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Newcastle United are pursuing a move for an "unbelievable" £50k-a-week ace as a Michael Olise alternative this summer, according to a new transfer claim.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies are reportedly interested in sealing a move for Olise in the coming months, with the 22-year-old coming off the back of an impressive season with Crystal Palace. In fact, contact is believed to have been made with the Eagles already, according to the reliable David Ornstein.

He is far from the only attacking option being looked at by Newcastle this summer, however, and Ferran Torres has been linked with a move to St James' Park, with Barcelona potentially willing to move him on. The Spaniard has experience of the Premier League from his Manchester City days, so could hit the ground running more than foreign players with no prior knowledge of it.

Juventus youngster Samuel Iling-Junior has also been backed to join the Magpies before the 2024/25 season gets underway, although he looks close to joining Aston Villa. The 20-year-old made 24 appearances in Serie A this season, but only four of those were starts, suggesting that a move away could be best for his development.

Matteo Guendouzi is another rumoured target for Newcastle in the summer transfer window, with the former Gunners midfielder unhappy at Lazio, having fallen out with manager Igor Tudor. He could be a great foil for Bruno Guimaraes in the middle of the park if the Brazilian stays put.

Newcastle want "unbelievable" Olise alternative

According to a new report from i sport, Newcastle are interested in signing Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, should they fail to secure the services of Olise this summer.

It could be that the Crystal Palace star moves to Stamford Bridge ahead of next season, which could then leave Madueke surplus to requirements, paving the way for a switch to St James'.

The 22-year-old could be an interesting option for Newcastle to consider this summer, even though he hasn't exactly set the world alight in a Chelsea shirt, finding himself in and out of the team. In 2023/24, he only started 13 of Chelsea's 38 Premier League matches, but he did score five goals in the competition.

There are certainly comparisons to be drawn between Madueke and Olise, in terms of their elegant, left-footed styles on the right wing, and ex-Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino heaped praise on the former's on and off-the-ball qualities recently: "Noni Madueke today was unbelievable.

"If you analyse him at the start of the season – before all the conversations and meetings, the clips and videos, things like this – he was always, like today, capable of doing a fantastic job with the ball. Of course, he is an offensive player but without the ball he is doing a fantastic job to help Alfie [Gilchrist] defend."

Related FFP solution: Newcastle must sell a star who earns 8x more than Hall

The player has been told he’s free to leave St James’ Park this summer.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Jun 14, 2024

In truth, Olise would be the superior addition for Newcastle this summer, so the hope is that they sign him, but Eddie Howe could view the £50,000-a-week Madueke as a strong option instead, feeling that he can get the best out of him.

Sangwan has played for four IPL franchises in the past, while Suyal has been a part of two teams

Press Trust of India21-Aug-2020

Pradeep Sangwan turned out for Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Over 12 years years after he impressed with his incisive swing bowling in the Under-19 World Cup, which India won under Virat Kohli, 29-year-old left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan will travel to the UAE with Delhi Capitals as a net bowler along with five others.Apart from Sangwan, Pawan Suyal, another left-arm seamer who has played for Mumbai, is also in the list of net bowlers for Capitals. Delhi allrounder Pranshu Vijayaran, Railways left-arm spinner Harsh Tyagi, and two relatively unknown youngsters – left-arm wristspinner Rajat Goel and pacer Bobby Yadav – complete the list.”Yes, Sangwan and Suyal are travelling as net bowlers. Pranshu is the third guy and even Harsh who now plays Ranji Trophy is our boy as he represented Delhi during his India Under-19 days. Rajat is a local club cricketer while Bobby is from UP,” a senior DDCA official told PTI on condition of anonymity.For Sangwan, who has played for Delhi Daredevils (Capitals’ earlier avatar), Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders in the past, it’s like life coming a full circle after he played alongside Mohammed Asif and Glenn McGrath for the Daredevils before being the first Indian cricketer to be banned by BCCI for failing a dope test in 2013.”Sangi has suffered a lot due to injuries in past few years. So has Suyal, who has now cut down his run-up consistently after stress fractures and back injuries. Hope bowling in IPL nets helps them,” the official, who has tracked both since their younger days, said.The logic behind having two left-arm quicks in the pack of six is because all the primary squad speedsters are right-arm bowlers – Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan. “You need variation at training and hence Sangi and Suyal are on board. They are experienced first-class players, who will provide quality practice,” a source told PTI.Goel is one of the players, who has been a regular at the Capitals nets over the years and has done well in the office-cricket circuit, and is expected to simulate the bowling of Knight Riders’ Kuldeep Yadav. Bobby is a right-arm fast-medium bowler who is expected to make his first-class debut for Uttar Pradesh in the coming season.With Axar Patel being the main left-arm spinner in the Capitals line-up, Tyagi could be an important bowler during net sessions. “DC has two wristspinners in Amit Mishra and Sandeep Lamichhane and two fingerspinners in R Ashwin and Axar. Harsh is typical shorter-format bowler, who bowls the restrictive line. It would be good exposure for him,” the source said.Allrounder Vijayaran, who was first spotted by Gautam Gambhir, bowls wicket-to-wicket and is known to have variations in his slower deliveries.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are in contact to bring a Manchester United legend back to Old Trafford, according to a new report.

Man Utd manager rumours

The Red Devils are preparing for an FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City this weekend in what could prove to be Erik ten Hag‘s final game in charge.

There has been plenty of speculation over with Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio saying that a decision has already been made to say “goodbye to Ten Hag”. Publicly, Ratcliffe refused to give his backing to Ten Hag, saying:

"This is not about the manager, if you look at Manchester United in the last 11 years, it's not doing terribly, none of the managers have done terribly well. There's been some really good coaches that have come to Manchester United so you know the conclusion from that has to be that the environment for the coach has not been a successful one because none of them have been successful.

"And, you know, Erik's working in that same environment, so our focus is on how do we change that environment and the structure that provides the environment for the coach.”

"Can confirm" – Fabrizio Romano drops manager news he's heard from Man Utd

There have been rumours about Mauricio Pochettino.

ByCharlie Smith May 23, 2024

Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Kieran McKenna, Gareth Southgate and Roberto De Zerbi have all been linked with taking over from Ten Hag ahead of the 2024/25 season. Should one of the aforementioned bosses take charge, they could have some communication with former Man Utd defender Jaap Stam.

Man Utd in contact with Jaap Stam

According to reports in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Man Utd are in contact with Stam over an Old Trafford return. The 51-year-old has gone on to manage the likes of Reading, PEC Zwolle, Feyenoord and Cincinnati, but his potential return to Manchester wouldn’t be as a manager.

It is believed that United could offer Stam ‘a position which would be a link between the club and the technical staff’, potentially talking to players who could report any issues. A move at this moment in time is being ‘evaluated’, so it looks that everything is at an early stage.

Stam spent three years at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson between 1998-2001, playing his part in the famous treble-winning campaign. However, he was sold to Lazio, a decision which Gary Neville recently called a “massive shock” and a “travesty”.

However, it looks as if he could soon return to Old Trafford, making this situation one to keep an eye on, alongside a potential new manager of course.

The PCB will announce a 42-person touring team, comprising 28 players and 14 support staff

Danyal Rasool11-Jun-2020Fast bowler Mohammad Amir and batsman Haris Sohail have withdrawn from Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming England tour.Amir, who had retired from Test cricket last year, and was thus only eligible for selection for the three-match T20I series, pulled out so that he could be present for the birth of his second child in August, which is when the T20Is are scheduled to be played.There was a spot of confusion* regarding the exact reason for Sohail’s withdrawal. The PCB had initially said that Sohail had opted out because of “personal reasons”, but later issued a statement confirming that he had, in fact, taken “the option [given by the board to the players] of pulling out of the tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic”.The Pakistan players and the support staffers are expected to arrive in England several weeks before the start of the first match to be able to train in the country, as well as complete the mandatory quarantine period for all foreigners travelling to the UK. That means the side will spend over two months in England. The touring party will form a “bubble” where they will not interact with anyone outside of the group, and regular tests for Covid-19 will be conducted on the tour.The three Tests and three T20Is will all be played behind closed doors Additionally, earlier this week, the ICC had approved the use of substitutes if a player showed symptoms of Covid-19 during a Test match. Players’ families will not be allowed to accompany them.The PCB said they would announce a 42-person touring team, with 28 players and 14 support staff to accompany them. Pakistan will be the second side to tour England since the Covid-19 pandemic, with West Indies set to play three Tests in England starting July 8. Three West Indies players – Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Darren Bravo – withdrew from that tour, citing concerns around the coronavirus.

Aston Villa were looking to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Manchester City at home to Brentford on Saturday, although things didn’t quite go as anticipated.

The Midlands side held a two-goal lead after goals from Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers, before the Bees roared back by scoring three goals in just seven minutes, taking full advantage of Villa’s poor defence.

Watkins scored his second with just ten minutes left to salvage a point, yet it gives Tottenham Hotspur a boost in the chase for a top four finish in the Premier League.

Ollie Watkins saved the day for Villa

Prior to the match, Watkins last scored in the top flight in the 3-2 win against Luton at the start of March, but his two goals certainly saved Villa from another defeat.

Along with his goals, the striker also succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts, won seven of his ten contested duels and was fouled three times during the match, proving to be quite the menace against the Brentford defence.

Goals

2

Assists

0

Successful dribbles

1/1

Touches

29

Total duels won

7/10

In this sort of form, Watkins is a huge threat, yet he was let down by the Villa back four who struggled to remain composed, especially while leading by two goals.

Ezri Konsa in particular endured something of a horror show, and if it wasn’t for Watkins stealing a point towards the end of the game, his performance may have come in for harsher criticism.

Ezri Konsa’s game in numbers vs Brentford

Journalist Jacob Tanswell criticised the Villa defence during the match, saying: “Every Brentford goal has started and came down Villa's right side and between the two centre backs.”

Konsa was largely at fault during the Bees' sensational run when they scored three goals in a matter of minutes, while he was given a rating of just 3/10 by Birmingham World for his display.

Charlie Haffenden said Konsa ‘really struggled up against Reguilon’ during the match as his crosses proved to be a key component of their comeback.

The Englishman was playing at right-back due to Matty Cash’s injury and during the game, he managed to take 104 touches while completing 93% of his passes.

However, Konsa won just three of his six contested duels against Brentford, made just one tackle while losing the ball on ten occasions as he really struggled to cope when the Bees were on the attack.

There is no doubt his display cost Villa all three points and Unai Emery will be hoping Cash recovers sooner rather than later ahead of a crucial few weeks.

Thoughts will now turn towards the Europa Conference League, where there is less pressure to succeed, with Villa taking on French side Lille in the quarter-finals of the event.

The first leg is at Villa Park, which could allow the club to build up a lead to take over to France ahead of the second leg. Having not won a major trophy for 28 years, Emery will be targeting European success, especially with how strong a squad he has at his disposal.

If Konsa starts the match, he will have to vastly improve, there is no doubt about that.

The goal of attaining Full Member status was also laid out, but no financial disclosures were made at the AGM

Peter Della Penna22-Feb-2020USA Cricket board chairman Paraag Marathe and chief executive Iain Higgins declared their goal to host at least one major ICC global event in the next eight-year TV rights cycle, as well as a long-term objective to attain Full Member status. Both goals are part of a series of ambitious targets laid out in the inaugural USA Cricket annual general meeting on Friday night in New York.The pair also reinforced their commitment to launch a 22-team city-based “Minor League” T20 franchise tournament this summer to lay the foundation for a “Major League Cricket” T20 franchise event launch in 2021. However, USA Cricket did not disclose any specifics about city locations or the scale of the tournaments, nor did they disclose any documents communicating the board’s financial standing at the end of 2019 as part of an annual report published on the same day of the AGM.”To truly make cricket a mainstream sport in the US, we need to work together to tackle five things: to grow engagement, to increase participation, to improve the performance of national teams, to deliver financial stability, and to build trust within the entire community,” Higgins said during the AGM, which was conducted as a 35-minute listen-only conference call for members.”If we are able to grow the sport as we anticipate, if we are able to deliver on all of our strategic objectives in partnership with all of you, we all at USA Cricket – and I can also speak on behalf of the ICC and the international cricket community – we believe the future of cricket in the USA is extremely bright.”ICC officials have previously pinned major plans on expanding USA’s role in the global market and Higgins, the former chief operating officer of the ICC, backed that up on Friday night with the pursuit of hosting an ICC tournament. He also reaffirmed that USA Cricket will support the inclusion of cricket for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which he believes would contribute towards a major transformation for the awareness and engagement of the sport in the USA.”At one end of the spectrum, we ultimately hope of course that USA Cricket, both men and women, can achieve Full Member status and can have regular cricket against Full Members, regular participation in ICC global events,” Higgins said. “At the other end of the spectrum, we’re hoping to see huge growth and rapid growth in the levels of engagement with cricket in schools and in community programs up and down the country.”Along the way we are also pursuing the exciting prospect of staging an ICC global event, if not more than one global event in the next eight-year ICC commercial rights cycle. We’re working with our friends in the international cricketing community now about how we best position ourselves to hopefully stage ICC global events in the future. Of course, we are hoping to seek the inclusion of cricket in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 which we think will have an incredibly catalytic effect on the growth of cricket in this country.”In the last 20 years there have been multiple aborted efforts to launch a franchise T20 competition in the USA, beginning with ProCricket’s lone season in 2004 and followed by a failed partnership between New Zealand Cricket and USA Cricket Association in 2010. But Marathe, who doubles as executive vice president for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, said he believed the launch of USA’s own franchise T20 cricket tournament – starting with the Minor League T20 later this summer – will be a turning point in American cricket history.”The reason why we’re excited about this is because we really have an opportunity to make history together, both with Major League Cricket and ACE, and within USA Cricket and all of you guys with our USA Cricket membership,” Marathe said. “We always knew there is a latent fanbase within the US for cricket. You can see by virtue of the appetite for global cricket there already is here. Here we are the largest media market in the world without a league of our own.”So this is really neat for us to be able to do this partnership, to build this league and really build something that outlasts any of our lifetimes. Something that we look back on this 50 years from now or 100 years from now and people think about, ‘How did the USA become such a dominant global force in cricket?'”The pair were the only two to speak during the AGM. Aside from a passing mention in the annual report about a “dropoff in membership numbers,” there was no discussion for how USA Cricket plans to arrest the major decline in members from 2018 to 2019. After having approximately 5500 members registered and eligible to vote in 2018, just 725 renewed for this past year, an 87% decline. There was also no financial disclosure made during the meeting, other than to confirm that USA Cricket had spent money in the summer of 2019 to professionally contract numerous players as well as hire more technical support staff with funding provided through their commercial partnership with ACE.

MatériaMais Notícias

No estádio Brinco de Ouro da Princesa, em Campinas, em jogo válido pela 3ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro da Série B, o Náutico venceu o Guarani pelo placar de 3 a 1. A vitória do Timbu foi construída toda na etapa complementar com gols de Vinicius, Kieza e Erick. O gol do Bugre foi de Régis.

RelacionadasGuaraniNo Guarani, Tony ressalta competitividade na atual edição da Série BGuarani09/06/2021GuaraniBruno Silva comenta golaço pelo Guarani: ‘O mais lindo da carreira’Guarani04/06/2021NáuticoCamutanga renova o seu contrato com o NáuticoNáutico09/06/2021

Com o resultado, o Náutico permanece na liderança do Campeonato com 9 pontos e mantém o 100% de aproveitamento na Série B. O Guarani fica com 4 pontos e na sexta posição.

CALENDÁRIO
Na próxima rodada, o Guarani visita o CSA, no estádio Rei Pelé, em Maceió. Já o Náutico recebe o Vila Nova, nos Aflitos, em Recife. Ambas as partidas serão disputadas no dia 15 de junho e terão início às 19h.

O jogo

PRIMEIRO TEMPO

NÁUTICO COMEÇA SUFOCANDO O GUARANI
Embalado pelo título do Campeonato Pernambucano e pelas duas vitórias nesse início de Série B, o Náutico, mesmo jogando fora de casa, partiu para cima do Guarani. Os 20 primeiros minutos da etapa inicial foram de superioridade do time do Timbu.

Entre as oportunidades criadas, o chute de Matheus Trindade acabou indo para fora. Já a cabeçada de Vinícius foi por cima da meta do goleiro Gabriel, da equipe Brugrina.

DEVAGAR, GUARANI MELHORA NO JOGO
Os lances de perigo do Náutico fizeram o time do Guarani acordar. Aos pouquinhos, o Bugre foi reagindo, melhorando na partida e conseguindo criar chances de perigo. A finalização de Davó acabou parando no goleiro Alex Alves, enquanto o chute de Bidu de fora da área foi pela linha de fundo.

FINAL DA PRIMEIRA ETAPA MUITO AMARRADO E SEM EMOÇÃO
Após as boas chances criadas do Guarani, a partida passou a ficar muito amarrada e com os dois times mais preocupados em marcar forte e neutralizar o adversário do que construir oportunidades de gol

SEGUNDO TEMPO

NÁUTICO COMEÇA A ETAPA COMPLEMENTAR A MIL POR HORA E ABRE O PLACAR
Assim como na primeira etapa, o Timbu voltou com tudo do intervalo e decidido a mostrar que a boa fase está definitivamente presente na vida do alvirrubro pernambucano. Aos 4 minutos, em jogada em velocidade, Jean Carlos colocou Vinicius na cara do gol, que bateu a forte e estufou a rede para abrir o marcador: 1 a 0.

GUARANI RESPONDE RÁPIDO E EMPATA O JOGO
O Guarani não demorou para achar o empate. Aos 10 minutos, em jogada pelo lado esquerdo, Bidu achou Régis dentro da área. O meia do Bugre limpou a jogada com brilhantismo e fez o gol de empate de perna direita, ele que é canhoto: 1 a 1.

EM TRÊS MINUTOS, NÁUTICO MARCA DOIS GOLS E LIQUIDA A FATURA
O Náutico não sentiu o gol de empate do Guarani. Os pernambucanos foram para cima e conseguiram logo voltar a vantagem no placar. Aos 15 minutos, Jean Carlos cobrou escanteio, a defesa do Bugre não conseguiu afastar o perigo e a bola acabou sobrando na área. Kieza estava ligado no lance e aproveitou para soltar a bomba e fazer: 2 a 1 para o Timbu.

O Náutico não deixou nem o Guarani administrar o baque do segundo e já foi lá e fez o terceiro. Erick tentou cruzar a bola na área, mas Rodrigo Andrade colocou o braço na bola. Pênalti! Erick bateu e fez: 3 a 1.

GUARANI SENTE OS DOIS GOLS, NÃO CONSEGUE REAGIR E NÁUTICO VENCE A PARTIDA
Os gols aniquilaram o Guarani. O moral do time do Bugre foi lá para baixo o Náutico passou a controlar o jogo e não dar oportunidades para a equipe campineira reagir. E para piorar ainda mais as coisas, Júlio César foi expulso e deixou os paulistas com dez em campo a partir dos 34 minutos. O Náutico só administrou o resultado e garantiu os três pontos e a liderança isolada da Série B.

GUARANI 1 x 3 NÁUTICO – CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO DA SÉRIE B
Estádio: Brinco de Ouro da Princesa, em Campinas (SP)
Data: 11 de junho de 2021, às 21h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Jonathan Antero Silva (RO)
Assistentes: Márcia Bezerra Lopes Caetano (RO) e Adenilson de Souza Barros (RO)
Cartões amarelos: Rodrigo Andrade, Bruno Sávio, Thales (GUA); Hereda (NAU)
Cartões vermelhos: Júlio César (GUA)
GOLS: Vinicius, aos 04’/2ºT (NAU), Régis, aos 10’/2ºT (GUA), Kieza, aos 15’/2ºT (NAU) e Erick, aos 18’/2ºT (NAU)

GUARANI (Técnico: Daniel Paulista)
Gabriel; Pablo (Diogo Mateus, aos 18’/2ºT), Thales, Carlão e Bidu; Rodrigo Andrade (Tony, aos 24’/2ºT), Bruno Silva, Bruno Sávio (Lucão do Break, aos 18’/2ºT), Régis e Júlio César; Davó (Matheus Souza, aos 35’/2ºT).

NÁUTICO (Técnico: Hélio dos Anjos)
Alex Alves; Hereda, Camutanga, Wagner Leonardo e Bryan; Rhaldney (Marciel, aos 41’/2ºT), Matheus Trindade, Erick (Giovanny, aos 33’/2ºT), Jean Carlos (Luiz Henrique, aos 46’/2ºT) e Vinicius (Rafinha, aos 33’/2ºT); Kieza (Paiva, aos 46’/2ºT).

Derby County will go into their Good Friday clash against Blackpool keeping their fingers crossed that another win in League One is forthcoming, even after falling to a crushing 1-0 defeat to Northampton Town last time out.

Sam Hoskins ruined the Rams' day out to Sixfields with an instinctive first-half strike, putting a dampener on proceedings after Paul Warne's men were full of confidence after overcoming automatic promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers in the game prior.

The likes of Curtis Nelson and Sonny Bradley didn't cover themselves in the glory in the narrow defeat to the Cobblers, with the latter of the two centre-backs receiving a late red card to add insult to injury from a Derby point of view.

Yet, Warne and Co wouldn't trade either of those underperforming faces in for this Rams flop in return who is now a forgotten figure at Pride Park after once being viewed as a statement purchase.

Raul Albentosa's time at Derby

Derby couldn't quite believe they managed to land Raul Albentosa's services in 2015, with a number of clubs interested in the Spanish defender after starring in his native country for SD Eibar before making the move to England.

Showing a "real desire" to join the ranks in Derbyshire according to then Rams manager Steve McClaren, it was a move that had plenty of intrigue and hype attached to it.

Albentosa would boast a reputation as being an imposing and goalscoring defender from his time with Eibar, bagging four goals over 50 games for the Spanish side alongside helping himself to an additional three assists.

That was never quite translated into his time donning a Rams shirt, however, with the move – which cost what now looks like an excessive £450k – undoubtedly going down as a major flop.

Only making nine appearances in total for his new English employers before jetting back off to sunnier surroundings in Spain once more, the former Derby number 36 would never really acclimatise to the demands or the cut and thrust of EFL football.

1. GK – Kelle Roos

2. RB – Cyrus Christie

3. CB – Raul Albentosa

4. CB – Jake Buxton

5. CB – Richard Keogh

6. LB – Craig Forsyth

7. CM – Will Hughes

8. CM – Omar Mascarell

9. CM – Jeff Hendrick

10. ST – Darren Bent

11. ST – Chris Martin

As can be seen above, Albentosa's full debut for the Rams wouldn't actually come about until December of his debut season owing to recurring hamstring issues plaguing the start of his doomed Derby stint.

Even when he was fully fit to face off against Chesterfield in the FA Cup, he would only be afforded a 45-minute run-out before being hauled off by McClaren who certainly must have felt the Rams weren't getting their money's worth whatsoever out of the ex-Eibar dud.

It would result in Derby offloading Albentosa to Malaga on loan just one season into his two-and-a-half-year contract at Pride Park, with the 6 foot 5 centre-back then leaving for Deportivo de La Coruña permanently after this loan was up.

In the list of all-time Rams' flops, Albentosa's name must be near the top of the pile with so much talk surrounding his capture focusing in on how many high-profile clubs Derby had beaten to get him into the building.

Tomori's strength, Sibley's left foot: Building Derby's perfect footballer

All of these Derby County greats would combine to make a fantastic footballer.

ByKelan Sarson Mar 20, 2024

Now, the one-time Rams man finds himself playing in Europe's 15th-ranked nation, 14 places below England – according to the UEFA coefficients – and he has managed to mend his broken career somewhat after the scathing experience of playing in England must have left some wounds on his ego.

Raul Albentosa's career after Derby

Albentosa has become a well-travelled individual after calling time on his unmemorable Derby stay, moving to far-away Romania and Bulgaria before finding a settled home recently in Denmark with Vejle Boldklub.

The now 35-year-old is captain of the Superliga club, amassing 69 appearances in total since joining in 2022 and firing in goals from the back to recapture his Eibar best even as his career gradually grinds to a halt.

Albentosa has managed to score eight goals for Vejle to prove his worth to his Danish employers, playing as a leader for the Scandinavian side after shirking away from the spotlight time after time at Pride Park.

The revitalised Vejle number six was crucial to his team beating Silkeborg in mid-February, making seven clearances and completing five interceptions to shut out their Superliga opponents whilst scoring late on to ensure his team would win 2-0 on the day.

It's been a great turnaround for a man lost to the Rams' history books, with many Derby fans just focusing on watching their current crop of heroes battle it out for promotion back up to the Championship than ever remembering names such as Albentosa's when recollecting on the past.

Derby will just be raring to go again when Blackpool come to town on Good Friday, with all those associated with the League One giants wanting to return to the Championship and fast.

Whilst the current camp at Derby could etch themselves into the hall-of-fame at Pride Park by finally breaking back through to the second tier, there'll be no bad blood now on the end of the Rams towards Albentosa and his wretched time in Derbyshire nearly ten years on.

Warne will just have to pray that if his Derby side do return to the division above, they don't get caught out with expensive blunders like Albentosa in the here and now.

Tottenham could be set for a bidding war to sign one marquee defender for Ange Postecoglou this summer.

Spurs keen on signing another centre-back

As chairman Daniel Levy watches on with intent to see if Spurs can indeed seal qualification for the Champions League next season, the club chief and technical director Johan Lange and chief football officer Scott Munn are also working away on summer targets in the background.

Tottenham clear they will bid for £150,000-per-week star who Redknapp loves

He’s a key player for his club.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 16, 2024

The Lilywhites have been regularly linked with a new forward signing this summer. Wolves star Pedro Neto and Barcelona's Raphinha are rated highly at Spurs, according to recent reports, while there is also a belief that Postecoglou wants to add another defender to his ranks.

Spurs put pen to paper on a deal for Romania international Radu Dragusin in a £25 million deal from Genoa in the January window, gifting Postecoglou a much-needed centre-back alternative to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero following Eric Dier's departure to Bayern Munich.

Of the names mentioned, Napoli defender Leo Ostigard, Borussia Monchengladbach ace Ko Itakura and Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly are among the centre-backs who are apparently attracting interest from N17.

Another defender who looks set to be a hot topic later in the year is Everton starlet Jarrad Branthwaite. The 21-year-old is on the radar of Real Madrid and Man United, as well as Spurs, amid his brilliant campaign at Goodison Park where he has shone as one of the standouts under Sean Dyche.

Everton 3-0 Newcastle

7.65

West Ham 0-1 Everton

7.64

Everton 2-0 Chelsea

7.46

Everton 0-0 Aston Villa

7.29

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Everton

7.25

Branthwaite is attracting real attention from Tottenham, with rumours surfacing just last week that United and the north Londoners are making the "most concerted" effort to sign the Englishman pre-summer (Daily Mail).

Tottenham set for bidding war to sign Branthwaite

Sports Broadcaster Ben Jacobs, speaking to GiveMeSport, has shared his own update on their interest in Branthwaite. He believes Tottenham will be in a bidding war to sign Branthwaite this summer, despite reports he could cost as much as £75 million to prise away from Merseyside.

"I think that there is going to be a bidding war, in many ways, during the summer. I think Tottenham will be there, and we know that Real Madrid have looked in the past as well," said Jacobs.

"It is true that bringing in at least one young centre-back is on Manchester United's positional radar. Homegrown players are also a key focus, so Branthwaite ticks a lot of boxes, especially with him being a left-sided centre-back."

Branthwaite has started 22 league games under Dyche as a mainstay of the Toffees eleven, with former Man United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy also calling him a "very complete" player with "speed".

“He is a great talent," said van Nistelrooy.

"The boy is 20, but he has a future. He is good on the ball, can play on the left or the right of centre-back because he is two-footed. He has height and speed, so he is very complete.”

A "magnificent" Rangers player is believed to be "very keen" on the idea of signing a contract extension at Ibrox, according to a new update regarding his future, with a deal potentially even wrapped up this month.

Rangers contract news

The Gers have got themselves into a great position in the Scottish Premiership, topping the table by two points as we head into the business end of the campaign, despite Saturday's hugely disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Motherwell.

Once the season reaches its conclusion, Rangers are going to have some big decisions to make regarding a number of players who are out of contract at the club in the summer, in terms of losing them on free transfers or offering them extensions.

Midfielder John Lundstram is one of those, with the Englishman recently turning 30 years of age, and the same applies to Borna Barisic, with the left-back staying put beyond the January transfer window, despite numerous links suggesting he could move on.

Ryan Jack and Kemar Roofe are two other established names whose time at Ibrox could reach its conclusion in the next few months, while 35-year-old Leon Balogun could well see his time with Rangers come to an end, given his age.

"Magnificent" Ranger hero wants new deal

According to a fresh update from Football Insider, John Lundstram is "very keen" on signing a new Rangers deal in the "coming weeks", suggesting it could even be finalised and announced at some point this month.

The Gers are confident that an agreement can be reached in order to keep the midfielder at the club, having arrived from Sheffield United in the summer of 2021, making 141 appearances to date.

Retaining Lundstram's services has to be seen as a priority for Rangers this summer, even though he may recently have turned 30, as mentioned. He still has to much to offer, having started 26 of his side's Scottish Premiership matches this season, chipping in with three assists.

Appearances

27

Starts

26

Goals

0

Assists

3

Tackles per game

1.6

Key passes per game

1.4

Pass completion rate

88.6%

The midfielder's box-to-box energy can continue to be an invaluable asset for Philippe Clement's side moving forward – Andy Walker has hailed him as "magnificent" in the past – and there is no reason why he shouldn't be in and around his best for the next three or four years.

While new signings are vital in the summer window, retaining the services of some of Rangers' most reliable and established stars is just as important, keeping a stability at the club in the process.

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Whether they extend the stays of the likes of Barisic, Jack and Roofe remains to be seen, but the fact that Lundstram is so happy to stay put and continue contributing means that his extension should be seen as a priority to get sorted as soon as possible.