According to reports in the Evening Standard on May 29, Inter Milan are ready to sell West Ham United loan target Joao Mario for £26m, while Sky Sports report that the east London club’s move for another attacking midfielder – Paris Saint-Germain’s Javier Pastore – is stalling over his £190,000-a-week demands.

The two rumours certainly suggest that new Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini, who could save a fortune this summer by using these exciting youngsters in the first team next term, is determined to bring a player for that particular role before the transfer window slams shut on August 9, in order to add to the attacking options he already has with the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and Manuel Lanzini.

While former loanee Joao Mario would cost a club-record £26m, Sky Sports say that Pastore could be valued at something around £17.5m – not bad for a 28-year-old who has huge experience of winning titles and featuring in the Champions League.

We asked West Ham supporters to vote on our poll to see whether would prefer their club to sign the Portugal international or the Argentine, and the fan-base was largely split with 49% saying they would prefer Pellegrini to splash a club-record fee on Joao Mario – a player they know can make an impact at Premier League level following some impressive glimpses of quality from January onwards.

The east London outfit and their Chilean boss certainly look as though they mean business in the market this summer, and it will be interesting to see which attacking midfielder they end up with.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]

Tottenham are still searching for an adequate deputy to Harry Kane, and Mario Mandzukic’s performance against Argentina showed he could be the perfect upgrade on Fernando Llorente.

Mandzukic put in a typical battling centre forward’s performance on Thursday night as Croatia romped past Argentina 3-0.

The Croatian centre forward spent most of last season on the wing for Juventus, so could he be tempted to move to North London if it means getting more time in a central position.

Mauricio Pochettino is of course on the hunt for a second choice striker, as the likes of Vincent Janssen and Llorente have simply not been good enough to take pressure off Kane.

The vast majority of Spurs fans voted in favour of signing another centre forward this summer, and the Croatian hard man’s performance on Thursday showed he could be the perfect fit.

Much like Llorente, the 32 year-old Mandzukic offers a slightly different presence to Kane, and won two aerial duels, two tackles and two interceptions against Argentina.

It’s not just his physicality that should appeal to Spurs though, firing in three shots, completing two dribbles and using his excellent movement to create space for the likes of Ivan Perisic and Ante Rebic.

The veteran striker has 30 goals in 85 Croatia caps, and grabbed five goals and three assists in Serie A last season.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod ]

So, Tottenham fans, would you take Mandzukic as a deputy to Kane? Or are there better options out there? Let us know your thoughts in the polls below…

According to Sky Sports, Crystal Palace have offered manager Roy Hodgson a one-year extension to his current contract at Selhurst Park. The former England chief worked wonders at the London club last season in guiding them to an 11th place finish in the division, and given how well he steered the ship last term, it appears that Palace have just made their most important move of the summer.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, things were looking bleak for the Eagles when they lost their opening four Premier League matches under Frank de Boer, in which time they failed to even score a goal.

And while his sacking came as something of a surprise, especially given Hodgson then failed to win any of his first three games at the helm, it was without doubt the right decision given what the latter was able to extract from the squad as the season went on.

The former West Brom and Liverpool boss managed to guide the club to 44 points from their final 31 league games of the campaign to eventually seal an 11th place finish, a far cry away from the team that were bottom, pointless, and goalless after seven matches of the season.

And with the 70-year-old able to get the best out of Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend, and Luke Milivojevic, to name but a few, as well as bringing a feel-good factor back to the club, keeping him at Selhurst Park appears to be a no-brainer.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know

He completely reinvigorated a club that many felt were on their way down to the Championship, and given they eventually finished 11 points clear of danger, it’s arguable that there is the potential in the squad to push even higher, and potentially challenge those in the top half of the table.

And Hodgson appears to know exactly how to get the best out of the current Palace squad, and with a few additions here and there, specifically in the attacking third of the pitch, there’s no reason why he can’t take them even further this time round.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Thus, with the club reportedly offering him a year extension to his current deal, due to expire in 2019, they may well have just made their most important move of the summer in trying to keep Hodgson at Selhurst Park for the coming years.

Palace fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Danny Ings seems to be well liked among the Liverpool faithful, but it seems that many are happy to see him walk through the exit gates.

The 25-year-old moved to Anfield from Burnley in the summer of 2015, but injuries have completely marred his progress.

In fact, in three seasons, the striker has started just six Premier League matches.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255848″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Liverpool’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

During the 2017-18 campaign, the former Claret made 14 appearances in all competitions for the Reds, but only three of them were starts.

On Tuesday, The Times journalist Paul Joyce tweeted that Ings has decided to look for pastures new in order to gain regular minutes on the pitch.

How far will England get in Russia? Tell us now and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

With Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane providing most of the attacking threat for Liverpool, it is difficult to see where Ings would fit in on a regular basis.

Liverpool fans have been tweeting their thoughts on the news, and many would be happy to see the injury-plagued forward move on.

The third day belonged to Namibia after UAE’s batting lost their way following a solid start to give away a 72-run first-innings lead

Cricinfo staff07-Dec-2009
ScorecardThe third day belonged to Namibia after UAE’s batting lost their way following a solid start to give away a 72-run first-innings lead. Namibia opener Raymond van Schoor then put the game further in Namibia’s favour with a patient 87, which increased the lead to 206 by stumps.UAE started the day at a solid 185 for 3, and the overnight pair of Arfan Haider and Abdul Rehman progressed steadily to 238. Haider had moved to 84 when he was dismissed, sparking a collapse from the lower order – the final seven wickets going down for 59 runs. Medium-pacer Louis Klazinga was the architect of UAE’s downfall; he grabbed a wicket in each of his five overs, starting from the 85th.It was van Schoor’s turn then to press the advantage. He hit five fours and a six in his fifth career half-century to take the lead beyond 200. He was in sight of a century when he fell to left-arm spinner Fayyaz Ahmed with less than three overs to go for stumps.

Waqar Younis has been appointed as Pakistan’s bowling and fielding coach for the upcoming tour of Australia

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009Waqar Younis has been appointed Pakistan’s bowling and fielding coach for the upcoming tour of Australia. This will be Waqar’s second shot in such a capacity; his first stint – between March 2006 and January 2007 – ended on acrimonious terms with the PCB, as he was unhappy with the board’s decision to retain him only for the Test series against South Africa and not the subsequent ODI series.Waqar’s first stint was widely seen to be a successful and popular one. Umar Gul and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, among others, spoke openly of the benefits he had brought to the field. At least in terms of Pakistan’s bowling disciplines, Waqar was influential, working hard with bowlers who are traditionally prone to no-balls and wides, especially in limited-overs cricket.Overseeing an improvement in fielding, on the other hand, might be more difficult. The appointment is surprising in the sense that Waqar was no more than an athletic, efficient fielder and not a specialist, in his playing days. And it might raise the question of precisely what Intikhab Alam and Aaqib Javed – coach and assistant – are doing with the squad currently. The decision comes in the wake of a disappointing performance by Pakistan in Wellington, where they dropped six catches in New Zealand’s chase. The game was won largely due to the accuracy and persistence of their bowling attack, which received little support from the fielders.Aamer Sohail, the former Pakistan batsman, put down the problem to a lack of concentration. “Fielding is a very personal thing. You work hard and it pays off, you don’t work hard and you will get found out in the field,” he told PakPassion.net. “To stand in the slips for a lot of overs you have to have a strong back and legs, very much like a wicketkeeper, but unfortunately a number of our boys are not 100% fit and therefore struggle to field in the slips. You have to have good anticipation, for example a fielder at point should know that the ball normally from Asif’s deliveries will come at him at a different angle and pace than Aamer or [Umar] Gul’s deliveries.”The concentration when you are fielding cannot waver even for a second, but the concentration has been lacking a number of times in the current series. Let’s hope they step up the standard of fielding in Australia.”

Kevin Pietersen has backed the actions of Jonathan Trott in standing his ground during their run-out mix-up at Centurion, which ended a partnership of 145 that was taking England towards a comfortable draw in the opening Test against South Africa

Andrew McGlashan in Durban23-Dec-2009Kevin Pietersen has backed the actions of Jonathan Trott in standing his ground during their run-out mix-up at Centurion, which ended a partnership of 145 that was taking England towards a comfortable draw in the opening Test against South Africa.Pietersen was on 81 when, shortly after tea, he pushed the ball into the off side and sprinted for a single, but didn’t realise that Friedel de Wet, the bowler, could intercept the ball in his follow through. Pietersen continued to charge up the pitch which left Trott with a decision whether to sacrifice himself or preserve his wicket.Trott chose the latter by dropping his bat in the crease and continued to use up valuable time in a stand with Paul Collingwood before falling to the second new-ball to begin England’s late collapse.”There wasn’t a run there, he did the right thing and I was the one sent packing,” Pietersen said. “Hopefully it won’t happen again because we enjoyed batting together. We were trying to keep the South Africans quiet but they had a good go at us the last hour.”It was just a case of rotating the strike. We had been doing it the whole the game and it was a case of playing the ball into the off side and running. I couldn’t really hear him [Trott] shouting and the South Africans were also shouting. It was my mistake, I hold my hands up, but these things happen and hopefully we can form a great partnership again.””It wasn’t something I wanted to do. Trotty and I were doing so well for the team and we were in such a comfortable position to take something really positive out of the Test. But we still got a positive draw out of it and these mistakes happen and hopefully they won’t happen again.”

Pietersen wants TV to check no-balls

Kevin Pietersen has followed England coach Andy Flower in saying that TV technology should be used to check for no-balls with every delivery. Replays showed Pietersen was bowled off a no-ball in the first innings at Centurion and he said such moments can change a Test.

“I think something needs to be done about it,” he said. “If you’re going to use the ‘referral’ system the way we’re using it now it should go all the way.

“You can win and lose Test matches on no-balls. For a [non-striking] batsman to be standing and watching whether the bowler is bowling a no-ball and then concentrating on the other end doesn’t seem good to me.

“If Graham Onions had lost his wicket to a no-ball in the last over of a Test match and we’d lost the Test series, with the technology we have nowadays there’s no excuse for it.”

Much is always made of whenever Pietersen returns to Durban but he admits this Test “will be special”. Ten years ago he played against the England touring side, captained by Nasser Hussain, for KwaZulu-Natal, scoring an unbeaten 61 at No. 9 alongside figures of 4 for 141. It was during that time that he began enquiring about opportunities in county cricket and the rest, as they say, is history.”It is incredible. But life changes, these things happen,” he said. “Who knows where all of us are going to be in 10 years’ time. My life has turned around in a big, big way from running around here as a kid to where I am now. I love it; I would never ever change anything.”However, he insisted the prospect of making Test runs where he used to play as a youngster is no different than any other occasion he has played for England. “I love getting Test runs at The Oval; I love getting Test runs at Lord’s; I love getting Test runs anywhere, I don’t mind. Here is absolutely no different.”But Graeme Smith hopes that Pietersen’s latest homecoming can be used as an advantage by South Africa. “If he is carrying any emotions in this Test the better for us,” he said.This Test will also bring the curtain down on a difficult year for Pietersen. He began as England captain before losing the position after the fall-out with Peter Moores and Pietersen was his normal, strutting self on the Caribbean tour. Then he was troubled by the Achilles injury – the first major injury problem in his career – and he missed the final three Ashes Test and only returned to action last month.”I just see every day as a challenge,” he said. “To be back playing Test cricket is something that I love doing and something I’m very fortunate to be doing. It’s not something I take for granted. 2009 hasn’t been the most fantastic time but I’m still playing cricket for England, we all love playing for England and are very privileged. This year hasn’t been fun, but hey-ho, life isn’t always good.”

Allan Donald is set to put himself forward as England’s new bowling coach following the departure of Ottis Gibson to West Indies

Cricinfo staff03-Feb-2010Allan Donald is set to put himself forward as England’s new bowling coach following the departure of Ottis Gibson to West Indies. Donald previously held the role briefly in 2007 before his family situation forced him to turn down the full-time position, but he is now ready to return to the international scene.”If I make contact with the ECB I would be throwing my name in the hat. I’ve not had any official contact with the ECB.” Donald told Sky Sports News. “In 2007 I really enjoyed the time I spent with the team. It was an environment I enjoyed being in, working with elite cricketers, and obviously I would be silly not to consider the position. I would think it over, it’s a great challenge for any coach at this level.”After declining the England job in 2007, which led the ECB to Gibson, Donald returned to Warwickshire as their bowling coach but at the end of the 2009 season went home to South Africa after his young son suffered health problems. Donald has worked in the media in recent months, but is clearly eager to return to hands-on duties.”My young boy went through a tough time and I had to abort that immediately,” he said. “At the moment he’s fine and I’m just about ready to get back into it full time.”Last month Donald was linked with the bowling coach position for India but the role went to the former South Africa coach Eric Simons. With the recent upheaval in South African cricket, following the departure of Mickey Arthur, there could be an opening for Donald on home soil in the coming months.Vincent Barnes, the current South Africa bowling coach, is rumoured to be set to leave after the current India tour, however a role with England would come with greater financial reward and Donald is excited by the potential of a developing side.”You can see that Ottis has worked very hard,” he said. “There’s a lot of discipline and hardness in the attack and you can see the skills he has implemented. [James] Anderson has become a quality bowler so has [Stuart] Broad and they are set for some big things. Not only the bowling unit, but the team itself is also becoming a solid one.”

Australia’s players could be a step closer to taking part in the IPL after receiving advice that the terrorist threat from the 313 Brigade was not credible

Cricinfo staff28-Feb-2010Australia’s players could be a step closer to taking part in the IPL after receiving advice that the terrorist threat from the 313 Brigade was not credible. However, Tim May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, has said there could still be “mass withdrawals” unless players receive a commitment that the IPL’s security plans will be implemented at all venues.The Australian IPL players currently on tour in New Zealand were given a briefing by a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade official at the team hotel in Christchurch on Saturday. The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has now been told by the security adviser Reg Dickason that the 313 Brigade threat is not credible but that does not mean the issues are resolved.”Reg is comfortable that the threat is not credible but we still haven’t received a commitment that the security plans will be implemented as laid out,” Marsh told the . “The ball is in the IPL’s court at the moment.”They can give us the commitment to implement the plans or they can’t. Let’s hope that they can. Our understanding is it that they’ve done it before, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has done it. We keep saying, our players want to go.”May agreed that it was now in the hands of the organisers and local police to commit to implementing the security plans. “If the security situation does not improve, there could be mass withdrawals,” May told the BBC. “There are just 13 days before the start of the tournament and security arrangements have still not been agreed.”We would love to tell the players it is okay for them to go. But we can’t give that assurance at the moment, because no one will say definitively that the security plan will be implemented at each of the venues.”

Arshad Ali, a visa services officer for the national airline, cleaned up with 3 for 7 to beat Sussex in a low-scoring final of the Emirates Airline Twenty20

Mark Pennell in Dubai20-Mar-2010Fly Emirates XI 85 (Khuram Khan 24, Liddle 3 for 15) beat Sussex 71 (Kirtley 17*, Arshad Ali 3 for 7) by 14 runs
On a night when Monty Panesar might have hoped to influence the headlines the former England spinner was reduced to the role of reluctant observer as Arshad Ali, a visa services officer for the national airline, cleaned up with 3 for 7 to beat Sussex in a low-scoring final of the Emirates Airline Twenty20.Panesar watched events unfold from the VIP hospitality marquee at 7he Sevens Stadium in Dubai having failed to make the starting XI for the previously unbeaten Sussex. How he must have longed for a star turn after seeing wrist spinner Arshad finish with figures of 4-2-7-3.Needing only 4.25 an over to lift the inaugural trophy, Sussex succumbed inside 18.2 overs leaving the part-time team made up of workers from the airline to cause the major upset of this two-day event and take the title.After Arshad had worked wonders, host captain Nigel Fernandes, a wiry and wily left-arm spinner, polished off the job with 2 for 4 as Sussex tasted defeat for the first time on this pre-season trip to United Arab Emirates.They made the poor to their run chase when Luke Wells fell without scoring after miscuing an attempted cover drive against Amjed Javed low to Mohammad Iqbal diving forward at point. Alarm bells were already sounding for Sussex coach Mark Robinson when Andrew Hodd ran down the pitch and miscued to mid-on.Chad Keegan soon went leg before and though he became the first of two to reach double figures, Ollie Rayner (12) added to his own downfall by dancing past one from Arshad.With spin at both ends Fly Emirates strangled the run rate with three maidens and wickets tumbled thereafter, the last six going for 19 despite a cameo rearguard from James Kirtley, the top-scorer with an unbeaten 17.Sussex had been made to feel welcome ahead of the game when the PA announcer played ‘Sussex by the Sea’ across the ground, but buoyed by the influence of Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi, the hosts had just enough confidence in the tank to win despite Afridi’s late withdrawal with a knee injury.Left-arm seamer Chris Liddle picked up three of the first four wickets to go and Keegan gave good support with two in consecutive deliveries, but on a rapidly deteriorating pitch Fly Emirates edged to 85. A total that, in these extreme conditions, their bowlers were able to defend.