All posts by h716a5.icu

Sunderland defender Aji Alese is “back” in the squad for the Championship playoff semi-final second leg vs Luton Town tonight, according to journalist Scott Wilson.

When is the Championship playoff final?

The Black Cats secured a 2-1 victory over the Hatters in the first leg of the second-tier playoffs at the Stadium of Light last weekend and will be hoping to book their place in the final at Wembley with another win this evening. The playoff final takes place on Bank Holiday Weekend, Saturday May 27, with kick-off set for 16:45.

Alese, a 6 foot 4 colossus who first arrived in the northeast last summer, has made 23 appearances during his debut season, but he hasn’t featured since the 5-1 defeat to Stoke City back in March after sustaining a thigh injury.

Tony Mowbray’s centre-back was unsurprisingly missing from the squad for the most recent deciding fixture, though a promising update has now emerged which could see him play a part in what will be a vital 90 minutes for his side.

What's the Sunderland team news vs Luton?

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Wilson revealed that Alese is expected to stage his competitive comeback vs Luton at Kenilworth Road having returned to regular first-team training. He wrote:

“Aji Alese back in the #SAFC squad for tomorrow's play-off decider at Luton – and likely to be on the bench. Patrick Roberts and Alex Pritchard both "touch and go" though after their injury knocks at the weekend…”

According to journalist Josh Bunting, Alese is “scary” for how good he is at defending, and considering the high standard of his performances since putting pen to paper, Sunderland and Mowbray will definitely receive a boost should he be available for selection this evening.

The Black Cats ace, who currently pockets £5.7k-per-week, ranks in the 98th percentile for clearances and has won 20 of his tackles from 34 players challenged this season, as per FBRef, form which has seen him receive two man-of-the-match awards.

The Islington-born talent is also capable of contributing to his team’s efforts in the final third having scored one goal and provided the same number of assists since the start of the term, not to mention that he offers wonderful versatility having operated at centre-back, left-back and slightly higher up in left midfield in his opening campaign, so the chances of the red and whites picking up a positive result are only set to increase with the return of Alese.

According to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, you 'can't rule out' Mauricio Pochettino taking charge as soon as possible.

What's the latest manager news involving Chelsea?

As per Football Insider, Chelsea are set to formally appoint Pochettino 'by the end of this week', bringing their lengthy search for a new manager to a close.

The report states that Lampard will remain in post for the rest of this term before being replaced by the 51-year-old at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.

Similarly, The Athletic have also revealed that the Blues' search for a new boss looks likely to come to an end this week, giving everyone at Stamford Bridge some much needed stability following a torrid 2022/23.

Last weekend, Chelsea won their first match since early March, bringing an end to a nine-game winless run with a 3-1 triumph over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, courtesy of goals from Conor Gallagher, Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix, as per BBC Sport.

Nevertheless, Chelsea remain 11th in the Premier League table and have a lot of collective groundwork to get through in the summer to get back among the elite of English football.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sky Sports reporter Sheth has signalled that he believes Lampard will take charge of the Blues' last four matches of the season, but did state that there is a chance Pochettino could come in now.

Sheth said: "I'm not sure. I think you'd have to ask Pochettino that question as well, simply because all the noises we were getting when he was being linked with Chelsea, being linked with Tottenham, being linked with Real Madrid was that he wanted to assess all of his options and make a fresh start in the summer.

"Could he come in now? You can't rule it out, but all the noises we're hearing is that Frank Lampard will be in charge of Chelsea until the end of the season."

What next for Chelsea?

With very little left to play for, Chelsea don't really need Pochettino to come in right away but as Dharmesh says, perhaps there could be a window of opportunity for him to come in and trial some things in the last couple of games. Never say never.

While their managerial situation is ongoing, Lampard will be charged with trying to ensure Chelsea finish this term in a strong fashion before the curtain is brought down on a frustrating time of things for all involved at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues still have some tough fixtures to come, with Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United being the four outstanding matches to complete.

To be honest, Chelsea don't have any real meaningful objectives to work towards between now and the end of 2022/23, seeing as they are well out of contention for continental qualification. However, pride is at stake and fringe players will also be looking to make a claim for a starting spot in 2023/24.

Winning over Bournemouth last Saturday will have instilled some confidence in Lampard's men and the 44-year-old will be keen to record a second consecutive victory when Chelsea take on Nottingham Forest this weekend.

Dwayne Smith used a green Kanpur pitch as his ally to return figures of 4 for 8, setting up Gujarat Lions’ six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders

The Report by Nikhil Kalro19-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDwayne Smith’s career-best T20 figures set up what turned out to be a convincing win for Gujarat Lions•BCCIDwayne Smith used a green Kanpur pitch as his ally to return figures of 4 for 8, setting up Gujarat Lions’ six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders. Lions restricted Knight Riders to 124, and then overhauled the target with 39 balls to spare. The win not only vaulted them to No. 2 on the points table, but also lifted their net run-rate from -0.747 to -0.479, intensifying the race for the playoffs.Knight Riders, sent in to bat, started solidly before Gautam Gambhir was involved in another run-out, in the fourth over. With Gambhir and Robin Uthappa stranded mid-pitch, Shadab Jakati, replacing Shivil Kaushik, fired an accurate throw at the striker’s end after an acrobatic stop at midwicket.Smith then extracted enough bounce and lateral movement to have Knight Riders’ batsmen poking outside off stump. Uthappa and Manish Pandey steered catches behind the wicket, while Piyush Chawla, promoted to No. 4 as a pinch hitter, was hustled by a skiddy delivery that crept past his tentative waft. A short delivery was helped along to third man by Shakib as Smith claimed his best T20 figures. Knight Riders were left reeling at 61 for 5 in the 12th over.Yusuf Pathan and Suryakumar Yadav then limited the damage through singles; an eight-over period after the Powerplay produced just 20 runs. Lions’ spinners asserted control until Yusuf got stuck in to Ravindra Jadeja to resuscitate Knight Riders’ innings with consecutive boundaries in the 15th over.Thereafter, boundary-scoring became gradually easier, with the next three overs producing 33. It could have been much more if not for Dhawal Kulkarni and Dwayne Bravo’s cunning variations that resulted in just eight off the last two overs as Lions subsided Knight Riders’ hopes of a 140-plus score.Lions approached the chase, it seemed, with an intent to improve their net run-rate to boost their playoffs chances. The batsmen came out playing exuberant strokes on a tricky surface to give Knight Riders a sniff.Smith under-edged a pull off the first ball of the chase as Uthappa eventually completed the catch on the third attempt. Brendon McCullum wasn’t deterred though, as he danced down the track to swat a length delivery over midwicket off his first delivery. In a bid to arrest the early momentum, Gambhir turned to Sunil Narine, and the move worked as he accounted for McCullum with a floater that swerved back in to trap him lbw.Dinesh Karthik chose attritional strokes with a straight bat but was bowled by an in-dipper from Morne Morkel that sneaked between bat and pad to clatter into the stumps. Suddenly, Lions were reduced to 38 for 3.Suresh Raina, returning from a short paternity leave, ensured Lions were in the hunt through his inside-out drives and flicks to steer the chase forward. He crossed 4000 IPL runs with a lofted cover drive off a good-length delivery from Morkel. Raina and Aaron Finch added 59 to put the game beyond Knight Riders’ reach.Their 36-ball stand was ended by a run-out when they collided into each other in the search for a third run to briefly lend some artificial excitement. With 28 required off 61 balls, Ravindra Jadeja helped Raina end the chase in a canter to ease Lions’ race for a playoffs berth.

Leeds United winger Jack Harrison was spotted sitting alone on the bench following their defeat on the south coast to Bournemouth on the weekend.

What was Jack Harrison seen doing?

Javi Gracia will be wanting to put Sunday behind him very quickly as Leeds suffered defeat away to one of their relegation rivals, Bournemouth.

Not only did Leeds taste defeat, but they were on the end of a 4-1 hammering as the Cherries secured the points to take them nine points clear of the Yorkshire side.

Leeds found themselves 2-0 down fairly early in the game but were offered a glimmer of hope when Patrick Bamford halved the deficit before half-time.

However, Bournemouth went on to secure the points with two further goals after the break which leaves the Whites now just one-point above the drop having played a game more than Leicester City and Everton.

Following the game, footage emerged of the £90k-per-week ace seen sitting alone on the bench still in his full strip after all the fans had vacated the stadium.

Having posted it on Twitter, the Leeds presenter questioned whether there was more to this than what may initially meet the eye:

"It might be nothing but been sent this by a Bournemouth fan. Why is Jack Harrison sitting alone in the dugout Ten mins after the stadium had emptied? Shouldn’t they all be in the dressing room? I am confused. Something isn't right," he said.

Has Harrison been good enough this season?

The Leeds winger has recently put pen to paper on a new deal which will see his future extended at Elland Road through until the summer of 2028.

It has been a fairly inconsistent campaign for the Englishman who has provided a solid return of four goals and seven assists in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

However, three of those goals and three of those assists have all come since the last week in February.

The other goal and a further three assists all came in the first three weeks of the campaign, too.

This has left a huge barren run through the majority of the campaign where the 26-year-old has not been providing the Whites with a contribution in front of goal.

Harrison was awarded with a mere 4/10 rating following the game on Sunday with journalist Graham Smyth saying:

"Tried to get up and down but couldn't do enough. Defending for the first was poor, albeit after a pitch-length sprint. Position asked a huge amount."

Harrison has registered two key passes, three clearances and a tackle during the game on the south coast, however, he was also dribbled past twice and lost possession 20 times (via SofaScore).

The video shows the winger is hurting, however, it is apparent there is no time for the Leeds players to be feeling sorry for themselves with Manchester City next up for the Whites.

Tottenham Hotspur have struggled to establish themselves as a true superpower after years of progression under Mauricio Pochettino, with Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte both enlisted to help bridge that gap further, with little success.

The Lilywhites now find themselves in an awkward position, with a caretaker manager in the dugout and no plan for the immediate future.

Of all the disarray of the past few years, one thing has always remained constant: Harry Kane's goals.

The English marksman is one of the league's greatest-ever goalscorers, with his tally of 206 just 54 shy of Alan Shearer's previously unbeatable record. However, amidst all the fine finishes and match-winning contributions, the 29-year-old is without a trophy.

Rumours continue to swirl about the future of the £200k-per-week marksman and where his career might conclude, leading to the potential exit of the one consistently good facet about this club of late.

One thing that would be particularly heartbreaking about such a departure, aside from losing a talent branded "world-class" by Conte, is that it would bring to a brutal end his fine partnership with Heung-min Son.

These two forwards hold the record for most goal contributions to one another, having surpassed the legendary Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard relationship.

However, just a quick browse in their academy gives credence to another who might be able to fill the shoes of their legendary frontman. Jude Soonsup-Bell could very well be the next great partner for the South Korean sensation.

Who is Jude Soonsup-Bell?

Having traded Chelsea for North London in January, already the 19-year-old will have endeared himself to the Spurs faithful as a deserter of one of their fiercest rivals.

However, the immense quality he boasts remains an even larger factor in their excitement regarding his future.

Across a stuttered season, littered with change for the teenager, the young forward has still managed four goals and two assists across various youth competitions.

However, last season for the Blues he recorded 13 goal contributions for their U23s which culminated in his debut for the first team.

This ability to both score and create is instantly resemblant to Kane's uncanny ability to do the same. Being able to drop deep and feed other attackers like Son has allowed the speedster to score 143 times for Spurs, with his teammate recording 63 assists during his tenure.

Not only this, but a relentless work rate is sure to endear himself to the likes of interim boss Cristian Stellini, who will likely seek his energy when organising a press.

Tottenham's youth coach Wayne Burnett even claimed, after one fine showing:

"We like Jude, he's a player that has qualities, he's a player that gives us something a little bit different, wants to run in behind but he works tirelessly as well and he showed that today."

With chairman Daniel Levy always one to save as much money as possible, and given the huge fee they would get for Kane's sale, the prospect that Soonsup-Bell could take his place must excite him.

He will hope more than most that the striker, should he be given his chance, can quickly establish another fine relationship with the mercurial Son.

Since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over at Wrexham two years ago, the club has just gone from strength to strength.

Plentiful amounts of money have been pumped into the Welsh side and they are now just one game away from that elusive promotion.

It has been over a decade since they were last in the Football League, but a victory over Boreham Wood on Saturday evening will mean at long last, they are back in the EFL.

At present, the Red Dragons sit on 107 points, a National League record, with Phil Parkinson having worked wonders with one of the finest squads you are ever likely to see at non-league level.

Not only do they possess former England and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster, but League Two top scorer of 2020/21, Paul Mullin, is also at the club, while they paid the best part of £300k to lure Ollie Palmer from Wimbledon too.

This only feels like the beginning of their investment, however, particularly if they do secure a place in the fourth tier.

It even looks as though another former Premier League star could be on their way to the Racecourse Ground after Foster.

Who could sign for Wrexham this summer?

It's likely that the manager will have a number of targets in mind in order to improve the squad further ahead of next term, but one such player could be someone of Welsh origin, Hal Robson-Kanu.

The 33-year-old hasn't played since leaving West Bromwich Albion behind in 2021, but could be tempted out of retirement in order to join in the fun at Wrexham.

Indeed, taking to Instagram, the attacker commented on a post from co-owner, Reynolds, by saying: "I’ll come out of retirement and come and play for Wrexham next season. I’ll also give my salary to charity of the fans choosing…"

The statement is yet to be met with a response from the movie star, although there must be some element of excitement behind a potential swoop.

After all, this is a player with experience of playing and scoring at a major international tournament for his country, while Robson-Kanu also boasts 14 Premier League goals and 31 Championship strikes.

Mullin, Palmer and indeed Foster were remarkable signings, but this one, in terms of goalscoring ability might just top the lot.

West Ham could look to bring in Brendan Rodgers as David Moyes' eventual replacement, according to an update from journalist Paul Brown.

Is Moyes getting sacked by West Ham?

There is no doubt that this has been a disappointing season for the Hammers to date, having qualified for Europe last year. This time around, they have found themselves in a Premier League relegation battle, and while safety looks likely, they are not out of the water yet.

Sunday's 2-2 draw at home to current league leaders Arsenal certainly helped, with West Ham showing strong resolve to come from 2-0 down early to earn what could be such a precious point. While the east Londoners are still in the UEFA Europa Conference League, pressure is clearly growing on Moyes, with the Scot not at his best this season, getting too many poor results and performances out of his team.

There is certainly a chance that the Hammers could be looking for a new manager at the end of the campaign, and a key update has emerged regarding the situation.

Could Rodgers be next Hammers boss?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown talked up the idea of Rodgers being Moyes' successor at the London Stadium:

"I still think that the plan really for West Ham is to try and stick it out with David Moyes and see if he can turn things around next season. But I just feel like Brendan Rodgers is the one name who's now out there that might turn their heads a bit and might change things for the owners."

It does feel as though this summer could be the right time for West Ham to make a change in the dugout, with Moyes seemingly not the force he was, having guided the Hammers to back-to-back sixth and seventh-place finishes in 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively.

Some managerial reigns simply run their course and Rodgers could be the ideal man to bring in as Moyes' replacement, having recently parted ways with Leicester City. While his time at the King Power grew stagant, too, he is a talented coach who could get West Ham playing more eye-catching attacking football than Moyes, having famously come close to winning the Premier League title with Liverpool back in 2013/14, not to mention clinching two Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic and tasting FA Cup glory at Leicester.

The Northern Irishman would surely jump at the chance to manage the Hammers, so it is one to keep an eye on, although it would be a surprise if it happened before the end of this season.

Newcastle United are the current joint frontrunners to sign Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha this summer, according to reports.

What's the latest on Zaha's future?

Eddie Howe already has Anthony Gordon, Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser as his options on the left wing but The Telegraph have reported that the boss has his sights set on securing a new versatile wide forward during the upcoming window, with the 30-year-old identified as a potential candidate.

The Ivory Coast international will be out of contract at Selhurst Park at the end of the season meaning that he will become a free agent on the market should he not put pen to paper on fresh terms, and being Roy Hodgson’s top-performing offensive player, has caught the eye of the boss, but not for the first time.

The Daily Mail (via SportsMole) credited the Magpies with an interest in the forward two years ago where it was claimed that they were lining up a big-money offer following the takeover, and despite a deal failing to materialise at the time, PIF have remained long-term admirers and are wanting to make a second attempt.

According to the Daily Star, Newcastle and Premier League rivals West Ham are currently “leading the race” to sign Zaha ahead of the 2023/24 term. The St. James’ Park outfit and the Irons are the “frontrunners” to land the top-flight veteran but the former might hold the advantage as a result of their target being “eager to test himself” in Europe. The Eagles talisman signing a new deal isn’t fully “out of the question”, but it’s stated that he is set to “listen to offers” and is “prepared to move” elsewhere should a good opportunity arise.

Would Zaha be a good signing for Newcastle?

Newcastle have clearly been long-term admirers of Zaha having tried and failed to sign him before but should they be successful if they take another bite of the cherry, he would be a great asset to the attacking department in the northeast.

Palace’s standout performer has clocked up 165 goal contributions in 455 appearances in the capital, including nine in 25 across all competitions this season, via Transfermarkt, where he’s currently averaging 2.4 shots and 1.9 dribbles per top-flight game, form which has seen him lauded “unplayable” by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino (WhoScored).

Zaha would also add plenty of versatility to Howe’s squad having operated in six different positions since the start of his career, including anywhere across the frontline, making this a no-brainer of a deal to complete should the chance present itself.

Tottenham Hotspur's reported managerial target Roberto De Zerbi is believed to have a summer release clause in his contract at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Who do Spurs want as their next manager?

The north London club relieved Antonio Conte of his duties over the weekend after a string of underwhelming results culminated in a fiery press conference from the Italian after their draw against Southampton.

A number of managers are believed to have been shortlisted by the director of football Fabio Paratici, which is said to have included De Zerbi.

However, a fresh face has emerged as one of the frontrunners over the last week following the dismissal of Julian Nagelsmann from his role at Bayern Munich.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has revealed the current Brighton coach could become available in the summer for Spurs, with his contract holding a release clause:

"This is my information, and I can tell you what I know – I know there are different reports on the story. But from what I understand, there is a way out for Roberto De Zerbi from Brighton at the end of the season.

"Many can call that as a release clause. Many can call that as a compensation formula. Many can call that as a private agreement, but from what I understand, there is in the contract of Roberto De Zerbi and his staff, only for the summer – so not valid in March, in April, in May, but only in the summer period – the possibility for Roberto De Zerbi to leave Brighton, in case a club will pay that money.

"I'm told that this amount of money is more than the reported £10m. So it's something more than this."

Would De Zerbi be a good fit for Spurs?

Since joining the Seagulls, De Zerbi has done a stellar job, which sees Brighton sitting just seven points off Tottenham in the table whilst holding three games in hand over the north Londoners.

De Zerbi's side have also outshone Tottenham in the FA Cup having made it to the semi-finals where they will face Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.

However, there may be some concerns as to whether De Zerbi would be able to replicate his impressive record over to a club like Spurs where there are bigger egos to contend with.

Brighton remains a selling club despite their impressive 2022/23 campaign with their recruitment showing the likes of Tottenham up over recent years.

However, managing at a club with a bigger reputation and players of a bigger stature can prove a difficult transition as has been the case with Graham Potter at Chelsea.

On the other hand, it has to be noted Mauricio Pochettino made a similar transition from Southampton back in 2014 and his tenure at the club will be looked back on as one of the best in the club's history.

But it does seem as if Spurs may have to wait until the summer to appoint their permanent manager but they would have to be sure on De Zerbi if they were to pull the trigger.

Since Pochettino's departure, there has been a managerial merry-go-round in north London and fans will not want to see another manager come and go within the space of the next two years.

De Zerbi has still not had a full season of managing in the Premier League so there is certainly some risk linked with his potential appointment.

"His impact in England will be massive," said Pep Guardiola and praise of that magnitude could be an encouraging sign of what he could potentially do at Spurs.

West Ham United fans will have been delighted to see Declan Rice on the scoresheet when England beat Italy last week but it was arguably Emerson who was the Hammers' star performer of the international break.

Who was West Ham's best player during the international break?

While Rice did fire Gareth Southgate's side ahead against Italy and sent them on their way to an impressive win, the midfielder wasn't actually that impressive from a defensive point of view, as he managed just one tackle and one interception in the 90 minutes, while he would win just one of his four duels.

Sofascore would award the midfielder a strong 7.2/10 rating for his performance at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium but that was clearly impacted by his early goal from an England corner, as his return of no successful dribbles and 86% pass accuracy suggests that his overall display could have been far better.

While Emerson was left on the bench by Roberto Mancini for the game against the Three Lions, the £95k-per-week full-back started in the 2-0 win against Malta and was one of the best players on the pitch.

As per Sofascore, the former Chelsea defender would earn an impressive 7.7/10 rating for his performance, with only Sandro Tonali (8.1/10) rated higher of every player to feature in the game from both sides.

The 28-year-old looked extremely impressive from both an attacking and a defensive point of view, as he registered a haul of four key passes in the 90 minutes, while he also completed three tackles and won six out of seven of his duels in the game.

It hasn't been an easy start to life at the London Stadium for Emerson but his performance against Malta emphasises what he can do when at his best, so David Moyes must now find a way of unlocking the Italian as he aims to keep the Hammers in the Premier League this season.

Across his 14 top-flight appearances so far this campaign, the left-back has averaged just 0.5 key passes, 0.3 dribbles and 1.1 tackles per game, an indication of how much he raised his game during the international break.

Once lauded as "unbelievable" by former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, the talented defender was arguably West Ham's top performer during the international break and if he can translate that form into strong Premier League displays, then he could be a big player for Moyes in the battle for survival.