Newcastle fans are all saying the same thing about the latest report on Kenedy, pleading with the club to sign the star Brazilian.
According to a report in Wednesday’s Daily Mail (via Chronicle Live), Chelsea are willing to part ways with the 22 year-old, but only for more than £20million.
Kenedy has been a big hit on Tyneside since his January loan move, and fans are so desperate to keep him they were even happy to simply extend the loan for another year.
The Brazilian reportedly loves Newcastle, and would be happy to stay if the two clubs can agree terms.
Since his January move up north, the 20 year-old has grabbed two goals and two assists, but it’s his tireless work rate and passion for the shirt that has really endeared him to the fans on Tyneside.
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Add in the Brazilian’s silky skill and fantastic delivery into the box, something which has been sorely lacking for the Magpies in the past, and it’s no surprise fans are practically begging the club to pull the trigger.
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With an asking price of more than £20m, things could be difficult for Newcastle, especially with Liverpool sniffing around.
While some fans are already assuming Mike Ashley won’t splash the cash, others are just hoping for the best. Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Bojan Krkic made his return to the Stoke City first team last Saturday as he featured in their 2-0 friendly defeat against Brentford.
The 24-year-old former Barcelona playmaker has not featured for the Potters after he suffered a serious knee injury in January against Rochdale in the FA Cup.
The road to recovery and first team football at that point seemed a long, long away for the attacking midfielder. However, after successfully coming through rehabilitation he is back well ahead of schedule, which is a huge positive for Stoke ahead of the new season.
The diminutive Spaniard showed why he played for Barcelona on occasions last term, and upon his pre-season return he netted a classy, dipping volley. The youngster oozed quality and settled well to life in the Premier League, quickly establishing himself as a vital member of Mark Hughes’ team quicker than most would of expected.
Bojan proved a former Barca player could well do it on a cold, wet night in Stoke. However, the injury curtailed his first season in England, and what an impressive debut season it could’ve been for the midfielder. But now he will be like a new signing for Hughes ahead of the upcoming season.
When he played last season he made a real difference for Stoke. His guile, class and graceful style allowed him to drop into pockets of space in front of the opposition defences, where he could affect the game by creating chances with his vision and passing ability, or score goals through his good accurate shooting and his ability to dribble at opposing defenders and ghost past players.
That is what he will give Hughes’ men, which is a vital attribute to have in the Premier League and a player who can do such things is a vital commodity for any team lucky enought to find them. And in Bojan, Stoke certainly have their man.
He has the ability and quality to be one of the best creative midfielders in the Premier League, and now that he is fit after months of injury he will have the chance to show that. He has the quality and ability of a luxury player, however Bojan is no luxury.
I would expect to see the attacker to build on his good first half of last season and get even better over the course of the season, scoring goals and getting assists for Stoke as they look to improve under Hughes.
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He will quickly become the vital cog and member of Hughes’ side as the season progresses.
Wigan striker Arouna Kone has set his sights on a summer move to Everton, according to reports from Sky Sports.
The Ivorian has been linked with the Toffees, as well as both Liverpool and Swansea, over the course of the last few weeks, following the Latics’ relegation to the Championship.
And even though he only arrived at the DW Stadium a year ago, Kone is already keen to move on to avoid a season in the second tier.
Everton are said to be his first choice, with former chief Roberto Martinez now in charge at Goodison Park.
The Spaniard brought the 29-year-old to England and made him a key part of Wigan’s FA Cup winning squad.
As a result of their good relationship the front-man is keen for a reunion.
Everton have already made an enquiry, but it is thought that his employers are holding out for £6million, a sum which would activate a release clause in his contract.
Kone netted an impressive 11 Premier League goals in his debut campaign, but could not do enough to drag Wigan clear of the drop zone.
The striker has a wealth of experience, having played for clubs in Belgium, Holland, Spain and Germany.
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Is Arouna Kone to Everton a good deal for everybody involved?
But in Sean O’Driscoll’s first week of league games in charge of Nottingham Forest, he’s managed to retain the belief and posotivity of the fans. Emotions of football fans fluctuate at the best of times, but the thousands following Forest at the moment remain quietly optimistic.
It’s tradition for Forest to get off to a slow start. This is a new era, though. New owners, new manager, new team.
As they headed into the opening game against Bristol City at the City Ground, there was a different feel to the game, as if times were about to change, and so they did. Forest ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from Adlene Guedioura on his 2nd debut for the club.
Tapping the shirt as he runs away in elation, Guedioura showed more passion in his celebration than many that represented the club last year did when they played.
Forest had got their first goal on an opening day for so many years, and coupled with that, their first win. A great start to the Al-Hasawi reign, leaving the supporters going home satisfied, and many staying behind to queue at the ticket office, buying for future games. The taste of a convincing victory, the positive atmosphere, and people were left wanting more.
What was the message from O’Driscoll and Fawaz Al-Hasawi?
“Forest will do better in future games”, says Fawaz Al-Hasawi.
“It’s a beginning”, remarks Sean O’Driscoll.
Nobody is getting carried away, and that will be the story for every game. Everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet, with the intention of striving for improvement in the next match. Anything beyond the next game is quickly dismissed in a calm but stern manner.
In the second game of the season, 2,200 Forest fans followed their team to Huddersfield, ready for a testing game from the team that had just gained promotion from League One and were bound to have momentum on their side.
Huddersfield Town were outplayed, and were taught a footballing lesson by a Forest side yet to gel. The much talked about Jordan Rhodes barely got a kick, as the away team left them chasing shadows for long periods. Simon Cox finished brilliantly to put Forest into the lead, and the game was there to be killed off.
It wasn’t, and Dan Harding’s silly mistake in the final minute meant Huddersfield had a penalty, which was put away by Rhodes.
Negativity from Forest fans perhaps, for chucking away 2 points?
Far from it. Despite the obvious initial disappointment, the Reds contingent were in a positive frame of mind. They had witnessed a Forest side who had yet to gel, dominate a Huddersfield team full of very capable Championship players. The new front line of Blackstock and Cox were showing promise, as was Simon Gillett, the free transfer who was receiving plenty of plaudits.
It was always going to be a tougher test against recently relegated Bolton. Their style of play and quality of players meant the Forest players had to be on their game.
They did not disappoint.
It finished 2-2, and it was a fair result at the Reebok. Not many teams will go to Bolton and pick up any points, but Forest did, and were well worthy. They went there and in the first half especially, proved to Bolton and the division they are to be taken seriously.
How did the respective managers of both teams react?
“Give credit to Bolton”, O’Driscoll kindly commented.
“That’s a game we should have won”, Owen Coyle sharply said.
Two totally different reactions. The unassuming Sean O’Driscoll showing respect to the opposition, whilst Owen Coyle’s reaction is one of a man under intense pressure, wanting to convince himself more than anyone his side did enough.
O’Driscoll is under no pressure, which will work in his sides favour this season. The only factor that has worked against O’Driscoll and Forest so far is that two of the games have been chosen for television coverage.
‘SOD’ is known for playing things down, but televised games get neutrals talking. Televised games get the media talking.
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Whilst outside appreciation is nice, it’s not needed.
Nottingham Forest fans are all smiling. That in itself is a very good achievement.
Nobody is sniping unnecessarily. Nobody is expecting. Everyone is just sitting back and watching, as it all takes shape.
Sky Sports, BBC, and any other media outlet: There’s one message… Everything is going just fine, and there’s nothing to see here. Turn around and televise the headline makers.
Who cares if The Football League Show only show 30 seconds of highlights, and it largely gets portrayed as the opposition dominating, when every Forest fan knows different.
The longer Forest go unnoticed this season, the better chance there is of success at the end of it.
Pat Cummins is rested from the entire tour, while Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will join for the ODIs against England
Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-20241:23
Clarke: Some Australia players might walk away from T20Is
Perth Scorchers and Western Australia allrounder Cooper Connolly has been handed his first international call-up for Australia’s T20I squad to face Scotland and England, while Jake Fraser-McGurk has been included in both the T20I and ODI squad as the selectors start to glance towards the future.Australia will play three T20Is against Scotland and England from early September, and the squad reflects the start of the transition from the group that exited the recent T20 World Cup in the Super Eights. The ODI squad is more stable with an eye on next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.Fraser-McGurk’s inclusion had been expected, and he now has the chance to establish himself as David Warner’s successor at the top of the order in both limited-overs formats. He has yet to make his T20I debut, but played two ODIs against West Indies last season.Related
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Connolly, the 20-year-old left hand batter, has only featured in 15 domestic T20s, but played a starring role in the BBL 2022-23 final to secure Scorchers the title. He strikes at 145.80 in T20s, and also provides a useful left-arm spin option. Connolly also made 90 on his Sheffield Shield debut, in the final, earlier this year.”We haven’t had that many bolters for a little while,” national selector George Bailey said. “He’s an exciting young talent. Hasn’t played a great many games yet, but we really like his versatility. His work through the middle order for the Scorchers has been really impressive. Handy left-arm spin as well which, as a secondary skill, is something we are really keen to keep exploring and see where that goes with his cricket.”Mitchell Marsh remains the T20I captain, and will also lead the ODI side in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is rested from the entire Scotland and England tour ahead of the home summer. Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will also miss the T20Is before joining for the ODIs, while allrounder Matthew Short, who was a traveling reserve at the T20 World Cup, will remain at home for the birth of his first child before arriving for the five ODIs against England.Cummins is currently among the group of Australians taking part in the ongoing MLC, but Bailey said missing the Scotland and England tour had been in the planning for around 12 months with an eye on a condensed schedule that comes once the home summer begins.”He’s got a couple of things he wants to work on physically,” Bailey said. “He’s had a lot of cricket over the past period, and this is an opportunity to get on top of those and set him up for the next period of time; it’s more a management of that. The MLC opportunity came reasonably late, [and] as far as the plan went, it’s an extra 18 or 19 days that he’s up for, [so] it doesn’t fundamentally change the plan we had for him.”2:32
Bailey impressed with Connolly’s ‘versatility’
From those who featured in the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies last month, Ashton Agar and Matthew Wade have been dropped from the T20I squad, while Warner has retired.In the T20I squad, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis will be part of the pace attack alongside the experience of Josh Hazlewood. Allrounders Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie are included across both formats with the former likely to see far more opportunity. Josh Inglis will replace Wade with the gloves in T20Is.Alex Carey is back in the ODI squad as Inglis’ understudy, having lost his place in the XI during last year’s World Cup.The T20Is against Scotland, which replace the tour of Ireland which was cancelled by the hosts for financial reasons, take place on September 4, 6 and 7. Three T20Is against England follow on September 11, 13 and 15, followed by the five ODIs.
Australia T20I squad vs Scotland and England
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
Australia ODI squad vs England
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
The fixture was significant for the return of two fast bowlers – Deepak Chahar for Chennai Super Kings and Mohsin Khan for Lucknow Super Giants
Sreshth Shah03-May-20232:06
Tait: Badoni has the temperament to take on international bowlers
Match abandonedRain had the final say in Lucknow, where MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings had taken the upper hand against the Super Giants after 19.2 action-packed overs of the first innings. CSK spinners ran through the home team’s line-up, but 23-year-old Ayush Badoni scored a counter-attacking fifty before the game was called off at 6.56 pm local time.The game had started 15 minutes late due to an afternoon shower, and the surface ended up assisting spin big time. Moeen Ali dismissed Kyle Mayers for the second time in the season, and Maheesh Theekshana accounted for Manan Vohra and Krunal Pandya off successive deliveries in the sixth over. Moeen held on to a tough caught-and-bowled chance to remove Karan Sharma, but the best wicket was Ravindra Jadeja bowling Marcus Stoinis with one that pitched outside the right-hander’s leg stump and spun sharply to hit off, leaving the batter dumbfounded.At 44 for 5 in the 10th over, the Super Giants were sinking but Badoni and Nicholas Pooran steadied the innings. They added 59 for the sixth wicket, but Pooran’s contribution was only 14, with Badoni taking charge. He smashed two sixes off Theekshana and reached fifty with another six off Deepak Chahar in the 19th over to give the Super Giants a fighting chance.Rain forced the players off the field in the 20th over of the first innings and did not ease up enough for play to resume, leaving both Super Kings and Super Giants with one point each from the contest. Both teams are on 11 points after ten games.The fixture was also significant for the return of two fast bowlers. Chahar was fit again for CSK after missing six games because of a hamstring injury and returned figures of 0 for 41 in four overs. Mohsin Khan was named in the Super Giants XI for the first time this season, after spending almost the entire year since the previous IPL recovering from injury, but did not get the chance to bowl because of the bad weather.
While one of the favourites to replace Justin Langer long term, he believes international coaching could be heading into a new era
Andrew McGlashan12-Feb-2022Andrew McDonald insists he has yet to consider the prospect of becoming Australia’s new permanent head coach following the resignation of Justin Langer and believes the game is heading into a fascinating period with how international teams shape their coaching structures.McDonald, who had already been due to take charge of the Sri Lanka T20 series and will now lead the tour to Pakistan next month in an interim capacity, is considered a frontrunner for the long-term position and his calmness was endorsed by limited-overs captain Aaron Finch.While Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley has previously said they will be looking to appoint a single replacement for Langer, who resigned last week having only been offered a six-month contract extension, McDonald sees the game could be heading into a new phase with the increasingly crammed nature of international cricket.Related
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“It happened really really quickly with JL and the process there. No thoughts given to it at this stage,” he said. “I think the greater conversation around that at this stage is clearly Australia and England have jobs open but it’s what they’re looking for. Split roles have been mentioned [to manage] all three formats. There’s a lot to work through. I’ll wait to see how that process unfolds and see what happens there.”Firstly you’ve got to see what they’re looking for in the job and then whether it’s the right fit for you. It’s like any coaching role that you put your hat in the ring for. It’s not just as simple as saying ‘there’s a job there, would you like to do it, yes or no?’ I think it’s a great opportunity for a greater cricket conversation that two of the bigger cricket nations are embarking upon. I’m fascinated to see where that lands.”The FTP over the next 12-24 months is not getting any lighter, there’s a conversation to be had there. [Split coaching] has been tried before. We saw Andy Flower and Ashley Giles do a split role, whether that was the right time for it, the game’s changed a hell of a lot since then as well.”In the short term, McDonald does not see a need to reinvent the wheel in the Australia set up with the T20 World Cup and Ashes secured in recent months with Langer at the helm albeit having heeded warnings to take a less hands-on approach.Australia secured a 20-run victory against Sri Lanka on Friday with a particularly impressive performance in the field led by Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa who were both key figures in the World Cup success.”The last six months have been an incredible time,” McDonald said. “It’s been well documented the changing room was in a good space. The World Cup was a great experience, the Ashes was a great experience. I can’t see there being a hell of a lot of change on the back of that. I’ve got an opportunity to do my job for the next month or so to the end of the Pakistan tour then see what it looks like. There will be an element of continuing to run the team with similar fashion to what we have.”McDonald also praised the role Langer had on the team which he joined in late 2019.”The values he instilled in the team, the way he was able to manage things from South Africa forward was an incredible effort,” he said. “He had an incredibly high work rate, that attention to detail, care, empathy, all those types of things. Respect for what he’s done in terms of his playing and coaching career.”
England seamer happy to get one over brother in high-scoring contest against CSK
Andrew Miller23-Sep-2020Tom Curran reckons that the opening night of the IPL in Sharjah offered a sign of things to come for bowling attacks in this year’s competition, after the Rajasthan Royals out-muscled the Chennai Super Kings in a bat-dominated contest that featured a record-equalling 33 sixes across the two innings.Curran himself was subjected to six of those, including three in a row in the final over of the match, as MS Dhoni belatedly turned on the afterburners with the contest already out of his side’s reach.But, Curran said, given the combination of Sharjah’s short boundaries and the onset of dew in the latter stages of the CSK chase, he was happy to have taken his licks and emerged on the winning side – especially given that his brother Sam was in the opposition ranks.”It’s going to be tough work throughout the tournament, bowling at Sharjah,” Curran said. “It’s obviously small, but when the dew came in the second innings, it became really, really hard.”The ball got really, really wet and with the combination of the humidity and how much you end up sweating there, there’s going to be some entertaining high-scoring games. And the toss is going to be crucial as well.”Curran’s second foray in the IPL comes after an initial stint as a late replacement for KKR in 2018, in which he picked up six wickets in five matches, but at an economy rate of nearly two a ball.This time around, however, his burgeoning reputation as a death bowler – for Surrey and Sydney Sixers as well as England – persuaded the Royals to shell out INR 1 crore (USD140,000 approx) at last year’s auction. And while his skills weren’t exactly tested on Tuesday night, given that he was defending 38 in the final over of the match, the experience was valuable nonetheless, given that the Royals’ next match, against the King’s XI Punjab, takes place at the same venue on Sunday night.”It was frustrating to go for those sixes but, at the same time, with a wet ball like that, the main thing was to not bowl a no-ball and make sure we win the game,” Curran said. “If I start trying to nail my yorkers and the ball slips out, and I bowl a flat one that goes for six, it just brings them back into the game.”The pressure isn’t off but it kind of is, if you know what I mean,” he added. “It’s nice that we’d won the game but, as a bowler, to run up there at one of the most destructive batters in the world, it’s not the nicest situation. It’s one of those things really. It’s about adapting on the night really, and trying to get the job done for the team, which is what we did as an attack very nicely last night.”Tom Curran poses in his Rajasthan Royals colours•Getty Images
As a bowler who relies on sleight of hand more than outright pace, however, Curran recognises that he won’t be able to shelve his variations indefinitely in such conditions.”As the tournament goes on, it’ll be about practising with a wet ball and just trying to make the best out of a bad situation,” he said. “Concentrate on the next ball and try and limit those big, big overs because there’s going to be boundaries, there’s going to be a lot of sixes. It’s about limiting those, I guess.”If his evening’s work with the ball wasn’t quite as he might have planned, then Curran did at least enjoy a degree of one-upmanship against his brother, whom he withstood in an innings of 10 not out that, with Jofra Archer letting rip at the other end with four consecutive sixes, helped to lift the Royals to an insurmountable total of 216 for 7.Sam Curran did land some telling blows on the Royals, if not his brother, claiming 3 for 33 with the ball before cracking 17 from six balls after being promoted up the CSK order. “He came out with one intention. And one message, to swing pretty hard,” Tom said. “So unless he got 80-odd, I don’t think I would have bowled to him.”I wouldn’t say there was any chirping, but there was a bit of banter going into the game, so it was nice that we got a win there,” he added. “But it was a strange feeling, a different type of concentration really, seeing him running up, there were a lot more things on my mind than usual for those first couple, which was strange.”ALSO READ: ‘I worked on range hitting during the break – Sanju SamsonTom’s main scoring shot against Sam was an outside-edged yorker that flew through third man for four, but while he was happy not to have got out to his younger brother, he did rue a missed opportunity to put a more definitive stamp on their mini-battle.”I’d have liked to put him into the stands for a couple, to be honest! The last ball I faced, he tried to bounce me actually, which was surprising because he had square leg up. I wish I’d stood still because I reckon that was my chance to put him into the stands. But he was getting his yorkers in, so I tried to put him off and walk down the wicket.”It was good fun. We definitely had a laugh about it afterwards but, like I said, I’d have liked to have put him into the stands. He had a really good game, but we had a win. It’s nice to get a win and hopefully we get another little battle in a couple of weeks when we play them again.”Watch the Rajasthan Royals take on the King’s XI Punjab on Sky Sports, Sunday, September 27, at 3pm BST
The Australian batsman is having a run to forget in T20 having failed to score in five consecutive matches including four golden ducks
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2019Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers, BBL, Adelaide: lbw b Laughlin7.2 LBW! Two in three balls! This was 132kph, full and straight, he was caught on the crease, maybe thinking a slower ball was coming, he was hit on the knee roll infront of middle and it wasn’t a tough decision. That was plumb.India v Australia, 1st T20I, Visakhapatnam: b K Pandya16.2 96.6 kph, and they are only going to get louder! Is there a way back for India still? Turner shuffles across and looks to sweep him fine, not the best idea against a wicket-to-wicket bowler like Krunal, and he is cleaned upKings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals, IPL, Mohali: c Miller b M Ashwin16.3 duck on IPL debut! This, strangely enough, is a slow, tossed up legbreak, possibly because Ashwin thinks he can bait the big hitter into a false shot. And bait him he does. The equation makes Turner go for it. The turn on the ball makes the shot go to long-off when he is looking to go dead straight. Miller runs in and takes the catch and Royals are in a mess againRajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians, IPL, Jaipur: lbw Bumrah18.1 make that 0, 0, 0, 0. Bumrah’s deadly inward angle and skiddiness does in another batsman. Turner’s front leg moves half-forward and across the stumps, and he ends up playing around his front pad looking to work it into the leg side. The angle beats his inside edge, and it’s the plumblest of lbw decisions thereafterRajasthan Royals v Delhi Capitals, IPL, Jaipur: c Rutherford b Ishant16.4 GONE AGAIN! Slower ball, outside off, and he was looking to get towards covers, but just popped it up towards Rutherford at cover. Third golden duck in a row! Somewhere, you just know Ajit Agarkar is watching and smiling
First-choice wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is out of the tour because of a hamstring injury
Nagraj Gollapudi16-Jan-20182:34
Chopra: India should have picked Rishabh Pant or Ishan Kishan
India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has been named as a replacement for the injured Wriddhiman Saha in the squad for the third Test against South Africa in Johannesburg. Saha suffered an upper left hamstring tendon injury during training on January 11, and was replaced by Parthiv Patel in the starting XI for the ongoing second Test in Centurion.As a result, Karthik will be in South Africa a couple of weeks earlier than planned because he had already been picked for the six ODIs that will follow the Test series.Karthik, who made his Test debut in 2004, played his last Test nearly eight years ago, against Bangladesh. Since then, he has been in and out of India’s limited-overs squads. Karthik, however, has managed to be on the selection panels’ shortlist with impressive displays in domestic arena. In the ongoing domestic season, Karthik scored 296 runs in four first-class matches at 59.20, which included three Duleep Trophy fixtures and one Ranji game. He has carried on his robust form into the T20s, making 211 runs including three half-centuries, in five innings in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.In Centurion, Saha’s replacement Parthiv has not had the best of Tests. While he scored 19 in the first innings, he dropped two catches and failed to attempt a third regulation chance. Hashim Amla was dropped on 30 off Ishant Sharma down the leg side in the first innings and went on to score 82. Later in the innings, Faf du Plessis was on 54 when Parthiv failed to hold on to an outside edge off R Ashwin.In a tense second innings, Dean Elgar was on 29 and South Africa 70 for 2 when Parthiv did not go for a catch to his left. Elgar ended the day unbeaten on 36, and South Africa 90 for 2, which took their lead to 118 with eight wickets in hand.