All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester City signing Lionel Messi this summer is still a possibility according to some reports, although Pep Guardiola’s side would surely have to shell out record-breaking wages in order to bring him to the Etihad Stadium ahead of next season.

According to The Sun, Manchester City could sign the legendary attacker this summer if they are willing to pay him £500,000 per week after tax, as he is open to spending a year away from Barcelona.

The Argentine’s contract at Camp Nou is set to expire at the end of the current season, which means City are free to approach him on a pre-contract deal ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

However, they would have to pay the 33-year-old an extraordinary wage packet, surely the highest ever paid to a Manchester City player, if they were to convince him to make the move to the Etihad.

Considering that City’s top earner Kevin De Bruyne reportedly earns £350,000 per week, it would surely be a record-breaking deal for the Citizens if they were to pay him that sort of money next term – the club set an English record in 2019/20 with the country’s highest-ever wage bill, which amounted to £351m for the season.

However, considering Messi’s legendary status and exceptional performances this term, it might just be worth it.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

Despite Barcelona’s woes in La Liga and the Champions League, the experienced forward has contributed 38 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, arguably solidifying his status as the greatest footballer to ever play the game.

His performances in La Liga have earned him a remarkable 8.52 average rating from WhoScored, which comfortably ranks him as the best player in the Spanish top flight this season, so there is very little doubt that he would be a success in Guardiola’s side at the Etihad.

The Spanish manager is certainly a big fan of Messi as, during his time at Barcelona, the magician contributed 211 goals and 93 assists in just 219 appearances, whilst the manager also labelled the Argentine the best player of all time back in 2015.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936″]

The “incomparable” forward, in the words of the late Johan Cruyff, would certainly be an unbelievable addition at the Etihad; and given the success he would likely bring, Txiki should definitely consider paying Messi whatever he wants if it means he will be wearing a Manchester City shirt next season.

In other news… Txiki heading for huge Man City mistake with Premier League flop, he’s even worse than Mendy

Pakistan is simmering with unprecedented heat with temperatures ranging between 45-50 degrees Celsius in different parts of the country

Rafi Nasim14-May-2001Pakistan is simmering with unprecedented heat with temperatures ranging between 45-50 degrees Celsius in different parts of the country. Despite the scorching heat there is no let up in cricket activity. The heat has perhaps risen to such levels that the organizers of the game are not getting time enough to wipe off the sweat.Muslim Gymkhana, a renowned club of Lahore with Mian Aslam an International Umpire as its mentor, celebrated its 37th anniversary with a festival match the other day. While the spectators appeared bathed in sweat, the players faced and endured the burning sun with tremendous courage. It was a classical example of devotion to a cause, without which the game could not possibly flourish. While I had to make a speech to introduce the occasion and to highlight the achievements of the club, six of whose players had won Test caps, Brig Munawar Rana Director PCB awarded the prizes.The National One-day Tournament for Associations came to an end with Karachi Whites beating Sheikhupura by 79 runs in the final played at the Gaddafi stadium, Lahore. The salient features of the match were a sparkling unbeaten century (106) by Qaisar Abbas of Sheikhupura and excellent batting performance by Naumanullah (74) and former captain Moin Khan (67) for Karachi. While Moin Khan received the Winners Trophy and a cash award of Rs 75,000, the Sheikhupura skipper and former Test cricketer Aaqib Javed received the Runners Up Trophy along with an award of Rs 40,000.A cricket team from strife-torn Afghanistan is on a visit of Pakistan these days. Since the game of cricket is in its infancy in Afghanistan, the visitors are playing matches against local teams in Peshawar and Rawalpindi. The tour was arranged to help the development of cricket in Afghanistan, to give its boys exposure to competitive cricket and to provide the scores of Afghan refugees in Pakistan a chance to see their heroes in action.The visitors achieved a morale boosting victory when they defeated a team from FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) by 5 wickets, after losing the 1st one-dayer at Shahi Bagh Stadium, Peshawar. The Afghan skipper Allah Dad Noori admitted that his players had no idea of playing in the hot weather and on a grassy surface. The victory showed that the boys had improved their game that was a matter of great encouragement for them. They were anxiously looking forward to playing in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.The Islamabad Cricket Association (ICA) has announced holding of ICA League Championship 2001, inviting 45 clubs to participate in the tournament. Apart from the 26 registered clubs, the tournament, which is fully sponsored by the PCB, shall be open for participation by the departmental teams. The championship will be held under the PCB playing conditions and a points system as practiced in the recently concluded National One-day Tournament for Associations.Apart from the big cities, which are already acting as nurseries for Pakistan’s cricket, the PCB is now diverting its attention to promotion of cricket in the under developed areas of the country. Turf wickets are planned to be prepared in towns like Quetta, Noshki, Chaman, Sibi, Nasirabad, Turbat and Pashin of Baluchistan and Mirpur Khas, Shikarpur and Sukhur of Sind. Niaz Stadium Hyderabad, which has already been a venue of international matches, is being renovated and modernized.New grounds are being created for towns like Rahimyar Khan, Bhawalpur and Faisalabad in Punjab and Peshawar in the NWFP. In addition, the existing pitches in the seven test centers of the country are planned to be elevated to the level of tracks in England and Australia.Pakistan `A’ team is scheduled to tour Sri Lanka from June 10, to play a series of three Tests and 3 One-day matches. The squad will comprise of some of the youngsters who have been left out of the Pakistan team touring England plus other upcoming cricketers. Hectic activity for practice and preparation is thus in progress all over the country for final selection of the team.The PCB’s dream of setting up cricket academies for the grooming of talented youngsters in the major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar, which is turning into a reality now. The opening ceremony of the academy at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore is being performed on May 14 while the rest will follow.How much talent Pakistan has in the field of cricket is beyond imagination. It may be a surprising revelation for many that 175 young boys from Pakistan are playing county/league cricket in England during the current season. So far the players rose to even international levels at their own. Now the talented youngsters will be picked up by the expert eyes of the selectors and admitted to various cricket academies for coaching from where they will obviously come out well polished, groomed and matured.The 1st batch of 22 trainees include prominent youngsters like Imran Nazir, Hasan Raza, Misbah-ul-Haq, Qaisar Abbas, Humayun Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Yasir Arafat, Shabbir Ahmed, Kashif Raza, Danish Kanaria and others. They are the ones who have had a stint with the Pakistan team but were discarded in favor of others or one may say their `better co-leagues’. A session in the academy will help them in eradicating their faults and improve the game thus providing them the vital chance to stage a comeback.This is just a glimpse of the cricket activity going on in the country in the sweltering summer heat. Summer in Pakistan lasts for more than six months and surprisingly the cricket activity does not halt except for a short period during heavy monsoon.

BCCI officials on Saturday claimed that the three year contract signed by the Sahara India Parivar to sponsor the Indian cricket team would be the biggest of its kind in the world, “eclipsing the deal between Vodafone and the English Cricket Board or

Staff and Agencies03-Jun-2001BCCI makes formal announcement of Sahara dealBCCI officials on Saturday claimed that the three year contract signed by the Sahara India Parivar to sponsor the Indian cricket team would be the biggest of its kind in the world, “eclipsing the deal between Vodafone and the English Cricket Board or the new multi million Australian dollar Ansett team sponsorship deal with Aussie board”. Announcing the new deal, BCCI president AC Muthiah said Sahara India would be replacing the previous two sponsors Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) and Pepsi following the contract given to the International Management Group (IMG)-TWI.Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Muthiah said “we were happy to know that Sahara India were interested in sponsoring the Indian team after the Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) pulled out due to certain regulations by the Indian government.” He added that “In fact we (board) have had a long association with both Sahara India and IMG in the past and we hope to continue this good relationship with them.”Pallav Agarwal of Sahara India said that the group has been associated with sports in India. “Some of the events we were involved with include the Sahara India Gold Cup Indira hockey tournament and the Sahara World junior powerlifting (both held in 1995 at Delhi), Sahara Asia Cup tennis at Delhi and Sahara Asian subjuniors chess at Mumbai (both held in 1997), Sahara Cup cricket at Toronto (Canada) from 1996-98, Sahara Kargil benefit at Delhi in 1999 and Sahara drought benefit at Mumbai last year” he said.Indian team for tri-nation series to be picked on June 12-13The Indian team for the triangular series involving India, West Indies and Zimbabwe from June 23 to July 7 at Zimbabwe would be picked on June 12 or 13. This was announced in Mumbai by the BCCI secretary JY Lele on Saturday. Lele who is also convener of the selection committee told PTI that a few changes would be made from the team which is already in Zimbabwe after the two-Test series. “By June 17 the players selected for the triangular series would reach Zimbabwe,” he said. “The exact date for the selection committee meeting would be known only after consulting chairman Chandu Borde, who is busy with hisdaughter’s wedding arrangements”, Lele added.Replying to a question on India’s participation in the indoor one-day series in Australia in September, Lele said that if the government clears the team to play in the Asian Test Championship then India will not visit Australia as the dates of both the tournaments clashed.Dravid suffers injury in practiceIndian vice-captain and stylish middle-order bat Rahul Dravid has dislocated the ring finger on his right hand during a practice session at the CFX Academy grounds in Harare. Team sources said the injury was not serious enough to threaten his place in the team for the first Test starting in Bulawayo on June 7, reports PTI.Dravid’s finger is swollen and puffed up and the Karnataka batsman has decided to keep off practice for the next two days. The injury occurred when he was taking high catches after the nets yesterday. He has been advised to apply regular ice caps on the injury to let it heal in time.Kumble hopes to be fit by Sri Lankan seriesAce Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble on Saturday praised the BCCI for starting regional cricket academies. Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Kumble said “I have only been to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) at Bangalore. It is really good and I hope that it will help in producing talented cricketers.”When asked about his recovery from the shoulder injury, Kumble said he was hoping to be fit by the Sri Lankan series starting in July. “Though my shoulder is getting better, it is too early to say when I will be fully fit”, the ace leggie said and added that he would play some matches before deciding anything. The ace leg spinner, who was in the city to give away prizes on the Brunswick bowling tour, was of the view that there was a need to nurture talent and these academies were one way of doing it.

Pakistan Domestic: Match report ODTA

Mahmood Ahmad07-May-2001Karachi Whites and Karachi Blues won their respective matches in Pool A and Pool B to follow Rawalpindi and Sheikhupura into the semi-finals of the One-day tournament (Associations). Both these teams, hailing from the largest city of the country, had to surpass two opponents each in their Pools on net run rate to reach the semis.In Pool A, Karachi Whites finished the fifth round with 16 points, at par with Rawalpindi and Lahore Whites. However, Lahore Whites could not move ahead because of inferior net run rate of +0.09, against Karachi’s +2.42 and Rawalpindi’s +0.92.In Pool B, Karachi Blues, Gujranwala and Faisalabad all have 12 points after five matches each. However, only Karachi Blues go through, along with Sheikhupura (20 points after winning all their matches), because of a superior net run rate of +0.64 against Gujranwala’s +0.42 and Faisalabad’s -0.09.In the Pool A match, played at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi, the home side thrashed Rawalpindi by an impressive margin of 88 runs to take their points tally to 16, at par with Rawalpindi. This is incidentally Rawalpindi’s first defeat in the competition, having already reached the semis, thanks to their four wins in a row in the previous rounds.Karachi owe their success to a magnificent hundred by Hasan Raza and a blitz by Shahid Afridi, who hammered the bowlers to all parts of the ground on his way to 64 off just 28 balls, while hitting 12 fours and 2 sixes.Hasan Raza’s innings, on the other hand, was lot more composed, as he drafted the initial part of his innings with caution before cutting lose after reaching the fifty-run mark. He remained not out on 115 off 103 ball, which contained 13 fours and two sixes.Imran Javed and Arif Mahmood also made useful contributions with the bat, getting 29 (43 balls) and 30 not out (30 balls), respectively, with the home side closing their innings on 322 for 6 in 50 overs.For Rawalpindi, Naeem Akhtar and Iftikhar Mahmood grabbed two wickets each for 62 and 25, whereas Wasim Ahmed got one for 27.Rawalpindi lost their first wicket – Nauman Aman – on only the third ball of the first over, bowled by Tanvir Ahmed. However, a second-wicket stand of 107 between Hashim Iqbal (42 off 75) and Naeem Akhtar (70 off 67) brought them very much back into contention.The introduction of Arif Mahmood at this juncture turned the tables completely in home side’s favour, as he grabbed three wickets in quick succession. He got one more scalp later on to finish with excellent figures of 4 for 45.Rawalpindi could reach 234 for 7 in their allotted 50 overs, with none of their batsmen quite being able to force the pace.In the Pool B match, played at Sargodha Sports Stadium, Karachi Blues outclassed the home team in every department of the game, as they comprehensively won the match by 136 runs, after posting a commanding 307 on the board.The Karachi side was helped by a magnificent 120 off 132 balls by opener Tariq Haroon, as they raced to 118 in the 20th over. Tariq was well supported by Mansoor Baig who got 54 off 49 balls. Atif Ali Zaidi and Zahid Ghauri also made useful contributions of 31 and 35, respectively, off 39 balls each.For Sargodha, the only worthwhile contribution came from skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (79 off 83 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes), as the whole team was sent packing for 171 in 37.3 overs.For Karachi, Mansoor Khan, the skipper, turned out to be the most successful bowler, getting 4 for 39. Raheel and Harris Ayaz bagged two wickets each for 21 and 17, respectively.The semi-finals will be played on May 10, 2001 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore and National Stadium, Karachi. The Karachi-fixture will see the two teams from Karachi clashing with each other, whereas Sheikhupura and Rawalpindi will meet at Lahore.

Many Southampton fans have been fuming over the performance of Theo Walcott in their 2-0 defeat at Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday night.

Sadio Mane and Thiago grabbed the goals to give Jurgen Klopp’s men all three points at Anfield, with the Saints left to rue some missed opportunities.

Walcott did not have the best of games against the Reds, as the former Arsenal man lost out on four of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on goal, dribble or cross (Sofascore).

He was subsequently taken off in the 66th minute after failing to make any real impact, recording a mere 25 touches of the ball in total and losing possession on 11 separate occasions in the match (Sofascore).

Southampton fans slam Walcott’s performance

These disgruntled Southampton fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter going as far as to claim that the 32-year-old was ‘shocking’:

“Walcott seriously has to be in the minus points rating for his performance tonight. God awful #SaintsFC”

Credit: @saintadam1981

“Get Walcott off. Just runs into people. Absolutely awful #saintsfc”

Credit: @saintstevo85

“Walcott really is terrible, isn’t he? #SaintsFC”

Credit: @HarryStokes_93

“Walcott bottles tackles too #SaintsFC”

Credit: @miserygutscoop

“Walcott on the counter makes my eyes hurt #SaintsFC”

Credit: @RahilMajid

“Get Walcott off at half time. Shocking #SaintsFC”

Credit: @JamesBe43198539

In other news, find out what big Ryan Bertrand hint has been dropped!

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, Rob Lee, who made 280 Premier League appearances, believes that if Tottenham Hotspur signed Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich, it would be a big gamble.

Boateng is set to be a free agent this summer and he has been linked with a move to Spurs to try and help solve their defensive problems, which have held them back for large parts of this season.

The 32-year old, who has won 26 major trophies in his career, has had a spell in the Premier League with Manchester City during the 2010/11 season where he ended up making just 24 appearances before being picked up by Bayern Munich, so he wouldn’t be a total novice to the league.

Speaking on why Spurs should think carefully before signing Boateng and what the centre back may struggle with if he comes to the Premier League, Lee told The Transfer Tavern:

“I still worry about older players coming to the Premier League because they can be great players, but the Premier League is so different and there are no easy games, every game is a tough one.

“Boateng has been a great player for Bayern Munich and he’s played at the top level so he’s got the ability, but it’s just a case of will he come in and be able to perform, so I think it’s a gamble.”

The German international has been a mainstay in the first-team this season, however Hansi Flick has often rotated between Boateng, Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez, although Sule is currently nursing a muscular injury.

The 32-year old has been recognised as one of the best defenders in the world during his time with Bayern Munich which has seen him win 24 trophies with the Bavarian club.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie feels Jesse Marsch could have brought a lot to Celtic.

The RB Salzburg manager had been linked with the vacant Celtic job; however, he was recently named as the next RB Leipzig boss following Julian Nagelsmann’s decision to join Bayern Munich in the summer.

Eddie Howe now looks to be the only man for the gig at Celtic Park, though it does seem like he has always been the Glasgow giants’ No.1 choice, with reports suggesting that a deal could be wrapped up soon.

As far as alternatives go, though, Hendrie believes Marsch certainly could have been a good option for Celtic.

On the RB Salzburg boss, the ex-Aston Villa player told TT:

“I’m all for up-and-coming managers coming in with a great style and a great method. I just don’t know which way they’re going to turn. They’ve [Celtic] taken some time and they’ve really took their time on this one.”

Celtic will not want this to drag out for too much longer, as they need to get a start on their rebuild job as soon as possible after failing miserably in the Scottish Premiership title race this season.

As for Marsch, big things will be expected of him in Germany, with the 47-year-old arriving with a growing reputation after impressing many in the game, including Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

Donny van de Beek’s struggles at Manchester United this season have certainly been well-broadcast.

The Dutchman, who was signed from Ajax last summer, has only gone on to make 12 starts in all competitions for the Red Devils since his arrival, scoring just a solitary goal and providing just one assist.

That is certainly not the output that Ed Woodward or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have been expecting or anticipating from a player who has on occasion been talked up as “perfect” by former Red Devils midfielder Owen Hargreaves.

That poor form has on occasion seen his signing called into question. However, a real indicator is the sheer amount of funds that United appear to have wasted on Van de Beek.

Rated as high as £49.5m by Transfermarkt in December 2019, the £35.7m fee that United then agreed with Ajax could have been perceived as a bargain.

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old’s rating has dropped even below that throughout his Old Trafford career with Van de Beek now rated as low as £31.5m – a huge fall of £18m since his peak.

Considering that the substantial dip has occurred in just a year-and-a-half, it really indicates how little of an impact the Dutchman has had since his arrival at Old Trafford.

Whilst it is somewhat too early to label Van de Beek as an outright failure at Manchester United, the dramatic fall in his transfer rating coupled with his peripheral involvement at the club should certainly be a worry for the Red Devils and specifically Ed Woodward.

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It remains to be seen whether he will be afforded more opportunities between now and the end of the season, but the 19-cap Dutch international will surely be keen to recover his reputation sooner rather than later.

AND in more news, find out why the Red Devils need to return to a Premier League rival for one of their summer signings…

Celtic’s plan to bring Eddie Howe to Parkhead in a bid to replace Neil Lennon has taken more twists and turns than a helter-skelter.

The Bhoys are still without a new boss and as time goes on, it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Howe won’t be the man sitting in the dugout next term.

What’s the word?

In a sensational twist to the tale last week, it was revealed that Howe wouldn’t be returning to management until the summer.

Since then, we’ve been given a number of reasons as to why he may be stalling over his future.

A fresh reason may be down to his family and a major change of scenery, moving across the border to Glasgow.

That’s according to Paddy Kenny who was speaking to Football Insider over the weekend: “I heard that he struggled with his family moving to Burnley. So to move to Scotland, that’s a long, long way,” he began.

“Maybe he’s umming and ahhing about moving that far north and has got a sniff of something more local in the Premier League. It could be Crystal Palace.

“But there could be more to it. We don’t know. If he’s spoken to his Mrs, maybe it’s something to do with that,” Kenny concluded.

Desmond pulling his hair out

As each day passes by, it feels like Celtic’s majority shareholder is handed yet more bad news in Celtic’s hunt for Howe.

Negotiations were thought to be at an advanced stage for the 43-year-old but a number of issues have arisen since.

Firstly, Desmond won’t be able to appoint the former Bournemouth coach until the summer, while there are also issues regarding Howe’s backroom staff.

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After Nick Hammond departed, Celtic were in discussions to bring Fergal Harkin to Paradise in a new role as their director of football.

A deal was reportedly 90% done but Howe has had other ideas. He doesn’t want Harkin calling the shots on the transfer front and instead wants to bring Richard Hughes with him.

They worked together at Bournemouth but he is also facing the problem that his family don’t want to come to Scotland.

The fact that this issue has arisen is leaving Desmond in a very difficult situation. He does have an alternative in the form of Lucien Favre but Howe is evidently the hierarchy’s first choice.

This saga feels like one that will continue to rumble on for weeks.

AND in other news, Celtic hero sees value soar by 257% after leaving, Rodgers called him a “big talent”…

Marlon Harewood has suggested that Glasgow Rangers could struggle to keep Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

Harewood suggests Gerrard could leave

Gerrard has done a fantastic job with the Gers so far, particularly this season. Their status as Premiership champions has already been confirmed, and they are in with a chance of reaching the Europa League quarter-finals as well.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Harewood has claimed that the Gers could lose their manager given his success at Ibrox. He explained:

“It’s one of them where they could struggle to keep him, throwing that out there. As a manager, he looks so comfortable and it looks like he’s been there years.”

Eyes will be on him

There could well be plenty of interest in Gerrard this summer. After all, the Gers have lost just one match in all competitions this season (Sky Sports) and, although they are playing in a league with little serious competition other than Celtic, they have been extraordinarily dominant in their procession to the title, unbeaten in all 32 games so far and conceding a paltry nine goals.

Gerrard has already been linked with the Liverpool job (Daily Mirror), and given his previous connections with the Reds, it seems to be only a matter of time before he takes the reins at Anfield. However, Rangers could well be in the Champions League group stages next term – given how hard both he and his squad have worked in their attempts to get there, it would be a crying shame if he were to depart before then.

In other news, some Rangers fans were worried by this open letter.