Connor Wickham has officially left Crystal Palace on a free after his contract expired, as reported by Berkshire Live.

The Lowdown: Wickham has had a torrid time

Acquired from Sunderland for £9m back in August 2015 [Chronicle Live], the 1.89m (6 foot 3) ace registered 11 goals and five assists in 50 appearances during his time at Selhurst Park [Transfermarkt].

Despite being a pricey purchase, Wickham has suffered serious injury problems in SE25. Constantly ravaged by injuries in 2020/21, he did not muster a single outing for the Eagles at first team level last term [Soccerbase].

However, he did manage to bag two goals in two games while plying his trade in Premier League 2 with Crystal Palace under-23s [Transfermarkt].

The Latest: Wickham released

The former Ipswich youth is now free to ponder his next move after being named on the south Londoners’ released list of players, alongside the likes of Gary Cahill, Andros Townsend, James McCarthy and Nathaniel Clyne [The Sun].

Following the departure of Roy Hodgson as manager, Palace are said to be looking to the future as they rebuild for 2021/22.

As for Wickham, the Hereford-born striker’s next move is undetermined. Formerly a target for Championship side Reading, he may feel he still has something to offer at a high level if he can prove his fitness over the coming weeks [Berkshire Live].

The Verdict: Right time to part ways

The former England under-21 international has been highly unfortunate throughout his career. At 28, he may feel he could have still had a future at Palace if it weren’t for a spate of fitness concerns.

Once labelled as ‘influential’ by former Eagles manager Alan Pardew [Sports Mole] and hailed for a “massive performance” against Newcastle in 2015 by Wilfried Zaha [Evening Standard], Crystal Palace fans didn’t get to see enough of his qualities at Selhurst Park. In spite of early promise, now is the correct time to let him leave as they seek to bring in positional reinforcements.

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans give their thoughts on a rumoured transfer target.

تغلب فريق إنتر ميلان على نظيره هيلاس فيرونا، بهدفين دون رد، مساء اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات الدوري الإيطالي لموسم 2021-2022.

وحل هيلاس فيرونا ضيفًا على إنتر ميلان في ملعب “جوزيبي مياتزا” معقل النيراتزوري، وذلك في إطار مباريات الجولة 32.

بدأ إنتر ميلان المباراة بقوة وسيطر على الكرة حتى تمكن نيكولو باريلا من إحراز الهدف الأول لأصحاب الأرض في الدقيقة 22 بعد تمريرة عرضية من إيفان بريسيتش.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رابيو مهاجمًا حكم مباراة يوفنتوس وإنتر ميلان: من الصعب اللعب 11 ضد 12

وسريعًا أضاف إدين دجيكو الهدف الثاني للإنتر وذلك في الدقيقة 30 مستفيدًا من من ركلة ركنية، نفذها ديماركو لمسها بيريسيتش، لتسقط داخل المنطقة ويتابعها دجيكو بتسديدة في شباك فيرونا. أهداف مباراة إنتر ميلان وفيرونا

شوط المباراة الثاني لم يشهد تسجيل أهداف، لتحسم المباراة بفوز إنتر ميلان بهدفين نظيفين، ويرفع رصيده للنقطة 66 في المركز الثاني مواصلاً الضغط على ميلان المتصدر بفارق نقطة واحدة، ويتوقف رصيد فيرونا عند 45 نقطة بالمركز التاسع.

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold says the club have eyes for Juventus defender Merih Demiral.

The Lowdown: Spurs on defender chase…

As explained by previous reports, including one from Gold, a priority for Tottenham this summer is a ‘leader’ at the back who can help to reinforce their backline for 2021/2022.

Defence was arguably one of Spurs’ weak links last season and chairman Daniel Levy may need to provide Spurs’ new manager with more options in those positions.

Tottenham will need to adopt a sell-to-buy policy, though, amid difficult financial circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Latest: Gold says Spurs have eyes for Demiral

Sharing the latest on Tottenham’s transfer plans, journalist Gold believes that Tottenham have certainly looked at Demiral as an option.

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“He’s definitely a player that Tottenham have had their eye on as a club,” he explained in a Q&A.

“Much depends on who the new manager wants of course.”

The 23-year-old was out injured consistently throughout 2020/2021, missing 17 matches (Transfermarkt), meaning he could only start 10 Serie A matches in total (WhoScored).

The Verdict: Gamble…

The 6 foot 3 colossus, described as ‘too aggressive’ by scouting expert Josh Williams (Leicestershire Live), also missed half of 2020 with a cruciate ligament rupture (Transfermarkt).

Indeed, the last thing Tottenham need is an injury prone summer signing who can barely feature next season.

One positive aspect of Demiral’s profile is his ability to play out from the back, with the centre-half averaging a very impressive 94% pass accuracy over his league appearances last season (WhoScored).

This could point to a mature head on young shoulders, but Demiral’s poor fitness record indicates this move would be a gamble.

In other news: Spurs now want this ‘amazing’ 103-goal striker, find out more here.

Playing in England during the South African winter has not been an easy task for the players making the trip across the equator to participate in the County Championships and related tournaments during the 2002 English season

Keith Lane13-May-2002Playing in England during the South African winter has not been an easy task for the players making the trip across the equator to participate in the County Championships and related tournaments during the 2002 English season.Greg Smith playing for Nottinghamshire has proved to be the exception, again shining with the ball in a win against Essex. Taking 3/21 in the first innings, he followed it up with career best figures of 8/53 in the second. This after scoring 35 not out coming in at number 10 to help build a first innings lead.Team mate Nicky Boje, playing his first match of the season could not get any wickets but did manage 25 and 21 not out with the bat. Boje having taken over the overseas spot after Lance Klusener’s returned to South Africa. Klusener only had a one month contract.Kevin Pieterson was not asked to bowl in the match and scored 19 in his only visit to the crease as Nottinghamshire easily won by seven wickets.Shaun Pollock had a good weekend with the bat, but his 59 and 66 was not good enough to beat a high riding Leicestershire side. Pollock only took one wicket in the match but returned economical figures of 24-8-37-1 in the first innings.Neil Johnson, together with Nic Pothas, was on the winning side for Hampshire against Kent. Johnson’s form with the bat however seems to have left him after making another duck, but did take 2/3 and 2/54 with the ball. Pothas scored 24 in his only turn at the crease.Andrew Gait made another valuable 53 as Derbyshire beat Northamptonshire.

The Pakistan cricket team for next month’s tour to England will benamed on Tuesday evening, officials said, adding that the announcementof the coach will be announced later

24-Apr-2001The Pakistan cricket team for next month’s tour to England will benamed on Tuesday evening, officials said, adding that the announcementof the coach will be announced later.The chairman of selectors Wasim Bari said Monday that he was informedby the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that all the players were declaredfit by the panel of doctors and were now available for selection.Bari, however, said the team would be finalized and handed over to thePCB on Tuesday. He said he would be submitting a 16-man squad for thetwo-Test series while team for the tri-nation oneday series would benamed later.Bari indicated there was a possibility that an additional player mightbe sent to England.As things continued to remain complex and intriguing, former captainsWasim Akram and Moin Khan were left facing the axe in the backdrop ofrecent happenings.Wasim Akram, after a dismal performance in the two Tests againstEngland at home, failed to take part in the three-Test series againstNew Zealand because of inter-coastal injury. Nevertheless, sources sayskipper Waqar Younis was strongly opposing the selection of Wasimthough the vote of the chief selector was in the left-armer’s favour.Rashid Latif is being favoured over Moin because of Waqar’s firmbelief in the talent of the former who first blew the whistle ofbetting and match-fixing in Pakistan cricket.Not surprisingly injury prone and joy-rider, Shoaib Akhtar has onceagain been assured of a place in the squad after returning unfit fromthe tour to New Zealand in February. Brig Rana admitted that Shoaibneither appeared before the panel of doctors nor played in the ongoing one-dayers on the pretext that he was suffering from stomachupset.Likely 16:Waqar Younis (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Saeed Anwar,Yousuf Youhana, Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Sami, FaisalIqbal, Younis Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Imran Farhat, Rashid Latif(wicketkeeper), Shoaib Akhtar, Fazle Akbar and Mushtaq Ahmad, SaqlainMushtaq.

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith could sign a major Douglas Luiz upgrade in Southampton and England star James Ward-Prowse this summer.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Guardian, the Villa manager is keen on landing Ward-Prowse in the transfer window, and given his performances for the Saints, he would be a real better option for the Midlands side than Luiz.

Better than Douglas Luiz

Hailed as a “machine”, Ward-Prowse enjoyed a superb campaign with the Saints last season, scoring eight goals and providing a further seven assists in the top-flight.

And, speaking exclusively to FFC, former England defender Carlton Palmer said that signing for Villa would be a good move for the midfielder, claiming:

“Villa are going for it. They’ve just managed to sign Buendia. Villa are a big, big club, and have a top manager in Dean Smith. So, from Southampton to Aston Villa, I think that’s a good move. And with Grealish there, I don’t expect Grealish to be going anywhere.

“He’s getting a very good squad of players there, and they could be challenging top six or top seven next season, so that would be a good move for him.”

Rated at £60m by CIES, Ward-Prowse comfortably betters Luiz in a lot of the key midfield metrics, not least when it comes to goals and assists – the Brazilian managed no goals and just two assists in the top-flight.

As per Whoscored, the Saints man also appears to be better defensively than Luiz, averaging far more tackles and more clearances while also making fewer fouls and being dribbled past fewer times per game too.

Those stats point to Ward-Prowse being the kind of tigerish midfielder who can help out when pressing and who can put his foot in, but one who is not reckless by committing needless fouls or simply being ran past too easily.

And then, when you add in his attacking contributions, the England international shines considerably more than Villa’s current midfielder.

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Johan Lange could sign a real upgrade on Luiz in Southampton’s Ward-Prowse this summer, if he can get a deal done.

Meanwhile, Duncan Castles has dropped an exciting Aston Villa transfer claim…

A number of Liverpool fans are in positive spirits about the Reds signing Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn following a report suggesting as such.

Jurgen Klopp will surely be keen to make a few new signings this summer in addition to Ibrahima Konate, who has already joined from RB Leipzig.

Gini Wijnaldum’s exit to Paris Saint-Germain is likely to leave a sizeable void in Liverpool’s midfield, so a new signing there wouldn’t go amiss.

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Borussia Monchengladbach ace Florian Neuhaus has been tipped to join the Reds a number of times, but now McGinn’s name has been thrown into the mix. The Sunday Post (Post Match pullout, 20/06, p2) [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter] claimed that the Scotland international is on Liverpool’s radar, with the midfielder being valued at £20m.

The 26-year-old started all but one of Aston Villa’s Premier League games last term, with three goals and six assists to his name (Transfermarkt), while only Jack Grealish averaged more than his 1.4 dribbles per game among Dean Smith’s squad (WhoScored).

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Liverpool fans want Reds to sign McGinn

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to call for the Reds to sign McGinn, believing that he would be a strong addition in the middle of the park.

“I actually rate him so highly, would love this signing”

Credit: @jwftbl

“Quite like this….we need a hard working ball-winner in the midfield. John fits the bill. Sure he’s not £100m but he’d still take Pogba down”

Credit: @Goranh75

“He’d be perfect for the Reds”

Credit: @Doyley1208

“I’d actually rate that”

Credit: @Simply_Sadio

“My analogy of John McGinn: He’s a young James Milner. So I’m not against it.”

Credit: @Auxanooo

“What a player! Would love McGinn at Liverpool”

Credit: @SH35dv5e7

In other news, one Liverpool hero has hinted at unhappiness in his current role at Anfield. Find out who it is here.

There is a feeling of unease within the ranks of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) as the international cricket season approaches. That’s because several members are still awaiting outstanding payment from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the 2001 season.It is almost a year since the last international season ended and still the more than 100 lawmen and women have not been paid. Officers were originally expecting their money no later than six months after the conclusion of the Barbados leg, but were told they would get it at the end of February.Now that date has come and gone and still no money. Last year’s Test match between West Indies and South Africa was played March 29 to April 2.One angry officer told NATIONSPORT he was reluctant to work at this year’s matches, while another said several colleagues were quite upset.Hartley Reid, the president of the Police Association, tried to put a more measured approach, but said officers were eager to collect their pay."The Police Force is a trained organisation and we do not become outraged. We are disappointed, upset, frustrated even, but as long as a commitment has been given by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) we still expect the agreement to be honoured," he said."Police officers are always concerned when they do not receive monies owed to them and this is no different."He explained that his body did not deal directly with the WICB, but conducted business through the BCA.In discussions with the BCA he was told that the payment should be available by the end of February. This had not happened, and even if it did, some members of the force still believed the situation had gone on too long. These details were usually settled within six months, Reid said.When contacted yesterday, Selwyn Smith, the BCA’s consultant with day-to-day responsibilities with management of the secretariat, said the office "could not comment" at this stage.NATIONSPORT understands that the constabulary were to be paid on average $18 per hour for eight hours duty over the five days of play.The 2002 leg of the season reaches Barbados on May 2 when the West Indies and India meet in the third Test at Kensington Oval. There will also be a One-Day International against India on May 29 and New Zealand are expected here for a Test in June.Money for last year’s Busta Cup was only collected in January, just before the start of this season.

Saturday’s play-off final was the biggest of Steve Cooper’s managerial career, but the defeat for Swansea City could prove to be defining for his future, according to Lawrie Sanchez.

Having fallen at the semi-final stage 12 months ago, the former England youth manager, who famously led the U17s to World Cup glory back 2017, will be hoping to go two better this time and guide the Swans back into the Premier League.

Cooper, who according to fresh reports from Football Insider has held two rounds of talks with the south London outfit, has impressed during his two years at the Liberty Stadium, securing consecutive top-six finishes. His fine work has caught the eye of the Palace hierarchy, confirmed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano earlier this month.

But whilst Cooper is preparing for the most expensive game in club football, worth more than £130m at present, manging in the Premier League could be on the cards whatever the result against Brentford.

But he has just two years of club management on his CV, which is stark contrast from Palace’s previous boss Roy Hodgson, who’s taken charge of more than 350 Premier League matches.

When asked whether Cooper would be a suitable replacement, Sanchez exclusively told Football FanCast:

“Steve Cooper is up and coming. Had a good season with Swansea, came from nowhere, and was in the play-off final.

“His career will be determined by that.”

PROVINCIAL NAMESJust a quick question. Why have you two teams in your domestic cricket carrying the name Mashonaland? It would seem to me that if you were to have two teams operating out of the same province (granted that Mashonaland is the strength of Zimbabwean cricket) then it would be both more marketable and professional if the name Mashonaland `A’ was dropped as it implies that this is a second-string (read -rate) team. In my humble opinion I feel that the names for these two sides should be Mashonaland and Harare rather than the `A’ team, this being an accurate reflection on the current strength of cricket in Zimbabwe.Also we in Australia support Zimbabwe in its current time of political turmoil. Our thoughts and prayers are with the peace-loving Zimbabwean people during this time and can only hope that a peaceful outcome arises with the majority support of all Zimbabweans. Our tour may be off for now but we can guarantee that we will be back in more certain times to help in the development of Zimbabwean cricket. We in Australia are both perplexed and surprised by the occurrences in your beautiful land.Marty Lauritsen (Geraldton, West Australia)THANKS TO ZIMBABWE: JAMES CORNFORD OF MIDLANDSCan I take this opportunity to say many thanks to the ZCU, and all the cricketing fraternity in Zimbabwe, for all the help and friendship they have given to James, my son. He told me he has gained a great deal from the six-month stay in Zim, socially and of course in cricketing terms. We are all grateful for James to play at Harare Sports Club and to be helped at the Academy by David Houghton, and all the good people in the Midlands.I must say that to give James the opportunity to play first-class cricket in Zim, we consider it an honour. I sincerely hope that your super country will resolve its problems soon, and perhaps we might visit one day soon. So thank you again and good luck to all involved in your cricketing set-up. Please keep your super Zimbabwe cricket online site going.Bill Cornford (Cheshire, England)TRIBUTE TO CAMPBELLI wrote a little something, it’s about a certain ADR Campbell. Here it is.Alistair Campbell is man out of all time. To look at his statistics would be to look at another man. His average belies the batsman that he is. After all, were all cricket to be done on a statistical basis ADR Campbell would have been dropped, and never recalled, after approximately 1994, but this is where the `Lies, Damned lies and statistics’ effect comes into its element. On his day never has Zimbabwe produced a more devastating batsman (except Davy Houghton or Graeme Hick). The details of his individual innings can be found elsewhere, but as for the man, his record shows that we need not be a Bradman, we need not the statistics to prove that we are a batsman of international quality. We are all but human.John Meffen (country not stated)