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Wolves and every other Premier League club only have hours left to conduct any late business before the 2022 January transfer window closes.

However, it seems as though Wolves fans can forget about seeing their club sign one player in particular that has been mentioned with a move to Molineux in the past few weeks that will be a very familiar face to a lot of Premier League followers.

What’s the news?

In a recent post on BBC Sport’s deadline day live update tracker, journalist Simon Stone had this to say on Wolves’ reported interest in signing Juventus and former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

He said: “There have been rumours of a Wolves move for Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey has been frozen out in Italy and is open to returning to the Premier League. But I have been told Wolves are not one of the clubs expressing an interest.”

Having racked up 371 appearances for Arsenal in which he managed to score 65 goals and provide 65 assists, the 31-year-old joined Juventus in the 2019 summer transfer window.

Since then, the midfielder has made 70 appearances for the Serie A side with six goals and six assists under his belt but has now found himself apparently looking for a new club with Juventus aiming to move him on.

Fans will be gutted

Taking into account the amount of experience the Welshman has in terms of playing in the Premier League and the Champions League as well as winning trophies throughout his career, there will be some Wolves fans out there that will be gutted to hear that their club aren’t looking to bring the midfielder back to England.

After all, this is someone who would not only improve their depth in the centre of the pitch, but add a considerable amount of quality too. He has 40 goals and 51 assists during his Premier League career, suggesting he’d be a big signing for Lage and co.

However, with Wolves having the unflappable midfield duo of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho in their squad as well as having Leander Dendoncker and Luke Cundle as backup options, there is an argument to suggest that this isn’t the worst news in the world.

With that in mind, the club may be better off looking at other options if they do want to bring a new player in before the deadline.

In other news: “Wouldn’t surprise me..:” Journo drops Wolves deadline day claim, fans surely gushing – opinion

Alasdair Gold has dropped a promising update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Franck Kessie.

What’s the talk?

In a recent Q&A on football.london, the Spurs correspondent claimed that he would be stunned if Fabio Paratici did not make a move for one of Tottenham’s targets who are available on free transfers this summer, with one such player being the AC Milan central midfielder.

The journalist went on to claim that the 25-year-old is a talent that both Antonio Conte and Paratici are extremely keen on, although he does suggest that Spurs will face significant competition to get a deal over the line for the Ivory Coast international.

Regarding Tottenham’s interest in Kessie, Gold said:

“Fabio Paratici does like a free transfer so I’d be stunned if Spurs don’t attempt to bring a player or two without a fee to be able to put more of their budget elsewhere. Franck Kessie will be available and is a player Paratici and Conte like but there will be competition for his services.”

Imagine him and Bentancur

Considering just how impressive Kessie has been for Milan in recent seasons, it is not difficult to understand why Conte and Paratici are so keen to land the midfielder this summer.

Indeed, over his 37 Serie A appearances in 2020/21, the £25m-rated titan was in breathtaking form for the Rossoneri, scoring 13 goals, registering four assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 47.9 passes, 1.2 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and winning 5.2 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per game.

These returns saw the player, who Antonio Cassano dubbed a “devastating” talent, earn a quite astonishing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as his club’s third-best performer in the Italian top-flight last time out.

It has been a similar story over the £69k-per-week Ivorian’s 18 league outings in the current campaign, with Kessie having already bagged five goals and created one big chance for his teammates, with these metrics seeing the 25-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 7.12 – ranking him as Stefano Pioli’s fourth-best player in the division.

As such, with Spurs having already secured the £21.5m signing of the industrious Rodrigo Bentancur in the January transfer window, the further addition of the Milan player Vincenzo Montella labelled “sublime” this summer – particularly on a free transfer – would be a remarkable piece of business by Paratici, as the duo would undoubtedly form a much-feared partnership in the heart of Conte’s Spurs side.

In other news: “People within Spurs..”: Gold drops huge transfer claim, it’d be a disaster for Conte

Leeds United are heading for something of a transfer nightmare this summer, if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

Not only is star winger Raphinha drawing interest ahead of the transfer window but first-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier too.

According to the Daily Mail, the Yorkshire giants are braced to lose players before next season and both the Brazil international and the French shot-stopper are amongst their most attractive options.

It’s thought that the club’s recruitment team are already on the lookout for a replacement for Raphinha, with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona keen, though little is mentioned about a successor to the 22-year-old gem.

Transfer nightmare

Whilst the 25-year-old dynamo is undoubtedly United’s best player, leading the squad for goals (nine) and creativity (three assists, 2.1 key passes per game), via WhoScored.

But a winger is easily replaceable, especially given the options available at Jesse Marsch’s disposal already and the fact that they already appear to be planning for life without him.

Club-record signing Daniel James is one name that could fill the void on a more permanent basis, whilst the Premier League side have been linked to many alternatives in the past, including Club Brugge’s “phenomenon” Noa Lang and Georgian wonderkid Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

However, finding someone capable of shielding the goal for many, many years is harder to come by – not since their stint in League One (2006/07 to 2009/10), have they had a long-serving no.1 – that being Casper Ankergren.

Raphinha has often provided crucial input in the final third during Leeds’ few wins this campaign but the 6 foot 4 colossus has stopped many a goal at the other end of the pitch.

When compared against the rest of the Premier League and those goalkeepers that have started in at least 50% of games played, the £42m-rated Meslier leads the league for shots saved per 90 (3.68), via FBRef.

His shot-stopping abilities have been lauded as a “rare talent” by The Athletic’s Phil Hay in the past, whilst also claiming that “the potential in him is vast.”

Indeed, at just 22, the France U21 international has a bright future in the game and Leeds will be hoping that it’s in west Yorkshire for the foreseeable, though given these reports at this stage of the season, that seems rather unlikely.

As such, Marsch and director of football Victor Orta could be heading towards an absolute nightmare. They’ll be dealt a gutting blow if they have to try and find a new no.1 for next season.

AND in other news, Marsch dealt another gutting injury blow this international break…

The war of words between the BCCI and Lalit Modi continues unabated with the board president Shashank Manohar rejecting Modi’s contention that the governing council meeting on April 26 would be invalid. Manohar also sought to clarify the status of N Srinivasan, the board secretary who also owns the Chennai franchise, which according to Modi was a conflict of interest.”It is his view point, everybody is entitled to their viewpoint,” Manohar told PTI, in response to Modi’s contention that the meeting was unauthorised. “It is not a question of [whether or not Srinivasan is an] owner. He is not calling the meeting as an owner of a team, and in the board’s constitution, the secretary is the convenor of all meetings.”Manohar stated there was no question of conflict of interest between Srinivasan’s dual roles of a BCCI functionary and an IPL team owner. “Whether there is conflict of interest is not an issue because Srinivasan, when this issue had cropped up, had sought the permission of Sharad Pawar, who was the president of the board then [when the first round of IPL team auctions was conducted in 2008].”Pawar had granted him permission to bid and it is not Mr. Srinivasan who was bidding, it was India Cements [Srinivasan’s company that owns the Chennai franchise] which was bidding and after his bid was accepted, it was confirmed by the general body,” Manohar said.Manohar said that while BCCI was aware of the extent of Srinivasan’s involvement in the IPL, the same was not true in Modi’s case. “Srinivasan was a declared bidder. If Modi and his relatives had a share in any of the franchises, he ought to have declared it at the meeting. I was not a member of governing council then. He ought to have told everybody,” Manohar said.Modi, who was in Dubai when the BCCI called for the meeting, had asked for it to be pushed to May 1, in order to compile his documents and prepare his defence. There is intense speculation that the governing council is set to oust Modi in Monday’s meeting, irrespective of whether he attends it.

Daniel Vettori has experienced a strong sense of déjà vu over the past five days. A first-innings team failure, an admirable but futile second-innings fight and a heavy reliance on the lower-order batting have been recurring features of New Zealand’s Test play over the past few years. But despite being bundled out for 157 and being made to follow-on, Vettori is not convinced bolstering the batting for the second Test in Hamilton would make any difference.”I think it needs a run-scoring extra batsman,” Vettori said when asked if the team needed another specialist. “It’s all well and good to pick someone. Most of our runs came from Brendon [McCullum] and myself, so if we brought another batsman in it would just push us down. Whether that is the right answer or not, I’m not sure.”He has a point. Apart from the 83 from Tim McIntosh in the second innings, there weren’t many contributions of note from the top five in the ten-wicket defeat. Peter Ingram will be under pressure to hold his place after making 5 and 1, BJ Watling’s second-day golden duck was followed by an unconvincing 33, and Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill made middling contributions without really having an impact.New Zealand will choose their squad for the second Test on Wednesday and it is unclear if the balance of the side will be altered. Batting at No. 6, Vettori made 46 and 77 while McCullum scored 24 and 104, but it is first-innings runs that New Zealand need to find.However, a strong bowling line-up is just as important for a team that took only five wickets for the match. “We obviously need to lift a lot, particularly our first-innings efforts,” Vettori said. “We fought hard in that second innings but we need to show more penetration with the ball in that first innings and then stand up a bit more with the bat.”It’s been a trait of ours, particularly at the Basin, to get bowled out cheaply in the first innings and then fight pretty hard in the second. We can’t afford to do that. We can’t afford to be on the back foot at any stage against Australia in Hamilton.”The challenge is replicating the effort that New Zealand displayed on the weather-affected fourth day, when they lost only one wicket and pushed themselves into a strong position to save the match. The same fight could not be repeated on the fifth morning and they lost their last four wickets for 19 runs, allowing Australia a comfortable chase of 106.”The fourth day was obviously our best day of the Test match,” Vettori said. “It’s something that we need to replicate over the whole five days to give ourselves a chance against Australia. Unfortunately we weren’t able to build that pressure for long enough. After what we did yesterday it was a little bit disappointing to front up today and lose quick wickets. We wanted to bat for a long period of time but that’s the nature of the game.”The key wicket was that of McCullum, who began the day on 94 and required only three balls to bring up his fifth Test century. In the fourth over McCullum edged to slip and was disappointed not to go on and bat New Zealand into a better position.”I was pleased with how I was able to adjust my game from the way I played in the first innings and to try and give us an opportunity to put a partnership on with Dan and then Daryl [Tuffey] as well,” McCullum said. “Against a very good team it rates as my best Test century. But when you lose a game it doesn’t quite have the same feeling.”

Sachin Tendulkar, who broke the record for the highest ODI score, has said his ability to bat the entire 50 overs was a testament to his good fitness after having played the game for more than 20 years

Cricinfo staff24-Feb-2010

Sachin Tendulkar, who broke the record for the highest individual ODI score, overtaking Saeed Anwar and Charles Coventry on his way to the format’s first double-hundred, has said his ability to bat the entire 50 overs was a testament to his fitness after having played the game for more than 20 years.”It feels good that I lasted for 50 overs, a good test of my fitness. I’d like to bat another 50 overs at some stage and see that the fitness level doesn’t drop,” Tendulkar said after his effort helped India take a unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. “The ball was coming onto the bat and I was striking the ball well. So when everything falls into its place, it feels nice. It was one of the innings where I felt I was moving well. Since I was timing the ball well, I could be more aggressive and put pressure on the bowlers.”Tendulkar, while dedicating his feat to the people of India, credited coach Gary Kirsten for the team’s success in both forms of the game after the debacle in the World Cup in the Caribbean. “I’ve enjoyed various challenges; after the 2007 World Cup things have looked different and I’m enjoying the game,” he said. “The credit also goes to Gary [Kirsten], he has really held the team beautifully. It’s about togetherness and playing for each other. You see during the practice sessions that Gary himself trains as hard as anyone else, or probably harder than anyone else as he’s the one giving us practice all the time.”Tendulkar said he sensed an opportunity to break the record and reach a double-century when he had gone past 175 in the 42nd over. The record eventually came in the 46th over, and the 200 in the 50th. “When I was near 175-180, I thought I could get a 200 as there were quite a few overs left,” he said. He added that he would prefer his achievement to be upstaged by an Indian. “I don’t play for records, I play for enjoyment and play with lots of passion. That’s how cricket started. I didn’t start playing cricket to break all the records; it’s happened along the way. The dream was to play for India and do my best.”I don’t think any record is unbreakable. Records are made to be broken. I hope that if this record is broken, it’s done by an Indian.”This was India’s third-highest score in ODIs, and Tendulkar said the 400-mark would not have reached if not for some big hitting by Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni. “I thought a target of 340-350 would be a good one, but Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni came in and hit the big shots and cleared the ropes consistently and helped us pass 400.”Tendulkar added that India were not relaxing despite having put up a mammoth score, for they were aware South Africa were the only team to have chased down a target in excess of 400. “This was the team that chased 434 against Australia. So we didn’t get complacent and told ourselves that we had just got through the half-way stage by scoring 401. And what we did in the second half was extremely important. We were aiming at getting early wickets and putting them out of the game.”Dhoni, who witnessed Tendulkar surpass the record from the other end, said: “I think one of the best innings, you can say. It’s always good to be on the other side, watching him score 200 runs. When he is tired and can’t play the big shots, he was very clever to use the pace of the bowler and it’s very difficult for the bowlers as they don’t know where exactly to bowl.”India lost Virender Sehwag early, and Tendulkar was assisted in three sizable stands where runs came at a brisk pace, with Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf and Dhoni. “Once Viru got out, it was important to get some kind of a partnership going. They [Tendulkar and Karthik] went on with their innings, and they set a platform after which we were sure we would get 350-plus which would be a difficult target,” Dhoni said. “Yusuf was sent up the order and with the talent he’s got, he can be a great asset to the side.”Yusuf scored a quickfire 36 and was particularly lethal during the batting Powerplay, while Dhoni proved destructive at the death, bludgeoning 68 off 35 in a century-stand with Tendulkar in just 53 balls. “I have changed my batting a bit, but the situation demanded that kind [attacking] of innings,” Dhoni said. “The ground is a small one, and we were a bit worried about the dew factor. But once they lost 3-4 early wickets, it was difficult for them to get back into the game.”For South Africa and their stand-in captain Jacques Kallis, it was a case of the basics gone wrong. “The toss was quite vital. Our basics were just weren’t good enough today. We were outplayed,” Kallis said. “We lost wickets at crucial stages, our basics let us down. A fantastic innings by Sachin; he took advantage of some good conditions and he played superbly. We let ourselves down in some areas.”

With Leeds United’s disappointing results in the Premier League so far this season with just three wins from 16 played games and the fact that they’ve got some injury concerns at the moment, the upcoming January transfer window could be just what the Yorkshire club need to fix their season and get in good shape to attack the second half of the campaign.

What’s the word?

Pundit Paddy Kenny provided an exciting claim on Leeds’ potential exploits over the winter.

He issued the following four-word suggestion that “the money is there” for Leeds to spend in January.

As a result, it could spring the likes of Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani into action to sign some players during the upcoming window to help Bielsa strengthen his squad in areas that he may need some reinforcements in, which would surely excite a lot of Leeds fans.

Excitement

If the money is indeed there, it will surely leave Leeds supporters buzzing about what the club could achieve, not just in January but moving forward too.

After all, it’s pretty evident that Marcelo Bielsa’s squad could do with an extra dose of quality over the winter.

Leeds have conceded a total of 25 goals in the league so far this season so it would definitely be worth targeting some defensive players that could come in and make the team stronger at the back so they don’t keep leaking goals, especially with Liam Cooper apparently facing a lengthy spell out injured.

In addition to this, with Kalvin Phillips reportedly out of action for the next two months as a result of the hamstring injury he picked up during Leeds’ 2-2 draw against Brentford, this could force the club to also bring in another midfield option to play alongside the likes of Adam Forshaw and Mateusz Klich while Phillips is out.

That has been a problem area for a long period of time and upgrading on their current options would surely delight supporters at Elland Road.

With all of this in mind, it is obvious that Leeds need to do plenty of business in January and splash some of the cash that Kenny has referred to in an effort to fix some of their issues.

Most importantly, it will help the team have a productive second half of the season that results in them staying in the top-flight, an eventuality that would relieve and please everyone associated with the football club.

However, with Bielsa previously saying that it’s difficult to find players who are “competing” and available during the January window, Orta will have to work very hard to find the right players that could come in and sufficiently fit into Bielsa’s squad to effectively hit the ground running.

In other news: Orta eyes Leeds swoop for “sharp” 16-goal beast, he could be Thorp Arch’s new Gelhardt – opinion

Steven Gerrard has confirmed that Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey will be ‘missing for a number of weeks’ with a muscle problem.

As to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been reacting to the injury update ahead of the trip to Leicester City on Sunday.

Bailey’s Villa career is yet to really get going due to a number of issues, with the Jamaica international starting just four games this season. The £28.8m summer signing had to be withdrawn in the first half of the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday with a quad problem.

Gerrard revealed that the results of the 24-year-old’s scan were not positive, with Bailey set to be sidelined until after Christmas.

Matt Targett and Danny Ings may also miss out against the Foxes, although the Villa manager is prepared to give the pair every chance to prove their fitness in the meantime.

Villa fans react

Villa shared Gerrard’s comments regarding Bailey via their official Twitter channel on Friday. Here is what these fans had to say in reply, with many not exactly thrilled as the Jamaican is dealt yet another injury setback.

“Sell him at this rate”

Credit: @BenAVFC98

“Gutted”

Credit: @maund

“We’ve cursed this man”

Credit: @marathesayu

“This is new, an actual time frame for an injury.”

Credit: @Gazoaks

“Send him back, the bloke’s made of glass”

Credit: @avfc_jf

“Pain”

Credit: @Holte_ender1

In other news: ‘Do it’ – Many Villa fans react as ‘brilliant’ transfer news emerges

A number of Manchester United supporters have called for Dean Henderson to leave the club after an update by journalist Fabrizio Romano.

David De Gea has made a welcome return to top form for United this season, arguably reaching the level he was at before his loss of form.

One player who that hasn’t benefited is Henderson, however, with the England international very much playing second fiddle between the sticks.

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The 24-year-old hasn’t played a single minute of Premier League action this season and it could be that a move away from United makes sense for all parties.

According to Romano on Twitter, Henderson is indeed willing to leave Old Trafford in the January transfer window, although a summer exit is also mentioned as a possibility.

Man United fans want Henderson to leave

These United fans took to Twitter to react to the rumour, saying it makes sense for the goalkeeper to find a new club, with one supporter even going as far as to call the former Sheffield United loanee ‘Ole’s deadwood’…

“Should leave, not good enough for Manchester United level but too good to be wasted on the bench. Should be a starter somewhere he is talented, best for both parties”

Credit: @LogicalRaj7

“Should go, if he stays he will be just wasting his time…”

Credit: @RedDevil618711

“Good! Clear out Ole’s deadwoods”

Credit: @gboftiii

“He should go with his disrespectful cult”

Credit: @J_E_S_S_E_Jay

“Great news!”

Credit: @Gerry_Deakin

“He’s so bad that there are no offers for him?”

Credit: @_vwake

In other news, some United fans are buzzing after an update regarding one Premier League player. Find out who it is here.

أعلن أنطونيو كونتي المدير الفني الإيطالي لفريق توتنهام تشكيل سبيرز لمواجهة سبورتنج لشبونة البرتغالي، في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

توتنهام فاز على مارسيليا في الجولة الماضية بثنائية نظيفة على ملعبه في لندن، بينما اليوم يحل ضيفًا على ملعب خوسيه ألفالادي.

طالع أيضًا | كونتي: ريتشارليسون محارب.. ولست قلقًا من غياب سون عن التسجيل

تشكيل توتنهام كما هو بالـ3/4/3، مع مشاركة ريتشارليسون أساسيًا بعدما أقنع المدرب أنطونيو كونتي، حيث كان بديلًا منذ انضمامه من إيفرتون.

ويرافق ريتشاررليسون في الهجوم، هاري كين وهيونج مين سون، في ثلاثي ناري للسبيرز أمام أصحاب الأرض. تشكيل توتنهام أمام سبورتنج لشبونة

حراسة المرمى: هوجو لوريس.

الدفاع: ديفيز، إيريك داير، روميرو.

وسط الملعب: بيريزيتش، بينتانكور، هويبرج، إيمرسون رويال.

الهجوم: هاري كين، ريتشارليسون، هيونج مين سون.