All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic have initiated talks regarding a deal to bring Cameron Carter-Vickers to Parkhead on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

According to recent reports (via The Celtic Bhoys), Ange Postecoglou’s side have started talks with Tottenham Hotspur about making the centre-back’s season-long loan switch a permanent move ahead of the January transfer window.

A previous report by the Daily Record revealed that Celtic have an option-to-buy clause in the 23-year-old’s temporary contract at Parkhead, with £10m reported as the figure that the Bhoys would need to shell out in order to sign the USA international permanently.

However, Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph then claimed in a post on Twitter that the Hoops’ clause to purchase Carter-Vickers is actually £6m.

“Great move”

Considering just how impressive Carter-Vickers has been since his arrival in Glasgow earlier this year, reports that Celtic have initiated talks to sign the defender on a permanent basis are sure to have left Hoops fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 15 Premiership appearances so far this season, the £1.8m-rated centre-back has helped his side to keep seven clean sheets, scored two goals and provided his teammates with one assist. He has also averaged 1.4 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 85.2 passes per match – the second-most of any player in the league for the latter – and won 71% of his duels.

These returns have seen the £20k-per-week loanee, who former Spurs team-mate Jan Vertonghen dubbed an “absolute beast”, average a tremendous SofaScore match rating of 7.45, ranking him as the fourth-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

As such, it would very much seem as if Postecoglou’s claim that Celtic’s signing of the defender was a “great move” by the club is bang on the money, while the addition of the 23-year-old on a permanent basis in January would undoubtedly be a very positive one for the future of the Bhoys based on how his loan spell has gone so far.

In other news: Postecoglou drops four-word injury update which will delight Celtic fans

Huma, the wife of Pakistani bowling legend Wasim Akram has died in an Indian hospital on Sunday after developing heart and kidney complications

Cricinfo staff25-Oct-2009Huma Akram, the wife of former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, died on Sunday after developing heart and kidney complications. She was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai last Tuesday after her condition deteriorated on board an air ambulance flying from Lahore to Singapore, where she was due to be treated at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital. She breathed her last around 9:45am, hospital sources informed.Huma, 42, is survived by two children, Taimur and Akbar, and arrangements are underway to fly her body back to Pakistan. A trained medical practitioner herself, she had stints with some of the leading hospitals in Pakistan as a psychologist and a hypnotherapist.In the mid-1990s, during her husband’s second stint as captain, Huma also worked with the Pakistan team for a while as a psychological counsellor, helping players such as Saqlain Mushtaq. Wasim also regularly credited her for helping him mentally, especially in the aftermath of the players revolt against his captaincy in 1993-94.Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, also expressed his grief over the demise. “We are with Wasim and his family at this hour of need and pray to God to give them strength to bear this great and irreparable loss,” he said. “All the management of PCB and fellow cricketers have also extended their condolences and prayed eternal peace for the departed soul.”Wasim, 43, played 104 Tests and 356 ODIs during his 17-year career, before retiring in 2002 with 414 and 502 wickets in the respective formats.

Offspinner Gareth Batty has rejoined Surrey from Worcestershire, signing a three-year contract from next season having left the county in 2001

Cricinfo staff27-Aug-2009Offspinner Gareth Batty has rejoined Surrey from Worcestershire, signing a three-year contract from next season having left the county in 2001.The addition of Batty will strengthen Surrey’s spin attack, adding to Chris Schofield and Simon King who are already in the squad.”Getting Gareth on board will certainly bring healthy competition for bowling places within the squad,” said Chris Adams, the Surrey manager. “Having several options within the spin department is integral to a successful team and I now feel confident that we have a lot of depth there now.”Batty, 31, already had a stint at The Oval from 1998 to 2001, but moved to New Road where he has taken 318 wickets with an average of 33.37 and hopes the move will boost his international chances.”I still have aspirations to get back playing Tests for England again and I feel that the move to Surrey will help me do that,” he saidBatty has played seven Tests for England having made his debut against Bangladesh in 2003 and was part of the one-day squad that toured the Caribbean earlier this year.

Stuart Clark and Phil Jaques will both have an opportunity to impress the national selectors ahead of the tour of South Africa when they return to the New South Wales Sheffield Shield side on Friday

Cricinfo staff27-Jan-2009
The forgotten man of Australia’s top order, Phil Jaques, will make his state comeback on Friday © Getty Images
Stuart Clark and Phil Jaques will both have an opportunity to impress the national selectors ahead of the tour of South Africa when they return to the New South Wales Sheffield Shield side on Friday. The pair is part of the Blues’ 12-man squad for the match against Tasmania in Newcastle, where Nathan Hauritz will also turn out having been released from the ODI team.Clark made his comeback to club cricket on the weekend and collected 4 for 29 from 14 overs having been out of action for six weeks following elbow surgery. Should he make an unhindered return for New South Wales he will be a certainty for the trip to South Africa in late February.That tour is also the goal for Jaques, who last played for Australia in the West Indies in June. Jaques was included in the squad for the Test series in India in October but was forced home due to an ongoing back problem which required surgery.He also returned via Sydney’s grade competition on the weekend, although with a less successful result after he was lbw to the 49-year-old former Test spinner Greg Matthews for 5. Jaques said the game had been “smooth sailing” physically but he felt he would need a strong performance for the Blues in order to win back his spot in the Test squad.”I’ll be in the frame if I score some runs, and then my fate will be up to the selectors,” Jaques told the . “I don’t think anything is a given in Australian cricket, I think there’s a lot of good cricketers running around.”Jaques could be competing for a Test opening slot with his New South Wales top-order partner Phillip Hughes. The incumbent in the Australia line-up, Simon Katich, is also in the New South Wales side for his first Sheffield Shield match of the summer.The four-day game will be the final opportunity for the men to find form before the squad for South Africa is picked. Hauritz will also be keen for wickets as the Victoria legspinner Bryce McGain, who was originally the first-choice slow bowler for the India tour, is back in action and will use the next round of state matches to push his claims for a Test debut.New South Wales squad Phil Jaques, Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Peter Forrest, Ben Rohrer, Daniel Smith (wk), Beau Casson, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Mark Cameron, Doug Bollinger.

Newcastle United are eyeing an ambitious transfer swoop for Bayer Leverkusen starlet Florian Wirtz.

What’s the story?

According to a report from German publication SportBild, the Magpies have joined a number of clubs in keeping a track of the young German, and that they had sent a scout to watch him during Leverkusen’s Bundesliga clash against FC Koln at the weekend.

The report does add however that the 18-year-old is unlikely to leave in the near future, and any potential fee to let him go would be very expensive to say the least.

He’s a massive Almiron upgrade

When Newcastle signed Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United a few years ago for what was then a club record fee, Magpies fans were no doubt hoping that he would come in and add some much-needed goals from midfield.

Instead, the Paraguayan has been a complete let-down with his end product, being a bundle of energy but without any calmness or conviction – in fact, in 100 games for the club, he’s scored just 13 goals and provided only five assists.

On the other hand, Wirtz has proven already in his fledgling career with Leverkusen that he is destined for the big time, already making a major impact for one of the biggest sides in German football.

This season alone has seen him net six goals and set up another six in just 12 games in all competitions, including bagging two in the Europa League and striking against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

It’s no surprise then that plenty of people have delivered some rave reviews, with former teammate Aleksandar Dragovic even comparing him to a current Premier League star.

He said: “The lad has a lot of potential and if he keeps his feet on the ground, he could be another Kai Havertz.”

And, one of his current teammates, Julian Baumgartlinger, added: “He’s really emerged quickly. During the lockdown, he came to first-team training, and you could see he’s a special player even though he’s young.”

As per Whoscored, Wirtz averages significantly more shots, key passes and dribbles per game than Almiron, while his average match rating completely trounces the Newcastle man – 7.58 to a measly 6.54.

With his age and goal-scoring record already – he is the youngest scorer in German top-flight history –  there’s no questioning that Wirtz is not only a major upgrade on Almiron already, but could leave the Paraguay international in the dust in the future.

The starlet valued at a mammoth £127m by CIES could be the poster boy of this Newcastle revolution under PIF.

Meanwhile, Newcastle could get St James’ Park rocking by hiring this man…

Bangladesh lead the five-match series 2-0 and Zimbabwe’s efforts in both matches have been distinctly underwhelming

The Preview by Jamie Alter13-Aug-2009Match factsFriday August 14, 2009
Start time 09.30 (07.30 GMT)Big PictureSean Williams, one of the bright spots for Zimbabwe, must click for the hosts•AFPBangladesh will be looking to follow up their comprehensive rout of Zimbabwe in the first two ODIs at the Queens Sports Club by sealing the five-match series tomorrow. Bangladesh’s batting line-up, led by the enthusiastic Shakib Al Hasan and former captain Mohammad Ashraful, has brought extended relief to the side in limited-overs cricket with bigger challenges ahead. And therein lies the key to Bangladesh’s success – how well they have batted in recent times.Bangladesh find themselves from winning their third ODI series in a row. A win at Bulawayo will be their eighth in a row, which will be one short of their record best in ODIs. The visitors find themselves on top at home again, under an energetic captain. This ODI team has continued the good work shown in West Indies, with the younger players stepping up admirably. It will take something special to stop Bangladesh going up 3-0 on what is expected to be another slow track.Zimbabwe’s efforts in both matches have been distinctly underwhelming. In the first they gave the spinners too much respect and were let down by their limited pace attack and in the second dropped too many catches (two were absolute dollies) and erred in sending Elton Chigumbura, a noted hitter of the ball, at No. 9. Such creases must be smoothed out immediately. Zimbabwe can take some solace from the fact that, chasing 321, they managed to post 271 despite four key batsmen – Mark Vermeulen, Hamilton Masakadza, Chamu Chibabha and Brendan Taylor – failing. Yet the tempo of their batting approach in both innings on slow pitches was all wrong and with the third match to be held at the same venue, Zimbabwe must quickly adapt to the conditions if they want to avoid an irreparable 3-0 deficit.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)Zimbabwe – LLWWW
Bangladesh – WWWWWWatch out for…Sean Williams’ decision to come out of self-imposed retirement last year – he cited frustration but returned to play in the Sri Lanka series – can only be a good thing for Zimbabwe. Against Bangladesh, Williams averages 28.28 in 15 matches with five of his ten career half-centuries coming against this opposition and in the last game he showed his liking for Bangladesh’s attack. A clean striker of the ball but equally adept at rotating the strike through sensible batting and excellent running between the wickets, Williams remains a vital player as Zimbabe push to save the series.
In the absence of three leading bowlers, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak and Rubel Hossain, Bangladesh’s spinners have stepped up admirably in Zimbabwe. Spin accounted for five wickets in each of the first two games, with the host batsmen struggling especially against the slow stuff in the series opener. Charles Coventry and Williams tonked it around in game two chasing a huge total but the spinners held their nerve and pulled Bangladesh back to script a win. If the Bulawayo pitch turns slowly like it did in the last two games, Bangladesh’s spinners should once again be a handful for Zimbabwe.Team newsZimbabwe really need to bolster their pace attack and Tawanda Mupariwa looks the likely candidate, which means Ray Price, unimpressive in two games, or a batsman will have to be sacrificed.
Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Mark Vermeulen, 3 Chamu Chibhabha, 4 Brendan Taylor (wk), 5 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 6 Sean Williams, 7 Charles Coventry, 8 Elton Chigumbura, 9 Prosper Utseya (capt), 10 Ray Price/Tawanda Mupariwa, 11 Ed Rainsford.Cricinfo has learnt that Junaid Siddique and Nazmul Hossain could be left out for Mehrab Hossain jnr and fast bowler Mahbubul Alam.Bangladesh: (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mehrab Hossain jnr, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Raqibul Hasan, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Enamul Haque jnr, 10 Syed Rasel, 11 Mahbubul Alam.Stats & trivia Zimbabwe have won just nine of 35 completed games at the Queens Sports Club.Zimbabwe’s bowlers have given away 531 runs in two matches – 246 in fours and sixes – and haven’t bowled Bangladesh out. Quotes”I have seen that you have more chances of succeeding if you go into a game in a positive frame of mind. I have tried to be positive and it has worked for me so far.”

CA and the players’ union have committed to a new Memorandum of Understanding that delivers higher wages

Alex Brown09-Jun-2009Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) have moved to stave off defections to lucrative Twenty20 leagues by committing to a new Memorandum of Understanding that delivers higher wages and places greater emphasis on the off-field welfare of the nation’s cricketers.The player payment pool is projected to rise to A$96.2 million (US$76.9m) – an increase of 13.1% – over the next two years, representing a significant increase in the value of state and national contracts. Players will also be remunerated for CA-related sponsorship work and, for the first time, the top-six ranked players will receive “fixed contracts”, in which match payments for the next 12 months are paid out in full at the beginning of CA’s pay cycle.The latter move was made following complaints that players were being penalised financially for adhering to Australia’s policy of rest and rotation during hectic one-day tournaments. It is intended to serve as an incentive for centrally contracted cricketers to strive to be considered among the best six players in the land.CA has also acquiesced to ACA calls for players’ partners and loved ones to be welcomed on tours, and for welfare programmes to be set in place to prepare cricketers’ for life after the game. The moves, according to ACA chief executive Paul Marsh, represent an acknowledgement of the unique social challenges encountered by national and state cricketers, and will go far towards limiting the impact of overseas Twenty20 leagues on Australian competitions.CA is aware it cannot match the contracts offered by Twenty20 leagues in terms of pro-rata payments – Andrew Symonds, for example, stands to earn US$1.35 million for each six-week stint he completes for Deccan Chargers – but has acknowledged it can outflank tournaments such as the IPL by bolstering its commitment to player welfare.”Players can be away from home for up to 10 months a year and that, by anyone’s standards, is an unnatural life,” Marsh told Cricinfo. “What we have here is a greater understanding that cricket, unlike any other sport, can place special demands on players and their families. And with opportunities opening up in the IPL, the EPL and the Southern Premier League – where players can earn more money for less cricket – I think we have now an understanding that if we want to keep players in Australia, we have to give players as normal a life as possible.”CA is very aware what is now in front of elite players in terms of IPL-style opportunities. Unlike some other countries, they have not yet lost players other than those who are already at the back end of their careers, and I think this MoU reflects the commitment to retaining players for the long term.”Players’ overall share of Cricket Australia’s revenue – projected at A$370 million (US$296m) over the next two years – has increased from 25 to 26% from previous MoUs. But in an acknowledgment of the precarious global economic climate, CA and ACA have agreed that up to A$3 million (US$2.4m) could be taken from the player pool in each of the next two years if CA’s revenue projections fall short of current estimates.

CA is aware it cannot match the contracts offered by Twenty20 leagues in terms of pro-rata payments to players but has acknowledged it can outflank tournaments such as the IPL by bolstering its commitment to player welfare

“We have always acknowledged that the players are stakeholders in the game, and we’re not about to send it broke,” Marsh said. “The players’ share of revenue will remain at 26%, regardless.”James Sutherland, CA’s chief executive, stressed the need for financial prudence during this period of economic uncertainty. “It is critically important to us that we pay what the game can afford – and, in so doing, that Australian cricket maintains an appropriate balance between its investment in elite cricket and its investment in grassroots cricket,” Sutherland said.”The new MoU does this. Once again, the agreement is in many ways like a partnership and delivers CA and the ACA an outcome which offers the players more while also increasing Australian cricket’s investment in game development.”CA will maintain the current number of national and state contracts, but will substantially increase their value. A base national contract will increase from a minimum A$180,000 (US$144,000) to A$210,000 (US$168,000) over the next two years, with minimum state deals to rise from A$44,000 (US$35,000) to A$52,000 (US$41,500) over the corresponding period. Match payments are set to rise, and prize money for state competitions will almost double from A$550,000 (US$439,000) to A$1 million (US$800,000).Restrictions have also been removed for international cricketers seeking to ply their trade temporarily overseas. Previously, players surrendered between 2.5 to 12.5% of their contracts depending on the length of their stints in competitions such as the IPL or county cricket, however state players will now be granted a six-week penalty free window.”At a macro level, this is a deal that is significantly better at attracting and retaining players,” Marsh said. “[Australian] football codes can offer money, but they can’t offer the unique experience of playing all over the world, which cricket obviously can. That should appeal to younger athletes. And with measures in place to ease the touring burden on families, hopefully strains on players will be reduced.”

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City supporters have been left excited by news on Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic as the Sky Blues continue their search for a centre-forward.

Pep Guardiola guided City to a Premier League title and Carabao Cup-winning campaign last year, as well as a Champions League final, while barely playing with a natural centre-forward.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/man-city-latest-developments/” title=”Man City latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Club legend Sergio Aguero was the subject of many absences through fitness issues or coronavirus, while Gabriel Jesus was arguably struggling to find his best form at some points.

As such, Guardiola often deployed a false nine or makeshift centre-forward options like Raheem Sterling, and despite their success, much of City’s summer window was dominated by discussion of signing a star striker.

The likes of Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo were targeted by sporting director Txiki Begiristain with news now emerging on yet another target.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the club ‘dream’ of signing La Viola star Vlahovic amid his ongoing contract dispute at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

His deal runs out in 2023 as it stands, meaning City could have some leverage in potential negotiations to sign the dazzling 21-year-old who scored 21 Serie A goals last season and 35 in all competitions since his move to Fiorentina (Transfermarkt).

Begiristain and co are showing an intense interest as as supporters get excited by this news, find all of their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

Man City fans excited by Vlahovic news…

“MY BABY”

Credit: @ZinnySZN

“Vlahovic would be a Beast under Pep”

Credit: @izzy900is

“Go all out!!”

Credit: @Hiz_Zam

“SIIIUUU”

Credit: @rubenbias_

“YESSSSSSSSSSS”

Credit: @Kelvinclasher

“Get it done

Sterling + cash”

Credit: @Dhayveed15

“Bring him home in January I beg”

Credit: @LordAtrexia

“He’s coming to Manchester”

Credit: @Jacob4rmstrong

“a competent striker at this club am I dreaming”

Credit: @c_c__cc_c

In other news: ‘Finally’, ‘Yesssss’, ‘Get him home’ – Many Man City fans erupt as claim emerges on 163-goal superstar, find out more here.

Lalit Modi denied the IPL franchise owners were unhappy over the delay in compensation for the extra expenditure incurred during the 2009 tournament

Cricinfo staff27-Nov-2009Lalit Modi, the Indian Premier League commissioner, has denied that the franchise owners were unhappy about not being compensated for the extra expenditure incurred during the 2009 tournament in South Africa.”It’s absolute hogwash and there’s no truth or merit in the reports that have appeared. Our franchise owners are not like that,” Modi said. “It’s an ongoing process. Part-payments were done. It has to go to the IPL Governing Council for approval.”The first edition of the IPL was held in India in 2008. The second was shifted to South Africa because the tournament was scheduled to be held at the same time as the general elections in India, and the government could not guarantee adequate security. The shift in venue involved extra costs for all the franchises, who were promised compensation by the IPL. The tournament will return to India for the third edition next year.

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that the domestic Twenty20 tournament has been switched from Harare to Bulawayo

Cricinfo staff07-May-2009Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that the domestic Twenty20 tournament has been switched from Harare to Bulawayo. The competition, which takes place between May 13 and 16, will be staged at Queens Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club.”Bulawayo Metro Province has been very forthcoming in making a stronger case for the competition to be held in Bulawayo and we reached a final decision to that effect last week,” a ZC spokesperson told Cricinfo.Bulawayo Metropolitan Cricket Association chairman Bradley Staddon told the Sunday News that the switch was “a good development for Bulawayo because we have not hosted any cricket for a long time. We want to put together a good event and prove to Harare that we are capable of hosting a big tournament.”The board has been under fire for moving the entire Logan Cup to Harare, and no major cricket has been played outside the capital for more than a year. The two grounds in Bulawayo are reported by local sources to be in good condition.Defending champions Easterns, along with Centrals and Northerns are expected to start arriving in Bulawayo on May 11, two days after home side Westerns get back after completing their Logan Cup campaign.There will be two matches each day at the same venue, with the first getting underway at 9.30am.