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An update has emerged regarding the transfer status of Everton midfielder Andre Gomes.

What’s the talk?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees could cash in on the 28-year-old as one of numerous fringe players being placed on the chopping block to raise funds for Rafa Benitez.

The report claims that the Spaniard wants to make more additions to his squad before the end of the transfer window, with the Portuguese midfielder potentially being sold to make way for new arrivals.

Time to go

Marcel Brands must ruthlessly axe Gomes from the squad as quickly as possible this summer. It is time for him to go after a string of poor performances for the Toffees last season and the Everton chief must work hard to find him a new club for next season.

The Portuguese international averaged a lowly WhoScored rating of 6.46 in the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign. In 28 appearances, he managed just one assist and zero goals, whilst he averaged 0.4 interceptions and was dribbled past 1.5 times per game.

This shows that his overall displays were lacking in quality and he was not able to make up for that with his defensive or offensive work on the pitch. Therefore, he has not done enough to warrant a spot in the starting XI and should be sold in order to make way for a fresh addition.

Everton journalist Chris Beesley criticised Gomes last year and pointed out that he is not adept at running about the pitch. He said: “Andre Gomes, he’s your deep-lying midfielder and running is not his forte.

“When he is on form – and he hasn’t, unfortunately, been in recent weeks – you want him to pick a pass and open up the defence – take possession from deep and get things moving.

“He’s not that sort of player who’s going to dribble at the opposition. So, yeah, I thought it was strange [to have] almost like five central midfielders on the pitch at one time.”

ESPN reported earlier this year that Carlo Ancelotti was eyeing up replacements for the £112k-per-week flop as he wanted to bring in an upgrade on the midfielder this summer. He had hoped to bring in Juventus beast Adrien Rabiot to take the former Barcelona man’s place in the team, although there has been no update on that particular pursuit recently.

The Italian ultimately left to join Real Madrid, but Benitez could now follow through on Ancelotti’s plans by axing Gomes from the squad. Ancelotti clearly did not see enough from the Portugal midfielder and the time is right to cash in on him before signing a replacement.

AND in other news, Brands must “raise the bar” by landing “phenomenal” £195k-p/w colossus for Everton…

A round-up of the opening matches of the county season from Division Two of the Championship

Cricinfo staff16-Apr-2009After a winless season in 2008, Surrey may have hoped for a more promising start than this in their bid for an immediate return to top-flight cricket. Play may have been restricted to a mere 17 overs on another soggy day at The Oval, but in that time they still contrived to spiral to 18 for 3 in their first innings, having earlier claimed Gloucestershire’s last two wickets in a total of 333. James Franklin started the rot with the scalps of both openers, Michael Brown and Laurie Evans, before Jon Lewis removed Matt Spriegel for a duck. Usman Afzaal and Jon Batty saw them to the close without further loss, but they’ve got a lot of recovering to do yet.A mere 22.4 overs were possible on the second day at Chelmsford, which was enough time for David Masters and Chris Wright to claim Derbyshire’s last three wickets for 20 runs in 9.4 overs. Wright grabbed each of the last two batsmen for figures of 4 for 86, leaving Varun Chopra and Jason Gallian 13 overs to negotiate before the close. They did so without being separated in a stand of 29.No play was possible on the second day between Northamptonshire and Leicestershire at Grace Road.

England’s momentum shows no sign of slowing after their impressive six-wicket win at Bristol and now their aim is to wrap up this one-day series in style at Edgbaston before moving onto the ICC World Twenty20

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan25-May-2009Match factsTuesday May 26
Start time 10.45 (9.45GMT)Big PictureEngland’s momentum shows no sign of slowing after their impressive six-wicket win at Bristol and now their aim is to wrap up the one-day series in style at Edgbaston before moving onto the ICC World Twenty20. What will be even more pleasing for the management was that England won convincingly without Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.The bowling was impressive throughout, led by James Anderson and Stuart Broad, with Paul Collingwood nipping in with three key wickets. Andrew Strauss had a superb day in the field, too, when he introduced Graeme Swann against a charging Chris Gayle and the move paid off when Gayle missed a wild swing.As good as England were, though, West Indies were awful. Their shot selection was woeful, the running poor and the general application gave a further impression of a team that isn’t bothered. The decision to rest Fidel Edwards was also strange on one of the quickest pitches of the season so far. If Gayle can turn on the style in Birmingham they could yet level the series, but don’t bet on it.Form guide (most recent first)England WAWWL
West Indies LALLWWatch out for…Graeme Swann is having a great time of things at the moment and has the wood over a number of West Indies batsmen. When his first ball at Bristol was planted over long-on by Gayle, Swann didn’t panic and removed the West Indies captain next ball. Gayle is unlikely to hold back if faced with Swann again, so this duel could have a second chapter in the final game. Strauss certainly won’t be afraid of throwing Swann the ball.The one West Indies player who can hold their head high is Dwayne Bravo after he made an attractive half century and bowled with heart. But as hard as he tried he couldn’t rouse his team-mates out of their slumber. Without a doubt, his return strengthens the team, but he needs much more support than was shown on Sunday.Team newsUnless the England management want to have a look at Ryan Sidebottom and Ian Bell there seems little reason to change a winning side. This will be Strauss’s last match as captain before the Ashes – he hands over the captaincy to Paul Collingwood for the World Twenty20.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Ravi Bopara, 3 Matt Prior (wk), 4 Owais Shah, 5 Paul Collingwood 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Tim Bresnan, 11 James AndersonWest Indies surely must look to make some changes. Lendl Simmons is struggling with his technique against the moving ball and they really need the strike power of Fidel Edwards. The sensible swap would be to open with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but he appears reluctant for the role.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Sulieman Benn, 10 Fidel EdwardsPitch and conditionsEdgbaston pitches this season have been slow and low with little on offer for the bowlers, but international surfaces have always tended to offer more than those for domestic cricket. The forecast looks good with just a slim chance of a shower.Stats and TriviaEngland have never won consecutive one-day series against West Indies.The teams have met four times at Edgbaston with the head-to-head standing at 2-2. West Indies won the previous meeting in 2007 by 61 runs with Shivarnine Chanderpaul hitting 116 not out and Ravi Rampaul taking 4 for 41.Quotes”There’s a really good feeling in the camp, and each time you win there’s more depth to that feeling.”
“We did not handle ourselves very well and we will have to put up a better fight. I still have confidence in the guys to go out there and pull out a victory.”

South Africa’s vice-captain, Ashwell Prince, has admitted guilt and apologised for his behaviour after breaching Cricket South Africa’s code of conduct

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2008South Africa’s vice-captain, Ashwell Prince, has admitted guilt and apologised for his behaviour after breaching Cricket South Africa’s code of conduct while playing for the Warriors against the Dolphins in Durban last week.Prince was reported by the on-field umpires Murray Brown and Zed Ndamane for conduct that was “unbecoming or detrimental … which could bring them, the board or the game of cricket into disrepute.”He was severely reprimanded by CSA Disciplinary Commissioner, Adv. Michael Kuper, SC, in absentia in Johannesburg on Tuesday, but his previous clean playing record was taken into account when the verdict was handed down.

Ravi Bopara doesn’t lack confidence and is taking his surprise promotion to England’s No. 3 position in his stride. He has been one of the few English successes at the IPL, but will board a flight home on Thursday to take a major step forward in his inter

Sriram Veera30-Apr-2009Ravi Bopara doesn’t lack confidence and is taking his surprise promotion to England’s No. 3 position in his stride. He has been one of the few English successes at the IPL but will board a flight home on Thursday night to take a major step forward in his international career.Bopara, 23, got a call yesterday morning announcing his selection and said the celebration was mixed with disappointment at leaving Kings XI Punjab. “You get a regular call from the ECB when you get selected,” Bopara said. “I didn’t jump around or anything. I was kind of expecting to be picked. When you first get selected for England you jump around – I did – but this time I just took it in my stride. I am obviously very happy but a little disappointed in having to leaving Punjab in the middle of the campaign.”He is yet to get in touch with his mentor Graham Gooch but said he will meet up with the former England opener once he lands in England. “He is the person I turn to for advice as he knows me really well,” Bopara said. “I always look at the best players and their videos to see how they do what they do and I like to learn myself. But Gooch has been a great help.”What was the best piece of advice he got from Gooch? “He told me to take my bowling seriously and I am glad I listened to it. That, I think, is what got me into the England side. “Bopara has been in good form in the IPL and said he won’t be needing any special preparation to face the West Indian bowlers. ” It’s just a game of bat and ball at the end of the day. Watch the ball and play the ball. I won’t try to be extra positive or put any extra pressure on myself. If it’s a short wide ball or a half volley I will try to hit it.”I am a guy who likes to look a bit at the opposition bowlers but I have faced this West Indian attack before. I also have faced Fidel Edwards before. So there won’t be any great preparation.”England lost the Test series in West Indies but Bopara reckons they will be better opposition at home. “We stand a good chance. Yes, it won’t be easy as we are missing quality people like Flintoff and Harmison but I hope our boys can do it. We are very good at home.”Any special routine before facing that first ball at Lord’s? “I would like to see the first ball from the hand. Look at the ball and react to what’s bowled. But you see there are times when you are not timing well, you miss out on the bad balls, you don’t feel comfortable but generally those are the days you score runs as you work harder and stay in the bubble a bit more.”

West Ham have moved one step closer to securing their second signing of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

It’s believed that the Irons have agreed on a €30m (£25.7m) deal to sign Kurt Zouma from Chelsea and that the 26-year-old has also accepted personal terms, as per The Athletic.

And according to ExWHUemployee, the French international has completed his medical in Paris ahead of his proposed move to the London Stadium.

“I have heard that Zouma has completed his medical in France but as I suspected would happen, they want to verify the results with doctors that are based in London and have completed our medicals before,” he revealed to ‘The West Ham Way’ Patreon site.”Should Zouma sign he will become the highest-paid player at the club, so the chairman wants to make sure that he is getting complete value for money.”Therefore despite the ‘done dealers’ calling it, the move will not be confirmed today but could be tomorrow.”As said in the last update though he will probably not be available for the Palace game anyway so the race to beat the deadline is irrelevant because the player will stay in France due to his international call up.” Exciting news

It remains to be seen exactly how much Zouma will be earning in east London, with fringe winger Andriy Yarmolenko thought to be the current top-earner at the club on a reported £115k-per-week, via Sportrac.

As a player with 200 appearances across the Premier League and UEFA’s European competitions, two league titles and a Champions League to his name, the salary is very justifiable.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-much-more-2” title= “Read the latest West Ham team and injury news, transfer rumours, gossip and much, much more!”]

He should walk straight into David Moyes’ starting XI when he does arrive at the Hammers and that experience will be crucial during their imminent Europa League run.

This latest update from Ex will leave much of the Irons faithful absolutely buzzing as it means they’ve not just finally signed another player but also got the manager his top central defensive target.

We know from signings like Jesse Lingard on loan, Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal that when the Scotsman likes a player, he should be trusted.

A lot of supporters were also very keen to see this one over the line – as relayed by Hammers.News, for example, one fan pleaded with the board to pay up to sign him, whilst another claimed Zouma would be a “big upgrade” on current first-choice Craig Dawson.

It may only be a small sample size but that is the general consensus around West Ham right now, so given this news that the signing is on the verge of being announced, many fans will be ever so thrilled.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rice: West Ham must seal bargain move for “unplayable” £60k-p/w colossus…

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an exciting Arsenal transfer update about the terms of their deal to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu on deadline day.

What’s the story?

The Gunners rounded off their summer transfer window by signing the Japan international from Serie A side Bologna, and now Romano has revealed the cost of the deal.

Writing on Twitter, he revealed: “Official and confirmed. Takehiro Tomiyasu joins Arsenal on a permanent move from Bologna for €18m. Paperworks signed, deal completed. #AFC #DeadlineDay”

Arsenal fans will be buzzing

At just €18m (£15.5m), Tomiyasu certainly isn’t the most expensive player Arsenal have brought in this summer, but once again, he fits the bill in terms of the kind of profile of player they are looking for: young, lots of potential and with versatility too.

The Japanese ace is just 22, and can play anywhere across the back-line and in holding midfield too, and he could quite feasibly play as a right-back or as the right-sided centre-back in a back-three if Arteta chooses to go down that route.

His teammate at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Mitchell Dijks, dubbed him “very strong” and a “true Japanese warrior” at a press conference, via Tuttosport.

In fact, speaking about the defender’s potential, former Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said: “He is a complete player and Bologna got a real bargain with Tomiyasu. He’s a good player and was compared to Maya Yoshida, who has been playing in Europe for a decade. He’s got the quality to be a real star.”

And, speaking after confirmation of the signing, Arteta himself said: “Takehiro is a strong defender with good experience in Serie A and at international level. He’s a versatile defender with great defensive qualities, high technical ability and composure on the ball. He will be an important member of our squad. We look forward to Takehiro joining up with us when he returns from international duty.”

Romano’s update that Tomiyasu will just £15.5m, especially in this market where the Gunners spent £50m on someone like Ben White, is sure to have Arsenal fans buzzing.

Not only does the low fee ensure the pressure and scrutiny on the Japanese defender is much lower than the pressure on White, but it also allows the Gunners to chance to make a genuine profit on him if he were to really develop and another side comes in for him in the future.

A win-win all round.

Barny Mohammed, the Uganda coach, is confident that their recent performance in Kenya has put his team on the right course ahead of the forthcoming Division 3 of the World Cricket League

Cricinfo staff13-Jan-2009Barny Mohammed, the Uganda coach, is confident that their recent performance in Kenya has put his team on the right course ahead of the forthcoming Division 3 of the World Cricket League.Uganda arrived home on Monday, losing two of their three matches but only by a slim margin. On Sunday at the Gymkhana in Nairobi, Uganda’s spinners ripped out Kenya’s top batsmen to leave the home side struggling at 180 for 8. The visitors didn’t have enough firepower to seal the match but Mohammed was nevertheless impressed.”I think we played very well,” he told . “After winning the first match, I thought we were very unlucky in Sunday’s game as we dropped crucial catches which would have given us the victory.”Uganda only managed 203, with Joel Olweny making 52 and Frank Nsubuga 37. “We got 200 plus against the Kenyan senior side and that was very impressive,” Mohammed added.Division 3 of the World Cricket League kicks off on January 24 in Buenos Aires, with Uganda taking on one of the favourites, Afghanistan, on the opening day.

Bengal seem to have hit on a winning formula in the Ranji Trophy Plate League: bundle out the opposition cheaply, take a significant lead and then let the bowlers complete an innings rout

Cricinfo staff05-Dec-2008
ScorecardBengal seem to have hit on a winning formula in the Ranji Trophy Plate League: bundle out the opposition cheaply, take a significant lead and then let the bowlers complete an innings rout. The method worked in their previous two games, and the process was set in motion against Assam by Ranadeb Bose’s second first-innings’ five-wicket haul in as many matches.Assam, three points behind second-placed Bengal – both have a game in hand compared to Group B leaders Madhya Pradesh after their first-round clash was postponed – chose to bat, but they perhaps did the opposition a favour. After 12.2 overs, they were reeling on 15 for 5: one batsmen bowled, two leg-before and two caught behind off Bose’s bowling.Dhiraj Goswami made a quickfire 21-ball 17 to push the scoring along, but it was only wicketkeeper K Saikia’s 31 at No. 10 that took them to 86. He was last man out, giving Ashok Dinda his third wicket for the innings.Bengal’s batsmen, though, faltered during their reply, with a triple-strike from left-arm spinner Anand Katti reducing them to 42 for 4 before Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha took them into the lead. Saha fell for 28, but Tiwary was unbeaten on 40 as Bengal ended the day on 118 for 5.

South Africa need another 153 runs to overturn two decades of Australian dominance at home

The Bulletin by Peter English29-Dec-2008South Africa 459 & 0 for 30 (Smith 25*) need another 153 runs to beat Australia 394 & 247 (Ponting 99, Steyn 5-67)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Dale Steyn’s 5 for 67 rocked Australia’s second innings and gave South Africa a strong chance of victory on the final day © PA Photos
South Africa need another 153 runs to overturn two decades of Australian dominance at home after Dale Steyn continued his heroics by earning 10 wickets for the game. Steyn, who took 5 for 87 and then scored 76 in the first innings, backed up with 5 for 67 and was responsible for ending Australia’s tiny chance for a series-levelling victory.Ricky Ponting’s almost lone hand of 99 extended the small advantage to 182 and was the only bright spot, apart from Mitchell Johnson’s unbeaten 43, on another horrible day for the home side. Australia have not lost a series in their backyard since West Indies toppled them in 1992-93, but if the predicted rain stays away on Tuesday South Africa can dethrone the world champions.Once Australia were dismissed for 247, South Africa had to negotiate six overs before stumps and Graeme Smith did it easily while reducing the target by 30. Smith off-drove Brett Lee’s first offering for four and hit another four boundaries in his 25 from 19, while Neil McKenzie, who was bowled by a Lee no-ball, made it through with 3.While Steyn led the charge through a self-destructive batting line-up, Ponting tried to hold things together with his second outstanding display of the game. However, he was becalmed in the 90s and spent 40 minutes there before chipping a catch to Smith at cover off Morne Morkel. He left with a straight face, most supporters at the ground were disappointed, and the South Africans knew they were nearly there.After allowing the visitors a sensational comeback on the third day, Australia suffered an awful start when their first three batsmen departed before they had erased the 65-run deficit. Steyn captured Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich in two overs in the morning and then returned to knock over Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds in six balls to limit the recovery. He bowled in short spells but each time he returned the batsmen were uncomfortable and his haul, which was completed when Peter Siddle edged to Mark Boucher, pushed him to 74 wickets for the year.Ponting is the only great in Australia’s team playing like one and he did his best to keep the side in with a hope of setting a threatening victory target. However, with his partners exiting to rash shots on a firm pitch, Ponting was battling two teams. He did the best for his outfit and was unfortunate to miss becoming the only person to score twin centuries four times.At lunch Ponting had no boundaries in 32, but he picked up seven in the second session as he drove and pulled superbly. There were plays and misses and crisp straight fours in the same over as Ponting carried on his fine form after 101 on the opening day. After tea he was more subdued as the task turned to batting for time while slowly expanding the lead. The lack of freedom and a tighter field eventually cost him.Smart Stats Dale Steyn’s match figures of 10 for 154 took his career tally to 150 from 29 Tests at an average of 22.66 and a strike rate of 37.6 balls per wicket. Among bowlers who’ve bowled 2000 balls in Tests, Steyn’s strike rate is second to George Lohmann’s. Steyn is also the 22nd cricketer – and the second South African, after Fanie de Villiers – to score a half-century and take ten wickets in the same match. He is only the second to do this since 2000. Ricky Ponting became the second batsman to score a century and 99 in the same Test. Geoff Boycott had scored 99 and 112 against West Indies in Port of Spain in 1974. Jacques Kallis became the first allrounder to score 9000 runs and take 250 wickets, and the fourth South African to take 250 wickets. If South Africa pull off the win, it will be the first instance of successive home defeats for Australia since 1992-93 against West Indies, which is also the last time they lost a home series. Ponting had taken the side ahead 35 minutes before lunch and was the most comfortable by far of a struggling outfit. The picture was more promising for Australia during his bright 96-run combination with Clarke (29), but when it ended with Clarke’s cut straight to McKenzie at cover there was more trouble.Steyn struck again five balls later when Symonds edged for a second time towards Jacques Kallis, who picked up a fine take at second slip. Australia were 5 for 145 and the lead was a meagre 80. Brad Haddin could not restrain himself and flashed at a wide delivery from Makhaya Ntini on 10 in another example of poor decision-making. Kallis (2 for 57) popped in to bowl Lee and Nathan Hauritz and Morkel, whose bounce was testing, picked up 2 for 46.Hayden’s position becomes more doubtful by the innings and he started the day wanting to attack, speeding to 23 off 28 balls with a mixture of encouraging and frightening shots. Just as he looked to be feeling comfortable, hitting two fours from a Steyn over, he went for another and drove to JP Duminy at short cover. He showed slightly more emotion than usual as he left the field.Steyn was then able to entice Katich (15) into slashing at an almost unreachable delivery outside off stump. The hosts were still 16 behind when Hussey’s unfortunate match continued with him being the victim of an Aleem Dar mistake. Morkel’s searing bouncer thudded into Hussey’s helmet and deflected high to Hashim Amla at square leg; Dar was convinced the ball had brushed Hussey’s glove. It missed it by a long way, and Hussey left in a disappointed daze, rocking back his head as Ponting shook his.After a missed catch on Sunday, when Hussey didn’t get close to a ball stuck in front of the sun, he didn’t deserve any more embarrassment. He scored 2 and took his collection in the past four innings to 10, a return worse than Hayden’s. With two major batsmen faltering, and Symonds and Lee injured, the assignment of beating a committed outfit has become too hard.South Africa have out-played, out-fought and out-thought their opponents in a way that is shocking for those who have grown used to Australia’s position. Over the past three months Ponting’s men have showed they are not even the second-best team in the world.