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Crystal Palace have sent scouts to watch Bristol City forward Sam Bell live in action and a new report has indicated whether he’s likely to be on the move this summer having attracted interest from five potential suitors.

Who is Sam Bell?

Bell is primarily a left-winger who has graduated from the academy to become a regular feature of the first team at Ashton Gate having made a total of 42 senior appearances to date, but there’s a chance that he could be on the move before the end of the ongoing window having begun to make a real name for himself.

The Robins’ youth product still has another two years to run on his contract with Nigel Pearson’s side, but having continued his impressive form from last season into the new second-tier campaign by ranking as their top-performing player during last weekend’s opening game of the term, he’s caught the eye of Roy Hodgson in SE25.

The Eagles will be in the market to find a suitable replacement for Wilfried Zaha, who of course left the club to join Galatasaray last month, and despite not having any experience in the Premier League which is usually a factor that would come into consideration, the 21-year-old appears to have been identified as an ideal candidate.

Are Crystal Palace signing Sam Bell?

According to TEAMtalk, Crystal Palace, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers all had club chiefs “present” at Bristol’s 1-1 draw against Preston on Saturday to assess Bell's performance.

Scottish Premiership giants Glasgow Rangers are also “admirers” of the youngster and could hold an advantage over the other potential suitors with Champions League football on offer at Ibrox, and similarly the Seagulls have qualified for the Europa League.

However, whilst City are “aware of the widespread interest”, they are “likely to move” quickly to get their prized asset to sign a new deal in a bid to fend off any attention, which will include a significant pay rise.

How many goals has Sam Bell scored?

Since the start of his career, Bell has clocked up ten goal contributions (seven goals and three assists) in 42 senior appearances, including when he found the back of the net vs Preston last weekend, so should he put pen to paper, the attacker would be a hugely exciting signing for the long-term future of Crystal Palace.

The SMI Sports Management client – who represent some of the Championship's top stars – pockets £1.9k-per-week at the moment, and started the new season strongly aside from his goal having managed two shots and dribbles apiece in the recent fixture on home turf against the Lilywhites, so poses a real threat in the final third.

Bell, who has been dubbed an “excellent” player by journalist Josh Bunting, is also a versatile operator having previously been deployed in six various positions over the pitch, including everywhere across the frontline, two roles in the midfield and even at right-back, so he would be able to easily adapt to the manager’s needs should he ever want to switch up his team selection.

The India A coach, who worked with the allrounder during a tour of Australia last year, says Hardik Pandya is now capable of tailoring his game to different situations, and is on his way to becoming an ‘all-weather player’

Shashank Kishore in Vijayawada25-Sep-2017

Hardik Pandya has “turned his career around” by playing situations smartly, according to India A coach Rahul Dravid. It’s a template he hopes players from the current India A set-up emulate.Last year, Dravid was Pandya’s coach on an India A tour of Australia, where the allrounder first showed signs of being able to temper his naturally free-stroking approach when the situation demanded it. Since then, Pandya has continued to demonstrate this adaptability, most recently in the ongoing ODI series against Australia, where he has scored two match-winning half-centuries of varying moods.In the first ODI, he revived a floundering innings with MS Dhoni before launching into Australia’s spinners to make a match-turning 83. In Indore on Sunday, he was sent up to No. 4 after the openers put on a century stand in a chase of 294. Pandya sustained the tempo while scoring 78, and fell with India only 10 short of their target.”A good example about Hardik from my perspective is, he’s willing to play situations and not just the natural game we often speak about. Credit goes completely to him. He’s the one who has actually turned his career around.” Dravid said on Monday, on the sidelines of India A’s unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Vijayawada. “It’s not about playing just the one way you want to play.”If he bats at four, he bats in a particular way. If he bats at six, he bats in a particular way. Tomorrow, he may bat at 80 for 4, like he did in the first ODI with Dhoni. That shows maturity and that’s what you want to see. This concept of ‘play your natural game’, which I hear all the time, frustrates me because there’s no such thing in my belief as ‘natural game.'”It’s only about how you play different situations. Are you good enough to play when the score is 30 for 3, or 250 for 3? Are you good enough to bat when you go in first over or are you good enough to go in first ball after lunch? You have to learn to bat differently in different conditions, and if you can do that like Hardik is showing at the moment, those would be signs of a developing cricketer, someone who can make consistent contributions and not someone who is a one-off, who can produce brilliance once in a while. The aspiration and challenges set for a lot of India A players is to be all-weather players, all-situation players, all-condition players.”Pandya’s coming of age is an example of how exposure to the India Under-19 and India A teams, which Dravid has coached for over two years now, has helped players to make a smooth transition when called up to the senior team.Rishabh Pant is another player who has come through this pathway. The 19-year old who made his international debut earlier this year against England after graduating from the Under-19s in 2016, comes with the reputation of being a big hitter. However, his over-aggression has cut short a few of his promising innings.Getty Images

The first unofficial Test against New Zealand A was one such example. Pant, who had already hit nine fours and two sixes in his 67, seemed to be on course to make a hundred. Fields were spread out, runs were available if he just pushed the ball into the gaps, with the bowlers looking to get him off strike and target the lower order. But he fell trying to hit out.Dravid, who has worked with Pant for over two years now, said it was important to recognise the ability of certain players and allow them a learning environment that makes them comfortable while still holding them accountable.”I think it’s a balance,” Dravid said. “It’s recognition of the fact that someone like Rishabh will always be an attacking player. You don’t want to take away his attacking instincts, but you want to inculcate a certain sense of smartness to be able to read situations and recognise situations where the time is hot for you to make it count.”I think [in the first four-day game] he got stuck with the tailenders. Again, it is part of his learning experiences and that is the conversation I’ve had with him. When you’re young, you think you have to hit every ball when a tailender is around you. It takes time and experience to learn [to bat] with the tail. That’s what he is learning. It’s not going to happen overnight.”Experiences like these are good for him even if it doesn’t come off. If he goes back and thinks, ‘were there any other options I could have used rather than the ones I took, that may have helped me play better?’ he’s an improved player. These are the chats we have. He’s a talented kid and good at what he does; he has exceptional skill and exceptional ability. He’ll learn with more opportunities, and more games. That’s what these matches are about. I’m not too stressed about results. For me, it’s about if they’re learning from different situations.”While looking to get players to feature regularly in A tours, Dravid also said it was important to not undervalue the Ranji Trophy. “The board has been open to scheduling series but it’s difficult to balance out, especially the A tours become difficult because we do understand the stress players face with the amount of cricket played,” he said. “They’re required to play for their state associations, which we are conscious of. The last thing we want to do is pull them out of Ranji Trophy matches to play A series. I believe Ranji Trophy should be given as much importance, playing for states should be important.”

يتجدد الحديث عن مستقبل البولندي روبرت ليفاندوفسكي مع فريقه برشلونة، وإمكانية رحيله عن الفريق.

وانضم ليفاندوفسكي إلى برشلونة من بايرن ميونخ في صيف 2022 ويرتبط بعقد مع الفريق حتى يونيو 2026.

وأشارت صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية إلى أن برشلونة سيحترم قرار ورغبة ليفاندوفسكي ووكيله بيني زهافي، سواء إذا أراد البقاء أو الرحيل.

وسيكمل ليفاندوفسكي عامه الثالث من عقده مع برشلونة لقيادة مشروع برشلونة الجديد، وسيكون ذلك عامه الأخير في الفريق، على الرغم من أن لديه خيار آخر للتمديد اعتمادًا على الأداء.

وأفاد التقرير أن ليفاندوفسكي واضح بشأن البقاء في برشلونة والالتزام بعقده ويشعر اللاعب بالراحة مع الفريق.

اقرأ أيضًا | دي يونج يتخذ قرارًا حاسمًا بشأن مستقبله مع برشلونة

وسجل ليفاندوفسكي هذا الموسم 23 هدفًا وقدم تسع تمريرات حاسمة، في مبارياته مع برشلونة.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن ليفاندوفسكي مقتنع بأنه سيحافظ على مستواه التهديفي الموسم المقبل، ويرى نفسه قادرًا على تجاوز أرقامه القياسية إذا لعب برشلونة بصورة أفضل.

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Egyptian winger Ibrahim Adel, as Unai Emery eyes reinforcements this summer.

The Spaniard is off to a strong start in the transfer window, with partner Monchi overseeing his first signing by bringing Pau Torres into the set-up from Villarreal.

With Youri Tielemans also on board, Emery could equip his side further with signing Adel, who is a name on the target list of a host of clubs.

Could Aston Villa sign Ibrahim Adel?

As reported by 90min earlier this week, the Egyptian forward has captured the eyes of a list of Premier League clubs, including the Midlands outfit.

The report claims that the Villans have ‘expressed an interest’ in the 22-year-old, who currently represents Pyramids FC in his home country.

Chelsea and Newcastle are named among the list of admirers from the Premier League, with the hype surrounding the winger coming from his performances at the recent U23 Africa Cup of Nations.

How good is Ibrahim Adel?

Winning second prize is never easy, however, gaining a silver medal and the U23 AFCON Player of the Tournament prize makes missing out just a little sweeter.

As the captain of Egypt’s U23s, Adel was named as the best player for his ‘dominance and playmaking skills’, as per the tournament’s official site.

Having also gained four caps for the senior Egyptian side, the 22-year-old gem has been recognised as an upcoming talent, with the expectation that he will graduate from his homeland to seek a new journey in Europe.

Once hailed as being the “next big thing” and the “future of Egyptian football” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, there is little surprise that Villa are reported to be interested in the winger this summer.

Emery stated back in January that he wished to sign a ‘specialist winger’, which is something he could achieve by signing Adel, who is extremely versatile in playing along the front line.

Deployable as a striker or on either flank, the right-footed sensation is best utilised on the right side where he can fully exploit his strengths in front of goal.

It’s a good time for the Villans to seek interest in a winger, with journalist Tom Collomosse revealing in his Daily Mail column this week that Leon Bailey is for sale this summer.

Scoring just five times in 51 Premier League appearances, the £25m deal for the Jamaican was a mundane one for a player that was expected to lift off in the league on the back of impressive form in the Bundesliga.

The 25-year-old’s reportedly expected departure could leave room for Villa to swoop for Adel, who could prove to be a better option for Emery’s side than the former Bayer Leverkusen man.

Across 77 Egyptian Premier League appearances, the 22-year-old wizard has netted 21 goals, as well as registering seven assists in an imposing rise to fame in the beginning of his career, via Transfermarkt.

In terms of action in the final third, the youngster has highlighted more of a threat than Bailey over the past few years, and with a youthful spirit and a desire to breakthrough in Europe on his side, could explore further highs to his game.

Emery must act fast to win the race to sign the Egyptian, who with many interested parties coming forward, will be one to watch this summer.

تمكن لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، رافينها، من تسجيل الهدف الأول في شباك باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويواجه برشلونة نظيره باريس سان جيرمان، في ذهاب منافسات دور الـ8 من دوري أبطال أوروبا، على ملعب “بارك دي برانس”.

اقرأ ايضاً.. لقاء بين تشافي وإنريكي قبل مباراة برشلونة وباريس سان جيرمان

وأحرز البرازيلي رافينها هدف برشلونة الأول في شباك باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي عند الدقيقة 37 من عمر الشوط الأول.

وجاء الهدف بعد مجهود رائع من روبرت ليفاندوفسكي في وسط الملعب، ليمرر الكرة إلى لامين يامال، الذي أرسل عرضية في منطقة جزاء النادي الباريسي.

لكن دوناروما حارس باريس سان جيرمان فشل في إبعاد الكرة بشكل صحيح، ليقوم البرازيلي رافينها بتسديدة متقنة في شباك أصحاب الأرض. هدف برشلونة الأول أمام باريس سان جيرمان

The bottom-placed team enters the Eden Gardens stronghold after Kolkata Knight Riders had already smacked them by 10 wickets earlier in the tournament

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu20-Apr-2017Match factsKolkata Knight Riders v Gujarat Lions
Kolkata, April 21, 2017Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Head to headThis season: Kolkata Knight Riders thumped Gujarat Lions with 10 wickets and 31 balls to spare, chasing a target of 184.Overall: Lions still lead 2-1Form guide

Kolkata Knight Riders (Second): beat Delhi Daredevils by four wickets, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 17 runs, beat Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets

Gujarat Lions (Eighth): lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 21 runs, lost to Mumbai Indians by six wickets, beat Rising Pune Supergiant by seven wickets

In the newsThis is the mismatch of the season. Kolkata Knight Riders have overcome the loss of one of their biggest players – Andre Russell – so well that another of their biggest players – Shakib Al Hasan – is struggling to break into the XI.Lions are so badly reeling from the absence of Dwayne Bravo that they have tried all but one of their 14 players with international caps. The West Indian allrounder said he was still a “couple of games” away from fully recovering from a hamstring injury so his team has to find a way to cope.The likely XIsKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 2 Colin de Grandhomme, 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Chris Woakes/Shakib Al Hasan, 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Umesh Yadav/Piyush Chawla.Gujarat Lions: 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Aaron Finch/Jason Roy/James Faulkner, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Ishan Kishan, 8 Andrew Tye, 9 Basil Thampi, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Shadab JakatiStrategy punt There is evidence to suggest Andrew Tye should try bowling more often in the Powerplay. He has given up only one boundary from 18 deliveries in this phase at the IPL. In his last T20 tournament as well – the Big Bash League – he had an economy rate of 4.66 in the first six overs. Left-arm spin could be a very useful weapon to have in this match. Brendon McCullum has been dismissed by it 20 times – the most among all IPL batsmen – closely followed by Robin Uthappa on 19. Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey have also suffered, with 15 and 14 dismissals respectively. All of these batsmen, barring Karthik, hit left-arm spin at a strike-rate under 115. So could there be a case for Shakib to be drafted in for KKR? Could Jadeja hope to bounce back from his worst IPL figures in the last match?Stats that matter Knight Riders have made a conscious move to be more attacking in the Powerplay. Their average run rate in the first six overs has been 9.90 – the highest among all teams this season. In 2016, the corresponding number was 7.96 The captain appears fully committed to this plan. Gautam Gambhir hit a boundary every 6.9 balls on average in the Powerplay last year, but in 2017, he smacks them every 3.6 balls. His strike-rate during this stage of the innings is 148.75, a significant rise from the 110.94 in 2016. Lions’ bowlers appear ripe for the picking as well. They have taken only four wickets in the Powerplay in IPL 2017. One of their best sources for early strikes, Dhawal Kulkarni, has had an awful time. He took 14 wickets in the first six overs in 2016 – the highest among all bowlers. In 2017, he is yet to pick up one in the Powerplays and has instead recorded his worst economy rate in this phase of the innings across nine years – 10.20. Manish Pandey, who is among the top-five run-scorers this year, has only made one run from two innings against Lions. He averages 0.5 against them.

The pitch used for the first Test between India and Australia in Pune has been given a “poor” rating by the ICC match referee Chris Broad.Australia won the Test match, which ended in the post-tea session of day three, by 333 runs, bowling India out for 105 and 107. India’s match total of 212 runs was their lowest in a home Test in which they had lost all 20 wickets. Spinners accounted for 31 of the 40 wickets that fell during the Test.According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, a pitch is said to be poor if any of the following apply:

• The pitch offers excessive seam movement at any stage of the match
• The pitch displays excessive unevenness of bounce for any bowler at any stage of the match
• The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match
• The pitch displays little or no seam movement or turn at any stage in the match together with no significant bounce or carry, thereby depriving the bowlers of a fair contest between bat and ball

In accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, Broad submitted his report to the ICC, expressing concern over the quality of the pitch. The ICC has forwarded the match referee’s report to the BCCI, which now has 14 days to respond.

What they said about the Pune pitch

“I don’t think it was any different from the turners that we played in the past. We just didn’t play good cricket.”

“I think it was certainly a wicket that would more likely suit the Indian players. I think it evened up the contest a lot more.”

“There were small cracks running all through the surface (smaller cracks tend to open up faster than the big blocks), the topsoil was so loose that the first time it met the spikes underneath the players’ shoes, it started peeling off, and the surface felt abrasive on the touch.”

“It was dry, it had cracks but this was the first time I saw on an Indian turning pitch that fragments of the pitch, little bits on the top of the pitch, were missing before the first ball was bowled”

“I don’t think you could call it a good cricket pitch but sometimes I have seen these pitches produce exciting games. I wouldn’t like to see one of these for every Test but every now and then they provide a bit of variety”

Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s General Manager – Cricket, and Ranjan Madugalle, ICC’s chief referee, will review the BCCI’s response and study footage from the match, before ruling on whether or not the pitch was substandard.The penalty for a pitch that is ruled substandard for the first time – as would be the case for Pune, which was hosting its first ever Test match – is “[a] warning and / or a fine not exceeding USD 15,000 given together with a directive for appropriate corrective action”, according to Clause 4 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.Indian pitches have been under the ICC scanner for a while. In December 2015, the Nagpur pitch was rated poor by the ICC match referee Jeff Crowe after India had defeated South Africa inside three days.Earlier this month, the ICC chief executives committee, backed by the ICC board, decided to punish severely venues that presented substandard pitches. A system of imposing demerit points against each venue was proposed by the Chief Executives Committee. The proposal will be ratified at the ICC annual conference in June and subsequently, the news rules will take effect.”It was agreed that a system of demerit points be introduced, similar to the new Code of Conduct system. Demerit points will remain active for a rolling five-year period. When a venue accumulates 5 demerit points, its ICC accreditation will be suspended for a period of 12 months. Should a venue reach 10 points, its accreditation will be suspended for 24 months,” an ICC release said.

Bangladesh squad for first Test

Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Nurul Hasan, Subashis Roy
In: Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed
Out: Shuvagata Hom, Mosaddek Hossain

Mushfiqur Rahim has been named in Bangladesh’s 15-man squad for the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington, with the selectors expecting him to recover from his hamstring injury in time to play. Pace spearhead Mustafizur Rahman has been rested, meaning Taskin Ahmed – who is yet to debut in Test cricket – is likely to lead the bowling attack when the match gets underway on January 12.Bangladesh have made two changes to the squad that was picked for their last Test, against England in Dhaka. Shuvagata Hom and Mosaddek Hossain have been left out while Rubel Hossain and Taskin are included in their place.Bangladesh have already lost the ODI and T20 series, so a strong line-up was expected for the Test side. While the batting line-up remains similar to the one fielded in the other two formats, the pace-bowling attack is very inexperienced.With 23 Tests, Rubel is by far the most experienced member of it. Like Taskin, Subashis Roy has never played in the longest format, while Kamrul Islam Rabbi has played just the two Tests. Three of these four will likely make the XI, with spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan (also only two Tests so far) likely to complete the bowling-line up.The players outside of the squad who are present in New Zealand are Mustafizur, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mosaddek, Shuvagata, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Ebadot Hossain and Tanbir Hayder – Bangladesh have been taking their extended preliminary squad, which had trained in Australia earlier, along on this tour. A decision on which of these players to send home will be taken over the next couple of days.The decision to rest Mustafizur comes ahead of a busy season for Bangladesh – they play a Test in India next month, followed by a full tour of Sri Lanka in March, before preparation for the Champions Trophy in England begins. He might feature in the second Test, though.

Perth Scorchers have been fined for breaching their salary cap ahead of the 2016-17 Big Bash League.The team was $5000 over the salary cap of $1.3 million and were fined $150,000, of which $145,000 was suspended pending no further breach of the cap for five years.Cricket Australia said the Scorchers had reported the breach themselves.”Following a thorough investigation, we understand that this was not a purposeful breaching of the rules by the Perth Scorchers, and this has been taken into account for the purpose of fixing an appropriate penalty,” Cricket Australia’s Head of Integrity, Iain Roy “The Perth Scorchers understand the seriousness of this error and have accepted the fine imposed by Commissioner Lewis and we thank them for working with us during this investigation.”This serves as a timely reminder that the integrity of our game is a high priority and we won’t accept this being compromised.”The 2016-17 season of the BBL begins on December 20. The Scorchers play their first game on December 23, in Perth.

Fulham are now plotting a move for Wolfsburg star Patrick Wimmer off the back of his "hugely impressive" season in the Bundesliga, according to reports.

Who could Fulham sign this summer?

Marco Silva, after guiding the Whites through an impressive first campaign back in the Premier League, will be looking to strengthen in key areas and ensure his side's solid position.

It was arguably a season to remember for Fulham, who even finished above west London rivals Chelsea in the table and secured safety very, very comfortably and with many games to spare.

They were even contending for a place in Europe over a significant period of 2022/2023, but were ultimately beaten to the punch by Liverpool, Brighton and Aston Villa.

Fulham must build upon last season's efforts and reports suggest they intend to do exactly that, with FC Porto midfielder Mateus Uribe and Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek linked in the last few months.

This comes as star midfielder Joao Palhinha attracts interest from a host of top clubs, including Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Man United.

Gil Vicente striker Fran Navarro is also a player of interest to Fulham, while Man United duo Harry Maguire and Fred have been mentioned in parts as well.

Now, according to Football Insider, there appears to be a new target in the frame as Silva's side take a real interest in Wolfsburg star Wimmer – who has been "hugely impressive" this season.

It is believed Fulham are "plotting a move" for the Austria international and have him down as a concrete target, with officials being sent to run the rule over him on multiple occasions.

Wimmer won't leave the Bundesliga side unless they receieve a "strong bid", but according to this report, they'r expecting offers to come in the weeks ahead.

Who is Kevin Wimmer?

The 22-year-old was a star player for Wolfsburg over 2022/2023, having made more key passes per 90 than any of his teammates in the German top flight (WhoScored).

Wimmer also completed more successful take-ons per 90 than any other Wolfsburg player except Omar Marmoush, highlighting his real quality in the forward areas (WhoScored).

He finished last season with more assists than any Wolfsburg player, too, racking up 12 goal contributions (four goals and eight assists) in the Bundesliga alone.

It's hardly surprising that, with numbers like these, Fulham are now taking a real interest in his potential signing for Silva.