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Liverpool have a decent number of young players in their squad across different positions on the pitch such as Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konate and Caoimhin Kelleher, among others.

However, their youngest senior squad member is 19-year-old Harvey Elliott, who the Reds signed from Fulham in the 2019 summer transfer window.

Since then, the teenager has gone on to make 40 appearances for Liverpool’s senior and youth teams combined, scoring five goals and providing 12 assists in the process.

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With an average of 1.4 shots and 1.2 key passes per game in the Premier League this season, this shows what a creative and attacking talent the Liverpool youngster is for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Moving forward, it seems that the Merseyside club have their eye on snapping up another teenage prodigy to add to their ranks as a potential future star.

According to a recent report from Turkish media outlet Fanatik (via TEAMtalk), Liverpool and fellow Premier League giants Arsenal are keeping tabs on Fenerbahce starlet Arda Guler.

Since joining the Istanbul club’s youth ranks in 2019, the 17-year-old attacking midfielder has made 42 appearances across their senior and youth teams, delivering a combined total of 27 goals and assists.

With eight senior league appearances to his name this season, the teenager has earned himself a performance rating of 6.98/10, making him the third-highest rated player in Fenerbahce’s squad according to WhoScored. This shows just how capable the youngster is at playing regular senior football at such a young age.

Labelled a “special” player by youth coach Erol Tokgozler, Guler certainly has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Elliott and become a potential first-team figure for the Reds.

With that in mind, this could give FSG the chance to replicate the same sort of transfer masterclass they pulled off when they secured a deal for the former Fulham starlet three years ago.

If Fenerbahce’s teenage prodigy ends the season with a few more impressive performances and more goal contributions, Liverpool and FSG should definitely have a move for Guler in their sights by the time the summer transfer window opens for business.

In other news: Liverpool eyeing swoop for “powerful” £18k-p/w machine, he’s their new Matip

The Australian and New Zealand chairmen are united in their anger at not being given a reason for John Howard’s scratching as ICC vice-president

Peter English30-Jun-2010The Australian and New Zealand chairmen are united in their anger at not being given a reason for John Howard’s scratching as ICC vice-president and embarrassed that such a decorated candidate has been refused. New Zealand Cricket’s Alan Isaac and Cricket Australia’s Jack Clarke were “gutted” after being asked by the board to nominate another option by August.”It’s incredibly disappointing that a man of John Howard’s stature has been knocked off from this job,” Clarke said from Singapore. “A person who has been such an eminent person and who has been through the most exhaustive process ever to get this job.”The opposition to Howard, who needed seven votes from the 10 major nations, began formally with a letter signed by six board members on Tuesday night. Resistance to the idea was so strong there was no point in having a ballot.”There were no reasons given and that’s part of the frustration Jack and I have in this whole process,” Isaac said. “[There has been] lots of discussion but we’re unable to ascertain a reason for the lack of support for our nomination. It’s just not acceptable.”Howard, who was pursued by Cricket Australia to nominate for the position, was “extremely upset” when told of the veto. “When you put up someone through a process, someone as eminent as John, I don’t think embarrassed is strong enough [to describe the way you feel],” Clarke said. “Just gutted that the ICC has ignored the chance.”A disappointed Howard admitted his political past could have been the problem. “Even in private discussions they are very reluctant to give a particular reason,” Howard told Australia’s Sky News. “It’s a very unusual situation… I’m disappointed at the outcome. I wanted to do this job. I thought I could do it well and I would have devoted my full time to it.”Both Isaac and Clarke addressed the executive board during meetings over the past two days, with Clarke telling the members that Howard could not have been prime minister of Australia for 11 years without having ability. The pleas were ignored and the decision has exposed the reopening of a gulf between the Australia-New Zealand-England group and the Asia-Africa alliance.Opposition to Howard’s appointment began with his recommendation in March, with supporters of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka early critics of the move before South Africa and India provided their influential support. Howard was a critic of Robert Mugabe’s regime and refused to let Australia go there in 2007, while in 2004 he called Muttiah Muralitharan a chucker.There was also a backlash in New Zealand after their candidate Sir John Anderson was overlooked for “a non-cricket person”. An independent committee had been required to break the deadlock between Howard and Anderson, the two boards’ preferred options.Anderson has not been spoken to about replacing Howard and Isaac had no idea whether he would be interested. Despite the failure to advance Howard, Isaac remained comfortable with the selection.”Both of the candidates were very able,” Isaac said. “The recommendation for Howard was on his experience,” he said. “John Howard also had the time [to do the job], which was one of the issues the nomination committee had with John Anderson.”Isaac and Clarke are adamant the appointment process, which is under its fourth design since 1992, followed the ICC constitution. A region-based, rotational method was introduced to avoid these types of issues.”If you keep having processes that don’t work or aren’t allowed to work, I’m not sure how they go from there,” Clarke said. “I’ll have to go back to my board who will be pretty angry, very angry. Alan will need to go back to his board and then we’ll need to get together and work out where we go from there.”There are no threats of boycotting meetings, holding grudges through Future Tour Programme planning or refusing to re-nominate a candidate. But when asked if anything had occurred at ICC board level that was more insulting to Australia and New Zealand, Clarke replied: “This has got to be in the grand final.”

Taking to Twitter, journalist Pete O’Rourke has broken a Sunday morning West Ham transfer development involving Brighton forward Leandro Trossard.

The Lowdown: West Ham attacker hunt…

Manager David Moyes is on the look-out for a new forward as the final hours of January loom, with the Hammers having until 11pm on Monday to finally bring an attacker through the door at Rush Green.

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They are apparently in talks for Reims ace Hugo Ekitike and have been very recently linked with a few others out of France, including Senegal international Bamba Dieng or Marseille.

However, breaking news this morning, O’Rourke says they’ve now made a ‘shock’ approach.

The Latest: West Ham make Trossard approach…

According to his sources, West Ham have ‘made a shock enquiry’ for Seagulls attacker Trossard as Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman seemingly cast their net of targets wider and wider.

“Understand West Ham have made a shock enquiry for Brighton attacker Leandro Trossard.” he explained on Twitter.

The Verdict: Right move?

The Belgium international, currently in the prime of his career, has only scored 14 goals over his 87 Premier League appearances at the Amex since signing from KRC Genk in 2019.

Numbers like these don’t exactly point to a prolific option in the forward positions and we believe other targets, like the much younger Ekitike, should be made a priority over the 27-year-old.

Valued at around £15.3m by Transfermarkt, it is very debatable whether West Ham should be matching a figure in and around that amount for Trossard.

In other news: ExWHUemployee: West Ham working on last-ditch agreement to sign ‘amazing’ £18 million-valued attacker, find out more here.

Sachin Tendulkar has defended the Indian team following their early exit from the World Twenty20 after losing three straight games in the Super Eights stage

Cricinfo staff13-May-2010Sachin Tendulkar has defended the Indian team following their early exit from the World Twenty20 after losing three straight games in the Super Eights stage. He called on fans to retain their faith in Indian players, a significant number of whom had been a part of the team that won the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007.”There will be ups and downs but you just have to have your faith in players because the same lot got us the World Cup,” Tendulkar told reporters in Chandigarh. “We should not forget that we are still the number one team in the world.”The players have been training hard. They know and understand their responsibilities. Sometimes thing clicks, sometimes not.”One of the reasons suggested for India’s disappointing performance has been the possible effect of the IPL, but Tendulkar said the league had its advantages. “I mean there are both advantages and disadvantages and it depends on how you see it. From my point of view, I think IPL gives opportunities to out-of-form players to return to form,” he said.”In IPL, we Mumbai Indians played so well but in the final things didn’t work out for us. So it can happen to anyone. All I can say is that the players need support so that they can start fresh again and look to deliver better results.”I know it’s disappointing but it has not happened for the first time and it would not be the last time either. The game has its uncertainties. We have to see how we can do better.”Tendulkar’s comments came on the same day that coach Gary Kirsten was severely critical of some of the players “fitness and commitment” at the World Twenty20.

According to reports by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, reported West Ham target Jesse Lingard has decided that he will not be leaving Manchester United in January.

However, ExWHUemployee has responded to this news, claiming that the mooted transfer is not dead in the water just yet.

The Lowdown: Lingard decides to remain at Man United

Ornstein wrote that Lingard has chosen to remain at Manchester United and intends to battle his way into interim manager Ralf Ragnick’s plans, therefore likely ruling out a move in the upcoming January transfer window.

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This follows The Mirror’s report (via The Independent) which claimed that West Ham are looking to bring in the 29-year-old on a permanent deal in the January transfer window. Lingard has played just 87 minutes of Premier League football this season, having come on as a substitute in each of his eight top-flight appearances.

The attacking midfielder is set to enter the last six months of his contract after talks over a new deal at Old Trafford failed to progress during the summer. However, Lingard looks set to remain at his boyhood club in January, with a move elsewhere proving to be more likely in the summer.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee makes Lingard claim

Despite Ornstein’s announcement, ExWHUemployee claimed on his ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast that both West Ham and Newcastle will still attempt to persuade Lingard to accept a move in the January transfer window.

Taking to Twitter, he said: “It’s a possible option that he was considering. I still think there will be attempts to persuade him otherwise (by us and Newcastle) and hopefully we will succeed but I don’t think he is desperate to go now as options in the summer will be better for him.”

The Verdict: January move unlikely but possible in the summer

It comes as no surprise that the Hammers will continue in their pursuit of the attacking midfielder. The England international enjoyed a fantastic spell on loan at West Ham for the second half of the 2020/21 season, where he scored nine goals and produced five assists in 16 appearances for the club.

Lingard received huge praise after reviving his footballing career, with former Manchester United and Hammers defender Rio Ferdinand describing his stint in London as ‘amazing’.

Despite the Irons’ determination to bring him to the club in January and with Newcastle ramping up their interest, it seems more likely that the 29-year-old will run down his current contract before leaving Manchester in the summer. Where he goes then is the big question.

In other news: ‘I miss this Antonio’ – Lots of West Ham fans react to ‘unreal’ footage shared by the club

Kieron Pollard has become one of West Indies’ main money men without proving his value in the international arena

Peter English15-Feb-2010

Kieron Pollard has become one of West Indies’ main money men without proving his value in the international arena. Pollard’s wealth, including a US$750,000 fee for the IPL, has come from his brutal exploits at domestic Twenty20 level and until the fourth ODI in Brisbane on Sunday he had not scored a half-century at that level.The game was lost when Pollard arrived but he showed enough in his 62 from 55 balls that Chris Gayle believes the allrounder can become a heavy run-scorer for the side. “I’m still happy with Pollard and the progress he’s making,” Gayle said. “It’s a big improvement in the last couple of ODIs. It shows that he’s very capable of getting an ODI hundred very soon.”It’s more like a medium-range prediction for a 22-year-old who averages 17 in his 19 ODIs and is best suited to launching balls into the stands. Pollard took out some frustrating at his side’s cause in Brisbane – and the strange-paced performance of Dwayne Smith – with a couple of big sixes, but he also showed he can vary his speeds. The innings followed up his 31 and 32 in the opening games when he contributed after some extremely poor starts from the top order.”He’s improving with the bat and the ball,” Gayle said. “It’s good for us and it’s good for him as well.” When Pollard is in the team it relegates Gayle to the side’s second most powerful striker – “He’s bigger than me so I think he can hit it further than me, definitely” – and he also provides value in other areas.Pollard, who also has four catches in the series, has five wickets with his medium pace and sent Cameron White for an x-ray after he was struck in the jaw by a short ball. The Australians are wary of Pollard’s big hitting but when Ricky Ponting was asked if the medium pacer was faster than he looked he said: “No, he’s not. He gets a bit more bounce, and runs his fingers across most balls and a lot stick in the wicket a little bit.”Ponting wanted a single after White was bruised on 35, having turned his head after coming down the pitch to attack. “He wasn’t interested in running,” Ponting said. “He’s getting used to it, it’s the second time he’s got hit in the jaw this season. He was okay out there, where everyone got a bit worried was it swelled up a lot during the break. Everything is okay.”If White recovers quickly Ponting may take a rest for Friday’s final ODI and freshen up for the tour of New Zealand which begins late next week. Before then there are also two Twenty20s against West Indies and Gayle is desperate to finish the tour with a victory.”We have a week to go, two T20s and an ODI, we’re looking forward to winning the last game and get some momentum going into those two T20s,” Gayle said. “We’ll still be fighting.”Of course, the Twenty20s have become extra special to West Indies. Are they the most important? “Definitely,” Gayle said as he left Brisbane with a big smile.

Newcastle United’s move for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele is reportedly gathering pace ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Express (who cite Spanish outlet Sport), the 24-year-old has issued a contract ultimatum to the Barca hierarchy ahead of a potential switch to St. James’ Park.

The original report states that: “The Ousmane Dembele saga is reaching an end. Barcelona¡s pressure on the player and his camp to sign a renewal has been ramped up and another meeting that could prove decisive has been pencilled in for this week.”

It goes on to claim that although the flying winger wants to remain in Catalonia, time is running out to reach an agreement on fresh terms, and he could negotiate with other clubs over the winter.

Imagine him and Saint-Maximin

Dembele was regarded as one of the world’s most promising youngsters when he joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund back in August 2017 for a fee potentially rising to £135.5 million.

However, injuries have significantly hampered the France international’s progress and game time ever since he arrived at Camp Nou.

Across his four-and-a-half-year spell with the Blaugrana, Dembele has failed to start over 20 La Liga games in a single season, scoring 30 goals and providing 21 assists in his 121 appearances.

But despite the World Cup winner’s fitness woes, there is no doubting his quality. Thomas Tuchel once dubbed his personality as “crazy” while former teammate Lionel Messi even added his seal of approval, selecting Dembele in his 15 ‘youth on the rise’ players for Topps Champions League cards.

“His pace is frightening in training”, read the Dembele card, as quoted by GIVEMESPORT, and it’s not the only time Messi has praised his former teammate.

“On the pitch, he’s a phenomenon. It’s up to him where he ends up, he could be one of the best,” Messi is quoted by Sport as saying in December 2018. “He’s young, and he is adapting.”

If Newcastle’s new, ambitious owners are able to convince Dembele to join their ongoing revolution, then they would undoubtedly form one of the scariest attacking duos in the Premier League.

The youngster’s ambipedal nature means his equally comfortable on either flank and able to go past an opponent on the outside or inside, making him a nightmare to defend against.

While current Magpies star Allan Saint-Maximin would also likely benefit from the attention Dembele would draw, allowing him more space to operate in and someone on his wavelength to link up with.

In 14 outings this team, Saint-Maximin has already contributed six goal contributions, and it’s the left-winger who would arguably benefit the most from his compatriot’s arrival.

And, in other news…Howe could end NUFC’s midfield woes with “incredible” 29 y/o who’s “one of the best”

A concerning update has emerged regarding the possibility of a permanent move to Wolves for Hwang Hee-chan, with an attacking player needing to be sold for it to happen.

The Lowdown: Hwang impressing for Wolves

The 25-year-old joined Wanderers on loan from RB Leipzig during the summer transfer window in order to add depth to Bruno Lage’s squad. Hwang has made an instant impression at Molineux, scoring four Premier League goals and thriving in both a left-sided and central attacking role.

The South Korean has been linked with joining Wolves permanently but a fresh rumour has now emerged which could present an obstacle to such a move.

The Latest: Permanent move thrown into doubt

According to Football Insider, Wolves may need to sell one of their prized assets for ‘big money’ in order for the move to happen.

That could potentially apply to Adama Traore, who has been tipped to leave Molineux and linked with an exit, but either way, the club may not be able to fund it without outgoing business happening.

Wolves have the option to sign Hwang for £13m next summer as part of the loan arrangement but another club could swoop for him in January.

The Verdict: Tie him down, Wolves

Hwang has shown what a huge asset he can be for Wolves in the space of a few short months, so it makes complete sense to sign him permanently.

Furthermore, with Traore seemingly out of favour under Lage – his last start came against Leeds United on October 23 – his exit could help fund a permanent deal for the South Korea ace.

Hwang has already looked in sync with fellow Wolves forward Raul Jimenez, with Rio Ferdinand describing their combination as ‘beautiful’, and it would be good to see them continuing to flourish together beyond next summer. If selling someone like Traore is what it takes to get the Korean in permanently, so be it.

In other news, one rumoured Wolves target has hinted at a move to the Premier League. Find out who it is here.

Kevin Pietersen is finally returning to the England squad but according to team-mate Graeme Swann is not guaranteed a starting place in the team

Cricinfo staff09-Nov-2009

Kevin Pietersen is finally returning to the England squad but according to team-mate Graeme Swann is not guaranteed a starting place in the team.He has been missing since the second Ashes Test in July, recovering from surgery to his right Achilles tendon, but arrives in South Africa on Tuesday before joining up with the squad on Wednesday.Pietersen will bring much-needed experience to England as they begin a two-and-a-half month tour of South Africa, who are ranked the No.1 Test team. Following an encouraging display in the Champions Trophy and a bright start to this tour in his absence, the England selectors have a difficult task fitting Pietersen back into the side.While Pietersen has been sidelined, Eoin Morgan and Jonathan Trott performed promisingly and demonstrated a depth that Swann admits could challenge Pietersen’s place. Morgan has already impressed against South Africa with a 34-ball 67 in the Champions Trophy and made 67 in England’s warm-up victory against Eagles last week. Trott meanwhile made 85 in the same game following his debut century in the last Ashes Test.”I don’t think it’s a squad that’s sitting there desperately hoping that other people turn up because I think we’re all getting on well, we’ve got a very positive outlook and we’ve had some good performances,” Swann told PA. “So Kev’s just going to add to that, I don’t think he’s going to change it. You never know, he might even have to fight for his place when he gets here.”With Andrew Flintoff frequently missing through injury over the last four years England have been used to coping without key players. “Whenever you lose one or two of your big players, everyone else has got to step up to the plate and perform,” Swann added. “Last summer they did, that last Test match everyone was saying that it had to be Andrew Flintoff’s massive last game and it was Stuart Broad who took the limelight – he stepped up to the plate.”We can’t be reliant on one or two players, that’s unhealthy for the team and unhealthy for English cricket. Thankfully at the minute, everyone’s chipping in in their own respective areas, which is a more healthy state to be in.”England play their final warm-up match against a strong South Africa A side in Bloemfontein on Tuesday ahead of two Twenty20 internationals against South Africa at the weekend.

After a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Huddersfield Town at the weekend, West Brom are back in league action this evening with a clash against Blackpool away from home. 

With club captain Jake Livermore now serving a three-game ban after picking up a red card in the defeat against Huddersfield, he will be unavailable for the next few fixtures. 

West Brom also have the likes of Dara O’Shea and Kean Bryan out with injuries. Taking this into account here is how we feel West Brom could line up tonight with three changes expected.

In goal considering how he’s played in almost every league game so far this season, we can see Sam Johnstone will keep his place in the team on this occasion.

For a back three, we think Baggies boss Valerien Ismael will go for the same trio that started against Huddersfield with Kyle Bartley, Cedric Kipre and Matt Clarke all in to try and keep a clean sheet this evening.

In midfield, with Livermore suspended we think Ismael will go with Robert Snodgrass and Jason Molumby, with Alex Mowatt, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £13k-per-week according to Salary Sport, dropping down to the substitutes bench.

At wing-back, we think Connor Townsend will keep his place on the left-hand side with Taylor Gardner-Hickman also retaining his place on the right-hand side.

For the attack, we can see Ismael sticking with Karlan Grant and Matt Phillips but bringing Callum Robinson, who managed to score in Republic of Ireland’s 3-0 win over Luxembourg during the recent international break, back in with Grady Diangana dropping out after he failed to impress and even have one clear shot at goal against Huddersfield.

West Brom are on an incredibly spotty run of form at the moment with three wins, one draw and four defeats under their belt in their eight previous league outings.

Thus, Ismael and everyone else at the Midlands club will undoubtedly be hoping that the team will be able to produce a strong performance and pick up all three points so they aren’t in danger of potentially missing out on a promotion place by the end of the season.

In other news: Forget Furlong: Ismael must unleash “important” WBA machine, he’d terrify Blackpool – opinion