Everton now close to signing new record-breaking 18 y/o gem for Dyche

Amid the chaos of a potential takeover and potential departures, Everton are reportedly close to sealing their first signing of the summer in the form of a future star for Sean Dyche.

Everton transfer news

The Toffees returned back to square one when 777 Partners' deal to purchase a majority stake in the club failed to reach completion. The Miami-based firm never received Premier League approval and those at Goodison Park must now look elsewhere for options. Among those options is reportedly John Textor, who is seemingly ready to sell his stake in Crystal Palace in order to take over at Everton.

Everton plot bid for Barkley 2.0 in future "world class talent"

The talent has produced some magnificent numbers in France this season.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jun 7, 2024

However, even if a new owner does arrive, the Toffees will reportedly have no choice but to sell players this month if they want to avoid breaking the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules yet again.

That concern also means that bargain deals should be the way forward for Everton this summer, which will seemingly see one future star arrive. According to The Athletic, Everton are close to signing Ceiran Loney from Partick Thistle this summer. The 18-year-old is the Scottish club's youngest-ever player and will now reportedly have the chance to join up with the Toffees' academy after impressing scouts.

One for the future, Loney's arrival at least represents that Everton have a plan going forward. They'll be desperate to avoid any further PSR sanctions, and bringing players into Dyche's first-team via their academy should go a long way towards doing just that in years to come.

Loney can follow Branthwaite path

After watching Branthwaite go from Carlisle United to Everton before playing a starring role in Dyche's side, Loney will surely be hoping to follow a similar path. The England defender is even being linked with Manchester United in a big-money move and came close to making the England squad for Euro 2024. If presented with an opportunity at Goodison Park, Loney's possibilities could be endless.

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite

At Partick Thistle, the young forward made just one senior appearance last season, which means that a place in Everton's academy before anything should be the way forward should he complete a move this summer.

From there, those at Goodison Park will hope to have identified their eventual replacement for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has struggled to lead the line for Everton amid injury struggles in the last few years, presenting the chance for someone like Loney to step up sooner rather than later.

At a time when they need cheap solutions to their problems, the academy should be the place to turn towards ahead of next season.

Financial Fair Play: What is PSR, how does it work and who's in trouble?

Leicester City have become the latest club charged with an alleged PSR breach, but what could happen next?

By
Stephan Georgiou

Apr 16, 2024

Leicester struck gold on star who was worth even more than Dewsbury-Hall

Leicester City would have known, even upon re-entry to the Premier League, that it would still be hard to keep a hold on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall after his electric Championship campaign.

The slick midfielder looks to be edging closer to a move to Chelsea, to reunite with former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge no less, as Steve Cooper now aims to pick up his troops from off the floor after such a demoralising loss to the squad.

Dewsbury-Hall's impact last season

The 25-year-old midfielder has been a bright spark for many a campaign now at the King Power, lighting up the Premier League even during Leicester's dismal relegation campaign, with two goals and two assists registered from 31 contests.

Yet, making the drop-down to the second tier, it was clear that Dewsbury-Hall's ceiling was far above playing EFL football on a regular basis.

The homegrown Leicester product would amass a staggering 12 goals and 14 assists from 44 league games, as Maresca relied upon the magic of his number 22 at times to steer the Foxes to the top of the Championship tree, particularly when moments were tense and nervy towards the business end of the gruelling 46-game schedule.

Keeping a firm grip on him, even when dropping a league, must have made those with Leicester connections confident that Dewsbury-Hall would stay put with the club ahead of returning to the top flight, especially after the ecstasy of lifting the Premier League title aloft must have also made the 5 foot 10 gem hungry to succeed at the level again with his boyhood employers.

1. Harry Maguire

£80m

2. Wesley Fofana

£68.1m

3. Riyad Mahrez

£57.5m

4. Ben Chilwell

£42.5m

5. James Maddison

£39.2m

Yet, money always ends up talking, but Leicester will be somewhat deflated that they couldn't drive a larger fee out of the Blues, with a glance at the table above showing that Dewsbury-Hall's exit won't make a dent in the top-five record departures that have left Leicester in recent memory.

Steve Cooper and Co could have well have had their hands tied when it came to his deal, however, when looking at the financial difficulties Leicester are still facing, with the 25-year-old just wanting to move on and shine at Stamford Bridge under a familiar Maresca.

Leicester's Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

The newly promoted side have still added significant money to their bank when you consider that Dewsbury-Hall was one off the Academy production line. Yet, the recent champions of the second tier have been here before and bounced back when it comes to a major sale leaving a gaping hole in an important area.

The deal to sell Harry Maguire for an eye-watering £80m reigns supreme as a staggeringly excellent bit of business when comparing the two.

Indeed, Maguire's bumper move to Manchester United really hurt those at the King Power Stadium back in 2019, but at least they managed to drain the Red Devils dry of every million they had to make this deal happen, with Dewsbury-Hall departing for far less at a reported £30m.

Selling him on for an arguable low amount will also be a bitter pill to swallow from the perspective of the East Midlands club, with their star number 22 crucial in the Foxes lifting the Championship title last season.

Harry Maguire's time at Leicester

Nobody would have anticipated that Maguire would go on to leave the King Power for such an excessive amount when he joined for what now looks like an understated £17m from Hull City back in 2017.

Joining the club to give Leicester a new rock-solid figure at the back, away from the ageing duo of Robert Huth and Wes Morgan, Maguire provided just that, with the 31-year-old everpresent in the main team during his debut 17/18 campaign in the league, winning a remarkable 6.9 duels on average per game.

The 6 foot 4 colossus was also a reliable source of goals for the East Midlands outfit across his two seasons at the club, as can be seen with his late winner against Southampton above, with five goals registered from 76 clashes.

Yet, his time playing for the Foxes felt like it went by in a blink of an eye, before he was catapulted to new levels of stardom when moving onto Manchester United, with the Red Devils wanting a slice no matter how much it ended up costing them.

Harry Maguire

It would end up costing the mega-riches of Man United a staggering £80m to land the now much-maligned defender, who has seen his reputation take a battering at the Theatre of Dreams, like so many other high-profile signings that relocate to the red side of Manchester.

Leicester simply just moved on and took the wads of cash whilst they could, with the Foxes very much coming out as winners in this deal.

Why Leicester were the winners of the Maguire deal

Maguire is now only worth £9m when looking at his transfer valuation today as per Football Transfers, with Leicester laughing at the fact they managed to sell on their former defender for £80m when they did.

The towering 31-year-old was even being touted for a move away from the Theatre of Dreams last summer, with West Ham United the most talked about next destination at the time, as his topsy-turvy couple of years playing for the Red Devils looked to be nearing its finale.

2024

£9m

2023

£11.1m

2022

£29m

2021

£50m

2019

£80m

2018

£11.5m

2017

£17m

Maguire's sad decline can be charted looking at this transfer value continually dropping, when looking at the table above, with talk surrounding the 31-year-old being "world class", as he was labelled by football creator Liam Canning once upon time, somewhat of a distant memory now.

It remains to be seen whether Leicester, down the line, will look at the sale of Dewsbury-Hall in a similar light, knowing that they cashed in at the best possible time before the wheels started to fall off.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall Chelsea target

The 25-year-old could get even better in his new West London location, however, as Leicester aim to keep their heads above water as a minimum back amongst the Premier League elite next season away from talk centring in on Dewsbury-Hall, with Steve Cooper now at the helm.

Cooper must now sell Leicester man who earns 2x more than Dewsbury-Hall

Steve Cooper will be assessing who to offload from his Leicester City squad currently.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 26, 2024

Abel pede e Palmeiras realiza jogo treino no Allianz Parque em busca de ritmo de competição

MatériaMais Notícias

O elenco do Palmeiras disputou, na manhã deste sábado (04), um jogo-treino no Allianz Parque, visando as sequências do Brasileirão e da Libertadores. Com uniformes de jogo, arbitragem e dois tempos de 45 minutos, a comissão técnica tentou simular a intensidade, concentração e outros aspectos que envolvem uma partida oficial.

A equipe verde entrou em campo com Jailson; Mayke, Felipe Melo, Luan e Victor Luís (Marcos Rocha); Gabriel Menino, Zé Rafael (Danilo) e Gustavo Scarpa; Gabriel Veron, Willian e Luiz Adriano. Já o time branco jogou com Mateus Oliveira; Breno Lopes, Danilo Barbosa (Michel), Kuscevic e Renan; Matheus Fernandes, Patrick de Paula e Dudu (Raphael Veiga); Rony, Wesley e Deyverson.

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A partida acabou u em vitória do time branco pelo placar de 4 a 2. Capitão da equipe verde, Scarpa abriu o placar em uma bela finalização de fora de área aos oito minutos de jogo. Deyverson, capitão do branco, respondeu na sequência: após cruzamento de Wesley, aproveitou o rebote do goleiro e empatou aos 14.

O time branco conseguiu a virada aos 19 minutos, em cobrança de falta de Patrick de Paula, mas Luiz Adriano devolveu a igualdade no placar dez minutos depois após roubar a bola na entrada da área e tirar do goleiro na finalização. Ainda no primeiro tempo, em cobrança de escanteio, a bola cruzou a área e sobrou para Kuscevic chutar no alto e anotar o terceiro do branco, aos 45.

O quarto e último gol da equipe branca saiu no início do segundo tempo, em boa jogada de Wesley e finalização cruzada de Rony, quase sem ângulo, aos dez minutos.

Sobre a atividade, Deyverson falou:

– Foi um treino gostoso, com intensidade, como se fosse um jogo mesmo. Desfrutei um pouco dessa braçadeira hoje, primeira vez como capitão. Sabemos que é entre nós mesmos, mas todos deram seu máximo, se dedicaram, e quem ganhou foi o Palmeiras, independentemente de branco ou verde. Agora vamos descansar e semana que vem trabalharmos mais forte ainda – disse.

O lateral-esquerdo Jorge seguiu seu cronograma individual de recondicionamento e fez trabalhos no gramado na Academia de Futebol acompanhado de membros do Núcleo de Saúde e Performance.

O Palmeiras folga neste domingo e volta a treinar na segunda-feira (6), às 16h, na Academia de Futebol, e enfrenta o Flamengo no próximo domingo (12), às 16h, no Allianz Parque, pela 20ª rodada do Brasileirão.

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أمير عزمي: أداء الزمالك يتطور مع جروس.. ولا أبحث عن "لقطة"

أكد أمير عزمي مجاهد، المدرب العام لنادي الزمالك، أن أداء الفريق يتطور مع المدير الفني السويسري كريستيان جروس، بعد الفوز على الاتحاد السكندري، مساء اليوم الأحد.

الزمالك فاز على الاتحاد السكندري، بهدفين دون رد، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، ضمن منافسات الجولة السابعة لبطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وتعد مباراة الاتحاد السكندري، الثالثة لـ جروس مع الزمالك، بعد توليه المسؤولية خلفًا للبرتغالي جوزيه جوميز، حيث تعادل في أول مباراتين وحقق فوزه الأول اليوم أمام الفريق السكندري.

وقال عزمي خلال تصريحات صحفية بعد المباراة نقلها مراسل “بطولات”: “أداء الزمالك يتطور، رغم أنه لم يكن لدينا الوقت الكافي كجهاز فني”.

طالع | رجل مباراة الزمالك والاتحاد السكندري في الدوري المصري

وأضاف: “حرصنا على أن نقدم كرة سريعة وأحُيي اللاعبين على تنفيذ تعليمات الجهاز الفني، أتمنى أن يكون الحديث عن الزمالك بالأمور الايجابية، ألا تتضخم المشاكل”.

وتابع: “الفترة المقبلة نحتاج إلى الجماهير بكل قوة لدعم اللاعبين قبل المباريات الهامة المقبلة، بطولة الدوري هذا الموسم صعبة”.

وأكمل: “أحرص على دعم تعليمات المدير الفني ولا أركز على الانتقادات تجاهي، أعرف دوري واختصاصي جيدًا، أحترم جروس لأنه على رأس الجهاز وأنا فرد من الجهاز، أعمل من خلال المدير الفني ولا أبحث عن لقطة”.

وأتم: “نريد أن نبذل أقصى ما في وسعنا من أجل خدمة الزمالك، أؤكد أن الزمالك مع جروس سيكون أفضل في المباريات المقبلة”.

Barcelona player ratings vs Bayern Munich: Raphinha runs riot! Brilliant Brazilian leads demolition of Bundesliga giants with unbelievable hat-trick as Hansi Flick haunts ex-club in Champions League

The former Leeds star scored a stunning treble as the Spanish giants demolished their opponents in a shock Champions League drubbing

Despite having not beaten Bayern Munich almost nine years, Barcelona were truly stunning on Wednesday evening, recording a 4-1 hammering that will likely send shockwaves throughout the European game. That Hansi Flick is a former coach of Bayern will only serve to rub salt into Bavarian wounds.

Barcelona, amazingly, had the lead within a minute, as Raphinha sprang beyond Bayern's offside trap, rounded Manuel Neuer, and finished coolly.

Bayern thought they were level before the 10-minute mark thanks to a brilliant Harry Kane header but he was ruled offside by VAR. He only had to wait until the 20th minute to get on the scoresheet, though, finishing a Serge Gnabry cross with an absolutely brilliant volley.

Barca were back in front after the half-hour mark thanks to an excellent finish from Robert Lewandowski after a clever assist from Fermin Lopez, with Neuer stranded.

The hosts had a third on the stroke of half-time, Raphinha adding a second with a stunning strike from the edge of the box after a stunning cross-field ball from Marc Casado.

Ten minutes after the restart, Barca had a fourth, and Raphinha had his hat-trick, chesting Lamine Yamal's long ball forward, taking two touches, and powering an effort into the bottom corner.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Inaki Pena (6/10):

Could do absolutely nothing to stop Kane's equaliser. Was not really tested beyond that.

Jules Kounde (6/10):

Torched by Gnabry in the build-up to Bayern's equaliser but recovered to play an important role in cutting off Bayern's danger down the left flank.

Pau Cubarsi (6/10):

Perhaps a little overawed by Kane early on but grew into the game and was rarely troubled once Barcelona took a grip of the game.

Inigo Martinez (7/10):

A wily, experienced defender, Martinez was never beaten. Always good with his distribution and that didn't change here.

Alejandro Balde (7/10):

Stood up well to the threat of Michael Olise and marked him out of the game.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Marc Casado (7/10):

Absolutely stunning assist for Barca's third, pinging a ball over 50 yards onto Raphinha's boot with laser-guided precision. A smart midfield performance but took a knock late on and required treatment.

Pedri (7/10):

Mucked in very well defensively whenever required. Was capable of bursting from midfield into attack and passed the ball carefully and precisely.

Fermin Lopez (8/10):

A superb assist for Lewandowski as he nipped in ahead of Neuer and played the ball to the Pole. Worked so hard throughout and was subbed on the hour after an excellent display.

AFPAttack

Lamine Yamal (8/10):

Pressed Neuer in the first half and almost scored by blocking his clearance. Some stunning trickery and a superb assist for Raphinha's hat-trick goal. He's always so lively.

Robert Lewandowski (7/10):

Read Lopez's intention and got on the end of his assist to finish and give Barca the lead. Led the line well and was unfortunate not to score again, as he missed a late sitter.

Raphinha (10/10):

Scored a brilliant early goal, keeping his composure to round Neuer and finish. His second was even better, taking in Casado's unbelievable pass and curling an effort into the corner and his third another piece of magic. An utterly superb performance.

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AFPSubs & Manager

Frenkie De Jong (6/10):

Replaced Lopez on the hour. Kept Barca ticking in midfield.

Dani Olmo (6/10):

On for hat-trick hero Raphinha. Was never going to match his impact but made some smart runs into the final third.

Ansu Fati (N/A):

On with five minutes to go.

Pau Victor (N/A):

Came on late.

Gavi (N/A):

A late introduction.

Hansi Flick (8/10):

Played this perfectly. Barcelona were irrepressible, continually tearing Bayern apart on the break. He can hardly have dreamed for a better performance against his old club.

Jude Bellingham hit with uncomfortable ‘10 to zero’ assessment at Real Madrid after seeing goals ‘stolen’ by new Galactico Kylian Mbappe

Jude Bellingham has been presented with an uncomfortable truth at Real Madrid, with the England star seeing goals “stolen” by Kylian Mbappe.

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  • Memorable debut campaign enjoyed in Spain
  • Broke 20-goal barrier while winning trophies
  • Finding the going tougher in 2024-25 season
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Bellingham enjoyed a memorable debut campaign at Santiago Bernabeu in 2023-24, as he captured La Liga and Champions League titles. A 23-goal return has put him in contention for Ballon d’Or recognition, with the 21-year-old midfielder considered to sit among the global elite.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Bellingham has found the going a little tougher this season, with his goal account yet to be opened through nine appearances in all competitions. By the same point last term, the former Birmingham and Borussia Dortmund star had already reached double figures.

  • DID YOU KNOW?

    Spanish news outlet are among those to have pointed out that Bellingham has 'gone from 10 to zero in a year' – with his last goal for Real, which allowed his now trademark celebration to be broken out, coming on May 14. It is now considered “unlikely” that he will break the 20-goal barrier again this time around.

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    TELL ME MORE

    There are reasons for that, with Bellingham dropping deeper in Carlo Ancelotti’s side following the arrival of World Cup winner Mbappe. The newest Galactico in Los Blancos’ ranks has been on penalty duty and registered eight goals of his own – as he leads the line alongside Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.

Everton on the verge of making 24 y/o their third signing of the summer

Everton are believed to be closing in on their third signing of the summer transfer window, with a fresh report even claiming an announcement is imminent.

Everton transfer news

The Blues know the importance of nailing their summer business, as they look to kick on into the future and move on from a dispiriting period in the club's history. The ongoing takeover situation still hasn't been sorted, as the Farhad Moshiri era drags on, with Dan Friedkin's bid to become the club's majority shareholder hitting a snag in recent days.

New signings are essential if Sean Dyche's side are going to push for a genuinely positive finish in the Premier League next season, and Chelsea striker Armando Broja has been linked with a summer switch to Goodison Park. The Albanian spent last season on loan at Fulham but was limited to just eight league appearances, none of which were starts. He featured twice for his country at Euro 2024, though.

Meanwhile, Hull City winger Jaden Philogene has emerged as an exciting young option for Everton, too, seeing him as an alternative to Yankuba Minteh, who has now joined Brighton from Newcastle United. The former scored 12 goals and chipped in with six assists in the Championship in 2023/24.

A new centre-back will be needed if Jarrad Branthwaite moves on to pastures new this summer, and Republic of Ireland and Lyon ace Jake O'Brien is seen as a potential addition for the Blues. The 23-year-old has made 27 appearances in Ligue 1, gaining some invaulable experience abroad.

Everton close to third signing of the summer

According to TEAMtalk, Everton are now very close to agreeing the signing of Marseille attacker Iliman Ndiaye, as he looks set to become the Blues' third signing of a promising summer transfer window to date. They have reportedly been closing in on a deal for him recently.

The report even says that a "permanent transfer" worth approximately €20m (£16.9m) including add-ons is "100% done", with an announcement expected soon.

Marseille midfielderIliman Ndiaye.

Ndiaye could be such a popular signing for Everton, possessing the flair and quality in the final third that has too often been lacking in recent years, with the Merseysiders rarely renowned for being one of the Premier League's more entertaining sides.

The Senegalese has played for Sheffield United in the past and his brilliance didn't go unnoticed by former teammate Oli McBurnie, who lauded his ability: "Ili's excellent. I think he's been excellent for the last few games. It's just maybe not fell for him and he's been excellent today, and he deserved the goal.”

Everton have 'strong interest' in £20m star who'd help them forget Minteh

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ByAngus Sinclair Jul 1, 2024

Still only 24, Everton could be getting the best years of Ndiaye, but it is worth stressing that his all-round game needs to become more polished if he does complete a move to Goodison. Four goals and five assists in 46 appearances for Marseille isn't a ruthless return for an attack-minded player, but the raw ingredients are there, and he represents an eye-catching addition.

'Three or four years' time': Tim Paine hints at longer captaincy

Admits being in the broadcast commentary box last summer made him eager to spend more time playing

Daniel Brettig16-Nov-2020Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine has given an indicator he may be looking at a longer term in charge of the national team, as his sole deputy Pat Cummins backed away from any suggestions he was ramping up his apprenticeship for a possible succession plan.On the day that South Australia’s developing Covid-19 outbreak underlined how even the best-laid plans are particularly tenuous in 2020, Paine indicated he had no intention of returning to the broadcast commentary box in the short to medium term. He has rejoined the Big Bash League’s playing ranks with the Hobart Hurricanes and stated that he missed the atmosphere of the dressing room when sequestered as part of Seven’s broadcast team after concluding his Test duties last summer.While a place on the Hurricanes’ list does not equate to a continuing Test match tenure, 35-year-old Paine’s revelation that his first taste of life beyond the game only made him more eager to spend more time playing is a strong pointer to the fact that he wishes to hang onto his place as the nation’s No. 1 wicketkeeper and red ball captain beyond the climax of the World Test Championship next year and even the home Ashes series in 2021-22.”I missed white-ball cricket, I enjoyed my commentary but I missed being around the team and around my mates,” Paine said. “For me I can go to commentary in three or four years’ time if need be, but for me at the moment I just want to play as much cricket as I can while I still can and thankfully, I’m fit enough to be still going. I can’t wait to be back in the purple and back around white-ball cricket.”It was probably at the end of last year I had a chat to my manager when the Hurricanes were playing finals and I was there commentating and while I enjoyed the stint and it’s something I’ll probably look to do when I finish, but I miss the competitiveness, I miss being around the team and didn’t enjoy being on the outside of it. I wanted to get back inside the tent.”I think I’ll be available for the back three or four and then the finals, but looking at the line-up it’s going to be difficult for me to get a game with the quality we’ve got on our list.”Cummins, who has been confirmed as the lone vice-captain of both the Test and limited-overs teams and thus lieutenant to Paine and Aaron Finch, said on Monday he was not looking at the role as anything more than a supporting post to the team leaders.Mark Taylor stated that a longer tenure for Paine might make CA look beyond Smith and to a younger generation•Getty Images”Not really to be honest, maybe once I get into Test camp I’ll get my head around it a bit more, but I still see my job as helping Painey out in that Test side as much as I can. Beyond that, not really,” he said. “Since being vice-captain, of course you think about the game a bit more when you’re out there, when you’re off the field as well, trying to be a bit more aware of what’s going on, sometimes as a bowler it’s easy to go down to fine leg and drift, so just trying to make sure I’m always trying to learn what it takes to be captain in case it ever comes up.”Just about everyone you come across, whether it’s ex-players or some of the really good players you’re lucky enough to play with in IPL have been part of really good sides and have had some leadership roles, so I think everyone has their own style and way they go about it, so it’s great to hear what’s worked for them and it’s all different cultures, different levels of cricket, but I think most of the problems and the opportunities are all the same. Just maybe in a slightly different setting.”I haven’t had too much experience so I could say it’s easy or it’s really hard, but until you actually have a crack at it you might not know. speaking to a few captains around the place or guys who have captained, they’ve found sometimes the longer the format the easier it has been to make those tactical decisions, you don’t feel as rushed, the game doesn’t move as quickly.”Of course something like the Aussie team we’ve probably got six, seven or eight guys who are really good leaders, have captained either Australia or their state, so there’s no shortage of ideas and guys to bounce off.”The former captain Mark Taylor has stated that a longer tenure for Paine may well serve as a catalyst for Cricket Australia to look beyond Steven Smith and to a younger generation, headed by the likes of Cummins, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, for future leadership posts.”If Paine goes a couple more years, that will probably go against Smith,” Taylor told this week. “They’d probably want to go to someone younger, like a Travis Head. But if things don’t go well for Tim, or he decides in the next 12 months or so that he’s had enough, I’d like to think they would certainly consider Smith again.”Either way, Paine also backed up the national team coach Justin Langer’s strong assertion that it will most likely be Joe Burns walking out to open the batting alongside David Warner in the Tests against India, irrespective of the Queenslander’s modest returns during the recently completed bracket of Sheffield Shield games.”I think Burnsy had a really good summer for us last year with David Warner, their partnership and relationship is a really important one for our team, and they got us off to a number of good starts last year,” Paine said. “Burnsy hasn’t been in the form he’d like or scored the runs he’d like, but we know he does a good job, he averages close to 40 in Test cricket for Australia, which is great opening the batting and we expect him to start the summer.”

Celtic serious contenders to sign "dangerous" £25m forward ahead of Ipswich

Celtic are seen as serious competition in the race to sign a "dangerous" forward who is also wanted by Ipswich Town.

Celtic transfer speculation

The Hoops are yet to make a summer signing ahead of Brendan Rodgers’ second season back in charge, but following the January transfer window shutting, the Northern Irishman did admit the club could look to be brave with their signings.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers applauds the fans.

“I would go with supporters thinking we could maybe be a little bit braver in terms of bringing in another level of player. But that’s up to me to try and fix that over the course of my time here. You look at the strategy here and you have to be careful because in some ways it has worked. You bring in players for a minimal fee and then they go out and make the club a lot of money.

“What I want to hopefully balance in my time here is that we can still do that, because it is an important part of the modern game. But we also want to be brave enough to hang our hat on a ready-made player.”

Celtic gifted chance to sign £10k-p/w ace as rival suitor drops out of race

He could be an excellent addition for Rodgers and co.

ByBen Browning Jun 18, 2024

Top of the transfer agenda at this moment in time is to find a replacement for Joe Hart following the goalkeeper’s retirement at the end of the previous campaign. A number of shot-stoppers have been linked, including Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher, Trabzonspor star Ugurcan Cakir, Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson, Werder Bremen colossus Michael Zetterer, Middlesbrough shot-stopper Tom Glover and more recently Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka and Croatia international Dominik Livakovic.

Alongside a goalkeeper, though, Celtic also want a new winger and striker, and there has been an update on one specific attacking target, with the Hoops seemingly still in the picture.

Celtic serious competition for £25m forward

There have been links this year to Celtic possibly moving to sign Panathinaikos centre-forward Fotis Ioannidis, although the Hoops looked set to be blown out of the water by West Ham.

However, now, according to reports from Portugal relayed by Sport Witness, Celtic are seen as serious competition to Sporting CP in the race to sign Ioannidis. Alongside the Hoops, Girona, Lazio, Sevilla, Lille and newly promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town are also keen on the 24-year-old.

FotisIoannidis

Ioannidis, a Greece international, is under contract with Panathinaikos until 2027 and it is believed that they want up to €30m (£25.3m) for his services.

The Panathinaikos star caught the eye of a number of clubs across Europe last season, scoring 23 goals in all competitions, his best tally for a campaign in his career. He also earned praise from analyst Ben Mattison, who called Ioannidis “dangerous” in the box.

A move could be one to watch, but at a value of £25m, Celtic could be priced out of any possible transfer.

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