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Liverpool are now very interested in signing a Bundesliga speedster at a bargain price after missing out on Antoine Semenyo, according to reports.

Semenyo closing in on Man City move

Although Andoni Iraola claimed that he expects Semenyo to play a part for Bournemouth against Arsenal on Saturday, it’s an open secret that the impressive winger is closing in on a move to Manchester City.

The Citizens are set to win what looked to be a hectic transfer race between Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and those at the Etihad in a major boost for Pep Guardiola.

Whilst City rejoice, Liverpool and Arne Slot will rue a missed opportunity, however. The Reds desperately need another attacking addition following Alexander Isak’s injury and amid Mohamed Salah’s AFCON duties. Semenyo will not be that man, though.

Whether that is that for Liverpool in terms of attacking targets is now the big question. Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, as stubborn as ever, are unlikely to move unless it’s perfect for the Reds and Semenyo, seemingly, wasn’t that.

Instead, they could look to prioritise an early move to sign Marc Guehi. The Crystal Palace man is set to become a free agent in the summer and it’s then that the sharks will begin to circle. As such, Liverpool are reportedly chasing a January deal in the hope that they can fend off some serious interest from around Europe.

But their attacking problem will still remain and that could force their hand towards Bundesliga star Jean-Matteo Bahoya. According to Anfield Watch, Liverpool are very interested in signing Bahoya and believe they could land a bargain deal in 2026.

Liverpool very interested in signing Bahoya

The Bundesliga speedster is still just 20 years old and very much on the cusp of truly breaking through rather than currently starring at Eintracht Frankfurt, having started just eight of 15 Bundesliga games.

It’s easy to see why Liverpool are interested, though. After becoming the first player in Bundesliga history to record a speed quicker than 37km/h last season, Bahoya has a unique trait that could add another element to the Reds’ frontline.

Dubbed an “excellent signing” by U23 scout Antonio Mango in the summer, the big question Liverpool must ask themselves is whether Bahoya is ready for such a big move.

Related Needed more than Semenyo: Liverpool leading the race to sign £34m talent

Liverpool are ready to react to opportunities in the January transfer window.

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The winger has struggled when it comes to output this season, scoring just three times in all competitions, and there’s little indication that he would receive the game time he needs at Anfield. Simply put, he is one for the future and not someone who should rush into a Premier League switch just yet.

Match facts

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

	Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar could form a probable dream opening pair for Mumbai © Getty Images (file photo)

The Big Picture

The bottom-placed Mumbai Indians are running out of time to salvage their season as they prepare to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders. After going four matches without a win, and with their top stars failing to deliver, their strategies at the auction are on the verge of being exposed. Besides their desperate search for their first points, they have added concerns – Harbhajan Singh has been banned for 11 matches, and the wait for Sachin Tendulkar to overcome his groin injury continues. Kolkata, on the other hand, will be trying to get back on track after the loss to the Chennai Super Kings, their first in the tournament. Meanwhile, the match will be played on a new surface after the pitch for the first game at the Eden Gardens came in for considerable flak.

Watch out for …

… the probable return of Tendulkar, and if he does, his face-off with Ishant Sharma, as well as a dream opening partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya. This will be the last IPL game this season for Brendon McCullum and Ricky Ponting, and both of them will be keen to sign off with a bang. Sourav Ganguly is under the scanner after scoring just 36 runs in three games, while David Hussey has an opportunity to make up for his second-ball duck against Chennai. Kolkata’s bowlers took just one wicket among them in their previous game, and they will look to put in an improved showing.

Team news

Tendulkar was seen doing the rounds ahead of Mumbai’s match against the Deccan Chargers, indications that he might be close to being 100% fit. He is slated to lead the side, but if he fails to make it Shaun Pollock will continue as captain, a role he has taken over in Harbhajan’s absence. Luke Ronchi’s place is uncertain as he has managed only 34 runs from four matches at 8.50, and Mumbai may consider bringing in Loots Bosman, the South African opening batsman in his place with Pinal Shah keeping wicket.Mumbai: (probable)1 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Luke Ronchi (wk), 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Shaun Pollock, 6 Abhishek Nayar, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Musavir Khote, 9 Ashish Nehra, 10 Dhaval Kulkarni, 11 Siddharth Chitnis.Kolkata are likely to retain the same combination that they have fielded in their first three matches.Kolkata: (probable) 1 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 5 David Hussey, 6 Mohammad Hafeez, 7 Laxmi Rattan Shukla, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Murali Kartik, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashok Dinda.

Kolkata have conceded 28 extras, the most in the tournament so far.

Tendulkar has played five Twenty20 matches in his career, scoring 198 runs at an average of 39.60.

Quotes

“Quite a few issues were discussed [in the team meeting], including our performance so far in the IPL. Because of the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth incident, I also made the point that our conduct had to be exemplary, both on the field and off it.” John Buchanan, Kolkata’s coach, talks to about his team’s preparations ahead of the match”We are trying hard and we hope to bounce back like Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy side in the 2006-07 season.”
Abhishek Nayar, one of Mumbai’s key performers, tries to derive some inspiration

The 18th Lilac Hill game will go ahead with New Zealand playing the Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI © Getty Images

New Zealand will prepare for the Chappell-Hadlee Series in December by appearing in the annual Lilac Hill fixture in Western Australia. The 18th edition of the match was in doubt due to the altered international calendar, but New Zealand agreed to use the game against the Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI on December 7 to assist their defence of the trophy.”We are ecstatic that the Lilac Hill tradition, which has spanned almost two decades, will continue,” Graeme Wood, the Western Australian Cricket Association chief executive, said. New Zealand have a Twenty20 International against Australia at the WACA on December 11 before the first of three Chappell-Hadlee games starting in Adelaide on December 14.Michael Brown, the Cricket Australia manger of operations, was pleased New Zealand Cricket had agreed to keep the game on the summer schedule. “I’m sure this traditional fixture will again be one of the highlights of the summer in Western Australia,” he said. Sri Lanka will play two Tests in Australia in November, but India’s delayed arrival means the first of the four Tests will begin in Melbourne on Boxing Day.

Matthew Hayden believes last season was “one of my best” © Getty Images

Matthew Hayden’s year out of the one-day side has not diminished his desire to win back his spot during the jammed lead-up to the World Cup. And Hayden, who is prepared to use his Test platform to re-confirm his limited-overs qualifications, has rated Monty Panesar as a low priority for Australia’s batsmen in the Ashes.Panesar, the left-arm spinner, emerged as a potential danger for Australia after collecting 16 wickets in the first three Tests against Pakistan, but Hayden said he would not be assisted by the conditions, except at the SCG, and the more serious worries would come from the quick bowlers. “Monty Panesar will be under pressure from the moment he arrives in Australia, just simply because of the way we play spin bowling,” he said. “As a left-hander I’ve got a natural advantage over Monty because the ball is spinning into me. It’s the same for the other aggressive left-handers we’ve got in our order.”Before the Ashes begins Hayden will attempt to add to his 119 one-day appearances, which include five centuries and an average of 40.10. If he misses a spot on next month’s mini-tour to Malaysia, where Australia will play India and West Indies with their probable squad for the Champions Trophy, he will push for selection through the Tests in the hope of earning some action in the VB Series, Chappell-Hadlee Series and World Cup.”The message is loud and clear – I want my spot back,” Hayden said while attending a junior clinic at the Tewantin-Noosa Cricket Club. “I still want to play. I’ve been training hard in the off-season and it’s just a matter of getting an opportunity in both forms of the game.”Hayden was dropped from the limited-overs side after the England tour last winter, but he retained his Cricket Australia one-day contract and was selected in the 30-man preliminary squad for October’s Champions Trophy. However, he must force his way ahead of Simon Katich, who is employed with an often frustrating stabilising role alongside the power hitters, and Adam Gilchrist.”When you’re not playing you do miss it,” Hayden said. “It wasn’t my decision to be out of the side. It wasn’t me who retired. I was dropped. So I had to look at ways to improve on my game.”More careful shot selection boosted Hayden towards “one of my best years” in 2005-06, which began with a run of four centuries in consecutive matches after his Test spot was in danger at the end of the Ashes tour. “I proved to the selectors while under pressure in England that I’ve still got the goods,” he said. “Sides haven’t been trying to get me out in the last 18 months – they’ve pretty much let me do that. They’ve bowled to keep me out of play more than anything, so I had to be a bit more patient.”England’s restrictive bowling attack limited Hayden to 180 runs in the first four Tests of the series, but he escaped with a career-saving 138 at The Oval. He expects another strong opposition unit this summer and is confident he has developed a plan to cope with Flintoff, Harmison and Co. “The main threats are their quick bowlers, whoever they are,” he said. “They were what made them perform in England and it will be no different here. It’s challenging when you play a good attack, but I’m confident. Confident that I’ve found a game plan that nullifies what they’ve got in their mind.”

Scorecard

Tatenda Taibu: unbeaten 100 to follow his first-innings 91© Getty Images

Mashonaland captain Tatenda Taibu’s third hundred of his career left Matabeleland facing an unlikely target of 465 to win their Logan Cup match after a rain-affected third day at Bulawayo Athletic Club.Taibu declared the Mashonaland’s innings on 352 for 4 straight after completing his 249-ball century in 274 minutes. He received good support from Chamunorwa Chibhabha (55)and Tafadzwa Mufambisi (65 not out). By the premature close, Matabeleland had staggered to 34 for 2, still 431 short of victory.Mashonaland resumed on 142 for 3, and Taibu and Chibhabha shared in a 97-run fourth-wicket stand before Chibhabha perished driving offspinner Gavin Ewing to midwicket where Mark Vermeulen took a brilliant catch (230 for 4).Mufambisi joined Taibu as Mashonaland continued to stretch their lead. Taibu reached his half century from 132 balls in 146 minutes, going on to complete his hundred with a delicate cut off Ewing.Matabeleland were in trouble with just nine runs on board when Terrence Duffin, who scored a half century in the first innings, fell to Waddington Mwayenga for 1, beautifully held in the slips by Mufambisi. Wisdom Siziba and Sean Williams shared in a stand of 20 before Siziba was dismissed leg-before to Elton Chigumbura for 11.Bad light and drizzle brought an early finish, and heavier rain fell during the evening to offer Matabeleland their only realistic chance of escape.

Damien Martyn: satisfied with his return to form© Getty Images

Damien Martyn completed an emphatic return to form with his second hundred in consecutive matches against Sri Lanka, as Australia manoeuvred themselves into a strong position on the third day at Kandy. And afterwards he was a contented man when he spoke to the press.”The sub-continent is always a tough place to play your cricket,” he said, “but these have to be two of the hardest hundreds Ihave ever made. But it is satisfying to have done it in the second innings when it has really mattered.”You need a bit of luck,” he conceded, after being dropped in the morning session,” and you know you are going to play and miss a few times. You’ve just got to take the good with the bad, and it was satisfying that I spent a long time at the crease.”Despite a healthy lead of 229 at the close of play, Martyn accepted that Australia’s approach to Muttiah Muralitharan would be crucial to their chances of sealing the series. “We have all got different gameplans against him,” he said, “depending on whether he is bowling over or round the wicket. All the batsmen have played him pretty well. We have been positive but patient, which you have to be over here.”Every innings on the subcontinent is a learning curve,” added Martyn. “It’s one of those frontiers that is great to make runs on, especially against quality spin bowling. I will take the good things from this innings and go forward hopefully to score more runs in the future.”With two days remaining, a result is highly probable, even though the third day was cut short by rain. “We want to get as big a lead as possible,” said Martyn, “because we know it is going to be hard for them to bat last. It is definitely going to spin still and if you hit the seam on a good length there is still something in the wicket.”Sri Lanka’s coach, John Dyson, conceded that it had been a tough day for his bowlers, but insisted that his side were not out of the running just yet. “Today’s cricket was really tough,” he said. “There were no easy runs or wickets out there. But if we get one out early tomorrow morning then we are right back in the game. For me, this match is still on a knife-edge, and hopefully the break will freshen up our bowlers for tomorrow.”

JOHANNESBURG, March 9 AFP – Sri Lanka’s star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will not target Sachin Tendulkar in Monday’s World Cup Super Sixes clash against India at the Wanderers here.He does not know how to do it.Muralitharan, voted Wisden’s best bowler ever in the history of the game, conceded it was not easy to bowl to the Indian maestro.”You just can’t fox Sachin,” the wily off-spinner said after his team’s nets on Sunday.”He reads the ball so early. The class in him comes out when he picks the ball as soon as it is delivered from the bowler’s hand.”It’s always a challenge to bowl to Tendulkar and the other Indian batsmen.”You just can’t target any one batsman. They are all so good. My aim will be to keep a tight check on the Indians.”If I can pick up 4-5 wickets and help Sri Lanka win, I will be very happy.”Tendulkar, one-day cricket’s leading batsman, and Muralitharan form a mutual admiration society.When the duo met at the opening ceremony of the World Cup at Cape Town last month, Muralitharan walked up to Tendulkar and said: “I hope you get four or five centuries in the tournament.Tendulkar responded: “That is if you allow me to. I hope you get 30 wickets.”Muralitharan has so far taken 13 wickets in seven matches, three behind the leading tally of 16 by team-mate Chaminda Vaas and West Indian Vasbert Drakes.Tendulkar is the top scorer in the tournament with 474 runs, which includes a 152 against Namibia, 98 off 75 balls against Pakistan and three other half-centuries.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths, who have been askedto trace alleged bookie Mukesh Kumar Gupta by the InternationalCricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption commissioner Sir Paul Condon,will visit the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office inMumbai on June 25.BCCI executive secretary, Sharad Diwadkar, told PTI in Mumbai onWednesday that the CBI officials would visit the BCCI office on Mondaybut “I don’t know the reason behind their visit.”When queried whether any of the ICC investigators would accompany theCBI sleuths, Diwadkar said he had not received any informationregarding ICC investigators’ visit and added that “we would get aclear picture only on Monday.”According to a CBI spokesman in Mumbai, the main purpose of the visitis to try and get as much information as possible which could helptrace Gupta who has gone into hiding after he met the ICCinvestigators twice, the last time in March.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of their Premier League meeting with Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via the official Tottenham website), Antonio Conte revealed that, despite withdrawing from the Wales squad ahead of their friendly against Czech Republic on Tuesday, Ben Davies will be available for tomorrow’s visit of the Magpies.

Regarding the current condition of the 28-year-old, the Spurs boss said: “Ben is okay. He had a little problem, but he’s available.”

Great news for Tottenham

Considering just how important Davies has been to this Tottenham side since Conte’s arrival in north London last November, the news that the defender has recovered from his knock in time for Sunday is undoubtedly great news for Spurs.

Indeed, following the 52-year-old’s move to the club, the £18m-rated left-back has featured in all but one of the Italian’s 27 games in charge, with 25 of these coming as starts, most often on the left of Tottenham’s three-man defence.

Of Davies’ 23 appearances as one of Spurs’ three central defenders this season, the £60k-per-week Welshman has impressed, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.81 – slightly better than his 6.79 rating over nine outings at left-back.

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As such, the news that the 28-year-old will be fit to face Newcastle this weekend will certainly come as a huge boost to Conte and Tottenham, especially considering the club’s considerable lack of depth at left centre-back, with the position being one of Fabio Paratici’s priority targets in the summer transfer window.

AND in other news: Paratici plotting £59m bid for 24 y/o “appreciated by Conte”, he’s “perfect” for Spurs

	The cheerleaders’ mini skirts had to be replaced by calf-length leggings (file photo) © www.flickr.com

Nach Balliye
That means dance, my love. Well, it wouldn’t be wrong to say cricket has become the better half of Bollywood when it comes to Twenty20. Even before the first ball was delivered the DY Patil Sports stadium was houseful. The 55000 die-hard fans were in well before time. You wouldn’t be off the mark to think they had all come to pay their paeans to their demi-god – Sachin Tendulkar. Real picture soon emerged. Even as Tendulkar didn’t take the field the crowds were busy elsewhere: dancing, shaking, whitstling to the various Bollywood tunes.No more indecent proposals
In India there are many rules. But bending a rule is a rule by itself. So as tempers flared amidst soaring mercury around the country on whether cheerleaders should be allowed to be part of the IPL entertainment, the event organisers didn’t break a sweat. They just found a way out: to appease the authorities and the traditionalists the cheerleaders were asked to cover-up their legs with the mini skirts being replaced by calf-length leggings. Perhaps a good and safe move for the girls, too, who were getting annoyed and disturbed by lewd remarks from certain sections of the crowd.(Un) Suitable boy
VVS Laxman for all his charm and modesty seems stranded in the hurried world of Twenty20. If he is yet to find ways to score with the bat, he has constraints while fielding too. Valiantly he positioned himself at cover and was found out when Abhishek Nayar flogged one over-pitched delivery from D Kalyankrishna which the Hyderabad captain was too slow to even bend, forget stopping.Boss, we wanna fly too…
Even as his team is yet to open their account on the points table, Mukesh Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians franchise was riding high, rather flying, when he arrived along with his family for the game from his pad in South Mumbai in a chopper. If he could also help his team’s fortune soar, too.Hail Gilly
His ninth six brought him his maiden Twenty20 hundred but Adam Gilchrist mesmerised the thousands of Mumbai fans who were left with no other option but to bow to him and acknowledge his feat.