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James Hopes will be rushed back to Brisbane for Saturday’s vital FR Cup clash against Victoria for his second match in two days

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2010James Hopes, the Queensland allrounder, will be rushed back to Brisbane for Saturday’s vital FR Cup clash against Victoria for his second match in two days. Hopes is in Australia’s squad for Friday’s ODI against West Indies but wasn’t picked in the Twenty20 outfit, leaving the Bulls to rely on him in a match they must win to reach the final.”We’ve spoken with James and he is keen to play on the Saturday considering he hasn’t had a lot of cricket to date,” the coach Trevor Barsby said. Hopes is the state’s most important player as he can open the batting and contribute important overs with his medium pace.Victoria won’t be as lucky as Cameron White, Dirk Nannes and David Hussey are in the Twenty20 squad to face West Indies on Sunday and Tuesday. However, they may call on Clint McKay, the fast bowler, when they choose their side on Thursday.The Bulls were leading the competition for much of the season but the successful team on Saturday will host the final. “It’s pretty basic for us – win and we’re in,” Barsby said. “Lose and we’re out.”In the Sheffield Shield, New South Wales have been forced into four changes for the game against South Australia in Adelaide from Friday. The national promotions of David Warner and Steven Smith give chances to Ben Rohrer and Grant Lambert while Moises Henriques returns from a groin injury. The wicketkeeper Daniel Smith will miss the contest with a finger problem and has been replaced in the 13-man squad by Peter Nevill.Queensland FR Cup squad James Hopes, Chris Hartley (wk), Ryan Broad, Lee Carseldine, Craig Philipson, Chris Lynn, Nathan Reardon, Chris Simpson (capt), Ben Cutting, Ben Laughlin, Alister McDermott, Nathan Rimmington.New South Wales Shield squad Phillip Hughes, Phil Jaques, Simon Katich (capt), Peter Forrest, Moises Henriques, Dominic Thornely, Ben Rohrer, Grant Lambert, Stephen O’Keefe, Peter Nevill (wk), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Trent Copeland.

Everton reportedly remain interested in signing Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey in the upcoming January transfer window, with manager Rafa Benitez desperate to improve his engine room options.

What’s the story?

The Toffees have long been linked with a move for the 30-year-old as he’s struggled for regular game time in Turin, and now it appears as though an imminent switch could be on the cards.

According to The Mirror (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO), Juve are desperate to get Ramsey off their wage bill and will allow him to leave on free in order to do so, despite him having 18 months left to run on his current contract.

It goes on to state that any potential suitor could end up paying £42m in wages on the Wales international over the next three-and-a-half years, although that’s not something Benitez is concerned about.

Everton can end their midfielder hunt

Ever since playmaker James Rodriguez departed for Qatari outfit Al-Rayyan back in September, Everton have lacked a player capable of carving open opposition defences on a regular basis.

And Ramsey is certainly someone who could solve that particular issue with ease, having proven himself to be an elite-level attacking midfielder throughout his 11-year spell with Arsenal.

Throughout his time with the Gunners, the £175k-per-week maestro scored 65 goals and provided 65 assists in 371 appearances, winning three FA Cups along the way.

After one particularly impressive display in a sem-final success against Manchester City back in 2017, Ramsey was even compared to Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard by his former manager Arsene Wenger.

“In my head, Ramsey was going to be a player between 10 and 15 goals a year,” Wenger said – via the club’s website. “He is a Frank Lampard type. He is (about) getting in the box and he has a huge capacity to run.

“Physically, he has a combination of stamina, power and his capacity to repeat high intensity is certainly the best in the league. He has it all in the locker to be defensive and offensive. These kind of players are very important.”

However, things have not gone to plan since his free transfer to Juventus. Injuries have severely restricted his game time, and he’s slipped down the pecking order under Massimiliano Allegri, starting just one game in all competitions this season.

But his fitness woes and astronomic wages are not thought to have put Benitez off, with the 61-year-old said to be a huge admirer of the creative talent and is pushing to make the deal happen in January.

The Mirror claim the Spanish tactician is the driving force behind the Toffees’ interest and that could prove to be a pivotal factor following the recent departure of the former director of football Marcel Brands.

Benitez now holds a huge amount of power in Everton’s transfer dealings, and his first move could be for Ramsey over the coming months. By doing so, he’d end their long hunt for a new option in midfield.

And, in other news…Everton eye swoop for “immense” 6ft4 goliath, he could be a Rafa masterclass

The Athletic’s Everton correspondent Greg O’Keeffe says ‘it’s not looking good’ for Lucas Digne after the defender was left out once again against Crystal Palace. 

The lowdown

The 28-year-old was excluded from the matchday squad for last week’s Premier League clash with Arsenal after a disagreement with Benitez. ‘Tensions boiled over’, with Digne frustrated by the manager’s style of play and the decision to take him off set pieces.

There was no sign of the Frenchman in the 20-man travelling party for Sunday’s game at Selhurst Park either.

Digne, who joined from Barcelona in 2018, is now in his fourth season at Everton. He has made 127 appearances for The Blues up to this point.

The latest

Writing in The Athletic’s matchday discussion on Sunday, O’Keeffe acknowledged that Digne ‘clearly hasn’t shown the required attitude to change the manager’s mind’ as yet, adding that ‘it’s not looking good for him’.

His Everton future is now uncertain, and O’Keeffe told supporters that the defender is ‘one of our few saleable assets’.

The verdict

You wouldn’t say the door is entirely closed for the 28-year-old at Goodison Park, as a lot can change in the coming weeks and months.

Perhaps he can repair his relationship with the manager and gradually work his way back into favour, but there’s also the distinct possibility that a new left-back arrives in the near future given Everton’s desperate form – they’ve picked up the fewest points of any Premier League team (eight) over the last 12 games.

Either way, it’s hard to dispute O’Keeffe’s claim about Digne’s saleability. Everton’s former player of the season is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the third-highest in the squad, so he could appeal to plenty of prospective suitors.

In other news, many Everton fans loved this transfer link

An update has emerged regarding the situation of Rangers transfer target Siriki Dembele at Peterborough heading into January.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Gers are one of the clubs who are interested in a deal for the English Championship forward, alongside Glasgow rivals Celtic and London outfit Fulham.

The report claims that Peterborough are ready to cash in on him for £4m in January, as he will be a free agent at the end of the campaign having rejected a contract offer to extend his deal.

Imagine him & Kent

New Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst must look to take advantage of Dembele’s contract situation in East Anglia by snapping him up in the January transfer window. He is valued at £4m by the Championship club, but the Dutchman and Ross Wilson could potentially agree a pre-contract deal with the forward and then use that as leverage to secure a cheaper deal in the winter.

If Rangers can get Dembele to put pen to paper on a pre-contract deal, then they can go to Peterborough and offer them a reduced fee to give them the chance to recoup a fee for the forward’s services. Otherwise, they will lose him for nothing at the end of the season.

Van Bronckhorst could land a dream wing pairing by signing Dembele, as he could form an exciting partnership with Ryan Kent out wide. The 25-year-old has four goals and one assist in the Championship this season, but his form in League One last term showed huge promise as he found the back of the net 11 times and racked up 10 assists as Posh won promotion to the second tier.

Earlier this year, Peterborough chief Barry Fry hailed the attacker’s ‘dazzling’ ability on the ball. He told Football FanCast: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

This provides an insight into the type of player he is, with the winger able to embark on dribbling runs past several players whilst also having the end product to produce goals and assists. Meanwhile, Kent has a similar style out wide for Rangers, as he averaged 1.9 dribbles per game last season along with his 10 goals and nine assists.

Therefore, they could combine to form an exciting wide pairing for the Gers with their dribbling ability and end product in the final third. This is why Van Bronckhorst must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for Dembele in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Big blow: Rangers suffer setback as behind-the-scenes news emerges, fans surely gutted…

حسم نادي جالطة سراي التركي، تعاقده مع الدولي الأرجنتيني، ماورو إيكاردي، من باريس سان جيرمان على سبيل الإعارة لمدة موسم.

ماورو إيكاردي فقد مكانه أساسيًا في باريس سان جيرمان مع المدرب الجديد كريستوفر جاليتيه هذا الموسم 2022/2023.

فابريزيو رومانو الصحفي الإيطالي الموثوق وخبير الانتقالات وعقود اللاعبين بشبكة “سكاي” الإيطالية، أكد أن الأرجنتيني انضم إلى جالطة سراي والإعلان الرسمي قريبًا.

طالع أيضًا.. خاص | الأهلي ينهى اتفاقه مع المدرب الجديد ويحدد 3 أسماء في جهازه المعاون

اللاعب الأرجنتيني سينضم إلى الفريق غدًا، بعد أن يصل إلى اسطنبول عاصمة تركيا مع وكيلة أعماله وزوجته واندا نارا، لتوقيع العقد.

ويعتبر إيكاردي معوضًا لـ مصطفى محمد مهاجم الفريق التركي، بعدما رحل المصري على سبيل الإعارة لمدة موسم أيضًا، لفريق نانت الفرنسي.

وسيدفع جالطة سراي الجزء الرئيسي من راتب اللاعب الأرجنتيني، ولكن لم يتم ذكر أي شيء بخصوص بند الشراء بنهاية الإعارة.

Mauro Icardi to Galatasaray, here we go and confirmed! Icardi will fly to Istanbul together with his agents later today — loan deal now signed with PSG. 🚨🟡🔴🛩 #Galatasaray

PSG will pay main part of the salary, Icardi accepted days ago and it’s now completed. pic.twitter.com/J2cY2SvtO6

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 7, 2022

According to The Sun, Leeds United target Fabio Carvalho has turned down a new contract at Fulham, and will therefore be available on a free transfer next summer if the two parties cannot agree to a new deal.

The Lowdown: Leeds eye Carvalho

19-year-old Carvalho has impressed since making his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup last year (three and provided one assist in six matches, although his progressed has been stunted by a toe injury and a positive coronavirus test.

The Whites are said to be interested in the England U18 international (The Daily Mail), with West Ham and Real Madrid also believed to be in pursuit of the starlet.

The Latest: Carvalho makes big decision

Now, there has been a big update in the future of the teenager – despite being offered a bumper new contract by the Cottagers, Carvalho has decided to reject it.

It was added Fulham will not make another offer for the attacking midfielder as insiders described the first one as ‘massive’.

Real Madrid are thought to be circling and a January exit is even possible, while a number of Premier League clubs are also interested.

The Verdict: One to watch

Carvalho has been tipped for a big future. Although Fulham were relegated back to the Championship last term, former boss Scott Parker called the player a “shining bright light” (via The Shropshire Star), with him scoring his first senior goal against Southampton, albeit in a 3-1 defeat.

In August, he won the EFL Young Player of the Month award after scoring three times in his first five outings (EFL.com). Even despite the amount of games he has missed this term – BBC), while only Harry Wilson has managed more than his two key passes per game (WhoScored).

He has lofty ambitions too, previously stating he wants to win the Ballon d’Or in the future (via The Athletic), showing the sort of professional drive that every scout looks for in a young talent.

Still so young, he has plenty of time to develop and, under a boss such as Marcelo Bielsa, he could develop into a fine player if Leeds follow up on their interest.

In other news, Leeds want to sign this Championship star.

MatériaMais Notícias

Para buscar um bom resultado contra o Palmeiras, Rogério Micale estudou o estilo de jogo do adversário e focou no trabalho com bola parada nos últimos treinos. Na atividade desta sexta-feira, o técnico priorizou jogadas na área defensiva e no setor ofensivo, visando o confronto que acontece às16h deste sábado, no Independência.

De olho na prancheta, onde anota as jogadas do Palmeiras, Micale interrompeu diversas vezes o treino para orientar os atletas na marcação. Após diversos testes no time, a expectativa do técnico é de não ser surpreendido pelo adversário.

– O Cuca é um treinador que dá muita atenção para as bolas paradas, e é importante a gente estar atento. Vimos alguns jogos da equipe do Palmeiras que elas foram muito bem executadas. Temos que estar concentrados, mas nós também temos. Temos que estar atentos, mas temos algo a oferecer quando for a nosso favor. É um treino normal – declarou durante coletiva.

Micale ainda destacou o trabalho que a equipe vem fazendo com o objetivo de garantir uma vaga na zona de classificação para a Libertadores de 2018. Apesar de estar diante de um adversário que ocupa a quarta colocação, com 36 pontos, sete a mais que o Atlético-MG, o treinador se apega ao bom retrospecto do Galo, que vem de quatro vitórias nos últimos jogos, para garantir seu lugar no G6.

– Vejo como uma oportunidade que nós estamos trabalhando para tentar alcançar o objetivo, visualizando o G-6. Vamos enfrentar um dos melhores elencos do futebol brasileiro. Aqui também temos um grande elenco, que está buscando resgatar a sua confiança, principalmente dentro de casa. Conseguimos resultados importantes e amanhã será mais um momento para confirmar isso. Vamos fazer um bom jogo, para colocar tudo aquilo que estamos trabalhando no dia-a-dia – explicou, Micale.

Os mineiros não perdem para o Palmeiras, em jogo do Campeonato Brasileiro, desde 2011. Ao todo são dez jogos entre as equipes, sendo sete vitórias do Atlético e três empates. Apesar de estar confiante, Micale afirma que a quantidade de jogos sem vencer, pode fazer com que o Palmeiras também chegue motivado para a partida e dê dor de cabeça.

– Isso é perigoso para quem fica muito tempo ganhando, porque cada jogo tem a sua história. Isso motiva mais quem está com o tabu contrário. Espero que não seja dessa vez, porque nós precisamos ganhar esse jogo. – Isso é perigoso para quem fica muito tempo ganhando, porque cada jogo tem a sua história. Isso motiva mais quem está com o tabu contrário. Espero que não seja dessa vez, porque nós precisamos ganhar esse jogo. Espero que a história de amanhã seja construída a nossa favor – finalizou o técnico alvinegro.

Mahela Jayawardene has said Sri Lanka’s home series against Pakistan from Saturday will be a bigger challenge for him after giving up the team’s captaincy early this year because he now wants to push himself “to the limit” as a batsman. Jayawardene has discussed his new role with Kumar Sangakkara, his successor, and will focus on holding Sri Lanka’s batting together and improve its disappointing home record against Pakistan.The former Sri Lanka captain admitted that leading a subcontinent team, with all the passion involved, was not an easy job and hoped to emulate the manner in which Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have managed the transition after giving up the captain’s role to contribute better as batsmen for India.”I always knew that everything [captaincy] was going to be over some day,” Jayawardene told Cricinfo. “For me, cricket is all about enjoyment and trying to do my best. I am sure I still have that hunger to do well and be a better cricketer than I am right now. In that perspective, it is a much bigger challenge for me, to push myself to the limit.”Jayawardene’s last Test as captain was also against Pakistan in March but that series was cut short by the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. This time, he said, he was confident of easing into his new role for the home series, which starts on July 4. “When I captained the side, I made sure I had two different roles, as a captain and as a batsman. Now the captaincy has gone to somebody else but the batting role is going to be the same. My focus, my concentration, everything will be on that. So that’s not going to change because I am not the captain any more.”Jayawardene, who captained Sri Lanka from 2006, said Sangakkara, a close friend, understands and agrees with his views on how he should be contributing to the team. “Sanga just asked me to be the batsman that I am and probably be better than what I am right now. That’s what I want to be as well, and Sanga understands that. I enjoyed working with him when he was my deputy and now it is my duty to try and help him out in any way that I can to make his job easier.”We have already had lots of discussions about combinations, compositions and different things like tactics. I just give him different inputs and then it’s easier for him to play around with those. As for my role in the team, it is important for me to be the middle order batsman who will hold things together, and I just want to continue to do that.”Jayawardene has notched up four centuries, including a double against Pakistan in Karachi in February, in nine Tests over the last 12 months, scoring 773 runs at 70.27. His one-day batting dipped, however, during the same period and he scored just four fifties in 24 matches at 21.72, including three consecutive ducks against Zimbabwe and another against Bangladesh.On reflection, he said, he empathises with Tendulkar and Dravid who had also decided that captaincy was getting in the way of their batting. “It’s not an easy job, especially when you are captaining a sub-continent team. There are a lot of responsibilities, a lot of hope and joy because everyone is cricket-crazy. That’s something you get into when you get to be the captain. So you try and do your best and then leave it and go back and concentrate on your own performance and try and help the team in a different way. I have seen the way Sachin and Rahul have gone about things and it has been amazing. Hopefully, like them, I can do the job.”Jayawardene also revealed that he had a “light discussion” with Dravid on the issue when they met during the IPL in South Africa. “Rahul called me ‘skip’ and I said I am no longer that. We had a quiet joke about it during the IPL, [talking] about the captaincy and how much of a difference it makes when you leave it and come back into the team as a batsman. It’s all about prioritising your responsibilities; then the job becomes much easier.”It also helped, he said, that Sangakkara had emerged as a “capable” leader. “I knew I was leaving it to somebody capable of handling that pressure and of becoming a great captain for our country. I had no doubt in my mind about that.”The next step, Jayawardene said, was to work with Sangakkara and rectify their home record against the current visitors. Pakistan possess an overwhelming record in Sri Lanka, having lost just one Test to the hosts in 12 meetings since 1986. In fact, Pakistan have claimed three series wins out of five in Sri Lanka, including a 1-0 win in their previous meeting in 2006. This time, they are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 international.”We have always been very competitive, Pakistan and Sri Lanka,” Jayawardene said. “But our record against Pakistan is not that great. That’s something we need to improve on and that is added motivation for us. We need to make sure that we get it right because not many teams have beaten us at home but Pakistan have done that quite a bit. So that’s something we want to rectify.”Muthiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis will play a key role in the series, Jayawardene felt, and they will be helped by Lasith Maliga and a clutch of new fast bowlers. But he admitted that his own role will be under the scanner, too. “For me, from the first day that I played for my country, there has been pressure to do well. That’s always going to be there.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Preparado para enfrentar o Sport neste domingo, o Cruzeiro divulgou a lista de relacionados para a partida. A principal novidade fica por conta da presença do meia Alexis Messidoro, que tem a chance de estrear pelo time celeste. O argentino chegou à Belo Horizonte no final de julho, emprestado pelo Boca Juniors, em uma negociação envolvendo a venda de Ábila.

Lucas Romero, que se queixou de dores no tornozelo direito durante a derrota para o Grêmio, pelas semifinais da Copa do Brasil, não teve lesão constatada, mas será poupado do confronto por conta do incômodo no local. A lista de jogadores vetados pelo departamento médico também é extensa, começando pelos zagueiros Manoel e Dedé, que são seguidos pelo volante Ariel Cabral, o meia Arrascatera e os atacantes Rafael Marques e Judivam.

O zagueiro Digão e o atacante Rafael Sóbis também desfalcam a equipe celeste, porque cumprem suspensão nesta rodada. Separado do Sport por apenas dois pontos, o Cruzeiro briga por uma vaga entre os seis primeiros colocados da tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro, entretanto, visando o confronto com o Grêmio, na próxima quarta-feira, que vale vaga na final da Copa do Brasil, Mano Menezes deve optar por um time misto.

Para preservar os principais jogadores da equipe, o time celeste deve entrar em campo formado por Fábio; Ezequiel, Léo, Murilo e Bryan; Nonoca, Hudson e Robinho; Élber, Rafinha e Sassá.

Confira a lista de relacionados do Cruzeiro:

Goleiros: Fábio, Lucas França e Rafael
Laterais: Bryan, Diogo Barbosa, Ezequiel e Lennon
Zagueiros: Arthur, Léo e Murilo
Volantes: Henrique, Hudson, Lucas Silva e Nonoca
Meias: Elber, Messidoro, Rafinha, Robinho e Thiago Neves
Atacantes: Alisson, Raniel e Sassá

Lee Johnson’s Sunderland head into Saturday’s League One fixture at the Stadium of Light in fine form, having picked up 16 points from their opening seven fixtures of the season, as well as securing their passage to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in midweek.

In this cup fixture, despite ringing the changes to his starting XI, Johnson saw his team put in a dominant performance in a 2-0 victory over League One leaders Wigan Athletic, with a number of the Black Cats’ fringe players turning in very impressive displays.

One such man was 23-year-old Everton loanee Nathan Broadhead, with the centre-forward scoring one goal, making two key passes, winning two tackles, completing two dribbles and winning five duels over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch.

These returns saw the £1.9k-per-week man receive a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.4, ranking him as the third-best player to feature in the match.

The performance of the player who David Unsworth dubbed a “terrific” talent is sure to have given Johnson something of a selection headache ahead of the visit of Bolton Wanderers this afternoon, as Broadhead’s fellow centre-forward Ross Stewart has also been in remarkable form so far this season.

Indeed, over his seven League One appearances this term, the 25-year-old has scored five goals and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 7.36, ranking him as the Black Cats’ best performer in the third tier.

As such, it would appear unlikely that Broadhead will replace Stewart as the Mackems’ lone striker against the Trotters. However, with the £450k-rated youngster stating that he is more than capable of operating from the left wing, there would appear to be a way for Johnson to unleash the 23-year-old alongside Stewart in Sunderland’s attacking line up – a move which would likely strike fear into the Bolton defence.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops fresh claim on “excellent” 21 y/o gem, it’s good news for Sunderland