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Newcastle United are edging towards completing their first piece of transfer business, following the latest update regarding their interest in Manchester United stopper, Dean Henderson.

Whats’ the word?

According to Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, the Magpies have all but secured the signing of the Englishman, with sources believing he was in Newcastle on Wednesday to discuss a deal.

Writing on Twitter, the Red Devis correspondent delivered this update on the 25-year-old’s future: “Dean Henderson closing in on a move to Newcastle. Understand he travelled to Newcastle for talks yesterday”.

The report reveals that while a season-long loan deal is the subject of discussions at present, it is said that a permanent transfer has ‘not been ruled out’, with the player said to be available for a fee in the region of £40m.

The northeast side had attempted to secure a temporary deal for the former Sheffield United loanee back in January, although the move reportedly collapse when Martin Dubravka rejected the chance to head in the other direction.

Howe will be delighted

Despite missing out in the winter, it looks as if the St James’ Park outfit are close to getting their man, with that news set to be a real source of delight for manager Eddie Howe, particularly with the deal nearing completion even before the current campaign has ended.

That desire to get the switch done early would suggest that strengthening the goalkeeping department was high on the priority list for the Tynesiders, having failed to settle on a preferred number one this season.

The aforementioned Dubravka has been the go-to man under Howe, although he has only made 25 starts thus far, with Freddie Woodman and Karl Darlow also enjoying brief stints in between the sticks.

That inability to find a settled option is far from an ideal scenario, with the arrival of Henderson seemingly set to alter that, with the £120k-per-week gem having showcased his quality in previous years, despite his current woes.

Having ended last season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s number one at Old Trafford, an unfortunate stint out with the viral pandemic prior to the start of the current campaign saw teammate David De Gea reinstated, with the Spaniard going on to enjoy a standout campaign to reclaim his first-choice status.

That has restricted the younger man to just three appearances in all competitions this season – none of which have come as starts – with the one-cap international having failed to really progress after his previous two-year loan stint at Bramall Lane.

After helping the Blades to promotion from the Championship in the 2018/19 season, the Whitehaven-born gem was hugely impressive in his debut top-flight campaign the following season, conceding just 33 goals in 36 games and recording 13 clean sheets – the joint-third most in the division.

Dubbed “insane” by former teammate Sander Berge, the highly-rated stopper appears to simply need a settled run of games in order to reproduce that standout form, with Howe and co likely aware of just what a talented prospect they are set to have on their hands.

IN other news, PIF now plotting Newcastle bid for “complete” £34m monster, he’s “like Yaya Toure”

A round-up of matches from the third week of the Standard Bank Pro20

Firdose Moonda14-Feb-2011The Dolphins became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals with a third consecutive victory before registering their first defeat of the competition. At the other end of the table, the Knights are out of semi-final contention, not having won a single game from their four matches.Their best chance at victory came in the rained out encounter against the Lions on Wednesday in Potchefstroom. The Knights put on a modest 137 for six in their innings with Reeza Hendricks the highest run-scorer with 47. Ethan O’Reilly, Alfonso Thomas and Paul Harris all conceded less than six runs an over and the only other damage came from Johan van der Wath who hit 29 off 21 balls.The Knights bowlers looked up to the task, removing Alviro Petersen for three and Jonathan Vandiar for eight. The Lions were 12 for two when the rain came down and no further play was possible.In Durban, the Dolphins secured their place in the final four with a nine-run win over the Cobras on Friday. Devon Conway led the way, scoring 62 off 60 balls. He shared a 92-run third wicket partnership with Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who scored a bruising 53 off 38 balls. Daryn Smit’s quickfire 22 off 11 balls took the Dolphins to 154 for 3. Vernon Philander was the most successful Cobras bowler, claiming the wicket of David Miller for a duck and finished with 1 for 23.The Cobras lost Richard Levi, who went without scoring, in the first over but Andrew Puttick and Herschelle Gibbs kept them in the game with 32 and 31 respectively. The pair were slightly sluggish is their approach and it kept the Cobras behind the run rate. Owais Shah chipped with 28 and when he departed in the 16th over, the Cobras needed 55 to win in 26 balls. Imran Khan’s four overs went for just 13 and Kyle Abbott was economical in picking up two for 21. Dane Vilas tried to resurrect the challenge but the task was too much.The final nail got smacked into the Knights coffin when they lost to the Warriors on the same day in Kimberley. Things started well for them when they restricted the Warriors to 152 for nine. Davy Jacobs and Ashwell Prince went cheaply again, both to Ryan McLaren. It was the 46 off 35 balls from Jon-Jon Smuts and 57 from 42 balls from Justin Kreusch that restored respectability. McLaren ended with four for 16 after mopping up the tail.The Knights looked comfortable in the chase at 99 for two in the 14th over. Kreusch removed Rilee Rossouw for 30 and that started the rot. Nicky Boje accounted for Ryan Bailey’s wicket and then Rusty Theron bowled a typical spell at the death to make sure the Warriors could defend their total. He took two wickets in three balls in the last over of the match and the Warriors won by six runs.On Sunday, the Titans earned a commanding seven wicket win over the Dolphins in Centurion. The Dolphins looked like fish out of water when in the third over, they were 1 for 3. Devon Conway was run out by an athletic Henry Davids, David Miller was caught off the bowling of Andre Nel and Loots bosman fell to Albie Morkel. A hat-trick of ducks sat at the top of the Dolphins scorecard. Ahmed Amla scored 44 in testing circumstances and Yasir Arafat added 17 batting at number eight to take the Dolphins to 103 for 6.The Titans made light work of the target, reaching it in the 16th over. Davids’ impressive showing continued with 45 off 32 balls, Jacques Rudolph scored 29 and Farhaan Behardien 24. Morkel and Wiese, who both impressed with the ball, were there at the end to see the Titans home. They move to second on the standings after their win.Bowler of the week: Ryan McLaren has been in sublime form in this competition and his four-wicket haul against the Warriors should have been a match-winning one. He leads the standings with eight wickets at an average of 10.12.Batsman of the week: Devon Conway was the key man in the Dolphins’ success over the Cobras, the match that secured a place in the knockouts. His 62 earns him this week’s award.

Former cricketers Martin Crowe and Shane Bond, along with Gerard Gillespie, have been included in the New Zealand board’s cricket committee as non-board members

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2010

Former cricketers Martin Crowe and Shane Bond, along with Gerard Gillespie, have been included in the New Zealand board’s cricket committee as non-board members. The committee, which was established following the team’s 0-4 defeat in Bangladesh, includes the board’s chief Chris Moller, and members Stephen Boock, Rob Hart and High Court judge Sir John Hansen.The committee’s remit runs from the grassroots all the way up to the highest level. Crowe and Bond were added to provide expertise on elite cricketing matters, while Gillespie came in for his grassroots knowledge of the game.”The NZC board believes the formation of the cricket committee with the appointment of such highly talented external members is a very significant step, and recognises the need to harness the knowledge, experience and skills of the entire cricket family,” Boock said. “The objective of the committee is to assist the board to promote, develop and foster cricket in New Zealand by gathering information from all areas of cricket, combining it with the views of the committee and providing this information as advice to the Board.”The board refrained from making sweeping changes to the team following the Bangladesh debacle, but called on the players to lift their performance during the tour of India. Despite punching above their weight in the the three-Test series, New Zealand could not prevent top-ranked India from winning 1-0. The one-dayers that followed, however, did little to suggest an upswing in New Zealand’s fortunes and they presently trail 0-4, with one game to play. They have now lost their last ten completed one-dayers, a streak that began in August.

The ejection of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL has sparked reactions from consternation to bafflement

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010Lalit ModiEnd of the road for Shane Warne and the Rajasthan Royals?•AFP

“The Teams is what makes the IPL. With what Bcci has done today – is something that will only harm the image of the IPL and Bcci””They are hell bent on destroying something that we as Indians are proud of – The IPL. So as to satisfy there personal Agendas.””The status of all teams is the same. They were all approved. There is no ambiguity as far as that is concerned.The action it totally illegal.”Preity Zinta”Still absorbing the News! After working so hard in the IPL & putting my everything building this team dis is not what I expected! Shocked !”Shane Warne”What now for the youngsters, I hope bcci come to there senses , fingers crossed !””The royals gave young unknown Indian players a chance and I as captain backed them, and our coaching staff supported them we were a team.””3 seasons ago royals won the first ever ipl, underdogs come good what a story, it helped give credibility to the competition !!! Now look..”@TheShilpaShetty hey Shilpa, please keep me posted if you hear anything , such sad news for us and our loyal fans, shattering to all !!!Shilpa Shetty”This is 4 all those who want my reaction”Honestly too shocked to react,just disheartened..cause its more than just a team 4 us!Still hav …””Still havnt recd the termination will react after.Need to kno the basis of this decision”In London nowabout 2 hours ago.”Vijay Mallya”I wonder if IPL franchisees r serious stakeholders whose investments n participation r respected or r they slaves who only come n play ?””@TheShilpaShetty this is down right ridiculous and raises serious questions on the attitude of the BCCI towards IPL franchisees.”Graeme SmithGuys thx for all messages re:ipl and royals!playing for the PROTEAS today so will comment later!have a good one…….Kevin Pietersen”Just heard news on Kings XI and Royals.. What’s happened and what’s reasons for their expulsion from IPL 4?”

Doug Bollinger, who arrived from the Champions League two days before the first Test, injured himself on the final day of the Mohali Test

Sidharth Monga in Mohali06-Oct-2010October 24, 2009. Brett Lee joins the Australian team barely 12 hours before the toss for the first ODI of the gruelling seven-match series. Till then, Lee has been occupied in winning New South Wales the Champions League Twenty20. On the day of the match, with Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatening a heist with the bat, Lee pulls up sore. End of series.It’s déjà vu in October 2010 in certain ways. Doug Bollinger, after a successful Champions League, arrives here two days before what turns out to be an all-time great Test, bowls impressively in the defence of a modest total, and when he is on absolute fire, running through the Indian batting with his aggression and hostility, he has to pull out because of abdominal pain. After an over in which he bounces Harbhajan Singh out, Bollinger is not available through the rest of the innings.”I actually had him ready to bowl the next over,” Ricky Ponting said later. “I went to grab his hat off him for the start of his next over and he said he’d felt some pain in one of his abdominals, and being a fast bowler and having that sort of injury I just sent him off the ground straight away.”Ponting, captaining an Australian side not dominant any more and hence in need of every resource it can get hold of, didn’t hide his disappointment last year. He is not hiding it this year.”It would have been nice to have another fast bowler to rotate through when we needed that breakthrough,” Ponting said. “At that stage, Doug had bowled just the one spell as well, so he would have been nice and fresh. When you are bowling at the tail, you need those strike options. That said, we used five other bowling options, but none of them could give us that result.”Ponting – not obligated, unlike many other international players, to always sing praises for the leagues – and the Australian team management haven’t been a fan of the clashes the various leagues create with national duty, the preparation part more than the actual playing part. They have all been concerned about the late arrivals of Bollinger and Michael Hussey.There is nothing to ensure that Bollinger wouldn’t have been injured had he trained with the Australian team for the last 10 days, but it helps a captain to know that his strike bowler has not been away playing in a private league until two days before a Test.”It probably doesn’t help,” said Ponting of Bollinger’s Champions League commitments. “But he’d been bowling, and that’s one positive for Doug that he’d been playing competitive cricket.”He probably hasn’t been bowling the amount of overs in the Champions League that some of the others have had coming over here, but the facts are that he’s been playing, he arrived a couple of days before the game.”I thought his work before that was very good, I thought his spell today was probably the best he’s bowled during the game, so [it was] disappointing for him to go down at the end there, it hurt us a lot.”

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte ‘wants to bring someone in’ over the summer to bolster his options at centre-back, journalist Pete O’Rourke has told GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ defensive issues

After just six minutes on Sunday, Tottenham found themselves 1-0 down to Bruno Lage’s Wolves as Raul Jimenez volleyed home following a poor piece of goalkeeping by captain Hugo Lloris.

With Leandro Dendoncker doubling the lead in the 18th minute, Spurs had a mountain to climb at half-time. Their disappointing performance continued into the second half, and after failing to produce any significant chances, the Lilywhites dropped another three points and suffered their third straight defeat. Not only did this allow Wolves to overtake them in the league table, it was also Antonio Conte’s first time losing three games in a row since 2009.

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The Latest: Conte wants a new centre-back

According to comments made by O’Rourke, Conte unsurprisingly wants to add another centre-back to his defensive ranks in order to implement his preferred three-at-the-back system.

Speaking to GiveMeSport about the centre-back position, the journalist said: “It’s a position that Conte wants to bring someone in, he wants to play with that three-man defence.”

This follows The Telegraph’s report which claimed that Spurs are eyeing Lille’s Sven Botman, Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, as Fabio Paratici scouts potential targets ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Verdict: Centre-back evidently needed

Spurs have proved to be leaky at the back this season, having conceded 29 goals in the Premier League (averaging 1.32 per game), the same as bottom club Burnley. Fans would surely have been hoping their defensive issues were going to improve under the Italian, but having conceded seven goals in their last three games, this problem clearly remains.

Spurs don’t appear to be doing too badly at the back compared with other top-six league rivals; West Ham have conceded 33 goals whilst Manchester United have let in 32, but these sides have been able to minimise that damage at the other end of the pitch, with the Hammers netting 44 goals and the Red Devils 38. Spurs, on the other hand, have scored a meagre 28 top-flight goals and have the ignominy of a a negative goal difference.

If Conte’s side are to push on for European qualification, they will need to improve defensively in order to scrape wins, with the Lilywhites’ attacking threat seemingly limited this season. It should come as no surprise that the Italian is eager to bring in some new centre-backs over the summer to remedy one clear issue in his squad.

In other news: Tottenham insider makes Djed Spence claim

According to Spanish source Estadio Deportivo (via Sport Witness), West Ham United may have discovered the price required to sign Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos. 

The lowdown: Ocampos a wanted man

The 27-year-old has previously been linked with a move to Liverpool and Leeds United, having impressed in Spain following a €15m (£12.5m) switch from Marseille in 2019 (Goal).

A recent report from Calciomercato claimed that the Hammers, along with Wolves, are interested in the Argentine winger ahead of the summer transfer window.

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A fresh update from elsewhere in Spain has informed Premier League suitors of the potential fee required to land the 27-year-old…

The latest: GSB eyeing lucrative swoop for Ocampos

As per Estadio Deportivo, as translated by Sport Witness, Sevilla are ‘about to close’ an extension on the Argentina international’s contract to extend his stay for a further year until 2025.

The report claimed that the new deal for the 10-cap forward will include a release clause of €80m (£66m).

Furthermore, despite the mention of West Ham and GSB specifically holding Ocampos as a ‘favourite’ to bolster the attack at the London Stadium, any summer exit is regarded as ‘unfeasible’ under the new terms.

The verdict: Sign him at all costs

Equally adept on either wing, the skilful Argentine – who has been described as ‘electric’ by football journalist Fede Praml – would provide an alternative to Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen and therefore would be a smart piece of business from West Ham, even at the mooted price point.

If the Irons are to continue their improvement, adding players of this calibre to their ranks is a must; and with mooted admiration from GSB, the board should be willing to sanction the fee and allow recruitment chief Rob Newman to pursue a possible deal.

So far this season, Ocampos – who has previously likened himself to Cristiano Ronaldo – has scored eight times and provided four assists in 35 appearances across all competitions this term. With only three West Ham players finding the net more regularly in 2021/22, adding a player of his potency seems a no-brainer for GSB and co.

In other news: Italian source delivers update on West Ham transfer hunt; find out more here

A number of Liverpool fans have reacted negatively to a transfer rumour claiming the Reds are interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans.

Jurgen Klopp has had a quiet time of things in terms of midfield additions recently, with Thiago the last such player brought into the club back in September 2020.

Liverpool have struggled in the middle of the park at times this season, with the Spaniard one of several players unavailable far too often, along with the likes of Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott.

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It would be a big surprise if midfield reinforcements don’t come in during the summer transfer window, and Tielemans could be a potential option.

According to journalist Sacha Tovelieri [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Liverpool are one of the clubs looking at bringing in the Belgium international, who memorably scored Leicester’s winning goal in the FA Cup final against Chelsea last year.

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Liverpool fans react to Tielemans claim

However, some Reds supporters don’t want to see Tielemans at Anfield, taking to Twitter to provide their thoughts on a player who they believe would not be an upgrade on Klopp’s current midfield options.

Perhaps some have been put off by the 24-year-old spending time on the treatment table this season, with potential fears of a recurrence in a position where there have been several casualties in recent months.

“Just another crab with no legs”

Credit: @ow_g96

“Every year man”

Credit: @I_Am_Artanis

“Am I the only person not interested in him?”

Credit: @fishtoes22

“Why?”

Credit: @CM__Joshua

“He is not better than what we already have”

Credit: @GidBanda

“Nah”

Credit: @GPottenger

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted to a key David Ornstein claim. Read more here.

Australia could one day have separate Twenty20 and Test teams playing simultaneously, according to the chief executive of Cricket Australia James Sutherland

Cricinfo staff02-Jun-2010Australia could one day have separate Twenty20 and Test teams playing simultaneously, according to the chief executive of Cricket Australia James Sutherland. The gap between the formats has grown and only five of the 11 who lost the World Twenty20 final to England are regulars in Australia’s Test outfit.Sutherland believes the separation will continue to grow, with more and more Twenty20 specialists likely to appear. The reported that Sutherland outlined the vision in his keynote speech at a Cricket Australia conference in Queensland on Tuesday.”While hosting Tests here, Australia could have its Twenty20 team touring somewhere else,” Sutherland said. “It is difficult not to see a generation of players coming through with an eye to becoming Twenty20 specialists. As more Twenty20 cricket is played there are clearly opportunities for players to choose to be specialists.”Taking it through to its natural extension, if you have a specialist team then why can’t you have a specialist Twenty20 team and a specialist Test team [playing] at the same time? In rugby union, for example, the ARU has a sevens team and a Wallabies team.”However, while such an idea might suit older players who retire from first-class cricket to pursue a Twenty20 career, such as Dirk Nannes, it could make for some tough choices for younger men. Steven Smith, for example, has made his name as a Twenty20 player but his Test hopes could be scuppered if such a concept was in place.

Jordan Campbell has revealed what he has now been ‘told’ about a potential Glasgow Rangers move for John Souttar on Transfer Deadline Day.

The Lowdown: Pre-contract

As shared earlier this month by the Ibrox club’s official website, the Gers have signed Souttar on a pre-contract agreement from Hearts, as his deal was set to run out in the summer.

However, they have also been strongly linked with signing him in the January transfer window as well, so that he can play for them for the rest of the season.

The Latest: Deadline Day move?

As per The Athletic journalist Campbell, the Light Blues have not yet come in with an offer for Souttar today, after already having not one but two bids rejected for him. The reporter tweeted:

“Told Rangers have yet to come back with a deadline day offer for John Souttar.

“The Hearts centre-back signed a pre-contract deal but I understand Rangers had two bids rejected to bring him in early.

“No further contact in recent days.”

The Verdict: Be a shame

It would be a shame if the Gers miss out on signing Souttar early, as he could have helped push them towards retaining the Premiership title ahead of Celtic.

Former Hibernian striker Tam McManus claims that the defender has been ‘superb’ so far this season, and he is currently ranked as the best centre-back in the Scottish top flight to have made 20 or more appearances in the current campaign (WhoScored).

Comparing his stats to the likes of Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun in the league, Souttar is actually averaging more interceptions, clearances and blocks per match (WhoScored), suggesting that he would walk into Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team straight away.

Nonetheless, given that there is still time left in the transfer window, this is a deal that Rangers should try and get over the line.

In other news, find out what transfer update has had these Gers fans fuming