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Manchester City were reportedly offered the chance to sign Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid in the transfer window and he could’ve been a great addition to Pep Guardiola’s side.

According to the Daily Star, Atletico Madrid were keen to sign Bernardo Silva from the Citizens and offered Saul, as well as cash, to City in the hopes of signing him, but the deal was rejected by Guardiola.

The Spain international would instead complete a loan move to Chelsea, with the west London side holding an option to buy the midfielder for £30m should he impress during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Given that Bernardo Silva has struggled at times in the past two seasons and reportedly wanted to leave the Etihad this summer, it is perhaps a surprise that Guardiola rejected this deal, as Saul certainly would’ve been an impressive replacement for the former Monaco man.

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Despite being just 26, Saul has already made 340 appearances for Atletico Madrid’s first team, in which he has contributed 43 goals and 20 assists, predominantly from a central midfield position.

Although his performances dropped somewhat last season, the midfielder has been extremely consistent in La Liga in recent seasons, averaging above a 7/10 rating from WhoScored the between 2015/16 and 2019/20 seasons.

Despite his stylishness on the ball and obvious passing ability, WhoScored lists some of his main strengths as tackling, concentration and aerial duels, so he could’ve offered something similar to the likes of Rodri and Fernandinho in Guardiola’s side, which surely would’ve been appreciated by the Spanish manager.

Gary Neville was full of praise for Saul after he joined Chelsea, saying:

“Saul is just another excellent player. He’s got massive experience at the top of La Liga, massive experience in the Champions League and at international level.”

Therefore, it seems strange that City rejected this deal as it would’ve made a lot of sense, and they may well end up regretting it if Saul becomes a success with Thomas Tuchel’s side.

And, in other news… Sam Lee drops exciting update on Man City wonderkid

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has apologised to the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) for the controversial marketing slogan to promote the first Test between New Zealand and West Indies in Dunedin next month

Cricinfo staff24-Nov-2008New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has apologised to the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) for the controversial marketing slogan to promote the first Test between New Zealand and West Indies in Dunedin next month. Justin Vaughan, NZC’s chief executive, assured that the slogan “It’s all white here!”, adopted by Otago Cricket, the staging association, was intended to promote Test cricket and not anger anybody.”New Zealand Cricket absolutely accepts the assurances of all concerned in Dunedin that the promotion was put together with the best of intentions and with no racial overtones – it was a way of celebrating the biggest Test match in Dunedin for many years,” Vaughan said in a press release.”At the same time, I appreciate that it had the potential to be misinterpreted, and I apologise to the West Indies players and to the officials for any offence taken – none was intended.”The WIPA had earlier slammed the slogan, suggesting that it was loaded with racial innuendoes. One commentator, Billy Ibadulla, said “the connection between the phrase and white clothing is stupid at best, and grievous at worst.”The University Oval, the newest Test centre in the country, will host the match from December 11. It hosted Bangladesh for a Test in January when the city had its first taste of international cricket in nearly three years after Carisbrook ceased to be a venue.

Daniel Vettori made a sporting declaration and then took three wickets in an over as the visitors strived for a result after three days of rain

The Bulletin by Peter Burdon28-Oct-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum added 137 for the fourth wicket and dominated the afternoon session © AFP
Three days have been lost in the second Test, but New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori decided to make it a contest on the fourth. He declared with less than an hour’s play left in the day, and then struck three blows in his only over to leave Bangladesh in a spot of bother.New Zealand pulled out at 262 for 6, knowing their only chance of victory was to dismiss the hosts twice before the end of the fifth day. Put in to bat, they had wriggled out of an uncomfortable 49 for 3 thanks to a 137-run stand between Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum.The pitch had dried out into a batsman-friendly deck by the afternoon. The ball was no longer swinging in the air and Bangladesh’s openers looked relatively comfortable, though Junaid Siddique wasn’t at ease against short-pitched deliveries from Iain O’Brien. However, at 13 without loss and after offspinner Jeetan Patel had already bowled two overs, Vettori began to stamp his mark on the game, just as he had in the first Test.In the tenth over of Bangladesh’s innings, Siddique seemed to lose all concentration, dancing down the pitch to Vettori’s first ball and was stumped by McCullum. Captain Mohammad Ashraful, who was the next man in, kept out the first ball he faced, but was adjudged lbw to his second delivery and the third ball of the over. Rajin Saleh replaced his captain but soon joined Ashraful back in the dressing room following his dismissal on the last ball of the over. He was also trapped in front.It wasn’t one-way domination, though. After the rains finally let up, Ashraful won the toss and elected to bowl. His team had early success. Opener Aaron Redmond was the first to go, shouldering arms to a delivery from Mashrafe Mortaza which pitched on a good length just outside the off stump and cut back sharply. Jamie How’s footwork wasn’t convincing during his brief stay and the failure to meet the ball on the front foot led to his downfall. Facing the debutant Mahbubul Alam in his second over, the ball swung through the air, pitched on middle and knocked over leg stump. New Zealand’s start was far from ideal as they had lost their openers with only 10 on the board.Ross Taylor and Ryder began positively, both looking comfortable on the front foot and Taylor settled in with beautiful drives through the off side. But just as he looked set for a bigger score, he became the second player to be dismissed by an error in judgement. Like Redmond, he shouldered arms to a delivery from Shahadat Hossain, only to see it cut back off the pitch to hit the stumps. Taylor fell for 19 and ended the partnership of 39.Ryder and McCullum helped New Zealand take the upper hand. Ryder was finally dismissed nine runs short of what would have been his first Test century in his second Test. He and McCullum both punished any short bowling through the leg side, while anything over pitched on the off side was swiftly dispatched gracefully to the boundary.Going to lunch at 198 for 4, McCullum added two to his lunch score of 64 before he got a leading edge to a delivery from Shakib Al Hasan. He was caught at midwicket by Ashraful. Vettori hit a quick 22 before he played a delivery from Ashraful onto his stumps with the score at 233. Daniel Flynn was unbeaten on 35 and Grant Elliott had made 8 when the declaration came.The pick of the Bangladesh bowlers was Shakib, who took 1 for 57 off 22 overs. Alam impressed in his first spell, swinging the ball in the air and moving it off the pitch.While a result may be unlikely tomorrow, the New Zealanders will know they can win a Test match in two days. They did it in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2005. Vettori is likely to be their key man tomorrow; in that Harare win, he had match figures of 6 for 29 and scored 127 off just 98 deliveries.

Manchester City will be forced into selling some first-team players this summer if they are to afford Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, and Bernardo Silva should be the first to go.

What’s the word?

City have already cashed in on fringe players such as Lukas Nmecha, Jack Harrison and Angelino in order to fund a move for Jack Grealish this summer and Guardiola has suggested that if they are to sign Kane before the window shuts, then some first-team players will have to leave.

The Spanish manager also confirmed that the Portugual winger is keen on a move away from the Etihad, whilst he has been linked with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Arsenal so far this summer.

After a disappointing couple of seasons, it is no surprise that the 26-year-old is being touted with an exit, as the addition of Grealish suggests that he will struggle for regular first-team football in Guardiola’s side this season.

Should Bernardo be sold?

Last season saw Silva manage just two goals and six assists in 26 Premier League appearances, averaging a solid 7.07 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The winger has declined from the 2018/19 season, when he was one of the star performers in Guardiola’s side as they won the title, contributing seven goals and seven assists in 36 top-flight appearances, averaging an impressive 7.26 rating from WhoScored.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

His performances that season earned him some high praise from Guardiola, who said:

“Bernardo is having an incredible season, incredible. In the second half, he played like a holding midfielder.

“A holding midfielder…Bernardo. It doesn’t matter, he fought with Paul Pogba and everyone. It’s not just against United, it’s not just his goal, it’s all the season, it was a masterclass, a masterpiece every single game. It was incredible.”

Unfortunately, the former Monaco man has struggled to stamp his authority on games as much in the past two seasons and his lack of goals and assists mean that Guardiola has better, more consistent options in his squad.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

Therefore, considering he is currently valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, Guardiola should definitely look to sell Silva this summer, as his fee could go a long way towards securing a deal for a world-class striker such as Kane.

And, in other news… Guardiola could be set for huge Man City boost with star, he will “die for the badge”

MatériaMais Notícias

Após a derrota por 1 a 0 para o Palmeiras, pela Copa do Brasil, o craque colorado, Andrés D’Alessandro, em entrevista coletiva, admitiu que o Inter poderia ter saído com um resultado melhor. O meia, porém, elogiou a postura do time, e comentou sobre as declarações de Felipe Melo, dadas após a partida.

– Fizemos uma partida de igual para igual com o melhor do Brasil do momento. O Felipe Melo é um cara sincero que fala o que pensa. Tem poucos como ele no futebol, gostaria de tê-lo no meu time. É cascudo e tem uma experiência boa. Ele sabe que o Inter é muito grande, a gente ouviu o vídeo no vestiário. Agradecemos e ficamos felizes que nosso trabalho está sendo reconhecido – disse D’alessandro.

Depois, o camisa 10 disse que a classificação ainda é possível e colocou o apoio da torcida como fator principal que pode ajudar o time a passar para a próxima fase.

– Temos mais 90 minutos em casa, onde somos muito fortes com nossa torcida. Vamos valorizar nossas chances mesmo eles tendo o mérito próprio. Poderíamos ter empatado a partida, fica de positivo para a partida de volta em Porto Alegre – completou o jogador.

A partida de volta está marcada para o dia 31, às 21h45, no Beira Rio. Para se classificar, o Colorado tem que vencer por dois gols de diferença. Se repetir o placar de 1 a 0, a dexisão irá para os pênaltis.

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming as a transfer update emerged on Owen Otasowie.

As per The Daily Telegraph, the USA international, who has just a year left on his current deal, has reportedly rejected a contract offer at the Midlands club.

He could leave Molineux for around £6m before the summer window shuts, with both Wolfsburg and Anderlecht interested in his signature.

At 20 years of age, Otasowie is a player who has a lot of potential, even though was only sporadically used in the first team by former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo last season, playing just six games in total and supplying one assist (Transfermarkt).

Wolves are pretty scarce in the central midfield position as well, and so it would seem like a strange move to let him go when he could be a valuable member of Bruno Lage’s squad over the coming months.

Wolves fans on Otasowie transfer update

These Wolves supporters fumed as the exit rumour was shared on Twitter, with one claiming that it would be ‘awful’ if Otasowie is sold and another venting their frustration at Nuno for giving him precious little game-time:

“Nahhhhhhhhhh I’m actually vexed – I really liked the kid and I’ll never forget how he made Kante look like a small boy in that Chelsea game”

Credit: @__Grav

“THIS ISN’T THE NEWS WE WANTED”

Credit: @_TightWadBill

“We’ll regret this if he does leave”

Credit: @AdamWWFC_

“Nuno you actual fraud”

Credit: @Mowiiiiiii

“Would be extremely poor if we let him go. If he wasn’t injured I’d imagine he would challenging for a starting role with how Lage plays.”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“This would be an awful loss.”

Credit: @Millenwwfc

In other news, find out what pre-season event had these Wolves fans fuming

Manchester City fans are far from happy after a transfer update suggested they will not be entering the Lionel Messi sweepstakes this summer.

Barcelona announced on Thursday evening that Messi will be leaving the club this summer, which will bring an end to a 21-year spell in Catalonia.

Messi has made 778 appearances in total for the Spanish giants, scoring 672 goals and adding 305 assists in total for them over the years.

That includes 38 goals and 14 assists from the 2020/21 season, as Barcelona finished third in the La Liga table.

It had then been reported by the Daily Mail that Manchester City and PSG were rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign Messi, although talks were still at an early stage over any potential agreement.

But The Times’ Pol Ballus has poured cold water on any potential agreement between Manchester City and Messi by claiming that the Argentina international isn’t even part of their transfer plans ahead of the 2021/22 season, which gets underway next week.

Plenty of Manchester City supporters took to social media to react to the update on the club’s rumoured stance on signing Messi this summer.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from the City Xtra Twitter account below….

City fans fume at Messi update

“I’m done with football I can’t believe we’re not in this.”

Credit: @mcfchamdan

“Pain.”

Credit: @Priceless_Silva

“Get in the bin.”

Credit: @MCFCAJ10

“What are they thinking?! Do we honestly prefer a serial bottler for 150m over a free transfer for the best player ever?!”

Credit: @jpcancelo27

“It was fun while it lasted… the 20 min it lasted…”

Credit: @RealTalkMCFC

“This news doesn’t make sense. You mean to tell me they won’t even meet about it? I don’t think they will just stand by and don’t look to see if they sign him.”

Credit: @mathieudurand69

“Just put him in the plans then.”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that his side could well find themselves facing Andrew Flintoff when they take on England in the first Test at Lord’s a week on Thursday

Andrew Miller at Taunton01-Jul-2008
Andrew Flintoff: his recall would be a gamble, but worth taking, according to South Africa’s coach © Getty Images
South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that his side could well find themselves facing Andrew Flintoff when they take on England in the first Test at Lord’s a week on Thursday, even though he concedes that it would require a gamble from the selectors to pick him.Arthur was speaking at Taunton where South Africa’s first warm-up game drifted to a draw on the final afternoon. Had the South African dressing-room contained a television, they would have been able to watch a fired-up Flintoff taking on Sussex for Lancashire at Hove, where he bowled with great pace and hostility, and was only denied the wicket of Chris Adams when the third umpire decided that an edge to slip had not carried.His bowling form presents England with a dilemma, because for all that the trio of Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad and James Anderson have impressed in recent months against New Zealand, none of them provides the attack with the same 90mph cutting edge of a fully-fit Flintoff. With South Africa set to field two out-and-out pace bowlers in Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, plus the enduring hostility of Makhaya Ntini, the temptation to fight fire with fire is all the greater.England’s selectors met today, and are set to unveil their squad on Thursday, along with a 30-man preliminary party for the Champions Trophy in September, and Arthur was more than willing to stir the pot ahead of the series. “If I had a Flintoff I’d have him back,” he said. “I think Andrew gives their attack a different flavour. He’s got that bustling pace so it would be tempting to play him if he’s fighting fit.”It might be a gamble, but Peter [Moores] knows what he’s doing,” said Arthur. “He’ll assess the risk, because if you’ve got a quality player like him available, you certainly want to pick him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came straight back … I think he strengthens England.”Though Flintoff’s pace and skill is not in question, there are two big question marks hanging over his game. The first is the ability of his troublesome left ankle to withstand 25 overs in an innings, the prerequisite for a bowler in a four-man attack. The other is the current state of his batting – he managed only 6 in the current match at Hove, and has now gone 114 innings in all forms of the game without hitting a century.”I wouldn’t want to be selecting the side, because I’m not sure you can bank on him coming straight back and giving the amount of overs a Broad or an Anderson would,” said Arthur. “He really has to take the place of one of the top six. [The selectors] have got to weigh it up because I’m not quite sure they’ll get the balance right there.”Arthur’s willingness to speculate on England’s selection issues reflected the confidence and satisfaction he was able to take out of South Africa’s first foray of their tour. Aside from Mark Boucher, every single member of the top seven managed a lengthy spell in the middle over their three days in Taunton, and the bowlers all enjoyed a useful workout as well.Off the field, Graeme Smith made encouraging progress in his recuperation from his hamstring tear, while Jacques Kallis has already been passed fit for the four-day warm-up match against Middlesex at Uxbridge on Friday, after recovering well from a bruised elbow. “I think we got everything we wanted out of the game,” said Arthur. “In fact I don’t think we could have scripted it better.On the first afternoon, Somerset’s captain, Andrew Caddick, had hit out at the flat-pitch policy that had condemned his bowlers to a long and fruitless toil in the first innings, and Arthur was being slightly tongue-in-cheek when he thanked Somerset for their outstanding hospitality. Even so, if there was one quibble he could take from their three days in Taunton, it was the failure of his pace attack to step up their intensity on the final afternoon.”The one thing we probably lacked a little was we wanted to build our bowlers up,” he said, “but we’ve got another four-day game before the Test so we didn’t want to overbowl them either. We probably get better intensity in two-day warm-ups because you bat for one day, bowl for one day, and then the third day tends to drag on a little bit, but we’re very happy with where we’re at. Our focus is on July 10, and everything we do is leading up to that day.”

Many Crystal Palace fans have been delighted on Twitter, after striker Jordan Ayew posted a photo on with the caption ‘Enjoyed that one’, following his goal in a 3-1 pre-season friendly away to Reading [Berkshire Live].

In what was a brilliant solo effort by the Ghanaian, Ayew picked up the ball in his own half after an interception by Conor Gallagher, drove forward into space and hammered home low past the Reading goalkeeper [Berkshire Live].

In an entertaining friendly, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Scott Banks were the other scorers for the Eagles, whilst John Swift found the net for their opponents.

Rounding off their preparations for the new season, Palace will host Watford at Selhurst Park on Saturday 7th August [Crystal Palace FC Official].

In light of the Ayew post, no wonder loads of Crystal Palace diehards took to social media to give their thoughts, given his penchant for spectacular goals in the past.

Crystal Palace FC fans react:

Replying to Jordan Ayew’s official Twitter account, here is what some Palace fans had to say:

“Nice strike yesterday champ.”

Credit: @zippy777777

“Ghanaian Prince”

Credit: @CPFCMax9″Thought you were brilliant yesterday. Your close control is one of the best I have seen whilst I’ve been watching Palace”Credit: @PaulDenney7″Deserved it for the shift you put in”Credit: @gasman_g”Beautiful”Credit: @wallHil59834857″JORDANNNNN”Credit: @cpfcgoaatIn other news, Crystal Palace fans react to a coaching update.

Pakistan face Sri Lanka Saturday in the Morocco Cup double header aware of the fact that they also need to beat South Africa on Sunday to guarantee themselves a place in Aug 21 final

Samiul Hassan17-Aug-2002Pakistan face Sri Lanka Saturday in the Morocco Cup double header aware of the fact that they also need to beat South Africa on Sunday to guarantee themselves a place in Aug 21 final.Sri Lanka’s additional bonus point against South Africa has turned this tournament upside down and has brought all the possibilities and likelihoods into consideration.The 1996 world champions need just one win to go through whereas South Africa face the same dilemma as Pakistan though they have the cushion of a victory against the 1992 world champions, the result that could be decisive if both the teams finish even on points with Sri Lanka one ahead.In case Pakistan beat South Africa and still both the teams finish on even points, net run-rate comes into play. Pakistan, after first round action, are at the bottom. However, if Sri Lanka lose both their games, Pakistan and South Africa lock horns on Wednesday.However, the throw of the dice is in Pakistan’s favour as they play Sri Lanka on the same pitch on which they defeated them by 28 runs. They then take on South Africa on the turf on which the Proteas were dismissed for 174 in 45 overs. South Africa are not pleased with this arrangement and have expressed their displeasure to the organizers.Pakistan coach, Muddassar Nazar, said that we would field an unchanged team from Wednesday’s game for Saturday’s match.However skipper Waqar Younis believes that the toss has become vital in this tournament. “But I don’t think it is something that we need to allow it to get into our brains,” Pakistan captain Waqar Younis said.Teams (likely):Pakistan: Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Sami. Reserves: Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood.Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Upul Chandana. Reserves: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Charitha Buddika Fernando, Lakshitha Gamage, Hasantha Fernando.Umpires: S.Venkataraghavan (India), D.Harper (Australia)TV Umpire – S.Taufel (Australia)Match referee: G.Vishwanath (India)