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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should be sold by Liverpool in the summer transfer window, according to former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Ox out of favour

The 28-year-old has had a hit-and-miss Reds career, proving to be a key player at times but also suffering numerous injury problems and falling down the pecking order.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been limited to just nine starts in the Premier League so far this season, and it looks unlikely that he will feature again in 2021/22.

With the midfielder’s current Liverpool deal expiring in 2023, this summer could be the last chance for the club to earn a transfer fee from his exit.

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The Latest: Summer exit mooted

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell claimed that it is time for Oxlade-Chamberlain to move on from Liverpool, with Aurelien Tchouameni potentially replacing him. The 52-year-old said:

“You can never have enough quality and youth in the middle of the park. They need to get a touch younger. Oxlade-Chamberlain looks like he will leave. There may be a couple of outgoings in that position.

“I think it would be wise to freshen things up a little bit. If someone like Tchouameni comes in it keeps everyone on their toes. It would be a smart move if they manage to get that over the line.”

The Verdict: The end seems nigh

It feels almost inevitable that Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, considering how he seems to be nowhere near Jurgen Klopp’s current plans.

His last appearance came against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup in March, a month after he last played in the league. Indeed, the 28-year-old hasn’t even been in a Premier League matchday squad since the first weekend of April [Transfermarkt].

His manager has hailed him as ‘brilliant’ in the past but he has become an increasingly forgotten man at Anfield, and his absolute peak years look to be behind him.

Oxlade-Chamberlain could move to another Premier League club and become a key player, so it would make sense for him to move on and enjoy a fresh challenge.

In other news, James Pearce has dropped a Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the deciding third Test against New Zealand in Nagpur due to a groin strain. Left-arm seamer Jaidev Unadkat has been called in as his replacement. The injury resulted in Zaheer missing a good part of the fourth day of the second Test in Hyderabad, where he left the field during New Zealand’s second innings, and the bulk of the fifth day when he bowled just three overs. The decision to leave him out of the third Test is a precautionary measure.Zaheer’s absence was felt in Hyderabad as India struggled to make inroads and New Zealand, led by Brendon McCullum, steered the Test to a draw. Zaheer had triggered India’s fightback in the first innings after New Zealand had taken the first-day honours, and helped bowl the visitors out for 350. His injury means Ishant Sharma could be drafted in for the final game to partner Sreesanth, who picked up four wickets in the Hyderabad Test.Unadkat, who will take Zaheer’s place in the squad, represents Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy and has picked up 26 wickets in six first-class games at an average of 26.34

Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has been described as a ‘benevolent dictator’ by financial football expert Kieran Maguire.

The Lowdown: Desmond oversees glorious period

The 71-year-old has a 35% stake in the Hoops, who he has supported throughout his life, having initially owned a chunk of Manchester United during the 2000s before selling his share to Malcolm Glazer.

Desmond has overseen a great period in Celtic’s history, with trophies coming thick and fast and another Scottish Premiership title looking likely to arrive next month.

At a time when billionaires own clubs and don’t necessarily care deeply about them, Demsond’s Hoops roots make it a different situation at Parkhead.

The Latest: Maguire praises ownership

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire discussed the Irishman’s frugal ownership style, praising it overall:

“If you’re a fan first and an owner second, you’re going to do what you think’s best for the club’s best interests. I’ve always said that the best ownership model is one of a benevolent dictator, who will act in the best interest at heart.

“He’s a billionaire that happens to be a fan, rather than a billionaire who wants an executive toy.  It’s slightly different because he is a very prudent owner. Could Celtic have accelerated the gap between them and Rangers in recent years? Perhaps.

“But I think they have always taken the view that they have got the biggest stadium and some of the biggest commercial deals, and that is sufficient.”

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The Verdict: Positives outweigh negatives

Football club owners are almost never universally popular among supporters and that is no different with Desmond, with fans criticising him numerous times in the past.

That being said, the positives outweigh the negatives with him and he is ensuring Celtic are run in a sensible fashion, often spending within their means.

Desmond cares deeply about the Hoops, which immediately works in their favour, and when he eventually sells up, it could be a case of only appreciating him when he’s gone.

In other news, a report has made an exciting Celtic transfer claim. Read more here.

Celtic were rather busy during the previous summer and winter transfer windows in terms of the deals they managed to complete.

Not only did the Hoops welcome a number of new players to the Parkhead club, but they also managed to move others out in the opposite direction.

However, they didn’t always end up signing every player that was mentioned with a move to Celtic Park.

One player, in particular, that was linked to the Hoops in the previous January window that didn’t end up joining was Callum Styles.

With the transfer window set to open for business again once the season comes to an end, we think that the Bhoys should reignite their interest in the Barnsley figure and launch a move to bring him to Celtic.

Having racked up a total of 115 appearances for the Championship club prior to their match against Swansea City, the midfielder has scored eight goals and provided six assists.

This shows what a useful creative and attacking player he can be on the pitch.

One goal that the 22-year-old scored for his current side from outside the box was labelled as a “rocket” by journalist Sanny Rudravajhala, highlighting what he’s capable of on the ball.

The Hungarian has also racked up an average of 1.2 shots and 1.1 key passes per game in the league, putting him in the top five for each statistic in Barnsley’s squad.

Described as being a “massive talent” by teammate Cauley Woodrow, Styles has played in numerous positions across the pitch throughout his career.

This highlights how his versatility could make him a very useful squad member for Ange Postecoglou if the Hoops are able to sign the £2.7m-rated gem this summer.

Looking ahead to the summer, with Barnsley looking likely to get relegated as things stand, a move to Celtic could be rather tempting for the player rather than potentially playing in League One.

Also, with his contract at the Yorkshire club set to expire in the summer of 2023, this next window could be the ideal time for Barnsley to cash in on him should they get relegated and he doesn’t put pen to paper on a new deal.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “unbelievable” £18k-p/w Celtic flop with “aggressive” prodigy

An injury expert has now dropped a ‘hopeful’ Wolves claim involving Ruben Neves.

The Lowdown: Not as serious

Speaking to the media, Bruno Lage revealed that Neves’ injury setback was ‘not as serious’ as they initially expected.

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The Portugal international has been missing since March, but will now be hoping to make a swift recovery in time to play the final few games of the season.

The Latest: Dinnery reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has claimed that he is still ‘hopeful’ that Neves will return in ‘early to mid-May’, despite this ‘new info’ from Lage:

“My understanding initially hasn’t changed a great deal even with this new info.

“We’re talking about an MCL here. The indication that it was a grade two.

“I was working on the premise that we could maybe see a return around early to mid-May. I am still fairly hopeful that is the case.

“It happened against Leeds. He tried to continue but he couldn’t. He then went out to Portugal for some rehab and recovery.

“The target was always going to be around game week 35. I think there is a strong possibility that he’ll play again this season somewhere around there.”

The Verdict: Big boost

The fact that Neves’ injury is not as serious as previously expected, and that he could return for the last few matches of the campaign, is certainly a big boost for the Midlands club.

He currently ranks as their fourth-best performer in the Premier League so far, scoring four goals and making two assists, while also picking up two man-of-the-match awards (WhoScored).

The 25-year-old also ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles, interceptions, shots, passes, long and through balls per game (WhoScored), and will clearly be an important player for them if they are to finish the season strongly, and potentially challenge for a European place.

In other news, find out which ‘electric’ star the Wanderers now ‘want’ to sign here!

Frank Lampard tasted his first defeat as Everton manager as they lost 3-1 away to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

The Goodison Park faithful actually went in front thanks to an own goal from Jamaal Lascelles, but a Mason Holgate own goal levelled the playing field just a minute later, before Ryan Fraser and Kieran Trippier ensured the hosts went home with all three points.

With the games coming thick and fast, The Transfer Tavern have now used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the Blues’ three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were on the night – could these Toffees be looking over their shoulders if Lampard makes changes against Leeds?

Andros Townsend

Admittedly joint-third bottom of the list with both Andre Gomes and Jarrad Branthwaite in terms of rating (6.1), Townsend was totally ineffective across the 90 minutes.

In the unfamiliar left wing-back position, the former Magpie lost out on seven of his duels in total, and also failed to make any clearances or block any shots.

He was unsuccessful with all five of his crosses, and gave the ball away on no fewer than on 17 separate occasions in the match, the joint-second most out of any of his teammates.

Michael Keane

Keane was ranked as the Toffees’ second-worst player on the night with a six overall rating.

The central defender lost a team-high total of 12 duels, and also didn’t block any shots at Jordan Pickford’s goal, while he recorded no interceptions and lost the ball 11 times.

With Yerry Mina now joining Ben Godfrey on the treatment table, Lampard may have no choice but to stick with Keane despite his perilous display.

Mason Holgate

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Holgate was given the worst rating (5.5) after his own goal and what can only be described as some comical defending at times.

The Englishman was unsuccessful in eight of his duels, and also failed to block any shots or make any interceptions, while he, like Townsend, was guilty of losing possession 17 times.

In other news, find out which ‘elite’ talent the Blues are now ‘tracking’ here!

Wolves have had a fairly quiet start to their January transfer window compared to other sides in the Premier League with Japanese midfielder Hayao Kawabe being the only player to arrive at Molineux so far this month.

However, it seems as though the Midlands club could be set to say goodbye to one of their current squad members, which wouldn’t please manager Bruno Lage.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, fellow Premier League club West Ham United have made a “concrete” move to sign Wolves winger Adama Traore this month.

In the 152 appearances he’s made for the Old Gold since arriving from Middlesbrough in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m back in the 2018 summer transfer window, the 25-year-old has only managed to score ten goals and provide 18 assists along the way, which is far greater than what the club would have been hoping to get from him at this stage.

Potential disaster?

Despite the Spaniard reportedly being unhappy at Molineux with a long-term issue surrounding the possibility of him signing a new deal, Lage would certainly not want to lose one of his most dangerous attacking players midway through their season, especially as they aim to secure a European place.

Labelled as a “dynamic” player by former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood, Traore has still managed to prove himself to be an important player for Lage in the Premier League this season with an overall rating of 6.96/10 from WhoScored, making him their third-highest rated player.

If Wolves were then to sell Traore this month, it could be a disaster for Fosun and Lage if the team were to miss out on a European finish this season as a result of the winger’s potential absence for the remainder of the campaign.

Considering West Ham are a rival for European football, it wouldn’t be a good idea at all to sell him to the Irons and if they eventually beat them to a place among Europe’s elite, Lage would understandably be rather angry.

With that in mind, it may be the best option to keep the £43k-per-week Traore until the end of the season and then try to secure a move away for him if he still doesn’t want to sign a new deal.

In other news: Lage could blow Wolves fans away by signing £27m-rated ace who is “better than Mbappe” – opinion

Overview

Dependable and destructive: Cameron White•Getty Images

Since their first-round exit in last year’s World Twenty20, Australia have undergone a significant rebuild and installed Michael Clarke as their full-time leader. The changes have led to hope of a strong performance but, unlike in the Test and one-day arenas, they don’t really know what to expect in the Caribbean.Cameron White, Dirk Nannes, David Hussey, David Warner and Shaun Tait are some of the limited-overs experts who are now highly rated in the squad while Steven Smith and Daniel Christian provide some youth. Clarke, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin bring the experience of productive careers in all three genres.Australia have appeared in 29 T20 internationals, including 15 wins and 12 losses, and should enter the event on a high after being unbeaten at home and in New Zealand during 2009-10. However, they were set back by a tight loss to Zimbabwe in their opening warm-up, which was a familiar result.They were upset by the same team in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 and their problems with slow starts continued at the 2009 tournament when they were beaten by West Indies and Sri Lanka. “It will be critical for us that we hit the ground running,” the coach Tim Nielsen said. Already they need to turn things around for the first match against Pakistan on Sunday.

Twenty20 pedigree

Twenty20 is Australia’s worst format and the greatest concern is they don’t really know how to be the best. Most of the players are still learning how to master the tactics, although the selectors have finally relied on an impressive batch of specialists with considerable IPL and Big Bash experience. The national side has appeared in a lot of Twenty20s – nine more than India and 15 more than Bangladesh – but most of their main men don’t get a go in the domestic tournaments due to international commitments.

Strengths and weaknesses

Depending on the day, the fast-bowling attack can be the most frightening weapon or the place to attack. If Tait, Johnson and Nannes are on song life will be almost impossible for the batsmen. If they are loose they will be expensive on the smaller Caribbean grounds. Things might have been worse for the opposition if Brett Lee hadn’t been ruled out on the eve of the tournament with a forearm injury.

Key men

Shaun Tait helped win Australia a World Cup the last time he was in the Caribbean, taking 23 wickets at 20.30. Over the past two years his body and mind have restricted him to limited-overs affairs, where he can bowl a handful of overs at full pace. He has already clocked 160kph this year and is a severe threat whenever operating near his peak. David Warner has become a brutal Twenty20 specialist and has an essential role at the top of the order. While Shane Watson can show his muscle, Warner is the man capable of racing along at two runs a ball without feeling like he’s out of control. In 13 matches with Australia he has a strike-rate of 155.32 and if he fires Australia’s chances improve significantly.

X-factor

It still feels a bit strange saying it, but in this set-up Cameron White is a senior figure. Over the past year he has turned from a fringe limited-overs figure into a vice-captain who is dependable and destructive. With the bat he can add steel or power and when he hits cleanly no ground is big enough. In his previous T20 international he crunched 64 off 26 balls in a barely believable display.

Vital stats

It’s early days still, but a first win for Chennai or a first loss for Kolkata either way will surely make for a riveting contest

The Preview by Judhajit Basu15-Mar-2010Match factsTuesday, March 16
Start time 2000 (1430GMT)Shane Bond might be part of KKR’s three-pronged pace attack along with Ishant Sharma and Charl Langeveldt (file photo)•Getty Images

Big PictureThe irony is unmissable: It’s early days yet but Kolkata have two wins from two and are looking down at Chennai, who find themselves in the unfamiliar depths of the points table. As Chennai chase their first win Sourav Ganguly comes up against his spiritual heir MS Dhoni under the lights at Eden Gardens.Kolkata have been here before; they won their first two games in the first season, only to fizzle out and finish sixth. They ended up last the next season but now look to have shrugged that off and stride to a new momentum.Chennai, on the other hand, were outclassed by their southern neighbours Deccan Chargers in their opening match, left floundering in all departments. However, they lost their opening match last season as well, against Mumbai Indians, but eventually reached the semi-final for the second year running and Dhoni knows his team’s bouncebackability.Team talkWhile the threat of Matthew Hayden and his Mongoose bat looms large, Kolkata will be eager to get Shane Bond going in the third season. He finished as New Zealand’s top wicket-taker in the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia with nine wickets at 21, and rather than replacing Charl Langeveldt, he might be part of a three-pronged pace attack along with Ishant Sharma. Rohan Gavaskar might be the casualty in that case. Alternatively, Kolkata may not wish to change a winning combination.Makhaya Ntini has been out of favour with the South African selectors but recently played his part in Warriors’ Pro20 title triumph in the domestic circuit with a decisive opening spell. With Chennai’s pacemen looking suspect, Dhoni might be tempted to draft him in and capitalise on his freshness. Manpreet Gony, who shot into prominence during the IPL, might also look to make the most of the stage again if picked. Justin Kemp, who couldn’t match up with bat or ball in the last match, may be the one sacrificed. Parthiv Patel did decently in the 2008 edition, scoring 302 runs at 27.45 but his stock dipped the following year, scoring only 142 runs at 15.77. Whether he is favoured over Murali Vijay, who managed 3 against Deccan, in the opener’s slot remains to be seen as well.Previously…Kolkata were thumped by Chennai by nine wickets in the first IPL clash and lost by three runs via the D/L method at home. Fortunes turned around in South Africa with Kolkata winning by seven wickets at Centurion, while the earlier encounter was washed out.In the spotlightLop-sided Morkel: He usually makes up for his expensive spells with some big hitting, but Albie Morkel’s credentials as an allrounder have recently taken a beating with him failing to plug the runs. He went wicketless against Deccan and his four overs cost 41 runs. The fireworks though were on display as he smashed 41 off 26 balls, including one four and three sixes, during the chase. The dual effort would only be in the best interest of Chennai, who are tottering on the fast-bowling front.Home comforts for Tiwary: He was almost anonymous during his stint with the Delhi Daredevils, but the company of his Bengal team-mates seems to have worked wonders for Manoj Tiwary. He quickly made amends for a first-ball duck against Deccan in the opening match with a Man-of-the-Match-deserving 50 off 29 balls next up against Bangalore.The Mongoose: It was on display only in the Chennai dugout during their first match, but the imposing Matthew Hayden, its brand ambassador, might resort to this even more imposing weapon in the cauldron of Eden. The longer and flexible handle, designed to increase power by 20% and bat speed by 15% than normal ones might be the perfect way to ensure the spectators stay wide awake well into the Kolkata night.Prime numbersKolkata will hope Angelo Mathews’ contributions only get better. He has a batting average of 65.00 and has five wickets from two games at 9.20 and a measly economy rate of 5.75.Kolkata possess the two highest run-scorers in Twenty20 cricket. Hodge has 2547 runs in 77 innings at a strike-rate of 129 and David Hussey has scored 2355 runs at a strike-rate of 139.Chatter”I guess I was slowly fading from the collective consciousness. This innings is a reassuring factor for me that I am still very much around”

“CSK have been one of the most consistent teams in the IPL – runners-up the first year and semifinals in 2009. This year we’re more than ready to take the step up.”

The storm over the Deccan Chargers games being relocated out of Andhra Pradesh appears to have blown over with the IPL scheduling two matches in Cuttack, which falls in the franchise’s “catchment area”.An IPL release said the decision was taken following a series of discussions “and at the request of the Deccan Chargers franchise to host matches in their catchment area to help build a strong fan base”.Lalit Modi, the IPL comissioner, confirmed the move on his Twitter page as well as through an official statement. “The solution was worked out keeping in mind the sentiments of the cricket loving fans of the franchise,” Modi said in the IPL release. “The revised schedule now includes the Barabati Stadium at Cuttack as a host venue and I hope that Deccan Chargers fans will come out in large numbers to support their team.”Commenting on the development, Venkat Reddy, the director of operations, Deccan Chargers told Cricinfo, “The decision was taken by the BCCI. Sharad Pawar was busy discussing the issue with the state government. Due to the prevailing political conditions in Andhra Pradesh, and the with there being not much time left for the scheduling to change it was felt to move the matches out of Andhra to the catchment areas which have been eagerly preparing to host some games for a long time. Next year the Deccan Chargers will be back playing the game at home.””The decision to move two matches from Navi Mumbai to Cuttack, which is our territory, is acceptable to us,” V Shankar, the Deccan Chargers chairman told . “In fact, the proposal to have matches in our catchment area came from us.”That Hyderabad would not be hosting any IPL matches in the third season followed a decision of the league to shift all matches scheduled to be held in the state. However, the decision – a response to a separatist movement in Andhra Pradesh that has seen sporadic violence – has sparked outrage in the state and in Hyderabad, the capital, with the regional government demanding a rethink. The franchise had also sent IPL a legal notice and threatened a boycott of the 2010 tournament.Deccan are the defending champions, having beaten Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final in South Africa last year. The result was a total turnaround from their last-placed finish in the inaugural edition in 2008.The revised schedule for the Deccan Chargers reads:March 2: Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders – DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai
March 19: Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab – Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
March 21: Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils – Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
March 28: Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians – DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai
April 5: Deccan Chargers v Rajasthan Royals – Nagpur
April 10: Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings – Nagpur
April 12: Deccan Chargers v Royal Challengers Bangalore – Nagpur