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Leicester City have received a potentially worrying blow after defender Wesley Fofana admitted he wants to play for La Liga giants Real Madrid at some point in his career.

What’s the story?

The 20-year-old centre-back established himself as one of the Premier League’s brightest prospects before suffering a broken leg on the eve of the new campaign and has now declared his interest in one day following in the footsteps of his friend Eduardo Camavinga by moving to the Santiago Bernabeu.

“Rumours of Real Madrid?” he said in an interview on YouTube (as relayed by Spanish outlet Marca). “It’s an honour; Real Madrid is the club of my dreams. It’s the biggest club in the world, and my dream is to play there.”

Leicester fans gutted?

Although it’s unlikely that Fofana will be departing Leicester any time soon due to the severity of his recent injury setback, the youngster’s willingness to speak so openly about his future ambitions away from the club may leave some fans feeling gutted.

The France U21 international arrived at the King Power Stadium from boyhood club Saint-Etienne in a £30m deal and went on to make 38 appearances for Brendan Rodgers’ charges in all competitions, playing a pivotal part in the club’s FA Cup success.

As per SofaScore, Fofana averaged 2.2 interceptions per game last term, 1.8 tackles and 3.3 clearances, highlighting his impressive impact during his maiden campaign on English shores.

But the youngster was equally imposing with the ball at his feet for the Foxes, achieving a passing accuracy of 86% and a dribbling success rate of 71%.

Unfortunately for Leicester, they’re set to be without Fofana’s services for the majority of the season due to his fitness woes, but large sections of the fanbase may now be worried about losing him on a permanent basis.

The Midlands outfit have often sold their best players like Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell in order to fund new investment and to continue their progress both on and off the pitch, but this summer saw them adopt a different approach.

No big star was sold by Rodgers’ side, while several high-profile new acquisitions were brought to the club, illustrating the newfound ambition the hierarchy now have after consecutive fifth-place finishes under their Northern Irish tactician.

Therefore, Fofana expressing his desire to move to Madrid may come as a big disappointment to the Leicester chiefs and fanbase alike, as Fofana has the potential to form the foundations of a successful side for man years to come.

And, in other news…Leicester receive boost in pursuit of £9m-rated beast, fans will be buzzing 

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante William Pottker, recém contratado pelo Internacional, ficará longe dos gramados por pelo menos três semanas, segundo informou o departamento médico do Colorado. O jogador se lesionou na partida contra o América-MG, na última terça-feira, pela Série B. Pottker saiu ainda no primeiro tempo, após sentir um desconforto na coxa esquerda.

Sem poder contar com o atacante, o técnico Guto Ferreira chamou Brenner para compor a delegação que irá para Recife enfrentar o Santa Cruz, no próximo sábado, às 16h30. Além dele, o lateral Ceará e o também atacante Roberson também foram chamados. Eles entram no lugar de D’alessandro e Fabinho, que cumprem suspensão automática na próxima rodada.

O Inter se encontra atualmente na quinta posição na tabela da Série B do Brasileirão. Uma vitória contra o Santa Cruz pode levar a equipe à vice-liderança da competição, dependendo dos outros resultados da rodada.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de ter contratado os zagueiros Breno e Paulão e o volante Wellington, o Vasco segue atento para oficializar outros nomes que vão reforçar a equipe na disputa do Campeonato Brasileiro. Os próximos da lista devem ser o zagueiro Lucas Rocha e o volante Bruno Paulista. A dupla vem treinando em São Januário há algumas semanas e a expectativa é a de que as situações se resolvam brevemente.

Vice-presidente de futebol do Vasco, Eurico Brandão, mais conhecido como Euriquinho, filho do presidente Eurico Miranda, detalhou como estão as situações de Lucas Rocha e Bruno Paulista. De acordo com o dirigente, o zagueiro, que chega por empréstimo do Boavista até o fim da temporada, está em processo de troca de documentos. Já com o volante, a negociação vai poder se concretizar somente quando a janela internacional abrir em 20 de junho para a nona rodada do Brasileiro – ele vem do Sporting, de Portugal.

– Lucas Rocha falta a documentação, falta pouco. Bruno Paulista não tem muito o que fazer agora, só depois da abertura da janela. Mais um zagueiro é uma situação que temos que pensar com carinho. Até pela lesão do Rafael Marques – afirmou Euriquinho.

Vale lembrar que o Vasco ainda aguarda a possibilidade do zagueiro Anderson Martins, mas o departamento de futebol do Cruz-Maltino segue no compasso de espera para que a sua rescisão no Qatar seja colocada no papel.

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Former Leeds United player Jon Newsome believes that Jack Harrison has been a real positive for the club.

After three years on loan, Harrison made his Elland Road stay permanent this summer after his best return in a Leeds shirt last season.

The 24-year-old scored eight goals and got eight assists for the Whites in the Premier League in 2020/2021, helping them to a ninth-placed finish in their first season back in the top flight.

And Newsome believes Harrison has worked really hard and is a real positive for the Marcelo Bielsa’s side, exclusively telling Football FanCast: “He’s worked incredibly hard, so you know last summer, it was reported that he sort of like employed a personal trainer to get him fitter and stronger and develop as a player and I think we saw that last season, I think he really has and he scored some goals. 

“I think the biggest, not question mark, but if you had a tiny, tiny little bit of criticism on him was that he got himself into some really good goal scoring positions in the Championship final year and didn’t convert as often as he could and should have, and I think he’s put that to bed.

“I think he’s scored a number of goals and he has been a real, real positive for the football club.”

Harrison has gone on to make 128 appearances for Leeds United, scoring 18 goals and providing a further 20 in his time at Elland Road.

Everton move into the final months of the transfer window needing to find more bodies to improve their ranks.

Rafa Benitez’s primary goal will be to get the Toffees back into European football but that won’t happen with further signings.

What’s the word?

One area Everton have looked to improve this summer is in the middle of the park.

They’ve been linked with a number of midfielders from Yves Bissouma to Andre-Frank Zambo-Anguissa.

Another man who could arrive at Goodison Park is Sheffield United’s Sander Berge.

Everton have been interested in the Norwegian for a good few months now as they hope to take advantage of the Blades’ relegation. However, they may have to pay in the region of £35m.

Speaking to Football Transfer Tavern this week, Michael Ball seemed to think a deal could happen.

He said: “It could be on the back-burner. Everton will want to see how Jean-Philippe Gbamin gets on with his fitness levels and it also depends on the futures of Allan and Andre Gomes, along with Tom Davies possibly.

“I think Everton have probably reached out to all the targets they would like to bring in and found out the financial packages from Sheffield United and the player.”

Gomes upgrade

Andre Gomes is one of a number of Everton stars linked with the exit door in recent weeks.

The Portuguese dynamo was disappointing towards the back end of the campaign, appearing incredibly weak and feeble in defensive duels. He won just six tackles in his final nine matches of the Premier League season for instance.

Although Berge won 0.2 fewer tackles per game than Gomes over the entire season at 1.1, his last nine matches showed more promising signs.

The Norway international has only played twice in 2021 but in those previously mentioned outings, he won nine challenges successfully.

Described as “unique” and “complete” by Chris Wilder, Berge would also bring an element of composure that was lacking to Gomes in the final stages of the 2020/21 season.

The Everton midfielder completed 85.3% of his passes while the Toffees target registered a success rate of 85.6%. His Nations League tally was even better at 88.5%.

What also sets Berge apart is his ability to drive forward and carry the ball. For his country, he registered a whopping 3.3 dribbles per game in the Nations League but Gomes managed just 1.1 per match in the Premier League.

On that evidence, it’s clear to see why he’d be a huge upgrade. Marcel Brands must do his best to conclude a deal in the final weeks of the market.

AND in other news, Everton can seal best deal since Lukaku with “electric” £36m star who’s “unstoppable”…

Michael Clarke made a fluent and emotional century before striking twice with the ball late in the day to further tighten Australia’s grip

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale31-May-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
Michael Clarke was in fine touch during his first Test since January © Getty Images
Two months away from cricket attending to family matters has clearly not dulled Michael Clarke’s focus on the game. Australia’s new vice-captain made a fluent and emotional century before striking twice with the ball late in the day to further tighten Australia’s grip on the Frank Worrell Trophy. At stumps West Indies were 125 for 3, with Ramnaresh Sarwan on 32 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 5, and needed a further 155 to avoid the follow-on.They were fighting well on a dull pitch until Clarke’s breakthroughs, including the key wicket of Xavier Marshall, who inexplicably left a ball on off stump and was lbw for 53. Marshall provided them with their major glimmer of hope, which was a surprise given that his two previous Tests came in Sri Lanka in 2005 and he has been in and out of Jamaica’s side since then. He does not even have a first-class century but that did not faze him as he cover-drove Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson with precision and power.He lost his opening partner Devon Smith, who cut a short, wide Johnson ball straight to Andrew Symonds at point, but Marshall carried on with confidence until his sudden lapse in judgment. Runako Morton followed in the same over, caught at midwicket when he impatiently tried to belt Clarke over the infield from his fifth ball, and the success of Australia’s part-time spinner was a relief for Ricky Ponting. Stuart MacGill continued to send down long hops and full tosses.Perhaps Clarke was simply in the zone after his positive batting. It was an impressive effort considering he has played no serious cricket since the Australian domestic season finished in March. While many of his colleagues headed off to the Indian Premier League, he stayed home to spend time with his ill father and when the rest of the squad was warming up in the Caribbean, he was helping his fiancée after the death of her dad. The innings was clearly special for Clarke, who brought up his seventh Test hundred with a super on-drive for four off Daren Powell, then raised his bat and helmet towards the sky and smiled contentedly before wiping away a few tears.He had spent nearly ten overs in the 90s, which was a major dip in a free-flowing innings full of punishing drives and fantastic running between the wickets. He was able to cut and clip through leg confidently but his work off the front foot was truly exquisite. Clarke found gaps where there appeared to be none and his timing was perfect. It was tough to determine which of his awesome cover-drives was his best stroke, but one that pierced a miniscule space between the extra cover and the short extra cover and flew to the boundary off Powell was particularly brilliant.He turned decent balls into half-volleys by batting well out of his crease and West Indies were at a loss as to how they could remove him. They had a chance when he was dropped by Denesh Ramdin down the leg side on 63, and he finally fell on 110 when he top edged an attempted pull off Powell that lobbed to midwicket.Clarke had plenty of support, initially in a 64-run stand with Brad Haddin, who felt free to play his naturally aggressive game with such a solid platform already built by the top order. Haddin tried to keep up with Clarke and was more willing than his partner to pull and hit over the top, but he fell for 33 when he prodded a Taylor slower ball to Morton at mid-on.Lee was then able to add 54 with Clarke despite looking desperately out of touch, finding thick inside edges when he tried to drive and struggling against the short stuff from Taylor. After Clarke departed Lee started to find his form and some meaty blows from him and Johnson pushed the total up to a daunting 479. When Lee brought up his half-century with a slogged six over midwicket off Darren Sammy, West Indies appeared to have given up on bowling Australia out and were waiting for Ponting to call his batsmen in.The declaration finally came at tea, leaving Lee unbeaten on 63 and one short of his highest Test score, and ending a tough day in the field for Sarwan. He wasn’t given the option of a frontline spinner and had to rotate his three fast and two medium-pace bowlers on a surface that brought them only seven wickets in five sessions.The morning had started well when they stopped Simon Katich, who tickled a leg-side catch behind off Jerome Taylor, adding to his overnight 113. Then Symonds went in similar fashion – he tried to turn Fidel Edwards off his hip – and West Indies might have thought it would be their day. A refreshed and rejuvenated Clarke ensured that it wasn’t.

Rennes defender Sacha Boey has bizarrely walked away from negotiations with Celtic after previously being in advanced talks with the club [L’Equipe via The Scottish Sun].

The Lowdown: Celtic hunt for quality ahead of the 2021/22 Scottish Premiership season

Progressing towards the opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership season, newly appointed Bhoys manager Ange Postecoglou will be zoning in on recruiting in a number of key positions in order to strengthen squad depth.

In particular, right-back will be an area of interest to the Aussie. Facing a dearth of quality in what has been a problem position at Parkhead in recent years, Anthony Ralston is the only right-sided defender currently on the books with senior experience.

In spite of this, one man who will now not be joining the Scottish giants this summer is 20-year-old Boey, according to recent developments.

The Latest: Celtic move for Boey off due to bizarre reason

The 5ft 10in ace is said to have walked away from discussions with Celtic, with issues due to undesirable ‘foreign intermediaries’ causing the deal to completely ‘collapse’ [The Scottish Sun].

Previously, L’Equipe had claimed that Postecoglou’s men were in the advanced stages of negotiations with Boey.

However, any deal now looks to be off the table for Boey, whilst a number of French sides are said to be monitoring his situation closely.

The Verdict: Losing out on Boey will be a bitter blow for Celtic

Facing a race against time with competitive football already back underway for the Hoops, losing out on the full-back will come as a bitter blow to the Parkhead hierarchy.

In 2020/21, Boey gained regular first-team experience on loan at Dijon, recording a solitary assist in 24 appearances [Transfermarkt].

More importantly, his defensive attributes stood out despite his former club suffering relegation. Across the campaign, the youngster was able to record an impressive 2.3 tackles per game [WhoScored], which put him first in his squad (min. 2 games) and would also rank him first at Parkhead.

Having also been quoted with interest in Boey’s Rennes teammate Brandon Soppy alongside Sheffield United man George Baldock, Celtic now need to move on to other targets as quickly as possible.

In other news, Celtic face another crushing transfer blow.

Pakistan scored their third straight victory in the Under-15 Asia Cup cricket tournament when they defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in Sharjah on Wednesday

Sports Correspondent19-Dec-2002Pakistan scored their third straight victory in the Under-15 Asia Cup cricket tournament when they defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in Sharjah on Wednesday.Chasing a target of 162, Pakistan reached it 33.4overs for the loss of four wickets, according to details available here.Skipper Fazal Mohammad Khan scored an unbeaten 63 off 96 balls with the aid of six fours and two sixes. Opener Fayyaz Ahmed (29) and Salman Akbar (20) were the other main scorers.Earlier, Sri Lanka scored 161 for nine in their 40 overs. Mathew top-scored with an 80-ball 39 that included two fours.Suleman Ali and Nasir Ahmed captured two wickets each for 21 and 30 runs.Summarised scores:SRI LANKA UNDER-15 161-9 in 40 overs (Angelo Mathew 39, Sameera de Zoysa 31, Sudesh Fernando 21; Suleman Ali 2-21, Nasir Ahmed 2-30);PAKISTAN UNDER-15 162-4 in 33.4 overs (Fazal Mohammad Khan 63 not out, Fayyaz Ahmed 29, Salman Akbar 20; Angelo Mathew 2-27).

THE Western Australian cricket selectors have appointed Michael Hussey as Western Warriors stand-in captain for the 2002-2003 season.This appointment is in conjunction with Adam Gilchrist as Western Warriors official captain and Justin Langer as vice-captain.Hussey will be the Warriors deputy vice-captain.He will lead the Warriors first-class and limited-overs team whenever Gilchrist and Langer are unavailable for their state due to international commitments.Batsman and Australia A wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell will be vice-captain to Hussey whenever Gilchrist and Langer are unavailable for their state.Hussey will lead the Warriors in next week’s RE/MAX Cup tour match against England, starting with a two-day game which commences on Thursday.He will also captain the Australian Cricket Board Chairman’s XI against England to launch the international season on Tuesday, October 22.Hussey, 27, will hand over his Warriors stand-in skipper’s role to Gilchrist for a three-day match against England starting at the WACA on Monday, October 28.Hussey has just completed a full English county season as captain of Northamptonshire.His appointment was announced at an official Western Warriors season launch early tonight.WA cricket also released a new season branding of the Western Warriors "Catch the Spirit" in conjunction with a vigorous television, press and internet advertising campaign.The WA Cricket Association also launched a completely new website www.waca.com.au

Steve Howey reckons that Mat Ryan could cope with the pressure of playing for Celtic.

According to Sky Sports, the Scottish Premiership giants are interested in bringing the goalkeeper to Parkhead this summer.

Celtic struggled for a first-choice shot-stopper last term, with both Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain sharing the number one shirt, although even youngster Conor Hazard was given first-team action.

But reports believe that new manager Ange Postecoglou wants to work with Ryan again following their time together with the Australian national team.

Ryan spent the second half of last season on loan at Arsenal having lost his number one shirt at Brighton to Robert Sanchez, although the 29-year-old has since revealed his confusion as to why he was dropped by Graham Potter.

He wasn’t even included on the bench for the final eight games before he moved to north London, which suggests that his days at Brighton might be numbered and could therefore open the door for a switch to Celtic.

Howey exclusively told Football FanCast:

“Some players can flourish and embrace it completely.

“I would have thought the lad would cope with it, I’d be very surprised if he didn’t, to play for a club like Celtic with their history and the fans.

“For any player, unless you’re desperate to play in the Premier League, to play for a club like Celtic would be fantastic.”