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Pundit Kevin Campbell believes Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas could seal a late Parkhead exit, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Blades interest

Sheffield United recently showed an interest in the Greek shot-stopper, who has featured just twice under Ange Postecoglou this season.

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However, the Blades pulled out of a possible loan move following talks with the Hoops. Reports suggested that Celtic wanted a loan fee and for Sheffield United to cover the goalkeeper’s £20,000-a-week wage, while they also wanted to place a £2.5m option-to-buy in any loan deal, along with a sell-on clause.

Despite a breakdown in talks, Campbell feels a move to Bramall Lane could still be on the cards.

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Campbell, who features on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding Barkas.

He feels a move to Yorkshire could still materialise in the final days of the winter window.

“A decision is going to have to be made.

“Sheffield United and Celtic are going to have to come to a compromise because at the moment Celtic are looking to lighten the load on a signing that hasn’t worked out.

“Watch this space, because that deal could go right down to the wire.”

The Verdict: Unlikely

The Blades were seemingly after a new goalkeeper after loanee Robin Olsen cut his stay in Yorkshire short to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

Barkas could well have been an option for Paul Heckingbottom’s side, however, they have since signed Adam Davies from Stoke City.

That leaves them with Davies, Wes Foderingham and Jake Eastwood as goalkeeping options, so a move for Barkas doesn’t look likely.

Hopefully, the Hoops can move Barkas and his high wages on before Monday, so it could be one to keep an eye on, but we’re not so sure it’ll be to Sheffield.

Many Everton fans have been rejoicing over after the club confirmed some major news regarding their managerial situation.

As per the Toffees’ official website, Rafael Benitez has now officially left Goodison Park, and an update on a permanent replacement for the Spaniard will be made soon.

After Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at relegation-threatened Norwich City, which meant that the Toffees have still managed to pick up just one win in the Premier League since September, it is not a surprise to see the 61-year-old getting the sack, and many supporters happy to see the back of him.

Of course, it was always a risk to hire Benitez in the first place because of his connections with Liverpool, and in hindsight it now seems to have been a bad appointment, with a lot of toxicity among the away fans at Carrow Road yesterday.

Everton fans on Benitez manager news

These Everton supporters buzzed as the dismissal of Benitez was shared on Twitter, with one fan describing the news as ‘beautiful’:

“YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS”

Credit: @GeniusChosenOne

“IT’S BEAUTIFUL”

Credit: @danielgeorgee

“FINALLYYYYY”

Credit: @Adz_EFC

“Just got cramp celebrating”

Credit: @james_gavo3

“Get in”

Credit: @jessikamcnab

“Let’s partyyyyyy”

Credit: @imogensilker

In other news, many Evertonians would love to see this man replacing Benitez

MatériaMais Notícias

Jô foi desfalque em um jogo do Corinthians nesta temporada por conta do sequestro de sua irmã, em abril. A informação, que foi mantida em sigilo pelas partes até então, foi divulgada nesta segunda-feira pelo “Meu Timão”.

No dia 11 de abril, véspera do confronto com o Internacional, pela ida da Copa do Brasil, o atacante recebeu a notícia sobre o sequestro. Ele, então, comunicou o gerente de futebol Alessandro Nunes de que não teria condições de treinar e viajar a Porto Alegre.

– Fiquei apavorado! – afirmou Jô.

Para justificar o desfalque, o técnico Fábio Carille disse que iria preservar o atacante por conta do desgaste físico. Na época, o Corinthians teria pela frente a semifinal diante do São Paulo.

– Foi apenas aquele jogo. Acho que isso foi fundamental para que a história não vazasse. Foi tudo mundo rápido mesmo – disse Jô.

O caso foi resolvido no mesmo dia, sem Jô ter dado mais detalhes. Ele tem duas irmãs, Elisa e Elaine, e preferiu não revelar qual delas foi sequestrada.

– Por volta das 18h, 19h daquele mesmo dia tudo estava resolvido. Graças a Deus – declarou o atacante.

– Acredito que, se estendesse a situação, eu teria mais dificuldade para administrar. Mas foi rápido, tive cabeça no lugar e ajuda da minha família. Nos juntamos ali em torno de nós mesmo e saímos juntos daquilo.

No jogo diante do Internacional, o Corinthians empatou por 1 a 1 em Porto Alegre e foi eliminado em casa, nos pênaltis. Apesar do problema, Jô foi um dos principais jogadores da equipe nesta temporada e briga pela artilharia do Brasileirão, com 18 gols, ao lado de Henrique Dourado, do Fluminense.

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Former Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips has been reacting to the news that Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips could miss two months through injury, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Phillips’ hamstring injury

The 26-year-old had to be withdrawn against Brentford last weekend through injury, with Marcelo Bielsa unsure at the time in regards to the extent of the problem. The Telegraph provided an update a few days later, suggesting that the England international could miss up to two months out with a hamstring issue.

Leeds officially shared an update on the 26-year-old’s problem on Thursday, claiming that the midfielder has undergone treatment on the issue.

The Latest: Phillips injury is a ‘huge blow’

Phillips, who regularly features as a pundit on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding the news on the Leeds midfielder.

This is what he had to say in reply, labelling The Telegraph’s update as a ‘huge blow’ to the player and his club:

“It’s a huge, huge blow.

“It’s been a tough season for Leeds so far. To lose arguably their most talented player at this point in the season will be devastating. He’s the heartbeat of their midfield.

“It’s been a bit of an up and down season for Kalvin so far, there were obviously the rumours of a rift between him and Bielsa which turned out to be false.

“Being out for two months at such a crucial time with these tough games coming up, it’s a massive blow. It could go wrong for Leeds.”

The Verdict: How will Bielsa deal without Phillips?

Phillips has been influential under Bielsa during his time at Elland Road, perfecting the defensive midfield role in a unique system.

He has turned out 107 times as a defensive midfielder during his career, and early indications are that the manager is more than happy to get imaginative when it comes to coping without the England international.

Leeds went with a 4-3-1-2 system in an impressive display against Chelsea at the weekend, with winger Jack Harrison occupying one of the three central midfield roles alongside Adam Forshaw and Jamie Shackleton.

Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich and Pascal Struijk are also options for Bielsa in that position in what could be an entertaining festive period as the Whites look to take points off the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

In other news: Sky Sports think this ‘brilliant’ Leeds beast suffered a fresh injury on Saturday

Cricinfo previews the opening match of the tri-series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Mirpur

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran03-Jan-2010Match factsShakib Al Hasan: “Good performances against India can help the players get noticed for the IPL”•Associated Press

January 4, 2010
Start time 14.30 local, (08.30 GMT)Three subcontinent teams usher in the new year with a tri-series at the Shere Bangla stadium in Mirpur. Lengthy rest periods are rare in the international calendar these days. Barely a week after leaving India’s shores – a tour that stretched them physically as well as mentally – Sri Lanka are back at the departure terminal. They’ve made sweeping changes to their team, leaving out Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, in a bid to set their combination right and make amends for what happened in India.It’s clear they are a better team than what we saw in India. Their misfortune was that their bowlers couldn’t figure out a way to restrict the batsmen on run-heavy pitches. Their outing against Bangladesh tomorrow will not be as taxing, but it won’t be a walk in the park either. Their tour of the country last year will be remembered for the one-dayer they lost to Shakib Al Hasan’s brilliance with the bat and the tri-series final they nearly lost after being reduced to an embarrassing 5 for 6. The plan is simple, at least on paper – get a win in the bag against the weakest team in the competition, before facing upto the strongest.The one aspect that could go against Bangladesh in this series is their lack of match practice over the last two months. The locals will look forward to this series for one good reason, to see if their team can carry forward their form from 2009 (14 wins out of 19) against tougher opposition. Victories against Zimbabwe and a second-string West Indies team may have inflated those numbers a big way, but at least they were richer for the experience of winning.Form guide (last 5 completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh WWWWL
Sri Lanka LLWLLWatch out forUpul Tharanga: With Jayasuriya dropped and questions over his future with the team and where he should ideally bat, Tharanga will utilise his absence to cement his place at the top. He may not be as flashy or instinctive at the crease like Jayasuriya or Tillakaratne Dilshan, but can be just as intimidating with his crisply timed strokes and ability to score briskly. He was the second highest run-getter for Sri Lanka in the India ODIs with 295 runs at 94.95 with a century and two fifties. This tour presents Tharanga the best opportunity he’s ever had.Thilan Thushara: Thushara was one of the bowlers Sri Lanka sorely missed in India. It put a lot of pressure on Nuwan Kulasekara and Dammika Prasad, who couldn’t maintain any consistency. In Thushara Sri Lanka now have a bowler who can hit the deck hard and rough up the batsmen with pace. With Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan missing, Thushara brings with him the valuable component known as experience.Spin: Bangladesh make no secret of their strength – spin – and why not? With Mashrafe Mortaza out, and a blow-hot blow-cold Shahadat Hossain, they naturally wouldn’t want to throw in too many untested youngsters. Spin is the way forward and as their coach Jamie Siddons said, no other team has more spin-bowling allrounders like Bangladesh. Also watch out for faster over-rates, in that case.Team newsNo specific line-up announced. With a few senior players resting, Sri Lanka will experiment a bit with their line-up over the course of the tournament. One thing they can do is recall Chamara Silva to the middle order, which looks thin on experience. Silva is a good finisher, so a player like Thilina Kandamby can learn a thing or two about that art when batting with him.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (vice-capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Thilan Samaraweera, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Chamara Silva, 7 Thissara Perera, 8 Muthumudalige Pushpakumara/Malinga Bandara, 9 Suraj Randiv, 10 Thilan Thushara, 11 Chanaka WelagederaBangladesh have announced that their rookie right-arm seamer, Shafiul Islam, will make his debut. He will partner Rubel Hossain, one of their finds last year. However, the ICL returnees, Aftab Ahmed and Shahriar Nafees, will not be playing. The same goes for Syed Rasel and Shahadat Hossain, who replaced Nazmul Hossain. Shafiul was one of the leading wicket-takers in the club scene last season.”We have tried all bowling combinations for seamers, so we are going with another one now,” said Siddons. “We have nothing to lose out in trying. He (Shafiul) has got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He does a few things with the ball so I’m really excited. Shafiul and Rubel could go for a few runs or they could do very well. This is an ideal opportunity for them and we have confidence in them.”Bangladesh 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Raqibul Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Shafiul IslamPitch and conditionsThe dew will be a major factor after 8.30 PM, said coach Siddons. In fact, in the recent ODI series against Zimbabwe, all three day-nighters were won by the team batting second. Therefore, it should be a straightforward decision for the captain winning the toss.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka are the only major international team to have lost to Bangladesh twice, in Bangladesh. India and New Zealand have lost a game each. In seven day-night matches at the Shere Bangla Stadium, four have been won by the team batting first. Quotes”We would to love to play against big teams as we can show the world that Bangladesh has improved. But it’s important to play teams like Zimbabwe so that we can win and derive confidence. Good performances against India can help the players get noticed for the IPL.
“This series will help us know if we are getting better or not. We have no fears against Sri Lanka and we would like to make them regret that they have left some big names out of the side for this series.
“Even in India, Suraj Randiv was the best spinner. And [Malinga] Bandara has been around for years and he gets another opportunity here. Pushpukamara is a spin bowling allrounder. So we are not worried.”

Wolves winger Adama Traore isn’t good enough to be a successful signing for Liverpool in January, according to former England international Danny Mills.

The Lowdown: Traore linked with exit

Bruno Lage’s side lost 1-0 at home to the Reds on Sunday, with Divock Origi’s stoppage-time winner breaking Wanderers’ hearts.

Traore played most of the game and was a menace to Liverpool’s defence, having recently been linked with a move to Anfield in January.

It has been claimed that the Spaniard could be available for as little as £18m, slashing his asking price by £32m from an initial £50m, with Jurgen Klopp potentially seeing him as a good squad option.

The Latest: Mills unsure over move

Despite this, someone who doesn’t think a move would be good for Liverpool is Mills, who told Football Insider that Traore simply doesn’t deliver consistently enough:

“Can he be unlocked? It’s going to be difficult.

“He had one great season where he’s been off the charts. We know he’s got incredible pace and for a little while, he had a bit of an end product. Then that dissipated and he had a couple of very average seasons for Wolves.

“Can Klopp get anything better out of him? I’m not sure.

“Also you’re bringing him into the first-team squad, so who do you leave out? Who do you drop? That’s the problem Liverpool would have. You wouldn’t drop any of their attacking players for him.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“375704”]

The Verdict: Squad player at best

For all Traore’s incredible speed and strength – Klopp himself has hailed the 25-year-old as ‘undefendable’ in the past – his lack of end product backs up Mills’ claim.

The winger is still searching for his first goal or assist in the Premier League this season, despite starting nine and featuring in 14 of Wolves’ 15 matches.

It could be argued that Klopp could nurture him and make him a greater force, but at 25, he has had enough time to mature as a player and show he can add more substance to his game.

Wolves are possibly better off without Traore in their starting lineup, too, using him as an impact substitute and using Francisco Trincao and Hwang Hee-chan as wide men, with the former a younger option and the latter delivering four league goals this season.

In other news, some Wolves fans slammed one player’s performance against Liverpool. Find out who it is here.

Crystal Palace shared footage on their official Twitter channel of defender Joachim Andersen from Saturday’s win over Wolves, with numerous Eagles fans duly reacting to the tweet.

The Danish defender has been a regular under Patrick Vieira this season following his £15.75m move from Lyon over the summer.

He made his 11th Premier League appearance of the campaign prior to the international break, helping Palace to a fourth clean sheet of the season and three points at Selhurst Park.

The 25-year-old, who recently withdrew from Denmark’s squad due to a minor injury, was Palace’s best-rated defender against Wolves, completing 11 of his 15 attempted long balls, as per SofaScore.

One of the most impressive of those came in the first half when he received the ball from Vicente Guaita before switching the play with an inch-perfect pass to Odsonne Edouard.

Palace fans react

Palace posted the clip of that long ball on their Twitter channel Wednesday morning, and here is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply…

“Ridiculous”

Credit: @Hey_Eurydice

“That is just so ridiculous, I audibly gasped while watching.”

Credit: @Nick_CPFC

“Between the turn and the ping there was 0.1 seconds, that is unreal vision/passing”

Credit: @CPFC_WH

“This is absolutely incredible btw. Couldn’t quite believe the ease he did it when I saw this live”

Credit: @SamuelMargo

“I remember this passage of play, from the other day, and just thought wow, this really encapsulates what this team is capable of now”

Credit: @tashkat81

“His best moment from his best game for us so far. Was absolutely brilliant”

Credit: @Jackpierce88

MatériaMais Notícias

A tarde da última terça-feira foi marcada pela enorme presença da torcida na Toca da Raposa II para dar apoio aos jogadores no jogo da final da Copa do Brasil. No lado de dentro do centro de treinamento, entretanto, Mano Menezes comandou a última sessão de treinamento antes do jogo contra o Flamengo. Antes disso, o treinador, que ainda não confirmou os 11 titulares, falou com a imprensa sobre o grande jogo.

– Único jogador que está confirmado é Alisson. Os demais eu me reservo no direito, passar 1h15 antes do jogo. Dúvida por dúvida os dois lados têm bastante. Nós vamos manter o que fizemos. Quando passo um nome para vocês é porque é verdadeiro. E se não o faço é assim que a gente acredita -.

Mano também comentou sobre o Flamengo, alegando que gosta de conhecer o adversário, mas prefere conhecer melhor o seu elenco.

– Gosto de estudar o adversário. Mas penso que o mais importante é conhecer a si mesmo, saber do seu potencial, confiar nele, saber o que te trouxe aqui. Às vezes é fazer bem feito sua parte. É o caminho que conheço para levar o Cruzeiro ao título -.

Caso vença amanhã, Mano Menezes irá conquistar sua segunda Copa do Brasil, e falou dos momentos que antecedem as grandes decisões.

-Quando perder esse frio está na hora de ir para casa. Não existe tranquilidade em decisão. Tem que haver dose de atenção, de responsabilidade, aumenta a disposição, que tornam esses jogos diferentes dos demais. Para o treinador não é diferente. Lance é chegar no ponto ideal.Chegamos bem, como a gente queria. Crescemos durante o ano. Aprendemos com os nossos erros. Acreditamos nas nossas façanhas, de degrau em degrau. Na Copa do Brasil você vai sentindo a sua melhora a medida que se chega à final – finalizou.

A bola rola para Cruzeiro x Flamengo às 21h45 (Brasília), no Mineirão. Caso a Raposa vença, conquistará o quinto título da competição. Já se o rubro-nego sair vitorioso, levanta a taça pela quarta vez.

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Geoffrey Boycott has said the England board should pick Andrew Flintoff for matches only till the time he puts country ahead of any franchise or club

Cricinfo staff29-Sep-2009Geoffrey Boycott, the former England batsman, has said while Andrew Flintoff has done the right thing by himself in rejecting the “ludicrous” England contract and taking the freelance option, the England board should pick him for matches only as long as he puts country ahead of any franchise or club.Speaking on his Cricinfo show , he said the franchises’ interest in Flintoff exists only because of his international success. “The only reason people pay someone like Flintoff a lot of money to play in the IPL or for endorsements, is because he has played international cricket for his country, done very well, become a personality, an iconic figures, loved by many,” he said. “So playing for the England international side has given him this opportunity to earn big money.”The choice is that he has to put his country first. Then he can go off and do whatever else as far as I am concerned. But he can’t just pick and choose when he can play for his national side. And I think that should apply to all players throughout the world. You want to play for your national side, you want the kudos and the publicity that helps you with your endorsements – if you want all that then you can’t jump in and out of international cricket; you have to be available first for your country.” Flintoff has denied he will be picking the England games he wants to play and said he would be available for all limited-overs matches, fitness permitted.Boycott said higher appearance fees and bigger bonuses for winning international matches would prevent other players from taking the Flintoff route.”Now 25,000 pounds for Flintoff to sign an ECB contract is ludicrous. He can already earn one million pounds for six weeks of work in the IPL. He earns another million pounds from other sources. On top of that he’s just had a book come out that has been serialised in the newspapers.”I would have always preferred higher appearance fees for the XI who have been selected to play and much bigger bonuses when you win. That concentrates your mind wonderfully. If there are 16 or 17 players in the squad it concentrates your mind in that you think that I need to perform and get into the top XI so that I can earn more money. And then concentrate your mind on winning – not just playing but winning – and then you get big bucks for that. Those are the only two things that I would focus on. It improves all the competition for places and makes the team better.”

لم يرغب المدير الفني لفريق تشيلسي، توماس توخيل، في الهجوم بشكل علني على حارس المرمى إدوارد ميندي بعد خطئه الفادح في مباراة اليوم أمام ليدز يونايتد.

وفاز ليدز يونايتد على تشيلسي، في مباراتهما اليوم ببطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بالجولة الثالثة، بثلاثة أهداف دون رد.

وتسبب ميندي في إحراج تشيلسي حيث كان عاملًا رئيسيًا في الهدف الأول لفريق ليدز، بعدما تعامل مع الكرة بشكل خاطئ، ونتج عن ذلك تأخر البلوز بهدف دون رد. هدف ليدز الأول أمام تشيلسي بعد خطأ ميندي

وقال توخيل في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “مترو” الإنجليزية: “الجميع في العالم يرى الخطأ، إنه فادح في وقت حاسم من المباراة”.

وأضاف: “هذا لا يساعد (الانتقادات العلنية)، هو الشخص الأكثر شعورًا بخيبة أمل لأنه كلفنا الكثير اليوم”.

وواصل: “هو يعرف نفسه، مع هذه الأنواع من الأخطاء لا أعتقد أننا بحاجة إلى التحدث كثيرًا، إنه يعرف نفسه أن هذا كان خطأً”.