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Crystal Palace are having a quiet transfer window so far, with their team currently intact for the challenges of the second half of the season as Patrick Vieira attempts to compete for a top-half finish, but with three weeks left until the window closes, they could be about to lose one of their players.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Tom Barclay, has given his perspective on the current loan situation that Jean-Philippe Mateta finds himself in at Crystal Palace, and it doesn’t look like it’s good news for Palace.

Barclay told GIVEMESPORT:

“I know Mateta scored the other day, but unless he goes on an incredible run, I’m not convinced that Vieira is convinced by him, so I’m expecting him to return from his loan rather than Palace sign him permanently.”

Mateta was acquired on loan by the London club after he was putting in impressive performances for his parent club Mainz at the beginning of last season, with ten goals and one assist that had caught former Palace manager, Roy Hodgson’s eye, who signed the 24-year-old on an 18-month loan with the club last January.

Fans may be concerned

Vieira is clearly not convinced by the Frenchman’s performances so far in his presence since joining the club as head coach in the summer, and has only given Mateta two Premier League starts this season.

With rumours that the loan could be cut short fans have taken to social media to slam the potential decision to let him return five months early to his Bundesliga club. One supporter tweeted:

“I think we should just keep Mateta and forget about Nketiah and keep the money for positions that need improvements.”

The 30k-per-week star put in a fantastic performance against Milwall at the weekend in the FA Cup game, where in the 54 minutes played he scored the winning goal in the 58th minute to beat their rivals 2-1, as well as offering up some clinical play, with a fantastic pass accuracy of 93% during his opportunity for minutes on the pitch, according to SofaScore.

As a result, it seems perplexing that just as he begins to find form, he’s set to head back to his parent club.

Indeed, the supporter above makes a valid point that money on a potential successor could be better spent on other areas of the team that need improving, including the full-back areas where they are strapped for depth.

Although he’s not impressed since landing in London, fans could be concerned by the ongoing situation surrounding Mateta. After all, they’d just be losing a player and then having to fork out what could be quite a considerable sum to find a replacement.

The French manager has a big decision to make in a short amount of time on the future of his 24-year-old forward, as Saint Etienne are rumoured to be interested in swooping to offer him a loan deal this January.

With Palace linked to signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, Vieira clearly needs to make a quick decision on how he intends to see out the strike force of the side for the rest of the season.

In other news: Crystal Palace targeting January swoop for Marseille striker Bamba Dieng

Even though Aston Villa have only managed to concede five goals in the six Premier League games that Steven Gerrard has taken charge of as their new manager, after conceding 13 in the five consecutive defeats that cost Dean Smith his job, it seems as though the Midlands club are looking to strengthen their defence in the upcoming January transfer window.

With a recent report from Italian media outlet Calciomercato (via Daily Express) claiming that Villa have made an offer to fellow Premier League club Liverpool to sign defender Joe Gomez, it appears that Gerrard is wasting no time in adding some new faces to the squad.

Since joining Liverpool back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Charlton Athletic in a deal worth a reported fee of £3.5m, Gomez has made a total of 130 appearances across all competitions, winning the Premier League and Champions League along the way.

Despite his vast experience at the age of 24, the defender, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £85k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has only made three Premier League appearances this season, all coming off the substitutes bench, which suggests to us that Gomez is not at the top of the pecking order at Liverpool for the centre-back position and could potentially be convinced to leave and join a club like Villa with the promise of regular game time.

Labelled as a “sensational” player by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Gerrard would certainly blow a lot of Villa fans away if he were able to lure Gomez to Villa Park next month.

After all, not only would they be adding a proven Premier League player to their squad from an elite club who have won the Champions League and top-flight recently, but they’d also be acquiring a young player with enormous potential to bolster Villa’s defence alongside the likes of Ezri Konsa and England colleague, Tyrone Mings.

If Villa haven’t actually made an offer to Liverpool for Gomez but are interested in signing him, they should definitely explore the possibility of bringing him to Villa Park and negotiating with Gerrard’s former club.

However, with Gomez having an unfortunate injury record with three very big injuries under his belt during his time at the Merseyside club, this should be taken into account over whether or not Villa go all in to sign him next month.

In other news: Huge blow: Injury details emerge on “outstanding” AVFC beast that’ll have fans gutted – opinion

نفى الدكتور كمال شعيب، المستشار القانوني للمهندس ممدوح عباس رئيس نادي الزمالك الأسبق، ما أثير في بعض المواقع وتصريحات إعلاميين منشورة أو مذاعة تخص الحجز على حساب القلعة البيضاء بأحد البنوك المصرية.

وأكد مكتب الدكتور كمال شعيب، في بيان صحفي، أن هذه التصريحات غير صحيحة وكاذبة وملفقة والهدف منها إشاعة ونشر أخبار كاذبة.

وشدد على أنه لم يصدر عن المكتب أو محامي ممدوح عباس أية تصريحات لأي وسيلة إعلامية بخصوص موضوع هذا الحجز سوى البيان السابق صدوره عن المكتب بتاريخ 11 سبتمبر الجاري.

طالع أيضًا.. مرتضى منصور: أنقذت ممدوح عباس من السجن 15 عامًا

ويهيب مكتب الدكتور كمال شعيب، بكافة المواقع الاخبارية والاعلامية تحرى الدقة والمهنية في نقل الأخبار وتداولها، خاصة عندما تتعرض وتتناول هذه الأخبار مؤسسة بنكية وطنية عريقة لها عظيم الأثر على الاقتصاد الوطني.

ويؤكد المكتب اتخاذه كافة الاجراءات القانونية ضد كل من تعمد نشر وأذاع تلك الأخبار الكاذبة.

Crystal Palace will be aiming to extend their six-game unbeaten run when they take on Burnley in the Premier League over the weekend.

The enticing encounter at Turf Moor is set to pit two teams with contrasting styles against each other following the arrival of Patrick Vieira in south London, with the 45-year-old preferring a possession-orientated approach.

As per FBref.com, the Eagles have averaged 51.2% of the ball in their opening 11 top-flight fixtures of the season, compared to Burnley’s 38.7% – the second-lowest total in the division.

Vieira’s charges have also attempted the sixth-highest number of short passes (2020) in the Premier League and the 12th-highest number of long balls (999), clearly illustrating how the Frenchman wants his side to play.

The Clarets, on the other hand, have tried to pull off the fourth-lowest number of short passes (1416) and the third-highest total of long balls (1168).

Therefore, it would perhaps be wise if Vieira didn’t attempt to play Sean Dyche’s men at their own game, instead focussing on the slick interplay that helped them carve open Manchester City and Wolves in recent weeks.

As a result, in-form striker Christian Benteke – who Alan Shearer said was “scared to miss” last season – must be axed from the starting lineup after featuring from the off last time out, changing the game in Palace’s favour.

No side in the top-flight has won a higher percentage of their aerial duels than Burnley (55.2%) this season, and floating crosses into the opposition box for the big Belgian will suit Ben Mee and James Tarkowski down to the ground.

The centre-back pairing have won an average of 3.8 and four aerial duels per league game respectively in 2021/22, as per WhoScored, and although Benteke has bettered those tally’s (4.5), he’s unlikely to receive much support from his teammates.

While the £120k-per-week bully has been dominating defenders with his head, his colleagues haven’t enjoyed anywhere near as much success, with the second-best headers, Marc Guehi and Cheikhou Kouyate, winning just 1.7 duels.

Consequently, Palace’s best opportunity to claim the three points on Saturday would be to avoid pitting Benteke up against the Burnley battering rams and instead opting for the more mobile, elusive and intelligent options at their disposal.

The likes of Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise have already shown themselves to be genuine threats at this level following their summer arrivals, and attacking prowess could prove pivotal as Vieira aims to secure a third consecutive victory for the first time during his Palace tenure.

And, in other news…“I wouldn’t rule out”: Journo makes bold Palace claim over 21 y/o, fans surely buzzing

Guernsey finally got off the mark in the tournament by beating Norway by 47 runs in their replayed match at the Indian Association Ground. Rain forced the abandonment of their match a couple of days ago, and Guernsey – the disappointment of the tournament so far – compiled an impressive 244 for 9, with GH Smit top-scoring with 71. He was given able support from Jeremy Frith (54 from 56) while Norway’s Shahbaz Butt picked up 3 for 29 in an economical spell. Not content with top-scoring for his side, Smit then prized out four wickets, including Aziz Ataul for 49, while Frith removed the captain Zaheer Ashiq for a rambunctious 62 from 50. Norway were rolled for 197, falling short by 47 runs.”I’m very happy that we’ve finally managed to show what we can do as a side,” said Smit, the Man of the Match. “I felt we underperformed in our previous matches which I think helped us today as we simply didn’t want to lose another match. It was a real motivation to do well. Tomorrow’s game against Botswana is going to be really tough especially since they, along with ourselves and Norway, have one win each – so tomorrow is all about who stays up and who goes down and we definitely don’t want to go down having only just come up to this division.”Malaysia closed the gap on leaders Singapore with a facile eight-wicket win over Botswana at the Kallang Ground. Faisal Rana continued his good form in cracking 63 from 78 but, apart from James Moses’ 48, there weren’t enough notable scores from Botswana who were dismissed for 233. Malaysia lost Shafiq Sharif early but Rakesh Madhavan smacked a tremendous unbeaten 115 from 139 balls, sharing in stands of 111 with Ahmed Faiz (56) and 119 with Suhan Alagaratnam who was unbeaten on 36.”It’s a great feeling to score a century and win Man of the Match but my focus, and the team’s, is now to tomorrow and our final group match which is against Singapore,” said Madhavan. “We really want to beat them, which we know we can do, and tomorrow’s game is really important as it will secure us promotion to Division 5 in Nepal next year.”

Outgoing Bermuda coach Gus Logie believes it is time for a “new beginning” as he prepares for his final series in charge of the national squad, against Uganda next week in the opening match of the ICC Intercontinental Shield in Hamilton.”It is another new series and I’m just as excited as when I first came,” Logie told . “Right now every game we play is important. It is about assessing where we are at and planning for the future. You’ve heard players in the past saying ‘we’re tired of losing’, they get dejected. We are trying to make sure they enjoy what they are doing and winning is part of that. Nothing breeds success like success.”In May, Logie decided not to renew his contract as the national coach after the team lost its one-day international status the previous month. Since that dismal performance at the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, Bermuda have suffered a few more setbacks.They lost their best bowler, Dwayne Leverock, who announced his retirement; Kevin Hurdle has been banned following a row over smoking, and both Lionel Cann and Janeiro Tucker have also called it quits.As Logie prepared to move on, he said the Under-19 squad held a lot of promise and would replace the old guard. “There are always reasons to be positive,” Logie said. “I look around and I see some of the young fellas out here and I feel good that there are still youngsters who want to go out there and put their talent and their skill on the line at the higher level.”Terryn Fray, the Bermuda U-19 captain, and left arm quick Kevon Fubler are two prospects Logie is betting big on. Logie hopes both players and their peers – like Malachi Jones, Rodney Trott, Chris Douglas and Jordan DeSilva – will play long enough to create a pool of players for his successor to choose from in the future.”These are some of the youngsters that the cricket board has invested in for a number of seasons now,” Logie said. “They have had quite a bit of experience at this level and we are looking forward to them doing well. This is the succession plan that the board has put in place. We’ve always been keen to introduce young players to the squad.”Fray, a traditional opener with the temperament for the longer format is expected to make his debut in the four-day Intercontinental Shield. Fray said he was optimistic about Bermuda’s future and the bulk of the current squad could be together for the next ten years.”We’ve got a lot of good young players in the squad,” Fray said. “Hopefully we can show the island we mean business over the next couple of years.”

أعرب ثنائي فريق الكرة الأول بنادي الزمالك، محمود علاء ومحمد أشرف روقا، عن سعادتهما بتتويج الفارس الأبيض ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز هذا الموسم.

وقال روقا في تصريحات عقب المباراة: “أحمد الله على التتويج بدرع الدوري، رغم أن البداية لم تكن جيدة”.

طالع | موعد مباراة الزمالك القادمة أمام المصري في الدوري

وأضاف: “ولكن الزمالك ناد كبير جدًا، ودائمًا ما يستهدف البطولة، كما أنه يحظى بدعم ومساندة مجلس الإدارة، واستطعنا تحقيق المطلوب وإسعاد جمهورنا العظيم”.

وحرص محمود علاء على تهنئة جماهير الزمالك ومجلس إدارته، مشيرًا إلى أن الله كلل مجهودات الجميع بالنجاح.

وأردف: “أعتذر لجماهير الزمالك، بيننا (عشم) كبير جدًا، والجمهور هو من يجعل اسم اللاعب عاليًا، ولا يوجد من يتعمد الخطأ”.

وأتم: “أمير مرتضى منصور استطاع أن يُغلِق على الفريق، وبالتأكيد أنا مستمر مع الزمالك”.

واختتم: “يجب أن أكرر اعتذاري، عشنا مع بطولات كثيرة، وأُطلق على هذا الدوري، دوري جماهير الزمالك، حيث كانوا يساندونا ويدعمونا”.

Mohammad Yousuf has said that he has obtained a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the rebel Indian Cricket League, paving the way for him to return to international cricket for Pakistan

Cricinfo staff26-May-2009

Mohammad Yousuf has said he has obtained a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Indian Cricket League, which will pave the way for him to return to international cricket for Pakistan. The batsman said he had submitted the certificate to Wasim Bari, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s human resources director.”I have submitted an NOC from the Indian league and it’s now up to the authorities to clear my way to play international cricket,” Yousuf told AFP. “I have handed the letter over to the PCB and now wait for their reply as I desperately want to play for my country.”Bari said he had received a written confirmation from Yousuf. “We have to verify this letter and put it before the PCB chairman (Ijaz Butt),” he said.Yousuf had met PCB officials Bari, Mohammad Naeem and Zakir Khan at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, last week and informed them of his resignation. After producing the resignation letter, the officials said they would act only after hearing the ICL’s response to him quitting, though without specifying that an NOC was needed.Yousuf had signed up with the ICL in 2007 but was lured out of the contract by the PCB administration of the day. However, legal wrangles denied him an IPL contract in 2008 and he rejoined the ICL in November. That virtually ended his career with Pakistan but the latest development, it is believed, could see him returning sooner rather than later. The PCB had stated that they would consider the return of the ICL players on a case-by-case basis.His team-mate Abdul Razzaq also said he had quit the ICL.

Frank McAvennie says Ange Postecoglou may be overlooking his ‘best left-back’ in Boli Bolingoli. 

The lowdown

Bolingoli has been limited to just two starts in Celtic’s first 11 league games under Postecoglou.

Greg Taylor started the season as the Australian’s first choice in the top flight before sustaining a shoulder injury against Ross County in mid-September.

Postecoglou has looked to Josip Juranovic, a natural right-back, and teenager Adam Montgomery in addition to Bolingoli during that lay-off.

That indicates he’s not entirely convinced by a player who spent last season on loan at Turkish Super Lig outfit Istanbul Basaksehir.

To be fair to the manager, Bolingoli didn’t exactly set the world alight out on loan, starting only ten games and averaging just a 6.63 average match rating with the Turkish outfit.

The latest

McAvennie says he’s been impressed by Bolingoli’s performances so far this season and declared them far better than Taylor’s displays prior to his injury.

“I still think he’s our best left-back,” the ex-Hoop told Football Insider. “But the manager sees him every day, I don’t need to point out that he knows more than me.

“All I can say is what I have seen. Bolingoli has been great when I have seen him this season.

“I think he’s looked miles better than Taylor. For that reason, I was surprised he has been left out again.

“We are playing well at the moment and Postecoglou might not be comfortable with him in the new style.

“I doubt it’s a temperament issue. He’s not that kind of player. He’s strong in the tackle is all.”

The 61 year-old ended his comments rather bluntly: “I don’t get it.”

The verdict

How has Bolingoli fared when he has played? Well his average SofaScore rating stands at a commendable 7.0, although it does rank him slightly below Juranovic and Taylor.

Overall, he’s won the majority of his defensive duels, but his attacking output was very limited in those games, with no key passes and only one accurate cross recorded. That could be the stylistic concern McAvennie alludes to.

That said, one could argue that having a right-footer in the position is a bigger issue from that point of view, restricting the team’s width and the full-back’s ability to bomb down the flank and whip crosses in.

Seeing a right-back selected ahead of him will surely put a significant dent in Bolingoli’s confidence, and perhaps tempt the defender to find a new home elsewhere when the transfer window rolls around.

In other news, read this injury expert’s verdict on Christopher Jullien.

MatériaMais Notícias

Bruno Henrique, que chegou ao Palmeiras após o prazo de inscrições na Copa do Brasil e não participou da queda diante do Cruzeiro, foi o escolhido para dar entrevista coletiva nesta quinta-feira. O camisa 9 estava em Belo Horizonte com a delegação e comentou a cobrança de torcedores, liderados pelo conselheiro Carlos Degon, no hotel após a partida.

– Cobrança, desde que não haja agressão física, temos que saber receber, somos profissionais. Nosso grupo está fechado, focado. Sabemos que quando você é eliminado as críticas e as coisas negativas vêm de fora, temos consciência disso. Conversamos e temos que nos fechar porque temos duas competições importantes ainda. Nosso grupo está bem chateado, é claro, mas temos que ter maturidade para absorver essas cobranças da melhor maneira possível e se fechar – disse o jogador.

As cobranças sobre o Palmeiras são motivadas pelo enorme investimento feito para esta temporada. Bruno Henrique, repetindo o discurso usado antes por Cuca e Alexandre Mattos, repeliu o tom de “obrigação de títulos”.

– Todos os clubes fizeram investimentos, contrataram jogadores. É normal no futebol. Não é sempre que você vai contratar e as coisas vão dar certo. Também não vejo as coisas aqui dando errado. Saímos da Copa do Brasil, mas não podemos dizer que as coisas estão dando errado. Quando você traz jogadores tem uma cobrança, sim, isso é normal. Mas no Palmeiras a cobrança será sempre a mesma, o clube é muito grande. Não temos que bater na tecla de que trouxe jogadores e por isso tem que ganhar – declarou.

– O Palmeiras contratou bastante, tem elenco forte, por ter duas, três, quatro competições no ano para jogar. Sobre jogar com reservas, todos que estão aqui estão demonstrando que têm condições, quando jogam estão correspondendo. A equipe está se fortalecendo. Tomamos o gol no fim ontem, e se não tivesse tomado aquele gol a conversa seria diferente, todo mundo elogiaria o elenco. O Palmeiras prioriza todas as competições que joga, é por isso que tem tantos jogadores de alto nível – completou Bruno.

Ele tem boas chances de ser titular contra o Avaí, às 19h de sábado, no Allianz Parque.

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