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O Palmeiras iniciou a pré-temporada de 2017 com testes físicos na manhã desta terça-feira. Com seis atletas liberados para finalizar negociações com outros clubes e três com o período de descanso prolongado por terem saído de férias depois, o elenco apresentou-se com 26 jogadores.

Os seis atletas que estão de saída são o goleiro Vagner (clube não divulgado), o lateral-direito João Pedro (vai assinar com a Chapecoense), o volante Matheus Sales (acertou com o Bahia), os meias Allione (está encaminhado com o Bahia) e Cleiton Xavier (acertou com o Vitória) e o atacante Leandro Pereira (clube não divulgado). O atacante Gabriel Jesus, negociado com o Manchester City (ING), e o volante Gabriel, que vai para o Corinthians, são as outras baixas em relação ao elenco campeão brasileiro.

O volante Arouca, que tem negociações com o Atlético-MG, e o atacante Lucas Barrios, que teve seu nome ligado a diversos clubes durante a janela de transferências, se apresentaram normalmente.

O lateral-direito Fabiano, que estava emprestado pelo Cruzeiro até 31 de dezembro, não se apresentou porque espera o desfecho da negociação que deve mantê-lo no Palestra Itália, agora com um contrato em definitivo. Essas tratativas também envolvem a vinda do atacante Willian e a permanência do meia Robinho na Raposa.

Os três atletas que ganharam alguns dias a mais de férias foram o zagueiro Yerry Mina, que trabalhou por uma semana a mais que os colegas por causa de uma lesão muscular, e os recém-contratados Alejandro Guerra (disputou o Mundial com o Atlético Nacional) e Felipe Melo (estava na ativa na Inter de Milão).

Hyoran, Michel Bastos, Raphael Veiga e Keno foram as principais novidades entre os que compareceram à Academia. Haverá mais uma atividade no período da tarde, quando Keno será apresentado aos jornalistas.

Confira os jogadores que se reapresentaram nesta terça:
Goleiros: Fernando Prass, Jailson e Vinicius Silvestre
Laterais: Egídio, Jean e Zé Roberto
Zagueiros: Edu Dracena, Thiago Martins e Vitor Hugo
Volantes: Arouca, Rodrigo, Thiago Santos e Tchê Tchê
Meias: Fabrício, Hyoran, Michel Bastos, Moisés, Raphael Veiga e Vitinho
Atacantes: Alecsandro, Dudu, Erik, Keno, Lucas Barrios, Rafael Marques e Róger Guedes

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Celtic’s transfer plans will be dictated by a variety of different events and scenarios.

The Hoops will firstly need to appoint a new manager and they will have to patiently wait to see how the futures of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer develop.

Two of Parkhead’s most sellable assets, the funds the Bhoys receive will dictate how much they can spend on replacements.

What’s the word?

Unfortunately, Celtic’s plan to replace Edouard could already be in tatters and it’s through no fault of their own.

One player the club and Eddie Howe were interested in, and were planning to bring into Paradise this summer was Josh King.

The Norwegian is currently at Everton after moving from Bournemouth back in January. He signed a six month deal with the Toffees that expires this summer, meaning he’ll be available on a free transfer.

That sounds like good news but Celtic isn’t King’s only suitor. According to Football Insider, Norwich are now chasing the striker ahead of a summer move.

The report states that Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Galatasaray also want to sign the 29-year-old.

Celtic in a mess

This doesn’t only represent a blow for the club but it’s also a setback for incoming manager, Howe.

The 43-year-old is close to sealing a move to Parkhead but until he arrives, it would be foolish of Celtic to finalise moves in the transfer market.

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The longer the wait goes on, the more feasible it becomes that King will end up elsewhere. At the moment, he is free to discuss terms with foreign clubs and thus, he could already be in talks with other suitors beyond Celtic.

Considering the Hoops have no manager and no director of football, it’s unlikely the forward would be too sold on the uncertainty at Parkhead.

Therefore, the quicker Howe arrives, the sooner they can begin negotiations for new recruits.

If King decides to move to East Anglia or Turkey, it would be a massive blow for Howe before he’s even walked through the door.

That’s because the former Bournemouth striker is one of his most trusted performers.

The duo worked together on the south coast where they developed a fabulous understanding of they both worked.

King has made 170 appearances under the Englishman, racking up an impressive tally of 50 strikes; that’s a record of a goal every 3.4 matches.

Should Celtic end up missing out on the striker they will only have themselves to blame.

If Dermot Desmond had been swifter in his search for a new manager and bowed down to Howe’s demands, he may already be through the door and talking to potential new recruits. At the time of writing, that isn’t possible.

Consequently, they are likely to be further behind in negotiations with his agent. Celtic’s initial transfer plans appear to be in big doubt here which could throw a spanner in the works for Howe before he’s even taken the job.

Howe’s plans to sign a player who knows his methods and his systems well and use him at Celtic could already be in tatters.

AND in other news, Forget Howe: McKay could rescue Celtic by hiring “outstanding” 63 y/o manager…

Speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily), journalist Kaveh Solhekol has dropped an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Mauricio Pochettino. 

The Lowdown: Pochettino talks held by Spurs

On Thursday morning, the Athletic broke seismic news of Pochettino’s talks with Spurs whilst also lifting the lid on his desire to make a return to north London.

However, the BBC also report that no such contact has been made with his club, Paris-Saint Germain, with the general consensus being that they will fight tooth and nail to keep him in the French capital.

As such, chairman Daniel Levy may face a serious fight to appoint him.

The Latest: Reporter drops Pochettino update

Sharing an update, Sky Sports reporter Solhekol has claimed he has ‘some more information’ and confirms that ‘this is not a done deal’.

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“We’ve just been able to get some more information in the last ten minutes or so,” he explained to the broadcaster (via Football Daily).

“I’ll just run through it quickly for you.

“First of all Spurs would love to have Mauricio Pochettino back as their manager, but this is not a done deal.

“One source this morning was telling us it very close to being done, another source just now saying that it is still some way off at the moment.”

The Verdict: Managerial merry-go-round…

As reports emerged on Thursday morning of Pochettino’s interest in taking the Spurs job and vice versa, they were quickly followed by reports from France dismissing them entirely. 

This latest claim from Solhekol, whilst offering no encouragement of Tottenham appointing Pochettino imminently, at least reiterates interest from the Lilywhites in his sensational return to north London.

Spurs have apparently been looking for a new boss in the image of Pochettino to put the Jose Mourinho era behind them, and they won’t hire a boss any closer to that mould than the former fan favourite himself.

However, PSG’s firm stance and the fact he still has one year left on his deal at the Parc des Princes mean this move could be difficult to pull off.

In other news: Spurs now want to sign this ‘nearly unplayable’ star, find out more here.

All the three teams Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Karnataka fully utilisedthe advantage of playing on home turf to score convincing wins overKerala, Goa and Andhra respectively in the recent round of matches inthe Under-16 South Zone league Vijay

Natarajan Sriram16-Dec-2000All the three teams Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Karnataka fully utilisedthe advantage of playing on home turf to score convincing wins overKerala, Goa and Andhra respectively in the recent round of matches inthe Under-16 South Zone league Vijay Merchant Trophy tournament.A tally of nine wickets in the match by Rajesh helped Tamil Nadu teamscored an innings and 11 run win over Kerala at the MA Chidambaramstadium in Chennai on Saturday. Having won the toss on the openingday, Kerala opted to bat and were shot out for a paltry 78. Rajeshripped through the visitors’ line up ending with figures of 7 for 17while the other three wickets were shared by Varun, Raina and SatishKumar.In response, Tamil Nadu took a massive 202 run lead thanks to 160 runfourth wicket stand between KDK Kartik (99) and M Muthupandey (79).Tamil Nadu skipper Vasudeva Das declared the innings at 280 for 7.Kartik who missed a well deserved century by a run, was at the creasefor 213 minutes and faced 192 balls while finding the boundaries oneight occasions.Kerala’s batting woes continued in their second innings and were shotout for 191. Only four batsmen JS Kurien (26), skipper NJ John (59),PR Prem (50) and P Prasanth (18) reached the double figures. Thewickets were shared allround with Vasudeva Das (3 for 53) and Varun (3for 11) being the pick.In the second match of the tournament at the MJWSC Ground inBangalore, Karnataka had to sweat a bit even as they scored an inningsand 2 run win over Andhra on Saturday. Opting to bat, Andhra werebundled out for just 164 runs by Chetan Williams (6 for 30) andChauhan (4 for 64).In reply, Karnataka declared their first innings at 370 for 9, a leadof 206 runs. The Karnataka batsmen were in good form with opener PTTrishul (70), MK Manjunath (76) and GVK Agarwal (78) making the bulkof the scoring. Andhra in their second innings fell short by two runsto make the home side bat again, scoring 204 runs. Chauhan andWilliams were among the wickets again taking three apiece. Moinuddinalso ended taking three wickets.The last match of the present round of South Zone matches sawHyderabad defeat Goa by ten wickets at the Nuclear Fuel Complex Groundin Hyderabad. Having to score just 69 for a win on the final day,Hyderabad openers SP Peter (42) and Mohd Imran (30) accomplished thetask off 15.4 overs.Earlier on the opening day, Opting to bat the hosts, Hyderabad,amassed 355 on the board. PS Niranjan (75) was the top scorer whileGoa’s SS Shetty (5 for 119) and SB Yadav (3 for 122) shared thebowling honours. In reply the Goan batting failed to take off and werebundled out for just 130 with the top scorer being Yadav (27).Following on, Goa fared a bit better scoring 294 with Yadav againcoming to the team’s rescue with a timely century. During his 136minute stay at the crease, Yadav faced 128 balls for his 102 which wasstudded with 14 fours and one six.

Southampton have been linked with Peter Olayinka and Daryl Dike ahead of the summer window but who would be the better addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side?

Peter Olayinka

According to Premier League.cz, Southampton, Brighton and Aston Villa are all interested in signing the Slavia Prague forward this summer, with the Czech side expected to demand between £6m-£7m for his services.

The Nigerian forward, who features in a wide target man role for Slavia Prague but can also play through the middle, was one of the top performers for Slavia in their impressive run to the Europa League quarter-finals last season, as he contributed three goals and two assists in 11 appearances, averaging a solid 6.92 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

He also managed six goals and three assists in 24 appearances in the Fortuna Liga, which suggests that he could be a threat for Hasenhuttl’s side next season, especially from an aerial point of view, which is something that the Saints arguably lack in their attack.

Daryl Dike

According to TEAMtalk, Southampton are one of a number of Premier League sides monitoring the Orlando City striker after his superb performance on loan at Barnsley in the Championship last season.

The 21-year-old would contribute a superb nine goals in 21 appearances to help Valerian Ismael’s side secure a playoff finish, so it is no surprise that plenty of Premier League clubs were quick to take notice.

His performances with the Yorkshire side earned him the praise of experienced manager Neil Warnock, who said:

“I think they’ve probably got the best striker in the division in Dike. It’s said they’ve got a £17m buyout, so I would imagine if they go up, they’ll be buying him because he’s been unbelievable when I look at his clips. He scores goals, he’s big, strong and young. He’s got every attribute really.”

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Who would be better?

Although Dike’s buyout clause means that he would probably be the more expensive option, he is more of a natural striker than Olayinka and has age on his side.

The USA international looks to have a huge amount of potential, whilst Olayinka may have already hit his peak in the Czech league, so Dike could prove to be a great investment for the future by Southampton.

Therefore, Saints vice-chairman Martin Semmens should forget about Olayinka this summer and instead focus on signing Dike for Hasenhuttl’s side. He scored more this term, has a higher ceiling and is already acclimatised to English football.

This is a no brainer for the Saints hierarchy.

And, in other news… Southampton could repeat Armstrong masterclass with swoop for “outstanding” beast

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Inter defender Andreaw Gravillon after he impressed during a loan spell with Lorient.

What’s the story?

A dozen clubs are reportedly keen on acquiring the 23-year-old’s signature this summer, with fellow Premier League sides Leicester City and Southampton also monitoring the situation, that’s according to French outlet Foot Mercato.

The report also claims that several teams across the continent are vying for Gravillon’s services, including Real Betis, FC Copenhagen and Marseille.

Palace need him

Gravillon may be wanted by an abundance of teams looking to strengthen their side ahead of 2020/21, but it’s unlikely any of them need the powerful centre-back as much as Palace do.

The capital club are set to experience a number of changes over the coming months, with 14 first-team players approaching the end of their contracts and Roy Hodgson’s successor yet to be appointed.

Many of those switches in personnel could be at centre-back, with Gary Cahill, Scott Dann and Mamadou Sakho all set to become free agents at this moment in time.

Their potential departures would leave James Tomkins as the only recognised central defender in the south London outfit’s setup, meaning significant reinforcements would be required for next season.

Therefore, Palace chairman Steve Parish must swoop for the £4.5 million rated (as per Transfermarkt) ace before another side snaps him up.

Gravillon played a key role as Christophe Pelissier’s side retained their Ligue 1 status, making 26 appearances for the French minnows as they finished 16th in the top-flight table.

His eye-catching performances in the heart of defence clearly caught the eye, and in a recent interview, the Frenchman revealed he remains open-minded about where his future lies.

“Once the season is over, we will see with my agents whether we should stay in Lorient, return to Inter, go elsewhere. We do not know. We’ll see. We will wait until the season to see how things will go,” he said.

Palace’s work in the upcoming transfer window could make or break their season before it’s even begun, but the arrival of Gravillon would give the Selhurst Park outfit a significantly better chance of survival, and Parish must do his best to get this deal over the line.

And, in other news…Huge CPFC contract update emerges on “fearless” £7.2m-rated star, fans will be gutted 

وجه أليو سيسيه المدير الفني لمنتخب السنغال، رسالة لجماهير أسود التيرانجا قبل مواجهة مصر، في إياب الدور الفاصل المؤهل بتصفيات قارة إفريقيا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2022.

وتستعد السنغال لملاقاة مصر يوم الثلاثاء 29 مارس، على ملعب “عبد الله واد”، ضمن لقاءات إياب تصفيات المونديال وتنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

وقال سيسيه في تصريحات للصحفيين بعد وصوله إلى ديامينياديو: “نحن سنحتاج إلى جماهيرنا وأنصارنا، لأن كما ينتظر الشعب السنغالي من اللاعبين الاحتفال بالتأهل إلى كأس العالم، ننتظر أيضا الحضور الجماهيري لدعمنا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. “بطولات” يكشف موقف عبده ديالو من المشاركة في مباراة الإياب بين مصر والسنغال

وأضاف سيسيه في تصريحات عبر شبكة “senenews” السنغالية: “لقد عملت في مجال التدريب لسنوات كما أنني كنت لاعبًا سابقًا وقائدًا لمنتخب السنغال، وهناك ثقافة غائبة لدى جماهيرنا ويجب أن تحضر في مباراة الثلاثاء”.

وتابع: “أنا أتمنى حماسًا في المدرجات مثلما رأيت من قبل في مدرجات الجزائر وتونس، لسنا بحاجة لمن يرتدون ربطات العنق في المدرج أمام مصر ولكننا بحاجة لمشجعين حقيقيين، لقد رأيت في تونس يصبح الصحفيون والسياسيون مشجعين عندما يلعب المنتخب الوطني”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلا: “نريد أن نرى ألوان علم السنغال في المدرجات، وأناشد الجماهير أن تحضر وتدفعنا بقوة للفوز”.

Mohammad Haroon gave a magnificent all-round performance, inspiring Sheikhupura to beat Gujranwala by seven wickets in a high-scoring Pool B match played at Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala.Haroon, the leg break bowler, grabbed 4 wickets for 35 runs, helping his side restrict the opposition to 248 in their allotted overs, before smashing an unbeaten 64 (71 balls), studded with 5 fours and 3 sixes, taking his side to victory with seven wickets and eight balls to spare.Apart from Haroon, Majid Majeed and Qaiser Abbas also played well for the winners, getting 58 (73 ball, 5 fours, 2 sixes) and 59 (70 balls, 3 fours), whereas Mohammad Azam contributed with 34 off 54 balls (4 fours).In the second Pool B match, played at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad surpassed Sargodha by 3 wickets in a low scoring encounter.Batting first after winning the toss, Sargodha could manage only 173 before their last batsman was dismissed in the 49th over. Abid Hussain top scored for his side with 51 off 108 balls, whereas wicket keeper Waqar Ahmed contributed with an unbeaten 33 off 42 balls.Naeem Ashraf and Saeed Ajmal bagged three wickets each for 34 and 28, respectively, whereas Ijaz Mahmood got 2 for 41.Faisalabad romped home in the 48th over, with Mohammad Sabir top scoring with 48 (62 ball, 5 fours) and Imran Younis contributing 33 (42 balls, 4 fours, 1 six).Jibran Khan bowled well for Sargodha getting three wickets for 28 in his ten overs, while Mohammad Sarfraz, Mohammad Shafiq and Sami Khan got one wicket each.In the third match of this round, played at Lahore Cricket Association Ground, Karachi Blues trounced Lahore Blues by 6 wickets, after restricting the home team to a meager 198 in the allotted fifty overs.Asked to bat first on a grassy track, Lahore Blues got to a fine start, with their openers posting 33 on the board in about 7 overs. However, disaster struck when they lost three wickets with the addition of only 5 runs, reducing the hosts to 38 for three by the 8th over, a position from which they did never quite recover. Only Mohammad Ashraf Ali, with a fine 67 off 110, could offer any resistance against opposition’s attack.For Karachi, Rajesh, Ramesh, Rizwan Qureshi, Mansoor Khan and Rizwan Saeed bowled well, getting 2 wickets each. Harris Ayaz bagged one wicket for 27 runs.Karachi Blues had not a confident start to their innings, losing Tariq Haroon for naught with only 8 on the board. But then a second-wicket partnership of 73 between Zahid Ghouri (77 off 67 balls) and Atif Ali Zaidi (37 off 37 balls) completely turned the tables. Thereafter, it was just a matter of time when Karachi overhauled the required in the 41st over, with Mansoor Baig and Bilal Murtaza remaining not out on 42 (67 balls) and 16 (40 balls), respectively.

The selectors have announced their side for the match against CFX Academy at Country Club in Harare this coming weekend

Derrick Townshend22-Mar-2002The selectors have announced their side for the match against CFX Academy at Country Club in Harare this coming weekend. The twelve players making up theteam are:Williams – captain, King – vice-captain, Dabengwa, Ewing, Mahachi,McKillop, Mukandiwa, Mupariwa, Siziba, Strydom, Townshend and Walker.Walker is a new cap, a sound right-hand batsman and wicket-keeper, who will probably keep wicket in the match, allowing Siziba to concentrate on his batting where he is in prolific form. Walker comes into the side in place of Warren Gilmour, who has left for England, to play both cricket and hockey for about nine months.The other change in the side is Townshend for Kenny. With the Academy track likely to be flat, the luxury of three spinners doesn’t allow a balanced bowling attack. The seam attack is likely to be Mukandiwa and Townshend, followed by Strydom and Mahachi, with the spin coming from Dabengwa and Ewing. If the bowlers bowl line and length, they should be able to contain the Academy batting line-up and allow the batsmen to chase or build a decent score, something they have not been able to do in the previous two matches.New cap Walker is likely to open the batting with Siziba, allowing the outer form of talented King a chance to make runs batting at three. The side is beginning to blend and should be more positive, and hopefully the elusive victory may be forthcoming.

Q: Where did your love of cricket come from and why did you turn to coaching?A: When I was eight I was so bad at school that my parents sent me to a primary school that had small classes to get special attention. They played cricket and rugby as prior to that the only game I knew was soccer and being a Geordie (i.e. from Newcastle, UK), I was soccer mad. I was made to teach physical education classes at school because some of the acade-mic teachers didn’t want me in their classes. Bit disruptive, they said. All I wanted to do was be outside and play sport and I suppose it blossomed from there, so when I had my umpteenth spell on the surgeon’s table for cricket and rugby injuries when I was 25, I turned to coaching full time.Q: Your appointment as coach to the Pakistan World Cup side was big news. How difficult was it to accept the position given the suddenness of the appointment and involvement with the Border Bears?A: Joining the Pakistan team for the World Cup didn’t affect the Border setup as we had already finished the season, it wasn’t a difficult decision (although Ali Bacher wasn’t too happy) because if you’re not aiming to accept the biggest challenges in the game, what are you doing the job for?Q: How would you describe your relationship with the Pakistan team and management during the World Cup?A: All the players were fantastic but the only downside was our manager who was a bumbling idiot. He would order the physio to treat him –for old age! — and the players would have to wait until he had finished. He was later appointed interim chairman of the board after the military coup in Pakistan and it was he who was responsible for sacking me.Q: What were your feelings on learning of your sacking and what do you think the reasons behind it were?A: My feelings were disbelief and anger. The chairman didn’t even have the balls to see me personally, he got one of his henchmen to do it for him. I believe the reasoning behind it was that he didn’t want a foreigner doing the job, it was a political decision made by him and him alone. He didn’t consult the captain, Wasim Akram, nor the manager, before he made it. But what goes around, comes around and he was sacked as chairman shortly afterward! .Q: Looking back, would you have made the same decision to have coached Pakistan?A: Yes,I knew that Graham Ford would be coaching the South African side up to the next World Cup so there wouldn’ be any openings there and when you are invited to coach one of the best sides in the world, where you already have an excellent relationship with the players, you have to accept these challenges. If there hadn’t been a military coup –the army sacked the then cricket board — one day after I signed my contract then I would still be in the job.Q: Do you ever think you will coach South Africa one day. If not, why?A: Not in the near future. I don’t think Ali Bacher is my greatest fan!Q: To the future. What does being back home and coaching the Border Bears mean to you?A: It’s great to be home and to be working with such a great group of guys again. That’s what makes it so special — the relationship with the players.Q: The team has done incredibly well the past two seasons. What do you put that down to?A: A common vision for the whole business, good administrative staff, good support systems, good facilities, good players and above all the best skipper in SA cricket in Pieter Strydom.Q: Losing out in three finals must have been terribly disappointing. Will it be difficult to lift the side mentally this season?A: No, we are hungrier than ever.Q: What do you hope to achieve with the Bears this season?A: Win the SuperSport trophy and Standard Bank Cups.Q: How strong is Border cricket when it comes to current depth?A: Exciting times lie ahead with a nucleus of young players below the age of 24. Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini, Geoff Love, Laden Gamiet, Ian Mitchell, Dumisa Makalima to name but a few. Offset this with the experience of our senior players and the future is very positive.Q: What advice would you give a batsman who is struggling to find form. Similarly to a bowler you know can do better?A: Whether it be a batsman or a bowler each individual needs to know where he wants to get to. VISION is important. From there they need to take stock of where they are now, assess their strengths and weaknesses and get a firm plan of how they are going to address these areas, making sure that they focus on positive aspects of their performance to maintain confidence while they turn weaknesses into strengths. They need to utilise their coach to get accurate feedback and to evaluate their progress. In fact this goes for every sport, and not just cricket.Q: Briefly, what makes Richard Pybus tick as a person when he’s not coaching? What are your hobbies and interests, tell us a bit about your family, etc.A: Firstly, my relationship with God takes priority, secondly, spending as much time as possible with my daughter, Jessica. Thirdly, keeping fit — although I do have the odd vice! — and last, but not least, reading and learning about anything and everything, which is probably why I wasn’t teachers pet, as I was never interested in the school syllabus. But for any kids who want to use my earlier comments about school as an excuse not to study, think again. I did graduate from university, so do make sure you pass your exams, those bits of paper come in quite useful later in life.