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Liverpool have been linked with a move for Yeremy Pino this summer, and now a new update has emerged on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish journalist Xavi Jorquera Márquez, Liverpool have put a €40m (£33.8m) bid “on the table” for Villarreal wonderkid Pino.

Márquez tweeted: “Villarreal have received two offers from two Premier League teams for Yeremy Pino.

“Those clubs are Arsenal and Liverpool.”

“Both have put €40m (£33.8m) on the table. Villarreal asks €60m (£50.7m).”

He could be Salah’s heir

Despite signing a contract extension this summer that will secure his future until 2025, Mohamed Salah is not a player that Liverpool will easily replace in just three years time, and preparing for the future should be something FSG will need to consider with many players in the squad in the latter stages of their career.

Six of the 11 players fielded against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the disappointing 2-2 draw this weekend were over 30 years old, so it would certainly not hurt Liverpool to start thinking about the future of the team to ensure the club’s success over the last six years won’t be short-lived.

As mentioned above, the Egyptian winger will not be an easy player to replace and his perfectly mastered position in the team will take some getting used to for any new forward intending to step into Salah’s shoes, but Pino has already shown glimpses that he is a talent worth paying attention to at Villarreal.

The 19-year-old who was hailed a “special talent” by Fabrizio Romano, made 31 appearances in the wide right position in Unai Emery’s side last season, scoring six goals, delivering four assists and creating six big chances, with the manager clearly trusting in the young player by deploying him in the position consistently.

In fact, Emery has lavished praise on his rising star, hailing Pino “brave” following his performance against Espanyol last season when the youngster scored four goals in just 53 minutes to become the youngest ever player to score a first-half hat-trick in La Liga:

“Yeremy is a 19-year-old boy who has a lot of maturity for certain things. He is competitive, brave and always wants more.”

Clearly incredibly competent in front of goal, as Salah is, the pair share more than just a prolific nature. Indeed. Pino is incredibly exciting with the ball at his feet, completing 1.6 dribbles per game last term. By comparison, Liverpool’s attacking sensation managed 1.5.

With that being said, the signing of Pino would be a great piece of business for Liverpool. Not only could they secure a young player that Klopp can develop into Salah’s heir but the club could also inject some more youth into their team in order to ensure they can compete at the highest level for years to come.

Can’t get enough of Liverpool? Get a live stream reminder for their next match: Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

Sunderland are set to miss out on transfer target Cameron Archer after Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard confirmed that he will be staying at the club this season.

The Lowdown: Sunderland’s Archer pursuit

The striker spent the second half of last season out on loan at Preston North End in the Championship, and his performances at Deepdale caught the attention of multiple suitors.

The Black Cats have been credited with an interest in the 20-year-old for the majority of the window, but were set to face competition from Middlesbrough and the Lilywhites, who were keen on bringing him back.

Following a fresh update though, it sounds as if the Wearside outfit won’t be able to secure their man, this summer at least…

The Latest: Gerrard confirms Archer plans

Speaking to Premier League Productions (as quoted by The Northern Echo), Gerrard revealed that Villa won’t be selling or loaning Archer out in the coming weeks.

“We’ve made a decision with Cameron Archer that he’ll be staying in the door. He will be part of the first team group and needs to be ready when called upon to contribute to the team.”

The Verdict: Blow for Neil

Sunderland have Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms as attacking options in the final third, alongside Jack Clarke who can also play up top, but Alex Neil will be keen to bolster his ranks even further.

After the 1-1 opening day draw against Coventry City last weekend, the boss insisted that he wanted to make at least ‘four or five’ new signings before the window closes to create plenty of squad depth.

The Black Cats have already missed out on Troy Parrott from Tottenham Hotspur and have now suffered the additional blow of failing to secure Archer, labelled a ‘bullish’ player by Preston manager Ryan Lowe, meaning that the search for their perfect bagsman continues.

Manchester United are closing in on their second summer signing of the transfer window, after a breakthrough in negotiations for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.

What’s the word?

The Argentina international has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks and it seems as if the Red Devils have finally reached an agreement with the Eredivisie champions.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed this morning that:

“Manchester United are closing on Lisandro Martinez deal: new round of talks scheduled today with Ajax to reach full agreement for €50m plus add-ons, after the meeting in Amsterdam. Payment terms, one of the final steps. Lisandro made his choice: Manchester United.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Erik ten Hag was clearly desperate to reunite with a player that was so vital to his Ajax side over the past two seasons, and supporters will be hoping that he can get the same performances out of Martinez at Old Trafford.

The 24-year-old, who can also play as a defensive midfielder, was one of the top performers for Ajax last season as they won the Eredivisie title.

Only Sebastien Haller and Dusan Tadic would better Martinez’s superb 7.60 average rating from WhoScored, which emphasises just how crucial he was in Ten Hag’s side.

Considering none of United’s centre-back options would average above a 6.8 rating last season, it was clear that Ten Hag needed to strengthen in that position and he is bringing in a player he knows he can trust.

United’s defensive performances were woeful at times last season, as they shipped 57 goals in the top flight, and signing Martinez could be a big way to amend that.

As the Ajax man can also play in midfield, he is extremely good on the ball, and will surely be better at building attacks from the back than the likes of Harry Maguire, which will benefit Ten Hag’s desired style of play.

Therefore, United fans will surely be delighted to hear that the deal for the Argentine is nearly completed.

AND, in other news: Ten Hag can finally axe £50m shocker as MUFC eye “amazing” £30m signing after de Jong

Manchester City and Chelsea will again be in contact with one another ‘in the coming days’ to negotiate a deal for defender Nathan Ake, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed.

The Lowdown: Ake to Chelsea?

According to a report by Sky Sports, the west London club have held talks with Pep Guardiola’s side over a potential deal for their former academy graduate.

Chelsea are in need of defenders after Andreas Christensen joined Barcelona this summer, with Antonio Rudiger also making the switch to La Liga as he signed for Real Madrid.

The Manchester City centre-back left Stamford Bridge for Bournemouth in 2017 before making the move to the current Premier League champions two years ago for a £41m fee.

The Latest: Romano’s news on Ake

Romano has now shared the latest news on Ake’s proposed return to Chelsea.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist outlined: “Chelsea and Man City will be in contact again in the coming days to negotiate Nathan Aké deal after Sterling. Man City have been clear with Chelsea: they want almost same fee paid in August 2020, around £41m. #CFC

“Aké has full agreement with Chelsea on personal terms.”

The Verdict: Big loss

Whilst the Netherlands international has failed to secure a guaranteed starting spot in Guardiola’s favoured XI, starting just 25% of City’s league matches during his two years at the Etihad Stadium, the 27-year-old has still played an important part in the club’s domestic success since his arrival from Bournemouth.

When compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the defender ranks in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals and non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists, and also in the 98th percentile for non-penalty expected goals and passes attempted (via FBRef).

Therefore, whilst Ake has never been a sure-fire starter under Guardiola, he still made 27 appearances for the club last season in a team full of superstars, with his manager describing him as “a joy to have” in the squad.

Furthermore, with Raheem Sterling’s move to Chelsea also likely to be completed imminently after a £47.5m fee was agreed, their two prospective departures to a fellow top-four Premier League club could come as a huge double blow for the Citizens.

Journalist Freddie Paxton has now revealed the ‘feeling’ inside Arsenal regarding their pursuit of Gabriel Jesus.

The Lowdown: ‘Advanced’ talks

It has been reported that the Gunners are in ‘advanced’ talks to bring Jesus to the Emirates Stadium this summer after the departure of Alexandre Lacazette.

The Frenchman’s exit has left Mikel Arteta with only Eddie Nketiah and the returning Folarin Balogun as his striker options for next season, meaning that they are almost certain to sign another centre-forward this window.

The Latest: Jesus ‘feeling’

Taking to Twitter, Paxton, who also supports the North London club, has revealed that talks for them to sign Jesus are ‘progressing well’, and that discussions with his agents have been ‘positive’.

He added that there is a ‘feeling’ inside AFC that it is now a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ for the deal to be done:

“Understand that negotiations for Arsenal to sign Gabriel Jesus are progressing well. Negotiations with agents around the overall package have been positive.

“There is a feeling from those around the club that it’s now a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.”

The Verdict: Exciting

It is certainly exciting for the supporters to hear of Jesus’ expected arrival, with the saga dragging on long enough already for fans wanting to see him in a red and white shirt.

Despite being shifted out on the wing for most of last season by Pep Guardiola, the Brazil international still managed to score eight goals and make a further nine assists in 28 games in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

His 17 goal contributions in the competition was only bettered in the Arsenal squad by Bukayo Saka (18), and the 25-year-old has shown consistently that he can make the difference at the final end of the pitch in the top flight.

Nonetheless, Jesus is a player Arteta knows very well from his time assisting Guardiola at City, and so this is a deal that makes a lot of sense for the Gunners.

Manchester United’s move for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber is ‘practically closed’, according to Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida.

The Lowdown: Timber talks

Erik ten Hag has seemingly made the 20-year-old his first major target as United manager. The Red Devils first made contact over a possible move at the end of April, and a transfer has slowly gathered pace with the defender’s representatives in England last weekend.

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Timber, described as a ‘top talent’, as per the official UEFA Champions League Twitter channel, can play anywhere across the back four and is valued at a career-high £27m by Transfermarkt.

The Latest: Almeida’s update

Almeida took to Twitter on late on Friday evening to provide a Manchester United transfer update.

He revealed that a move for Timber is ‘practically’ done, adding that the club are now turning their attention to Villarreal’s Pau Torres.

The Verdict: New partnership?

Although Timber can play as a full-back, Ten Hag mainly used the Netherlands international at centre-back last season. He made 38 appearances at the heart of the defence and just five at right-back, helping Ajax to the Eredivisie title, conceding just 19 times in 34 games.

It looks as if he will become the club’s first major signing of the Ten Hag era, and with United now looking at a move for another centre-back in Torres, that could spell trouble for the likes of Harry Maguire, who was heavily criticised last season.

In other news: Reliable journalist leaks Man Utd talks as Ten Hag now eyes ‘terrific’ Englishman. 

Leeds United have reportedly enquired about the availability of Barcelona starlet Ez Abde, according to Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Top talent

Signed by Barcelona B in 2019 from Hercules, the 20-year-old winger progressed into Xavi’s first-team plans during the 2021/22 campaign.

Abde ended the season with 11 senior outings for the Catalan giants, having scored twice and provided seven assists in 20 appearances for the B team.

Despite seemingly having a bright future in Spain, it appears that Leeds are keen on bringing the Moroccan to the Premier League…

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The latest: Leeds interested in Abde

As per Sport, translated by Sport Witness, Leeds have ‘mentioned’ the name of Abde whilst discussing other deals with Barcelona – perhaps the widely-speculated transfer of Raphinha to Camp Nou.

It is suggested that Wolves – who loaned Adama Traore to the La Liga club in January – also enquired about the possibility of signing the 20-year-old.

Under contract at Camp Nou until 2024 (Transfermarkt), the report makes no mention of a desire from Barcelona to sell the youngster, who was hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by Xavi following a 2-2 draw against Osasuna in which the versatile attacker scored and also completed five successful dribbles in a 7.2-rated performance from Sofascore.

The verdict: Smart move

Equally adept on either wing, signing Abde amidst the possibility of either or both of Raphinha and Jack Harrison departing would be a smart piece of business from Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta.

The talented starlet completed 3.4 dribbles per game during 10 La Liga outings in his breakthrough season at that level, highlighting a penchant for beating defenders which would be welcomed with open arms at Elland Road, where nobody averaged more than two successful dribbles per match in 2021/22.

Boasting stylistic similarities with the likes of Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, Sevilla ace Lucas Ocampos and the aforementioned Traore (Fbref), Abde is certainly one to watch as the next generation of talent comes through at Barcelona, and Leeds would be wise to remain attentive to the possibility of this capture.

In other news, Leeds are eyeing up another signing after Aaronson. Find out who it is here

Everton have had their fair share of injuries already this season with Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina sidelined in the backline, and now a new update has emerged that could seriously impact the Toffees’ defensive set-up.

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Jordan Pickford is set to be out for up to a month with a thigh injury sustained in the Merseyside Derby.

Ornstein wrote in his article for the publication that the Toffees’ number one is set to miss out on the clash with Arsenal and West Ham United as well as likely missing out on England’s fixtures during the international break.

Lampard will be frustrated

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard will be frustrated with the news that Pickford could be out for up to four weeks as he has arguably been Everton’s best player of the season so far.

The injury to the England ‘keeper comes as he put in a Man of the Match performance against Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby last weekend with eight phenomenal saves against the club’s bitter rivals to hold the visitors to a 0-0 draw, leaving the Toffees unbeaten in their last four games in the Premier League.

In fact, Pickford is second only to Newcastle United’s Nick Pope for saves this season (26), and has had a significant influence on their ability to hold their last four opponents to a draw in the league.

Over six appearances, the 28-year-old has saved 81% of the shots against him, with 1.3 clearances per game and 42 touches per match which has led to him being the highest-rated player (7.47) in the entire Everton squad for his contributions in the team so far, according to SofaScore.

Lampard was full of praise for his keeper after his display against Liverpool last weekend hailing Pickford in his post-match interview:

He said: “Superb, the save from Nunez in the first half when I think we were comfortable as you can be against Liverpool – it’s just a moment of quality and he gets a fingertip to it.

“When he delivers like he did today everyone understands why he’s England’s number one and why we appreciate him so much here.”

With that being said, it’s a huge blow that he’ll miss the next month of action and Lampard will need to hope that Asmir Begovic can remain fit to replace him over his recovery period as Andy Lonergan is currently injured until after the international break as well.

Virat Kohli now has 30 centuries as captain in international cricket, going past the number of centuries he has as non-captain

Bharath Seervi05-Oct-2018649/9- India’s total in the first innings at Rajkot – their highest-ever against West Indies. India’s biggest total before this was 647 for 7 in Kanpur in 1978-79. Overall, this is the seventh-highest total by any team against West Indies and the highest in last ten years.8- Number of 600-plus totals for India in Tests since 2016, which is two more than the number of such totals by all other teams combined during the same period. Australia have had three such totals, whereas England, South Africa and Sri Lanka have got one each.123- Number of innings taken by Virat Kohli to score 24 Test centuries. Only Sir Don Bradman got there in fewer innings – 66. Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar took 125 and 128 innings respectively.2:29

Walsh: Kohli’s hunger for ‘every Test run’ amazing

3- Number of India players with more Test centuries than Kohli’s 24. Tendulkar (51), Rahul Dravid (36) and Gavaskar (34) are ahead of him. He went past Virender Sehwag, who had 23 hundreds. Among batsmen worldwide, he also went past Javed Miandad, Justin Langer, Kevin Pietersen and Steven Smith, who all have 23 centuries.4- Centuries for Kohli in Tests in 2018 – twice more than any other batsman. No India batsman has more than one century this year. Mominul Haque, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kusal Mendis and Aiden Markram have two centuries each.30- Centuries for Kohli as captain in international cricket. He’s now got more centuries as captain than as non-captain. He has 29 centuries in 250 innings when he’s not been captain, as against 30 in just 134 innings when he’s been the captain.The two players who have more than 30 hundreds as captain – Ricky Ponting (41) and Graeme Smith (33) – took 225 and 333 innings respectively to get there.ESPNcricinfo Ltd20- Hundreds for Kohli at No. 4 position in Tests. He is the fifth batsman to score 20 or more centuries at that position after Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis and Mahela Jawardene. Kohli took 82 innings to score 20 centuries at that position, the fastest among the five. Kallis had done it in 91 innings.109.52- Rishabh Pant’s strike rate while making 92 runs off 84 balls. He hit eight fours and four sixes. He scored briskly against every West Indies bowler, having a strike-rate of more than 85 against each one. He, however, missed out on becoming the first India wicketkeeper to get centuries in successive innings. He had scored 114 in his last innings in England at The Oval.

3- Number of consecutive years in which Kohli has scored 1000 or more runs in Tests. He had 1215 runs in 2016, 1059 runs in 2017, and after his 139-run knock today, he has 1018 runs this year. He is the first India batsman – and the sixth overall – to achieve this three years in a row. Matthew Hayden did it five years in a row, from 2001 to 2005. Steven Smith has done it four years in a row from 2014 to 2017, while Brian Lara, Marcus Trescothick and Kevin Pietersen achieved this for three successive years.1- Ravindra Jadeja scored his maiden Test century. He had nine fifties to his name, with a highest score of 90 before this. He achieved it at his home ground where he also got his highest first-class score of 331. It is also his maiden century across all international formats, coming in his 218th match.217- Runs conceded by Devendra Bishoo in his 54 overs – the second-most by a West Indies bowler in a Test innings. Tommy Scott had given away 266 runs against England in Kingston in 1930, which is the most. Overall, Bishoo’s figures are the third-most expensive by any bowler against India, after Rangana Herath’s 240 and Suraj Randiv’s 222.

Bangladesh’s break from Test cricket came as their top order was starting to show encouraging signs of solidity. The same top six will be on show against England. Can they find their groove again?

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong19-Oct-2016If England are to be given a fight over the five days in Chittagong, Bangladesh’s top six batsmen will have to be the ones at the forefront. They will have to attack, consolidate and defend whenever necessary and leave very little to do for the rest of the line-up that is filled with newcomers, those still raw at the top level and returnees.Since the first Test squad was announced earlier this week, there has been much discussion about the lack of experience among the four – Mehedi Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Nurul Hasan and Kamrul Islam Rabbi – who never played Tests, and the other four – Soumya Sarkar, Shuvagata Hom, Shafiul Islam and Taijul Islam – who played so few. But the story should be about the six who have given this team the backbone by developing into the strongest batting line-up in their history.The initial thrust will be provided by Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s leading scorer in each format, who will renew the country’s most successful batting partnership for any wicket with the born-again Imrul Kayes. The talented but hardly used Mominul Haque comes at No. 3 to press on and consolidate with Mahmudullah, Bangladesh’s most versatile batsman. Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan will be expected to take advantage of their overall experience to push on from a good start or if things go wrong, stop a top-order collapse. They will also have to guide the middle to lower order for the rest of the innings.Both Tamim and Imrul are in good form, with Tamim now the leading scorer for Bangladesh in Tests and the first to reach 5,000 ODI runs. Over the last two years, his highlight has been a more mature approach off the field which has led to a fitter body and a freer mind. His 206 against Pakistan was a masterpiece in concentration as he pulled Bangladesh out of a potential defeat.His 312-run stand with Imrul in Khulna was the first 300-plus opening stand in the second innings of a Test. The pair has averaged nearly 50 per innings, and as much as it has to do with Tamim’s effervescence, Imrul has lately become a forceful character.Long known as the meek half of the batting pair, Imrul has come of age since that Khulna Test in which he kept wicket for 132 overs (in his first ever stint as a wicketkeeper after Mushfiqur had been injured) before hitting 150 in nearly six hours. He still lost his place in the limited-overs format with the emergence of Soumya but kept making runs in Tests and after the 2015 off-season training regime, Imrul has become a completely different batsman. He now tries to pose trouble to bowlers every ball, and found success against England during this tour with a century in the one-day warm match then another in the first ODI. It will be interesting to see how Tamim and Imrul can now go against England’s Test attack.Mominul, the left hander whose Test average hasn’t dropped below 50 since making his debut in 2013, should be provided some cushion as this will also be his first international cricket in 14 months, having now become a Test regular (or limited-overs outsider). He will have the hardest time among the top six given that he has only played 15 first-class matches during this time, though he has averaged 45.91.After Mominul comes Mahmudullah. In the gap between Bangladesh’s Tests, he has become the team’s main big hitter in T20s and in the last two years he has also made himself into the ODI side’s chief accelerator in the middle overs, in addition to his role of calming down the middle order in Tests. It is unlikely that Mahmudullah will confuse his roles in the three format, rather it could boost his run-making in Tests.His brother-in-law and the Test captain Mushfiqur will once again have a lot in his plate but he is the most experienced player in this squad. The burden of being the captain, wicketkeeper and middle-order dependable could weigh down on him but to keep the team on the right track, in the most challenging of situations, is what Mushfiqur trains so hard for, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he thrives on the workload.Shakib will be the other senior player with a lot on his plate. He is the team’s only bowler of note, be it in a wicket-taking role or in restricting the scoring rate. It will not be possible for him to do both at the same time, but for most of his Test career, he has had little time between a marathon bowling spell and a batting stint. He would certainly hope to have less to do but that is unlikely given the make-up of the team.There won’t be any let-up in their responsibilities when they are not batting or bowling, too. Mushfiqur being the captain, will need to take extra care of all the youngsters. Tamim is known to take them under their wing while Shakib will remain the figurehead, the one they would be awed by, but someone whose one word of encouragement could spark something out of a debutant.All six of Bangladesh’s top order will have to play their part in seizing the key moments – passages of play, sessions or entire days if they can – if the team are to take control, but it is within their ability. They have always relished Test cricket, although hardly get play any these days. This series against England is a chance for them to show their development as cricketers and characters.