Ramírez says team’s poor form has directly impacted Hernández, who has scored just three goals in 33 appearances
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Andrea Pirlo had to block his son's ban account in 2022, as the then teenager amassed gambling debts of €30k in illegal online scheme.
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Birmingham City have joined the race to sign a new versatile defender to help them in their push for a return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Birmingham flying high in League One
After signiificant outlay in the summer transfer window, it is no surprise to see Birmingham City at the top of League One heading into the second half of the season. Chris Davies has overseen a strong campaign so far for the Blues, with the club boasting the best defence in the division alongside the second best attack.
As a result, they sit two points clear of fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham and Wycombe Wanderers, while having two games in hand on the pair, meaning that when all is said and done they could find themselves a mammoth eight points clear at the top of England’s third tier.
Birmingham City’s season stats
Statistic
League Rank
Wins
16
1st
Losses
2
1st
Goals scored
41
2nd
Goals conceded
17
1st
Goal difference
+24
1st
But despite losing just twice so far this campaign, they are still active in the January transfer window, with the club having already agreed a deal to sign Phil Neumann at the end of the campaign when his current deal with Hannover comes to an end, having had a substantial offer for the German knocked back over the summer transfer window.
Now, they could be looking to make a more immediate addition to Davies’ side as they look to ensure an instant return to the Championship.
Birmingham rival West Brom for defender
That comes according to the Daily Mail [Via the Scottish Sun], who report that Birmingham are ready to rival their Midlands rivals West Brom for Rangers talent Adam Devine, who the pair see as a potential bargain buy this January.
Just 21-years-old, Devine’s reported £2,500 a week deal at Ibrox comes to an end this summer, and he is no closer to forcing his way into the first team. In fact, he has not featured for 16 months in Glasgow.
Last spotted on loan at Motherwell, Devine has managed just 33 senior appearances to date across spells with Rangers, Motherwell and Brechin City. Though breaking into the Rangers side under Michael Beale in 2022, he has failed to kick on and is now deemed surplus to requirements.
That means that Rangers are ready to let him leave this month in order to receive a fee for the versatile defender, who is a rightback by trade but has also played at left back regularly across his brief career to date.
Birmingham chasing move for "heroic" star who'd be better than Neumann
Birmingham City are looking to boost their squad this January with this addition.
ByKelan Sarson Jan 6, 2025
And Birmingham are one of the sides positioning themselves to land a potential bargain, as the Blues eye “an opportunity to sign a Rangers player on the cheap”.
Of course, Birmingham raided Rangers twice over the summer too, signing Scott Wright in a deal worth £300,000, while they also added Ben Davies to their ranks on loan. Now, it could be Devine’s time to tread what is becoming an increasingly familiar path from Glasgow to England’s second city.
أكد لويس إنريكي مدرب باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي، رفضه لفكرة النجم الأوحد، وأن الفريق ككل أهم من الفرد، متحدثًا عن لاعبه عثمان ديمبلي المرشح بقوة للتتويج بالكرة الذهبية “بالون دور”.
ويستعد باريس سان جيرمان لخوض نهائي كأس العالم للأندية 2025 أمام تشيلسي، غدًا الأحد في البطولة التي تستضيفها الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.
وقيل لإنريكي إنه هو نجم باريس سان جيرمان، وإنه المرشح الأوفر حظًا للفوز بجائزة الكرة الذهبية لأفضل مدرب، وأجاب في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “جارديان” البريطانية: “لا أؤمن بالجوائز الفردية بشكل عام، ولا حتى بالجوائز الفردية للمدربين”.
وأوضح: “الفريق دائمًا أهم من الفرد، وهذا ما نسعى إلى غرسه في باريس سان جيرمان، عثمان ديمبلي هو الأفضل بفضل إنجازاته الفردية، سواءً بتسجيله أهدافًا أو تمريراته الحاسمة، ولكن الأهم من ذلك كله هو أن عمله هو ما ساهم في فوز باريس سان جيرمان بجميع الألقاب”.
اقرأ أيضًا | إنريكي: أسعى لصُنع التاريخ مع باريس سان جيرمان.. وبطولة وحيدة تكمل موسمنا الاستثنائي
وواصل مدرب باريس سان جيرمان: “هذا هو المعيار الوحيد الذي يُكافأ به اللاعب على المستوى الفردي، هذا رأيي، وأنا متأكد من وجود آراء أخرى”.
وقال إنريكي : “الفريق يتكون من 11 نجمًا، هذه هي كرة القدم، لا نريد نجمًا واحدًا، بل 11، أو 13، أو 14، أو 15، هذا ما نريده، نبحث عن النجم الحقيقي، ألا وهو الفريق بأكمله”.
وأتم: “الأمر أشبه بالجماهير، ليس هناك نجم واحد، بل هو ملعب حديقة الأمراء بأكمله، أعتقد أن الطريق واضح للجميع، نريد نجومًا، ولكن في خدمة الفريق”.
Thomas Tuchel has reportedly left fringe members of his England squad feeling they need summer transfers to nail down a spot at next year's World Cup.
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Having returned to England’s Test side, James Taylor was finally gaining reward for hard work but all of a sudden his cricket dreams have been shattered
George Dobell12-Apr-20164:20
Iain O’Brien: Taylor a genuine fighter
A week ago, James Taylor was approaching the season with a view to consolidating his positions in the England Test and ODI squads.It was the next step in a progression that started long ago. Long before the England debut or the limited-overs captaincy of Nottinghamshire. Long before he was winning awards at Shrewsbury School or setting records at Loughborough Town and Leicestershire. Long before he was having dispensation to miss school to play county cricket or representing England Under-19. He has been playing cricket for as long as he can remember. It has been the constant theme of his life and he was, in his coach’s word, right on the cusp of fulfilling all the dreams of childhood.But now he is lying in hospital, awaiting a major operation and reeling from the knowledge that his life has changed irrevocably and his dream has been dashed. Everything he was building towards – in career terms, anyway – has been swept from under him. Aged just 26, his life as a professional sportsman is over.When he started to feel unwell, during warm-ups ahead of the second day of the match against Cambridge MCCU last Wednesday, he presumed that it was the first signs of a virus that had swept through the Nottinghamshire squad during their pre-season tour of Barbados. As he returned home, driven from Cambridge to Nottingham by his team-mate Jackson Bird, his heart began to race and his light headedness increased. His girlfriend and mother, sensing these was something unusual in this normally phlegmatic character complaining of chest pains, insisted he went to A&E. It was a wise intervention.He was admitted to hospital that evening and, as each test followed, the extent of the problem became apparent. On Monday the final set of scans revealed, as Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket, put it “the worst case scenario.” His Nottinghamshire team-mates were informed at around 9am on Tuesday and a statement released an hour later.It is a desperately cruel twist of fate. There are many examples of cricketers forced into retirement through injury: from well-known cases such as Craig Kieswetter to dimly remembered such as Matt Bulbeck or Simon Ecclestone. Each case represents a personal tragedy. But to add to the loss of a career, the acute health anxiety is a doubly cruel development.It is no exaggeration to suggest that England have lost a future captain. Taylor had already led them in one ODI – the rain-ruined match in Dublin last May – and, with Eoin Morgan’s future uncertain and England keen not to overburden Joe Root, it seems highly likely more leadership opportunities would have presented themselves.”Absolutely he was a potential England captain,” Newell, who is also an England selector said. “He captained for us and he batted better when he was captain. With the Champions Trophy and the World Cup coming up in this country there was every chance he could have been a star in those. He was an intelligent batter who finishes games off. He was right on the cusp.”His team-mates, understandably, were shocked and upset. Steven Mullaney, with whom he shared a house for a couple of years, dedicated his century in the on-going match against Surrey to his friend, while Nottinghamshire confirmed that a role could be found for him to “help out” around the club when he has recovered from his operation.”He was a lad who had the world at his feet and unfortunately it has been taken away from him,” Mullaney said. “But we are just glad he is still with us and we will give him our full support.”James Taylor pulled off some stunning grabs at short leg in South Africa•Getty ImagesHis fitness – Newell referred to him as “the original gym bunny” and “the fittest man in the squad” – will be a huge asset now as he battles to recover from heart surgery. “That level of fitness has saved him from a worse fate,” Newell said. “But what he wanted to do since he was a kid has been taken away from him.”In the short term it might be quite painful for him to come and watch cricket and be involved. But there’s no reason he can’t be involved in cricket in the future. In the short term, that may be something that keeps him going through the rest of the summer. There are all sorts of options for him.”As a player, he will be remembered for some stunning catches at short-leg – his fielding during the Test series victory in South Africa was exceptional – a strength that belied his diminutive stature and a maturity that belied his years. His ODI century against Australia at Old Trafford last year was a model in assessing the conditions and batting accordingly. He was robbed of another international century by some poor umpiring during England’s opening match of the 2015 World Cup.’Titch’ as he was known to team-mates and friends, leaves behind him a career that many who played for a decade longer could envy. Almost as soon as he started playing, he broke records: the youngest Leicestershire player to 1,000 Championship runs in a season; the youngest to a List A century and, at the time, the fifth youngest English player to record a first-class double-century.He was the Cricket Writers’ Club’s young player of the year in 2009 and captained Nottinghamshire’s limited-overs side in 2014 and 2015. He had shown, without registering the scores to underline the point, that he had the temperament and quality to prosper at Test level: an innings of 76 at Sharjah demonstrated he could play spin; an innings of 70 in Durban that he could play pace. He was popular, calm and exuded enjoyment for the game and the lifestyle. The future was golden.So there is no way to disguise the fact that this is an innings cut horribly short. Encapsulating the sense that there was so much more to come, his final List A innings – and his final England innings – was a century in Kimberley. He retires from the game younger than Andrew Strauss or Jonathan Trott were when they made their Test debuts. It is, put simply, a damn shame.But this is a case of a career lost and a life saved. This condition often manifests itself only after it is too late (as a statement from the British Heart Foundation put it: “Tragically the first sign that the condition is present can be when someone has a sudden cardiac arrest”) and, at least in Taylor’s case, there is no reason he cannot go on to enjoy a rich and fulfilling life.As Newell put it: “I think the initial devastation of being told he’s not going to play cricket again has been tempered by how grateful he is to be alive.” Such choices provide welcome perspective.The ECB were in the process of reviewing their cardiac screening process anyway, but this incident will no doubt raise questions as to whether his condition might have been picked up sooner. At present, professional players are screened at around the ages of 20 and 23 and, unless any abnormalities are found, not usually after that.Taylor had not undergone a scan since 2013. Such screening probably saved the life of Calum Haggett who was diagnosed with an aortic root dilation and leaking heart valve in 2010. He underwent surgery and continues to play for Kent. Wilf Slack, who died at the crease aged 34, was less fortunate.Though the condition – generally genetic – is incurable, it can be managed. Taylor will undergo surgery on Thursday or Friday. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) will be fitted that detects dangerous heart rhythms and shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm. It may also be some comfort to know that he is insured – both under the terms of his incremental contract with the ECB and personal accident and illness cover through the PCA – so any potential financial worries will, at least, be eased.Sympathy for Taylor will extend far beyond any of his clubs – Worcestershire, where he attended the academy, Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire – and far beyond supporters of England cricket. He is bright, well connected – as Taylor was born upstairs, his father was drinking tea with Prince Charles downstairs – and personable. If he shows any interest in moving into coaching or the media, he will find many doors open to him.There will be a period, no doubt, of transition and even mourning for what has been lost. But better to mourn a career than a young man. James Taylor’s playing career may be over, but he has the character and chance to take a fresh guard and build a different sort of successful innings. For that, at least, we can be grateful.
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2016Australia required 131 at the start of the final day. Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja took them closer with a solid stand•Getty ImagesTim Southee removed Usman Khawaja for 45, caught by McCullum at first slip.•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesSteven Smith, however, ensured that Australia coasted towards the target with a brisk fifty•Getty ImagesJust before lunch, Smith asked for the extra 15 minutes to finish the match. In the search for quick runs, Burns lost his wicket after a patient 65•Getty ImagesAustralia cruised to a seven-wicket win, and in the process, became the No. 1 ranked Test side after winning the series 2-0•Getty ImagesMcCullum signed off his international career with his final presentation ceremony. “Thanks for buying in, and accepting we have to play the game differently.”•Getty Images
Batter will not play Championship cricket for another county in 2023 season
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2022
Gary Ballance will seek a new county from 2023 onwards•George Wood/PA Images via Getty Images
Gary Ballance, the former England batter, has been released from his contract with Yorkshire, after requesting the chance for a fresh start to his career following the damaging revelations that emerged during the club’s racism scandal last year.Ballance, the former club captain, played 23 Tests, as well as 16 ODIs, between 2014 and 2017, scoring four centuries at an average of 37.45 that compared favourably with many of England’s other middle-order selections in that period.However, he was heavily implicated in Azeem Rafiq’s explosive testimony during the DCMS parliamentary hearings in Westminster last November, after his use of the racial slur “P**i” had been deemed to be “banter” in the initial report into allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire.Ballance, who was born in Zimbabwe but was educated in England, claimed in mitigation that the word had been used in the context of a friendly relationship between the two players, with Rafiq referring to him as “Zimbo” in return. However, earlier this year, he met Rafiq in person to apologise.He has not played for Yorkshire since the end of the 2021 season, having taken a lengthy break from cricket to manage his mental health, during which time he has been supported by the club. However, with his contract due to run until the end of the 2024 season, he has agreed he will not play for another County Championship team in the 2023 season. A return to playing in Zimbabwe – and potentially putting himself forward for international selection – is his likely next step.He is one of seven Yorkshire players and staff to be charged by the Cricket Discipline Commission in relation to the racism case, although the hearing has been postponed to the new year following a series of appeals.Related
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“It has been a privilege to play for this great club,” Ballance said. “On a personal level, I have gone through a challenging period – and after much discussion I decided, together with my family, that it would be right to make a change. I asked the club if it was willing to release me from my contract, and I am grateful for its understanding as we have reached agreement.”The support Yorkshire has given me off the pitch over the past year has been fantastic and I am appreciative of the club’s help, but I hope that my decision will mean that my career can have a fresh start.”Darren Gough, managing director of Yorkshire cricket, said: “We are sad to see Gary go, but he leaves with our best wishes. He has been a mainstay of our side for many years, and a superb batsman. As a club, we recognise that the last 18 months have been difficult for Gary, for numerous reasons, and the most important thing for him is to get better and play again. He felt he could not do this at Headingley, and we agreed to his request reluctantly but knowing that it was the right decision for him personally.”
It’s not been a straightforward season for Tottenham Hotspur this year.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have alternated from looking like one of the best teams in the country, to one that handed Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town their first wins of the Premier League campaign.
The Australian has been able to turn his team into great entertainers, but that is also down to the fact that it’s hard to know which team will turn up on any given day.
It could be argued that the forward-thinking coach could use one of the first players he sold when he took the reins last summer, a player who’s been touted for a return to the England set-up by Gary Neville.
Spurs' 2023 summer departures
Before getting to the in-form player in question, let’s examine a few other Spurs stars sold in Postecoglou’s first summer, starting with the big one, Harry Kane.
Yes, after years of speculation, the England captain finally left North London last summer, but instead of remaining in the country, he joined German behemoths Bayern Munich for a fee said to be £86.4m.
The Lilywhites legend left the club with an unreal haul of 280 goals and 61 assists in 435 games, and while he’s already scored 61 goals and provided 21 assists in 61 appearances for the Bavarians, he is still yet to win his first trophy as an invincible Bayer Leverkusen finally pipped FC Hollywood to the throne last year.
Now, someone who didn’t leave with as much fanfare was Lucas Moura, who rejoined boyhood side São Paulo on a free after making 221 appearances for the North Londoners over five and a half seasons, in which he scored 39 goals, provided 27 assists and gave the fans that night in Amsterdam.
Since returning to Brazil, the 32-year-old has been in fine form and currently has 13 goals and nine assists to his name in 43 games this season, and was recalled to the Brazil squad and played in the World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in September.
However, he might not be the only Spurs ace sold last summer to be recalled to their national team in the near future.
The former Spurs star Postecoglou must regret selling
Many former and current Spurs stars have been or still are part of the England set-up, such as Eric Dier, Kane, James Maddison, and now Dominic Solanke.
However, the player Neville believes should be a part of the England squad, and Postecoglou could regret selling last summer, is Harry Winks.
The Australian and Daniel Levy opted to cash in on the 28-year-old midfielder when Leicester City came in with an offer worth £10m, and while that looked like good business at the time, it’s starting to look less so this season.
After playing a crucial role in securing immediate promotion back to the Premier League, the Hemel Hempstead-born “Rolls-Royce”, as dubbed by former professional Ian Baraclough, has continued his fine form into this one, so much so that there are reports that the Lilywhites may be interested in re-signing him in 2025.
If true, it’s not hard to see why, as not only has he already racked up three assists and one goal in just 11 appearances, primarily from defensive midfield, but his underlying numbers are seriously impressive when compared to the North Londoners’ defensive midfielders.
Non-Penalty xG+As
0.13
0.13
0.10
Actual Non-Penalty G+As
0.38
0.25
0.40
Assists
0.29
0.13
0.00
Shots on Target
0.29
0.25
0.40
Passing Accuracy
86.5%
91.0%
91.4%
Key Passes
1.37
0.34
0.68
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.21
0.00
0.00
Shot-Creating Actions
2.74
2.52
1.80
Goal-Creating Actions
0.32
0.00
0.00
Tackles Won
0.67
1.77
1.80
Blocks
1.05
0.85
0.91
Dispossessed
0.32
0.68
0.91
Fouls
0.57
1.77
1.20
Ball Recoveries
5.79
7.12
3.64
For example, while he comes out second or third best in some metrics against Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, he comes out ahead in others, including but not limited to assists, key passes, crosses into the penalty area, shot and goal-creating actions, blocks and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, it might not be a popular opinion, and Winks might not make it back into the Three Lions set-up under Thomas Tuchel, but he has shown this season that the Premier League is where he belongs.
Moreover, when looking at his raw output and underlying numbers, it certainly looks like he could be doing a job for Postecoglou and Spurs right about now.
Their next Dele Alli: Spurs want to sign "incredible" Mikey Moore rival
The sensational attacker would be another exciting addition to Spurs’ young squad.
1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 19, 2024
da betway： Potentially splashing the cash in 2025, Celtic are reportedly interested in signing a Premier League winner who will be granted an exit away from his current club when the chance arrives.
Celtic transfer news
da betsson： The Bhoys have enjoyed quite the start to the campaign, sitting top of the Scottish Premiership once again, but will be well aware of just how important it is to continue that run after the international break. Squaring off against Hearts in the league before then playing host to Club Brugge in Europe, it could be quite the week for Brendan Rodgers’ side if they manage to pick up where they left off.
Meanwhile, away from the action, the transfer rumours have been coming thick and fast. The in-form Nicolas Kuhn is already receiving links to the Premier League in what could worry the Scottish champions, but they’re also eyeing up some incomings of their own in the form of talented twins Cole and Dylan Williams.
The young duo are options for the future and could one day join one other target at the heart of Rodgers’ side. According to Caught Offside, Celtic are interested in signing James McAtee, who will be allowed to leave Manchester City when the chance arrives.
The deal won’t be easy and it will not be cheap, however. In fact, if Celtic want to sign McAtee, then they will have to spend a club-record of more than £20m – eclipsing their current record of £14m, which they spent to sign Jota in 2022. (Transfermarkt)
"Superb" 24 y/o Celtic player basically admits he could be sold next summer
He is currently out on loan for the season.
ByHenry Jackson Nov 18, 2024
With West Ham United, Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City all reportedly among the other clubs eyeing a move to sign the Manchester City midfielder, meanwhile, it’s fair to say that Celtic face quite the competition for his signature.
"Talented" McAtee can become next Cole Palmer
Of course, the last big academy graduate to leave Manchester City was none other than Cole Palmer, who has gone on to become one of the best players in the Premier League at Chelsea. He remains City’s biggest regrets but they may not have learned from their mistake, given their willingness to let McAtee depart. Amid a transitional period, the attacking midfielder may well follow in Palmer’s footsteps in what could even benefit Celtic.
If the Bhoys were to land a player set for a similar rise to Palmer then it would be a game-changer on the European stage and only enhance their dominance in the Scottish Premiership. If the praise of Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig is anything to go by too, then the 22-year-old is certainly one to watch.
The reported £20m+ transfer fee could be the big stumbling block for Celtic, but if the likes of Kuhn depart in the summer then they may yet have the chance to pursue a player of McAtee’s calibre.