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Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva was denied a late move in the transfer window after the club rejected a bid from Atletico Madrid for the Portuguese international. 

The Lowdown: Key member of Guardiola’s squad

The 27-year-old was a key member of Guardiola’s side last term as they regained the Premier League title, appearing 45 times in all competitions. However, after contributing to 18 goals in the previous campaign, he only managed five goals and nine assists during the 2020/21 season. 

After appearing in every game for Portugal in Euro 2020, Silva’s future at the club seemed uncertain after it was rumoured that he was keen on a departure and that the club wouldn’t stand in his way. 

However, after being an unused substitute in the opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Silva has started in the subsequent two 5-0 wins over Norwich City and Arsenal and remained at the club as the transfer window came to an end. 

The Latest: Staying put for now, but there is a price

As per a report by The Mirror, City rejected a cash-plus-player offer for the midfielder from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid involving Saul Niguez, who the La Liga club were offering to Guardiola’s side in their attempts to lure Silva to Spain.

The article states that Guardiola wasn’t interested in adding the Spanish midfielder to his squad, turning down a potential late-window coup, and he was eventually loaned to Chelsea with an option to buy for £30m. 

It is believed that the move to Stamford Bridge only came about after Atletico’s offer for Silva was swiftly rejected, as the Premier League champions were demanding £40m outright to part with the 27-year-old. 

The Verdict: Good to keep ‘unstoppable’ Silva around

Silva’s influence and versatility are one of the most important aspects of Manchester City’s squad. His current manager named him ‘unstoppable’ last season as his performances helped City win their fifth Premier League title. 

With the ability to play out wide, where he isn’t used as often due to the quality of Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden, and through the middle, Silva offers more versatility to Guardiola than Saul would, with the Chelsea loanee almost exclusively a central midfielder.

Despite Fabrizio Romano’s claim that the Portugal playmaker wanted out of Manchester, Silva still has plenty of faith from his manager and will be keen to ensure that the club’s transfer stance ends up being wholly justified.

In other news, lots of Man City fans are excited to see one youngster included in their European squad. Find out more here.

Crystal Palace target Jeremie Boga has refused to make the move to Selhurst Park, according to journalist Sebastien Denis.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace supporters have been reacting to the news on social media.

Recent reports suggested that Palace could attempt to sign Boga after initiating contact with Sassuolo.

However, according to Denis, the left-winger has refused to make the move to London and will remain with the Serie A side.

Patrick Vieira looks set to make at least one deadline day addition, though, with Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard completing a medical ahead of a £14m move.

They don’t seem to have had that kind of progression with Boga, however, so Edouard could well be the club’s sixth and final addition of the summer window.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared Denis’ claim on Boga on Twitter.

This is what these Palace fans had to say in reply…

“See you in January…”

Credit: @PalaceScout

“You were the chosen one”

Credit: @Benteke_SZN

“Lack of ambition, we won’t forget that.”

Credit: @RednBlueRich

“jeremie who?”

Credit: @poltak_cp60

“Next. JRS time. Shame we didn’t have a cheaper and younger option lined up but if he refused”

Credit: @CHSCPFC

“He’s Not Even Good Didn’t Get The Hype Anyway”

Credit: @Djamel__1997

In other news: ‘Huh?’, ‘Odd’ – Lots of CPFC fans react as ‘interesting’ deadline day link emerges.

Newcastle United have now reportedly made an offer to try and sign Carles Perez before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Winger needed

The St. James’ Park faithful currently only have three natural wingers in their squad at the moment (Transfermarkt), and one of them is Jacob Murphy, who may be seen more as a right wing-back when the new 2021/22 Premier League season starts.

Thus, if he, Allan Saint-Maximin or Ryan Fraser were to find themselves injured for a sustained period of time, it would leave Steve Bruce pretty short in that area.

The Latest: Perez offer

As per Italian football journalist Rudy Galetti, the North East club have ‘officially stepped forward’ to sign Perez, and have made an offer to AS Roma of around €10m (£8.5m) for his signature.

There are ‘ongoing evaluations’ between both teams as the Tyneside club look to strike a deal before the window closes.

The Verdict: Sign

Given the lack of depth in wide areas, it would be a smart move for Bruce and co to go out and sign Perez, especially if they can get him for a mere £8.5m.

Once praised by Lionel Messi while he was at FC Barcelona back in 2019, the Spaniard will feel as if he has a point to prove, and at just 23 years of age, still has a lot of potential.

His three goals and three assists in 31 games in total over all competitions last term (Transfermarkt) show that he can be deadly at times in front of goal, but is perhaps lacking a little consistency.

Nonetheless, £8.5m could turn out to be a steal for a position that needs filling for the Tyneside club.

In other news, find out which £12.6m-rated ‘phenomenon’ NUFC are keen on signing here!

Adam White of Get French Football News believes that Manchester United star Paul Pogba wants to join PSG this summer but won’t force a move.

The France international has continually been linked away from Old Trafford in recent years, with various suitors mentioned.

PSG are the latest and White claims that the France international is keen to return to his native country with Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Pogba is nearing the end of his contract, which expires in 11 months, and The Daily Telegraph has reported that the club remains interested in snapping him up.

They claim that he will begin the season with United and will then make a decision over his future, with the transfer window across Europe set to run for another month.

It is not clear how much he would cost but Transfermarkt value Pogba at £54m, even with his deal expiring.

White believes he does want the move but insists Pogba will not rock the boat by trying to force the move.

He said: “Pogba seemingly wants to go to PSG although he isn’t going to try to force a move to PSG. He’d prefer to go there.”

Victoria’s coach Greg Shipperd has given his blessing for the Champions Twenty20 League to be held in the middle of Australia’s domestic season

Peter English08-Aug-2008
Victoria earned their place in the global event by beating Western Australia in January © Getty Images
Victoria’s coach Greg Shipperd has given his blessing for the inaugural Champions Twenty20 League to be held in the middle of Australia’s domestic season, even if it means rescheduling some of the state’s Sheffield Shield fixtures. The ICC has requested the boards from Australia, South Africa and India reconsider the dates of the $6 million tournament due to its starting on September 29, the day after the Champions Trophy final.Twenty20’s emergence has changed many of cricket’s scheduling rules and instead of being concerned by the possible changes, Shipperd said his side, which has won all three of Australia’s interstate Twenty20 titles, would be happy to play anytime – as long as the tournament happened. “It’s no big deal, we’ll adapt to whatever is decided,” he said. “It’s in the interests of all cricket and we’ll play where we’re given a space.”The Australian, South African and Indian boards are exploring the available options, which include a slight amendment to the original dates, staging the event between December 2 and 11, or postponing it until next year. If it is held in December the competition would disrupt both Victoria and Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield and FR Cup seasons.Victoria would have to move three matches in order to go to India while Western Australia have a four-day game ending on December 1, a one-day contest on the 12th and another first-class fixture starting on the 14th. “If it happened in December then games being shifted is a possibility,” Shipperd said. “We’re flexible, as long as it goes ahead. If it means a Pura Cup game is brought forward, opening a block of six or seven days, then bring it on.”However, the prospect of waiting another summer for the tournament does not excite Shipperd. “It seems pointless to play it after the season,” he said. “There would have been another competition and we’ve been hoping this would come off for three years.”Due to the event’s domestic status it does not fall directly under the ICC’s scope, but the global body does not want the Champions Trophy – the 50-over mini-World Cup due to be held in Pakistan – to be overshadowed. State and provincial teams are such small entities in a battle including the ICC, the Indian board and the Champions Trophy broadcasters ESPN that they have little choice but to accept any alterations, especially as they consider the potential riches from a successful showing. Victoria earned A$32,000 for their Twenty20 victory in 2007-08, an amount which could be easily multiplied by 100 if they succeed in India.Despite the radical changes being suggested for the Sheffield Shield, a competition which has been previously interrupted only by war, there are indications Cricket Australia would agree to release the teams. South Africa’s Dolphins and Titans have similar scheduling concerns over a domestic one-day tournament while three international series involving Australia, India, England and South Africa finish on December 2. The ICC has asked the boards to report back with their recommendations in the next week.

Aston Villa are in advanced talks over signing Emi Buendia’s former teammate at Norwich City, Todd Cantwell.

What’s the story?

Having sealed the first-team signings of Buendia and Ashley Young, Dean Smith’s side look intent on further strengthening the squad ahead of the new Premier League campaign next month.

And, according to Football Insider, the Midlands club are in negotiations with the Canaries over signing Cantwell and that talks are progressing well, while “there is growing confidence a deal can be done”.

Dean Smith will be buzzing

Described as someone with a “God-given” talent by his former youth team coach Gary Cockaday, the 23-year-old helped lead Norwich’s chargeback to the Premier League last season, netting six goals and setting up another seven in the Championship.

Cantwell’s directness and willingness to take players on saw him average an impressive 1.6 dribbles per game in the Championship last season, which actually ranked him joint-top for the Canaries alongside Buendia.

Crucially, given his previous comments on what he wants in his new signings this summer, there will be no doubt Smith will be buzzing with this latest update.

The Villa boss said: “In terms of our recruitment, we talk about the sweet spots that we’re looking for, which is that the players have Premier League experience and are (ideally) British because there is no adaptation risk at all.”

Having played in the top-flight before with the Canaries, and being only 23 and English, the £25k-a-week earning Cantwell fits that bill to an absolute tee, and with Buendia already on board, would already have a familiar face at the club.

So not only would his talents on the pitch be something that will excite Smith, but his profile is exactly what the Villa boss is looking for as well.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has revealed a new Aston Villa transfer target…

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed has left Sri Lanka amidst unconfirmedrumours that he has been sacked

CricInfo25-Sep-2002Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed has left Sri Lanka amidst unconfirmedrumours that he has been sacked.The 72-year-old manager checked out of the team hotel on Tuesday afterreportedly being summoned back to Lahore.The PCB refused to confirm the sacking on Tuesday. Khalid Butt, the PCB’smedia manager, was quoted by the Dawn newspaper as saying: “I have noknowledge about Yawar Saeed’s removal as Pakistan team manager. As far as Iknow, there is no official announcement forthcoming from the cricket board.”Saeed, who had been appointed up until the 2003 World Cup, appears to be thesecond casualty following Pakistan’s recent poor form. Coach Mudassar Nazarwas released earlier this month.Former manager Brigadier Khawaja Muhammad Nasir is tipped to replace Saeed.Nazir has filled the post on a number of occasions after being firstappointed in 1984.Pakistan are due to play three Test matches against Australia after theongoing ICC Champions Trophy, the first of which will be played at Colombo.The final two games will be played at Sharjah.They will be anxious to reverse a poor run that has seen them struggle intri-series at Tangiers and Nairobi in August. They also failed during theICC Champions Trophy, losing to Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the tournamentcurtain raiser.However, the chances of Pakistan defeating the powerful Australians lookslim after injuries to key batsmen Yousuf Youhana and Inzamam-ul-Haq. WasimAkram and Saeed Anwar have both made themselves unavailable for the series.South Africa-based Englishman Richard Pybus, Mudassar’s successor as coach,left for Colombo via Dubai Tuesday night along with six players named in theTest squad Saturday.

MatériaMais Notícias

A expulsão de Fred na derrota do Atlético-MG para o Cruzeiro mexeu com os ânimos do elenco comandado por Roger Machado. O jogador se irritou com o árbitro Igor Junio Benevenutto, mas o presidente Daniel Nepomuceno garante que o fato é normal no mundo do futebol.

Questionado sobre a expulsão, o centroavante do Galo fez a sua análise e explicou o que houve na jogada em que acertou o rosto de Manoel com um soco:

– Ele estava me agarrando, tentei me desvencilhar dele e acabou pegando no rosto dele. Vi a imagem e que realmente pegou no rosto dele. Não tive a intenção de dar soco, fazer nada. Esse contato é normal, natural do campo. Também tomei vários pisões, várias porradas.Também creio que não foi nada desleal. Tentei desvencilhar, para fazer o gol na bola parada. E, ali, é critério do árbitro e ele me expulsou – afirmou.

– Isso não vai adiantar nada achar ou não. Porque quem tem o apito na boca é ele. O bandeirinha lá também ficou falando vários lances também, então não tem muito o que ficar lamentando. Lógico que prejudiquei muito a equipe, mas estamos classificados, em primeiro lugar. Vamos com tudo para a semifinal e final – acrescentou.

O mandatário alvinegro, por outro lado, explicou que o atleta não será punido por conta do cartão vermelho:

– Não, não vai ter nenhuma punição para o Fred. Ele estava mostrando é garra naquele lance ali. Infelizmente na hora de subir, ele bateu a mão no jogador e acabou expulso. Foi por isso que perdemos o jogo – comentou.

India and South Africa have not played each other a lot in recent times; unlike say India and England.However, the Indians will want few changes to the script that was followed during their convincing win over England when they take on South Africa today in the semi-final of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2002.For starters, it’s almost certain that India will play an unchanged side. However, that is something that could easily change with the Indians. It’s not entirely unusual for the Indian think tank to make a change to the side just as the captain walks out to toss. The one change that is possible, if you stretch the imagination a bit, is that Ajit Agarkar could come into the side in place of VVS Laxman. The Mumbai medium-pacer could be brought in to bolster India’s bowling, given that neither Dinesh Mongia nor Laxman have contributed anything special batting at No 3.The bowlers Ganguly used to fill in as the ‘fifth bowler’ in the game against England went for 66 off 11 overs. The Indian captain however, on the surface, is not worried about this aspect of India’s plans, “Our bowlers just have to bowl better. I have full faith in (Virender) Sehwag, Sachin (Tendulkar), Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) and myself,” said Ganguly.There is a school of thought that believes in the philosophy, “never change a winning combination,” but one is not sure whether Ganguly and John Wright subscribe to this or not. There will surely be no change in the winning philosophy though.”We’ll have to play well to beat South Africa. They’re a good side; they’re a good one-day unit,” began Ganguly, overstating the obvious. The Indian skipper went on in the same vein, “Whoever plays well on the day will win,” he said.The bowling, however, will not be central to India’s strategy. It’s the explosive batting line-up that will have to do the lion’s share of the work as the wickets get progressively lower and slower. Nasser Hussain spoke at length on the way India’s batting came at you early on and wrested the initiative.”I don’t think we attack from the start. It’s just that Sehwag plays that way in all forms of the game; that’s his game and we don’t stop him from doing that. It’s just that he kept hitting the ball into the gaps,” Ganguly observed.It will not, however, be as easy for Sehwag to go after Shaun Pollock or Allan Donald. Pollock, in particular, should be regarded a threat as he lands the ball on the right line with such unerring accuracy. Sehwag’s tendency to fish and flash outside the off stump could work against him if he is not extremely careful in his shot selection.And it is in such a situation that the key component of this Indian batting line-up would come into the picture. The middle-order will have a lot of work to do if the openers fall early. Sachin Tendulkar, who has spent very little time at the wicket in this tournament, will have to be at his peak. The South Africans are masters at creating pressure after the fall of a wicket and this will be a key factor and bring the lower middle order batsmen Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif into play.That said, India, though, would love it if this game were only about batting as their bowling department leaves plenty of room for worry.While Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan bowled a fiery spell to kick things off against England, the former has often struggled to be a hundred per cent fit and this is a worry. Zaheer Khan for his part has come forward in leaps and bounds, showing exactly the aggressive attitude that you look for in a fast bowler. Ganguly backs his two spinners to the hilt and it’s only a matter of time before they get their act together and make a mark on this tournament. Some of the South African batsmen struggled against quality spin early on and Ganguly will be aware of this fact.India got past South Africa in the semi-final of the last edition of the Champions Trophy at Nairobi in 2000 quite easily. Ganguly, Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh – the first four batsmen then, added 279 of the 295 runs India made. The captain then used as many as eight bowlers and shared the workload around.Don’t be surprised if you see exactly the same sort of thing happening at the Premadasa Stadium.Well, with one minor difference – the man they call the butcher of Najafgarh – Virender Sehwag.South AfricaHerschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes, Dale Benkenstein, Justin Ontong, Mark Boucher (wk), Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock (capt), Nicky Boje, Alan Dawson, Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini, Steve Elworthy, Robin Peterson.IndiaSachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly (capt), Dinesh Mongia, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Jai Prakash Yadav, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra.

Sri Lanka hope to avoid a Pakistani backlash in their firstouting at Tangiers on Wednesday after Waqar Younis’s side lost by54 runs in the opening match of the Morocco Cup.Pakistan will be desperate to comeback strongly after adisappointing performance, but Sri Lankan captain SanathJayasuriya is confident his side can make a victorious start totheir campaign.”Spirits are high, we know what we have to do and everyone islooking forward to the first game,” said Jayasuriya, adding, “wehave picked the best possible squad for this tournament and Ibelieve it’s a very good team.”During the last two Sharjah tournaments we have been winning thegroup games and then losing in the final – we want to improve onthat and perform consistently throughout this tournament.”Having seen how the pitch behaved on Monday, Jayasuriya hascalled for a special effort from his bowlers.”The wicket was quite flat and there will be a lot of hard workfor the bowlers,” he said. “They are going to have bowl verystraight like the South Africans did yesterday.”Sri Lanka are still to decide on their preferred bowlingcombination, but the absence of significant spin means that theyare likely to play three frontline fast bowlers and medium paceall-rounder Hasantha Fernando ahead of leg-spinner Upul Chandana.”The Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin and we have beendiscussing the best combination, looking at how many fast bowlerswe need – the issue is who to play at the number seven position,”said Jayasuriya.Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando are certain to play, withPulasthi Gunaratne, who impressed during the final ODI againstBangladesh, getting the nod for the final pace bowling berth.Sri Lanka will also be looking ape South Africa’s industrious anddisciplined approach in the batting department, which proved moreeffective than Pakistan’s more explosive style on a slow pitch.”There is a lot of responsibility on the batsmen,” saidJayasuriya. “If we get a chance to bat first, one of us has toget established and make a very good score like HerschelleGibbs.”Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya will open the batting, withKumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Russel Arnold in themiddle order and veteran Aravinda de Silva at number six.Match winner Muttiah Muralitharan will play despite only being90% fit having strained a hamstring in Sri Lanka’s first practicesession after arrival.After a disastrous tour of England, the mood within the Sri Lankacamp is increasingly upbeat with selection and injury problemsfading into the background.So far their greatest problem in Morocco has been their inabilityto communicate in French.”We have never been in this part of the world and the players areenjoying the experience, but the French language has been aproblem – it’s making it very difficult to order our food!” jokedJayasuriya.Pakistan, meanwhile, may consider changes to their bowling attackafter off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq conceded 80 runs in his allottedten overs.Saqlain could make way for fast bowling all-rounder AzharMahmood, a swap that have the additional advantage ofstrengthening the batting order.Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya(Capt), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jaywardene,Russel Arnold, Aravinda de Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, UpulChandana, Hasantha Fernando, Chaminda Vaas, Chamila LakshithaGamage, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, PulasthiGunaratne, Charitha Buddika FernandoPakistan:Waqar Younis (Capt), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood,Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Sami, Rashid Latif, SaeedAnwar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Alfridi, Shoaib Malik, WasimAkram, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana