West Ham United are interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Joaquin Correa this summer, according to Italian news outlet Tutto Mercato Web.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old moved from Sampdoria to Sevilla in 2016 and made 21 appearances last season, scoring one goal and assisting another for the Spanish outfit.

He performed much better in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, scoring six goals and registering two assists across the competitions, including a strong performance against Manchester United as he helped Sevilla knock out Jose Mourinho’s men.

Valued at £9million on Transfermarkt, the Argentine is a transfer target for West Ham and Tutto Mercato Web claim the Hammers have made contact with the player’s agent, although there is also interest from Serie A for the hot prospect.

A great replacement for Lanzini

With Manuel Lanzini set for a long spell on the sidelines following his recent injury, West Ham need reinforcements in attacking midfield, and Correa could provide the answer.

At 23, he still has plenty yet to give and has shown he is comfortable playing at the top level.

The question remains whether West Ham could convince him to move to England when he is at a top Spanish club and has interest from Italy.

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But if West Ham could pull it off, he could really shine in the Premier League and provide a real threat going forward.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255853″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch West Ham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez is making a demand that is holding up his transfer from Leicester to Manchester City, according to a report from the Sun. 

What’s the story, then?

The Sun report that the two clubs are close together in agreeing a deal for the wideman worth £75m – which would be a City record – but that Mahrez is demanding a share of the transfer fee be paid directly to him.

They claim that is the major hold-up in getting a deal over the line because the Foxes do not want to pay the winger anything because of the transfer request – since withdrawn – he put in to try to force the move during last season.

They say that the snag over paying Mahrez off or not is the ‘final hurdle’ between the Algerian joining the Premier League champions or not.

Mahrez’s priorities are all wrong

Mahrez has the opportunity to join the Premier League champions and work under the best manager in world football – yet again, after a botched January bid – and yet he is the one holding it up.

He will likely be very handsomely paid at the Etihad Stadium but instead he is choosing to risk the move falling apart – City could easily decide to walk away – for his own personal gain.

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That shows a player that is prioritising money over success on the field, risking the chance to join a hugely exciting project for the sake of a personal fortune. That has to worry Guardiola.

Newcastle fans have been reacting to a report linking Matt Ritchie with a move back to the Championship, and they’re desperate to keep hold of the Scottish international.

According to reports, both Stoke and Middlesbrough are eyeing up £15m moves for Newcastle’s favourite Scotsman.

Ritchie joined Newcastle from Bournemouth when the Magpies were relegated, and the report claims they are “considering” letting him leave.

Fans couldn’t decide what to do when the midfielder was linked with a move away last week, a deal that involved sending Bournemouth’s Josh King to Tyneside in return.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”258359″ player=”12034″ title=”The World Cup Twitter Report”]

The 28 year-old is one of the hardest working players in the Newcastle squad, and his mentality and work ethic is a perfect fit for what Rafael Benitez demands from his players.

Benitez is known to be on the hunt for another winger this summer, though it is more likely that will be a left winger, meaning Ritchie would keep his starting spot if he stays.

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The 16-cap fan favourite has grabbed 15 league goals in 77 appearances since swapping the south coast for the north east, and fans are desperate to keep hold of him.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are interested in luring Celtic sensation Kieran Tierney to Goodison Park this summer. The 21-year-old has proven to be one of the hottest properties in Scottish football in the last few years and seems destined for a move to the Premier League, and were Marco Silva’s Toffees to get a deal done, it could turn out to be their signing of the summer.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the left back department could well become a problem area for new Everton boss Silva if current first-choice Leighton Baines leaves the club this summer, what with he recently linked with a move to DC United, who of course signed Wayne Rooney over the weekend.

Yet, at the age of 33 and entering the final year of his contract, Silva is likely already on the lookout for a long-term replacement for the ex-England full back, who has been an outstanding servant to the Merseysiders since his move from Wigan Athletic back in 2007.

The left back has gone on to appear over 400 times for Everton and has scored 38 goals and laid on 66 assists in his 11 years at Goodison Park, with his injury during last season an indication of what life will look like after the 33-year-old, with it fair to say that no one in particular at Everton has what it takes to fill the Englishman’s shoes.

Yet there is little doubting, based on his career to date, that Celtic’s Tierney could be the man to fill that void, in both the short team and indeed the long term.

The 21-year-old already has 130 appearances for the Scottish giants under his belt and indeed nine at international level for Scotland, with it clear that the left back is already reasonably well experienced for someone so young.

And while most of those appearances have come in the Scottish Premiership, Tierney has also proven his worth at European level with 21 games in the Champions League, in which he has certainly proven his credentials to suggest that he has what it takes to go on and become a top-quality left back – there’s a reason several Premier League sides are interested in him.

And were Everton to beat the likes of Tottenham to his signature this summer, it would represent a huge coup for new manager Silva, who will surely be looking to take the Merseysiders towards the top six places this term, in what will be his first season at the helm.

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Thus, with the Toffees clearly in need of a long-term replacement for left back Baines, and Tierney arguably the best suited for such a role, landing the £4.5 million-rated sensation (as per Transfermarkt) could turn out to be their best signing of the summer.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Imran Farhat, who contributed an obdurate 98-ball 32 to a solid start, did not entirely believe Pakistan had been shut out of the contest at 161 for 6

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009At the end of a truncated first day’s play, which began over two hours late due to a wet outfield and closed early owing to bad light, Pakistan were in an uncomfortable position. There were no hidden demons in the pitch, and a slow yet steady opening stand of 60 in 194 deliveries seemingly had Pakistan – who were put in to bat – on the route to stability.The opener Imran Farhat, who contributed an obdurate 98-ball 32 to that start, did not entirely believe Pakistan had been shut out of the contest at 161 for 6. “The score at the moment is not bad, if you look at the conditions. If we score another 100 runs it will be good, because our bowling is very good,” he said. “A score of 250 won’t be a bad score. We still believe and we’re still fighting. [Mohammad] Asif, Umar Gul and [Mohammed] Aamer are in form, we’ve got Danish Kaneria playing too, we expect a lot from him here.”Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan’s captain, said he would have opted to field as well. The pitch did not appear to do too much, and Pakistan had four silly dismissals to blame for their predicament. Salman Butt took on a short ball, Farhat tried to run Vettori past slip, Shoaib Malik pushed uppishly to mid-off, and Misbah-ul-Haq, on his return to the side, fell slog-sweeping Vettori.Farhat credited New Zealand’s tidy attack for putting pressure on Pakistan. “We didn’t have any such plan, we were just looking to be positive, be it batting or bowling” he said. “We started well but suddenly we lost a wicket, and then a couple, and we came under pressure. We survived well, and on this pitch you’ve got to concentrate. The weather keeps changing a bit, it was windy and there was a bit of moisture in the track on the first day. They bowled very well, put the ball in the right areas, and at the end of the day we didn’t have many partnerships.”Umar Akmal had a memorable debut in Dunedin, following a century with a polished 75 in the second innings batting at No. 5, but here he was promoted to No. 3. There have been reports in claiming that no batsman was willing to bat at one-down, and that Umar was thrust into the position. The decision, said Farhat, was taken to accommodate Misbah two spots lower.”Misbah-ul-Haq came back, and he’s an experienced player who has batted at No. 5,” he said. “The management knows that Umar Akmal can play at No.3, so it’s a collective decision. It’s about who is comfortable. He played very well. It’s not a bad decision. He’s willing and in good touch.”

Kumar Sangakkara scored an unbeaten 78 off 37 balls – Sri Lanka’s fastest fifty – to lead his team to 215 in Nagpur, a total that proved beyond India’s reach

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera09-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outKumar Sangakkara equalled the record for the fastest fifty by a Sri Lankan•AFP

Kumar Sangakkara starred with his highest Twenty20 score, a serenely-destructive 37-ball 78, as Sri Lanka thumped India by 29 runs in Nagpur. Chamara Kapugedera pitched in with a cameo to charge Sri Lanka to 215, a total that proved too much for India, who fell away after a promising start provided by Gautam Gambhir.Gambhir tried valiantly with a counter-attacking fifty but it was Sangakkara who stole the show. He played only one dot ball till reached his fifty – from 21 deliveries, the quickest for Sri Lanka – but it wasn’t a conventional Twenty20 knock in which the batsman goes hell for leather. There weren’t many ugly swipes or heaves and anything unconventional was designed with the field in mind.Sangakkara’s innings sparked off in the ninth over against Pragyan Ojha’s left-arm spin. He chipped the first delivery he faced from Ojha over mid-on, swept the next to the boundary and lifted the third for a six over long-on. There were more classy strikes, the highlight being a chipped shot over mid-on to a length delivery from the debutant Ashok Dinda. Sangakkara’s predetermined shots also came off perfectly: when he shuffled to the off side, the ball was invariably so full that it was easily lapped around the corner; when he moved outside leg, he flat-batted short-of-length deliveries over mid-on or mid-off.It wasn’t a solo show from him, though. Sangakkara found support from his partners at various points in the innings – Tillakaratne Dilshan at the start, unfurling a couple of on-the-up hits, Chamara Kapugedera in the middle and Angelo Mathews at the very end. Kapugedera was fluent against everyone but he reserved his best for Ashish Nehra, looting 18 runs from the 19th over with four boundaries to all parts of the ground – a punch over cover, a pull, a slice and a cut over point – which reflected the bowler’s poor lines.The run-glut came after India started with four tight overs, only for their bowling and fielding to disintegrate under pressure. Nehra and Ishant Sharma got the ball to skid from short of a length and cramped the openers for room but the fielding gave way first after which the bowling buckled under the assault. Yuvraj Singh dropped a sitter at point off Jayasuriya when he was on 2.After the let-off, Jayasuriya went berserk in the fifth over, bowled by Nehra, taking him for 22 runs with five boundaries, including two lap-shots past the short fine-leg fielder. Dilshan was dropped too, with Ishant missing a straightforward return chance, and he too took full toll. Though the openers didn’t go on to make big scores, they had broken the shackles and set the platform for Sangakkara to play a gem.Despite Virender Sehwag’s fall in the third over, Gambhir helped India take 76 from the Powerplay but their hopes started to sink with his departure. Gambhir’s was a cheeky yet intelligent innings and he peppered the off-side field with his well-timed drives – the highlight being a sequence of seven fours from nine deliveries spread over two overs from Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara. Despite a crowded field – a short point, backward point, cover point and cover were in place – he stole five of those seven boundaries through the off side. However, he fell while trying to paddle sweep Angelo Mathews and India lost four more wickets, including those of MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, in three overs as the chase derailed spectacularly. The bowling was disciplined, without ever being threatening, but India were done in by the pressure of the steep run-rate.

Phillip Hughes has won a recall to the Australian squad for the Boxing Day Test

Cricinfo staff21-Dec-2009Phillip Hughes has won a recall to the Australian squad and is on standby for Ricky Ponting while Peter Siddle has also been included in the 13-man outfit for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. Hughes has not played a Test since being dropped after two games in the Ashes series, but the opening batsman has convinced Andrew Hilditch’s panel he is the man to replace Ponting if he does not recover in time from the left elbow problem suffered in Perth.Ponting, who was struck trying to duck a Kemar Roach short ball, hopes to play but the selectors are being cautious after a run of injures. The physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said Ponting, who has been in a hyperbaric chamber to speed up the healing, was having on-going treatment for the problem. “We’ll need to wait until he bats at training later in the week to determine his fitness for the Test,” Kountouris said.Siddle missed the Perth win with a hamstring strain but will play a domestic one-dayer for Victoria on Wednesday to build up his fitness. Clint McKay, who debuted at the WACA, holds his place while Ben Hilfenhaus misses out again following a knee problem that ruled him out of the final two Tests against West Indies.”Ben bowled eight overs in club cricket on Saturday,” Kountouris said. “However, after bowling again at training on Sunday, he reported knee pain once again.” Kountouris predicted Hilfenhaus would need a “more extensive rehabilitation” before he overcame the problem.Hughes scored 122 in the first innings of New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield game on Saturday, but fell for 7 today in an innings that didn’t change the thoughts of the selectors. He has scored 388 runs in nine Shield innings and re-found his form this month following a difficult period when it seemed he was unsure whether to follow his natural instincts or conform.After scoring two centuries in his second Test, Hughes was set for a long stay in the side, but he was removed following troubles with the short ball and Andrew Flintoff in England. Shane Watson came into the team and if Hughes plays at the MCG there is likely to be some serious reshuffling to the order. Some of the options include Hughes, Simon Katich or Michael Clarke batting at three, while Watson could move down to the middle order.Australia squad Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Phillip Hughes, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Clint McKay, Doug Bollinger.

Cricinfo rounds up the action from the second day of the 2009-10 Duleep Trophy semi-finals

Cricinfo staff27-Jan-2010
Scorecard
It was a double blow for North Zone as they found themselves three down after spending the better part of the day witnessing West Zone’s batting masterclass in Rajkot. Abhishek Nayar continued emphatically from his overnight score of 102, and stubbed out any hopes of North accounting for the lower order early. The early departures of Ravindra Jadeja and Irfan Pathan raised the visitors’ spirits, until they ran into Ramesh Powar. Together with Nayar he added 197 for the eighth wicket to take West past the 600-mark. Powar soon reached his seventh first-class hundred, comprising 13 boundaries and a six, as Nayar eased past 200. Mumbai paceman Dhawal Kulkarni inflicted further damage with a 81-ball 50. Nayar became Vikas Mishra’s fourth victim, having hit 38 fours and five sixes, as West were bowled out in the 82nd over of the day. Irfan and Munaf Patel made early inroads into the North batting during the reply, leaving them tottering at 7 for 3 at one stage.
Scorecard
A stirring fightback from the South Zone middle-order set up an interesting scrap for first-innings honours on a day dominated by fast bowlers in Indore. Resuming at 300 for 7, Central’s innings was ended at 333, with Piyush Chawla stranded ten short of a hundred. Karnataka seamer R Vinay Kumar continued his wonderful form, picking all three Central wickets to fall, finishing with a five-for. South’s reply was derailed by Praveen Kumar who struck regularly to remove the top four. Pankaj Singh then trapped Manish Pandey in front and South seemed to be in trouble at 65 for 5. Muralidharen Gautam and Ravichandran Ashwin then put their heads together to initiate a strong fightback. The pair added 108 in 166 balls, striking 19 fours in between them, as both passed fifty. RP Singh then got into the thick of things, removing both batsmen, before Chandrasekar Ganapathy and Vinay sparked a second revival. They added 77 to put South back on track, but Praveen came back to get Ganapathy with stumps in sight.

Cricinfo’s preview of the second Twenty20 between Australia and West Indies in Sydney

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale22-Feb-2010

Match Facts

Shaun Tait is “very, very quick”, Chris Gayle says•Getty Images

Tuesday, February 23, SCG

Start time 1835 (0735 GMT)

The Big Picture

It’s three months since West Indies played their first match of this tour and they are about to embark on their last chance to beat Australia. A 2-0 Test loss was followed by a 4-0 one-day defeat and a disappointing effort in the first Twenty20. The shortest format might be their best chance to beat Australia but in truth, there has been precious little in their performances over the past couple of weeks to suggest that they will succeed. The story of the top order has been no Gayle, no hope, and their captain’s wild swing to be bowled by Shaun Tait in Hobart continued his lean run in the past month.For Australia, the lure of an unbeaten season is tantalisingly close. The only matches they have failed to win were the Adelaide Test draw with West Indies and the Sydney one-day wash-out, also against Gayle’s men. The Twenty20 outfit looked sharp on Sunday, especially the attack as Tait and Dirk Nannes sped through West Indies’ batting line-up. The openers David Warner and Shane Watson also fired but finding a cohesive and in-form middle order could be the challenge between now and the ICC World Twenty20.

Form guide (most recent first)

Australia WWNLL

West Indies LWLWL

Watch out for…

Of all Australia’s Twenty20 specialists, David Warner is the ultimate short format man. He has still played only four first-class games but in Twenty20 he is an international veteran and his clever strokeplay gave Australia the early advantage in Hobart. He initially drove several balls over extra cover with clean, classy strokes before launching into some midwicket slogs. He’s also playing at his home ground.There are far bigger stars in the West Indies outfit than Nikita Miller but his performance on Sunday showed how important he can be. Gayle used his spinner to open the bowling and Miller kept things tight with wile and skill and finished with 2 for 20 from four overs. Taking the pace off the ball can be useful against Australia’s top order and at the SCG Miller could play a key role.

Team news

Australia must weigh up their reluctance to change a winning team with their desire to test out new players with three matches remaining before the World Twenty20. The allrounder Daniel Christian and the fast man Ryan Harris are the two players in the squad yet to make their Twenty20 debuts and it would make sense to give them a chance. Mitchell Johnson is a known quantity and could rest ahead of the New Zealand series, while Travis Birt’s hold on the No. 6 position looks a little shaky after two matches.Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.Gavin Tonge and Brendan Nash have been travelling with the squad throughout the limited-overs portion of the tour without being handed an opportunity. Given the team’s dismal results there seems no reason not to try them out but adding Tonge might upset the batting balance, while Nash is hardly a slogger and has only ever played one Twenty20 for Jamaica. It could mean an unchanged side.West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Narsingh Deonarine, 4 Kieron Pollard, 5 Wavell Hinds, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Runako Morton, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Darren Sammy, 10 Nikita Miller, 11 Kemar Roach.

Pitch and conditions

Expect another good batting surface in Sydney, where the forecast for Tuesday is for 29C but the chance of an evening shower.

Stats and trivia

• There’s a distinct pattern to West Indies’ recent Twenty20 results: beginning with their Oval victory over Australia their record reads win, loss, win, loss, win, loss, win, loss. They must be due for a win
• In Hobart, Narsingh Deonarine became the 16th man to be dismissed for a golden duck on his Twenty20 international debut
• Michael Clarke has a strong record as Australia’s Twenty20 captain – in five games he has led them to four victories and the other match was washed out
  

  Quotes

  “It’s been a good summer for Australian cricket and hopefully we can give the Windies another belting.”
  Shaun Tait is in no mood to be charitable”You have to make the necessary adjustments but at the same time he is very, very quick.”
  
  Chris Gayle says it isn’t easy facing Tait

Bangladesh are still searching for their first win against England after coming mighty close in Mirpur

Preview by Andrew McGlashan04-Mar-2010

Match facts

Friday March 5, 2010
Start time 9am (03.00GMT)Ajmal Shahzad could make his ODI debut if Stuart Broad is ruled out•Getty Images

Big Picture

Until Eoin Morgan produced a display of brilliant hitting Bangladesh sensed their chance to notch a maiden victory against England in Mirpur but the wait goes on. Morgan’s display also secured the series for England however, the visitors have been far from convincing and the gap between the sides is narrowing as quickly as the UK opinion polls.Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, didn’t hide his disappointment at a couple of umpiring decisions that didn’t go his team’s way – notably an lbw appeal against Morgan when he had 7 – but he has also been criticised in some quarters for his decision to recall paceman Shafiul Islam for the death overs. That, though, is harsh on Shakib who is moulding a young team in very promising fashion.A consolation victory is now all they can aim for in Chittagong, the coastal town a six-hour train journey from Dhaka (or supposedly a 50-minute flight, but England were delayed six hours), although Bangladesh have certainly laid down a marker to England. The visitors will be desperate for a performance of real authority ahead of the Test series, but they have a few issues not least in the pace-bowling department which has been hit by injuries.The quicks have struggled to make much of an impression in the series – Tim Bresnan has been the pick – with the onus on Graeme Swann to control the innings. However, they are learning valuable lessons ahead of the World Cup in a year’s time, especially as they are grouped with Bangladesh and will play them in Chittagong. Already one lesson is abundantly clear – you can no longer take the home side lightly.

Form guide (last five completed matches)

Bangladesh LLLLL
England WWWLW

Watch out for…

Surely Kevin Pietersen has got to start scoring significant runs again soon. Hasn’t he? It was all looking so good against Pakistan in Dubai, but since arriving in Bangladesh he has struggled to lay bat on ball. He was shot out for 0 and 6 in the warm-ups, made 1 in the first ODI and was removed for 18 on Tuesday. That dismissal, to Abdur Razzaq, highlighted a long-running problem Pietersen has against left-arm spinners and he was completely squared up by a hint of turn. Eventually his game will click and a bowling attack will pay. Maybe in Chittagong?Abdur Razzaq had gone 45 overs without an international wicket when he claimed Pietersen and with one under his belt the confidence came soaring back. He troubled the England middle order with his flight and a hint of turn, also trapping Paul Collingwood lbw before removing Matt Prior to spark the late wobble. He forms a potent combination alongside his captain, Shakib, and if there is any assistance in the pitch he’ll be a handful again.

Team news

Bangladesh produced a much more consistent batting effort in the second match to reach 260 for 6 – their highest score against England – and only Aftab Ahmed’s position is probably under threat after two failures. It’s the pace bowlers which are a problem, although Shafiul touched 90mph during his first over before getting rough treatment at the end. However, paceman Nazmul Hossain has been added to the squad as another option.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Aftab Ahmed, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Naeem Islam, 8 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 9 Abdur Razzaq, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel HossainRyan Sidebottom has been ruled out for the rest of the tour and Stuart Broad is out of the final one-dayer with a back injury, so Ajmal Shahzad could make his ODI debut having played the second Twenty20 against Pakistan in Dubai. Craig Kieswetter has made a stuttering start to his career, but needs to be given a run in the side.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Craig Kieswetter, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Ajmal Shahzad

Pitch and conditions

This is the first day game of the series so the dew factor, which hindered Bangladesh a little in Mirpur, won’t be a factor in this match. It has a history of turning in Chittagong which would suit the home side and their clutch of spinners. However, being a day game means no let-up from the heat although being on the coast will help.

Stats and Trivia

• England’s only other ODI in Chittagong was played at the MA Aziz Stadium in 2003 when the visitors won by seven wickets to secure a 3-0 series win.
• England’s two-wicket win in Mirpur was their third-highest successful chase on the subcontinent, being their 306 for 5 against Pakistan at Karachi and 276 for 7 against West Indies at Ahmedabad.

Quotes

“I thought 260 gave us a good chance if we took our catches, which we didn’t, and if decisions had gone our way, which they didn’t. England would have been in a whole heap of trouble if Morgan had been given out.”

“Whatever position I’m in, I enjoy the challenge of being in the game, and batting at No. 6 you go in at crucial times. Those positions can sometimes be the main places for getting a team over the line or not, so you take on the challenge and embrace it.”