Arsenal are one of a number of clubs interested in potentially signing Nice striker Mario Balotelli, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
What’s the word?
With Unai Emery at the helm, Arsenal fans will have to wait to see how his teams shape up for the coming season.
The Spaniard, who has the pressure of being the first Arsenal boss since Arsene Wenger walked away, is sure to be mulling over his transfer options.
La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Balotelli is an option for the North London outfit following his impressive season with Nice.
The controversial figure, who has previously played for Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League, enjoyed somewhat of a revival in the 2017-18 campaign by scoring 26 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions.
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Is Balotelli ready to come back to England?
The Italy international’s last foray into English football did not end well as he failed at Liverpool.
The 27-year-old was a shock arrival at the Merseyside outfit in 2014, but he only lasted a season before joining AC Milan on loan and then permanently at Nice in 2016.
There is no doubt that Balotelli has regained form, but there is certainly an element of risk involved with a transfer to Arsenal.
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Even though the striker’s discipline has been much better, there is always that concern.
Emery will want a good harmony in the group, and bringing in Balotelli has the potential to disrupt it.
On the other hand, given his current form, if a cheap deal can be agreed, then he is a good option to bring on off the bench.
West Ham are looking to re-sign Joao Mario from Internazionale on a permanent deal, according to trusted source ExWHUEmployee.
What’s the story?
Joao Mario joined West Ham on loan in January and went on to make 13 appearances for the Hammers, scoring twice and making one assist.
The 25-year-old impressed during his spell at the London Stadium and Inter have told West Ham they will accept £25million for the midfielder, according to the report.
ExWHUEmployee says that Pellegrini is weighing up the transfer but he could be a useful replacement for Manuel Lanzini who is set to be ruled out for the season with an injury.
Is he worth it?
While £25million is below the initial £37million buyout clause during his loan, it is still a hefty sum for West Ham to spend.
However, Mario did impress West Ham fans with his work rate last season, and having had a taster of the Premier League, you would expect him to press on and provide even more for the team.
He doesn’t offer the same attacking outlet as Lanzini but he would be a very useful addition to the team.
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It is worth remembering that he signed for Inter for £36million only two years ago and was considered one of the hottest prospects in Europe, so West Ham would be wise to snap him up if they can.
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England’s World Cup campaign begins at the Volgograd Arena on Monday night, when they take on Group G opponents Tunisia, and there’s a real sense of positivity around Gareth Southgate’s young and promising team. Even if they can’t quite make it to the latter stages of the competition, they at least look capable of playing some exciting football – a marked seachange from the last few years.
But will this prove to be yet another false dawn for a country that hasn’t won a major international honour in over half a century, or a genuinely new one for the promising young Lions? Football FanCast’s editor-in-chief James Jones and Sam Preston share their thoughts and predictions ahead of the 7pm kickoff…
Perhaps it’s just the blind optimism that has accompanied England before every World Cup, but it does genuinely feel as if the Three Lions have turned a corner under Southgate. He’s created a unique 3-1-4-2 system rather than simply trying to get as many big names onto the pitch as possible, and within that framework is an abundance of pace and flair.
How far can England go at this tournament?
JJ: “There definitely seems to be a good feeling about the squad at the moment and that works in our favour somewhat. The lack of pressure from the nation and the press at this point allows the team to go into the tournament playing with freedom. With that in mind, I can see us getting to the quarter-finals. Perhaps we can go even further, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
SP: “Quarter finals looks very reasonable, but given that we’ve seen nearly all the pre-tournament favourites and none of them have set the world alight, there is no reason why England can’t set their sights further than that. Mexico, Switzerland and Iceland among others have shown that the ‘big boys’ can be stunned and England should fancy themselves to do that, should the opportunity arise.”
While this England squad may lack truly stellar names, perhaps with the exception of Harry Kane, there is one significant positive to that in the variety and depth of options at Southgate’s disposal. There’s plenty of versatility within the squad as well, through players like Ashley Young, Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford, so although Southgate seems pretty set on his 3-1-4-2 setup and the players involved, there’s certainly scope to change up for specific opposition like Tunisia.
Are there any players you’d like to see come into the side for this game?
SP: “I’d choose Danny Rose over Ashley Young, because he’s a more natural left wing-back, who offers a greater threat in open play and his performance against Costa Rica showed he is back to his best. I have no qualms about the rest of the team but on the back of their friendly showings, I’m excited to see the energy that Fabian Delph, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rashford could offer from the bench.”
JJ: “At this stage I’d be happy with any side Southgate picks but I’m interested to see how Trent Alexandar-Arnold handles himself at this level. He was brilliant for Liverpool last season and has the potential to be one of the best in the world in his position. Playing at a World Cup, and playing well, will play a huge role in his development.”
Tunisia may not exactly be a classic World Cup side, this being only their fourth tournament, but the North African nation shouldn’t be underestimated. They reached their highest ever FIFA ranking of 14th back in April and showed some quality in the warmup friendlies, drawing with both Portugal and Turkey – neither of whom are easy opposition.
Which Tunisia players could cause England the biggest problems?
JJ: “Whabi Khazri is a player who promised so much when he arrived in England but ultimately got caught up in the mess at Sunderland. He poses a real threat, as do Anice Badri and Ellyes Skhiri, who are arguably Tunisia’s two key players at this tournament.”
SP: “I won’t pretend to be an expert on Tunisia but from what I’ve read in a week where I’ve convinced myself that they must be better than we all expect, Saif-Eddine Khaoui appears to be the main creator because Youssef Msakni is injured. But, cliche as it sounds, Tunisia are a well-drilled side who would be happy with 0-0 and know how best to set up to frustrate England.”
What key factor does an England victory rest on?
SP: Yet another cliche here, but an early goal. Tunisia will set up deep and let England have the ball so the longer the game wears on without us scoring or creating many clear chances, the nervier the game may become. An early strike would settle the nerves, forcing Tunisia to come out at some stage and offering England much more space in behind for their lively attackers to exploit.
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JJ:“I think a positive England result will come down to whether they play with the confidence and intensity we know they can when they’re at their best. With less pressure on them than other tournaments, this is the perfect opportunity for them to go out there and really show us what they can do.”
And finally lads, let’s hear your score predictions…
JJ:“It won’t be comfortable but it’ll be 2-0 England. Three points on the board and one step closer to bringing football home.”
SP:“As much as a crushing victory – coupled with the struggles of the favourites – would get the country rocking, I’d definitely take a 1-0 here. Russia aside, nobody has started off this World Cup in sparkling style and much of that is down to how much time the ‘underdogs’ have had to prepare their defensive gameplans. Tunisia will be no different but I still think England will edge it 1-0.”
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255610″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Five England World Cup games you totally forgot happened”]
Reports suggest Newcastle have been offered another chance to sign Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, but fans are completely against a summer swoop.
According to the Chronicle, Newcastle have been “offered the chance” to sign Sturridge this summer.
The Magpies failed in a loan bid for the England international in January, as the Liverpool man pulled the plug late on in favour of a switch to West Brom, despite Rafael Benitez and Jürgen Klopp having agreed on a move to Tyneside.
The report claims Liverpool have now slapped a £15m price tag on the striker for a permanent move.
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Sturridge scored two Premier League goals in 16 appearances last season, although over half of those showings came from the bench.
The English international scored 21 league goals in 29 games in 2013-14, and is averaging nearly a goal per 90 minutes since his 2013 move to Liverpool. However, his injury record would make him a huge risk.
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Fans obviously haven’t forgot about him snubbing them in January either, a move that forced Benitez to turn to Islam Slimani instead.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Arsenal were heavily criticised last season for their performances at the back.
Shkodran Mustafi took the brunt of the criticism, while Laurent Koscielny also came under fire.
The season ended terribly for the latter, though, as he suffered an Achilles injury that ruled him out of France’s World Cup campaign in Russia.
The centre-back, who has been capped 51 times for his country, is now working towards full fitness.
Is this the best World Cup ever? Give us your thoughts here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.
At the age of 32, though, it is fair to suggest that Koscielny could struggle to earn his way back into the setup.
On Monday, the defender posted a video on Instagram showing that he is now able to walk without the use of crutches.
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Arsenal have not provided a definitive timeline of recovery for the Frenchman, but plenty of fans are keen for him to make a comeback.
As well as ousting whoever takes one of the centre-back slots, Koscielny will have to impress new manager Unai Emery, who has added to the defence this summer by recruiting right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner.
On Reddit, Arsenal fans have been posting their reactions to the defender’s injury update.
Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.Comment from discussion Laurent Koscielny on Instagram: “it’s good to walk again ?”.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”258359″ player=”12034″ title=”The World Cup Twitter Report”]
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Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2009The notion of a World Test Championship has been given further credence after representatives from the ICC Cricket Committee and the MCC World Cricket Committee met in Dubai to discuss the general landscape of the game, with specific reference to the place of Tests and ODIs in a broader context.The delegates present at the meeting included the current South Africa coach, Mickey Arthur, the leading umpire, Simon Taufel, and Tim May, the chief executive of FICA, and there was a general agreement that Test cricket must remain the pinnacle of the sport, and that a more meaningful context – such as some form of Test championship – would help raise interest in that format of the game.”It was a very productive and interesting meeting held in a good spirit of cooperation,” said Clive Lloyd, the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee. “The MCC has some great cricketing minds on its committee, people with a huge amount to offer the game. And so do we at the ICC. It was fascinating to hear those views expressed in such a positive and engaging forum as this.”The findings of the meeting tally with an MCC survey, in which 1500 fans were polled in India, South Africa and New Zealand. More than 80% of Indian fans said that they were at least regular followers of Test cricket, but fans from all three countries believed that a World Test Championship would raise interest in the sport.A number of possible enhancements for Test cricket were discussed at the meeting, including the idea of day-night Tests, rebranding the concept of Test cricket, making the playing regulations more flexible from series to series while also remaining mindful of the long tradition of the game.The delegates also discussed the ODI format and how that needs to remain viable and popular. It was accepted that international cricket can and should sustain the three formats of Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals in the long term but that ODIs must redevelop their own identity with the balance between bat and ball improved.”I want to thank the ICC for the invitation to meet in this way,” said Tony Lewis, the MCC World Cricket Committee Chairman. “Some of the many things we at the MCC have worked on over the past 12 months – such as a Test match championship, umpire referrals and research into pink balls – we were able to share and express our opinions. It has been an excellent, rewarding workshop that has produced some good ideas.”The observations of this joint-meeting will be presented to the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee at its next meeting, which takes place in Dubai on 30 November and 1 October.Present at the meeting were:ICC Cricket Committee Clive Lloyd (chairman), Mickey Arthur, Warren Deutrom, David Kendix, Tim May, David Richardson, Ravi Shastri, Simon Taufel, Mark TaylorMCC World Cricket Committee Tony Lewis (chairman), Geoffrey Boycott, Keith Bradshaw, Tony Dodemaide, Majid Khan, Shaun Pollock, Barry Richards, Michael Tissera, Courtney WalshAlso in attendance David Morgan (ICC president), Haroon Lorgat (ICC chief executive), John Stephenson (MCC assistant secretary) and Hugh Morris (England & Wales Cricket Board).
Mitchell Johnson has endured some tiring days in the field over the past 18 months
Brydon Coverdale at Adelaide Oval07-Dec-2009Mitchell Johnson has endured some tiring days in the field over the past 18 months. As the emerging leader in a bowling unit lacking experience, he has been asked to shoulder a heavy workload. The rewards have been a series win in South Africa and the title of ICC Cricketer of the Year; the downsides have included losses to India, South Africa and England, and questions over the attack’s ability to regularly bowl sides out.In Cardiff, Australia couldn’t knock over England’s tail and allowed the hosts to escape with a draw that helped define the series. In Perth, the bowlers failed to keep South Africa from chasing a near-world-record 414 and the visitors went on to win the series. In India, the attack toiled hard but couldn’t take 20 wickets in a Test until Nagpur, and even then Australia still lost the match. Johnson was a key part of the attack in all those games.Australia hoped their bowlers would have enough in the tank for a home series against the eighth-ranked West Indies and they did at the Gabba, where they were led by Ben Hilfenhaus. But on a fourth-day Adelaide pitch when Australia had hoped to be batting before stumps, West Indies applied themselves to reach 8 for 284. To make matters worse, the touring coach David Williams said his players had always believed Australia’s new-look bowling group could “be taken apart”.”From the very start we said that their attack is not very experienced,” Williams said. “We played poorly in Brisbane and their bowling was very, very good. In this game here we have showed a lot more application and commitment and the attack to me is one that can still be taken apart. It was evident today, apart from when the ball was swinging around a bit.”The perseverance of West Indies’ batsmen meant an exhausting day for Australia’s bowlers. Johnson sent down 17 overs in the three sessions and picked up 4 for 85, and after stumps he was physically and mentally drained. “I’m not feeling the freshest now but like I said … umm … I’ve just lost what I was going to say, sorry,” Johnson said. “It’s been a long day.”Part of the problem for Australia was that in addition to Hilfenhaus sitting out the game with a knee injury, Peter Siddle was only able to bowl eight overs due to hamstring tightness. Siddle stayed on the field but was used sparingly and the effective loss of one of the strike bowlers left Johnson and Doug Bollinger, as well as the spinners Nathan Hauritz and Marcus North, with plenty to do.”Sidds is an aggressive type of bowler and occasionally you saw that there might have been one or two that skidded through or kept low, but definitely when you have a bowler like that not being able to bowl it … puts an extra bit more work on the other bowlers,” Johnson said. “In the end we used two spinners so that worked as well.”The only problem was that neither of the slow bowlers, who operated in tandem for part of the day and sent down 41 overs between them, picked up a wicket. It was a stark contrast from the results achieved by the left-arm orthodox Sulieman Benn, who grabbed five wickets in Australia’s first innings.”They’re different style of bowlers,” Johnson said. “Benn’s a tall guy and gets a bit more bounce maybe than Hauritz and North. We bowled pretty good in patches and we had two spinners bowling at one stage and going pretty well. I think we did a fairly good job.”Only time will tell whether eight wickets on the fourth day will be enough for Australia. If not, they’ll be desperately hoping Hilfenhaus’ knee has improved in time for the third Test in Perth next week.
New Zealand might be the defending world champions but the trans-Tasman Rose Bowl is still out of their grasp after their six-wicket loss to Australia today at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln University
Lynn McConnell25-Dec-2009New Zealand might be the defending world champions but the trans-Tasman Rose Bowl is still out of their grasp after their six-wicket loss to Australia today at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln University.Today’s game combined the Rose Bowl and the last round of preliminary games in the World Series of Women’s Cricket and the Australians were able to achieve an unbeaten run through the tournament before the final on Saturday.From the moment New Zealand, who chose to bat first, lost Rebecca Rolls for one and Emily Drumm for eight, they were in strife.While Michelle Lynch (28), Maia Lewis (43), Haidee Tiffen (28) and Aimee Mason (33) all got going with some sensible but, inevitably, catch-up runs, the early losses, and then the loss of the last five wickets for nine runs in the space of 14 balls meant New Zealand’s 174 was hardly going to be competitive.It was Cathryn Fitzpatrick, the most prolific wicket-taker of the women’s cricket world who claimed the third five-wicket bag of her career, and the first against New Zealand, and Emma Twining, who achieved the best figures of her brief career with three for 31, who took control of the game.Fitzpatrick claimed both Rolls, leg before wicket, and Drumm, caught at gully and then sat back while other bowlers did their work in maintaining the pressure on the middle-order before coming back to more than pick off the crumbs at the end.Then it was the Belinda Clark-Lisa Sthalekar Show as they scored a record for the first wicket for the Australians against New Zealand of 125 before Clark was bowled for 67, scored off 87 balls, just three short of the 4000 run mark which has only been achieved by New Zealander Debbie Hockley in the past.Clark scored her 27th half century in One-Day Internationals off 68 balls while the pair brought up their 100-run stand off 126 balls in only 67 minutes.When Clark was out Sthalekar carried on and scored her third ODI 50, off 73 balls.New Zealand did have some satisfaction in removing Karen Rolton by virtue of a run out when she had scored 10 runs, although there was some concern that Rebecca Steele had knocked the wickets with her foot and removed a bail before taking off the remaining bail with the ball.Steele’s performance was one of the few points of satisfaction for New Zealand as the 18-year-old convert to left-arm spin bowling took two wickets for 29 runs in the first big test of her fledgling career.Clark said the Australians had set their sights on improving in every match they play in the competition and today had been the most solid performance they had strung together.While New Zealand was much more obviously trying to rebuild a side for the next World Cup, Australia too, had come to the tournament with three new players although Clark said Australia seemed to be able to fill holes in their side very quickly.Clark said she felt she was hitting the ball better than she was at the start of the tournament, and she had been guilty of throwing her wicket away a couple of times.Picking up Rolls and Drumm had been vital today, just as it was in their first round game and it was a clear sign that their strategy to both players was working.Clark said she felt Fitzpatrick had bowled as well in the last two years as she had at any other stage of her career.”And she has got such a good foil in Emma Twining,” she said.Clark thought the idea of a World Series had been a good one and it was a chance to play a lot of cricket over a period long enough to give everyone in the squad a game.”It is a terrific initiative and it is working well,” she said.Drumm said it had been very hard to build an innings when three top batsmen were out by the time 50 runs had been scored.”You can see two different teams out there,” she said.One team had great focus with pace and accuracy in their attack and one team that was trying to introduce people but who were not players capable of putting pressure on in the manner of the Australians.”We had very few options and their bowlers gave us nothing. There is a gulf in quality between the sides,” she said.The Australians were playing very good cricket and it was obvious they lifted themselves against New Zealand because when they played England and India they made mistakes that were never seen against New Zealand.”They are still beatable but we need to play to the top of our abilities to beat them,” she said.Drumm said the way the Australians batted at the start of their innings, the New Zealanders felt like bystanders for the first 10 overs.She did feel that Steele had been the find of the tournament for New Zealand and had done well in her first big test against the Australians.”She is a consistent bowler who varies her pace without bowling bad deliveries,” she said.
Mashrafe Mortaza’s departure for New Zealand has been delayed owing to a bout of fever
Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2010Mashrafe Mortaza’s departure for New Zealand has been delayed owing to a bout of fever. He was due to leave Dhaka this evening along with team-mates Shahadat Hossain, Mahmudullah and Aftab Ahmed to link up with the limited-overs squad.The Bangladesh Cricket Board did not confirm when Mortaza, who was recalled to the Bangladesh limited-overs squad after a seven-month lay-off, would depart.Mortaza underwent knee surgery after the tour of the West Indies last year and was forced to miss the home Tests against India and the tri-series, also featuring Sri Lanka. He was officially named captain before the team departed for the West Indies but since the first Test of that tour, when he suffered the injury, Shakib Al Hasan has led the team in his absence.The tour begins on February 3 with a one-off Twenty20, followed by three ODIs.
The IPL has tweaked the much-derided timeout system, with each team now able to call for a two-and-a-half minute break once any time during each innings
Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2010The IPL has tweaked the timeout system it introduced last season, with each team now able to call for a two-and-a-half minute break once any time during each innings. It is a more flexible system than in the previous year, when there was a seven-and-a-half minute break at the end of the 10th over of an innings.”The timeout will allow teams to confer amongst themselves at crucial time in the game as needed,” Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said on his Twitter feed. “It will help them re-strategise.”The previous timeout system had come in for criticism from several quarters, including Sachin Tendulkar, who said it hampered the momentum of a team in a Twenty20 match.On a day when Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne raised concerns about playing in the IPL this year during to security threats, Modi emphasised that the tournament’s organisers are working hard on ensuring players’ safety. “Security is always our top-most priority,” he said. “All our actions over the years have demonstrated that. We are working with all round the clock.”Security fears regarding the IPL have intensified over the past few days after a string of statements from the 313 Brigade, Al-Qaeda’s operational arm in Pakistan, issued a warning to “the international community” not to send its representatives to major sports events being staged in India, including the IPL.