean e Warian (não inscritos no Paulista e liberados para negociações com outros clubes).

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansContratação de artilheiro de 2018 não trava busca do Timão por novo 9Corinthians11/02/2018

Voltando pra casa…#CuidadoCãoBravo pic.twitter.com/Iy7nPgzDOG

— Corinthians (@Corinthians) February 12, 2018

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansRalf

Sunderland took the ultimate smash-and-grab from their match against Gillingham this afternoon, winning 1-0 and taking all three points as they now go unbeaten in their last five games, climbing back into the play-off positions in League One, one point ahead of Oxford United.

Despite having 80% possession, 25 shots, eight corners and three big chances, the Black Cats could not convert any of their opportunities against their stubborn opponents at the sunny Stadium of Light this afternoon within the regulation 90 minutes.

It was only when 69th-minute substitute Nathan Broadhead nodded the ball past the Gills goalkeeper from a cross delivered into the box by Elliot Embleton in the fifth minute of added time that Sunderland finally broke their stalemate, stealing all three points and an important win in their pursuit for promotion this year.

One player who had one of his worst performances in a Sunderland shirt this season was the current League One top scorer Ross Stewart, who dropped an absolute stinker in front of the home fans and almost cost Alex Neil’s side an important win with his complete lack of attacking output against the Gills.

According to SofaScore, Stewart was rated the worst player on the pitch (6.0) and with good reason, considering that his team had 25 shots and he didn’t have a single one on or off target throughout the day. He also lost 89% of his ground and aerial duels combined, failed with 100% of his dribbles and only had 25 touches of the ball.

The 25-year-old – who was hailed a “handful” by former Ross County boss Stuart Kettlewell – has scored 22 goals and contributed four assists in 39 appearances for his team in League One this season, so it was clearly just one of those off-days for the forward, who has scored more than anybody else in the league and recently earned his first call-up to the senior Scotland side for their international friendlies.

Sunderland are now in a great position to secure a second chance at promotion into the Championship after moving up to sixth this afternoon, just two points behind Sheffield Wednesday, and Alex Neil will be hoping that his side can continue their unbeaten run over their last six games of the season. Stewart will quickly need to put this uncharacteristic off-day behind him, though.

In other news: Sunderland will have nightmares over “surprise” 18-year-old, he’s the new Harry Kane

Newcastle United have made contact with Fiorentina over exit-bound centre-back Nikola Milenkovic, according to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Milenkovic is approaching five years at Fiorentina, having joined from Partizan Belgrade in the summer of 2017.

But the 24-year-old is now well into the final 18 months of his deal at La Viola.

The 6 foot 3 defender, reportedly the subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves and West Ham United in 2021, is valued at £20.7million by Transfermarkt.

Newcastle did add a centre-back to their ranks in January, paying Brighton and Hove Albion £13.5million for Dan Burn.

The latest

The report (via SW) states that Fiorentina have ‘had contact’ with Newcastle over Milenkovic in ‘recent days’.

The club have made a ‘pact’ with the Serbian, whereby he can leave if a ‘fair offer’ arrives. It therefore ‘seems almost obvious’ that he will depart at the end of the campaign.

Newcastle, though, do face competition from two Serie A giants in the form of Juventus and AC Milan.

Juve have apparently been tracking him for ‘some time’, while Milan have already formalised their interest.

The verdict

When you look at Milenkovic, what stands most out is his ability in the air. He wins 3.6 aerial duels per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the 86th percentile among positional peers in the top five European leagues (via FBRef).

In fact, of all the players who contested 100 or more in those competitions in 2020/21, he had the best success rate (via WhoScored).

Indeed, he could be a dominant presence at the heart of The Magpies’ backline for a number of years.

We’ll have to see if the allure of joining PIF’s hugely ambitious project, and of playing in the Premier League, is enough for them to see off the Italian competition.

In other news, PIF are also in talks over this wide man.

India’s depleted pace bowling cupboard can be explained by a lack of discipline and drive among some of those in the attack, Venkatesh Prasad, has said

Sriram Veera21-Sep-2010India’s depleted pace bowling cupboard can be explained by a lack of discipline and drive among some of those in the attack, Venkatesh Prasad, the former India bowling coach, has said. The last decade has seen more than a few bowlers fading after a good series or two but that, he said, was because of their attitude and not merely failings in their bowling.”It’s about their attitude, it’s about their commitment”, Prasad told ESPNcricinfo. “Bowlers need discipline to get up every single day in the morning, hit the gym and bowl long spells. I have not seen many bowlers bowling one-two hours. You can’t bowl 20 minutes in the nets and then bowl 20 overs in matches.”Prasad coached the Indian bowlers from May 2007 to October 2009 and is now bowling coach for the Chennai Super Kings. During his India stint, he said, he found the bowlers’ work load in the nets to be inadequate. “I was very disappointed with the amount of bowling that was going in nets. And with the amount of training: they weren’t training hard, the bowlers weren’t pushing themselves.”Bowlers – he did not name any – could not be pushed to put in more than 20 minutes in the India nets, and he said that, as a member of the support staff, he could not be after them every day. “I can’t keep saying, ‘Come on XYZ, whoever they may be, bowl for one hour.” He said he did so on many occasions but it wasn’t always appreciated. “It’s a thin line. There were lots of players who, when you told them something, didn’t like it. The player needs to be honest.”Things can’t change until and unless the players are honest to their team, the coach and, most importantly, to themselves.”Prasad singled out Ishant Sharma, though, for having a “fantastic” work ethic, which complements his talent. “He’s somebody who works extremely hard at the nets. He bowls in the nets at the same intensity with which he would bowl in a match. He has a great work ethic.” He’s currently going through a lean spell which, Prasad said, related to his wrist not being behind the ball. “The fingers aren’t on the seam. He is rolling his wrists instead. The fingers don’t run down the seam to give back spin which enables the ball to land on seam.”He spoke about Ishant’s “bad phase” during IPL 2 in South Africa. “I remember watching on TV and seeing him falling away at the release and pushing the ball down the leg side. And to get the ball on the right line he was trying to bowl it from outside off stump but it wasn’t coming in.” The coach saw that Ishant’s bowling arm was not as high and straight as it needed to be. The collapse of the front shoulder that followed meant the bowling arm couldn’t get into a good position. Watching it on TV, Prasad says he felt “helpless” then. “He was spraying the ball everywhere. I think that’s where it all started. Then he was dropped from his franchise. That was pretty sad.” The bad habits had returned.Prasad remembers Ishant’s second Test match versus Pakistan in Bangalore and how things began to go wrong after a few overs. “In the first innings on the previous day he was all over. He was trying to bowl inswingers but was pitching it on the middle and it would go down the leg side.” Ishant would try to correct the line by bowling outside off, but all that happened is that the ball would sit up outside off and asked to be hit.”He was confused. I could see it”, says Prasad. “You must realise the pressure there for a player at that level is unbelievable.” He spotted Ishant’s problem, sat him down and made him go through the video. Then the two then went down the ground and Prasad had him practice the release. “I made him just stand and release the ball.”The wrist was straight behind. The fingers were on the seam. The wrist snapped into release position. Again and again. Prasad says, “There was an article next morning which said Ishant wasn’t ready to play Test cricket yet.” It appeared on the day he took five wickets.The treacherous wrist position can either be Ishant’s biggest asset or his bogey when the bad habits return. Prasad explains that, in trying to make the ball move in or out, bowlers tend to ‘roll’ rather than snap their wrists. “The right mechanism is to keep the wrists straight and fingers on the seam and give it a back spin.”It is what he tried with Ishant. “The wrist will take care of itself depending on the action; if somebody is side-on the ball will go away, if front on, the ball will come in. Of late he (Ishant) is rolling his wrists again, which is not needed. Something these bad habits creep in.”Amongst Ishant’s other peers, Prasad also talked about how Praveen Kumar’s talent should be utilised, “I would play him in Tests in New Zealand and England. He has a great wrist position, control and can move the ball around at will.” With Praveen, Prasad said, “it was just a matter of telling him not to try too many things. Work on the basic stock ball, keep doing it again and again before you try the variation. Set-up the batsmen better.”Prasad hoped Sreesanth would take the opportunity given to him again with his return to the team to play versus Australia in the Tests. He said, “What a talent. He should be able to play at least 50 Tests. He has everything; good run-up, fantastic release. He just needs to run in, hit the length around off stump time and again. He just needs that discipline.”

Jacob Oram is set to miss the remainder of the Sri Lanka tri-series due to a recurring patella tendon injury in the knee that is affecting his ability to bowl

Cricinfo staff25-Aug-2010

Jacob Oram is set to miss the remainder of the tri-series in Sri Lanka due to the recurrence of a tendon injury in the knee that has affected his bowling. Oram had received intensive treatment to get through the series but the injury has not responded and he is headed home for further assessment.New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch said the injury’s severity was not yet clear. “Jake had done everything possible to try and get ready for the remaining matches in the tri-series but had insufficient time to get fully fit. At this stage it is unclear how severe the injury is and he will return to New Zealand for further assessment and rehabilitation.”Oram’s injury has also put in doubt his participation for Central Districts in September’s Champions League. “Jacob’s knee has been troublesome for some time. He’s been having niggles on and off with it for a reasonable period of time,” said Alan Hunt, the Central Districts coach.”It has clearly flared up again in the last couple of days in Sri Lanka and they’ve tried to treat it there without any success. No doubt they’ve done everything they can to improve the situation but found they’d better get him back here for a medical opinion and some rehabilitation, thinking long-term towards the World Cup in February and March,” he said.Oram’s career has been blighted by injuries, forcing an early retirement from Test cricket in October 2009. His participation in the shorter formats has remained sporadic, and he was forced to miss this year’s IPL before returning to the national side for the World Twenty20. He bowled in two of New Zealand’s first three league games in Sri Lanka before the latest flare-up.