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Manchester United will make a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer.

The Lowdown: De Jong at Barca

De Jong, who previously worked under new United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax, has been at the Nou Camp since 2019.

The 24-year-old has gone on to make 135 appearances for the Catalan giants, scoring 13 times and registering 17 assists.

He reportedly has a release clause of €400m (£337m) and is under contract to 2026, but it looks as if a reunion with Ten Hag could be on the cards.

The Latest: United bid

Sports Witness relayed an update from Spanish outlet Sport on Saturday regarding the Red Devils and De Jong.

They claimed that the Barcelona star is one of United’s ‘priority targets’ and there ‘will be an offer’ made for his services. Ten Hag’s arrival at Old Trafford ‘could change everything’ due to the pair’s positive relationship, the report adds.

The Verdict: Needed

Midfield reinforcements are required at Old Trafford this summer, especially with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic set to leave on free transfers.

De Jong is primarily a central midfielder but can also play as a defensive midfielder, and Ten Hag will know just how to get the best out of him.

Financially, a deal could prove difficult due to his huge release clause, however, landing De Jong, who still has plenty of years at the top ahead of him, could be an extremely shrewd move ahead of Ten Hag’s first season in charge.

In other news: ‘First signing of the Ten Hag era will most likely be’ – Journalist breaks major Man United news.

It’s no secret to say that Rangers have had some howlers in the transfer market over the previous few years, from signing players who haven’t quite made the grade at the club, to letting young talents go for peanuts who have gone on to thrive elsewhere.

The newest member of the latter club is Malcolm Ebiowei, who Rangers let go for absolutely nothing in the summer of 2021.

The 18-year-old joined Rangers from Arsenal in 2020, stating that he was “delighted” to join the Glasgow club and making clear his desire to work with then-manager Steven Gerrard.

It didn’t work out for him at Ibrox but he has exploded into life since his move to Derby last year, featuring for the Rams in 15 English Championship matches and scoring once, although the team were recently relegated to League One.

Working under Wayne Rooney seems to have brought out the best in the teenage forward and it looks like he has a bright future in the game, especially following his recent performances.

His average rating of 6.89 on WhoScored is the third highest in the Derby squad, not bad considering that Curtis Davies, who is deemed their top performer, has played three times as many matches.

Derby coach Justin Walker stated that the youngster “gets people out of their seats” following a solid performance against Bristol City last month, and this is high praise for Ebiowei.

It looks like Rangers have made a big mistake in letting him Ibrox and this could come back to haunt them in a similar vein to Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour, who left the Light Blues for a cut-price fee in 2017 and has since gone on to excel at a high level.

There are some fantastic prospects in the Gers academy, but letting go of Ebiowei for nothing could hurt over the next few years.

AND in other news, “Signals from the club..”: Rangers now dealt huge blow, it’ll have supporters gutted…

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their interest in signing Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

What’s the talk?

According to talkSPORT, the Magpies are one of the clubs, along with Tottenham, who are monitoring his situation at Goodison Park as they consider a swoop for the England international.

The report claims that the shot-stopper may be on his way out of the Toffees at the end of the season as manager Frank Lampard wants to fund a rebuild of the squad in the next window.

Major PIF blunder

PIF are on course for their first major blunder as Newcastle owners, as signing Pickford would be a huge mistake for multiple reasons.

First and foremost, he has had a poor season between the sticks. As per FBRef, he ranks in the 26th percentile in Europe’s top five leagues for goals conceded, the 29th percentile for save percentage and the 50th for post-shot XG in comparison to goals conceded. This suggests that he is at best an average shot-stopper, and there have been some theories from pundits as to why this is.

Former England full-back Stephen Warnock criticised Pickford’s style of goalkeeping, saying: “There’s a way of telling people you’ve go to be tighter, you’ve got to be more organised. His is aggressive every time that he comes out, he’s shouting at things.

“He’s just so animated, that for me, every time I see him I think there’s a mistake coming or he’s out of control in what he’s doing constantly.”

Pundit Jamie Smith previously dubbed the 28-year-old a “liability” after he made a key error in a 2-1 Premier League defeat for Everton in November 2020, coincidentally against Newcastle, and his statistics back up that criticism.

Along with his struggles on the pitch, it would also be a disaster given the player’s history with Sunderland, joining the Toffees from the Black Cats for £30m in 2017. Pickford came up through the youth ranks on Wearside and previously admitted that the reception he got from Newcastle fans at St James’ Park got to him at times.

Would the Toon faithful take to a player with a rich history at their arch-rivals in the northeast? Couple this with the goalkeeper’s poor displays on the pitch and you have the makings of a major blunder. This is why PIF must avoid a deal for Pickford and look elsewhere for goalkeeping options to improve the squad.

AND in other news, Imagine him & ASM: Howe can leave supporters buzzing if NUFC sign “rapid” £40m “freak”…

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce mentioned in recent weeks that he will be looking to conduct a rather significant overhaul at The Hawthorns during the upcoming summer transfer window.

Having ended the season in 10th place with 67 points on the board after winning 18, drawing 13 and losing 15 of their 46 games, it’s easy to see why it could be a busy summer for the Baggies as they aim to win promotion back to the Premier League.

One area of the squad where the Midlands club could look to strengthen is in defence.

Despite conceding just 45 goals, fewer than all but three teams in the Championship (each of whom finished in the top four), the Baggies have already been linked with one defender who could come in and make them stronger at the back.

Having been linked with a swoop for Blackburn’s Darragh Lenihan, who is out of contract in the summer, this could give Bruce the chance to create a formidable pairing at the back with the Rovers ace and current Baggies centre-half Kyle Bartley.

With two more appearances in the league this season to his name than the West Brom defender, Lenihan has also made more interceptions and tackles along the way, highlighting his talents at the back.

Furthermore, the Irishman has made considerably more crosses (54) throughout this campaign than the West Brom defender (two), showing that he can be an attacking threat as well as a tough opponent at the back.

The Blackburn tank, dubbed a “man mountain” by his manager Tony Mowbray, has also averaged 4.1 clearances per game, which is just above Bartley’s average of four per match.

Taking all this into account, having a £14k-per-week titan like Lenihan in the team next to Bartley could be exactly what Bruce and West Brom need in order to ensure they have a better chance of securing promotion next season by being harder to beat.

Additionally, with the possibility of a free transfer on the cards, this could be a great bit of business from the Midlands club from a financial point of view, and it may then allow them to spend money on strengthening other areas of the squad.

In other news: John Percy drops behind-the-scenes WBA transfer claim, supporters will be buzzing

Scottish football pundit Michael Stewart has now dropped an interesting Glasgow Rangers claim after they lost the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday night.

The Lowdown: Gutting defeat

It was a truly gutting defeat for everyone involved with the Ibrox faithful, even more so that they lost on penalties.

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They were in front in the game as well through Joe Aribo, but got pegged back to 1-1 in normal time, and in the end it was just not meant to be as Frankfurt lifted the coveted trophy after Ryan Kent’s last-minute chance was incredibly saved by Kevin Trapp.

The Latest: Financial blow

Taking to Twitter, Stewart has claimed that winning the Scottish Cup against Hearts over the weekend would now be ‘huge’ for the Teddy Bears after the defeat, but added that it is a ‘massive blow’ for them to lose out on the UEFA Champions League money.

Of course, a win would have qualified the Gers for the elite European competition automatically, which could have come with a whopping £40m next season.

Scottish football journalist Barry Anderson revealed that the Light Blues get £3.9m for finishing as runners-up, but Frankfurt get £7.3m for winning the final, on top of the extra money from automatic Champions League qualification.

The Verdict: Focus on Hearts

As gutting as it was for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his team to lose the final, they must now switch focus quickly to what they have coming up against Hearts.

Win that, and they at least have some silverware to show off at the end of the season, which will come with some added finances too.

The Gers did not lose out on too much money in the end by losing the final rather than winning it, and they will have another chance to qualify for the Champions league as well, which would merit the same financial boost that Frankfurt have received.

In other news, find out whose performance this RFC journalist slammed here!

The 22-year-old set for a stint in the WBBL after her recent England debut

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2021Melbourne Stars have signed recent England debutant batter Maia Bouchier for the upcoming WBBL season.The 22-year-old made her T20I debut in England’s recent series against New Zealand following some promising performances for Southern Brave in the women’s Hundred. She has also had a steady season for Southern Vipers in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, helping the Vipers reach the final.The Stars have lost experienced South Africa middle-order batter Mignon du Preez to Hobart Hurricanes and Bouchier joins a relatively inexperienced middle-order behind the star-studded top-order duo of Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani.”I’ve watched the WBBL over recent seasons from the UK and we know what a quality tournament it is to be a part of,” Bouchier said. “I’m really excited to make my debut in the competition and I’d like to thank the Melbourne Stars for the opportunity to be involved.”The Stars have some fantastic players and I know how close they went to winning the title last year, so hopefully I can make a contribution to a successful season.”Bouchier will have to do 14-day mandatory hotel quarantine when entering Australia ahead of the tournament starting on October 14. The Stars’ Melbourne-based players will also have to serve a 14-day quarantine in Hobart after the first 20 matches of the WBBL were shifted to Tasmania due to Covid-19 outbreaks and lockdowns in Victoria and New South Wales. But the Stars and Melbourne Renegades will be allowed to train while completing quarantine however, the two Sydney-based sides will not be given training exemptions while in quarantine due to the severity of Sydney’s outbreak.

Wong turned down a holiday in Italy to replace Shabnim Ismail at Sydney Thunder, while Smith adds international experience to a young Melbourne Stars attack

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2021Sydney Thunder have signed 19-year-old England quick Issy Wong while Melbourne Stars have recruited left-arm orthodox spinner Linsey Smith for the upcoming WBBL.Wong was an extremely late addition to the Thunder squad after Shabnim Ismail was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury. The 19-year-old, who has been part of England’s training squad, was preparing to go on holiday to Italy when she got a call from Thunder coach Trevor Griffin.”It was a no-brainer,” Wong said. “When you get such an opportunity you can’t say ‘no’ to it.”This really is a great opportunity for me. I’m still very young, and to have this sort of exposure, and in such a respected league as the WBBL, is super-exciting.”I’m grateful to Sydney Thunder for putting their faith in me and giving me this opportunity.”Meanwhile, the Stars have added the experienced Smith to bolster their attack. Smith, 26, has played 9 T20Is for England and took 9 wickets in just 7 matches in the women’s Hundred for Northern Superchargers, at an excellent economy rate of 5.54.Stars coach Jarrad Loughman was pleased to add a senior bowler to his young side.”Linsey will add another level of versatility to our squad this season with her left-arm spin and batting in the middle order. Her experiences on the international stage will be beneficial to our squad, that is diverse in age and experience,” Loughman said.”She had a terrific English summer, highlighted by a strong tournament at The Hundred.”The Stars have also signed 20-year-old wicketkeeper Maddy Darke. She has previously played for Sydney Sixers in the WBBL but was starved of opportunity behind Alyssa Healy. Darke toured England with Australia A in 2019 and is currently part of Western Australia’s WNCL squad having moved from New South Wales in 2021.

Says it is “imperative for the team to be seen taking a united and consistent stand against racism, especially given South Africa’s history”

Firdose Moonda26-Oct-2021CSA has noted the personal decision by Quinton de Kock to not take the knee ahead of Tuesday’s game against West Indies*. All players had been required, in line with a directive of the CSA board on Monday, to take the knee in a united and consistent stance against racism. And de Kock, who had chosen not to take a knee – or raise a fist or stand in attention, the other expressions of support for the BLM movement – in the past, opted against taking part in the game in Dubai altogether in a late decision.The board’s view was that while diversity could, and should, find expression in many facets of daily lives, this did not apply when it came to taking a stand against racism. In an update after the South Africa vs West Indies game started, the board said it would await a further report from team management before deciding on the next steps. All players are expected to follow this directive for the remaining games of the World Cup.Related

• Why did Quinton de Kock refuse to take a knee?

• 'I believe de Kock is committed to an antiracist agenda' – CSA chairperson Lawson Naidoo

• SACA CEO: Cricket South Africa has caused a 'crisis' by mandating taking a knee

• Temba Bavuma: Team 'surprised and taken aback' at Quinton de Kock's refusal to take a knee

• "We didn't anticipate we would be viewed as a white takeover'

On Monday, the CSA board said it recognised concerns that “the different postures taken by team members in support of the BLM initiative created an unintended perception of disparity or lack of support for the initiative”, and feel it is “imperative for the team to be seen taking a united and consistent stand against racism, especially given South Africa’s history”.Since the BLM movement re-emerged last year, South Africa have adopted varied stances towards supporting the anti-racism movement, but the national team has not taken a knee together. The closest South Africa came to that was when all the players, support staff and administrators involved in the 3TC event last July, including director of cricket Graeme Smith, took a knee before play. Thereafter, all South Africa’s players raised a fist before the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka last December, before the discussion re-emerged on their tour to the West Indies this winter.

Watch the T20 World Cup on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the US. Match highlights of South Africa vs West Indies is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

It was agreed that team members would make their own decision about whether to take a knee, raise a fist or stand to attention during that series. Notably, all the players of colour and some white players and members of staff, including coach Mark Boucher, Rassie van der Dussen and Kyle Verreynne, took a knee while other white players raised a fist and the rest stood to attention.CSA’s board has steered away from directing the team until this point, but changed their mind after South Africa’s opening T20 World Cup match against Australia, where Australia took a knee but South Africa maintained their three options. England, West Indies, India and Scotland have also taken a knee so far, while Pakistan held their hands to their hearts. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have not made any gestures yet but Bangladesh have previously taken a knee.”Concerns were raised that the different postures taken by team members in support of the BLM initiative created an unintended perception of disparity or lack of support for the initiative,” a CSA statement read. “After considering all relevant issues, including the position of the players, the Board felt that it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a united and consistent stand against racism, especially given SA’s history. Several other teams at the World Cup have adopted a consistent stance against the issue, and the Board felt it is time for all SA players to do the same.”The CSA board directive comes at the same time as the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) hearings are being conducted, aimed at investigating the extent of racial discrimination in South African cricket. Several former players have made allegations of exclusion and told stories of being othered including Ashwell Prince, Paul Adams, Omar Henry, Roger Telemachus and Loots Bosman. The hearings are in their second phase and are listening to responses from those who have been incriminated by first phase testimony. Among them was former team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee, who criticised the national team for not taking a united stance in making a gesture in support of antiracism.CSA will appear at the hearings on Thursday, in its first public appearance since the start of the proceedings. It has resolved not to comment on any SJN matters until after the hearings but appears to have responded to one of the issues raised, which is about the national team taking a knee.”A commitment to overcoming racism is the glue that should unite, bind and strengthen us. Race should not be manipulated to amplify our weaknesses. Diversity can and should find expression in many facets of our daily lives, but not when it comes to taking a stand against racism,” CSA board chair Lawson Naidoo said.The hearings will conclude on Friday and the ombudsman Dumisa Ntsebeza will issue a report to CSA by November 30.

Despite a draw against Rangpur Division, Dhaka Division retain their top position in tier 1

Mohammad Isam27-Oct-2021Sylhet Division picked up their first-ever win in tier 1 of National Cricket League 2021-22 when they beat Khulna Division by four wickets. Still, Dhaka Division retained their top position after their draw against Rangpur Division.In tier 2, Barisal Division beat Chattogram Division inside two days, while the match between Dhaka Metropolis and Rajshahi Division ended in a draw.Best batters
There were three centuries in the second round, and two of them came on the first day. Dhaka Divison’s Abdul Mazid and Saif Hassan added 118 runs for the second wicket against Rangpur, with both reaching the three-figure mark. Mazid struck ten fours and three sixes in his 110, while Saif made 107 with eight four and two sixes.The other century came from Najmul Hossain Shanto, who made an unbeaten 103 with the help of eight fours and a six in Rajshahi’s drawn game against Dhaka Metropolis.Best bowlers
The veteran Mohammad Ashraful took the first hat-trick of his first-class career during Barisal’s big win over Chattogram. Ashraful removed Sadikur Rahman, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Yasir Ali in the eighth over of Chattogram’s first innings. He finished with figures of 5 for 53.Dhaka Metropolis’ Sharifullah also took a hat-trick during his 5 for 70, dismissing Pritom Kumar, Taijul Islam and Asaduzzaman Payel against Rajshahi.Seamer Rejaur Rahman Raja starred for Sylhet with his eight-wicket match haul against Khulna. Raja’s 5 for 51 in the second innings helped bowl out Khulna for 178, giving Sylhet a chance to come back into the game. During Barisal’s win against Chattogram, left-arm spinner Monir Hossain took eight wickets. For Chattogram, Hasan Murad and Nayeem Hasan took nine wickets each in the game.Best match
Sylhet chased down a target of 203 on the final day to beat Khulna. Amite Hasan and Jaker Ali made 41 each, but it was Shahanur Rahman and Tanzim Hasan Sakib who took them home with a 26-run unbroken stand for the seventh wicket.In the low-scoring game, Khulna were bowled out for 196 in the first innings but restricted Sylhet to 172 to take a 24-run lead. But Raja’s five-wicket haul meant Sylhet had a modest target in front of them, which they clinched on the final day.Players to watch
Shanto, Saif and Nayeem would feel they are priming themselves for the Test series against Pakistan next month. It is important that Bangladesh’s Test specialists get runs and wickets under the belt. Nayeem and Saif have shown good form, while Shanto’s second-innings century will encourage him for the rest of the tournament.

England A lost 5 for 12 late on the final day, including a run out with seven balls remaining, having set themselves a chance for a win

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2025Australia A pulled off a last-gasp victory over England A in their four-day match in Sydney when captain Charli Knott, who had earlier scored a century, capped a triumphant performance by dismissing Georgia Davis with four balls remaining after the visitors had put themselves in with a strong chance of chasing down the target.In fading light, Knott brought herself on for the final over of the match when the umpires ruled the quicks couldn’t operate and bowled Davis as she played back, with all the Australia A fielders in catching positions, to complete an England A collapse of 5 for 12.Related

• Trenaman anchors Australia A as Wong keeps England competitive

• Scholfield, Capsey centuries make it England A's day

• Trenaman builds Australia A lead as final day chase beckons

Having been set 289 in 63 overs, a stand of 91 between Hollie Armitage and Alice Capsey put England A in a strong position then Paige Scholfield followed her first-innings century with 39 off 24 balls, including a brace of sixes off the spinners, to leave them needing 37 at less than a run-a-ball.However, when Scholfield was caught at mid-on against Tess Flintoff it opened the door for the home side. The loss of Bess Heath ended England A’s hopes of victory with the ninth-wicket pair of Davis and Issy Wong playing for the draw until Wong was run out off the last ball of the penultimate over after a horrendous mix-up.Knott, who also made a half-century in the first innings, had earlier led Australia A towards their declaration during the morning by compiling 123 off 153 balls forming stands of 113 with Rachel Trenaman, who fell in the 70s for the second time in the match, and 89 with Nicole Faltum.She called the innings to a close shortly after lunch in what proved a perfectly-timed decision that led to an enthralling afternoon and a dramatic finish to the series which had previously seen Australia A take the rain-effect T20s 1-0 and the one-dayers 2-1.