Tag Futebol

Duje Caleta-Car should seal his long-awaited switch to the Premier League by joining Southampton instead of West Ham United, according to Get French Football News’ Adam White.

West Ham have been long-term admirers of Marseille’s Caleta-Car and the 6 ft 4 Croatia international turned down a move to east London last year.

Despite the setback, Caleta-Car remains on the Hammers’ radar, along with Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma, as boss David Moyes looks to add further reinforcements to his side before the transfer window slams shut.

However, West Ham face competition for Caleta-Car’s services as Premier League rivals Southampton are also keeping tabs on the 24-year-old.

Saints’ interest comes after Denmark international Jannik Vestergaard, who had entered the final 12 months of his contract at St Mary’s, sealed a £15million move to Leicester City last week.

Caleta-Car is yet to make an appearance for Ligue 1 outfit Marseille this season and French football expert White believes he would be a better fit for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton squad than West Ham if he did decide to move to the Premier League.

He told Football FanCast: “At Southampton, he could be in a position to do more of the type of defending he is good at [than at West Ham], which is using his physicality, reading of play and his ability in the air.

“He’s probably a slightly better fit at Southampton and I can see that happening.”

Bolton got back to winning ways on Tuesday night with a 3-2 win over Port Vale in the group stages of the EFL Trophy.

Eoin Doyle, Nathan Delfouneso and Oladapo Afolayan scored the goals for the hosts, who were 2-1 down heading into the second half, to help them bounce back from two defeats.

Ian Evatt’s side lost on penalties to Wigan in the League Cup before being beaten 1-0 by Cambridge in League One at the weekend. This means Bolton went into the game against Port Vale in desperate need of a positive result, which they managed to get.

The likes of Doyle, Deflouneso and Afolayan will take the plaudits for finding the back of the net and, ultimately, winning the match for Wanderers with their goals, but a player whose performance may have gone under the radar is Andy Tutte.

Bolton’s defensive midfielder, Tutte, was given the opportunity to showcase his experience and quality after being on the fringes in the opening weeks of the League One campaign. He took his chance with both hands as he put in an impressive display in midfield, one that could give Evatt a selection headache ahead of the clash with Burton Albion next week.

Per SofaScore, Tutte won an excellent 82% of his duels on the pitch. He won 100% (8/8) of his ground duels and one of his three aerial battles, showing how dominant he was against the Port Vale midfield – with Bolton’s beast coming out on top in the vast majority of midfield tussles.

Tutte won five tackles and completed one interception and one clearance to sniff out Port Vale attacks. He was able to provide a screen in front of the defence to win the ball back, which also allowed the attacking players more chances to assault the opposition box.

On the ball, he only gave possession away five times in the entire match. He completed a whopping 94% of his passes and controlled the tempo of the game with 85 touches of the ball, providing two key passes and completing three of his six long pass attempts.

The veteran also completed both of his attempted dribbles, showing that he was able to take the ball past players as well as find teammates with his passes. This highlights his ability on the ball and shows that his quality in possession helped Bolton dictate the match – allowing them to eventually win 3-2.

AND in other news, 73% duels lost: Bolton disaster who gave the ball away 15 times let Evatt down…

Some Everton fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Moise Kean.

Speaking on his Twitch channel (via The Everton End), Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Goodison Park club will not allow the striker to go out on loan again before the summer window shuts.

Kean impressed while on loan at PSG in the 2020/21 season, scoring 17 goals in 41 matches across all competitions (Transfermarkt), and under a new manager in Rafa Benitez, some Everton supporters feel that he deserves a chance to prove himself on Merseyside.

Given that he has already had the experience of going out on loan, another temporary deal would not really suit the player or the Toffees.

Everton fans on Kean transfer update

These Everton fans were buzzing as the transfer update was shared across Twitter, with one supporter even describing Romano’s revelation as ‘great news’:

“Great news if true, if he wants that move next summer hopefully he’ll get his head down and bag us a load of goals”

Credit: @efc_alex18

“Good, he’ll get goals. Good back up for Dom.”

Credit: @thbluenurse

“I’m glad, I like Kean”

Credit: @mattycampbell44

“Good. 4-4-2 with Dom….!”

Credit: @LD5679

“Absolutely the right call from Benitez – Ancelotti letting Kean out on loan last season almost certainly cost Everton a place in Europe this season!”

Credit: @jkeithgibson

“Good”

Credit: @leylandCal94

In other news, find out what James Rodriguez comments has Evertonians fuming here!

Tom Westley will continue as England Under-19 captain for their two-Test series against New Zealand Under-19s at Taunton and Worcester

Cricinfo staff19-Jul-2008Tom Westley will continue as England Under-19 captain for their two-Test series against New Zealand Under-19s at Taunton and Worcester. The first Test begins on July 26 in Somerset.Alex Wakely returns from the wrist injury that made him sit out their recent match against Bangladesh A. The news came on a day when Chris Woakes, who has also been included, took a career-best 5 for 37 for Warwickshire against Middlesex.Squad Tom Westley (capt), William Beer, Ben Brown (wk), Liam Dawson, Luke Fletcher, James Goodman, Alex Hales, Daniel Redfern, Ben Sanderson, Ian Saxelby, James Taylor, Alex Wakely, Chris Woakes.

Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would ‘definitely suit’ West Ham, Kevin Campbell has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

ExWHUEmployee revealed in July that West Ham were considering a possible loan move for Oxlade-Chamberlain.

According to The Athletic, the Hammers have expressed a particularly strong interest in Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard following his 2020/21 loan spell, but the player has told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he wants to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford.

Oxlade-Chamberlain could be an alternative to the 28-year-old. The Liverpool man was limited to just two Premier League starts last season, making a further 11 substitute appearances (via WhoScored).

He has been dogged by injuries since his arrival at Anfield back in 2017, missing a total of 74 matches, while West Ham are already said to be in talks with the Reds over a move for his team-mate Divock Origi.

The latest

Campbell has urged West Ham to pursue the move and thinks that Oxlade-Chamberlain may well be surplus to requirements at Liverpool.

“He’s the type of player that would definitely suit West Ham,” the former Everton striker told Football Insider.

“I’m not saying he’s a goalscorer in the same vein as Jesse Lingard but his game is speed. That’s huge in his game and he’s not playing at Liverpool.

“When you don’t play, there is always that risk you get sold or are forced to move on. He’d be a huge signing for West Ham.”

The verdict

On the face of it, this would be similar to the Lingard deal – a loan move for an out-of-favour English attacker at a Champions League club. The hope would then be that Oxlade-Chamberlain regains his stride in similar fashion to the Manchester United ace.

The 27-year-old is an exceptionally versatile player, capable of playing in central midfield, attacking midfield and on either flank.

However, would Liverpool allow another midfielder to leave given that Georginio Wijnaldum’s departure has already thinned out their squad?

The other news, fans raved over this display in Sunday’s friendly.

Newcastle United are reportedly the favourites to sign Cameron Carter-Vickers in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers breakthrough

The 23-year-old had something of a breakthrough 2020/21 season while on loan at Bournemouth from Tottenham as the Cherries just missed out on a Championship play-off final spot at the hands of Brentford, who eventually won promotion to the Premier League.

The centre-back played in 21 matches in the second tier, winning 4.5 of his duels per game, while also averaging 3.4 clearances, 1.1 interceptions and one tackle per match, helping his side to keep five clean sheets in the process (Sofascore).

The Latest: Newcastle favourites

As per Football Insider, Newcastle are now the favourites to sign Carter-Vickers, who is also a target for Celtic.

A source from Spurs has told the news outlet that the Magpies are currently the frontrunners for his signature after talks. Carter-Vickers only has one year left remaining on his deal with the Lilywhites, and they will demand a fee in the region of £5m if they are to sell him.

The Verdict: Sign

Carter-Vickers certainly seems like a good cut-price option for the Tyneside club, and he would help to bolster Steve Bruce’s options in the heart of defence.

Once dubbed an ‘absolute beast’ by former Tottenham teammate Jan Vertonghen back in 2016, the 1.83m (6 foot 1) colossus could certainly give Newcastle a physical and aerial threat in both boxes, and at 23 years of age, the USA international still has a lot of potential to fulfil.

He could turn out to be a smart signing by the Toon if they win the race for his signature.

In other news, find out what promising takeover insight Amanda Staveley has dropped

‘brinkmanship, n, art and practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limit of safety.’That’s the educational lesson for today for the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association as they ponder the 4pm deadline in which to respond to New Zealand Cricket’s pay offer.More than brinkmanship, it has become an issue of credibility for the entire concept of a players’ association in the game of cricket in this country.Normally, on a subject like this there would be claims of the country being split down the middle on the issue.That has never been the case in this stand-off.It is a clear case of the cricketers being in one camp, and the rest of the country in the other.It is difficult to recall an issue that has seen a mobilisation of public support behind an employer as has occurred in this case.From the outset the Players’ Association have missed out in the public relations stakes. Apart from the blatant grandstanding nature of their claim, the offensive they have mounted against New Zealand Cricket smacks of sheer opportunism, and to Hell with the consequences.It is interesting that a chapter in Chris Cairns’ recently-released book, under the heading ‘Sour Times’ makes the comment: “The story of the last two decades of New Zealand cricket has one constant. Every time a sense of camaraderie has been built, every time team spirit begins to rise and bonds are formed within the squad, something has always come along and rent the team apart.”How appropriately timed!That is the fate of the game once, as expected, 4pm rolls around today with the players not responding to New Zealand Cricket’s claim.Players’ Association advocate Rob Nichol may be right in his claim that the players are behind him 100% in their solidarity.If they are, then their battle plan is out of the Balaclava, Gallipoli and Passchendaele book of disasters.While the long-term results of those military mishaps were the loss of a generation, so too the chance that this will be exactly what happens to New Zealand cricket.That would be a shame for a sport which is only now getting over the ructions from 1992 and 1995 that almost ripped the heart out of the game here.But as the players who went through that era will know, the game did survive. There will be tough times again. But there is likely to be a great deal more sympathy as New Zealand attempts to rebuild after this latest episode with new players than was the case for earlier teams trying to establish themselves.For that is what lies ahead of the game now. The general public see a fair wage offer on the table, and look at ordinary results, especially in the money-making one-day game. Is it little wonder that the players’ stance has developed so little support.The bells toll for 4pm.DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herewith are not necessarily those of New Zealand Cricket.