تحدث شريف إكرامي حارس مرمى نادي بيراميدز، عن علاقته مع جمهور الأهلي بعد رحيله من صفوف القلعة الحمراء، موضحًا أن رمضان صبحي تعرض للظلم بسبب الهجوم ضده بعد رحيله من الأحمر.

وقال شريف إكرامي في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة النهار: “أنا عشت سنين عمري كلها في النادي الأهلي، وفي عز أزمة هجوم الجماهير ضدي، أنا كتبت 13 تغريدة، من بينهم واحدة قلت ومهما حدث لن يتم استدراجي للهجوم على أي مسؤول أو أي أحد ينتمي للنادي الأهلي، ليست قدسية للأشخاص بقدر عرفان بجميل النادي عليّ”.

وأكمل: “النادي الأهلي ليس حوائط وطوب، هناك مسؤولين وأشخاص تتحدث باسم النادي الأهلي، فهجومك على المسؤولين أو إسقاطك إن في مسؤول أو موظف في الأهلي له علاقة بذلك، قناعتي الشخصية هذا الأمر يضر المكان الذي تربيت فيه، لهذا لا أريد الخوض في هذا الأمر”.

واستطرد: “النادي الأهلي يمتلك جمهورا كبيرا، وفي الآونة الأخيرة السوشيال ميديا أصبحت لها قوة، ودائمًا هناك أولوية بأنه كيف أبرر موقفي أمام الجماهير، هناك أشخاص لن يكون عندها مشكلة في أي شيء في مقابل أن تُبرر موقفها أمام الجماهير، وآخرون عندهم قواعد أخلاقية تمنعهم من فعل ذلك”.

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وبسؤاله هل تفتقد جمهور الأهلي؟، أوضح: “بالتأكيد أفتقده، جمهور الأهلي أفتقده ونتقابل كثيرًا، لكن صراحة كل مرحلة في حياة لاعب الكرة لها متطلبات معينة، أنا عشت أحلى أيام حياتي، وحققت كل ما كنت أتمناه، وصنعت اسمي وتاريخي ورأيت الخير كله، ورأيت حب الناس والشهرة”.

وبشأن هل جمهور الأهلي مازال يُحبك؟، أجاب: “المؤكد أنه يحترمني، أما مسألة الحب من عند الله”.

وحول من الذي صنع الفتنة بينك وبين جمهور الأهلي؟، أوضح: “أشخاص موظفين داخل النادي الأهلي، لن أقول أسماء، أنا أعرفهم بالاسم ولم أرد عليهم”.

وحول هل رمضان صبحي ظُلم؟، أجاب: “طبعًا، لأنه لم يُخطئ في حق النادي، رمضان فعل شيء عكس الثقافة السائدة منذ سنوات طويلة، إنه اختار أن ينتقل لناد ليس جماهيريًا، ويُمارس حقه الطبيعي في الاختيار”.

وأضاف: “رمضان كان مُعارا لهدرسيفيلد وإعارته انتهت، فهو لم يكسر عقده مع النادي ولم يُخل بوعده مع النادي على عكس كل ما يُقال، أنا رجل أعرف الحقيقة المطلقة، أنا مُقتنع إن الحقيقة تظهر مع الوقت”.

وعن هل كانت هناك فرص جاءت لـ رمضان وهو مع الأهلي وتم إخفائها عنه؟، أوضح: “يُسئل رمضان عن الأمر، وهو تعرض للظُلم، لأنه لم يُخطئ في حق النادي، هو مارس حقه في الاختيار التي وصلت له، واختار شيء عكس كل الأصوات والثقافات والشعارات التي نعيش فيها منذ سنوات، وهي إن اللاعب عندما يأتي له الأهلي أو الزمالك ويختار ناد ثالث هذا بمثابة جُرم، لكن سواء أنا أرى ذلك صح أم خطأ، لكن حقه أنه يختار، بالتأكيد تم تسليمه للجمهور”.

شريف إكرامي: كان لي رأي في انتقال رمضان صبحي إلى بيراميدز.. والخطيب لم يظلمني

واستكمل: “لو رمضان صبحي يتمنى العودة للأهلي فلما لا، وأنا ليس لي دور في قرار انتقاله لأي مكان، أنا بالنسبة له أخ كبير أقول له رأيي غير المبني على المشاعر، يكون رأي واقعي أكثر منه عاطفي”.

وتابع: “أنا صاحب رأي واقعي، وهو أن رمضان المفترض يكون في المكان الذي يستحقه ويتطور فيه ويتحقق فيه ما يُساوي موهبته، وطبعًا سيتطور في بيراميدز لما لا، بيراميدز يسير بخطى ثابتة منذ سنتين، كنا وصيف الدوري وننافس في دوري الأبطال”.

وبسؤاله متى سنراك رئيسًا لـ بيراميدز؟، أوضح: “غير ممكن أن يحدث! ولماذا يحدث! الأمور لا تسير بهذا الشكل، هل لو كنت مازلت لاعبًا في النادي الأهلي ستسأليني هذا السؤال”.

واختتم: “أنا لا أرى نفسي في المجال كفني بعد الاعتزال، ممكن إداري وأذاكر لذلك، أو إعلامي وأيضًا أذاكر لذلك، وأبدأ من الصفر”.

Having followed up the good news of the Friedkin Group’s pending takeover with their first Premier League win of the season against Crystal Palace, Everton could now finally have a replacement for Amadou Onana lined up.

Everton transfer news

Once again awaiting Premier League approval, Everton will have everything crossed that they’ve finally found new owners in Friedkin, who have plenty of experience across Europe, having taken charge of AS Roma in the Serie A.

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The likely new owners released a statement via Everton’s official website following the news of the sale, with a spokesperson saying: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement to become custodians of this iconic football club. We are focused on securing the necessary approvals to complete the transaction. We look forward to providing stability to the club, and sharing our vision for its future, including the completion of the new Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.”

The Toffees’ change in fortunes didn’t stop there, either, with Sean Dyche’s side following the news up with a well-fought 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace to finally get their season up and running in England’s top flight.

Now, those at Goodison Park have seemingly turned their attention towards finally finding a replacement for Amadou Onana, who swapped Merseyside for Aston Villa in the summer transfer window.

According to reports in Spain, Friedkin Group now want to sign Dario Essugo from Sporting Club next summer, with the midfielder currently on loan at Las Palmas. Still just 19 years old, there’s no doubt that the Portuguese gem is one for the future and a player who could sit at the base of Dyche’s midfield for years to come if Everton make their move. In what could be the first arrival of the Friedkin era, Essugo is one to watch.

Why "exciting" Essugo would be an impressive coup

Dubbed “one of the most exciting DMs in Europe” by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig, Essugo has enjoyed a fine start to life at Las Palmas in La Liga and could now earn a move to the Premier League as a result. Replacing Onana would be quite the task, but the midfielder is far from his peak at 19 years old, handing him a number of years to eventually become a key man at Goodison Park.

Of course, when the summer transfer window arrives it will be interesting to see Sporting’s own stance on Essugo. If he continues to perform in Spain, then the Portuguese giants may just become a tough nut to crack on the transfer front. With new money to play with, however, Everton have fresh hope in pursuit of their targets.

The 2020 summer transfer window was a significant time for Leeds United. The Whites spent millions of pounds to prepare for their first season back in the Premier League in 16 years and even broke their record transfer fee to sign Spanish attacker Rodrygo from Valencia.

Some of the other incomings included French goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who is still the club’s number one today, and Spanish centre-back Diego Llorente. However, perhaps the signing with the most significance that summer proved to be Brazilian winger Raphinha, who became a key player at the club and made crucial contributions to the Yorkshire outfit.

Raphinha’s Leeds career

Leeds paid £17m plus add-ons for the wing wizard, who joined on a four-year deal from French outfit Stade Rennais. Although he stayed at the club just two seasons, his contributions were significant and he played a huge part in keeping the club in the Premier League.

It was the winger’s penalty against Brentford on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign that ensured Leeds’ survival in the Premier League. That proved to be his last game for the club, and he made a big move to La Liga giants Barcelona that summer, for £49m up front with a potential for the deal to rise to £55m.

Indeed, he left the club with a superb record. Leeds’ former number 18 played 67 times in that famous White shirt, scoring 17 times and registering 12 assists. There were some impressive goals for the club, but none more important than the strike against Brentford.

Since his departure to Catalonia, the former Sporting star has been superb, especially this season under Hansi Flick. He has made 100 appearances for the club, scoring 29 times and grabbing 33 assists. This term, he already has nine goals and eight assists in 13 appearances, including a wonderful hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the Champions League this week.

Raphinha has been a revelation since leaving Elland Road, and will always be remembered fondly by the Leeds faithful for his contributions to the club. Although they have never really managed to find his replacement, there could be one player they reignite interest in before long.

Who Leeds could sign to replace Raphinha

The player in question here is Marseille winger Jonathan Rowe. The English winger was a player chased by the club over the summer, but he ended up making the move to the South of France on a loan with an obligation to buy him for a package of £17m.

Pundit Don Goodman explained – in an interview with MOT Leeds News – that the Yorkshire outfit might “be there for him again” if the 21-year-old decides to return to England one day, something that Goodman has “no doubt” will happen.

So far, the England under-21 international has performed well for French outfit Marseille, who are managed by former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi. He has played seven times, scoring twice and grabbing an assist. However, it is worth noting that he has played just 209 minutes in Ligue 1, the equivalent of just 2.3 full 90-minute games.

This deal would certainly mirror the move that Raphinha made to Elland Road. Should this deal get over the line, it would see the Whites sign a tricky winger from Ligue 1, just as they did when the Brazilian joined four years ago. He is someone of “EPL potential” according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, and would hope to prove that just as Raphinha did.

Like the Barcelona man, he is a versatile player, capable of playing in multiple attacking positions, as his time at Norwich City showed. Indeed, Barcelona’s number 11 has played in several positions this season, including on the left wing to accommodate young star Lamine Yamal.

Rowe stats by position for Norwich (min 45 mins played)

Position

Games

Goals

Assists

Left-wing

15

1

2

Right-wing

11

4

0

Right midfield

8

5

0

Left midfield

3

1

0

Attacking midfield

3

1

1

Second striker

1

0

0

Stats from Transfermarkt

Signing Rowe could be an inspirational move from Leeds. Not only is he a quality winger who has an impressive record in few minutes this term, but signing a winger from Ligue 1 has been incredibly successful in the past for Leeds.

If this deal was to be anywhere near as good as the one that brought Raphinha to Elland Road, then Leeds supporters are in for a real treat.

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Liverpool operated at a considerable level of efficiency in the transfer market across the sweeping spell of Jurgen Klopp’s reign. It’s been a few days over nine years since the German replaced Brendan Rodgers at the helm, and oh how the Reds rose.

Of course, Klopp is in the dugout no longer, having stepped down from his managerial duties at the end of last season, since taking up a new job with Red Bull Sports Group as the earthwide organisation’s Head of Global Soccer.

From shrewd signings like Andy Robertson and Gini Wijnaldum to mammoth moves for Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk, two of the world’s finest to this day, Liverpool hit the jackpot in the market almost unerringly – there were only one or two arrivals who truly flattered to deceive.

There’s one flop above all others though. Of course, Naby Keita has got to be at the nadir across Klopp’s tenure, with injuries causing Liverpool to have wasted a significant sum.

Why Liverpool signed Naby Keita

Klopp’s Liverpool was taking off. With the 2016/17 campaign concluded, his first full term, the Merseysiders had restored their place in the Champions League and had established a framework for future illustrious heights that even then seemed like a far-fetched dream.

In August 2017, the club agreed a pre-contract move for Guinea international Keita, though the deal would not take place until the following summer. To achieve the signing, Liverpool agreed to meet the RB Leipzig star’s £48m release clause plus an undisclosed premium.

The Merseysiders were on the cusp of greatness, and no doubt fuelled Keita with excitement during the 2017/18 campaign, as he awaited the completion of his prospective venture, clinching Champions League football for a successive year and even reaching the prestigious competition’s final, albeit losing against Real Madrid.

Klopp was an ardent admirer of the dynamic midfielder’s properties, with his performances in Germany earning him acclaim and leading BBC reporter Steve Crossman to pronounce him as appearing to be ‘two players’, such was the dominance and ubiquity of his presence on the pitch.

He was immense, indestructible. Nothing could go wrong, only the improbable chance of developing brittle bones and fragile muscles, falling to shocking depths of injury issues.

That, dear reader, is exactly what happened.

Naby Keita's Liverpool career in numbers

Liverpool completed the signing of Keita in July 2018, with the total figure for his arrival believed to total around £53m. It was viewed as the statement move that the club had not realised for many, many years.

Gone were the days of woe, the time of languishing and strife. Liverpool had been pieced back together but now, possibly, was a new era, a golden sky painted across Merseyside, signalling the end of the storm.

Keita was supposed to be the linchpin. Possibly it’s doubly impressive that Liverpool’s new-found attacking power and fear factor was a mere overture to dominance: silver-laden success in the Premier League and Champions League both, with a range of cup triumphs to follow.

Initially compared to legend Steven Gerrard by former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, Keita played just 84 times in the Premier League across his five-year stint at Anfield, equating to about 17 Premier League outings per term.

More shockingly, though, was that the Guinean only managed 90 minutes on 12 occasions in the top flight, which is a sharp illustration of the fitness struggles that precluded lasting influence on the field.

According to Transfermarkt, Keita missed 122 competitive matches throughout this sizeable portion of his career, ravaging any hopes of producing more than mild efforts, only tinctured with some of that once-mighty promise.

Such talent, such potential. Keita is one of Liverpool’s all-time ‘what-ifs’, for he could have been one of the very best players to have worn the red shirt, one of the finest Premier League midfielders, a centrepiece throughout a club’s stunning run of trophy-rich years.

Keita’s time in England, sadly, devolved into something of a nightmare, with the aforementioned injury problems limiting him to the most bit-part of roles. It was a disaster for both parties, with Liverpool, in hindsight, splurging a significant sum of money.

How much Naby Keita cost Liverpool

On top of the £53m figure that Liverpool coughed up to clinch Keita’s services, the nimble midfielder also took home a pretty penny.

Indeed, Keita earned £120k per week while at the Premier League outfit. He never extended his contract but did see it out, meaning that Klopp’s decision cost Liverpool some £18m in wages alone. Pair that up with the ace’s transfer fee, and it can be found that he bled Liverpool by some £71m in total, or £14m per campaign.

1.

Mohamed Salah

£350k-per-week

2.

Virgil van Dijk

£220k-per-week

3.

Thiago Alcantara

£200k-per-week

4.

Roberto Firmino

£180k-per-week

4.

Fabinho

£180k-per-week

4.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

£180k-per-week

7.

Alisson Becker

£150k-per-week

8.

Darwin Nunez

£140k-per-week

8.

Diogo Jota

£140k-per-week

8.

Jordan Henderson

£140k-per-week

11.

Naby Keita

£120k-per-week

11.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

£120k-per-week

As you can see from the table above, he wasn’t the top earner – or even in the upper bracket – but £120k per week is no small sum and it’s a colossal waste of money for a player who simply can’t register their availability anything more than intermittently – let alone bringing fluency and tactical experience into the mix.

It meant that he took home far more than, for example, Ibrahima Konate, whose £70k-per-week contract might only be approaching an upgrade, with Liverpool looking to tie the centre-back down to a new deal.

Reporter Charlotte Coates even described the deal as the “worst signing” of the Klopp era, and it’s hard to dispute otherwise. Keita might not have earned the staggering sums that some of Liverpool’s most renowned of stars do but this is down to his failure to even merit consideration of a fresh deal – something that the titanic Konate, who has been imperious under Arne Slot this season, is now at the centre of.

In the grand scheme of things, Liverpool’s failed attempt to sign a midfielder for the ages didn’t prove too costly, but it’s rueful to think of the heights that might have been reached with a fully-fit Keita in Klopp’s finest team.

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Smith’s floating position is in part designed to overcome the challenging batting conditions on display in the UAE

Andrew McGlashan26-Oct-2021

Smith says he may drop down the order if the top three fires to make way for Maxwell and Stoinis•Getty Images

Australia batter Steven Smith believes the T20 World Cup could become a scrap to the finish line rather than a cascade of boundaries as he beds into a new middle-order role that will be key to Australia overcoming conditions if they unfold that way.The early stages of the Super 12s has seen a variety of outcomes, ranging from the blowouts of West Indies being dismissed for 55 and Scotland 60 to the relatively high-scoring contest between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka alongside Pakistan’s wicketless chase against India.Australia’s opening match against South Africa in Abu Dhabi fell somewhere between the extremes as 118 provided a challenging chase and while Smith suggested two iffy batting displays played a part, he would not be surprised to see that template on show more regularly.”Even throughout the IPL there was a lot of really scrappy cricket, not huge scores, which made the games pretty interesting and quite close,” he said. “Slightly different to a lot of T20 cricket, quite often it’s flat wickets and big scores, so you have to change slight ways you play and adapt according to what’s required on that surface. It’s been interesting so far.”Don’t think the other day 120 was indicative of the surface. Both teams bowled and fielded really well and probably didn’t bat very well but do think we’ll see plenty of scrappy cricket in this tournament.”Related

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Smith’s floating position in Australia’s batting order is in part designed to overcome those challenging conditions. In both warm-up matches against New Zealand and India, and then the opening group game against South Africa, Smith came in at No. 4 with Australia having lost early wickets in the powerplay. If the top three of David Warner, Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh fire collectively, Smith is likely to cede ground to Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.”It’s a little bit different to what I’ve played previously, but my job basically is to fix it if our top order don’t come off, then if our top order do go well the likelihood is I’ll slide slightly down the order and let our big strong boys go out and attack it,” he said. “Think I’ve done it pretty well in the first couple of trial games and our first game.”A renowned worker of the ball, Smith made 35 off 34 balls against South Africa and appeared set to take Australia closer to victory before a fine running catch by Aiden Markram ended his stay.”Think you need ability to get off strike, manipulate the ball to certain areas more than just the power,” Smith said. “Some of these wickets even the powerful blokes have struggled to hit sixes so you need some smarts about you, playing the situation, and having the ability to limit dot balls.”In the months leading up to this tournament – and the IPL which preceded it – Smith was recovering from a recurrence of the elbow problem he had suffered earlier in the year. At the start of his return to batting he was limited to 10-minute net sessions as part of a graduated comeback to manage the problem, which for someone with such a love of batting even outside of matches would not have come easily.He is still managing his out-of-game workloads somewhat by not batting for three consecutive days at training but is confident he is over the problem ahead of the increased demands in the lead-up to the Ashes.”On the days I’m batting I’m batting for as long as I want to which is really nice,” he said. “I’m still taking it easy at the moment, just making sure I’m only batting two days in a row and I’ll build up again as we get closer to playing longer format stuff.”Smith is comfortable he will have adequate preparation when the team returns from the T20 World Cup which will involve two weeks quarantine although training will be permitted. It remains to be confirmed whether the Australians will have a proper match ahead of the first Test at the Gabba on December 8 but a large squad is expected to decamp into Queensland to aid the build-up.”It’ll just be hitting plenty of balls in the lead-up,” Smith said. “There’s not too much else we can do in the times of the pandemic. We are going to be having some really solid centre-wickets and training sessions where I know our fast bowlers will be firing up getting themselves ready, so they’ll be no shortage of quality practice.”

Ben Sawyer, a long-time mentor of the allrounder, sees her bowling coming along nicely

AAP18-Oct-2021Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer has launched a defence of star allrounder Ellyse Perry, claiming the spotlight on her form and drop down the order is over the top.Perry has moved from opening to No. 4 for the Sixers’ winning start to the WBBL, accommodating the arrival of India’s Shafali Verma. It comes after an international series against India where Perry scored a half-century but averaged 106.50 with the ball across all formats.That prompted debate over Perry’s form, and whether she even remained in the top-10 most valuable players in the WBBL. But Sawyer said he was mystified by the criticism, particularly after Perry helped the Sixers to a win over Hobart on Sunday.Related

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“A whole lot has been said that I think has been a little bit over the top,” Sawyer said. “It was her decision to move down the order when we’d spoken a lot about that we hadn’t finished off games particularly well.”It was pretty weird, I saw something after the game yesterday that she’s not considered the top 10 cricketers in the WBBL anymore. I’d have her in the top 10, I think most teams would.”Sawyer is Perry’s long-time mentor, as her Sixers coach and fast-bowling coach. And he is adamant bowling will remain a part of her game for the rest of the 30-year-old’s career.Ellyse Perry has moved down the order this season•Getty ImagesPerry was on limited bowling duties for the Sixers last summer on return from her severe hamstring tear, and has games without bowling for Australia in the past nine months. But Australia’s leading all-time wicket-taker and fifth highest run-scorer across all formats remains in the top 10 of both the ICC’s one-day and T20 allrounder rankings.She is also playing a key early-innings role for the Sixers in the WBBL, while trying to improve on middle and death-overs bowling for Australia.”People forget that it takes a bit of time as a bit of a senior cricketer to get out of quarantine for 14 days and to get back into it,” Sawyer said. “The more she bowled, the better she got. Yesterday [against Hobart] was another example of that, with 2 for 9.”But once again as a really good leader we spoke about the fact that pace off was going to be really important. She didn’t just bring herself on to bowl when she probably could have answered a lot of critics yesterday and continued on. She chose what was best for the side.”Meanwhile crowds will be able to return for Tuesday’s WBBL double-header featuring Melbourne Stars, Hobart, Brisbane and Perth, with Hobart’s lockdown ending on Monday night.

Chelsea chiefs are believed to be targeting a very highly-rated strike partner for the in-form Nicolas Jackson, and he once “really wanted” to make the move to Stamford Bridge.

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The former Villarreal sensation boasts an excellent record of six goals across 10 games in all competitions so far – finding the back of the net at least once in half of Chelsea’s Premier League matches – with Jackson adding another three assists and contributing to nine goals in total.

The 23-year-old has scored in each of their last two league games against tough opposition in Liverpool and Newcastle United, with his overall form giving BlueCo something to seriously think about.

Man United (away)

November 3

Arsenal (home)

November 10

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

Southampton (away)

December 4

However, reliable Chelsea sources, like journalist Simon Phillips, claim that the Blues are very much still in the market for a new centre-forward. It is believed that the west Londoners have compiled a shortlist of targets, and they could move for any one of them as soon as January.

Ipswich Town star Liam Delap is being monitored by Chelsea ahead of a potential move, with Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Boniface, Evan Ferguson, Benjamin Sesko and Victor Osimhen also on their agenda, according to Phillips.

The latter was subject to intense interest from Chelsea during the latter stages of the summer transfer window, and Maresca’s side were involved in a high-profile race with Saudi side Al-Ahli for Osimhen’s signature on deadline day.

However, neither side could strike a full deal for the £160,000-per-week Nigerian, who ended up making a move to Galatasaray on a temporary deal instead.

This is despite Osimhen’s eagerness to join Chelsea, as revealed by former midfielder John Obi-Mikel at the time.

“I know what Victor wanted, I know what the club offered him, I know where we got to, we finally got to a compromise, both sides had to compromise, I was just some little things here and there, paperwork, medical, and a few issues we just couldn’t get over the line and we didn’t have much time,” said Obi-Mikel.

“Both sides really played their part in terms of getting the deal done, and I commend Chelsea for that because I can see their ambition of where they want to take this club now and also on Victor’s side, how much he really wanted to come to the club.”

Chelsea eyeing Osimhen as Maresca seeks Jackson partner

According to The Boot Room, Chelsea are eyeing Osimhen despite Jackson’s excellent run, as it is believed Maresca’s side want to partner the African with a striker of the former’s undoubted quality.

If the club do strike a mid-season deal for Osimhen to complement Jackson going forward, it would be quite the coup, and it is entirely possible as the 25-year-old’s Galatasaray loan deal includes a break-clause for January.

This would allow interested sides, like Chelsea, to swoop in mid-season and take Osimhen away from the Turkish champions.

Chelsea star Sam Kerr says she was "terrified" for her life having allegedly been locked in a taxi and forced to break the car window.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Chelsea forward Kerr in court to face charges
• Says she was "terrified" for her life while locked in taxi
• Facing allegations of racially aggravated harassment

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Kerr has appeared in court on charges of racially aggravated harassment to a police officer. It is alleged that she and her partner, West Ham and USWNT star Kristie Mewis, had been out drinking before getting into a taxi. The driver later took them to Twickenham Police Station complaining that they had refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them vomited in the car. Kerr is said to have become "abusive and insulting" towards one of the police officers and the court was shown video of the Australia star calling him "stupid and white".

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kerr has admitted to making the comments but denies they meet the standards of causing racially aggravated harassment and argued that she was treated differently by officers on racial grounds. Kerr, 31, says she was "trapped" in the taxi after attempting to roll down the window, only for the driver to close it and start driving dangerously. Eventually, Mewis kicked the back window until it shattered.

• WHAT KERR SAID

  "I was terrified for my life. We were not in control," Kerr told the court. "I deemed him to be dangerous because of the driving but also because he could have taken us anywhere. He couldn't be tracked so no one knew where we were."

  Kerr said two of the officers were "antagonising", explaining: "Not believing us – telling us things hadn't happened that I knew had happened, making me feel like a liar, second guessing myself."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SAM KERR?

  While Kerr's trial continues, her Chelsea team-mates will be in action against West Ham in the Women's League Cup on Wednesday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Por mais que o Botafogo tenha mantido parte da base campeã da Série B do ano passado, algumas mudanças no time titular são praticamente inevitáveis. Uma delas deve passar por Gabriel Conceição: o atacante de 20 anos deve ser titular na estreia do Alvinegro no Campeonato Carioca na próxima terça-feira, contra o Boavista.

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Com problemas de lesões e casos de Covid-19 no elenco, o jogador virou a primeira opção de Enderson Moreira para o setor. Gabriel Conceição foi integrado ao time profissional de forma fixa, está participando de toda a pré-temporada e sequer atuou na Copinha.

Ainda não é assinante do Cariocão-2022? Acesse www.cariocaoplay.com.br, preencha o cadastro e ganhe 5% de desconto com o cupom especial do LANCE!: GE-JK-FF-ZSW

Matheus Nascimento, nome que seria titular da posição, testou positivo para o novo coronavírus. Vinícius Lopes, que também poderia atuar como atacante principal, se lesionou em um treino e terá que passar por uma cirurgia. É a chance de ouro para Gabriel Conceição mostrar serviço.

O atacante marcou 15 gols em 41 partidas disputadas pelo time sub-20 do Botafogo na última temporada. Ele chegou a ser relacionado para um jogo do time profissional, mas não entrou em campo.

Gabriel foi contratado junto ao Fluminense no começo do ano passado. Em agosto, ele renovou o vínculo com o Alvinegro por mais três temporadas. Nesse ano, ele foi avisado de que seria mais utilizado no time principal.

O Botafogo tem um acerto encaminhado com Erison para o setor. O atacante, que se atuou no Brasil de Pelotas na reta final da última Série B, já realiza exames e está perto de ser anunciado. Mesmo assim, não tem tempo hábil de ser regularizado a tempo da estreia do Carioca.

The deadlock between the PCB and PSL franchises over a new financial model is set to continue, with a new board taking a more hardline approach in the negotiations.As franchises contemplate a final, take-it-or-leave it offer from the PCB and push for an extension before responding, it’s become clear that a change in administration has hit the ongoing negotiations hard – the Ramiz Raja-led group has put down what amounts to a fresh set of terms. The franchises have to respond to the offer on Monday, following another meeting among themselves on Sunday.Three options are available to them: (a) they agree to the terms, (b) they don’t agree, or (c) they ask for more time, which looks likeliest.The new terms include the PCB offering the six franchises a hike in their share from the central revenue pool from next season; a fixed 95% of all revenue streams in the new deal, as opposed a variable amount between 85% to 90% previously. But, at the same time, the plan to give them rights in perpetuity after the tenth season has been removed. Instead, franchises would have to pay an increased franchise fee [existing fee + 25% or 25% of market value of the franchise, whichever is higher, is the hike in fee value].Related

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Last week, objecting to the hike, the franchises had written to the PCB, saying, “… we believe that this is a punitive clause which punishes the Franchises who have built the PSL from scratch. […] If this clause is removed then the franchisees shall be in a position to invest more in the development of the franchises and consequently improve the quality of PSL. The overall effect of this clause is that if the Franchisees invest and work towards the growth of their brand then that same growth shall be counterproductive to their efforts and consequently leave them with paying a higher franchise fee.”In its new, final offer, the PCB has also revised the franchise fee payment schedule and done away with the regular practice of paying player fees themselves and adjusting that amount from when they pay out from the central pool revenue. In this new model, the board is asking franchises to pay 50% of the player fees in advance.The board-franchises impasse has been on since 2018, with franchises arguing that the model, as it was, has prevented profitability for them. The league is now six seasons old, but four out of the six franchises, it is believed, are yet to break even on their investments. Franchises have long felt the current model is skewed in that, while the PCB has made money off the league as the sole beneficiary, the franchises as stakeholders have not made similar headway.Another longstanding point of contention has been over the exchange rate of the US dollar. The price of franchises when they were auctioned was set in US dollars. In 2015, when the first five franchises came on board, the rate was PKR 105 to a dollar. The rupee has consistently and significantly lost value since then, presently hovering as high as PKR 170 to the dollar. This has hurt the franchises. In 2018, ESPNcricinfo has learnt, all parties were close to agreeing to peg the rate at PKR 138.6 to the dollar, after taking independent advice. But an agreement couldn’t ultimately be reached, as the PCB said it didn’t have faith in the independent advice that was given.The matter has remained unresolved since. While franchises have been paying their fee every year – though not without delays from some – as per the USD rate on the day, the board has signed its commercial and broadcasting deals (the latest three-year cycle has ended this season) according to USD rates locked in 2018. The current board has told franchises it cannot now agree to the September 2018 rate because it has expired. Instead, the PCB has offered to lock the rate to the day the new agreement is signed.In 2020, the franchises took the battle to the Lahore High Court, though ultimately the court asked the parties to settle the matter out of court. That led Ehsan Mani, the previous board chairman, to set up a one-man panel with a retired chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to arbitrate on the issue. Tassaduq Hussain Jillani submitted that report last month, though the PCB has not shared the details of it with the franchises, citing it as confidential.”The PCB should review the matter since there has been a massive increase of the franchise fee amount in rupee terms owing to rupee devaluation, something that was not envisaged by PCB or Franchises at the time,” Najam Sethi, the former PCB chairman who was in charge when the league began, told ESPNcricinfo.The last two seasons of the league have been disrupted by the pandemic, which has, Sethi said, hit the value of the central revenue pool, which is shared by the franchises. “Why doesn’t PCB make public the Justice Gillani report on how to move ahead with the Franchises? All models will break down if only one side makes money,” he argued.The original franchise agreements, from 2015, were formed by Salman Sarwar Butt, at the time the project director responsible for selling franchise rights. “PCB was required to play the role of a franchisor by forming a team of experts to regulate its product rather than just relying on the central pool,” Butt told ESPNcricinfo. “They were meant to bring in the intellectual capital to assist. We haven’t seen any development of these income streams.”So, while the PCB is happy with their franchise fee, it was evident that franchise owners would start feeling the revenue crunch in the absence of other revenue streams that they should have developed with the initial assistance from the PCB.”The change in administration at the PCB has hit the ongoing negotiations hard•PCB

One of the major sources of revenue was expected to come from merchandise sales, but franchises have often complained about piracy issues. That would, however, involve pulling in government and law-enforcement agencies to clamp down on piracy vendors. At least three franchises have their apparel and other products online but it has yet to become a major revenue stream.”The PSL as a product and brand has grown substantially, which you see through the tripling of broadcast and central sponsorship values,” Butt said. “However, the values of franchise sponsorship has struggled and that is largely because the market was not really fully explored. Cricket is the most popular game in the country, but you have to market it wisely and properly.”Back in 2015, we were new to this product, and the agreements were signed with an open mind envisaging growth. There was certainly some nervousness as there was no proof of concept in our market at that time. However, we were positive about it despite the league being played in UAE.”At the heart of it, the sports franchise model has to be looked at as a retail brand and business building endeavour in which you build the brand of the franchise, create a following of fans and then co-opt with product and service providers to sell to the co-opted and co-branded products and services and monetise the fan base. This very important work needed to be led by the PCB but we didn’t really see that happen.”As for the future, Butt said, “Our contracts at the time were written offering flexibility to review accordingly as circumstances evolved. I don’t know why there’s been a reluctance by the PCB to change the financial model. In the first few years, franchises should have been given maximum amounts from the central pool to help them as they grow their own business streams. The clause about increasing the franchise fee by 25% to its market value after ten years can also be looked at. The teams can be given in perpetuity if certain conditions are met and can be taken away if they are not.”Six years ago, we were launching and circumstances were very new. So, a relook is always on the cards, the IPL has done the same.”