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Aston Villa journalist Ashley Preece believes a summer move for Luis Suarez is possible. 

The lowdown

Villa have already pulled off a blockbuster transfer under Steven Gerrard, bringing Philippe Coutinho – the fourth-most expensive player in football history – to The Midlands.

Gerrard, of course, played with both Coutinho and Suarez at Liverpool.

Suarez, who’s about to turn 35, is now into the final six months of his deal at Atletico Madrid.

Villa’s current striking options – Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings – have only managed nine goals between them in 34 combined appearances this season (via BBC Sport).

The latest

In a fan Q & A, Preece said that Suarez ‘is one for the summer’ because he’ll be remaining at Atletico until the expiry of his contract.

The move may depend on ‘whether Gerrard gives him a call like he did with Coutinho’.

He envisages a ’12-month deal’ but did caution that Suarez’s ‘astronomical’ wages could complicate matters.

The verdict

Suarez would arguably be an even more high-profile signing than Coutinho. In his pomp, this is a striker who featured in the FIFPro World XI.

And his output remains strong. Since joining Atletico ahead of the 2020/21 season, he’s bagged 30 goals in 66 appearances, including nine this season

Suarez has spoken extremely highly of the Villa boss, hailing him as one of ‘a small number of players in the world that are irreplaceable’.

If Gerrard makes the call and he agrees to a reduced wage, then perhaps we could genuinely see Suarez at Villa Park.

In other news, fans react to this approach for their defender.

Leeds United have been linked with a summer move for Middlesbrough centre-back Dael Fry, with numerous Premier League clubs interested in the 24-year-old as they look to tighten their defence.

What’s the story?

According to Football League World, the defender is subject to interest from Leeds, as well as Premier League rivals Wolves, West Ham, Southampton, Burnley, Brighton and Brentford.

It has also been suggested that Boro are holding out for more than £20m for his services, but that would only be if the club are to miss out on promotion.

Chris Wilder has revitalised the Teesside club since his appointment in early November, with Middlesbrough currently sixth in the Championship with a game in hand on seventh-placed Nottingham Forest and two games on Huddersfield Town in fifth, with Fry making 21 league appearances so far this term.

Leeds must sign Fry

It’s fair to say that Leeds are experiencing a case of ‘second season syndrome’ after their stellar reintroduction to the top flight last term, when they finished ninth in the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are currently 15th in the table and are still looking to distance themselves from the prospect of a nervy end to the season.

The Whites were notorious for shipping goals last term, conceding 54 times (1.42 per game), but their attack was frightening at times. The Yorkshire outfit scored 62 goals (1.63), which gave them a buffer for getting caught out at the back.

However, Leeds are yet to find that balance between attack and defence this season, conceding 46 goals (two per game) and scoring just 27 (1.17 per game), so investment in the defence is vital.

In Fry, Bielsa could find a decent solution. Despite not boasting any top-flight experience, the 24-year-old has made 160 appearances for Boro since coming through the youth ranks.

Moreover, the 24-year-old was instrumental in Middlesbrough’s triumph over Manchester United in the FA Cup recently, securing victory on penalties after a 1-1 draw as the defender played the whole 120 minutes of normal and extra time.

Wilder’s defence is also one of the best in the Championship, conceding just 29 goals in 30 games, with only Fulham, Bournemouth and West Brom having better records at the back.

The ex-Sheffield United boss is also a big fan of the defender, with the 54-year-old labelling Fry as “outstanding” after his return from injury in a 0-0 draw against Stoke earlier this season.

Leeds centre-back Robin Koch has been particularly underwhelming this term and, despite playing in the division below, Fry trumps the German in most aspects of his game.

According to SofaScore, the 24-year-old has kept seven clean sheets so far this term whilst also averaging 0.9 tackles, 0.6 interceptions and three clearances per game, being dribbled past just 0.3 times per match.

Contrastingly, Koch is yet to secure a clean sheet, has been dribbled past once per game and makes 0.7 tackles per match. However, the German boasts slightly better statistics in interceptions and clearances, with 1.1 and 3.3 per game respectively.

Although £20m is a steep fee for a defender valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt and with no Premier League experience, at 24 there is still plenty of potential in Fry.

Furthermore, Leeds will have to make some sort of investment in their defence during the summer if they are to improve in that regard. They’ll just hope that it hasn’t cost them their top-flight status in the meantime, and Bielsa would surely love to bring in someone like Fry who would likely improve them in that regard, as evidenced above.

In other news: Leeds star could be set for a spell on the sidelines, Bielsa will be furious

Pakistan’s captain for the Asia Cup and the tour of England, has stepped up efforts to convince Mohammad Yousuf to come out of retirement

Cricinfo staff27-May-2010Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s captain for the Asia Cup and the tour of England, has stepped up efforts to convince Mohammad Yousuf to come out of retirement and bolster the side’s potentially tough Test assignment in England, where they face off against the hosts and Australia.”I’ve talked to Yousuf and I’ve also talked to a few elders, who can influence him to come out of retirement for the sake of Pakistan,” Afridi told the . “I am sure that he would listen to them and change his mind about retiring from international cricket. We will certainly need his services in England.”Yousuf announced his retirement from the game following the ban issued by the PCB after Pakistan’s unsuccessful tour of Australia. Of the seven punished players, he was the only one to not file a formal appeal against the punishments imposed. On Tuesday, Pakistan announced the 35-member list of probables for the two upcoming tours. Five of the punished players, including Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik who are currently serving bans that are due to be reviewed, were included in the long list, but Yousuf was not considered.The England tour begins in end-June, and Afridi is confident that there is enough time for Yousuf to prepare for the tour even if he is included in the eleventh hour. “Yousuf is a great batsman and I’m sure that even if he just plays in a couple of warm-up matches before the Test series, he will be ready for the tough assignment. He won’t need much time to get ready for the tour.”Yousuf confirmed that Afridi has been in discussions with him over a possible comeback. “Yes Afridi called me up and we spoke at length about the cricket scenario. I told him I took the decision to retire after seeking advice from my elders and I can only take back the retirement decision if my elders give me permission to do this,” Yousuf said.Since embracing Islam, Yousuf has sought out religious elders during his trips to Raiwind and on preaching missions. He is known to follow their advice before making important decisions.

A lot of the talk around north London this week has been surrounding Tanguy Ndombele’s future at Tottenham Hotspur and just days away from the derby, there is all sorts coming out behind the scenes.

Indeed, the Frenchman has been subject to controversy once again, with reports suggesting that the club are trying to move him on before Deadline Day on January 31st.

He was booed off during their FA Cup third-round victory over Morecambe on Sunday afternoon. He went straight down the tunnel after being substituted in the second half and the more raucous the crowd’s reaction was, the slower he trudged off.

A shocking sign from your club-record signing when the team was 1-0 down at the time. It’s hard to imagine any way back for him now. But we’ve been here before under both Jose Mourinho and Nuno Santo.

In fact, some reports suggest that he isn’t even unhappy at the club and it will be hard enough to find an exit strategy for him when he’s rolling in £200k-per-week.

It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he did stay as he’s certainly been better than his fellow club-record arrival, Giovani Lo Celso, who in his absence delivered another shocking display during their Carabao Cup semi-final exit earlier in the week.

The Argentine playmaker, who also cost Spurs around £55m from Real Betis in August 2019, has shown an inability to beat the first man with his set-pieces – leading to a parody account being made on social media about his mistakes – whilst he has very rarely contributed in front of goal.

As per Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old midfielder has provided only eight goals and six assists across 83 appearances, nearly lower than the total number of yellow cards he’s received (13). That is a direct goal contribution of once every six matches (or once every 327 minutes).

Ndombele by comparison is clear as an attacking option. He has managed a goal or assist once every 4.7 games (or once every 271 minutes), also via Transfermarkt.

As you can see by those figures alone, the disgraced Frenchman is way, way clear of his fellow expensive flop.

Lo Celso does earn less on around £70k-per-week but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he has been absolutely stealing a living from the club, more so than Ndombele.

Now valued at just €30m (£25m) by CIES Football Observatory, perhaps it is the Argentina international who needs to be axed this month. After two-and-a-half years at the club, he is yet to show much promise at all and his stats being worse than Ndombele’s is certainly alarming.

Once dubbed “phenomenal” by Mourinho, Lo Celso’s time at Spurs must be waring thin after another disappointing outing.

AND in other news, Forget Gollini: £74k-p/w Spurs calamity who had only 21 touches failed Conte yet again…

Except for the omission of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, there were no major surprises in Pakistan’s preliminary 30-man squad for the defence of their World Twenty20 title in the Caribbean in two months’ time. Injured fast bowler Sohail Tanvir, who has not played any cricket since November, was also overlooked.Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, said Shoaib had been overlooked because he had hardly played any cricket in the past ten months. Though Shoaib has only taken part in a couple of List A matches since the series against Australia in UAE last May, he had said last week that he was still confident of making an international comeback. He will lead Islamabad Leopards in the upcoming RBS Twenty20 Cup.Butt said Tanvir would undergo knee surgery in Australia. “The doctors are not sure when he will regain the fitness,” he told .Another fast bowler who was missing from the probables was Mohammad Talha, who had been part of the squad for the two Twenty20s against England last weekend.The PCB also announced a list of 30 probables for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 which will run parallel to the men’s tournament in the West Indies.Men’s squad: Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hassan, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Naveed Yasin, Hasan Raza, Kamran Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Hammad Azam, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan, Abdul Rehman, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider.Women’s squad: Sana Mir, Bismah Maroof, Nain Abidi, Sajjida Shah, Javeria Khan, Almas Akram, Nida Dar, Zeba Manzoor, Kainat Imtiaz, Faryal Awan, Armaan Khan, Sumaiya Siddiqi, Urooj Mumtaz, Nazia Sadiq, Sabeen Abdul Samad, Masooma Junaid, Qanita Jalil, Sadia Yousuf, Sania Khan, Marina Iqbal, Sana Gulzar, Ayesha Qazi, Sukhan Faiz, Rabia Batool, Saima Jamil, Batool Fatima, Asmavia Iqbal, Rabia Shah, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz.

Celtic are willing to let Vasilis Barkas leave Parkhead either on a temporary or permanent basis in the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Anthony Joseph, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, following his exclusion from Ange Postecoglou’s matchday squad against Real Betis on Thursday evening, the 27-year-old goalkeeper does not appear to have a future in Glasgow.

Joseph went on to state that, in order for the club to give themselves the best possible chance of getting the Greece international off of their books this winter, they will be open to sanctioning a loan or permanent deal for the shot-stopper.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “I think it’s fair to say Celtic will also be open to a loan or permanent move for Vasilis Barkas next month – not in the squad [against Betis], suggests he’s no longer in the first-team plans.”

Fans will be delighted

Considering just how poor Barkas has been since making a £5m move to Parkhead back in the summer of 2020, reports that the club are hoping to part ways with the goalkeeper this January is sure to have left Celtic fans delighted.

Indeed, over his 15 Premiership appearances last season, the £2.52m-rated ‘keeper conceded an average of 0.7 goals and made just one save per game. These returns saw the 27-year-old earn a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.79, ranking him as the Bhoys’ ninth-worst performer in the league.

This season, the ‘keeper has found his game-time even more limited, making just one first team appearance since Postecoglou’s appointment at the club in the summer – and that was way back in July.

As such, considering that Barkas is reported to be earning a whopping £20k-per-week at Parkhead, the club simply must do all they can to rid themselves of the goalkeeper in January. While the Hoops will more than likely make a substantial loss in selling him, his hefty weekly wage could easily be put to much better use by Postecoglou in the winter market.

In other news – “Heard similar rumours…”: Devlin drops behind-the-scenes Celtic claim which fans will love

As per Football Insider, there has been a rather exciting update on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans ahead of January.

The Lowdown: Conte’s first transfer window looms…

There is just over a month until the mid-season window opens for business and all eyes will be on new Spurs boss Antonio Conte and how he will begin to reshape his current squad.

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After their humbling 2-1 defeat in the Europa Conference League to Slovenian minnows NS Mura, the Italian head coach sent a stern message to his players and admitted that he’s making ‘evaluations’ on the squad (Daily Mirror).

As well as outgoings, Tottenham have been tipped to strengthen, and Serie A looks like itcould be a profitable source of incoming quality for Conte, according to claims from the continent (Calciomercato).

Netherlands duo Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt have been repeatedly linked with moves to north London and Football Insider now bring news on what the 52-year-old could do in the New Year.

The Latest: Conte plotting sensational double move…

As per their information, Tottenham’s manager has personally identified both defenders as top targets ahead of January and is now plotting to sign the pair, who he believes are ‘world class’.

De Vrij in particular has been earmarked as his possible ‘lieutenant’ at the north London club as transfer chief Fabio Paratici backs Conte’s call to make landing the defensive duo a priority.

The Verdict: Big claim…

If Spurs are going to pull off this double swoop mid-season, it will take all of Paratici’s negotiation skills and Conte’s pulling power to make it happen.

Valued at £40m by Inter Milan, De Vrij is a key player for the Nerazzurri, with his contract not expiring until 2023 – potentially meaning that the Serie A giants are in no rush to offload him.

Meanwhile, De Ligt’s deal at Juventus runs all the way through to 2024 and his estimated £63m valuation by Transfermarkt means that Spurs would potentially need to smash their transfer record.

After Tottenham recorded an £80.2m pre-tax loss for the last financial year, taking their overall club debt to £706m in total (The Guardian), completing these moves would certainly be a statement of intent by the club.

Both players could well strengthen the Lilywhites’ defence but whether or not Spurs can actually get it done is another matter entirely.

In other news: Eight players now safe from Spurs axe after wowing Conte behind the scenes, find out more here.

Kumar Sangakkara stood alone between India and the No. 1 Test ranking, scoring his first hundred in six Tests in India

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga05-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outKumar Sangakkara carried Sri Lanka on the fourth day with his maiden hundred in India•AFP

Kumar Sangakkara stood alone between India and the No. 1 Test ranking, scoring his first hundred in six Tests in India, a fighting effort on a pitch that helped both spinners and fast bowlers. Although India were made to work hard for six wickets on the fourth day, they were still in control of the Brabourne Test. Their position was strengthened after a Sri Lankan middle-order collapse, kicked off by Sreesanth, continued by Zaheer Khan and finished by Pragyan Ojha, resulting in four wickets for 25 runs.The day began with another umpiring howler against Tillakaratne Dilshan, followed by a stodgy 90-run stand between Tharanga Paranavitana and Sangakkara, before the middle-order wobbled against inspired bowling. By then, though, Sangakkara had overcome an edgy start against Harbhajan Singh, who extracted alarming turn and bounce even with the new ball, and went on to ensure India would have to bowl on the fifth day, and perhaps bat again too.In the morning, Dilshan looked to play a game that didn’t come naturally to him, padding away the big offbreaks from Harbhajan. Arguments will abound if that was the right approach but Dilshan was not allowed to make his own mistakes. In the sixth over, he was given lbw while padding up to a sharp offbreak that was easily missing leg stump.Although he was lucky with Dilshan’s wicket, Harbhajan then gave both the left-hand batsmen a tough time. He bowled smartly, but Sangakkara and Paranavitana batted smartly too. Harbhajan mixed pace, trajectory, line, and angle and beat the batsmen with his variations. But Sangakkara and Paranavitana didn’t let him have a prolonged spell at either of them by taking quick singles. Three of Harbhajan’s subsequent overs in that spell featured plays and misses, all four had singles.Initially Paranavitana was more at ease than Sangakkara, who looked for the getaway sweep shot against Harbhajan and nearly got out twice. Even at 98kph, Harbhajan got sharp turn and, although he didn’t bowl the doosra much, he kept the batsmen guessing with topsinners from round the stumps.Paranavitana was solid in defence and rarely played away from his body but he still played aggressive shots for release every now and then, especially against Pragyan Ojha, whom he lofted for three on-side boundaries. After lunch Paranavitana reached a well-deserved half-century, his second in the match, but was soon done in by a superb outswinger from Sreesanth. The bowler had to wait his turn on the fourth morning, with MS Dhoni choosing to begin with spin from one end, but made his presence felt with sharp swing.By then Sangakkara had settled in and Sri Lanka’s challenge was to bat through scoreless periods without letting it affect them. Sangakkara managed that, defending stoutly, using his feet against the spinners, spending 17 balls on 46, and then bringing up his fifty off 145 balls.The other two middle-order mainstays, though, couldn’t match Sangakkara. Zaheer followed Sreesanth’s impressive spell with his best of the series. A 22-ball run-less period followed a ball that moved slightly away from Mahela Jayawardene and took the edge. Four overs later, from round the stumps, Zaheer tucked up Thilan Samaraweera, who edged low to first slip where VVS Laxman took a sharp catch. Just before tea, Ojha spun one sharply across Angelo Mathews, giving Dhoni his 100th catch, and not a straightforward one at that.Sri Lanka went into the break 189 runs behind. They returned having learnt the lesson, and made a conscious effort to not get bogged down. Sangakkara started stepping out to Ojha and cleared the aggressive field placements with ease. Prasanna Jayawardene pulled and drove Zaheer for fours, slog-swept Virender Sehwag for a six, and in no time the deficit started approaching double figures. Ojha ended that partnership when Prasanna played down the wrong line and was caught lbw.The two had added 64 runs in 14.4 overs and Sangakkara had moved to 81 off 198 deliveries. Two balls later Nuwan Kulasekara survived a plumb lbw, and that was the closest India came to getting a wicket for the rest of the day. Sangakkara farmed the strike initially but soon realised Kulasekara was not having much trouble negating the spinners. Keeping with the trend on the first three days, the pitch seemed to have eased out in the final session.Sangakkara spent 24 balls in the 90s, refusing singles and picking boundaries when the fields came up for the last two balls of the overs. By the time he reached his century, India had taken the new ball, and he unleashed a flurry of attractive drives. By stumps the two had added an unbeaten 66 in 17.3 overs, and Sangakkara had scored 83 runs in 107 balls since tea. That despite refusing many a single.

Mohammad Asif has vowed to make up for lost time due to the several disciplinary and drug-related controversies

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, who is hoping to play his first Test in more than two years later this month has vowed to make up for lost time due to several drug-related controversies. Asif, 26, has been named in Pakistan’s squad for the three-Test series against New Zealand, which starts November 24.”I have not played in New Zealand but have heard a lot about the pitches and conditions there and hopefully if I can get a chance I will make an impact,” Asif said. “The key is to focus on just cricket and try to make up for lost time.”He has already made his limited-overs comeback during the ICC Champions Trophy after a year-long suspension for testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone. He showed off his ability in his first game on return by grabbing two wickets as Pakistan nearly scripted a sensational turnaround against Australia.Originally named in the one-day side and Twenty20s to take on New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, he was left out since he is banned from entering the UAE after being stopped with a small quantity of opium at Dubai airport last year (criminal charges were not pressed).Asif is tuning up for his Test return by playing Pakistan’s domestic first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he has taken 23 wickets in five matches. “The good thing is that I have been playing regularly in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches,” he said. “That has helped me find my rhythm and form and get my confidence back. There is nothing better for a bowler then to bowl in the longer version of the game.”

Newcastle United have their eye on Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, according to journalist Ekrem Konur. 

The lowdown

According to The Athletic last month, the writing is seemingly on the wall for the 30-year-old at Arsenal as he approaches the end of his contract in June. He could be available on a cut-price deal in January if the Gunners want to avoid losing him for free.

Lacazette has only started three Premier League games so far this season, his solitary goal rescuing a point against Crystal Palace, although Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher applauded him for an ‘outstanding’ performance in that game.

The latest

According to Konur on Twitter, Newcastle are ‘closely monitoring the situation’ of Lacazette at the Emirates Stadium.

They aren’t the only club keeping tabs, though, with his former employers Lyon also lurking as the Ligue 1 outfit have plans to bring him back when the January transfer window rolls around.

The verdict

Lacazette has proven himself to be a reliable Premier League goalscorer by netting 51 times in 134 appearances in the division.

Newly-installed Newcastle manager Eddie Howe already has a proven marksman at his disposal in the form of Callum Wilson, but according to Transfermarkt, the 43-year-old’s preferred formation is a 4-4-2. That would mark a change from the setups employed by Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones in recent weeks as both often went with just one central striker.

If Howe wants to implement a 4-4-2 at St James’ Park, he may need an upgrade on Joelinton and Dwight Gayle, who between them have scored just 11 Premier League goals since the start of the 2019/20 season. Lacazette, who has more than double that tally on his own in the same timeframe, would give Howe a much more potent option to partner with Wilson, and he could come relatively cheap if Arsenal want to make some money on him before letting him walk away as a free agent next summer.

In other news, the price for this PIF target has been revealed