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Newcastle United have reportedly made contact with a former Chelsea star whose sale has been green-lighted by his current club, according to reports.

Howe "disappointed" with Newcastle form as January approaches

Newcastle’s need for defensive reinforcements was clear for all to see at the weekend as the Magpies were thumped 4-2 by Brentford in the Premier League. A frenetic start at the Gtech Community Stadium saw both teams find the net within the first 12 minutes, with Alexander Isak canceling out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener.

The home side regained the lead when Yoane Wissa capitalized on an error by Harvey Barnes for his ninth goal in eight games, but the English winger redeemed himself soon after with a superb turn and finish to level. After the break, however, it was all Brentford, with goals from Nathan Collins and Kevin Schade sealing victory for the Bees and extending their unbeaten run at home this season to eight games. Speaking after the game, Howe highlighted his team’s defensive woes.

“Really frustrating,” he said. “We are really disappointed with the manner of the goals we conceded. It is not even individual mistakes. There’s two or three actions I’m not happy with for each goal. We have to do better in those situations.”

Magpies open talks for Barcelona defender

To help fix their issues at the back, Newcastle have now opened talks for Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen about a potential move to St. James’ Park in January, according to CaughtOffside. The publication claims that Barca are open to selling the former Chelsea star, who joined them on a free transfer in July 2022 and is now in the final year of his contract.

The Catalan club don’t want to lose him on a free next summer, so he could be made available for around £25 million after the New Year.

Christensen had been a key player for Barcelona since his arrival at the Camp Nou, but he’s played just 26 minutes of football this season due to an achilles tendon injury, for which he underwent surgery in Sweden. He is expected to return at the end of January.

Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel once described Christensen as a clever defender after the Dane enjoyed a strong start to the 2021/22 season with the Blues.

“He’s a calm guy, very intelligent player, and sometimes you can get maybe a bit misled by judging him from his personality, because he is a hard defender and he is a guy who is not shy to have hard tackles and win challenges and step up in games,” said the German.

“He is very strong, very reliable and he has not reached his limits because at his age there is still room to improve. He can be a top defender for us in the next years and hopefully he will be because he comes from the academy.”

Should Newcastle want to land the Dane, however, they face competition from Manchester United, who are understood to have already put in an early £12.5 million offer for the 28-year-old.

After starting the season with successive defeats, Sunrisers Hyderabad have turned it around with back-to-back victories. Two days after swamping Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers’ attack turned up once again, this time to consign Gujarat Titans to their first loss. It was T Natarajan, who led the way for Sunrisers, first striking in the powerplay and then regularly pinging the blockhole in the death, to limit Titans to 162 for 7, despite Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten half-century.Titans would’ve ended with fewer runs if not for 20 wides, ten of which came in the first over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Titans’ total, however, looked bigger when Kane Williamson struggled to get out of first gear in the chase, and when Rahul Tripathi retired hurt on 17 off 11 balls due to cramps. Williamson ultimately hit a higher gear, against his New Zealand team-mate Lockie Ferguson, and notched up a 42-ball fifty. Williamson holed out for 57 off 46 balls, with Sunrisers needing 34 off 23 balls, but Nicholas Pooran closed out the game with a flurry of boundaries along with Aiden Markram.SRH’s seamers make early inroads
After leaking 17 runs in an uncharacteristic opening over, Bhuvneshwar tightened up in his second, having Shubman Gill caught at short cover, where Tripathi pulled off a blinding one-handed catch. B Sai Sudharshan, who impressed with 35 on debut, against Punjab Kings, made another solid start, but Natarajan cut his innings short at 11 in the sixth over, when he found sharp extra bounce.Matthew Wade laboured to a run-ball 19 before Umran Malik rushed him for pace and pinned him lbw. In four innings so far, Wade has managed 56 runs at an overall strike-rate of less than 100.Pandya’s slowdown
Pandya dashed out of the blocks, with a second-ball four, off Natarajan. Malik then pinged Pandya on the grille of his helmet with a searing lifter, but Pandya immediately shook it off with back-to-back fours, the first being an eye-catching high-elbowed drive through extra-cover. And when Pandya launched Markram over midwicket, he brought up his 100th six in the IPL. After zipping away to 22 off 14 balls, Pandya slowed down, managing only 28 off his last 28 balls. The variations of Natarajan and the accuracy of Washington Sundar, who bowled only three overs, in particular, shut down Pandya.Abhinav rides his luck
Once he walked in, Abhinav Manohar threw his bat at the ball and carved a pair of fours off Malik – both off the outside edge. He then top-edged Bhuvneshwar for four and similarly miscued Natarajan to long-off, where Markram dropped a sitter. Abhinav was on 21 at that point; he got two more lives on 32 and 33 before Tripathi finally caught one in the outfield, off Bhuvneshwar.Hello, again, yorker king
A recurrence of a knee injury and Covid-19 ravaged Natarajan’s stint in IPL 2021, but this season he has already shown enough signs that he’s back to his best. He tucked up David Miller with hard lengths and even surprised him with a bouncer. Later in the death, he let rip his trademark yorkers, conceding seven runs off the last over of the innings. Fittingly, he finished Titans’ innings with a yorker that castled Rashid Khan for a duck.Nobody has bowled more yorkers than Natarajan’s 15 this season. And nobody has more wickets at the death than Natarajan’s five.SRH’s go-slow
Sunrisers had a quiet start to their chase, scrounging 11 from the first four overs. Williamson could’ve been dismissed in the first over had Pandya reviewed the lbw shout that was deemed not-out on the field. Williamson and Abhishek then flicked on the intent switch, hitting 31 off the last two overs of the powerplay.Abhishek used the pace and bounce of Ferguson to his advantage, picking him off for four fours in his first over that cost Titans 17 runs.Then, when Ferguson returned to the attack for the 11th over, Abishek had fallen to Rashid and Williamson was stuck again.Williamson, Pooran do the job for SRH
After being on 46 off 41 balls, Williamson found the release when he jumped across off and stylishly scooped Ferguson over short fine leg for six. He crunched the next legal delivery from Ferguson for four to celebrate his fifty in style. Sunrisers then suffered a hiccup when Williamson flapped an offcutter from Pandya to long-on, but Pooran teed off to seal the deal.After Ferguson dropped a difficult return catch to reprieve him on 11, he shanked two sixes and two fours to ensure that Sunrisers didn’t miss Tripathi. Sunrisers, however, might be fretting over the fitness of Washington, who had his bowling hand strapped in the dugout.

The USWNT fell for the first time in 18 matches in the Hayes era as Japan took their first SheBelieves Cup – and it surely wasn't a fluke

Let this result serve as a reminder: this stuff isn't easy. The U.S. women's national team has largely made it look so throughout the last year. They ran away to an Olympic gold medal last summer and have swatted away all in their path since. That was until Wednesday night.

Japan wouldn't simply be wiped away. In fact, it was Japan that did the swatting. Needing only a draw to lift the SheBelieves Cup, Japan did one better, winning 2-1 on Wednesday night in San Diego to become just the fourth different country in the tournament's 10-year history to earn silverware.

The USWNT had won each of the last five, and seven of the first nine, but from the opening whistle, it was clear that this was Japan's night and – more importantly, Japan's tournament.

They scored just minutes into the match, with Yuka Momiki taking advantage of some sloppy USWNT defending. The USWNT responded well, equalizing on a fantastic Ally Sentnor goal – her second in as many starts in her national team career.

They needed just that little bit more, though. They needed to take the lead, to secure the win. It never happened. Japan found the goal they needed, with Toko Koga scoring just five minutes into the second half to effectively put the game to bed. The USWNT pushed and pushed but never really broke Japan down. They were the better team on the night and, ultimately, the better team over this three-game tournament, scoring 10 goals in total.

The result will feel like a measure of revenge for first-time winners Japan, which lost 1-0 to the U.S. in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics as Hayes led the team to the gold medal in Paris.

Success isn't a birthright and it certainly doesn't come easily. Without several key starters – including Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Naomi Girma – the USWNT wasn't able to take down one of the game's elite in the end. They managed without those stars in wins over Colombia and Australia, but in a match against a talented Japan squad? Not enough.

Prior to the loss to Japan, Hayes had won 15 and drawn two of the first 17 matches she coached since her tenure as U.S. manager started in June of 2024. It happens and, at this point in the cycle, it's OK. Painful, but OK. This was a good lesson, one that may actually pay off in a few years time.

“Our goals are beyond just the SheBelieves,” a disappointed Hayes told TNT after the match. “I’m not going to say I like losing, I don’t, but there’s no disgrace being beaten by a team that between them have 800 caps … let’s have perspective. It’s important to be calm in this moment."

This USWNT group has grown leaps and bounds over the last year. The program is in a far better place now than it was just 12 months ago. This team, though, is still a work in progress – especially as the youth continues to work into the lineup – and this SheBelieves Cup finale made that clear enough.

GOAL rates the USWNT's players from SnapDragon Stadium.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defense

  Jane Campbell (5/10):

  Was sloppy early, which essentially led to the immediate goal. Made a good initial save on Japan's second, but her defense left her out to dry. Either way, this wasn't the game she needed at all.

  Crystal Dunn (4/10):

  Just didn't have it. Seemed a step off the pace and was uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball. Perhaps this was her lack of club minutes showing.

  Tara McKeown (5/10):

  Again, much like last time she played, was sloppy at the start but settled into the game. Has to sort out these rocky starts but it is good to see her build confidence as she goes.

  Emily Sonnett (5/10):

  Was all over the place on the first goal, and she seemingly took that personally in a good way. Made plays all over the field to help the U.S. make the initial comeback.

  Emily Fox (5/10):

  A weird one from her. Normally so reliable, Fox struggled a bit. Japan's talented attack gave her trouble throughout, which doesn't happen often to the USWNT fullback.

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  Midfield

  Sam Coffey (5/10):

  Wasn't quite as involved or active as we've come to expect. As a result, the USWNT never really had a hold of that midfield battle.

  Lily Yohannes (7/10):

  Had a few moments that really made you go "wow." There were times when she hit passes that her teammates weren't ready for, largely because few players can hit those passes. That'll change going forward, but her role probably shouldn't.

  Lindsey Heaps (6/10):

  Ran extremely hard and did all of the little things a leader needs to do. Unfortunately, none really ever paid off as Heaps' pressing didn't amount to much.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Yazmeen Ryan (6/10):

  Had a few really good moments and a few not-so-good ones. Passed the ball well, but also dribbled into trouble a few times. Overall, she made things happen, which is all you can ask for.

  Catarina Macario (7/10):

  Incredible work to assist Sentnor on her goal as she both held the ball up and played an incisive pass to open up the defense. Another bright performance from a player who is getting back to her best after all this time.

  Ally Sentnor (8/10):

  What a run and what a finish. Sentnor was incredible in this tournament and, thanks to her goal on Wednesday, this match was no different.

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• AFP
  

  Subs & Manager

  Jenna Nighswonger (5/10):

  Rightfully replaced Dunn, but fell victim to some of the same sloppy moments that plagued her former Gotham teammate.

  Jaedyn Shaw (6/10):

  Was put in a tough spot replacing Sentnor, who was cooking before being taken out at halftime. Didn't reach Sentnor's highs as she struggled to really find the game out wide.

  Korbin Albert (5/10):

  Another sub that didn't really work out. Was asked to replace Yohannes, but was nowhere near as calm on the ball as the Ajax star was.

  Alyssa Thompson (7/10):

  Probably the best of the substitute bunch. Provided life, energy and pace to an attack that really needed it. Unfortunately, it didn't really lead to much.

  Lynn Biyendolo (5/10):

  Not really her fault, but just didn't really see enough of the ball to make anything happen.

  Tierna Davidson (7/10):

  Almost scored an absolute banger to equalize with a few minutes left, which would have been a wild moment, for sure.

  Emma Hayes (5/10):

  Her first loss as a USWNT boss and, in some ways, one of her stranger games since taking over. Substitutes were a little questionable but, to be fair, both goals were the results of errors, not tactics.

Former Tottenham star Victor Wanyama hailed Harry Kane's finishing as he included the Bayern Munich striker as one part of his perfect footballer.

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Wanyama hailed Kane's finishingIncluded forward as a part of his perfect footballerDuo played together at TottenhamFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Kenyan midfielder returned to his former club almost five years after leaving as he was in attendance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for last Sunday's Premier League win against Manchester United. The player stepped on the pitch, greeted the fans and then on the sidelines talked with the club's media team.

AdvertisementWHAT VICTOR WANYAMA SAID

Wanyama was asked to build a perfect player using Tottenham stars. When asked about shooting, the midfielder quickly replied: "Harry Kane. His finishing is unbelievable."

The player's other choices were the left foot of Mousa Dembele, right foot of Christian Eriksen, tackling from Jan Vertonghen and heading from Toby Alderweireld.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Wanyama played alongside Kane, Spurs' all-time leading scorer, for four years between 2016 and 2020, forming part of Mauricio Pochettino's sides that challenged for the Premier League and Champions League. He then left for MLS side CF Montreal, while Kane stayed until 2023 before departing for Bayern Munich.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR HARRY KANE?

Kane will be next seen in action on Tuesday night as Bayern take on Celtic in the second leg of their Champions League knockout play-off.

As of now, India are scheduled to start their Test series in South Africa on December 17

Sidharth Monga02-Dec-20215:11

Kohli: ‘We are not playing in normal times’

India players are confident they will have “absolute clarity” around the South Africa tour in “a day or two or pretty soon”, their captain Virat Kohli has said. Kohli was speaking at the pre-match press conference for the second and deciding Test of the series against New Zealand, which is scheduled to end on December 7. As of now, India are scheduled to start their Test series in South Africa on December 17, for which they will have to leave India pretty much immediately after the Mumbai Test ends.However, the situation in South Africa is dynamic with the new variant of Covid-19, Omicron, bringing a surge in daily positive cases and hospitalisations, especially in the Gauteng province of South Africa where India are scheduled to play the first two of the three Tests before moving south to Cape Town.Last week, the second and third ODIs of Netherlands’ tour of South Africa were called off after several countries, including many in the European Union, imposed travel restrictions on southern Africa. But the India A team has stayed back in South Africa to continue with its shadow tour before the Tests, which gives CSA hope that the senior team will make the journey.”Look, it is pretty natural [for them to wonder and worry and talk about whether the tour will go ahead and what the protocols will be],” Kohli said. “We are not playing in normal times anyway. So there is a lot of planning that is involved, a lot of preparation that is involved in terms of understanding exactly what is going to go on. There are players who are not part of the group right now who will be entering quarantine to join the team bubble to fly in a charter.Virat Kohli: “You want to have clarity and you want to be in a situation where you know exactly what is going on”•Getty Images”Those kinds of things you want to seek clarity as soon as possible. So we have spoken to all the senior members of the squad. Obviously, Rahul [Dravid, the coach] has initiated a conversation within the group, which is very important.”Our focus from the Test match will not shift regardless, but also you want to have clarity and you want to be in a situation where you know exactly what is going on. We have been talking to the board, and we are pretty confident that within a day or two or pretty soon we will have absolute clarity as to what is going on.”We have to be realistic as well. We cannot just ignore the things that potentially could put you in a confusing place. And no one wants to be there. I am sure everyone is working hard towards finding clarity and giving us the situation as it unfolds as soon as possible. We all are hopeful that that will happen soon. Our prime focus right now is the second Test, and the other things are simultaneously being taken care of.”The BCCI has said the tour is on as of now, but the eventual green signal will have to come from the government of India. However, the board will also have to take the players along. It is worth noting they decided to not play the series-decider at Old Trafford in England when there were positive cases in the Indian support staff. They have been playing practically non-stop and moving from bubble to bubble ever since the IPL started in 2020.CSA nervously awaits India’s decision because losing out on an India tour could really set them back financially. There were reports that India might have asked for the tour to be pushed back by a week so that they can monitor Omicron a little more and then make a decision, but CSA denied any such conversation had happened. “There hasn’t been such request or discussion with the BCCI, hence it is purely speculation unless or until they engage us on this,” CSA’s acting CEO Pholetsi Moseki said. “So as of now, CSA is not aware of this.”

Lecce were adamant about holding on to Patrick Dorgu but a Manchester United ultimatum made it "unrealistic" to reject the "historic deal."

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• Dorgu joined Man Utd from Lecce last week
• The Red Devils splashed almost £30 million
• It was "now or never" for the 20-year-old

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Dorgu had been heavily linked with Manchester United throughout the January transfer window, with the Red Devils keen on bolstering their defensive options. After extensive negotiations, they finally reached an agreement to sign the 20-year-old Danish full-back for a base fee of £25 million ($31m/€30m), with an additional £4 million ($5m/€4.8m) in performance-related bonuses.

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• Manchester United
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, completing the deal was far from straightforward. Lecce were reluctant to part ways with their prized young talent mid-season and attempted to delay the transfer until the summer window. But, United’s “now or never” approach made rejecting the deal impossible, according to Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani.

• WHAT LECCE PRESIDENT SAID

  Speaking to , Damiani explained: "We said several times that Dorgu would not leave in January, and now I will explain why the opposite happened. Then Manchester United arrived, who made themselves heard with us and with the lad’s entourage. We told them that we had no intention of letting Dorgu leave in January. We didn’t talk about figures, nor ask for increases. But instead of stopping United, this approach had the opposite effect."

  Despite Lecce’s repeated appeals to delay the move, United refused to budge. They insisted that the transfer had to happen immediately, issuing a firm ultimatum.

  "They insisted," Damiani revealed. "We asked several times to postpone everything until the summer, also promising the young man that he would not miss the opportunity. For us too it was a historic step, we just wanted to do it in July. The Premier League communicated to us their desire, the club and its coach, to make an immediate deal. There was an ultimatum, now or never. They also told the player the same.

  “You cannot blame Dorgu. Imagine you’re 20 and Manchester United knocks on your door with such an offer. The combination of these factors led us to think that we would have gone from being consistent to being stupidly stubborn.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DORGU?

  United fans will be eager to see if the Danish full-back can make an immediate impact and help solidify a position that has been a troublesome area for the team when United take on Leicester City in the FA Cup fourth round at Old Trafford this Friday.

Tallawahs’ batters couldn’t build on their starts while Dwayne Bravo impressed with the ball

Andrew McGlashan02-Sep-2021

Sherfane Rutherford’s outstanding CPL continued with another matchwinning hand as he and Fabian Allen turned what appeared a challenging chase into a canter to maintain St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ unbeaten start to the tournament.On a night where a number of batters couldn’t cash in on starts – Carlos Brathwaite’s 27 was the top score for Jamaica Tallawahs – Rutherford’s became the decisive hand. His stand of 55 in just 20 balls with Allen took control of what was a 50-50 chase when Ravi Bopara departed to leave Patriots 114 for 4 in the 15th over.With five overs to go, Patriots needed 50 when Allen helped take 17 off an Andre Russell over to turn the tide. Phil Simmons, the West Indies coach watching from the stands, would have been concerned to see Russell repeatedly flexing his leg.The next over decided the contest when Rutherford took three sixes off Migael Pretorius – the second two coming after he got away with a spiraling top edge that substitute fielder Kirk McKenzie could not get underneath. Allen then sealed the match by taking the tally of sixes to six in the space of 14 balls.Patriots had been quick out of the blocks but were hauled back when Devon Thomas edged to slip and the struggling Asif Ali was trapped in front. Evin Lewis, who was given a life on 24 by Tallawahs’ stand-in wicketkeeper Kennar Lewis, was shaping to play the key innings before he top-edged off Rovman Powell.Kennar Lewis had the gloves after Chadwick Walton suffered a hamstring injury during the first innings which forced him to retire hurt on 26 in the eighth over. It was around that period where Patriots had a strong hold over the scoring rate having initially gone for 34 off the opening three overs.The next seven overs up to the halfway mark brought just 31 which included Dwayne Bravo, who had a fine evening with the ball, taking a neat one-handed return catch to remove Haider Ali.Brathwaite provided an increase to the scoring rate but lost his off stump attempting to lap Sheldon Cottrell. This time there was no onslaught from Russell who toe-ended a short ball against the impressive Paul van Meekeren. Pretorius’ 15 off five balls ensured 160 was in sight but in the end it proved well short of being enough.

The seamer is grateful for the support of Ellyse Perry after recovering from hamstring surgery

Andrew McGlashan19-Aug-2021

Pace bowler Maitlan Brown has her sights set on an international debut after a long road to recovery from a serious hamstring injury and is grateful for the support of Ellyse Perry, an idol when she was younger, who went through the same challenges last year.On the day Australia’s squad for the India series was announced, a picture was posted on social media, retrieved from Brown’s computer, of her alongside Perry as a young girl. Over the last 10 months, the two of them have been in regular contact as Brown nursed her way back from surgery having badly damaged her hamstring, which was torn off the bone during the WBBL, much like Perry had done during the T20 World Cup in early 2020.The pair are now Sydney Sixers team-mates, with Brown having signed a three-year deal after moving from Melbourne Renegades, and there is every chance she could also line-up alongside Perry and some point during the multi-format India series.Related

Lanning: These days there is no ideal preparation

Schutt and Jonassen to miss India series

Maitlan Brown earns first Australia call

“I was going through my computer the other day and found that picture,” Brown said. “Really cool to be able to look back and know I looked up to Ellyse when I was younger and now playing alongside her.”She had the same injury as me basically and it was great that she was in the WBBL hub, so was able to chat to her and get a bit of an idea of what her journey looked like. We texted back and forth a bit of banter, if I was in shops I’d send her a pic of a packet of ham off the bone. We chatted yesterday about how excited we were to meet up and compare scars. She was really great support.”Brown, who earned her first Australia call-up last year for the home series against New Zealand, detailed the long and “pretty boring” road back to fitness, which began while the WBBL was still going, when she opted to remain in the Sydney hub after surgery. She was later grateful for having the distraction of her university design course where she produced an array of products including a 3D chair, rugs and leather wallets.