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Crystal Palace could form a deadly duo after being linked with Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux (as relayed by SportWitness), the Eagles are one of three Premier League clubs interested in securing the 26-year-old’s signature, with Newcastle United and Everton also listed as potential suitors.

An enticing short-term loan move including an option to buy has been outlined as the most option given Pepe’s recent struggles, meaning Palace chairman Steve Parish may have to act quickly in order to secure his target’s signature.

Imagine him & Odsonne Edouard

The south London outfit have made a hugely encouraging start to life under new manager Patrick Vieira, but the Frenchman’s squad rebuild is far from complete.

Following Andros Townsend’s departure over the summer, Palace lack a natural option on the right-wing, with Jordan Ayew and Michael Olise both preferring to play through the middle.

Therefore, Vieira needs to acquire a player in the mould of Pepe over the next couple of transfer windows in order to continue his progression at Selhurst Park.

Despite failing to live up to the extremely high expectations that his club-record £72m price tag brought at Arsenal, the Ivory Coast international remains a talented player.

In 98 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions, Pepe has found the back of the net on 25 occasions, laying on a further 18 assists for his teammates.

After bagging a brilliant brace via two outstanding free-kicks against Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Europa League, former manager Unai Emery labelled his efforts “perfect”, highlighting just how dangerous he can be on his day.

And the prospect of Pepe linking up with one of Palace’s new, exciting attacking talents under Vieira’s tutelage is surely a mouth-watering prospect for everyone associated with the club.

Edouard has settled into life in the Premier League with ease following his switch from Celtic, notching up three goals in his first nine outings.

With the extra creativity and chance creation that Pepe would bring, that tally would surely increase exponentially in the second half of the season, should the Ivorian make the move across the capital.

And, in other news…Forget Gallagher: Palace monster who made 8 clearances was Vieira’s hero vs Burnley 

West Brom confirmed on Wednesday evening that left-back Conor Townsend has signed a new contract at The Hawthorns.

And, as to be expected, a number of Baggies fans went wild at the news on social media.

The 28-year-old’s fresh deal will keep him in the Midlands until 2025, with his previous contract running until 2024.

Townsend has started every Championship fixture under Valerien Ismael this season, turning out in his natural left-back role as well as at centre-back and as a left-midfielder.

He’s averaged more crosses than any other West Brom player this season and is second on the list for the number of key passes completed per game in the Championship, while also being dispossessed the least of any Baggies regular. [WhoScored]

Baggies fans react

West Brom officially shared the news regarding Townsend on Twitter. This is what these Baggies supporters had to say in reply, with many delighted and one labelling it as ‘massive’.

“Well this has just absolutely made my day. Works hard, keeps himself to himself and has performed consistently in the three years that we’ve had him. Is it not about time he had his own song? Love you my mate”

Credit: @TheBaggiesBible

“Huge”

Credit: @anguswba

“Massive news. Made my day”

Credit: @MStephens1977

“YES! Incredible bit of news, can’t wait for him to be back at LWB”

Credit: @ftbl_mouraa

“SIUUUUUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @danwba_

“Best news all day”

Credit: @GregTheThird

Daniel Vettori went through a gamut of emotions in the 95.4 overs that played out in Abu Dhabi, but at the end of it all it was relief which most stood out

Cricinfo staff10-Nov-2009Daniel Vettori went through a gamut of emotions in the 95.4 overs that played out in Abu Dhabi, but at the end of it all it was relief which most stood out. New Zealand were given a major scare by the second highest last-wicket stand in ODIs but managed to hold their nerve to win by seven runs, thus sealing their first away series win over Pakistan.A relieved Vettori termed the historic success as a huge morale-booster ahead of the Twenty20 matches in Dubai later in the week. “For us to come over here and win as confidently as we did in the last two games is something I know a lot of the guys will cherish,” he said. “The wickets and the atmosphere are very similar to Pakistan – there’s a lot of support for Pakistan here and it’s like a Pakistan home game.”The key thing is it’s a victory and no matter how you achieve it, it’s still a series win. And tour wins for New Zealand sides away from home – we don’t have that many.”After failing to bat out 50 overs, New Zealand reduced a shaky Pakistan from 47 for 0 to 101 for 9 to raise hopes of a facile win. When the young fast bowler Mohammed Aamer came to bat at No. 10, Pakistan needed 126 runs from 26.5 overs with only two wickets in hand, and people were emptying the Sheikh Zayed stadium thinking the game was over. What followed was a near epic as Aamer and last man Saeed Ajmal turned the heat right back on New Zealand.It went to the last over, bowled by Jacob Oram, with Pakistan needing eight runs to win, but Ajmal top-edged the first ball and was caught by Kyle Mills at short fine leg. Vettori said that despite the intense situation he had been confident of New Zealand’s chances and had no worries giving Oram the final over.”I always backed us to get a wicket. I think when you only need one wicket you probably try a bit hard to get it,” he said. “We backed Jacob to do it – he’s bowled the last over a few times for us and he’s done a really good job.”The other notable contributors to this win were Brendon McCullum, who hit a brisk 76, and Tim Southee, who dismissed the Akmals, Umar and Kamran. “Brendon played exceptionally well again – he’s probably the only batsman who made it look really easy in the last two games while everyone else struggled a bit,” said Vettori. “Tim Southee was outstanding for a guy who’s only played twenty-odd one-dayers. This shows the confidence of the team – there’s still quite a lot of young inexperienced players in there and some guys really stepped up today. They’ll take confidence from it and hopefully take it into the Twenty20s as well.”The two sides will now play two Twenty20 matches on November 12-13.

Kalvin Phillips is fit and available for Leeds United’s Premier League clash with Norwich City this weekend, as confirmed by Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Injury-plagued start to the season

The Whites have made a disappointing start to the season, winning only won of their opening nine league games and sitting in 17th place.

There are various reasons for Leeds’ struggles, but injury problems for Phillips have certainly been one of them, given his huge influence on the team – they lost seven of the nine league matches he missed last season.

The 25-year-old has only managed to feature in six of his side’s nine matches so far this term, arguably not looking sharp in all of those outings, too.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay provides positive update

As Leeds prepare to face Norwich at Carrow Road on Sunday afternoon, Hay has taken to Twitter to provide a positive update on Phillips, confirming in a seven-word verdict that he is available for selection after featuring at Arsenal in midweek:

“Phillips fine after his return on Tuesday.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-22/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Massive boost for Leeds

Having Phillips back in the middle is an enormous positive for Leeds, with arguably no other player at the club carrying more influence.

He has averaged 2.3 tackles and 1.2 dribbles per game in the league this season – only Liam Cooper (2.4) has more tackles – also completing 84.6 percent of his passes.

His impact on both sides of the ball is immense, and with little depth behind him in the defensive midfield position, it is absolutely crucial he is fully fit and firing.

In other news, Beren Cross has made a big claim regarding one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be closing in on the first signing of the Antonio Conte era, according to reports in Italy…

What’s the word?

Sportitalia journalist and transfer expert Rudy Galetti claims Spurs have reached an agreement to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie on a free transfer, with his contract due to expire at the San Siro at the end of the season.

Any deal won’t be officially complete until January when the 48-time Ivory Coast international is free to sign a pre-contract with teams outside of Italian football.

“Close agreement between [George] #Atangana and the #Tottenham for [Franck] #Kessie. Engagement from €10M per season for the del #Milan and max commission for the agent,” he tweeted.

The 24-year-old is currently valued at a whopping €40m (£34m) by CIES Football Observatory, so this could be quite the bargain and coup from Fabio Paratici and co.

An absolute steal

Kessie has been an absolute beast for Milan in recent seasons and he could seriously bolster Conte’s engine room, albeit next season.

After finishing the 2020/21 campaign as their second-highest goalscorer on 13 goals – only Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring more (15) – the box-to-box monster currently ranks amongst Stefano Pioli’s top-six for average WhoScored rating (7.04).

Across the past 14 months or so, Kessie has been solid in defence, managing an average of at least 1.5 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per 90 minutes in the Serie A and equally a threat in the final third.

On top of scoring goals, he’s managed to drive the ball forward with at least 1.5 dribbles per 90 minutes, as well as averaging at least 0.9 key passes and 1.1 shots per 90 too, as per WhoScored.

This unique skill set would hand Conte a very reliable option in the heart of midfield, particularly given his preferred formation, in which he will need someone capable of pulling the strings both defensively and offensively.

In the past, Kessie has been dubbed “devastating” by ex-Milan striker Antonio Cassano and “extraordinary” by his former AC head coach Vincenzo Montella, which only goes to show just how highly thought of he is by those that have been around him.

So with Spurs closing in on the 6-foot powerhouse, Paratici is on the verge of sealing Conte a remarkable star and that should leave both him and the fanbase absolutely delighted.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Conte: Paratici must now deliver £58.5m-rated “special player” at Spurs…

There was no case of second-time-unlucky for Tillakaratne Dilshan, and ablazing century pushed a tummy-bug-hit New Zealand to the brink as theGalle Test entered its climactic phase

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran21-Aug-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outIt was butchery from Tillakaratne Dilshan yet again, only this time he ensured he crossed three figures•AFPThere was no case of second-time-unlucky for Tillakaratne Dilshan, and ablazing century pushed a tummy-bug-hit New Zealand to the brink as theGalle Test entered its climactic phase. Having taken a 153-run lead, withMuttiah Muralitharan taking his 100th wicket in Galle, Sri Lanka piled onthe misery either side of lunch, with stroke-filled cameos from KumarSangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera buttressingDilshan’s stunning effort. By tea, when the declaration came, the lead was412 and with several batsmen ill, New Zealand’s chances of survival werevery much dependent on the weather.But though it rained for nearly an hour after tea, their task was madeharder as soon as play resumed, with Daniel Flynn – promoted to open asTim McIntosh was indisposed – brilliantly caught an inch off the ground byMahela. Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, batting at No.3 forthe first time, defended stoutly to prevent further damage, before badlight took the players off for the final time.Sri Lanka had amassed 183 in the second session, and the tone was set inthe very first over after the interval, as Sangakkara took three fours offJacob Oram. At the other end, Dilshan eased to 50 from just 35 balls and greetedJeetan Patel with a paddle sweep for four. To worsen Patel’s mood, ReeceYoung, the substitute wicketkeeper, couldn’t hold on when Dilshan openedthe face and tried to run one down to third man. He was on 62 at the time,and New Zealand had plenty of time to reflect on the lapse.With Sangakkara timing the ball so beautifully, the century partnershiptook just 113 balls, and it required a massive stroke of luck for NewZealand to break through. Dilshan drove one hard and low, and it justbrushed Daniel Vettori’s fingers before crashing into the stumps with Sangakkaraa few inches short of his ground.It was merely temporary respite though. Mahela announced himself witha meaty mow over square leg, and as the batsmen continued to pick the gapswith effortless ease, Vettori was forced into adopting a defensive linefor both himself and Patel – spearing the ball into the leg-stump rough.Mahela continued to sweep, but Dilshan’s scoring did stall as he didlittle more than pad the ball away.Once Dilshan dusted off the sweep and started to attack, New Zealand ranout of options. Patel did finally get a wicket, as Mahela popped up areturn catch, but Samaraweera buried any thoughts of celebrationwith two mighty leg-side swipes for six. He fell trying to repeat the featagainst Vettori, and the stage was then set for Dilshan to get the hundredwhich eluded him in the first innings.A single to mid-off got him there, and a fusillade of strokes followed.Prasanna Jayawardene chipped in with cuts behind point, heaves over coverand the odd edge, but it was Dilshan who ran the show, peppering theboundaries as the 50 partnership came up in just 41 balls. By then, mostof the New Zealanders were looking as sick as Brendon McCullum and JesseRyder, both of whom had been taken ill.It hadn’t taken Sri Lanka’s bowlers long to wrap up New Zealand’s firstinnings. Murali had Iain O’Brien caught behind before Thilan Thushara cameback to take his fourth wicket of the innings, bowling Vettori off theinside edge. Vettori’s had been a desperate shot, but with the haplessChris Martin at the other end, he really had no option but to go for thesingle off the last ball of the over.It was desperation of another kind when Dilshan, who had clattered 92 from72 balls in the first innings, arrived at the crease. Once again, NewZealand had no answer to his aggression, and O’Brien appeared stunned whenhe was hooked for six and then flayed for four through cover at the startof the innings.Tharanga Paranavitana went, edging to slip, but with Sangakkara caressing gorgeousstrokes through the covers, Dilshan was once again given the license to flirtwith the boundaries of Test-match batting. Both O’Brien and Martinsuffered as the ball was cut, square-driven and pulled ruthlessly eachtime it was even fractionally off length. The deluge that came after teawas nothing compared to what had gone before.

Liverpool have had a very good start to their 2021/22 season so far having remained unbeaten across all competitions.

Their latest match saw them humiliate Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League ahead of their Carabao Cup match against Championship club Preston North End later this evening.

However, the Merseyside club have been dealt a rather significant injury blow ahead of the match at Deepdale after Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders revealed that midfielder Fabinho will not be available after missing the game at the weekend, which should be worrying for Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.

Although, Lijnders did say that the club are monitoring the Brazilian day by day and are hopeful that he will be fit enough to play in their next Premier League match at the weekend against Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield, so there may not be too much to worry about if he fully recovers for the weekend.

On the other hand, with the Preston match in mind, it’s safe to say Fabinho would be a big miss for the Reds from a defensive point of view considering he has managed to rack up an average of 1.5 interceptions per game, 1.2 tackles per game and one clearance per game so far in the Premier League this season according to SofaScore.

In addition to this, Fabinho will be a big miss for the Reds this evening because he is not the only senior midfielder set for a role on the sidelines for the time being with James Milner, Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliott all out with injury issues.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the only fit senior midfield options that Klopp could go with against Preston are Jordan Henderson, who played the full 90 minutes against Manchester United at the weekend, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who replaced Keita at the weekend when he went off injured and Curtis Jones, who replaced Milner when he also had to go off with an injury.

Moving forward, given how important Fabinho is for the team given Klopp has selected him on nine occasions across all competitions so far this season, everyone at the Merseyside club will undoubtedly be hoping that the team can cope without him against Preston and that he can recover as soon as possible and back in the team.

The Liverpool boss will still be gutted at missing the Brazilian for tonight’s game.

In other news: Klopp could save LFC millions by unleashing 21 y/o “leader”, he’s VVD’s heir apparent – opinion

The PCB had said Akhtar had been diagnosed with genital viral warts, and subsequently removed him from the 15-man squad for the World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2009Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said he considered suing the Pakistan cricket management for revealing, in a public statement, the skin ailment that forced him to miss last month’s World Twenty20. The PCB’s statement on his fitness ahead of the tournament in England said Akhtar had been diagnosed with genital viral warts; he was subsequently removed from the squad.”I kept quiet because I have a central contract and didn’t want to offend the PCB, but I could have sued the Pakistan team management,” Akhtar said in a TV programme on . “I didn’t want the Pakistan team to suffer because my news is published all over the world.”Akhtar belongs to category A of the PCB’s centrally contracted players, who are barred from openly criticising the cricket board’s decisions.The injury-prone fast bowler last played a Test in 2007, against India, before he was sidelined for 14 months with fitness and disciplinary problems. He made two unimpressive comebacks to international cricket this year – in the one-day series at home against Sri Lanka, and the five ODIs and lone Twenty20 against Australia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Akhtar, however, believes he can still get back to his best.”There’s still three-four good years left in me,” he said. “I am the fastest bowler in history and it’s not possible for everyone to bowl at 150 (kph).”He also said he felt shortening his run-up – as suggested by former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer – would not prolong his career. “It doesn’t suit me,” Akhtar said. “My run-up is my speed, previously (in cricket) nobody has bowled as fast as I have bowled.”Akhtar believed he could have been picked for the ongoing three-Test series away to Sri Lanka as he had regained full fitness. “I am perfectly fine now and I can play five-day matches, why not?” he said. “But it depends on which tour suits me. Had they [selectors] considered me for the Sri Lanka series only, then I could have told you whether it suited me. If they considered me for two Test matches out of three I could have considered it.”

Exciting West Brom youngster Reyes Cleary is being watched by a number of top clubs, according to reliable journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Cleary catching the eye

The Baggies have a hugely talented young player in their ranks, with Cleary impressing for the under-23s so far this season.

The 17-year-old has scored twice in four Premier League 2 appearances in 2021/22, as well as having an overall record of 16 goals in 20 games for the under-18s.

Cleary is still waiting to make his first team bow, but it may not be too far away if he continues to perform at his current level.

The Latest: Hatfield provides update on Cleary

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hatfield of The Express & Star discussed the teenager’s future at The Hawthorns, admitting that he is regarded highly by Albion but other clubs are watching him closely. The journalist said:

“By the sounds coming out of the club, they rate him highly. He looks like a player who knows where the back of the net is at youth level.

“We’ll see how he develops, of course, because plenty of youngsters shine at that level, and maybe don’t kick on to the first-team setup and manage to do that.

“But we’ll see what happens with him. It can only be a good sign that clubs are interested and are being linked with him.”

The Verdict: Keep him at Albion

Cleary looks a hugely gifted talent with a bright future ahead of him, so it is vital that West Brom tie him down for as long as possible.

He is yet to sign a professional contract with the Baggies and it is important that that changes soon, ensuring that he has a large buyout clause in the process.

It may be tough for them to keep hold of Cleary forever, but for the time being, he should be viewed as a possible future regular at The Hawthorns.

In other news, some West Brom fans have hailed what one player did on international duty. Read more here.

Clint McKay record his first six-wicket haul in first-class cricket to keep Australia A on top after the third day

Cricinfo staff28-Jun-2009
ScorecardClint McKay record his first six-wicket haul in first-class cricket to keep Australia A on top after the third day against Pakistan A in Townsville. McKay, the Victorian fast bowler, grabbed a career-best 6 for 75 to ensured a handy first-innings lead for the home team.At stumps, Australia A had reached 4 for 128 in their second innings with Cameron White on 21 and Tim Paine on 3. Wahab Riaz picked up two wickets to add to his five from the first innings but the visitors faced an uphill battle with one day to play.McKay started the damage early by removing Azhar Ali for 78, having added only five to his overnight score. Fahad Iqbal (42) and Sarfraz Ahmed (56) steadied the Pakistan innings with a 75-run partnership before they fell in consecutive overs.Although the Australians finished in a strong position they received some bad news with the fast bowler Burt Cockley ruled out of the second and final four-day match due to a gluteus medius tear. He will be replaced in the squad by the Tasmania allrounder Luke Butterworth.