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Anticipation is rising ahead of what could be one of the most decisive transfer windows in the modern history of Newcastle United.

Mike Ashley is no longer at the helm as the Magpies instead see themselves backed by the Saudi Arabian Prince Investment Fund. In simple terms, that means money, and lots of it.

What’s the word?

With Newcastle believed to be targeting a central defender this winter, a number of familiar faces have already cropped up on their radar.

Bayern Munich stalwart Niklas Sule has been linked with a move to St James’ Park but perhaps one of the most eye-catching names came to light on Wednesday.

According to The Times, the club’s new owners view Italy as a suitable market to explore in January and could turn to Inter Milan as a result.

They suggest that defensive wall, Stefan de Vrij, is one of the players they want to bring to English football.

Dream first signing

If Amanda Staveley and co can seal a deal to bring de Vrij to St James’ Park in the coming months, it would be an almighty statement of intent and one that would surely have new manager Eddie Howe in dreamland.

After all, the Dutch titan is one of the sturdiest defenders in Europe, winning glowing praise from many within the footballing world.

Former Lazio teammate Mauricio waxed lyrical about him to ESPN (via Football Italia), saying: “Stefan is a great defender and deserves to be at a big club. He’s very tall, he’s strong and fast, he runs a lot – he’s a monster! He’s a calm defender who never gets agitated.”

Combine all of those qualities together and you have what can only be described as the perfect defender.

So far this term, the 29-year-old has won a whopping 2.5 aerial duels per game and has completed 90.5% of his passes in the Italian top-flight. That tally sees him rank higher than anybody to start a game at Newcastle this term.

The £45m-rated defender loves to get stuck in but his passing defines that of a modern centre-back, proving he has everything you could want in his locker.

Signing de Vrij would be particularly important when considering how poor Newcastle have been from a defensive point of view this campaign.

They sit 19th in the table and their haul of 24 concessions is the second-highest in the entire Premier League.

With that in mind, strengthening their defence is the dream for Howe ahead of January, and in a certain Inter centre-back, they could do exactly that.

AND in other news, Howe could finally axe Joelinton if NUFC swoop for £31.5m-rated “phenomenon”…

Newcastle United are now reportedly interested in signing former Chelsea star Eden Hazard.

The Lowdown: January move?

Previous reports from ESPN claimed that the North East club, as well as Chelsea, have been ‘alerted’ to the potential of signing Hazard in the January transfer window.

However, it is not clear whether he would like to leave Real Madrid at this moment in time.

It is safe to say that things have not gone well for him in the Spanish capital, as he has only managed to score a mere five goals and make just nine assists in 53 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt), far fewer than what the Bernabeu faithful expected given that they spent a whopping £150m (BBC) for his signature.

Thus, it would not be a surprise if the La Liga giants decided to cut their losses on the Belgium international.

The Latest: Magpies ‘interested’

As per Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the St. James’ Park faithful are one of a number of clubs, including others from the Premier League, who are indeed ‘interested’ in signing Hazard.

Both Madrid and manager Carlo Ancelotti would not be against a possible sale, and the outlet even goes as far as to claim that he has been a ‘real problem’ for Los Blancos.

The Verdict: Look elsewhere

Hazard was a great servant to the top flight when he was playing for Chelsea. Even former AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, who has recently been linked with the Magpies job, is clearly a big fan, hailing him as ‘outstanding’ after a top performance against his old team.

He has scored a total of 198 goals for both club and country in over 700 matches, largely from a wide midfield position (Transfermarkt), which are highly impressive numbers considering where he plays on the pitch.

However, at 30 years of age now, Hazard is past his peak, and also carries injury issues with him, which is already a problem for the whoever the new manager is.

The Toon already have Allan Saint-Maximin as a superb left-wing option as well, and so the new owners should look to prioritise other positions in the squad anyway.

In other news, find out who Graeme Jones has ‘pushed’ for to be NUFC manager here!

Sheffield Wednesday confirmed on Tuesday lunchtime that tickets for the upcoming trip to AFC Wimbledon have sold out.

And a number of Owls supporters have been reacting to the news on social media.

Darren Moore’s side will travel to the capital on Saturday 16 October to take on The Dons, who currently sit just below Wednesday in the League One table.

Wednesday were handed just over 1,000 tickets for the trip to The Cherry Red Records Stadium, with season ticket holders with 800 or more ticket priority points the first who were able to secure their seat.

It then filtered down the ticket priority points system throughout Monday, with The Owls confirming they are now all gone.

Owls fans react

Wednesday shared details of the sold-out allocation on their official Twitter page on Tuesday.

This is what these Owls supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling it ‘mad’ and some ‘gutted’ to miss out, while others feel the team doesn’t deserve the support after just one league win in six.

“Gutted missed out by 10 points, any spares let me know”

Credit: @RodgersSwfc

“Booooooo”

Credit: @orhunt

“Wow must’ve needed 750 points to guarantee ya self a ticket? Mad”

Credit: @Ryan_Chadburn

“Joke allocation that”

Credit: @ROldfieldDesign

“Don’t deserve the support we get tbh”

Credit: @tomrobson11

“They really don’t deserve the support they get week in week out”

Credit: @corimilton

Javed Miandad, the PCB’s director general, has said he was ‘shocked’ by the ICC’s ‘hasty’ decision to move the 2011 World Cup out of Pakistan

Cricinfo staff23-Apr-2009

Javed Miandad, the PCB’s director general, has said he was ‘shocked’ by the ICC’s ‘hasty’ decision to move the 2011 World Cup out of Pakistan.”If safety was their concern then the 2011 World Cup should have been given to Australia and New Zealand and the Asian countries could have hosted the 2015 World Cup,” he told . His comments came a day after the Pakistan board confirmed that it had lodged an official protest at the ICC’s decision.Pakistan had been stripped of hosting rights for the World Cup, after an ICC meeting last week, because of the “uncertain security situation” in the country. The ICC had also said that Pakistan was unlikely to resume hosting any cricket at all until 2011.Miandad said the decision reeked of ‘double standards’. “We did a wonderful job by staging a safe Test in Karachi but unfortunately things went wrong in Lahore,” he said. “The same thing happened in Mumbai, India, but England did not have problems in touring. The cricket world has isolated Pakistan and it’s not in the best interest of the game.”Miandad also spoke of a conspiracy to deprive Pakistan of international cricket. “There are some groups with a monopoly and they are playing the game. Today it is Pakistan, tomorrow it could be some other country. I am sad that the Asian countries did not back Pakistan and think that they can also face the same situation one day.”Pakistan are currently playing their ‘home’ series of limited-overs matches against Australia in the UAE. New Zealand, who were to tour Pakistan later this month, have stated their reluctance to visit the country, and are in discussions to move the series to a different location.

Ravi Bopara is determined to cement his place as England’s long-term option at No.3 by proving his worth against West Indies in the first Test at Lord’s on Wednesday

Cricinfo staff03-May-2009Ravi Bopara is determined to cement his place as England’s long-term option at No.3 by proving his worth against West Indies in the first Test at Lord’s on Wednesday.Bopara was preferred to Ian Bell, Owais Shah and Michael Vaughan for England’s squad this week as Andy Flower unveiled a string of bold and decisive squads -the first to have his fingerprints as England coach. Bopara, who cracked a sublime maiden ton against West Indies in the winter, is doggedly determined to make sure the No.3 spot is his for some time to come.”It is nice to know my opportunity is here again. I took my opportunity in the West Indies and if I get runs at No3 there is a chance for me to bat at No3 in the Ashes as well, which is a great opportunity,” Bopara said. “That is what I have dreamed about since I was a young boy.”It was a bit of a surprise to hear that Ian Bell, Owais Shah and Michael Vaughan weren’t in the squad. I thought with Fred [Flintoff] being injured one of them might have got a call-up, but I am happy. The guys have backed me and said ‘You are the man to do it’ and I want to prove them right.”I did understand being dropped in the West Indies. I knew one of the batters would be left out because we needed to win the Test and had to play an extra bowler. I had a feeling it would be me. Even coming off the back of a hundred I realised Owais deserved a run in the side. It was disappointing, but also understandable.”Shah was preferred in West Indies but couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity afforded to him, running himself out twice while visibly suffering from tension and cramp. Geoff Miller, the national selector, also wrote off Ian Bell’s chances of featuring this early in the summer, in spite of scoring runs for Warwickshire, when he said “we need to get him even more passionate about playing…so he doesn’t lose his place again”. Clearly, this is Bopara’s opportunity for the taking, and he enhanced his credentials further by out-batting Kevin Pietersen, among others, in the Indian Premier League.”The learning experience is amazing,” he said. “I spoke a lot to Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh. The Sri Lankans never panic and Yuvraj spoke to me a lot about ‘death-hitting’. Hopefully I can put that into practice. I know we are preparing for a Test match but I will still be practising my one-day stuff because cricket is all about scoring runs, no matter how you score them.”I know England’s No3, 4 and 5 will only have played Twenty20 cricket but that doesn’t matter. It is about scoring runs – not how but how many.”

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans hit out at Jordan Ayew for his performance in the 1-1 draw with Brighton on Monday evening.

The Eagles conceded deep into stoppage time to their rivals after Wilfried Zaha’s first-half penalty looked to have sealed all three points for Patrick Vieira’s side.

Vieira made two changes from the side that lost to Liverpool, with Odsonne Edouard and Luka Milivojevic coming in for Christian Benteke and Cheikhou Kouyate.

That meant Ayew kept his place in the side on the right-wing, with the 30-year-old starting five of Palace’s six league fixtures this season.

However, he struggled to impress at Selhurst Park, with Joel Ward the only player to record a lower Sofa Score match rating for Palace.

The French forward lost 70% of his duels, failed to complete a successful dribble and missed a big chance to double the lead late on. [Sofa Score]

Palace fans react

This is what these Palace fans had to say on social media regarding Ayew’s display, with one labelling him as ‘useless’.

“As hard as it may sound but Guita needs dropping! His kicks have been suspect for quite some time now! Unfortunately, he lost us the game! Plus Ayew needs to retire. A point is a point!”

Credit: @rayraybanks86

“AYEW NEVER PLAY AGAIN”

Credit: @JacobCPFC_

“Never want to see Ayew in a palace shirt again”

Credit: @Bh_cpfc

“Ayew useless”

Credit: @cam_cpfc

“Don’t play Ayew ever again, great performance but let down by him and Guaita in the end”

Credit: @joe_cpfc_01

“Tell me what Jordan Ayew gives this team. Please tell me.”

Credit: @WillCPFC03

In other news: Pundit excited by ‘deadly’ 29-assist star wanted by Palace.

Celtic have been dealt a tough hand in Europe with Ange Postecoglou having to withstand the test of some troublesome sides.

The Hoops have already come unstuck against Real Betis and they will desperately need to improve when Bayer Leverkusen arrive at Parkhead.

On the chalkboard

Based on Celtic’s recent form, supporters should be incredibly fearful over what result may occur on Thursday evening.

They have lost to Livingston and drawn with Dundee United during their last two league fixtures so the omens don’t exactly bode well.

Postecoglou’s men did score three times against Betis but it would be a great surprise if the same eventuality occurred tomorrow night.

Celtic will still be missing Kyogo Furuhashi and it’s thought that Callum McGregor will almost certainly be absent again.

He sat out their last Europa League clash with what was thought to be a knock but he hasn’t played since.

Who plays instead of him will be a crucial point of debate for the manager because he simply hasn’t got it right in the last few weeks.

James McCarthy has been abject to say the least, being terrorised for his performances since a first start in the defeat at Livi. During that clash, the Irishman attempted no attacking actions and lost the ball on 15 occasions.

Sadly, the midfielder was average against Dundee United too, winning just 33.3% of his defensive duels last weekend.

The solution

With that in mind, Postecoglou should consider turning to Ismaila Soro on Thursday, especially in a game where the Bhoys are expected to do more work off the ball.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-celtic-news-duffy-mccarthy-brady-knockaert” title= “Read the latest Celtic news!”]

Like McCarthy, Soro hasn’t been at his best this term and he was fortunate not to be sent off against Betis.

The Ivorian was keen to get stuck in and did make a number of impressive robust tackles. However, he is often caught out with his lack of discipline causing him to throw in challenges even when he’s already been booked.

That being said, the Celtic brute is clearly more dynamic and mean-mannered than McCarthy.

Described as a player with “explosive power” by former coach Ori Guttman, he has been compared to N’Golo Kante and it’s clear to see why.

Soro occupies little pockets of space that enables him to sweep up the play. He reads the game well and is traditionally in the right place at the right time.

The 23-year-old knows what it takes to put in a defensive masterclass in Europe too. When they beat Lille 3-2 last term, he made a mind-boggling ten successful tackles.

The midfielder has failed to replicate that sort of display since but he simply has to step up with McGregor still on the sidelines.

Now feels like his time to really make a name for himself in Glasgow.

AND in other news, Ange may fix one of Celtic’s biggest problems by signing “lightning-quick” 43-cap ace…

MatériaMais Notícias

O canhotinho Everton Ribeiro estreou com o pé direito no Flamengo. Ele não foi brilhante e tampouco fez a diferença na vitória de 1 a 0 sobre o Bahia, mas contou com a sorte para dar uma assistência sem querer para Berrío. Os números do camisa 7 foram um pouco tímidos neste pontapé inicial com a camisa rubro-negra. Confira abaixo:

– 1 assistência para gol
– 36 passes certos
– 6 passes errados
– 4 cruzamentos errados
– 1 cartão amarelo
– 3 faltas cometidas
– 1 falta recebida

O meia valorizou a estreia pelo Flamengo e adotou um tom otimista quanto ao futuro dele e do time.

-Foi uma estreia com o pé direito, uma vitória que nos coloca lá em cima, é importante vencer fora de casa. Tenho muito a melhorar para buscarmos coisas grandes – disse o camisa 7 à ESPN Brasil.

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If you asked Siri to define Celtic Football Club, the answer would be to look at the Hoops’ last two results.

Ange Postecoglou has started life at Parkhead by ensuring that his team plays positive football and that was in evidence when the Bhoys took to the pitch in Seville last Thursday.

Celtic raced into a two-goal advantage against Real Betis and looked a threat every time they ventured forward. However, their defence was once again their undoing as they lost 4-3.

With that game in mind, you’d have backed the Bhoys to score a similar amount or even more when they travelled to Almondvale to face the team sitting rock bottom of the Premiership with just a solitary point; Livingston.

Yet, in classic Celtic style, they were on the end of a narrow defeat as they lost 1-0.

It was Postecoglou’s worst result of the season as his side, devoid of Callum McGregor and Kyogo Furuhashi, struggled to create many openings.

Boli Bolingoli returned to the team at left-back, while Liel Abada was back after missing the Europa League clash for religious reasons.

His return wasn’t exactly profitable as the Hoops were left crying out for more swagger and cutting edge in the final third. Kyogo has so often brought that to Celtic this season, and in his absence, Albian Ajeti has coped well.

Coming into the fixture today, the Swiss striker had scored three goals in two games, but this performance was one which encapsulated his first season at Parkhead, when he found the net just six times in 30 appearances.

Ajeti was isolated up front with a lack of service, but when he did get the ball, he didn’t do much with it. He squandered two golden opportunities in the second half, heading wide from a set-piece and then missing a chance after turning inside the area.

On another day the Swiss forward might have scored, but his inability to do on this occasion cost his team.

Ajeti is solid at holding up the ball but predominantly relies on his poaching instinct to find the back of the net. He did so to devastating effect against Betis a few days ago, but up against a low block today, he was anonymous when leading the line.

The former West Ham striker was nowhere to be seen as he made just five passes – all of which were completed – throughout the 90 minutes.

On top of that, he had fewer touches (15) than goalkeeper Joe Hart (40) who was a spectator for large parts of the encounter.

If Ajeti really wants to stake his claim, then he’ll have to do better than he did on Sunday afternoon.

When the going got tough, he didn’t stand up and volunteer to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. He was rarely involved in anything positive and missed a vital opportunity to beat the goalkeeper, much to Celtic’s cost.

AND in other news, £6k-p/w gem has seen his value rise by 900% after leaving Celtic, he’s “very unique”…

MatériaMais Notícias

Primeiro treinador à frente do Corinthians na história da Arena de Itaquera em 2014, Mano Menezes voltará ao estádio nesta quarta-feira, às 21h45. Pela sétima rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, o Cruzeiro hoje comandado pelo ex-corintiano tentará tirar pontos do atual líder da competição. Ainda com desfalques da Seleção Brasileira, o técnico Fábio Carille vai enfrentar seu mentor para segurar a invencibilidade de 19 partidas na temporada e manter a série de cinco vitórias no Brasileirão. Professor ou aluno, quem levará a melhor? Confira as informações (e também os palpites da redação) a seguir.

Local: Arena Corinthians, em São Paulo (SP)
Data/hora: 14 de junho de 2017 (quarta-feira), às 21h45
Árbitro:Leandro Pedro Vuaden (RS)
Assistentes:José Eduardo Calza e Mauricio Coelho da Silva Penna (ambos do RS)
Onde acompanhar: TV Globo (Minas Gerais), Premiere e tempo real do LANCE!

CORINTHIANS (técnico: Fábio Carille)

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Desfalques do Corinthians: Fagner e Rodriguinho (Seleção Brasileira), Léo Príncipe, Vilson, Marciel, Mantuan e Danilo (questões físicas).

CRUZEIRO (técnico: Mano Menezes)

Desfalques do Cruzeiro: Caicedo (seleção do Equador), Manoel, Dedé e Robinho (lesionados).

PALPITÃO: Na redação do LANCE!, 80% das pessoas ouvidas apostam em vitória do Corinthians na Arena. Os outros 20% se dividem: 10% acreditam que o Cruzeiro conseguirá a vitória e outros 10% acham que dá empate.