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Newcastle United’s pursuit of Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury has taken a fresh twist on transfer deadline day.

What’s the story?

Having only clinched the permanent signing of Joe Willock, it’s been no surprise that Steve Bruce’s side have looked to be active on the final day of the summer transfer window.

Writing initially on Twitter on Tuesday morning, The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards said: “#nufc are close to signing Hamza Choudhury on loan, this are more details will be on the @TeleFootball live blog shortly. It’s all kicking off. Will also have another story online later today.”

But then, a short while later, he tweeted: “Someone now appears to be briefing that Choudhury is not signing and business is done in this window. That would mean Bruce has been denied a loan he thought he could have. Whatever you think of him, this is scandalous. Leicester thought this was happening. So did player #nufc”

He added: “And by someone I mean the club… I predict trouble ahead.”

Fans will be fuming

If a move for Choudhury has broken down just a short while after it all seemed that he was set to arrive at St James’ Park, then it would be the latest in a long set of disasters under Mike Ashley.

As Edwards himself says, it’s certainly a “scandalous” situation that is sure to have Bruce and the club’s fans fuming.

What went on behind the scenes for it to collapse remains to be seen at the moment, but it’s clear that a late transfer twist has denied the Magpies a young, English midfielder with plenty of Premier League experience in his time with the Foxes over the past few years.

A loan deal for the season would have bolstered Bruce’s options in the middle of the park, and given a combative presence in the engine room – as per Whoscored, he’s averaged over 1.2 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game in his career thus far.

The fact that Bruce himself admitted in recent days and weeks that only loan deals would be the most likely for the Magpies in terms of incomings, but now finds himself in a situation where he had one lined up, but has seen it taken away from him, is frustrating to say the least.

Not only will Bruce be gutted, but fans will surely be livid at how things have played out on transfer deadline day regarding Choudhury.

Meanwhile, Lee Ryder has dropped an intriguing transfer claim…

Wynne Bradburn, who played two Tests for New Zealand against South Africa in 1963-64, has died at the age of 69

Cricinfo staff06-Oct-2008Wynne Bradburn, who played two Tests for New Zealand against South Africa in 1963-64, has died at the age of 69. He suffered a fatal heart attack hours after the funeral of his wife of 48-years who died five days earlier.Bradburn started his career with Northern Districts as a middle-order batsman but his success came after he switched to opening. His call-up against South Africa was something of a surprise, given his form that season had not been outstanding and he had yet to score his maiden first-class hundred.He made 32 in his first Test and 2 and 14 in the second. By the time the side came to be chosen for the 1965 England tour he was out of the reckoning. The following summer he made his only hundred, 107 against Auckland.His son, Grant, also played Test cricket for New Zealand, one of only seven father-and-son pairings to do so.”He could have gone at any stage, he wasn’t feeling very well on the day,” Grant told the New Zealand Herald. “He told one of our cousins that he just wanted to jump into the grave on Thursday. I guess he felt his time was done and he wanted to be with mum.”It was a huge shock for as all. He said to me moments before he died that he was very, very proud of the send-off we gave our mum. We’re just thankful that he got through [her] funeral.”

Leicester City could secure their ideal heir to former club captain Wes Morgan this summer after being linked with a move for West Ham United defender Issa Diop.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Mail, the 24-year-old centre-back is on Leicester’s wish list as Brendan Rodgers looks to add strength in depth to his defence.

The Foxes have been in the market for a new central defender all summer following Morgan’s retirement, and a serious injury picked up by Wesley Fofana has further increased their need for reinforcements.

Heir to Wes Morgan

After departing boyhood club Toulouse in a £22m deal three years ago, Diop settled into life on English shores well, quickly establishing himself in the Irons’ starting XI. The 6 ft 3 gem made 33 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign, earning numerous plaudits from impressed onlookers, including then-Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.

“Their centre-backs had a fantastic match,” said Mourinho following the Hammers’ 3-1 victory over United back in 2018. “Congratulations to the scout who found Diop, a monster who dictated everything.”However, the former France under-21 defender has struggled to build on his early promise in east London. The likes of Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna moved ahead of Diop in David Moyes’ pecking order last season, limiting the youngster to just 15 top-flight starts.It’s led to speculation that Diop could seek pastures new this summer, and the King Power Stadium could be the ideal destination for him.

Morgan’s decision to hang up his boots has left a sizeable gap in the Leicester backline, while Rodgers has cultivated an enviable reputation of developing promising young talent throughout his managerial career.

The Foxes legend proved to be a no-nonsense centre-half during his time at the club, notably averaging 4.2 headers won and 4.7 clearances per game in the 2018/19 season. In the same campaign, the West Ham giant won 2.3 headers and made 3.7 clearances per match, also illustrating his reliability at the back.

The combination of a new challenge, regular game-time and working under the Northern Irishman could be the perfect cocktail that Diop needs to rediscover his best form.

Therefore, Leicester director of football Jon Rudkin must swoop for the Frenchman in the current transfer window, providing Rodgers will the squad depth required to fight on multiple fronts and giving him a worthy heir to club legend Morgan.

In other news… Get it done: Rudkin must sanction LCFC swoop for £22.5m-rated gem, he’s a “top player” 

Cricket Australia have thanked the Rajasthan Cricket Association for the facilities offered to the Australian team at their academy in Jaipur

Cricinfo staff26-Sep-2008
Greg Chappell would do well to improve Ricky Ponting’s Test average in India © AFP
Cricket Australia has thanked the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) for the facilities offered to the Australian team at their academy in Jaipur. Australia are acclimatising to Indian conditions at the RCA Academy, where Greg Chappell, appointed the team’s assistant coach for the tour, is an advisor.”It is important for any touring cricket team to acclimatise to the conditions before a big series and we’re grateful to the Rajasthan Cricket Association for the hospitality they have extended to Australia and the high quality of the facilities on offer at RCA’s Academy in Jaipur,” Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s acting chief executive, said. “We look forward to extending the same courtesies to India when they next tour Australia as part of the successful and ongoing bilateral relationship between Cricket Australia and the BCCI.”However, the move to provide the Australian team the best hospitality hasn’t gone down too well with a few BCCI officials. “We won’t get this kind of facilities if India went abroad, we would have got the bare minimum,” Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said. “RCA is being a little too obliging to the Australian team, they have done more than what a host country will do.”However Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president and RCA president, said it provided Rajasthan’s players a chance to interact with members of the No. 1 Test team. “I don’t see anything wrong in it. This is a unique year in that Australia had time on their hands with the cancellation of the Champions Trophy,” Modi said. “I saw no reason to deny them.”If we have time on hand and approach the Australians they will respond positively and provide us with top-class facilities at the Australian Centre of Excellence [in Brisbane],” Modi said. “I also look at it in another way. The Rajasthan boys preparing for the domestic Ranji season have got the chance to train with the world’s best team free of cost.”Australia have been based in Jaipur since September 22, and play a two-day warm-up game against the RCA Centre of Excellence starting on the 27th.

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…

Alok Kapali’s dazzling 97-ball 115 against India on Saturday could well prove to be the watershed of his career

Cricinfo staff29-Jun-2008
Alok Kapali takes the aerial route on the way to his maiden hundred © AFP
Alok Kapali’s dazzling 97-ball 115 against India on Saturday could well prove to be the watershed of his career. He couldn’t have chosen a better time to come good after he was recalled to the squad after close to two years as a replacement for the injured Aftab Ahmed in the Kitply Cup earlier this month.Kapali said he was confident coming into the Asia Cup considering his record while playing in Pakistan. “I had made some runs and taken a hat-trick when I was here the last time [in 2003]. I was just at the right place to start all over again,” Kapali told TigerCricket.com. “My late father believed in reincarnation and, from my cricket’s perspective, I hope this is a new beginning also.”He failed to get a berth in the squad during Dav Whatmore’s time as Bangladesh coach, but he blamed the situation on his own form. “I can’t blame Dav or anyone for that. I was not scoring runs and had to accept the fact that I was out of the Bangladesh team. I held no grudges. In fact, I always wished the team well when they were playing,” Kapali said. “When I was out of form, I spoke to coaches and players about what I should be doing. Maybe I tried too many things after listening to them. That did not help at all, and I became a confused cricketer.”Kapali, however, attributed the turn-around in his fortunes to himself. “I identified the weaknesses in my batting myself. There were slight changes I had to make technically,” he said. “Earlier I went across too much early on and that brought about my downfall often. I practised playing with a straight bat and made runs in the National Championship and the Dhaka Premier League this season.”There were two distinct phases in Kapali’s knock. He played with a defensive approach on the way to his first fifty, which came off 65 balls, after which he cut loose, needing only 21 balls more to reach his hundred.”All the while I was thinking of the team score and did not for once look at my score. I planned my innings and followed the team management’s instructions,” he said. “I knew that if I was there after 40 overs then I could play those big shots.”Rather than getting carried away, Kapali was focused on the challenges that lay ahead. “There is so much work to be done. I was out of the national set-up for a long time, almost two years, and now I need to earn my place again. I have to improve my fitness level also as I have not trained in the same pace as the national team. There is a lot of catching up to do.”

Round-up of the second day’s matches from the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Elite

Cricinfo staff27-Jul-2008Group BKuwait’s No. 9, Mohammad Ahsan, scored an unbeaten 91 and added 96 runs with last man Saad Khaliq, who stuck it out for 32 balls to score a run, to take them to an astonishing one-wicket win over Singapore at the Kinrara Academy Oval. Singapore had relied on half-centuries from Chetan Suryawanshi (65 off 68) and Monish Arora (62 off 124), and some generous bowling from Kuwait’s bowlers, who conceded 32 extras, to post 237 for 9. Kuwait stuttered to 70 for 5, but a 64-run stand between Hisham Mirza (47) and Mohammad Javed kept them in the hunt. Singapore then grabbed four wickets for eight runs to leave then just a wicket away from victory. But the late-order heroics from Ahsan, who smashed seven sixes and eight fours, took Kuwait to an unlikely triumph.Unbeaten half-centuries from Gyanendra Malla (76 not out) and Sharad Vesawkar (51 not out), and their 126-run stand, took Nepal to a comfortable seven-wicket win against Qatar at the Royal Military College ground. Choosing to bat, Qatar began slowly, making just 46 in the first 15 overs. Their captain, Omer Taj, made 48 off 77 balls, but did not receive much support from the middle order. Rusharat Ali, the wicketkeeper, struck an unbeaten 40 as Qatar were eventually bowled out for 171. Shakti Gauchan, a legspinner, and seamer Basata Negmi took three wickets each. A double-strike from Abbas Khan gave Nepal early jitters as they fell to 46 for 3, but Malla and Vesawkar combined to dash Qatar’s hopes.Group AUAE, led by a three-wicket haul from the legspinner Riaz Khaliq, bowled well to restrict Afghanistan to 214, a score they overhauled in 47.1 overs to register a three-wicket win at the Bayuemas Oval. Nowroz Mangal, the Afghanistan captain, led the way with a 67-ball 55, adding 74 runs for the first wicket with Karim Khan (33). Mohammad Nabi, the No. 5 batsman, also contributed with an aggressive 40. UAE suffered an early setback when they lost opener Mohammad Iqbal for 8, but Arshad Ali’s patient 127-ball 62, and a 61-ball 42 from Khurram Khan put them on track for victory. With wickets falling regularly toward the end, Mohammad Tauqir blitzed five fours in an unbeaten 24 to finish off the match.Bahrain built on Azeem-ul-Haq’s 79 and some telling contributions from the lower order to amass 335, before skittling out Saudi Arabia for just 137 in their crushing 198-run win at the Selangor Turf Club. Saudi Arabia’s decision to field first seemed to have worked when Bahrain collapsed to 77 for 3, but Imran Sajjad blasted 62 off 54 balls to reclaim the initiative. Bahrain kept up a good run rate, but they had lost half their side by the 27th over with 159 runs on the board. Azeem partnered Tahir Dar (35) and Akmal Malik (23) take them past 300. Saudi Arabia were completely undone in their chase, with the only resistance coming from Suhrab Kilsingatakam, who made 52. The pick of the Bahrain bowlers were Halal Abbasi and Fahad Sadeq, who took three wickets apiece.

Jacob Oram has expressed concern over his team’s security ahead of their three-match ODI series in Pakistan in late August

Cricinfo staff07-Jun-2008
Jacob Oram is yet to decide on whether he will tour Pakistan © Getty Images
Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, has expressed concern over his team’s security ahead of their three-match ODI series in Pakistan in late August, which precedes the Champions Trophy.”It [security] is a massive issue for players and everyone concerned. It [the tour] is still a while away … nothing in my head’s been made up either way,” Oram told . “I’ll really have to sit down with my wife and family and make decisions.”NZPA reported that the issue was also raised in a team meeting, and that the New Zealand board had responded by saying that players’ contracts will not be affected if they decided to give the Pakistan tour a miss.Meanwhile, Shafqat Naghmi, the chief operating officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said they had not received word from the New Zealand board. “We have got nothing on security issues from New Zealand Cricket officially or unofficially and we don’t even know if and when they will send their security delegation to Pakistan for inspection,” he told “It is something between them [the New Zealand cricketers] and their board. If they don’t send their best team they will lose out, so we are not bothered,” Naghmi said.

Big money has been the order of the day for Everton in the last few summer transfer windows so expect this one to be vibrant as well.

The Toffees have a new manager in place and are aiming to strengthen in a plethora of positions.

What’s the word?

One area they appear to be targeting players is up front. That might be surprising considering Dominic Calvert-Lewin found the net on 21 occasions last season.

However, that hasn’t stopped rumours of Haris Seferovic and Allan Saint-Maximin arriving at Goodison Park.

The latest piece of gossip from Merseyside is that they are interested in signing Tammy Abraham.

The English striker is out of favour at Chelsea and with the Blues linked with a mega-money swoop for Erling Haaland, he could be given the boot.

90min report that the Toffees are just one of a number of teams interested in prising him away from Stamford Bridge.

West Ham, Southampton and Crystal Palace have all been put off by the sum of money they’d have to pay but Brighton and Aston Villa remain keen.

Lukaku 2.0

Cast your minds back to the summer of 2014 and you may remember Everton smashing their transfer record.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

The player in question was a certain Romelu Lukaku who left Chelsea behind in a deal worth £28m.

Like Abraham, the Belgian was out of favour and decided to move elsewhere in search of regular first-team football.

The deal surpassed everyone’s expectations as Lukaku quickly proved why he is among the most devastating forwards in world football.

During his time in Merseyside, the powerful attacker beat the goalkeeper on 87 occasions in 166 matches. What followed was a monumental move to Manchester United before he joined Inter and then lit up Euro 2020, ending the competition in the Team of the Tournament.

Abraham isn’t at the same elite level just yet but there would be plenty of similarities between the move.

Not in the manager’s plans but still scoring goals, the 23-year-old has racked up 30 strikes for Chelsea despite a lack of regular football. He’s also been described as “phenomenal” by Alex McLeish even when not playing.

Lukaku has always been a player capable of blowing a defender away. He can hold the ball up, roll his marker and then dart away from the backline with heavy but quick strides.

Abraham might not possess the same speed or finesse but his power and ability to hold the ball up has similarities.

For instance, last season the current Chelsea striker won 1.8 aerial duels per match in the Premier League. That happened to be the same number Lukaku managed in the Champions League for Inter.

Both tall and offering an immense presence in attack, this deal has the potential to replicate the one they concluded seven years ago.

AND in other news, Forget Zaha: Rafa could seal Everton masterclass by signing “scary” £60m beast…

West Ham are the latest team to be linked with a move for Glen Kamara this summer…

What’s the word?

According to GIVEMESPORT, sources close to the 25-year-old’s situation have confirmed there is interest from several Premier League clubs, including the Irons.

The likes of Watford, Everton, Arsenal and Brentford are said to have touched base with the Rangers midfielder’s representatives over a potential switch this transfer window.

It’s thought that the Scottish champions would want around £10m to let the Finland international leave Ibrox, as per the Daily Mail.

Forget Kral

The Hammers have been linked to several central midfield options in recent months but perhaps the most notable name has been Czech sensation Alex Kral, who has been playing alongside Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal at Euro 2020.

However, his performances have been hugely underwhelming and considering he’s likely to cost three times as much as Kamara, it would be a wise move for David Moyes to turn his attentions to the Gers star instead.

He’s a very viable alternative, too.

Kamara was one of Steven Gerrard’s best performers as the Teddy Bears recorded a historic league triumph. No outfield player managed a better average passing accuracy per game (90.5) than the 5 foot 11 dynamo, which suggests he’s a very composed player on the ball.

Furthermore, he also averaged one tackle. 0.9 interceptions and 0.9 key passes per league outing, via WhoScored.

Kamara has been touted as one of the best talents north of the border by ex-Gers ace Charlie Miller.

“Glen Kamara is the best midfielder in Scotland.

“He has the ability to go and play at a very high level. He is athletic, technically very good, is good in the tackle and is becoming a complete player. Maybe he could do to add a few more goals but he certainly assists in that area.

“Put it this way, there are players going for £30-£40million in England who couldn’t lace Kamara’s boots.”

Also lauded as a “special talent” by his former Dundee boss Neil McCann, the 25-year-old maestro could be a bargain squad depth option for Moyes to get his hands on ahead of next season.

One injury to either Soucek or Declan Rice would spell trouble, so the Scotsman certainly needs another addition in the role. For just £10m, it has to be a no-brainer.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops concerning West Ham transfer claim, fans should be worried…