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Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has indicated on Twitter that Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Barcelona defender Emerson Royal, with a deal set to be confirmed later today.

The Lowdown: Emerson profiled; a smash hit in La Liga

Providing an offensive threat down the right-hand side, the 22-year-old has proven to be a smash hit since moving to La Liga in 2019. Last season was a particular success for Royal, registering six goal contributions in 38 appearances with two goals and four assists [Transfermarkt].

Part of a three way-deal, the 6 foot 1 ace initially signed for Barcelona in 2019 whilst also joining Andalusian outfit Real Betis on loan, where he has spent the past two seasons before eventually linking up with Ronald Koeman’s men this summer [BBC].

He now looks set for north London following Romano’s latest update.

The Latest: Romano signifies that deal should be completed today

Communicating to his large Twitter audience, well-respected Romano issued a huge update regarding his next career steps, stating:

“Emerson Royal from Barcelona to Tottenham, done deal and here-we-go confirmed. €30m add ons included from Spurs, paperworks completed during the night”.

The Italian also indicated that an official announcement of Royal’s €30m (£25.75m) move to N17 should be announced later today on a deal running to 2026, with Betis receiving a €5m (£4.2m) cut of the transfer.

The Verdict: Royal would significantly improves Spurs’ full-back options

Possessing quality in abundance, the signing of the Brazil international will significantly advance the Lilywhites’ options in the full-back positions.

His defensive solidity will suit the functionality of Nuno Espirito Santo’s system as Tottenham look to continue their domestic run of three consecutive clean sheets, illustrated by the fact that Royal won 2.7 tackles on average per La Liga game last season [WhoScored] – only one Spurs player had a better average for that metric in the 2020/21 Premier League [WhoScored].

All things considered, the Sao Paulo native appears to have the necessary attributes to succeed at the elite level for Tottenham, provided that the deal becomes final.

In other news, a Spurs legend is impressed with one summer signing. Find out more here.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat believes the referral system has improved and has helped considerably in making correct decisions. “The referral system has improved the rate of giving correct decisions,” he said

Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2009
Haroon Lorgat says the numbers show the referral system is working © AFP
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat believes the referral system has helped considerably in reaching correct on-field decisions. “The referral system has improved the rate of giving correct decisions,” he said. “The idea is to give [the umpires] sufficient help to get the decisions correct. We have seen that the percentage of the correct decisions has gone up from 94% to 98% with this system in place.”A final decision, he said, would be arrived at soon. “The ICC’s cricket committee will decide on the matter in May and put forward its proposal to the executive board in June.”The system, first trialled internationally on India’s tour of Sri Lanka in July-August last year, was also tried out in the two-Test series between New Zealand and West Indies in December.A slight modification was introduced for the current series between West indies and England, with the number of referrals per team in each innings reduced from three to two. Depending on the success, it may stay that way for the South Africa-Australia series later this month.The system has not been without its fair share of criticism, though. Sachin Tendulkar, who was part of the India team when on that Sri Lanka tour, recently said he was not impressed with it. “There is still an element of uncertainty in the system,” he said. “I still prefer the Hot Spot system to identify the contact between the ball and bat.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Em oitavo lugar no Campeonato Brasileiro, com dez pontos em sete rodadas, o Cruzeiro conta com o reforço do atacante Sassá para subir na tabela. Pelo menos foi o que demonstrou o discurso do comandante Mano Menezes após a derrota de 1 a 0 para o Corinthians, na última quarta-feira, pela sétima rodada.

O técnico exaltou a contratação do jovem de 23 anos e já projetou a estreia do novo cruzeirense, que não joga desde o último dia 02 de maio. Ele crê que o ex-atacante do Botafogo esteja pronto para jogar em cerca de 15 dias. Assim, é possível imaginar que ele jogue no clássico com o Atlético-MG, no dia 02/07, ou na quarta-feira anterior, 28/06, data que deve ser reservada para o duelo com o Palmeiras, em São Paulo, pela ida das quartas de final da Copa do Brasil.

-Foi uma boa aquisição do Cruzeiro. Acho que vamos conseguir trabalhar juntamente com o jogador para direcionar bem, colocar a cabeça no lugar, trabalhar bastante. Acho que ele precisa de condição física melhor, pois estava há 30 dias sem jogar e as condições ainda não são adequadas para jogar na segunda-feira – comentou Mano Menezes.

-Precisamos um pouco mais (de tempo). Talvez 15 dias seja o prazo ideal para ele poder atender às expectativas que são criadas na contratação de um jogador. Se você coloca em campo antes da hora, ele não vai bem e a contratação passa a ser contestada. E tudo que não pode é a contratação ser contestada – completou Menezes.

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Fresh from leading West Ham United into an unlikely spot in the Europa League, a year on from staring relegation in the face, manager David Moyes has a tricky task on his hands to repeat such a feat.

The 58-year-old has often been a mark of consistency in the Premier League, regularly recording top-eight finishes during his time at Everton, but this season looks tougher than ever.

A lot of teams around them, including the likes of Spurs and Arsenal who finished lower in the table, have strengthened their playing squad considerably, whilst the Irons have only made the one senior addition, a back-up loan goalkeeper in Alphonse Areola.

The likes of Declan Rice, Michail Antonio, Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek will need to step up and perform at a similar output to last term, especially in the absence of Jesse Lingard, who arguably changed the Hammers’ fortunes for the better.

After joining on loan in January, the Manchester United outcast provided nine goals and five assists to end the year as their second-highest rated player, as per WhoScored, which only emphasises just how crucial he was to Moyes and their impressive sixth-place finish.

He seems rather unlikely to return to the London Stadium and that’s a big blow. It means that other players will have to step up – perhaps it’s Said Benrahma’s time to shine?

The nine-cap Algerian winger, signed in a £30m deal from Brentford, didn’t have the best debut campaign in the big time, registering only one goal and six assists but that’s warranted. It’s the first time he’s competed at such a level. And he only started 14 times in the Premier League.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-more-3” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

If Moyes needs someone to provide that extra spark in midfield, then Benrahma must step forward. He could turn out to be the Hammers’ perfect Lingard replacement.

The 26-year-old has looked electric throughout pre-season, having scored against Celtic and Brentford, and provided two assists against Atalanta. He appears to be playing with a lot more confidence and his creativity could be utilised through the middle, to get the best out of him.

At the Bees, where he was described as someone who “could nutmeg a mermaid”, he delivered a direct goal contribution every 119.5 minutes, as per Transfermarkt, so it’s on Moyes to get that back out of him.

Also dubbed a “true magician” by former OGC Nice teammate Lorenzo Vinci, Benrahma can provide Moyes and West Ham with excitement by plugging the void left behind by Lingard.

The squad undoubtedly needs more additions to put up a fight across all competitions but the £18m-rated dynamo is someone who could be in line for a massive boost heading into the new campaign.

Moyes must look to unleash Benrahma in a free role in the absence of their former loan sensation.

AND in other news, Moyes risks West Ham transfer nightmare with a swoop for “ungrateful” £105k-p/w flop…

Celtic head into their European qualifying clash tonight full of confidence after scoring ten goals in their last two outings.

It has been a quick period of recovery from the Hoops who began Ange Postecoglou’s reign with back to back defeats.

They crashed out of the Champions League but have a strong chance of qualifying for the Europa League group stages.

The Bhoys beat Czech outfit Jablonec last week and they head into the second leg on Thursday evening with a 4-2 advantage.

Celtic played some eye-catching attacking football in the first fixture but made changes to the team at the weekend which resulted in a 6-0 win over Dundee.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-transfer-news-larsson-lovric-thomas-henry-diego-costa-postecoglou” title=”Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

Therefore, will Postecoglou make any different calls to his XI tonight? Here’s what we’re predicting…

We are tipping the manager to make as many as four changes to his team to take on Jablonec.

With Odsonne Edouard a doubt for the match with an ankle problem, Kyogo Furuhashi starts up top as he aims to add to his tally of four goals in just three outings.

There is one change to the offensive ranks where Ryan Christie is given a rest following his magical cameo on Sunday where he registered three assists. James Forrest – who scored in the first leg – comes back into the team on the left.

Another replacement is in the middle of the park where Ismaila Soro returns to the fray to offer more defensive protection in front of the back four.

Tom Rogic earned a rare start versus Dundee and even scored but it’s likely that Postecoglou will prefer a less attacking team on Thursday to protect the lead that they have.

Greg Taylor drops out at left-back with 19-year-old Adam Montgomery preferred. If the teenager does start, it would be just a second outing from the off in the first team.

One final change is at the heart of the defence as Nir Bitton comes back in after starting in the first leg. That means Stephen Welsh is axed with their clash against Hearts in mind.

Joe Hart continues in goal ahead of Scott Bain and Vasilis Barkas.

AND in other news, Celtic must sign 25-goal “great talent” who could become “better” than Henrik Larsson…

Newcastle United are reportedly in a battle with another club in the Premier League to try and sign Jason Knight before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Knight impresses

Despite a very disappointing 2020/21 season for Derby County, who barely survived relegation from the Championship, Knight had an impressive individual campaign.

Described as a ‘manager’s dream’ by Wayne Rooney back in January, the versatile player won six of his duels per game in the division and also averaged 1.5 tackles per match, scoring two goals (Sofascore).

The Latest: Knight monitored

As per The Irish Examiner, Knight is being monitored by both Newcastle and Burnley ahead of a potential move.

He has emerged as a target for the Tyneside club as Steve Bruce looks to strengthen his squad before the new season starts.

The Verdict: Sign

The Magpies simply need to get bodies in before the deadline given that they have one of the smallest squads in the Premier League, and Knight could prove to be a valuable player for them.

Given that he would be coming up from the Championship into the top flight, the Republic of Ireland international should not cost too much, and at 20 years of age, he still has a lot of potential while also being entrusted as Derby captain on a handful of occasions last term.

However, with the Clarets also interested in his signature, the Magpies need to act fast in order to get their man.

In other news, find out which Premier League club have agreed a fee for this NUFC target

A lingering heel injury has forced Matthew Hayden to consider his limited-overs future, but he says he still has the desire to continue in the format

Cricinfo staff25-Aug-2008
Matthew Hayden: “I won’t be ruthless about trying to push on. I don’t want to hang on too long” © Getty Images
A lingering heel injury has forced Matthew Hayden to consider his limited-overs future, but he says he still has the desire to continue in the format despite having to pull out of the series against Bangladesh. Hayden, who picked up the problem in April, said he was keen to keep appearing in coloured clothes – “at least for this summer”.”I really enjoy it so providing I can hold my spot I will definitely be playing more one-day cricket,” he told the Australian. “It’s not like I’ve played 300 games. I came late to one-day cricket and have played about 150 [161] games.”Hayden was the player of the 2007 World Cup and is the ICC’s one-day player of the year, but he will turn 37 in October and knows time is running out. “I want to finish off the desire I have to play one-day cricket without being selfish because it’s important the team has plenty of time to prepare for the next World Cup,” he said. “That’s still a long way off, but I won’t be ruthless about trying to push on. I don’t want to hang on too long.”Australia will have another look at the future during the three matches against Bangladesh in Darwin, starting from Saturday. Shaun Marsh, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin are contenders for the opening spots while David Hussey and Cameron White may also receive significant game time. The cancellation of the Champions Trophy has disrupted Australia’s pre-season, but given Hayden a greater opportunity to recover from the Achilles problem.”In the short term it’s disappointing, but in the longer term it’s really good because it gives me extra time to get right for India,” Hayden said. “India is a hugely challenging and iconic series. There have been a lot of distractions lately with the rise of Twenty20 cricket but the premium product is still Test cricket and one of the premium events is playing India.”

Former Leeds United star David Norris is disappointed that the club missed out on the signing of Rodrigo De Paul in the summer transfer window.

The midfielder was long touted as a target for the Whites, with the club even tabling a bid for the star when he was at Udinese last summer.

The Serie A club rejected that offer and instead sold him to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid this summer.

De Paul moved for a fee of €35m (£29.6m), with Atletico looking to strengthen as they bid to retain the title this term.

The Argentine has been in fine form for Udinese in recent seasons and scored nine goals in 36 games in Serie A last term, while also laying on 11 assists, and he can play in a variety of positions, including attacking midfield, on either wing, or in central midfield.

And Norris has expressed his disappointment that Leeds did not manage to do a deal for the 27-year-old in this transfer window.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “Obviously, it’s not ideal because it sometimes doesn’t look great. I think De Paul would have been a statement signing.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Desfalques diante do Goiás, Richarlison e Gustavo Scarpa deram continuidade às respectivas recuperações na manhã desta sexta-feira, no CT Pedro Antonio, enquanto a delegação do Fluminense retornava de Goiânia, aonde o Tricolor foi derrotado por 2 a 1, na quinta-feira, na ida da quarta fase da Copa do Brasil.

O camisa 10 ainda não tem previsão de volta dada pelo departamento médico do Flu. Fora desde o dia 25 de fevereiro, Scarpa recupera-se de uma fissura no pé direito, sofrida em partida contra o Madureira. A expectativa da comissão técnica é que o meia retorne aos trabalhos em campo nos próximos dias.

Já Richarlison, destaque do Tricolor em 2017, só foi baixa diante do Goiás em virtude de um edema na coxa direita. No entanto, após a partida no Estádio Serra Dourada, Abel Braga confirmou a volta do camisa 70 no jogo de volta, no Maracanã, na próxima quarta-feira. O Fluminense precisa vencer por 1 a 0 ou por dois gols de diferença para avançar na Copa do Brasil.

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Quem também apareceu no CT foi o atacante Robert, que disputou o Carioca emprestado ao Boavista #lanceFLU pic.twitter.com/g1dK9F1jc4

— Matheus Dantas (@matheusdantasfr) 14 de abril de 2017

Quem também apareceu no CT Pedro Antonio nesta sexta-feira foi o atacante Robert, que foi emprestado ao Boavista e disputou o Campeonato Carioca. O empréstimo do jogador vai até o dia 8 de maio, mas com o fim da participação do Boavista no Estadual, Robert deve ser reintegrado ao elenco do Tricolor. A sua utilização durante a temporada dependerá do treinador Abel Braga.

Sri Lanka completed formalities shortly before the scheduled luncheoninterval on the fourth day, bowling out Bangladesh for 184 to secure theirtenth consecutive victory on home soil; and their first win without theservices of Muttiah Muralitharan

Charlie Austin30-Jul-2002Sri Lanka completed formalities shortly before the scheduled luncheoninterval on the fourth day, bowling out Bangladesh for 184 to secure theirtenth consecutive victory on home soil; and their first win without theservices of Muttiah Muralitharan since the off-spinner started his career in1992.The tourists, led by 17-year-old Mohammad Ashraful, who confirmed hispotential after a lean period since becoming the youngest ever Testcenturion last September, kept the Sri Lankans at bay for the first hourbefore a collapse that saw six wickets fall for 17 runs.The right-handed Ashraful scored 75 from 120 balls, hitting 12 boundaries,adding 68 runs for the fifth wicket with Alok Kapali (23), whose all-roundperformance on his debut Test drew praise afterwards from coach MohsinKamal.But mid-way through the morning off-spinner Thilan Samaraweera dismissedboth players within the space of eight minutes: Kapali was brilliantlycaught by Jehan Mubarak diving to his right at short leg off bat-pad, whilstAshraful was unfortunate to have also adjudged to have been caught at shortleg off pad only – the luck, not for the first time in this game, not goingBangladesh’s way.Left-armer Sujeewa de Silva, replacing Chamila Gamage, who beat the batrepeatedly during his brisk opening five burst, quickly nipped out TapashBashar (3), courtesy of a stunning airborne catch by Upul Chandana in thegully, and then Fahim Muntasir (1) with a curling yorker.Samaraweera wrapped up proceedings, as the close in fielders snapped up twomore catches: Manjural Islam (0) and Talha Jubair (0) both completing apair.Sri Lanka’s celebrations were muted at the end, the captain and coachadmitting that the victory, though a welcome after a series of defeats, wasof little relevance; the most important aspect of the series being theemergence of fast bowler Chamila Gamage and the batting of Michael Vandort,the Man of the Match here after scores of 61 and 140.”The results from England are still fresh in the mind and it was importantto comeback against Bangladesh as strongly as possible,” said coach DavWhatmore. “A lot of people will say that this is what we are expected to doagainst Bangladesh, and we are painfully aware of that, but you have to pickup the pieces somewhere.”Sanath Jayasuriya, back smiling again, said: “We may have won this seriesbut you can’t say that everything is going our way yet. In these conditionswe know we can do it, but we need to prove ourselves outside Sri Lanka andthere is a lot of hard work to be done in all departments of our game.”He admitted that defeat in England had affected morale: “The truth is thatEngland badly affected our confidence – we didn’t perform up to our ownstandards and it was very disappointing for the whole team. Slowly we haveto get back our old confidence.”The captain, originally uncomfortable with the selector’s experimentation inthis series, was especially delighted by Gamage’s bowling: “Chamila (Gamage)has shown his potential in this match – I think he can compete on theinternational stage.””I’m also impressed with the performance of Michael Vandort,” he added. “Hegrabbed his opportunity in this game and showed that he can score runs inthe top order.”For Bangladesh it was a familiar tale, coach Mohsin Kamal admitting that itwas hard to keep the players positive as the defeats stack up. This wastheir 12th loss in 13 Tests and the 11th consecutive innings in which theyhave failed to pass 200.”It is hard to lose continuously as half of cricket is played in thedressing room,” said Kamal, after his first series in charge, “but the guysjust have to be positive when they are there preparing themselves.”But he remained upbeat about the future: “We got some youngsters in the sidefor this match and they showed that they have a lot of talent – they justneed more experience in Test and four-day cricket.”He singled out the bowlers for special praise: “The bowlers did well, especially yesterday when they were under pressure – they bowled beautifully inthe morning, restricting the Sri Lankan batsmen.”I was also really pleased with the performance of Ashraful. He was under alot of pressure to score runs after not getting runs in the side matches andnot playing in the first Test. He has shown his ability.”Bangladesh can, at least, seek some comfort in the fact that they are notalone in finding it difficult to adjust to the demands of Test cricket: SriLanka had to wait 14 matches before their first victory, Zimbabwe took 11games, India 25 and New Zealand a staggering 45 – Bangladesh will surely notwait that long.