Transfer insider Dean Jones has now dropped some Leeds United news on Raphinha from sources close to the Brazil international, revealing he could ignore the interest from ‘big clubs’ and stay put.
The Lowdown: Barcelona bound?
As per Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, FC Barcelona are now in advanced talks with Raphinha’s agent, Deco, over personal terms ahead of a potential move to the La Liga giants in the summer.
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They could allegedly sign him for as little as €25m (£21m), should Jesse Marsch’s team end up getting relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season.
The Latest: Jones update
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has revealed that those close to Raphinha are ‘not ruling out’ him staying at Elland Road, despite interest from some ‘big clubs’:
“The people around him say, ‘We’re not ruling that [Elland Road stay] out at all.’ But obviously he has some big clubs looking at him.”
The Verdict: Would be remarkable
With all due respect to the extremely impressive project Leeds have been building in recent years, it would be remarkable if they were able to keep Raphinha for another season.
He has been their standout player this term, with none of his teammates scoring more than his nine goals in the top flight, while only Dan James can match his three assists (WhoScored).
Given the calibre of clubs thought to be interested in him, it would be very difficult for Raphinha to turn down a chance to potentially play in the UEFA Champions League.
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Nonetheless, he will not want to be involved in another relegation battle should the Peacocks stay up, and at 25 years of age, probably knows he is at the perfect age to make that one big move.
In other news, find out who LUFC have now entered new talks with over signing here!
While the atmosphere around the club might be a little dour at the moment, this season is still shaping up to be a special one for Arsenal.
As things stand, Mikel Arteta’s side sit top of the Champions League and Premier League tables, despite enduring an absurd number of injuries.
Moreover, there is a sense that many of the Gunners’ most important players, such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, still have more to give.
One player who has been at their best so far this season, though, is Declan Rice, so fans should be excited about reports linking Arsenal to another international midfielder who has been compared to him.
Arsenal target Rice-esque star
Arsenal went unusually big in the summer, signing eight first-team players, including Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
So, some might argue that the Gunners do not need any more midfield reinforcements.
However, if the last season and a bit has made anything clear, it’s that the North Londoners need to have serious cover all over the pitch.
So, to ensure the likes of Zubimendi and Rice do not get overplayed, it would make sense for the club to target someone of decent quality who could cover for them, especially if Mikel Merino is now more of a forward.
Interestingly, this seems to be an opinion shared by the North Londoners, at least according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Arsenal are one of a few teams interested in Davide Frattesi.
Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are all keen on the Italian international.
While the competition is not ideal, the good news is that Inter Milan would reportedly be open to letting the 26-year-old leave if the right offer comes in.
It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Frattesi’s ability, it’s one Arsenal should pursue, especially as he’s been compared to Rice.
How Frattesi compares to Rice
Now, while Frattesi isn’t quite on the same level as Rice in terms of quality, few players are; he still shares several similarities with him.
Firstly, and this is a relatively straightforward one, he is currently plying his trade for one of the top teams in a top-five league at Inter.
Moreover, like the Englishman, he’s also a regular for his national team, having won 33 caps for Italy so far, in which he’s scored eight goals and provided three assists.
That also highlights another shared trait: the ability to contribute with goals and assists from midfield.
For example, in 47 appearances last season, he scored seven goals and provided two assists.
The final obvious similarity is that, like the former West Ham captain, the Rome-born star is someone who can play in central midfield but has also done a job in the ten and deeper for his team.
Add all these traits together, and it’s not hard to see why former Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni dubbed him “one of the best midfielders in Europe.”
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However, with all that said, the most concrete comparison between Frattesi and Rice stems from FBref, which ranked the Englishman as the seventh-most similar midfielder to the Italian in the Champions League last season.
Frattesi & Rice
Statistics per 90
Frattesi
Rice
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.26
0.27
Shots
1.63
1.62
Passes into the Penalty Area
0.36
0.36
Shots Blocked
0.36
0.36
Interceptions
1.27
1.35
Clearances
1.27
1.26
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 UCL
The best way to understand how this conclusion was reached is to take a look at the underlying numbers in which the pair ranked closely.
In this instance, the metrics included non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots, shots blocked, interceptions, and clearances, all per 90.
In other words, the Inter ace was able to replicate some of the £105m man’s attacking and defensive qualities.
Ultimately, while it might not be the most exciting of transfers, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Frattesi, as his experience and ability to cover for players like Rice could prove invaluable in the longrun.
Arteta must bin £40m star who was "Pires-like" in his first years at Arsenal
It’s time for Arteta to take the frustrating Arsenal star out of the team.
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For the first time in years, Liverpool are well-equipped to challenge for the Premier League title.
Jurgen Klopp has shaped an exciting and scintillating team that can score goals from all areas of the pitch.
In the summer, the Merseyside outfit bolstered areas that needed strengthening and they have started the season perfectly by winning all seven of their matches so far in all competitions.
It would be understandable if the fringe players at Liverpool were worried about their chances of making it into the first team.
However, 21-year-old Harry Wilson is one of those talents who could be pushing for a regular spot next season.
The winger was sent to Derby County on loan in the summer and he has impressed so far by making six appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals.
One of those hits was netted on Tuesday night in the form of a stunning free kick against Manchester United in the third round of the EFL Cup.
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Wilson was a major factor in Frank Lampard’s side progressing into the next round via a penalty shootout after the clash finished 2-2 in normal time.
Plenty of Liverpool fans were impressed, which has led us to ask you whether the young winger should be considered for the first team next season.
Hong Kong beat table-toppers Papua New Guinea by 93 runs at the Hong King Cricket Club to qualify for Friday’s final in the ICC World Cricket League Division Three, where they will play PNG again. Hong Kong’s win also mean they are guaranteed promotion to WCL Div. 2.PNG, who chose to field, had Hong Kong in trouble early on as Rarva Dikana and Hitolo Areni picked up three wickets to reduce Hong Kong to 39 for 3 in the 11th over. However, Hussain Butt, who top-scored with 68 was involved in two crucial 40-plus stands with Irfan Ahmed (25) and Nizakat Khan (36) to take Hong Kong past 100. Areni struck to dismiss Nizakat and Waqas Barkat in quick succession but Butt and captain Najeeb Amar put on 53 runs in just under 10 overs to get the Hong Kong innings back on track. Butt was dismissed with the score on 196 but Nadeem Ahmed hit some big shots to take Hong King to 221 before they were bowled out.Hong Kong’s bowlers then defended the total, bowling PNG out cheaply. Tony Ura and Kila Pala were the only two batsmen who managed to get past 20, as PNG failed to string together any substantial partnerships and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Nadeem picked up three wickets as PNG were bowled out for 128 in just under 48 overs.”We talked about how we could beat PNG today and knew if we batted first it would be important to make as many runs as possible before our bowlers could get to work on the PNG side,” said Hong Kong coach Charlie Burke.”The important thing for us was to remain focussed and we knew by putting PNG under pressure the side would become vulnerable which they did today. We beat them in a warm-up game without our full strength squad so we knew we had the ability today to beat them, and our ability and strength showed today.”There are plenty of quality sides in Division 2 but my focus since taking this role has been about securing promotion. We have the promotion but this league isn’t over and we want to win the entire tournament in front of our home crowd before we focus our attention to the new challenges and teams Division 2 will throw at us,” said Burke.”We’re obviously disappointed with our play and commitment in the loss to Hong Kong today,” added PNG captain Dikana. “Today was Hong Kong’s final as they battled for survival in the tournament and they were the better side on the day. Congratulations to a well prepared side that fought hard and showed strong spirit.”We have a rematch to see who will take home the title of Division Three champions and I know my team have the ability to take the trophy home to PNG as the best side in the tournament. Our complete focus is on tomorrow as we take one step at a time. Tomorrow is a new ball game.”
Two aggressive half-centuries from Hemin Desai and Vaibhav Wategaonkar carried Oman to a commanding four-wicket win over Denmark at the Kowloon Cricket Club, but it was not enough to allow Oman to qualify for the final.Denmark were sent in to bat and got off to a shaky start, losing their openers with just 38 runs on the board. Carsten Pedersen and Rizwan Mahmood steadied the innings with a 66-run partnership but once Mahmood was dismissed with the score on 104, Denmark suffered a collapse. Rajesh Kumar and Khalid Rashid picked up three wickets apiece as Denmark slumped from 104 for 3 to 181 all out in just under 48 overs.Oman needed to knock the runs off quickly if they were to keep their hopes of qualifying for the final alive. Desai and Zeeshan Siddiqui got them off to a rapid start, adding 34 runs in 2 overs before Siddiqui was dismissed. Desai and Wategaonkar then blasted 41 runs in 17 balls. Desai fell for 51 off just 17 balls with five fours and five sixes. Wategaonkar added another rapid 22 with Adnan Ilyas before Bashir Shah had Ilyas stumped. Oman seemed to lose momentum after his dismissal. Though they reached their target in just under 25 overs with Wategaonkar unbeaten on 54, Hong Kong went ahead of their run-rate by beating PNG to destroy Oman’s hopes of qualifying for the final.
USA’s hopes of qualifying for WCL Div. 2 were ended by Italy, who beat them by four wickets at the Mission Road Ground. Italy will now go on to play Oman in the third-place playoff while USA will play for fifth place against Denmark.Italy got off to a shaky start in their chase of 223, slumping to 52 for 4, but a 102-run partnership between Peter Petricola and wicketkeeper Hayden Patrizi got them back into the game. After Patrizi was out for 50, Michael Raso came in and smashed 38 off 29 deliveries, and Italy got home with 18 balls to spare. Petricola was unbeaten on 69.Petricola had also been Italy’s most successful bowler, taking four wickets as Italy restricted USA to 222 for 8. USA captain Steve Massiah scored 52 and opener Sushil Nadkarni scored 47, but USA didn’t get to a big enough total.”Along with the entire team, I am hugely disappointed to be relegated back to Division Four,” said Massiah. “We didn’t prepare for this tournament as well as we have done in other events and our performances here were nothing like what we know we are capable of when we play cricket.”Certain things didn’t go our way this tournament and we now need to go back to the USA and rethink our strategy and how we are going to bounce back from this and rebuild our team to climb back up the leagues.”
Uncapped left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the three-Test series against India, while Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal miss out due to injury.Fernando had featured in the Test squads to the UAE and Bangladesh in 2014, but had not been picked to play. He has won his way back to the side largely through his excellent 2015 first class season. He was the most penetrative pace bowler in the Premier League Tournament, with 40 wickets at 21.97. Fernando is part of the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI that is playing the ongoing tour game against the Indians in Colombo and took the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha on the second day.Eranga had been sidelined by a back complaint during the home Tests against Pakistan, and though he had recovered from that injury, he picked up another injury, chief selector Kapila Wijegunawardene said. “He was bowling well in the nets, but there is now an issue with his groin. It’s too early to tell whether he is out of the whole series. We’re waiting on the physiotherapist’s report.”Lakmal played against Pakistan, but has been ruled out because of a side strain. He and Eranga had been Sri Lanka’s top pace bowlers in 2014, featuring heavily in wins in Dubai and Dhaka. Eranga had also played a pivotal role in the victory at Headingley against England last year.Dhammika Prasad now leads the pace options in the current squad, with Nuwan Pradeep and Fernando in support. Dushmantha Chameera – who was impressive in his debut against Pakistan – has been named in the squad subject to fitness, however Wijegunawardene said he was “confident Chameera would be ok for the Galle Test”, though “whether we will risk him in that match or not is a decision that’s yet to be made”.The batting and spin departments feature no major surprises. Lahiru Thirimanne has been retained despite a slim run of Test scores and a score of 5 in the first innings of the practice match in Khettarama. Kithuruwan Vithanage, who played in the first two Tests against Pakistan, has been dropped from the squad. Kusal Perera has been named again, as have Jehan Mubarak and Upul Tharanga, who both played in the third Test in Pallekele.Spinners Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Tharindu Kaushal all find places in the squad. Dinesh Chandimal is the frontline wicket keeper, though Kusal is also an option behind the stumps, if he can find a place in the XI.The series will be Kumar Sangakkara’s final Test foray. Sri Lanka Cricket has granted free entrance to the Galle Test for school children.The first Test begins on August 12.Squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Vishwa Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera (subject to fitness)
ScorecardLife is full of blue skies for Peter Moores since his arrival at Trent Bridge•Getty Images
Fast-improving Nottinghamshire dodged the worst of the rain to register their third victory in four LV= County Championship matches by beating Worcestershire by five wickets at New Road.Needing 75 more runs, they were delayed for 75 minutes by a heavy shower and it was after lunch when a strong team performance came to a successful conclusion after a stand of 157 by James Taylor and Riki Wessels.On the resumption at 157 for three, their partnership was worth 120 and when it was broken by Saeed Ajmal it was the county’s highest for the fourth wicket in championship meetings with Worcestershire.Taylor, a former academy player at New Road, compiled a classy 66 from 127 balls and Wessels, after a first-innings duck, more than made amends with 88 from 190 balls on the ground where he marked his debut for Notts by scoring 67 in May 2011.Worcestershire, as always, kept fighting to the end but they were eventually overpowered by two batsmen – and a team – at the top of their game since the forner England coach, Peter Moores, was added to the coaching staff as an assistant to Mick Newell.After a sluggish start to the season, it now seems that Nottinghamshire can do no wrong. Since propping up the Division One table in the Championship on June 24, they have amassed 77 points from four matches, two of them against Worcestershire, and in completed games in all competitions they have reeled off 10 consecutive wins.Worcestershire, in contrast, have lost seven completed matches in a row, mostly in the Royal London One-day Cup, and the struggle against relegation in the Championship continues despite another committed display.The match was probably lost on the second day when a dropped chance allowed Nottinghamshire to take control by adding 157 in the afternoon session.By the last day their victory was close to being a formality, although Taylor and Wessels went out of their way to avoid unnecessary risks in adding 31 in 12 overs by lunch.It was only when they looked for a big finish that they came unstuck, departing in successive overs from Ajmal as they tried to take on the off-spinner. Taylor was caught at extra cover and Wessels at mid-off.Notts eventually got home 45 minutes after lunch. Samit Patel (17 not out)) avoided a “pair” with a six to mid-wicket off Brett D’Oliveira and Chris Read (19 not out) finished it off with successive fours off Ajmal.
Allrounder James Faulkner has spoken of his regret at making the decision to drink and drive in Manchester in July, which cost him his place in Australia’s limited-overs squads for the recent series in England. Faulkner has returned home to Tasmania having helped Lancashire to the county T20 title, but he is £10,000 worse off after being fined over the driving incident.Faulkner was also banned from driving for two years after being found nearly three times over the legal limit on July 2, after choosing not to walk home in heavy rain after a night out with Tasmanian team-mate Tim Paine. His actions were described by District Judge Mark Hadfield as “foolhardy in the extreme”, and Faulkner said he would regret his decision for the rest of his life.”It is always going to rock you, anything like that,” Faulkner told reporters in Hobart this week. “It is always a lot bigger than you initially think. It was an error of judgment and something I definitely regret and I’ll regret it at the end of my career. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”The incident cost Faulkner his place in Australia’s T20 and ODI sides after he was suspended for four games, and in his absence his fellow allrounder Mitchell Marsh was named Player of the Series in Australia’s 3-2 one-day win over England. But Faulkner, who was Player of the Match in the World Cup final in March, believes he will be able to fit into the same side as Marsh in future.”It is always spoken about a lot, but I think we’re two different players,” he said. “I’d like to think we can both play in the same one-day team. I know we didn’t throughout the World Cup, but I’d like to think we could do that and the same with T20 cricket and Test cricket as well.”At the end of the day it is in both Mitch and myself’s control and that’s scoring runs and taking wickets for our states or our country. I am good mates with him and get along with him really, really well so it is not like we are competing against each other at all, in fact it is the exact opposite. We are trying to help each other improve our own games because we are both young players.”Faulkner was not named in Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh and will instead be at home playing for Tasmania in the Matador Cup, which begins in early October. He is recovering from a dislocated finger suffered in the T20 final, but he expects to be fit for the state one-day competition.
Crowd trouble forced two interruptions in play during the second T20I at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack as India slid to a six-wicket defeat against South Africa. Play was held up for more than 50 minutes during South Africa’s chase after spectators, largely from one section of the stadium, began throwing plastic bottles onto the field.The first bottle-throwing incident came in the break between innings – India were bowled out for 92, their lowest T20I total at home – and did not interrupt play. The second came after 11 overs of South Africa’s chase and stopped play for 27 minutes. The players remained in the middle through the delay and play resumed at 10pm, with security personnel lining the boundaries. However, a third wave of bottle-throwing two overs later forced them off. Play resumed after a 24-minute hold-up once the police had cleared the section of the crowd causing the disruption.South Africa required another 4.1 overs, which passed without further incident, to complete the chase and seal the series 2-0.The incident is the first case for the BCCI’s new president, Shashank Manohar, to handle and there would be several points of concern for the board in how the situation was dealt with on the spot in Cuttack.The matter did not come up at the post-match presentation ceremony, though both captains were interviewed by the broadcasters and could have been asked for their thoughts on it.The issue was raised at the subsequent press conference, however, and prompted this response from India’s captain MS Dhoni: “Frankly, from a safety point of view, I don’t think there was a very serious threat. A few of the powerful people from the crowd were good enough to throw the bottles inside the rope. So the umpires thought it was better that players go off the field for a while. The reaction of the crowd, you know, we didn’t play well, so at times you get reactions like this. It’s only the first bottle. After that they start throwing for fun. We shouldn’t read too much into it. I still remember we played in Vishakhapatnam once, we won the game very easily, and that time also a lot of bottles were thrown. It starts with the first bottle, and after that, you know, it is more fun for the spectators if they start doing it and following it.”The incident also raises questions about safety precautions at grounds in India, especially for high-profile matches like today’s. The standard procedure is for spectators who buy drinks at the ground to be given their liquid refreshments – whether water or soft drinks – in plastic cups, which cannot be used as missiles. How the spectators could carry bottles to their seats on Monday will be a matter for investigation.Also apparent was the lax security; when the match resumed after the break most of the policemen on the boundary could be seen watching the match rather than facing the crowd, as is standard procedure.
Sri Lanka Cricket has agreed to release seven high-profile cricketers to play in the Bangladesh Premier League, an about-turn from their stance last week.A desire to maintain a good relationship with the BCB, and the one-week postponement of Sri Lanka’s domestic one-day tournament have led to the change of heart. SLC’s desire to see foreign cricketers – including those from Bangladesh – participate in its own city-based T20 league, may have also influenced the decision.
List of players to be given no-objection certificates
Jeevan Mendis
Ajantha Mendis
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Chamara Kapugedara
Thisara Perera
Sachithra Senanayake
Seekkuge Prasanna
Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sachithra Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis are among those who will now be allowed to play in the BPL.SLC had been opposed to issuing no-objection certificates to its centrally contracted players largely because their absence would have diluted the quality of the forthcoming Premier Limited Over Tournament. That tournament was originally scheduled to begin on November 20, but it now appears likely to be put off until around November 27, thanks to prevailing bad weather in Colombo.As the BPL runs from November 22 to December 15, the cricketers leaving to Bangladesh will miss several rounds of the Premier Limited Over Tournament in any case. However, SLC officials said the home clubs had agreed to release these seven centrally-contracted players, and some players themselves had made appeals to be allowed to play in the BPL. The players had argued that BPL experience would stand them in good stead come the Asia Cup in February next year, which will also be played in Bangladesh. All seven players released are likely to be in contention for Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup squad, and indeed the World T20 to follow.SLC has also said it would like to have overseas cricketers participating in the inaugural Elite Championship T20, which is set to begin towards the end of January. That tournament would appear more attractive to sponsors and broadcasters if two foreigners featured in each of the five teams. Given the current international schedule and the money that is likely to be on offer, SLC believes cricketers from Pakistan and Bangladesh are most likely to be drawn by the Elite Championship T20.In addition to the seven centrally-contracted players, two other Sri Lankans had already been confirmed to participate in the BPL – Kumar Sangakkara, who had been awarded a central contract but is now retired from international cricket, and Dilshan Munaweera, who does not have a central contract.
Mike Atherton and Sourav Ganguly produced a feast of high-quality strokeplay to become Lancashire record-breakers at Taunton.Replying to a modest Somerset total of 198, the two Test players put on 192 for the first wicket in 34 overs to lead their side to a seven-wicket victory – only Lancashire’s second in the National League this season.The stand was the county’s highest opening partnership in the competition, beating the 177 compiled by Graeme Fowler and Gehan Mendis against Kent at Canterbury in 1986.It was murderous batting, particularly in the closing stages, when Atherton and Ganguly appeared to be trying to out-hit one another with a succession of thumping boundaries off the medium-pacers.Atherton hit a near faultless 105 off 115 balls, with 14 boundaries, managing to score faster than his partner for most of the stand.Ganguly was first to go for 82, having smashed a six and 10 fours, in a typically elegant contribution. He had faced 93 balls when trying one big hit too many and departing with just seven runs needed.Atherton quickly followed and John Crawley missed out before Lancashire cruised home with seven overs to spare, denting Somerset’s title hopes in the process.While the serene batting will be remembered by most of a bumper crowd basking in glorious sunshine, it was the visiting bowlers who set up victory after Somerset had won the toss.Home skipper Jamie Cox opted to go into the game with an extra bowler, calling up all-rounder Jason Kerr for his first appearance of the season at the expense of Mark Lathwell.It proved a mistake as, despite an encouraging start, Somerset batted poorly, with too many players tossing their wickets away through poor shots.Wicketkeeper Rob Turner was promoted to open with Cox and the pair put on 46 in quick time. Then, after Piran Holloway had fallen for a duck, Peter Bowler helped Cox add 45 for the third wicket.But from a promising 103-2 in the 19th over Somerset fell away as spinners Chris Schofield and Gary Yates took two wickets each in key spells that enabled Lancashire to peg back the run-rate.The pair sent down their combined 18 overs for only 73 runs, sharing the vital wickets of Cox, Bowler, Mike Burns and Ian Blackwell.Somerset were never able to accelerate again and the total of 198 all out in 44 overs looked woefully inadequate on a typically batsman-friendly Taunton pitch.Glen Chapple weighed in with 3-23 from his nine overs as only Keith Parsons of the later batsmen showed much composure in making 25.As it turned out, 250 might not have been enough against players of the calibre of Atherton and Ganguly in top form.But Cox conceded he had got it wrong. “We should have played Lathwell. But our medium-pacers have been going for a few with the white ball and I thought Kerr would be a handy extra option,” he said.The only Somerset player with cause to smile was Bowler, whose benefit game this was. His coffers will have been swollen considerably by the gate receipts and a bucket collection that raised more than £1,700.